2. MEET ANNE
Setting:
The setting for my learner, Anne, was the
campus of WNEU. A coworker will be brining in
her 10 year old daughter to help with the case
study
Anne attends a private school and will be in
fourth grade this year (Fall, as our case study is
beginning in the summer). Her mother has been
informed of the project and is happy to bring
her daughter to work some days for the
assignments.
For a few of the options, I chose to view the
videos and resources as posted in Kodiak.
Therefore Anne did not partake in 100% of the
activities/assessments.
Other Information:
Anne has two older siblings, who she strives to
keep up with (academically, physically, etc.)
She is a very motivated learner because of this
and is eager to keep up with the “older kids”
Anne enjoys reading at home with her siblings,
parents, and being read to at night
3. IN - PERSON OBSERVATIONS
STORY RETELLING
Option 1: Case Study Notes
Notes from the observation of Ms. Porfirio’s class
Retell a fairy tale, including characters, setting, and events
The teacher uses academic choice (comprehend and retelling) to help with their retelling of a story. This offers students different
choices to choose from or select to show what they know about a topic or focus. The lesson and objective focuses on retelling
the story of Goldilocks to know who (characters), what and where (setting), then use connecting words to tell the events in the
story.
To begin the lesson of day two, the teacher began with a read aloud of one version of their stories, students sat on a carpet
in front of her. It was an interactive read aloud where she asked students to make predictions, fill in the blanks, etc. There was
a smartboard activity, but instead of one student using the board, Ms. Porfirio created labels where pairs of students could
select their responses. Later, there were also learning profiles students completed and shared with partners in their group.
Students then found a partner with their preferred academic choice of learning style. After their activities, they were brought
back together to reflect on their days work.
When the materials were distributed and students began their selected assignment of retelling, the teacher moved around to
the different students and partners to ask what they were doing and how they were using their materials. Ms. Porfirio asked
the students and evaluated them by voice at many points during the class, doing informal assessments to ensure students
were on track and asked their opinions on the academic choice.
4. CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS
Learning Climate: Teacher Centered _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _X _ Student Centered
The classroom was very student centered, with areas such as the floor/carpet and various tables students could work
together.
Classroom Management: Orderly X_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Disorderly
All of the students knew where they were supposed to be and what they needed to accomplish. I did not see the teacher
redirect any students.
Lesson Clarity: Clear _ X_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Unclear
With the academic choice, each of the students had a different choice of which activity they needed to complete.
Instructional Variety: Varied _X _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Static
During the days of this lesson, students had academic choice while also completing some retelling activities as a class. Once
students completed their learning profile, they found a partner to then complete their learning style activity.
5. CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS
Teacher’s Task Orientation: Focused _X _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Unfocused
As the students were working on their learning profiles and later on their academic choice, Ms. Porfirio circulated amongst
the students to check in and keep them on task. Students seemed driven by the material as well as sharing with their
classmates.
Student Engagement in the Learning Process: Involved _ X_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Uninvolved
Students were very engaged and active in the learning process with their participation in the activities as well as working
collectively with their partner(s).
Student Success in Basic Academic Skills: High _ _X _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Low
This I scored as high, but not as high as some of the other categories as it was not explicitly shown the student academic
success but rather the process of events leading up to their presentations.
Higher Thought Processes and Performance Outcomes: Many _ _ X_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Few
Students were able to retell the story of Goldilocks from these activities and identify characters as well as setting, but there
was not much related to higher thought process. The performance outcomes were met and shown by students reflecting at
the end of the lessons the things they encountered and their feelings towards them.
6. IN - PERSON OBSERVATIONS (TWO)
LITERATURE CIRCLE LAB
The first video showed the students working with their group to review and discuss the books. There
were numerous books shown in this literature circle, with each group working on a different book. This is
an effective way to get a variety of reading materials to the class and having the opportunity to
individualize/cater to student needs. Some of the literature responses included, “I wonder…”, “I disagree
with…”, “I hope…”, while other groups focused on making connections, and other strategies. Students
brought their notes, written on a large board piece of paper, to the front of the class where they look at
the other groups. At the end, one student from each group became the “Professor” where they would
teach what their group discussed.
These literature circles were student driven, with the students initiating conversation and completing
their assignment without intervention of the teacher.
From this video, it was not clear what the student role objectives were. Yet, the students were focused in
discussing with their group and taking notes. The professors at the end of the lesson were able to
discuss and share the questions that the group roles had worked on.
7. LITERATURE CIRCLE
The second video on beginning literature circles in the classroom first went into detail on expectations. It
was emphasized and reviewed with the students what the expectations were and how each component
would be completed. This lesson was broken into a four-day lesson plan, where the first day would cover
introduction of the book, introduction of group roles, and explanation of expectations. Days two and
three would review group roles, independent student reading and work, and teacher small group work
with group roles.
The teacher made sure to reiterate that the students were responsible for the page numbers assigned as
well as to complete the worksheets that were to encourage the students to create and think critically.
The teacher was also available for small group work to help with definitions and to increase the students
depth or knowledge of the reading. The final day students worked on their collaboration and
communication where they had the opportunity to have guided discussions with their classmates about
the text.
The structure of the class was very good, as students knew what they needed to do and where to go for
help. The teacher also had the key pages and roles on the board for the students to refer back to during
the activity.
8. ASSESSMENTS (RUNNING RECORD/DIBELS)
What is your preferred assessment?
As a student, I remember the Running Records assessment being used. I like the DIBELS method because it tracks
a student based on time, rather than a passage. Both assessments keep track is a student self corrects or has the
teacher help to insert a word. Overall comparing the two methods I prefer the DIBELS method.
What I anticipate that I would like about _____ (Running Records or DIBELS)?
DIBELS is that it tracks words per minute that a student was able to successfully read. This can then be used to
compare with later assessments. In addition, when looking at student retention, it incorporates how many ideas
and details the student is able to retell from the story. There are also points (or one of the four assessment
criteria) where the student is graded based upon how much they have read and are not penalized for not
completing the entire story.
What I anticipate I would not like about administering _____ (Running Records or DIBELS)?
I think, as we saw in the video, one of the challenges in the DIBELS assessment is when a student misreads a
sentence. Because the assessment is counting words, if a student misreads or skips part of a sentence, it can be
difficult to track to where they have skipped.
9. OBSERVATION SURVEY SUBTEST
Concepts about Print – Note a student’s knowledge of how a book works (front page, letters or words, left to right
directionality, top to bottom, return sweep, punctuations, etc.).
My student was able too correctly identify all parts of the book, including where to find information of the publisher and
copyright date. My student has worked with citing books in school for various school projects. She also noted the
introduction, which we reviewed is also called the preface. From this subset, it seems that my student understands the basics
of how language is represented in a book and where/what information to look for and identify when citing and referring to
texts.
Hearing and recording sounds in words - Dictate sentences to note a student's phonemic awareness and spelling knowledge
through hearing and recording sounds in English spelling.
This student has strong phonemic awareness, yet their retelling of the sentences was not completely fluent. When the
student read back the sentence, it was choppy. The student was able to correctly identify and spell each of the words in the
sentence with proper capitalizations and punctuation.
This student has solid knowledge of the written representation of language in English. As seen through these subtests, she
has adequate and grade appropriate knowledge of how a book works as well as phonemic awareness for writing words. I
think this student struggles most with confidence in her reading and speaking abilities. As always, having more practice for
reading chapter books as well as reading out loud will help this student build her voice for reading and speaking. I think too
speaking about the book will also help with her book related vocabulary and increase her foundation on how to discuss
literature. I think realizing her hesitance to read new material shows her learning potential can greatly increase through the
repetition of reading.
10. VOCABULARY ASSESSMENT
I administered the Name Test to my student. My student was intrigued by the test as she has a unique
name and was excited to see if any of the names were hers or her siblings. My student pronounced
names with multi-syllables slowly and separately, for example Con/way, Brew/ster. This type of decoding
shows the student was looking for familiar words, or those where a vowel was “wrapped” by constants to
break apart the word. Names such as Yolanda, my student pronounced it two ways, and said that her
had heard both ways pronounced. This was the only time my student stopped and asked if she was
correct.
My student did exceptional with the first names of the people listed; almost all were one syllable words,
and names that she had heard of before. The last names were more of a challenge for my student, as
they were much longer and had two or three syllables. I did notice that when counting out the names,
my student looked for the syllables to “clap” it out and break apart the word. Because of this, a few slight
mispronunciations or pauses caused the name to not sound correct.
11. WORD JAR ACTIVITY
The words my student chose for the first three
jars were all one-syllable words (heart, school,
book, etc.). There were a few multi syllable words
in the later jars, such as amazing, outstanding,
tomorrow. I think these words are most coming,
with her entering fifth grade, as responses to
assignments. All of the words were spelled
correctly, with some self-correction. I think her
vocabulary will become more extensive this
upcoming year, as her use of phonics and
phonemic awareness has become stronger from
her summer reading. I found it interesting too
that there were certain words she capitalized,
and others she did not.
12. TRADING CARD GAME
For this activity, my student was reading Flora and Ulysses as her summer reading book. I created for her
a trading card for Flora and Ulysses; she then went home to create trading cards for the neighbor
William, the parents, and the neighbor. My student also has two sisters about the same age, which they
created and used the cards with. She then told me that she and her sisters created the trading cards for
the books her sisters were reading for their summer reading assignments.
I think this activity is a great way to involve students in the story and allowing them to become part of
the action. The trading cards take on a deeper level of the character as the students can use them to
then create more meaning.
This exercise would also be interesting to use for other subjects such as history for another way to
involve students. I think for struggling readers, this exercise is extremely powerful as they can see the
qualities of the character while also associating them with actions and a picture. They can then too see
the interactions with the other cards/characters to help in developing the story.
13. GRAPHIC ORGANIZER- 5W’S
I provided my student with the option to complete one of two graphic organizers, and she could
complete the one she was most comfortable with. Her options were to complete the “Five W’s Chart” or
the “Ice Cream Cone”. I was confident my student would select the ice cream cone but I was pleasantly
surprised she picked the W’s chart. The book Anne used was The Critter Club by Callie Barkley. She was
able to complete each row on her own, and she even stopped to self-correct her response in the first
box. I would have liked my student to expand on the “where” and “what” categories, yet overall she was
able to use mostly full sentences and good details.
After Anne finished the graphic organizer, we reviewed the responses where she was able to verbally
expand upon what she wrote. We discussed the characters and their motivations as well as their feelings
towards the developing situation. I think my student had a good grasp of how to use the graphic
organizer and could work on it independently in the future. Other formats of the graphic organizer too
would be successful, now after practice and that she understands what we were looking for after
completing this one.
14.
15. CHORAL READING- LESSON PLAN
Option 2: Lesson Plan and Notes from Video Clips
The reason I chose Readers Theater instead of Chorale Reading for this lesson is I believe students would
take more of an interest and have a greater sense of role and importance when “acting” out this book.
The video of the Chorale Reading was a small group lead by a teacher. This allowed the students an
opportunity to stop and answer questions from the teachers, and provided an opportunity to check for
comprehension.
The Readers Theater video had the teacher working with the class as a whole, which she then read the
book. She explained to the students that they would break into groups of four to then read out the story
in front of the class. I think this model provides a better opportunity for comprehension of the story
amongst students and works better for a larger class.
16. DUMPLING SOUP
Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan
LESSON PLAN
Specific Rationale:
Synopsis: Marisa gets to help make dumplings this year to celebrate the New Year. However,
she worries if anyone will eat her funny-looking dumplings. Set in the Hawaiian Islands, this
story celebrates the joyful mix of food, customs, and languages from many cultures.
Family stories, in particular, can be a relevant resource for historical research that provides a
uniquely personal insight into our past. As students discuss their family’s traditions, they can see
where they came from, learn how traditions affect their lives, and consider which elements of
that cultural history they would like to pass on.
Objective:
Students will be able to...
identify aspects and traditions of their cultural history, also why they are important
identify different aspects of culture
discuss the importance of artifacts and the stories they contain.
General Rationale:
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their
actions contribute to the sequence of events.
(Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, 2016, RL,
Grade 3, Craft and Structure, #3, pg. 49)
Methodology:
Engagement Activity/Activator:
Students will complete a 5-minute quick write for the following prompt-
Ask students to define what “family” means. Have the students brainstorm a list of who makes
up a family.
After students have written components of their family, ask for volunteers to share.
Pay particular attention to exceptions to the “nuclear family” so that all students feel represented.
Show that differences are okay.
Learning Activity:
Read Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan
After the story, have students break up into a group based on where they are sitting, no
more than 4 students per group.
Allow students to discuss with one another the book while determining roles for their
Reader Theater.
Once students have rehearsed their reading, ask for groups to share their theater with the
class
17. DUMPLING SOUP
Concluding Activity:
Bring the class back together.
On the front board, display these prompts to have them consider/points of conversation:
1. Discussing your family’s special holidays. Make a list of the relatives
who come to help you celebrate
2. Are there special foods or traditions you have?
3. Draw a picture of a special holiday tradition.
4. Have you ever felt like Marisa when she was trying to make dumplings for
the first time?
Students will work in pairs to consider these questions, which the class will discuss as a whole.
Assessment:
As this is an in class assignment, the grading system will be a ‘✓, ✓+, ✓-‘ for classwork,
including the quick write and group participation. A check plus is earned by completing an
assignment fully (thoughtful, complete, participation in group discussion) ‘✓+’ work is in the
‘A’ range. A check is in the ‘B’ range, this indicates that the response needs more development
or the needs some clarification. A ✓- is in the ‘C’ range. A check minus on assignments indicates
incomplete and/or numerous missing components and lack of effort.
For homework, each student will take the list of vocabulary words to determine the part of
speech, definition, and will draw a picture representing that word.
Vocabulary:
ancestor
culture
diversity
family
heritage
historian
location
unique
Because there are 8 words, each will be worth three points (one for each component). A score
below 20 will need review.
Aim:
The aim of this lesson is for students to have students see and hear of cultural differences from
their peers and to have them identify themselves. This will help students to see the similarities in
cultures as well as learn and have a better appreciation for different ethnicities.
18. TIMED READING
I do believe that fluency measures such as the timed repeated reading do work when properly implemented. I
think the reasons for the decline in accuracy over time can be a result of trying to please the teacher and
students want to “beat” their time. This can also lead to retained content knowledge that the student may not
be grasping as they are merely reading for time rather than information. I think these tests are important to
see for tracking an increase in automaticity. It is difficult to see in a one minute snapshot to grasp the reading
ability of a student, yet it can give a good quick insight to some key factors that can alternate the approach to
instruction.
WESLANDIA LESSON PLAN- ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Specific Rationale:
Synopsis: This is the story of a boy named Wesley, who is an outcast and decides to use the knowledge from
his previous school year to create his own civilization. He names his new land, ”Weslandia”. Wesley attracts
attention from his classmates who once made fun of him, and eventually becomes their friend when he returns
to school in the fall. It also incorporates some themes we have been studying in science, such as the sundial,
and overall key historical concepts of a civilization.
19. TIMED READING-WESLANDIA
Objective:
Students will complete a project forming what they see as an ideal civilization.
General Rationale:
4.4 Produce work that shows an understanding of the concept of craftsmanship
4.5 Demonstrate the ability to describe preliminary concepts verbally; to visualize concepts in
clear schematic layouts; and to organize and complete projects
(Massachusetts Art Curriculum Framework, October 1999, Visual Arts, PreK–12 STANDARD 4:
Drafting, Revising, and Exhibiting, page 81).
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.
b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples related to the topic.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
(Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, March 2011, W,
Grade 5, page 27).
4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text
relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
(Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, March 2011,
RI, Grade 5, page 19).
Methodology:
Engagement Activity/Activator:
Students will complete a 5-minute quick write for the following prompt-
Write about a time you felt like an outsider, like Wesley.
After students have written their responses, ask for volunteers to share.
Learning Activity:
Review the vocabulary assigned as homework the previous night. Have students correct any
errors they had and turn in to be graded.
Finish reading Weslandia.
As students are working to complete their silent/small group reading, call students to the back
table one at a time. Complete a one-minute reading with the Energy Sources book, ENERGY
SOURCES: THE PROS AND CONS (Level Z, nonfiction) found at: https://www.readinga-
z.com/samples/leveled-reading.html
After completing the book students will be broken up into small groups to work on a grammar
practice worksheet practice, found here
(https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=http://ccssela.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/4/8/13487
632/weslandia_grammar_and_writing_practice_pages_61-64.pdf) .
Students will complete the first two pages during the class period to be handed in and graded,
total of 23 questions, one point each.
20. TIMED READING- WESLANDIA
Assessment:
For homework, students will be assigned vocabulary that they have/will come across in the
book, Weslandia. Students are expected to find the part of speech, definition, and to use it in a
sentence. Because there are five words assigned, this assignment will be worth 15 points.
The two pages of grammar practice as classwork will be graded for a perfect score of 23/23,
each question is worth one point with a total of 23 questions.
In addition to the letter grading system I also use a ‘✓, ✓+, ✓-‘ system for classwork
assignments. A check plus is earned by completing an assignment fully (thoughtful response,
complete, all parts of question are addressed) ‘✓+’ work is in the ‘A’ range. A check
is in the ‘B’ range , and a ✓- is in the ‘C’ range. A check on assignments indicates that the
response needs more development, or the needs some clarification. A check minus on
assignments indicates inaccurate or faulty reasoning, and/or numerous. The students quick
write will be graded on this criteria.
Aim:
The aim of this lesson is for students to incorporate what they have been learning about
civilizations and to apply it to their own lives. Students are given the creative opportunity to
explore their own ideals while meeting writing standards.
21. LITERATURE CIRCLE
The first video showed the students working with their group to review and discuss the books. There
were numerous books shown in this literature circle, with each group working on a different book. This is
an effective way to get a variety of reading materials to the class and having the opportunity to
individualize/cater to student needs. Some of the literature responses included, “I wonder…”, “I disagree
with…”, “I hope…”, while other groups focused on making connections, and other strategies. Students
brought their notes, written on a large board piece of paper, to the front of the class where they look at
the other groups. At the end, one student from each group became the “Professor” where they would
teach what their group discussed.
These literature circles were student driven, with the students initiating conversation and completing
their assignment without intervention of the teacher.
From this video, it was not clear what the student role objectives were. Yet, the students were focused in
discussing with their group and taking notes. The professors at the end of the lesson were able to
discuss and share the questions that the group roles had worked on.
22. LITERATURE CIRCLE
The second video on beginning literature circles in the classroom first went into detail on expectations. It
was emphasized and reviewed with the students what the expectations were and how each component
would be completed. This lesson was broken into a four-day lesson plan, where the first day would cover
introduction of the book, introduction of group roles, and explanation of expectations. Days two and
three would review group roles, independent student reading and work, and teacher small group work
with group roles.
The teacher made sure to reiterate that the students were responsible for the page numbers assigned as
well as to complete the worksheets that were to encourage the students to create and think critically.
The teacher was also available for small group work to help with definitions and to increase the students
depth or knowledge of the reading. The final day students worked on their collaboration and
communication where they had the opportunity to have guided discussions with their classmates about
the text.
The structure of the class was very good, as students knew what they needed to do and where to go for
help. The teacher also had the key pages and roles on the board for the students to refer back to during
the activity.
23. RESOURCES FOR BUILDING FAMILY-SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS
The resource I chose for this activity was the “Strengthening Parent Involvement: A Toolkit” from the
Colorado Department of Education.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/21stcclc/parentinvolvementtoolkit
Many of the resources found in this toolkit were partial to ELL students. As expected, many of the tips
and suggestions were to have teachers seek a bilingual person to help translate materials to send home
and to learn the culture of their student’s family. The materials focused on, “provid[ing] information to
develop relationships with families and build a community of learners”.
As there was an emphasis on ELL students and families, there were materials on how to communicate
with parents and classroom activities for children and staff to get to know the backgrounds of students
in the class.
24. PARENT INVOLVEMENT TOOLKIT
There was an interesting page on How to Get Parents to Attend Workshops and Other Events.
Depending on districts, parent attendance can be very difficult, while others there is an abundance of
parents at every event. I found one tip very useful, “Provide parents with child care services at your
school. This is an opportunity to treat their children to a fun literacy-based experience with games, food,
activities, and free books, if your school can afford them”. Even if the school cannot afford all of these
amenities, I would think it would be possible to allow a few games in the library or a space for students
to be while their parents were in the meeting. I think this would certainly help in the parent’s attendance,
as childcare is a big determining factor.
I too found it valuable that there was a section on Title III of the No Child Left Behind law. This requires
that parents are involved in key decisions about their children and provides funds for bilingual
education.
25. MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS
There was a chart on page 27 of the packet,
“Examples of Measuring the Effectiveness of
Required Parent Involvement Activities”. This
table outlined required and specific activities to
gauge parent involvement and their successes.
The following pages were all handouts for
parents with tips for success and involvement in
their child’s education. I think these handouts
would be beneficial to distribute at the
beginning of the school year and at parent
teacher conferences to highlight some of the
skills and activities they can use at home to help
with achievement in the grade level.
26. LITERACY DESIGN COLLABORATIVE WEBSITE
From what I saw through the Literacy Design Collaborative website, the portal was very well laid out and
thorough. I first learned that the LCD has a, “…backward design curricula engages teachers and students
in an authentic disciplinary literacy experience”. I was interested to see what this backward design
entailed. The modules were sorted into numerous “collections” some of which included, Stem Curricula,
Social Studies, K-6 Curriculum Collection, etc. There was also a page of “Benchmark Mini-Tasks” which
could be sorted by grade level, discipline, and time length. One of the Mini-Tasks I looked at was a
“Prove It” evidence based response. This was set for the grade levels of high school. When first brought
to the page you are given the standards that the assessment meets, then the prompt, methodology,
instructions, and all necessary attachments to complete the activity. This site is extremely helpful in
searching through Common Core standards and fitting lessons/modules/activities to meet them. I think
this website would be valuable for new teachers as well as seasoned teachers. The outline of the
modules were very descriptive in the way they had sections for materials, methodology, assessment, etc.
Educators could certainly find this resource useful in creating a new curriculum for lesson ideas and
methodology implementation.
27. READ THINK WRITE RESOURCE
Read Think Write begins its website with four
main categories: classroom resources,
professional development, parent & afterschool
resources, and community stories. I investigated
the parent and afterschool resources which
could be filtered by grade level from k – 12.
From here you could chose between activities
and projects, games and tools, and tips and how
to’s. This could be a valuable resource for
parents to involve them in the students learning
and the concepts/areas that are being covered in
class.
28. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Is the child able to read texts at his or her grade placement level
with automatic word recognition and adequate express?
Is the child fluent in context? Does the child have adequate sight-
word knowledge?
Does the child have adequate knowledge of decoding strategies?
Is the child able to comprehend the language of the text?
Does the child have an adequate vocabulary for his or her age and
grade?
Does the child have the background knowledge?
Is the child able to use common text and sentence structure to aid
in comprehension?
Does the child have adequate knowledge for the purposes for
reading and possess strategies to achieve those purposes?
Does the child have a set of strategies?
What does the child view as the goal of reading in general?
What thoughts, reactions, or response do you have to these
questions?
My student did well for her first assessment that I was carefully
listening to and watching. Her word recognition was adequate for
her age/grade level, however she had trouble the second time she
came to the same word. Perhaps she was nervous her first response
was incorrect. My student was fluent for 80% of her reading, there
were a few words that she sounded out or asked for help with. This
text was appropriate for the student as she knew most of the words
and was able to fluently read them without hesitation. The voice in
which the text was read did show some expression, but did not fully
grasp the grammar (i.e. reading straight through commas without
pause). The set of strategies she used for unfamiliar words was to
sound it out by each syllable, which was successful for familiar
words yet relatively unsuccessful for new words.
The goal of reading for this student was to read the same books as
her siblings, who are two and three grades above her. Because of
this, we were able to compromise that she should strive for reading
with them, so that if a book is too challenging she can be part of
the book with her siblings as they read it.
29. FAMILY LITERACY
It is important to recognize the differences between
home life and school life as they have implications
for literacy learning.
Define the differences and similarities as you see it
between literacy in the home and literacy in the
school.
Yes, it is important to recognize the differences
between home and school like that have
implications on literacy learning. Home life may
influence the colloquial language whereas school
literacy is more formal and defined. One of the
other big differences I see between the home and
school literacy are the book series. It seems that it
is popular for students to read books such as Junie
B. Jones at home, and then at school there are
novels that oftentimes stand alone. At home, there
are also the magazines that appear to kids on more
of an entertainment basis when school scholastics
have texts that are more informational. I think in
these aspects, students and children get an
exposure to life relations and interactions that are
more personal through the books and literacy they
experience at home versus the content of school
literacy.
30. STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
The Five Stages of Spelling Development
extends from the preschool years through
adulthood. There is an excellent description of
the Five Stages in Chapter 6 of your Bixler text
on pg 93-94. Review this section then look at the
film clip about the Five Stages of Spelling
Development. Please take note when certain
features are observed in your struggling reader s
spelling and writing.
What did you observe?
I would categorize my student in the syllables
and affixes stage. This would be the most
appropriate stage to represent my student, as
she is able to use and identify prefixes as well as
spelling words with multiple syllables. When
identifying how syllables are connected, she is
able to complete a "word family" and connect
other words to prefixes and affixes.
