The topic the researcher selected to discuss and analyze is the struggle that 6th grade students encounter with reading and gleaning important parts of text in their 6th grade curriculum. This topic is important because the researcher has observed and documented (by the teacher in class) the difficulties 6th grade science students face in terms of comprehending the curriculum in class. As such the researcher has proposed a solution of utilizing a KWL chart to better organize gathered information.

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Instructional Reading Strategies – Utilizing KWL Chart with 6th
Grade Science Students
Neil Dembeck
A Capstone Presented to the Teachers College Faculty of
Western Governors University
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Science in Curriculum & Instruction
January 19, 2017

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Abstract
The topic the researcher selected to discuss and analyze is the struggle that 6th
grade students
encounter with reading and gleaning important parts of text in their 6th
grade curriculum. This
topic is important because the researcher has observed and documented (by the teacher in class)
the difficulties 6th
grade science students face in terms of comprehending the curriculum in class.
As such the researcher has proposed a solution of utilizing a KWL chart to better organize
gathered information. The research question is “How does using the KWL chart affect middle
school students’ learning during a salamander instructional unit as measured by pre- and
post-tests?” The participants are the students in the researcher’s period 1 class. The method used
is the administration of a duplicate pre- and post-test on the topic of salamanders. The results are
still to be determined. Descriptive statistics that analyze the mean, median, range, and mode will
provide data analysis all of which will be used to draw conclusions.

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Topic and Problem...........................................................................................5
Topic....................................................................................................................................5
Problem Statement...............................................................................................................5
Research Questions..............................................................................................................5
Topic and Problem Conclusion............................................................................................5
Chapter 2 – Review of the Literature...................................................................................7
Overview of the Literature...................................................................................................7
Thematic Subheading...........................................................................................................7
Thematic Subheading...........................................................................................................7
Thematic Subheading...........................................................................................................7
Summary..............................................................................................................................7
Chapter 3 – Research Methodology.....................................................................................8
Research Design...................................................................................................................8
Research Questions..............................................................................................................8
Participants...........................................................................................................................8
Data Collection Instruments and Methods...........................................................................8
Data Security and Confidentiality........................................................................................9
Summary..............................................................................................................................9
Chapter 4 – Results............................................................................................................10
Results Overview...............................................................................................................10
Data Analysis.....................................................................................................................10
Answers to Research Questions.........................................................................................10
Chapter 5 – Discussion and Conclusion............................................................................11
Overview............................................................................................................................11
Problem Solutions..............................................................................................................11
Strengths and Weaknesses.................................................................................................11
Influential Factors..............................................................................................................11
Further Investigation..........................................................................................................11

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References..........................................................................................................................12
Appendix A........................................................................................................................14
Appendix B........................................................................................................................15
Appendix C........................................................................................................................16
Appendix D........................................................................................................................17

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Chapter 1 – Reading Comprehension Without Use of a KWL Chart
Topic
The topic the researcher selected to discuss and analyze is the struggle that 6th
grade
students encounter with reading and gleaning important parts of text in their 6th
grade
curriculum. This topic is important because the researcher has observed and documented (by the
teacher in class) the difficulties 6th
grade science students face in terms of comprehending the
curriculum in class. As such the researcher has proposed a solution of utilizing a KWL chart to
better organize gathered information.
The researcher believes this research project can aid in his colleagues adoption of a more
intellectually well-rounded approach to teaching all students, particularly those who have even
more significant comprehension struggles, how to better read, glean, and organize thoughts on
written curriculum material. Moreover, the unpacking of this topic during this project will
hopefully reveal why these struggles exist and who and / or what can and should receive the
brunt of the burden of responsibility.
Problem Statement
The instructional problem impacting the learning environment in the researcher’s 6th
grade science class is the struggle that students face with reading and gleaning important parts of
the text in their written science curriculum.
Problem Background and Causes
The researcher believes this is an important topic in the world of education as it is
something that has been under scrutiny for quite some time. To unpack this phenomenon the
researcher would like to clarify that it makes a difference whether “accuracy measures” or “rate
measures” are used when assessing reading comprehension. Findings from a study conducted by

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Ronberg and Petersen (2016) on 10-year-old children (a mere year younger than the 11-year-old
students the researcher teaches) indicate that “when the outcome is reading comprehension
accuracy (i.e., the number of correct responses), word reading skills (measured as access to
orthographic representations) account for a modest amount of the variance in the reading
comprehension” (p. 45). Ronberg and Petersen go on to show that “this changes when reading
comprehension is conceptualized as rate (i.e., number of correct responses per minute); when this
is done, the correlation with word reading increases.” Additional research from the Journal of
Research in Childhood Education shows that the primary difference between strong and weak
readers is their phonemic awareness skills (2016). Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear,
identify, and manipulate individual sounds-phonemes--in spoken words. ... They must
understand that words are made up of speech sounds, or phonemes, which is the smallest parts of
sound in a spoken word that make a difference in a word's meaning (Edwards & Taub, 2016).
With underdeveloped phonemic awareness combined with unfamiliarity with new content there
comes a void in reading comprehension, as such is the case in the researcher’s 6th
grade science
class. The overarching objective for students is to, by the end of the unit, be able to describe the
relationship between a salamander’s physical characteristics and its behavioral characteristics, its
diet, its defense mechanisms, and why it is placed where it is in the animal kingdom.
Research Questions
How does using the KWL chart affect middle school students’ learning during a
salamander instructional unit as measured by pre- and post-tests?
Topic and Problem Conclusion
A project like this is needed because without means of organizing large sums of new and
complex information, children’s ability to retain information, on the whole, is limited.

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Organizing new information on a new topic becomes more feasible when information can be
organized in a way that a KWL chart provides.

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Chapter 2 - Review of the Literature
Overview of the Literature
The available literature on this topic centers around how reading comprehension is
measured and the influence of phonemic awareness on learning.
Thematic Subheading [Insert theme found in the literature. Number of themes will vary.]
Use topic-specific subheadings. Subheadings should reflect themes and categories
specific to the topic. Provide context for the study by exploring the research previously
conducted in the topic area. Include discussion of current best practices that are acknowledged
by researchers and professional educators. Support with citations.
Thematic Subheading [Insert theme found in the literature. Number of themes will vary.]
Use topic-specific subheadings. Subheadings should reflect themes and categories
specific to the topic. Provide context for the study by exploring the research previously
conducted in the topic area. Include discussion of current best practices that are acknowledged
by researchers and professional educators. Support with citations.
Thematic Subheading [Insert theme found in the literature. Number of themes will vary.]
Use topic-specific subheadings. Subheadings should reflect themes and categories
specific to the topic. Provide context for the study by exploring the research previously
conducted in the topic area. Include discussion of current best practices that are acknowledged
by researchers and professional educators. Support with citations.
Summary
Provide a conclusion that explains how the literature applies to the problem being
investigated.

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Chapter 3 - Research Methodology
Research Design
The research project is designed in the following manner: a pre-test (given the day before
the implementation of the KWL chart) will be given consisting of 20 multiple choice questions
on the selected topic as well as a follow-up post-test consisting of the exact same questions. The
comparison between the results of the pre-test vs. the post-test will be the project’s data and an
indication of the effectiveness of the KWL chart on information comprehension / retention.
On day 1 of the unit students will take a pre-test on their knowledge of the topic and also
learn the physical characteristics of a salamander by viewing a PowerPoint presentation led by
the teacher. On days 2 and 3 students will watch a video that goes into great detail on
salamanders, including their physical characteristics and their defense mechanism(s). Day 4 will
be spent in a lab designed to teach students about the topics mentioned in the previous days plus
their diet. Day 5 will be a continuation of day 4. Day 6 will be spent doing bookwork learning
more about their physical traits. Days 7 and 8 will be spent watching a video and observing a real
– life salamander in class. Day 9 will wrap up the unit with the post – test.
This study adheres to the action research model, in particular the participatory action
research model, because it solves an immediate problem (in the researcher’s classroom) and is a
reflective process of progressive problem solving.
Research Question
How does using the KWL chart affect middle school students’ learning during a
salamander instructional unit as measured by pre- and post-tests?

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Participants
This research study is to be conducted using students from the researcher’s period 1 class.
There are 26 students in the researcher’s period 1 class, 3 of whom identify as black, 3 of whom
identify as Hispanic, 4 of whom identify as Asian, and 16 of whom identify as white.
Furthermore, 13 students are female and 13 students are male. A total of 4 students receive IEP’s
and/or 504’s. The researcher has had ample time to formulate an idea of each individual’s
learning style and motivational tendencies. There were four students whom the researcher was
still somewhat unsure about regarding motivational tendencies and for each of those four
students phone calls were successfully made home to consult parents on motivational tendencies.
The length of this research study will be 9 class periods (approximately 9 hours).
Data Collection Instruments and Methods
A pre-test (given the day before the implementation of the KWL chart) consisting of 20
multiple choice questions on the selected topic as well as a follow-up post-test consisting of the
exact same questions. The comparison between the results of the pre-test vs. the post-test will be
the project’s data and an indication of the effectiveness of the KWL chart on information
comprehension / retention.
On day 1 of the unit students will take a pre-test on their knowledge of the topic and also
learn the physical characteristics of a salamander by viewing a PowerPoint presentation led by
the teacher. On days 2 and 3 students will watch a video that goes into great detail on
salamanders, including their physical characteristics and their defense mechanism(s). Day 4 will
be spent in a lab designed to teach students about the topics mentioned in the previous days plus
their diet. Day 5 will be a continuation of day 4. Day 6 will be spent doing bookwork learning

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more about their physical traits. Days 7 and 8 will be spent watching a video and observing a real
– life salamander in class. Day 9 will wrap up the unit with the post – test.
Data Security and Confidentiality
Data will be collected in paper form and immediately entered into a computer and saved
on a flash drive. Consent forms will be kept in a locked safe in my office.
Summary

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Chapter 4 - Results
Results Overview
Pre-Test Results (out of 20)
Mean: 9.2
Median: 8.8
Mode: 7
Range: (4, 15)
Post-Test Results (out of 20)
Mean: 14.1
Median: 16.2
Mode: 13
Range: (5, 19)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Pre-Test
Post-Test
Mean Median Mode

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Data Analysis
The researcher met his goal of improving by at least ten percentage points in the areas of
mean, median, and mode.
Answers to the Research Questions
The answer to question 1 is C. The skin is NOT full of scales and is, in fact, smooth and slimy in
nature. The answer to question 2 is C. The salamander relies on its olfactory system for territorial
maintenance and predator recognition. The answer to question 3 is E. Salamanders use skin,
gills, lungs, mouth and throat membranes in their respiration. The answer to question 4 is A,
True. Salamanders have a vast appetite. The answer to question 5 is “the mucus on the skin of
salamanders aids in its ability to avoid predators because its mucus coating on damp skin makes
them difficult to grasp, and the slimy coating may have an offensive taste or be toxic.” The
answer to question 6 is A, True. Salamanders use cryptic colors for camouflage. The answer to
question 7 is A. The Japanese giant salamander is the largest salamander in the world. The
answer to question 8 is salamanders are vertebrates and amphibians because of their backbone
and their metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. The
answer to question 9 is B, False. Salamanders are not found in Australia. The answer to question
10 is B, False. Salamanders do not all have the same respiration systems.

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Chapter 5 - Discussion and Conclusion
Overview
Provide an overview of the conclusions reached.
Problem Solutions
Explain how your research problem could be solved based on the results of your study.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of the project (e.g., research methodology,
data tools).
Influential Factors
Discuss any factors that may have skewed the findings (e.g., prior relationship with
participants, wording of a questionnaire).
Further Investigation
Recommend areas for further investigation raised by your research and relevant to your
topic.

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References
Ronberg, L. F., & Petersen, D. K. (2016). It matters whether reading comprehension is
conceptualized as rate or accuracy. Journal of Research in Reading, 39 (2), 209-228.
Edwards, O. W., & Taub, G. E. (2016). The Influence of Specific Phonemic Awareness
Processes on the Reading Comprehension of African American Students. Journal of
Research in Childhood Education, 30 (1), 74-84.

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Appendix A
On day 1 of the unit students will take a pre-test on their knowledge of the topic and also
learn the physical characteristics of a salamander by viewing a PowerPoint presentation led by
the teacher. On days 2 and 3 students will watch a video that goes into great detail on
salamanders, including their physical characteristics and their defense mechanism(s). Day 4 will
be spent in a lab designed to teach students about the topics mentioned in the previous days plus
their diet. Day 5 will be a continuation of day 4. Day 6 will be spent doing bookwork learning
more about their physical traits. Days 7 and 8 will be spent watching a video and observing a real
– life salamander in class. Day 9 will wrap up the unit with the post – test.

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Appendix B
Salamander Pre / Post – Test (Instrument)
1. Which of the following is not a physical characteristic of a salamander?
a. Vertebrae
b. Can regenerate lost limbs
c. Skin is scales
d. Tetrapod body form
2. Which of the five senses is used primarily in territory maintenance and recognition of
predators?
a. Sight
b. Sound
c. Smell
d. Hearing
e. Touch
3. By which means do salamanders utilize respiration (breathe)?
a. Gills
b. Skin
c. Lungs
d. Mouth and throat membranes
e. All of the above

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4. True or False – salamanders have a large diet and will eat nearly anything of reasonable
size.
a. True
b. False
5. Explain why its mucus (slimy) skin aids in its ability to defend against predators.
6. True or False – many salamanders use cryptic colors as to be camouflage
a. True
b. False
7. Which salamander species is the largest in the world?
a. Japanese giant salamander
b. King Kong salamander
c. Asian salamander
d. Chinese salamander
8. What placement does it have in the animal kingdom and why?
9. True or False – salamanders are commonly found in Australia
10. True or False – all salamander species have the same respiration systems.

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Appendix C
Informed Consent
Student (K–12) Classroom Research
Western Governors University - Teachers College
[Master’s of Science on Curriculum & Instruction]
[Neil Dembeck]
Instructional Reading Strategies – Utilizing KWL Chart with 6th
Grade Science Students
Introduction
Neil Dembeck is a science teacher at Deerlake Middle School as well as a graduate-student
researcher at Western Governors University. Mr. Dembeck to conduct a research study for the
purpose of determining the effectiveness of using a KWL chart in 6th
science to measure student
retention of new information. Approval of the Deerlake Middle School principal to conduct this
study was obtained prior to this announcement. By signing this consent form, parents or legal
guardians agree to allow their child to participate in the study. Any data collected will be
reported as part of a group; individual student names will not be used.
Description of the Project
This study will focus on utilizing a KWL chart in 6th
grade science and evaluating its
effectiveness on student learning. For most students, the content of salamanders (within the unit
of “Living Things”) will be new and as such, much of the taught information will be new.
Instead of using traditional teaching methods to learn about salamanders and measure growth,
students will, with the leadership of Mr. Dmebeck, compelte and ongoing KWL chart on the
topic of salamanders. A pre/posttest method will be used to compare understanding of what
salamaders are and how they live and thrive with results obtained on the first day of the research
project as well as the last day of the research project. The research will be conducted in the
researcher’s first period 6th
grade class during the 50 minute class period. The study will run for
a two-week period (approximately 9 class hours).
Benefits and Risks of the Study
Some students may feel anxious about taking a test that they know is a part of graduate school
research. Students may experience normal test anxiety when completing the pre/posttest and
survey. However, all anticipated risks to participation in this study are minimal and not likely to
be much greater than those which are normally encountered in normal daily classroom activity.
The researcher will seek to minimize the anxiety risks by providing detailed information on
taking tests. Students will also be informed that their participation or nonparticipation in the
activity will not influence their grade in any way.
Possible participant benefits may include learning more about salamanders and other living
things. Students will be informed that the study activities are intended to help them better

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understand salamanders and their place in the animal kingdom, enabling them to become more
proficient in future science units. The study may help the researcher and other educators acquire
additional teaching techniques to facilitate student learning.
Confidentiality
The data gathered from this research will be private and confidential. Your child’s information
will be assigned a code number. The list connecting your child’s name to this code will be kept
in a locked file. When the study is completed and the data have been analyzed, this list will be
destroyed. Your child’s name will not be used in any report. Data will be reported in the
aggregate.
Voluntary Participation
A unit on living things is a routine sixth grade curriculum activity; as such, all students are
expected to participate fully in the classroom activities. The student can skip any question on the
test without consequence. Those students that choose not to participate in the study will not be
required to complete the data gathering instruments (pre/posttest, survey).
Withdrawal
Participants may withdraw at any time from non-regular classroom instruction and will not be
penalized for nonparticipation. To withdraw from the study, the parent or participant must notify
the researcher. Parental or legal guardian consent as well as school principal or district
administrator permission must be granted in order for the student researcher to gather data for the
purposes of their research project. Participants or their parents can request that their individual
results be excluded from the final report. Grades/enrollment will not be impacted in any way as a
result of withdrawing from this study.
Questions, Rights, and Complaints
Participants and their parents/legal guardians have a right to view the results of the study. If you
have questions about this study, please contact me by calling 443-655-3786 or email
ndembec@wgu.edu
If you have questions about your rights, unresolved questions, or complaints pertaining to the
study, contact the WGU IRB Chairperson by email: irb@wgu.edu.
Consent Statement
By signing this document, the administrator grants permission for student data collection and all
reporting necessary for this study. By signing this document, the parent/legal guardian grants
permission for their child to participate in the study and has the opportunity to have his or her
questions answered. Student participants will be informed of the research purpose and activities
and will be asked for their assent to participate upon parental approval.

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_____________________________________________________________________________
Note: Assent is the term used to acknowledge a willingness to participate in research by study
participants who, by legal definition, are too young to give informed consent. Nevertheless, these
participants are old enough to understand, in general, the purpose of the research. The assent
process also informs child participants of the activities in which they will be required to engage
during the study, the possible risks and benefits of participation, and answers their questions about
study participation. Assent is not the same as permission. Even though a child may give assent,
informed consent must first be obtained from the subject's parents or guardian before any data
collection occurs.
____________________________ ______________________________
School Administrator Signature Parental/Legal Guardian Signature
____________________________ ______________________________
Title of Administrator Typed/Printed Name
____________________________ ______________________________
Typed/Printed Name Date
____________________________ ____________________________
Date Student Signature (Assent)
_______________________________
Typed/Printed Name
_______________________________
Date

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