Kris Stanton Joe Freidhoff TE-891-730 July 25, 2006 Revised Research Plan-Wk 5 Background As with any project of great value, the creator needs to continually question the direction of the work. Just as a painter may select a color then debate whether or not it is the right shade for the canvas, so too are the changes in this project. While delving into the literature that was to guide my research of finding reading strategies to make my students better readers, I came to a realization that changed how I looked at my inquiry. A teacher can research or devise all of the greatest reading strategies that they want but if their students do not see the value in them and the want to read is not present in them, all is lost. Perhaps much of the literature here does not answer or represent my initial questions but is clearly addresses what all reading teachers should establish before attempting to embed any specific skill or systematic program. Expanded Purpose “It is during the middle school years that most students refine their reading preferences; become sophisticated readers of informational text; and lay the groundwork for the lifelong reading habits they will use in their personal, professional, and civic lives.” (IRA, 2001). The aforementioned statement by the International Reading Association is incredibly accurate and necessary if students are to become the strong readers that high schools, colleges and the professional world are asking them to become. Additionally, the IRA (2006) claims that students do more reading and writing today — on paper and online — than at any point in history (IRA 2006). The current trend though with adolescent readers may not reflect this lofty goal. “Encouraging older, struggling, reluctant readers to read becomes a challenge for those who work with them” (Williams, 2001). At the middle school level, a sizable number of those students who once wholeheartedly enjoyed reading may have learned to loathe it. In a society that thrives on instant gratification, student attitudes towards reading seem to be rapidly deteriorating. If

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students are to complete some of their great improvements in reading during the middle school years, how will it be possible to teach them the strategies they will need or are lacking? The first strategy to molding middle school students into better readers is to reshape their outlook towards reading. Beers (1998) extensively studied middle school students and their views on reading. She found that students who looked upon reading negatively hold no connection to reading and fail to see its value. Many had little or no outside connection to reading as young children and what few positive experiences they hold toward reading are from early in their school careers (Beers, 1998). It is imperative that teachers seek out these students and commit to showing them the beauty of reading by finding themselves in the materials that they read. Norma Decker Collins (1996) said it best she stated that when a teacher helps students find personal reasons to engage in print, then and only then can they realize the ultimate goal of reading--that of constructing personal meaning. Reshaping students’ outlooks towards reading will most likely involve two things: building student confidence and presenting them with selections that are engaging and relevant (Collins, 1996). Classroom libraries need to reflect the diversity and interest of the students in the class. If students are to truly understand and become engaged in what they read, they need to be given ownership in the selection process (Atwell, 1998 p.36). Furthermore, the reading area needs to be one that is inviting. More than just cushy pillows or carpet squares, a student needs to see newspapers, magazines, poetry anthologies, Mad Libs and even other students’ writing on the shelves and tables in their classroom (Allen, 2000 p.20). Once students have selections that they can identify with or see as relevant to their lives, the teacher’s next move may be the most important. By reading aloud to the students, a secondary teacher can bring a book to life in ways that students may have missed since their early elementary days but do it in a way that meets their age levels. Use of expression, volume and character vernacular add to the listening and comprehending that takes place within the student (Atwell, 1998). It is a fallacy that middle school students are too old to be read to or cannot gain from this type of reading instruction (Allen, 2000).

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Once read aloud and guided instruction time ends, many reading teachers’ fears begin. How do I know they are reading and if they are, do they understand it? In addition to using whole group time to read aloud, an element of the workshop approach (Atwell, 1998) is to use mini-lessons. Mini-lessons gain life from what students in the class are reading and writing about. Through individual conferences, a teacher can expound upon the skills students need and where they might be struggling. In addition, mini-lessons allow the student to learn and develop their skills in a mentoring, close proximity way that may ease their fears towards the subject. A teacher may even use mini-lessons to educate students on classroom procedures and routines (Williams, 2001). Mini-lessons are designed to reach students where they are, dismissing the “one size fits all” approach to teaching reading and writing and to connect with what is relevant to the student. Traditional teachers may take exception to the reading strategies taught through the workshop approach. Those who lecture, assign topics and create dittos may have a hard time identifying with this new way of thinking (Atwell, 1998 p. 150). Some may argue that by giving students choice, they are also given the “keys to the class” and control over what will be instructed. Without question, middle level literacy education is becoming increasingly scrutinized. “As students move into the middle grades and high school, they often receive little or no instruction in how to use reading and writing strategies to learn with texts” (Vacca, 1998). The true evidence may come from what happens after the mini-lesson. Just as there is a plethora of mini-lessons, there are just as many ways for students to independently hone their reading craft. One such way of students using workshop time to increase their reading abilities is through an approach known as PALS or Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2000). “PALS is designed to help students improve in fluency, comprehension, summarizing, and forming and validating predictions.” A typical PALS model includes: 1. 5 minutes: Students select partners, read and retell. The listening partner not only retells the most important elements of the story but becomes involved through such things as word correction areas. 2. 5 minutes: Students read again for five minutes and complete a “paragraph shrinking” activity where they make a short main idea statement and summarize what they heard and read. 3. 5 minutes: Students make predictions to what will happen next and read to see if they 3 are correct.

Other research dictates a more specific focus needs to be taken in order for our students to read and understand the text that they encounter. Many like Janis M. Harmon (2002) believe that students’ lack of basic vocabulary and word knowledge are at the root of comprehension issues for secondary learners. Harmon feels that students who fall behind their peers in comprehension could most benefit from learning independent word strategies (Harmon 2002). One way to combat this weakness may be through facilitated peer dialogues. This method proposes that when a student comes across an unfamiliar word in text, the reading is stopped and the problem is discussed until the student has a grasp of the word’s meaning. Harmon not only feels that this teaches word acquisition strategies but also a check for the student in an attempt to learn future words or ones related to the word in question. (Harmon 2002). Still, more practical methods for a general classroom setting or small groups within it may come from activities such as graphic organizers and “quick writes” in response to reading (Vacca, 2002). These actions are more conducive to large, general education classrooms but also may bridge the gap for struggling learners. Still, some question the isolation of reading elements, especially with those who show moderate to severe reading disabilities. They feel that the act of reading may be misinterpreted by the teacher to the student in these cases. In these situations, instructors of the learning disabled may chose direct instruction, modeling and guided practice, especially in crucial areas such as decoding and phonetic awareness (Manset-Williamson & Nelson, 2005) Data Collection and Analysis The first step in my data collection process will be to learn about my new students. What are my first impressions? Based on what I know about them in our very small district, have the grown or have their attitudes changed over the summer. More often than not, I have witnessed very immature sixth graders in June become interested seventh graders in September. Once the foundation has been set and the MEAP has passed, we are free to truly pursue educating young minds and making meaningful connections. Through conferencing in the workshop approach, students are more apt communicate their true attitudes toward reading and how they view their skills (Atwell, 1998). Beyond the conversation, I will have them complete a reading inventory survey

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that asks them to further expand on where they see themselves as readers. When it comes to reading instruction, I will videotape mini-lessons. These tapes will not only help students whom have been absent catch up to their peers but work as remediation for struggling readers. Away from the classroom, I plan on taking anecdotal evidence in the form of taking notes in my journal and reviewing my notes when students are not present (Hubbard & Power, 2003). The hardest part of the data process will not be the creation or implementation of data collecting but the follow through and commitment to analyze the data and act upon the findings. So often, great ideas get swept under the rug in lieu of keeping up with speed of life in the classroom. For this to work, I must keep quiet time sacred and remain consistent in my note taking (Hubbard & Power, 2003). My plan to do this is to use the 9:00 hour, two to three times each week. It has been proven that people tend to sleep better when the brain is not over stimulated prior to bed time. Although reading and writing produce high levels of thought, they are not harmful like waves from television or computer monitors. This process should serve as a healthy and relaxing way to conclude a day. If I find this is not happening, I will set aside time prior to the school day to act upon this activity. I plan to devote an hour during each of these sessions to not only review my prior notes and write new ones but make a list of vital issues that need to be dealt with the next day. Research Question  What do my students need to become stronger readers? Sub-Questions  What are my current methods and which ones should I keep? Why?  Who are some best practice authors/experts on this subject?  How will I investigate the effectiveness of this strategy?  Will this strategy work with my current curriculum?  What tools or preparations are needed to adapt/apply this strategy?  How will I assess whether or not the strategies are working?

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Data Collection  I will create a reading inventory survey to help identify my students’ attitudes towards reading and also the types of genres and titles they might pursue in my class.  Follow up with individual conferences during reading workshop time for further information and student buy-in to the plan.  Videotape mini-lessons that directly deal with reading instruction.  Record observations, thoughts and statistical data throughout the process. Possible Codes for Types of Questions 

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 Decoding  Comprehension  Finding Main Idea  Searching for Information-Non Fiction I will need to revisit these after two or three weeks. Data Analysis  I plan to review my notes, journal entries and recordings regularly (Do as the text suggests and find a quiet spot and set aside a few “concrete minutes” so it becomes a non-interrupting ritual).  I plan to do the aforementioned activities on the same night to maximize results.  I plan to share results with content area team or mentor for feedback. Potential Timeline September  Talk to principal, content team members.  Discuss strategy with parents at annual Open House.  Send explanation letter home with permission slip for taping.

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 Discuss with class the importance of the reading.  Start taping and conferencing format.  Begin literature circles and challenges/goals for the year September-May  Continue with daily lessons from selected strategy.  Periodically assess students on short reading tests.  Continue to tape, listen to and analyze individual conferences.  Review challenge/goal progress weekly with students. Twice a Year  Share progress of students with parents at conferences.  Meet with content team to share details and take suggestions Reflections Before Beginning I am excited and overwhelmed at the same time. I’ve been thinking about this issue for a great while but for one reason or another, haven’t addressed it the way I should’ve. I have a few resources that I think should give me an advantage plus a good mentor in the content area of whom is only a phone call or email away. I really benefited from Becky’s suggestion of limiting my sub-questions. I feel like I tightened my scope for what it is I hope to find and accomplish with this inquiry. Working Hypothesis Just as the questions and possible directions for this study have expanded, so too have the choices for best practice methods. With the literature referenced here, differentiated instruction and improvements to current reading and writing workshop approaches are possible. I hope collect more data on these methods and see how they might impact the abilities of my students to become stronger readers. Final July Reflection When thinking of ways to finalize this project for grading, I thought about how it has grown and what I would need to do to keep my inquiry alive and

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flourishing during the school year. While at times I felt overburdened by the wealth of research and literature on my topic, I now appreciate the directions and suggestions from this course. Not rushing to add something here or there in my research plan during an already hectic last week of the semester put my mind at ease. I titled this section “Final July Reflection” because it will be the final time I think about it… during the month of July. After two months of non-stop graduate coursework, I’m planning on taking a few days to mentally unpack and unwind. In a few days after I feel refreshed, I will start looking at the immediate changes or methods I play on applying this upcoming school year. This inquiry is at the forefront of what I hope to accomplish! The advice of my professor and classmates has helped immensely through the process. Just last week, I received a wonderful clarification suggestion. Throughout this course, I’ve had my reservations about my research question itself. It was too verbose, too overwhelming and frankly, a little incoherent. Thanks to Kurt, he helped me simplify my quest. It may just be a minor, cosmetic augmentation but I like my research design more at this point. Thanks to all those in the class who helped make this project authentic. Best of luck and thank you!

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Reference List Allen, J. (2000). Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading 4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse. Atwell, N. (1998). In The Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Beers, K. (1998). Choosing Not to Read: Understanding Why Some Middle Schoolers Just Say No. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon. Collins, N.D. (1996). Motivating Low Performing Adolescent Readers. ERIC Identifier: ED396265. Fuchs, L.S., & Fuchs, D. (2000). Building Student Capacity to Work Productively During Peer Assisted Reading Activities. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Harmon, J.M. (2002). Teaching Independent Word Learning Strategies to Struggling Readers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, (45) 7, 606-15. Hubbard, R. & Power, B. (2003). The Art of Classroom Inquiry: A Handbook for Teacher – Researchers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. International Reading Association. Supporting Young Adults’ Literacy Learning. Retrieved July 12, 2006 from International Reading Association brochure and website: http://www.reading.org/resources/issues/focus_adolescent.html International Reading Association. Focus on Adolescent Literacy: IRA Programs and Resources. Retrieved July 12, 2006 from International Reading Association website: http://www.reading.org/resources/issues/focus_adolescent.html Manset-Williamson, G. and Nelson, J. Balanced, Strategic Reading Instruction for Upper-Elementary and Middle School Students with Reading Disabilities: A Comparative Study of Two Approaches. Learning Disability Quarterly, (28) 1, 59-74. Vacca, R. T. (1998). Let's Not Marginalize Adolescent Literacy. Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, 8, 604-609.

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Vacca, R.T. (2002). From Efficient Decoders to Strategic Readers. Educational Leadership, (60) 3. 6-11. Williams, M. (2001). Making Connections: A Workshop for Adolescents Who Struggle with Reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, (44) 7, 588-602.

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