Overview
Overall, marginal improvements in student growth were shown on each of the four indicators. Detailed explanations, results, instructional decisions, and connections for each data analysis tool can be accessed by clicking on the buttons above.
Practices
At the beginning of the research period, I spent a few days modeling and thinking aloud the particular strategies we would be practicing. This explicit instruction was worthwhile and helped students to pinpoint the particular text features within nonfiction articles. Alongside this, small group/partner practice and eventually independent practice helped to build students' confidence in using the MAIN-I and summarization strategies. Although I initially wanted my students to annotate the articles by highlighting and crossing off information, few students used this approach and instead answered the questions after just reading. With more time, I would have created graphic organizers to help students sort through the information before answering their exit tickets. However, I was able to use the data compiled to tailor instruction based on student needs. More information about this can be found within each data method's button located above.
Interactions With Students
Main idea instruction is an integral part of the modern English classroom. Students need to be prepared to analyze a barrage of nonfiction texts in classes and in their future lives. As such, it is important to find ways to balance main idea instruction with the other curricular needs in a predominantly literature-heavy course like English 2. As a dedicated practitioner, I am working to prepare my students to become critical consumers of information. Resultantly, I knew that a large portion of my time needed to be spent giving feedback to students as they practice main idea identification tasks. During the data collection process, I found myself engaging in many conversations with students about the importance of developing this particular skill and giving them suggestions for improvement. However, I still had many students who did not necessarily understand the full rationale for this skill development. In the future, I want to do a better job of explaining and exploring the need to build main idea identification skills alongside my students. When students understand the purpose of identifying the main idea, they might be more motivated and see further growth.
Questions
Connections and Triangulation
Overall, there were multiple connections between the surveys, assessments, journal, and MAP tests. My MAP and pre-test data showed that students were initially quite weak at identifying main idea. On both indicators, only about half of the students were proficient at identifying the main idea of an expository text. On the early exit tickets used throughout the research and for the pre-test, students had lower scores on the question pertaining to organizational structures. However, by the post-test, more students were earning points on the question by using the academic language taught in class. The same idea is generally true of the second question regarding the main idea of the text. Students were more likely to miss the point early on and only locate the topic of the article. However, by the end of the research period, more students were attempting whole-sentence responses. The informal journal that I maintained had findings consistent with those in the pre- and post-test. For instance, I noticed through my research that the easiest task for students to complete was locating essential details in the article. Many students did not have the vocabulary to explain organizational patterns, and many students had difficulties staying on topic and moving to full summaries.
Overall, marginal improvements in student growth were shown on each of the four indicators. Detailed explanations, results, instructional decisions, and connections for each data analysis tool can be accessed by clicking on the buttons above.
Practices
At the beginning of the research period, I spent a few days modeling and thinking aloud the particular strategies we would be practicing. This explicit instruction was worthwhile and helped students to pinpoint the particular text features within nonfiction articles. Alongside this, small group/partner practice and eventually independent practice helped to build students' confidence in using the MAIN-I and summarization strategies. Although I initially wanted my students to annotate the articles by highlighting and crossing off information, few students used this approach and instead answered the questions after just reading. With more time, I would have created graphic organizers to help students sort through the information before answering their exit tickets. However, I was able to use the data compiled to tailor instruction based on student needs. More information about this can be found within each data method's button located above.
Interactions With Students
Main idea instruction is an integral part of the modern English classroom. Students need to be prepared to analyze a barrage of nonfiction texts in classes and in their future lives. As such, it is important to find ways to balance main idea instruction with the other curricular needs in a predominantly literature-heavy course like English 2. As a dedicated practitioner, I am working to prepare my students to become critical consumers of information. Resultantly, I knew that a large portion of my time needed to be spent giving feedback to students as they practice main idea identification tasks. During the data collection process, I found myself engaging in many conversations with students about the importance of developing this particular skill and giving them suggestions for improvement. However, I still had many students who did not necessarily understand the full rationale for this skill development. In the future, I want to do a better job of explaining and exploring the need to build main idea identification skills alongside my students. When students understand the purpose of identifying the main idea, they might be more motivated and see further growth.
Questions
- How will I incorporate main idea instruction into everyday practice given curricular constraints?
- How do I best encourage unmotivated students?
- How do I develop reading stamina?
- How do I help students understand the importance of main idea instruction?
Connections and Triangulation
Overall, there were multiple connections between the surveys, assessments, journal, and MAP tests. My MAP and pre-test data showed that students were initially quite weak at identifying main idea. On both indicators, only about half of the students were proficient at identifying the main idea of an expository text. On the early exit tickets used throughout the research and for the pre-test, students had lower scores on the question pertaining to organizational structures. However, by the post-test, more students were earning points on the question by using the academic language taught in class. The same idea is generally true of the second question regarding the main idea of the text. Students were more likely to miss the point early on and only locate the topic of the article. However, by the end of the research period, more students were attempting whole-sentence responses. The informal journal that I maintained had findings consistent with those in the pre- and post-test. For instance, I noticed through my research that the easiest task for students to complete was locating essential details in the article. Many students did not have the vocabulary to explain organizational patterns, and many students had difficulties staying on topic and moving to full summaries.