Click HERE for Link to Document
Report 2: Improvement of Inferencing ID
Project
EME6609: Instructional Design
University of Florida
Spring 2014
Goals Statement Revisions
Based
on the results of the benchmark test, I felt that my students would best
benefit from additional instruction on the skill and strategies of inferencing.
The ultimate goal of this instructional design unit is for students to be able
to independently answer an inferencing question by applying the following
strategies; first coding, then annotation and finally analysis of the text
using their background knowledge and text clues.
Task Analysis
The graphic below describes
the required abilities of students starting at the most basic function on the
left, moving to the more complex, final expectation to complete the inferencing
process.
Annotating Key:
Topic Analysis
The
topic analysis provides the designer with an intended focus of instruction for
the created unit. It also allows the designer to determine a structure of
components for the unit. Above is a sequence of required skills that students
must grasp in order to succeed by the conclusion of the inferencing unit.
Procedure Analysis
By
completing a procedural analysis, the designer is able to determine what steps
must be completed before students can successfully meet the learning goals of
the unit. Below are the suggested focus questions when completing a procedural
analysis (Kalman, Kemp, Morrison &
Ross, 2011).
What do learners do?
Students read the passage one time through
strictly for comprehension purposes. When students read through the second
time, they will annotate the text using the proper coding. After students have
coded their text, they go through the passage a third time, and label the
coding. Students answer the inferencing questions by reading the question,
going back into the text and their annotations, which allow them to correctly answer
the question. As students find text that provides insight on the correct
answer, they underline the answer in the text. They use the process of
elimination as they go through the choices and dig deeper into the text to
finally conclude which answer is indeed correct.
What do learners need to know for this
step?
Coding and
annotating is the first thing that students must complete as they read through
their text. They must understand the coding and how to use it properly.
Learners need to know how to go back into the story to find clues in their annotations,
which lead them to the correct answer for the question. They must dig deeper
into their background knowledge and experiences and find text clues that will
provide them with the hints they need to come to the correct conclusion.
What cues inform the learner that the
step is done?
The
student sees that they have completed their annotations throughout the entire
passage and there are underlined phrases and words that helped them arrive at the
correct answer. The student also sees that three of their four answers are
marked out, and they can verbally justify their reasoning for choosing their
circled answer.
Instructional Objectives and Strategies
for Objectives
According to
the text Designing Effective Instruction, two levels occur in instructional
design. The delivery strategy comes first, which provides information based on
the educational environment; I interpreted this as a way to analyze how the
content will be taught. Using the delivery strategy, designers must take into
account each individual learner and develop an educational environment that is
least restrictive for all. The text mentioned the importance of adjusting the
instruction for each individual. When
looking at my students specifically, it is critical that instruction is
differentiated for them based on a number of factors. The most important
factors being the type of setting in which the individual student learns best
(whole group, small group or one on one) and the level of text is one which the
student can read and comprehend
independently (Kalman, Kemp, Morrison &
Ross, 2011).
I deliver my instruction in several different formats. I start
out with whole group for students to get a basic understanding of what I expect
of them as they continue through the process in various groupings and finally
independently. Once students have seen the process modeled multiple times, they
then move into small groups; the expectations do not change only the way they
interact with the material. In small groups, students are given a short text
that fits their reading level. After the activities have ended with the leveled
text, students are given independent practice to do; this is their first
assessment. Students are expected to apply all the taught strategies (coding
and annotating, as well as process of elimination) during the first section of
the unit as a way to successfully answer the inferencing question.
Objective 1: Given
a coding key, students will evaluate a text for importance based on their
coding.
Students
learn how to do this skill in a whole group setting. I start by modeling the
process for the students. Each of the students are given a short text titled
“Super Ant” from the Comprehension Toolkit Source Book of Short Text; they sit
on the carpet with a pencil and clipboard. As I do something on my paper, they
mimic my notes and ideas. As I model the process for the students, they are
given the chance to ask questions and share their thoughts. I also explain with
a lot of detail the reasoning for using each specific coding. Once students see
the coding process, I then go back into the text and annotate my coding. After
students have annotated their text following my model, they will be given a
discussion question to consider. The goal in having them answer a question at
this point is that they will see how their annotations make inferencing a
simple task.
Super Ant Inferencing Question
1.
Using the information in paragraph 3 the reader
can conclude that the ants sacrifice themselves to…
2.
What can
the reader conclude about ants from the information in paragraph 4?
Students
will be given time to discuss their answers to these questions in groups, then
they will share out their thoughts to the class. As these answers are shared, I
will provide guidance in hopes of steering them to the correct conclusion.
Students
will now move into small group and receive a second text and a coding key to
use as they annotate with me. The text they receive during this time is
leveled, so that all students can read, understand and comprehend the content.
Students are given a little more freedom during this time in that they create
the coding and discuss their thinking as they do so. It is helpful as the
designer to hear their thoughts and wonderings throughout this process so that
I know what needs to be tweaked further and what strategies and skills coming
easily for the students.
Objective 2: Students
will organize their thoughts on a text based on annotations they create.
In
small group and independently, students are required to annotate their text as
they read through it. These annotations are intended to help them understand
what the text is trying to convey, as well as give them a chance to highlight
unfamiliar concepts or words. Once they have noted the unknown information they
have been taught to look it up, use context clues and/or their background knowledge
for understanding.
Objective 3: Students
will discuss their thoughts on a given text as a means of answering related
multiple choice inferencing questions.
Students read their core story on
two different days, on the first day they read two pages and analyze the text,
the second day they read and analyze the last two pages. After day one of
independently reading, the students are given two inferencing questions to
answer via discussion with their table groups. Table groups consist of 4 or 5 other
students at varying levels who sit near them.
The
questions are given in two parts, first the question, which requires students
to verbally discuss their thoughts and answer to the best of their ability.
Questions for Call of the Wild
1.
Which
sentence best shows why adaptations are important for an arctic fox?
2.
Which
of the following sentences proves that animals living in the wild live
differently than those that live in cities near people?
3.
Which
of the following sentences prove that animals migrate to find food each year?
Objective 4: Students
will apply their background knowledge to given text clues to create an
inference.
Once students are given the
questions and have discussed them with their groups, they will then be given
the answer choices. Once they get the answer choices, they will use their text
clues and their background knowledge to make their inferences. Once they infer,
they will be able to correctly answer the questions by using the process of
elimination.
1.
Which
sentence best shows why adaptations are important for an arctic fox?
A.
Over long periods of time, most animals
must change as their environment changes.
B.
Arctic foxes, for example, have made
several adaptations to the Arctic environment.
C.
In summer, a fox’s fur becomes brown.
D.
These color changes make it harder for
enemies to spot the fox.
2.
Which
of the following sentences proves that animals living in the wild live
differently than those that live in cities near people?
A. Black
bears have been on the prowl in the suburbs of New Jersey
B. The
bears threw food over the fence and climbed back over it.
C. Because of having to adjust to living around
people, they’re now chowing down on plants found in home gardens.
D. Wild
turkeys have moved into suburban backyards in Detroit, Michigan.
3.
Which
of the following sentences prove that animals migrate to find food each year?
A. Changes to the environment are often
unpredictable, what is certain is that animals that adapt to such changes will
probably survive.
B. The loggerhead turtle swims and flies to
cooler places, closer to the North and South poles.
C. In
England some birds have stopped flying south.
D. The
loggerhead turtle used to migrate to southern countries in the winter.
Objective 5: When
given a multiple choice inferencing question, student will correctly answer it
using the process of elimination.
When the inferencing questions are
created, there are two answer choices that make less sense than the other two.
Students will use the process of elimination to remove them first, and then
they will use their inferencing strategy and annotations from the text to
narrow the two feasible choices down to the correct one.
Objective 6: When
given a weekly reading test, students will correctly answer the multiple choice
inferencing questions.
At the end of the week, the students
are given a reading test created by the textbook company McMillan McGraw Hill,
in their Texas Test Support book. This book provides teachers with assessments
that test various reading skills. The one chosen for this unit is Diana’s Big Dive (Texas Test Support). After reading the passage and creating
their annotations, students answer the following questions to practice their
comprehension and inferencing skills.
1.
In
the beginning of the story, how does Diana feel about her diving?
a.
Eager
and confident
b.
Happy
and excited
c.
Unsure
and worried
d.
Hopeful
and proud
2.
Which
sentence helps the reader understand how Diana feels about her diving at the
beginning of the story?
a.
Diana
had been working for weeks on her dives.
b.
She
helped Diana work on her form and taught her two difficult dives.
c.
She
didn’t think she was ready to dive in a competition.
d.
When
Diana talked to her parents about the content, they were excited.
3.
The
reader can tell from what Larissa does in paragraph 11 that she –
a.
Has
never done a somersault dive before
b.
Is a
good swim coach and wants Diana to do well
c.
thinks
Diana should not compete in the context
d.
has
never taught anyone how to dive before
4.
Which
sentence is a clue that Diana did a good job?
a.
At last, it was Diana’s turn.
b.
Slowly she climbed the tall ladder up to
the diving board.
c.
Diana stood at the edge of the board and
closed her eyes.
d.
When she came to the surface, everyone
was cheering.
5.
Based
on the information in paragraph 13, the reader can infer than-
a.
Diana
is getting upset about her dives
b.
Larissa
wishes she were in the contest
c.
Larissa
believes in the power of praise
d.
Diana
does not accept Larissa’s coaching
6.
Which
sentence in the story helps the reader infer that Diana’s feelings about the
competition have changed?
a.
Diana dove into the swimming pool again
and again.
b.
Diana worked on her dive everyday.
c.
Diana asked Larissa and her parents to
sit up front.
d.
No matter who took home the trophy, Diana
felt like a winner.
The second
type of strategy relates to the instruction being given. According to the text
the instructional strategies dictate the order and type of instruction to be
implemented with the end result of achieving the objective. Multiple
prescriptions are given as a means of aiding in the sequencing, which I have
been able to apply to my unit as well. Phonemic to semantic processing is
suggested in the text, which relates directly to my unit of instructional
design. It is normal for primary students to read at a more phonemic level,
meaning that they are reading for fluency rather than comprehension. Until they
are able to grasp the importance and apply their knowledge of comprehension to
a text, the skill of inferencing, which requires them to really dig deeper in
the text’s meaning, will not take place. When student are able to reach into
the text and really understand what the content means, including visualizing
and forming connections to real world experiences, they are finally processing
at the semantic level. The goal of my design unit is for students to infer the
meaning of the content they read, a skill which requires them to connect their
background knowledge (or BK) to the clues found in the text of (TC). In this
same chapter, prescriptions, or suggestions are provided for teaching various
types of information from fact to procedure to attitude. The prescription which
relates closely to content deals with teaching a procedure, in this case
inferencing. It is explained that a reader must first be able to retell the
steps of the strategy in their own words, to prove their comprehension of the
skill. I have taken this idea and implemented it into my own unit by showing
the students a question (with no answers) and then having them discuss their
process of thinking through the inferencing strategy to help them solve the
problem. I have found that this is a great way to instantly know who has and
who has not grasped the strategy. See the chart below for the steps of the
inferencing strategy; which is explained by the students in their own words.
Instructional Sequence
Details on and Practice for Objectives
Whole Group Lesson: Introduction
I will model the
expectations to the students two times throughout the week. First, I will read
a passage to them from “Arachne the Spinner” then show them my thinking,
sometimes called modeling, the way I expect them to answer the question.
Through modeling I will explain to them my thought processes as I think through
reading and annotating, as well as my strategies of eliminating the incorrect
answers. I will then allow them to ask questions in whole group; my thinking is
that if one or two students ask their questions, it is very likely that another
student has the same question. (for questions on this text, see the Sample Assessments section)
The second
text I will use to model the expectations is “The Super Ant.” When modeling the
strategies for the students, I will use the same process mentioned above.
Students will see how to code, then annotate the text. During this time they
will practice objective 1, by using my modeled coding, as well as objective 2
by annotating as I show them in the example.
Objective 1:
Given a coding key, students will evaluate a text for importance based on their
coding.
Objective 2:
Students will organize their thoughts on a text based on annotations they
create.
After
annotation is complete, they will see the discussion questions only. As they
discuss their answers for the questions, I will walk around and listen to as
well as aid in discussion time. My goal in listening in is to provide them with
cues that will lead students to the correct conclusions; during this time they
will practice objective 3 and 4.
Objective 3:
Students will discuss their thoughts on a given text as a means of answering
related multiple choice inferencing questions.
The
questions that accompany the Super Ant story are open ended, which allows
students to start thinking on an inferencing mindset, but does not provide them
with one answer choice to choose from. Students will use text clues as well as
background knowledge to create an inference which will allow them to answer the
questions below.
Super Ant Inferencing Question
1.
Using the information in paragraph 3 the reader
can conclude that the ants sacrifice themselves to…
2.
What can
the reader conclude about ants from the information in paragraph 4?
Objective 4:
Students will apply their background knowledge to given text clues to create an
inference.
Small Group Lesson: Aliens in the Water
This week, all students
leveled readers are called “Aliens in the
Water.” The passage from this text I have chosen to focus on is four pages
long, and it focuses on the impact that the zebra mussel has had water supply
in America. Students also learn where the creatures originated from, and what
must be done to eliminate them. Students are first given a sheet of paper,
which allows them to focus in on the text features minus actual text, as a way
to infer the meaning of the title “Taking a Ride” and to preview the text and
infer what they think the chapter might be about. See Images Below
As students are skimming
this document, they use expo markers to code and annotate their thinking (objective 1 and 2). Once this discussion
has taken place, students are given their leveled readers to open up to the
chapter. I have created a power point to guide discussion and provide them with
questions to focus on as they are reading through the text (objective 3). Once students have read
the four page chapter and take some time to discuss the main ideas presented,
they are given an inferencing / drawing conclusions question to think about (objective 4).
Powerpoint for Small Group
on Aliens in the Water
Whole group and Partners- Call of the Wild
The students
will read a story titled “The Call of the Wild,” found in the Texas Treasures
textbook by McMillan McGraw Hill (Texas Treasures). The students will read the
story section by section, then discuss their observations before moving to the
next section. As each section is discussed, annotations are made by
underlining, circling and highlighting the important parts. They also focus on
ideas they have questions about, and vocabulary terms based on the coding key (see Annotating Key in the Task Analysis
section) (objective 1 and 2). This process continues as students move on to
the section of the passage titled Adapting to Survive. Once students
have read through and discussed this section, they are given the question below
to discuss and analyze verbally with their group members. They are first shown
the question independent of the answer choices, and once adequate discussion
has taken place they are shown the answer choices to further discuss and choose
their answer based on process of elimination (objective 3, 4 and 5).
Which sentence best shows why adaptations
are important for an arctic fox?
A.
Over long periods of time, most animals
must change as their environment changes.
B.
Arctic foxes, for example, have made
several adaptations to the Arctic environment.
C.
In summer, a fox’s fur becomes brown.
D.
These color changes make it harder for
enemies to spot the fox.
Students
then read the section of the story entitled Animals Gone Wild, then
using the aforementioned process (coding followed by annotation, then discussion)
answer the question below. First receiving the question, with the answers to
follow after discussion takes place (objective
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).
Which of
the following sentences proves that animals living in the wild live differently
than those that live in cities near people?
A. Black
bears have been on the prowl in the suburbs of New Jersey
B. The
bears threw food over the fence and climbed back over it.
C. Because of having to adjust to living around
people, they’re now chowing down on plants found in home gardens.
D. Wild
turkeys have moved into suburban backyards in Detroit, Michigan.
Students
then read the final section of the story entitled On the Hot Seat, then
using the aforementioned process (coding followed by annotation, then
discussion) answer the question below. First receiving the question, with the
answers to follow after discussion takes place (objective 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).
Which of
the following sentences prove that animals migrate to find food each year?
A. Changes to the environment are often
unpredictable, what is certain is that animals that adapt to such changes will
probably survive.
B. The loggerhead turtle swims and flies to
cooler places, closer to the North and South poles.
C. In
England some birds have stopped flying south.
D. The
loggerhead turtle used to migrate to southern countries in the winter.
Independent Google Drive Station Activity- Call of the Wild
Through the
first week of the unit students are given time throughout the reading block to
complete a Google Drive activity consisting of questions relating to the story
Call of the Wild, which was read in whole group and deeply discussed and
analyzed. The questions were created to test students’ comprehension of the
text and requires them to make inferences about what they read (objective 4 and 5). These questions were
placed on Google Drive as a motivation tool. Students in my class are motivated
and engaged when they are able to use any technology, and I appreciate the
instant feedback that can be given using this tool. Students are not given
answers for these particular questions; due to their open-endedness, I am able
to see their thinking strategies and see where they are in the instructional
unit’s process. See insert below for Call
of the Wild Google Drive activity.
Independent Work- Diana’s Big Dive
At the end
of the week, the students complete an independent assessment as a way to assess
their knowledge and skills. Students are able to demonstrate their current
level of understanding of the strategies and content taught at this point. See
above Instructional Objectives and
Strategies for Objectives for questions asked on the assessment. This
assessment requires students to complete all of the ID unit’s objectives
independently.
Feedback Methods
Pretests
Students are given the Lion and the Mouse and Storytelling Stone
inferencing questions as a pretest. Their answers are documented; their
pretests are graded and returned with suggestions for future success. Students
keep these as a guide to refer to throughout the ID unit.
Whole Group modeling and Guided Practice
While students are working in the whole group setting during
partner reading time as well as during discussion time I walk around and
monitor. I listen for any discrepancies between their answers and help to steer
them in the right direction through probing and redirecting. For students who
are on the right track, I push their thinking further by asking them higher
level questions and justification of their conclusions.
Small Group
As students work in small group, feedback is given during discussion
time. If any discrepancies exist or questions are asked, they are answered for
clarity at this time. As they work on coding and annotating, students work is
checked and advice is provided throughout the process. When this is done in
small group it allows me to monitor their thinking as well as their application
of the strategies and provide them with individual assistance specific to their
needs. Students also provide one another with feedback during discussion time
which is another necessary feedback tool because students generally share
similar thinking paths.
Independent Assessment
While students are working on their
independent assessment I walk around and monitor the students work, however
they do not receive suggestions or advice during this time. I take note of
students showing work and successfully applying the inferencing strategies, as
well as those not doing so. I meet with students who do not apply the
strategies on their first assessment in a small group or one on one situation
and interview them on how to help them to succeed.
Pre-instructional Activities
At the beginning of the unit,
students are given an inferencing pretest about two stories they read the
previous week. The reason for this pretest is to show me (the designer) what
strategies the students are currently using while answering inferencing
questions. The needs assessment (the benchmark test) was administered in
November, so this will allow me to see if any improvement has occurred since.
As suggested by the text, it is important that pretests are short in length and
that learners only have a brief amount of time to complete it. Students are given
seven minutes to complete the two question pretest. No suggestions or comments
are given at this time as they work on the assessment.
Once the pretest has been taken up, I return the students
benchmark tests to them, and we look over the inferencing questions. This is
intended to show students how they did, and allow them to recognize that
improvements must be made for success to occur. Once students have time to look
over the individual questions, we return to a class discussion about some of their
observations. Students make general statements about what they saw, and brainstorm
strategies, which allow them to be more successful. I make few comments; I am
simply documenting their thoughts and class created goals.
The next step is to meet with each student
individually and go over their test questions again, this time I am providing
them guidance and suggestions as they share their thoughts about their
individual achievements. Using an example of what is expected for these types
of questions, they compare their work to the example. We create a simplified,
attainable goal for each student to work towards throughout the unit. Each time
we meet the student considers their previously made goal and adjust it
accordingly with the examples format in mind as the end result. By having
students create individual goals for themselves, rather than someone else
setting it for them such as myself, they understand their goal and are more
motivated to work towards it.
Groupings and Media
Groupings
While working
with students on the inferencing strategy, I created several different
groupings as well as teaching formats to use while presenting my ideas.
Small Group
Small groups are created based on
students reading assessment scores; those assessments are DIBELS and SRI.
DIBELS, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, requires them to
read as much of a grade level passage of they can in one minute, and then
orally answer two or three comprehension questions. From this test a word per
minute and comprehension score are given. The SRI or Scholastic Reading
Inventory test consists of several passages which students read on the
computer. Similar to DIBELS, after they read each passage, they must answer a
few comprehension questions; the difference is that they are not timed while
reading these passages. Based on their correct answers to each set of
questions, the next passage will either be easier or more difficult. After
completing the question and answer process for five stories, students are given
a Lexile score.
Students
were put into 5 small groups based on these Lexile scores. The groupings can
change after the students complete the next round of SRI and Dibels later in
the spring semester.
Table Groups
In the classroom I have created
groups of either four or five desks per pod. The students in these groups are
based on their interaction with the other students in their group as well as
their behavior during class.
“Special” Small Groups
Based on observations throughout the
whole group and small group time, students will be grouped to meet with me
based on their progress throughout the unit. These groups will be created as I
see students have similar difficulties or questions during instruction and
assessment.
Media
Multiple
forms of media are used in this ID unit; document camera (ELMO), MimioTeach, powerpoint,
printed paper questions, leveled readers, Google Drive assignment, videos and
images.
Document Camera (ELMO)
While students are learning in the
whole group setting, they will be viewing the modeling process (while I read
Arachne the Spinner and Super Ant) through the use of a document camera. This
will allow them to see my thinking and the process I take to complete the
inferencing strategy on a large screen while they mimic my work on their own
paper.
MimioTeach
As students work with me to complete the coding and annotating
of Call of the Wild they will be able to see how I code annotate the story
through the use of the MimioTeach. I will project the story (as they see it in
their textbooks) onto the white board and using the MimioTeach’s interactive
pen, I will circle, highlight and underline the important text. Once the coding
process is complete, I will annotate the code and write the students thinking.
Powerpoint
After Call of the Wild has been read
and annotated, I will show students the inferencing questions then answer
choices via the Microsoft Powerpoint program. This program was chosen because
it is easy to operate and it is compatible with the MimioTeach interactive pen,
allowing me to circle important words in the questions. The program also allows
me to only show certain parts of the question at a time when necessary.
Powerpoint was utilized during the
Small Group lesson as a way to drive the instruction and provide students
images and videos to aid in comprehension of the leveled readers content.
Google Drive
In reading stations during the unit,
students will complete inferencing questions in Google Drive. This medium was
chosen based on its instant feedback features; I am able to see student work as
they type and provide them with comments and suggestions immediately. Google
Drive is easily accessible on a number of devices, in any location with Internet
access, which also makes it a desired medium.
Videos and Images
In the Google Drive activity, I was
able to link images of the text sections to the questions related to the Call
of the Wild story. Students were able to click on the images to see the text
from their stories to remind them what they previously read.
In small group students read the
leveled reader story “Aliens in the Water.” The chapter they focused on was
about Zebra Mussels. After digging deeper into my students background knowledge
I learned that they had little to no connection to these creatures. I found a
video and images of the Zebra Mussels to show students before they read the
text. This was a great way to form a connection to the student’s background
knowledge about marine life and aid in comprehension.
Sample
Assessments
Relevant Current References
Kalman, H. K., Kemp, J. E., Morrison, G. R.,
Ross, S. M. (2011). Designing Effective
Instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ; John Wiley and Sons
Inc.
Texas Test Support . (pp. 125-129). New York, New York : McMillan
McGraw Hill
Retrieved from http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/media/repository/premium_content/EBOOK/50000029/1/35/tx_treas_g3.html?stateCode=TX
Texas Treasures . (Vol. 2, pp. 204-208). New York, New York :
McMillan McGraw Hill
Retrieved from http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/media/repository/premium_content/EBOOK/50000029/1/35/tx_treas_g3.html?stateCode=TX
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