Phase Five 

 

Recap 

 

The objective of this technology integration unit is for students to be able to use sensory details in original narrative writing with 90% accuracy, as evidenced by visual enhancements using digital storytelling elements. The outcome is for students to move toward proficiency of 5th grade ELA standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACT.W.5.3.D "Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely" (CCSS, 2015). 

 

Students were given a pre-test in the form of a sample narrative writing prompt. The rubric used to evaluate the writing sample was aligned with Common Core ELA writing standards. The same ELA writing standards were evaluated in the digital storytelling rubric that was used to assess the final assignment (an original narrative published using digital storytelling software). For simplicity of viewing, the data is organized by standard. 

 

Achievement Data 

 

Data from the final assessment shows that students did not meet the objective of 90% accuracy for standard W5.3.d as hoped. However, students did show significant growth towards proficiency in that standard. As a class, students increased from 59% accuracy to 83% accuracy in using sensory details. 

 

Figure 2. Test data for all students, comparing pre-test and final scores by standard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 3. Growth comparison between pre-test and final assessment for each student. Isolating standard  W5.3.d. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a result of the instructional strategies used during this narrative writing unit and the integration of technology for publication, student achievement in using explicit details and sensory images showed an increase. Although the class as a whole did not meet the 90% benchmark goal, most students showed significant improvement in this skill. Student 23 is an outlier on the data from W5.3.d and shows a decrease. However, this particular student was frequently absent and did not attempt to make up missed work. Student 23 included a minimal amount of imagery in the illustrations. 

 

One positive outlier is student 11. This student showed a very large increase in achievement on this skill. This particular student has a learning disability in the area of dysgraphia and finds writing to be very challenging. However, this student showed significant growth when able to use digital imagery as an alternative form of expression. 

 

Although we were specifically aiming for an increase in sensory details, students increased in all other categories as well. The standard with the second highest percentage of improvement was W5.3.a, which is related to sequencing of events. Because of the storyboarding strategies used during this unit (graphic organizers and digital boards), students were explicitly shown how to organzie their narratives into clear sequences. 

 

Observational Data 

 

As noted in my observational and anecdotal notes, absences during the implementation process were frequent. Unfortunately, students are often pulled from "specials" classes for other electives, such as band. For this reason, several of my students were not in the technology classroom to consistently work on this assignment. In addition, students are not required to make up assignments in "specials" due to absence or other electives, as they are not considered core classes. Several of my students missed classes due to band and although two of them made an effort to complete make-up work during recess, the others did not and were not required to do so. I suspect that the class averags on the final assessment would have been higher with more consistent attendance. 

 

Student Attitudes and Feedback

 

Throughout the technology integration portion of this project, the students were highly engaged. Many of the students expressed their excitement in being able to represent their imaginations using digital imagery. Students who struggled to complete the written portion of the narrative assignment were very interested in using technology to tell their stories. 

 

A portion of a student assignment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations 

 

Overall, I felt that the instructional strategies used for this assignment were very beneficial. However, I would recommend completing more of the technical portion in the classroom setting. I think that if students had access to work on thier final publications in the ELA classrooms as well as in the technology lab that they would have been more successful in completing them on time. In the future, I would suggest that teachers allow me to introduce the software in the technology lab and then continue the use of the program in the general classroom using the portable laptop carts. This would help mitigate the influence of absences as well as allow students to work on the projects more consistently (daily instead of weekly). 

 

To enhance this unit, I would suggest researching various software programs that allow students to include animations as well as still images. I think that would enhance the visual aspect of narratives even further. 

 

I would also include mini lesson on word processing skills before allowing students to begin working independently on this assignent. I was surprised by how many of the students were not proficient in typing and were unfamiliar with the basic editing functions of a word processor. In the future, I will conduct a review of formatting and word processing functions prior to implementation.