Action Plan

Calendar of Action Research Activities

Action Plan A/B Calendar 2017-2018

What was implemented?

My study was conducted utilizing TPRS reading strategies during the 3.1 Spanish 1 and 1.1 Spanish 2 units. In these units, I used TPR, TPRS stories, and Circling in combination with comprehensible input through instruction and commands. I incorporated these strategies to increase students' reading comprehension in the target language.

Reading comprehension is identified as the understanding of a passage or story in the target language. The comprehension of each student was determined through benchmark assessments, formative checks for understanding, and summative assessments. Each assessment was organized around the components of language: speaking, reading, writing, listening, grammar, vocabulary.

How were these research-based strategies implemented?

TPR

TPR stands for Total Physical Response which is a strategy that incorporates movement to the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar terms. TPR associates an action in order to create connections to the vocabulary or grammar term. I used this strategy throughout the storytelling portion of my study. I developed physical actions to solidify vocabulary and grammar term acquisition while telling stories in the target language. TPR also reinforced reading passages given to students by acting and moving, which created different representations of the story for the students to understand.

TPRS Stories

TPRS-style stories combine the strategy of TPR and storytelling to develop different modalities of the story to support students' comprehension. TPRS stories are planned prior to instruction or co-created impromptu with students during the telling of the story. Both approaches were used in the study in order to assure alignment with the curriculum. Teacher-developed stories were utilized more often than the impromptu stories due to the need for curriculum alignment. TPRS stories with writing, speaking, and listening assessment items were administered to determine student comprehension of the reading passages.

Circling

Circling is a strategy used during TPRS stories, grammar lessons, and vocabulary instruction. Using repetition, the teacher introduces new grammar or vocabulary through whole group instruction. I implemented circling throughout formal instruction of reading passages with students, allowing me to introduce and debrief each passage. This strategy was introduced immediately during the research period and was used with greater frequency as the study progressed to develop students' comfortability and confidence with the target language.

Why were these strategies chosen?

These strategies are the cornerstones of TPRS. Each serves as a main component of TPRS, and each strategy allows for seamless instruction. These strategies target the main components of language acquisition which supports comprehension of the language as a whole. Because the focus of this study was to increase reading comprehension in the target language and each of these strategies centers around a reading passage or story, I was able to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies relative to reading comprehension.

My Scholars

Differentiation

I incorporated student choice, opinion-based questions, and reflections in order to promote individual student learning. Student choice with the stories as well as the opportunity to participate in the TPR aspect of the storytelling allowed students to challenge themselves with the language. The comprehension of each TPRS story permitted students to express their opinions and reflect on the story. Reflection and opinions differentiated the student’s understanding of the material by allowing them to create their own renditions of the story, completing the story, and discussing symbolism in the story.

Matching Instructional Strategies with My Scholars

These strategies were best for my students because TPRS stories elicit motivation and participation. My students struggled with reading in the target language. My classroom requires active participation to achieve lesson objectives; TPRS research supports an increase in motivation and participation. My student population demonstrated low reading comprehension in the target language. To address this, I utilized TPRS to not only increase the student engagement, but to also to examine if there is an increase in reading comprehension due to increased student engagement with the material.

Diverse learning needs were accounted for through student opinion and reflection during the study. Each student had the ability to express their interpretation of the story through comprehension discussions or questions. The students shared their opinions with others in an open and safe environment. Students demonstrated their language abilities through any of the language components, which allowed for more student choice.

The learning environment in my classroom promotes inclusiveness and acceptance of everyone. Since the beginning of the year, I developed comfort and responsible risk-taking with my students in order to be able to practice Spanish without ridicule. Dedicated class time built a learning community that promoted respect. TPRS stories foster culturally responsive practices with students. In the study, opinion and reflection questions included culture questions, requiring students to identify similarities and differences from their culture to the Spanish speaking culture discussed in the story. The TPRS stories also created authentic learning through organic storytelling.

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