At long last we come to the finale.  I’m so grateful for all the help I got from peers. I got fabulous direct feedback and constructive suggestions.  Some papers were very impressive.  I appreciated being able to look at the  work of others and see such impressive examples.  Where else can you find a group of people who are so dedicated to their work and to helping others?  Teachers are like that!

What I learned:
     I got great help from Barbra who took the time to look up and the recommend articles on “time-on-task”.  Her finds were really helpful.  I was able to use  the information to add a comparison component to my section on “time-on-task”.  The was able to see if my kids "time-on-task" was comparable to other students.  I was anxious to find out that information so that I could see if The Daily Five program we have been using has been effective.  This comparison is really important to me since I am planning to continue using it in my classroom.  I want to have some data that can justify the use of it.  Barbra really saved the day for me in this regard.
     Carrollea was very generous with her time.  She gave me great feedback. She and I got into an interesting discussion on an APA issue.  Although it was an insignificant issue, a comma placement in the name, University of Alaska Southeast.  Carrollea was persistent in going to a source until we got an answer from the school administration.  Although the comma wasn't an important issue, it was fun to see how collaboration can work.  
     I also got some great feedback from Tracie and Jamie.  They both agreed that I needed to make some changes to my paper. 
     Lee and Ann were both super helpful with answering questions.  I had a lot to learn and appreciated their patience.

   
What I was able to share:
     Jamie's paper was one of the great ones that I read.  It was both impressive and important.  I found myself reflecting on my how I interact with the Native Alaskan students in my class.  I was impressed with her comment on the "rate of dialogue" used in classrooms.  I was able to make suggestions on APA issues.   I also offered support for her premise.  I appreciated that she incorporated the new common core standards.  I thought that presented another compelling reason for considering what we can do in the classroom to meet the needs of students with diverse dialogues. 
    I also enjoyed Lenore's paper.  Her paper was an amazing example.  I found very little to advise on hers.  Instead, hers was the example I shared with others.  "Just check-out Lenore's paper.  She knows how to do this!"  I felt lucky to be in class with someone who is so professional about her work.

Overall I have found this experience to be both frustrating and rewarding.  I think most important learning is like that!

At long last, my rough draft of the final research project is ready!  I would very much appreciate any feedback that peers have to offer!  Click to see the paper.  :)

At last, data collection is complete.  Initially, I wanted to research the effectiveness of The Daily Five.  After teaching the children how to use each component of the program, I used the three weeks of data collection to get a snapshot of how things were going.  I wanted to see how effectively the program solved my problem of keeping independent learning going while I am involved with individual children or in reading groups.  I wanted to find out if, by using the program:

1.    Children would stay “on task” while working independently. Teacher would be free of major disruptions so that small group instruction would be effective.

2.    Children would continue to gain literacy skills during implementation.

3.    The program would be fun and motivating to the students.

To find out if the program met this criterion, I first used observation.  I set a timer and every ten minutes I counted the amount of children that were on task.  The tested sessions went between forty minutes and an hour.  As I analyze the data I will compare the numbers and come up with a percentage of children on task for each given day.  I’m interested in looking for more information on normal “on task” behavior for average classrooms.  Comparing that with my data will tell me if The Daily Five has been effective in keeping students on task.

To check on literacy skills, I decided to use pre and post fluency testing.  Although there are many ways to test this, I felt that fluency testing would be the most effective assessment for a three-week period of time.  The data will show the changes in reading fluency over that time. I can also use the testing to compare with grade level expectations.

My final data was designed to assess the “fun” quotient.  I wanted to see how well the children enjoyed it and how motivational it was for them.  I used six interview questions and recorded their verbal responses.  I will use this data to find out if there are common threads in the children’s answers.

I'm ready to put it all together and write it up.   I will be interested in seeing the final papers of others as well.   There is a busy weekend ahead.