Moslak Inquiry Paper - Penn State College of Education Inquiry Paper.pdf · project was sparked by...

“Take a Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes”

A Service learning Journey in a

Kindergarten Classroom

By: Amanda Moslak 2011-‐2012 Lemont Elementary School Kindergarten

[email protected]

2

Table of Contents

Background Information Description of the Teaching Context ………..…………………………………...3 Wonderings and Questions Main Wondering & Sub-Questions ……………………………………………....4 Data Collection Before ……………………………………………………………………………..5 During …………………………………………………………………………….6 After ……………………………………………………………………………....7 Data Analysis Steps taken to Analyze Data ……………………………………………………...8 Explanation of Findings Claim 1 …………………………………………………………………………..10 Claim 2 …………………………………………………………………………..11 Claim 3 …………………………………………………………………………..12 Reflections and Implication for Future Practice ………………………………………...13 Appendices A. Full Inquiry Brief …………………………………………………………….16 B. Annotated Bibliography ……………………………………………………..21 C. Outline of Lessons ……………………………………………………………25 D. Students Survey # 1 …………………………………………………………..28 E. Survey Graph entitled Shoes, Shoes, Shoes ………………………………….29 F. Shoes Bank Letter & Response ………………………………………………30 G. Student Check-Off List ………………………………………………………32

H. Student Journal Artifacts ……………………………………………………..33 I. Student Survey # 2 …………………………………………………………….34 J. Maps and Walking Log ……………………………………………………….35 K. Student Shoe Survey # 1 Analysis …………………………………………...36 L. Student Marked Check-Off List ……………………………………………...37 M. Standards Bar Graphs ………………………………………………………..38

3

Description of Teaching Context

As a Professional Development School intern I have had the wonderful

opportunity to be teaching in a kindergarten classroom at Lemont Elementary School in

the State College Area School District, during the 2011-2012 school year. Lemont

Elementary School is nestled in historic Lemont, PA. The school is only minutes from

Penn State University and Beaver Stadium can be seen from the playground. Lemont

Elementary School is a sister school to Houserville Elementary School.

Lemont Elementary educates students in grades K-2 and its sister school,

Houserville Elementary, educates students in grades 3-5. My kindergarten class is

composed of twenty-three five and six year-old students, twelve girls and eleven boys.

Our ethnic context is made up of two African American students, one Native American

student, one Asian American student and nineteen Caucasian students. Students are

grouped homogenously at their tables based on their academic reading levels. Out of the

twenty-three kindergarteners, six students are above grade level, eight students are on

grade level and nine students are below grade level as indicated by the first and second

progress report assessments.

In addition to the class make-up, eight students receive informal occupational

therapy and use a grotto gripper for writing, six students receive speech services and four

students have been referred and qualified for additional learning and social skill services.

Out of twenty-three students eight of them attend RTII (Response to Intervention and

Instruction) for reading and four of them attend RTII for math. It is important to

understand the academic levels in my classroom because my inquiry looks at the

kindergarten writing and math standards. The State College Area School District

4

curriculum uses a Snapshot at the kindergarten level as a form of a progress report. The

Kindergarten Snapshot is composed of Pennsylvania Academic Standards and State

College Area School District Standards that will be a focal point along the way. The

Kindergarten Snapshot and Pennsylvania Academic Standards are important to my

inquiry because I will be incorporating them into lessons to see if students can meet them

(See Appendix A for full Inquiry Brief).

Wonderings and Questions

Main Wondering

After attending a service learning training with my mentor my curiosity was

sparked to learn more about service learning within the classroom (See Appendix B for

Annotated Bibliography). My main wondering focused on service learning and the

authentic integration of kindergarten academic standards. I was eager to collect and

analyze data to see if the use of service learning within the classroom can enable students

to meet academic standards. Integrating service learning and academic standards into the

spring unit will allow me to continue my wondering. An idea for our service learning

project was sparked by a third grade student at Houserville Elementary and her desire to

help the Soles4Souls initiative. Considering her idea and making it community centered

for students we decided to help the local shoe bank.

In what ways will service learning allow students to meet kindergarten academic

standards?

Sub-Questions

• What is service learning?

5

• Can service learning be incorporated into the daily routine and curriculum of a

kindergarten classroom?

• What service learning projects are appropriate for the kindergarten level?

• Will the addition of service learning lessons in the classroom be more engaging

and meaningful for students?

Data Collection

I collected data in multiple ways throughout my inquiry to fully ensure I was

evaluating students’ performance on meeting academic standards through service

learning. For the purposes of this paper, service learning is defined as a, “research-based

teaching method where guided or classroom learning is applied through action that

addresses an authentic community need,” by The Complete Guide to Service Learning

(See Appendix B for Annotated Bibliography). Data collection was gathered before,

during and after the implementation of service learning.

Before

Prior to implementing a service learning project in our kindergarten classroom I

had to look at the upcoming kindergarten curriculum, benchmarks and academic

standards. Helping the local shoe bank is a great service learning project for this grade

level because shoes and walking are a form of transportation and the focus of the spring

unit is transportation. Books and activities associated with shoes were integrated into

lessons to teach and help students meet the standards. (See Appendix C for Outline of

Lessons)

I then designed and conducted student interviews and survey questions. Before

giving the entire class the survey about shoes, I interviewed three academically different

6

students and asked them the questions designed for the survey. Both the interview and

survey asked students if they wore shoes to school and if every student in State College

has shoes to wear to school everyday. The purpose of the interview and survey was to

gather information on students’ beliefs and their awareness of people in poverty (See

Appendix D for Student Survey #1).

During

A majority of my data was collected during my inquiry study on service learning.

Student work samples were the most informative and essential data to determine if they

were meeting the standards connected to my main wondering. During the inquiry and

service learning process, I planned daily lessons and activities that would allow me to

assess a specific kindergarten academic standard. A majority of the lessons I designed

included a read aloud pertaining to shoes, a lesson addressing an academic standard, and

followed up with an activity for the students to complete as a form of assessment (See

Appendix C for Outline of Lessons).

To begin the service learning project in kindergarten I read the book Pete the Cat

by Eric Lutwin to the class. I shared and graphed the class’s response to a survey

question asking if all students in State College had shoes to wear to school. As a class, we

discussed why some students answered “yes” and others “no.” We soon came to the

conclusion that not all students have shoes to wear to school and that we could help the

local shoe bank so those students could obtain shoes (See Appendix E for survey graph

entitled Shoes, Shoes, Shoes). In order to gain more information about a shoe bank, the

class worked together to write a letter to Jan Becker at the local shoe bank. The students

7

asked her questions to gain more insight about the shoe bank and what they could do (See

Appendix F for Shoe Bank Letter & Response).

As I began to teach specific standards to the class through literature, lessons

and activities I recorded whether each child had or had not met the standard on a

student check-‐off list (See Appendix G for Student Check-‐Off List). I then collected

student artifacts for analysis purposes and created a service learning shoe journal

for every student. Students’ shoe journals included every piece of work they

completed over the course of my inquiry study, along with the shoe bank letters and

photos (See Appendix H for Student Journal Artifacts). During our service learning

project I distributed a second survey to assess student thinking. I wanted to see if

students understood that everyone doesn’t have shoes and their feelings of the

project (See Appendix I for Student Survey # 2).

In addition to teaching students the academic standards through lessons and

activities, our class began a simulated walk to Walmart, to purchase shoes, and then

to the shoe bank to donate them (See Appendix J for Maps & Walking Log). As a class,

the students earned dimes throughout the day for giving best effort and were able to

earn up to a dollar. After each student at their table had earned a dollar the students

were able to purchase a pair of shoes from the simulated “Walmart Store” in our

classroom and donate it to our class “Shoe Bank”.

After

Following my inquiry, I compiled student work and artifacts to create their

shoe journals entitled, “Take a Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes,” the same name as a

video that we used throughout the service learning process (See Appendix B for

8

Annotated Bibliography). It will allow students to keep and share their journey into

a service learning project of shoes. As a culminating activity, the students are going

to be awarded a special shoe party for all of their help. During the reward party,

students will also participate in ten minutes without shoes outside by walking in the

grass and dirt to expand their awareness of those who do not have shoes to wear.

Data Analysis

Before

The first student survey I distributed allowed me to analyze if students knew

that everyone does not have shoes for different reasons and that a shoe bank can

help people in need (See Appendix K for Student Shoe Survey # 1 Analysis). After

the class completed the survey, I tallied and gathered that only three out of twenty-‐

three students knew that not every student in State College has shoes to wear to

school. The student survey showed me that before beginning our service learning

project, we needed to learn why there is a shoe bank and what it does for people.

During and After

During my inquiry project I compiled and analyzed student performance on

meeting kindergarten benchmarks and academic standards. I used a teacher-‐created

class check-‐off list to mark when students met a standard, may have needed

additional assistance, or did not met a standard to determine the effect the lessons

had (See Appendix L for Marked Student Check-‐Off List). Teaching lessons that

incorporated over thirteen academic standards in writing and math gave me a

strong foundation for answering my main wondering. In order to analyze my data

9

and student check-‐off list, I created a bar graph to show the amount of students who

met kindergarten standards. The bar graphs display how many students in the class

met each standard and how many needed additional assistance (See Appendix M for

Standards Bar Graphs).

The class check-‐off list also allowed me to total the number of students that

met the kindergarten standards taught. When examining the reading and writing

standards integrated into the lessons that I taught throughout my inquiry, the

overall class did extremely well meeting them. Out of five reading and writing

academic standards there were two occasions when 100% of students met the

standards and another occasion when over 95%, or twenty-‐two students, met the

standards. Upon analysis, I was able to determine that the overall class had

successfully learned and met the standards. However, since, one student did not

fully meet one of the standards they were met with individually for further

instruction.

In two other instances, the Pennsylvania standard 1.5.K.F regarding sentence

structure was addressed in a lesson. In our classroom, we call this standard a five

star sentence. These are sentences that begin with an uppercase letter, end with

punctuation, spaces in-‐between, the rest of the letters are lowercase, and everyone

gets a star for any writing. On March 20, 2012 over 34% of students had a five star

sentence. This data analysis showed me that since a smaller majority of the class did

not fully comprehend and meet the standards that the class as a whole should

receive further instruction on the subject in the future.

10

When looking at the math standards taught, I noticed that out of seven math

standards taught 100% of the class met three of the standards. In addition, over

95% of the class met two of the standards, 91% of the class met a standard and 52%

of the class met a standard. When analyzing standard 2.1.K.B, representing

equivalent forms of the same number, I determined that it was met by 52% of the

class. I made the decision that it should be retaught in another lesson format, since

such a small amount of the class met it.

Explanation of Findings

Claim 1: Service learning can be utilized to teach kindergarten benchmarks

and academic standards.

My main wondering focused on how service learning can help students meet

kindergarten academic standards. After analysis of the data gathered through class

check-‐off lists it became apparent that students were able to meet kindergarten

benchmarks and academic standards through the incorporation of service learning

within the classroom. On only four occasions the overall class did not meet 95-‐100%

of the standard taught. When this happened I retaught concepts to individuals or the

whole class. The lessons and standards incorporated into the classroom using

service learning were all very new to students. Learners need repetition of certain

classroom topics, which occurred in my inquiry during these instances.

Overall, the class met eight out of twelve standards taught in reading, writing

and mathematics with 95-‐100% accuracy (See Appendix L for Marked Student

11

Check-‐Off List). The other four standards taught needed to be retaught and

remediated for specific students or re-‐visited for the entire class. This demonstrates

that service learning can teach kindergarten benchmarks and academic standards.

Reading and writing standards included, but were not limited to, teaching or

re-‐introducing students to write using descriptive words, write in a logical order,

write with correct sentence structure and write to inform by use of a list (See

Appendix C for Outline of Lessons). When looking at the standards and the number

of students that met them, the only standard that needed to be revisited was writing

with correct sentence structure.

Math standards included, but were not limited to, counting money by 10’s,

representing equivalent forms of the same number, comparing objects, measuring

objects using non-‐standard units, and organizing the same group of objects two

different ways (See Appendix C for Outline of Lessons). When teaching a lesson that

introduced and assessed representing equivalent forms of the same number or

coins, I noticed that the overall class needed more practice. I then reintroduced the

concept and provided a different activity for students to reach the standards. In

conclusion, collecting and analyzing data exhibited that service learning can teach

kindergarten benchmarks and academic standards.

Claim 2: Literature is an important component of the service learning process

at the kindergarten level.

Children’s literature played a very important role in my inquiry process and

planning. For a majority of the service learning lessons I taught throughout my

12

inquiry I used a book about shoes or helping others as a springboard. Literature

allowed me to design lessons, which integrated academic standards, from the ideas

and concepts written and illustrated within the text.

My day-‐by-‐day outline shows that a children’s book was incorporated into

almost every lesson (See Appendix C for Outline of Lessons). Pete the Cat by Eric

Lutwin was a book that we had read before, but was also important to our service

learning about shoes. Through reading Pete the Cat we learned that things might not

always go your way but “Its all good!” as Pete would say. Another book called How

Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath helped to teach the students about helping others.

In addition to these great introductory books I also read a lot of books that helped

introduce concepts relating to kindergarten academic standards (See Appendix C for

Outline of Lessons).

Whose Shoes are These? by Laura Salas is a book that describes an

assortment of shoes. It helped me to teach students about the use of descriptive

words, which is the Pennsylvania Standard 1.5.K.D. I taught standard 1.4.K.B, write

to inform through the use of a list, by reading the book Those Shoes by Maribeth

Boelts. The book discusses needs versus wants and the students created a list of

their own. Reading and writing standards were not the only lessons designed using

great books. Shoes by Elizabeth Winthrop helped me to teach standard 2.6.K.B,

which addresses sorting a group of objects in more than one way. Furthermore, at

the kindergarten level literature can be utilized within the service learning process.

13

Claim 3: Service learning can be integrated into a kindergarten classroom as a

teaching method and learning strategy.

Before having an idea of a service learning project for our kindergarten class

I first looked at the spring unit. It was important for me to find something that

would coincide with what the students would already be learning during the spring,

which is focused around transportation, and build off of it. I heard about a third

grade student at Houserville Elementary that wanted to help the Soles4Souls

program and thought it could be incorporated into our unit. Keeping both the spring

unit and the Soles4Souls program in mind I thought about the local shoe bank.

Helping our surrounding local community applies to our curriculum.

I then had to create lessons and activities that would not only teach

kindergarten benchmarks and academic standards, but that would also fit nicely

into our daily routine. Having a service learning project that related to our

classroom curriculum allowed me to integrate several lessons a week (See Appendix

C for Outline of Lessons). The service learning project I chose for our kindergarten

class to take part in was an easy fit. Any service learning project must be chosen

carefully to allow easy integration into a classrooms daily routine and must work

with the units that will be taught. Luckily, our service learning about shoes fit into

both of these and made it very easy for me to conduct within our classroom.

Reflections and Implications for Future Practice

I have learned a great deal throughout this inquiry study into the use of

service learning as a tool for teaching academic standards. I am very appreciative of

the support I have had along the way from my mentor teacher and PDA. My mentor

14

helped me brainstorm ideas and looked over the activities that I created. If it were

not for her giving me the opportunity to attend the service learning workshop with

her, I may have never found such a great inquiry topic.

I have learned that planning is very crucial as a classroom teacher, along with

flexibility. The amount of time and preparation that goes into a lesson is often much

longer than teaching the lesson itself. I not only taught lessons addressed to

academic standards, I created and designed them. Sometimes I had to postpone or

change my ideas, but learning to be flexible based on my students’ needs was

important.

In addition to planning and teaching lessons, I also had to create follow-‐up

activities to assess the students’ performance. A majority of the time I created my

own worksheets and activities. As I reflect upon my inquiry study, I am so glad that I

put forth the extra energy to create the materials and lessons, because I feel it

enhanced my learning.

My inquiry study has created future wonderings and does not end here. I still

wonder if service learning within the classroom is engaging and meaningful for

students. My next step towards this question will be to take systematic observations

of students’ on task and off task time. I will then be able to analyze their level

engagement. It will also be extremely helpful to have baseline data about on task

and off task time prior to the project or during other subjects. Student interviews

will also be important to see if students are finding the service learning project

enjoyable.

15

I also wonder what types of service learning projects I will be able to

incorporate into my future teaching. I think that it greatly depends on the

curriculum and units of study that will be covered. Another influence is the

classroom routine and the flexibility I will have within the classroom. Service

learning was a great inquiry topic. I hope that in the future I will be able to continue

with service learning projects and further my inquiry and wonderings.

17

Appendix A : Inquiry Brief

Amanda Moslak

February 29, 2012

Inquiry Brief

Context

Lemont Elementary School is nestled in historical Lemont. The school is only

minutes from Penn State University and Beaver Stadium can be seen from the

playground. Lemont Elementary School is a sister school to Houserville Elementary

School. The school educates students in kindergarten through second grade. Two

kindergarten, three-‐first grade and three-‐second grade classrooms currently occupy

the building.

My kindergarten class is composed of twenty-‐three five and six year-‐old

students, twelve girls and eleven boys. Our ethnic context is made up of two African

American students, one Native American student, and one Asian American student.

Out of the twenty-‐three kindergarteners, six students are above grade level, eight

students are on grade level and nine students are below grade level as indicated by

the first progress report assessment. Eight students receive informal occupational

therapy and use a grotto gripper, six students receive speech services, eight

students attend RTII (Response to Intervention and Instruction) for reading and

four for math, and four students have been referred and qualified for additional

learning and social skill services.

Clifford is our classroom mascot and helps to bring our class together as a

community. The students work together to earn bones for Clifford’s bone jar at daily

18

specials and lunch. When filled, Clifford then gets to eat his bones and the class

receives a special reward. The students are also given the opportunity to earn

weekly prizes based upon their classroom behaviors. These two reward systems

teach students proper social and work habits, along with self-‐management skills.

Before entering the classroom, one will see student work displayed in the

hallway. It is very important for not only the school to see what the students are

accomplishing, but for the students to see their own work being displayed. The

students are always encouraged to give their best effort when completing

assignments, so it is essential to exhibit their best effort work.

When entering the classroom, you will see four sets of hexagon tables.

Students are homogenously grouped by language arts screenings (Words their Way,

AIMS web, kindergarten inventory and running records). Our classroom curriculum

is student-‐centered, in which our lessons are created to allow students to be

involved with their own learning process. In addition to meeting with one of the

four academic groups, students also meet with a classroom teacher one-‐on-‐one daily

to assess their skills.

A frequent behavioral pattern that occurs in our classroom is staying

attentive. Kindergarteners are extremely busy and love to move, so keeping them on

task can be difficult at times. Singing a song is a simple strategy that will bring the

class back together, instead of continuously critiquing their behavior. The social

relationships always vary in our classroom. No one group of students continuously

play or talk to one another, they continuously change the friends they interact with.

19

Rationale

I found the service learning session given by several Park Forest Elementary

School teachers this fall to be very enlightening. They discussed how service

learning is more than community service and is motivating to their students. The

students were able to pursue, with guidance, their own thoughts and ideas to help

others. At the same time teachers can cover and meet the necessary standards that

they need to teach. I began to think about ways in which service learning could take

place in my kindergarten classroom.

About three weeks ago my cooperating teacher was given the opportunity to

attend a service learning training, in which I would also attend. We discussed the

possibility of using service learning as my inquiry. During the training my curiosity

was renewed and it was evident that this was the perfect time for me to learn more

about service learning and incorporate it in the classroom. I then decided to explore

the idea of service learning as my inquiry.

I began to wonder if service learning could be used to teach and meet

standards outside of the mainstream curriculum. Lessons would be created for the

service learning meaning, but would also foster students to meet the standards and

benchmarks. I hope to find that the use of service learning will be able to teach

standards outside of the conventional curriculum in an effective and enjoyable way

for students.

A third grade student at Houserville Elementary School ignited an idea that

could become the potential purpose to service learning in our classroom. She is very

20

passionate about the Soles for Souls Charity and spoke to our school principal about

brining the charity to our sister schools. The Soles for Souls Charity collects new

shoes to donate to those in need. The charity will be easily incorporated into our

spring curriculum, since our main focus is transportation.

Main Wondering

Will service learning lessons enable students to meet kindergarten

standards?

Sub-‐Questions

• What is service learning?

• Can service learning be incorporated into the daily routine of a classroom?

• What service learning projects are appropriate for the kindergarten level?

• Will the addition of service learning lessons in the classroom be more

engaging and enjoyable to students?

Data Collection

I intended to collect data about my inquiry in multiple ways through surveys,

interviews, assessments and observations. Student surveys are an important

resource to have. They will allow me to further understand what my students are

thinking and receive feedback from them. They will be used to assess student’s prior

understanding of the subject matter and throughout my inquiry.

Interviews will be given to students and other individuals involved

throughout service learning process. Students will be interviewed prior to

beginning the project to assess their background knowledge. They will also be

21

regularly interviewed so I will be able to evaluate their thoughts. Students will learn

about the shoe bank through an interview of the shoe bank supervisor.

Formative and summative assessments will also be given to analyze whether

or not the students are meeting the standards covered through the service learning

lessons. Formative assessments will be conducted through on-‐going assessments

and observations. I will be able to evaluate student performance to see whether or

not they are grasping a concept and standard. A summative assessment will be given

at the end of a unit or range of lessons to see if the students have met the standards.

In order to see if my students are meeting the standards through service

learning they will be assessed formally and informally. Casual and systematic

observations will be made to evaluate student’s engagement and progress within a

standard. Systematic observations will be made to calculate a student’s on task and

off task time, along with their engagement. They will be also used to assess whether

a student, or group of students, are meeting the standard that is being covered.

22

Appendix B: Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Baker, P. H., & Murray, M. M. (2011). Building community partnerships: Learning to

serve while learning to teach. School Community Journal, 21(1), 113-‐127.

Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/872846873?accountid=13158

Learning to serve while learning to teach is related to my inquiry because it discusses the importance of connecting and integrating academic goals with the service activity that is taking place within the community. This resource expresses the importance of connecting a service activity back to specific learning goals within the classroom. The two service learning examples discussed in this reading are not linked to my specific service project, but they both discuss how they connected academic content to their projects. In addition to learning ways in which I can connect learning goals or standards to the service activity within the classroom, it was beneficial to read about the obstacles they face throughout their service learning process and hopefully I will now be able to avoid them.

Becker, Jan. "Shoe Bank." E-‐mail interview. 14 Mar. 2012.

Jan Becker was a great resource throughout my inquiry study. She was the woman that my mentor and I were in contact with local shoe bank. As a class, we wanted to find out more about our local shoe bank so we wrote a letter to her. Jan wrote an insightful response to help my students understand what the local shoe bank does and whom they help. She also sent us a few photographs of the shoe bank, since we are not able to physically take a field trip there because it is only open on Saturdays. It was meaningful for the students to hear about the shoe bank from someone who experiences it on a weekly basis.

Fox, K. R. (2010). Children making a difference: Developing awareness of poverty

through service learning. The Social Studies, 101(1), 1-‐9. Retrieved from


Children making a difference: Developing awareness of poverty through service learning is connected to my inquiry by service learning, but also by teaching

23

the devastating affects of poverty. Multiple lessons and activities are given on how you can introduce shocking concepts about poverty to students, which are ideas that I will be able to use. The service learning project that will be used within the classroom is to donate shoes to those in need, which relates to poverty. This article will be a great resource for me to use throughout my inquiry process, because it relates to my inquiry into service learning through poverty very closely.

Kaye, C. (2010). The Complete Guide to Service Learning. Minneapolis, MN: Free

Spirit Publishing Inc.

The Complete Guide to Service Learning is a great resource to use throughout my inquiry and service learning process. It outlines adequate steps to take throughout your service learning development. One chapter, entitled A Blueprint for Service Learning, helps you to organize your plan. It even includes points on incorporating standards, which is connected to my main wondering.

"Learn and Serve." Learn and Serve. State College Area School District. 25 Jan. 2012.

A Learn and Serve training session that I attended with my mentor, Laurie Pagnotto, formed my main wondering for my inquiry study. Volunteering teachers were being asked to incorporate service learning into their classroom. It led me to wonder if the integration of service learning would teach academic standards. The Learn and Serve training led me to inquire into a teaching practice that I found myself to be passionate about.

Leege, L., & Cawthorn, M. (2008). Environmental service learning: Relevant,

rewarding, and responsible. Journal of College Science Teaching, 37(6), 32-‐36.


Environmental service learning is a reading that demonstrates service

learning at the college level. Although that is a far step from kindergarten, this resource discusses the importance of service learning, because it gives students a chance to think of themselves as a contributor not just a consumer. This statement perceives service learning in a whole new light to me. It shows just how important the roles of students are in this type of learning. The reading also stated that, “91% of the 1,045 colleges and universities…reported offering courses with a service learning component.” Environmental service learning reminds one of how important service learning is. If we begin service learning at the kindergarten level, as related

24

to my inquiry, we can promote this great type of learning throughout a students lifetime.

Nandan, M., & Scott, P. (2011). Service learning and community-‐based partnerships:

A model for teaching macro practice social work. Journal of College Teaching

& Learning, 8(8), 25-‐37. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/898322605?accountid=13158;

http://journals.cluteonline.com/index.php/TLC/article/view/5319

Service Learning And Community-‐Based Partnerships: A Model For Teaching Macro Practice Social Work defines service learning and discusses the importance and benefits of it. The source is connected to my inquiry because it states in multiple instances that service learning benefits learning and development, which can be related to the standards one must teach. This article analyzes the benefits of the service learning project they conducted and relates hand-‐in-‐hand with my inquiry of seeing if standards can be taught through service learning.

Ohn, J. D., & Wade, R. (2009). Community service learning as a group inquiry project:

Elementary and middle school CiviConnections teachers’ practices of

integrating historical inquiry in community service learning. The Social

Studies, 100(5), 200-‐211. Retrieved from


One aspect that I found interesting, aside from the other articles, was in Community Service learning as a Group Inquiry Project. The article states that a service learning experience should, “be integrated into each young person’s academic curriculum.” I found this statement to greatly connect to my inquiry about teaching standards through service learning. The study also discussed service learning from a teachers perspective of students having an, “authentic educational experience.” This resource outlined very important questions for any teacher to take into account when finding a service learning project. These questions will benefit my inquiry into service learning by being able to find service learning project that fits the kindergarten classroom.

25

Pagnotto, Laure. personal communication. February-‐April 2012.

Laurie Pagnotto is a kindergarten teacher at Lemont Elementary School and also my mentor. Throughout my inquiry study she has been extremely supportive and cooperative with me. In collaboration, we designed and created lessons incorporating kindergarten academic standards. Laurie also found a variety of books about shoes to use as lesson introductions or springboards for lessons. Laurie’s support allowed me to easily integrate lessons into our daily routine.

Robinson, D. B., & Meyer, M. (2012). Health education and interactive drama:

Findings from a service learning project. Health Education Journal, 71(2),

219-‐228.

http://search.proquest.com/docview/968113198?accountid=13158;

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0017896911398811

Health education and interactive drama: Findings from a service learning

project wanted to connect the classroom setting with a more meaningful hands-‐on approach within the community, known as service learning. In this instance, health education teachers wanted to connect health education with the surrounding community through various scenarios. The article also discusses the importance that teachers design the learning outcomes and connect the in-‐class learning with in-‐field learning. Throughout this study I have learned important guidelines to remember that will help me make the connection between in-‐class and in-‐field learning more meaningful for my students.

26

Appendix C: Outline of Lessons

Sequence of Shoe Activities 2-‐28-‐2012 student survey and Pete the Cat, by Eric Litwin.

-‐ Journal Prompt – My favorite shoes are … -‐ My favorite shoes are flip flops.

3-‐12-‐2012 Bar graph “Does every student in State College have shoes to wear to school? 3-‐13-‐2012 Pete the Cat Rocking in my School Shoes, by Eric Litwin.

-‐ Journal Prompt – In my favorite shoes I like to… -‐ In my favorite shoes I like to walk in the sand.

3-‐14-‐2012 Whose Shoes are these? by Laura Salas

-‐ Standard – 1.5.K.D. (writing using descriptive words) -‐ If I were a … I would have … … shoes. -‐ If I were a fireman I would have black rubbery shoes.

3-‐16-‐2012 How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath

-‐ Discuss how you earn “drops” and how you lose them – Do you want drops in your bucket?

Letter reply from Shoe Bank -‐ How can we help others earn drops for their bucket…can we with shoes? -‐ Propose the idea to earning/donating shoes to the local shoe bank to help

those in need –earn money to buy shoes from our shoe store to purchase for the shoe bank

-‐ Discuss times in which you have helped someone -‐ Student response to letter and helping other get “drops” – Donate used shoes,

volunteer and help buy new shoes -‐ Clear cup to fill up for bucket -‐-‐-‐

3-‐19-‐2012

-‐ Standard – 1.5.K.C. (writing in logical order) & 1.5.K.F (five star sentence) -‐ Revisit shoe bank letter and what we can do to help -‐ Share the Youtube clip by the Swingset Mammas called “Take a Walk in

Someone Else’s Shoes” -‐ Have words magnetized to move around order – ask to help put the sentence

in order -‐ Grab your words and model on board…whole group then review small group -‐ Journal Prompt -‐-‐ We are going to help the local shoe bank. Helping others

make me feel…

27

-‐ Guided Reading – Feet by Joy Cowley -‐ Prompt – follow pattern of book -‐-‐ Feet … (Feet jump, feet swim, feet walk)

3-‐20-‐12 “Take a Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes” – show clip again

-‐ Standards – 2.6.K.A (Gathering data in response to questions posed to learners)

-‐ In order to purchase shoes and donate them to the shoe bank you may have to walk

-‐ What if we had to walk in someone elses shoes? How far is the shoe bank? Show on googlemaps how far to Walmart is and then the Shoe bank

-‐ Lets take daily walks to try and see how long it would take us to walk that long

-‐ If we wanted to buy shoes first to donate we would have to get them…now we are going to see how it feels to have to walk that far …then you have to walk back and then to the shoe bank

-‐ Show the log on the computer and have a copy for journals -‐ What if you didn’t have shoes and had to walk this trip? How would you feel? -‐ Journal – Add map of shoe bank & walking log

3-‐23-‐ 2012 Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

-‐ Standard 1.4.K.B (write to inform) -‐ Discuss needs vs. wants – Was it a nice thing he did? Did he realize that

Antonio NEEDED the shoes more than him? -‐ Discuss needs vs. wants – Do some children need shoes because they may not

have any? -‐ Lets talk about us – what is it that we need as people (need shoes, but not

expensive & clothing, but not brand named) -‐ Complete the Want vs. Needs Chart for journal at carpet with lapboards -‐ Introduce the students earning shoes….everyone needs a dollar for table to

buy a pair of shoes 3-‐27-‐2012 & 3-‐28-‐2012

-‐ Standard – 2.1. K.A: count by 10’s 2.1.K.B: Represent equivalent forms of the same number through the use of pictures and concrete objects (including penny, nickel, and dime), up to 20

-‐ How many dimes make a dollar? Worksheet -‐ Worksheet -‐ ten pennies trade for time once you have all ten (count to 10’s

till 100 for dollar) trade for dollar 3-‐29-‐2012

-‐ Trace student’s shoes, cut and measure them -‐ Have students compare their shoes with a partner before beginning stations

28

-‐ Standard –2.3.K.A & 2.3.K.B (Compare objects & use concrete objects as non-‐standard units to estimate and measure.)

-‐ Measurement worksheet – at craft station have things for students to measure with then find My shoe is shorter than.. My shoe is longer than.

4-‐3-‐2012 Shoes by Elizabeth Winthrop

-‐ Standard – 2.6.K.B: organize one set of objects in 2 different ways -‐ Grouping/Sorting of the shoes children have on -‐ Sorting worksheet as follow-‐up

4-‐26-‐2012 Shoes, Shoes, Shoes by Ann Morris

-‐ Count by 2’s -‐ Group children and count their feet by 2’s

4-‐17-‐2012 I Went Walking by Sue Williams

-‐ Three worksheets to go along with story -‐ “If I went walking…” -‐ Playful Animals worksheet to test comprehension -‐ A Colorful Walk worksheet to use color words

4-‐19-‐2012 Whose Shoes? by Stephen Swinburne

-‐ Standard – 1.5.K.A -‐ 1.5.K.F -‐ What shoes are you currently wearing? Why? -‐ What shoes do you want to wear one day? -‐ Standard – 1.5.K.F (five star sentence structure) -‐ Prompt for journal, “In the future I will wear … shoes.” -‐ Remind students what their sentence needs

29

Appendix D: Student Survey # 1

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes 1. Are you wearing shoes? Yes No

2. Do you always wear shoes when you go to school? Yes No

3. Does every student in State College have shoes to wear to school? Yes No

4. Does everybody get his or her shoes from a store? Yes No

5. Where do you get your shoes? On the back, draw a picture of the different kinds of shoes you have.

30

Appendix E: Survey Graph

Our Class Data We Collected Does every student in State College have shoes to wear to school?

Yes No

31

Appendix F: Shoe Bank Letter & Response

March 12, 2012 Dear Shoe Bank Helper,

We are learning about transportation. We learned that transportation is how you get from one place to another. We learned that walking is transportation. We read Pete the Cat stories. He loves his shoes! HI shoes help him get from one place to the other. We surveyed to see if everyone in State College has school shoes. Most of us said yes. Miss Moslak and Mrs Pagnotto told us that there is a Shoe Bank in State College. We want to learn about it. Here are our questions:

1) What is a Shoe Bank? We know what a bank is and some of us know what a food bank is. 2) Where is the Shoe Bank? We have never seen it. What are your hours? 3) What kind of shoes do you have at the bank? Are there adult and children shoes? 4) How do you get shoes for the bank? Are they new? Are they used? Do people give you money to buy shoes? 5) How many shoes do you have at the bank? Do you ever run out of shoes? 6) How much do the shoes cost? 7) If I needed shoes, how would I get them?

We have lots of questions. Thank you for helping us learn more about the Shoe Bank in State College. Your friends at Lemont Elementary School, Mrs. Pagnotto's Kindergarten Class 2011-‐2012

32

March 14, 2012

Dear Mrs. Pagnotto's Kindergarten Class, Thank you for asking me about the Shoe Bank. You have lots of good questions and I will try to answer them for you. Our Shoe Bank is a little like a money bank. Children with a special card can come in with their parents and get a new pair of sneakers for school if they need them. They get to pick the ones that they like and that fit them. They can only get a new pair every 6 months so they need to last and be comfortable. The Shoe Bank is in room 107 of the Wesley Foundation next to St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Locust Lane in State College. We are open almost every Saturday morning from 9:00 until 12:00 and we have many volunteers who work there. We give new shoes to children from babies to students up to 18 years old. We also have lots of used shoes that children and adults may have. We are busiest right before school starts in the fall. Can you guess why? We buy new shoes with money that comes from our church and donations from lots of people. Depending on the size of the shoes (little shoes cost less and bigger shoes cost more) each pair of shoes costs between $10 and $20 and sometimes more. We have hundreds of shoes in the Shoe Bank (I don't know exactly how many), but we have at least 3 pairs in each size so that children can choose what they like. We have never run out of shoes and I hope we never do! If a child needs a pair of shoes they only have to bring a special card or a note and they can get signed up to get shoes. We want every child to have a new pair of shoes for school. We also give every child a pair of socks and a book to read. In the winter we try to give out boots, too. I hope I have answered your questions, but if I haven't or if you come up with some more, please write to me again. Thank you again for your interest. I am attaching some pictures of the Shoe Bank so you can see what it is like. From, Mrs. Jan Becker

33

Appendix G: Student Check-Off List

34

Appendix H: Student Journal Artifacts

35

Appendix I: Student Survey # 2 Name: 1. Does every student in State College have shoes to wear to school? Yes No

2. Where would a friend go to get shoes if they needed them?

36

Appendix J: Maps & Walking Log

37

Appendix K: Student Shoe Survey # 1 Analysis

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes 1. Are you wearing shoes? Yes No 23/23 Yes

2. Do you always wear shoes when you go to school? Yes No 21/23 Yes, 2/23 No

3. Does every student in State College have shoes to wear to school? Yes No 20/23 Yes, 3/23 No

4. Does everybody get his or her shoes from a store? Yes No 17/23 Yes, 6/23 No

5. Where do you get your shoes? On the back, draw a picture of the different kinds of shoes you have.

38

Appendix L: Student Check-Off List

asdf

39

Appendix M: Standards Bar Graphs

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

3/14/2012 Standard 1.5.K.D

3/19/2012 Standard 1.5.K.C

3/19/2012 Standard 1.5.K.F (First

Sentence)

3/19/2012 Standard 1.5.K.F (Second Sentence)

3/20/2012 Standard 1.5.K.F

3/23/2012 Standard 1.4.K.B

Reading & Writing Standards

Met

Did Not

0

5

10

15

20

25

Math Standards

Met

Did Not

Moslak Inquiry Paper - Penn State College of Education Inquiry Paper.pdf · project was sparked by...

Documents

Transcript of Moslak Inquiry Paper - Penn State College of Education Inquiry Paper.pdf · project was sparked by...