Final Paper Instructions

The Final Paper is a cumulative review of all chapters studied in the textbook. You will choose 5 of the following questions to successfully complete your Final Paper. Each response needs to be at least 250–300 words. The question must be typed out in bold before the answer, and you must reference the textbook and/or presentations for each question. Be sure to include your reference(s) at the end of your paper.

These are the questions you may choose from: 

1. Compare and contrast the bottom-up curriculum and the top-down curriculum. Discuss instructional objectives, materials, learning environment, instructional strategies, and assessment.

2. Pretend you are a teacher in a diverse classroom. Explain what you would do to encourage students to learn English but still not abandon their own cultures.

3. You were asked to address the Young Parents Club in your community. The club members would like you to present information about parents reading aloud to their children. As part of your presentation, you were also asked to share a list of do’s and don’ts for reading aloud. What information will you share with the parents? Discuss the do’s and don’ts list. Be sure to explain why you generated the list.

4. Most 5-year-olds are not aware that what is said can be written, that written language is made up of sentences, or that reading involves directionality, attending to the space between words, and other conventions of print. Explain how you will develop the relationship between speech and print with beginning readers.

5. Write a letter to parents explaining at least 4 ways (2 informal and 2 formal) of how you will assess your students. Justify your response.

6. A student in your class hesitates between words while she reads. You notice that she looks around the page while she hesitates. Discuss your intervention plans in order to develop reading fluency.

7. Name and explain 3 strategies you would use to help struggling readers develop vocabulary knowledge and concept development.

8. Why is it important to develop readers’ awareness of story structures? What do students need to know about the elements of a story? Explain at least 3 strategies for teaching story structures.

9. You are writing a grant in order to purchase literature and nonfiction trade books for integration into your curriculum. Discuss 5 reasons that you could include in your rationale for needing additional trade books.

10. What is individualized instruction in reading? When should it be implemented? Explain how it can be carried out to meet diverse learners’ needs in a class of 25–30 students. Then give a specific example of a differentiated lesson plan that you will teach.