Action Research

1. What is the title of the project? What happens to third graders' writing when they participate in a reading and letter writing program?

 

2. What is the problem? Third grade writers struggle with language development, such as letter formation, spacing of words, use of punctuation and capitalization [Berrill p. 5]. Each year teachers use published curricula or design their own to address the skill third graders use and need. The problem found in my third grade writers is that they struggled with all components of letter writing; dialogue, organization, sentence structure, flow, text-connections, vocabulary, mechanics, support from the reading, and making references about themselves.

 

3. Describe the instructional intervention. pen pal letter-writing program

 

4. What kind of strategy is the instructional intervention? simulation and games

 

5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work? In a pen pal letter-writing program, certain structures and wise use of class time are necessary to ensure the timely and continuous exchange of letters and the ongoing support for the relationship between the writers (Berrill p.5). In addition, being part of a pen pal letterwriting program brings enthusiasm among “even by the struggling readers/writers” (Berrill p. 6). Berrill continues, this “demonstrates just how powerful a pen pal relationship can be in helping children learn to … write” (p 2).

6. How will data be collected to determine if the strategy will work? The tools used to provide information are the occurrences of errors, the Introductory cycle-letter and the Cycle 1, Cycle 2, and Cycle 3 letters, a scoring rubric: that I adaptaded from the In2Books materials specifically designed for this pen pal letter writing research [Appendix B], and a rubric guide [Appendix C]. The data collected over a period of four [4] months was measured against the In2Books-writing rubric. (Appendix D)

 

7. How was the data analyzed? using a rubric after each letter writting experience and graph to show the results.

 

8. What were the results? I found that after four months of mini lessons, individual conferences, and letter writing that my students in the beginning did not use dialogue. They began to really use it after exposure; reading various dialogues, and writing it. By letter four many of the students were able to write a formatted letter that included salutations and a body. I also learned that many of the students varied with simple and complex sentences, which made the reading flow easily. The main struggles continue to be using vocabulary and the mechanics. The remaining guiding questions in this action research: Are any text-connections spoken of?, Are statements supported from the reading? And Is there a reference made about the student? Were assessed and the on going research showed that five students continue to make fewer errors in their letter writing than in previous months classroom writing.