Action Research Plan2012-2013

By Kate Collins

Action Research QuestionCan using arts integration strategies

help English Language Learners increase scores on the WIDA ACCESS Writing Benchmark?

ProcessI wanted to do action research on writing, but took a detour into advocacy, and then

came back to writing. Advocacy has always been interesting to me, but ultimately I knew that I needed to do research on a topic that would most benefit my students and myself as a teacher.

I pondered the question from different perspectives, read articles, talked to my colleagues and mentor, and finally decided to focus on WIDA assessment and writing because there was a need, and I liked the idea that the WIDA assessment in writing is new this year for AACPS.

As I went through the process of exploration, I realized I wanted to do something that pertained to a real-life challenge in the classroom and also addressed SIP and ELL scores in writing.

RationaleThe rationale behind my question is simple:• English Language Learners lag behind peers in reading/writing scores on

county and state standardized tests.• WIDA ACCESS is a test being newly implemented countywide for English

Language Learners.• WIDA ACCESS is based on a partnership with Center for Applied Linguistics

(CAL) and as a collaborative effort of consortium member states, which means that it is the best assessment AACPS has used so far.

• WIDA ACCESS is an assessment that is specifically geared towards English Language Learners.

• My students did not do well on the first benchmark.

Arts FormsI pondered which arts strategies I should use and whether or not I had to choose

just one. There were two art forms I thought would be apropos for increasing writing skills. After talking it over with my mentor and a colleague, I chose the following:

• Drama• Visual Arts

Drama Rationale• Drama is a technique that both my students and I

enjoy using.• As an itinerant teacher, I can use drama in

whatever space I am allotted.• Preliminary research indicates drama may help

increase literacy skills of English Language Learners.

Visual Arts Rationale• Visual arts are appealing to my students and help

inspire their imagination.• I have been given equipment this year that allows

me to project many different kinds of images, and my students enjoy interacting with the screen.

• Preliminary research indicates using visual arts/arts integration strategies may help increase literacy of English Language Learners.

Conducting the Research

My preliminary plan was to choose 5 drama and 5 visual arts strategies to use during the proposed timeline and research.

Drama Strategies• Pop-up storybook (Weber site)• Scenes from a story (Weber site)• Parts of Speech (pantomime) (Creative Approaches)• Ben Franklin experiments with electricity (sequencing)

(Creative • Approaches)• Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing? (Weber notes)

Visual Arts Strategies• I See, I Think, I Wonder (Project Zero)• Creative Comparisons (Project Zero)• Choosing Stories to Tell (Creating Meaning…)• What If Writing (Creating Meaning…)• Story Map Yourself (Creating Meaning…)

Participants• I will be focusing on two out of 6 students in a group of 2nd graders with whom

I work.• I will choose one student who has the highest literacy skills and one student

who has the lowest literacy skills.• The rationale for this is that it will be easier to track just two students than

several, particularly when it comes to recording observations. Also, teachers are always trying to increase potential in all students, not just the lowest performing students.

Tentative Timeline• I will be gathering data from the first WIDA

ACCESS benchmark to the second WIDA ACCESS benchmark.

• 1st MP through the 2nd MP.• The first WIDA ACCESS benchmark has already

been given.

What I Will Do During this period of data gathering, I will do the following:• Plan and implement arts integrated lessons that focus on developing

writing skills• Use my observation sheet to record student engagement in arts

integration activities and writing exercises.• Use my session skills sheets to record whether or not students met

outcome.• Keep a journal of what I observe about the process.• Administer the WIDA ACCESS benchmark tests.• Use Achievement Series to compare scores.

Data to be Collected• WIDA ACCESS benchmark scores• Observation checklist (see appendix)• Writing checklist (see appendix)• Session skills notes (see appendix)• Journal notes for unsolicited students responses• Language Arts Benchmarks• Literature reviews• Pre-assessments• Post-assessments• AI Lesson Plans• Student writing samples

Research/Literature Reviews1. Anderson, Alida . "The influence of process drama on elementary students’ written language." Urban Education

47.5 (2012): 959-982.This article describes the influence of process drama on 4th grade students’ written language skills. Study was conducted at an urban public charter school for students with learning/behavioral challenges. The influence of process drama was compared through contextualized and decontextualized activities to determine if there was a connection between activities and outcomes. The results of the study were significant increases in students’ written language productivity.

2. Artful Thinking. (n.d.). Project Zero. Retrieved December 5, 2012, from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/at/overview.cfm This website provides handy information on a program developed by Harvard Project Zero that helps teachers integrate art into regular classroom instruction. The purpose of this approach is to help increase students ability to engage in higher level thinking, questioning, and analyzing.

3. Brouillette, Liane. "Supporting the language development of limited english proficient students through arts integration in the primary grades." Arts Education Policy Review 113.n2 (2012): 68-74.This article describes how arts integration strategies can help increase the language development of limited English proficient students in kindergarten through second grade. The author reviews research on how young children learn and describes the unique challenges faced by English Language Learners. Arts integration strategies are explored that are useful in helping English Language Learners develop their language skills.

Research/Literature Review4. Cornett, C. E. (2003). Creating meaning through literature and the arts: an integration resource for classroom

teachers (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill/Prentice-Hall. This book is an arts integration handbook for teachers. It is chock full of drama, music, visual arts, and dance strategies to integrate with the core content. It also provides justification for using arts integration strategies in the classroom.

5. Creativity & Associates. (n.d.). Creativity & Associates. Retrieved December 5, 2012, from http://www.creativityandassociates.com/ Website is home to Creativity & Associates, an organization that seeks to “strengthen critical thinking skills in schools, businesses and individuals using the techniques of theater.” Strategies are offered that help nurture empathy and imagination. “Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing? are the fundamental questions that are at the heart of this creative consulting firm’s approach.

6. Merrion, M. D., & Rubin, J. (1996). Creative approaches to elementary curriculum. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. This book contains exercises and activities that combine the arts with core content areas and other subject areas. The strategies offered are designed to help increase students' music and creative drama skills. Music and creative drama strategies are used to help promote student skills across the curriculum.

Research/Literature Review7. Walker, E., C. Tabone, and G. Weltsek. "When achievement data meet drama and arts integration."

Language Arts 88.5 (1985): 365-372.This article describes a study in which four schools in an urban school district were selected to participate in a federally funded arts integration project. The results of the study indicated that a classroom rich in arts-integrated classroom strategies helped increased student scores on the state assessment in language arts by 77 percent. Students were able to sustain their gains, even when transitioning to a traditional classroom.

Timeline• Already administered WIDA ACCESS Writing Benchmark 1• Designed observation checklist• Designed writing checklist• Created APA bibliography• Met with mentor and colleague to discuss work• Have been using AI strategies

Struggles or Questions• I wonder if I will have enough data to write a full-fledged AR paper.• I hope I can accurately fill out data sheets “on the run.” I don’t generally have

time to write down my notes on students until the end of the day because I am constantly collecting students, teaching, and bringing students back to their classrooms.

• I wonder if my observation checklist is “sound.” I tried to think of everything I would want to evaluate for this research project.

• I’m generally feeling overwhelmed by work and am usually concerned with doing quality work for my job and quality work for my cohort.

Appendix (See links in post)

• 1 AR Observation checklist for AR school.doc

• 2 AR Writing checklist school.doc• 6 AR example skills matrix.doc