Nicole Masciana
EDT 512
ID Plan
1. The Problem
The problem I am trying to solve with my program is how to increase vocabulary skills among my 10th grade students. They struggle with regular writing activities such as matching, fill in the blank, defining, and creating their own sentences. However, their oral skills are strong and they are able to understand the words when they are used in regular or conversational context. The standard written assessment that students have been taking does not adequately assess their skills and limits the way in which they are able to show their understanding and knowledge of the vocabulary words.
2. The Need
What is needed to solve this problem is a different type of assessment. Students need a different way of showing that they not only understand the vocabulary words, but are able to use them properly and appropriately in a sentence. These students are strong visual learners and anything that has a visual component tends to work very well for them. My project will allow students to look at vocabulary from a different perspective – one that is more realistic and more application-driven, rather than just a written assessment. I want students to have a thorough understanding of these vocabulary words in context. It is my intent to make students comfortable enough with these words that they will begin to incorporate them into their regular, everyday vocabulary.
3. The Audience
My audience is a group of fifteen students in a High School Credit Program at an urban high school. They have a tenth grade standing and range in age from 17 – 40+. There are 10 females and 5 males. They have low achievement levels and low language skills, and about half of these students speak English as their second language. This group of students struggles with literacy, and writing is the area in which they need the most assistance. Their vocabulary is limited. They respond best to lessons in which there is a visual component and some type of video, music, or animation. They are, for the most part, highly motivated to do well and are willing, ready, and eager to learn.
4. Objectives/Assessment
The objectives of the program are to create a visual introduction of the 10 vocabulary words, followed by a short assessment with immediate feedback. After using the program, students will be able to recall the definition/meaning of each word in the unit. They will be able to correctly answer the questions that follow the introduction. These objectives are appropriate because my project aims to give students a different way of thinking about vocabulary. This project will attempt to teach students new vocabulary and show them that they do not exist “in a vacuum” but are words that should (and can easily) be a part of every day, basic language. I will test to see whether or not students have met the objectives by the results of the quiz component.
5. Content
The content I am teaching is vocabulary work and word practice. This is linked to the Connecticut State Common Core Standards for English. A list of the English Language Arts standards can be found at the CT Department of Education website or by clicking here: http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/site/default.asp
6. Instructional Strategies
The instructional strategies that I will use are vocabulary in context. This will be done through multiple choice, matching, and fill in the blank questions. The range in question style will show whether students do or do not have a strong, complete understanding of the new vocabulary.
7. Additional Materials
If I had the time and resources (and funds), the additional materials I would use to support this program would be wireless clickers for the students. It would be ideal if I could create a lesson in which I was able to show the Flash video, have students respond to questions with their clickers, and display the results on the screen instantaneously. This would be an excellent tool for my classroom because I would be able to see whether or not students were on track. I would also be able to see which was the most common incorrect answer choice, and I could then discuss why that answer was not correct or may have been confusing.
8. Program Use
I will use this program in the classroom for individual student use. This is a tool that must be used in a place where each student has his or her own computer. This is because there is a quiz component at the end in which student will need to take on their own. This is also a helpful tool because students can go back and access the project at any point to refresh their memories or re-learn the vocabulary unit. It would serve as a great tool for a mid-term or final exam, because students would be able revisit the video to review – all the information they need would be contained right in that one video.
9. Summative Evaluation
I will evaluate the success of the program by comparing student test scores on a regular paper test to the Flash assessment. Since the words used in this project are from the same vocabulary book that students have been using all year, I could easily compare their scores because the level of difficulty of the vocabulary words is unchanged.
10. Appendix
My inspiration for this project came from my audience – a group of struggling learners enrolled in a High School Credit Diploma program at Platt High School. I noticed the extreme difficulty they were having with vocabulary skills and truly wanted to create something to help these students. I wanted to find a way to make vocabulary easier, more relevant, and more useful to them and am glad that this project provided the opportunity for me to do so.
