Action+Research+Plan

​** 1. __Problem__: Consistently, eighth grade students at Vermillion Middle School have scored lowest on Standard 8.R.4.1: "Students can compare and contrast literature from different time periods and cultures dealing with similar themes and conflicts. ** 2. Question: How can we read and investigate the similar themes of (a) Education vs. Ignorance; (b ) Bravery vs. Cowardice; and (c) Prejudice/Racism vs. Tolerance in //To Kill a Mockingbird// and various fiction and non-fiction examples of Holocaust literature and historical fiction from the Civil War?

 3. __Plan__ :  At the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, several staff members examined emetrics data; therefore, I already knew which standard was lowest. I was curious to see how ALL the standards compared to the lowest one, and planned the pretest accordingly. The results were surprising: I don't know if it was the LENGTH of the test, the mood of the students when they took the test, or the type of questions, but their results were VERY low. The graph is provided on the Achievement Series page. Given the surprise of the very low test percentages--and it's surprising because this class of students are reputed "good" test takers--I created the post test using only the questions that a majority of the students got wrong. As the students took the post-test, I periodically examined their results--specifically, the items students regularly missed. When I looked at the questions that most students were missing, I noticed that the questions were worded strangely or the answers were so similar that it was difficult for students to make a correct determination.

4. __Reflection__ : I'd like to further explore the thematic aspects of this project; that could possibly occur, but I don't know when since I'll be teaching a new classes next year. However, one of those classes is creative writing; blogging will certainly be something I'll have students explore. I certainly enjoying that medium as a way to share words, pictures, and it's social networking that's much less "busy" than Facebook.

5. __Implication for Future Work__ : See above comments.