Evidence of Standard 2, 3, and 5
Below, I have my case study of an instructional level reader. This literacy profile was performed over a period of 16 weeks. The profile explains the background, instructional needs, and the learning process that the student went through during the tutoring sessions. The literacy profile has lesson plans, assessment data, and instructional planning to meet the requirements of standards 2, 3, and 5.
Culminating Project
Literacy Profile
Amanda Schumaker
Spring 2015
READ670
Contextual Framework
Jordyn is a second grade student living in a rural area of Southside Virginia. She attends
one of four elementary schools in Mecklenburg County where she lives. South Hill Elementary is
a Title 1 school that services Early Childhood through 5th grade students. The total school
enrollment is approximately 851 students. About 49% of students are African-American, 44 %
are Caucasian, 2.9% are Hispanic, 1.1% are Asian and 2.2% are other. Free or reduced lunch is
served to 64% of students at South Hill Elementary School.
Jordyn lives at home with her mother and grandmother. There is support at home, and
there is a sufficient amount of communication between parent and teacher. Jordyn is an
independent child who can also works well with other children her age. She cares about her
academics and social aspects of school. She tries her best; she seems to get disappointed in
herself when she does not do well on assignments given to her.
At age 7, Jordyn meets educational standards for the second grade. She does not have
any special needs, and she is reading in the second to highest top group in her class. She is a
part of a general, self-contained second grade class with 20 students. She is a very smart child
with lots of confidence, but she does not always use higher-level thinking skills needed to
succeed as an instructional reader. These skills could really push her above and beyond her
current reading level.
Assessments
My situation with the selection of a student to tutor is a little different than most. I
selected a student in my class who was identified by computerized diagnostic testing as a
struggling second grader. I assessed her using the QRI and realized that she was actually on a
first grade reading level. I had to pick a new student to tutor to meet the needs of this class. I
picked a different child from my second grade class. She is reading on a high third grade level.
She is not struggling in comparison to most of the students in my class, but she has the
potential to struggle in the future if she does not work hard to learn certain comprehension and
writing skills.
My student is successful because she tries her best. School does not always come
naturally to her. She is able to do well when she applies herself to her work. She is sometimes
silly, and I have to redirect her back on task. She likes animals, sports, and participating in social
activities. Her assessment results were a little lower than what I expected, but I was happy with
the results overall.
I used the QRI to assess my student before beginning tutoring. The QRI addresses many
aspects of literacy development. First, it tests fluency orally and silently. Next, it assesses the
student’s word knowledge and decoding skills in a timed and untimed format. Last, it assesses
oral reading accuracy and comprehension of fiction and nonfiction texts based on grade levels.
This assessment gives all of the information needed to start delivering an individual balanced
literacy lesson to a struggling reader.
Summary of Data Analysis and Reading Levels
Jordyn is a very smart little girl. She is a social butterfly in the classroom, but when she is
asked specific questions she sometimes does not know how to express herself even though she
is outspoken and very verbal. She reads with ease, but she has trouble comprehending
nonfiction texts. Her fluency is good; she is reading above grade level. Jordyn is not always able
to find key details in a passage to support the main idea. She also struggles with using capital
letters and punctuation in the correct places when writing. She is aware that it is needed, but
she sometimes does not write them in the correct places. She is artistic and opinionated. She is
comfortable in the classroom and reading out loud.
After assessing, I found that Jordyn is working instructionally on a third grade level. She
was inconsistent with word recall when she was timed (i.e., 95% 2nd grade, 60% 3rd grade, 80%
4th grade, 55% 5th grade), but her untimed word recall was more consistent. She had a 90%
accuracy rate with 5th grade words and did not fall into the frustration zone until she
encountered the 6th grade words; she received a 65% accuracy rate on the 6th grade word list.
She can read a 4th grade passage with ease, but she is unable to comprehend enough of the
material to gain full understanding of what she is reading (75% narrative and 38% expository).
After calculating comprehension accuracy, I found that she is most comfortable at a third grade
reading level (i.e., 88% narrative and 75% expository).
Jordyn’s struggle with comprehending nonfiction material will make it more difficult to
pass an SOL in the future. She struggles with vocabulary, so I think this leads to the lack of
comprehension. I believe the vocabulary is the biggest difference in fiction and nonfiction text –
which is why we see such a gap between her narrative and expository comprehension skills.
Luckily for Jordyn, she is in second grade, so she is not struggling with most nonfiction material
she is being given at this time. She is not so far ahead that she does not have to worry about
comprehension in the future. She needs to broaden her vocabulary knowledge so she can
become more familiar with different nonfiction topics in order to comprehend the material
more accurately.
Artifacts:
Section 4.1 – Student Interest Inventory:
Jordyn loves to read, but she has trouble with “big words” – which connects to her
trouble with comprehension because of vocabulary. Her lexicon is not small, but she
lacks the knowledge of many situational words that could help her better understand
nonfiction texts.
Section 4.2 – Individual Reading Inventory:
As stated above, Jordyn was a little inconsistent with the timed word recall assessment.
She went from a 95% with 2nd grade words, down to 60% with 3rd grade words, and back
up to 80% with 4th grade words. She was able to take time to decode the third grade
words and receive a 90% accuracy rate on the untimed portion of the assessment. I
started her reading assessment at a third grade level. She was able to read a fourth
grade passage with ease, but she had trouble comprehension the expository text.
I received a lot of information from the oral reading assessment. Jordyn read the third
grade passages with good fluency and 97-98% accuracy. She had good comprehension
on these passages (i.e., 88% narrative and 75% expository). She was able to read the
fourth grade passages with 96% accuracy, but her comprehension was not as good. She
had a 75% accuracy rate on the narrative comprehension questions and 38% accuracy
on the expository passage. She struggles with nonfiction text. She does not have a large
enough lexicon for the level text that she is able decode. She also struggles with
identifying the main idea of the passage.
Jordyn did really well on her silent reading passage. I had her read a third grade
narrative passage. She read 135 words per minute when reading silently. Her
comprehension was at 88%. All of these findings were expected. I did not perform the
listening comprehension assessment because Jordyn is already reading independently
above grade level.
Section 4.3 – Qualitative Spelling Assessment:
I was very pleased with Jordyn’s spelling assessment results. The results showed that
she was in the late within word pattern. She was using but confusing diphthongs. I
started working with her on the –oi / -oy spelling pattern. This spelling level is consistent
with her reading and word knowledge results. Jordyn quickly picked up on the spelling
pattern. She was able to sort and spell the words with east once we talked about the
rules and the placement of the pattern within different words.
Section 4.4 – Written Language:
Jordyn’s writing sample gave me the first clue that she has trouble with function words.
She also struggles with grammar. The biggest problem with her writing that I want her
to work on is with organization and conventions. She uses but confused capital letters
and hardly uses punctuation at all. Her thoughts are clear on the page, and she uses
good word choice. Her story is very interesting, but she needs to work on the basics to
make it clear for the reader to understand.
Section 4.5 – Student Interests and Affective Measures:
Jordyn has a pretty positive and healthy outlook on reading. She loves to take
Accelerated Reader tests and participates in reading groups during class. She said that
she does not usually want to read during her free time or at home, but she doesn’t mind
reading in school. I think that she views reading as something that is done for learning in
a classroom. I do not think she has discovered reading as a hobby yet. I believe this will
come with some maturity as Jordyn grows as a learner.
Instructional Goals
Jordyn has great fluency; she is currently reading above grade level. I did not set any
fluency goals for her, but I made sure she maintained her strong fluency skills while reading
nonfiction text. I had her work on her word knowledge of diphthongs (oi/oy) by using a
sorting activity. Vocabulary is something that Jordyn needs to strengthen in order to better
comprehend nonfiction texts. I wanted her to work on content specific vocabulary. We
reviewed words specific to the nonfiction story used in our lessons, and we would revisit
each word during all of the lessons.
Jordyn needed to work on identifying main idea and supporting details of a nonfiction
text. I had her use graphic organizers to create a visual of her thoughts. She also used sticky
notes to identify the main idea using one word, and eventually using one sentence, for each
page of the nonfiction passage being read during the lesson. Jordyn did not have a good
understanding of sentence conventions before we started our tutoring sessions. Once we
practiced using capital letters and punctuation, we discussed the importance of using them.
She has been self-monitoring and making corrections to her writing independently. I have
been very pleased with the growth within her writing.
Evidence of Research Base
I am a firm believer in using word study for spelling instruction. When students struggle
to spell, they struggle to read. According to Joseph (2002), reading problems generate from
letter-sound association difficulties. All aspects of literacy should be taught with balanced
instruction because they are equally connected in the reading process. Jordyn is familiar with
word sorts from class, so she was able to work well with sorting and using words with
diphthongs during our lesson.
Jordyn struggles with comprehending nonfiction text. I believe this struggle is due to her
lack of vocabulary knowledge of content specific words. I had her make predictions and go on
word hunts of specific vocabulary words within the nonfiction text that we were reading. She
then had to use the words in her own writing once we had an in-depth discussion about the
meaning and use of the words within the passage. Morrow and Gambrell (2011) write, “As in all
vocabulary activities, discussion is the key” (p. 236). So much information can be gained from
the initial discussion about words in the text. It sets up a foundation for the reader, and it
allows the teachers to gain an insight about the reader’s prior knowledge of the topic.
The struggle with content based vocabulary that Jordyn possesses was directly related
to her comprehension struggles. She had difficulty determining details and the main idea of the
passage. According to Gunning (2014), “Caught up in looking at individual words and details,
readers may fail to grasp main ideas” (p. 375). Jordyn would focus so much energy into trying to
figure out the meaning of words she did not know, she would then miss the meaning of the text
she was reading. This problem was addressed by having discussions of unknown words before
reading, and creating a visual after reading by using a graphic organizer to identify key details
and the main idea of each page of the passage.
Writing is where I have seen the most independence and growth from Jordyn. She
struggled with using conventions in her writing; she would leave out capital letters and
punctuation in almost all of her sentences. When she did use capital letters and punctuation,
she would use them incorrectly. I did not want her to focus on fixing too many things at once
because that would be overwhelming. Frank (1979) states, “You’ll find that your students can
become good fixers of their own material … if you work on one skill at a time” (p. 129). Jordyn
was able to become independent and monitor her use of capital letters and punctuation when I
told her to do everything the same with her writing except correct those few mistakes.
Instructional Plan
FLUENCY WORD KNOWLEDGE COMPREHENSION WRITING
- Wide Reading
- Model fluent reading
- Word sorts – blind, speed, writing, etc.
- Long Vowels (Diphthongs)
- Use of graphic organizers & sticky notes
- Locating and identifying main idea and supporting key details.
- Graphic organizers (4-Square)
- Conventions
- Organization
Tutoring Log
Lesson Tutoring Date Time
Pre-Assessments 1/27/15 1 Hour
Pre-Assessments 2/3/15 1 Hour
Pre-Assessments 2/10/15 1 Hour
1 2/17/15 1 Hour
2 2/24/15 1 Hour
3 3/10/15 1 Hour
4 3/17/15 1 Hour
5 3/24/15 1 Hour
6 3/31/15 1 Hour
Post-Assessments 4/15/15 1 Hour
*The week of March 3rd had winter weather. We did not meet for tutoring this week.
*The week of April 8th was spring break. We did not have school or tutoring.
Literacy Lessons and Reflections
I met with Jordyn a total of ten times between January and April. After giving her a
series of pre-assessments using the QRI-5, I made a set of lessons focusing on her specific
literacy needs to work with during the semester. The following section contains my six lessons,
reflections, and student artifacts.
Progress Monitoring and Post-Assessments
I monitored Jordyn’s progress with comprehension skills by using ongoing informal
assessments. I had her write the main idea of each page that we read in the nonfiction text on a
sticky note. She did this during each lesson that we met. She was not able to tell me what “main
idea” meant when we first started working together. She now knows that the main idea is what
the passage is mostly about, and she is able to correctly identify the main idea of what she is
reading – fiction and nonfiction. I had her focus on writing the main idea in complete sentences
on her sticky note because she needed to work on using capital letters and punctuation in her
writing. The habit of using conventions correctly on the sticky notes carried over to her actual
writing pieces during tutoring and in the classroom.
I had Jordyn complete a running record for the post assessment. I was slightly
disappointed in the reading level because she is still reading on a third grade level. She can
fluently read a fourth grade passage, but she is unable to comprehend what she read. I noticed
that she did much better at answering the questions when I simply asked her what the main
idea of the passage was about. She was able to recall details and state the main idea with ease.
She had a harder time answering direct questions about the passage that were not as open-
ended.
I noticed that Jordyn gets nervous when she works one-on-one with someone. She is
much more open and serious about her work in a whole or small group setting. She acted a
little silly when the camera was on her. That was something that we were never really able to
move past. Jordyn and I discussed her great improvement with using capital letters and
punctuation in her writing. She carried over what she learned into the regular classroom. In my
opinion, that is a huge success because she is able to monitor her writing and use correct
conventions independently now. She has also learned a lot about main idea during our lessons.
She has absolutely no trouble now locating supporting details and the main idea of a passage
that she reads.
Review of the Research – Revisited
After concluding our tutoring sessions, I had a few intervention ideas in mind for Jordyn.
Jordyn is a smart little girl who is able to work independently well. I do not think she needs, but
could certainly benefit from, one-on-one tutoring. I believe she would work best in a small
group setting. She feeds off of the thoughts and energy of other children around her. Jordyn
can sometimes act silly when she is working one-on-one. I think this is due to nerves because
all of the focus is on her. I believe she could grow much more academically if she could learn to
work without being silly or getting off task. As Weiss states, “Although
building reading proficiency is the main focus of the intervention, students’ learning-related
behaviors should also be addressed to improve their engagement and participation.” I truly
believe that Jordyn will be able to address and fix this issue as she matures as a student.
I would have Jordyn work with nonfiction text much more. I would create her student
account on Scholastic Core Clicks and have her read and listen to nonfiction material each day.
She could take home nonfiction stories on her independent reading level for homework
reading. I would have her use graphic organizers to map out her thoughts about the nonfiction
material to guide her comprehension as she reads. Altogether, I think Jordyn just needs more
guided practice and exposure to nonfiction material. She is practically a pro at reading and
working with fictional text. She needs to have more real-life experiences and conversations
based on information that she has read in a nonfiction book. I see Jordyn progressing as a
reader at a healthy rate. She is fully capable of doing everything that is asked of her. She just
needs to be challenged to push herself farther because she can do a lot more than she thinks
she can. The right motivation would drive Jordyn in the right direction in order to be a
successful reader for a lifetime.
Report Writing
Name: Jordyn MaclinGrade: 2ndTutor’s Name: Amanda SchumakerDates of Tutoring: January 27, 2015 – April 15, 2015
Jordyn attended all ten out of ten tutoring sessions. Jordyn worked on various activities to help build her comprehension, writing, and word knowledge skills. She completed oral reading activities to strengthen her fluency, which is average for her age. She read silently to help foster comprehension of text. Jordyn naturally works well with fictional text, so we focused the majority of our time on nonfiction reading material.
Informal reading assessments conducted at the beginning of the semester showed that Jordyn is reading on a late third grade reading level. This is almost one whole year ahead of her second grade peers. She was able to read, but could not comprehend, fourth grade material. She struggled most with nonfiction text. She was successfully able to read up to a fourth grade word list when she was timed. Untimed, she read past the fourth grade list and into the fifth grade list with 90% accuracy. An analysis of her oral reading miscues showed that she sometimes confuses simple function words (e.g., the, where, in, for). Jordyn’s word knowledge is above grade level. She worked with less common long vowels and diphthong word patterns.
Assessments administered at the end of the semester showed that Jordyn is still reading on a third grade level, but her comprehension skills have improved. She was able to identify the main idea of the passage with ease. Jordyn made great improvements with her writing. Unlike the beginning of the semester, she is able to use capital letters and punctuation in all of the correct places independently. She self-monitors her reading and writing to correct mistakes without me having to give her prompts. I believe Jordyn will continue to make progress if she reads and works with nonfiction materials. Attached is a list of books she can read over the summer to continue the growth that she has made over the semester. It has been a pleasure working with Jordyn over the past few months. I appreciate all that you to support her education.
Report Presented by:Amanda Schumaker
Graduate Student Longwood University
Book List
Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies
Rainforests by Andrew Langley
Where Do Polar Bears Live? By Sarah L. Thompson
Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature’s Footprints by Jim Arnosky
Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
The Buzz on Bees by Shelly Rotner
The Cod’s Tale by Mark Kurlansky
Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter by Amy S. Hansen
Bubble Homes and Fish Farts by Fiona Bayrock
Can an Old Dog learn New Tricks? By Buffy Silverman
Ready, Set … Wait! by Patti R. Zelch
Talented Animals by Mary Packard
References
Frank, M. (1979). If you're trying to teach kids how to write... (p. 129). Nashville, Tennessee:
Incentive Publications.
Gunning, T. (2014). Assessing & correcting reading and writing difficulties (5th ed., p. 375). New
York, New York: Pearson.
Joseph, L. M. (2002). Facilitating word recognition and spelling using word boxes and word sort
phonic procedures. School Psychology Review, 31(1), 122.
Morrow, L., & Gambrell, L. (Eds.). (2011). Best practices in literacy instruction (4th ed., p. 236).
New York, New York: The Guilford Press
Weiss, S. L. (2013). Learning-related behaviors: small group reading instruction in the general
education classroom.intervention in school & clinic, 48(5), 294-302.
doi:10.1177/1053451212472231
Top Related