The Effects of Super Speed 100 on Reading Fluency. Jennifer Thorne. University of New England

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 1 The Effects of Super Speed 100 on Reading Fluency Jennifer Thorne University of New England

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 2 Abstract The fluency activity, Super Speed, 100 was examined in a seventh grade class in North Carolina to determine the effects on fluency and reading attitude. The students worked in partners to alternately read aloud the 100 most frequently used words. Students were intrinsically motivated by the competition to beat their personal record. The findings indicate that Super Speed 100 positively impacts reading fluency, which could boost reading comprehension. Keywords: Super Speed 100, Whole Brain Teaching, reading fluency, fluency

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 3 Table of Contents Title Page 1 Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Participants 4 The School and Community 5 The Class and Students 6 Research Questions 6 Hypothesis 6 Ethical Considerations 7 Review of the Literature 7 Introduction 7 Background to the Study 8 Rationale 9 Physical Components of Reading 9 Whole Brain Teaching 10 Super Speed 100 12 Methodology 13 Sources of Data 13 Data Collection Procedures 13 Data Analysis 14 Data Validity Discussion 14

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 4 Results 16 Findings from the Student Survey 16 Super Speed 100 Findings 24 Discussion 30 Limitations of the Study 31 Action Plan 32 Conclusions 33 Further Research 34 References 35 Appendices 37 Introduction Participants The researcher, Jennifer Thorne, has been teaching Language Arts at Clayton Middle School in North Carolina for eight years. Clayton Middle School is in the Johnston County School District. The researcher has a Bachelor of Science degree from The Pennsylvania State University in Education, English & Communications; she is working on a Master s of Science in Literacy from the University of New England. Clayton Middle School is located in North Carolina. During the 2011-2012 school year, there are approximately 761 students enrolled at Clayton Middle School, with 254 students in the seventh grade. The majority of the student population, 61%, consists of Caucasian students, 23% of the students are African American, 12% are Multi-racial, 3% are American Indian, and 1% is Asian or Pacific Islander. Although the school has a growing Hispanic population, there is no

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 5 data to show how many Hispanic students are enrolled. Of the total population, 33% is considered economically disadvantaged based on free and reduced lunch status. Students enrolled in the Exceptional Children s Program account for approximately 19% of the population. Additionally, 4% of students receive additional classroom support through tier one and tier two of the Response to Intervention initiative. Students with Limited English Proficiency make up approximately 4% of the population. Finally, gifted students account for about 9% of the school. 68 seventh grade students will be directly involved in the research. The student population is composed of 34 male students and 34 female students. Although English is the primary language for most students, seven students have Limited English Proficiency. The students range from 11 to 15 years of age. Multiple ethnic groups are represented Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, and Multi-racial. Table 1 shows the breakdown of the ethnic makeup of the students involved in the study. Table 1 Ethnic Makeup of Students Ethnicity Total Number Percentage (rounded) Caucasian 33 49% Hispanic 16 24% African American 14 21% Multi-racial 5 7% Note: two Hispanic students withdrew from classes during the study. The School and Community Clayton Middle School is located in Clayton, North Carolina, which is approximately 17 miles from the State Capitol, Raleigh. Clayton and the surrounding area is home to

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 6 approximately 28,000 residents. Clayton Middle School is one of 13 middle schools in the Johnston County School District, which is the sixth largest school district in North Carolina. Clayton Middle is a School of Distinction. The Classes and Students The 68 7 th grade students are in three classes of 24 students, 25 students and 19 students. Each class has 60 minutes of instructional time for Language Arts. The students are acclimated to the five rules of Whole Brain Teaching: follow directions quickly, raise your hand for permission to speak, raise your hand to leave your seat, make smart choices, and keep your teacher happy. The research will specifically target the effectiveness of one Whole Brain Teaching Activity that develops fluency called Super Speed 100. Students read 100 of the most common sight words alternately with a partner in one minute during the Super Speed 100 activity. Research Questions How does Super Speed 100 improve reading fluency (specifically speed)? What is the effect of Super Speed 100 on reading fluency? How do Whole Brain Teaching activities effect the students attitudes and feelings about reading? How does Super Speed 100 engage students as a fluency activity? Hypotheses Many of the students struggle with text features, literary elements and vocabulary, which can impact their fluency. Students will become engaged and motivated by the Whole Brain Teaching strategies and activities, which will improve reading speed. As speed increases, students may improve reading

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 7 with prosody. As these skills improve, students will be able to focus on content, which will improve their overall reading comprehension. Ethical Considerations The Principal determined that a consent form is not necessary because Whole Brain Teaching Strategies are used daily at the school and fluency development is a natural part of the curriculum. Student names will be changed to protect their identities and information. Students are aware that their class assignments are used for examples outside of the class for research and data analysis purposes. Review of the Literature Introduction Without adequate reading fluency, students struggle with reading comprehension. In his article, Assessing Reading Fluency, Dr. Timothy V. Rasinki (2003) stated: For years teachers thought that if students could learn to decode words accurately, they would be successful in reading printed text. While it is true that accuracy in decoding is important for fluency, it is not the entire story. Readers not only need to decode the words accurately; they also need to decode them effortlessly or automatically. Fluency is important in reading, then, because it affects how well readers understand what they read. Therefore, one way to increase comprehension is to improve fluency. It is estimated that non-fluent readers read less than readers of average fluency. Reading can increase fluency and comprehension gaps among students. In fact, non-fluent readers, who avoid reading, begin to exhibit a deterioration of reading skills and then fall behind in achievement (Huang, Nelson, & Nelson, 2008).

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 8 Background to the study Fluency weaves together three important skills reading accuracy, speed, and prosody. According to Gail E. Tompkins (2009) in Literacy for the 21 st Century, accuracy is the ability to recognize familiar words automatically without conscious thought, and to identify unfamiliar words almost as quickly. She defines reading speed as at least 100 words per minute, which is reached by most students in the third grade. Finally, Tompkins (2009) defines prosody as the ability to orally read sentences expressively. However, Rasinski (2009) uses a different scale for fluency; his scale is also measured in words read correctly per minute, but has different norms. See Table 2. Yet another definition of fluency arises in William Grabe s article, Fluency in Reading 35 Years Later, when he states that fluency is the ability to read rapidly with ease and accuracy to read with appropriate expression and phrasing and text comprehension is the expected outcome (2010). All definitions of fluency agree that students should be able to read automatically, accurately with expression and have the intent of comprehension. Table 2 Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Target Rate Norms Words Read per Minute (WPM) Grade Fall Winter Spring 1 2 3 4 30-60 50-90 70-110 10-30 50-80 70-100 80-120 30-60 70-100 80-110 100-140 5 6 7 8 80-120 100-140 110-150 120-160 100-140 110-150 120-160 130-170 110-15- 120-160 130-170 140-180 Note: WPM indicates words read per minute. Target rates are established during the fall, winter and spring.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 9 Rationale Teachers must focus on all areas of fluency speed, accuracy, and prosody to have successful fluency instruction. If teachers focus primarily on reading rate and neglect expression and accuracy, students will fail to comprehend the text they are reading (Rasinki, 2003). The biggest challenge for teachers is how to increase fluency rates. Repeated readings provide students with frequent opportunities to practice and increase their proficiency (Alber-Morgan, 2006). Another way to increase reading fluency is to provide performance feedback, which can consist of the number of words students read correctly or incorrectly in one minute. Repeated one-minute reading of the same text, in which the teacher or students track their progress, is another way to help students improve their fluency (Nation, 2009). Students increase their reading speed when involved in timed reading activities (Chang, 2010). Furthermore, when students improve their reading fluency, they should be praised and rewarded in some way, even tangible ways if necessary. As they continue to grow the rewards should diminish in frequency in hopes that the student begins to read for pleasure. Finally, teachers should monitor students progress on a chart or graph because this enhances the effectiveness of the fluency instruction (Alber-Morgan, 2006). Regular reading fluency instruction and assessment leads to successful gains in reading fluency and eventual improvement in comprehension (Rasinki, 2003). In order to read fluently, students should be taught to read and use words fluently and to recognize them automatically (Grabe, 2010). Physical Components of Reading Students oral and silent reading fluency is connected. Most readers hear or use an inner voice when reading silently, and readers can develop this voice and their fluency by reading both orally and silently (Rasinki, 2003). Furthermore, to be able to increase reading

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 10 fluency, teachers must understand the physical component of reading eye movements. Skilled readers do not fixate on all the words in a reading passage; most skip over unimportant words, such as the and to. The longer or more difficult a word is, the more likely a reader is to fixate on it. Readers jump on average 1.2 words or eight letters when reading. Skilled readers make about 15 regressions for every 100 fixations. Regressions occur because the reader made too large of a jump or the reader did not comprehend what was read. Regressions are one way readers self-monitor their reading (Nation, 2009). The number of words read correctly per minute is important because if students are reading too little, then they are not fluent readers because they are likely fixating on units smaller than words, spending a long time on each fixation, or making many regressions. However, if students read too fast, they are scanning or skimming the text and will not be able to answer comprehensive questions about the text (Nation, 2009). Fluency, then, can be thought of like Goldilocks: the rate should be just right so that reader can read accurately, automatically and expressively with the goal of comprehending what was read. Some studies make a distinction between reading rate and purpose for reading. For instance, students have an baseline reading rate when reading to learn, a slower rate when memorizing, and a faster rate when skimming (Chang, 2010). Whole Brain Teaching Whole Brain Teaching was once known as Power Teaching. The main principle of Whole Brain Teaching is to engage students mentally, emotionally and even kinesthetically to increase attention to class topics and decrease behavior disruptions. In fact, Whole Brain Teaching addresses both academics and behaviors simultaneously by using short lessons, competitive games and student involvement (Biffle). Whole Brain Teaching keeps students

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 11 engaged in learning and makes classrooms easy to manage because it combines auditory, verbal, and visual elements of teaching instruction (Palasigue, 2009). Whole Brain Teaching Rules. Teachers motivate and engage students by following five simplified rules and by incorporating various teaching strategies and games. Each rule has a gesture, which is taught when the rules are reviewed, so when a student breaks a rule, the teacher can simply make the gesture. Also, some teachers have students practice the rules and gestures during lunch or recess to dissuade them from breaking them repetitively (Biffle). The rules are: follow directions quickly, raise your hand for permission to speak, raise your hand for permission to leave your seat, make smart choices, and keep your dear teacher happy. In order to get the attention of the class, the teacher simply says class and the class responds yes. The class responds in whatever manner the teacher says class, so if the teacher says classity class, the response is yesity yes. If the teacher wants students to pay particular attention to instructions, the teacher says hands and eyes and the students place their hands on their desks and focus intently. This alerts students to something important. Whole Brain Teaching recommends teaching in short segments, then having students digest the information. One way to have the students comprehend the information is to teach it to a partner; this method is called Teach-Okay. The teacher says teach and the students respond okay, then teach the lesson to their partner. When the teacher says switch, the students respond okay, then the other student begins teaching. During these strategies, the teacher uses gestures and various tones, which the students copy, so the students are constantly engaged visually, auditory, and kinesthetically (Palasigue, 2009). Whole Brain Teaching recognizes that students are motivated by competition, so one technique to manage classroom behavior is the scoreboard. The scoreboard is used to motivate

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 12 students to follow directions, rules or other objectives identified by the teacher. Whole Brain Teaching also incorporates academic games in which the object is for students to beat their personal highest score. One of these games is called Super Speed 100, which is a game aimed at developing reading fluency. Super Speed 100 Super Speed 100 contains 100 sight words that make up approximately half of the words students read. Sight words, such as the, to, and, of are some of the most common words in English, so students should be able to read these words rapidly and automatically in order to be successful in the classroom (Biffle, 2007). The words in Super Speed 100 are arranged by frequency, thus the is the first word. According to the game s creator, Chris Biffle, the words are a combination of words from the Dolch and Frye sight word lists. They are arranged into levels and every ten levels there is a challenge. The last challenge, level 100, should be completed in 60 seconds. If students complete the final challenge, they move on to Super Speed 1000. The game is played in pairs; the students read alternate words on the list and if one partner does not know a word or mispronounces a word, then the other partner helps. After they complete a challenge, the students record their record (Biffle, 2007). Super Speed 100 and Reading Fluency. Super Speed 100 provides students with the opportunity to increase their reading fluency. First, the activity is repeated. Also, it helps students focus on building automaticity because they are learning to read frequently used sight words quickly. The students are challenged and motivated by the game and competitive nature of beating their personal best scores. They receive feedback from their peers and the teacher and their progress is automatically charted when they complete the activity so the student can see their results.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 13 Methodology Sources of Data Four sources of data were used and analyzed in this study the student surveys, student record logs (the recorded number of words read during Super Speed 100), the cloze assessment, and teacher observation logs. The information gained from all four sources helped to determine the impact of the Super Speed 100 reading fluency activity on students reading fluency specifically reading speed. Data Collection Procedures Clayton Middle School is committed to improving reading proficiency and decreasing the number of office referrals for undesired behaviors and disruptions. The Whole Brain Teaching strategies are can potentially improve reading proficiency while simultaneously creating an engaging classroom environment that leads to less disruptions. The administration is supportive of the implementation of Whole Brain Teaching strategies. Therefore, teachers are able to implement strategies that align to the School Improvement Plan and the curriculum. Students completed the final challenge of Super Speed 100, which contains 100 of the most commonly used sight words in the English language. The activity was completed in pairs, with students reading every other word aloud with a 60 second time limit. Afterwards, students recorded the number of words they read on their record sheets. While students completed the activity, the researcher recorded irregularities, distractions, influences, and comments on the observation sheet. In order to assess changes or growth that could be attributed to the Super Speed 100 activity, students were assessed before and after the study. The survey, completed at the beginning and end of the study, was used to determine if Super Speed 100 impacted their feelings or attitudes toward reading. Also, the results of the cloze assessment students

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 14 completed at the beginning of the study were compared to the results of the same cloze assessment at the end of the study in order to evaluate reading fluency. Data Analysis Because Super Speed 100 is a timed activity, the words read per minute each time the students complete the activity will determine how students are progressing. As the numbers steadily increase, students fluency skills will be improving; if the words read per minute decrease or are stagnant, then the fluency is not improving. Student responses on the questionnaires will be analyzed for changes in attitude or feelings towards reading or fluency from the onset of the study. Data Validity Discussion In order to guarantee thorough research, teacher researchers must consider validity, reliability, and generalizability of the research (Mills, 2011 p. 101). Validity measures the accuracy of the tests or surveys used in research. Valid tests and surveys accurately measure the skills the researcher is targeting. Reliability refers to the consistency of a test. In a study, it is important to have both a valid and reliable test, because researchers want to consistently measure the correct variable. Finally, the research should be applicable in various settings or schools with the goal of improving education; therefore, research should be generalizable. The researcher discussed the validity of the research with the school s principal, technology specialist, and the Response to Intervention (RTI) specialist during separate meetings. The two main data component, the student survey and the reading records were discussed. The students will complete one survey at the beginning and a follow-up survey at the end of the research period. The students will also record their reading times.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 15 The principal expressed a concern about integrating the Whole Brain Teaching philosophy and fluency activities into the classroom with fidelity. He believes that the activities must be completed with fidelity in order to have the greatest impact on student performance. Because of this concern, students completed the Super Speed 100 fluency activity two to three times each week during the research data collection period. Students are familiar with Whole Brain Teaching practices, reading activities and class rules. Completing the activity frequently throughout the week will promoted reliability within the research. The technology specialist has been involved in classroom research and has worked in a variety of classroom settings. She suggested the use of an observation form, which would track idiosyncrasies with student performances, absences or positive influences. The researcher used a simple form that logged student interest in the activity, distractions, comments made during the activity and positive or negative influences on the students at the time of the fluency activity. Finally, the RTI specialist was consulted for her input on fluency assessment and data analysis. She agreed that the pre and post student survey would be helpful to determine how students attitudes change as a result of the fluency activities. However, she recommended testing each student s development actual Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) levels. The students completed a cloze passage in Social Studies, so it was decided that that the data from the cloze passage would be used for the pre-assessment and would be compared to the same cloze assessment which will be completed at the end of the study period. However, both agreed that a Maze assessment would have better assessed students ORF levels. Because data had been collected, it was determined that it was too late to get an accurate baseline measure which could be used to compare scores to at the end of the study. The close passage is a valid source,

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 16 however, there was some concern that students would recall the vocabulary words and inherently receive a higher score on the ensuing completion. After input from three colleagues, it was determined that the study needed to maintain fidelity. A researcher observation form and Oral Reading Fluency assessments will be added to the student survey and time logs in order to enhance the data collection and analysis during the research study. This will give the research four total data resources. In his book about Action Research, Geoffrey E. Mills (2011) refers to the use of multiple resources of data as triangulation. Mills states that researchers should not rely on any single source of data, interview, observation, or instrument when conducting Action Research (Mills 2011, p. 92). Therefore it is necessary to include the student survey, ORF assessment, teacher observations, and completion times on the fluency activity. Results Findings from Student Survey The first information collected in the study was the student survey, which was used to gain a baseline for the students feelings toward reading. The survey allowed students to respond to questions by selecting one of five answer choices, which were arranged on a scale. At the end of the study (approximately five weeks later), students completed a survey with identical questions and three additional questions about Super Speed 100. In general, the most popular answer was the average, indifferent, or the central answer choice. At the time of the first survey, 68 students were enrolled in the classes, but two students transferred and did not take the followup survey.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 17 According to the first round of the survey, 33 students felt that they read at an average speed, whereas 22 students responded that they read somewhat fast or fast and 13 students said they read somewhat slow or slow. On the second round, 38 students felt they read at an average speed, with 23 stating they read somewhat fast or really fast and five stating that they read below the average rate. Figure 1 shows the total number of student responses when students were asked how fast do you think you read? on both rounds of the survey. Figure 1 40 38 35 33 30 25 20 20 18 15 10 5 0 5 1 Very Slow 8 4 Somewhat Slow Average 5 2 Somewhat Fast Really Fast Figure 1. Students personal indications of their own reading speed. Each bar indicates the total number of student responses when asked how fast they read before and after completing Super Speed 100. Student responses differed when they were asked how fast they read aloud. Figure 2 shows that 41 students stated that they read at an average rate when reading orally. However, 9 stated that they read aloud somewhat fast or fast and 18 stated that they read somewhat slow or very slow when reading aloud. After they completed the Super Speed 100 activity for

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 18 approximately five weeks, 38 students said they read at an average rate orally, while nine reported that they were somewhat fast or really fast and 19 believed they read somewhat slow or very slow when reading orally. Figure 2 45 40 41 38 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 3 2 Very Slow 15 17 Somewhat Slow 8 7 1 2 Average Somewhat Fast Really Fast Figure 2. Students personal indications of their oral reading speed before and after completing Super Speed 100. Each bar indicates the total number of student responses for each answer choice. Students mostly felt indifferent or disliked reading aloud in class. Before beginning Super Speed 100, 51 students were indifferent or disliked reading aloud in class and 16 responded favorably. In the post survey, the responses were similar, with 51 students stating that they felt indifferent or disliked reading in class (see Figure 3).

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 19 Figure 3 30 25 25 24 20 18 15 12 14 12 12 10 9 5 4 3 0 Strongly Dislike Dislike Indifferent Like It Love It Figure 3. Total number of student responses about reading aloud in class. Each bar indicates the total number of student responses for each answer choice before and after completing Super Speed 100. Students were asked to rate to rate their attitude toward reading from dislike to love to show how they felt about reading. The results for this question were relatively balanced, although most students sated that they felt indifferent about reading; see Figure 4. In the initial survey, 27 students gave a positive response, 22 were indifferent, and 19 provided a negative response. In the follow-up survey, 31 students provided a positive response, 16 were indifferent and 19 gave negative responses.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 20 Figure 4 25 20 22 22 15 10 11 6 8 13 16 14 13 9 5 0 Strongly Dislike Dislike Indifferent Like It Love It Figure 4. Students personal feelings toward reading before and after completing Super Speed 100. Each bar indicates the total number of student responses for each answer choice. Although students ranged from strongly disliking reading to feeling indifferent toward reading, all but 11 students considered themselves average or above average readers. Of the 68 students surveyed on the initial survey, 3 students stated that they were terrible readers, 8 said they were bad readers, 30 said they were average readers, 21 stated they were good readers and the remaining 6 said they were fantastic readers. Figure 5 shows how students rated their reading abilities differently before and after completing Super Speed 100 for approximately five weeks. In the follow-up survey, 21 students felt like average readers, whereas 8 rated themselves as below average readers and 37 students said they were good or fantastic readers.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 21 Figure 5 35 30 25 20 30 21 21 25 15 12 10 5 3 8 4 4 6 0 Terrible Bad Average Good Fantastic Figure 5. Student responses to survey indicating their own reading ability before and after completing Super Speed 100. Each bar indicates the total number of student responses for each answer choice. Students were asked about two components of being a good reader comprehension and reading with expression. Most students indicated that they understood what they read, see Figure 6, but many thought they read with average or below average amounts of expression, which is indicated in Figure 7.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 22 Figure 6 30 25 20 24 24 21 25 15 10 5 4 4 6 3 12 10 0 Terrible Bad Average Good Fantastic Figure 6. Students personal indications of their reading comprehension. Each bar indicates the total number of student responses for each answer choice before and after completing Super Speed 100. Figure 7 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 29 21 21 17 13 10 10 8 3 1 None Almost None Average Some A Lot Figure 7. Student responses about their reading expressiveness before and after completing Super Speed 100. Each bar indicates the total number of student responses for each answer choice.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 23 were balanced. Students were asked how often they read at home. Figure 8 shows that student responses Figure 8 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 19 18 11 10 9 Never Rarely A Little Sometimes A Lot Figure 8. Reading habits of students at home. Each bar represents the student reponses on the survey conducted before completing the Super Speed 100 activities. Super Speed 100 focuses on the most common reading words, so students were asked about their vocabulary knowledge and ability to sound out unfamiliar words. As see in Figure 9, all but six students believe they had an average or above average vocabulary. Figure 10, shows that all students, except 10, believe they have an average or above average ability to sound out unfamiliar words.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 24 Figure 9 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 29 23 9 5 1 Terrible Bad Average Good Fantastic Figure 9. Students rating of their vocabulary knowledge before completing Super Speed 100. Figure 10 30 25 20 22 25 15 10 5 3 7 10 0 Terrible Bad Average Good Fantastic Figure 10. Students self-assessment at sounding out unfamiliar words. Super Speed 100 Findings Overall, most students improved from the first time they completed the Super Speed 100 oral reading fluency activity to the last time they completed the activity. Some students improved from reading approximately 34 words per minute to 100 words per minute. The average reading rate for all three classes was 71 words per minute (for each pair of students)

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 25 during the first week. By the fifth week, the average reading rate per minute (for each pair of students) was 95 words per minute. The 24 students in class one showed improvement from the first series, where the average rate was 70 words per minute to the fifth, were the average reading rate was 88 words per minute. Figure 11 shows overall growth for each student and the total number of words read over the five series. Although many students read a small number of words per minute in the first series, they improved over the ensuing activities. Figure 11 600 500 400 300 200 100 Series5 Series4 Series3 Series2 Series1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Figure 11. Results of Super Speed 100 in Class 1. Each bar indicates one student and the color denotes the student s progress during each week. The highest possible words read per minute each week is 100, with a highest possible total of 500. Students with missing data were absent.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 26 Students in class two improved their average reading rate from 66 words per minute in the first week to 98 in the fifth week. By the fourth week, many students were reading approximately 80 or more words per minute; see Figure 12 for class two s specific results. Figure 12 600 500 400 300 200 100 Series5 Series4 Series3 Series2 Series1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Figure 12. Results of Super Speed 100 in Class 2. Each bar indicates one student and the color denotes the student s progress during each week. The highest possible words read per minute each week is 100, with a highest possible total of 500. Students with missing data were absent. The students in class 3 started with an average reading rate of 76 words per minute (for each pair of students) and improved to 99 words per minute. The overall class average was the highest of the three classes and several students in this class reached 100 words per minute in the second or third week. Figure 13 shows the results of the Super Speed 100 reading activity for students in class three. Of the 19 total students in class three, eight students regressed for at least one week during the five week period, even though their oral reading rate progressed overall.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 27 Figure 13 600 500 400 300 200 100 Series5 Series4 Series3 Series2 Series1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Figure 13. Results of Super Speed 100 in Class 3. Each bar indicates one student and the color denotes the student s progress during each week. The highest possible words read per minute each week is 100, with a highest possible total of 500. Students with missing data were absent. Overall, students increased an average of 24 words per minute. When asked how the Super Speed 100 activity impacted their reading and reading speed, eight students said that it had no impact and nine students reported that it had almost no impact. Just as many students, nine, reported that Super Speed 100 helped them a lot with their overall reading and seven stated that it aided their reading speed a lot. Most students believed that Super Speed 100 had some impact 29 students reported that the activity helped their reading speed and 24 said it helped their reading overall. The rest of the surveyed students stated that Super Speed 100 helped them an average amount, although more believed Super Speed 100 helped an average amount with reading speed. Specifically, 16 students said Super Speed 100 helped with reading speed an average amount and 13 students reported that the activity helped an average amount with overall

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 28 reading abilities. Figure 14 shows how students felt Super Speed 100 impacted their reading speed and reading abilities. Figure 14 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 29 24 16 13 8 8 9 9 9 7 Not at All Almost None Average Some A Lot Reading Speed Figure 14. Student responses when asked if Super Speed 100 improved their reading and reading speed. Each bar indicates the total number of student responses for each answer choice. Many students were excited to complete Super Speed 100. When they began the activity, they would say yes! or oh, I like this. Oftentimes, when students reached 100 words at the end of the 60 seconds, they would express their excitement by saying yes or we beat our record! Occasionally, when students did not beat their record or make it to 100 words (especially if they were close), they would be disappointed. Some students would say oh man and two different pairs of students hit their desk because they were so close to reaching 100 words. Two groups of students competed, which seemed to motivate their efforts, and when one pair read more words than the other, they said we beat you! and the other pair said they would beat them the next time.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 29 Some students did not appear to be very motivated. One boy did not like his partner and when the activity would begin, he would not have his materials ready, so they did not begin on time. One pair of girls started later than the rest of the class, but then tried to continue after time expired and were told a second time that they had run out of time. Some groups of students would occasionally start slower than the rest of the class, which occurred with more frequency as the students became more familiar with Super Speed 100 and showed more improvement with the activity. When a student was absent, the present partner would be reassigned a temporary partner within the class. Absences led to some missing data for students. Figure 15 shows how students felt about completing the Super Speed 100 activity (when they were asked on the follow up survey). Overall, 17 students rated it as an average activity, 13 students gave the activity a negative rating, and 32 gave the activity a positive rating. Figure 15 25 20 15 20 16 17 10 5 0 5 Strongly Dislike 8 Dislike Indifferent Like It Love It Figure 15. Student responses when asked if Super Speed 100 was engaging and an enjoyable activity.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 30 Discussion Changes in Student Feelings. When asked how well they comprehended what they read, student results changed slightly after being exposed to Super Speed 100. In the pre-survey, 10 students stated that they had below average comprehension, 25 stated their comprehension was average and 33 stated they had above average comprehension. After Super Study, the students rated their comprehension slightly higher. Seven students said they had below average comprehension, the same number, 24, said they had average comprehension levels, and 35 said they had above average comprehension. When asked if they were good readers, which encompassed both comprehension and fluency, 41 students said they were terrible, bad or average in the pre-survey, and 29 said they were terrible, bad or average in the post-survey. Furthermore, ten more students classified themselves as good or fantastic readers from the presurvey to the follow up survey. Initially, 27 students said they were good or fantastic readers, but in the follow up survey, 37 students said they were good or fantastic readers. This does not align with the students scores on the previous year s End-of-Grade Test, completed in May of their sixth grade year. Table 3 shows the sixth grade EOG scores for the students involved in this study. Table 3 Student Proficiency on Previous Year End-of-Grade Reading Assessment Level Proficiency Level Total Competency Level No Score Unknown 7 Level 1 Not Proficient 1 Below Average Level 2 Not Proficient 11 Below Average Level 3 Proficient 40 Average Level 4 Proficient 9 Above Average

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 31 Positives gains can be attributed to consistent fluency practice. Students were motivated by internal competition to do better than their own previous score and their peers scores. All but 17 students attributed some reading improvement to Super Speed 100; therefore, the evidence suggests that Super Speed 100 increased fluency, which increased comprehension and reading confidence. Changes in Reading Speed. Every student involved in this study improved overall reading speed from the first timed reading to the last timed reading on the Super Speed 100 reading activity. However, some students did not consistently improve and some students were stagnant and received the same score each time during the timed activity. The study indicates that Super Speed 100 positively impacts reading speed, which influences reading fluency. Limitations of the Study Students completed Super Speed 100 in pairs, so each student was impacted by their partner. However, any changes in completion time were documented. Because students were paired with a partner for this task, there was a possibility that the students would lose focus or that students would lack motivation to beat their highest score. Students were paired based on similar reading abilities based on scores on the North Carolina End-of-Grade (EOG) reading test and the Discovery Education Assessment (DEA). Because students were paired according to reading ability, they should be able to assist one another, but there was a possibility that both students would fail to correct a pronunciation mistake. All words were read aloud via choral reading to ensure that all students knew how to read and rehearse the sight words. If one partner was absent, especially for an extended amount of time, then this effected the other partner negatively. Some students were paired with another student

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 32 whose partner was absent or they joined a pair of students to complete the activity. Some students were not pleased with their partner; however, caution was used when pairing students and because the activity is short, they have a simple task on which to focus. Student absences caused irregular fluency practice for both the absent student and the partner. Although the student who was present for the day was matched with another student, it caused some discomfort with students who were comfortable with partners. Furthermore, partners were matched according to ability, and when one partner was absent, ability was not considered when finding a temporary partner. Some students were not comfortable with their initial partners. This happened with two student pairings, which impacted four students total. In these cases, the students were able to complete the assignment, although they had one timed reading impacted because they did not start on time. With one pair, the students had materials, but did not want to share, so when time started one student retrieved extra materials, causing the pair to start late. Another pair did not share materials and one partner walked across the classroom to retrieve a pencil when time was started. Another influence on student achievement was the perception of this activity. Although most students stated that they enjoyed this activity or were indifferent to the activity, 13 students said they did not like it, which could impact the amount of effort they were willing to put into the activity, and therefore impact the outcome of the activity. Action Plan Incorporating Super Speed 100 into classroom instruction must be done with fidelity in order to ensure success. Initially, students must understand how to complete the activity quickly.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 33 The activity should be set up as a game or break that allows students to compete with their record, which helps engage and motivate them. Once students demonstrate mastery of the 100 sight words in Super Speed 100 by consecutively reaching 100 words, they are ready to continue to Super Speed 1000, which includes 1000 sight words. Super Speed 1000 is completed in class just as Super Speed 100 it includes the same time parameter and it requires students to track their progress on the same record sheet. Figure 16 shows the action plan in which students progress from Super Speed 100 to Super Speed 1000. Figure 16 Super Speed 100 0-100 WPM Mastery of Super Speed 100 95-99 WPM Consistantly Super Speed 1000 Figure 16. Students begin Super Speed 100, then reach the mastery level before progressing to Super Speed 1000. Because fluency is a major step toward comprehension, it is often addressed during instructional planning. Super Speed 100 can be used to remediate students who struggle with reading fluency and comprehension. This action plan was shared during a Professional Learning Community meeting and during a faculty meeting. Conclusions The findings of the study indicate that the Whole Brain Teaching activity, Super Speed 100, has some impact on fluency. The average timed reading speed of each class improved during the study. Furthermore, students were engaged by the activity and motivated by the competition to beat their personal records. Students indicated that they enjoyed the activity and

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 34 the majority of students attributed their improvements to the rehearsed speed reading of Super Speed 100. Upon completion of the study, it was decided that a Maze assessment would have given a more complete measure of each student s Oral Reading Fluency than the cloze passage. This would give more accurate data to indicate to what extent Super Speed 100 impacted actual reading fluency, other than measured by the activity itself. Further Research Super Speed 100 is one activity within Whole Brain Teaching. The impact of Whole Brain teaching strategies and classroom management needs further research. Specifically, how these activities influence student performance in reading fluency and comprehension. Also, more research about how Whole Brain Teaching activities motivate and engage students would provide insight into how and to what extent these activities are successful. There is sufficient research to support the hypotheses, which state that rehearsal of reading sight words will improve reading fluency, which will in turn improve comprehension. However, the majority of the research supports the link between fluency and comprehension. More research is necessary to establish the link between rehearsed speed reading, like practiced with Super Speed 100, and improvements in reading fluency.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 35 References Alber-Morgan, S. R. (2006). Ten ways to enhance the effectiveness of repeated readings. Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention, 3(3), 2006. Biffle, C. (2007). 60 power teaching case studies. Whole Brain Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/docman.html. Biffle, C. (2007). Superspeed 100. Retrieved from http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/docman.html Chang, A. C. S. (2010). The effect of a timed reading activity on EFL learners: speed, comprehension, and perceptions. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22(2), 284-303. Grabe, W. (2010). Fluency in reading thirty-five years later. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22(1), 71-83. Huang, L. V., Nelson, R. B., & Nelson, D. (2008). Increasing reading fluency through student-directed repeated reading and feedback. The California School Psychologist, 13, 33-40. Mills, E.G. (2011). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (Fourth Edition). Pearson: Boston, MA.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 36 Nation, P. (2009). Reading faster. International Journal of English Studies, 9(2), 131-144. Palasigue, J. T. (2009). Integrating whole brain teaching strategies to create a more engaged learning environment. (Master s thesis). Available from ProQuest database. Rasinski, T. V. (2003). Assessing reading fluency. Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, Retrieved from www.prel.org/programs/rel/rel.asp Tompkins, G. E. (2009). Literacy for the 21st century. (5th ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 37 Appendix A Student Questionnaire 1. How fast do you think you read? Very Slow Somewhat Slow Average Somewhat Fast Really Fast 2. How often do you read at home? Never Rarely A Little Sometimes A lot 3. How do you feel about reading aloud in class? Strongly Dislike Dislike Indifferent Like It Love It 4. How do you feel about reading? Strongly Dislike Dislike Indifferent Like It Love It 5. How much expression do you read with? None Almost None Average Some A lot 6. Do you think of yourself as a good reader? Terrible Bad Average Good Fantastic 7. How fast do you read aloud? Very Slow Somewhat Slow Average Somewhat Fast Really Fast 8. How well do you understand what you read? Terrible Bad Average Good Fantastic 9. Do you think you have a good vocabulary? Terrible Bad Average Good Fantastic 10. How are you at sounding out familiar and unfamiliar words? Terrible Bad Average Good Fantastic

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 38 Appendix B Cloze Reading Passage Words: business communism criticized government wealthy communist own poor produce system The ideas of capitalism became important during the Industrial Revolution. Capitalism means people their own businesses and keep the profits they earn. Business owners decide for themselves what they want to. Industry growth sometimes caused depressions, periods in which activity is very slow, causing people to lose jobs and become. Some people critiqued, or, capitalism and said it allowed business owners to become while their workers were poor. Some people thought that socialism was better. Socialism is a in which the controls some businesses and social service programs such as education and healthcare. In 1848, Karl Marx wrote a book about. Under this economic system, the government owns land and businesses and makes all the decisions. governments allow people very little freedom.

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 39 Appendix C Teacher Observation Form Date and Time of Activity: Overall Student Interest: Rate overall student interest: 1 2 3 4 5 Comments made by students at the beginning of the activity: Possible Distractions: Negative influences: Positive Influences: Absences/Partner substitutions: Comments made by students at the conclusion of the activity:

THE EFFECTS OF SUPER SPEED 100 ON READING FLUENCY 40 Appendix D Super Speed 100 (Final Challenge) from Whole Brain Teaching Final Challenge: Read these 100 words perfectly!, the 100 most common words in English. This level must be completed in 60 seconds or less! the, to, and, he, a, I, you, it, of, in, was, said, his, that, she, for, on, they, but, had, at, him, with, up, see, all, look, is, her, there, some, word, out, as, be, each, have, go, we, am, then, little, down, do, can, could, when, did, what, so, not, were, get, them, like, one, this, my, would, me, will, yes, big, more, went, are, come, if, number, now, long, no, way, came, too, ask, very, than, an, over, yours, its, ride, into, just, blue, red, from, good, any, about, around, want, don t, how, know, part, right, put, sound (Biffle, 2007)