Mini Action Research

Question: How can I provide authentic learning through vocabulary instruction?

Research Window: Between November 8^th and November 24th, every morning between 9:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

Situation-At-Hand: Our reading program, LEAD 21, provides about 5-6 vocabulary words per unit.  The Teacher’s Manuals offer daily verbal instruction, but it does not go much deeper than that.  After completing Unit 2, I do not feel that my current instructional strategies are providing my students with genuine learning experiences in which they would necessarily feel comfortable using the word outside of direct questioning.  I am wondering what the best-practice strategies are for vocabulary instruction and ways to implement them in a first-grade classroom.

My Plan: I will use the Five-Step Process for Teaching Vocabulary from the resource A Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works in order to provide best-practice strategies for vocabulary instruction.  This process involves both teacher and student effort in understanding.

Five Step Process

1.    Provide students with a short description or definition

a.   My Plan: Show students the new word and give the definition from the manual.

2.  Present students with a nonlinguistic representation

a.   My Plan: Show students a picture example.

3.  Ask students to generate their own explanation

a.   My Plan: Students participate in think-pair-share to come up with their own definitions.

4.  Ask students to create their own nonlinguistic representation

a.   My Plan: On Day 1, students will draw a picture of what the vocabulary word means to them.  On Day 2, students will get with partners or small groups to come up with a visual using their bodies and props around the room.  I will allow them to use my camera to take a picture of their understanding.  Days 3-4, students will share their pictures with other groups.

5.  Periodically review understanding

a.   My Plan: Activities listed above will be carried out using a visual organizer. These visual organizers will be kept in students’ book boxes, which are used daily, to be looked at during Read to Self or Read to Someone times.

Method Description:

·       Student Samples: Using the five-step process for teaching vocabulary from A Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works, I will provide student work samples that display the steps they are responsible for.

·       Journaling: I will journal frequently about changes I am seeing due to the new process for teaching vocabulary.

·       Documents: Since we are beginning Unit #3 at the beginning of my data collection period, I will go back and give a short assessment of vocabulary words from Unit #2.  I will give a similar assessment to display whether or not there was increased learning with the use of new strategies.