Reading Intervention Report

The effectiveness on reading proficiency of the Daily 5 reading intervention in a 7th grade self-contained special education classroom.

Nicole Christiansen

Morningside College

EDUC501 Educational Research

Summer 2015

Dr. Dharma Jairam

Table of Contents

Page

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………3

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………..4

Daily 5……………………………………………………………………….……….5

Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………8

Participants…………………………………………………………………….……..8

Apparatus and materials…………………………………………………….………..9

Procedure……………………………………………………………………………11

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………...12

Expected Findings………………………………………………...…………………12

Limitations………………………………………………………………..…………13

Recommendations

for Future Research……………………………………………..13
Implications………………………………………………………………………....14
References………………………………………………………………….……………….15
Appendix A: 7th grade Reading Exam………….………………………….……………….16
Appendix B: Daily 5 Sign-in Sheet………...………………………………………………24

Abstract
It is hypothesized that when students participate in the Daily 5 reading intervention program that students will increase his or her reading proficiency. Twelve 7th grade students in a public middle school were identified for this study. The students were given a 7th grade multiple choice reading exam to determine a baseline prior to beginning the Daily 5 reading intervention. The students then began 9 weeks of the reading intervention. At the conclusion of the study, the students retook the same 7th grade multiple choice reading exam. A comparison of the baseline score and the final score are then compared.
****Add information about results at the end of the study!

The effectiveness on reading proficiency of the Daily 5 reading intervention in a 7th grade self-contained special education classroom
It is widely known that reading scores are low around the country. Students are struggling in comprehending what is read in all core subject areas. If student scores do not increase while still in school, these students will struggle to read throughout life. It can effect a person’s ability to drive, fill out a job application, or even perform job duties. It is evident that reading is an important life skill.
Currently, students in a self-contained special education classroom are being taught reading based on both Iowa State Standards and the students current IEP goals in a whole group setting. Students are not receiving small group instruction based on his or hers individual needs. Students in the special education classroom are having to meet the needs of both the state standards as well as meeting the needs of the IEP.
These students had previously been placed in a self-contained classroom for 45 minutes per day to focus on reading. This amount of time has not allowed the teacher to focus on the student’s individual needs for longer than 15-20 minutes due to the required whole-group instruction. This short amount of time has resulted in a lower than expected increase in student test scores. Students need to receive more instruction at his or her level for a longer period of time in order for them to be successful. Ways of teaching needs to change. Teachers need to develop a system to allow the students to spend more quality time on his or her individual work in addition to meeting the state standards.
Students need to work in small group, individually, and in whole group to reach full potential. According to Wasik (2008),
“In small groups, teachers can provide the appropriate feedback needed to scaffold young children’s learning.”
It is also stated that
“Schedules for rotating children in and out of small groups need to be developed to successfully coordinate children’s access to small groups.”
With that being said, small groups need to be worked into the schedule daily for children to be successful. Teachers need to change the way that teaching is taking place. Teachers need to focus more on what the student needs rather than what is convenient for them.
Daily 5
The Daily Five is a specific classroom framework that two teachers Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, otherwise known as “the sisters”, have created and taught many elementary level teachers across the country. There are many teachers who will profess his or her belief that this system truly does work and has created a culture of learning and independence in his or her classroom. As Boushey and Moser say in the book The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades, “The Daily Five is a student-driven management structure designed to fully engage students in reading and writing.” (12). Boushey and Moser (2008) go on to explain that this is a system or curriculum framework that should give the teacher the ability to teach as needed and allowing the students to work on authentic work that will increase his or her independence and academic success. The Daily Five is not to be seen as a curriculum to follow but an aide to both teacher and student to allow them to find the success in school that both so desperately need.
There are five basic components to The Daily Five that will allow the teacher to teach and the students to independently work on authentic activities. These five components consist of reading to self, reading to someone, listening to reading, working on writing, and word work. Each component will come together to allow the student to work on each skill independently and allow them to find success in each area. The five components also allow for practice that students need to foster his or her independence in each area. (Boushey and Moser, 2008)
Repeated Reading
Boushey and Moser (2008) use repeated reading in three different ways in their framework. The students are given the opportunity to read to self, read to someone, or listening to reading. The students are also given a scaffold to allow them to gain independence in his or her reading; to allow them to find success in their ability. The teacher is to model the activity in steps and allow the children the opportunity to practice the task several times, until it has become a habit and something that they are able to do without the assistance from the teacher. This allows the student to experience success in his or her independence and to release the teacher from responsibility over the student during his or her independent work time.
In Boushey and Moser’s classroom management framework the students are able to discuss the different ways that someone can read a book and how that may look when they are reading it. The students are guided to the understanding that reading may entail reading the words, reading and talking about the pictures, or retelling a book previously read by or to them. Once the students understand this concept and are able to see the teacher model how these different ways of reading may look, the students are given the opportunity to try out the methods on their own by modeling how it looks when done appropriately and inappropriately. The teacher will take several days and perhaps even weeks to help the children to build their reading stamina. (2008).
Reading to Someone and Listening to Reading
Reading to someone and listening to reading are also very important factors of the framework that Boushey and Moser advocate. The authors state, “One way to give children additional exposure to books is to increase the amount of time they hear fluent and expressive reading by others.” (Boushey, Mosher 2008). The authors go into detail of different ways that students can use a peer to allow them both the time to practice reading fluently out loud, and the opportunity to listen to another person read fluently aloud. These times also give the students the opportunity to work on social skills and on teaching each other how to improve the way that they read.
Boushey and Mosher describe six different types of reading to someone; EEKK or Elbow to Elbow Knee to Knee, I read you read, choral read, reading one book, reading different books, and check for understanding.

When the students are engaging in these activities the teacher will need to ensure that patience and practice are given at all costs. The students will need to see and be able to practice the correct way of following the model, as well as the opportunity to see the incorrect way. This will allow the students to self-monitor and teach each other through practice. (2008). As with reading to self, time will be the greatest factor in the success of this portion of the framework. The students need to have adequate time to practice the skill to ensure that it will become

habit.
Listening to reading is one of the simpler portions of the framework and will more than likely need the least amount of practice with the children. The necessity of this portion is shown by the statement from Boushey and Moser, “Children come to us with varying backgrounds and levels of family support. We have found it necessary to provide the ‘lap time’ that many of our children have missed out on.” (75). It has been a long held belief that to foster ability in reading a child needs to hear reading as they are developing his or her language ability. If this is missed, then a child misses the reward of hearing fluent reading and the comfort that is often associated with hearing another person read a book. Children of all ages, toddlers to high school, love to hear another person read to them. It is a calming and soothing activity and it allows the child to hear books that perhaps they are unable to read to themselves, or that they enjoy listening to for pleasure. This is an activity that will allow your student to have time to enjoy the spoken word while influencing his or her understanding of fluency and perhaps even build vocabulary. While this may seem to be a straightforward activity, there is still the need for modeling the proper method and practice of that method to ensure the understanding of the students.
The purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of the Daily 5 reading intervention in a 7th grade special education self-contained classroom. The author will use this intervention for 90 minutes per day with the 12 students. The results will be measured using a 7th grade reading exam multiple times throughout the study. Individual Education Plan (IEP) assessments will also be given to each student every two weeks to show individual growth. This study will show that if students participate in the Daily 5 reading intervention, they will increase his or her reading level and increase test scores.
Methods
Participants
The 12 7th grade students in this study attend a self-contained Foundations 4 special education classroom for all five core subject areas at a middle school in Iowa. These students attend classes such as music, technology, and physical education in the general education setting. None of the students receive Supplemental Educational Services (SES) outside of the school day. In this study, there are 2 girls and 10 boys that were selected based on the special education class that is attended. Of these 12 students, one is Caucasian, two are African American, seven are Hispanic, and two are Asian. This classroom contains all 12 participants listed above and no students are being eliminated from this study.
The students in this study are all on an Individual Education Plan (IEP). All 12 of the students have been diagnosed with a mild learning disorder. The students have difficulty reading at his or her grade level. The students reading levels range from a kindergarten through 5th grade. Three of the 12 participants are on standard assessments and are required to participate in the state Iowa Assessments while the remaining nine students are on Alternate Assessments. All 12 participants have it listed in the accommodations section of the IEP to have all materials read to the student for all assessments and daily work. Four of the 12 students are also English as a Second Language (ESL) but do not receive ESL services because they are in the Foundations 4 special education program.
This school has an approximate student enrollment of 1,200 students in grades 6 through 8. Overall as a school, 66.4% of the students are on Free/Reduced Lunch. 41.6% of the students in this school are Caucasian with the other 58.4% from another ethnicity. The students in this study are counted into this school data.
Apparatus and materials
These participants will be given a 7th grade reading assessment, shown in Appendix A, at the beginning of the school year, at the end of the 1st quarter, and at the end of the study (2nd quarter). This assessment will be the exact same assessment each time in order to show the growth, if any, that the participant made during each quarter. Additional Daily 5 materials that are needed include: computer, IPad, paper, pencil, leveled books, play-away, and headphones. The author will also use the Daily 5 check-in sheet to track daily rotation of the centers. This is listed in Appendix B. A checkmark will be placed behind the students name showing the choice that the student made. This will ensure that the student is not making the same choice daily and that there is a variety of centers being used.
The school is beginning to have a one-to-one computer program. This allows the students to use his or her individual laptop to use when listening to reading. While using the computer, the students will listen to reading using MacKenvia or Bookflix in order to meet the individual needs of the student. While working on word work, the student will use the classroom iPad. The students will have the choice between using different apps such as Bluster, AnaTwist, or Scramble to expand vocabulary. The leveled books are to be decided by the teacher to meet the individual needs to the student. These depend on the current reading level of the students and may include short picture books or chapter books. Play-away are also determined by the teacher. These are books that also have a recording of the text. It gives the students prompts about when to turn the page throughout the reading. These are ordered through Northwest AEA and delivered to the building. They are ordered based on availability and topic at the author’s discretion. Headphones are supplied by each student. These are used so that the student is able to listen to text being read aloud while using the computer or the iPad. They can be different (earbuds or headphones) based on the student’s preference. Each student has a book-box to hold the participants personal materials such as library books and headphones. The additional materials are required so that the participants are able to complete the Daily 5 process. This includes all materials listed above needed for each of the Daily 5 centers.
Procedure
At the beginning of the school year, each of the 12 students will complete the assessment listed in Appendix A. This assessment is read to the participants based on the accommodations listed in each students Individual Education Plan (IEP). The author will teach the students without using Daily 5 for the first quarter of the school year. This will include both small group and whole group instruction. The materials taught are based on district, state, and national standards for 7th grade students. This instruction will be for 90 minutes each school day in a block period. At the end of the 1st quarter, the participants will repeat the assessment listed in Appendix A to show growth, if any, the students make without the use of Daily 5.
At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, the author will introduce Daily 5 to the participants. This includes: listen to reading, read to someone, work on writing, word work, and read to self. Each day the class will begin with a 15 minute whole group lesson based on the district, state, and national standards. Following the whole group lesson, the participants will move to the first Daily 5 center that is assigned in the rotation. Each Daily 5 center is tracked using the form in Appendix B. This center will take place for 15 minutes. During this Daily 5 center time, the students will work individually or with the author in a small group based on the student’s independent reading level. This process will happen three times daily in order for the students to have 45 minutes of whole group instruction, and 45 minutes of Daily 5 centers. This will happen each school day during the 90 minute ELA block.
Each Daily 5 center focuses on the student’s individual needs. Listen to Reading is completed using the student’s laptop computer. While doing this center, the students will use either MacKenvia or Bookflix to listen to stories at his or her reading level. Both of the websites highlight the words while it is read to the student. This will help with expanding vocabulary. Read to self is when the student reads a ‘just right” book. This may be a book that is checked out from the school library or from the classroom library. The students are expected to read the whole time to themselves. Read to someone is when the students read with another student. This would include reading to a student with the same or a different reading level. The students should listen to the other student while reading is taking place. The students are allowed to help each other with words and are encouraged to provide feedback to the other student when reading is completed. Word work is used to help the student expand vocabulary. This could include using letters to create words or using one of the approved apps on the iPad. Work on writing is used to help improve the students writing skills. The student is able to free write about any topic they choose for the whole 15 minutes. If the student is unable to choose a topic, the author can help give the student ideas.
In addition to the Daily 5 centers, each participant will work with the author twice per week for 15 minutes. These groups are based on the student’s individual reading level. The activities that take place during this time can range from working on sight words if the student is very low academically to reading a novel in a small group. The small groups that read should work on comprehension skills in addition to the district, state, and national standards.
At the end of the 2nd quarter, the students will be given the same assessment, listed in Appendix A, to show any growth that the participants made while using the Daily 5 centers.
Discussion
Expected Findings
In this study, the author expects to see an increase of student reading levels and test scores following the completion of the Daily 5 intervention. Students will increase his or her test scores because they will be working at an individual reading level. The students will be encouraged to read more and therefore increase the scores on tests. While using this intervention, the students will be more involved and interacting with other students. The author would also like to see an increase in student enjoyment when it comes to reading. The author is hoping that since the students will not be frustrated reading that they will enjoy reading and read more outside of the classroom.
Limitations
This research project may be limited by student attendance. This may include multiple absences, tardy to class, or moving in and out of the district. It is also a concern to the author that some of the students may not be able to complete the standard assessment that is expected.
Recommendations for Future Research
The results of this research will determine if the author continues to follow the Daily 5 intervention project. The author will have data showing how much of an increase, if any, that the student has made both using, and not using, this intervention. If the author continues to use this intervention program, further assessments will be given to show how successful it is. Further research may also be done using a different age group or class size of students. This different group of students may show different results.
Implications
The results of this study may show how effective Daily 5 is in the secondary classroom. Implementing this in the middle school classroom when students are exposed to it in elementary school helps the students to continue to advance his or her reading skills. This will further expand on the student’s vocabulary to help with post-secondary education or life. Overall, this program could help to guide other teachers, schools, or districts in guiding them to find an effective reading intervention or program.

References
Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2006). The Daily 5: Fostering Leteracy Independence in the
Elementary Grades. Portland: Stenhouse Publishers.
Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2012). Big Ideas behind Daily 5 and CAFE. Reading Teacher, 66(3),
172-178.
Wasik, B. (2008). When Fewer Is More: Small Groups in Early Childhood Classrooms. Early
Childhood Education Journal, 35(6), 515-521.

Appendix A

7Rdg Exam

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Reading Comprehension
Directions- Wordsworth wrote two poems titled "To a Butterfly," both of which describe the close relationship he shared with his sister when they were children.

First Poem
To a Butterfly
William Wordsworth
I've watched you now a full half hour,
Self-poised upon that yellow flower;
And, little Butterfly! indeed
I know not if you sleep, or feed.
5 How motionless! not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!

10 This plot of Orchard-ground is ours;
My trees they are, my Sister's flowers;
Stop here whenever you are weary,
And rest as in a sanctuary!
Come often to us, fear no wrong;
15 Sit near us on the bough!
We'll talk of sunshine and of song;
And summer days, when we were young,
Sweet childish days, that were as long
As twenty days are now!

Second Poem
To a Butterfly
William Wordsworth
Stay near me—do not take thy flight!
A little longer stay in sight!
Much converse do I find in Thee,
Historian of my Infancy!
5 Float near me; do not yet depart!
Dead times revive in thee:
Thou bring'st, gay Creature as thou art!
A solemn image to my heart,
My Father's Family!

10 Oh! pleasant, pleasant were the days,
The time, when in our childish plays
My sister Emmeline and I
Together chaced the Butterfly!
A very hunter did I rush
15 Upon the prey:—with leaps and springs
I followed on from brake to bush;
But she, God love her! feared to brush
The dust from off its wings.

1. Which of the following words is repeated in lines 5-9 of the first poem titled "To a Butterfly"?
a. motionless
b. frozen
c. joy
d. breeze

2. In lines 7-9 of the first poem, the poet personifies the
a. butterfly
b. breeze
c. sea
d. flower

3. Which literary element does the poet use in line 2 of the second poem titled "To a Butterfly"?
a. simile
b. repetition
c. alliteration
d. personification

4. Based on both poems, you can make the inference that the butterfly reminds the speaker of
a. gardening
b. childhood
c. flying
d. trees

5. In both poems, which lines of each stanza rhyme?
a. lines 1 and 2
b. lines 2 and 4
c. lines 1 and 5
d. lines 5 and 6

6. Which type of poem is "To a Butterfly"?
a. lyric poem
b. haiku
c. limerick
d. humorous poem

Starlings in Winter
Mary Oliver
Chunky and noisy,
but with stars in their black feathers,
they spring from the telephone wire
and instantly

5 they are acrobats
in the freezing wind.
And now, in the theater of air,
they swing over buildings,

dipping and rising;
10 they float like one stippled star
that opens,
becomes for a moment fragmented,

then closes again;
and you watch
15 and you try
but you simply can't imagine

how they do it
with no articulated instruction, no pause,
only the silent confirmation
20 that they are this notable thing,

this wheel of many parts, that can rise and spin
over and over again,
full of gorgeous life.
Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,

25 even in the leafless winter,
even in the ashy city.
I am thinking now
of grief, and of getting past it;

I feel my boots
30 trying to leave the ground,
I feel my heart
pumping hard. I want

to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
35 I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.
"Starlings in Winter," from Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver. Copyright (c) 2003 by Mary Oliver.
Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press, Boston.

7. The imagery in line 1 appeals to the senses of sight and
a. taste
b. hearing
c. touch
d. smell

8. The metaphor in lines 1-6 compares starlings to
a. stars
b. feathers
c. acrobats
d. wires

9. The imagery in lines 9-12 appeals to the sense of
a. taste
b. hearing
c. touch
d. sight

10. The sound device used in lines 14-16 is
a. repetition
b. onomatopoeia
c. rhythm
d. rhyme

11. The metaphor in line 21 compares a flock of starlings to a
a. star
b. building
c. wheel
d. theater

12. You can tell that this poem is written in free verse because the lines
a. vary in length
b. use a pattern of rhyme
c. follow a set rhythm
d. contain metaphors

13. Which type of poem is "Starlings in Winter"?
a. narrative poem
b. haiku
c. lyric poem
d. memorial

Comprehension
Directions Answer these questions about all three poems.

14. Based on the imagery in all the poems, you can make the inference that the speakers
a. admire family members
b. respect creatures
c. love the winter
d. enjoy remembering the past

15. You can make an inference that the speakers of all three poems are
a.

interested in butterflies

b. fond of birds

c. inspired by nature

d. amazed by acrobats

16. In all three poems, the speakers express their feelings and thoughts about

a. nature

b. people

c. seasons

d. towns

Reading Comprehension

Directions Read the following selection. Then answer the questions that follow.

In the 1930s, author Stanley Kunitz moved from New York City to a farm called Wormwood Hill in the Connecticut countryside.

Owls in the Attic

from The Wild Braid

Stanley Kunitz

One day, as I stood under a great chestnut tree deep in the center of the woods,

I heard some rustling in the branches. I looked up and saw a family of owls, a

mother and four fledglings, all on one branch. The moment I moved, they

frantically whisked off.

I vowed I would become a friend of theirs, and realized I must not disturb

them in any way. I learned if I approached very quietly, advancing just a few

steps, then standing still, then advancing a little more, the owls were not

intimidated. And then I would reach the chestnut tree and stand under it

absolutely motionless for as long as I could, fifteen minutes, half an hour or so.

10 After doing this day after day for several weeks, I could tell the owls

had
gained confidence in my presence. Gradually, I dared to raise my arm and lift
one of the four babies off its perch and place it on my shoulder for a few minutes
and then return it safely. I did that with all of them over a period of weeks and
finally made the great maneuver—I extended my arm and lifted them one by one,
all five of them, on to my arm. I started with the most familiar one, the
mother owl. And then once she was perched there, the others were happy to
join. By then they were familiar with my touch. There was no sense of separation;
I was part of their life process.
So, with the mother owl and the four little ones perched on my arm I walked
20 gingerly out of the woods and took them home and installed them in the attic
where I'd prepared the equivalent of a branch and set out some food to welcome
them. They lived there very happily coming and going through the open window,
for the remainder of my stay on Wormwood Hill, until eventually I moved on to
another small farm in the town of New Hope in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
My encounter with this family of owls was one of the most intimate of all my
experiences with the animal world, a world I consider to be part of our own world,
too.
From The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects On a Century in the Garden by Stanley Kunitz and Genine Lentine. Copyright (c) 2005 by Stanley Kunitz and Genine Lentine. Used by permission of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

17. The imagery "rustling in the branches" in line 2 appeals to the sense of
a. taste
b. touch
c. hearing
d. smell

18. Based on line 4-8, you can make the inference that the author is
a. shy
b. patient
c. nervous
d. scared

19. The imagery in lines 9-16 appeals primarily to the sense of
a. touch
b. hearing
c. taste
d. smell

20. The imagery in lines 17-19 appeals to the senses of
a. hearing and sight
b. smell and taste
c. taste and hearing
d. sight and touch

Vocabulary
Directions Use context clues and your knowledge of connotation to answer the following questions.

21. The word sanctuary in line 13 of the first poem titled "To a Butterfly" suggests a place that is
a. lively
b. new
c. safe
d. popular

22. The word float in line 24 of the second poem titled "To a Butterfly" suggests a movement that is
a. awkward
b. invisible
c. backward
d. light

23. The word ashy in line 26 of "Starlings in Winter" suggests that the city is
a. crowded
b. noisy
c. dirty
d. large

24. The word dared in line 11 of "Owls in the Attic" suggests a decision that is
a. irresponsible
b. unsuccessful
c. risky
d. sudden

Appendix B

Daily Five Sign in Sheet (Week of ______)

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Read to self Read to someone Listen to Reading Work on writing Word Work/iPad Read to Self Read to someone Listen to Reading Work on Writing Word Work/iPad Read to Self Read to someone Listen to Reading Work on Writing Word Work/iPad Read to Self Read to someone Listen to Reading Work on Writing Word Work/iPad Read to Self Read to someone Listen to Reading Work on Writing Word Work/iPad