Mrs. Orr - 4th Grade
PDSA
Plan
Subject Area
Focus Skill
Standard/Concept/PO
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SMART Goal
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Timeline
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Whole Group
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Small Group/Centers
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Pre-test used
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Date of Pre-test
Pre-test Results
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Reading
Prefixes, suffixes, root words
Use knowledge of root words and affixes to determine the
meaning of unknown words [S1C4PO1]
I will increase my students’ achievement on an Affixes and
Roots assessment as evidenced by raising 100% of my
students’ overall average and aiming for a class average of at
least 80% (25 students total).
1st quarter, Tuesdays and Thursdays during Reading block
o One focus skill (game) per week to be introduced for
application of affix and root word meanings
o See games listed in “Small Group/Centers” below
Do
Create index flash cards for independent study
Play SmartBoard games using Internet websites
Identify words with affixes and roots in class assignments and
readings to reinforce recognition and understanding of
meaning
Florida Center for Reading Research centers
o Affix Concentration
o Meaningful Affixes
o Word Dissect
o Make it Meaningful
o Affix Game
o Rooting for Meaning!
o Getting to the Root of It
o Root-O!
Study
Teacher-created Affixes and Roots assessment using 7 each
of the most used prefixes and suffixes and 12 of the most
used root words.
8-20-10
Class average 9% (individual student scores on attached
spreadsheet)
Overall, students had great difficulty with the affixes and
roots presented
Many students attempted to list a word including the root
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Benchmark
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Benchmark data
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Post-test used
Date of Post-test
Post-test Results
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Final thoughts
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Changes for next time
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word rather than the meaning of the root word (ex: they
listed “thermometer” rather than identifying that “therm”
means “heat”
Another significant misunderstanding was in the use of
prefixes – students also incorrectly listed a word rather than
the meaning (ex: they listed “unhappy” for “un” rather than
“not”)
Benchmark will be affixes and roots list and students will
demonstrate mastery of affixes and root meanings by
correctly defining affix/root given
Further data will be collected by observation and collection of
student sheets during games and independent practice on
affix/root activities (as needed, based on benchmark scores)
Benchmark mid-test data will be collected every 2 weeks to
ensure student growth and regroup students according to
understanding and need
Students demonstrating mastery will be challenged by
introducing new affix/root meanings and application to
unknown words
September 2 – class average raised to 25%
September 16 – class average raised to 49%
o 3 students have demonstrated 100% mastery and will
be introduced to new affixes/roots
September 28 – class average raised to 71%
o 6 students have demonstrated 100% mastery
October 5 – class average raised to 87% (met goal)
o 12 students have demonstrated 100% mastery
Same as pre-test
October 14, 2010
Class average 92% - exceeded goal of 80%
17 students mastered the skill at 100%
2 additional students only missed 1
3 students scored under the passing score of 70%
o additional prefix/suffix practice and reinforcement
will be used with these students to improve overall
understanding
Act
The class showed great improvement! I am very pleased with
the progress!
If I use this unit next year, I plan to implement it in the same
fashion, however it might be more effective to master the
prefixes first, suffixes second, then root words last. As it is,
we worked on all of them combined, and for some students,
chunking them may have been a more effective learning
strategy.