Storybook writing in first grade

Research literature on writingstorybooks overlooks first graders. This ispuzzling as children enter first grade havingemergent literacy, in reading, writing, andstory composition. It may reflect the belief that at thisage children should learn to read and write(conventionally) as the curriculum demands,while elaborate writing is assumed be taughtand developed in higher grades. This study investigated story writing by Arab(N = 184) and Jewish (N = 321) first graders inIsrael. The children were presented with fourrelated pictures, asked to paste them in thesequence of their choice in a booklet, and thento write a narrative in their first language(Arabic or Hebrew). Writing the storybook wasperceived as a space for literacy development,and was tested in the contextof two instruction methods: Success For All(SFA) and whole-class Active Learning (AL). Theclasses were observed and teachers wereinterviewed on writing instruction.Nineteen categories of writing yieldedthree clusters–factors: book print awareness,writing conventions, and story quality. Thesethen served as measures for writing outcomes. Jewish and Arab children in SFA achieved higherscores than AL students; the Jews were higherthan the Arabs on most categories, but theestimate gain was highest for Arabs in SFA. The effect of SFA was highest for at-riskJewish students and lowest for at-risk Arabstudents. The results are discussed against thelinguistic and cultural background of the twogroups and in respect of their implications forwriting instruction in a bilingual context.     

Social-motivational development in first grade

Social-motivational changes during first grade were studied longitudinally on a population of 89 Caucasian middle- and lower-socioeconomic status (SES) children. Results revealed that children, on the average, had a more internal locus of control, were more optimistic, and scored higher on an effectance motivation measure at the end of first grade than at the beginning. Attitudes toward school and self-esteem did not change from the beginning to the end of first grade. Changes on some social-motivational dimensions appeared to be affected by children's SES and by their academic success in first grade.     

Writing instruction in first grade: an observational study

As schools work to meet the ambitious Common Core State Standards in writing in the US, instructional approaches are likely to be examined (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). However, there is little research on the current state of instruction. This study was designed to provide a comprehensive analysis of first-grade writing instruction across 13 schools in one state in the US. Daylong observations were conducted four times during the year in 50 first-grade classrooms. Using a time-sampled, observational protocol, observers coded multiple dimensions of instruction, including grouping, instructional focus, teacher instructional activity, and student writing activity. Results revealed that writing was taught for less than 30 min a day on average, and instruction in skills or process writing was common. Most instruction was organized in whole-class settings with teachers either presenting information or asking students questions. Variability in the amount and focus of writing instruction and in student writing activity was examined at the classroom and school levels. A small number of classrooms and schools were identified with distinctive patterns in their approach to instruction and writing activity. Several moderate relationships were found between the writing instructional focus and the nature of student writing. These findings suggest that first-grade writing instruction is inconsistent across classrooms and schools and point to instructional implications for teachers and schools in the US.     

Repeating the first grade: How the decision is made

Although there has been a great deal of debate about whether or not children should repeat a grade in school, a more interesting question is which children are retained. This study addresses the question of what kind of children were retained in the first grade as compared to the norm, and as compared to a group of promoted children who were classroom peers yet who educators in the middle of the year considered to be possible nonpromotion candidates. Teachers from 6 school districts identified in March 146 children as candidates to repeat the first grade. By September, 84 had been retained, 62 promoted. In the Spring before the decision was made, we tested all children with a variety of measures of immaturity: intellectual, social, emotional, and physical. Promoted candidates differed from nonpromoted first graders with respect to academic achievement, cognitive development, and adaptation to school. All candidates, both promoted and retained, scored below average in reading achievement, visual-motor integration, and adaptation, but scored in the average range with respect to IQ, height and weight, and social adjustment. A cluster analysis on cases for the retained children further revealed three subgroups of retained children: One group had low scores on all measures of immaturity, especially self-concept; a second group had high or medium scores on all measures; and a third group had low math skills, but good social skills. These results may be interpreted as indicating that some children are appropriately retained and some are not.     

Enhancing motivation to read and reading abilities in first grade

Abstract

This study examined changes in reading motivation and reading achievement among Hebrew-speaking first graders following an intervention program designed to increase intrinsic reading motivation. The program was delivered by the class teacher and focused on choosing relevant reading materials, providing choices for reading and encouraging social collaboration. Twenty-nine children in the intervention group (IG) were compared with 29 children in the control group (CG) who followed the official reading instruction program. During the year, the IG improved their reading motivation, while the CG declined in self-concept as a reader. Reading achievement improved more in the IG than in the CG. These findings suggest that a reading motivation program should be embedded in the regular reading acquisition curriculum to enhance children's reading motivation and improve their reading skills. Special attention should be paid to prevent a decline in young children's motivation as it may predict their future involvement in reading.     

Effects of kindergarten retention at the end of first grade

The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of kindergarten retention on firstgrade achievement and adjustment. Forty children who had been retained in kindergarten were identified from schools that practiced kindergarten retention at a high rate. Control children were selected from schools matched on socioeconomic and achievement level, but that did not practice retention in kindergarten. Then, control children were selected individually to match retained children on sex, birthdate, socioeconomic level, second language, and beginning kindergarten readiness scores. The two groups, which were equally young and unready at the start of kindergarten, were compared at the end of first grade on seven outcome measures; the retained children were then completing three years of school and the control children two. There were no differences between the retained and control children on teacher ratings of reading achievement, math achievement, social maturity, learner self-concept, or attention. The groups also did not differ in CTBS math scores; the only difference occurred on the CTBS reading test, where the retained group was one month ahead. Based on parent interview data, children who had spent an extra year before first grade were not much different from those deemed at risk but not retained, except that, on average, retained children had slightly more negative attitudes toward school. The study findings are consistent with other available research on transition programs that show no academic benefit for the extra year and, when examined, a negative impact on social-emotional outcomes.     

Predicting performance in the first grade with the first-grade screening test

Items of the First Grade Screening Test (FGST) were rationally grouped into four subscales: Self-Concept, Visual-Motor, Reasoning, and Vocabulary. Prefirst grade subject scores were compared with later first grade teacher ratings. Agreement ranged from 64 to 70% on the subscales. An overall screening strategy utilizing subscate scores and a total score cutoff point yielded 82.5% agreement with teacher ratings of overall school performance.     

Assessment from a Sociocultural Perspective: Narratives from a first grade classroom

This study focuses on observations of classroom conversation as an approach to assessment of relationships between a teacher's teaching and pupils' learning and identity‐development processes. Detailed observation notes from two conventional conversation situations from a first grade classroom are written down as narratives and analysed within a sociocultural theoretical framework. Three significant themes emerge: (1) How the teacher sees the pupils, (2) How she connects with them, and (3) How she wanders on together with them. Together these themes function as strong “process motors” demonstrating how a teacher's support and scaffolding add positive influences to children's learning and personal growth. The study concludes that writing down information from classroom observations in a narrative genre manufactures excellent opportunities for revealing, describing, interpreting, and evaluating significant relationships between a teacher's teaching and pupils' learning and identity development.     

Validity of the Bracken School Readiness Assessment for predicting first grade readiness

The Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) was administered to all kindergarten students enrolled in two rural elementary schools in the fall of 2004. Eight months later, the reading portion of the Metropolitan Readiness Tests, 6th Edition (MRT‐6) was administered. Teachers were asked to indicate whether they had concerns about each student's readiness for first grade and whether students had been retained or referred for other assessment(s) or services. The BSRA was found to be a good predictor of children's readiness ratings, as well as their retention or referral for services. It also predicted performance on the MRT‐6. This study partially validated the use of the BSRA as a screening measure to predict kindergarten performance and kindergarten teachers' ratings of first grade readiness. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.