Allison​ ​Simons

11/15/2017
AE​ ​3

Cynthia​ ​is​ ​8​ ​years​ ​old.​ ​She​ ​is​ ​in​ ​3rd​ ​grade.​ ​Cynthia​ ​is​ ​currently​ ​testing​ ​at​ ​a​ ​first​ ​grade
level​ ​according​ ​to​ ​her​ ​teacher.​ ​Cynthia​ ​was​ ​tested​ ​using​ ​Flynt​ ​and​ ​Cooter​ ​‘Level​ ​Assessment
Protocols’.​ ​The​ ​levels​ ​she​ ​was​ ​tested​ ​on​ ​were​ ​“Pre​ ​Primer,​ ​Primer,​ ​Level​ ​1​ ​and​ ​Level​ ​2”.​ ​Cynthia
was​ ​classified​ ​as​ ​having​ ​a​ ​first​ ​grade​ ​reading​ ​level​ ​when​ ​I​ ​first​ ​started​ ​student​ ​teaching.​ ​I​ ​have
seen​ ​development​ ​in​ ​her​ ​reading​ ​skills.​ ​However,​ ​I​ ​feel​ ​that​ ​there​ ​are​ ​areas​ ​that​ ​she​ ​struggles
with​ ​specifically,​ ​which​ ​have​ ​yet​ ​to​ ​be​ ​identified.​ ​By​ ​starting​ ​with​ ​Pre-primer​ ​and​ ​continuing​ ​to
test​ ​her​ ​until​ ​we​ ​find​ ​a​ ​level​ ​that​ ​is​ ​most​ ​appropriate​ ​for​ ​her​ ​abilities,​ ​I​ ​will​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​see​ ​what
emerging​ ​reader​ ​skills​ ​she​ ​has​ ​developed​ ​accompanying​ ​each​ ​level​ ​and​ ​likewise​ ​what​ ​areas​ ​need
to​ ​be​ ​strengthened​ ​to​ ​help​ ​her​ ​develop​ ​to​ ​the​ ​next​ ​level​ ​of​ ​literacy.
As​ ​stated​ ​prior,​ ​Cynthia​ ​is​ ​8​ ​years​ ​old​ ​and​ ​in​ ​the​ ​third​ ​grade.​ ​She​ ​lives​ ​with​ ​her
immediate​ ​family,​ ​which​ ​consists​ ​of​ ​her​ ​two​ ​parents,​ ​two​ ​sisters​ ​and​ ​2​ ​brothers.​ ​She​ ​enjoys
drawing​ ​in​ ​her​ ​free​ ​time.​ ​She​ ​is​ ​very​ ​talkative​ ​when​ ​given​ ​the​ ​opportunity,​ ​but​ ​is​ ​well​ ​behaved
and​ ​quiet​ ​in​ ​class.​ ​She​ ​has​ ​difficulty​ ​reading,​ ​but​ ​excels​ ​in​ ​mathematics.​ ​I​ ​recently​ ​found​ ​out​ ​at​ ​a
parent​ ​teacher​ ​conference,​ ​that​ ​Cynthia​ ​was​ ​living​ ​in​ ​Egypt​ ​last​ ​year.​ ​She​ ​informed​ ​me​ ​that​ ​she
had​ ​been​ ​taught​ ​Arabic​ ​while​ ​attending​ ​school​ ​there.​ ​This​ ​explains​ ​why​ ​she​ ​is​ ​not​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same
level​ ​of​ ​literacy​ ​as​ ​her​ ​classmates​ ​who​ ​have​ ​been​ ​studying​ ​English​ ​for​ ​their​ ​entire​ ​elementary
education.
Cynthia​ ​did​ ​very​ ​well​ ​in​ ​her​ ​Preprimer​ ​and​ ​primer​ ​assessments.​ ​She​ ​did​ ​have​ ​a​ ​few
mistakes​ ​on​ ​her​ ​Primer​ ​assessment,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​was​ ​most​ ​likely​ ​due​ ​to​ ​her​ ​rushing,​ ​as​ ​she​ ​was​ ​able​ ​to
self​ ​correct.​ ​While​ ​Farrah​ ​read​ ​the​ ​Primer​ ​story,​ ​she​ ​read​ ​the​ ​sentences​ ​word​ ​by​ ​word,​ ​rather​ ​than
with​ ​fluidity.
Cynthia​ ​also​ ​did​ ​very​ ​well​ ​on​ ​her​ ​Level​ ​1​ ​assessment.​ ​She​ ​was​ ​able​ ​to​ ​retell​ ​the​ ​story​ ​showing
comprehension​ ​of​ ​the​ ​main​ ​idea,​ ​characters​ ​and​ ​vocabulary​ ​from​ ​the​ ​story.​ ​She​ ​tends​ ​to​ ​omit​ ​the
suffix​ ​of​ ​words,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​/-ed/​ ​in​ ​‘walked’.​ ​Due​ ​to​ ​the​ ​observation​ ​of​ ​fundamental​ ​behaviors
utilized​ ​when​ ​reading​ ​this​ ​text,​ ​and​ ​few​ ​errors,​ ​we​ ​continued​ ​onto​ ​a​ ​Level​ ​2​ ​assessment.
Cynthia​ ​was​ ​once​ ​again​ ​able​ ​to​ ​retell​ ​ ​the​ ​story​ ​accurately,​ ​using​ ​key​ ​details​ ​from​ ​the
Level​ ​2​ ​Assessment​ ​story,​ ​without​ ​aid.​ ​However​ ​when​ ​asked,​ ​“What​ ​lesson​ ​did​ ​Mary​ ​learn​ ​about
getting​ ​something​ ​you​ ​really​ ​want?”​ ​She​ ​answered,​ ​“She​ ​should​ ​clean​ ​to​ ​get​ ​it.”​ ​I​ ​then​ ​asked
Cynthia,​ ​“What​ ​you​ ​or​ ​I​ ​really​ ​wanted​ ​something​ ​in​ ​life?​ ​How​ ​would​ ​we​ ​go​ ​about​ ​getting​ ​it?
Allison​ ​Simons
11/15/2017
AE​ ​3

What​ ​did​ ​the​ ​story​ ​teach​ ​us?”​ ​The​ ​suggested​ ​answer​ ​for​ ​the​ ​question​ ​on​ ​the​ ​Level​ ​2​ ​Assessment
Protocols​ ​page​ ​said,​ ​“it​ ​takes​ ​time​ ​and​ ​hard​ ​work”,​ ​but​ ​Cynthia​ ​once​ ​again​ ​answered​ ​that​ ​“we
should​ ​clean​ ​to​ ​get​ ​it”.​ ​This​ ​signaled​ ​to​ ​me​ ​that​ ​Cynthia​ ​sees​ ​the​ ​text​ ​as​ ​a​ ​very​ ​literal​ ​thing;​ ​the
story​ ​is​ ​confined​ ​to​ ​it’s​ ​pages​ ​and​ ​that​ ​perhaps​ ​she​ ​does​ ​not​ ​yet​ ​grasp​ ​the​ ​idea​ ​of​ ​stories​ ​having
an​ ​overall​ ​lesson​ ​or​ ​theme​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be​ ​related​ ​to​ ​the​ ​reader’s​ ​lives.
Beyond​ ​the​ ​comprehension​ ​of​ ​a​ ​greater​ ​meaning,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​understandable​ ​that​ ​a​ ​3rd
grade​ ​student​ ​might​ ​not​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​grasp​ ​yet,​ ​Cynthia​ ​did​ ​struggle​ ​moreso​ ​with​ ​this​ ​passage​ ​than
with​ ​others.​ ​Many​ ​of​ ​her​ ​errors​ ​were​ ​classified​ ​as​ ​“visual”​ ​on​ ​the​ ​error​ ​sheet.​ ​She​ ​continually
omitted​ ​the​ ​/-ed/​ ​suffix​ ​from​ ​the​ ​text.​ ​She​ ​substituted​ ​words​ ​she​ ​knew​ ​for​ ​words​ ​ ​that​ ​she​ ​did​ ​not,
such​ ​as​ ​reading​ ​“carpet”​ ​instead​ ​of​ ​“carport”.​ ​After​ ​completing​ ​the​ ​error​ ​analysis​ ​for​ ​the​ ​level​ ​2
story,​ ​“Mary’s​ ​New​ ​Bike”,​ ​Cynthia's​ ​biggest​ ​struggle​ ​was​ ​classified​ ​as​ ​“Visual”​ ​(6​ ​mistakes),
followed​ ​by​ ​“Syntax”​ ​(3​ ​mistakes),​ ​and​ ​“Meaning”​ ​(2​ ​mistakes).
These​ ​assessments​ ​were​ ​more​ ​useful​ ​in​ ​identifying​ ​what​ ​Cynthia​ ​struggles​ ​with.​ ​It​ ​seems
that​ ​her​ ​biggest​ ​errors​ ​were​ ​visual​ ​mistakes.​ ​Cynthia​ ​tends​ ​to​ ​break​ ​down​ ​unknown​ ​words​ ​into
syllables​ ​and​ ​then​ ​proceeds​ ​to​ ​sound​ ​out​ ​the​ ​syllables.​ ​However,​ ​I​ ​noticed​ ​that​ ​she​ ​substituted
words​ ​that​ ​she​ ​knew​ ​for​ ​words​ ​that​ ​she​ ​did​ ​not​ ​know,​ ​even​ ​if​ ​it​ ​did​ ​not​ ​make​ ​sense​ ​with​ ​the
story,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​where​ ​her​ ​syntax​ ​errors​ ​often​ ​stemmed​ ​from.​ ​Having​ ​observed​ ​Cynthia​ ​read
before​ ​with​ ​ ​the​ ​RTI​ ​program​ ​that​ ​is​ ​currently​ ​intact​ ​at​ ​her​ ​school​ ​to​ ​help​ ​her​ ​develop​ ​as​ ​a​ ​reader,
as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​the​ ​prior​ ​Flynt/​ ​Cooter​ ​evaluations​ ​that​ ​I​ ​have​ ​conducted,​ ​I​ ​know​ ​Cynthia​ ​can​ ​read
words​ ​quickly​ ​and​ ​sound​ ​out​ ​new​ ​words.​ ​It​ ​seems​ ​that​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​issue​ ​or​ ​her​ ​is​ ​that​ ​she​ ​has
poor​ ​vocabulary​ ​skills​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​affecting​ ​here​ ​comprehension.​ ​As​ ​I​ ​was​ ​reading​ ​through​ ​Flynt
and​ ​Cooter,​ ​I​ ​came​ ​across​ ​the​ ​following​ ​sentence,​ ​“Poor​ ​listening​ ​comprehension​ ​will​ ​necessitate
repetition​ ​of​ ​classroom​ ​instructions​ ​and​ ​preferential​ ​seating​ ​close​ ​to​ ​the​ ​teacher​ ​so​ ​as​ ​to​ ​reduce
distractions.​ ​(P.22)”​ ​This​ ​accurately​ ​describes​ ​Cynthia.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​often​ ​had​ ​to​ ​repeat​ ​instructions​ ​to
her​ ​and​ ​tell​ ​her​ ​to​ ​make​ ​eye​ ​contact​ ​with​ ​me,​ ​while​ ​I​ ​am​ ​talking​ ​so​ ​that​ ​I​ ​know​ ​she​ ​is​ ​not
distracted.​ ​Her​ ​vocabulary​ ​and​ ​listening​ ​comprehension​ ​is​ ​something​ ​that​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be
strengthened.
To​ ​address​ ​Cynthia's​ ​poor​ ​vocabulary​ ​skills,​ ​Morphemic​ ​analysis​ ​should​ ​be​ ​strengthened
by​ ​using​ ​word​ ​walls,​ ​direct​ ​instruction​ ​on​ ​structural​ ​analysis​ ​and​ ​peer​ ​teaching.​ ​I​ ​think​ ​that​ ​word
Allison​ ​Simons
11/15/2017
AE​ ​3

walls​ ​would​ ​be​ ​the​ ​most​ ​beneficial​ ​of​ ​the​ ​suggested​ ​strategies,​ ​because​ ​it​ ​would​ ​help​ ​her​ ​develop
her​ ​understanding​ ​of​ ​word​ ​endings​ ​and​ ​prefixes.
Using​ ​the​ ​Table​ ​3​ ​“If-Then​ ​Chart​ ​or​ ​Phonemic​ ​Awareness”​ ​(P.24),​ ​Cynthia​ ​has​ ​the
learning​ ​need​ ​of​ ​phonemic​ ​segmentation​ ​of​ ​spoken​ ​words​ ​and​ ​Blending​ ​sounds​ ​into​ ​spoken
words.​ ​To​ ​strengthen​ ​both​ ​of​ ​these,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​recommended​ ​that​ ​strategies​ ​to​ ​ ​be​ ​utilized​ ​with​ ​her​ ​are:
word​ ​rubber-banding,​ ​add/​ ​take​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​from​ ​spoken​ ​words,​ ​add/take​ ​a​ ​sound,​ ​environmental
print/logos,​ ​and​ ​songs,​ ​chants,​ ​raps,​ ​poetry.​ ​These​ ​strategies​ ​should​ ​be​ ​utilized​ ​to​ ​develop​ ​her
phonics​ ​skills.​ ​The​ ​Word​ ​Attack​ ​Skill​ ​that​ ​I​ ​observed​ ​needing​ ​the​ ​most​ ​help​ ​would​ ​be​ ​‘onset​ ​and
rime’.​ ​To​ ​remedy​ ​mistakes​ ​ ​made​ ​in​ ​this​ ​category,​ ​Flynt​ ​and​ ​Cooter​ ​recommended​ ​explicit
instruction,​ ​making​ ​words,​ ​tongue​ ​twisters,​ ​word​ ​boxed,​ ​letter​ ​sound​ ​cards,​ ​and​ ​nonsense​ ​words.
Strengthening​ ​her​ ​understanding​ ​of​ ​onset​ ​and​ ​rime​ ​would​ ​help​ ​Cynthia​ ​with​ ​her​ ​struggles​ ​with
suffixes​ ​and​ ​her​ ​habit​ ​of​ ​omitting​ ​them.
To​ ​develop​ ​her​ ​ ​comprehension​ ​skills,​ ​I​ ​truly​ ​think​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​the​ ​most​ ​beneficial​ ​for​ ​the
instructor​ ​to​ ​start​ ​with​ ​Table​ ​5​ ​“If-​ ​Then​ ​chart”​ ​and​ ​spend​ ​time​ ​developing​ ​each​ ​segment​ ​listed
within​ ​that​ ​chart,​ ​one-by-one.​ ​Cynthia​ ​needs​ ​development​ ​in​ ​each​ ​of​ ​the​ ​areas​ ​listed​ ​on​ ​that
table,​ ​which​ ​are;
1. Parts​ ​of​ ​a​ ​story​ ​(story​ ​grammar)
2. Sequence​ ​of​ ​events
3. Use​ ​of​ ​background​ ​Knowledge
4. Book​ ​selection​ ​skills​ ​(interest)
5. Self​ ​Monitoring​ ​of​ ​comprehension
6. Main​ ​idea
Because​ ​I​ ​have​ ​addressed​ ​ ​many​ ​areas​ ​of​ ​Cynthia’s​ ​literacy​ ​skills​ ​that​ ​need​ ​development​ ​and
strategies​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be​ ​used​ ​to​ ​strengthen​ ​these​ ​areas,​ ​I​ ​think​ ​it​ ​is​ ​necessary​ ​to​ ​state​ ​in​ ​what​ ​order​ ​I
word​ ​work​ ​on​ ​those​ ​skills​ ​using​ ​the​ ​suggested​ ​strategies.​ ​I​ ​would​ ​first​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​her​ ​phonemic
awareness​ ​skills,as​ ​that​ ​is​ ​the​ ​foundation​ ​for​ ​being​ ​a​ ​strong​ ​reader,​ ​then​ ​I​ ​would​ ​focus​ ​on
vocabulary,​ ​followed​ ​by​ ​Reading​ ​Comprehension​ ​(Narrative/​ ​TExt​ ​stories).​ ​As​ ​stated​ ​before,
Cynthia​ ​haws​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​areas​ ​that​ ​need​ ​development​ ​in​ ​her​ ​literacy​ ​skills,​ ​however​ ​after
conducting​ ​these​ ​assessments​ ​and​ ​seeing​ ​the​ ​recommendations​ ​that​ ​Flynt​ ​and​ ​Cooter​ ​suggest,​ ​I
Allison​ ​Simons
11/15/2017
AE​ ​3

feel​ ​that​ ​a​ ​better​ ​RTI​ ​can​ ​be​ ​planned​ ​for​ ​Cynthia​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​the​ ​one​ ​that​ ​is​ ​in​ ​place​ ​now,​ ​which
seems​ ​to​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​reading​ ​rate,​ ​which​ ​she​ ​is​ ​fairly​ ​good​ ​at.​ ​This​ ​assessment​ ​definitely​ ​helped​ ​me
pinpoint​ ​her​ ​areas​ ​of​ ​weakness​ ​and​ ​what​ ​to​ ​address​ ​in​ ​our​ ​next​ ​session.

Cooter,​ ​R.​ ​B.,​ ​Flynt,​ ​E.​ ​S.,​ ​&​ ​Cooter,​ ​K.​ ​S.​ ​(2007).​ ​Comprehensive​ ​reading​ ​inventory:​ ​measuring
reading​ ​development​ ​in​ ​regular​ ​and​ ​special​ ​education​ ​classrooms.​ ​Upper​ ​Saddle​ ​River,​ ​NJ:
Pearson/Merrill​ ​Prentice​ ​Hall.