Date Approved

8-8-2026

Graduate Degree Type

Project

Degree Name

Education-Literacy Studies: Reading (M.Ed.)

Degree Program

Literacy, Educational Foundations, & Technology

First Advisor

Elizabeth Petroelje Stolle

Academic Year

2025/2026

Abstract

As low reading engagement presents itself in our classrooms and negatively affects students' reading outcomes, teachers recognize the need to provide learning experiences that encourage students to actively engage with their learning and interact meaningfully with texts. Reading engagement does not depend solely on students; it is also influenced by instruction that is responsive and meets the needs of students. This project proposes a two-week literacy unit for third-grade classrooms that promotes reading engagement through discussion-based instruction supported by culturally responsive texts. Grounded in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Transactional Reader-Response Theory, this project recognizes students’ identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences as valuable resources for learning. The unit incorporates student choice, collaboration, diverse texts, and scaffolded discussions to support the behavioral, cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of reading engagement. The project is intended to serve as a supplemental instructional resource that teachers can integrate and modify to their teaching. Through culturally responsive and discussion-based learning experiences, the unit is designed to encourage active participation, collaboration, meaningful connections with texts, and greater reading engagement.

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