Running head: PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

The Benefits of Previewing Content and Using Visual Aids for Special Populations
Chelsea E. Scott
Loyola Marymount University

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

The Benefits of Previewing Content and Using Visual Aids for Special Populations
Introduction
Effective educators consistently adjust their instruction to make curriculum accessible
and relevant to all students. Each student brings his/her own background knowledge, beliefs,
opinions, and experiences into the classroom, and teachers strive to use this information to
accommodate each students unique strengths and needs. Some students that have intellectual,
behavioral, or emotional disabilities require additional support and accommodations in the
classroom. All students are held to high educational standards, but teachers understand how to
assist and challenge students based on their capabilities. Students that qualify as special
populations may exhibit notable academic, behavioral, social, and emotional challenges at
school. Teachers must take these obstacles into consideration and present academic content in a
way that is accessible to all students.
The school that I work at is a private Catholic school in downtown Los Angeles. It is a
low-income school, and over 90% of the students receive free or reduced lunch. Many families
receive some degree of tuition support based on their income. Out of the 288 students currently
enrolled at the school, approximately 95% are Latino. The remaining 5% consists of Ethiopian,
Caucasian, and Filipino students. My fourth grade classroom has 32 students, and all but seven
of them are English learners. Of the ELs, 23 speak Spanish and two speak Ethiopian. The
students reading levels range from late second grade to early seventh grade.
Mark is a student who struggles to comprehend grade-level content in many subject
areas. He has an individualized education plan (IEP) for specific learning disability (SLD),
specifically for auditory processing disorder (APD). This has caused him to have much
difficulty with following written and oral directions, comprehending content, listening and
responding to peers and teachers, participating in class, and scoring well on assessments. He

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

also has poor organizational skills and frequently fails to complete homework and classwork.
His assessment scores are far below average, and he does not seem motivated to learn new
concepts in class because he feels frustrated with himself.
This action research will seek to increase Marks reading scores using a few strategies.
The research will be based on the following questions: 1) Will previewing the content with a
one-on-one discussion and/or previewing homework increase his scores? 2) Will providing
Mark with additional visual aids such as graphic organizers, think maps, pictures, and printed
notes allow him to better comprehend the material? With these strategies, I hope to focus on
improving Marks reading scores, which will in turn affect his comprehension and achievement
in other subject areas.
Literature Review
Effective teachers use research-based methodologies to ensure that all students have
access to the curriculum. This is especially important for students with learning disabilities, who
require unique modifications and adaptations to understand the content according to their
capabilities. One foundational strategy that benefits all learners is previewing content. Marzano
(2013) indicates the importance of previewing content because he includes it as one of the
elements of the Marzano Teacher Evaluation Model. The first domain of his evaluation includes
classroom strategies and behaviors, and the eighth element of that domain is previewing new
content. According to Marzano, the teacher engages students in activities that help them link
what they already know to the new content about to be addressed and facilitates these linkages
(Marzano, 2013, p. 22). Educators must consider the students background knowledge when
presenting new content. Simply assuming that students have the schema to understand new
information may result in deficits of understanding and frustration or disinterest with the new
content. Guiding students to access their background knowledge and connect it with new

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

content makes it more meaningful and likely that the students will retain the information.
There are many different ways for educators to preview content. Teachers can utilize
KWL charts, outlines, graphic organizers, anticipation guides, or word splashes for vocabulary.
Additionally, they can also ask preview questions before reading, use brainstorms, tell
motivational hooks, and reteach basic information (Marzano, 2013). Sejnost & Thiese (2010)
state that previewing texts is crucial for achieving content area literacy. However, it is important
that the strategies focus not only on the structure of the text but also on a content overview,
which focuses on the concepts and questions covered in the chapter and their interrelationships
(Sejnost & Thiese, 2010, 1).
Depending on the needs of the class, the teacher may present one or more of these
previewing strategies to the whole class, a small group, or an individual student. Previewing
content with the whole class and small groups is beneficial because the teacher facilitates a
discussion or activity that gets students talking with their peers and generating new ideas based
on what they know. Individual students, including those with special needs, may benefit from
one-on-one previewing of content because the teacher can introduce new information to build the
students schema, and the student will review this information during the lesson with the rest
of the class. Students can demonstrate their participation and success in previewing activities by
explaining linkages with prior knowledge, making predictions about additional content, and
explaining a purpose for what they are about to learn (Marzano, 2013).
Another helpful strategy that benefits all learners is using visual aids. These include
graphic organizers such as outlines, charts, graphs, diagrams, and thinking maps. Lehman
(1992) explains that students with special needs require a more structured and organized format
in order to learn new facts. His research indicates that graphic organizers help make facts
absorbable and allows students to observe relationships among information (p. 53). To

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

make graphic organizers effective for all students, the educator must consider the learning
objective and limit the amount of information that is presented based on the goal of the objective
and the capabilities of the students.
Dexter & Hughes (2011) explain that visual aids are instrumental to helping students with
learning disabilities because in the upper grades there is a shift in learning presentation that is
mainly didactic lecture and expository texts, often with abstract concepts, unfamiliar content, and
technical vocabulary. Students at all education levels benefit from graphic organizers because
the responsibilities and expectations of every student increase with each grade level. Allowing
students to see content visually and organize it themselves through visual aids gives them tools
to organize new information into manageable chunks where they can recognize patterns and
connect to prior knowledge. Dexter & Hughes (2011) found that studies that included
instructional interventions with graphic organizers were effective for students with learning
disabilities because of the gradual release of responsibility. The first interventions were focused
on teaching students how to use the graphic organizer, and then future interventions included
prompted practice and finally independent practice. This format is helpful for all students
because the teacher models both the thoughts and actions used to complete the graphic organizer,
then allows the students to practice with guidance, and finally has the students to demonstrate
mastery independently. My hope is that this research about previewing content and visual aids
will give me insight on how to implement and adjust instruction for Mark.
Cycle 1: Baseline
Mark wants to learn when he is motivated, and he feels proud of himself when he
accomplishes a goal. However, his difficulty with auditory processing impedes his ability to
perform well in most areas. He knows that he does not understand much of the content, so he
has low self-esteem. Mark rarely participates in class and requires much prompting and

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

redirecting. He consistently forgets to turn in homework, and the missing work mainly consists
of reading assignments. He is often distracted and starts looking around or listening to others
instead of focusing on the lesson or assignment. He has preferential seating and both his study
partner and I redirect him regularly to keep him on task. Mark took a computer-adaptive
assessment called the STAR test to determine his Accelerated Reader (AR) reading level, which
is based on his calculated zone of proximal development (ZPD). According to the most recent
results, Mark had a grade equivalent reading level (GE) of 2.8, which corresponds to the eighth
month of second grade. His intellectual reading level (IRL) was 2.7, and his ZPD was 2.5-3.5.
Using that ZPD range, Mark self-selected books within his reading level and took AR
comprehension quizzes on them. Below are Marks scores for the initial baseline:
STAR Reading Scores

Test Date

Grade
Equivalent
(GE)

Percentile
Rank
(PR)

Intellectual
Reading
Level (IRL)

Zone of
Proximal
Dev. (ZPD)

8-19-14

2.5

12

2.3

2.3-3.3

10-20-14

2.5

12

2.4

2.3-3.3

1-16-15

2.8

14

2.7

2.5-3.5

Accelerated Reader Quiz Scores

Test Date

Score

Book Level

10-22-14

4/10

40%

2.7

10-30-14

7/10

70%

2.6

11-21-14

4/10

40%

2.7

12-9-14

3/10

30%

3.0

12-15-14

7/10

70%

2.8

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

Report Card Grades - Trimester 1

Reading

English

Mathematics

Social
Studies

Science

C-

C-

The data shows that Marks reading level is far below grade-level. This indicates that he
is not effectively accessing the curriculum. I will adapt my lessons to include more previewed
content, including readings for homework and visual diagrams to map new information ahead of
time. I will also provide other visual aids such as graphic organizers, thinking maps, pictures,
charts, and printed notes. I will continue to assess Marks reading ability by using his STAR and
Accelerated Reader scores to track his progress with independent reading.
Cycle 2: Intervention and New Baseline
Using visual aids to present and organize content is a regular routine in my classroom.
Some of the organizers that we use most frequently include thinking maps, KWL charts, and
interactive reading notebooks. During the interventions, Mark completed the assignments with
the rest of the class. However, I usually previewed content with him one-on-one each day and
with a small group during weekly after school tutoring. With reading concepts, I went over the
basic information he needed to know in order to complete the strategies (e.g., summarizing, main
idea and details, compare and contrast, point of view). I used his current AR book as an example
to complete the strategies, enabling him to focus his attention on those strategies for his future
AR books. Mark achieved higher scores on assignments that included reading topics he was
familiar with, including weather and Greek mythology. However, he needed additional
previewing and graphic organizers with content that was difficult and had more domain-specific
vocabulary, including ecosystems and California missions. I assigned Mark the readings for
homework the night before, which allowed him to review the information when we went over

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

it again in class. My lessons always include gradual release, which is beneficial for Mark and
the other students. This strategy allows me to model the content first, let students work with
partners or small groups, and finally exhibit mastery independently. During these assignments, I
provided Mark with more individualized instruction, checks for understanding, and direct
feedback on his progress.
Throughout the reading lessons, Mark participated when he felt confident that he could
demonstrate his knowledge of the content. Mark frequently lacks focus and motivation during
lessons due to his difficulty with auditory processing, so I checked his progress regularly through
redirection, informal observation, and questioning. I worked with him individually to make sure
his graphic organizers were complete and accurate, and on these occasions, he was more likely to
share his work with the class.
Marks progress was tracked through his most recent STAR scores, AR quizzes, and
report card grades. Although the focus of the intervention was mainly on reading strategies to
improve his independent reading, the report card grades also show how well he was able to use
these strategies to understand domain-specific vocabulary and concepts in subjects such as
science and social studies. By the end of the trimester, Mark showed a little bit of progress with
his STAR test and AR quiz scores. The STAR test was most recently administered in early
March, and his GE was 3.4 and his ZPD book level was 2.8-3.9. This improvement shows that
Mark was able to retain some of the reading strategies using the previewed content and visual
aids. The data for Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 are indicated below.

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

STAR Reading Scores

Cycle 1

Test Date

Grade
Equivalent
(GE)

Percentile
Rank
(PR)

Intellectual
Reading
Level (IRL)

Zone of
Proximal
Dev. (ZPD)

8-19-14

2.5

12

2.3

2.3-3.3

10-20-14

2.5

12

2.4

2.3-3.3

1-16-15

2.8

14

2.7

2.5-3.5

2-6-15

3.1

23

3.1

2.6-3.7

3-5-15

3.4

29

3.4

2.8-3.9

Cycle 2

Accelerated Reader Quiz Scores

Cycle 1

Cycle 2

Test Date

Score

Book Level

10-22-14

4/10

40%

2.7

10-30-14

7/10

70%

2.6

11-21-14

4/10

40%

2.7

12-9-14

3/10

30%

3.0

12-15-14

7/10

70%

2.8

1-22-15

5/10

50%

2.9

2-6-15

6/10

60%

3.0

2-20-15

5/10

50%

3.3

2-25-15

7/10

70%

3.0

3-4-15

8/10

80%

3.2

Report Card Grades

Reading

English

Mathematics

Social
Studies

Science

Cycle 1

C-

C-

Cycle 2

C-

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Cycle 2: Analysis and Reflection

The slight improvement in Marks scores shows that the interventions were somewhat
beneficial. His scores typically fluctuate due to his difficulty with auditory processing. Based
on my knowledge of Marks capabilities, I am glad to see some improvement due to the
previewing and visual aids. Previewing content allowed Mark to add new information to his
existing schema in a one-to-one environment and review the content again when I introduced it
to the rest of the class. This allowed Mark to practice learning domain-specific vocabulary and
reading strategies to apply to his independent reading and assignments. The visual aids were
also beneficial to Mark since they allowed him to categorize new information into manageable
chunks and organize his own thoughts with structured guidelines. Marks STAR test scores
increased gradually throughout the school year, and this shows that the interventions helped him
apply this new knowledge to his independent reading practices. Previewing content and using
visual aids are beneficial for all learners because it allows students to access their background
knowledge and sort information into meaningful categories. Graphic organizers also enable
students to self-monitor their understanding and demonstrate their knowledge in different ways.
This action research was valuable because it allowed me to assist Mark and his
classmates in an authentic classroom environment. It was easy for me to compare Marks test
scores and grades before and after the interventions to evaluate their effectiveness. These
instructional practices allowed me to consider other contexts including students schema, home
life, beliefs, social characteristics, and academic strengths and weaknesses. In order to further
my research, I will continue implementing previewing and visual aids in all subject areas,
especially social studies and science, because they contain complex academic vocabulary and
concepts. Other research questions that I can consider include: How can I use engaging
previewing activities like games and projects to implement previewing more regularly? How

PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

can I incorporate graphic organizers into assessments to meet students individual needs?
Continued use of previewing and visual aids will allow Mark and his classmates access the
curriculum according to their unique needs.

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PREVIEWING CONTENT AND VISUAL AIDS

References
Dexter, D. D., & Hughes, C. A. (2011). Graphic organizers and students with learning
disabilities: A meta-analysis. Learning Disability Quarterly, 34(1), 51-72.
Lehman, H. G. (1992). Graphic organizers benefit slow learners. Clearing House, 66(1), 53.
Marzano, R. (2013). The Marzano Teacher Evaluation Model. Marzano Research Library.
Retrieved from http://tpep-wa.org/wp-content/uploads/Marzano_Teacher_
Evaluation_Model.pdf
Sejnost, R. L. & Thiese, S. M. (2010). Building content literacy: Strategies for the adolescent
learner. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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