1. What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction?

Today was the last day of my internship, and it was hard to say goodbye to my sweet class. This Tuesday was like many of the other Tuesdays, with the students having time for Phonics and Writing. Phonics was not done at the carpet today but each student sat at their own seat and completed 3, 4, and challenge words. I saw that my case study student, a boy who normally waits and copies words after they are written, was able to complete many of the words on his own which made me very proud and happy!

2. What have you taught in your internship?

Today I worked with a first grade student on her Data Notebook, and had three Kindergarten students read their little books to me. It was also very rewarding to walk around during Writing Time and assist students with their spelling. I could really tell the levels that certain students were at by thinking about which sounds they heard in the words and what vowel sounds they understood. There is definitely a large range in my classroom.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

As a goodbye present my students all signed a “Thank You” card which was made by Ms. Hinkle. I absolutely loved this and thought that it was very nice of Ms. Hinkle to organize it. All of the students were able to sign their name on the card which made it even more personal and special. Along the same lines, a first grade teacher provided ice cream for the first grade classes, kindergarten classes, and all the interns working in those grades. I felt like our help was truly appreciated this past month and loved having a little goodbye party.

Post any questions that you have about teaching/learning

I noticed a poster hanging in the school that talked about God. Is it okay for the school to have this hanging up?

1. What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction?

This Tuesday and Thursday I observed what I have been observing the past few weeks. I saw phonics time, writer’s workshop, and small book reading. During writer’s workshop the students appear to be spelling more words on their own and asking for help less. A couple of the first grade students are writing fairly complex sentences with almost everything spelled correctly. For the most part, things have remained relatively the same over the weeks I have been completing this internship.

2. What have you taught in your internship?

This week I worked with various students on their Data Notebooks. Data Notebooks are required by the district and act as a means to measure the progress of students while helping to determine who may need to be retained or need extra help. Within the notebooks, I tested students on reading sight words, spelling sight words, counting, and reciting things such as the days of the week and the months of the year. It was a little difficult to do this because I really couldn’t help the students that much; it was only my job to see what information they knew. I was happy, however, because a lot of the kids I worked with knew the majority, if not all, of the required sight words and could spell them fairly well also. A few students also read me their ‘little books’.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

On Tuesday we had a meeting with Principal Johnson where he and the RTI specialist, Ms. Lane, discussed RTI and other questions we had about the school. This was a very informative meeting and I learned a lot about the Response to Intervention (RTI) program and how it affects the students within the school and specifically in my classroom. Principal Johnson and Ms. Lane were very helpful and friendly and I know we all really appreciated the time they took out of their day to talk with us.

Post any questions that you have about teaching/learning

What is the retention rate at NWES? At what grade is it appropriate to start forming reading groups? I have not seen groups in my combined kindergarten and first grade classroom and was wondering if it’s something that starts a little later (2^nd or 3^rd grade).

1. What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction?

I have actually been a little surprised because I feel like there is not enough language arts/reading instruction in my classroom. On Tuesday I saw my students participate in phonics; where Ms. Hinkle gives everyone 3, 4, 5 and challenge words to spell. However, on Thursday there was no phonics instruction because the class had a fieldtrip in the morning and then Easter festivities in the afternoon. Four of the kindergarten students read their ‘small books’ to me on Tuesday. The students also had time for writing on Tuesday where they could write about anything they wanted; things the liked, things they were going to do, friends, etc. The students were told to sound out words to spell and look at their ‘popcorn words’ (sight words) if they could not remember how to spell them.

2. What have you taught in your internship?

Thursday afternoon Sarah and I gave our first grade students their spelling test. It consisted of 12 words; 8 that followed a ‘double e’ pattern and 4 were sight words. Two of our first graders were out with another specialst so the test was only administed to 4 students.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

As I mentioned before, I feel like reading instruction in my classroom is not as intensive as it should be. I have never seen any sight word practice (which is something that I think should be done daily), and there are not enough reading practices that we have learned about (echo reading, shared reading, big book reading, etc). I know my students, especially the first graders, are lower than average, but I think this should be a reason to set the expectations even higher and work with them even more on reading.

Post any questions that you have about teaching/learning

My class had a pretty significant Easter party on Thursday; do most schools allow celebrations for holidays like Easter?

1. What have you seen in language arts/reading instruction?

During language arts and reading I stay in the classroom with my Kindergarten students (I am in a combined K/1 class). During phonics, Ms. Hinkle gives the students 3, 4, 5, and challenge words (6 or 7 letters) to spell. Each child has a whiteboard and attempts to spell the word. After a student has correctly spelled the word the class identifies the vowels and each sound in the word. Along the same lines, I have seen students read book one to one to the assistant. These books range varying on the level of the student but are mostly easy reader books.

2. What have you taught in your internship?

I have not taught any lessons, but did, with three of my classmates help, give the whole class spelling assessment. I also gave a group of four first grade students their spelling assessment. Lastly, I worked with individual students on their data book. During this time I showed the students words and checked them off if they read the word correctly.

Comment on any interesting things that you have noticed about your school, the teachers, the students, or the curriculum.

I have noticed that a lot of my students have been retained or will be retained next year. I have always been under the impression that retention is a very serious issue and should only happen when a child is seriously behind. It could be that the students that are being retained are that far behind, but I have heard that a few students are going to be retained based on maturity and social skills. My classroom teacher is very helpful and has been welcoming since day 1, which I appreciate a lot. Similarly, the other staff and administration are just as friendly.

Post any questions that you have about teaching/learning

Is it beneficial for students to be in a combined grade classroom?

DRTA

for

Frog and Toad Together – The Dream

Written by Arnold Lobel

HarperCollins Publisher, 1971

Opening Questions:

This story is called “The Dream”. Based on the title, what do you think will happen in this story?

[Either Frog or Toad will have a dream about something]

In this picture (p. 2), what is Toad doing?

[He is on stage and Frog is watching him}

What instrument is Toad playing on page 3?

[The piano]

What is happening to frog in these pictures (p. 6)? Why might this be happening?

[He is getting smaller! Maybe because Toad is bragging about his talents]

What do you think Toad is looking for in this picture (.p 8)?

[Frog]

Do these pictures show that Toad had found Frog? Where do you think he is? (p. 9-10)

[No, he might have disappeared!]

Look at these pictures (p. 11-12). What is going on here?

[We find out Toad was having a dream.]

How does the story end (p. 13)?

[Frog and Toad spend the day together.]

Let’s read the story to find out what really happens!

Stop 1: P. 4

Why do you think Toad is asking Frog, “Can you play like this” ?

[Because Toad wants to show off his piano skills.]

Do you think Frog will get bigger or continue to get smaller? Why do you think that?

[He'll get smaller because Toad will keep bragging.]

What other things to do you think Toad will do on stage?

[Walk on a high wire and dance.]

Stop 2, P. 8:

Was your prediction correct about Frog getting smaller or bigger? How do you know?

[Frog did get smaller. We know this because Toad tells the voice to stop talking and yells for Frog to come back.]

How would you feel if you were Toad at this point in the story?

[I would feel sad because I would think that I caused Frog to disappear.]

Do you think Frog will reappear or do you think Toad will never see his friend again?

[I think it will all be a dream and Frog will be there when Toad wakes up]

Stop 3, P. 12

What happened at the end of the story?

[Toad realized he was dreaming and when he woke up Frog was there. He and Frog spend the say together.]

If you were Toad, how would you have felt when you saw Frog?

[Very happy and relieved he wasn't gone forever.]

Which on your predictions were correct and which were wrong?

[I correctly predicted that Toad was dreaming and Frog would come back.]

DRTA

for

Frog and Toad Together – Cookies

Written by Arnold Lobel

HarperCollins Publisher, 1971

1. What grade is Curt in?

Curt is in 3rd grade.

2. What was the flash score for words at: first-grade level? second-grade level? third-grade level?

1st: 75%

2nd: 50%

3rd: 20%

3. What was the accuracy score at: 1-2 level? 2-1 level? 2-2 level?

1-2 Level: 97%

2-1 Level: 90%

2-2 Level:  84%

4. What was the rate score at: 1-2 level? 2-1 level? 2-2 level?

1-2 Level: 65 wpm

2-1 Level: 44 wpm

2-2 Level:  36 wpm

5. What was the percentage correct score for: first-grade words? second-grade words?

1st: 60% correct

2nd: 0% correct

6. Which grade-level flash score is the best choice for Instruction Level? (*Note: 92-94% accuracy is marginal; take a close look at Rate.)

Pre-primer grade level flash is the best choice for Instructional Level

7. Which grade-level accuracy score is the best choice for Instruction Level?

The 1st grade level is the best choice.

8. What do Curt’s rate scores indicate about his grade-level reading? Where is he instructional according to rate?

Curt’s rate scores indicate that he is at a 1st grade reading level. According to his rate, Curt is at a 1st grade instructional level.

9. What do Curt’s spelling scores indicate about his Instruction Level.

Curt’s spelling scores indicate that he is at a 1st grade Instructional Level.

10. Put all of these scores together, and what do they indicate Curt’s reading level to be?

With all of the pieces put together, it is indicated that Curt’s reading level is 1st grade.

1. What are the three dimensions of fluency? How can you assess each dimension?

1. Accuracy in word decoding. To assess, calculate the percentage of words a reader can accurately decode on grade-level material.
2. Automatic Processing. To assess, look at the students reading rate. An easy method for determining reading rate involves having student orally read a grade-level material for 60 seconds and calculate the number of words read correctly.
3. Prosodic Reading. To assess, listen to a student read a grade-level passage then judge the quality of the reading using a rubric that scores the student on the elements of expression and volume, phrasing, smoothness, and pace.

2. Rasinski refers to fluency as a “bridge” between decoding and comprehension. What does he mean by the “bridge” metaphor?

Rasinski is implying that fluency is the link between being able to decode a text and being able to comprehend a text. Fluency helps students connect the concept of decoding to comprehension.

3.    What instructional methods does Rasinski suggest for students with difficulties in automatic and prosodic reading?

Rasinski suggests using assisted readings and repeated readings for student students with difficulty in automatic and prosodic reading.
4.    Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MFS) is used to measure prosodic quality of oral reading. List components of the MFS and describe briefly what each refers to (p. 49).

Expression and Volume: refers to the expression and volume used to match a student’s interpretation of the test.

Phrasing: refers to the accuracy while reading phrasing in sentences, paying attention to expression.

Smoothness: refers to the rhythm and ability to self correct difficult words and structural difficulties.

Pace: refers to the rate at which a student reads.

1. Describe in broad stokes the reading processes that take place during comprehension of informational text (p. 362, under Construction of Meaning and Concept Development with Informational Texts).

Cognitively, comprehension of informal texts requires accessing accurate, relevant knowledge, managing mental processes during reading, and constructing a coherent mental representation through pruning and organizational processes.

2. Specify the effect that background knowledge may have on constructing mental representations from informational text. Why should teachers be concerned about activating prior knowledge?

Young children develop concepts and mental representations through experiences, social interactions, and language development. Written text plays an increasingly important role in the formation of concepts and mental representations. Concerning text, students can use the text they are reading to see if their background knowledge is accurate and teachers can correct any incorrect prior knowledge.

3. What are the three instructional approaches that can be used to help primary-grade students comprehend informational text? Describe their common (p. 365) and distinctive features (p. 363-5).

Three instructional approaches that can be used to help primary grade students comprehend information text are picture walks, know-what to learn-learn, and directed reading thinking activities. Common features of these three activities include emphasis on reader engagement and social mediation, activation of relevant, prior knowledge, and anticipation of what information might be likely to be included in a text. There are also distinctive features for each approach. These features are listed below.

Picture Walk: This approach requires students and the instructor to preview the text by exploring the pictures in the book. Also with this approach predictions are made on a page-by-page basis.

Know-What to Learn-Learned: This approach is more open-ended than the other two. It allows students to share their previous knowledge, and open a door for further discussion about what more they would like to learn. Teachers can observe comprehension as students can state what they learned.

Directed Reading Thinking Activity: This approach views reading as a problem solving process. During this approach the text is divided into meaning sections where students make predictions based on what they have just read and have thoughtful discussions.

4. What is the purpose of the experimental study reported?

To explore how the above approaches might influence developmental reading abilities and content acquisition when used with information text in the primary reading group context.

5. Who were the subjects?

The subjects were 31 struggling second grade students from two demographically similar schools. The subjects were divided into 8 groups with each group containing 4 students.

6. Describe the reading materials used during the intervention.

The reading materials were texts that are familiar to second graders (spiders, the moon, insects, etc).  Each week three different information texts were used that contained common information about the same topic. A total of 12 texts were used throughout the study.

7. How long did the experiment last?

The experiment lasted for two four-week cycles.

8. What were the experimental conditions?

• Pre-experimental screening was conducted to ensure a common instructional level among students.
• A 45 minute overview session with each group.
• 12 days of intervention for each cycle.
• Groups received treatment for three days with data being collected on the 3^rd day.
• Following the intervention, students were interviewed about the comprehension of the strategies

9. Describe the procedures specific to the Picture Walk, KWL, DRTA, and the Control Group conditions.

PW: Teachers and students look at the pictures within the book and predict what they think will occur in the story. Two or three vocabulary words are introduced during this procedure.

KWL: The class makes a chart interactively. They discuss prior knowledge before reading, pose questions that they would like to learn more about, and fill out what they learned after reading the text.

DRTA: The teachers decides on stopping points throughout the story. At the points students discuss what has occurred up to that point and make predictions about what will happen next.

Control Group: The same texts were read, however the control group only had to draw a picture or write something short about what they read.

10. What measures were used to determine the relative effectiveness of the treatments? Describe the measures briefly.

11. Which treatment(s) were found to be more effective in increasing students’ vocabulary knowledge and maze performance (p. 381)?

It was found that the DRTA and the picture walk proved most effective in increasing students’ vocabulary knowledge and maze performance.

12. Students’ comprehension of the texts was greater under the DRTA condition than KWL and the control conditions. What do you think explains DRTA’s advantage over the KWL condition (p. 382)?

The DRTA approach requires a higher level of thinking by students. The students and teacher interact more in a DRTA than in a KWL chart, and the DRTA provides more guidance. During a DRTA, the scaffolding provides students to actively justify predictions and integrate text-based knowledge with prior knowledge.

13. It was found that the treatments did not differ in the quality and quantity of students’ retellings (p. 384). In other words, students were not differentially affected by the treatments in the way they integrated textual information with prior knowledge. What does this finding mean in terms of the different emphases employed by experience-based (KWL) vs. text-based (DRTA) treatments?

This proves that teachers should implement both methods based on the learning style of their students. Since both treatments appear effective, they should judge which one would be more useful on an individual basis.

14. In light of the findings from this study, what conclusions can you draw about the role of teacher support in children’s construction of mental representations from informational text?

We as teachers have a huge role in supporting children’s construction of mental representations from informational text. We must activate their previous knowledge and we must correct any incorrect previous knowledge. Similarly, it is our responsibility to choose appropriate approaches to help ensure that our students are learning the most they possibly can.

1. How does a Preliterate (Emergent) speller read and write?

A preliterate speller scribbles pictures, ‘letters’, and numbers when attempting to write. Readers in this stage will pretend to read, using memorization and invented stories as they read. They can usually identify some letters, especially those in their name, near the end of this stage and hear the initial sounds in words.

2.How does a Letter Name-Alphabetic speller read and write?

A letter name speller can identify the first and last sound in words. In this stage, students will spell what they hear, generally using letter names to invent spellings. In this stage, there is progress with spelling long vowels but students may have difficulty with short vowels. Readers in this stage are often disfluent from word to word unless they have read the text before. Reading aloud and decodable texts are musts for this stage.

3. How does a Within Word Pattern speller read and write?

In this stage, blends and digraphs can be identified and spelled by students. Long vowel markers are also used in the stage, although sometimes used incorrectly. Through the progression of this stage, students move from reading aloud to eliminating finger pointing, and ultimately reading silently.

4. How does a Syllable and Affixes speller read and write?

A syllable and affixes speller writes responses that are more critical than any responses written before.  Sight words are read easily and with fluency. Both orally and silently, syllable and affixes readers have more speed and accuracy than those in previous stages. Students in this stage enjoy writing persuasive essays, editorials, poetry, or their own versions of fantasy or realistic fiction.  Spellers in this stage do have difficulties with multisyllabic words.

5.How does a Derivational Relations speller read and write?

A derivational relations reader chooses texts that interest them and integrate their knowledge with the knowledge of others. Students in this stage master a variety of writing styles.

6.What is the existing research evidence on the relationship between spelling and reading. Briefly describe research findings discussed on page 20.

In various studies that have been conducted, there have been positive correlations between spelling and reading. “For example, Ehri (2008), reviewed six correlational studies in which students of various ages (first grade through college) were asked to read and spell words and reported correlations ranging from .68 to .86” (14). Another significant result found that students’ spelling were great predictors of reading achievement. In one study, it was found that first graders’ invented spellings were a better predictor of end of grade reading scores than a standardized reading readiness test.

1. What was the hypothesis tested by the researcher?
   

The hypothesis was that students will learn the pronunciations and meanings of new words better when they see spellings of the words during study periods than when they do not

2. Who were the subjects?

The subjects were 20 second graders whose mean age was 7 years 7 months old, enrolled in an urban school with a large minority population. While, on average, the students were on a second grade reading level, their vocabulary level was below average.

3. What were the experimental conditions?

In this experiment, the subjects were in the same grade, close to the same age, and from the same school.  The two different groups were each expected to learn the pronunciation and meaning of new vocabulary words by looking at flashcards multiple times. In the control group, students were not given the spelling of the word, whereas in the treatment group, spellings were seen by the students

4. What did the treatment involve?

An initial study occurred first where the six words, their spellings, and meanings were introduced. Each word had a flashcard with a picture and a spelling printed beneath the picture. All trials after the first trial were based on students’ recollection of the words. All six words were tested on each trial.

5. Which group (spelling-present vs. spelling-absent) gained more in vocabulary learning?  How were the groups’ recall of pronunciations affected by the treatment?

The spelling-present group gained more in vocabulary learning than the spelling-absent group. From a chart showing the difference in scores, we can tell that recall of pronunciation greatly increased when spelling with present. The mean score indicates that over 60% of the words were pronounced correctly when spelling was seen, while less than 50% were spelled correctly when the spelling was not seen. These averages are consistent across the board with spellings and meanings also.

6. Why do you think that fifth graders who were high on a word reading task benefited more from the spelling aids than their peers with less orthographic experience and knowledge, even though the two groups did not differ on receptive vocabulary knowledge?

Higher level readers not only have a higher knowledge of grapho-phonemic  units but also of larger syllabic spelling units. This attribute gave the higher reader the ability to form connections to store multisyllabic words in their memory. From the results, we can assume “that students with higher orthographic knowledge will acquire richer and richer vocabulary over time compared to those with poorer orthographic knowledge” (Ehri 2008, 14).

7. What general conclusions were derived from the study findings by the authors? What implications were offered for vocabulary learning and instruction?

I think one of the main ideas that can be derived from the study findings in this article are that teachers need to understand the importance of spelling while teaching new vocabulary. Ehri encourages teachers to “…take time to display the spellings of words, for example, when they are reading a story aloud to the whole class” (Ehri 2008, 17). The article also mentions how in higher elementary school grades (after 3^rd), it is vital for teachers to encourage students to stop if they are silent reading and come across a word they do not know. It is common for students to just skip these words, which will negatively affect them in the long run. “Teachers, students, educators, and researchers need to become aware of these findings and incorporate them into their practice” (Ehri 2008, 20).