Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2022
Abstract
The purpose of this action research was to determine if using differentiating literacy in kindergarten led to more successful student achievement. This included implementing multi-sensory learning, learning styles, positive relationships, and relevant, specific data. The researcher is a kindergarten teacher in her 6th year of teaching, where her own students participated in the class-wide intervention. The timeline for conducting this action research was eight weeks. This included the quantitative phonics pre-assessment through FAST (Formative Assessment System for Teachers), implementation of differentiated literacy activities tailored to various learning styles, collection of purposeful and relevant quantitative data, and a post-assessment on literacy skills based on the differentiation implemented. Findings revealed participants had an ending score higher than the grade-level benchmark as well as an ending score higher than grade-level peers on average. The research was conducted to result in future instruction in whole building classrooms to solidify the decisions made regarding differentiated literacy practices.