Thick Descriptions #2 - Small Group Activity

For the past few weeks during whole group reading, my students and I read the book Because of Winn Dixie. Students enjoyed reading about a young girl and her relationship with her dog. After this unit, we spent one week learning about text features. I wanted students to combine the chapter book with their understanding of text features, which led me to this activity implemented in small group. I sat at the kidney table in the back of the room with Jessica, Kevin, Michelle, Anthony, and Karen (Brian was out sick). After reviewing text features and their purposes, I explained that students were to assume the role of Opal (the young girl in Because of Winn Dixie), and pretend their dog, Winn Dixie, had just run away from home. They were to create a “Missing Poster” using five text features. Smiles grew across the eager faces of Jessica and Karen. Since feedback was minimal from Michelle, Kevin, and Anthony, I asked if they knew what a “Missing Poster” was. When the response was “No,” I explained what I was talking about. After my explanation, Anthony commented, “Oh, like how the police have those ‘Wanted’ posters?” I explained that students may color their posters if they included five text features, and if time allowed. Twenty minutes was dedicated to this activity. Once students understood the assignment, all went to work. Michelle drew a small box in the top right corner and listed the five text features she wanted to include on her poster. After seeing this, Karen and Kevin did the same. Meanwhile, Jessica was hard at work adding pictures, captions, and a bulleted list to her poster. Ten minutes into creating his poster, Anthony asked, “Are we going to be able to color this?” From this, I determined he was most excited about coloring than creating the actual poster since he was lacking key information. While working, I observed Kevin looking off Karen’s paper. When he was redirected, he began humming and talking to himself. Jessica obviously knew exactly what she wanted her poster to look like because she worked for ten minutes straight and did not speak to anyone. When she was finished, her poster looked great, included key information from the book, and incorporated five text features. She eagerly asked if she could color her poster, which she did for the remaining ten minutes. Michelle gave great effort on her poster and even included a map, illustrating the location of Opal’s home. During the twenty-minute block, Kevin was redirected three times, and was able to create a poster with three text features. Anthony spent his twenty minutes perfecting the drawing of the dog and did not add any text to his poster. Although they were not colored, Karen and Michelle completed their posters, meeting my expectations. The purpose of this activity was to determine how well students could apply their knowledge of text features to their comprehension of the chapter book. Overall, three of the five were able to complete this assignment as expected.  

Jessica's Poster

Karen's poster

Anthony's poster

Thick Descriptions #1 - Dialogue Journals

My small group reading block began the same as every Monday – students responding to my writing in their dialogue journals. I sat with Karen, Jessica, Michelle, Anthony and Kevin at the kidney table in the back of the classroom. Each student came to the table prepared with a pencil and ready to work in their journals. I set the timer for fifteen minutes and watched as they anxiously and excitedly read my response to their previous writing. By now, dialogue journal writing has become routine for students and they understand expectations. There was no initial conversation, and no questions asked. After reading what I had written, Jessica, Michelle, and Karen did not miss a beat; they immediately went to writing their response back. Anthony sat for three minutes, with pencil in hand, staring from his notebook to the ceiling. I interpreted this behavior to mean he did not know how he wanted to begin his response back to me. Kevin showed little interest to what I had written in his journal, and sat for the first four minutes tapping his pencil to his cheek, saying, “Hmmmm….” In the first eight minutes, the three girls were on they way to writing half page responses, while Anthony had filled two lines on his notebook page. This did not totally surprise me, since he works hard, but very slow, although he is a very bright student, and came make great contributions to class discussions. At this time, Michelle looked at me and said, “I’m done.” I reminded her of our timer and encouraged her to continue writing for the remaining seven minutes. After a thirty second (or so) pause, Michelle went right to work. Through her journaling, Michelle does not usually engage in the conversation aspect of this activity, but tends to stick to simply answering my questions. However, my most authentic writers, the two students that I have felt have had the greatest success with this activity, are Jessica and Karen, and they never seem to struggle with what to say next. Ten minutes into the writing time, I observed that Kevin had simply restated one of the questions I had asked him. Up to this point, I had redirected him five times to stay focused and work on his response. From this observation, I can infer three things: Kevin is not interested in our current conversation, he is uninterested in maintaining a dialogue journal with me, and/ or Kevin does not like to write.

When our fifteen minutes were up, I interviewed the students on their thoughts and opinions about our journaling activity. I first asked them, “What do you think about how we write to each other in the journals?” Jessica, Karen, and Michelle immediately responded, “It’s fun!” When asked why, Jessica responded, “I like how we are talking to each other without actually talking.” Karen thought it was fun because we were able to talk to each other freely. At this question, Kevin and Anthony say quietly and avoided eye contact with me. So I directed a question to Anthony. I asked, “Anthony, why do you think we write back and forth to each other? Why do I have you all do this?” His response was perfect, “To learn from each other and to get to know each other.” While discussing the students’ likes and dislikes for this activity, Kevin was pretty quiet; he didn’t seem to have much of an opinion on this activity. When I asked him if writing to me was hard, he replied, “Yes because you expect us to think and I don’t like to write.” I further explained how this activity was not chosen to be too demanding or require intense thinking, however, it provides us the opportunity to talk with each other, learn about each other, and share a special conversation we might not have otherwise. At this, Kevin nodded his head in agreement and the dialogue journal activity concluded. Based on my conversations with the other four students, this is a fun activity that they enjoy doing, and it strengthens our relationship.

Narrow Reading: Photosynthesis

Drucker (2003) is the author of the article, What Reading Teachers Should Know About ESL Learners. In her article, Drucker describes a variety of instructional strategies effective for ESL students. One such strategy is narrow reading. In narrow reading, “learners read authentic writing about the same topic in a number of different texts. By doing this, students are exposed to a common body of vocabulary,” (pg. 27).

My first attempt at narrow reading incorporated a lesson on plant structures and functions, which is what we were studying at the time in Science. Through our Science lessons, we learned about photosynthesis and how plants make their own food. To build on this lesson in small group, we read a passage called, “A Tree is Like a Hungry Kid.” With this passage, we reviewed the “ingredients” for photosynthesis and further described the process of photosynthesis. Students were very eager to share their knowledge about plants and photosynthesis. Participation was high and students were able to make great text-to-text connections.

We worked with this passage for a week, and during this time we focused on vocabulary, comprehension, and sequencing. Vocabulary and comprehension were the focus for the first two days. On the third day, students sequenced the steps of photosynthesis using the passage. Together, we completed a graphic organizer, identifying the first, second, third, fourth, and final steps of photosynthesis. After completing the organizer, I incorporated a mini writing lesson into the activity. We discussed the importance of topic and concluding sentences and created an example of each as a whole group. I instructed students to use their organizers to create a cohesive paragraph describing the steps of photosynthesis.

While students were working on their paragraphs, I made my observations. Four students (Jessica, Karen, Brian and Anthony) went right to work and did not have any difficulty with this assignment. These students pay great attention during instruction and are usually on task and participating. Kevin and Michelle struggled a bit more with this assignment, leaving out key details in their writing. However, both were quick to ask for help and clarification. After walking them through the assignment again, they had a better understanding, and were able to make necessary changes to their work.

Our final day working with photosynthesis provided the opportunity for a more hands-on, creative activity. I gave each student a template of a leaf that they were to cut out and color. We split the leaf in half and labeled “In” on one half and “Out” on the other. Each student received five arrows and were instructed to label the arrows with the three components of photosynthesis and the two products of photosynthesis and glue to the correct half of the leaf. I gave them twenty minutes to complete this activity and allowed them to work with a partner. All six of the students were able to complete this activity to one hundred percent accuracy. While working, I observed some students saying to each other, “This is fun!” and “I like this!”

When reflecting on this week’s activity, five of the six students had high participation and engagement. They were making frequent connections to our Science lessons and other books about photosynthesis. Kevin was often off task during instruction and required frequent redirecting. Although he was able to make text-to-text connections, following directions and meeting work requirements was a challenge for him. Although it may seem a bit tedious to spend a week on photosynthesis in small group, none of the students complained or voiced their boredom with this topic. In fact, the opposite was observed.

The Beginning of Dialogue Journals

When researching effective instructional methods for ELLs, I came across dialogue journals. Linnell (2010) describes this activity in her article, Using Dialogue Journals to Focus on Form. Linnell describes these journals as “written conversations between a student and the teacher and sometimes between students themselves. Topics may be chosen by the student or suggested by the teacher in response to classroom curriculum or student experiences,” (pg. 1). The purpose of dialogue journals is for teachers to model appropriate language usage and mechanics, while developing a strong student-teacher relationship.

To first introduce dialogue journals to my Small Group, I read the story, You Are Special by Max Lucado. I chose this book as a read aloud because it seemed to be the perfect  book for the beginning of the school year. The message in this book is to be yourself and embrace your individuality.  The author also teaches his readers to ignore other people’s opinions about you. I thought the message in this book was strong and appropriate for beginning the dialogue journal activity. After reading the book, my group and I discussed what a dialogue was, how people participate in dialogue, etc. I distributed journals and a writing prompt to kick start our dialogue. I chose to assign a writing prompt for the fist entry because I felt it would ease students into this activity and provide a basis for conversation, versus telling them to write to me about anything they wanted. I assured students that these were private conversations between me and them, and encouraged them to write freely. I set the timer for fifteen minutes and allowed students to get to work.

This is the writing prompt:

 

You Are Special by Max Lucado

1.     What is the message of this story? Think about what the author wants you to learn from this story.

2.    Describe (tell all about) a time when someone made you feel special.

3.     As your teacher, how can I help you feel special?

 

While students were responding to this writing prompt, I began my observations. Five of the six students went right to work. Kevin, however, struggled with this task, sitting with a blank stare, tapping his pencil on his notebook. Finally, after three minutes, Kevin got to work. When ten minutes had passed, I gave students a five minute warning, and encouraged them to answer all three questions. At this point, all students were engaged in this task, and absorbed in their writing. Two students finished before the timer went off (Brian and Anthony), but the other four needed another minute to finish their thoughts.

I did not ask for immediate feedback on this activity because I wanted to wait until we have had more opportunities to write back and forth. However, I noted in my observations when students were finished, that all the girls and Brian seemed excited to share their responses with me and asked when I was going to read them and write back. I explained that this process would take place every other day, they would write in their journals on Monday and Wednesday, and I would respond on Tuesday and Thursday.

When reading the responses to the prompt, everyone was able to accurately describe the author’s message in our story. When responding to the second question (describe a time you have felt special), 4 of the 6 described a special time spent with family. Brian described feeling special in third grade when he won four awards. Anthony’s responses to all three questions were vague; he only wrote one or two sentences for each question. He said he felt special when he got a video game.

As their teacher, I was most excited about reading their responses to the third question: What can I do to make them feel special? Of the six students, five explained that I can make them feel special by teaching them more math or science. Jessica explained that I can make her feel special by being myself. I thought that was a great response, and a very mature approach to this assignment! Two students reciprocated the dialogue aspect (this surprised me!) and asked what they can do to make me feel special. Again, this demonstrates a maturity in their thought processes and a genuine consideration for me as their teacher and reflection on the questions I asked.

Although this was just our first experience with dialogue journals, I am really excited about this new activity. I know I will learn a lot about my students through this activity, and I hope they learn a lot about me. My goal for this is for each response to be written freely, without a lot of prompting on my part. The dialogue journals allow students and I to open up to each other and comfortably share information we normally wouldn’t in a whole group setting.

Participants and Data

For my action research project, I am focusing on improving Small Group Reading instruction for ELLs. I will be focusing this research on six ELL students: three girls, and three boys. My students are Jessica, Karen, Michelle, Kevin, Brian, and Anthony. During my Small Group reading block, I am working with an interventionist and we have divided my class into two groups based on MAP Reading data taken at the beginning of September. The chart below shows the MAP scores of the six students in my group:

Jessica	190
Karen	202
Michelle	204
Brian	204
Anthony	186
Kevin	188

Although some of these students are the highest performing readers based on MAP data, it is my hope to continue to develop their reading comprehension and motivation, while improving my reading instruction to encourage further growth on the MAP assessment. A mid-year MAP check will be administered in December. Through that assessment, I will be able to determine if growth in reading performance has been made. However, another goal of this project is to improve students’ attitudes and interest in reading.

Garfield Survey Results

As previously described, I asked my students to complete the Garfield Reading Attitude Survey. The purpose for giving this assessment was to gain a better understanding of my students’ attitudes and feelings about reading. This assessment is comprised of 20 questions, and students are asked to choose the Garfield picture that best represents their feelings toward reading, from very happy, to very upset.

When asked “How do you feel when you read a book in school during free time?” one of my students, Kevin, chose the happiest Garfield, Karen, Jessica, Anthony, and Michelle chose the upset Garfield, and Brian chose the most upset Garfield. From this data, I can conclude that 5 of these 6 students are not excited about reading independently. However, when asked “How do you feel about starting a new book?” Michelle, Jessica, and Brian chose the happiest Garfield, Karen chose the “slightly smiling” Garfield and Kevin and Anthony chose the “mildly upset” Garfield. Based on this question, half of the group is excited about starting a new book, and the other half is neutral about it. This information encourages me to implement Literature Circles with this group, in hope to boost their motivation and excitement about reading. Five students chose the mildly upset Garfield, and one chose the very upset Garfield when asked “How do you feel about reading workbook pages and worksheets?” This information describes the students’ desire for more meaningful lessons/ activities, versus reading a worksheet and responding to the questions. This is the response I anticipated from my students, which is why I am incorporating hands-on materials, and variety in my small group instruction.

Motivational Reading Survey

The second reading survey is one that I created consisting of eighteen multiple-choice questions and ten “Yes, Sometimes, No” questions. The purpose of this survey was to gain further insight into my students’ reading behaviors, perceptions, and self-awareness as a reader.  When asked, “My friends think I am…” all six of the students selected the choice “An OK reader.” This was surprising to me because each one of these students is a very strong reader; they read fluently and comprehend most of what they read. When asked if they want their teacher to read out loud, all of them selected “Everyday.” Based on this information, I will attempt to read aloud during small group three times a week. Three students responded that reading is an “OK way to spend time,” while the other three believe reading is a “boring way to spend time.” Since this group does not look forward to reading, it is my goal to improve their outlook on reading for fun, and I hope to do this by engaging in exciting/ interesting reading activities.

Narrow reading is an instructional method I chose to incorporate during Small Group time. Through narrow reading, students are exposed to a variety of texts that align with content studied in other areas. For example, I will incorporate Science topics into our Small Group reading time. My purpose for choosing the narrow reading method is to introduce students to meaningful text, while improving various aspects of reading (comprehension, vocabulary, etc). I wanted to know how students felt about this narrow reading approach, so I added the question to the survey: “I like the stories we read in school to be about what we are studying.” In response to this question, all six students checked the Yes column. I was excited to see this, because narrow reading is a huge component to my project, and it also illustrates how these students are motivated to read about topics they are studying.

An Assessment of Attitude

September 4 - 7

This week I administered two reading attitude surveys to my students. The purpose of these two surveys was to get an overall idea of my students’ perceptions and feelings toward reading. The first survey I gave was the Garfield Elementary Reading Attitude Survey. I created the second survey, which consisted of eighteen multiple choice questions and ten true/ false type questions.

The results gleaned from these surveys were as anticipated; some students absolutely love to read, and others despise reading. It is my goal to improve these students’ attitudes on reading and to instill a love of reading within them.

I was surprised to learn that a large majority of my students do not read outside of school. However, this may be a result of my school’s low socioeconomic status and predominant Hispanic population. Many of my students’ parents do not speak English, or cannot read English, which may contribute to the lack of literature in their homes.

In hopes to improve my students’ attitudes toward reading, I will incorporate a variety of texts into daily lessons. I will use comic books, poems, magazines, newspapers, songs, non-fiction, fiction, and chapter books throughout my Small Group Reading instruction. Like most teachers, I want my students to look forward to reading and learning what’s going to happen next in a text. Through my use of dialogue journals, hands-on manipulatives, and narrow reading, I hope to accomplish this goal!