Transcript Governor`s Teacher Network

Governor’s Teacher Network
Action Research Project
Increasing Vocabulary and Reading
Comprehension of ELL and Hispanic
students through instruction of Latin and
Greek Roots
Natalie Holt
Snow Creek Elementary
What is Governor’s Teacher
Network “GTN”?
Through an application process, 225 North
Carolina teachers were chosen to develop
lesson plans and materials to share with
other teachers.
Another 225 teachers were chosen to
develop and work on an action research
plan within their own classrooms. The
results of the action research will be shared
with other teachers through professional
development and will be stored on a Wiki in
Homebase.
What is action research?
Geoffrey E. Mills in Action Research states
that action research is a systematic approach
by individuals such as teachers, counselors,
and administrators to gain insight on how
students learn and best teaching practices.
The information gathered through inquiry is
used to gain insight, develop practices that are
reflective, and to make positive changes in the
classroom/school environment. Action
research is effective because it is developed
and conducted by teachers for themselves and
is not imposed on them by others.
How does action research effect
positive educational changes?
Geoffrey E. Mills in Action Research states that
teacher researchers are different from
traditional education researchers because they
are committed to taking action and making
positive changes in their own classrooms.
Mills also states that action research provides
meaningful professional growth opportunities
and opportunities for reflection and it is
democratic and participatory in nature.
Teachers have decision-making authority to
choose the area of focus, the data to be
gathered, analyzed, and interpreted in order to
develop an action plan.
The purpose of my
action research study
I want to increase the
vocabulary and reading
comprehension of ELL and
Hispanic students in my fourth
grade language arts
classroom through direct
instruction of Latin and Greek
roots and student activities.
Professional articles that support
my action research
50% to 75% of the English words come
from Latin or Greek roots. Students who
study these roots become adapt at linking
the pronunciation, spelling, and meaning of
more challenging words because the roots
have consistent patterns.
Latin is embedded in the Spanish
language. Studying these roots can
enhance the ELL linguistic connection and
accelerate vocabulary growth. ELL
learners are the largest growing population
of students in American schools.
Research shows that using Greek and
Latin word roots to teach multiple
meaning words is more effective than
the traditional approach to vocabulary
instruction. A single root, or affix, from
Latin or Greek can help a student
understand at least 20 words.
Studies show that proficiency in
morphology is a better predictor of a
student’s reading achievement than
phonological awareness. Students with
dyslexia, or those unable to use
phonics, are able to analyze words
using morphology and compensate for
their deficits in phonics.
Studying Greek and Latin roots
shouldn’t wait for the secondary grades
but begin in the primary grades.
Native speakers of the English language
are expected to know about 20,000 word
families or about 70,000 words. The
English language has the largest
vocabulary in the world. However, nonspeakers of English that are educated,
have less than one quarter of the native
speaker’s vocabulary. In order for nonnative speakers to become successful
in the academic areas and be able to
communicate they must increase their
vocabulary.
At the fourth grade level, and higher,
words with Latin and Greek affixes
appear in students’ reading vocabulary.
In the middle grades, students may
encounter between 3,000 to 9,000 words
per year that derive part of their
meaning from Greek or Latin affixes.
Academic texts have a large
number of words that are derived
from the Latin and Greek roots and
are associated with math,
scientific, technical, and scholarly
topics.
When students separate and
analyze the meaning of prefixes,
suffixes, and roots they are more
able to understand the meaning of
unfamiliar words. Students need
strategies and opportunities to
manipulate words.
Direct instruction and practice
activities
Students will learn two to three
Latin or Greek roots and
vocabulary words using these
roots each week through direct
instruction. Instruction will include
use of a weekly Powerpoint which
will provide the definition of roots,
visual examples, and vocabulary
words.
Students will have opportunities for
independent and peer practice during
reading stations
Students will use the Internet website
www.quizlet.com to practice spelling
and identifying the correct definition of
vocabulary words. This is a free
website which has flashcards, games,
and quizzes.
Students will maintain a vocabulary
journal. In the journal they will record
the root, examples of words using the
roots, an example sentence, and
illustration.
During pair-share students will share
the sentences they have created using
the vocabulary words and other words
they have discovered using the root
being studied.
Students will participate in interactive
games/activities such as: jeopardy,
morpho-bingo, relay race, boggle, etc.
Weekly assessment where students
demonstrate correct spelling of
vocabulary word and ability to use or
identify the correct definition of the
vocabulary words.
Determining Student Growth
A pre-test and posttest will be
administered which assess the
students’ ability to comprehend
sentences and/or paragraphs
which use unfamiliar words using
Latin or Greek roots.
Weekly assessments of roots and
vocabulary words
Journals, work samples, and
observations
Resources
The Catawba County Schools writing plan
has instruction on prefixes, suffixes, and
roots.
These ideas on The Word Wizards –
Schoolwide vocabulary were compiled by
Lora Drum and stored under link
http://www.catawbaschools.net/department
s/curriculum/ELAk5/Vocabulary/Forms/AllIt
ems.aspx
It’s also posted on the catawba county
homepage
http://www.catawbaschools.net/department
s/curriculum/writingk12/SitePages/Home.a
spx
Examples of student bulletin board
from Word Wizard
Geometry Math Words
Example of work sample for student
journals