ACTION RESEARCH

Initial Meeting with Teacher

Students Chosen
Student A This student was chosen by myself and Dr. Underbakke to be a part of the
action research group because of her reading issues related to her slow reading rate, lack of
expression, low volume while reading aloud, and inability to comprehend the text. Dr.
Underbakke explained to me that because of these problems she often has a hard time
comprehending the information in longer books, especially chapter books. Despite of these
problems this student does not receive any extra kind of assistance therefore Dr. Underbakke felt
like this student would benefit from intervention and would improve in fluency and
comprehension.
Student S This student was chosen because of her tendency to skip over words and read words
inaccurately, her excessively fast reading rate, and her difficulty comprehending text when the
student reads aloud. When reading aloud the student reads very fast and because of this often
skips words or reads the words incorrectly. After reading aloud the student is unable to verbally
explain what they read or comprehend what the text is about. This student is fluent in english,
however her first language is Spanish and that is the language that is spoken at home. Dr.
Underbakke felt that this student would benefit greatly from being apart of this action research
group. Dr. Underbakke felt that with more practice and guidance the student could improve her
prosody and expression and as a result improve her comprehension.
Student T This student was chosen by Dr. Underbakke to be apart of the action research group
because of the her lack of expression. Overall this student is a very fluent and accurate reader,

ACTION RESEARCH
but when reading aloud she lacks the ability to read with expression. Dr. Undertake feels that this
lack of expression affects the students ability to comprehend what she reads. Dr. Underbakke
believes that with more one-on-one intervention, this students expression and comprehension
should improve.

The Question:
After Dr. Underbakke determined which students should participate in my action research
group we concluded a common problem amongst these 3 students. Each of the students has an
issue with expression and comprehension. Dr. Underbakke explained to me that expression and
comprehension are directly connected. When a student is unable to read with expression they
often miss the meaning of the text therefore have problems with comprehension. We developed
this question to be the focus of the action research project: How can these students expression
and fluency skills be improved in order to better their comprehension skills? Dr. Underbakke
explained to me when students struggle whit fluency and expression they fail to comprehend the
information being communicated within the text. When students are able to read with proper
expression they are able to differentiate between characters, understand a characters feelings, and
understand the overall tone of the text. Dr. Undertake shared with me that the students are all at
reading level K and suggested that I work through a chapter book with the students creating a
book club of sorts. By working on expression and comprehension with a chapter book the
students should progress towards becoming expressive and fluent readers who are able to focus
on comprehending the text.

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Initial Assessment Analysis and Reflection

Administered October 14, 2015
Student A: After administering the student the student the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey
(ERAS), had her read a passage aloud, evaluated her on a fluency/expression rubric, had her
participate in a comprehension discussion, and administered the fluency self-evaluation I began
to realize that this students issue may be related to her lack of confidence with reading and lack
of practice. According to the ERAS, the student indicated that she enjoys recreational reading,
however she did not enjoy reading for academics especially reading aloud. She scored an overall
raw score of 52 on the ERAS. But what stood out to me was that this student scored a 36 on the
recreational reading section, but a 16 on her academic reading. This was a major difference. With
a prior knowledge of her struggles this was my first clue that this student may be insecure in her
reading abilities. Then as I evaluated the student on the fluency/expression rubric as she read a
passage from Charlottes Web aloud I heard first-hand how timid she was to read. She read at a
very slow rate and with no expression in her voice. She read so quietly I could barely hear her.
This kind of behavior was another explanation that this student was very insecure about her
reading ability. The student received a score of 5/16 on the fluency/expression rubric I
constructed for the purposed of this project. As I had the students participate in the discussion
about what they read this student did not actively participate and when I asked her questions
specifically about what she read she did not give me a correct or detailed answer. Of the 5
questions I asked her regarding the passage she answered 1 correctly. I then gave each of the
students a fluency self-assessment. The student rated herself relatively average on the scale and

ACTION RESEARCH
when asked what she felt like she needed to improve on most she answered expression and
paying attention to puncuation. I think that working with this student on expression will give her
the confidence to believe that she is a capable reader. She overall reads very accurately, I think
improving her expression may make her feel more comfortable reading aloud and make her feel
like a better reader overall.
Student S: After administering the student the student the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey
(ERAS), had her read a passage aloud, evaluated her on a fluency/expression rubric, had her
participate in a comprehension discussion, and administered the fluency self-evaluation I began
to realize that this students issue may be a combination of her rate and her expression. The
student indicated on her ERAS that she has an overall positive attitude towards reading. The
student indicated a score of 60 on the ERAS. When I had her read the selected passage aloud I
heard her problem. The student read very fast, almost urgent sounding, with little to no
expression. The student skipped over words, read words wrong, and skipped lines all together.
The student received a 5/16 on the fluency/expression rubric I designed. When I assed the
students ability to comprehend through a discussion evaluation the student did not hesitate to
speak up however I had to correct many incorrect answers she gave. Of the 5 questions I asked
her she answered 2 correctly. On the fluency self-evaluation she gave herself a lot of middle
smiley faces. I think that the student does not understand the fast reading does not always mean
good reading. I look forward to helping this student slow down and add expression to her reading
to in turn help her with her comprehension.
Student T: After administering the student the student the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey
(ERAS), had her read a passage aloud, evaluated her on a fluency/expression rubric, had her

ACTION RESEARCH
participate in a comprehension discussion, and administered the fluency self-evaluation I began
to realize that this student is a very good reader she just lacks the ability to read with expression.
The student has a very good attitude towards reading according to her ERAS score. The student
scored a 68 on the ERAS. When the student read a different Charlottes Web passage for me she
was very eager to read aloud. She also attempted to correct the other students as they were
reading aloud. The student received a 9 on the fluency/expression rubric. She answered meaning
of the general questions about the passage I asked correctly, but the deeper questions about
meaning and feelings of characters she missed. Of the 5 questions I asked the student she
answered 3 correctly. When the student completed the fluency self-evaluation she gave herself
mostly middle scores and expressed that she would like to improve her expression. I think that
this student would really benefit greatly from improving her expression and possibly push her
into the green reading group with this intervention.

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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH

Action Research Project Literature Review: Expression and Comprehension

Alyson McDonald
Samford University

ACTION RESEARCH

Abstract
The purpose of this literature review is to describe strategies that have shown effective in
improving expression and reading comprehension. Research has proven fluency as a bridge
between decoding and reading comprehension. Expression is one aspect of fluency that affects
reading comprehension. Research has tested and presented many strategies that assist in aiding
the improvement of expression and reading comprehension. By bettering expression reading
comprehension can also be improved and vise versa.

ACTION RESEARCH
Expression can be improved to better reading comprehension. When students struggle
with expression they often struggle with the meaning of a text. When a student struggles with
the meaning of a text they struggle with their comprehension of the text. It can also be reversed
when a student betters comprehension they are able to better their expression while reading.
Research has developed many strategies than can facilitate the improvement of expression and
reading comprehension. These strategies can be integrated in small group settings, large group
settings, and students can do these individually. Researchers have taken what they have found
through studies and observations and developed strategies that assist in improving expression
and reading.
Students benefit from teacher-directed instruction in comprehension strategies. Most
struggling readers (and many not so struggling readers) benefit enormously when we can
construct strategy lessons that help to make the comprehension process
visible. (Allington 2001, 98)
These strategies have been made available for teachers to use and integrate into their classroom
in hopes to assist their students improve their expression and reading comprehension.
Research over the past 20 years has shown that childrens reading comprehension
improves consistently when teachers follow the following steps: explicitly describe the strategy,
model the strategy in action, involve children in collaborative use of the strategy, lead guided
practice using the strategy (Duke & Pearson, 2002). Although there are hundreds of strategies
available, it is important for teachers to focus on one strategy at a time. When looking at
research it is important to try one strategy at a time, if that strategy works continue using that
strategy. If the strategy does not work the teacher should move on and focus on another one of

ACTION RESEARCH
the hundreds of strategies available, only after the teacher has provided students many
opportunities to develop that strategy through repeated application.
One specific strategy to improve reading comprehension and expression are thinkalouds. Think-alouds are said to be the most effective method for teaching reading
comprehension. Reading comprehension all occurs in a students head, and is a result of their
thought process. Think-alouds guide a students mental thought process. Think-alouds remove
any confusion students have about how they comprehend, they make thinking public. The
strategy can be carried out by allowing students to spontaneously respond asking questions and
making comments aloud during the reading or it can be lead by the teacher asking questions to
the students and making comments that help the students better understand what is going on.
The thought process can then be guided and prompted through the students and teachers
comments and questions about the text. Expression can be improved through think-alouds by the
teacher verbally explaining and questioning the students about how the characters in the story are
feeling (Duke & Pearson, 2002). This strategy models to students how to comprehend and
understand the expression of the text. The students can eventually replicate the process of
questioning and commentating in their own minds allowing them to better understand the text
and the expression of the text.
Readers theatre is another strategy that has been proven effective in improving
expression and reading comprehension. Readers theatre is defined as a student performance of
literary work in which the the text is read expressively, but not fully staged or acted out (Reutzel
& Cooter, 2011). During readers theatre, the students in a class will read from a script they have
practiced. The teacher will explain to the students that unlike a real play they wont memorize

ACTION RESEARCH
their lines or use any kind of props so it is the students job to make the story come alive with
their expression. While practicing lines students also partake in another strategy known as
repeated reading. Repeated reading has been proven to improve both fluency and comprehension
(Vasinda & McLeod, 2011). During readers theatre students must first decode the meaning of
the script. During this time the students must analyze the story, the characters, and the expression
to decide how a line should be read. Giving a students lines and a part make them take ownership
of the text and take time to really understand the meaning (Martinez & Strecker, 1998). Readers
theatre really stresses the importance of expression to students. When performing the students
exaggerate the expression when they are reading their lines. When the students hear this they are
able to replicate it into their reading (Visser, 2013).
Literature has found that a strategy known as echo-reading has been shown to be
effective when working a students expression and reading comprehension. In echo reading, the
teacher leading the lesson reads a short segment of the text, and the students then echo back the
same sentence or phrase while visually following along in the text (Rasinski, 2003). When a
teacher echo reads with students they are providing a model for fluent and expressive reading.
The students will take note of the expression and replicate it into their echo. Eventually students
will be able to replicate the expression they pick up in echo readings within their own reading.
Modeling fluent/non-fluent reading is another strategy that can be used within the echo reading
strategy and will serve a similar purpose. When modeling fluent/non-fluent a teacher reads a
passage without expression and then reads the passage with expression and fluency. The teacher
can then open it up for the students to decide which sounds better. This allows students to
acknowledge the difference between reading with expression and not reading with expression.

ACTION RESEARCH
These strategies found in literature can be integrated into lessons and intervention
instruction to better the students expression and comprehension and in turn make the students
better readers and better students. However it is important that the teacher assesses the individual
needs of the students when looking at strategies to use.

ACTION RESEARCH
Works Cited
Allington, Richard L. The Schools We Have, the Schools We Need. The Reading Teacher. Vol. 48
No.1, IRA,1994:14-29.

Duke & Pearson (2002). Reading Comprehension: Strategies That Work. What Research Has
to Say About Reading Instruction (3rd ed., pp. 205-242). Newark, DE: International
Reading Association, Inc.
Martinez, M., Roser, N. L., & Strecker, S. (1998). "I never thought I could be a star": A Readers
Theater ticket to fluency. The Reading Teacher, 52, 326-334.
Rasinski, T. V. (2003). The fluent reader: Oral reading strategies for building word recognition,
fluency, and comprehension. New York: Scholastic.
Reutzel, R.D., & Cooter, R.B. (2011). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction: Helping
every child succeed (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Visser, Tara. The Effect of Readers Theatre on the Reading Comprehension, Fluency, and
Motivation of the Elementary English Language Learning Student. Northern Michigan
University, 2013.

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Timeline of Implementation
Pre-Session
Initial meeting with Dr. Underbakke
Choose students to work with
Determine the essential question
Discuss the overall needs of the students chosen
Identify the action research question

Session 1
Initial Assessments:
Elementary Reading Attitude Survey
Student read from Charlottes Web
Fluency/Expression Rubric
Comprehension Assessment
Student Fluency Self-Evaluation
Book
Selection:

Students will select one of the chapter books in their reading level presented

Session 2
Read chapter 1 of Andy Shane and the Queen of Egypt
-Teacher will model fluent/non-fluent reading specifically expression (pg. 1-12)
-Each of the 3 students read 2 pages of book to finish the chapter (pg. 13-18)
Assessment
-As students are reading aloud teacher will score individual students using the Fluency
/ Expression Rubric.
- Students will then complete the comprehension assessment
- Student will complete progress monitoring chart

Session 3
Read Chapter 2 of Andy Shane and the Queen of Egypt
- Students and teacher will do a echo-read (pg. 19-21)
-Each of the 3 students read 2 pages of book to finish the chapter (22-27)
Assessment
- As students are reading aloud teacher will score individual students using the Fluency/
/ Expression Rubric.
- Students will be given comprehension assessment
- Student will complete progress monitoring chart

ACTION RESEARCH
Session 4
Read chapter 3 of Andy Shane and the Queen of Egypt
- Students will perform a modified readers theatre.
- Each of the three girls is a character (teacher, Andy, Dolores) and the teacher is the
narrator students will act out what is being done in the book as well as read what their
character says. (pg. 28-33)
-Each Student will read 2 pages of the book to finish the chapter (pg.33-42)
Assessment
- As students are reading aloud teacher will score individual students using the Fluency/
/ Expression Rubric.
- Students will complete comprehension assessment
- Student will complete progress monitoring chart

Session 5
Final assessments
- Fluency/Expression Rubric
-Comprehension questions
-Progress monitoring chart
Read chapter 4 of Andy Shane and the Queen of Egypt
- Each student will read 5 pages of the book to finish the chapter
-As students are reading aloud teacher will score individual students using the
Fluency/ Expression Rubric.
- Students will verbally answer comprehension questions related to the chapter.
Teacher will document responses.
- Student will complete progress monitoring chart

ACTION RESEARCH
Date/Time
Spent

Strategy
Description

Anecdotal
Observation

Assessment
Data

Plan for Next

Session

Reflect/
Respond

Initial
Assessment
10/14
30 min.

Initial
assessmentsAdministered
students
ERAS,
Fluency
Expression
Rubric,
comprehension
assessment, a
fluency self
assessment,
and progress
monitoring
chart.

Students were
apprehensive
to begin. They
were confused
why they were
chosen and
what were
going to do.

Student AERAS-52
Expression
Rubric- 5/16
Comprehensio
n-0/6
Student SERAS- 60
Expression
Rubric- 5/16
Comprehensio
n-1/6
Student TERAS-68
Expression9/16
Comprehensio
n- 3/6

Read chapter 1
of selected
book. Model
Fluent/ Nonfluent reading
for the
students.
Assess students
on expression
rubric and
comprehension
assessment.

Students
clearly need to
improve their
expression and
comprehension
skills. I think
that the
students have
the potential to
improve. They
seem excited
about starting
the chapter
book.

Session 1
10/16
30 min.

Model Fluent/
Non-FluentTeacher will
model fluent/
non-fluent
reading
specifically
with
expression (pg.
1-12)

Students came
in very excited
to start reading
the book we
selected. The
girls were
eager to
participate.

Student AExpression
Rubric- 6/16
Comprehensio
n- 2/6
Student SExpression
Rubric-5/16
Comprehensio
n- 1.5/6
Student TExpression
Rubric 10/16
Comprehensio
n- 4/6

Read Chapter
2. Try doing a
echo-read and
a choral read
with the
students.
Assess students
on expression
rubric and
comprehension
assessment.

Students loved
reading the
book. I look
forward to
working with
the students
more, I already
see
improvement
and I see
potential for
more
improvement.
This strategy
was very
effective

ACTION RESEARCH
Session 2
10/22
30 min.

Echo-read/
choral read
teacher leading
the lesson
reads a short
segment of the
text, and the
students then
echo back the
same sentence
or phrase while
visually
following
along in the
text. Choral
read student
and teacher all
read together.

Students had
been begging
me to pull
them out to
read. They
came in very
excited and a
little too
energetic. I had
to calm them
down before
we started.

Student AExpression
Rubric- 5/16
Comprehensio
n- 2/6
Student SExpression
Rubric- 8/16
Comprehensio
n- 3.5/6
Student TExpression
Rubric- 10/16
Comprehensio
n- 4/6

Read chapter 3.
Do a readers
theatre with the
students.
Assess students
on expression
rubric and
comprehension
questions.

The students
really got into
this! I think
they are
understanding
more what
expression is
and how to
integrate it into
their reading. I
think this ass

Session 3
11/17
30 min.

Readers
theatrestudents will
be assigned
parts and
perform a
readers theatre
of chapter 3
from the book.

Students were
excited to be
back with the
group. They
were eager to
keep reading
and came in
calm and ready
to be engaged.

Student AExpression
Rubric- 7/16
Comprehensio
n- 3.5/6
Student SExpression
Rubric- 10/16
Comprehensio
n- 4/6
Student TExpression
Rubric- 12/16
Comprehensio
n- 5/6

Read chapter 4.
Give students
final
assessment on
expression
rubric and
comprehension
questions. Give
student EARS
assessment
again.

The students
really got into
this! I think
they are
understanding
more what
expression is
and how to
integrate it into
their reading.

Final
Assessment
12/1
30 min.

Final
assessmentsAssessed
students on
fluency/
expression
rubric,
comprehension
assessment,
ERAS, and
progress
monitoring
chart

Students were
excited to read
the last chapter
of the book
The students
came in ready
to work

Student AExpression
Rubric- 9/16
Comprehensio
n- 4.5/6
ERAS-56
Student SExpression
Rubric- 11/16
Comprehensio
n- 5/6
ERAS- 62
Student TExpression
Rubric- 14/16
Comprehensio
n- 6/6
ERAS- 72

N/A

WOW! All 3 of
the students
made
incredible
progress. They
each improved
their
expression
remarkably.

ACTION RESEARCH

Fluency/Expression Rubric Scores

16

Initial Assessment
Final Assessment

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

13

10

Student A

Student S

Student T

Comprehension Assessment Scores

6

Inital Assessment
Session 3

Session 1
Final Assessment

Session 2

4.5

1.5

Student A

Student S

Student T

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ERAS SCORES
80

Inital Assessment

Final Assessment

60

40

20

Student A

Student S

Student T

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Student Progress Monitoring Charts

Student As Progress
Monitoring Chart

Student Ss Progress
Monitoring Chart

ACTION RESEARCH
Student Ts Progress
Monitoring Chart

ACTION RESEARCH

Final Assessment Analysis and Reflection

Administered 12/1:
Student A: After I re-administered the student the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS),
had her read 5 pages from the final chapter of the book, evaluated her on a fluency/expression
rubric, had her complete the comprehension assessment, and had her complete her progress
monitoring chart I saw just how far this student had come in the short time I spent working with
her. The student indicated a 56 on her ERAS, a 3 point increase from her initial assessment. I
think that the student enjoyed helping pick out the chapter book we read and was engaged in the
story. When I had the student read aloud 5 pages from the final chapter of our chapter book I
could hear the difference. The student sounded much more confident as she read with expression.
The students volume was still low and her pace was still slower than it needed to be, but the
student has made major improvements. I think with more practice the student will continue to
become more confident and become a more fluent reader. The student scored a 9 out of 16 on the
fluency/expression rubric which was a 4 point increase. When the student was given the
comprehension assessment the student scored a 4.5 out of 6. This was a 2.5 point increase from
her initial assessment. On her progress monitoring chart when asked how she felt she did she
gave herself a 6. For the initial assessment student A gave herself a 1. This stood out to me the
most out of all the data for the student. The fact that the student now sees herself as a better
reader makes me feel like this project was a success. As the student becomes more confident I
believe she will continue to become a better, more fluent, and comprehensive reader.
Student S: After I re-administered the student the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS),

ACTION RESEARCH
had her read 5 pages from the final chapter of the book, evaluated her on a fluency/expression
rubric, had her complete the comprehension assessment, and had her complete her progress
monitoring chart I saw that this student has made progress while apart of this action research
group. The students attitude was positively impacted through reading her ERAS score went from
a 60 to a 62. I then had Student S read 5 pages from the last chapter of our book. The student
really added expression to her reading. By adding expression the student also slowed down and
read more accurately. The student went from a 5/16 to a 11/16 on the fluency and expression
rubric. The students comprehension also improved. The student went from a 2/6 to a 5/6. I could
see that once the student slowed down, added expression, an read with accuracy her
comprehension was improved immensely. When the student evaluated herself on her progress
monitoring chart she gave herself an 8 when she originally gave herself a 3. When we looked at
her completed chart the student said Wow! Look how much better I am now! Can we start
another book? This was the most rewarding part of this project for me. The student saw her
improvement and was encouraged to continue working towards become a better reader.

Student T: After I re-administered the student the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS),
had her read 5 pages from the final chapter of the book, evaluated her on a fluency/expression
rubric, had her complete the comprehension assessment, and had her complete her progress
monitoring chart I saw the impact that just working with expression had on this students overall
fluency and comprehension. This student originally indicated a 68 on her ERAS, but when I
reassessed her after the project she indicated a 72. I think the student is even more confident in
her abilities and this had made her enjoy reading even more than she did before hand. After

ACTION RESEARCH
reading her assigned 5 pages in the chapter book the student revived a 14/16 on the fluency/
expression rubric. This was a 5 point improvement form her initial assessment. I could hear that
when the student added expression to her reading she sounded like an advanced fluent reader.
The students comprehension assessment score also improved. The student went from a 3/6 to a
perfect score 6/6. It was amazing to see the impact working on expression had on the students
fluency and comprehension scores. All it took was a little one-on-one intervention and I could
clearly hear the difference in the students performance. The student gave herself a 9 on the
progress monitoring chart, 5 more than her original 4.

ACTION RESEARCH

Final Reflection
It was so rewarding to see the 3 girls in my group improve so much after 5 sessions of
intervention. These 3 sweet and intelligent girls improved their expression and comprehension
skills immensely over the 5 sessions. The strategies I found and implemented through research
made a positive impact on the students fluency/expression scores and as predicted by the
research their comprehension scores improved as well. It was so encouraging that each week I
met with the students I saw some kind of positive improvement. I am also excited that, according
to the ERAS, after reading through this chapter book and working with the students each of the
girls attitudes towards reading improved.
By integrating the expression strategies while reading through the chapter book the
students were able to make minor changes that made major differences in their [Link]
project made it very clear to me the relationship between expression and comprehension. As the
students in my group improved their expression they were able to understand the meaning of the
text better and perform better on the comprehension assessments. The strategies implemented
and the data collected allowed me to come to the conclusion of the relationship between
expression, comprehension, and attitude towards reading. As I worked with the 3 students using
strategies to improve their expression it became very clear to me that the students expression was
directly affected their comprehension. As the girls improved their expression and comprehension
their attitude towards reading improved as well.
I also was reminded the importance of collecting and interpreting data. By assessing the
students each time I met with them I was able to see their progress and see if they were

ACTION RESEARCH
improving. I was also encouraged each week to see the students progressing. Had I not received
positive data I would be able to make changes in what was being done to improve the students
performance. The data being collected was very crucial in assessing if the students were making
progress, or if I had to make changes to what I was doing with the students.
Overall, as a future teacher this project highlighted the importance and value of this
process. All it took was 5 sessions to improve each of these students reading skills. All that was
done was identifying the problem, formulating a question, researching the topic, implementing
strategies, and collecting data. It was encouraging to see that a process like this made a positive
impact on each of these students educations.