By adding a comment to the page, describe your action research. Please share:
- how you identified the issue you are researching,
- what data you collected to confirm the issue,
- your research,
- your plan for intervention, and
- your progress monitoring plan.
If you are working in a team, make sure that all team members’ first names and last initials appear with the project description. Please do not use any student names (Student A).
At our next class meeting, we will be discussing all of the action research projects. Please take the time to read about others’ projects. You can post your comments or suggestions by clicking on “reply” at the end of the post. Use this blog conversation as part of your research!
57 Comments
I gave the SRI test to get students’s lexile level. Conferencing with student,we made individual goals for reading points through Reading Counts. I had him check out a library book of his interest for reading in class and at home.
Later that week we started working in class on skills and then started the FAIR test the following week. I did get information that was very beneficial to identifying needed skills for this student.
First I listened to him read. He was a good smooth reader not to fast and not too slow. He was doing well and looked like he felt comfortable reading to me. Next, I had to give LL a timed computerized reading test with the Journey’s reading program he is in. I also gave him an individualized RCT (Reading Connected Text), one on one with me. On the computerized test he got a 905 lexile and on the RCT he read 110 WPM with no errors. This information showed me he is an on level reader with this series. I feel very comfortable with him in this group for learning advancement.
Using his FAIR scores on the curriculum tree put him in boxes 2 & 4. With this information I know I need to provide enhanced instruction in high-level reasoning skills, vocabulary, fluency and reading comprehension strats.
For Reading Comprehension and High-Level Reasoning skills:
Some of the interventions I am and will be doing with him are discussing why he is reading a certain book. Is it for enjoyment or information? Remind him to pre-view non-fiction text for headings, chapter titles, sub-titles, pictures, graphs etc. For fiction he needs to identify setting, characters, and look at order of events. LL will need to question himself as he reads who, what, where, when etc… He will need to think about main idea, inferences, making connections and work on summarizing what he reads.
I will be keeping a portfolio on LL to work with him and conference with him about his successes, a minimum of once each quarter.
In his portfolio, I will keep his beginning of the year tests along with the following:
SRI
RCT
Miscue Analysis reports
Journey’s Benchmark Scores
FAIR
Reading Counts Scores
Practice work
Class Quizzes and Tests
Teacher written notes and
observations
Donna–
What does LL think about the progress he/she is making as a reader?
I sat down and had a one on one conference with LL and showed him his progress. There were a few signs that showed me, what we are doing together is working. #1 his face lit up like I have never seen it. He showed he was proud of his accomplishments by the look on his face and what he said. In one word, “WOW!” We looked closely at the scores on the first test to the second time he took it. I asked him, “What has been different from the first time you took the test to the second time you took the test?” He said,
“I have been reading more.” I said,”Anything else?” He said, “I took more time on the test and concentrated more.” As our conference went on I realized how much more he was taking his work seriously and cared about doing well. I felt he was being very sincere.
Hey Donna,
You’re a real trailblazer! I’m going to try and follow in your capable footsteps! I have typed up my Action Research Plan so far and will attempt to copy/paste it onto this website:
IT WORKED! Other than having to rearrange the data columns, I think it copied OK! So, now I’m officially blogging…
ACTION RESEARCH PLAN
How did I determine the need?
I have a student who is on the retention list. Her PRS on the second FAIR test was 20%. Through teacher observation, I noted that this student really has difficulty decoding words with more than one syllable. She has a tendency to just blurt out a word that has the same beginning sound without truly examining the word and the letters in the word. Therefore, I feel this student needs intensive work in decoding multisyllabic words.
What data did I collect to confirm the issue?
My main data source has been through teacher observation.
Additionally, I have collected FAIR progress monitoring data every twenty days: Oct. 12, 2009 – She read 49 words per minute and got the comprehension question correct. Nov. 9, 2009, she read 46 words per minute and answered the comprehension question correctly. Dec. 11, 2009, she read 40 words per minute and answered the comprehension question correctly. On Jan. 27, 2010, this student read 42 words per minute and answered the comprehension question correctly. PLEASE NOTE: IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT I STARTED WORKING INTENSIVELY WITH THIS STUDENT. On Feb. 24, 2010, this student read 70 words per minute and again answered the comprehension question correctly.
In addition to the FAIR monitoring, I am also using DIBEL’s passages to progress monitor. Her scores have ranged from the low 40’s to 80. Her comprehension has remained excellent. I was disappointed with her most recent DIBEL’s scores: 40 WPM/ 33 comprehension. The time before that, this student read 80 WPM and her comprehension score was 42.
Research:
1.Collaboration with colleagues
2.Internet research:
FCRR.org
Reading A-Z
Scholastic.com
“Help Your Child Become a Word Detective” by Wiley Blevins
I also googled “reading multi-syllabic words”and found a multitude of information there.
Plans for Intervention:
In addition to working with this student in whole group and small group during my normal 90 minute reading block, I also work with her for an additional 30 minutes during intervention time. I also pull her for a one-on-one session at least 4 times per week for a period of 5-15 minutes (depending on the day’s schedule).
I have a variety of activities and games from the FCRR website that specifically target decoding skills for multisyllabic words.
I will also be using the strategies suggested by Wiley Blevins in his article. Five basic steps: 1. Look for word parts at the beginning of the word (prefixes). 2. Look for word parts at the end of the word (suffixes). 3. Look for familiar spelling patterns in the base word, paying attention to whether the syllable is open or closed. 4. Sound out and blend together the word parts. 5. Say the word parts fast. Using these strategies, I will help the student decode multisyllabic words, starting with 2 syllables and working up to words with more syllables.
What is my progress monitoring plan?
I will continue to use DIBELS and FAIR. I am administering the DIBELS progress monitoring twice a month and the FAIR progress monitoring tool is administered every 20 days, roughly about once per month.
Additionally, I will time the student reading a list of multisyllabic words. I will start with two syllable words and then progress to 3 and 4 syllable words.
The PRS score on her third FAIR test will also be used as a monitoring assessment.
PROGRESS MONITORING RESULTS:
READING MULTI-SYLLABIC WORDS:
DATE WORDS TIME
2-15-10 25 2-syllable 3 minutes
2-23-10 25 2-syllable 59 seconds
3-1-10 25 2-syllable 50 seconds
3-4-10 25 2-syllable 36 seconds
3-4-10 25 3-syllable 3 min., 11 sec.
FAIR PROGRESS MONITORING
DATE WPM COMPREHENSION
1-27-10 42 1
2-24-10 70 1
DIBELS PASSAGES
DATE WPM COMPREHENSION
2-15-10 80 42
3-4-10 40 33
***PLEASE NOTE: The week of Feb. 22-26, I was made aware of a very serious personal matter that is having a major effect on this student’s ability to focus and do her best in school. I will continue to work intensively with her.
Glen,
It looks like you have been able to analyze the data effectivley in order to estblish what your student needs. That can be one of the most idfficult tasks! Kudos!
Good luck in your intervention time and I hope you’ll see growth! Let me know when I can be of any assistance!
)
Debi
Glen,
You are doing a great job. You look like you are covering all of the bases. I am so happy to see you are taking her personal situations into acknowledgement. These are so important to be incorporated and realize how they affect her academics. I would like to suggest finding her an older student mentor to come in on a daily basis for about 5 mins to hear her read and work with her on fluency.
Tiana (not student’s real name) is a struggling reader. She repeated the second grade, and immediately was a red flag in my book. When Tiana took the FAIR test the first time, her FCAT success probability was 10%. Her scores were as follows: reading comprehension – 22%, Maze – 36%, Word Analysis – 5%. When Tiana took the FAIR test for the second time her scores did not show adequate improvement: FCAT success probability – 11%, reading comprehension – 23%, Maze – 66%, Word Analysis – 5%. Based on these scores I placed her in box 2 & 5, which suggests that spelling is an issue that does not impact her reading. The data also recommends that I provide instruction in basic orthographic pattern and affixes/roots.
As a direct result, I took a look at her STAR reading scores: 53%, 45%, 31%. This correlated with her poor performance both in my class and on FAIR. Next, I looked at her reading CBAT scale score: 45 & 47. Upon closer examination of her schooling history, I found that 6 weeks are not documented of her 3rd quarter of second grade. I believe this is the cause of her needed retention.
In order to better accommodate Tiana I gave her the PSI (Phonics Screener for Interventions). This screener showed large holes in her consonant blends, consonant digraphs, silent –e, and vowel team knowledge. Based on all of these scores and sets of data, I placed her in an appropriate intervention group.
Laura and Diana–
What instruction is going on in the “appropriate intervention group”? Please describe your activities during the past week.
Laura & Diana it sounds like you both are on the right track. If you are interested I know there are a lot of good word games out there Tiana might like to try with some friends or maybe even suggest she play at home with family. You could send her home with a list of sounds you want her to use and see how many different words she can make that have those sounds, when playing the games.
Ex. Boggle,Scrabble,Perquackery(look them up on internet)and various computer games.
These can be fun and enriching. keep up the good work. I hope some of my ideas work.
Word Ladders are great also!
I think that tracking school attendance provides great insights as to how to create an intervention. Also worth noting is that you used several assessment measures to reach your conclusion, which causes to see how they can be used to build off of each other. I am especially intrigued about the PSI, and wonder if could be helpful in my classroom as well. Even though I teach HS, I often come across phonemic and phonetic issues. A question also comes to mind: Are we catching some reading difficulties earlier because of our assessment tools, or because of heightened awareness? OR – both?
Also, something fun to do with sound games and young children is to incorporate moving around or playing catch. I had read some very interesting research on the effects of movement and the myelination process and the connection to better learning retention while I was teaching early childhood, and had lots of fun practicing!
I look forward to reading your conclusions.
Well, Donna, you set the bar so high I am incapable of responding effectively. I hesitate to articulate for fear of deviating from the pathes of rectitude. I will share at the next meeting
I just hope I am blogging okay. There may be some blog etiquette that I am unaware of since this is a first for me. Congratulations. Enjoy your weekend.
Sandy–
Good job!
Disaggregated FCAT data for the subgroups, Economically Disadvantaged and Students With Disabilities, show that these groups are not making adequate progress. SuccessMaker courseware allows us to track the progress of these subgroups, provide targeted interventions and additional sessions, to raise the probability of FCAT success.
I have been tracking these groups in grades 3,4,and 5, since the 2009-2010 school year began. For this action research project, I will compare their progress against the grade level.
Laura W–
What data are being used to make the comparison?
I use reports that show the student’s area of weakness, accuracy rate, and amount of time spent with SuccessMaker. I compare SuccessMaker’s probability of success with FAIR’s predictor. Personalized instruction in the student’s area of weakness is provided by the teacher and closely monitored (daily) to see if the student is making progress. Then another area is targeted.
The FCRR reported that the “extensiveness of the SuccessMaker Enterprise courseware is noteworthy and presents teachers with a plethora of instructional possibilities. The courses provide supplemental practice in the development of vocabulary and comprehension, phonics skills, and writing. Instruction is explicit and systematic in letter identification, vocabulary and comprehension. Numerous vocabulary and comprehension skills and strategies are used and taught within the various courses. Instruction is explicit and systematic in letter identification, vocabulary and comprehension. Numerous vocabulary and comprehension skills and strategies are used and taught within the various courses.” However to achieve meaningful reading gains, active teacher participation is essential. SuccessMaker is intended to supplement classroom instruction not replace it. The reporting features are definitely a strength of the program. The daily gathering of data allows a teacher to differentiate instruction with a small group or one on one. Reports can be run daily but for efficient monitoring of student progress the course report and areas of difficulty report should be run at least every 2 weeks.
I must say that I am so glad that you are doing this Action Research project. SuccessMaker is new to me this year and am just beginning to see how it can be such a wonderful supplement to instruction. I’m anxious to see the outcome of your data.
In working with the big question-how can I improve vocabulary, comprehension and language skills; I have discovered that students will refrain from using unfamiliar words due to lack of understanding, familiarity and other. In my research into the action research project, I have found that most students if not all in my classroom, rely on a very small amount of vocabulary, some of which only changes when in a formal conversation with me.
Wenona,
I forgot which age group/grade you are working with. Please let me know. I would like to see if I can be helpful to you with some ideas.
Donna F.
Donna,
I have middle school self-contained students. Any help would be great!
Wenona
Hi Wenona,
I teach second grade and I realize that is far different from self-contained middle schoolers. However, it sounds like your older cherubs need to expand their vocabulary as much as my little cherubs do. Perhaps each student could bring in a new word each week to add to a Vocabulary Wall. The student would be responsible for explaining the word and using it correctly. It would get the students talking and hopefully using a more and more expansive vocabulary. Of course, encourage the students to incorporate the new words in writing as well. In my class, we have a “Voracious Vocabulary Vine.” The students add new words as they find them in their reading or any other source. They get very excited about it…don’t know if it would work for your group, but maybe worth a try?
Glen Carpenter
posted for Inge F:
Inge C. F
3/1/2010
Action Research:
How can I improve the literacy climate and culture at a Middle School?
Measurement Tool:
School AIM Literacy Survey administered the school Literacy Team in order to identify challenges our school faces in achieving a strong culture of literacy. Once challenges have been identified, the team will develop a School Wide Literacy Action Plan in which possible solutions are implemented. At the end of April, another survey will be administered to the CRM Literacy Team to measure growth.
Team Members:
The CRM Literacy Leadership Team has representation from all Curriculum Areas and Grade Levels:
Gloria B ~ Administration
Deborah D ~ 7th Grade Reading
Donna F ~ 6th Grade Reading
Inge F ~ Administration
Kelly G ~ 6th Grade Math
Abigail H ~ ESE Social Studies & Science/Inclusion
Cynthia H ~ TOSA/Curriculum
Brian L ~ Administration
Heather L ~ 8th Grade Social Studies
Peggy M ~ 7th Grade Language Arts & Reading
Mary N ~ Media Specialist
Catherine O ~ ESE Reading
Leia S ~ 8th Grade Language Arts & Reading
Meryl W~ 7th & 8th Grade Electives
Inge,
Who moderates your literacy team meetings. How do you decide what your focus will be? Do you use articles, books, etc. when you meet or do you primarily study reading achievement data?
Laura,
I am the faciliatator for the group. We are going to use the data obtained from our survey to identify areas of focus for the remainder of this year. Once the areas of focus are identified, we will all be responsible for bringing in research and articles that focus on our areas of need. Much of what we are looking at now pertains to teacher buy-in,. print rich environments, and implementation of reading strategies, so our data will be based on observation of these things. Our primary focus will not be on reading achievement data at this time.
Inge,
Since I have joined the Reading/Lang Arts team the last two years, I now realize how important this is. We need to make an impact on all content area teachers to be supportive and consistent with reading skills as well as reading teachers need to be teaching reading skills using content area subject matter that is pertinent at the time.
I can see this being accomplished with time, support and proper planning. I am happy to be on this Action Research Project with you. Let me know what else I can do to help.
Donna F.
I believe a literacy team is such an essential piece to any school! That team should and could be the most powerful and influential leaders of the school.
We are excited about the potential this team has to truly create a richer literacy environment for our students and staff!
Thank you for your support, Donna. You are a valuable member of our department!
Identification of Issue- We determined a major discrepancy between what is expected and what is occurring with a 4th grader, named Jane (not real name). Jane struggles to consistently read and comprehend on grade level. Data (formal and informal) collected shows evidence that there is a lack of text efficiency and comprehension strategies that are needed in order to be a successful reader and meet grade level standards. This collaborative action research project allowed and will continue to allow us to analyze and change our instruction so that students, like Jane, can be positively impacted.
Data collected to confirm issue- Jane enrolled in the 2nd quarter at our school. Jane was an immediate “red flag.” In 3rd grade, she received a 1 on FCAT, but was promoted due to passing the SAT10 during summer school. Her FAIR FSP was 13% and was being instructed at a P guided reading level (4th grade=Q). This triangulation of data, along with running records and observations, confirmed that Jane needed additional support in order to improve her text reading efficiency and comprehension strategies when independently reading 4th grade text. This data served as our basis for action.
Our research- According to Sebastian Wren (2003), good readers read quickly, effortlessly, and with automaticity. According to Patricia Chalmers (2003), “Reading fluency can significantly improve through implementation of various instructional strategies and methods of reading and by careful application and appropriate interventions, coupled with formative evaluations to measure effectiveness.” Jane’s struggle with connecting with text (especially when silently reading) drove us to want to improve her comprehension strategies. To do this, we discussed and agreed with Catherine Snow’s definition of reading comprehension, which is the “process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language.” Our plan for intervention needed to target these areas (fluency and comprehension), in order for Jane to succeed.
Plan for intervention- In order for Jane be text reading efficient and able to implement comprehension strategies when independently reading 4th grade text, we developed an intervention plan. The evidence-based intervention that matched the replacement behavior we wanted for Jane was to include her in a Title 1 small, guided reading group that targeted research-based comprehension strategies instruction 25 minutes a day (during the 90 minute reading block). Jane would also receive an additional 30 minutes a day of reading interventional support utilizing the Read Naturally program, which targets fluency, text efficiency, and comprehension.
Progress monitoring plan- Progress towards Jane’s student performance goal was evaluated monthly through the use if SRI and FAIR data. Her goal was to score at or above the 30th percentile as measured by FAIR Maze and at or above the 30th percentile as measured by SRI.
After weeks of data (observations, SRI, Running Records, Read Naturally, FAIR) collecting, we sat down to discuss Jane’s progress (PST meeting). We analyzed Jane’s graph that compared her weekly reading comprehension test scores (4th grade level) with the mainstream class’s test scores. It was evident that Jane’s tread-line was decreasing and the gap continued to be substantial, even though her intervention data appeared to look successful. Her averaged comprehension score with Read Naturally was 80% and she was is in the 54th percentile according to SRI. As a team, we concluded that Jane struggled with higher-order comprehension and needed more strategic comprehension support. So, we tweaked her interventions by adding research-based strategic comprehension small group instruction along with the Read Naturally intervention. We also changed the way we would progress monitor Jane, due to the fact she met her previous goal and it did not accurately reflect success. We would now set her goal to correlate with her bi-weekly reading tests. Her goal was to now score at or above 70% on her bi-weekly comprehension tests (Harcourt-4th grade level).
Amy and Sharon:
I think it is awesome how you have interpreted your results and changed what needed to be changed while sticking with the same intervention. I think it’s great that you were able to identify the areas that needed the “tweaking” you discussed. Keep up the great work! I know “Jane” can and will be successful!
Sharen and Amy,
It looks like, by the data, that you made an accurate change in her interventions. It is hard to find an assessment piece that will show you higher-order comprehension skill deficits! Good luck!
Debi
Action Research Competency 4 and 5
What is my goal? Well, this question is a confusing one. What do I want out of this class? What are my expectations for myself? What are my expectations for my students? What are my expectations for other content area teachers who are armed with the same strategies? Regardless of which question I ask myself, I always come back to the same want. For my kids to be successful, not just in science, but in life. To do this, they must be armed with the same strategies, the same want, and the same motivation that I have for them. How do I do accomplish this? Through literacy. If a student can read to learn, it doesn’t matter which class they are in, they can be successful.
If I share some strategies, such as, identifying words through prefixes and suffixes, decoding, context clues, and identifying main idea for comprehension, then will a student automatically be successful? Maybe, but, most likely, this will not be the case. A student’s motivation is their key. As teacher’s we have our student’s abilities and intelligences flowing around us all the time, but a high level of apathy is flowing even stronger. Students need to see how learning to “read-to-learn” can be a trait that is very self- fulfilling that will continue to fulfill them throughout their lives.
As teenagers, they live in the “right now.” The idea of college and a career sound great on paper, but are so far away for them to conceive of in their 15 year old brains. If only I could push the fast forward button for them, and let them see how they can be successful. They have all been told that Albert Einstein had C’s. They figure if he just skated by, so can they. Just giving them the proverbial “toolbox” doesn’t cut it. They must be taught to identify each tool and learn how and when to use them. Then (the hard part) actually use them! And when they do, they need more than just me being proud of them. They need to be proud of themselves.
This brings me to how I chose the student that I feel needs an intervention. First, I assessed through qualitative observation. I observed several students who seemed capable, however, also seemed apathetic. With qualitative observations, I tried to find out the “why” and the “how” of these problems (revised from Edwin D. Bell, 2008 and Wikipedia 2010). Why are they apathetic? Why are they performing so poorly? How can they be motivated? Is there, in fact, a learning disability? How can I help?
According to Edwin D. Bell (2008), we as teachers, should “collect and use analytical, empirical, and intuitive data in decisions that that are made about teaching and learning.” With his information, I decided to assess quantitative results of classroom assessment, as well. Many students are very capable of regurgitating information on a test, or being lucky and choosing “C,” so I only assessed the written response portions of my assessments. And when I assessed these, it was for content only. If a student couldn’t explain their answer by just giving a one word answer, or wrote the dreaded “IDK” an acronym used for “I don’t know,” then I can infer that they just memorized answers, and did not fully understand the content.
With this information in hand, I assessed the FAIR data on these students to see if there was a deficiency that was causing the apathy and/or non-comprehension. With the pre-mentioned observations and FAIR data, one student stuck out. His Lexile score was in the 1300’s (on grade level); however, he scored in the 16th percentile on Maze and in the 64th on word accuracy. He can be placed in the 2nd and 4th boxes on the literacy tree. I still needed to see if he just didn’t try, or if there was an actual problem. First, I had the student read selected science passages aloud. The student proved to be fluent. So far, so good. I then asked the student recall questions on the passages read. So far, not so good. This tells me that the student is capable, however, lacks the literacy skills for a deeper understanding/comprehension of what is read. Thus, my main agenda will be to provide enhanced focus on high level reasoning skills, vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategies.
How have I implemented this? I have been working on decoding words(as review), using prefixes and suffixes to identify words, as well as hammering in context clues by identifying words before and after the unknown word to properly identify it. I have also implemented a strategy called Reciprocal Teaching (FRI, 2008). I have paired him up with a student that is just a little higher than him. They each take turns reading out loud to each other. After each paragraph, he has to pull out the most important information by writing a main idea/summary for each paragraph. This has proven difficult for him, as most kids are programmed to either write definitions word for word, or just write down what teacher’s have on the board or a power point slide, again, word for word.
Another strategy I have shared with him is, while reading to each other, ask each other questions about the content that they just read. Examples I’ve been hearing are “What does that mean?”, “What is that word?”, “So, then how does electricity flow?”, “So the electrons are on the outside?” Then, by reading and summarizing, they try to answer each other’s questions.
This, so far, has been a very rocky start. This strategy is forcing him to dissect the material, formulate his own questions, and pull only relevant information from it. However, with enough practice, I am confident that he can essentially become responsible for his own note taking, and even more, his own learning. I will continue to assess if this is successful by continued qualitative and quantitative observations, and his future FAIR data.
While his future FAIR data will certainly be indicative of this student’s gains in reading skills, I am gathering that you are looking more at creating student accountability for learning and comprehension. As far as qualitiative data goes, you could look for independent note taking and demonstration through scaffolding. For example, right now you have him working in a pair, and perhaps after more guided instruction in the practice and partner work the next step would be to assign him a topic/subgroup of the science text to analyze individually. You could keep copies of his notes/summaries as qualititative data, and then quantify the amount of content he is comprehending. Perhaps you would want to set a goal – as a pair he comprehends/retains 95% of the content and individually 80%. Good luck!
It’s interesting to see how secondary content area teachers approach literacy instruction different than reading teachers. Students don’t enter your classroom with their plethora of past scores (FCAT, CBAT, FAIR) as they do for us. What you do to assess students is awesome! We should all use your quanitative data along with the enormous amount of qualitative data that we have to understand the WHOLE child.
COMP 4/5 Action Research Plan
Pamela J Gauvin
SHS ESOL Lead teacher
Oh, you cannot imagine how scared I felt when first comparing round two FAIR testing to the first round. I was looking at particular students who I felt needed some assistance, based on class work. Remember, I came into the classroom in November after FAIR round one, and we tested second round in Jan/Feb. Some of the scores dropped dramatically. Then I looked at the original scores again and found they were low, low, low… extremely low. How could they have dropped even lower since I arrived? Wait, some of the increases were just as dramatic. Now I reviewed the lesson plans taught during the period before I arrived and those I taught myself. Talk about a need for differentiated instruction. I based my first lessons on the reading department’s goal of FCIM focus on main idea through Read 180 and Educate Kids. I instituted an action research plan for each class based on this information and for use in another one of my competencies. The research and interventions were successful! So why are my students performing so low on the second round?
Further research identified 12 students who scored low on main idea. Their comprehension lexiles ranged from 515 to 830. Seven of those are beginning English speakers. Another student has since exited out of ESOL program due to reclassification under ESE only. Another student has withdrawn twice, now enrolled out of state. Of the three remaining, one is also ESE and in grade 12. One is grade 10 and the other is grade 11. Two of these did not take the first round of FAIR tests.
I decided to focus on K.M. in 10th grade in part because his scores dropped across the board. His lexile measured 1210 in first testing and 580 on second test. To determine reasons why, the student and I conferenced about life in general. He is bored with school, not involved in extra-curricular activities, not working. His 9th grade reading FCAT DSS scores improved though he remained at level two. Looking at his FAIR detailed report, I noted the student spent over 8 minutes on the first passage and decreased to under 3 minutes and under 2 minutes for successive passages. His scores on words/phrases, comparison/contrast and cause/effect are high. Reference and research is low. In our conference, I showed the FAIR reports and the FCAT scores to the student, asking him how he felt about his performance. I asked KM to self-analyze his efforts. I reminded KM that I believe he was not feeling well when he took the second round of FAIR. He agreed that was true and he did not think he had enough time to finish the test during the time allotted. We discussed the accommodations available to him for all testing. This includes his opportunity to use additional time. We talked about some strategies that might work for him. This includes enhanced instruction in high level reasoning skills and reading comprehension. He will use anticipation and prediction logs when reading new materials. K.M. will preview text for title, subtitles, headings, pictures, etc to assist in predicting. He will use RAFT activities to identify author’s purpose. He will use charts to identify story elements. We discussed metacognition and what it means to him. He will question the text as he reads to identify the topic and supporting details to help identify main idea and make connections. We will meet every other week during the student’s lunch hour to share lunch and review his progress through summarizing paragraphs, quizzes, class assignments and current events in his life. Quite often, I ask the class if the current text is about ‘ice cream’, as a far out extreme method of identifying the topic. Remember, the student’s reference and research scores were also low so K.M. and I are researching texts that are about ‘ice cream’ and we are planning an ice cream social for his class, to take place after FCAT tests are complete. He seems excited about the prospect of serving up ice cream sundaes to his classmates. When in doubt, the promise of food is always a possible intervention!
It is AWESOME that you are not only supplying the strategies for KM to be successful, but you are supplying the motivation for him to be successful, as well! GREAT ideas!!!!
Issue: How can I differentiate in a High School English Class while increasing independent reading, as well as connect to the English 1 currriculum being taught?
Q: How did I identify the issue I am researching?
A: Classroom observations highlighted the differences in student fluency, vocabulary,and comprehensive levels as well as independent reading experiences. Furthermore, after reviewing test data from district assessments and FAIR testing it was apparent that there was a wide deviation in the reading abilities of students placed within one classroom.
Q:What data did I collect to confirm the issue?
A:I used the first and second FAIR and CBAT assessments as well as classroom discussions on student independent reading, observation of what students chose for independent classroom reading, task anaylsis from my gradebook of the percentages of students completing their assigned reading logs, and reviewd student reading logs individually.
Q:What did I research?
I used the Wide Independet Reading study presented at a Citrus County New Teacher Orientation program as my springboard. In a nutshell, there is a direct positive correlation to the amount of minutes that a student reads per day to the percentile score acheived on tests and words read per year. I am aiming for 20 to 40 minutes of independent reading a day per student, which correlates to the student achieving between the 70th and 90th percentile on testing.
Identify the issue: How can I differentiate in a high school classroom while increasing independent reading and connecting to the English 1 curriculum?
Q: How did I identify the issue?
A: Classroom observations highlighted differences in student fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension skills, as well as individual reading experiences.
Furthermore, analysis of the FAIR data and county based assessments made it apparently clear that there were wide deviations in the reading abilities of students place in the same class.
Q:What data did I collect to confirm the issue?
A: Using teacher made observations through classroom conversations about literacy at home and in school (the last book/magazine/news you read, do you enjoy reading, etc.) made the variations in choice of reading materials and frequency of reading abundantly clear. Student completed reading logs were also referred to.
Additionally, the FAIR and CBAT data from the first and second assessments were used to analyze student abilities on whole group, small group, and individual levels.
Q: What did I research?
A: I used data from the Wide Independent Reading Study presented at a Citrus County New Employee training as my springboard. In a nutshell, it shows a direct positive correlation between the amount of time students spend reading independently and success on tests as well as words read per year. I deciding on aiming for twenty to forty minutes of reading a daily, which correlates to scoring in the 70th and 90th percentile of tests and increased words read per year.
I also referred to the ALA website to define independent reading. According to Cullenin(2000), independent reading is done by choice and is indicative of individual interest in materials, as well as when and where to read. She writes, “No one assigns it; no one requires a report; no one checks on comprehension.” However in this particular research I feel it is imperative to both assign a grade for participation and to monitor comprehension for validity purposes. Further reading into Cullenin’s study affirms my reasoning when she adds “In a second survey, a majority of 159 seventh- and eighth-grade students reported reading independently up to seventh grade but practically ceasing to read anything not required or assigned after that. Recreational reading ranked lowest among their preferences for independent activities.” Houghton Mifflin Company (1997) also explains how independent reading increase student abilities in fluency and vocabulary, and helps to build background knowledge.
I conferred with colleagues about how to entice and motivate students to read while still holding them accountable, and discussed interesting ways for students to connect literacy and reading to technology. Finally, I delved into the lexile.com and Accelerated Reader websites to preview the reading materials they suggested, and how the sites function.
Q: What is my plan for intervention?
A: Each student will be provided with a copy of their FAIR Cumulative History report with their lexile range. Using the LHS microlab (class set of netbooks) we will access the lexile.com website and students will create a list of 25 possible books they would like to read. We will then have a trip to the media center where the students will choose any book off of their list that is in our library and the Accelerated Reader collection. This is designed to create ‘buy in’ from students by allowing choice, as well as differentiate to each student’s individual reading level. The students will be given time for silent reading in the classroom, and requested to read at home/out of school.
The students will be given simple reading logs to record their reading frequency and to write one sentence summaries of their reading. This is for accountability and comprehension purposes. Completion of the reading logs will be recorded, but not graded. When the student completes the book, they will be asked to complete the AR quiz to show that they have read the whole book. This will be used as a class participation grade. We will also have regular class discussions about our independent reading books where students share their findings/reading in small and whole group settings.
Each student will also complete a supplementary project with choices in project being based on where the student falls in the Fair Decision Making Tree. This is outlined in a table, but to cumbersome to fit on this blog. Students will be asked to keep some light notes while reading (basic plot, reactions, unfamiliar words, etc.) that will be used in the supplementary projects. They will again have as session using the microlab where they will use their notes and several technological applications to complete their project. The project will be used as a class grade.
The goal of this research is to promote the literacy culture our my classes, as well as increase their reading skills.
Q: How will I monitor the progress of this plan?
A: I will record the frequency of reading/log completion on a daily basis and complete a task analysis of participation. I will also track progress through observations made through class discussions, and student enthusiasm about their reading materials (recorded in a journal.) Additionally, the use of the AR quizzes will show the completion of reading, and the supplementary project shows the practicing of skills in areas needed. I will also use the third round of FAIR testing data to note quantifiable growth in any of the reading areas.
I will consider this to be a viable plan of action if 75% of my students are actively reading 4 nights a week, and 85% of them complete the reading and the project. This plan of action will be tracked over a 4 to 5 week period. If it proves successful I can integrate variations of it into all of our English 1 units.
please note correction in citation:
Cullinan, not Cullenin.
Research Action
Student: Student A
Problem: comprehension
08-09 FCAT Reading and Mathematics were both 2’s.
FAIR:
Winter Fall
RC
FSP 52 50
Standard Score 102 101
Percentile Rank 56th 52nd
Lexile Range 860-1010 835-985
Maze
Standard 108 98
Percentile 69th 44th
Word Analysis
Standard Score 92 75
Percentile Rank 29 5th
Problem: Sean seems to read fluently when listening to you him, however his phrasing and comprehension is not there. He reads like he is in a race, full speed ahead. Sean is a very personable child that is always willing to do whatever is suggested to him.
Question: If I use echo reading, choral reading, as well as taping and playing it back, so that his understanding of what he is reading make sense to him. Through these strategies Sean should focus on his phrasing resulting with increased success in his reading comprehension as assessed in FAIR and FCAT?
Goal: Show improvement of both FAIR and FCAT.
Monitor: Weekly reading tests and running records.
Research: Comp 4/5 team
“The Fluent Reader” by Timothy Rasinski
TOSA-Michelle Loreth
“Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading” by Tanny McGregor
Question: How effective is differentiated instruction during Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions?
This question was generated at the beginning of the school year to help determine if differentiated instruction is effective. It was streamlined to encompass only the intervention time, but differentiated instruction should happen throughout the day, depending on the students and the circumstances.
Approximately 17% of our student’s population receives Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 interventions. In order for those students to make growth in the classroom, differentiated instruction must occur. There is a half-hour block of time in our master schedule for each grade level to instruct students needing Tier 2 services and another half-hour block for those students needing Tier 3 services. In these blocks of time, students should be instructed according to their need. As that doesn’t always happen, I wanted to find out if those students not receiving “true” differentiated instruction at these times were making as much growth as those students who were receiving differentiated instruction.
At the end of the 2008-2009 school year, 1st and 2nd grade students were screened using the Phonics Screener to find their gaps and needs. This information was shared with the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year in order to establish groups for instruction during intervention time. The 4th and 5th grade teachers were encouraged to group their students according to need and give that instruction during their intervention time.
Teachers were given the book “How To Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms” 2nd edition, by Carol Ann Tomlinson. This book provides an insight into the ways to differentiate instruction, not only for the struggling students, but for the advanced students as well. It also provided information on what a differentiated classroom should and should not look like, as well as what differentiated instruction is and is not.
Using STAR reading as my data for indicating growth, I have attached a graph depicting students receiving Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction in grades 2-5. The data was inconclusive, indicating that differentiating throughout the day is just as important, if not more so, than concentrating all “catch-up” efforts in one half-hour block of time. Many other factors must also be included in order to determine if differentiated instruction is taking place in the classroom.
As the Teacher On Special Assignment for my school, I created an anonymous survey for the 2nd-5th grade teachers in complete, questioning their knowledge, comfort level and use of differentiated instruction. The last question focused on how I could be of more help to the teachers. I received 87% of the surveys back (20 out of 23). There was useful information presented in the last question; areas where I could help the teachers utilize their instruction time more effectively.
Good Evening~
As a second year teacher, with this school year being my first full year in a Language/Reading program, I began this school year with the question: How can I motivate my 8th grade students who are at least 2 years behind in reading development? I first looked at the data from my students, FCAT scores, SRI scores, FAIR data, Language! program data and AR tests. I interviewed my students during the first week of class and discovered that the majority of my students had not interest in reading and no motivation to learn what I had been assigned to teach. I soon realized that no matter how fantastic and creative my lesson plan, if I couldn’t find a way to motivate them, nothing I did would matter.
I soon began implementing rewards based on independent reading goals the students helped create. The rewards took place every midterm based on words read and either AR tests, and verbal or written summaries of the books read. I also began reading the Cirque du Freak series of books during last 10 minutes of class, to motivate them to work up until that point and to show them how exciting reading a book can be. I also soon added a ticket reward system to motivate them to participate daily in the language program and this was rewarded weekly on Friday.
Since implementing these strategies, along with several others, my student’s data has increased and one many students have gone from no independent reading AR tests to more than 10. One student took 21 tests and passed 19. I will provide more specific data tomorrow.
Melanie
I think you have a great thing going. A veteran teacher once told me she taught poetry ‘back door style’ meaning that she had them do lots of fun activities like accrostics and rhyming games, and then showed them how they were learning poetry all along. I think your approach is similar that you are getting them into reading my using external rewards (fun stuff) and hoping that the love of reading becomes intrinsic. I am struggling with the same issue – how do I motivate students to read enough that they can realize that reading is fun, and that there is reading out there that they will love. Research indicates that independent or voluntary reading has definitive positive correlations to reading achievment. Any additional voluntary reading is bound to have some positive impact, and it looks like you have a lot of that going on with your students!
Big Question:
If I do this…. will I get that?”
1.How I identified the issue?
How did I know that vocabulary was a problem area?
·Target Word Analysis
·Reading Basic Skills Curriculum, 1983
·Reading Endorsement class
·Research from SERP (Strategic Education Research Partnerships)
2.Data collected to confirm the issue:
·Target Word Analysis
·Reading Basic Skills Curriculum, 1983
3.Plan for intervention:
HOW:
·Preview materials
·Make words visible
·Connect to other vocabulary words/meanings
·Analysis of text
·Establish routines
·Support productive debates
4.My progress monitoring plan:
·Target Word Analysis
·Reading Basic Skills Curriculum, 1983
My project involves working with middle school ESE students with moderate disabilities. When I get a new student I use a probe test (a test I have made up to test a students ability in phoenemic awareness and letter identification, Dolch word testing, and fluency) to see what level I will start them reading at. Once this is determined, students are given materials at their level to read and do. This time, I decided to read the whole class a non-fiction story entitled “Dewey The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World” by Vicki Myron. During the reading, we discussed each chapter using personal experiences with cats and used comprehension skills to explore student interpretation of what was happening. Once finished with the story, I told my class that we were going to do a PodCast for our morning show to tell other students about this story. Our Librarian is ordering the book for our shelves. The students be came apprehensive about showing their faces on the screen (they didn’t want to be identified by peers as ESE kids), so, we decided to do a “stage” type performance using a background and characters on a stick. My students voices will be heard telling about the book. My students are very excited and we are putting the final touches on our production. The purpose of doing this is to teach my students that they can have the same type of reading experiences as their regular peers. By putting on the production they have “ownership” in it. They can enjoy novels whether I am reading it to them or by books on tape until they are able to read on their own. This has boosted their confidence in reading and they are having a wonderful time making this production.
First Action Step
Tiana has many holes in her reading knowledge and needs them filled in as soon as possible. As a first step to close her gaps, I placed her in an intervention group that works with the Sing/Spell program (while also being monitored weekly using DIBLES and FAIR ORF). For 6 weeks, Tiana practiced her stretching techniques & alphabetic sound knowledge. Once she became more proficient, I moved her to an intervention group utilizing the Great Leaps program (while also being monitored weekly using DIBLES and FAIR ORF). I hoped it would add to her continued success. For 7 weeks, Tiana put forth great effort and made slight progress.
Evaluate
With the FCAT rapidly approaching during a mandatory retention year, I still felt that Tiana needed something more. Her ability to read was improving. Nevertheless, her vocabulary and comprehension abilities were exceptionally below a third grade level. I needed to rethink the programs and activities I was implementing.
FINAL DRAFT
Identifying a general Idea
Tiana is a struggling reader. She repeated the second grade, and immediately was a red flag in my book. When Tiana took the FAIR test the first time, her FCAT success probability was 10%. Her scores were as follows: reading comprehension – 22%, Maze – 36%, Word Analysis – 5%. When Tiana took the FAIR test for the second time her scores did not show adequate improvement: FCAT success probability – 11%, reading comprehension – 23%, Maze – 66%, Word Analysis – 5%. Based on these scores I placed her in box 2 & 5, which suggests that spelling is an issue that does not impact her reading. The data also recommends that I provide instruction in basic orthographic pattern and affixes/roots.
Fact Finding & Planning
As a direct result, I took a look at her STAR reading scores: 53%, 45%, 31%. This correlated with her poor performance both in my class and on FAIR. Next, I looked at her reading CBAT scale score: 45 & 47. Upon closer examination of her schooling history, I found that 6 weeks are not documented of her 3rd quarter of second grade. I believe this is the cause of her needed retention.
In order to better accommodate Tiana I gave her the PSI (Phonics Screener for Interventions). This screener showed large holes in her consonant blends, consonant digraphs, silent –e, and vowel team knowledge. Based on all of these scores and sets of data, I placed her in an appropriate intervention group.
First Action Step
Tiana has many holes in her reading knowledge and needs them filled in as soon as possible. As a first step to close her gaps, I placed her in an intervention group that works with the Sing/Spell program (while also being monitored weekly using DIBLES and FAIR ORF). For 6 weeks, Tiana practiced her stretching techniques & alphabetic sound knowledge. Once she became more proficient, I moved her to an intervention group utilizing the Great Leaps program (while also being monitored weekly using DIBLES and FAIR ORF). I hoped it would add to her continued success. For 7 weeks, Tiana put forth great effort and made slight progress.
Evaluate
With the FCAT rapidly approaching during a mandatory retention year, I still felt that Tiana needed something more. Her ability to read was improving. Nevertheless, her vocabulary and comprehension abilities were exceptionally below a third grade level. I needed to rethink the programs and activities I was implementing.
DIBELS
We timed Tiana for 1 minute and graphed her progress for words read per a minute.
Sept. 25–93 words
Oct. 26–93 words
Dec. 7–118 words
Jan. 29–113 words
Feb. 5–138 words
Feb. 9–130 words
Data collected today on sightwords for each student from the story showed an average of 30% increase. Most students recieved 10-out-of 10/100% on 4 out of 5 trials. (First trials showed as low as 30% with high at 60% accuracy). I an using Constant Time Delay process.
My action research focused on 4 students which were identified by low scores on the second FLAIR testing window. All four students demonstrate a need for additional phonics instruction and vocabulary word analysis development. For example, B.W. spelled INFANTRY – INFRINTE, while A.F. spelled it INPHANTRY. After reviewing attendance records, I realized A.F. has had to file an attendance appeal for the first semester. Her lack of attendance and health issues has caused her to slip in all subject areas. In order to assist her as well as streamline systems for the rest of the students, I created a Curriculum Task Tracking Sheet. This is a tool that she can use to determine what activities she missed and what will be addressed during upcoming classes so that she can walk in prepared.
Regarding B.W., within the first month of the Spring semester, B.W. was pulled out and returned to a homeschool environment.
As I considered strategies to assist the 3 remaining students, I determined the whole class could benefit from phonics, prefix, root word and suffix activities. I decided to implement a program that allowed students to act out vocabulary words, create vocabulary songs, and write vocabulary poetry. Along with the flexibility of demonstrating their use of the words with sentences using context clues for 5 different sentence types which include: Example, Contrasting, Comparison, Restatement, Cause and Effect students were allowed the opportunity to work in small groups to develop :30 second radio commercials using the Audacity program.
Other activities and student samples will be sent via email to those interested. Effectiveness of the programs will be determined by observation and classroom exams as well as the end of the year FLAIR test.
Please share:
· how you identified the issue you are researching,
· what data you collected to confirm the issue,
· your research,
· your plan for intervention, and
· your progress monitoring plan
The student that I am researching (Student A) has shown very little improvement over the course of the year, and refuses to read out loud quite frequently. The population at my school is very small, and because of the nature of the school I work at, it is not uncommon for a student to refuse a particular assignment. The student has progressed at the following rate:
Date of Test WPM
September 2009 48
November 2009 52
December 2009 Refusal
January 2010 55
February 2010 54
The student probably Christmas treed the FAIR, as evidenced by very low skills in all areas, and a 1% FCAT Success Probability. The only data that I could get in a consistent manner was reading individually with the child, but because of the variation in the text, the words per minute ranged all the way from 33wpm to 64wpm, depending on the student’s mood and desire to be included.
The plan
Due to the small population I teach at, I only have seven students. However, between the seven students, I have four different grades. Most of my students read at a very similar level, though. They are grouped according to ability, and not grade level at the school I work at, which makes it a little more convenient and easier for differentiation. That is, with the exception that 6th grade kids and 10th grade kids are interested in very different things, and several of the students have issues with laughing at things that are only funny to them. This may or may not be related to the varying levels of disabilities and abnormalities in social behaviors. But I digress…
Often in my teachings, I have to motivate kids to want to learn and I use a tool that many of us are familiar with – The Smart Board. Smart Boards are great tools and the kids loving using them. So, I figure if I want to motivate this student to read out loud and I want this student to improve their reading levels, I need to provide them with an opportunity to have fun and also learn. So, what better way to do that than trick them?
The idea is to get books onto the Smart Board, arrange groups, and try to affect reader’s ability. Primarily, I have six readers for reading group, so I created 3 groups of 2. These groups then read out loud with each other, and quiz the opposing teams on the vocabulary using context clues. For a long time, I would create the “stories” that they were reading, but that didn’t keep a nice flow and students were not excited to read. So, I thought that the best result would be to read a book. Now, getting books for a Smart Board isn’t easy either. That is until Charla mentioned the Gutenberg Project, obviously named after one of the finest actors of our time, and star super star of Police Academy 1- 15, Steve Gutenberg. With this new resource, I was able to find a suitable book, Tom Sawyer by Rush. Some guy named Mark Twain wrote a book about the song, too.
Now, I’ve only been doing this for about three weeks, but the student is showing substantial gains in reading. I have an aide that records his reading when he reads and because (I think) he views it as a reward, I’m getting positive results.
February 2010 58wpm
March 1,2010 61wpm
March 3, 2010 63wpm
March 8,2010 62wpm
Although it is probably not viewed as being a great achievement for most of you, it is a really good indicator to me that this student wants to read. The student checked out a book from the library, the student reads to the class, and I am working on getting the student to read to younger children at our school. I still am collecting data and will update this as much as possible.
The issue I am researching (and addressing with Student A) is working on phonics deficits with a third grade reader.
1. How I identified the issue I am researching is noticing discrepancies and inconsistencies in student A’s reading abilities and reading assessment scores throughout the year. In addition, the reading resource teacher working with this student (as he began 3rd grade already on a tier 3) observed similar trends. When we conferenced, we both agreed that his reading struggles were less comprehension related and more phonics related, in particular, decoding and vowel pairing skills.
2. The data I collected and analyzed to confirm the data was obtained from both administrations of the FAIR assessment (placed in “boxes 2 & 5” both times,) the strand level information for this students’ performance in Success Maker Reader’s Workshop (current level overall, 3.67, (grade equivalent, 2.8) word analysis strand 3.64 (grade equivalent 2.8 – he is 114 sessions from successful FCAT target level,) STAR Reading scores (Sept. 31 PR, Dec. 37 PR, Feb. 66 PR) teacher observation, and through the reading resource teacher’s administration of a “Phonographix” assessment confirming our suspicions.
3. Action research located:
From http://www.readingrockets.org/article/113 – By: Derry Koralek and Ray Collins (1997)
Reading together
Many programs use a scaffolding strategy that calls for teachers and children to read together. This does not replace reading aloud and independent reading, instead it is an additional strategy for promoting reading skills. The following are strategies teachers can use when reading with a child.
Explicit modeling
This type of modeling helps children learn to think about what they already know while they are reading. Talk about your thinking process – what you do to get meaning from the words and understand the text. For example: “That’s a new word. It begins with cl. I don’t know how to pronounce the next part – ue. Harriet is a spy. It must be clue because spies look for clues.”
Implicit modeling
This type of modeling also helps children think while they read. When a child is stuck on a word you can suggest strategies he or she can use to figure it out. The child can use these strategies immediately and when reading in the future. You might say, “Try reading the sentence again.” “Try reading the next sentence.” “Where did the boy go at the beginning of the story?” “Where do you think he might be going now?”
Choral reading
This strategy helps children become more fluent and confident readers. Hold the book together and ask the child to read along with you. Begin reading in a voice that is slightly louder and faster than the child’s. As the child becomes more comfortable with reading the text, lower your voice and slow down your reading speed. If the child slows down, increase your volume and speed again.
Echo reading
This is another way to help a child develop confidence and fluency. Read aloud a line of text. Ask the child to read the same line. Continue taking turns reading and rereading the same lines. When the child begins to read with more expression and fluency, suggest that he read aloud on his own.
Paired Reading
Paired reading is a technique that allows teachers to vary the amount of support they provide to a child while reading aloud together. Explain to the child that sometimes you will read aloud together – duet reading – and sometimes he or she will read alone – solo reading. Agree on two signals the child can use to switch back and forth from solo to duet reading. When the child gives you the duet signal, you will begin reading together. When the child feels ready for solo reading, she will give the solo signal and you will stop reading.
Helping children develop decoding strategies
Engaged readers automatically use decoding, or cueing, strategies to figure out new words in text. Marie Clay, developer of the Reading Recovery program, encourages teachers and teachers to help children learn at least four approaches to decoding. These approaches include:
· focusing on the meaning – semantics
· relating sounds to letters – phonics
· looking at how words and phrases are formed – syntax
· recognizing sight words – visual
Some children develop decoding strategies over time with little direct instruction. Other children need one-on-one instruction to help them learn decoding strategies. Here are some tutoring strategies for decoding.
Focus on the meaning
Young readers often figure out a new word by thinking about what would make sense in a sentence or story. You can help by suggesting that the child look at the pictures, then read a sentence again. If a child’s guess at a word is incorrect, ask questions such as, “Does that make sense? What did the girl do at the last house she visited?”
Relate sounds to letters
Children apply what they already know about the relationships between letters and sounds to read a new word. For example, a child can read the word train, because she knows the tr in this word makes the same sound as the tr at the beginning of truck, a word she already knows. You can help by reminding a child what she already knows about letter-sound relationships and helping her use this knowledge to attack new words.
Look at how words and phrases are formed
Compound words are formed by combining two words (e.g., playground). You can help a child read an unfamiliar compound word by demonstrating how to break it down into its parts. “That was a good guess – raincoat. You recognized the first part of the word, rain. But look at the second part of the word again. I’ll cover the first part. Now, what does the second part say? That’s right, it’s bow. So what is the word? Yay! You got it, it’s rainbow. Now the story makes more sense. After the rain, she saw a rainbow, not a raincoat.”
Recognize sight words
High-frequency sight words make up about 50 percent of the words we read and often cause children problems. When a child masters high frequency sight words he experiences success which can boost his self-confidence and interest in reading. You can help children make flash cards for sight words to use with you during tutoring sessions and with his family at home. You and the child can celebrate and track progress in mastering sight words by recording them in a journal, making a paper chain, or adding “sight word leaves” to a tree.
Use multiple cues
When reading with a child you can model how to use several decoding systems at one time as problem solving strategies for determining how to read an unfamiliar word. This process encourages a child to think about what might make sense in the sentence. “What would fit here? The sentence begins, I put cr, then I see the word soup. But what might she put in the soup that begins with cr. Oh, I know. It must be crackers. The girl put crackers in her soup.”
Additional activities to use located using action research:
o Syllable trivia (http://www.fcrr.org/SCASearch/PDFs/2-3P_035.pdf)
o Syllable share (http://www.fcrr.org/SCASearch/PDFs/2-3P_036.pdf)
o Two syllable words (http://www.fcrr.org/SCASearch/PDFs/instRoutines_2P_TwoSylWrd.pdf)
o Beanstalk climb (http://www.fcrr.org/SCASearch/PDFs/2-3P_027.pdf)
o Build a word (http://www.fcrr.org/SCASearch/PDFs/2-3V_012.pdf)
o How many words (http://www.fcrr.org/SCASearch/PDFs/2-3P_016.pdf)
o Word ladders (word building activities) (http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Word-Ladders-Grades-2-3/dp/0439513839#noop – click on “look inside the book” for an example)
o “Chunking” strategy – “Chunking” is a more efficient strategy for word identification that kids should be adopting in 2nd grade and beyond. There are certain letters in the English writing system that tend to go together. It is more efficient for students to process those chunks of letters as a group than to process them individually. Common chunks like “ING” or “THA” or “EAT” should be very quickly and efficiently processed.
- Start by giving each student letter cards or letter tiles with the following letters: A E T L K S N
- Tell the students to arrange the letters to make the word “TAKE.”
- Then ask them what letters they need to change to make the word “LAKE.”
- Then tell them to make the word “SAKE.”
- Then tell them to make the word “SNAKE.”
- Then change it to “STAKE.”
- Point out to them that the letters “AKE” are common letters in English. They are used in a lot of different words. You can demonstrate some more using other letters (SHAKE, FAKE, MAKE, BAKE, etc.)
- You can do the same thing with initial letters or medial letters.
o Tune into Reading program
o Great Leaps program
o Administer PSI (Phonics Screener for Interventions)
4. & 5. My plan for and progress monitoring of this new intervention is to alter the direction of my interventions after FCAT. We have been working with Student A heavily on comprehension, an issue of challenge. However we have targeted the issue of phonics and decoding strategies as in need of further instruction and we will alter the plan and interventions accordingly. I have been graphing this student’s comprehension scores throughout the year, and will continue to do so. But when this intervention piece commences, I will add phonics progress monitoring information as well as correlate any growth in overall comprehension.
I will begin with administering (and graphing) the PSI. From that data, I will correlate levels with the Great Leaps program. I am familiar with the program having used it in the past and the materials are readily available at my school. It is easy to implement and easy for students to begin with and get the hang of. Plus, the program combines several action research strategies and activities together (such as chunking, syllable work, vowel work, explicit modeling, implicit modeling, repeated reading, relating sounds to letters, looking at how words and phrases are formed, and recognizing sight and phrases.) I think focusing on one new intervention plan / program is appropriate now, adding more as needed as we progress.
I plan to begin by working on the program 3 to 5 days a week with this student in the morning before students come into the classroom for approximately 10-15 minutes each time. I will progress monitor weekly (and graph) according to the program, as well as monitor (and graph) any growth / changes to Success Maker strand growth as well as re-examine FAIR (and graph) when assessed again in April. I will also monitor (and continue to graph) his growth on classroom comprehension assessments checking for growth or trends occurring that may be the result of the intervention. Student A will continue his tier 3 intervention program with reading resource combining Phonographix and SRA.
Charla,
I’m sending my final submission to your school email. Please let me know if you can’t open it.
Thanks,
Wenona
Action Research Project
Critical Needs in Linguistics
What drew you to the issue that you researched? Firstly, results from the FAIR word analysis indicated weaknesses in phonics. The targeted students had mastered the sounds of the alphabet but not the correct use of blends and diagraphs. They understood that the letter “m” makes the “mmm” sound but were challenged by blended letters such as “ch”, “th”, or “fl”. There are more than 40 phonemes or sounds in the English language, which is complicated by the fact that we only have 26 letters at our disposal. For example, “t” and “h” are often fused together creating a new sound “th”. Understanding these rules of linguistics enables students to decode unfamiliar words and improve comprehension and academic vocabulary usage. Have you ever heard someone refer to an unknown concept as “its Greek to me!”? Well, that is understandable when it is understood that the english language is a combination of (Old English, Old Norse, Norman, Classical Latin and Greek, all of which are superimposed upon each other. Further complicating language learning is that these overlapping spelling patterns mean that in many cases the same sound can be spelled differently and the same spelling can represent different sounds. Imagine the difficulty a struggling reader or ELL (English Language Learner)student will experience. Understanding the relationships between written letters and spoken sounds, or phonics is the critical key to mastering language difficulties. Teachers need to teach the sounds that individual printed letters and groups of letters make. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds helps children to recognize familiar words accurately and automatically, “decode” new words. In the school setting, learning academic vocabulary is critically important. Why is academic vocabulary important?
Academic vocabulary includes (a) words that refer to thinking and communicating, (b) words that are common across subjects but hold different meanings depending on the subject, and (c) words that have everyday meanings that are different from the discipline-specific meanings. All of these types of words can make content-area learning difficult unless students develop familiarity with them. (wordgeneration.org)
This is when I discovered how the SERP or Strategic Education Research Project has supported improvements in linguistics through enriching vocabulary. Dr. Catherine Snow, Professor of Education Harvard University designed a program to build academic language and literacy skills across content areas known as “Word Generation”. As she stated in an interview, vocabulary instruction is a well-researched topic and so there is a wealth of knowledge to be garnered and then applied. Students learn specific academic vocabulary words every week. At the same time, they develop their skills in reading comprehension, discourse, and writing. Word Generation is a high-motivation program in which instruction is organized around engaging topics and issues. The program also provides continuity in the school experience for students and builds community among faculty across the school. Here is the link to view a video of Dr. Snow explaining their philosophies. (http://wordgeneration.org/snow.html)
Word Generation is designed for students at the middle school level in grades 6 – 8. It has been used successfully with students performing below grade level or lacking English proficiency, as well as those performing at or above grade level. The Word Generation model involves teachers across the curriculum. However, since I teach in a self-contained classroom I found the Word Generation or WG model to be advantageous as I deliver lessons on science, math, history, language, reading and life skills. In a classroom where I’m constantly changing gears initiating a new lesson every hour with the same group of students, it is an easy transition to introduce new vocabulary. For example the word plot carries with it a significant difference in meaning in math class compared to that of a language or reading class. Similarly, the word project is defined differently based on context. Although plot and project are spelled and pronounced the same in all subjects, the parts of speech vary and it carries different meanings.
One symptom of a weak reader is the lack of knowledge about discipline specific vocabulary. Students who struggle with linguistics have a difficult time assimilating new vocabulary into their repertoire and with using it effectively. Through immersion in the world of phonics, academic vocabulary and comprehension practices, students will increase in the percentages of accurate answers on assessments and assignments.
What kind of data did you collect to confirm the issue? The beginning sign that something wasn’t right were during observations during individual read aloud. Students who should have surpassed the beginning reader book levels were reading aloud as if they had extremely limited exposure to any reading, ever. To confirm my suspicions I administered the diagnostic reading tool, the STAR test. This instrument would test comprehension and provide a grade level equivalency of which the student should find success. Next, came the FAIR test and the word analysis report. It was not surprising that such struggles would be indicative of below-grade level reading abilities. In some cases, the grade-level was 3-5 years below their peers.
Tell us a little about the research that you conducted. Recognizing that I needed a tried and true strategy for vocabulary instruction, I began with online searches using phrases such as improving vocabulary and reading comprehension. Finding research conducted by SERP, the Strategic Education Research Partnerships and their project called Word Generation seemed to be just the answer I sought. The research partnership also sought out educational sites that had success with instructional initiatives. Word Generation is aligned with several well-researched approaches. As teachers, we tend to teach the way we’ve been taught. But researchers will state that the old school ways are not the best and that other strategies have shown a higher correlation to success. Therefore, I will illustrate and expound on what I found to be useful in the next section.
Taking account the data that you collected and the research that you conducted, what interventions did you implement? Armed with the TWI results from the FAIR test, I understood exactly the types of words causing my struggling readers to stumble. However, I refrained from issuing a list of words and demanding that they study until they corrected them. In compliance with the SERP’s findings, Dr. Snow suggested not to issue list of vocabulary words for rote memorization but rather give a text and teach the words needed to understand the unfamiliar text. In other words, according to Dr. Snow, don’t start with the words, start with the ideas. Controversial and engaging topics lexiled at the sixth grade levels are selected. Use the words 5 times during the school week so that the child is awash in new vocabulary. Concerning issues with attendance, this would be helpful to fill in the gaps for children with poor attendance. Another important key element in the meaning-making process is that the adults (usually teachers) accept that they must invest more in the learning. For example, Snow describes a four-year who points to an aardvark and announces, “dinosaur”! That instead of the parent correcting the child, they should encourage the child and help them make the connections between an aardvark and a dinosaur. In other words, as adults we must carefully observe the learning process and nurture more than correct.
What were the results of your research and interventions? While I will admit that the intervention is still ongoing, I do have preliminary results. At the beginning of the course, I interviewed two regular diploma students who read nearer to grade level than their peers in class. However, the academic vocabulary was not part of their familiar rhetoric. Despite their stronger reading abilities, I found them to have no prior knowledge of the contextual differences in academic words or concepts. Many interesting conversations were facilitated over the three-week implementation with promising results. To check for understanding, I solicited a variety of question and response techniques with more apprehensive students. It was nice to realize with the struggling students that at least 25% of new vocabulary words were comprehended and used correctly. In terms of the population I work with, consistency and student interest are critical components of the success of this new working vocabulary.
What were the results of your research and interventions?
The first results were a sparked interest among the student population. Previously, I had relied on the Twilight book series to prompt students to write and to read more. Understandably, the book series can only provide so much interest. Instead, with other topics of interest, I’ve introduced unfamiliar vocabulary into daily routine conversations.
Additionally, I created a print-rich environment of the weekly target words. Before the lesson begins, it is critical to review targeted words and when possible highlight in the passage. The teacher should always point out where target words are displayed in the room. It is easy for students to forget, a problem with out of sigh out of mind.
What did you learn from the action research project?
The main thing that I learned was that any child will learn if given the right circumstances and a commitment from their classroom teacher. Through the use of linguistic immersion and daily practice, new words will enter the child’s vocabulary and will improve academic skills. Skills learned in one class will transfer to another. (Skills learned in middle will carry to academic classes into high school and beyond). I must continue to immerse them also in the studies of prefixes, suffixes and root words to really master vocabulary.
What will you do differently in your class as a result of your study? Despite pressures from parents for their child to receive a vocabulary word list, I will educate them about Snow’s philosophies. Additionally, I post words on a word wall weekly as well as maintain a bulletin board outside in the hallway. When words show up in text, we take time out to discuss them, even when out of context of the subject. Turning the process of finding words into a game, students compete to locate target words. I also teach them about how to analyze new vocabulary on standardized test, such as the FCAT.
Words are no longer something to fear, something to dread. Words are like a mystery that the students have to decode using the tools and strategies from Word Generation. It is a skill they’ll carry for a lifetime.