TE 846: Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners Michigan State University FINAL PROJECT: LITERACY LEARNER ANALYSIS Brief Background

and Reason for Project Focus

The ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning is the ability to comprehend. The ability to comprehend text requires an individual to use various literacy skills together. As a specialist teacher I am able to work individually with students giving me more time to determine what level a students is functioning at and where improvement is needed. Reading comprehension is measured from shallow or low-level to deep or high-levels of understanding. When an individual is only showing shallow processing involves structural and phonemic recognition, sentence and word structure, missing the whole picture because the focus is on understanding individual words. Whereas deep processing involves semantic processing, this is when we encode the meaning of words and relate them to similar words, being able to understand a string of words rather than a singular word. With that in mind the focus of this analysis is to highlight strategies successful in improving reading comprehension and related literacy skills. The following is a case study analysis on Alex Mason, a second grade student with a learning disability in basic reading skills, specifically comprehension and fluency. The goal of this analysis is to improve Alexs reading comprehension and fluency through assessment, oneto-one and small group instruction and progress monitoring. Alex will be receiving one to one instruction to build basic reading skills within the resource room three times a week for 1 hour sessions at a time. He will also be receiving instruction within the general education classroom in small and whole group co-taught sessions for one hour, twice a week. It is the hope that this program built for Alex, will bring him close to being grade level.
II. Home and Family (i.e. focus on Literate Life routines)

Alex resides at home with both his mother Debbie and his father Joseph and his older sister Jenna. Both of his parents are educated individuals, mom is an elementary teacher for a neighboring school district and his father is a manager at the U.S. steel mill. His sister Jenna, who also attends Wyandotte Public schools, is ten years old and in fifth grade. She is an avid reader and appears to have no problems accessing the grade level curriculum. After talking with the family, it was reported that reading is a significant part of their daily routine. Alex is expected to read every day after school and on the weekends for approximately 15-20 mins, mom says she will set a timer and Alex will read until the timer has gone off. They also have a nightly book routine where mom reads to him. Throughout Alexs educational career in Wyandotte he has struggled to make progress in literacy. When pre-testing was done, Alexs scored a twelve DRA reading level which places him reading at a first

grade level. Alex stated that he enjoys reading, but finds it difficult and will get discouraged quickly and try to give up.

V.

Tests Given and Summary of Test Results

Alex began his second grade year as a struggling reader. His DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) and MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) score both coincided to show him well below grade level expectations. Alex will be pre and post assessed using the DRA reading assessment and the state standardized test MAP to get a well-rounded look at his abilities. During the course of this students analysis, Alexs reading progress will be monitored through the use of informal comprehension and fluency assessments. Alexs comprehension will be assessed using a computer based reading program known as Raz-Kids a derivative of Learning A-Z. This program provides the student with an appropriately leveled book, when finished reading the student is expected to answer five to ten comprehension questions based on the text. His fluency will be assessed once a week through the use of fluency passages and running records. Between the pre and post assessments Alexs literacy skills were assessed using both the DRA and the MAP assessments. Both assessments use different strategies to assess all aspects of his literacy levels including fluency, accuracy, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. I chose these two assessments together to get a more intense view of his comprehension skills. The DRA uses a running record technique to test fluency and accuracy. While the MAP test shows the students comprehension skills indepthly, breaking the results down into individual skills.
Pre-Assessment Result summaries DRA 16 Results: A score of 16 on the DRA places Alex reading and understanding text at a first grade level equivalency (middle -end of first grade) Projection estimate: Post assessment results are expected to be between a 22 and 30 DRA reading level. This would place Alex reading and understanding at grade level. (middle -end of second grade) Results: This score places Alex below the grade level expectations for an average second grade student.

NWEA (reading)

159

Projection estimate: Post assessment results are expected to be between just below grade level or at grade level with a 5-10 point increase.

VI.

Lesson Plan Matrix Objectives (including performance, conditions, and criterion; State the Common Core State Standard at the end of each objective.) Instructional materials (what will use to deliver the main objectives of the lesson) On-going assessment (to measure attainment of objectives)

Lesson Foci/Date

Lesson 1:
This is a repeated lesson. It is done 3 times a week during 1 hour sessions. This lesson and assessment will be given during 15 individualized sessions. The focus of this lesson is to build: sight word identification ability to build independent reading assessment skills build reading fluency Objective: SWBAT: identify grade level appropriate sight words through reading practice. SWBAT: read grade level appropriate text fluently through practice. Teacher Prep: A-z reading fluency passage (Administrator s copy) hole punch medium binding ring Student needs: A-Z reading passage (students copy) assessment graph for reading journal Fluency journal Assessment: The student is assessed at the beginning of each 1 hr session through the use of a reading A-Z reading fluency passage, using a running record to record his progress data.

Lesson 2:

This lesson is a longterm, lesson that is taught as part of a unit over several weeks. Each lesson is allotted 60 minutes from start to finish. The lesson format is to be taught one week at a time. The focus is to build: sight word identification reading fluency skills comprehensio n skills oral language skills

Objective: SWBAT: increase oral reading fluency and language skills through practice (performing). SWBAT: identify grade level appropriate sight words through reading practice. SWBAT: read grade level appropriate text fluently through practice.

Teacher Prep: teachers guidebook passage samples readers theatre rubric Student needs: Copies of selected reading passages highlighters readers theatre folders

Assessment: After the performances the students are to participate in an all class discussion about the scripts and the performances. They will also be required to fill out a self reflection sheet on their performance.