Appendix: Action Research Plan Documents

Project Rubric

pgs. 2-4

Unit Timeline

pgs. 5-7

Survey 1

p. 8

Survey 2

pg.9

Survey 3

pg. 10

Debriefing Interview

pg. 11

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Project Rubric
Fair (4-6 pts)
Good (7-8pts)

Assignment

Poor (0-3pts)

Reading
Timeline:
Students
create and
submit a
reading
timeline
with goals
for when
they will
finish and
discuss
portions of
their chosen
novel.

Students did
not create or
submit a
reading
timeline for
their novel, or
they submitted
one that did
not include
any additional
reading goals.

Students created
and submitted a
timeline that
included few or
unrealistic goals.
Work was not
divided evenly
over the course of
the time
provided.

Students created
and submitted a
reading timeline
that was fairly
well organized,
included several
goals that were
not evenly
spaced or
appeared
unrealistic.

Wiki
participation
: Students
are to
interact
outside of
the class on
their group
Wiki,
posting
questions or
observations
about the
reading,
main points,
and
brainstormin
g areas they
would like to
research
further.
Class
participation
: Students
working in
class to

Students did
not interact on
their group
wiki, did not
post
information
that was
relevant to the
project.

Students
interacted rarely
on their wiki, with
each student
making only one
or two posts over
the course of the
project. There
was no
interaction
between students
in this forum.

Students
interacted fairly
often on their
wiki. Each of the
group members
did not make a
post before each
of the reading
deadlines, but at
least one or two
group members
posted before
each deadline.
There was
interaction
between group
members as well.

Students never
appeared to be
on task, never
participated in
the video

Students rarely
appeared to be
on task, only one
group member
participated in

Students
generally
appeared to be
on task. Several
group members

Excellent (910pts)
Students
created a wellorganized
reading
timeline that
divides their
workload
evenly within
the allotted
time for this
portion of the
project and
includes at
least one
reading goal
per week.
Students
posted at least
one comment
or question on
the Wiki before
each reading
deadline.
Students
interacted with
each other
regularly and
posed relevant
and thoughtful
questions.

Students
almost always
appeared to be
on task, all
group members

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expand their
ideas and
develop
their
project.

confessional,
instructor had
a difficult time
facilitating
group
discussion on
the chosen
topic.

the video
confessional.
Group was
resistant to
facilitated
discussion.

participated in
video
confessional and
most group
members
participated in
instructor led
discussions.

Issue Map:
Created on a
Prezi, this
includes, a
podcast, a
video, a
digitally
created
chart or
diagram,
and at least
two
paragraphs
of original
thought
around the
novel and
social issue
per group
member.
Sources: ten
or more
nonfiction
sources
were found
and
incorporated
into the
different
destination
s on the
map.

Few to no
items were
included on
the map, no
connections
were made
between the
novel and
outside
nonfiction
sources, or
connections
made were
weak and
poorly
explored.

About half the

project items
were included on
the map. At least
one connection
was made
between the
novel and the
nonfiction
sources.

Almost all project

items were
included on the
map.
Connections
were made
between the
nonfiction
sources and the
fiction reading
but not all
connections were
strong or
relevant.

Between zero
and five
sources were
incorporated.
Sources used
did not appear
to be reliable
or indicate
responsible
research.

Five to seven
sources were
used, most
sources appeared
reliable.

Seven to nine
sources were
used and most
sources
appeared
reliable.

participated in
the video
confessional
and group
members
participated in
instructor led
discussion,
engaged in
questioning
material and
generating
ideas.
All project
items were
included on the
map. Several
strong
connections
were made
between fiction
and nonfiction
sources.

Ten or more
reliable sources
were found an
incorporated
into the
different
destinations
on the map.

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Presentation
: Students
present the
maps to
their
classmates
and explain
the
destination
s, their
social issue
and how it
was
explored in
the book
they read
for ten to
fifteen
minutes.

Extra Credit:
1-2 points

Students did
not present for
ten to fifteen
minutes, did
not clearly
articulate the
importance of
their social
issue or how it
related to the
novel they
read.

Students did not

fall within the
required time
limit, they had a
weak
understanding of
the social issue
they were
studying and how
it related to the
novel they read.
They did not
present their
knowledge in a
coherent way.

Students
presented for
close to, or
exactly within
the specified
time limit. They
had a strong
understanding of
either their social
issue or how it
related to the
novel they read,
but did not
articulate both.
Presentation
made sense.

Students
presented
within the time
limit, had a
strong
understanding
of the
importance of
their social
issue and how
it relates to the
novel they
read. Their
presentation
was well
structured, well
executed and
information was
presented
coherently.

Discuss local resources aimed at addressing the issue you studied and
come up with a plan you could implement to help raise awareness or
support existing organizations.

Unit Timeline
This project is designed to take place over a 12 week semester with a
group of 12th grade students, culminating in students giving a 10-15
minute presentation of their findings, followed by a group debriefing
with their instructor. The project will take approximately half of class
time, leaving room for other teaching responsibilities.
Data will be collected for this study using observations, classwork,
videos and surveys over the course of the unit. Class sessions will be
video taped and the instructor will write down observations as best she
is able while also facilitating discussions and running the class.
Week 1: The project is introduced on the first or second day of class.
Students are provided with a list of potential books to choose from
along with the corresponding social issues that each book explores.
Students are given until the end of the week to make a selection, at
which point they will write down their top choices to be divided into
groups the following week. The teacher is open to additions to the list if
a student can convincingly argue why they are interested in using a
particular work and it appears to be socially relevant.
Week 2: Students are divided into groups and learn which novel and
issue they will be exploring. They must create a set of reasonable
reading goals that will allow them to finish their novel by the beginning
of week five. Another period during this week is set aside to help the
class create group wikis. Students are to post to the wikis about their
thoughts while working on their reading goals.
Students will be given an open-ended survey to discuss their feelings
about the project now that they have a sense of what they will be
studying and who they will be working with.
Week 3: Students spend a few class periods working in small groups,
discussing their reading and responding to their classmates thoughts
posted on the wiki. The instructor will set up a video camera, block off
a corner at the back of the room and introduce students to the video
confessional element of the project. Each group will be given one
week where each of member is expected to participate in video
confessional. The teacher will show examples of how this might look.
Week 4: Very similar to week three. The class continues to work on
their readings and break into small groups to discuss. During class
periods devoted to these discussions, the teacher will circulate
between groups and facilitate discussion.

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Week 5: By the end of this week, students should have finished their
novels. They will have a few periods for discussion on the wrap up of
their reading and what understanding they currently have of the social
issue they will be studying.
Students will take an open-ended survey to gauge their feelings about
the project now that the focus is shifting from fiction to nonfiction.
Week 6: The teacher will introduce the nonfiction elements of the
project in greater detail, showing an example of a finished map.
Teacher discusses what makes a source reliable with the class and
students spend the next several weeks seeking out and discussing
sources. Each group member is asked to post at least two sources, with
comments, to the group before project completion.
Week 7: Students continue to discuss and gather sources, the
teacher provides information about the importance of local sources and
how including local resources and perspectives could make the project
more important and meaningful.
Week 8: Students should have gathered and discussed nonfiction
sources and connected them to their fiction assignments over the last
two weeks. Students may continue to research and discuss, but begin
to plan how they will frame and create their map destinations. They
should discuss what each destination will focus on and how they might
use each unique piece of media to make their point.
Week 9: Students continue to develop their destinations in and
outside of class.
Week 10: This is the final week of project work. The following week
the students will present their final maps to their classmates and
instructor.
Students are given an open-ended survey to describe their feelings
about the project as it wraps up.
Week 11: Each group will give a ten to fifteen minute presentation
about the their maps. This should include information on book they
read, how it relates to the social issue they studied and what they
learned from their nonfiction sources.
After each group presents they are asked to write down thoughts
about the project and their presentation and turn them in before the
end of the period, or first thing next period, if they are the last group
to present for that hour.

Week 12: Students have independent reading time over the course of
the week while the instructor meets with each group to discuss their
impressions of the project and their presentation.
Debriefing will take the form of a semi-structured interview. It will be
recorded for later coding.

Survey 1- Beginning of Week 2

How do you feel about what is required of you for this assignment?

Do you know anything about your topic? If so, what?

How do you anticipate working with your classmates will go?

How do you feel about the different technological aspects of the

project? How familiar are you with the elements mentioned?

Survey 2-End of Week 5

What did you like or dislike about the novel you read?

What impressions did this novel give you of the social issue that is the
focus of your project?

What did you like or dislike about discussions with your classmates?

Did your group use your wiki often to note your impressions and
discuss what you read outside of class? What were your impressions of
the wiki?

Survey 3-End of Week 10

How was your experience researching nonfiction sources on this topic?

What do you feel are the most important points to share related to
your topic?

What were your impressions of discussion nonfiction sources with your

classmate? Did they feel that different areas were most important?

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How was your experience pulling the different elements of the map
together? What was most enjoyable and what was most difficult?

Debriefing Interview-Week 12
This will be a semi-structured interview, so while questions are
prepared, the teacher will ask additional questions related to the
students thoughts and concerns. All the listed questions may not be
looked at if the students spend a great deal of time on one of these
topics. The interviews will be approximately the same length as the
presentations at about 10-15 minutes. They will be recorded for later
coding and analysis.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

How did you all feel that your presentation went?

What did you find most interesting about the topic you studied?
What did you find most challenging about this project?
What did you enjoy?
How was your experience working closely with your peers?
Is there anything you wish you had done differently?
Do you think you would incorporate any of the multimedia
elements used into projects or presentations for future classes?
8. Were there multimedia elements you would have preferred to
focus on for this project?
9. How is the topic you studied relevant to your life?