Using Action Research To Empower North Carolina Educators A Race to the Top Initiative NC Department of Public Instruction Educator Effectiveness Division

Using Technology to Enhance Sight Word Recognition Barbara Curtis, Bain Elementary Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

First grade teacher

Norms for Participation Minimize outside distractions. Be attentive and participate in all activities. Share your ideas with colleagues.

Outcomes Learn about The Governor’s Teacher Network Learn how to use Action Research Learn ways to incorporate technology to help students learn sight words Discuss other innovative ways to help students learn sight words

Using Technology to Enhance Sight Words What I know What I Want to Learn What I Learned

What is the Governor’s Teacher Network? Pathway 1 Teachers: Professional Development Identify problems of practice around instructional needs and conduct action research projects in their schools. Investigate and analyze the effectiveness of strategies and practices on student learning. Create professional development sessions and materials to be posted in Schoolnet and the Professional Development System in Home Base.

What is the Governor’s Teacher Network? Pathway 2 Teachers : Instructional Resources –Create instructional sequences for Home Base aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study (unit plans, lesson plans, assessment components). –Produce resources available to all NC teachers through Schoolnet in Home Base.

Instructional Sequences: What are they? Carefully, intentionally designed units of study, lessons, and balanced assessment components Instruction and assessment directly aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study Resources and practices incorporating technology, student interests and differentiated strategies Available to teachers in Schoolnet

What is Action Research? Systematic inquiry conducted by teachers and other educators to find solutions for critical, challenging, relevant issues in their classrooms and schools. Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

What is Action Research? Classroom and school research conducted by teachers to: Positively impact student outcomes Identify and promote effective instructional practices Create opportunities for teachers to become reflective practitioners Share research results with other educators Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

What is Action Research? A systematic research process to: ● Identify an area of focus (critical, challenging issue) ● Develop an action research plan ● Implement action research plan in classroom/school ● Collect, analyze, and interpret data ● Share findings to inform practice Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

Using Technology to Enhance Sight Word Recognition What is the problem of practice investigated? Why is this important? Who would benefit from reviewing my research? How will this innovation benefit students?

Problems of Practice Think: What are some problems when young students are learning to read? What do these students need to work on to improve? Turn and Talk

What Does Peer-Reviewed Research say about my focus area? 3 times

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Focus Statement The purpose of this study is to increase my students' fluency rate when reading through the use of high frequency word recognition. Students in 1st grade struggle to read fluently and this study seeks to increase high frequency word recognition so they can effectively read fluently.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Importance of the Study It is important that my students increase their recognition of high frequency words because it will help improve the ability to recall words quicker. This will directly impact the fluency rate with the number of words that they can read per minute. When students are able to read with ease, it will lead to a greater increase in reading comprehension.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Study Participants * current first grade students *six to seven years old *reading ability range (beginning kindergarten level to 4th grade)

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Research Questions What impact does implementing high frequency word instruction through technology have on the students' ability to read fluently?

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention Through the use of technology, students will see and hear high frequency words at least three times a week. I will assess the students' ability to read high frequency words as well as assess their oral reading fluency. These assessments will help me gather data to see the impact high frequency word instruction through technology has on the students' ability to read fluently.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Innovation/Intervention

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom Use of i-pads (3 times/week) youtube.com (Search for “first 100 fry words”) teachertube.com (Search for “fry words” 1st-hundred-fry-words

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom Students unpack in the morning and then listen to their words.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Collect Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Implementation in the Classroom

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Quantitative Data: Word Recognition assessments (September through January) Oral Reading Fluency (September through January)

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Dates: 1. the 2. of 3. and 4. a 5. to 6. in 7. is 8. you 9. that 10. it 11. he 12. was 13. for 14. on 15. are 16. as 17. with 18. his 19. they 20. I 21. at 22. be 23. this 24. have 25. from # correct 26. or 27. one 28. had 29. by 30. words 31. but 32. not 33. what 34. all 35. were 36. we 37. when 38. your 39. can 40. said 41. there 42. use 43. an 44. each 45. which 46. she 47. do 48. how 49. their 50. if # correct Dates:

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Used DIBELS data for ORF assessments Used Progress Monitoring for data collected September through December Used DIBELS Middle of Year data for January’s collection

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Qualitative Data: How do the students feel about their ability to read?

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Qualitative Data: Do you like to listen to your words on the i-pad? 75% 15% 10%

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Qualitative Data: Do you like to read books at school? 80% 20% 0%

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Qualitative Data: Do you like to read books at school? 80% 10% 10%

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Qualitative Data: Do you like to read books at school? 80% 15% 5%

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Data Collected Ten Reason My Students Say They Are Good Readers: 10. I am on Level J. 9. I can read hard words. 8. I concentrate. 7. I am on Level K. 6. I can read really thick chapter books. 5. I sound out the words and get them right. 4. I am on Level L. 3. I read 100 days in Kindergarten. 2. I read Level M and higher. 1. When I read to my mom, she says I did it right.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings Word Recognition: BOY and MOY

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings Oral Reading Fluency: BOY and MOY

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings Research Question: What impact does implementing high frequency word instruction through technology have on the students' ability to read fluently?

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Findings The action research of using technology to increase high frequency word recognition showed to be successful in increasing the number of words students could recognize. The Oral Reading Fluency of first grade students also increased. The use of technology was effective, fun, engaging, and motivating to the students.

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations YES! I would recommend this! Use the Fry Word Lists again next year Do a baseline Oral Reading Fluency rate using a progress monitoring passage

Make Knowledge Public Analyze/Interpret Data Innovation/Intervention Action Research Plan Collect Data Recommendations Are you willing to use technology to increase your students’ high frequency word recognition and fluency rate? Why or why not?

3 times

References McGrath, Gregory L; McLaughlin, T.F.; Mark Derby, K; Bucknell, Wendy. “The Effects of Using Reading Racetracks for Teaching of Sight Words to Three Third-Grade Students with Learning Disorders”. Educational Research Quarterly. (March, 2012). Vol. 35, issue 3, p pages. Volpe, Robert; Mule, Christina; Briesch, Amy; Joseph, Laurice; Burns, Matthew. “A Comparison of Two Flashcard Drill Methods Targeting Word Recognition”. Journal of Behavioral Education. (June, 2011), Vol. 20, Issue 2, p pages. Marvin, Kendra L.; Rapp, John T.; Stenske, Michelle T.; Rojas, Nairim, R.; Swanson, Greg J.; Bartlett, Sara M. “Response Repetition as an Error-Correction Procedure for Sight Word Reading: A Replication and Extension”. Behavioral Interventions. (April, 2010), Vol. 5, Issue 2, P pages. Velasco, Kelly; Zizak, Amanda; “Improving Students Word Analysis Skills by Implementing “Working With Words” from the Four Blocks of Literacy Program”. Dissertations/Theses-Masters Theses; Reports-Research (2001), 74 pages Helman, Lori; Burns, Matthew; “What Does Oral Language Have To Do With It? Helping Young English-Language Learners Acquire a Sight Word Vocabulary”. Reading Teacher, (Sept. 2008); Vol. 62, Issue 1, p , 6 pages

Discussion How can we use technology to increase high frequency word recognition / fluency rate?

Apps to Use on the I-Pads Search “Sight Words” in the App Store: Fry Words Sight Words: Kids Learn Sight Words Ninja – The Endless Slicing Game Sight Words Games & Flash Cards Sight Words List – Learn to Read Flash Cards & Games Sight Words by Photo Touch

Apps to Use on the I-Pads Search “Sight Words”: Sight Words by Little Speller Sight Words Bingo Sight Words – Learn to read list of first words flash cards & games Animal Words (PRO): Educational Sight Words Game for Toddler Preschool… Ace Writer – Dolch Sight Words HD Free Lite Endless Reader

Questions What questions do you have?

Conclusion of Presentation Thank you for your participation. Contact Information: Barbara Curtis Bain Elementary / CMS