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The Success Circle
Copyrighted by Eric Litwin
Used with permission
Conclusion
For the purpose of this project, multisensory experiences were utilized as the intervention strategy because this strategy provided opportunity for student engagement and improvement in writing in a first-grade classroom. Multisensory experiences allowed students to have specific, meaningful, and personal experiences and connections to each content area they were expected to write about. As they engaged in the writing process, they were able to draw from personal experiences to strengthen their writing.
This researched-based strategy appeared to be beneficial to this group of students in the area of writing. The results of the intervention suggest that the writing proficiency of the class as a whole improved significantly at the conclusion of the nine-week intervention. After researching the question, “What are the effects of multisensory experiences on the writing proficiency in a first grade classroom?” and conducting a paired samples t-test to compare pre-assessment and post-assessment results, a significant difference was shown in students’ ability to successfully utilize the writing process and produce grade level writing.
Scores from the pre-assessments and post-assessments support that multisensory experiences increased the writing proficiency in this group of first-grade students. By analyzing anecdotal records, weekly formative assessments, and student work, it became clear that students were able to utilize the writing process effectively while drawing from multisensory experiences in the content area of science. By following the content standards determined by the district scope and sequence as well as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Science Standards, the researcher saw positive effects. By pairing the content areas of writing and science, the researcher had ample time for instruction in both content areas, and had the opportunity to implement the writing process as well as provide meaningful and engaging multisensory experiences
Post-assessment Results
Post-assessments were administered and evaluated during Week Nine using the same opinion and informative prompts that were given prior to the intervention. Again, no instruction about how to respond to or organize information was provided by the teacher intern. The results from the prompts indicated improvement in writing a paragraph, including topic sentence, supporting details, and closing sentence. A comparison of the pre-assessment and post-assessment results indicated that there was a statistically significant improvement in these students’ proficiency in both the informative and opinion genres of writing.
References
Dowburd-Young, J. (2007). Students' responsiveness to using a multisensory approach and strategies in writing (Order No. 3281249). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304830123). Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.library.uark.edu/docview/304830123?accountid=8361
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards English Language Arts. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington D.C.
NCTE (2018, Dec 15). National Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved from
http://www.ncte.org/NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next GenerationScience Standards: For States, By States Retrieved from http://www.nextgenscience.org/
Emily Ward teaches Kindergarten in Salt Lake City, Utah. She graduated from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville with a Master of Arts in Teaching.
Dr. Denise Mounts, Clinical Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Arkansas, collaborated with Emily in the completion of this project.
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