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Goal

What does it take to be a successful reader? Like anything else it takes practice at the right reading level – and a bit of assistance from an instructor. The fourth grade ELA teachers would like to be able to provide that instruction and practice at a level appropriate for all of our students. To this end, we desire to obtain sets of approved books to raise the level of rigor for our most capable students. These will be a much-needed supplement to the on level and below level materials we already possess. Not only will these books aid in advancing the students’ reading skills, they will also provide important background knowledge and vocabulary that will help raise their overall reading capabilities. 

What will be done with my students

As part of our school’s instruction, we devote an hour a day to providing interventions designed to promote academic growth for each student at his/her specific level. To promote growth in Language Arts, we have divided the students into groups based on their reading levels. One group is comprised of students who are working well above grade level. These students need reading materials at a level of complexity that will help them make growth. While we have an abundance of materials for on level students, below level students, and slightly above level students, our school’s fourth grade would benefit from a broad selection of materials from the state approved list that are for the students working well above level. The requested materials, which are rigorous and complex, and constitute a variety of book types and genres, would be used with these students.
For each book, over the period of roughly two weeks, the students would participate in guided reading with the classroom teacher and then engage in activities designed to master aligned skills. For example, with the book “Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American History” the students would engage in activities (working as a whole class, in groups or individually) in which they analyze the features of the book (pictures, diagrams, charts) and the structure of the book (comparison/contrast) to enhance their comprehension of the book and determine the author’s main idea and the key details that support it. Likewise, they would engage in similarly designed activities to determine the author’s perspective and to be able to summarize the book. The books would be arranged in a manner whereby the texts increase in complexity and students would build on skills and concepts they are learning. In addition, for the non-fiction books, the teacher will pair the book with another account of the same topic to have students identify how the accounts are similar and different and suggest why any differences might result.
The teacher who instructs this group of students would be responsible for the activities and the books when working with these students during the time devoted to interventions. The project is unique because these students are working well above grade level and require a very specific set of books that are at the right complexity level but are still appropriate for their age level.
The materials will be for students from all of the Language Arts classes in fourth grade at our school – a total of 26 students. However, they would also be used by teachers in their respective classrooms for other students who, throughout the year, approach the appropriate level for the books. The materials would be used each year with a new group of students working well above fourth grade level, approximately 25 students each year.
Students would use the requested books in the following order:
Weeks 1-2.5: Reaching for the Moon
• Reading Grade Level – 5.1
• Focus – Text Features/Structure, Main Idea/Related Details, Author’s Perspective, Comparing/Contrasting Accounts on the Same Topic
Weeks 2.5-5: Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American History
• Reading Grade Level – 5.2
• Focus - Text Features/Structure, Main Idea/Related Details, Author’s Claim, Summarizing
Weeks 6-8: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• Reading Grade Level – 5.7
• Focus – Story Elements/Plot, Theme, Character’s Perspective, Figurative Language
Weeks 9-10: Florida
• Reading Grade Level – 5.9
• Focus - Text Features/Structure, Main Idea/Related Details, Summarizing
 

Benefits to my students

The project will be evaluated in the following ways. First of all, an analysis of students’ scores on the statewide language arts assessment will be made including a measure of growth from the students’ baseline scores (from the first administration of the statewide assessment) to their final scores on the end of the year statewide assessment. Secondly, an analysis will be made of the students’ performance on the district’s online language arts program MyPath. This analysis will include looking at the students’ mastery of skills at levels that involve more complex and rigorous books (above fourth grade reading level). Finally, students will be surveyed to determine if they felt these higher-level texts were challenging and engaging to them.
Objectives:
1. By May 2023, all students in the intervention group utilizing the grant materials will show at least an academic year’s worth of growth on materials on the MyPath online language arts program.
2. By May 2023, all students in the intervention group will maintain or increase their percentile ranking (where they fall among all students) on the MyPath online language arts program.
3. By May of 2023, all students in the intervention group will score a 5 (highest level) on the Florida statewide language arts assessment.
4. Eighty percent of students will report on surveys that the books were challenging and engaging.
Summary of items
4 sets of books – 26 copies of Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin, 13 copies of Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American History by Don Brown, 26 copies of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, and 13 copies of Florida by Tamra Orr.

Project Outcomes include the following:
1. Students will build their capabilities as they are challenged with more rigorous and complex materials
2. Students will gain important background knowledge and vocabulary that will enhance their overall reading capabilities
3. Students will be more engaged in language arts activities since the materials will be at their reading level
4. Students’ scores on statewide and district assessments will increase
Project’s Outputs
Twenty-six students in the intervention group will be directly in this project. For two of the requested books, students will each utilize his/her own copy of the book and for the other two requested books, students will share a copy. A number of other students not in the intervention group can benefit from the materials through use by their language arts teachers in their classrooms as these students approach the required reading level to utilize the texts. These books may be used year after year with the students in the highest intervention group, so approximately 25 students would be impacted each year for years. The project will be evaluated as outlined earlier in this section.
 

Budget Narrative

The items purchased would be sets of four different books:
26 copies of Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin ($195.00)
13 copies of Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel in American History by Don Brown (194.09)
26 copies of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (233.74)
13 copies of Florida by Tamra Orr (98.67)
Total Cost: $721.50
 

Items