Get yer head straight...

Alright! Moving along- slowly but surely. We had back to school night, and I had all but two parents attend. I got about five of the parent surveys back since then, so I stapled it to their homework this past week. I'm eager to check to see if they actually did it with the homework. I have now gone back and collected more research, and today I sat and read most of it and organized it into my Lit Review Binder. In collecting more research and seeing where the research has led me, my outline has changed completely. I am now looking more into multiple intelligences and how this impacts the learning of language. I found an interesting article about "at-risk" students typically being the kind that learn in a more kinesthetic or visual way. I'm interested now to compare my TIMI test results to my Title I and at-risk data to see if there is any corellation.

I finally got a timeline from my instructor, only to find that I'm "behind." So I HAVE to finish my lit review this weekend. I feel much more confident about it now. I really think it'll be done by tomorrow afternoon. I work best in the morning, so I'll have that cup of coffee and get to work on it.

So here's what I developed as my "action plan" as I was trying to crank out and submit Chapter 1 last weekend:

1. Area of Focus Statement
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of incorporating music and movement in the curriculum to raise academic achievement for all learners.
2. Define the Variables.
a. First grade classroom.
b. 75% English Learners
c. Varying degree of ability
d. Title I (low socio-economics)
e. Multiple Subject Classroom

3. Research Questions
a. How much gain in academic vocabulary is made with EL’s scoring as an L1 or L2 on the CELDT by incorporating music and movement into the curriculum of a first grade classroom with 20 students?
b. What is the gap in achievement between incorporating music and movement, and not?
c. How to all my students learn best?

4. Intervention or innovations

I will incorporate music and movement in to the standards based first grade language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies curriculum.

5. Membership of the Action Research Group

I will be working with twenty students in a general education first grade class. While the focus of this research is primarily English Learners, I am interested in also comparing achievement with English only students. Parents will also be included in the study. While the study is centered on their children, it is important for me to understand how their child learns best. Therefore, it is important I include their input in my study. Parents will be responsible for completing a survey on how their child learns best. Students will be responsible for taking a test to assess their dominant intelligence. They will also be responsible for formal assessments given to assess progress throughout.

6. Negotiations to be Undertaken
a. Media Release
b. Notification to Parents (Back to School Night).

7. Timeline
Phase 1: (Aug-Oct) Identify area of focus, review related literature, develop research questions.
Phase 2: (Oct-Nov) Collect and analyze data. Modify curriculum and instruction as necessary.
Phase 3: (Nov-Dec) Final write up of findings.
Phase 4: (Dec) Submit findings for review.

8. Resources
a. Music (I-tunes, sheet music, CD’s)
b. Music printed or written out with visual cues.
c. Choreography
d. First Grade Standards
e. Assessments

Whadaya think?