Write a 5- to 8-page literature review related to your research question or thesis statement. Your textbook (McMillan, 2012) includes an excellent definition of, and step-by-step instructions for, writing a literature review in chapter 3. Use the followin

Running head: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 1 The Effectiveness of Using a Narrative Input Chart on Learning Advanced Vocabulary Student Name EDGR 601 Instructor: Instructor Name A Literature Survey Presented to The Graduate Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Masters in Education Concordia University - Port land May, 2012 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 2 Literature Review This literature review was undertaken in an effort to investigate the question : how does the use of narrative input charts improve the understanding of advanced scie nce vocabulary among seventh grade science students? In order for students to be ready for entry level college coursework they must have excellent reading comprehension skills. The relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension is here in considered. Additionally, ineffective and effective vocabulary instruction strategies are described. In 2005, ACT college admissions test results showed that high school students in the United States do not have the reading comprehension skills need ed for entry level college coursework (ACT, Inc. 2006) . According to the 2005 ACT -scores for high school graduates, 51% were ready for college level reading (ACT, Inc. 2006). The percentage of college readiness was even lower for some groups. It is known t hat 49% of male students demonstrated readiness and 33% of students with family incomes less than $30, 000/year demonstrated readiness.

Minority student’s scores were low as well. The results showed that 21% African American, 33% Hispanic, and 36% Native A merican students met the readiness benchmark for reading (ACT, Inc. 2006). ACT further reports that since 1996 scores have steadily declined resulting in the 51% being the lowest in the past twelve years (ACT, Inc. 2006). The Relationship between Vocabula ry Knowledge and Reading Comprehension In this literature review the relationship between the acquisition of academic vocabulary and improved reading comprehension is examined. The purpose of learning new words is to improve reading comprehension (Beck, Mc Kowen & Kucan, 2008). Many research studies THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 3 conducted over the course of many years have concluded that acquiring rich and varied vocabulary is critical in improving student reading comprehension ( National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, C ouncil of Chief State School Officers , 2010). Harmon, Hedrick and Wood (2005) report that student difficulty in understanding their textbooks results from a lack of vocabulary knowledge. It has been shown that students that received high scores on vocabul ary tests also scored high on reading comprehension tests. It is also known that early vocabulary knowledge can predict reading comprehension skills well into high school (Beck et al., 2008). Of great concern to educators is the huge vocabulary knowledge g ap between children from disadvantaged homes and children from advantaged homes (Rozzelle & Scearce, 2009). Ineffective Teaching Strategies The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers (201 0), authors of the Common Core State Standards, state that vocabulary instruction is infrequent and non -systematic in most schools . Beck et al. (2008) agree, stating that it is well documented that “very little attention is given to vocabulary knowledge in school” (p.14). Teaching strategies that have been deemed insufficient include pre -teaching vocabulary and drill and practice activities. Examples of drill and practice activities are worksheet pages with completion, matching, and writing definitions. A s imple definition of a word is considered shallow knowledge and is not sufficient in helping improve reading comprehension (Beck et al., 2008). Additionally, using vocabulary workbooks where students use a new word in a sentence after defining the word is a lso ineffective because, like rote memorization, students use the word out of context and easily forget meanings (Rozzelle & Scearce, 2009). THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 4 Effective Teaching Strategies The articles and books reviewed for this literature review hold many excellent stra tegies for vocabulary instruction leading to improved student reading comprehension. One of the most important things a teacher can do is be enthusiastic about vocabulary and engage the students so they develop a deep appreciation for words and enjoy the u se of words. Teachers have an obligation to help students realize the life -long value of having a rich vocabulary (Baumann et al., 2003). Beck et al. (2008) remind teachers that “vocabulary knowledge needs to be deep and rich and imparted to students in e nergetic ways that encourage them to think about what they are learning” (p.17). Students need to view themselves as word learners as they develop their vocabularies. Mentioned in several articles reviewed is the recommendation that teachers use direct an d interactive vocabulary instruction. In direct vocabulary instruction teachers describe the new word, provide explanations, and give examples. Teachers and students focus on how the new word is similar and different from other known words. Students mainta in a vocabulary notebook for all subjects and record a written description, in their own words, of a new word (Rozzelle & Scearce, 2009). The vocabulary notebook includes graphic organizers vocabulary trees (root words), and plenty of room for visual repre sentations of the new word. The visual representations may include hand drawn pictures or printed images from the Internet or other sources. Concept maps are effective additions to notebooks. The concept map is a graphic organizer that allows students to d evelop deeper meanings of a new word and also tap into their prior knowledge. Allowing students to share their notebooks with peers in pairs and small groups as well as the whole class encourages further learning (Rozzelle & Scearce, 2009). This interactiv e vocabulary instruction allows students to fully participate in the learning of new THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 5 words and demonstrate their new word knowledge (Zimmerman, 1997). Other findings show that multiple exposures to words and students’ engagement in the learning of the word s positively affect reading comprehension (Beck et al., 2008). Other strategies that have been shown to be effective in vocabulary acquisition include the use of hands -on activities and are discussed in most articles that are reviewed here. The importance of the hands -on experience cannot be overstated. Hands -on activities followed by discussions are shown to be effective in improving comprehension (Harmon, Hedrick & Wood 2005). Reading is a critical strategy as well. In Zimmerman’s (1997) research on the effect of reading and interactive vocabulary instruction of L2 students showed that allowing students to self select reading material while participating in interactive vocabulary instruction helped improve comprehension. Likewise, Harmon, Hedrick and Wood (2005) report that Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) in subject areas can improve reading comprehension of informational texts. Another strategy is discussing the structure of words with students. In The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists (Fry & Kress 2006), teachers can find a useful reference of common Latin and Greek roots. Other helpful word structure lists are available in this great resource ( Fry & Kress, 2006). Of particular interest is a strategy called narrative input charts. Narrative input charts, de veloped by Project Glad (Guided Language Acquisition Design), use visual representations of high level academic vocabulary in the teaching of subject content material (G.L.A.D n.d.). Educators use a large paper background that is posted in the classroom. P ictures with narrative text attached are laminated and placed on the background as the teacher retells a content story.

The use of narrative input charts are effective in vocabulary acquisition and thus reading comprehension. (G.L.A.D n.d.). THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 6 Analysis This literature review has examined recent research on the issue of the effects of vocabulary instruction on improved reading comprehension. The review of the work of other researchers’ solution strategies has greatly improved this researcher’s understanding o f how educators can better improve reading comprehension. The analysis of the literature showed that there are ineffective and effective strategies for teaching academic vocabulary. The books and articles reviewed detail similar strategies for both effecti ve and ineffective instruction and critical gaps, inconsistencies and disagreement among authors was not seen. This l iterature review identified effective strategies for improving the understanding of advance vocabulary in the science classroom. The resea rcher is interested in implementing a strategy that will address a specific content area and answer the question: h ow does the use of narrative input charts improve the understanding of advanced science vocabulary among seventh grade science students? In a grade seven lesson on food webs and animal classification of the Long Island Sound ecosystem, there are 14 organisms, and associated terms, that students are to study. The org anisms and associated terms are: phytoplankton, z ooplankton (copepods), jellie s, clam, common periwinkle, horseshoe crab, horseshoe crab eggs, northern lobster, mud crab, Forbes sea star, menhaden, striped bass, osprey, human , echinoderm, cnidarians, gastropod, bivalve, a rthropod , r egenerate , p roducer , consumer, d ecomposer , inverteb rate , and vertebrate. In addition to understanding the advanced vocabulary students are to understand the complex food web of the Long Island Sound ecosystem. It is the opinion of the researcher that the effective strategies detailed in the literature are effective for learning just the words. For example, teacher enthusiasm for vocabulary, direct vocabulary instruction, use of concept maps (graphic organizers), and collaboration between THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 7 students should be used when teaching advanced vocabulary. Although a ll the effective vocabulary developing strategies described in this review, it is the narrative input chart that may best address, not only the organism descriptions and classification, but the big picture that is the complex food web of the Long Island So und ecosystem. Instead of students learning each new word (organism and its classification ) in and of itself as a single vocabulary word , the narrative input chart is used as a vivid graphic illustration that relates the predator/prey interactions between all the organisms in the ecosystem. The narrative input chart is interactive, and encompassing of the content standards and skills the lesson aims to address. Conclusion It is concluded that implementing the best vocabulary instruction strategies will re sult in improved reading comprehension and thus an increase in skills needed for entry level college coursework. It was learned that schools are not effectively teaching vocabulary and that has resulted in 51% of high school graduates being adequately prep ared for college level reading (ACT, Inc. 2006). Many researchers are studying how to engage students by being enthusiastic about vocabulary and the importance of instilling a love of words in all students in all grades. It was also learned that strategies used for L2, low level readers, and students from disadvantaged homes can be effective in teaching all students. The effective strategies mentioned in the literature are direct, interactive, hands -on, and fun. By receiving direct and interactive instructi on students will be able to fully participate in and demonstrate mastery of academic vocabulary.

Through multiple word exposure, reading, and word structure instruction students will further improve their reading comprehension. It is through the ongoing re search and action that all, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 8 including disadvantaged, and minority, students in the United States will be better able to achieve success in college. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NARRATIVE INPUT CHART S 9 References ACT, Inc. (2006 ). Reading between the lines: What the ACT tells us about college readiness in reading. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/reading_report.pdf Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G. , & Kucan, L. (2008). Creating robust vocabulary: Frequently asked questions and extended examples. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Fry, E.B., & Kress, J.E., (2006). The reading teacher’s book of lists (5th Ed.) . San Francisco, CA: Jossey -Bass. G.L.A.D. Resource Book , (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lausd.net/Main_EL/pdf/Glad_Resource_Book.pdf Harmon, J. M., Hendrick, W. B., & Wood, K. D. (2005). Research on vocabulary ins truction in the content areas: I mplications for strug gling readers. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 21 , 261 –280 . DOI: 10.1080/10573560590949377. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers (2010). Common core state standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. W ashington, D.C. Rozzelle, J., & Scearce, C. (2009). Power tools for adolescent literacy. Bloomingt on, IN: Solution Tree Press. Zimmerman, C.B. (1997). Does reading and interactive vocabulary instruction make a difference? An empirical study. Tesol Quarterly, 31 (1)(1) , 121 -140. DOI: 10.2307/3587978.