Action Plan
What I implemented in my classroom
What I implemented
Letter Boxes
When was this implemented?
The study was implemented on January 15, 2020 and ran until March 6, 2020. I would meet with group A everyday for 20 minutes. Group B met every morning for 40 minutes and then another 20 minutes in the afternoon. Group B was met with more due to being below grade level in reading. When students were not with me in the morning they would be working on spelling interventions with a para in our building. In the afternoon when students were not met with, they would be working on word work activities, reading to self, or working on free writing opportunities.
Letter boxes are used for students who are demonstrating knowledge on consonants and vowels in words. When using letter boxes, students will first have to think about the sounds they are hearing in the word, then think about the spelling of the word. Letter boxes will often show students that they are missing a letter or have an extra letter. This pushes them to think about blends they should know.
​
Syllable Clapping
When students are asked to spell a word with more than on syllable, they are encouraged to clap the word. This allows the child to look at the word in sections rather than as one big word. Students write each syllable and then combine the syllables to spell the word.
​
Analogies
Analogies are used to help students see similarities between words. If a child was asked to spell the word coat but couldn't figure out the vowel digraph, the teacher would ask the student to write the word boat. If students can write the word correctly the teacher would then prompt the student by saying, now how can you use that word to help you spell coat? It is important to note that analogies can only work if the student can spell the linking word.
Saying It Slowly
Students are asked to say a word slowly if they aren't sure of the sounds they are hearing in the word. This allows the student to hear each part of the word to help them ​
On day two of guided reading we will be focusing on a portion of guided writing. Through this process students will be gaining a deeper knowledge of the reciprocity between reading and writing. While working on guided writing students will be using letter boxes. Letter boxes will allow students to recognize if they have vowels in their words and to make connections between blends. Students will also be focusing on syllables that are in words. When clapping out syllables, they will be able to focus on certain parts of the word rather than the entire word. Another strategy that will be used during this process will be the strategy of saying it slowly. This will allow students to hear all the sounds the letters are making to help them solve the spelling of the word. The last strategy that we will be using is analogies. Students will be asked to write a known word that either rhymes with the word they are being asked to spell or will be asked to write a known word that has the same phonemic blend. Students can then use this knowledge to solve the new word that they are trying to spell.
Fostering Diverse Learning Needs and Creating an Equitable Learning Environment
Students that are ready to advance from sound boxes will be moved to letter boxes when they are working on a word they may not know right away. This will allow me to see that they recognize blends and vowels and consonants that are in words. For students who are more advanced, we will use analogies of words to help them understand the formatting of words they are stuck on. For example, if a child is stuck on the ending of the word "cloudy," you could ask, "Do you know how to spell candy?" If they do, the student can then transfer the -y to the end of the word. These strategies allow me as the teacher flexibility to use strategies that work best for each learner.
​
These strategies are supported and promoted by my school district. We have identified that the students in the target group are in need of more support concerning the reciprocity between their reading and writing. These students aren’t receiving many opportunities to practice at home, so this allows students to be exposed to this content twice a day. This way we can ensure that students are getting extra support and exposure in our school day.
​
These students are in need of extra support with sight word practice, as well. These words will be added into their guided writing lessons. They will be taught skills that are easy to follow and accessible during independent work time.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
During guided writing students write comprehension based sentences from their books. When introducing books I will try to start off with topics we know a lot about. I know all students have background knowledge on school, topics we have learned about, and places we have been to on field trips, such as the zoo. If I were introducing a book about the beach, I would need to create background knowledge for my reading groups because I know most of my students have not been to the beach. A way to build background knowledge is to go around the table and share what we know about beaches or oceans. Students who haven't been to a beach may be able to tell me it has water, has fish, or is warm year-round, as this is information we have gone over in other subjects. The other students who have been to a beach can share more in-depth knowledge about what experiences they have had on a beach. We would also do a picture walk of the book to make connections to what we are about to read and will write about later.
​
Another way to ensure culturally responsive teaching is to ensure that students understand the meaning of their high frequency words. We are asking students to read and write these words and use them in sentences. To build background around these words, we must use them in many ways. We point them out when we use them in sentences and while modeling writing, and we have students go on text scavenger hunts to find the words in different types of books. By doing this we are exposing all students to these words and not just relying on one time use of the word in a sentence or exposure outside of school.
