READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES FOR …

1 READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES FOR struggling , ADOLESCENT READERS action research PROJECT C&I 600: GRADUATE SEMINAR western illinois university SPRING 2011 2 Table of Contents Abstract .. 4 Chapter 1: Introduction Contextual 6 Atypical Student 8 Atypical Student 9 Atypical Student 10 Impact of Teaching Skills on Student 11 Statement of the 12 Chapter 2: Review of Literature READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES for struggling , Adolescent 13 Chapter 3: Implementation of the Unit and Analysis of Data Introduction of 25 Description of 25 Accommodations for Atypical 26 Measuring the Impact of New 27 Analysis of Pre-Assessment 27 Analysis of Formative 36 Day One.

2 36 Day 38 Day 40 Day 43 Day 46 3 Day 49 Day 52 Day 55 Day 58 Day 60 Formative Assessment 62 Analysis of Post-Assessment 68 Chapter 4: Summary of Results Reflection on Unit and 82 Examination of research 86 89 Appendices Appendix A: Journal 92 Appendix B: Copy of 103 Appendix C: Answer Key for 134 Appendix D: Copies of Atypical Students 141 Appendix E: Copies of Atypical Students Unit Formative 166 Appendix F: Copy of 229 Appendix G: Answer Key for 244 Appendix H: Copies of Atypical Students 253 Chapter 2: READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES 4 Abstract research dealing with the READING COMPREHENSION of struggling , adolescent students is limited.

3 research that studies the effects of various teaching methods such as the direct, explicit instruction of READING STRATEGIES , the use of different types of technology to supplement READING instruction, the use of classroom talk moves to facilitate discussion, and the importance of fluency instruction and its influence on COMPREHENSION . There is statistical data to support these specific STRATEGIES and techniques to help struggling students in the upper elementary and middle school classroom. This action research project studies the effects of using direct fluency instruction on a group of 22 lower performing sixth-grade students in order to increase their READING COMPREHENSION .

4 5 6 Chapter 1: Introduction In order to understand any action research project, it is important to understand the students, classroom, and school involved. Each school has its individual characteristics that make it its own, therefore it is necessary to understand the unique characteristics of Mrs. Kelly Celania s sixth-grade READING class and Hamilton Elementary School. Contextual Factors I currently teach at Hamilton Elementary School in the Hamilton Community Consolidated School District #328. Hamilton, illinois is located on the Mississippi River where illinois , Iowa, and Missouri meet.

5 Hamilton is considered a small, rural, bedroom community. Our district is made up of 654 total students, 363 of which attend Hamilton Elementary. Hamilton Elementary is a pre-K through sixth-grade building. The rest of the students

6 Attend Hamilton High School which is located in a separate building across town.

7 I currently teach in a departmentalized sixth-grade classroom. I have taught in the Hamilton Community Consolidated School District for 19 years. I have taught sixth-grade students for 13 of those years. Our sixth-grade is made up of two sections. I currently teach one section of READING , two sections of language arts, and two sections of social studies. I service a total of 41 students. This project will focus upon my READING class. This class is a homogeneous mixture of lower achieving READING students. Students were placed in this classroom based upon AIMSweb results and ISAT testing scores.

8 It is made up of 22 students, 13 males and 9 females. Twenty of the students are Caucasian. I also have two students of mixed ethnicity. One student is a mix of Caucasian and Polynesian. Another student is a mix of Caucasian and African-American. I do not service any second language learners. Three students in my READING class do have IEPs. 7 One student is learning disabled and receives tutorial services only. The other two students receive speech therapy services only. None of these students receive any special education instruction within my classroom. Because of the lower levels of READING achievement, I do have one paraprofessional in my READING classroom.

9 According to our latest AIMSweb results, 10 of my 22 students are below standards. Six of the 22 students are diagnosed with ADHD. I also service five Title I students. These students receive Tier II instruction through the RtI model with the Title I instructor for an extra 20 minutes each day, five days a week. Eleven, 50% of my students, receive free or reduced lunch and 14 of the students live in a single-parent home due to divorce and other causes. Currently, Hamilton is suffering a high unemployment rate due to the local economy, as well as the current lockout at Roquette America, a factory located in Keokuk, Iowa.

10 I am also servicing two students who are at risk of being retained based upon their first semester grades. Based on this information, I do have several behaviorally challenged students. Because of these challenges, we often do small group work and try to keep activities differentiated based on learner interest, style, and readiness. This year we have begun RtI at Hamilton Elementary. We currently have a 90 minute READING period, five days a week. To coordinate with the RtI model, we have also implemented PBIS this year. These two systems are both serving to meet the needs of my students.