The STUFF in our Classrooms

1. The �STUFF�!! in our Classrooms By: Jill S. Boisvenue MSU-Fall 2005

2. Table of Contents What is �Stuff?� The Background of �Stuff� The Research The Findings Conclusion

3. What is �Stuff?� Arts and Crafts Word Searches Crossword Puzzles Color Sheets

4. What Happened to the �Stuff?� As you know, our school has recently put a HUGE emphasis on writing, and with that came the abolition of �Stuff.� While the initial emphasis shift was supported by the staff, the elimination of �stuff,� or anything that doesn�t incorporate reading, math, or especially writing, was not and as you are aware, many of our staff members have had a difficult time adapting. At first, I was a proponent of this school wide modification, and I couldn�t understand why my colleagues were being so �close minded.� I kept thinking to myself, �why on earth would you want to waste your time doing something in class that isn�t valuable?�

5. Do We Need �Stuff?� Perhaps I was the �close minded� one. Once I considered what was truly �valuable,� I began to realize that when I was in school, there were many reasons why I enjoyed my time there. It wasn�t because I was stuck in my chair all day drilling and working hard. It was the variety and balance between �fun� school work, and regular, old �fun.� I loved doing holiday crafts, playing four-square on the playground, and enjoying one of the many games within our classroom collection. At that point I began to wonder, with our elimination of this fun �stuff,� are we really doing more harm than good? Evaluating and comparing my students� writing productivity during the inclusion of �stuff� and during the elimination of �stuff� became my focus.

6. Fueling the Investigation My inquiries were based on my Research Question: How do my students respond during their writing assignments when they are given the opportunity to do something non-educational prior to the lesson?

7. Research Overview Each day, at about the same time in the morning, I teach writing for approximately one hour. During this time I give a direct lesson, or a scheduled list of expectations, depending on the day. I alternated the �Stuff� days, and the non-�Stuff� days. �Stuff� days incorporated playing a game, completing a word search, or doing a craft before our writing lesson. Non-�Stuff� days were ordinary �down to business� days where we did not do anything different before our writing lesson. This gave me an opportunity to research my students writing productivity and the effects of �Stuff� on their productivity.

8. Research Overview I used each of my students in my research since my overall concern is the entire group as opposed to select individuals or needs. Each day I focused on five, randomly selected students. This rotated with each passing day until I evaluated the writing productivity of each student in my class of 19.

9. Data Collection Using Student Artifacts Student Artifacts Each day I used writing samples as data in my research. (i.e Student #1: I compared his writing production from a �stuff� day with his writing production from a non-�stuff� day.)

10. Data Collection Using Note Taking Note Taking After each writing lesson while the students were working on the assignment, I took notes on that day�s group of five students. I made note of their willingness/ability to stay focused on the task, how long they were able to focus, and their ability to finish the assignment during the allotted time.

11. Data Collection Using Journaling Journaling At the end of each day, I reviewed and solidified my notes in a journal. Each student had his/her own page within this journal, and I kept it organized this way along with my other findings.

12. Research Overview