Action Research

Lindsey Harding // First Grade

Initial Meeting and

Students Chosen
Initial Meeting

Discussed the project

Targeted students

Students Chosen

Both were just taken out of ELL

They see a word but do not read it

correctly and therefore they do not

comprehend what they are reading
Just below grade level
Work with them on accuracy and fluency

Question
What are strategies to improve
accuracy in fluency for these
students who come from ESL
homes to help them better
comprehend the text or
passage?

Research
What defines a good reader?
Ability to Comprehend

(Texas Education Agency, 2002)

Fluency is the building block to

comprehension
Fluency = Accuracy, Prosody, and
Rate

Research

How should fluency be taught?

Modeled reading
Repeated reading of familiar text
Wide independent reading
Coached reading of appropriately
selected materials
Chunking of text
Word reading practice
Oral practice!

(Pilulski and Chard, 2003)

 Assessment

Research

Measuring
Oral reading accuracy
Oral reading rate
Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM)
Quality of oral reading (prosody)
Four Level Rubric - National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Observation
Reading comprehension

(Pilulski and Chard, 2003).

Research
Other Assessments

Dynamic Indicators for Basic Early

Literacy Skills (DIBELS)

Oral Reading Fluency Test (ORF)
Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MFS)
Fluency Fix-Up Strategies for SelfAssessment
(Reutzel and Cooter, 2012, p.146-150).

Data Collected
Initial Assessment

Timid towards reading

Student R scored 70%
Student N scored 63%

Final Assessment

More engaged
Student N still not as

confident
Student R scored 93%

Student N scored 62%

Data Collected
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Student R
Student N

Strategies
Modeling
Oral Reading
Flip the sound
Choral Reading
High Frequency Words for 1st grade
Fry Phrases
Repeated Reading
Close Strategy
Guided Reading

View Towards Reading By The

End Of Action Research

8
7

Student N
Confidence
Towards Fluency

6
5
4

Student R
Confidence
Towards Fluency

3
2
1
0

Beginning

Middle

End

Progress Monitoring

Reflections
Strategies used were evidence based Improvement
was seen.

Asking questions is key!

Progress monitoring

Students loved to track their progress

Will set more goals next time!

Sight word practice was very helpful in reading rate

and accuracy

Biggest take away: Know your students!

Work with them one on one

Know their strengths and weaknesses
Encourage them and reinforce their good work!
Build confidence in their ability to read

Questions Going Forward

What are ways that we can ENGAGE
students in fluency?

How can we get more intentional one on

one time with students when we have a
classroom full of students?

How can I keep making my practice better?

What are ways that you have found most
effective to increase fluency in primary
grades?