Kelly Harp - Manchester University



Kelly Harp

Corrective Reading

Professor Eastman

September 28, 2008

Case Study Phase I

The reader for this case study is a cheerful first grade boy. He enthusiastically asked the researcher if she liked his basketball themed shirt. To no surprise of the researcher he enjoys basketball, but informed the researcher that his favorite sport is baseball. The boy is also extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about transformers. He enjoys talking about anything that has to do with transformers or cars. The student also mentioned his passion for the many movies he takes pleasure in watching at home. The reader is an only child of his mother who is high school art teacher. There is no mention of a father in his life. The reader has a slight speech impediment, which is thought to be maturational. However, this may have a temporary affect on the student’s reading progress.

The teacher has noted areas of understanding and difficulties for the student. The reader knows 100% of the common eight color words. He knew fifty-two out of fifty-four upper and lower case letters. The lower case “g” and lower case “v” were areas of uncertainty for the child. He confused the lowercase “b” and “d” but was able to self-correct. Although he does not yet use this knowledge in his writing, the student does understand the difference between letters and words, and words and sentences. The teacher recognized the difficulties in phonemes and sight words the student is having. He has trouble “stretching” words out to hear their phonemes. A dictation sentence the teacher delivered to the student read, “Sam and Matt ran up the hill.” The student was only wrote the S for Sam. Also, the student is struggling with his sight words. When tested during the first six weeks of school, he answered 11 out of the 20 correct. He knows only 55% of the common sight words. The data the teacher gathered displays the readers understanding of letters, words, and sentences, as well as his need for improvement in the areas of phonemes and sight words.

The tests that the researcher will be administering will begin with a Phonological Segmentation Test. This test is designed specifically for grades K-1 and contains three parts: Part A: Sentences into Words; Part B Words into Syllables; and Part C: Words into Phonemes. The CORE Phonological Segmentation Test can be utilized as a screening measure, a progress monitoring measure, and a diagnostic measure. The information from the assessment can provide information about the reader’s response to instruction as well as any shortage in phonemic awareness that may cause delays in the students reading or spelling. Phonemic awareness is the basis for learning to read, thus the lack of phonemic awareness is the strongest determinant of the probability of a student’s failure to learn to read. Information will be instrumental in guiding the instruction of the researcher.

The Phoneme Deletion Test will be done as an informal screening with the intention of also being used as an outcome based assessment at the end of the training. By the end of the training sessions the researcher will be able to use this assessment to identify if the reader can record ending sounds. This will help identity the level of improvement for the student. The Phoneme Deletion assessment includes four phoneme deletion tasks given in order of difficulty. The first task assesses the student’s ability to delete initial phonemes. For example, the researcher may say the word dog and ask the student to say the word dog without the initial /d/ sound. The remaining tasks assess the student’s ability to delete final phonemes, initial phonemes in blends, and phonemes in blends. Based on the data collected from this assessment the researcher will be aided in determining whether discrepancy in phonemic awareness accounts for the student’s reading or spelling delays.

Due to the readers struggle with sight words it is important for the researcher to gain a perspective of the level of struggle. This can be done through the use of a Basic Sight Word Sentence assessment. A list of basic sight word sentences is given to the reader. The student is asked to read the sentences, which are built from common sight words, aloud to the researcher. As the student reads aloud, the researcher will do a running record. The running record will be used to note the sight words the student has difficulty reading. Tasks based on the results of the assessment will assist the researcher in focusing the reader on certain sight words. The information gained from the assessment will assist the researcher in providing the student with practical practice to master these basic sight words. Often times these basic sight words do not follow phonics rules. Because sight words are common there is even more reason for the student to master these words at the onset of learning to read. The Basic Sight Word Sentences test will also be used for ongoing assessment. The information gather from this test, as well as the others, will help to direct beneficial instruction.

October 29, 2008

Case Study Phase II

The assessments indicated in the previous phase of the case study were used as a screening measure to identify precise areas of need for the student. The tests were successful in specifying the student’s areas of need. A series of three tests were administered and the results were descriptive.

The first screening measure to be prearranged was the CORE Phoneme Deletion Test. This test questioned the student’s ability to delete the beginning and ending sounds in words. The initial sound part of the test is designed for students that are nearing the end of kindergarten and the beginning of first grade. The student scored two out of a possible five answers correct. The score falls under the intensive level. Part B of the test, final sound deletion, is aimed at the first grade level. The student executed three of the five items correct. This result also places the student under the “intensive category.” The student’s level of performance is determined based on the guidelines laid out on page 23 of the CORE Phoneme Deletion Test. The test clearly states if a student is to score at the intensive level he/she will benefit from targeted and intensified instruction and extensive practice in the phonemic awareness concepts.

The second screening measure was similar to the first in that it is used to identify a student’s level of phonemic awareness. The three-part test tested the student’s knowledge of phonological segmentation. The CORE Phonological Segmentation Test was administered to the student beginning with testing the student’s skills in breaking sentences into words, followed by breaking words into syllables. The researcher was surprised by the level of understanding the student had in both of these areas. On “Part A,” the student did not miss any questions and only answered one question on “Part B” incorrect. “Part C,” breaking words into phonemes, was somewhat challenging for the student. Out of ten questions, the student answered six correctly. The student’s results of “Part C” landed a score in the strategic category. This means that the student needs practice in the areas of phonemic and phonological awareness.

The last informal screening assessment the researcher had the reader execute, was a running record on basic sight words. The test, Basic Sight Word Sentences, was excellent in determining the tremendous need the student has for learning basic sight words. The researcher gave the reader list 1 to read. The student hesitantly began looking at the words. The student knew only five words of the seventeen. That is twenty-nine percent accuracy. Because the student struggled so much, the researcher ended the assessment after three lines. The reader did not try to sound any words out. He just moved his figure under each word and then said the words aloud that he knew. This test not only informed the researcher of the readers need to learn many basic sight words, but the need for the student to learn how to sound words out. The student seemed fearful when it came to reading. It was as if the reader just simply did not know where to begin. Doing a running record with the Basic Sight Word Sentence test was a helpful screening measure that will also be a great progress-monitoring tool as the student begins developing his basic sight word vocabulary.

Based on the assessments, the researcher identified areas that to target for improvement using a specific plan of action. The results of the first two assessments clearly show that the student needs practice in the area of phonemic awareness. The lack of phonemic awareness is one of the powerful determinants of the likelihood of a student’s failure to learn to read. In the reader’s case, the researcher believes this to be undoubtedly true. When the student is successful at phonemic awareness, then he can begin to be successful at phonics. This will translate into his reading, writing, and spelling. The reader’s delay in learning basic sight words is also having a detrimental effect on his reading. If the reader is able to learn these words, he will be able to become a more fluent at reading. Based on the results of the tests, phonemic awareness, phonics, and basic sight words are the areas the researcher will work to improve with the reader.

The researcher’s plan of action includes working with the reader through a series of activities to improve the student’s phonemic awareness, phonics, and knowledge of basic sight words. With the use of alphabetic flash cards, as well as, playing a game with the researcher called “Fishing for Letters, ” the reader’s recognition of letters and their sounds will be strengthened. Phonemic awareness is at the foundation of learning to utilize letters to spell and read. It is vital for the reader to have this basic understanding in order to be a successful decoder and speller. Building upon this skill are other activities the researcher will have the student perform. Because of the reader’s enthusiasm for technology, the researcher has a series of beneficial online activities. From PBS’ Between the Lions, the online games encourage young children to get excited about learning to read. Based on the reader’s apprehensive behavior toward reading, the researcher believes these games and stories will be instrumental in getting him excited about reading. These online games not only utilize entertaining stories, but the interactive activities teach a variety of essential literacy skills. The first of three stories focuses on rhyming words, word recognition, letters names and letter sounds. The second story will challenge the reader to find rhyming words. The last of three stories will encourage the reader to blend parts of words together and listen for beginning and ending sounds. These online games will challenge the student in the basic areas of phonemic awareness and phonics. During these sessions, the researcher will guide the student as needed and will scaffold their learning. This will be done by the amount of support given to the student. Before the first online story, the researcher will have the student practice making words using magnetic letters on a metal tray. The researcher will explain how words can be broken down and sounded out. The reader will also have opportunities to play games with the researcher that will help improve his level of recognition of basic sight words. Some of these games include: Bingo using select sight words, searching for certain words in books, and guessing a word based on a series of clues. These games are designed to help the student focus on the words and through repetition, learn the word. Progress monitoring will be incorporated weekly or bi-weekly to see how the reader has improved. Assessment will assist the researcher in determining the student’s progress with phonemic awareness, phonics, and basic sight word recognition and the researcher will then adapt the activities accordingly.

Dear Parent,

Thank you for the opportunity to work with your child. I have been enthusiastically working with your son to determine which academic areas I can help him improve upon. He is consistently positive and willing to participate in all activities. His enthusiasm and cheerful disposition make it so enjoyable to work with him. He has some great capabilities in segmenting sentences into words and words into syllables. Your child also seems very excited to learn.

Over the next five weeks, I will be working with your child to help him improve upon phonemic awareness, phonics, and recognition of basic sight words. Phonemic awareness is better defined as recognizing the different sounds of the oral language. Phonics is a part of learning how to sound out words in order to read and write. By focusing in on these areas, I hope to help him gain fundamental skills needed for reading.

As a team, your son and I will work to gain the skills through a series of activities. I have planned a number of fun and interactive activities to get him get excited about reading. Your child will be given the time he needs to improve his skills with these activities. He will be playing games to practice the sounds of letters and words. He will be involved in activities that challenge him to use and remember basic sight words. Online games that make him the center of the story, will give him time to practice hearing rhyming words and pick words with certain beginning or ending sounds. I am excited to share these games with your son and see him succeed.

I look forward to seeing great improvement with your child. My hope and priority is that your son will benefit tremendously from this opportunity. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank again for letting me work with your son.

Sincerely,

Kelly Harp

Kidspiration Activity

Information Page

Title of book: On a Farm

Author’s Name: Cindy Chapman

Copyright Date: 2004

Summary of Book:

On a Farm is a book about different animals that can be found on a farm. The story is filled with interesting true to life pictures of animals. The book is written for an emergent reader. This text incorporates many words that have the short o, g, l, and p sound. This book is a part of the Phonics Readers, Compass Point Books. The book is a part of a series of books designed to scaffold the student’s phonics and decoding skills.

Philosophy/ Details Behind Web:

The web was created to give the student practice with phonics. Specifically, the page is having the student practice hearing the short o, g, l and p sounds of words found in the book. The student will read through the book. Then the student will reread the book looking and listening for words with short o, g, l and p sounds. The student will then write the words down in the correlating boxes on the web. Through use of the web, the student will be focused and have a chance to verbalize, reason and then write. This is a beneficial activity to reinforce phonics.

Case Study Phase III

Weekly Lesson Plans

Lesson 1: Alphabet Flashcards

This is a quick practice of the sounds letters make. By saying “a, A” and “A is for airplane,” this will connect their right and left-brain to help them remember and connect the sound of the alphabet letters.

Material: Alphabet Learning Flash Cards, pencil and lined (Zaner Bloser rulings) paper

Procedure:

1. Begin by reading The King’s Surprise by: Josie Stewart.

2. Then practice letter sounds by using the flashcards. Go through each card saying, “a, A” v and “A is for airplane.”

3. Ask the student, “What sound does a make?” “Can you think of another word that begins with the letter A?”

4. Give the student a chance to write the letter as he makes the sound of the letter.

5. Next have the student begin to use the sounds of the letters to make words.

6. Have the student write some of the words down as he sounds them out.

7. Finish by reading On a Farm

Lesson 2: Listening For Letter Sounds (Kidspiration web)

This task requires the student to match certain words in the book to the letters on the web.

Material: book- On a Farm, kidspiration web

Procedure:

1. Read On a Farm with the student.

2. Have student read through book again while searching for words in the book with the letter sounds found on the kidspiration web.

3. Review the answers with the student.

4. Read a book he a chosen for his book basket.

Lesson 3: Practicing Phonics then using it to read.

Using a book (Robot and Mr. Mole) found online at , let the student practice reading and experience how using what you know about sounds will help you figure out what words are.

Material: magnetic letters, metal tray, computer and Internet

Procedure:

1. First begin by practicing how to sound out words. Do this by using magnetic letters on a metal tray.

2. Go through words like rat, bat, mat, cat, ran, fan and so on.

3. Then tell the student that he will use that when he is reading.

4. Let the student pick one of the books listed to read. Tell him some of the choices.

5. Let the student read through the book and if he doesn’t know a word first try to sound it out. If he still can’t get it, he can click on the word and the computer will help sound it out with him.

6. When the student is done reading, pick a couple of words that he struggled with to sound them out again and have the student write the words down.

7. Finish by reading The Robot and Mr. Mole story found on .

Lesson 4: Gus and Inky’s Underwater Adventure

Chapter 1: Gus and Inky’s Underwater Adventure is one of 3 online PBS games that incorporate entertaining stories and engaging activities that explore a variety of essential early literacy skills. On Gus the Bunny’s first underwater visit with his friend Inky, the pair offers young children several short activities that explore rhyming words word recognition, letter names and sounds

Material: computer and Internet link

Procedure:

1. Read The Robot and Mr. Mole story found on .

2. Have student go through the online activity and work with the student.

3. Be sure to ask questions to check for understanding. (For example: what items begin with the letter “b”?)

4. Observe how easy or hard this is for the student.

5. Discuss what happened in the story and what he learned.

6. Have reader practice writing by recording some of the items mentioned during the story/activity.

Lesson 5: Rhyme Time

Chapter 2: Rhyme Time is the second in the series of engaging online activities, implemented to improve literacy skills. Gus tries out hip-hop beats as Inky helps him learn about rhyming. Children participate in the story by finding words that rhyme to help Gus write his first hip-hop song.

Material: computer and Internet

Procedure:

1. Follow along as student reads through book. Choose book depending on his current level.

2. Let student go through online reading/activity on own.

3. He should be able to identify the rhyming words.

4. When online activity is finished, review the story with the student.

5. Have student practice the rhymes by writing down words that rhyme with cat and flag.

6. Finish the lesson by reading a book of the reader’s choice (at his level).

Lesson Reflections

Lesson 1

Worked with student on alphabet letters and their sounds. He did an excellent job doing this task. The only letter he hesitated in deciphering the sound was the letter “I”. It was clear that he knew all of the letters and their sounds because he started to make words with the letter cards. He also noticed that changing the beginning letter would create a different word. For example: hop could be changed to top. At the end of the lesson it was hard to get him to read a book. He would just keep talking and tried to avoid this task. As a result of his disinterest, we only read a couple pages of the story.

Lesson 2

The reader did a fantastic job on the kidspriation web. The student was asked to recognize the words in the story that made certain letter sounds. He seemed to enjoy the challenge of this task. If I were to do this again, I would choose a more challenging book.

Lesson 3

Student enjoyed manipulating the magnetic letters to create words. He did a great job sounding the letters out to make words. He seemed to catch on that one must build on their skills of sounding out letters in order to sound out words. We practiced words with short “o” such as: mop, hop, pop, bop. Then we read an online story called Robot and Mr. Mole. He focused on this story much more than another hard copy of a book we’ve read. However, when asked at the end of the story if he liked it, he said no. He said it was too boring. Then we continued by playing an activity that had directions for him to read on each new page. Then he would have to do what the directions asked. The directions said things like “click on the flag pole.” I modeled how to read the pages, by doing this on the first two. After that he toke over and sounded out the words by himself. This was exciting! Normally he just wanted me to tell him the answer. I think when he realized he had the knowledge of the letters, and that he could use that to sound out words, he began to have confidence in his reading. This was a big improvement.

Lesson 4

This lesson was an online interactive reading/answering questions type of activity that required the student to answer the correctly in order to move on. I think this was a great way to build the confidence and independence in my reader. He did say he enjoyed this activity. He was very focused during this lesson, also. It is important to have a highly engaging activity in order to keep him focused and excited about what he is learning. The only change I can think of making to improve this lesson would attach a making words activity on to it, for more continued practice with words.

Lesson 5

This lesson was similar to the last. The content covered in this online story/activity focused on rhyming words. Once again he really enjoyed this activity. Because the directions are given aloud through the story, I did not have to give him any guidance. He has a great understanding of rhyming words. Now I think he is at the point of needing to practice the blends in words.

December 11, 2008

Case Study Phase IV

During the action plan, the researcher administered two tests to monitor the progress of the reader. These two tests were also given at the beginning of the intervention as a way to identify achievement. Significant improvement was made. After the third lesson, the CORE Phoneme Deletion Test was administered. The reader answered all the initial sound questions correctly. The researcher saw a large improvement from the first time he took this test and achieved only 40% accuracy. Currently he falls under the benchmark level, which is described age level appropriate. The student also improved his recognition of final sounds. Missing one out of five questions, the researcher concluded a need for continued intervention. However, the reader is considered to be on target for grade level. The researcher administered a running record after the fourth lesson and noticed tremendous progress. The first time the student only knew 29% of the words, and the second time the reader achieved 88% accuracy. The reader’s growth was exceptionally clear for the researcher to see by way of the assessments.

The outcome based assessment, CORE Phonological Segmentation Test, tested over the intervention content. Throughout the lesson, the researcher focused on improving the reader’s level of phonemic awareness and phonics. The final test concluded that the student did progress in the areas of phonemic awareness and phonics. The student’s understanding of words into syllables and words into phonemes improved. The student’s score is labeled as “strategic” and that means practice is still needed for growth.

The researcher’s action plan was made based on the results of the first series of tests. The tests were then administered again to clarify areas of improvement and needs. Implementing a progress monitor assessment ensured that the researcher was staying focused on the needs of the reader. The curriculum design meets the needs of the reader by focused lesson aimed at improving phonemic awareness and phonics. These areas gradually strengthened, as future focus areas surfaced. Through the reader’s ability to rhyme words, and change use the sounds of letters to create new words, the researcher recognized the student’s tremendous growth. The growth was evident, as the student would sound out words aloud as he read and wrote. The work samples do not directly convey this evidence. The researcher believes that the reader needs focused practice with consonant blends. At this point, the reader does not struggle with sounding out words such as: top or bat, but does struggle to hear the first two letters of words such as: stick or clown. The researcher’s action plan was successful in scaffolding the student’s learning. However, the student now needs guidance and practice in the area consonant blends in order to continue to improve his phonics level.

Throughout the intervention with the reader, the researcher observed changed reading behavior. On the first day the researcher worked with the reader, she noticed that the reader was not interested in reading. The reader would say he did not want to read. Or he would start talking about something else, instead of reading. He would consistently avoid trying to read. The researcher noticed a change in the reader’s confidence in reading. Towards the end of the action plan, the reader began to sound out words, without being prompted. Once the reader recognized that he could use his knowledge of letter sounds to sound out words, he began to implement this strategy. The reader was then more motivated to try to read, when he knew that he had the ability to read. As a first grader, the reader often struggled to stay focused. The researcher had to work hard to create lessons that would hold the attention of the reader. When the lesson were highly interactive and keep up speed, he seemed interested. The researcher came to the conclusion reading is not seen as fun or interesting for the student. The researcher tried to overcome this obstacle by having the student involved in an online activity that required the student to read in order to accomplish the task. The researcher also noticed an improvement in the amount of self-discipline in the reader. Near the beginning of the intervention, the reader wanted the answers given to him. He would often give up and be reluctant to figuring out the answer on his own. Currently, the reader will apply his skills to help decipher a word. The reader went from immediately asking what the word was to taking time to sound the word out and then ask if he was correct. The reader has improved in his confidence and his ability to preserve which will help him tremendously as he continues to learn to read.

As I reflect upon the reader case study process, I recognize my professional development as a result of this practicum. My understandings of assessment and instruction have strengthened. I now grasp how intertwined these two areas are. In order for me to now what lessons to plan, I had to identify my reader needs. Over the course of the plan, I realized how quickly the student can grow and change. Midway through my lessons, I realized that my reader was capable of more. I needed to challenge my reader more than I had anticipated. I redesigned a few of the lessons and eliminated others. Progress monitoring is crucial for the success of the student. If I had continued with the initial lessons, the reader would not have learned as much. This process also taught me how to decide which assessments are most appropriate and where to look for those assessments. I spent time learning how to utilize the assessment data. Then I had to reflect back on my years of education to come up with the best instruction for the area of need. My confidence in my ability to gather, interpret, and drive instruction based on the assessment data, has been strengthened.

Throughout the case study I have tested my skills in the areas of interpreting student work samples and designing effective reading instruction. I felt confident in those areas prior to the case study process. I proved myself right, as I did not struggle in these areas. I felt as if interpreting the student’s work samples was just another way for me to see how I would drive the instruction. After working with rhyming words during one lesson, I asked my student to write a word that rhymes with cat. He did this with no problem. Thus, I knew we did not need to continue to work on basic rhyming words. This information helped formulate my reading instruction. I designed effective reading instruction based on the needs of my students. My readers’ abilities strengthened and I would like to believe that had something to do with the instruction I gave him. I really tried to tap into the needs of my reader. He had trouble being interested in reading and focusing in general. So, I designed instruction that was highly engaging and fast pace. The online stories and activities were beneficial teaching tools. One goal I have for developing my ability to create effective reading instruction is to be well prepared. On certain days, I felt like I could have been better prepared. I realize that it is very important to be a few steps ahead of your students in order to be successful at scaffolding their learning. Overall, I felt I was highly effective in the area of designing helpful reading instruction.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download