Exit Slip #1

Assessment for instructional reading levels:

 Running Record- students read a selection that aligns with their reading level
while accuracy assessment is completed
 Developmental Spelling Assessment- students read a list of 25 words, they
should get between 12 and 22 correct to identify instructional level
o This assessment will also show what word understandings need to be
addressed

Functional Reading Levels:

 Independent Level
o Reads comfortably and easily
o Displays accuracy, good comprehension, speed/expression
o No support necessary (at home)
 Instructional Level
o Good accuracy and comprehension
o Adequate oral reading speed/expression
o Guidance or support needed for difficult words, accessing meaning (at
school)
 Frustration Level
o Poor comprehension
o Slow and disfluent reading
o Low accuracy

Factors that will influence grouping:

 Words read correctly, comprehension and fluency scores from assessment
 Spelling Levels
o Letter name
o Within Word
o Syllable Juncture
o Derivational
 Number of students in the class
 Number and size of each group
 Ability of students to work together
 Groups will be flexible and can change throughout the year
Exit Slip #2
Fluency Definition:
 The ability to read with accuracy, expression and speed

How to teach it:

 Students should practice with text that is on their independent level.
 Modeling through read aloud- asking student to focus on how they are
reading not just what is being read
 Time reserved for silent reading
 Give opportunities to reread and practice reading different texts

Resources from Class:

 Readers theater
 Student Self-Evaluations
 Mad-Libs
 Timed-repeated readings
o Using tongue twisters
Exit Slip #3
Word study is a method used to teaching spelling words to students. Word study is
structured as having a schedule where students are given a new set of words each
week to become proficient in. Each day in class, the students is given a task that
requires them to recognize or sort their words based on the features they have.
This approach allows students to gain the understand of how words are constructed
because they are learning the parts of the word in order to spell them. Students can
also have different groups of words, that are appropriate for their level. Word study
is different from my personal experience during elementary education. Each week
every student was given the same list of twenty words to memorize. I do not
remember spending anytime during the school day studying the words. Practice
was done at home, by rewriting the word several times in a row. At the end of the
week, we would have a test on the spelling words. This approach to learning was
based off memorization because there were no study methods being reinforced.
Exit Slip #4
Before Activities for Comprehension:
 Used to activate prior knowledge and prepare students to read with a
purpose
o Brainstorming
o Anticipation guides
o Pre-reading questions
o Story words
 Creating a possible story based on words from the text
o KWL Charts

During Activities for Comprehension:

 Used to assess student understanding and to guide their attention to
essential components
o Contrast Chart
o Character/Story Map
o Response Log
o Timeline/summary notes
o Direct Reading Thinking Activity
 predict, read, prove, formulate new prediction

After Activates for Comprehension:

 Used to relate back to prior knowledge and to make connections within new
information
o Response Paper
o Think-Pair-Share
o Redo anticipation guides
o Plot organizers/timelines
o Venn Diagrams
Exit Slip #5
The writing activities that we completed in our READ 436 class were based off of the
drifting and revision process. The model we used followed the process of
prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and then sharing. We discussed how writing is
a continuously improving process. We also talked about the importance of
conferencing with students to help them move forward with the support they need.
These conferences should be student lead so they have opportunities to ask the
questions they need.

In my practicum classroom, I was only able to observe one formal writing

assignment. The students were asked to write letters to a children’s author,
including any questions they may want to have answered. My cooperating teacher
spent some time before going over the parts of the letter, including how to address
and conclude it. The students were then given a couple days to write a draft of the
letter in their journal. The students would underline any words they were unsure of
as they were creating their drafts. The teacher then spent time conferencing with
each student, reading and making suggestions to their drafts. Student then wrote
another draft, including the suggestions before writing a final copy. This process
seemed helpful with the student’s writing because they were continuously
developing the work.
Exit Slip #6
Parents Night Informational Sheet
Word Study, Comprehension, Fluency, Writing and Reading Groups

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am greatly anticipating this school year as your child embarks on their first
educational experience in Kindergarten. This is such an important year for your
student, as they will begin their education career. I wanted to take an opportunity
to provide an overview of the language arts material your child will be introduced to
this year. We will be doing work in the areas of word study, comprehension,
fluency, writing and reading.
The word study portion of the class will be focused on teaching the students
sight words and vocabulary. Word sorts are a way for students to understand
words in comparison to just memorizing them. Students will be given words each
week to learn and study. This will be done though games and sorts so that students
can understand the meaning and parts of words.
Comprehension includes: reading text with purpose, making connections
between text and prior knowledge and identifying the meaning or purpose of text.
Comprehension instruction will be done through before, during and after reading
activities. Before activates may include anticipation guides and brainstorming
maps, while during activities contrast charts or character charts. After activities
could include a response paper or return to the before reading activity for revision.
Comprehension lessons for your child will typically be done in whole or small group
lessons.
Fluency is the component of reading the includes accuracy, speed and
expression. You student will be using books that are at an independent level to
practice their fluency skills. Reading aloud is also helpful for building fluency skills,
and sometimes this is done through readers theaters or Mad Libs, which the
students usually enjoy.
For your student, writing will be approach as a continuously improving
process. Your student will have a chance to write drafts, receive feedback, and make
revisions and edits, before having a completed piece. Completing this process will
help your student feel more confident in their work and abilities. Students writing
will all be compiled in the same journal, so they can share with you improvements
over time.
Reading instruction is done in groups, where students are arranged based on
ability level. However, these groupings change throughout the year, as your
students reading levels change. Students will be with their groups during literacy
rotations so they are working on similar skills together.
I am confident that your student will excel over the year with the instruction
in each of these areas. I am excited to provide them with the supports they need
and to watch their success. If there are any questions about your child’s learning
experience in language arts, please let me know!
Best,
Ms. Beville