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https://drmollyness.com RESEARCH
by
Ashley Mays
Harry
Independent Reading
make connections with the word. After reading this, I felt a nudge to include this in my guided reading instruction and especially wanted to use this during my action research study. Prior to the study, I did not have an intentional approach to vocabulary instruction during guided reading.
I want vocabulary instruction to be fun and engaging for students. I was very pleased to come across the article, Get All "Jazzed Up" For Vocabulary Instruction: Strategies That Engage (2016). In this article, the authors suggest that students make a “graffiti wall”. Students will choose a vocabulary word discussed that week, write the definition, write 2-3 words that are the opposite of the word they chose, write a sentence with the word, draw a picture to illustrate the meaning, and write the word in “fancy writing” in the center of the card. My students love to draw so I felt this would be an engaging activity to incorporate into my lessons each week.
After reading all of these resources, I had several thoughts. There is obviously an increase of diversity and diverse learning needs in our classrooms. As educators, it is our job to research best practices for these diverse learning needs. I also realized that there is research out there that validates the importance of vocabulary instruction in classrooms. I know that my ELL students have limited English proficiency. They need their teachers to scaffold instruction to help with their English proficiency. After I found the last two resources I felt that these strategies would be both engaging and intentional and would help my ELL students. I felt they would be appropriate for this action research study.
Research Methodology
The participants of this action research study were six first grade students, three boys and three girls. Of the six participants, four of the students speak Somali and two of the students speak Spanish. They participated in this study during their guided reading time. I worked with the students every day school was in session for 20 minutes. I worked with them twice a day for a week to make up time that was lost over school breaks. We met in our classroom at my kidney table. My co-teacher and I work with three guided reading groups per day. The six participants were already in a group together.
The purpose of this action research study was to examine the impact vocabulary instruction may have on the reading levels and comprehension of the student participants. In order to obtain baseline data, I completed a Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System assessment with each student. This assessment focused on finding their instructional level by having them read a leveled reader and answering comprehension questions. The accuracy and comprehension scores determined their reading level. This was completed the first week of the action research study.
During the following four weeks school was in session, I added two strategies for vocabulary instruction to my guided reading lessons. My lessons were completed on a four-day schedule. On the first day, the students took a picture walk through the book and we used the Richardson method previously mentioned as we discussed the vocabulary words. At the end of the lesson the students completed a graffiti word wall card as discussed in the review of literature. The students wrote the word, drew a picture to illustrate the meaning, wrote the definition, and used the word in a sentence. On day two, we quickly reviewed the vocabulary words before the students read the new book. On day three, the students read through the book one time before I asked each student a comprehension question. On day four, I completed a running record while students completed an extension activity. I used the running records to determine the vocabulary words for the next week. On day five, we caught up on anything that we had not finished during the first four days.
During the last week of the action research study, I completed the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System assessments again. In order to decide where to begin testing, I looked at their instructional level from the first week of the study and started them at the next level.
I used two different data analysis methods. One week I worked to triangulate three different types of data I had collected. At the end of the action research study, I looked for growth in their reading levels and comprehension scores from the first week.
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