University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School April 2018 "We're Not Going to Talk About That:" A Qualitative Case Study of Three Elementary Teachers' Experiences Integrating Literacy and Social Studies Rebecca L. Powell University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, and the Other Education Commons Scholar Commons Citation Powell, Rebecca L., ""We're Not Going to Talk About That:" A Qualitative Case Study of Three Elementary Teachers' Experiences Integrating Literacy and Social Studies" (2018). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7220 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “We’re Not Going to Talk About That:” A Qualitative Case Study of Three Elementary Teachers’ Experiences Integrating Literacy and Social Studies by Rebecca L. Powell A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Literacy Studies Department of Teaching and Learning College of Education University of South Florida Major Professor: Danielle Dennis, Ph.D. Jenifer J. Schneider, Ph.D. Michael J. Berson, Ph.D. Jennifer Wolgemuth, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 23, 2018 Keywords: elementary social studies, censorship, integrated curriculum, professional development, literacy instruction Copyright @ 2018, Rebecca L. Powell DEDICATION To my husband, Ronnie, for your unwavering love and support throughout our lives together. To my parents, Janice and Randall Lovering, for instilling a love of learning and for modeling that learning is a lifelong process. Thank you for giving me courage to always reach for my dreams. To my children, Ronnie Jr. and Eric, for the beautiful blessing of being your mother; and to their wives, Jenifer and Melissa, for choosing to join our family. And to my grandchildren, Grady, Gavan, Gage, Adalyn, and Peyton, for filling my heart with joy. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people joined me on this journey through the doctoral program and during the writing process. I am grateful for those who challenged my thinking about literacy, teaching, learning, and life. Thank you to the three teachers who graciously opened their classrooms to me and shared their experiences with me. Without them, this dissertation would not have been possible. Thank you, Danielle Dennis, for encouraging me to pursue my Ph.D. Your encouragement and support helped me achieve this dream. Thank you, also, for teaching me to seek balance in life and work and that the doctoral program is not a sprint but a marathon. Thank you, Jenifer Schneider, for challenging my thinking and sharing your knowledge of literacy. Your passion inspired me as I plodded along on this path. Your mentorship has been invaluable throughout this process. Thank you, Michael Berson, for the opportunities you provided me through grant research and collaborative writing and for mentoring me through the social studies research. Thank you, Jennifer Wolgemuth, for your steady support, guidance, and knowledge. You provided the calm in sometimes-difficult seas. Thank you, Diane Herring, for your wisdom and knowledge about literacy learning and all the “Monday meetings” that provided professional development for a new teacher. Thank you to the new friends I gained through this process. Anne Anderson, thank you for mentoring me, propelling my thinking, for your kind, generous heart, and our many writing days spent at Panera. Thank you, Jennifer Ward, my writing partner, sounding board, and sidekick from the beginning. Thank you, Margaret Krause, and Yvonne Franco, for leading the way and for your availability. Many thanks to my first teachers, my mom and dad, and to my sister, my forever friend. Finally, I have to acknowledge my husband, my constant rock and supporter. You provided me with unconditional love and support as I earned all my degrees. I thank you for your sacrifice and support. You have my heart, always. i TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 11 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................ 17 Purpose of the Study .............................................................................. 19 Research Questions ................................................................................ 19 Definition of Terms ................................................................................ 20 Balanced, Comprehensive Instruction ..................................................... 20 Comprehension ............................................................................... 20 Core Curricula ................................................................................. 20 Core Programs ................................................................................ 20 Civics Instruction ............................................................................. 21 Critical Literacy ............................................................................... 21 Curriculum ..................................................................................... 22 Disciplinary Literacy ......................................................................... 22 Integrated Curriculum ....................................................................... 22 Literacy ........................................................................................ 22 Planning ........................................................................................ 22 Reading ......................................................................................... 22 Social Studies ................................................................................. 23 Limitations .......................................................................................... 23 Delimitations ....................................................................................... 24 Significance of the Study ......................................................................... 25 Outline of the Dissertation ....................................................................... 25 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................................................... 27 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................... 28 Methods of Search ................................................................................. 31 Integrated Curriculum ............................................................................. 31 ii Effective Literacy Instruction .................................................................... 38 Balanced, Comprehensive Instruction ..................................................... 40 Reading Comprehension ..................................................................... 41 The influence of vocabulary on reading comprehension .......................... 42 The Influence of Background Knowledge on Comprehension .......................... 46 Strategy Instruction and Comprehension ................................................. 49 Making Meaning Through Text Interactions .............................................. 50 Extensive Reading and Writing ............................................................. 50 Integrated Science and Social Studies .................................................... 53 A Focus on Meaning and Higher-Level Thinking Skills .................................. 54 Skills Explicitly Taught and Coached ...................................................... 55 A Variety of Formats for Instruction ....................................................... 55 Effective Social Studies Instruction in the Elementary Classroom ......................... 56 Marginalization ................................................................................ 59 Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Civics Education Act ..................................... 61 Disciplinary Literacy ......................................................................... 62 Content area literacy ................................................................... 64 Critical literacy .......................................................................... 65 Visual literacy ........................................................................... 66 The Importance and Influence of the Classroom Teacher ................................... 67 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 70 Research Questions ................................................................................ 70 Methodological Approach ......................................................................... 71 Design Logic ..................................................................................