Tutor: Jessica Yucha

Tutee: Wesley Grade Level: 4

Reading Level: Level 2

Lesson #: 3

EVALUATION/REFLECTION FROM LAST LESSON [What did you learn from last weeks session about your tutee? Provide
details and examples. How will what you learned from last session inform your planning for this session? What did you learn about yourself as a teacher?]

To begin my last lesson I administered the remainder of the CRI. Wesley was very successful at character, setting, and story problem and resolution recall, but struggled when it came to theme evaluation, inferring, and literal interpretations. He was able to read the second grade passage (100 words in 1 minute), but made 6 mistakes. Four of Wesleys mistakes were insertions and two were substitutions. He made no attempt to self-correct them even though the words he inserted made no sense within the sentence or the context of the story. I noticed that when hes reading he will add words that he thinks will make sense in the sentence so that he doesnt have to read the words listed. I also noticed he frequently will look at the first letter of a word and say a word that starts with that letter rather than attempt to sound it out. For example, he saw the word cried and said circled. Before I began tutoring Wesley his teacher told me he was an early third grade reading level, so I gave him the level 3 assessment just to see how he did. His silent reading comprehension results were very similar to those from his level 2 assessment. However, his oral reading results led me to believe he is much closer to a level 2 for he made 12 errors (3 substitutions, 7 insertions, and 2 omissions). He enjoyed the poem we read when I modeled it but really struggled with reading it. I need to pick something with a more accessible vocabulary for him next time. Our writing assessment was still unsuccessful, he is extremely reluctant when it comes to writing. The theme for our writing was to write about what we would do if we ruled the world in coordination with our poem we had read. Finally, we did a book share where I presented him with a variety of books I had chosen for him. We went through each book and read the backs together to find out what they were about. We also flipped through them and looked at any pictures that were inside to get a sense of what the book was about. When we finished going through them, I laid out all of the books and he chose the four he found most interesting. Three of the books were fiction and his favorite was a non-fiction book titled The 100 Deadliest Things on the Planet. He was really intrigued by this book and asked if we could read it together for a while, which was so exciting! He struggled with the reading but because he was so interested in the content he rarely let himself skip or substitute a word if it didnt make sense because he really wanted to know what it was saying.

GOALS for the session or for the child: First, and foremost, I need to focus on fluency. So Alyssa and I will have our students play a game of Sight Word Pick-Up Sticks together (described below). Next we will begin our guided reading practice. However, I believe it is essential for a student to know what they are working towards in order to for them to achieve it. Therefore, We will go over the What is Fluency sheet that I have. We will also trace his hand and make a Handy Reading Strategies Hand. We will then read a chapter or two out of one of his chosen books from our last session. While reading we will sticky notes words he struggles with or does not know

Rationale: Based upon my reflection of last week and Wesleys needs and described in further detail within each lesson description below. Common Core Standard(s): RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a characters thoughts, words, or actions). RF.4.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. RF.4.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

and use those for our word study at the end of our session. After our reading, we will do a writing activity based on the chapters he read. FLUENCY/FAMILIAR READING (15 min) [include selection]: After discussing my student with my class mate Alyssa Duda, we realized that both of our tutees had similar struggles and habits when reading. We both thought our students need some serious assistance with fluency and that the first step would be some work with sight words. I really didnt want to just use flashcards so I came up with the idea of Sight Word Pick-Up Sticks. I recently was using this game for alphabet recognition in one of my first grade classes, and Alyssa and I thought it would translate well with sight words. We will be using second and third grade sight words along with a few of the easier fourth grade sight words to challenge them. GUIDED READING (25-30 MIN): Selection: Stink and the Ultimate Thumb-Wrestling Smackdown by Megan McDonald (Reading Level 2) Before Reading Activity: I will go over the What is Fluency? page with Wesley so that he knows what he is working towards. I will also do the Handy Reading Strategies Hand with him so that he is aware of some of the different strategies to use when he comes across an unfamiliar word. I will then model read the description of the book on the dust jacket. After model reading I will point out the different attributes of fluency I used when reading so that he can make the connection between the attributes I described to him and how they actually translate to reading. During Reading Activity: During reading I will have Wesley read aloud. When he gets stuck on a word we will use the reading strategies to stop and work through it. I chose a level 2 book to avoid having to do this too frequently. Also, if we come across a word where Wesley is unfamiliar with the meaning, we will use a post-it note to mark it. Rationale/Purpose(s) (Why is it important to do this based on
what you have learned about your tutee and according to research? Include citation, references to professional sources):

I believe games are one of the most engaging and effective ways to teach our tutees without them really feeling like its an assignment. Sight words are essential for as Words Their Way States, If they do not have enough sight words to permit fluent reading, their rates may be painfully slow (152).

CCSS: RF.4.3 and RF.4.4

Rationale/Purpose: I think it is essential that Wesley knows what being a fluent reader actually means. Telling him he needs to be fluent but not giving him the tools he needs to fix it would be pointless. It would be like telling someone who is not a long distance runner to run a marathon with no training or knowledge of how to prepare for it. This will also assist Wesley in setting personal goals which, in regards to this, the text states You will find it motivating for your students in the upper elementary grades and beyond to be involved in their own shortterm goal setting (47). Rationale/Purpose: According to the text, Becoming fully literate is absolutely dependent on fast, accurate recognition of words and their meanings (3). To develop upon this essential skill I believe it is necessary for Wesley to take note of words he does not recognize so that we might revisit them and learn their meaning, thus adding them to his vocabulary. Rationale/Purpose: This will not only assist me in interpreting Wesleys

Post-Reading Activity: We will engage in a discussion about what he read and

his feelings about the characters and their actions.

comprehension of what we read, but also initiate the cognitive process of interpreting the text. Rationale/Purpose: As the text explains, The within word pattern stage is a transitional stage of literacy development between the beginning stage when the students reading and writing are quite labored and the intermediate stage when students can read and write a variety of genres more fluently (200). It is my hope that activities such as this will help elevate Wesley to his intermediate stage.

WRITING (10 min.): We will complete a STORY worksheet where each letter represents a part of the story that I want him to reflect upon. (e.g., the S stands for Setting, the T for Talking Characters, the O for Oops! A Problem!, etc.) This activity is beneficial because it uses writing to demonstrate comprehension and allows Wesley to make a cognitive connection between what he reads and how to write about it.

CCSS: RL.4.3 WORD STUDY (5 min.): During our reading Wesley will be marking words he is unfamiliar with. At the end of our session we will return to these words and add them to our Mystery Word worksheet I have created. On this worksheet Wesley will mark the word he is unfamiliar with, what he thinks it might mean, and what it actually means. We will use this sheet every session and I will explain to Wesley that I still, as an adult, circle words I am unfamiliar with when Im reading and find out what they mean after the fact. Rationale/Purpose: It is essential that Wesley not settle for skipping or substituting a word he does not recognize. It is my hope that I am initiating a life-long strategy where Wesley will not settle for just not knowing what he is reading and actively seek out the information to find the meaning. CCSS: RF.4.3

BOOK SHARING (5 min.): Selection: We will discuss the books Wesley took with him our last session. I want to engage in a discussion where Wesley tells me what he read about and what he did or did not find interesting. I will also inquire as to whether Wesley added any further topics or books into his interest notebook I gave him to take with him.

Rationale/Purpose: As is explained in Words Their Way in regards to Within Word Pattern stage students, it is essential that they read a lot during this stage otherwise, they will stagnate as readers and writers (201). It is my hope that our book shares and activities will actively engage him and motivate him to read frequently.