Time to Differentiate
Differentiation in reading and writing is very important in first grade. All students begin at their own starting point, and achieve new heights at slightly different rates. Therefore, no two students are practicing exactly the same thing at exactly the same time. This is a problem since one first grade teacher is required to individualize instruction to meet the needs of every student in the classroom.
A Wicked Problem
I am attempting to differentiate first grade spelling words, but I have hit several time constraints along the way. Every student in my classroom has his or her own spelling words. The boys and girls begin the year by practicing to read all 220 Dolch words (otherwise known as sight words), and end the year by spelling these same words. The reading tests are quick, yet the spelling differentiation takes quite a bit of time. Some boys and girls think about the words, slowly write the words, and do many corrections before I can give the next word. There are several wicked problems with this current procedure. I am noticing that this testing time is taking away from other equally important first grade tasks such as guided reading groups and other small groups across the curriculum. The students are also faced with the pressure to test when I have time to test them, and in doing so, they miss out on their own independent practice throughout the day.
A Solution with New Technology
Some teachers have met this wicked problem with parent volunteers, yet this poses additional problems later on. For example, parents may have scheduling issues, different pronunciation of words, unwanted prompting as well as concerns with confidentiality. Moreover, students still miss out on times of independent practice throughout the day. My ultimate goal is to provide students with open-ended time to complete their differentiated Dolch word testing in a safe and effective way. I plan to meet this problem of differentiating sight words with the help of technology. I have begun making a PowerPoint presentation for each set of Dolch words. Every list corresponds to the materials that we are using in the classroom, and all words have a consistent pronunciation that I have recorded. The students will have access to the Spelling PowerPoint at all times of the day as well as all year long. I will set up each student’s testing paper and grade the results during my prep time so as not to interfere with daily classroom instruction. This technology tool will give back teaching time and support student learning.
Relevant Research
First grade is a pivotal year for reading instruction. Students usually enter the year with letter and sound recognition. Over the course of approximately 180 days of school, all first grade students are expected to read with accuracy, fluency, and most importantly comprehension. This is an overarching task that connects to all areas of the curriculum, and not just literacy instruction. The key to reading success is to understand what is being read in picture books as well as other subject area textbooks. Most of the words within picture as well as textbooks are frequently used in the English language. Edward Dolch compiled a list of 220 words that can't be "sounded out," and hence must be learned by sight. These sight words are commonly known as Dolch words. According to the Teaching Resource Center, meaning is dependent on the rapid, automatic, and effortless recognition of such words. Students must be able to read and write these sight words with ease so that they can piece together what they are reading as a whole. According to Patricia Cunningham in Phonics They Use: "In order to read and write fluently with comprehension and meaning, children must be able to automatically read and spell the most frequent words. As the store of words they can automatically read and spell increases so will their speed and comprehension." Through the direct instruction of sight words and the spelling practice of sight words, first grade students learn how to read. This research has motivated me in my quest to use technology for the support of writing Dolch words accurately.
Materials for Success
The Dolch word materials that I use in the classroom come from The Dolch Kit. This site has arranged the Dolch words by frequency of use and created materials that support the practice and assessment analysis of reading and writing all 220 words. I have looked for a stand-alone instructional resource that will test my students, but have come up short. The closest I have come is to a Dolch Website that reads the words to you in a PowerPoint presentation. I have also found an app in the App Store that will test students on a preset word bank as well as several Dolch word apps. The suggestion of the site, Quizlet was also brought up as a resource. After researching the site, I have come to believe that the advanced formatting is not meant for lower elementary students. I have yet to find something that matches my technology needs. I plan to implement my own stand-alone instructional resource to support spelling differentiation and free up my own time and wasted energy. The saying, “Work smart, not hard” is bringing a whole new wave of testing differentiation to my classroom.
Project Evaluation
Success will be had when I see my students testing themselves on their individualized spelling words while I carry out small group instruction at the same time! Through the course of the year I have kept track of student progress by pretesting, recording information, and post-testing. For example, students who are on spelling practice meet with me one day out of the week. I pretest each student on their assigned day, and continue to test until a student has reached 4 to 6 unknown/misspelled words. Therefor, each student is practicing different words on any given day. The following week I retest each student on the 4 to 6 unknown words and the pretesting continues. I keep track of student progress on a progress monitoring page that goes back and forth with each student each day. I will use this progress monitoring page for 6 approaching students over the course of two to four weeks to determine if the use of technology to test students is beneficial for student success. I will also be monitoring the number of reading groups completed during this time to gauge my own time management. Finally, students will take a survey to gain their feedback regarding the use of technology to differentiate their spelling words.
Works Sited
Cunningham, Patricia Marr. Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1995. Print.
