A paired-samples t-test was conducted to determine the effect of implementing sight word games and goal setting strategies will improve students’ application of sight words when reading grade level text. There was a significant difference in the scores prior to implementing summarizing strategies (M=82.45, SD=22.96) and after implementing (M=95.3, SD=10.83) the summarizing strategies; t(20)= 4.04, p = 0.0003. The observed standardized effect size is large (0.90). That indicates that the magnitude of the difference between the average and μ0 is large. These results suggest that the use of sight word strategies had a positive effect on students’ application of sight words when reading grade level text. Specifically, the results suggest that the use of goal setting sheets and games practicing sight words in isolation helped to improve the accuracy of sight words in grade level text which in turn helped to improve individual reading levels.
Impact on Reading Sight Words
After completing the study, all students made growth in being able to read their sight words individually and all students made growth in their reading levels, indicating that they had a high accuracy reading sight words within the text.
Throughout the process I conversed with the other members from my 1st Grade team, my instructional coach, my principal, my associate, as well as my cohort to assist my students in the best way possible.
In the future, I would like to do a quick weekly check-in with the five words of the week for each student. This way I can ensure that the students have mastered them or I can reteach in smaller chunks to the students that need it. I felt that most students had a strong accuracy with reading the sight words independently, but others struggled with words taught the first semester and struggled to bridge the gap throughout the process. The students were highly engaged in the games and responded well to the goal setting. In the future I would like to use something similar to the goal setting sheet for the 4 times that I test students to keep them accountable and working toward their goals. I will continue to use the games once they have been introduced to a majority of the words as they were an engaging way for students to increase the repetition of reading the words.
Although I know that games and conferencing with students to goal set are motivating practices, I am unable to determine if those were the reason for the increase in sight words individually and the increase of reading levels. The students had a lot of exposure to sight words daily and some students also practiced at home as well, it is unable to determine what specifically helped with the increase.
A paired-samples t-test was conducted to determine the effect of implementing sight word games and goal setting strategies will improve students’ application writing independently. There was a significant difference in the scores prior to implementing summarizing strategies (M=62, SD=23.92) and after implementing (M=85.75, SD=18. 59) the summarizing strategies; t(20)= 6.10, p = 0.000004. The observed standardized effect size is large (1.36). That indicates that the magnitude of the difference between the average and μ0 is large. These results suggest that the use of sight word strategies had a positive effect on students’ application writing independently. Specifically, the results suggest that the use of goal setting sheets and games practicing sight words in isolation helped to improve the accuracy of sight words when in the context of a sentence which in turn helped to improve writing independently.
Impact on Writing Sight Words
After completing the study, all students made growth in being able to write their sight words individually and the class as a whole made growth in the number of sight words used authentically within individual writing practice. Some students did fluctuate throughout the process in the number of sight words used while writing as well as their accuracy.
Throughout the study I felt that I became more knowledgeable with the list of sight words which allowed me to hold students accountable. When I would do a writing mini-lesson I was identifying sight words more often so that the students could see the frequency. While monitoring and conferencing during writing, I was able to quickly identify sight words and hold them accountable for accuracy of spelling.
In the future, I am going to use the data from the weekly dictation sentences to reteach any words so that I can close the gap quicker. I started doing this during my action research but missed the reteach for students that needed it from the first 60 words.
My students responded well to having their own list of words they needed to practice and I plan to have something similar in the years to come that I can adjust after each testing. The students seemed to have more stamina to practice knowing that they were getting what they need. This also gave me a good opportunity to push some students to write 2nd Grade words.
As I continue to make improvements, I will also be looking for more games that practice the spelling of sight words because the only game that was strong with spelling was Battleship.
When writing sight words authentically during writing assessments, it was motivating for me to see that the students were not only increasing their frequency but also the complexity of their sentences. When doing a side by side comparison, it was clear to see that the students had grown their bank of words that could be spelled i
Reciprocity