The Impact Of Literature Circles On Reading Comprehenson In A Fourth Grade Class

Author : Sabrina Balkind
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781109359046
Total Pages : 85 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (59 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Literature Circles Encircling Reading Comprehension written by Sabrina Balkind and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research question: How does learning and demonstrating literature circle roles (Summarizer, Connector, Questioner, Word Wizard, and Illustrator) develop students' ability to summarize as a reading comprehension strategy? Sub questions: (1) Will developing students' ability to summarize, increase their ability to comprehend what they read? (2) How effective will Literature Circles be in building students' enjoyment of reading? Context: The intervention took place in a fourth grade self-contained classroom at Sunflower Elementary. The class consists of 5 female and 7 male students with varied abilities in reading comprehension. This research focused on 6 students: two performing below average in reading comprehension, two who are performing at and average level, and two who are performing above average in reading comprehension. The intervention took place over a period of 6 weeks. The purpose of this intervention was to determine whether students learning and demonstrating literature circle roles would develop students' ability to summarize, and by building students' ability to summarize also raise their level of reading comprehension. Another objective of this study was to determine whether or not participating in literature groups would build students' enjoyment of reading. Instructional Approach and Data Collection. Summarizing was explicitly taught and modeled for the students during the pre-intervention phase, and students continued to write short story summaries throughout the intervention. Students then took a preliminary Reading Attitudinal Survey and were split into literature circle groups based on their first or second choice of three books. Students participated within literature circles by completing the jobs of: Summarizer, Connector, Questioner, Word Wizard and Illustrator. Literature groups lasted for five weeks; the last week consisted of students presenting their books to the class through skits of scenes from their books. During the sixth week students took a post Reading Attitudinal Survey as well as a survey to convey how they felt about literature groups and writing summaries. Students also completed weekly reading comprehension tests, which were a part of the A Beka Book Reading program that our school has adopted to determine their growth in reading comprehension. Observational data was taken throughout the intervention to determine fluctuations in students' attitude toward reading and how successful they were in their jobs during their literature circle groups. Findings and Conclusions: The study concluded that learning and demonstrating literature circle roles or jobs may improve students' ability to summarize as a reading comprehension strategy. The study also suggests that learning to be more proficient at summarizing may cause students reading comprehension to improve. Furthermore, this study suggests that participating in literature circle groups contributes to an increase in students' enjoyment and enthusiasm of reading. Grade Level: Fourth Grade. Data Collection Methods: Short story summaries, surveys, literature group assignments, Comprehension tests, Observation. Curriculum Areas: English Language Arts, Reading. Instructional Approaches: Literature Circles, Writing summaries.