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The Learners
Supporting Diverse Learners in 2nd Grade: A Practical Approach
It's common for students to enter a new grade level with varying academic abilities and needs. Second graders, in particular, are still at an age where they generally love school and are motivated by simple, positive feedback. Whether it's being called a "Rockstar" or receiving a high-five, students thrive on encouragement.
For this action research project, I worked with a diverse group of 26 second graders, representing different cultures, academic levels, and unique personalities. Among them were proficient readers needing more challenging texts to develop higher-level thinking skills, students who were on track with decoding and comprehension, and a few who struggled with basic reading skills, affecting their fluency and comprehension. Knowing that my students were engaged and excited about hands-on learning, I was eager to start this project. One thing I am certain of, and this goes for my past and future students alike, is that regardless of their initial skill level when they begin 2nd grade, they will leave my classroom as better readers than when they first walked through the door. All students are very capable of learning when provided with the appropriate activities, methods and tools.
Addressing Academic Needs
Every year, teachers face the same scenario of varying student abilities. I recognized the need for a better way to address these diverse academic needs, particularly in reading. Starting my career as a Resource Specialist, I was used to adapting the core curriculum delivered by general education teachers to meet the needs of students with special education services. Supplementing was a significant part of my role.
Now, as a second-grade teacher, I appreciate the structure the curriculum provides for daily lessons. However, when a concept or skill doesn't resonate with my students, I use my expertise in supplementing to bridge the achievement gaps with multisensory activities that are backed up by the Science of Reading. These gaps are a continuous concern for teachers. While no curriculum fits all, there are activities that can boost student achievement and progress in reading.
It's common for students to enter a new grade level with varying academic abilities and needs. Second graders, in particular, are still at an age where they generally love school and are motivated by simple, positive feedback. Whether it's being called a "Rockstar" or receiving a high-five, students thrive on encouragement.
For this action research project, I worked with a diverse group of 26 second graders, representing different cultures, academic levels, and unique personalities. Among them were proficient readers needing more challenging texts to develop higher-level thinking skills, students who were on track with decoding and comprehension, and a few who struggled with basic reading skills, affecting their fluency and comprehension. Knowing that my students were engaged and excited about hands-on learning, I was eager to start this project. One thing I am certain of, and this goes for my past and future students alike, is that regardless of their initial skill level when they begin 2nd grade, they will leave my classroom as better readers than when they first walked through the door. All students are very capable of learning when provided with the appropriate activities, methods and tools.
Addressing Academic Needs
Every year, teachers face the same scenario of varying student abilities. I recognized the need for a better way to address these diverse academic needs, particularly in reading. Starting my career as a Resource Specialist, I was used to adapting the core curriculum delivered by general education teachers to meet the needs of students with special education services. Supplementing was a significant part of my role.
Now, as a second-grade teacher, I appreciate the structure the curriculum provides for daily lessons. However, when a concept or skill doesn't resonate with my students, I use my expertise in supplementing to bridge the achievement gaps with multisensory activities that are backed up by the Science of Reading. These gaps are a continuous concern for teachers. While no curriculum fits all, there are activities that can boost student achievement and progress in reading.
Student preferred learning modalities do not match the
curriculum's supplied modalities
curriculum's supplied modalities
Student Preferred Learning Modalities
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Open Court Learning Modailities
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Implementing Science of Reading Techniques
This year, I integrated my Science of Reading training (Orton-Gillingham), which encompasses multisensory activities, into my classroom practices more consistently. My goal was to see if supplementing the standard curriculum, Open Court, with multisensory activities on a structured weekly schedule would yield solid results. By incorporating these evidence-based activities into my weekly schedule and tracking the outcomes, I aimed to determine whether these supplemental techniques genuinely enhance student learning or if the results were due to my delivery of the core curriculum alone.
This year, I integrated my Science of Reading training (Orton-Gillingham), which encompasses multisensory activities, into my classroom practices more consistently. My goal was to see if supplementing the standard curriculum, Open Court, with multisensory activities on a structured weekly schedule would yield solid results. By incorporating these evidence-based activities into my weekly schedule and tracking the outcomes, I aimed to determine whether these supplemental techniques genuinely enhance student learning or if the results were due to my delivery of the core curriculum alone.
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Phonics:
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Comprehension:
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**An explanation of the strategies listed above along with visuals can be found on the Home page Infographic as well as on the Lessons and How-tos pages.
I hoped my finding would indicate that consistent implementation of multisensory activities, grounded in the Science of Reading, can significantly improve student achievement and progress in reading. This approach can not only fills in the gaps but also provides a more inclusive learning environment for all students.
I hoped my finding would indicate that consistent implementation of multisensory activities, grounded in the Science of Reading, can significantly improve student achievement and progress in reading. This approach can not only fills in the gaps but also provides a more inclusive learning environment for all students.
Designing the Logo
I used Adobe Express to design my capstone project logo, finding its layout very similar to Canva, a tool I've frequently used for creating visuals and presentations in this program. Drawing inspiration from previous cohort capstone projects, which cleverly connected their logos to their action research, guided my design process. Additionally, observing how social media influencers in the world of education enhance their careers with personalized branding logos has been inspiring over the years.
Initially, creating the logo was intimidating, but reflecting on my passions and the essence of my action research helped generate ideas. Yellow, my favorite color, dominates my classroom's color scheme, influenced by the University of Michigan (Go Wolverines!), with blue accents, so I knew my logo needed to encompass those two colors. For a logo that embodies multisensory learning, I envisioned a figure or person engaging in various learning modalities simultaneously, depicted by icons floating above that represent different ways of learning.
Given my focus on literacy, especially decoding and comprehension, I first created a logo featuring a book with a sprouting flower, evoking the concept of "Flower Power" or the saying "Knowledge is Power," which inspired the subtitle: Literacy Power. I prefer visually uncluttered environments, opting for simplicity in my logo to counterbalance the complexity often associated with the term multisensory.
Initially, creating the logo was intimidating, but reflecting on my passions and the essence of my action research helped generate ideas. Yellow, my favorite color, dominates my classroom's color scheme, influenced by the University of Michigan (Go Wolverines!), with blue accents, so I knew my logo needed to encompass those two colors. For a logo that embodies multisensory learning, I envisioned a figure or person engaging in various learning modalities simultaneously, depicted by icons floating above that represent different ways of learning.
Given my focus on literacy, especially decoding and comprehension, I first created a logo featuring a book with a sprouting flower, evoking the concept of "Flower Power" or the saying "Knowledge is Power," which inspired the subtitle: Literacy Power. I prefer visually uncluttered environments, opting for simplicity in my logo to counterbalance the complexity often associated with the term multisensory.
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