Becky Marder

EDUC 6420
Part II – Impact

I. Summary of Instruction and Response to Instruction

I have had such a wonderful time working with Frank, and I am so proud of his progress

thus far. The bulk of my tutoring instruction has been centered around two areas of need I

identified based on assessment data: word attack skills and vowel teams. Over the course of the

last 2 months, we have worked through explicit instruction and practice with vowel teams, and

highlighting word attack strategies Frank can use on his own while reading.

Each session, we begin with explicit instruction in the sounds of vowel teams. We began

with vowel teams ai, and ay, then moved on to ou, oa, and ow, and by the end of instruction we

will have covered ee and ea as well. In order to organize our learning, we used a vowel team

anchor chart that Frank colored in as we learned each team.

 After explicit instruction, we created word lists for each vowel team and used Elkonin

boxes to practice the words we had come up with. The word lists were especially effective

because I found that while the purpose was to practice vowel teams, he was also practicing a

wide range of phonological skills, like substitution and deletion of initial and ending sounds, in

order to add words to the list.

Frank did all of the writing for these activities while I helped guide him through the

spelling patterns and in finding the correct sounds. In the following session, we review whatever

vowel team we had worked on in context. We used a range of activities to do this: a paragraph I

created where Frank highlighted all of the words that used the target vowel teams, games using

the target vowel team, or we would go on a scavenger hunt in whatever text we were reading to

look for words that used the target vowel team. One game that Frank especially enjoyed was

vowel team War. This game is modeled off the classic card game, War, but students have to read

each word after placing down a card in order to win the round.
 I found this structure to be very effective. The initial introduction of the vowel team was

solidified by the range of activities for which Frank was asked to use the vowel teams. He

practiced the words both out of context and in context. It was encouraging to see how our work

transferred to his reading. After the work with vowel teams at the beginning of our sessions, we

would always read a book. During reading, I observed Frank pulling apart words, trying different

sounds for the vowel teams, and self-monitoring until he found the correct sound for each vowel

team. Often times, he was well aware of his use of this strategy, and would become excited when

he found the right sound, pointing out the vowel team to me.

Recently, I re-assessed Frank using the same Informal Decoding Inventory from

McKenna and Stahl (2015) that I had used in the fall. It was very encouraging to see that Frank

has made huge gains in his reading of words with vowel teams. In the fall, he scored at

“systematic review” in the category of vowel teams. When I reassessed him, he had jumped to a

score of “mastery.” I am so proud of the hard work he has done to get him to where he is now.
 The other part of instructional time is centered around meaning making while reading.

My assessments of Frank this fall showed that he rarely self-monitors for meaning. This was

initially going to be an area of instruction, but when I began reading multiple times a week with

Frank, I realized that he exhibited many behavioral characteristics of a struggling reader. The

way that he interacted with text led me to believe that in the classroom he very rarely had the

opportunity to read high success texts. My guess is that his hesitance with reading may be a

result of feeling unsuccessful with reading more often than not. It also seems as though his

teachers, with the best intentions, had conditioned Frank to believe that he could not tackle

reading a text on his own. When we first began our sessions together, if Frank was unsure of a

word, he would immediately look at me to provide help. Because of this, the first part of

instruction has consisted of Frank unlearning these coping strategies and relearning word attack

strategies. To do so, I introduced a bookmark that listed different word attack strategies.
 Stuck on a Stuck on a Stuck on a
Word? Word? Word?
Look at the pictures! Look at the pictures! Look at the pictures!
Look at the pictures for clues Look at the pictures for clues Look at the pictures for clues
Look for missing information Look for missing information Look for missing information

impressed with his progress.

Get your lips ready! Get your lips ready! Get your lips ready!
Say the first few sounds of the Say the first few sounds of the Say the first few sounds of the
new word new word new word
Read to the end of the Read to the end of the Read to the end of the
sentence and say it again sentence and say it again sentence and say it again
Stretch it out! Stretch it out! Stretch it out!
Stretch the word out slowly Stretch the word out slowly Stretch the word out slowly
Put the sounds back together Put the sounds back together Put the sounds back together

Chunk the word! Chunk the word! Chunk the word!

Look for a chunk that you know Look for a chunk that you know Look for a chunk that you know
(-at, -an, -in, -ot, etc.) (-at, -an, -in, -ot, etc.) (-at, -an, -in, -ot, etc.)
Look for a word part Look for a word part Look for a word part
(-ing, -er, etc.) (-ing, -er, etc.) (-ing, -er, etc.)

was capable of reading these kinds of stories on his own.

Skip it and hop back! Skip it and hop back! Skip it and hop back!
Skip the word Skip the word Skip the word
Read to the end of the Read to the end of the Read to the end of the
sentence sentence sentence
Hop back and read it again Hop back and read it again Hop back and read it again
Try it again! Try it again! Try it again!
Try to re-read the word Try to re-read the word Try to re-read the word
Try a word that makes sense Try a word that makes sense Try a word that makes sense

Flip the vowel sound! Flip the vowel sound! Flip the vowel sound!
Try a short or long vowel sound Try a short or long vowel sound Try a short or long vowel sound
Which one makes sense? Which one makes sense? Which one makes sense?

Ask for help after you have tried all the Ask for help after you have tried all the Ask for help after you have tried all the
strategies and READ ON! strategies and READ ON! strategies and READ ON!

Level H. He flew through the text with 98% accuracy. He was excited and engaged, so we
Once we began practicing these word attack strategies, Frank’s reading performance
own, but he was always very proud of his work. After reading, even a book at his independent

his experience, but remind him that it was he who did the hard work to finish the story, and he

soared. At the beginning of the year, Frank was instructional at Fountas and Pinnell Level G. I
he cannot solve the word on his own, he is allowed to ask for help. First, I prompt him to use a
difficult word, I need to see him attempt one or more of the strategies before asking for help. If

texts as well, with a 95% accuracy. This is right on the border of instructional, but I was still so
specific word attack strategy that is most helpful in that situation. If it is sight word that is truly

pushed to also read a Level I and Level J text. I found him to be independent with both of these
reassessed him at the beginning of this semester and found that he had made some progress, but
level, he would exclaim, “That was hard!” or, “That book was so long!” I would always validate
Each week, we review a strategy or two, and I remind Frank that when he comes across a

was still instructional at level G. Recently, I completed a running record with Frank starting with
not decodable, I will give him the word. At first, he was exhausted by the effort of reading on his
 Assessment Fall Semester Score Re-assessment #1 Re-assessment #2
(January 14, 2019) (March 4, 2019)
Running Record Level G – Level G – Level H – 98%
91% instructional 94% instructional independent

Level I – 95%
independent

Level J – 95%
independent

Informal Decoding Vowel teams – Vowel teams –

Inventory Systematic Review Mastery

Below I have included an updated version of my action plan to accurately reflect some of

the changes I made to my instruction as well as the tools and texts we’ve used.

Objective/Strategy Text(s) Material(s) Assessment(s) Instructional

used Used Used Goals
- Build knowledge of - Vowel - Word list To help student
vowel teams (ai, ay) Tide team chart - Elkonin Boxes realize he can
Week - Introduce strategy Pools, - Elkonin - Observations use his own
of for tackling hard Level G Boxes while reading strategies to
1/14 words (look at the - Word List tackle difficult
pictures) - Word texts
Attack Skills
Bookmark
- Build knowledge of - Vowel - student’s To help student
vowel teams (review Animals team chart ability to find realize he can
Week ai, ay) that Lay - Word vowel teams in use his own
of - Introduce strategy Eggs, Attack Skills the paragraph strategies to
2/4 for tackling hard Level G Bookmark - student’s tackle difficult
words (get your lips - ai, ay ability to read texts
ready) paragraph & words that use
highlighter vowel teams in
to find the paragraph
vowel team
 - Build knowledge of - Vowel - student’s SWBAT find,
vowel teams (ai, ay) Peacocks team chart ability to read read, and use
Week - Introduce strategy Lexile - Word the words vowel teams in
of for tackling hard Level: Attack Skills included in the literacy events.
2/11 words (stretch the 430 Bookmark ai,ay card game
sounds) - word list - observations
- ai, ay War while reading
Card Game

- Build knowledge of - Vowel - student’s SWBAT find,

vowel teams (ou, Peacocks team chart ability to create read, and use
Week oa, ow) Lexile - Word a word list with vowel teams in
of - Introduce strategy Level: Attack Skills target vowel literacy events.
2/19 for tackling hard 430 Bookmark team SWBAT use word
words (practice all - Word List - student’s attack strategies
three learned so far) ability to use to read
word attack independently.
skills when
reading
- Build knowledge of - Vowel - student’s SWBAT find,
vowel teams (ou, Peacocks team chart ability to create read, and use
Week oa, ow) Lexile - Word a word list with vowel teams in
of - Introduce strategy Level: Attack Skills target vowel literacy events.
2/25 for tackling hard 430 Bookmark team SWBAT use word
words - Word List - use of Elkonin attack strategies
(look for chunks that - Elkonin boxes to read
you know) Boxes - student’s independently.
ability to use
word attack
skills when
reading
Week - Progress - Level H, - Running Student will
of Monitoring Level I, Record show progress
3/04 Level J text - Informal on previously
- Informal Decoding used
Decoding Inventory from assessments.
Inventory McKenna and
Student Stahl (2013)
Sheet and
recoding
sheeer
II. Challenges and Successes
The tutoring I have done thus far aligns with much of what I had outlined in my Action

Plan. One major change I made is with the texts we have read. While I had initially intended to

stick with texts that correspond with Frank’s independent and instructional reading level so he

would experience reading with high success texts, I changed my mind a couple of weeks into

instruction. As I mentioned in Part One of this case study, Frank has expressed interest in very

specific texts to me, mainly Disney texts and texts about his current favorite animal. I wanted to

read texts with Frank that were related to his interests. His interests are very specific, so it was

hard to find texts that were at his instructional or independent level. Still, I wanted to help him

understand that reading can be done for enjoyment, and he could use reading to learn about

topics he is interested in. So, I tried to find texts that were at an appropriate level, but I was

willing to use texts above his independent level if they covered a topic he was interested in. I

also thought that using higher level texts was a good challenge to practice the word tackling

skills he had been introduced to. I was very pleasantly surprised by Frank’s performance when

reading these more difficult texts. He was eager to take on the challenge, and was very successful

when reading. He did not get frustrated or rely on me for support any more than he had with his

independent level texts. I am happy to say that my hypothesis that Frank would rise to the

challenge was confirmed.

Another change I made was to spend more time reviewing vowel teams. I initially

thought that Frank’s current level of understanding with phonics would allow this portion of

instruction to go quickly. While he was quick to memorize the sounds that corresponded to each

vowel team, he did not have an easy time transferring this knowledge to words in context. At

first, he was not using his new understanding of vowel teams when he was breaking apart and
solving words. Based on these observations, I decided to spend more time on reading and using

the vowel teams in the contexts of words, sentences, and stories.

My initial action plan and the following changes have created what I believe to be a

successful, engaging intervention protocol. Frank is quick to jump out of his seat when I enter

the classroom and join me in the hallway for our time together. I believe that one of the reasons

Frank is so engaged with intervention is because it is a positive school experience for him. From

discussions with his teachers and LTDS, I have learned that Frank has a tough home life and

exhibits hard to deal with behaviors in the classroom. Despite these observations, Frank and I

maintain a very positive relationship. The activities we participate in are fun and challenging,

and I am always quick to praise his hard work. I think that he really enjoys this positive, one on

one attention.

Another aspect of my instruction that has been really successful is requiring him to do the

heavy lifting in our sessions together. He has gotten so used to his teachers and family members

stepping in and doing the hard work for him that he never developed the skills to tackle

academics on his own. I think that part of the reason he has showed so much growth during our

time together is because I do not give him more than the support he absolutely needs. The work

we do is challenging, but he is capable of it, and by completing the work, he understands that he

is up to the challenges of school and doesn’t actually need as much hand-holding as he once

believed. The work we do together is cognitively demanding, and therefore engaging.

Lastly, I allow Frank a lot of choice during our time together. He chooses the books he

wants to read, the pencil he wants to use, the color marker he wants to use, and even the

strategies he wants to use. I have found that the environment at his school can be very strict and
does not allow a lot of room for student choice, so I think that this aspect of my instruction is

very motivating.

I have found many different strategies for intervention to be successful with Frank. He

enjoys games - especially ones he can beat me at! He also enjoys having choice in his learning,

and when he gets to read texts that are of high interest to him. He responds highly to praise, and

is much more likely to engage in our tutoring session if I am sure to praise him for his hard work.

Frank is a very reflective student, and he is not afraid to speak his mind. I know that the

strategies I have implemented are successful, because he is outspoken in telling me what

activities he enjoys and which activities he dislikes. Luckily, he will usually comply with the

more boring, but necessary, tasks as long as there is a promise of doing something more fun later

in our time together.

Because challenging Frank has proved so successful, I wish that I had worked to really

challenge him a little earlier in our time together. At the beginning, I was torn between giving

Frank experience with high success text, and seeing what he was capable of when challenged. In

retrospect, I think that I should have pushed Frank from the beginning to see how far he could go

and how much he could accomplish. Then, I could instruct him at a more accurate instructional

level.

I have found our work together on vowel teams to be very productive for Frank.

Understanding the vowel teams has made his decoding much more accurate. For next steps, I

would like for him to continue reviewing these vowel teams until he is fluent with them. I would

also like to review the assessment data to see if there are any other areas of explicit phonics

instruction that Frank needs support in, since this method has been successful in improving his

fluency and word decoding strategies. As stated above, when I re-assessed Frank he showed
marked improvement in reading of words with vowel teams, but he still scored at “systematic

review” for words with a -VCe pattern. This while likely be the next area of phonics instruction

we tackle. I would also like to continue to work with Frank on monitoring for meaning in his

reading. I plan to use an MSV cue card to help Frank have a visual reminder of ways that he can

self-monitor while reading. Lastly, I would like to speak with his teachers about allowing Frank

to have some productive struggle time and trusting in him to tackle texts on his own. It is my

hope that by the end of second grade, after implementing all of these strategies, Frank will be

reading much closer to grade level.