Date of Award

Winter 12-9-2021

Document Type

Project (696 or 796 registration)

Degree Name

Master of Science in Curriculum & Instruction

Department

Graduate Studies

Committee Chair

Tiffany Bockelmann

Keywords

vocabulary, small group instruction, elementary, low-income, impact, direct

Abstract

This 2021 study focused on the impact that small group vocabulary instruction had on the vocabulary development of 4th grade students. I wanted to see the effect that small group instruction had on students’ vocabulary growth. Students were pulled into a small group every day for four straight weeks. There was four groups of four students involved. During this small group time the teacher pulled vocabulary words from the word wall. The words on the word wall were tier two vocabulary words that had been pulled from various interactive read alouds. The teacher followed Marzano’s Six Step Approach to teaching vocabulary when she planned for each small group session. Each small group session lasted 15 minutes each day. Students were assessed before the four weeks of small group instruction as well as after the four weeks are complete. The two assessments were compared in order to see if there was any growth in vocabulary over the four weeks of instruction. The assessment used for this study was the STAR assessment on the computer. The vocabulary domain score was the score that was looked at and taken into consideration. The research took place in a Minnesota school, specifically sixteen 4th graders. The results indicated that small group vocabulary instruction can have a positive impact on fourth grade students' vocabulary growth. Fifty-six percent of the fourth grade students saw growth in their vocabulary score following the four weeks of vocabulary instruction.

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