Test Data

1. My PDS school is Monongah Elementary School. In Reading, 26.66% are achieving Mastery, 15.83% are Above Mastery, and 5% are Distinguished.

2. Only 47.49% of the students are proficient, 29.16% are novice, and only 5% are at the distinguished level. This school obviously needs an intervention for reading comprehension.

3. In order to address this learning need, I would use the Think Aloud Reading Strategy. In this strategy, students are actively engaged in constructing meaning from texts. Students learn how skilled readers think while reading. This way, they learn strategies on how to solve comphrension problems.

4. There is research on this strategy, that proves it will work. Reading comprehension increases when students learn how to incorporate "summary" frames as a tool for summarazing (Meyer and Freedle, 1984). Teacher prepared notes show students what is important and how ideas relate, and offer a model for how students should take notes themselves (Marzano et el, 2001). Students have to analyze information at a deep level in order to decide what information to delete, what to substitute, and what to keep when they are asked to give a summary (Hidi and Anderson, 1987).

5. How can using the Think Aloud Strategy increase student comprehension in reading?

6. In order to collect data, I would first give my students a pre-test. The pre-test would consist of various comphrension questions, so I would know what types of questions the students are struggling with the most. Then, I would implement the strategy into my lessons, so students would be given the chance to learn how good readers think while reading. I would have them practice summaring skills, where they would learn what types of information to look for, and what type of information can be deleted. They would learn how to decode words they are unfamiliar with. I would implement many graphic organizers into my lessons as well, so students would have a better understanding of the different parts of a story. Then, after implementing this strategy, I would give my students a post-test, which would be very similar to the pre-test. I would compare the test results, to see if this strategy is working. I would confirm the strategy worked, if test scores increased.

Action Research

1. Title: Parents and an After School Web-Enhanced Program
2. Problem: Many of the fifth grade, low achieving math students are only engaged in learning mathematical skills and strategies while using computer based tutorial programs with limited adult guidance.
3. In order to get students engaged in mathematical skills and strategies, technology needs to be integrated into the classroom. The students will be guided in the classroom and at home, by the teacher and parents to a mathematical challenge segment in a program on the computer, complete the segment, and then utilizew the mathematical tutorial where they practice special skills and strategies.
4. The strategy for this instructional intervention would be homework and practice. Students are given time in the classroom and have assignments at home to work on additional practice of mathematical skills. These students are gaining extra practice in mathematics, by participating in the mathematical tutorials and then practicing the special skills and strategies.
5. Evidence: According to Bempechat(2004), homework assignments provide the time and experience students need to develop study habits that support learning. They experience results of their efforts as well as the ability to cope with mistakes and difficulty. According to Healy (1990), teachers in the United States tend to compress many skills into practice sessions and instructional units. Students learn more when allowed to practice fewer skills or concepts, but at a deeper level. According to Marxano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001), complex processes should be broken down into smaller bits, or skills, which should be taught with time alloted for student practice and adaptation.
6. Data will be collected based on the students scores achieved on their quarterly math grades. This quarterly test is given at the beginning of each nine weeks, which determines students improvement in math skills and use of math strategies.
7. The data was collected, and then shown in a chart. The data concluded that the web-based tutorials provided the tools that were needed to help the students acheive academically. All students involved, showed great interest in learning and practicing new math skills.
8. The results showed that there was an average gain of about 9.2% on the quarterly math tests.