Teachers are constantly being asked to use innovative ways to teach core subjects, especially science. Teachers need to get students engaged and actively learning, at all times and that is not an easy task. The purpose of this project was to explore the use of quality children’s literature in enhancing science instruction in the third grade curriculum while implementing and helping students meet the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (ELA CCSS). I researched how using children’s literature in the science curriculum may be beneficial for students. I have created a handbook that third grade teachers can use as a resource to enhance their science curricula. This handbook breaks down the four bodies of knowledge (Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Nature of Science) and eleven big ideas for the third grade NGSSS. It includes titles and short descriptions of picturebooks that relate to those benchmarks. It also relates the third grade science benchmarks to the ELA CCSS through activities teachers can use to teach any given benchmark.

<p>Denna undersökning handlar om elevers kunskaper och uppfattningar angående höstlöven och nedbrytning i naturen. Studien har gjorts på två skolor i årskurs 3. Skola A har profilen ”Natur och Miljö” och skola B är en större skola utan profil. Syftet med arbetet är dels att kartlägga elevers föreställningar om nedbrytning i naturen och dels att undersöka hur man kan arbeta med ämnet i skolan för att få en god lärandemiljö. Elever i årskurs 3 intervjuades och resultatet berättar att alla elever är medvetna om lövfällningen. Sedan skiljer sig kunskaperna åt. Hälften av eleverna på skola A förklarar att löven blir till jord. På skola B nämner ingen elev det. Mer än hälften av eleverna på skola A och två på skola B berättar att jord bildas av ätande maskar och småkryp. Skillnaden tror jag beror på att skola A komposterar. De flesta elever anger skolan som kunskapskälla. Genom att tidigare börja arbeta med kretsloppstänkande i skolan så skulle barnens förståelse utvecklas.</p> / <p>This study examines pupils’ knowledge and conceptions concerning the autumn leaves and decomposition in nature. The investigation took place at two schools. School A has the profile ”Nature and Environment” and school B is a larger school without a profile. The purpose of this work is partly to map pupils’ ideas about decomposition in nature and partly to investigate how to work with the subject in school to get a good learning environment. Pupils in third grade were interviewed and the results show that all pupils are conscious of the leaves falling. Half the pupils at school A explain that the leaves become only soil but no one mentioned that at school B. More than half the pupils at school A and two at school B told that soil comes from worms and small animals feeding. I think the difference between the schools depends on the composting at school A. Most pupils state school as a source of knowledge. Talking about the cycle of matter at an earlier stage could develop children’s understanding.</p>

Denna undersökning handlar om elevers kunskaper och uppfattningar angående höstlöven och nedbrytning i naturen. Studien har gjorts på två skolor i årskurs 3. Skola A har profilen ”Natur och Miljö” och skola B är en större skola utan profil. Syftet med arbetet är dels att kartlägga elevers föreställningar om nedbrytning i naturen och dels att undersöka hur man kan arbeta med ämnet i skolan för att få en god lärandemiljö. Elever i årskurs 3 intervjuades och resultatet berättar att alla elever är medvetna om lövfällningen. Sedan skiljer sig kunskaperna åt. Hälften av eleverna på skola A förklarar att löven blir till jord. På skola B nämner ingen elev det. Mer än hälften av eleverna på skola A och två på skola B berättar att jord bildas av ätande maskar och småkryp. Skillnaden tror jag beror på att skola A komposterar. De flesta elever anger skolan som kunskapskälla. Genom att tidigare börja arbeta med kretsloppstänkande i skolan så skulle barnens förståelse utvecklas. / This study examines pupils’ knowledge and conceptions concerning the autumn leaves and decomposition in nature. The investigation took place at two schools. School A has the profile ”Nature and Environment” and school B is a larger school without a profile. The purpose of this work is partly to map pupils’ ideas about decomposition in nature and partly to investigate how to work with the subject in school to get a good learning environment. Pupils in third grade were interviewed and the results show that all pupils are conscious of the leaves falling. Half the pupils at school A explain that the leaves become only soil but no one mentioned that at school B. More than half the pupils at school A and two at school B told that soil comes from worms and small animals feeding. I think the difference between the schools depends on the composting at school A. Most pupils state school as a source of knowledge. Talking about the cycle of matter at an earlier stage could develop children’s understanding.

Accompanied by a 3.5-inch floppy disk, kept in Pfau Library Thesis Storage.

African American males often struggle to read on grade level. However, 3 East Texas Title I schools demonstrated exceptionally high levels of reading proficiency with this population. This study addressed the knowledge gap of understanding the instructional practices linked to high reading achievement of third grade African American males in Title I schools in East Texas. Guided by Ladson-Billings's theory of culturally relevant pedagogy, which builds upon academic success, cultural competence, and development of critical consciousness, and supported by Vygotsky's theory of social and cognitive constructivism, the reading instructional practices of the 3 schools were investigated. Research questions focused on the instructional strategies and practices used by the Grade 3 teachers that may explain such high reading achievement in these particular schools. The questions also addressed campus-level administrator supports for guiding effective reading instruction. Through an explanatory case study methodology, the high levels of reading achievement seen in this population were explained. Data were collected from classroom teachers and campus administrators through semistructured interviews, personal reflections, and observations. Through use of a priori codes, open coding with thematic analysis, and axial coding, the key results aligned with the conceptual framework and indicated that the application of culturally relevant pedagogy explains much of the success experienced in the schools. Three themes resonated through the study: relationships, collaboration, and high expectations. This study contributes to positive social change by engendering a deeper understanding of effective instructional reading practices for African American males.

The goal of my dissertation is to find ways and methods by which pupils will be able to most effectively reveal the sense of poetic text. Unearthing the meaning of the poem requires a proactive approach of pupil. It is incompatible with the transmissive approach in teaching. Much knowledge is inspired by constructivist teaching methods. The work is aimed at pupils of the third grade of elementary school. In the practical part based on lessons learned from the literature I suggest pilot verification and contemplate such literary and educational activities in the first grade of primary school, where the teacher has the uncovering of the meanig of poetic text as the primary objective. The methods used in this work are consistent with the program Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka och få inblick i elevers inställning till läsning under lässtunderna i skolan. Den fokuserar på mångkulturella skolor med inriktning på flerspråkiga elever i årskurs 3. Som teoretisk utgångspunkt använder sig studien av det hermeneutiska perspektivet vid tolkning av material och analys. Materialet utgörs av intervjuer, enkäter och observationer som har genomförs på tre olika skolor. Studien visar att elevernas inställning till lässtunden varierar beroende på vilken inställning de har till läsning i allmänhet. Dessutom visar studien att eleverna motiveras till att läsa på det språket som de känner sig säkrast på. Denna studie kan göra pedagoger medvetna om vilka verktyg som ska användas för att påverka elevernas läsmotivation och inställning till läsningen under lässtunderna.

O presente trabalho é um estudo exploratório de cunho transversal que trata dos usos, funções e representações da Língua Portuguesa (LP) por 110 alunos do 3º ano do Ensino Fundamental I (EFI) de 15 escolas brasileiras no Japão, que foram homologadas pelo MEC/Brasil (EBHJ) e se localizam em áreas de grande concentração de brasileiros no país. A importância da especificidade do perfil dos estudantes se mostrou necessária imprescindível para encontrarmos um parâmetro mais consistente no que concerne à sustentabilidade da LP no grupo, mormente sob uma perspectiva linguisticamente basilar, justificando a delimitação do perfil. O Pacto Nacional de Alfabetização na Idade Certa (PNE/MEC-Brasil) prevê que as crianças devam estar alfabetizadas até o final do 3º ano do EFI (8/9 anos de idade). Essa meta, em qualquer contexto escolar, terá de levar em consideração as oportunidades de letramento emergente significativo a partir da oralidade, que cada criança teve na família e na escola, para constituição/ampliação da memória discursiva, o que facilitará a aprendizagem da leitura e possibilitará uma alfabetização instigante e sem traumas. (TERZI, 1995; ROJO, 1998; MATA, 2006; SEMEGHINI-SIQUEIRA, 2013). Há uma ampla variabilidade de proficiência linguística tanto na língua japonesa como na LP entre os alunos brasileiros no Japão, principalmente para os casos em que a LP já se configura como língua de herança (PEYTON, 2008; FLORES, MELO-PFEIFER, 2014): característica prevalente entre alunos que frequenta(ra)m instituições japonesas, a função social da LP passa a ser limitada por uma série de condições e circunstâncias, resultando em histórias de vida e competências linguísticas singulares, que podem apresentar barreiras, quando da transferência para instituições brasileiras no Japão ou no Brasil. Assim, para esta pesquisa, investigamos um contexto linguisticamente mais estável no que diz respeito à sobrevida da LP em ambiente escolar. Para sua realização, a pesquisa foi dividida em duas etapas: a quantitativa (CONOVER, 1999; AGRESTI, 2002; NUNAN, 2006; CRESWELL, 2007), com a aplicação de um Questionário e de um Simulado da Avaliação Nacional de Alfabetização (ANA), contando com o respaldo do Centro de Estatística Aplicada IME/USP; e da etapa qualitativa (NUNAN, 2006; CRESWELL, 2007), com a análise da produção textual de alguns alunos, utilizando o paradigma indiciário de investigação (GINZBURG, 1989; ABAURRE, FIAD, MAYRINK-SABINSON, 1997). Os resultados apontam para uma relativa estabilidade dos alunos participantes em instituições brasileiras no Japão, particularmente nas instituições em que se encontravam. Esse dado pode ser decorrente da maior conscientização dos pais sobre a problemática das transferências recorrentes, bem como da relativa estabilidade financeira das famílias, em sua maioria composta por pai e mãe como contribuintes para a renda familiar. Em função do predomínio da LP como língua dominante também em casa, na vasta maioria dos casos, não se observou barreiras linguísticas na interação entre pais e filhos. A base sócio-afetiva, construída nas interações sociais em casa e nas EBHJ, parece ter favorecido um ambiente propício para atividades letradas significativas em LP dentro e fora de sala de aula. Foram registradas marcas híbridas, características da oralidade do português brasileiro na produção textual dos alunos que, por sua vez, revelaram-se extremamente ricas do ponto de vista linguístico-discursivo. Tais dados, somados aos obtidos na etapa quantitativa, sinalizam que não haveria obstáculos linguísticos expressivos para a continuidade dos estudos em LP no Brasil ou para a realização de avaliações em larga escala nacionais. / This is an exploratory transverse study of Portuguese use, function and representation by 110 students in the 3rd grade of Elementary School, from 15 community-based schools situated in areas of high concentration of Brazilians in Japan, all of which have been accredited by the Brazilian Government (MEC-Brazil). The thorough specifications concerning the profile of the participants have proved to be essential to gather more consistent parameters concerning the sustainability of Portuguese from a foundational perspective. According to a Brazilian education policy Literacy at the Right Age National Pact (Pacto Nacional de Alfabetização na Idade Certa PNE/MEC-Brazil), children of 8/9 years old are expected to be literate until the end of the 3rd grade of Elementary School. In order to achieve such goal, in any educational context, meaningful emergent literacy based on oral skills is necessary as it will build/broaden childrens discourse memory, facilitating the process of learning reading and writing skills in a more significant way and without traumas (TERZI, 1995; ROJO, 1998; MATA, 2006; SEMEGHINI-SIQUEIRA, 2013). Portuguese or Japanese language proficiency of Brazilian students in Japan differs a lot from one learner to another, especially for those to whom Portuguese can be considered a heritage language (PEYTON, 2008; FLORES, MELOPFEIFER, 2014). Mostly common among those who have studied in Japanese schools, in these cases, the social function of Portuguese is limited by various conditions and circumstances, resulting in diverse idiosyncrasies both in the learners life stories and Portuguese competence levels, which may impose barriers when transferred to Brazilian schools in Japan or in Brazil. For this reason, we have investigated a more linguistically stable context concerning the use of Portuguese in a school environment. For the purposes of this research, we have integrated the quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative data (CONOVER, 1999; AGRESTI, 2002; NUNAN, 2006; CRESWELL, 2007) was obtained by using questionnaires and the National Literacy Evaluation (Avaliação Nacional de Alfabetização ANA/MEC Brazil) Mock Exam. As for processing the data, we had the support of the Department of Applied Statistics from the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics of University of São Paulo. As for the qualitative data, which consisted of textual analysis of the learners, the methodology used was the evidential paradigm (GINZBURG, 1989; ABAURRE, FIAD, MAYRINK-SABINSON, 1997). The results obtained indicate that within the group there had not been many pupils transferred from Brazilian to Japanese schools or the other way round, as the majority had been studying in the same institution for a significant period. It might be due to the fact that the parents are more aware of the well-known problematics surrounding the recurrent transferences. It may also be related to the financial stability of these families, mostly with both mother and father contributing to home income. In the vast majority of the families, Portuguese was the mother tongue, therefore, there were no linguistic barriers. The social and affective foundations constructed in social interactions at home and/or in the accredited Brazilian schools seem to have created an optimal condition for development of meaningful literacy practices in Portuguese inside and outside the classroom. In the analyzed texts, it has been registered hybrid structures which are typically found in oral discourses by students in Brazil, which turned out to be quite revealing from the linguistic and discursive perspectives. The data and the analysis indicate that there would not be linguistic hindrances for these students neither to continue their studies in Brazil nor to take Brazilian national examinations.

The aim of this thesis is to discover the possibilities Drama in Education can bring into the teaching of Czech Language in the third year of Primary Schools. The central hypothesis is whether Drama is a suitable tool for pupil instruction and what is the scale of methods and techniques in Drama in Education in the third year in Primary Schools. The thesis is divided into a theoretical and a practical section. In the theoretical part, both Czech Language and Drama in Education are reflected on in the framework of the curriculum of Primary Schools, including their characteristics and goals and their conformity with the National Curriculum. This section is also dedicated to the methods and the mutual interconnectedness of both disciplines. Further, the specifics of a primary school student are provided. The practical part is divided into parts according to the days of the week. In each day, a description of a specific Czech Language lesson in the third year is provided. In the description, the methods and techniques of Drama in Education are included. Each lesson consists also of the responses of the students as they gave them throughout the teaching bloc. All the lessons are concluded with a final reflection, specifying the highs and the lows of the lesson. Here, the hypothesis is being discussed....