Erika Galewski

EDUW 692
May 30, 2015
Video Reflection Paper
Introduction
I teach a group of twenty-two third graders at St. Marys Elementary School in Altoona,
Wisconsin. Each week for reading as a whole group we read a story from our basal reading
unit. In addition to our basal story, each student belongs to a leveled reading group that reads
instructional texts related to our basal theme of the week/month. Each group is comprised of
three to five students that read at about the same instructional level as outlined by Fountas and
Pinnell guided reading assessments. Each week our basal theme outlines five to seven
vocabulary words that are used in the reading selection. In addition, many of the leveled texts
also incorporate a variation of these vocabulary words in some manner and focus on the same
theme.
Our last reading selection was entitled Visitors from Space. Each guided reading
group had selections of their leveled books that related to outer space. I had noticed from
previous weekly vocabulary assessments that although students were able to match the
definition with the correct vocabulary word, over two-thirds of the class would incorrectly use at
least 2 of the vocabulary words when put in a fill-in the blank sentence. I went through the last
three weeks of vocabulary assessments and realized that all students had missed between 1
and 8 vocabulary words out of 15 total in three weeks. This data made me realize that all
students needed more time working with the vocabulary words in and out of context.
I decided that the quizlet technology would be a useful tool in assisting students with the
mastery of new vocabulary words. I began by creating two quizlets to embed in my school
weebly site. One quizlet was a study tool that would assist my students in matching the space
vocabulary with definitions, and an additional quizlet would provide practice in filling in the
vocabulary words in the context of a sentence. For the first quizlet, I created a set labeled
Visitors from Space Vocabulary. Within that set, I entered the 5 vocabulary words (force,
particles, nucleus, fluorescent, loops) into the vocabulary boxes. Then, I entered the definitions
provided from our reading basal series. From there, I practiced each of the study modes to
make sure the vocabulary and definitions were displayed correctly. I took the embed code for
the first quizlet and embedded it into my school weebly site for students to access. For the
second quizlet, I created a new set entitled Visitors from Space Fill in the Blank. I entered the
same five vocabulary words, but instead of matching definitions, I typed in sample fill in the
blank sentences for each vocabulary word. Once I saved the second quizlet, I practiced the
study modes myself to ensure each fill in the blank and vocabulary was displayed correctly.
After practicing each quizlet, I realized that a student list of vocabulary words would
need to be displayed in order for students to be able to complete the study modes that require
the student to recall the list of words and how they are spelled. At the third grade level, all
students will not be able to recall all of the vocabulary words from memory or know how to spell
them correctly. I decided to make a small printout of the vocabulary list for each student to keep
in their reading folders. That way, when students were working on the IPADS during Daily 5

rotations or in the computer lab, they would have easy access to the vocabulary terms to
reference.
Data

Before I taught my third graders how to use the vocabulary quizlets, I gave each student
a pre-assessment using the vocabulary terms from Visitors from Space. This test included
matching and fill in the blank. It was a similar format to our weekly assessments that students
have been familiar with since the beginning of the school year. The data collected showed that:
10 out of 22 students scored 90% or higher
5 students scored between 75% and 89% and
7 students scored below 75%
My hypothesis is that after students learn about and use the two forms of vocabulary quizlets
throughout the school week, students will improve their vocabulary skills in context, as will be
evidenced by the improvement from pre-assessment data to post-assessment data.
Goal/Objective
After utilizing two quizlet vocabulary sets throughout the course of one week, students
will score at least 90% accuracy when matching vocabulary terms to their definitions and within
the context of a sentence.
Instructional Strategies
To begin instruction, I identified one student that needed additional support when using
technology. In past classes, this student has needed one on one support when using a new
form of technology on the computer or IPAD. I decided that this student would benefit from one
on one instruction before whole group instruction on quizlet.
During Daily 5 stations, I provided direct instruction on the IPAD to this student during
her word work rotation. I created a direct link on the IPAD home screen to my class weebly
page on quizlet to make access simple for the student. I modeled how to click on the links to
bring up quizlet. I gave her the printed vocabulary list for reference before we opened the
quizlet. Once on the quizlet page, I showed the student the two quizlets for Visitors from
Space. I clicked on the first study set of flashcards with definitions. I directly modeled how to
flip each card. After I modeled the flashcards, she was given time to demonstrate how to flip the
flashcards.
Once I modeled flashcards, I modeled each of the study modes and then had her
practice with my scaffolding. I needed to prompt her to refer to her printed vocabulary list for
Space Race and Learn study modes. Once the first quizlet was complete, I allowed her to
practice the fill in the blank quizlet set on her own with the IPAD. In the second set I did not
need to provide any support. She was able to navigate the different study modes on her own
and was eager to try and beat her times. At the next Daily 5 rotation, she was allowed to teach
her group members how to use quizlet with my guidance.
At the end of Daily 5, our whole class went to the computer lab for whole group
instruction on quizlet. Each student brought their reading work folder with their vocabulary list
printout. I projected my computer screen using the projector. I provided direct instruction and
modeling using my computer. I displayed the school homepage where I provided a direct link to
my school weebly page on quizlet that had the quizlets embedded directly on the page.

Students watched me as I navigated to quizlet. I modeled to students how to navigate to the

third grade vocabulary sets. First, I modeled how to open the flashcards, and proceeded with
the same instructional strategies as I provided for my individual student. I allowed students to
interact with each study mode after I finished modeling it. I allowed students to try the second
set of vocabulary on their own. The student who I instructed one on one became a peer mentor
that could help students if they had a question and if I was helping another classmate.
From that day on, students could access the quizlets on the computer or IPAD during
their word work rotation during Daily 5, at computer class and at home for homework. Each
time a student would practice a quizlet they would make a tally next to their name on my reading
folder to monitor how often each student was using quizlet.

Conclusion
At the end of the week, students were given a post-assessment on the vocabulary
words, using the same format as the pre-assessment given earlier in the week. The data
collected showed:
15 students out of 22 scored 90% or higher
4 students scored between 75% and 89% and
3 students scored below 75%
The students that had the highest scores visited quizlet between 5 and 10 times during the
week. The students with the three lowest scores only visited quizlet during their Daily 5
stations, which amounted to three visits during the week. The student I provided individual
instruction to scored a 60% on the pre-assessment and 90% on the post assessment. Overall, I
feel as though the quizlet tool provided an engaging and motivating way for students to interact
with their vocabulary words for the week. I was impressed at the level of improvement across
all students. The three students that had the lowest scores also had the same score as their
pre-assessment, which leads me to believe that they required additional time working with the
vocabulary words. In the future, I could assign these students to work on the quizlet each day,
instead of only three. It is evident from the pre and post data that improvement was made in the
retention of vocabulary words and their meanings within context. In the future it would be wise
to make collections of quizlets for each unit of study across the curriculum and allow students to
create their own quizlets by taking vocabulary words and using their own words to define them
and create images to go with them in order to deepen their own connections with the words. I
believe that students would feel more ownership over their study and would benefit from interact
with the words made from their own quizlets and those of their classmates.

Vocabulary Words from Visitors from Space

Use for Quizlet - Learn and Space Race

force
particles
nucleus
loops
fluorescent
Vocabulary Words from Visitors from Space
Use for Quizlet - Learn and Space Race

force
particles
nucleus
loops
fluorescent

Check off Sheet - How many times did I practice quizlet vocabulary Visitors from Space?
Student
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5