When looking at the data I collected on my students through multiple content areas, I noticed a need for improvement in the area of writing. Using the end of the year rubric that my district uses to score Kindergarten writing, only 1 out the 22 students in my class was writing using more than 1 sentence during first quarter. Likewise, only 1 out of the 22 students in my class was using purposeful ordering of sentences during first quarter. Finally, only 7 out of 22 students in my class were writing using beginning, middle, and ending sounds during first quarter. This data informed me that I needed to improve my instruction in order to support my students’ needs and help them grow as writers, specifically in the area of ideas and content. With so many different student needs, I decided that conferencing during writer's workshop would allow me to meet those needs and support my students in growing as writers.
By fourth quarter, I wanted to see 20 out of 22 students in my class (90%) writing using more than 1 sentence, using beginning, middle, and ending sounds, and using purposeful ordering of sentences. Overall, My hope was for them to become stronger writers. There was an end of the year district writing assessment that I wanted to be sure my students were prepared for. Also, I wanted my students to be prepared for first grade, in which writing instruction focuses less on ideas and content and more on all the six traits of writing.
Prior to my action research, I implemented some strategies to help my students grow as writers. For example, I asked them to write at least 3 sentences before they got a new piece of paper. We had writing folders that had a “stop” and a “go” side. “Stop” meant that they were still working on that particular piece of writing. “Go” meant that it was time for me to look at the writing and then it went home. Before a student would move a paper to the “go” side, he or she had to walk up to me and show me his or her paper. If I saw it was his or her best work (with at least 3 sentences), I gave a thumbs up and he or she got a new piece of paper to start a new story. If I did not see at least 3 sentences, or if I thought it was not his or her best work, I told the student to keep working on it.