Running head: READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES FOR ELA 1

The Road to Careful and Curious Reading Comprehension: Implementing Reading Skills for

Ninth Grade ELA

Brooke Alexander

Manhattan College

Author’s Note

This paper was created as an assignment for Sr. Mary Ann’s Jacobs’ Education 403 course.
READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES FOR ELA 2

Abstract

While observing at the Academy of Mt. St. Ursula, I was placed in an all-girls freshman English

class. Within the three weeks I was placed there, I had the chance to sit in on multiple quizzes

students had to take based on reading from the night before. At the time, students were reading

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. As I walked around I noticed students were not

performing well on reading comprehension quizzes. This led me to think if students were

receiving the correct learning tools to collect important ideas then they could perform better on

these quizzes. I wanted to design a plan that would give students an easier time taking notes

while reading so I created a guided notes sheet for this freshman class (Figure 1). Students would

pull different information from the text using the guided notes and would be able to use those

same notes on the quiz the following day (Figure 2). This method would give students a chance

to read and understand the text, as well as be rewarded with positive reinforcement on graded

assignments.

Keywords: quiz scores, note-taking, pre-written notes, 9th grade, english language arts

What was the Problem?

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Many students in Ms. McAuliffe’s class continuously go through their whole learning career

performing inadequately on classwork and quizzes due to their poor reading comprehension. If

students do not learn basic note-taking skills when reading, they would be unable to succeed in

completing assignments at a higher college/career level. It is important that teachers are taking

the time to teach pre-requisite skills, like writing a reflection in note-taking. They must not

assume that as students move up to higher grade levels that they automatically know these skills

when no one is taking the time to teach them. This was ultimately the case for Ms. McAuliffe's

9th grade English Language Arts class. In order to address this issue, I considered how to make

reading comprehension more feasible for them?

What is Known?

The students in my class at the Academy of Mt. St. Ursula was observed three different times

before I was no longer able to attend classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AMSU is a

Catholic School in the Fordham area that has a majority of black and Hispanic students. Their

slogan holds “Four Years to Last a Lifetime”. I spent time with two of Ms. McAuliffe’s classes

but I decided to focus on the one that was of greater instructing difficulty to her. I was notified

that most of these students were “failing her class” and that she thought “it is up to them if they

want to learn” or that “a lot of the students end up getting zeros on the quizzes because they

weren’t doing the reading”. I was taken aback by this information so I decided to speak with

some of the students to get an idea of how the class is for them. Many of them were joking about

how they did not read, did not care, or were busy with other work. A lot of them also felt

overwhelmed or were lacking adequate reading comprehension skills. Students also confided in

me that the class has a stressful feel to it because no one knows what is going on. I picked up on

the idea that since notes were not being graded, students were not attempting them. Ms.
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McAuliffe’s classes were very standard in the way that students were expected to read and take

the reading quizzes, however, there was no instruction on note-taking or studying.

What had Others Found?

The ability to note-take during reading comprehension is very important as well as the ability to

reflect on what you are thinking while reading (Froiland and Davidson, 2019, p. 1385). Students

with better social perception and self-reflection skills while reading may give them the ability to

understand a text better (Froiland and Davidson, 2019, p. 1385). In a study by John Mark

Froiland and Mark L. Davidson (2019) they state, “Adolescent students with higher social

perception of emotions experience more positive affect due to mastery goals than students with

lower social perception” (Froiland and Davidson, 2019, p. 1385)). Students who have a better

social perception have an easier time absorbing text (Froiland and Davidson, 2019, p. 1385). In

addition, “social perception is crucial for ‘hot’ information processing, in that it helps youth to

make sense of the information they often care the most about, which includes relationships,

social interactions, and feelings” (Froiland and Davidson, 2019, p. 1385). If a student is able to

relate the text they are reading to themselves, they will ultimately have a better time

understanding it.

Students who lack the ability to feel physically comfortable in social situations may have

a difficult experience explaining text (Froiland and Davidson, 2019, p. 1388). In order for

students to better understand what they need to comprehend in a story, it is important that they

have the social ability to understand what might happen next, “Reading stories full of suspense

activated regions of the brain associated with both social cognition and prediction (e.g.,

predicting what will happen next in a story), which is an important aspect of story

comprehension” (Froiland and Davidson, 2019, p. 1388). This will give students a chance to
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think beyond the text post-reading. If we are unable to be emotionally attached to texts then we

will automatically have a hard time understanding them socially and emotionally, and thus

feeling connected to the reading. It is important that students have the ability to feel empathy

when reading texts as they might be lacking an understanding of why the text is so important.

One will be unable to answer the “so what?” question that comes after completing a text without

emotional understanding.

Another idea integrated into my note sheet reflects on the challenging vocabulary given

in the book. If students are unable to understand important vocabulary, then they will be unable

to comprehend the entire text (Wright and Cervetti, 2017, p. 204). On the importance of

vocabulary knowledge in reading comprehension, Tanya S. Wright and Gina N. Cervetti (2017)

stated, “Students who possess more vocabulary knowledge are likely to be better text

comprehenders because they are more likely to know the meanings of the words contained in a

text” (Wright and Cervetti, 2017, p. 204). It is also important to note that students who have a

difficult time understanding vocabulary will also have trouble extracting personal meaning from

the text as well. Lack of accessibility to comprehending vocabulary may make reading more

challenging, “If a word's meaning is challenging to retrieve, the reader is forced to expend

attentional resources that are needed for comprehension”(Wright and Cervetti, 2017, p. 204). If

the student is unable to comprehend vocabulary right away, they will have to retrieve it from

other texts which will lead to more work overall and possibly decrease motivation during the

assignment. If instructors taught these lessons beforehand the students will be able to complete

the assignment with fewer interruptions. When discussing exactly how to teach the students the

vocabulary, Wright and Cervetti (2017) state “Many of these direct teaching studies focused on

active processing and depth over breadth in vocabulary instruction, using rich, multidimensional,
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and extended vocabulary instruction as a way of increasing both speed of access and retention of

word meanings” (Wright and Cervetti, 2017, p. 204). The ability to quickly understand a term's

definition is crucial for reading comprehension and should be incorporated into my guided notes

sheet.

Note-taking is an essential component of successful reading comprehension (Özçakmak,

2019, p. 581). It is very important that this skill is performed during reading in order to entirely

absorb a text (Özçakmak, 2019, p. 581). In Hüseyin Özçakmak’s (2019) study, he states, “The

students who take notes are advantageous in terms of getting the most important points of the

course and recalling content of the course” (Özçakmak, 2019, p. 581). Note-taking while reading

is a useful strategy because it gives students the ability to store information better and it gives the

students the ability to improve on their other cognitive skills such as reading, writing, and

listening (Özçakmak, 2019, p. 582). The study results supported that note-taking during reading

can give students the ability to understand even the most low-interest passages (Özçakmak,

2019, p. 581).

Özçakmak’s (2019) data displays that students were able to score higher in reading

comprehension while using note-taking skills than attempting to read without note-taking

(Özçakmak, 2019, p. 585). This displays that recording notes gives students the ability to score

higher when reflecting during the reading (Özçakmak, 2019, p. 585). Even if a student is unable

to relate to the text given in class, they will have the ability to understand it by reflecting on what

they wrote in their notes. When notes are not constructed in conjunction with the students

learning style, this could be unhelpful, “Students’ mislearning note taking causes them to be

insufficient in effective note-taking” (Özçakmak, 2019, p. 581). In order to make this more of a

success, it is important that teachers provide guidance when preparing their students to be
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successful note-takers. Students must have some sort of idea of what to look for while absorbing

text. It is also important to consider those different note-taking methods must be tailored to each

student's style of learning (Özçakmak, 2019, p. 581).

What is the Goal?

A goal for this project would be students being able to comprehend assigned reading while using

a guided notes worksheet (Figure 1), which would lead them to score higher on their quizzes

bringing them overall success. I would be working with five to ten students who score lower than

the other students in the class. I would work with my headteacher on providing students a

reading quiz during week two with no notes in order to measure how they originally perform.

During week three, the students would receive guided notes (Figure 1). During week four, they

would design their own written note-taking method based on the note-taking guide I previously

assigned them. They would then use this note taking guide during reading and during the reading

quiz in class. I would be spacing the reading assignments to once a week so as not to overwhelm

the students, as they stressed that this class can sometimes easily overwhelm them. Looking at

my question, I decided I wanted to include old quiz scores versus new quiz scores on my Action

Research in order to compare the quiz scores.

What was the Plan?

After observing the students, I decided to construct a plan for an easier way to meet the students'

needs. I would be helping students effectively list important information from chapter twelve of

Flowers For Algernon on a note sheet that they would be able to use on the quiz (Figure 2). I

want this to be organized in a way that would allow students to look back at their notes and use it

to study for later exams. This would also help students score higher on quizzes which would give
READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES FOR ELA 8

them a boost in confidence. On the note sheet, I would also assign higher difficulty vocabulary

words from the text. At first, I would define them, and later on, students would have to define the

words themselves through personal research.

In week one, I would work with my teacher on asking what students I should specifically

work with and who could use the most improvement. I would speak with those students in class

in order to gain knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses while reading or if they even

attempt the reading at all. In week two, all students in the class would take a quiz (Figure 2) I

designed based on the note sheet from the night before (Figure 1). Students will answer all the

questions relating to the notes and at the bottom of the quiz, there will be two survey questions

on the note sheet and how they think they performed on the quiz. This will provide me with

feedback on the efficacy of the notes sheet. I would collect all students' quizzes but I would

specifically look into the students I am working with and see how they did.

In week three, I would provide my group of students with a note sheet that has key ideas

from the text they would need to respond to (Figure 1). They would use this when they are

reading. I would try to create a positive connection with the students so they feel willing to try

my worksheet. I would also teach them how to use it by explaining to them that they would use

this by responding to different ideas while reading the text or reflecting back and finding details.

I would inform the rest of the class to take notes using the skills that they already know. All

students would be able to use their notes on the quiz the following day. I would compare these

students’ notes to the rest of the class as well. In week four, I would have my group of students

create their own note sheet using the same ideas of what I already gave them. I would check to

compare their success. I would repeat steps if no improvement was seen which would lead to

week five.
READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES FOR ELA 9

In week five, I would repeat any steps if needed. I would also speak to the students and

ask them if the note method seemed helpful to them and record their responses. I would also ask

my headteacher about any commentary she may have on how she felt this worked. I believe this

will work because it gives students an outline of what they should be looking for in a text, which

will make it less stressful for them when responding to similar questions on quizzes. It would

only truly work if students feel encouraged enough to actually try the sheet out but I believe it is

all about attitude so if I make the students comfortable, they will be willing.

What was the Conclusion?

Using these strategies, I believe the assignment should have the ability to help students with

reading comprehension as well as augment their overall grades. This would give students the

ability to care about meticulous reading and a chance to score higher on reading quizzes. I

believe these tactics will work because meticulous reading and proper note-taking can be

beneficial when it comes to memorization. It is important to show students that detailed reading

is important and can be easily done by knowing what to look for in a given text. Even if a student

will not have the ability to relate to a given text, they will still have the ability to understand the

reading through reflection.

As a future English teacher, I want to be able to give students a chance to improve their

quiz scores through their ability to closely read and take notes. I believe that if I am able to teach

these skills to students, it should greatly help them improve their quiz grades because they are

already doing part of the work the night before. This will help to decrease school-related stress as

well. The ability to better comprehend text can give students a reason to indulge in literature

more often, as all it will take is the ability to closely read which can be improved upon.
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Figure 1
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Figure 2

Name:___________________________________ Date:____/____/_____

Flowers for Algernon Guided Notes “Progress Report 12 ” QUIZ

Read all questions and answer in complete sentences, you may use your notes from last night
on this quiz.

1. What does Charlie find out about Alice and how does he feel and what did he do as a
reaction? He finds out that she got pregnant by a salesman, he was very upset and
aggressively grabbed her shoulder.

2. Was Charlie having a dream or a nightmare at the beginning of the chapter? What was
it like? Charlie was having a nightmare and it was very spooky and ghost-like.

3. Use the word “Puzzlement” in a sentence, the sentence must include the word used
correctly: I was in puzzlement when my sister tried to explain her calculus homework
to me

4. In Charlie's dream, what grade did Norma get on her test and what did she want
because of it? Norma got an A on her test and wanted a dog

5. Write the sentence that starts with “All right. You want to know?” and ends with
“human being”: All right. You want to know? You’re different. You’ve changed. And I’m
not talking about your IQ. It’s your attitude toward people-- you’re not the same kind of
human being--”

6. Use the word “Preliminary” in a sentence, the sentence must include the word used
correctly: I practiced running on my treadmill every day before the preliminary
marathon coming up.

7. Why is Nemur upset with charlie? Charlie has not turned in any progress reports for 2
weeks.

8. Use the word “Smug” in a sentence, the sentence must include the word used
correctly: I was feeling smug when I got this highest grade in my English class

9. I feel like I performed well on this quiz because of my notes:

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
10. I would use notes like these next time I read: Or
Agree

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
Or
Agree
References
READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES FOR ELA 13

Froiland, J.M., Davison, M.L. (2020). Emotional intelligence, listening comprehension, and

reading comprehension among diverse adolescents. J Child Fam Stud, 29, 1385–1390.

https://doi-org.www.library.manhattan.edu/10.1007/s10826-019-01557-8.

Özçakmak, H. (2019). Impact of note-taking during reading and during listening on

Comprehension. Educational Research and Reviews, 14(16), 580–589.

http://search.ebscohost.com.www.library.manhattan.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eri&AN=EJ1232729&site=ehost-live.

Wright, T. S., & Cervetti, G. N. (2017). A systematic review of the research on vocabulary

instruction that Impacts text Comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 52(2),

203–226.http://search.ebscohost.com.www.library.manhattan.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1135302&site=ehost-live.