1

EDUC 370-Case Study

Ms. Sarah Loving

Introduction to Student

My student was a Hispanic female at a Title 1 school here in the United States. She is a fourth grader who is hearing impaired, an English Language Learner, and shows signs of speech problems related to the previous mentioned aspects. Her estimated reading level was at a first grade level. The school that she attends uses the reading program by the name of Jan Richardson’s Next Step in Guided Reading Assessment Kit by Scholastic in order to perform Reading Records. She reads best at a C-D level; however her comprehension level is at a much higher level. Her school also used the program, Guided Reading Program with fiction and non-fiction texts in their resource room for teachers and parents with these texts it was found with this program she reads well at a level D-E. These assessment tools correspond with Fountas and Pinnel as well.

I was told that my student was an English Language Learner with hearing disabilities that were aided with hearing aids. The teachers struggle to get the student to wear/bring the hearing aids at times. She also wears glasses however she says they help her see things that are far away, so not having them shouldn’t affect her reading ability. They didn’t know much about my student since she was new to the school. Upon completing a Reading Record, the reading specialist at the school determined that she was reading at a first grade level. Her classroom teacher struggled obtaining grades for her, as well as providing instruction on the account of her being pulled out of classes for extra help and mediation.

Through activities with my student, I found that she likes hands on activities and hadn’t been exposed to activities such as “Play-Doh”. She expressed to me one day that she didn’t like drawing but liked writing better, however when I had her write she didn’t take well to doing that either. She also voiced several times that she liked reading. She expressed to me that she likes playing board games. I tried to use game like activities in in some of my lessons to make then more fun. My student also liked stories about animals, especially puppies. Her favorite foods are pizza and sour gummy worm candy. She also told me that she would like to be a teacher one day but also knew she needed to learn how to read and spell better in order to do so.

Description of Sessions with the Student

Five of the most important skills that I taught my student are:Skill 1: Identifying the Title, Setting, Characters, Problem, Solution and Favorite part of a story

How did you teach the skill?o The basics about the meaning of each of the terms had already been taught by the

reading specialist in previous sessions with her. I reiterated and discussed the terms with the student prior to our activity.

What activities did you use?o I had the student complete a works sheet called “Roll-a-dice” after reading the story

Biscuit Visits the Big City. On this work sheet, beside each topic (title, setting,

2

characters, problem, solution, and favorite part) there was a picture of one side of the dice (1-6 corresponded with each topic). The student was then to roll a dice and depending on what number she rolled that was the topic she had to answer, in writing, on the sheet. For instance, when she rolled a one she had to answer and write on the sheet what the tile of the book we had read was.

What assessment tools did you use:o I performed an informal assessment of the worksheet she completed. I looked at how

accurate her answers were, as well as her spelling and sentence formation. Did the child master the skill?

o The child did master the skill of identifying the title, setting, characters, problem, solution, and of course her favorite part.

Skill 2: Emergent Reading Skills

How did you teach the skill?o I taught this skill by providing a brightly colored list of what the emergent reading skills

are. I explained to her that it was very important that she use these skills while reading to help her read better. I also modeled what it would look like to follow these skills for her. The skills I used were: What do good Readers do? 1. Use their finger to point to words as they read 2. Read slowly (word by word) 3. Use the picture clues as they read 4. Use beginning, middle and ending sounds to help solve harder words.

What activities did you use?o The activities I used were to first teach/ remind the student of the four techniques that

good readers use, then I would have the student read books aloud and assist her with performing these skills.

What assessment tools did you use:o I used informal assessments while she read to determine her progress of the skills

Did the child master the skill?o I do not feel that she mastered all of the skills. She struggles with consistently tracking

words with her fingers and using the beginning, middle and ending sounds without help. When she does successfully track she reads more accurately than when she doesn’t. She does well with reading slowly and with using pictures to help decode what’s happening.

Skill 3: Halloween Slime Spelling Game

How did you teach the skill?o My student had play slime in a baggie with words cut up into their separate letters

mixed in. She was to pull out the letters and arrange them into words. What activities did you use?

o I used the play slime and scrambled letters for her to dig through and pull out the letters in order for her to spell 8 Halloween related words (this lesson was done on Halloween). There were two sheets of laminated paper with a picture of each word. Beside each

3

word there are also boxes with the corresponding number of letters needed to spell the words to assist in the activity.

What assessment tools did you use:o I performed and informal assessment while she was working to descramble the words.

Did the child master the skill?o My student struggled with this activity and a lot of guidance was needed to complete

the activity. She especially struggled to decode the \h\ in ghost. I think that with the letter being hard to hear/ silent, her hearing disability made it hard for her to understand when I tried to sound the word out for her. Other words that were in the activity were pumpkin, witch, bat, cat, etc.

Skill 4: Word endings –s, -ed,-ing

How did you teach the skill?o For this activity I discussed with her how some words have word endings like –s, -ed,

and –ing. I had her complete the activity after. What activities did you use?

o For this activity I wrote words with the different endings on note cards. Examples are standing, cats, played, etc. I made a triple t-chart where each section was for a separate word ending. The student was then asked to take the stack of 24 words and sort them into the proper column based on their endings. I had the student do this activity two separate times.

What assessment tools did you use:o I also performed an informal assessment of this activity. I had her say the word aloud as

she put it down so she could also hear the difference in the sound of the different endings.

Did the child master the skill?o She is very close to mastering this concept. Majority of the time she matched the

ending correctly but would sometimes say the wrong ending. I felt this skill is an important one that she masters because I have found and have been told that English Language Learners often drop the endings off of words while they are reading.

Skill 5: Proper Pronunciation of the Blend \pr-\

How did you teach the skill?o I taught this by having her brainstorm words that started with pr-

What activities did you use?o I used a spider craft activity to teach this. She started by brainstorming words and

writing them on a rectangle or black paper. Some words she came up with were problem, princess, and pretty. I helped her come up with a total of 8 words. On a circle shaped paper I had her write “pr-“ and discussed that we were working with words that’s started with pr-. She then cut and pasted the rectangles to the circle to make a word family spider.

4

What assessment tools did you use:o I assessed by looking the words she chose and listened as she said the words and

corrected when she mispronounced them. Did the child master the skill?

o I think she mastered the concept. I found that after she continually pronounced pr- words correctly where as she would pronounce problem wrong but correctly pronounce pretty. I thought that it was important to teach this because the mispronunciation was causing her to misspell the words.

Student Work Samples

5

6

7

Running/Reading Record SummaryUpon performing Reading Records provided by the assessment program used, I learned a lot

about her reading habits. I learned that majority of her miscues while reading, don’t negatively affect her comprehension. For example, majority of her mistakes were from dropping the –s endings off of words. Doing this doesn’t always hurt her understanding of the text, but it does show that she is not self-monitoring while reading. I also feel that she isn’t self-monitoring because as she reads, I would notice that she would read words correctly one time but not again. If she was self-monitoring then she would realize that what she read doesn’t make since and fix it based on what she sees in the text. She

8

always had a very strong comprehension level when she was reading at her designated reading level. The reading specialist at the school actually gave her a reading level that was at the first grade level, but a comprehension level that was more around the third grade level. She needs more practice with reading accurately and fluently since she is reading at a level that is well below her comprehension level and grade level. Classroom Observation

Upon entering the classroom, the student seemed excited to have us there. She snickered and covered her mouth when the other interns and I were introduced to the class. I was then asked to sit in the back to observe her in the classroom setting. She was casually and properly dressed for school. Her hair was tidy and clean. She worked on navigating the internet, as asked, quietly and with patience. When she struggled to find something she looked to a student sitting near to her for help first but if that failed her, she’d politely raised her hand and patiently waited for the teacher’s assistance. She responded promptly to direction and showed respect for her teacher and others around her. She seems to struggle to keep up in class compared to the other students. During the observation she was also called then to be tested for a reading level. It was at this time that her reading level was determined to be at the first grade level. The reading specialist explained how she came to this conclusion based on the assessment she used. It turned out that the student struggled while reading the book chosen as well as comprehending it because of all of the mistakes while reading. Conclusion

Reading levelUpon the completion of the sessions it is still apparent that she is at the first grade level

with reading. This corresponds with a C-D level in the Jan Richardson’s Next Step in Guided Reading Assessment Kit by Scholastic. She became more confident in reading; however she didn’t seem to really improve in her reading level. Her comprehension also remains at a high level. Five Changes/ Improvements

Using the Reading skills Good Readers useo The student progressed by using the skills I presented to her. The skills were to 1.

Track the words using your finger 2. Read slowly 3. Use pictures as cues, and 4. Use word beginnings middles and endings to decode words. She responded well when I reminded her to use them but other times she was inconsistent with using them. However, one time a staff member had her perform a reading test. She started off by not using the skills and even misread a lot of the section. She then looked to me and asked if she should track with her finger, I told her she should if it helps her. She then started to and read much better than before.

Identify the Problem of a storyo The student didn’t know what the problem in a story was. After discussing what it

was and showed her examples we practiced with it during the next couple sessions. By the end of our time together she would answer questions about the problem in a story correctly and with ease.

Identify the solution of a story

9

o The student didn’t know what the solution to a story was. After discussing what it was and showed her examples we practiced with it during the next couple sessions. By the end of our time together she would answer questions about the solution of a story correctly and with ease.

Correctly identifying –ed and –ing endingso During readings, the student would struggle to identify and read the –ed and –ing

endings on words. After completing the activity to sort the word endings she picked up on the difference, at least in the activity (we ran out of time to test this while she was reading a story).

Uses picture cueso This was also one of the reading skills from above however she excelled while using

this technique. She would read as best she could but would also pay attention to the pictures to help her figure out what was being talked about. It was astounding what she picked up on from the pictures and not in the readings. One time she answered a question that required her inference by recalling the pictures in the story.

Strengths Reading with Comprehension

o She has always had very strong abilities to comprehend and relay back to you the information when read to, as well as, when she reads material close to her reading level.

Identify Problemo She became very proficient in identifying the problem in a story.

Identify Solutiono She was also able to identify the solution of a story with ease.

Identify Characterso She became good at identifying the characters and remembering what they did however

she can struggle to remember the names of some without looking back through the text.

Conversation o She is very polite and strives to answer questions in a respectful manner. She is

talkative when you get her talking but she can be shy. Strong Memory

o She has a very strong memory. Some sessions I would have a book that she had already read before prepared, she would be able to recite the story elements back to me before even rereading the story.

Follows Directionso She strives to follow the directions. She tries to do her best when asked to complete an

assignment. Handwriting

10

o Her handwriting is neat majority of the time. She still writes in large lettering so writing activities with large areas for responses are best.

Using Picture Cueso She uses picture clues to determine what a story is about majority of the time. This is

her favorite skill to use while reading. Reading slowly

o She also reads slowly still which can help her while reading, she rarely rushes through readings.

-ing, and -ed endingso She did well when learning these two endings. I think that she understands that the

endings change the meaning of the words and that they sound different and must not be left off while reading and writing.

Enjoys reading o She has voiced to me several times that she enjoys reading but wished she read better.

A positive attitude about reading can help her succeed! Makes predictions

o During a prediction activity, she was proficient in making predictions based on looking though the pictures in the book. She got all of her predictions correct!

Makes connections o She would often make connections between the text and her life experiences or other

books she had read. My personal favorite was when we were reading about a girl who changes colors whose name was Camilla, she made the connection that her name was like chameleon, a reptile that changes colors like her and the names were similar!

Weaknesses Sentence Formation

o She struggles to make sentences of a decent length and depth. She writes short sentences that often times don’t have full thoughts.

Spellingo She struggles a great deal with spelling words correctly. She spells words below her

grade level wrong, even sight words that she should already have memorized Pronunciation

o She is being seen by the speech therapist at the school; however her mispronunciation causes her to misspell a lot of words.

-s Word endingso She still struggles to add on and pronounce the –s ending on words. This is found to be

a common mistake in English Language Learners. Self-monitoring reading

o She fails to pay attention to what she is reading and correct herself when what she reads doesn’t make sense to her. This could be a lack of motivation.

Self-monitoring writing

11

o She fails to pay attention to what she is writing and making sure that the spelling makes since. This could also be a lack of motivation.

Reading with accuracyo This goes hand in hand with self-monitoring, but she also struggles to read with

accuracy. When she reads she makes many mistakes and doesn’t often fix her mistakes without being prompted.

Reading with fluencyo She struggles to read at a smooth and confident pace. She will often pause while

reading, which makes her reading choppy. Reading with prosody

o She also struggles with reading with prosody. Since her reading ability is low, she rarely reads with expression.

Identifying the Title of a Storyo During our last couple of sessions I prompted her to tell me the title of a couple stories,

she proceeded to flip through the whole story to find the answer. It was apparent that she does not understand the concept of the title.

Identifying the Author of a Storyo She also struggled to identify the author of a story near the end of our sessions.

Confidenceo I think that she lacks confidence in spelling and reading. She’d spend time looking from

letter to letter when copying a word. She rarely spelled and read confidently while working. She’d often look to me for assistance, even on simple words.

Tracking while readingo Sometimes she would track with her finger while reading and other times she wouldn’t.

It helps her a lot when she does. Using beginning, middle, and ending sounds to decode words

o This is a hard concept to master and she never tried this technique while reading, even when being encouraged to.

FluencyFluency can be described as being able to read with accuracy, speed and prosody. Many

elementary students struggle to pick up on these skills, especially without proper instruction and modeling. My student struggles with all three aspects of reading with fluency. Her speed is inconsistent and often slow and choppy, her accuracy is at a low level compared to her grade level, and of course she rarely uses expression (prosody) while she is reading. I think that with more instruction to improve these aspects, she could pick up her speed, accuracy, and expression while reading quickly.

Suggestions for future MethodsIn summary, I would suggest using these methods and activities:

Making activities seem like games Hands on activities Crafting activities

12

Play- Doh/ Slime (she loved it) Reading Graphic organizers Oral discussion Writing with markers in all different colors

While avoiding these methods and activities: Lots of drawing Lots of writing (she needs some practice still of course)

Appendix

SOLs covered SOL 4.5- The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fictional texts, narrative

nonfiction texts, and poetry. a) Explain the author’s purpose. b) Describe how the choice of language, setting, characters, and information contributes to the author’s purpose.c) Identify the main idea.d) Summarize supporting details. e) Identify the problem and solution.h) Draw conclusions/make inferences about text.i) Make, confirm, or revise predictions.

Pronunciation of pr- words (no SOLs) Word endings –s, -ed, -ing (No SOLs)

Books Read Fancy Nancy Spectacular Spectacles by Jane O’Connor (9/11/14) Biscuit Visits the Big City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (9/19/14) The Sledding Adventure by Michele Dufresne (9/23/14) I Just Forgot by Mercer Meyer (10/1/14) The Deep Blue Sea: A Book of Colors by Audrey Wood (10/10/14) All Tutus Should be Pink by Sheri Brownrigg (10/24/14) A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon (11/7/14)

Websites/sources Pinterest Google