Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Action Research
Chandler McAlister
Samford University OBB School of Education

Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Initial meeting with the teacher:

Students Chosen
Student A Student A was chosen by Dr. Underbakke to be a part of the Action Research Group for fall
2014. Dr. Underbakke thought that one-on-one intervention would help this student. He is very quiet
and often seems confused. The student needs more practice to become more confident in his abilities
but also has areas to continue to work in, reading comprehension being one. He reads fluently and is on
a high reading level.
Student S Student S was chose by Dr. Underbakke to be a part of the Action Research Group for fall
2014. Dr. Underbakke thought that one-on-one intervention would be helpful for this student to help
him improve his reading comprehension abilities by learning to share his thought more clearly and in a
way that makes sense. He reads fluently and is on a high reading level.

The Question:
After discussing each students individual needs Dr. Underbakke decided that the project should focus
on their comprehension, first. We decided the question to base the project on would be: What are the
most effective strategies for increasing reading comprehension? This question was developed because
each of these students needs to improve on their reading comprehension skills. Reading comprehension
is one of the most important key elements of reading. If a student cant comprehend what they are
reading and the authors main purpose then what is the point? When reading comprehension isnt
attainable by a student they are likely to dislike reading, therefore teaching them strategies early is
extremely important. Reading comprehension is attainable when the student is taught helpful strategies
to use before, during, and after reading. Therefore, the goal was to teach them strategies to use to help
them comprehend information in a better way.
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Timeline:

Session #1

1. Tell students what we will be doing: From now until Winter break the three of us
will be working together to work on your reading skills.
2. Administer interest inventory assessment
Kid-Friendly Learning Objective:
Today we will be filling out a short worksheet about what you like to read.

Session #2

Initial Assessment Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment.

Kid-Friendly Objective:
Today you are going to read a story to me and then tell me what you learned about
the story.

Session #3

Session #4

Session #5

Teach about the 5Ws. Legend of the Bluebonnet Lesson

Kid-Friendly Objective:
Today we are going to learn to ask good questions when we read a story. The five
questions will always answer the who, what, when, where, and why in a story.
1. Midpoint Assessment. Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment.
Kid-Friendly Objective:
Today we are going to read another short story and after I am going to ask you
some questions.
Summarization Lesson
Kid-Friendly Objective:
Today we are going to learn how to retell a story in just a few sentences.

Session #6

Final Assessment. Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment.

Kid-Friendly Objective:
Today we are going to read just one more short book and then you are going to tell
me about the story.

Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Literature Review
Abstract:
For students to be successful they must understand how to comprehend information when they
read. This is the key element of reading, and therefore, is the most important. Students must be
equipped with different strategies to use to be able to comprehend material to the best of their ability.
The top five strategies include: activating background knowledge, questioning, analyzing text structure,
making visual images, and summarizing. Once students are taught these things they will be able to read
and comprehend any written material well.
Keywords: comprehension, strategies, teaching, reading

Reading comprehension is one of the most important key elements of reading. If a

student cant comprehend what they are reading and the authors main purpose then what is
the point? When reading comprehension isnt attainable by a student they are likely to dislike
reading, therefore teaching them strategies early is extremely important. Reading
comprehension is attainable when the student is taught helpful strategies to use before, during,
and after reading. Research has shown to increase reading comprehension, teachers should
provide direct, explicit instruction by following five main practices: activating prior knowledge,
questioning, analyzing text structure, creating visual images, and summarizing.
Most students come to school with knowledge and experiences that can be connected
to stories they read. (Moore) Students must learn how to connect their background knowledge
and experiences with what they are reading. However, when dealing with young children you
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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

cant assume that they have background knowledge or experience to understand a book and its
content. The teacher should teach the information students will need explicitly. When reading
fiction, non-informative texts the best way to activate background knowledge is to focus
discussion on the message or theme rather than on the topic. For informative texts the
teacher should focus discussion on the actual content. (Cooter, 2015) When students can
activate background knowledge they will be more engaged to read and they will comprehend
better. To help children activate background knowledge: tell them information explicitly, show
them visuals, videos, movies, etc., and brainstorm previously acquired knowledge. (Davids,
2011)
Students must be taught how to ask relevant, purposeful questions. To teach students
to ask questions you must model this for them. This can be done by asking students questions
about the text before, during and after. (Davids, 2011)
If students can understand how texts are organized and structured they are more likely to
comprehend the story. First students should be taught the main parts in a story through explicit
instruction. A model for teaching students story structure is by using graphic organizers.
(Cooter, 2015) Give students a graphic organizer that represents story structure. For example, a
story map containing main idea and supporting details they can fill in can be extremely
effective. Graphic organizers can be done before, during or after reading and can be partially
filled in or left empty. (Davids, 2011) Again, expectations of this should be modeled and
explained explicitly.

Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Students must also learn how to make visual images in their brain when reading. To help
students do this the teacher should use texts that encourage students to create images.
Students can make images in their mind or they can draw these images. (Davids, 2011)
Encourage your students to create a movie in their head when they read. Another way to
encourage visualization is through using your senses. Have students talk about what they can
taste, see, feel, hear, and touch. (Beale)
Finally, students must learn to summarize important information. The purpose of
summarizing is to extract and succinctly organize the gist of the text. (Cooter, 2015) To teach
students how to summarize they first must learn how to pull out the important facts. Then they
can organize these facts that they feel are most important in a sequence. Learning to
summarize is difficult. Students must be able to pull out the main idea and the most important
information. I like to tell students to tell me about the story as if I were hearing it for the first
time.
When using these strategies it is so important to remember to use direct, explicit instruction.
Show students what is expected of them instead of telling them. Teach them a specific strategy
through modeling and then show them when to use it. (Adler, 2001)

Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Data and Strategies Log:

Date/Tim
e Spent

Strategy
Description

October 7, Students will

2014
complete a
reading
15 mins
interest
inventory
assessment

October
28, 2014
30 mins
(one-onone so 15
each
student)

Administer
F&P
Benchmark
Assessment.
Prompt them
to explain the
book to you.
However, if

Anecdotal
Observation
s
Student A
and student
S were both
very quiet
because
they werent
used to me
just yet.
However,
they
completed
the
inventory
with no
issues and
seemed
pleased to
work with
me.

Assessment
Data

Plan for Next

Session

Reflection

Both boys
enjoy reading
and spend
time reading
at home.
Student S
enjoys
mystery,
science fiction,
fantasy, nonfiction, travel,
biography,
history, and
graphic novels.
Student A
enjoys
mystery,
science fiction,
fiction, nonfiction, and
biographies.
Both boys said
that they
prefer to read
silently to
themselves.

Next session I
will administer
an F&P
assessment to
check their
fluency skills
and their
ability to
comprehend
information
within the text,
beyond the
text, and about
the text.

Student S
was more
willing to
speak during
this session
and seemed
excited to
read with

View chart
below for data
from F&P

Both students
need to learn
how to answer
questions
effectively and
how to ask
questions
when they

I learned what
the boys enjoy
reading so to
increase their
motivation and
engagement I
need to make
sure I pick
books from
those genres. I
also need to
provide them
with time to
read silently to
themselves
because they
will be more
willing to read
that way. It is
so important
for me as a
teacher to take
the students
likes into
consideration
because it
really will make
a difference in
their ability to
learn.
I really thought
that these boys
would have
few problems
with
comprehension
but that was
not the case
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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

they dont
explain details
the teacher
may ask
questions.
Before reading
activate
background
knowledge
about the
subject in the
book. Ask
effective
questions
before, and
after they
read.

me. This is
something
most of the
kids in the
class enjoy
doing so he
was pleased.
Student A,
however,
was still very
quiet and
remained
this way
through
most of the
sessions.

November Teach
4, 2014
students how
to ask and
45 mins
answer good
questions
when they
read. Teach
them to 5W
questions:
who, what,
when, where,
and why. Use
The Legend of
The
Bluebonnet by

During this
lesson, Mrs.
B was in the
room
observing so
this could
have played
a factor in
their level of
participation
during the
lesson.
Student A
was still very
quiet but

Both boys met

expectations
on their
assessment,
each of them
scoring an
80%. There
were some
misconception
s though when
I said w
word and to
find the w
word in the
story. Student

read. So, I will

teach a lesson
on the 5Ws
next session to
teach them
about these
questions,
what they
mean, and
how to ask
themselves
these
questions
while reading. I
also will only
be focusing on
their ability to
read for
information
within the text.
They will not
be taught to
read beyond
the text or
answer
questions
about the
layout of the
text.
Next, I would
like to assess
them again to
see if teaching
them to ask
effective
questions will
help them
comprehend. I
will also review
the 5Ws
before
administering
the
assessment as

here. I learned
that just
because a
student can
read with
speed and
accuracy does
not mean that
they will
comprehend
the
information
they are
reading.

I need to be
cautious about
how I word my
explanations
and my
questions. Like,
student A was
confused about
w words. I
need to give
them more
time to ask me
questions as
well. I would
also use a less
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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Tomie
Depaola

was willing
to try to
answer
questions
and
participate
in the
lesson.
Sometimes
he just
needed
more think
time but he
wasnt as
scared to
answer me.
Student S
was fairly
quiet but
was more
willing to
answer
questions.
Both boys
were in a
good mood.
November Administer
Student A
6, 2014
another F&P
was very
Benchmark
willing to
30 mins
Assessment.
come read
(one-onPrompt them today. He
one so 15 to explain the was still
each
book to you.
quiet as
student)
However, if
usual but a
they dont
little more
explain details talkative.
the teacher
Student S
may ask
was in a
questions.
good mood
Before reading and was
activate
happy when
background
he was able
knowledge
to recall the
about the
5Ws learned

A was
confused and
looked
specifically for
words that
began with a
w but I
caught his
misconception
and fixed the
problem.

a reminder
difficult book
that may be
to teach this
useful to them. lesson. I didnt
realize that this
would be a
difficult
concept to
grasp but it
was. I also
think that
these students
in particular
would feed off
of other peers
energy and
participate
more.

View chart
below for data
from F&P

Next, I would
like to teach
the boys to
summarize.
They both
improved in
their ability to
recall
information
but it was very
broad and not
in any
particular
order.

I was amazed
with the
improvement I
saw just after
one lesson.
Teaching them
how to ask and
answer
effective
questions is a
strategy that I
believe works
well for
students.

Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

subject in the
book. Ask
effective
questions
before, and
after they
read. Review
the 5Ws
before
administration
.
November Teach
18, 2014
students how
to summarize
45 mins
using
Goldilocks and
the Three
Bears. Set up a
beginning,
middle, and
end chart to
organize
thoughts.

in the
previous
week. This
was a boost
to his
confidence
and made
him excited
and
encouraged
to read.
Student S
was not
present for
this lesson.
Student A
was very
quiet but
paid close
attention
and seemed
to enjoy the
fact that I let
him read the
story to
himself,
since this is
his preferred
way of
reading.

December
2, 2014

S was more
See chart
talkative and below for data
was excited from F&P
to read
again. He
was
concerned
because he
missed the
last session
but I assured
him that he

30 mins
(one-onone so 15
each
student)

Administer
final F&P
Benchmark
assessment.
Remind boys
to summarize
and to ask
themselves
the 5W
questions
while they
read.

Student A was
able to tell me
a beginning
sentence, a
middle
sentence and
an ending
sentence for
the story I had
him read
independently,
therefore he
met the
learning
objective.

The final thing

I want to do is
give a final
assessment
using F&P to
see if this
helped student
As ability to
comprehend.

I think that I
should have
taught
sequencing
before
summarizing.
They go hand
in hand but this
is something
that was also a
struggle,
especially for
student S.
However, he
wasnt at
school on this
day, so I dont
know if this
would have
helped him or
not.
I am pleased
I have come to
with both of
the conclusion
the students
that teaching
progress for
students to
comprehendin summarize and
g information
to ask
within the text. questions while
The next step I reading are
would take as
effective
a teacher
strategies for
would be to
increasing
teach them
comprehension
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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

would be
fine. Student
A was finally
excited
today. He
was
interested to
read the
book we had
today about
butterflies.

how to read
beyond the
text or how to
answer
questions
about the text.

. However,
they dont help
much in
improving their
ability to read
beyond the
text or to
understand
how the text is
formatted.

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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Data Graphs and Progress Monitoring:

F&P Benchmark Assessment - Total Scores (Within, beyond, and
about the text)
9

Overall Score

7
6

A
3

3
2
1

Baseline

Midpoint

Final

F & P Benchmark Assessment - Within the

Text
3.5

Score out of 3

3
2.5

1.5
1
0.5
0

Baseline

Midpoint

Final

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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Assessment Reflections:
Reading Inventory Reflection: October 7, 2014
Student A From this interest inventory I didnt gather as much information about this students
personality as I would have hoped for. However, from the lack of response I was able to learn a lot.
Student A loves to read at school and at home. He couldnt tell me about a hobby or any interests that
he has. This concerned me mainly because I assumed that he may not have a lot of experiences that
would help him establish background knowledge. This is such a big part of reading comprehension. He
does like to read a wide variety of books. He says that he enjoys mystery, Science Fiction, Fiction, NonFiction, and Biographies. He left the blank for favorite book blank. He also says that he prefers to read
books silently rather than read out loud or to someone else. My assumptions about lack of experience
were correct and really affected his ability to comprehend what he is reading.
Student S- From the interested inventory I learned a lot about this student. This student really knows
what he likes and isnt afraid to ask for it. He loves to read a large variety of books from mystery to
science fiction, and even biographies. He enjoys playing basketball and his favorite book is Mouse and
the Motorcycle. He said that they his parents are good readers. This made me realize that reading is
something that he does at home with his family and that is a great thing. I knew why he was an excellent
reader after this inventory assessment and I also knew what books to select for him.
Initial Assessment Reflection: October 28, 2014
Student A After administering the initial assessment (F&P Benchmark) I began to realize just how quiet
this student really is. He doesnt talk much at all. He read the story with good fluency but when it came
time to tell me about the story he didnt speak a word. He sat their dazed like he didnt understand what
I was talking about. Im not sure if he was honestly confused about the story or if he just didnt
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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

understand the question. Since he couldnt tell me anything after me asking Tell me about the story, I
began to prompt him. The student wasnt able to answer any of those questions either. Part of me was
hoping he was just confused about what I was asking, so the next step for this student was to teach him
how to ask questions while he read. I hoped that teaching them him these questions would also help
him answer the questions that I was asking. Student A had a long way to go after this initial assessment.
With the three different sections in the F&P assessment I decided to start by improving his score on the
simplest section, within the text.
Student S After administering the initial assessment (F&P Benchmark) I learned that this student was a
very good reader and did comprehend information pretty well. However, he could use an extra push to
improve his reading comprehension. He was able to tell me some small details with prompting but not
in the correct order. He had more depth of understanding in his explanations so it was obvious that he
was able to comprehend the story fairly well, but when I asked for smaller details he wasnt able to tell
me much. The next thing I knew I needed to do was teach him to ask questions when he read. He could
use help improving his ability to just comprehend within the text before moving on.

Midpoint Assessment Reflection: November 6, 2014

Student A He improved in his ability to tell me some information about what he was reading but it still
required a lot of prompting. His information was all over the place and didnt share a lot of detail or the
really important information in the story. Therefore, I think a lesson on summarization would really help
increase his skill to comprehend information.
Student S- He improved so much since the first assessment. I was so proud and excited to see that he
really did use the strategy I had equipped him with the week before. He recalled a lot of information but
needs to learn how to put the information in a particular order that makes sense to someone that hasnt

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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

read the story. I think a summarization lesson would be a helpful to student S mainly to help him get his
thoughts across more clearly.

Final Assessment Reflection: December 2, 2014

Student A Student A met the score I had as a goal for the process so I was so pleased. He really needed
the extra lesson on summarization in order to succeed. Its interesting to think about that this one
strategy helped him more than the other.
Student S He was able to comprehend and his answers were in a better sequence this time. However,
this could be due to the way the book was formatted and the subject matter being the life cycle of a
butterfly. This information is easier to put in a particular order.

Necessary Instructional Changes

Strategies that were used:
1. Activating background knowledge
2. Asking effective questions
3. Summarization
Lessons/assessments that were used:
1. Reading Interest Inventory
2. Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment (3Xs)
3. The 5Ws Introduction
4. Summarizing Goldilocks and the Three Bears
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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

1. Students need the opportunity to write about what they read instead of just presenting the
information aurally. Student A, that is very quiet, may have been able to tell me more about
what he read by writing, especially. I really think this would have made a huge difference in
their scores on F&P if they were able to have the chance to write.
2. The next thing I need to remember when teaching material is to be very clear about what I am
looking for in their answers. I need to explain concepts more than once and allow them a lot of
practice time. I also need to give students more wait time before I require an answer from them.
If I allow them time to think then they will respond with a better formulated answer.
3. I need to provide students with more chances to ask me questions so that I am able to clear up
misconceptions earlier.

Additional Reflection:
My students made so much progress over this semester. They went from telling very few or no
details about a story to telling me an entire summary. This is a huge step and shows me that they
strategies I used worked well for these students. However, I do realize that not all students are the same
and others may do better by being equipped with one of the other three strategies for increasing
reading comprehension. I am so proud of my students and their hard work and willingness to learn.
While the students improvement was important to the project I feel like I gained much more from this
than they did. I learned how to do action research. This is something I believe all teachers should be
doing on a regular basis, except not to this extent. Teachers should be doing research on the best
strategies available for teaching students. New ideas and research is being done every day. I know that I

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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

was not taught the same way thirteen years ago as my second graders are being taught today. The next
thing I learned is specific to the content. Teaching reading comprehension isnt really about the
strategies you use to teach them, rather the strategies you equip them with to use. You cant teach
them about one book and expect them to know how to comprehend everything after that. You have to
give them the strategies we as adults use on a daily basis for them to be successful. Another thing I
learned was to be very flexible. I planned my entire project out at the beginning of the semester and it
did not end up the way I expected it to. Children and their learning are rather unpredictable, especially
for a pre-service teacher. I expected one thing to work and it didnt work, or I expected them to pick up
on a concept easily and they didnt. Teachers must be flexible and they must be able to respond to data.
The data and reflection tell you what you have to do next. Sometimes you may be able to continue or
sometimes you may have to reteach. Sometimes it isnt the students fault that they fail because you as
the teacher need to change something. The next step I would take with these students is to teach them
to read beyond the text. They are able to comprehend the little details within the text, but struggle to
make connections. The strategies I would use to accomplish this would be helping them activate
background knowledge. Once they realize that they already know something they will be able to make
connections outside of the book. One thing I would do differently is gather more data through different
tools. I would allow the students to write and give answers orally instead of just allowing them to speak.
Some students are better writers and some are better at talking. I need to offer them the opportunity to
do both so that I can get accurate data and so they get practice being assessed both ways.

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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Works Cited:
Adler, C.R. (2001). Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension. Reading Rockets. Retrieved
from: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/seven-strategies-teach-students-textcomprehension
Beale, Keene, Tovani. Reading Comprehension Strategies. Scholastic. Retrieved from:
https://www.cville.k12.in.us/Cville/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Zw_U43MP3P8%3D&tabid=69
Cooter, Robert B. Jr; Reutzel, Ray D. (2015). Teaching Children to Read: The Teacher Makes a Difference.
NYC: Pearson.
Davids, Victoria. (2011). Comprehension Instruction. Basehor-Linwood Virtual School. Retrieved from:
http://www.blvs.org/gen/blvs/Reading__Comprehension_Instruction_p284.html
Moore, David W. Reading Comprehension Strategies. Retrieved from:
http://www.ngsp.net/Portals/0/Downloads/HBNETDownloads/Edge_Mono_Moore1.pdf

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