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Research-based Action Plan

Action Plan Summary Outline

1. Design a series of lessons that allow student input in their interactive notebooks.

Permit and encourage color to be used on the left side as well as speech bubbles, Venn diagrams,

cartoons, comic strips, etc. as a way to make a personal connection to science concepts.

2. Deliver instruction in a way that allows students to use their input to better retain

science concepts and teacher directed instruction.

3. Assess instruction using exit cards of what was learned on a particular day, comparing

pre quiz and post quiz scores, and reading student self reflections.

Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

1. Standardized goal: Diocese of Superior Science Standards LS4.D.3 “Explain that

scientists have identified and classified many plants and animals.”

2. Targeted learning objective: Students will explain the difference between biological

and genetic evidence and apply it to a real world situation.

Task(s) and Essential Proficiency Criteria for Targeted Learning Objective(s)

1. Task: Students will use a word bank to select the term that best completes six

statements and answer the following question, “Explain how scientists may use physical

and genetic evidence to determine how closely related two species of birds are.”

2. Criteria that Prove Proficiency in Meeting Targeted Learning Objective(s)

a. Perform at 85% or better using the correct term in statements.

b. Give specific examples of physical and genetic evidence in writing

section of quiz.

c. Writing skills proficient to each grade level (5-8), minor errors allowed.
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Method(s) to Assess Progress of Proficiency for Targeted Learning Objective(s)

1. Pre and post quiz scores (Artifact A and B) assessed by teacher.

2. Low, medium, and high student samples (Artifact C) assessed by teacher

observations and reading post quiz answers.

3. Student reflections of low, medium, and high samples (Artifact D) assessed by

the student on how the interactive notebook helped with organization, aided in

making a connection the science concepts, and allowed creativity in

assignments.

Post-assessments

Instructional Insights Related to WTS and Targeted Student Objective(s)

Knowing every child learns differently, I am certain by incorporating personal choice,

color and creativity will increase student achievement. These strategies also help to use both

sides of the brain to create long-term memories. If the information has been stored in the long-

term memory, it is easier to retrieve at a later date. “Evidence is needed!” is what all science

teachers strive to accomplish through their students’ learning. I administered a pre quiz to each

of my three science classes. Students were told this would be graded for my research purposes

only and would not affect their grade. The pre quiz percents were calculated and recorded for

each class (Artifact A). The post quiz was given after students had a chance to use the

interactive student notebook. The left hand side of the student interactive notebook included

student work that helped make a connection both to the right hand side of notes and teacher

directed material. The overall results were a clear indication of student achievement. The post

quiz results showed an increase in all three of my classes. Hufflepuff (my advanced class of

seventh and eighth graders) had the highest percentage in the pre and post quiz; these students
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know how to use context clues and refer to prior knowledge when taking a quiz. Gryffindor and

Ravenclaw classes are made of mostly fifth and sixth graders along with a couple seventh

graders. The results show their pre and post quiz scores had significant academic gains. Also,

Ravenclaw includes my three lowest learners (Artifact B) in this class. Even with these students’

academic limitations, the academic gains were evident. The pre quiz was done independently to

give an accurate score. The post quiz was read to each of these three students after taking it

independently. This is something I do for all quizzes based on ISPs and student comprehension.

Comparison of Student Performance Related to Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)

Artifact C contains student responses to the short answer component of the post quiz.

Student C used color and a T-chart to help process his/her information. Student D was able to

give specific examples of physical evidence and referred to DNA as part of the genetic evidence

needed to complete the answer. Student E’s answer was done with complete detail and

thoroughness. It gave specific examples of both physical and genetic evidence.

Comparison of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)

The interactive notebooks have been a way for my students to make personal connections

to their science learning. My students are more engaged and have a sense of ownership in their

learning. They are also more organized and can locate their information quite quickly when

answering review questions or when preparing for an upcoming quiz. Artifact D shows student

reflections of how the interactive notebooks have assisted in their learning. The student

responses indicated they were more organized, helped them to remember material better, and

appreciated the addition of color to better understand the concepts taught.

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Reflection of Entire Learning Process

The essential question guiding this entry was “Do interactive notebooks affect student

achievement in middle school students?” I learned that the interactive student notebooks do help

to develop organizational skills, develop a sense of pride in students’ work, create a resource to

refer to when answering questions, and affect student achievement. More importantly, I have

observed students able to make a personal connection with the materials studied. I fully enjoyed

observing the students created and wanted to share their personal examples with their classmates

and me. Correcting notebooks is not just about grading class notes. I looked forward and

appreciated the creativity each student shared on the left hand side of their notebook. By having

my students use the interactive student notebook, I have learned a great deal of my students’

personal interests and experiences through their sketches, cartoons, and creativity.

What Worked and Why

1. Using the left hand side of the note book, provided the students personal connections

to their science learning. Every student notebook was different as each student has their own

experiences they included in their learning. All of my students, including my lowest learners,

could come up with an example for the “all about you” prompts (left side information).

2. All three of my science classes showed an increase in their pre quiz to post quiz scores.

Artifact A shows the pre quiz and post quiz scores for each of my classes. Artifact B shows the

pretest scores for three of my lowest learners.

What Did Not Work and Why

I was not diligent in transferring the class notes into my teacher notebook as suggested

by some of my research. I started transferring the daily notes in my teacher notebook at the

beginning of the school year. I was so engaged in helping my students make connections to the
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science concepts, that at the end of the day I did not make time to do my notes. This is

something I will be changing at the beginning of the second trimester.

My Next Steps

1. Continue using the interactive notebook so that students can make connections from

their personal experiences to our science concepts.

2. Continue looking for interactive notebook resources to add to my current collection.

3. Find various templates for students to use as part of my teaching strategies.

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References

Endacott, J. (2007, Spring). Interactive notebooks: Helping to meet the needs of middle school

students Retrieved October 17, 2016, from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270285768_Interactive_Notebooks_Helping

_to_Meet_the_Needs_of_Middle_School_Students

Gardner, H. (1995). Multiple intelligences as a catalyst. The English Journal, 84(8), 16-18

doi:10.2307/821182

Tileston, D. W. (2004). What every teacher should know about learning, memory, and the brain

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Wist, C. (2006). Putting it all together: Understanding the research behind interactive

notebooks. Master's thesis, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

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Artifact A: Pre and post quiz scores by class

Name of class Pre quiz Post quiz

Gryffindor 67.1% 90.6%
Hufflepuff 93.6% 97.3%
Ravenclaw 62.0% 90.7%

Each class was given a pre quiz and post quiz on one section of our chapter. This included
vocabulary terms as well as a short answer component.
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Artifact B: Pre and post quiz scores for individual scores

Student Pre quiz Post quiz

Student A 10% 80%
Student B 20% 100%
Student C 20% 90%

I chose to use these results to show academic achievement with three of my students. These
students are considered our lowest ability individuals. Each of these students have tests/quizzes
read to them for comprehension and ability to hear what each question is asking. Quiz was not
read to them for the pre quiz.
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Artifact C: Low, medium, and high samples of post quiz answers

low this
All students were given example: (Student
question A) on the post quiz:
to answer
Explain how scientists may use physical and genetic evidence to
determine how closely related two species of birds are.

This is a low example sample. Notice, however, the student used a picture with color and a T-
chart to help explain his/her answer (Student C).
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This is a medium example sample. The student was able to list specific examples of physical
evidence and referred to DNA as part of the genetic evidence (Student D).
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This is a high example sample. The answer included detailed information on physical evidence
as well as genetic evidence (Student E).
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Artifact D: End of trimester self reflections

This is a low self reflection example. This student mentioned they could look their notebook to
find the answer. The student also mentioned they took time to think of what kind of pictures to
draw inferring they were attempting to make a personal connection to the science concepts
(Student F).
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This is a medium example self reflection. This individual mentioned they like to draw as it helps
to remember things better. Having a choice and using various learning styles are important to
implement with middle school students (Student G).
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This is an example of a high self reflection sample that included the impact of using the
interactive notebook (Student H).