Case Study, Part A- Identifying a Struggling Reader Christopher Small EDU 744 Meeting Student Literacy Challenges University

of New England 7/10/2010

Identifying a Struggling Reader I have decided to identify a student who struggled with reading in my classroom during this past year. At the beginning of the year, Tim was at a mid-first grade reading level. He had severe deficiencies with his decoding skills (both reading and spelling), fluency, comprehension, writing, and vocabulary. In fact, Tim would misbehave if he had to read out loud or if there was any writing involved during the literacy block. He had a very low self-esteem of himself and would mask his weaknesses with the other students by acting out. Tims strengths and interests were math, technology, science, and kinesthetic learning. Despite earning only average grades in these subjects, he had the confidence to do his best and would even take risks with a challenging skill. This was something Tim would not do during the literacy block. Tim was a completely different person (attitude and effort), when comparing literacy with math and science. Tim lives in a small apartment with both parents and several brothers (including a newborn). Two of Tims brothers are currently in school and have been identified with behavioral issues. The parents seem to be overwhelmed and may not give each of the children the proper attention as Tim has indicated that he feels left out and usually distances himself from the other students, especially after the weekends and holidays. In other words, Tims home life does not seem to have the structure that Tim needs to learn the values of academics and social skills. It was this reason that I decided to have Tim stay after school with me three times per week to work on his homework as well as his literacy.

When I looked at Tims past records, he was constantly behind more than one grade level with his literacy. Tim took a variety of summative tests that include the DRA (Daily Reading Assessment), NWEA (Northwest Education Assessment), and DIBELS (this tested all five reading components). Tim was brought up for special education (twice) to see if he had any learning disabilities. These tests confirmed that Tims behavior often impeded his progress as he would usually shut down, make silly noises, or hide under his desk if he knew there was a possibility of making any mistakes with any given task. This trend followed him right up to my class. Based on his records, the input from his teachers and the principal, I knew I needed to diminish his anxiety with literacy if he was to make gains in this area. As previously mentioned, since he was fixated with what his peers may perceive of him, I knew that I needed to create a nurturing environment that would meet his needs. Tim loathed any type of summative test and I knew if I tried to use these methods with Tim, I would not get valid results. I understood that in order for me to know exactly where Tim was with his literacy, the assessments needed to be brief, non-threatening, and they had to focus on Tims strength of kinesthetic learning. I also realized that if there was any type of writing involved, Tim would shut down and revert to some of his behaviors. One type of formative assessment that I used with the class was ABCD multiplechoice cards. Whenever we would read a story (large group and small group instruction), I would ask a comprehension question, give four answers, and then the students would use one of their cards for the correct answer. This helped me gauge my instruction if we needed to stop and reflect, or if we could continue reading the story. Tim immediately

participated with this activity and even gave his input when we would have discrepancies with a question amongst the other students. This type of assessment showed different types of comprehension skills (examples: main idea, inferencing, recall, prediction, compare and contrast, etc.) that Tim might need additional help with. I did use the multiple-choice cards with some of the other reading components, but I found they were most effective with comprehension skills. Another type of formative assessment that I used extensively with the literacy block was the Smartboard. Since I knew Tim already loved technology, I realized that this would be an effective way to acquire valid results with Tims literacy. I made many types of games and activities and incorporated them with the reading components. These activities would be conducted in large group, small group, and on an individual basis (like after school). Tim would even write some of the answers on the Smartboard. This was a huge breakthrough given that writing sentences was something Tim would never do for me during the entire month of September. Most importantly, Tims behaviors and anxiety quickly diminished as he was now taking more chances with challenging literacy skills. For hands on activities, I would usually integrate math, literacy, science, and social studies whenever possible. One project that I had the students do with a partner was design and make a bridge. First, we read stories (fiction and non-fiction) about the importance and all the different types of bridges. I also generated comprehension questions (using some of the state standard skills) that the students had to answer. Then I had the students use a lab sheet (the scientific method) and write their question (What is the strongest shape to use when making a bridge?), their hypothesis, procedure, and the

materials. Once we went over their lab sheets, the students made the bridges and tested out their hypothesis by putting weights on their bridges until they collapsed. We charted our results on a bar graph and went over words like maximum, minimum, mode, median, etc. Finally we wrote our conclusion and gave our rationale for why we came to that reasoning. It was these types of collaborative projects that Tim was engaged with because I would integrate his strengths with one of his primary fears, literacy. According to Bonnie Campbell Hills Literacy Continuum, I believe Tims current level of literacy is Stage 3 - Beginning, Ages 6 8. I feel Tims writing is at this level because he is just now able to write a full page, he is able to choose his own writing topics, he has basic mechanic skills, and he is able to edit his mistakes with some guidance. As for reading, Tim is now able to read second grade books independently for ten minutes, he is able to read most high frequency words, he uses basic phonics strategies when sounding out unfamiliar words, and he is able to identify how sentences should be read based on the punctuation. When Tim has guidance, he is able to use a story map and identify the main events at the beginning, middle, and ending of second grade stories. At the end of the school year, I went over all of Tims strengths, weaknesses, interests, and anxieties with his fourth grade teacher. If Tims teacher maintains this route, then I am confident Tim will continue to grow as a student. Although he is not at grade level, I feel I have made important strides with Tim as he is now taking more risks with challenging assignments while his behaviors have been greatly reduced because his self-esteem has improved over the course of the school year.

Case Study Part B Interventions for a Struggling Reader Chris Small

Meeting Student Literacy Challenges Dr. ONeill July 24, 2010

Part B- Interventions for a Struggling Reader As mentioned in my previous case study, Tims DRA was a mid-first grade level. This would put him more than one full grade level of where he would need to be at the beginning of third grade. Based on his DIBBELS, DRA, and NWEA results, Tim showed severe deficiencies in phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. These results indicate that Tim needs to have Tier three intervention that will meet his personal needs. Since Tim is very low with four of the reading components (excluding phonemic awareness), he needs a program that covers each of these effectively and efficiently. One scientifically based reading research based intervention program that Tim was placed in was called Soar to Success. This program have a variety of stories (that are at his level) that encompass many activities that are tailored to meet Tims needs. When I use this program I prefer to use a Direct Instruction approach. In the first step, the students review and revisit a previously taught skill. Since Tim does have some memory issues, I would first demonstrate how to do the skill. Some of these ways include describing and demonstrating it, eliciting student participation, and assessing student understanding. During this step it is essential to use the think aloud strategy because the teacher can show his/her reasoning as the strategy is applied. For example, Tim tends to try to start reading the book without even looking at the title, previewing the pictures, and think about what the story may be about. This program starts each story by eliciting a walkthrough of the book before even beginning to read the story. This helps me know what vocabulary words Tim may not understand and if he needs any additional background knowledge with the topic. I have noticed after we apply this step, this has helped Tim

tremendously with his comprehension and vocabulary skills when we read the story. Another aspect that must be considered is pacing. Before, during, and after each of these lessons, it is imperative to pace effectively to ensure that the teacher is not going too fast (to make Tim feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and confused) or too slow (that may create boredom). During the next stage of DI, I will watch, guide, and praise Tim as the skill is being done together. In the Soar to Success program, this is called Rehearsing and Reading and Reciprocal Teaching. There are always four reading strategies that Tim will practice on a daily basis, as he needs that additional assistance with summarizing, certain phonics skills, predicting, and asking questions, to name a few. Once Tim has shown the ability to apply these strategies under my supervision, I will have him work on it independently. There are activities and a workbook that Tim will use to show his understanding of the lesson. During this part of the lesson I am able to observe Tim while he is working on the activity/game, and I will correct his student guide page upon completion. Any time that Tim does not do the activity, game, or workbook page correctly, we will revisit that lesson as I provide Tim with additional opportunities to practice that skill. The last step that I use in the DI approach is having Tim apply the skill in all situations. This may include using this skill in other subjects or at home. In the Soar to Success program, there is a home connection that Tim will do with his mother. Tim will bring home a detailed parent letter, a story, and a student guide page that he completes at home. Once finished, Tim will bring the student guide page back to school and any attached parent note explaining how he did with the assignment.

Another intervention program that I will use with Tim once a week is called Read Naturally. This a research based program that also covers all of the reading components. The steps include the following: 1. Choosing a story at Tims assigned level. 2. Listen and read along (on the CD player) as the storyteller says the title, the vocabulary words, and the definitions. 3. Write a prediction of the story based on the picture, the title, and the key words. 4. Do a cold read. Tim reads the story for the first time as he times himself for one minute. 5. Tim records the amount of words read for one minute on his graphing chart. 6. Tim listens to the story on the CD player. This is important because Tim is listening to how the story should be read in a fluent manner. 7. Tim will practice reading the story out loud several times until he feels that he has improved his fluency when compared to his cold read. 8. Tim will answer the questions that cover specific comprehension skills. This helps me know what comprehension skills that Tim may need additional help. 9. Tim will do a hot read. Tim will be timed for one minute as he reads the story out loud. Then we will record the amount of words read on his reading chart. This chart is used throughout the year as Tim and I are able to visually check his graph to see how he is progressing with his fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

These are the two tier three intervention programs that Tim will do in addition with his tier one 90-minute reading block. Since Tim is a tier three student, I assess Tim every three weeks using the DIBBELS. The tests that I use cover fluency, vocabulary, and phonics. At the beginning of the year, Tim had a predetermined benchmark that he needs to reach during each trimester. I use a line plot graph to chart his results for each of his DIBBELS assessments. This helps give a visual to progress monitor any growth that Tim shows in each of the reading components. It is essential that I utilize Tims data to help drive my instruction. If he does not show growth in any particular area, then that means I may have to change my instructional strategies, part of the reading intervention program, or both. I believe that Tim is on course in reaching his benchmark goals as long as I am using the combination of these programs and utilizing Tims data to help guide my instruction.

Case Study Part C Further Steps & Reflection on Working with a Struggling Reader Chris Small

Meeting Student Literacy Challenges Dr. ONeill August 17, 2010

Part C- Further Steps & Reflection on Working with a Struggling Reader

I would expect Tim to show improvements in phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Tim does have low self-esteem issues and tends to give up rather easily if the work is too challenging for him. For Tim to be most successful during the early onset of the program, extrinsic motivation methods should be used for him to be most successful in each of the programs. Tim also thrives with immediate feedback that is clear and explicit with his learning. Another key part for Tims success in regards to improving his skill levels is he needs to be in a small group setting that consists of two or fewer students. With that being said, Read Naturally and Soar to Success are two researchbased programs that have been proven to improve reading instruction for students who struggle with literacy. I believe Tim would excel with each of these intervention programs because this covers fluency, vocabulary, phonics, and comprehension, using a systematic and explicit approach to learning. These are two key ingredients that Tim needs in order for him to succeed. Best of all, the instructional pacing of these two programs caters to the individual which means that Tim can learn at a pace that isnt too fast (frustration) or too slow (boredom).

In going forward with Tims learning, I would like to integrate Tims strengths with the intervention programs. Some of Tims strengths include technology, science, and hands-on projects. Since I have a Smartboard in the classroom, I would like Tim to use the Read Naturally model (the steps of the reading components) and write his own non-fiction writing piece on a science topic of his choice. Then he could model this program to the other students on how to use the Read Naturally program by using one of his writing pieces. In addition to creating his science passage, Tim would also be able to find appropriate pictures, use content rich vocabulary words, and even develop multiple choice and open response questions using the Smartboard quiz creator. Then (just like in those two intervention programs) he can explain to the other students the reasons for any questions that they may have answered incorrectly. It would be this type of empowerment that would be imperative for Tims learning development. Most importantly, this would be a huge step for Tim social skills because he is selfconscience about his skill levels and tends to be judgmental about how the other students may perceive him since he is known as not being a risk taker with other students. However, I do know Tim does like to be the center of attention when it comes to topics that interest him so this would be something that I feel would work with Tim. As research has shown, students show mastery with any given skill when they are able to teach it to others. It would be these types of assignments that I would like Tim to do to help fine tune literacy skills that he has learned.

Fundations Fundations primary focus is on phonics skills, but does incorporate vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. This program can be used in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade. It is designed to be used in large group instruction (preventively), tier two instruction with students who are struggling with some skills, and tier three instruction for those who need intensive instruction in groups of two or three students. This program offers instruction that is explicit and systematic, and it is broken down into small increments that are practiced and reviewed frequently until mastery of the skill is achieved. Effective pacing is key to this program as the teacher and students have constant oral discussions to ensure the students are practicing the skills correctly. Since this program is broken down into different levels, I would place Tim in level one or two because his development is at the point where he is learning to decode multisyllabic words with some emphasis on word parts in base words, suffixes, prefixes, and double consonants. Although I could not locate any exact statistic numbers, Reading First has stated that there have been several studies that have shown that Fundations has improved students skill levels in all five reading components. As a result, this is an intervention program that is used in many Title One and Reading First schools.

Wilson Reading System The Wilson Reading System is a structured reading and writing program that is used in grades 2 through 12. I feel this would be a great program for Tim to use since the skills build upon themselves through the duration of his elementary and high school years. This would be used during the tier three instruction block because it focuses on

the specific needs of the individual as he/she masters each step of the program. The lessons are fast paced that offer continuous interaction with the certified Wilson Reading instructor, while providing clear, explicit instruction that encourages numerous opportunities to practice the skills. All five of the reading components are covered throughout the entire program and only focus on the component areas that the student is struggling with. According to Reading First, the Wilson Reading System is a research based program that has proven valid results in improving students skill abilities in all reading components. There are pre and post-tests during each step of the program to ensure if the students are grasping the skills.

Corrective Reading Corrective Reading covers all five reading components in grades 3 through 12. This program requires a minimum of 45 minutes per day and can be implemented during all three tiers of instruction. Each level has a scope and sequence to help the instructor know exactly the areas of focus with each student. The instruction is explicit while allowing a copious amount of practice and review with each skill as the student materials are aligned with each lesson. The daily lessons are divided into several parts: 1. word attack skills 2. word meaning 3. Story Reading (comprehension) 4. Reading Individual Checkouts to access fluency Each reading part provides teacher modeling, immediate specific feedback, and multiple opportunities for practice. According to the Florida Center for Reading Research, there

have been several studies that have proven that Corrective Reading has had positive effects in word attack, sight word efficiency, oral reading fluency, and comprehension in grades 3 through 8.

Read 180 Enterprise Edition Read 180 Enterprise Edition is a literacy intervention program that covers phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency in grades 4 through 12. There are nine themed workshops that span a variety of genres and content area nonfiction selections with a focus on improving the students decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills. These 90 minute daily lessons start with one 20 minute whole group session, three rotating small group sessions of 20 minutes each, and a ten minute whole group wrap up. The large group lessons start by building background knowledge with a focus on student to text connections. Then a vocabulary lesson and a specific comprehension skill are taught. Student writing is linked to the story passages and a specific writing skill (persuasive, expository, descriptive, etc.) for that week. After this, students rotate in three small group sessions that consist of a teacher-led group, a technology based group (software programs that cover the reading components), and a modeled reading independent group. These small groups provide differentiated instruction to meet the specific needs of the students deficiencies and to utilize their strengths to help improve their literacy skills. The instruction for this program is explicit and systematic, while giving the students many opportunities to review and practice the concepts and strategies. According to the Florida Center for Reading Research, independent studies have shown that struggling readers from junior high school to ninth

grade have made improvements with intensive and extended practice word study, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. From what I have read, there are no conclusive studies that have proven the effects of this program in the lower grades.

iStation iStation is an Internet reading intervention program for students in Kindergarten through third grade. The main goal of this program is to teach the students to read fluently with comprehension, although all five components are covered. This is a data driven program that has ongoing student reports and assessments that are compiled on the iStation website. Once logged into their account, students are immediately assessed to help the teacher know the strengths and weaknesses of each student and to determine which students are in need of teacher-directed intervention. All teacher materials are located on the website to assist the students in each skill that they are struggling with. The instruction for these materials is explicit and systematic that gives multiple opportunities for the students to observe and practice the skills in multiple situations. Since data drives the teacher instruction for this program, there are links to help the teacher utilize his/her data efficiently and effectively to help improve student learning in specific skill areas. The Forth Worth Independent School District took part in a research study to see if the implementation of iStation had positive results with their students. Based on the year long study, students who had iStation intervention showed a positive impact on their basic reading skills. It was noted that further research needs to be done before a conclusion can be made on the effectiveness on iStation.

Success for All Success for All is a reading, writing, and oral language program for grades kindergarten to third grade. Its primary goal is that all students should be able to read by the end of third grade. It can be used with a basal reading program or can be used on its own. This is a daily program that requires a minimum of a 90 minute literacy block. During large group instruction, popular children stories are used with a focus on higher level thinking skills, comprehension strategies, the pleasures of reading, and generating classroom discussion to improve oral language. During part of the small group instruction, the students read decodable books with the teacher. There is a wide range of instructional activities that are covered in these books with a focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, writing skills, and letter formation. For the next part of small group instruction, the students are in groups of four working in instructional packets called Treasure Hunts. The students practice a variety of reading skills that include the study of literary aspects, fluency, vocabulary, writing skills, and cooperative skills. The students within each group work together to ensure each student is held accountable for learning and completing the assigned tasks. Oral discussions are encouraged to generate different points of view and justifications for any given topic. Students are grouped based on skill level, and not by grade level so each student is receiving specific reading instruction that meet his/her needs. Assessment takes place every eight weeks to check student progress for possible grouping changes. The University of Memphis conducted studies in grades one through three and have found that students made significant improvements with reading skills in grades one and two, whereas grade three did not make notable gains.

Resources Author unknown. Fundations. 2006. http://www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/PDF/FundationsMW.pdf Author unknown. Wilson Reading System. 2006. http://www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/PDF/WilsonReadingSystem.pdf Author unknown. Corrective Reading. 2006. http://www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/PDF/Corrective_Reading.pdf Author unknown. Read Enterprise 180 Edition. 2006. http://www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/PDF/Read180final.pdf Author unknown. iStation. 2006. http://www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/PDF/iStation_Final.pdf Author unknown. Success for All. 2006 http://www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/PDF/SuccessAll.pdf