Round Three Data Analysis Memo

Round Three Data Analysis- Learning to Read and Write: A Focus on English Learners

Problem Statement
Throughout my four years teaching 1st grade, there has always been a significant
academic difference from students who are English Learners and those who are not English
Learners. More specifically, I notice a large learning gap with reading and writing in English
Learners. My goal is to enhance the writing skills of English Learner students using multiple
writing tools in both the Distance Learning and Hybrid Learning model.

Research Question:
1)What happens when English Learners navigate a writer’s checklist, a word bank, and use their
word blending skills to form sentences when writing about a given topic?

Context
I am a fourth-year first grade teacher at a PK-8th Grade School in the Twin Rivers
Unified School District. Our school serves just under six-hundred students in which 89% of them
are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Fifty percent of our school’s population are Hispanic or
Latino with 25% of them being English Learners. According to our 2018/19 SARC report, our
student’s scored 29% proficient for English Language Arts and Literacy and scored 21%
proficient for Math. All of our students in the Twin Rivers Unified School District receive free
breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks because we serve a large low-income population across
all our schools.
In my current classroom I have twenty-two students. Of those twenty-two students, ten of
them are English Learners. So, 45% of my class are considered English Learners. With learning
being Hybrid, I have already noticed that this particular group of students are struggling
academically. In previous years, EL students received sheltered instruction and they were
learning hands-on how to communicate and learn in the traditional classroom setting. This year,
my EL students did not receive the same type of hands-on learning do to a distance only and
Hybrid model.
I will support student learning by incorporating small group intervention on a weekly
basis. I will take the data collected and I will form differentiated instruction for this group of
students. Knowing that some of my English Learners will be learning 100% virtually and others
will be learning in a hybrid model, I will group my students according to their learning model. I
will focus on implementing writing as my main focus for this group of students. I believe that
these interventions will significantly increase my EL student’s ability to write and speak in a
general classroom setting.

Intervention/Innovation:

I implemented multiple methods throughout Rounds One, Two, and Three. The data I
collected were student interviews, field notes, student writing samples, and test scores.
In Round Three I kept my focus on the writing skills of my English Learners.
My students had been working on writing for five months by this point, and I felt it was time to
challenge their writing skills. My small groups stayed the same from round two. I continued to
have three groups. Group A, Group B, and Group C. Group A(in person/hybrid) consists of three
EL students, Group B (in person/hybrid) consists of four EL students, and Group C (Online
only) consists of three EL students.
My students have been working on writing on a given topic. For instance, I would show
them a picture of a beach, then we would talk about what we see in the picture. The students
would come up with what they see at the beach, how the beach made them feel, what we do at
the beach, etc. Then, the students would write a topic sentence followed by sequenced writing to
tell me the story of the picture. They would use, “First, Next, Then, Last,” to help them sequence
their writing. My students have been working on this style of writing for many months, so I
decided to introduce a new style of writing in Round Three. I felt it was the right time to
challenge all my EL students in writing because they were doing better with navigating their
writers checklist, understanding how to write on a given topic and staying on topic when writing.
In Round Three I introduced Opinion Writing. I taught a thirty-minute lesson on “What is
an opinion?”. We discussed opinions versus facts and played an opinion versus facts game before
our writing lesson. I showed my students a picture of pepperoni pizza. I proposed the question,
“Do you like pepperoni on your pizza?”. Each student had to come up with their opinion,
whether or not they like pepperoni pizza. Then, we had to come up with two reasons why that
was our opinion. My students were able to speak amongst each other in person and in breakout
rooms for my virtual students. I grouped them into pairs and triads and they had to 1) Tell their
partner(s) their opinion on pepperoni pizza and 2) give two reasons why that was their opinion.
When their time was up we had a whole group discussion and talked about all of our different
opinions regarding pepperoni pizza. The next step was developing a word bank. The students
think of key words they want to use in their writing. If they choose to, they raise their hands and
tell me a word they want on the board. Here is the list of words they came up with: pepperoni,
pizza, crust, cheese, bread, dough, sauce, spicy, and favorite. Once their word bank is complete,
I did a model write on the board. I used the Writer’s Checklist and the word bank on the board.
As I am writing, I ask aloud “What do I start with?…” then I get a choral response, “A capital
letter!”, “When I write a new word I use a….”, then I get a choral response, “Finger Space!”,
and, “When I am done writing my sentence I put a….”, then I get a choral response, “Period!”.
Once my example is complete, we read it all together and I left it on the board for the students to
refer back to it when they were working on their independent writing. At this point, the students
are ready to begin their writing. They are given roughly 30 minutes to independently write about
the topic while using the writing tools given to them. I walked around the room giving feedback
and input as students are navigating a writers checklist and word bank to opinion write. Once the
students completed their writing, I would have them read me what they wrote. We would go
down the Writer’s Checklist and I would make sure each student can check off all four
categories. Finally, I have my students share with a peer. One student reads their opinion writing
to a partner, then the next partner shares their opinion writing. The students had the opportunity
to use the writing tools presented to them to be successful writers. They also had the opportunity
to verbally share with their peers, receive feedback from their peers and share their feedback as
well.
Data Analysis:
Qualitative Data:
The qualitative data suggests that the majority of my EL students have an understanding
how to utilize the writing tools that were taught to them during small groups. The data shows that
all students feel confident during wiring and understand the tasks that are being presented to
them. There was one student who did not want to reflect or share their writing, thoughts, feelings,
or options with other students. I believe this is because they do not feel confident during the
writing process and need more practice writing and speaking to their peers.
Quantitative Data:
The quantitative data suggests that my students have achieved the writing skills for this
task. My students were able to begin each sentence with a capital letter, finger spaces between
words, and use the correct punctuation at the end of a sentence. This was a huge deal because in
round two, my students struggled with capital letters at the beginning of a sentence as well as
punctuation.
-Attached below is the student interviews alongside teacher observation in Display 1.
-Attached below is four student work samples in Display 2.
-Attached below is a 4-point scale to show if the students were able to follow the writer’s
checklist when writing independently.

Display 1; Student Interview Q & A:

Students: Student Response Student Response Teacher
to to Observation:
“How did you feel “How did you feel
about opinion sharing your
writing?” opinion with your
partner?”

Student “AV” “Good.” “I got to talk about Student had some

pizza!” struggles with
opinion writing but
did a good job
following the
writer’s checklist
and utilizing the
word bank. The
student was
engaged and on task
during writing.
 Students: Student Response Student Response Teacher
to to Observation:
“How did you feel “How did you feel
about opinion sharing your
writing?” opinion with your
partner?”

Student “OS” “I feel Great.” “I got to write. I like Student understood

it.” what to do for this
assignment and was
able to follow the
writer’s checklist and
word bank. Student
was engaged during
the lesson and was
able to give an oral
response.
Student “AC" “Good.” N/A Student was present
but needed one-on-
one assistance when
writing. Student was
not verbal and had a
hard time
communicating their
feelings. The student
did try and was able
to copy some words
from the word bank
onto their writing
assignment.
Student “NM" “It felt good.” "I liked writing Student did a good
about pizza.” job stating her
opinion and was very
intrigued during the
lesson because the
topic was on
pizza.This student
was able to follow the
writer’s checklist as
well as use the word
bank. Student did well
with the writing task
and was successful
with the assignment.
 Students: Student Response Student Response Teacher
to to Observation:
“How did you feel “How did you feel
about opinion sharing your
writing?” opinion with your
partner?”

Student “TS" “I liked writing.” “It was good.” Student did well
stating their opinion
on this assignment.
The student was able
to utilize the writer’s
checklist and word
bank.Student was
engaged for most of
the assignment.
Student “AM" “I love it! I talked "It was fun sharing.” Student enjoyed the
about Pepperoni writing assignment
pizza.” and wanted to share
how she felt. Student
was highly engaged
with the lesson, gave
multiple oral
responses, shared
with their peers and
was able to utilize the
writer’s checklist and
word bank.
Student “EL” “Teacher I wrote “I like sharing my Student was engaged
about how I don’t opinion with my in the lesson. Student
like pepperoni friends.” was willing to share
with their partner and
pizza. It’s too was able to utilize the
spicy.” word bank well.
Student was off task a
few times during
independent writing
but would get back on
track once the
teacher reminded
them to work.
Student “SD" “I like it because I “It was good.” Student was engaged
like pizza.” and did a great job
during the writing
lesson.
Student was able to
utilize writer’s
checklist and the
word bank correctly.
 Students: Student Response Student Response Teacher
to to Observation:
“How did you feel “How did you feel
about opinion sharing your
writing?” opinion with your
partner?”

Student “KH" “I don't like “I like talking to my Student was highly

pepperoni pizza!” partner.” engaged with opinion
writing. Student liked
sharing with their
peers and was able to
utilize their writer’s
checklist and word
bank.
Student “EB” “I liked it because it “It was fun.” Student was highly
was new.” engaged and
knowledgeable on
opinion writing.
Student was
interested in the topic
and was able to
successfully write her
opinion on this topic.
Student utilized their
writer’s checklist and
word bank for the
writing assignment.
Display 2; Student Work Samples:

-Student “AV”
-Level 1 EL: Beginner
-Uses a capital letter at the beginning of the
sentence.
-Uses “finger spaces” between words.
-Uses the correct punctuation.
-Used the word bank.
-Received instruction in class during Hybrid
instruction.

Transcript: “I like Pizza! I lac the cheese. I

like Pepperoni.”

-Student “OV”
-Level 1 EL: Beginner
-Uses a capital letter at the beginning of the
sentence.
-Uses “finger spaces” between words.
-Uses the correct punctuation.
-Used the word bank.
-Received instruction in class during Hybrid
Instruction.

Transcript: “I do not lik pizza! It HRTS

ma Tumy. I dont LIK pepperoni.”
-Student “NM”
-Level 3 EL: Intermediate
-Uses capital letter at the beginning of the
sentences.
-Uses finger spaces.
-Uses the correct punctuation.
-Stays on topic and shows knowledge of
subject matter.
-Used the word bank.

Transcript: “I love the pepperoni on the

pizza. It is good because it is so yume. I
like the sauce and I like the cheese!”

-Student “KH”
-Level 3 EL: Intermediate
-Uses “finger spaces” between words.
-Does not start each sentence with a capital
letter.
-Utilized the word bank.
-Uses phonetic spelling; appropriate for 1st
grade.
-Does not use punctuation.
-Understood how to state her opinion and
stayed mostly on topic.

Transcript: “i do not like pepperoni pizza

because it is hot
Next what is my opinion is popcorn I love
popcorn
then what is my opinion is”
Display 3: Analyzing student work samples on a 4-point criteria:
-1 represents they completed 1/4 on the writer’s checklist.
-2 represents they completed 2/4 on the writer’s checklist.
-3 represents they completed 3/4 on the writer’s checklist.
-4 represents they completed 4/4 on the writer’s checklist.

1 Point: Does the student begin each sentence with a capital letter?
1 Point: Does the student use “finger spaces” between each words?
1 Point: Does the student use their phonological skills to spell out words when they are writing?
1 Point: Does the student use the correct punctuation at the end of their sentences?

Round 1 Round 2
4 Round Three
3
2
1
0
AV OS AC NM TS AM EL SD KH EB

The data suggests that all ten of my English Learners have had positive growth with writing. The
students were able to understand and use a writer’s checklist, a word bank, alongside teacher
review and feedback to further their understanding and skills for writing.

Discussion/Implications
My overall goal for this action research was to find the right tools to enhance the writing
skills of my English Learners in a hybrid and virtual learning model. In round one I was working
with students who had little to no writing experience due to Covid-19 and school closures in the
2019/20 school year. I was teaching the basic writing concepts along with working on students
reading skills, such as segment and blending words. In round two I felt it was time to take off
with writing. My students focused on sequence writing while using writing tools to help them
navigate their own learning. The most effective writing tools we used was a writer’s checklist, a
word bank created by students, and having a teacher modeled writing example for the students.
In Round Three my students were challenged by shifting from sequencing writing to writing an
opinion piece. What made the transition easy for my students was that we had grown a good
understanding and confidence with the writing tools we were using. My students transitioned to
opinion writing smoothly and had much success when doing so.
 The literature that I chose to refer back to during all three rounds helped me understand
how I should structure my intervention groups for EL students. The literature guided me in my
thinking for how to model my own writing while using the writing tools taught to my students.

Literature Connections:

Vaughn, S., Mathes, P., Linan-Thompson, S., Cirino, P., Carlson, C., Pollard-Durodola, S., ... &
Francis, D. (2006). Effectiveness of an English intervention for first-grade English language
learners at risk for reading problems. The Elementary School Journal, 107(2), 153-180.