After careful consideration, I chose to study the Science assessments (gravity) for my ESE and ELL breakout data. I knew that the vocabulary terms like force, motion, acceleration, orbit, and catapult would be challenging for these students. Trevan is on a 504 plan for behavior and has testing accommodations. He is allowed to have the test read aloud (question by question) and is given a different seat in the room away from the other students. I made sure these accommodations were met when I administered the pre and post-test to him. His pre-test score was a zero. Gabriel is the oldest student in the class. Based on his age, he should be in the third grade, but when he came to Treeline Elementary this fall, it was clear he was not ready. He was previously homeschooled and was quite behind. He is reading just below a first grade level, and due to his A.D.H.D., the retention of the information he reads is extremely poor. He is also classified as ESE due to a 504 plan that originated at a previous school. My mentor and I are in the process of evaluating him for entrance into MTSS. Gabriel's score on the pre-test was a twenty percent. Dakota is classified as an ESE student, because he receives weekly services for a speech impediment. Additionally, he was recently tested and has been accepted into the school's gifted and talented program. He is a highly inquisitive student with a thirst for learning. Dakota's score on the pre-test was a sixty percent. Finally, Kharina is classified as both an English language learner as well as an ESE student for speech. Kharina is a Level Four ELL who should be exiting the program within two years. Her primary areas of concern are vocabulary and comprehension. She especially struggles to read and understand test questions. Kharina's score on the pre-test was a thirty percent.
After studying the breakout data, I knew that I had to reach each student individually, but these accommodations would need to be woven into the lessons taught to the whole group. When I created the bridge map with the class, I included small visual representations with each word. For example, for "force" I used the little image to the right of the man pushing the word push. I showed them under the Doc Cam for all the students to see and gave Gabriel, Kharina, and Trevan these same images to glue on to their Thinking Maps. Next, when I read aloud from Who Was Galileo? and Who Was Isaac Newton?, I showed the pictures under the Doc Cam and pulled up images from the internet. For example, many of the students had never seen a catapult before so I quickly found an appropriate image and shared it with the class. During the object drop we performed, I gave each of my ESE and ELL students a specific job. I made Trevan and Gabriel timers, because they absorb more information when they are given a job that requires them to focus. I asked Dakota to be a scribe as I have noticed that he retains more when he writes things down. I can tell him something half a dozen times, but it does not seem to really sink in until he writes it down. Finally, I made Kharina a guesser. She helped the class determine which object would hit the ground first and why. Kharina is a very inquisitive student, but she needs the help of her peers and to be able to talk through her thought process. I know that these techniques are highly effective for her. I wanted to make sure that I got all of the students actively involved during this Science unit, but I knew that it was especially important for the success of my ESE and ELL students. All four of my ESE and ELL students showed growth on their Science assessment post-test. Trevan and Gabriel achieved a sixty percent. Kharina brought her score up from a thirty percent to a seventy percent, and Dakota received a one hundred percent on his post-test. I believe that pre-teaching the vocabulary and incorporating visuals absolutely helped these students to be successful. I also feel that making the activities hands-on and interactive allowed for these improved scores. All four ESE and ELL students were engaged and focused during this unit (which is no small feat). If I were to do anything differently, I might have added another small group activity where I worked just with my ESE and ELL students. This additional individualized support might have improved their comprehension just a little bit more and increased their post-test scores. |