Inferencing Strategies
When and How will it be implemented?
Strategies to increase comprehension were implemented daily during the Language Arts time period through one strategy at a time and then eventually intermixed. I started in February with visualizing and spent a week on that skill. I then moved to making connections to self, the world, and other texts for the following two weeks during the same period. Lastly, I finished with questions that students could ask themselves while they were reading. This implementation ended March 2nd when students took an additional district assessment and Scholastic Reading Inventory test that assessed the skill of inferencing.
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What is being implemented?
I implemented a questionnaire, a connections graphic organizer, and visualizing strategies into my Language Arts curriculum each day. This included scaffolding questions, a graphic organizer with three types of text connections, and the creation of visual representations both graphically and physically in the classroom.
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With whom is it being implemented?
All three of these strategies were implemented with all 23 students in my 5th grade classroom. This included special education, English Learners, and accelerated students.
Why is it being implemented? (rationale based on quantitative and qualitative data)
This action research was implemented because the skill of inferencing is a highly prioritized standard inside my school districts's curriculum. It allows for students to truly have a deep understanding of the text. It is also being implemented because on both a district and building level assessment, students did not score higher than 48% proficient at this standard. In fact, from mid-October to November, students had decreased 8% on the district reading assessment under this standard. As for qualitative data, students were unable to demonstrate the ability to infer in small and large group settings. Whenever asked to go beyond the text, students were puzzled and unsure of how to reach their answer. As a result, students incorrectly answered many questions which required using text comprehension and inferences.
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