Reading Case study

1. J A C O B ’ S J O U R N E Y
LITERACY CASE STUDY

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
I conducted a case study on a struggling reader in the summer months of
2018, specifically July and August. I selected a specific student, Jacob, because I was
hired to tutor him over the summer in the subjects of reading and writing. Additionally, I
was occasionally observing him in his summer school courses throughout the weeks.
Jacob is a seven-year-old student who has just entered second grade.
In June of 2018, at the conclusion of his first grade year, Jacob was picked up
for special education services under an emotional disability and a diagnosis of Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Prior to tutoring Jacob in July and August 2018, I
conducted an academic evaluation using the Woodcock Johnson IV (Test of
Achievement – Standard). Jacob’s cluster scores in the categories of Reading, Broad
Reading, and Reading Fluency fell within the low average range. Additionally, during the
2017 to 2018 school year, Jacob’s classroom teacher reported that he was making
minimal progress in reading. In the spring of 2018, Jacob was reading at a BAS
instructional level E, which meets the expectations for the beginning of first grade.
Therefore, he is about one grade level below in his reading level, as he should currently
be reading at a BAS instructional level J.
Throughout this case study, various assignments and assessments allowed me
to better understand Jacob’s strengths and challenges in the area of reading, and plan
further instruction to help him improve his reading skills.

3. CLASSROOM OBSERVATION
I completed the following General Observation
Form when observing an English Language Arts
lesson in Mrs. Spear’s first grade classroom.
Jacob was enrolled in this class over the summer
for additional help in the areas of reading and
writing. I noticed that almost all of my checkmarks
are placed toward the left-hand side, with the
exception of “learning climate” and “higher thought
processes and performance outcomes.” Mrs.
Spear’s lesson followed the Gradual Release of
Responsibility Model (GROR) and was organized
into four different parts, “I Do,” “We Do,” “Partner
Work,” and “Independent Work.” The learning
climate was more student-centered, rather than
teacher-centered as students were engaged in
75% of the lesson (“We Do,” “Partner Work,” and
“Independent Work”). The only part of the lesson
that was strictly focused on teacher instruction and
did not allow any interruptions from students was
the “I Do,” which makes up 25% of the lesson.

4. CLASSROOM OBSERVATION
CONTINUED
Anecdotal Record
Below are the anecdotal records I took when observing my case study student, Jacob, during his partner
work and independent work.
Partner Work
• Taking the leadership position…”First we need to read the directions. I’ll read. Is that alright?”
• Referring back to anchor chart to remember how to divide words into two syllables in order to help read
them
• Working with partner to find the VCCV pattern in each multisyllabic word. Taking turns drawing a line in
between the two consonant letters.
• Sounding out the words using the new skill learned (“pan” and “cake” says “pancake”)
Independent Work
• Seems to have a solid understanding of the skill
• Looked back at the anchor chart for reminders instead of asking Mrs. Spear for help
• Very independent
• Able to use resources around the classroom to aid learning
• JS was able to decode and correctly read 3 out of 3 multisyllabic words using the VCCV rule
• Window
• Bedroom
• Picnic

5. READING ASSESSMENTS

6. THE ELEMENTARY QUALITATIVE
SPELLING INVENTORY
I administered The Elementary Qualitative Spelling Inventory to my
case study student. The results showed that Jacob is in the early stage of the
“within word pattern” phase. He was able to correctly identify certain digraphs
and blends such as “sh” in ship and “fl” in float. However, other digraphs, such
as “wh” in when and blends such as “dr” in drive were more challenging and
marked incorrect on the recording sheet. Jacob also demonstrated difficulty
hearing and recording blends that are found at the end of words, such as “mp”
in lump.
I learned that Jacob has great letter-sound-alphabetic recognition. He
appears to be both confident and comfortable with all letters of the alphabet
and their corresponding sounds. He correctly identified beginning and final
consonants in words administered as well as the short vowel sounds heard.
Last year in first grade, Jacob worked on short vowel letters a, e, i, o, and u
with his teacher using the Lively Letters program. This certainly helped him as
he still tells the stories when identifying the letters and sounds. For example,
Jacob says, “The baby puts his arms uhhh uhhh up when he wants to go out
of his crib” for short vowel u. Next, we need to work on blends and digraphs!

7. THE LETTER IDENTIFICATION TEST
Jacob was able to correctly identify all 26 uppercase
and lowercase letters of the alphabet. He was able to
provide the correct sounds represented by each letter of
the alphabet, with the exception of B and D (he
confuses the two sounds). Based on the results of the
Letter Identification Test, I would like to use the Reading
with TLC: Lively Letters program to help Jacob
understand the correct sounds that B and D make.

8. THE WORD TEST
Jacob was able to correctly identify 20 out of 25 words
from the Dolch Sight Word list. Words missed were the
following: they, for, all, said, and of. In order to help Jacob
master these words, I plan to make flash cards and put
them on a ring for Jacob to flip through and practice. Each
time he is able to read a word correctly without any
hesitation, he will be rewarded with a sticker on his flash
card. Once Jacob has five stickers on each card, I will
reassess him on the sight word list to check for mastery.
“Roll and Write” is also an easy and fun game for Jacob to
play with a friend or sibling to help him practice reading
and writing the words.

9. TIME REPEATED READING
Jacob enjoyed time repeated reading but felt a bit nervous by the one-
minute time restriction. The first time Jacob read the selected
passage, he was able to read 40 words per minute. We reviewed the
words he read incorrectly, either sounding them out using phonics
rules/strategies or finding them on the appropriate Fountas & Pinnell
sight word lists. The second time Jacob read the passage, he
improved his rate by three words per minute (reading a total of 43
words per minute). Jacob was very motivated as we continued on,
trying to “beat his score” from the previous reading. The third time
Jacob read the passage, he read 45 words per minute. The fourth time
Jacob read the passage, he read 46 words per minute. We stopped
after this as Jacob began to lose focus and stamina. In conclusion,
from the first reading to the fourth reading, Jacob improved his rate by
a total of 6 words per minute. This shows that time repeated reading
can help improve fluency within a short period of time!

10. LITERACY INTERVENTIONS &
STRATEGIES

11. AUTHOR CARD GAME
I began the Author Card Game by introducing Jacob to the cards
(authors and books written) and explained the directions of the game. Jacob
was very excited to begin playing, expressing, “Oh, I’ve played this game
before! I played this last year in Mrs. Knowe’s class but with sight words! I had
to match the sight words to each other.” He then studied the cards and tried to
remember where they were placed. Jacob was only familiar with one author,
Dr. Seuss, and the corresponding book, The Cat in the Hat. I noticed that he
linked the book and author he already knew right away. The fact that he was
unfamiliar with the remaining authors and books did not bother him. Instead,
he appeared excited to learn new information.
Overall, Jacob did well playing the game and was able to finish three
rounds. It took him about thirty minutes and all three rounds to match all the
authors and books correctly. This helped me realize that Jacob responds
positively to repeated practice and is motivated to prove himself. The Author
Card Game concluded with Jacob sharing that he would like to read The Big
Orange Splot because the color looks “cool” and orange is his favorite color.

12. BOOKMARK ACTIVITY
Jacob responded extremely well to the
concept of the bookmark and close
reading marks. He is a very intelligent
student who has A LOT to say about
everything! He often has trouble
finishing a book or completing an
activity because he stops so frequently
to provide his thoughts and input. The
bookmark was a perfect way for him to
record his questions, ideas,
connections, etc. and then share them
with others. He used the bookmark as
a guide to help him remember each
symbol and its meaning. Jacob kept
the bookmark at the end of the lesson
so that he could use it independently
during his personal reading time.

13. WORD JAR ACTIVITY
Jacob really enjoyed the Word Jar activity. After describing the activity
to him, we filled each word jar. Jacob provided the words and I acted
as the scribe, recording the words in the appropriate jars. In the
“words that warm my heart” jar, Jacob chose the words love, mom,
dad, and cuddle. I felt this showed me that Jacob has a strong sense
of family and is also familiar with certain sight words, such as love. I
personally enjoyed the “words that make me feel smart” jar. Jacob
chose to include the words Egypt, mummy, Africa, and cheetah. I felt
this demonstrated that he has strong, advanced vocabulary, especially
for an upcoming second grader! Jacob also has an interest in history,
especially ancient Egypt as reflected in his choice of Egypt and
mummy. Additionally, during tutoring, Jacob was given a picture
prompt of a cheetah, so his choice of the words Africa and cheetah
showed me that he has a great memory of previously learned
vocabulary.

14. READER’S THEATER
Jacob loved Reader’s Theater! Together, we read through the script,
Doctor Jen, assigning parts (Jacob was one part and I was the other).
I instructed Jacob to read with accuracy, fluency, and expression.
Jacob used his knowledge of phonics rules and sight word recognition
to read with accuracy. I discussed “scooping words” to help Jacob
read with fluency (Jacob: “I remember my teacher last year said that
we don’t want to read like a robot!”). Next, we reviewed various
punctuation marks, such as commas, periods, question marks, and
exclamation points, to assist Jacob in reading with expression (voice
goes up at the end when we are asking a question, we pause when
we come across a comma, we read with excitement when there is an
exclamation point at the end, etc.). Lastly, I recorded us reading
Doctor Jen on my laptop. Jacob loved watching himself read! We used
this recording to talk about what Jacob did well in terms of accuracy,
fluency, and expression and what we feel he could improve on.

15. GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Jacob did a nice job with the graphic organizer
activity. He required minimal prompting as we
had already used this graphic organizer in
previous tutoring sessions. He understood that
the web represented the main idea and key
details of the non-fiction book (main idea written
in the center oval and the key details written in
the ovals around it). I selected “Discover Ancient
Egypt” by Amanda Trane because Jacob has a
strong interest in this topic and I knew this would
peak his interest and grab his attention. Jacob
began by writing Ancient Egypt in the center of
the web because he identified this as the main
topic (what the book is all about). Next, we read
“Discover Ancient Egypt” on the website Epic!
Jacob followed along with the audio book and we
paused it as we came across details Jacob felt
were significant enough to fill in on the graphic
organizer. He selected four appropriate details
and described each in a simple sentence in the
surrounding ovals

16. STORY RETELLING RUBRIC
Jacob did a nice job with his retelling of “The Dot.” Retelling is something Jacob is
familiar with as he is asked to retell elements of a story on the comprehension section of
the Benchmark Assessment System (BAS). He had done this previously in first grade
during the fall, winter, and spring semesters. Overall, I gave Jacob a 16/20 for his
retelling of “The Dot.” For the story grammar element, he received a score of 4 because
he was able to accurately discuss the characters, setting, problem, event sequence,
and solution with minimal to no prompting. Next, for the details element, Jacob received
a score of 3 because without prompting, he was able to retell the story with some
significant and accurate details. He did not receive a 4 because Jacob often got off topic
and provided details that were not relevant to the story. In terms of inferences,
predictions, and conclusions, Jacob was given a score of 3 because without prompting,
he was able to explain certain predictions and conclusion he had about “The Dot”;
however, they were very minimal and quite weak. They were not supported by any
details or events that took place in the story. For the element of “connections to reader’s
life and other texts,” Jacob received a 4. He was independently able to explain
connections with his own life experiences that closely relate to the text. Lastly, Jacob
was given a 2 for “type of fictional selection” because with a great deal of prompting, he
was able to identify the type of fictional selection he read.

17. STUDENT READING HISTORY
When asked about his reading history, Jacob explained that he has been reading for
about 10 to 20 minutes each night before bed, either independently or with a parent.
When reading independently, Jacob often chooses a book at his instructional level or
selects a “big ancient Egypt book,” where he looks at all the pictures but can’t read most
of the words. He explained that he loves when his mom or dad reads to him at night as
this helps him relax and fall asleep. Jacob shared that he often dreams about the stories
he hears before bed! When asked to name all the stories he is read to at home, Jacob
was able to list the following:
• Anything Dr. Seuss (Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, Oh, the
Places You’ll Go!)
• The Giving Tree
• No, David!
• A Bad Case of Stripes
• Elephant and Piggy series
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
• Informational books about Ancient Egypt
• Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses
• The Pout-Pout Fish

18. STUDENT READING HISTORY

19. HOME SCHOOL CONNECTION

20. HOME SCHOOL CONNECTION
I communicated with second grade parents by sending them an email explaining
that I am a graduate student working at their child’s school and that I am interested
in finding out more about their family reading experiences. Responses from
parents included the following:
What kind of reading material does your child choose to read
independently?
All parents responded by explaining that their child chooses to read books that
relate to their personal interests. One parent wrote that her daughter loves animals
and every book she selects is either fictional with animal characters or
informational about a specific animal!
Is your child becoming more confident as a reader?
Responses were mixed. Parents of strong readers shared that their children are
becoming more and more confident as they practice their reading skills. However,
parents of struggling readers shared that their children are becoming more and
more frustrated as they read because they find it so challenging. These parents
also noted that their children do not enjoy reading at home

21. HOME SCHOOL CONNECTION
What kind of literacy practices does your child enjoy doing with you and
your family at home?
Almost all parents responded that their children enjoy reading with them before
bed. Parents expressed that by the time they get home from work, prepare dinner,
etc. bedtime is the only available time they have to read with their children after
school. They cherish this time with their children and most often allow their child to
choose the book they read together. This builds excitement for the child and
makes the experience enjoyable and relaxing!
Does your child have a reading routine outside of school with a partner at
home?
Parents of only children explained that they, themselves, are their child’s reading
partner and they read together before bed. Parents of children with siblings shared
that their child often reads with a brother or sister, regardless of whether their
sibling is older or younger than them. This often occurs in the afternoon once all
the sibling are home from school, sports practice, etc. One parent even shared
that her son reads to their pet bird because the bird just sits quietly and listens!

22. REFERENCES
Strickland, Dorothy, Ganske, Kathy, Monroe, Joanne
(2002). Supporting Struggling Readers and
Writers: Strategies for Classroom Intervention 3-
6. Portland, ME, Stenhouse Publishers. ISBN:
1571100555.