Overview
The research process began with a pre-assessment and survey. Students were initially assessed on their preliminary abilities to locate and explain the main idea of an expository passage. They were also asked about their current experiences with and strategies for identifying the main idea in a survey. After compiling this initial data, I began the explicit teaching of main idea identification strategies to improve my students' abilities to comprehend expository texts, including essays, articles, textbooks, and encyclopedia entries. These passages were written slightly below grade level and were short excerpts. After being taught the strategies, students engaged in monitored practice cycles until they were ultimately assessed. Outside of teacher-led instruction, students also practiced independently and in small groups. I gave oral and written feedback to students on their performance. At the end of the research process, I conducted a post-assessment and had students complete the same survey about their experiences and strategies.
MAIN-I Strategy, Summarizing, Rereading, and Think Alouds
What was implemented?
Students were explicitly taught the MAIN-I Strategy and how to summarize the main idea of an expository text. MAIN-I stands for 1) make the topic known, 2) accent at least 2 details, 3) ink out clarifying details, 4) notice how essential details are related, and 5) infer the main idea. Summarizing asked students to create a clear, concise sentence that related the main idea of the text.
After teaching students the steps in this process, I practiced using the MAIN-I and summarization strategies with the large group and thought aloud to show moments where I paused and implemented each step in the strategy. While conducting the think aloud, I modeled how to reread for understanding and how to self-monitor for comprehension.
Why were these strategies chosen?
Researchers have shown that students who are explicitly taught strategies for locating main idea are more successful comprehenders than those who have not been exposed to teacher-led instruction and guided practice. The strategies I chose (MAIN-I, summarizing, rereading, and think alouds) have all been shown to increase student performance on main idea assessment tasks. Additionally, because the expository texts were written below grade level and were short, students had the opportunity to focus on skill-building rather than grappling with overly-challenging comprehension tasks.
How did the strategies enhance individual student learning?
Differentiation occurred during the guided practice component of the research. For all students, I provided individualized oral and written feedback on their identification performance. Graphic organizers were also used to help students map their understanding. Throughout the learning process, I was able to monitor student understanding and determine individual needs. Those who were challenged were given smaller passages to work through with more textual support features (headings and titles). To further support these students, I asked them questions (one-on-one) related to each step in the MAIN-I strategy to reinforce the self-monitoring aspect of the task. For those who required enrichment, I provided more complicated excerpts with fewer explicit cues. Additionally, I challenged advanced students to find other articles that supported the main idea of the article they just read, especially during their independent research time.
Students receiving special education support received all accommodations and modifications outlined in their IEPs and 504s. Additionally, I worked with paraeducators and support staff to alter main idea tasks to match both the course goals and their individualized goals. For those from diverse racial, social, linguistic, and economic backgrounds, I maintained high expectations for all learners, provided equitable access to learning, formed individualized relationships to understand specific needs, provided challenging and relatable learning goals, and explicitly utilized culture-specific content.
Why were these strategies best for the population outlined in the rationale?
The majority of students in my English 2 classes were reading below grade level. According to their MAP data, a majority of my students were low or low average scorers when it came to using and identifying the main idea of a passage. For struggling readers, strategies for identifying main idea are often not explicitly taught. Therefore, teacher-led instruction combined with guided practice helped these students to fill in gaps in their education and improve their assessment scores in the area of identifying main idea.
How were the strategies culturally responsive? How did they foster equity? How did they include multiple perspectives?
In order to create an equitable and accessible learning environment, I maintained high expectations for all learners and always gave students the opportunity to advance and voice their questions and/or comments. Students sat in groups where they benefited from collaborative conversations and learning opportunities with their peers. I also employed varied teaching strategies. These strategies include teacher-led instruction, collaborative learning, guided practice, and independent learning. I was available outside of classroom time if students needed additional support. As a culturally responsive practitioner, I used the classroom to empower students to sharpen their skills and knowledge so that they can critique and critically think about the sociocultural/political world around them. I worked as a facilitator to give students a forum to voice their concerns and fostered a relationship between the outside community and the learning environment of school.
In terms of including multiple perspectives, I tried to vary my instructional modes and classroom materials. In order to best meet the needs of those with distinct learning styles, I provided instruction through verbal explanation, written instructions, supplementary images, and kinesthetic practice. For this particular research, I gave students a variety of tools to identify main idea. I provided highlighters, graphic organizers, written instructions, and verbal directions.
Additionally, in terms of course content, we read expository texts from a variety of cultural perspectives. For instance, students read excerpts about the Igbo people in Nigeria, about the threat of stereotyping, about bullying in contemporary US society, and about redlining discrimination.
How and when?
This strategy was implemented during the months of February and March. The skills were taught during two units of study: Extending Freedom’s Reach and Outsiders & Outcasts. Students did not practice this skill on a daily basis, but read at least one expository piece per week. The plan was implemented from 1/29/18 to 3/19/18.