Test Data

1&2. After examining the west test data for Lumberport Elementary I noticed that only 56.27% of students are acheiving mastery or above in reading so I decided to come up with a strategy to help them improve their reading skills.



3&4. I plan to implemnt the selective underlining strategy to help my students better comprehend what they read. I chose this strategy because research suggest that students have to analyze information at a deep level in order to decide what information to delete, what to substitute, and what to keep when they are asked to give a summary (Anderson, V., & Hidi, 1988/1989; Hidi & Anderson, 1987). I also chose this stategy because it helps students review and revise their own notes, the notes become more meaningful and useful (Anderson & Armbruster, 1986; Denner, 1986; Einstein, Morris, & Smith, 1985). Reading comprehension increases when students learn how to incorporate "summary frames" as a tool for summarizing (Meyer & Freedle, 1984). Summary frames are a series of questions created by the teacher and designed to highlight critical passages of text. When students use this strategy, they are better able to understand what they are reading, identify key information, and provide a summary that helps them retain the information (Armbruster, Anderson, & Ostertag, 1987).

5.Can selective underlining help students to better comprehnd what they read?

6.I will use students test scores on reading test to assess if this strategy is working to help them better comprehend the reading stories.

Action Research

1. What is the title of the project?
Using Readers Theater to Show Off Good Reading

2. What is the problem?
How can I effectively utilize readers theater to improve the fluency and reading comprehension skills of my students?

3. Describe the instructional intervention.
Readers Theater was used to help students with their fluency rate as well as comprehension skills.
4. What kind of strategy is the instructional intervention?
Simulations and Games because the students are creating a simulation of the story by reading out loud to the class and therefore increasing their fluency rate and comprehension skills.

5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work?
•Games have been found to serve a range of functions in education including tutoring, exploring and practicing skills, and attitude change (Dempsey et al., 1994).
•Simulation environments and modeling have unique capabilities for enhancing learning (Gordin & Pea, 1995)
•Simulations can provide students engaging experiences towards learning crisis -management, communication and problem solving, data management, and collaboration (Gredler, 1994).

6. How will data be collected to determine if the strategy will work?
Fluency assessments from an informal reading inventory (level three) were administered at the start, and at the fourth week, eighth week and conclusion of the study to assess and monitor overall improvement of reading fluency skills including word recognition accuracy, reading rate, reading expression and comprehension.

Two surveys were administered—one at the start and one at the conclusion of the study—to assess changes in the reading habits and interests of the students.

Student performances of readers theater scripts were taped and analyzed weekly to monitor improvements in fluency. A rubric was utilized for the students to self-assess their own progress during the study

7. How was the data analyzed?
The data was analyzed in groups braking the data down into the four major groups - academically talented, general education, bilingual and special needs - represented in the classroom.

8. What were the results?
The results showed the academically talented group showed no gain because they were already fluent readers with great comprehension. It also showed the same percentage of gains in word recognition for the remaining groups. Overall comprehension was greater for the general education and special needs students than the bilingual students. Readers theater improved the students’ reading rate, word recognition accuracy and use of expression while reading as well as their attitudes toward reading. They benefited both from the multiple interactions with the text and with their peers, resulting in improved fluency and comprehension levels.

Final Product for WebQuest

I had my children to make their own props and create their own script based on the recent weather in our local area for a weather forecast since I was unable to implement my webquest in the classroom.

Student Interest Survey Results

I did my survey today and only 16 of the 21 students were there. The two categories that all 16 of them said they liked were recess and gym class. I was amazed that exactly half of the class liked homework and exactly half of the class did not like homework. The category with the lowest results was writing, 13 of the students said they didn't like to write. I think that most of the students need to be moving because they chose that they liked recess, gym, and sports. My struggling student did complete the survey honestly and Mrs. Lee couldn't even get him to do it. He just went down through and circled like for everything because he didn't want to read the questions. I tried to read them to him, but he still just didn't want to do it. He was already frustrated because he was working on today's assignments and some from yesterday he never finished.

Lesson Plans

Here are the links to my lesson plans for my weather unit. Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5

Summative Assessment

Here is a link to my summative assessment in my webquest.

Formative Assessment

Here is a link to my brainstorming web.

Anchor Video

I chose this video because my grade level is first grade and they seem to love music class and singing songs. Also, my lesson talks about how you dress during each season and activities you might do during each season because of the weather.

Driving Question for WebQuest

How do people forecast the weather?

Clinicals

This week as been wonderful for me. I have been teaching my weather unit along with doing other things with my host teacher. Yesterday because I was there she we gave the kids there reading test using the clickers, which worked out really well. I've also been able to take role and lunch for the kids all week. Today I gave two students there spelling and vocabulary test that they missed yesterday. Today I took the students juice boxes and green grapes for a St. Patrick's Day snack and they loved it. All of them thanked me and were very kind. I'm so glad that I was able to attend clinicals this week because I have observed lots of things that with me schedule I would have never been able to see. Today the kids did the tech step and they did a wonderful job. We also found out that there will be a hearing impaired student with implants starting in the class next for one day a week. Mrs. Lee has ask me to come on Friday's so that I can help out her and the other students.

Power Standard

Power Standard 9: As students make and record observations about the weather, they will determine its effects on living organisms and recognize that water can change from one form to another.

Here is a lesson that could be used to help students who are struggling with the effects of weather on the things around them. This lesson has the students to look at the world around them and describe what changes occur during each season. It discusses everything from the clothes we wear to the food we eat during each season. It also helps students to connect with the season through the different holidays that occur during each season.

This lesson would help my struggling student because it keeps him moving and thinking rather than just sitting at his desk doing worksheets. It also gives the teacher plenty of opportunities to ask the students questions which would keep him awake not knowing when the teacher may call on him. It also gives the studnets the oppertunity to tell stories about their lives and things they do during each season and the struggling student in my classroom also wants to tell me stories about the things he did over the weekend.

My Top Three Intelligences

My top three intelligences according to the quiz were self, nature, and social. I got 4.29 in self, 4.0 in nature, and 3.29 in social. I think that I've always been in tune with the natur around me ever sense I was a little girl so the results seem right to me. It was funny to me that the site suggest taking nature walks and photogaphing what you see because I did that all the time in my spar time growing up. I also grow a garden and plant lots of flowers every year with my children, which the site suggested that I plant flowers.

Clinical Observation

I'm doing my observations in a first grade classroom with 21 students. There is one student that I noticed has a lot of trouble staying awake and on task. The teacher or I have to go over and remind the student what he is suppose to be doing every few minutes or he falls asleep. Also, when the teacher uses the document camera or smart board she turns the lights off and after a few minutes he falls asleep. The teacher has had me to work with him one on one at the back table and he usually gets all the questions that I ask him correct. I'm not sure if he doesn't get enough sleep at night or what causes him to be so tired. He always is one or two assignments behind the rest of the class because he can't concentrate on them to get them done on time. I have noticed that he goes to work room almost every day that I've been there, which means that he doesn't get recess. From what I have observed he has the ability to do the assignment, he just needs to stay awake and on task.

Clinical Schedule

Tuesday's and Thursday's from 1:00-3:30 p.m.

Friday's from 11:15-3:30 p.m.

and other times that I'm available when there are changes in my classes and spring break.

Photo Story

Photo Story, Where I am from

Here is a link to my photo story.

Where I am from poem

I am from the mountain with the blue lake, from hot pepperoni pizza, and good old mountain dew.

I am from the two story gray house with the big wooden deck with the howling wind whistling by my window.

I am from the Douglas fur, cherry blossoms, and fresh dew on the hillside.

I am from Christmas eve and eating paps famous spaghetti, from Adam and Katie and a loving spirited family.

I am from picnics on the 4th of July and Christmas with my grandparents.

From no place like home and a visit from Santa on Christmas eve.

I am from a Presbyterian backing in a little white church.

I'm from Morgantown, Italy, hot lasagna, kabushka, and hootenanny cake.

From the stories about granny Neighbors, the wounded rabbit and my husbands stories about the good old days.

I am from the burn proof boxes, the boxes in the attic and many photo albums on the top shelf.

I am from living for the future and staying with the present and loving my family.

Student Interest Inventory

Here is a link to the student interest invertory.

Double Journaling

Jenny wasn't taken seriously as a rightfully concerned mother because it is a deeply held belief, or stereotype, of the middle class that poor urban Appalachians are unfit as parents.

I can't imagine the school not taking my concerns about my children seriously. I would go to the school board or who ever I had to in order to get my point across. I don't think it is right to ignore any parents concern for their children no matter their social class. I have never known anyone or experience a situation of this nature, but I know I would fight for my children until I was taken seriously. A mother's love for their child is something that should never be taken lightly. As a future teacher I will always listen to my students parents concerns as well as keep them informed about my concerns about their children. My daughter's teacher email me or writes me note about her progress at least once a week and I'm very thankful for how much she cares about my daughter's education and my concerns.

Donny's failure to learn anything was not noted because this was the expected pattern.

I was shocked that the school system would dismiss a child's inability to learn based on their social class. I see now why the No Child Left Behind Act was created. I feel that all students should be given equally opportunities to learn and the RTI is a wonderful program to help students succeed. Neither of my children have ever been in a low group for RTI, but I'm glad the program is there in case they ever need the extra help. As a future teacher I will want for all of my students to get the best education possible just as I do for my own children. I can't imagine anyone ever just saying it is okay for a student not to learn as a teacher you should want to help them. Our jobs as teachers is to help students learn not keep them from learning.

Mountaineer

1. Have you experienced prejudice or negative stereotyping because you are West Virginian? Have you experienced positive reactions?
When I was seven years old my family took a trip to Michigan to visit some family and my cousins ask me if we had dirt floors in our house and why we talked funny. I was shocked because I didn't know people had dirt floors in their homes and my mom had to explain to me why they ask me that question. I told them that I didn't talk funny, but instead they talked funny to me. They had an accent that was totally different from ours.
Last year when my family went to the beach for vacation the maid who came to our room ask us where we were from and when we told her she said she loved to visit West Virginia in the fall during the slow season to look at the beautiful leaves. She said she just loved the scenery here in West Virgina.

2. What should be our attitude toward outsiders that misunderstand our way of life?
I think that we should over look there attitudes and understand that we don't understand their way of life either. I don't think someone can fully understand how others live until you live they way they do. I think it is important for people to remember that everyone has there own opinion, but as long as you know the truth that is all that matters. People need to live each day of their life to the fullest and not dwell on what others think. As long as you are happy with your life that is all that matters.

Blackboard

Here is a link to blackboard.

Home Page to Educ. 3351 course

Here is the link to the Educ. 3351 home page.