For this action research project, I wanted to examine my practice of teaching mathematics. Specifically, I encouraged students to improve their communication skills during my math class through daily discussion and writing tasks. After establishing a class set of sociomathematical norms, the students solved problems provided by the Every Day Counts: Calendar Math program and used verbal and written formats to describe their problem solving methods and reasons. My study showed the effects of using discussion and writing to help students develop their conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas. Focus was placed on the quality of daily discussions and written tasks both at the beginning of the study and continually as the study progressed. Through daily discussions, monthly written assessments, and student interviews, the study helped to determine the importance of developing students' mathematical communication skills and building conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas.

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Social emotional learning (SEL), prevalent since the 1960's, is intended to meet the needs of the whole child (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). Over the last three years, the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic infiltrated society, and stressors during the pandemic created challenges for families and educators. At the beginning of the pandemic, students were disconnected physically from schools, and depending on the resources of schools and families, students had various modalities to connect with school. Extracurricular activities ceased at the beginning of the pandemic, and students lost access to mental health support, all impacting the SEL needs of students. As students returned to school in person, the SEL needs of students increased, and principals were faced with finding resources and strategies to meet those needs. Several research studies exist on the impacts of various models of SEL and trauma-informed practices, but there is little research on administrator perceptions of SEL. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to identify elementary school principal perceptions on the SEL needs of students, aligned to the CASEL framework, during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the resources and strategies needed and used to meet the SEL needs of students. Eight elementary school principals from one suburban school division in Virginia were interviewed. Elementary school principals reported environmental factors that may have increased self-management and relationship skill deficits for students. Using a variety of resources and strategies, elementary school principals have seen improvement in SEL needs of students when staff explicitly teach SEL. Elementary school principals desire more resources to meet the SEL needs of students but are faced with funding challenges and a lack of qualified candidates. To meet the SEL needs of students, it is recommended that school divisions work with local, state, and federal funding sources, as well as universities and colleges to provide additional support and resources. It is a moral imperative of elementary school principals to demand more support to meet the SEL needs of elementary students. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this qualitative research study was to identify elementary school principal perceptions on the social emotional learning (SEL) needs of students, aligned to the CASEL framework, during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the resources and strategies needed and used to meet the SEL needs of students. The COVID-19 pandemic brought on sickness, death, anxiety, and depression while educational and family structures changed. Schools closed physically in the beginning of the pandemic, impacting the connectivity of students with one another and with teachers. Additionally, extracurricular activities ceased for some time, and students did not have the same consistent access to medical or mental health providers, all impacting the mental well-being of children. Families were also impacted economically and socially by the pandemic. As students returned to school in person, educators were challenged to meet the SEL needs of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study investigated elementary principal perceptions on the SEL needs of students and examined the resources and strategies needed and used to support the SEL needs of students. Eight elementary school principals were interviewed from one suburban school division in Virginia. The elementary school principals reported an increase in the SEL needs of students and described a variety of resources and strategies used to support the SEL needs. While SEL needs are improving when elementary school principals and school staff focus resources and strategies to improve SEL deficits, the elementary school principals reported needing more resources to meet the SEL needs of students. Elementary school principals described challenges in funding and a lack of qualified candidates. To lessen those challenges, elementary school principals should demand more resources through local, state, and federal agencies to support the SEL needs of students.

Throughout secondary education, students are given opportunities to hone their leadership and collaboration skills with one another. Unfortunately, these opportunities are few and far between in the elementary school classroom. Since there are few leadership curriculum options available for teachers of elementary students, this study attempts to offer a fourth grade curriculum on leadership and collaboration within the context of the social studies curriculum. The study is comprised of a piece of historical fiction, journal prompts, and group activities. The text taught students about the colonization of Jamestown with a unique focus on collaboration between the Native Americans and Jamestown colonists. Small groups of students worked together to complete group activities where they were able to improve upon their ability to collaborate. This thesis provides insight toward the need for leadership curriculum in the elementary classroom and one curricular option with which to do so.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is the effect of work-study method instruction upon the achievement of students in fifth grade social studies. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the effects of the SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) Study Method instruction upon the achievement of students in fifth grade social studies. The subjects ranged in age from ten years two months to thirteen years three months. Th I.Q. for the subjects ranged from 70 to 135. Of the 102 subjects involved in the study, 42 were male and 60 were female. The I.Q. score from the California Test of Mental Maturity, S Form was used to structure the subjects into three intelligence levels. Fifty-four subjects served as the experimental group, and forty-eight served as the control group. The instrument used to obtain pretest and posttest scores on the variable relating to achievement was the SRA Assessment Survey, Blue Level. Form E was used for the pretest, and Form F was used for the posttest. The subjects were assigned to four classes which were near equal. Two classes were selected by the principal to serve as the experimental group. The other two classes served as the control group. The investigator spent equal time with the control and the experimental group. The four classroom teachers rotated between experimental and control groups on an equal basis. Students in the experimental group met nineteen times during the study for a thirty-minute period. During these sessions, the experimental subjects used the SQ3R Study Method to do social studies assignments. The control group met for the same number of sessions and for an equal amount of time. They worked with the same content but without using the SQ3R Study Method. The analysis of covariance was employed with pretest scores as the covariant.

The purposes of this study were to analyze (1) the changes over time in the state anxiety level of children in a computer-assisted program of reading instruction and in classroom reading instruction, (2) the changes in state anxiety patterns as related to gender, achievement level, and ethnicity, and (3) the difference in anxiety levels of the students while in computer-assisted reading instruction and classroom reading instruction.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether guided practice is more effective than no guided practice (1) in fifth and sixth grade classrooms, (2) in fifth and sixth grade social studies classrooms and fifth and sixth grade science classrooms, and (3) in science classrooms and social studies classrooms. In this experimental study, all fifth and sixth grade students in a small school district in north Texas were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and two control groups in each grade. Over the course of one month two teachers who had previously been trained in the use of guided practice procedures taught the experimental groups in each grade, using, extensive guided practice. Two other teachers taught the control groups in each grade without the use of guided practice. Students in both groups were administered a pretest before beginning each of two chapters in each textbook, while a posttest was administered after the study of each chapter. The analysis and interpretation of data yielded the conclusions that the use of guided practice in classes can be expected to result in higher student achievement than in classes using little or no guided practice in the following areas: science classes, social studies classes, sixth grade classes in general, fifth grade classes in general, fifth grade science classes, and fifth grade social studies classes. The use of guided practice did not result in significant gains in student achievement in sixth grade science classes and sixth grade social studies classes when compared with classes which used little or no guided practice.

Introdução: A anemia ferropriva tem uma distribuição universal e atinge a população em geral acarretando conseqüências importantes para as condições de vida, em especial para grupos vulneráveis entre os quais estão os escolares. Objetivo: Identificar a ocorrência de anemia e seus fatores associados em alunos ingressantes no ensino fundamental de escolas públicas do município de São Bernardo do Campo. Metodologia: Este estudo utilizou dados secundários da pesquisa: "Contribuição para a promoção da saúde infantil em uma comunidade". A população foi constituída por uma amostra probabilística de 613 escolares com idades entre 5 e 9 anos. A caracterização demográfica e socioeconômica da população foi obtida por meio de um questionário estruturado. Para a avaliação do consumo alimentar foi utilizado um Questionário de Freqüência Alimentar (QFA). A estimativa da prevalência de anemia foi realizada pela dosagem de hemoglobina em sangue venoso. Foram considerados anêmicos os escolares com valores de hemoglobina abaixo de 11,5g/dL. Resultados: A prevalência média de anemia para o grupo estudado foi de 5,71% não havendo diferenças dessa deficiência entre meninos e meninas. A anemia mostrou-se associada à baixa escolaridade materna, situação de trabalho do chefe da família e ao maior número de irmãos, moradia com um único cômodo e ausência de água na residência. Os alimentos mais representativos como fonte de ferro foram: carnes, feijão e pão. Frutas e carnes, que auxiliam a absorção do mineral foram consumidas pela maioria dos escolares estudados. O Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE), popularmente conhecido como "merenda escolar" mostrou-se representativo no fornecimento do mineral na alimentação dos escolares, e supre 50% do ferro total necessário. Conclusões: A alimentação referida no domicílio contém os itens de uma alimentação saudável. A alimentação fornecida às crianças pelo PNAE que anteriormente à fortificação das farinhas de trigo e milho não era representativa em ferro, atualmente supre 50% das recomendações diárias explicando a baixa prevalência de anemia encontrada. / The iron deficiency anemia has an universal distribution and it reaches some population groups with important consequences for their life conditions, specially for vulnerable groups as students ranged from 6 to 12 years. Objective: To identify the anemia occurrence and its factors associate in elementary beginner students of public schools in São Bernardo do Campo. Methods: This study had used some secondary data from: "Contribution to promote the children's health in a community". The population was constituted by a probabilistic sample of 613 students ranged from 5 to 9 years. The demographic, social and economic population shape had been known by a structure questionnaire. The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used to evaluate the food intake. The hemoglobin dosage in venous blood was used to estimate the anemia prevalence. The hemoglobin values under 11,5g/dL. Results: The anemia average prevalence for all groups that had been studied was 5,71%. There was no difference between the sexes. The anemia was associated with low school maternal knowledge, the family boss situation, and the biggest number of brothers and sisters, as well as a big association between the water supply and the kind of housing. The most representative food intakes as ferrous source were: meat, bean and bread. The auxiliaries to its absorptions were: fruits and meats. The school lunch had been showed a good representative as the mineral supplier for the students. It supplies 50% of the necessary and bio available ferrous. Conclusions: The food practical has been adequate. Previously the school lunch feeding wasn't representative in ferrous, but now, it supplies 50% of the recommendation, and it's the reason for the low prevalence of anemia that has been gotten in this study.