1. What is the title of the project?
Using Readers Theater to Show Off Good Reading
2. What is the Question?
There are several guiding questions in the action research including:
- What does readers theater look like in my classroom?
- What is the impact of readers theater on my students’ levels of fluency?
- What is the impact of readers theater on my students’ levels of comprehension?
- What changes in students’ level of interest in reading and reading behaviors are noted following the use of readers theater?
4. What strategy is being used to address?
Simulation and Games
5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work?
The National Reading Panel in 2000 identified fluency as a major component to students’ success in reading efficiency and comprehension. Readers Theater can have a positive effect on fluency.6. How will data be collected to determine if the strategy will work?
Data will be collected through surveys, fluency assessments, and observation.
7. How was the data analyzed?
A survey was given at the beginning and end of the study to gauge students’ reading habits and interest in reading. A fluency assessment was given four times over the study to assess improvement in word recognition, reading rate, expression, and comprehension. Student performances of scripts were taped and assessed for improvement in fluency.
8. What were the results?
There were improved levels of fluency and comprehension, as well as word recognition and reading rate. All students improved in some way, but gains were not equal for all students. The surveys showed that attitudes toward reading also were more positive.
9. How do the results inform teacher practice?
Readers Theater in reading programs should and can be implemented to improve students’ performance and attitude toward reading. Readers Theater can is an engaging way to help struggling students with their fluency.
1. What is the problem?
Students have difficulty recognizing rhyme and word families in text.
2. What is the rationale for the project?
The school’s Strategic Plan identifies basic literacy skills as a goal. The principal and host teacher at the school agree that students struggle with recognizing rhyme and word families. According to research (Allen, 1996) rhyming games can help students improve their recognition of rhyme and word families in text.
3. What strategy will be used to address this problem?
Simulations and Games; rhyming games will be used with the students.
4. What is the question?
How can I use a variety of rhyming games to help my students recognize rhyme and word families in text?
5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work?
According to the research (Wylie and Durrell, 1970) children learn words more easily by the use of “rhyming phonograms” as opposed to decoding rules. In the research report Integrated Strategies Approach: Making Word Identification Instruction Work for Beginning Readers, rhyming games and activities were identified as aiding rhyme development and recognition.
6. How will data be collected?
A pre/post test will be given at the beginning and end of the study, as well as an attitude survey. Throughout the study work samples will be collected and analyzed, and the teacher will observe the children playing the games with a checklist.
