Improving informational text comprehension in the middle school social studies classroom
Title
Improving informational text comprehension in the middle school social studies classroom
Creator
Vidrine, Michelle
Description
Vidrine, Michelle
This project was designed to determine if implementing PLAN, a specific reading strategy, would improve reading comprehension of informational texts in a middle school social studies classroom. A meeting in the Fall of 2019 with grade level teachers, confirmed that the 6th grade class at my school were struggling at comprehending informational text, based on MAP testing data from the previous and current year. Previous research led by Caverly, Mandeville, & Nicholson in 1995, proved that the PLAN strategy was effective in middle school science classrooms. The acronym PLAN is divided into the following steps (Predict, Locate, Add, and Note). The PLAN reading strategies requires participants to engage in reading activities before, during, and after reading an informational text. This led me to the research question for this project: Will implementation of the PLAN reading strategy in a middle school social studies classroom help students improve their comprehension of informational text? I chose to implement this reading strategy, in small group instruction, with ten low achieving, sixth grade students at the school where I teach; a Midwestern, urban, charter school that serves a Latinx community. The students utilized the PLAN reading strategies while reading informational text during a six-week period. Results showed informational text comprehension improvement for all students, however, significant improvement was noticeable among the lower achieving students. In particular, the PLAN reading strategies seemed to be most helpful in activating prior knowledge of the topic for students, which inevitably helped students comprehend the topic overall. These results inspire me to implement the PLAN reading strategies within my social studies lessons with all classes, rather than using the reading strategy for informational text interventions.
This project was designed to determine if implementing PLAN, a specific reading strategy, would improve reading comprehension of informational texts in a middle school social studies classroom. A meeting in the Fall of 2019 with grade level teachers, confirmed that the 6th grade class at my school were struggling at comprehending informational text, based on MAP testing data from the previous and current year. Previous research led by Caverly, Mandeville, & Nicholson in 1995, proved that the PLAN strategy was effective in middle school science classrooms. The acronym PLAN is divided into the following steps (Predict, Locate, Add, and Note). The PLAN reading strategies requires participants to engage in reading activities before, during, and after reading an informational text. This led me to the research question for this project: Will implementation of the PLAN reading strategy in a middle school social studies classroom help students improve their comprehension of informational text? I chose to implement this reading strategy, in small group instruction, with ten low achieving, sixth grade students at the school where I teach; a Midwestern, urban, charter school that serves a Latinx community. The students utilized the PLAN reading strategies while reading informational text during a six-week period. Results showed informational text comprehension improvement for all students, however, significant improvement was noticeable among the lower achieving students. In particular, the PLAN reading strategies seemed to be most helpful in activating prior knowledge of the topic for students, which inevitably helped students comprehend the topic overall. These results inspire me to implement the PLAN reading strategies within my social studies lessons with all classes, rather than using the reading strategy for informational text interventions.
Date
2019
Publisher
Alverno College
Extent
32 pages
Language
English
Format
PDF
Type
Text
Inquiry Project
Subject
Reading comprehension--Study and teaching (Elementary)
Social sciences--Study and teaching
PLAN
MAP
Informational text
Rights
These materials may be used by individuals and libraries for personal use, research, teaching (including distribution to classes), or for any fair use as defined by U.S. Copyright Law.
Collection
Citation
Vidrine, Michelle, “Improving informational text comprehension in the middle school social studies classroom,” Alverno College Library Digital Commons, accessed May 17, 2024, https://alverno.omeka.net/items/show/456.