Implementing literature circles in a fourth grade classroom

<p>This action research project looked at the effects on twenty-one fourth grade students' levels of comprehension, engagement, and writing when literature circles were implemented while reading the novel <em>Jacob's Rescue</em>, by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin. The participants, twelve female and nine male, live in a lower-middle class suburban community. While reading this novel about a Jewish boy growing up during the Holocaust, students performed literature circles in combination with a balanced literacy program.</p> <p>The effects on students were examined through student work samples, including role sheets, comprehension questions, subject integration and writer's workshop worksheets, self-evaluations and observational notes taken during instruction. The data was analyzed using codes that examined the degree of difficulty a student had completing the task, the effort he/she showed, and the level of accuracy he/she demonstrated, and then counting the occurrences of each code.</p> <p>My findings support the research on literature circles, that implementation does positively impact the level of student comprehension. I did determine that the most difficult to determine effect was student engagement, so I would not consider my results conclusive. In the area of least research, as it relates to literature circles, I found that the students' writing had the most significant and apparent positive growth.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S. in Teaching

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education

Year dc:date.available

2008

Author dc:creator

• Egan, Melinda B.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Wassell, Beth A.

• Composition (Language arts); Literature--Study and teaching
• Elementary Education and Teaching

Repository record dc:identifier

https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/720

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1704