Rationale
The History, Need, and Importance
History
My capstone project was centered around eight students, but the instructional strategies were implemented to serve all students in my classroom. As of 2018, our school had 234 students enrolled. Of those 234 students, 35% were minorities, mainly of Hispanic descent, and 50% qualified for the free and reduced lunch program. My elementary school was the smallest in the district, and I taught the only full section of fifth grade in the school. Examining my classroom’s data specifically, 79% of my students were Caucasian and 21% of my students were minorities. Out of the 24 students in my classroom, 63% participated in the free and reduced lunch program (44% qualified for free lunch and 19% qualified for reduced lunch). There was one student in the class that received special education services and eight that received reading intervention services from the reading specialist.
Need
The data I collected from my students showed a need in reading, specifically in regard to comprehension. Eight were reading below grade level, according to the Fountas & Pinnell leveling system. With 33% of the students in my classroom reading below grade level, I recognized a problem that needed a resolution. I analyzed the informal reading inventories, which are assessments that measure reading fluency, comprehension, and accuracy, and came upon some interesting results. All eight of my below-level reading students were at least 90% accurate when reading, but even with a below grade level text they struggled to answer the comprehension questions. Out of ten possible points, the below grade-level reading students earned an average of six points. Not a single student of those eight were able to answer all ten questions correctly on a below-level text, which indicated a need to address this area of concern. Because of their below-level reading and difficulties with comprehension, these eight students were receiving small-group intervention from the reading specialist four times a week for 30 minutes each session. On top of their intervention from the specialist, I also held small group reading instruction with these eight students for at least 60 minutes per week. To best meet their needs as learners, I decided to examine the scores from the Fall 2018 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test, which is a computerized, adaptive test that is designed to allow teachers to make informed instructional decisions. Of my eight below level reading students, all but one were also considered below grade level in the reading portion of their MAP test, with the highest deficit in the “Informational Text: Main Ideas & Support” subsection. This is relevant because while conducting small group reading instruction, I noticed that many of my students struggled with identifying the main idea of a text and details that support it, which is a crucial component of reading comprehension. When I questioned these eight students about what they had read, many of them struggled with retention and gave either an answer that was not quite on track or an outlandish answer that did not coincide with the reading at all. I had witnessed this lack of comprehension cause frustration to occur and heard a few of these eight students discuss with their peers their disdain for reading.
Importance
The information gained from this study was important, because it allowed me to study questioning techniques that best fit the needs of my reading students. As a first year teacher, I did not yet feel confident in my ability to teach reading, especially at the small group level. I believed that if I followed the curriculum with fidelity, I was doing a disservice to my students by indirectly reinforcing the idea that students would only be questioned as a finality to a reading assignment, therefore squelching their ability to consistently self-monitor as they read. Using the small group reading curriculum assigned by my district, it was difficult to catch any misconceptions of the material before it had substantially affected their understanding of the text. I believed this study would allow me to conduct more meaningful and fulfilling small group reading sessions. Using the targeted questioning strategies, when students answered a question incorrectly, I could quickly monitor where the misconception was derived from and clarify as soon as possible. During this study, I hoped to grant my students the confidence that accompanied answering a comprehension question correctly, and therefore potentially foster in them an enjoyment of reading.
Literature Review Introduction
When inspecting guided reading data from students in my classroom, I recognized that one-third of my fifth-grade class was reading below grade level, according to the Fountas and Pinnell leveling system, and struggling to comprehend text and features of both fiction and nonfiction passages. Since most of my reading instruction occurred during guided reading, which took place four out of five days each week, I felt the need to research effective instructional practices to use in the small group reading context in order to increase reading comprehension. The purpose of my study is to determine if the use of differentiated targeted questioning strategies during small group reading instruction will increase students’ reading comprehension. I investigated multiple instructional strategies to apply during guided reading instruction to ensure that targeted questioning was the best fit for the diverse students in my classroom.