Action Plan
The intervention will be a two-week course of interventions. We will be covering trigonometry and Pythagorean Theorem. We will cover the new vocabulary at the beginning of the week, but I will be doing the flashcard matching activity on the first day of the research cycle to refresh their memories and reinforce the vocabulary. This flashcard activity consists of cards with either vocab words or definitions. The students are each given a card and have to find the matching word or definition. The students will be given pocket sized notebooks in which they can write down new words they come across that they want to define and that they can put the academic vocabulary we introduce in for easy reference.
Throughout the cycle in working individually with students, I will model the proper use of the academic vocabulary terms and prompt the students to use them as well. When we begin the trigonometric ratios, I will use a diagram of a right triangle and visually demonstrate the pertinent vocabulary terms. I will give the students each a copy of this diagram so they can fill in the information as well. Further, I will prompt them to use their journals and log the new terms. At the end of the first week of the cycle, we will play Vocabulary Bingo. I will make up game cards that have the vocabulary words in the boxes. Written across the top of the rows of the table will be BINGO. I will read out the definition of a term and the students will find the proper term on their card and mark it.
In week 1 of phase 1, I will be employing Marzano's ideas about developing vocabulary before the concept. His work is the basis for my ideas about frontloading the vocabulary. I will be starting from his methodologies and developing my own activities and lessons to utilize his theories. Where Marzano has created plans with as many as six steps, I developed a more truncated plan to fit my shorter time frame. Step one is front loading the vocabulary before introducing the vocabulary. Step 2 is emphasizing and highlighting it when it comes up in the concept to build that connection and give context. Step 3 is to assess the students' learning with a test at week's end as well as practice problems and worksheets during lessons.
In week 2, I will be using Eisenkraft's ideas about activity before concept, concept before vocabulary which is very much the current lesson design that these students are experiencing. Like with week 1, I will be evaluating with a test at weeks end, and worksheets and practice problems during lessons.
The two weeks of the first cycle will be differentiated from one another by the way academic vocabulary is handled in the lessons. That is, during week one I will be implementing a vocabulary forward lesson style; I will be using the traditional model. I will be using various pieces of assessment such as student feedback forms, student work, and observations. I want to test in this phase whether frontloading vocabulary before the concept has any noticeable benefit over the traditional model of activity before concept, concept before vocabulary. Given the needs of my students, I will be focusing on what Sibold would classify as tier 3 words. I am choosing to focus on content specific words because the students all have relatively high English skills and grasp of basic mathematical terms. The need is greatest in the concept particular words because, as we get into higher level math. My lessons will, in keeping with Piaget's constructivist ideas, be planned to optimize students' opportunities to create their own learning. The big difference between what is being done now and what I will be doing is that in my lesson design, the vocabulary is front loaded before the concept is introduced in order for the introduction of the concept to not be the first time the students will see it. In the previous instruction model, the students were furiously copying the notes and trying to follow the teacher; they were not able to process and internalize what they were being shown. It is my intention to counter this by frontloading the vocabulary; this should allow them to be less stressed while the concept is being introduced. They should be able to focus more on the concept and less on trying to decipher the new words, because they will have already done this.
The instruction to this point has been heavier on rote skill work and much lighter on vocabulary. The tests and other evaluative pieces have likewise been heavy on rote skills. When I create my worksheets and tests, my questions are not always strictly applying formulae and skills. For instance, in an area problem I might give the students a situation where they have the area and all but one piece of the formula which they need to solve for. I was talking with a student one day about an upcoming test and the student was asking whether there would be multiple choice questions on the test. I responded that I wasn't putting any multiple choice questions on it because I wanted them to really think and I wanted to see how they think. The student responded that "we don't come to [this school] to think." It was particularly surprising because this student is a higher performing student in this group. That conversation left me deep in thought. I want to change that. I know I can't make a major change in the time I have, but I can make even some small difference for these kids.
My data triangulation will come from my observations of my students, their own interactions, and their performance on my assessments. I will also be using a student feedback form to collect my data. I will also conduct informal conferences with students during independent work times while helping them to get their opinions.
Throughout the cycle in working individually with students, I will model the proper use of the academic vocabulary terms and prompt the students to use them as well. When we begin the trigonometric ratios, I will use a diagram of a right triangle and visually demonstrate the pertinent vocabulary terms. I will give the students each a copy of this diagram so they can fill in the information as well. Further, I will prompt them to use their journals and log the new terms. At the end of the first week of the cycle, we will play Vocabulary Bingo. I will make up game cards that have the vocabulary words in the boxes. Written across the top of the rows of the table will be BINGO. I will read out the definition of a term and the students will find the proper term on their card and mark it.
In week 1 of phase 1, I will be employing Marzano's ideas about developing vocabulary before the concept. His work is the basis for my ideas about frontloading the vocabulary. I will be starting from his methodologies and developing my own activities and lessons to utilize his theories. Where Marzano has created plans with as many as six steps, I developed a more truncated plan to fit my shorter time frame. Step one is front loading the vocabulary before introducing the vocabulary. Step 2 is emphasizing and highlighting it when it comes up in the concept to build that connection and give context. Step 3 is to assess the students' learning with a test at week's end as well as practice problems and worksheets during lessons.
In week 2, I will be using Eisenkraft's ideas about activity before concept, concept before vocabulary which is very much the current lesson design that these students are experiencing. Like with week 1, I will be evaluating with a test at weeks end, and worksheets and practice problems during lessons.
The two weeks of the first cycle will be differentiated from one another by the way academic vocabulary is handled in the lessons. That is, during week one I will be implementing a vocabulary forward lesson style; I will be using the traditional model. I will be using various pieces of assessment such as student feedback forms, student work, and observations. I want to test in this phase whether frontloading vocabulary before the concept has any noticeable benefit over the traditional model of activity before concept, concept before vocabulary. Given the needs of my students, I will be focusing on what Sibold would classify as tier 3 words. I am choosing to focus on content specific words because the students all have relatively high English skills and grasp of basic mathematical terms. The need is greatest in the concept particular words because, as we get into higher level math. My lessons will, in keeping with Piaget's constructivist ideas, be planned to optimize students' opportunities to create their own learning. The big difference between what is being done now and what I will be doing is that in my lesson design, the vocabulary is front loaded before the concept is introduced in order for the introduction of the concept to not be the first time the students will see it. In the previous instruction model, the students were furiously copying the notes and trying to follow the teacher; they were not able to process and internalize what they were being shown. It is my intention to counter this by frontloading the vocabulary; this should allow them to be less stressed while the concept is being introduced. They should be able to focus more on the concept and less on trying to decipher the new words, because they will have already done this.
The instruction to this point has been heavier on rote skill work and much lighter on vocabulary. The tests and other evaluative pieces have likewise been heavy on rote skills. When I create my worksheets and tests, my questions are not always strictly applying formulae and skills. For instance, in an area problem I might give the students a situation where they have the area and all but one piece of the formula which they need to solve for. I was talking with a student one day about an upcoming test and the student was asking whether there would be multiple choice questions on the test. I responded that I wasn't putting any multiple choice questions on it because I wanted them to really think and I wanted to see how they think. The student responded that "we don't come to [this school] to think." It was particularly surprising because this student is a higher performing student in this group. That conversation left me deep in thought. I want to change that. I know I can't make a major change in the time I have, but I can make even some small difference for these kids.
My data triangulation will come from my observations of my students, their own interactions, and their performance on my assessments. I will also be using a student feedback form to collect my data. I will also conduct informal conferences with students during independent work times while helping them to get their opinions.