MeganOrmond Final Case Study Project

Running Head: FINAL CASE STUDY
Final Case Study Megan Ormond READ 6422 Dr. Robin Griffith Spring 2011
Final Case Study Table of Contents Initial Profile and Plan Photo Journal Photo Journal Narrative Lessons and Reflections Adaptive Teaching Reflections Final Assessment and Results Assessment Findings and Discussion Home School Partnership A Home School Partnership B Final Reflection References 3 15 29 30 39 43 47 48 50 55 59
Final Case Study Initial Profile and Plan Narrative Profile
Roy is a 16 year old sophomore in the occupational track at the high school in which I work. He is classified as specific learning disabled in reading and writing and as an intermediate English Language Learner (ELL). He was born in Mexico but moved to the United States when he was five years old. By having many conversations with Roy, discussing his photo journal, and administering interest inventories, I learned a great deal about his personal and academic interests. Roy has a strong connection with his family, including his parents, his brother whom he shares a bedroom with, and his dog, Manchas. He has several extended relatives in the area who spend a lot of time at his house. Roys real passion is for computers. He spends much of his free time exploring the Internet and chatting with friends. He really enjoys Facebook and MySpace. His goal is to have a job that involves working with computers. He likes to impress people with his knowledge of computers; it is obviously an area where he feels confident. He also really likes music. His Hispanic heritage is important to him, as he likes Mexican food and Mexican music and entertainment. He has more than 3,000 songs on his iPod, most of which are different Mexican bands and singers. Roy thinks of school as being okay and likes the subjects English and math. He does not like social studies or science, especially science because his lowest grades are in that class. He is not sure if he plans to go to college and is not sure if anyone in his family has ever attended a higher educational institution. Roys English teacher describes him as very hardworking. The teacher goes on to say that Roy struggles with writing and can get discouraged easily. Roy cares about his grades and wants to do well. He proudly told me about making the honor roll in middle school. Roy has low selfesteem, likely a result of struggling in academics and of being picked on and bullied when he
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was in middle school. Roy also wants to please. He always strives to be helpful and polite, and he seeks praise. He is hesitant to ask questions or admit that he does not understand something. If he does not know an answer, he usually makes one up or gives an excuse as to why he does not know it. Roy also wants to do anything in his power to help or impress those around him. He often offers to stay and help me in my classroom and tells me that he likes helping me with my homework. His exceptional childrens teacher and I agree that he really craves personal connections and praise. If I do not go get him from class, he comes to find me. He still visits his favorite former teachers as well to give them hugs or say hello. Roy does not see reading as an enjoyable activity. He does not like to read on his own and considers it just okay if someone reads to him. He never checks out books from the library, but he does sometimes read magazines about music and celebrities like People en Espanol or articles about computers and the Internet. He does not like to read newspapers. When he was younger, he liked the Magic Treehouse books and books that were about mysteries or action. He feels like he is okay at reading, but it is not something he gets excited about. He also shared that reading makes him feel ashamed because he does not like to read out loud. Roy also feels like he reads too slowly. He gets a little nervous even reading aloud for me and apologizes several times for how slowly he reads. Through his occupational courses he has been involved in the Wilson Reading Program. He strongly dislikes participating in Wilson instruction, saying that it makes him feel dumb. He agreed to work with me on the condition that it wasnt a part of Wilson. I would classify Roy as a transitional reader (Fountas & Pinnell,1996). He does sustain interest and fluency through longer pieces of text, and he can easily return to a text if it takes more than one sitting. He can also self-correct some errors. Additionally, he does use strategies
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to decode unfamiliar words as he reads. However, he does display some behaviors from the emergent and early reader phases, such as following the text with his finger and failing to capture punctuation consistently in his oral reading. He also shows some behaviors of a self-extending reader, such as using strategies to analyze longer words, though he can get stuck on long unfamiliar words, and being able to remember characters and major text developments over periods of days. Looking at Roys behaviors overall, though, I would say he is in the advanced stages of a transitional reader. Based on QRI-5 passage administration, Roys instructional reading level is third grade text (Leslie & Caldwell, 2011). I believe there is more than one source for Roys reading difficulties. First, he moved to the United States when he was five and English is not his native language. Five years old is a crucial age in literacy development and the introduction of a new language during this period may have delayed Roys literacy development in both English and Spanish. Second, Roy is very shy and does not like to admit he does not know something. I think it is likely that Roy did not ask for help when he first began to struggle with reading and writing, and because he is so wellbehaved and quiet, a teacher may not have noticed him struggling. Third, Roys English teacher and I discussed that Roy wants to impress his teachers and peers, which often causes him to over-think a question in order to provide what he sees as a smarter response, but it is typically a response that does not answer the question. Fourth, Roy has it in his mind that he is not a good reader. These ideas have become self-fulfilling. Assessment Words Their Way. Feature Guides for Words Their Way Spelling Inventories:
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I began by administering the Words Their Way Primary Spelling inventory. Because of
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his occupational designation, I was not sure how far behind his grade level Roy was. He quickly spelled every word correctly except crawl. I moved on to the Elementary Spelling inventory. Roy spelled 17 of 25 words correctly and correctly used 54 of 62 word features, only missing features in the late Syllables & Affixes feature and Derivational Relations feature. Because he did not miss more than two or three in any one feature category, I decided to move forward to the Upper Level Spelling inventory to get a more complete picture. On this inventory, he only spelled nine words correctly, using 35 of 68 features correctly. However, on this inventory he showed struggles in features as early as the late Within Word Patterns stage. I have found many ELLs to struggle with similar complex consonants. Within the Syllables & Affixes features, he had the most trouble with unaccented final syllables but only missed two in each category of syllable juncture & inflected endings and affixes & suffixes. Based on the overall picture I gained from the inventories, I would place Roy in the Syllables and Affixes stage. According to Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, and Johnston (2008), one of a teachers most important responsibilities for working with students in the Syllables & Affixes stage is showing students the importance of word elements and how understanding how these parts combine can be a powerful tool to understanding unfamiliar words. The authors go on to say that students in this stage will focus more on content area texts and that background knowledge and vocabulary will become essential to comprehension. This, I believe, is true of Roy, as much of what he reads is now connected to his core classes. QRI-5. QRI - 5 Passage Calculations Clinicians Name__Megan Ormond_____ Date of administration
Word List Administration Grade 4 Level/%Automatic 80 5 80 6 45
2/23/11
Upper Middle High School 45 15
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Level/%Total 95 90 70 75 40
I documented a running record with_Roy__. S/he read a narrative/an expository passage on a 5th grade level titled Martin Luther King, Jr. The passage contained 297 words. S/he read it in 3 minute(s) and 8 seconds. S/he made 4 miscues and 0 self-correction(s). S/he retold approximately 11of the 53 ideas noted on the retelling scoring sheet. S/he answered 2 explicit questions correctly and 2 implicit questions correctly. Calculate the accuracy rate, miscue/error rate, self-correction rate, retelling, & comprehension score. Include details about prior knowledge and prediction on an additional page. Label each calculation and answer clearly. Is this passage at an instructional level? How do you know (explain)? 293 (# words read correctly) = 98.7 % accuracy rate 297 (# words in passage) 297 (# words in passage) = ___74%____ (expressed as a ratio), 4 (# miscues/errors) therefore miscue/error rate is 1:74 4 +0 (errors + sc) = _4_ = __0__ (expressed as a ratio) sc therefore self-correction rate is 1:__0__
fluency rate: 297_ (# of words in passage X 60 = __17,820 /188 (#seconds read) Final fluency rate = number of words read per minute (95 WPM) retelling score: 11 (# of ideas retold) /_53 (# of ideas noted on QRI-5 retelling scoring sheet)=__21 % comprehension: explicit _2_, implicit _2_, _4/8_ overall comprehension score =__50__% independent/instructional/frustration level (look at # correct on QRI-5 score sheet) This passage is not at an instructional level because while Roys fluency is at an independent level, the comprehension questions and retelling indicate that it is at a frustration level. Since comprehension is not at an instructional level, the passage must be considered at a frustration level. Details about prior knowledge: Roy scored 11/12 on the concept questions for a score of 92% familiarity. He shared much of his knowledge about Martin Luther King, Jr. with me before he read. Details about prediction: He predicted the passage would be about Martin Luther King and what he did. Next Steps for Instructional Support: I will administer a passage on the third grade level.
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QRI - 5 Passage Calculations Clinicians Name Megan Ormond Date of administration 3/1/11 Word List Administration-Instructional level found in previous administration Grade Level/%Automatic Level/%Total I documented a running record with Roy. S/he read an expository passage on a third level titled Where do people live. The passage contained 279 words. S/he read it in 2 minute(s) and 39 seconds. S/he made 2 miscues and 0 self-correction(s). S/he retold approximately 13 of the 51 ideas noted on the retelling scoring sheet. S/he answered 3 explicit questions correctly and 3 implicit questions correctly. Calculate the accuracy rate, miscue/error rate, self-correction rate, retelling, & comprehension score. Include details about prior knowledge and prediction on an additional page. Label each calculation and answer clearly. Is this passage at an instructional level? How do you know (explain)? 277 (# words read correctly) = 279 (# words in passage) 99 % accuracy rate
279 (# words in passage) = 2:279_______ (expressed as a ratio), 2 (# miscues/errors) therefore miscue/error rate is 1:140 2 + 0 0 (errors + sc) = _2__ = _2:0_____ (expressed as a ratio) sc therefore self-correction rate is 1:_0______
fluency rate: 279_ (# of words in passage X
60 = 16740 / 159 (#seconds read) Final fluency rate = number of words read per minute (_105 WPM) retelling score: 13 (# of ideas retold) /51 (# of ideas noted on QRI-5 retelling scoring sheet)=_25 % comprehension: explicit 3 implicit 3 ___6_/_8__ overall comprehension score =_75__% independent/instructional/frustration level (look at # correct on QRI-5 score sheet) This passage is at an instructional level because both Roys accuracy rate and overall comprehension rate place him in the instructional range based on the guidelines given by the QRI-5. Details about prior knowledge: Roy scored 9/12 on the concept questions for a familiarity rate of 75%. He explained that he knew people who lived in the country and had been around many farm animals. Details about prediction: Roy predicted that the passage might be about farming since the questions were about the country and farming. Next Steps for Instructional Support:
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Begin intervention lessons on comprehension, particularly focused on understanding the questions and leaving tracks to comprehend.
Additionally, I administered word lists from the QRI-5. I began with the fourth grade list, and Roy quickly identified 19 of the 20 words correctly. He correctly identified 18 of 20 words on the fifth grade list, which scored in the independent range. On the sixth grade word list, he scored in the instructional range, correctly identifying 14 of the 20 words. Similarly, he scored in the instructional range on the upper middle school list, correctly identifying 15 of 20 words. The high school list proved to be at a frustration level for Roy, as he could only correctly identify 8 of the 20 words. The word lists suggest the level of passage that may represent the best starting point for assessment (Leslie & Caldwell, 2011). Based on the word lists, I predicted Roys instructional level would be sixth grade or upper middle school. Therefore, I began administering QRI-5 passages at the fifth grade level since the examiner should begin at an independent level for the student. I used the expository passage Martin Luther King, Jr ((Leslie & Caldwell, 2011, p. 286). Based on the concept questions I administered prior to reading, Roy had adequate background knowledge to comprehend the piece. This is important because a readers knowledge on a topic prior to reading can significantly impact comprehension (McCormick & Zutell, 2011). I was surprised that Roy scored at the frustration level for that text. Fluency did not prove to be an obstacle as he had only 4 total miscues, only 1 of which changed meaning. This again showed an independent level for fluency, and I calculated his correct words per minute to be 94. The retelling score sheet and comprehension questions showed a lack of comprehension on Roys part. He was only able to recall 11 of 53 ideas and answer 4 of 8 questions correctly without look-backs, making this a frustration level text for comprehension. This was particularly surprising to me because Roy made many comments while reading that made me think he
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understood. He was interacting with the text and sharing some of his internal conversation and said things like, Thats not fair, in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks and, Thats good, when he read the part about laws being changed by the U.S. Supreme Court. He also made connections by explaining to me that he had visited the Supreme Court when he went to Washington D.C. On some questions, he gave a very simplistic answer that was not correct but did show thinking about the text. For instance, when I asked What happened when people refused to ride the buses?, Roy answered, They probably walked. For other questions, though, he gave answers that in no way answered the question. For example, when asked to name one way in which Martin Luther King was honored for his work, he responded that Martin was really big. Next, I administered a third grade passage, Wool: From Sheep to You (Leslie & Caldwell, 2011, p. 238). Surprisingly, Roys fluency was at the instructional level for this passage, having made 10 miscues. He was only able to recall 3 of 42 ideas and answer 1 question correctly. I was baffled that both his fluency and comprehension were worse on the third grade passage than the fifth grade text. I went to discuss the situation with Roys teacher. Together, we concluded that Roy has been trained (through Wilson Reading) to focus on saying words correctly on the first try. We suspected that he was spending much of his mental focus on word calling, both because he had been taught to do that and because he wanted to impress me. I decided to administer another third grade passage, Where Do People Live?; however, this time after Roy read the passage aloud to me and I had completed the running record, I asked him to read it silently to himself. This time Roy scored at the instructional level, answering 6 of 8 questions correctly, but he still struggled with retelling, recalling just 12 of 51 ideas.
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After completing the passage administration, I concluded that Roys main reading deficit is in the area of comprehension. Harvey and Goudvis (2007) posit that constructing meaning is the main goal of comprehension (p. 14). Initial Plan My focus with my session with Roy will be comprehension. Neufeld (2005) defines comprehension as the process of constructing a supportable understanding of the text (p. 302). He also argues that comprehension is an active process. Therefore, I will work with Roy on actively applying strategies to aid in comprehension. It is clear that he has trouble comprehending questions and sections of the text. He also fails to recall important details of the text. Harvey and Goudvis (2007) write, Reading is a social act (p. 82). Because Roy craves social interaction, I want to use that as a way to begin our comprehension instruction.
Lesson 1: Read, Write, Talk. Rationale: I noticed during the assessments that Roy tended to answer questions correctly about sections of the text he had commented aloud about or made a personal connection to. I want to build on that, since it is something he is doing subconsciously but inconsistently. Harvey and Goudvis (2007) write, Background knowledge is the foundation of our thinking (p. 17). By working on connecting to schemata and personal reactions, Roy will be building a stronger foundation for reading. I will teach him to do this in a more purposeful and consistent way to enhance comprehension and recall. Tasks: First, I will model this strategy by reading aloud a piece of text and jotting notes in the margins and explaining to Roy what I wrote and why. I will give Roy a copy of the text and continue to read aloud, but I will ask Roy to jot down his thoughts at certain points in the
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reading. We will discuss each of our margin notes. I will ask Roy to flip his paper over after our conversation and write down at least three things he remembers reading and talking about. Next, I will find an article about computers written at Roys instructional level and ask him to apply the same Stop, Think, and React (STR) strategy to that text (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 82). I will put stop signs on the text to remind him to stop and jot down his thoughts. Assessment: Again, we will discuss what he wrote, and I will ask him to turn over his paper and write down three things he remembers. At the end of the lesson, I will reflect on successes and challenges before proceeding to the next lesson.
Lesson 2: Knowing When You Know and Knowing When You Dont Know. Rationale: Roy needs to know that it is okay not to know and understand everything. He needs to see that adults, even teachers, dont always understand what they read, but that it is important to recognize those times when we dont understand so that we may stop and regroup. Tasks: I will read a piece of text aloud and model using a sticky note and writing the word Huh? on it to place it beside the part of the text that is confusing (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 81). After continuing to read, I will clarify my understanding of the previously confusing part of the text, move my sticky to the clarifying section and draw a light bulb at the bottom of the sticky while explaining to Roy what Im doing. We will take turns reading aloud the rest of the text while we both practice using our Huh? strategy. I will continue to model while Roy practices, too. Next, I will give Roy a text of interest to read independently and to which he can apply the coding strategy. If there are sections of the text that remain with a Huh? and no light bulb, we will discuss those sections together and write down what Roys lingering questions are.
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Assessment: I will monitor Roys use of this strategy and his willingness to admit confusion. We will continue to practice this strategy as needed.
Final Case Study Roys Photo journal
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Final Case Study Photo Journal Narrative
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The photo journal project that Roy created was helpful to me in several ways. First, it gave me a glimpse into his life on a personal level and helped me to further understand what was important to him. His pictures focus on his family, his home, and his computer and room. I already knew that his family and his computer were important, but he took multiple pictures of his computer, so it reinforced the idea that the computer is a central part of his life. The project also let me see further how genuine Roy is. He did not take picture after picture of material possessions, which is what I may have expected of most teenage boys. He focused on the few things in his life that matter to him and tried to take very detailed pictures of those few things. He honestly seemed to be trying to show me his life, from his mother in the kitchen to the Spanish language television shows his family watch. His pictures are very simple and focused, which really reflects Roy and his personality. Roys writing about each photo was very concise and lacked much detail. This supported what his English teacher had told me about his writing and let me see first hand how Roy struggles with writing and expanding on his ideas. However, as Roy worked on his journal, he talked, almost continuously, about his pictures and all other aspects of his life. In fact, the greatest benefit of the photo journal experience was the chance it gave Roy and I to get to know each other conversationally. He spent several days in my classroom working on it and talking to me. I learned about what he does in his spare time, about the boys who sometimes pick on him, about the girl he likes even though she has a boyfriend. Most of these things were never pictured in his journal, but I was able to learn about them as he told me about his life during those photo journal sessions. It was nice to be able to start our sessions that way without focusing on assessments each time. It helped to build a personal
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relationship of trust that has grown during our subsequent one to one sessions. That relationship, I believe, will be a factor in any growth Roy makes. Lessons and Reflections Lesson 1: Read, Write, and Talk Goal: To build on Roys strength of making comments while reading in a way that helps him strengthen comprehension Text: The Shape of the Internet from Science News for Kids (http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20070627/Note3.asp) Procedure: Before beginning I told Roy that I had noticed that he made comments about texts while he was reading them aloud. I explained that he was sharing his inner conversation with me when he did that, and that being aware of his interior monologue and recording his thoughts and connections could be a way to help him better understand what he read. We previewed the title of the article together and discussed what the article might be about and Roy made some predictions. I began reading aloud and I modeled jotting notes and pictures in the margins. As I wrote, I explained to Roy what I was thinking. After the first two paragraphs I asked Roy to start jotting notes with me. We continued taking turns reading the article aloud and recording our thoughts. At the end of the text, we looked back and the notes we had made and discussed the notes again. Finally, I turned the paper face down and asked Roy to tell me everything he could remember about the article. Reflection: At first, Roy was not adding any comments of his own, so I began stopping and prompting him at certain points in the text by saying things like, What do you picture when you read that? and Does that remind you of anything? Roy began to record his thoughts in the margin, mainly in picture form. It occurred to me that this was a way to work on visualization as we also worked on being aware of his interior monologue and discussing his thoughts. I realized that using pictures may be a more comfortable way for Roy to record his thoughts as he reads because writing is such a weakness for him. I believe that this lesson was successful because Roy remembered most of the main details in the article, particularly the ones we made notes about and discussed. Next steps: I want to continue to work on this strategy with Roy because I believe it is helping him. I also want to talk to him explicitly about visualization to help him add to his margin notes. I feel this will be an important strategy for him. These notes are a way that he can leave tracks of this thinking and stay on top of meaning (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 47). I also plan to introduce the Huh? strategy so Roy will learn to be aware to any problems in comprehension as he reads (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 81). Lesson 2:Knowing When You Know and Knowing When You Dont Know Goal: to continue to build upon Roys use of margin notes and to introduce the Huh? strategy to help Roy identify areas of confusion in a text. Text: Big Guy by Robin Stevenson Procedure: Roy and I previewed the book Big Guy. We looked at the cover and back and discussed the title. Roy shared what he thought the book may be about. I told Roy that we would use sticky notes today since we could not write in the book, and that we could record our inner conversations on our stickies. We talked about the pictures we had used last time and that
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sometimes trying to picture what is going on in the story is a good way to help us understand what is happening; then, we can record some of the things we have pictured on our stickies to help us remember them. I also explained to Roy that even the best readers sometimes get confused while they are reading and that it is important to realize when we are confused or unclear about meaning. I told him that as we read, if we were unsure what something meant or felt confused, we could write Huh? on a sticky note and place it next to where we were confused in the text. Then, if we reread or if the meaning became clear as we read further, we could go back and add an explanation on our Huh? sticky note. Roy thought it was pretty funny that I kept saying Huh? so he was excited to try this strategy. I began reading and modeling writing my thoughts on stickies and writing Huh? if I was confused. I asked Roy to join me in reading and using the strategies as we got to the third page. We read two chapters of the book and practiced using these strategies. Reflection: I noticed two interesting things during this lesson. First, if I wrote Huh? Roy liked to try to suggest an answer to aid me in clarifying the text. His suggestions were usually just wild guesses, unrelated to the actual text. I continued to remind him that we dont have to automatically know the answers, that it is okay to have to reread and keep trying to figure it out. This is something I know I will have to keep working on with Roy because he continues to hesitate in admitting he really does not know something. He reminds me of my very bright nine year old son, who always insists something could be possible. When Roy suggests something that is incongruous with the text, I point to a section of the text and read it and say Do you think that is what this section meant? Even though the text obviously contradicts his idea, he always says, Maybe he could be thinking that. or I think that might be what he really wanted to say.. I want him to learn to admit that he is confused and use this strategy to help him monitor his comprehension (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). Second, Roy is doing a good job of commenting about a text and asking questions, but he is not faithful in recording those thoughts. He wants to tell me out loud. I continue to prompt him to record his thought in work or picture form. Finally, I am not sure this is the right text for Roy. He did not seem interested in it and put his head down once. He seemed bothered by the main characters homosexuality and did not really connect with the story. I think I will look for a more engaging text. Next Steps: I think Roy needs more practice with these strategies before moving to anything different. Lesson 3: Visualizing and Recognizing Comprehension Problems Goal: To continue to work on visualization and the Huh? strategy Text: Crisis in Japan from Time for Kids magazine Procedure: As always we previewed the title and I asked Roy if he knew of anything in Japan that had happened recently that could be called a crisis. He told me what he knew about the tsunami and the earthquake and we recorded that as our first margin note. He predicted what he thought the article would be about. I told him that I really wanted him to focus on visualizing what he read and recording it during this session. Roy read the article to me and I modeled drawing pictures in the margins of what I pictured in my mind and explaining what my pictures meant to me. As Roy made some comments aloud, I drew pictures that represented his thoughts, too, as a way to model how he could record what he was thinking. I also modeled the Huh? strategy again. Roy recorded his margin notes as he read as well. At the end, we discussed the notes and pictures we had recorded. I gave Roy five comprehension questions related to the article. First, I asked him to answer without looking back at the article. Then, we looked at each
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question together and if he was wrong, I modeled how he could look back in the text to check his answer. Reflection: Roy is still sharing out loud more than he is writing. He did use the Huh? strategy more this time, and he even used it when he didnt understand one of the comprehension questions, which I thought was a good idea. He liked this article, though, so I am glad I decided to use some short current event type articles. It was a good way to activate background knowledge before reading, which provided a foundation for his thinking (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). Next Steps: I want to continue to work on these strategies but to push Roy to do more of the recording himself. Lesson 4: Visualizing and Recognizing Comprehension Problems Goal: To continue to work on visualization and the Huh? strategy Text: Stop Bullying! From Time for Kids magazine Procedure: We previewed the title and we discussed Roys background knowledge about bullying, which is a very personal topic for him since he is often bullied. I told him that today, we were going to keep recording our thoughts and talking about them and adding our Huh? notes but that I would only be doing that during the first paragraph. After that, it was his job. I read the first paragraph and modeled the strategies. Then, Roy read aloud. I stopped him at the end of each short paragraph and prompted him to record his thoughts. At the end, we discussed the notes Roy had made. Reflections: Today went better. First, this was a high interest article for Roy and very short, which I think gave him some confidence. He had actually asked to read this because it was mentioned at the bottom of the last article we had read. I think stopping Roy at specific points helped him to record his thoughts. I think that Roy is still very focused on fluency and reading rate so he doesnt want to take the time to stop and write/draw. Stopping him allowed him the freedom to do this. I notice that Roy is good at coming up with questions as he reads. Next steps: Continue to practice these strategies and shift more and more responsibility to Roy. Also, introduce questioning strategies in the near future. Lesson 5: Visualizing and Recognizing Comprehension Problems Goal: To continue to work on visualization and the Huh? strategy independently Text: Can You Hear Me Now? from Time for Kids magazine Procedure: We previewed the title and discussed what the title might refer to and where we had heard that phrase before. I told Roy that today I was going to let him read the article all on his own and that he would need to make sure he recorded his visualizations, questions, and thoughts as he read and identify any confusing parts with Huh? He said he could do that. I reminded him that he should stop at least at the end of each paragraph to make sure he was recording. After he finished, he explained all his pictures and margin notes to me. We then discussed what we understood and remembered from reading the article. Reflection: I think Roy is really internalizing these strategies more and more. When I give him the responsibility of doing it on his own, he can do it (Lloyd, 2004). I could tell that he had stopped at least once per paragraph to record what he was thinking. These strategies do seem to be aiding in comprehension because he is able to recall more details than he was during QRI-5 assessments. However, he does tend to stray off topic at times with his connections.
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Next Steps: I want to work on making sure Roys connections are meaningful to comprehension. Also, I want to introduce questioning with Roy , and I want to let Roy help me select the texts we work with. Lesson 6: Learning About the Library Goal: To introduce Roy to the library and help him learn to self-select good texts to read Procedure: Roy and I visited the school media center. I showed him the different sections of the library where fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, magazines, newspapers, high-low books, and biographies are kept. We practiced using Destiny, our virtual library catalog to search for books. We practiced choosing a book from the shelf, looking at the cover, reading the back and the first page to determine if it was an appropriate and interesting book. We also met the librarian. Reflections: Roy has never been to our school library to check out a book, so I decided a library trip was an immediate necessity! He was surprised that there were so many resources and he liked using the online system to help search for books. He showed a lot of interest in graphic novels, so we may begin using one during our sessions. Roy was not overly excited but he did show a lot of interest in the resources the library has to offer. I want him to be able to choose books based on readability and interest (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 72). I think this will create interest in reading during our sessions. Next Steps: Roy and I will return to the library so we can decide together on a book to use during our sessions. Lesson 7: Questioning Goal: To use questioning to guide reading focus Text: Kicker Procedure: Roy and I returned to the media center and decided on a book called Kicker. We returned to the classroom and I gave Roy a readers notebook. I explained that since we would be reading a novel, it might be a good idea to have a place to record thoughts, reactions, and questions to help us remember the story since we dont meet every day. We looked at the title and back of the book again, as we usually do. This time, I modeled questioning by thinking aloud. I recorded my question (What does treasure have to do with soccer?) in the notebook. I explained that good readers have questions that pop into their head as they read (even just the back of the book) and that asking question gives us a focus for our reading because we want to find an answer to those questions. I asked Roy if he had any questions and we recorded those as well. I reminded Roy that it was still important to put down our thoughts, connections, and confusions as we read, and that we could keep those all in our readers notebook. We read chapter one together, and I continued to model asking questions. Reflections: I think the readers notebook will work better for us than sticky notes because all the sticky notes sticking out of this small book would just become overwhelming. While previewing the book, Roys initial questions were very surface-level, or like previous lessons on connections, irrelevant to what was really important to the story. He seemed to only be asking questions because I asked him to instead of really thinking of the questions. For example, he asked, What grade is Julie in?, though we had already learned she was in high school. He did a good job though of making connections as we read, spontaneously, and jotting down reactions, when prompted. Next Steps: I think questioning will be a valuable strategy for Roy because it will help him focus and read closely; however, I am going to have to really help him understand what a good
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question is and keep reiterating why we ask questions and how they can help us. I plan to continue with questioning in the next lesson. Lesson 8: Questioning Goal: To develop meaningful questions Text: Kicker Procedure: We reviewed our notes and questions in Roys readers notebook from the previous session. We noted that we had not found answers to our questions and that we needed to keep those questions in mind as we read today, and if we found an answer, we could put an A beside the question in our notebook. I asked Roy to read aloud today, which he is still very hesitant to do, but he agreed. As Roy read chapter two, I stopped him often to share my questions and record them in the notebook. I also shared what in the text had made me ask that question and why I thought that question was important to me. Roy recorded his thoughts and notes in his notebook, and we reviewed them before leaving. We also added A by the two questions we were able to answer. Reflections: I focused a great deal on modeling today and really tried to share my thinking processes. Rather than just sharing my questions, I explained what triggered the question and how it was relevant. I did this because Roy is able to ask questions, but not meaningful ones, and I want him to see how and why a reader asks good questions. Questions can help us think more deeply about a text, challenge us to think about our own opinions, or lead us to more information (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 124). Roy did not ask any questions today individually. This is likely because he focused on reading aloud, but I feel the lesson was successful because he was able to hear my thoughts. Roy did add to my questions, or develop a related question after I shared mine. He was also able to point out when we found the answer to a question, which I feel was an important step. He also did effectively use the Huh? strategy when he came to two words he did not know, and we were able to reread and try to figure out what the words meant in context. Next Steps: I will continue to work on questioning and modeling this process for Roy. He seems more engaged in the story when we are asking and answering questions in this way. I will likely read aloud next time to give Roy the opportunity to focus on comprehension rather than fluency. Lesson 9: Questioning Goal: To develop meaningful questions Text: Kicker Procedure: We reviewed our readers notebook notes from the previous session. Roy said he felt like the mystery part of the book would get started soon, and I agreed. We briefly discussed why Roy liked mysteries. I told Roy that I would read aloud today, and I wanted him to focus on making good questions that he thought were important to understanding the story. I reminded him again about how and why we ask questions, and we looked in our notebook at my questions from last session. I told him that questions do go through our mind like Does Julie have a brother? (an unrelated/mainly unimportant question Roy had asked before), but that the best questions will be ones that are triggered by something we read and will help us understand the story better. I told him that today, while he could still make connections and share thoughts, I really wanted to focus on good questions. I continued to read chapter three aloud. There were many opportunities for Roy to ask questions in this chapter since the plot was starting really develop. Roy did ask questions independently (Who could have done that? Why is Julie
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late?). At one point, I did stop because I thought there was an important question Roy should be asking and hadnt, so I prompted him by rereading the line and saying, Hmmmthat makes me have a question. Does it make you have a question? Then, Roy, indeed asked, Why would someone do that? We recorded all Roys questions. At the end, I asked him to tell me all the main things he remembered in the book so far. I recorded all of those events in our readers notebook. Reflections: Today was very successful. Roy asked very important questions and seemed to understand a lot of what we were reading. Most of his questions were relevant and based on the text. He still needed some prompting, but I felt this was a big improvement over our previous questioning sessions. He had a couple of questions that were about insignificant things, but he is moving in the right direction. He was also able to give me almost all of the major details of the story thus far with prompting. I had to help him get started by saying things like, Who are the main characters? and What do we know about them? He was able to remember a lot. I wanted him to summarize for two reasons: 1) This will help us review what happened at our next session since it will be a few days away, 2) Summarizing is an important part of his curriculum in his English class and his teacher shared with me that he was having a difficult time doing this. Next Steps: We still need to continue to work on questioning, and I would also like to do some more explicit work with summarizing. I did it today as kind of a diagnostic show me what you can do, but I plan to model this strategy in the near future, as well. Lesson 10: Questioning and Summarizing Goal: To continue to develop meaningful questions to guide reading and to develop summarizing skills Text: Kicker Procedure: We began the session by reviewing Roys summary and questions from the previous session. We discussed briefly whether or not we liked the book so far and why. I told him he would take turns reading today and I wanted him to write down his questions, along with any reactions or Huhs? in his readers notebook. I reminded him that we would be summarizing what we had read at the end of the session so he needed to pay attention to the main events of the plot. Roy made notes as we read, mostly recording questions and reactions. At the end of the chapter, I started our summary by explaining explicitly what summaries are. I told Roy to imagine he was telling his mom what we read about today. I asked, What is the first important thing you think we read about today? I continued by asking, Whats the next important thing that happened? I recorded Roys answers in the readers notebook. Reflection: I am seeing a lot of improvement in Roys questions. He is asking questions now that lead to predictions about plot or that help him read for important answers about character motivations. He still does not always recognize or remember to put A beside his question if he finds an answer, which I think is important (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). I think he just forgets that step. I still have to point out Hey, didnt we have a question about that? Roy did a pretty good job summarizing todays chapter as I prompted him. He left out an important plot detail, but when I asked, Didnt Iz talk to a new character today? he was able to add that detail. Next Steps: I need to continue to work on summarizing so Roy is able to do that more independently and more comprehensively. I will continue to work on questioning and recognizing when he has found an answer to the questions he has asked. Lesson 11: Questioning and Summarizing
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Goal: To develop questions, recognize answers, and summarize independently Text: Kicker Procedure: Again, we reviewed Roys questions and summaries from the previous session. I told him that we were still going to focus on writing important questions from our reading, but that we need to make sure we recognize answers to questions if we find them. I reminded him we may not answer every question but it is important to realize an answer when we find it. I let Roy make predictions about what he thought would happen. Then, I let Roy read aloud today. At the end of the chapter, I asked Roy to summarize what we read. Reflections: This was not our most successful session. Roy stopped only once to ask a question and he was not able to remember a lot to complete a summary. I really think oral reading interferes with his ability to comprehend. His oral reading continues to be fluent and he only came upon three words he did not know, but he is very preoccupied with his reading rate and accuracy, which I think distracts him from the lesson we were focused on. I did not stop Roy to prompt him as I had previously since I wanted him to work on questioning and summarizing more independently. Next steps: I want to do another questioning and summarizing lesson, but I think I need to read aloud or do some shared reading, or maybe I will let him read silently since I havent done that yet! Lesson 12: Questioning and Summarizing Goal: To develop questions, recognize answers, and summarize independently Text: Kicker Procedure: This lesson was identical to the last except that I asked Roy to read silently. I read the chapter before meeting with Roy so I would know what it was about. I read a different novel while Roy read to model good reading habits and jotted down notes about my book, too. After about 5 minutes I interjected to remind Roy to write questions and code an A if he found an answer. At the end of the chapter, I asked Roy to share his questions. He had several, and each one seemed to be meaningful or something that Roy would wonder about based on his background. He did code an A for one answered question, and I agreed that his other questions did not have answers yet, and may not. I discussed that sometimes we just have to infer answers based on what we know. Then I asked Roy to tell me everything that happened in that chapter and we recorded his summary in his readers notebook. Reflections: Roy was much more successful in this lesson, and I was relieved to see that reading silently helped. I feel more confident that Roy is making good questions. His summary was good, and he did include each main plot event, even though it lacked much detail. Next steps: Though Roy can still use more work on questioning and summarizing, I feel that he is improving in those areas. I will continue to work on these skills but I also want to add making inferences to the skills we work on so that Roy understands that some of his questions can be answered by making our own inferences. Lesson 13: Making Inferences Goal: To learn that some questions lead us to make inferences Text: Kicker and Inference Scenarios Procedure: I recapped our last session with Roy and reminded him about what I said about how sometimes we have to infer answers to the questions we write. I explained that today we would practice making inferences. I shared with him the formula for making an inference (Background
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Knowledge + Text Clues= Inference) given by Harvey and Goudvis (2007). We practiced coupling background knowledge with text clues by reading some short scenarios and making an inference (I used a worksheet of scenarios I use with my freshmen). I modeled answering the first question by reading the scenario out loud and then thinking aloud through the process of accessing my background knowledge and adding it to the clues in the text to make an inference. I guided Roy through the next two scenarios and then he did the last few on his own. After completing the worksheet, we took out our readers notebook and looked at our recent unanswered questions to see if we could make some inferences about any of them. We looked at the question, Why would someone send the threat to Julie? I asked Roy what he knows about people making threats and we discussed the threat in this book. Roy inferred someone was probably making the threat to make Julie lose the game on purpose, which led us to ask the question Why does someone want Julies team to lose? We talked about how good inferences can lead to even more questions and still more inferences. Reflection: This was a really fun lesson. Both Roy and I enjoyed making the inferences together, and Roy had a lot of success on the worksheet. However, he continues to want to offer multiple answers or possibilities when just one would suffice. For instance, for one scenario asking where someone worked, Roy correctly inferred aquarium but then added or maybe at the beach. I had to stop and say Look at the clues in the text again. Would working at the beach make sense? It goes back to what his teacher said about him wanting to always have a better answer, but in actuality, he is giving a less correct one. I want him to see the importance of inferences being based on background knowledge and text clues (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). Next Steps: We will work on making inferences as we read and really focus on using the text as evidence to support our inferences. Lesson 14: Making Inferences Goal: To make inferences using textual support to justify inferences Text: Kicker Procedure: We reviewed our discussion about inferences from the last session. I told Roy that today we would still write down questions, but we would work on using our background knowledge and text clues to make inferences while we read as well. We did a shared reading of chapter seven. I modeled making inferences as I read aloud and wrote them in our readers notebook. I prompted Roy to try to answer some of the questions he wrote by making inferences. When he offered an inference, I asked him to read me the part of text that he felt was a clue that helped him make that inference. At the end of the chapter, Roy wrote his own summary of what we read. Reflections: Roy continues to improve his summaries and do them more independently. Today, he did make some inferences but there were times he said I dont know when asked what in the text helped him make that inference, or he read a part that was unrelated to the inference he made. I have modeled giving textual support for my own inferences, so Im not sure how to make this clearer to Roy. Perhaps more practice and modeling will continue to help make this connection clear. Next steps: I will continue to work on textual support for inferences and model this connection for Roy. Lesson 15: Making Inferences Goal: To make inferences using textual support to justify inferences
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Text: Kicker Procedure: Roy and I reviewed our summary and questions from the last few chapter since it has been several days since our previous session. I showed Roy our formula for making inferences again (BK+TC=I). I gave him a blank piece of paper that had blanks with this formula on it several times. It looked like this: __________________________ + _______________________________ = _______________ BK TC I I told Roy that today, when either of us tried to make an inference from the story, we would fill out the formula to show our inference. I read aloud today and began modeling making inferences. As I made my first inference I explained aloud what I had read in the text and what background knowledge I had that helped me make that inference and I put those pieces of the formula on the paper. After doing three inferences this way, I kept reading until I got to a point to ask a good question: Why do you think Iz is worried? Can you make an inference? Roy said, I think she is worried someone is going to hurt Julie. So, I asked him to fill in the chart with the parts of the formula. He was able to do this correctly to justify his inference. We continued reading and recording our inferences. At the end of the chapter, we took turns summarizing events and recording them I our notebook. Reflections: Today went very well. I think the visual of the blanks with the formula helped Roy justify his inferences and use text clues. At one point, he made a very good inference without any prompting from me about Izs feelings for Drew. He was able to articulate his reasons for making the inference without problems. I think this shows Roy is capable of this type of comprehension, but he is just going to need some more practice. I still want to keep focusing on connecting his thoughts to clues from the text. Next steps: I will continue to work on justifying inferences with text because Roy still places more emphasis on his background knowledge. Also, today before reading, Roy said again that he hates to read. When I asked why he said its because he would rather watch a movie because he can understand it better. I would also like to work more explicitly with visualization since I think it would help Roy understand some confusing parts more clearly (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). At first, I thought to myself, We worked on visualization in our early sessions, but upon closer reflection, I wasnt explicitly helping Roy work on visualization. I was using drawing as a way for him to express his own thoughts, but I did not explicitly teach him to visualize what was happening in the text. I realize now that I need to go back and do some explicit teaching and modeling of this skill. Lesson 16: Making Inferences and Visualizing Goal: To justify inferences and visualize to clear up confusion Text: Kicker Procedure: I told Roy that we still be writing our questions and inferences, but that we would also do some visualizing since he told me it was hard to picture what was going on in the book. I explained sometimes this helps good readers understand what theyre reading better. We did a shared reading of chapter nine. We got to a section that was a long description of a main character scoring a goal. I stopped and asked Roy what he thought just happened. He said, "I don't know...I think I need to reread". I was very happy that he recognized an appropriate opportunity to apply that strategy. After rereading he was still unsure. I said, "Let's think about your background knowledge because you know a lot about soccer. We know they are in the
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middle of the soccer game. Let's look for clues about what happened." We reread and I asked him to tell me what to draw. As we worked through it, he said "Oh, I think she scored a goal. I said, "That sounds like a good inference; let's keep reading to see if you're right." In the next paragraph, his conclusion was confirmed and he said aloud that he must've been right. At the end of the chapter, Roy independently summarized what we read. Reflections: The visualization strategy was a big success with Roy. I really had to guide him through it, and we had to reread several times. However, I think more work on this strategy could really help Roy be more independent in his reading and aid in his comprehension. I need to work with him to learn when and how to apply this strategy. I dont think this a strategy he is ready to use without prompting yet, so I will continue to work with him on how to visualize and when it can be helpful so he will understand when to use it on his own. Roy made some great predictions today using inferences and we were able to talk about how inferences help us do a lot of different things as we read. Next Steps: I will continue to work on inferences and visualization with Roy so he can understand when and how to apply these strategies independently.
Adaptive Teaching Reflections There have been occasions during my sessions with Roy that I have had to adjust my plans based on his performance and my observations. During our second strategy lesson, I planned to use a book to start working with Roy. I went to our librarian and discussed with her my needs: a book that was high interest at a lower reading level. She introduced me to the High-Low level of our library specifically shelved with those types of books (I didnt even know that section existed!). We looked at several books together, and I found one about a student who spends a lot of time online that I thought would be great for Roy. I introduced the book to Roy during the session. We previewed the title and talked about his predictions and his background knowledge connected to the synopsis on the back of the book. We read the first two chapters together, and it was obvious to me that this was not the book for Roy. He did not seem interested in it, and he seemed a little bothered by the main characters homosexuality (likely because Roy is Catholic) which I had failed to realize was a big part of the book. We practiced our Huh? strategy and our inner thoughts on sticky
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notes, but Roy was not really engaged and seemed bored. Rather than push on with a book that I did not believe he cared for, I gave him the option to help me choose some topics for his subsequent sessions. I took this as an opportunity to talk to Roy about the fact that we dont always love every book, and that its okay to put a book back if you start reading it and realize you dont really like it. Roy also seemed to daydream and let his mind wander as we read, so I decided I may need to start with shorter pieces of text and work up to longer texts like short books. Therefore, I used the Internet to find editions of Time for Kids Magazine. This gave me the option of choosing texts written for students at a third grade reading level, but they gave Roy the ability to choose articles that were of interest to him since the magazine contains news and current events. I was glad to make this change because I know how important choice can be in motivating students to read, and I felt that these shorter texts would make Roy more comfortable, particularly when he was reading aloud since he is intimidated by longer texts. In each session, I tried to begin by modeling the strategies that we were learning or practicing. During the third session, however, I realized at the end of the lesson that most of the marginal notes were mine instead of Roys. While I felt like I was doing a good job modeling, I realized that he was content with being passive and letting me do the work. I realized that I needed to be more cognizant of the gradual release of responsibility (Lloyd, 2004). Roy had to start doing more of the work than I was at this point. So, I talked with Roy during our fourth session and explained that I was only going to write my Huh? comments and connections for the first paragraph. After that, it would be his job alone. I reminded him again when and why we used those strategies and how practicing would make the strategies easier and easier to use (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). During that session, Roy made more comments but still not as many as I would have liked. I went back through the article and pointed out some things I connected to
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and thought about after he was finished making his comments. I felt that this worked better because I was still releasing responsibility to him as he read, but I was able to show him some other places in the text that may have been important without taking control during his reading. After several sessions working on Huh? and making connections, I realized that Roy was making progress in making his own notes, but it seemed like he was just getting more distracted. When reading an article about iPods, he got very off-topic making a connection about Facebook and people adding songs to their profiles. I let him tell me about it as he jotted down a picture, but I was thinking, By the time he starts reading again he will forget everything hes read so far. I looked through Harvey & Goudviss (2007) lesson ideas to see if this problem was mentioned. Luckily, I found a section on distracting connections. After reading that lesson idea, I modeled getting distracted by a connection. I talked to Roy about why connections are important but explained that if our connections get too far off from what we are reading they can distract us. This is something we are still working on. I noticed during our lessons, particularly one of the first lessons when we worked on questioning, that when Roy was reading aloud for the entire session, he did not seem to use our reading strategies as frequently or at all. I recognized that because of Roys self-consciousness about his reading ability, he was probably spending a lot of his intellectual energy focused on pronunciation and fluency instead of comprehension, perhaps a result of the intense focus of his previous reading program. After this realization, I decided that I wanted Roy to continue reading aloud to gain confidence, however, when introducing a new strategy I would read aloud or we would take turns reading in order to give Roy time to really focus on the strategy. I felt by taking the pressure off of Roy to read orally, he would be able to concentrate on comprehension and how to use the strategies. After initial practice and becoming more comfortable with a strategy, I
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increased the amount that he read aloud while using that strategy. This worked as we continued to work on questioning and making inferences. There were several instances where Roy struggled with one particular part of a strategy. For example, while we worked on questioning, he had difficulty marking questions with an A after reading the answers or after he should have inferred an answer. Because I noticed this, I was able to identify two new areas of need: reading closely to answer the questions and making inferences. Because I identified these needs, I was able to work on these skills explicitly with Roy to aid him in building his comprehension. In our initial session on making inferences Roy did quite well. However, when he tried to apply this strategy to the novel we were reading, he did not base many of his inferences in textual evidence, relying more heavily on background knowledge, which often caused him to make inferences that did not seem cohesive with the book. I knew I had to find a way for him to pay more attention to the text when making inferences. That is why I developed the inferences formula worksheet, so he would continually be able to practice using both parts of the inference formula. This type of practice showed Roy that both parts of making an inference are equally important and that he had to justify his inference with textual evidence. This was the adaptation that I am most proud of because at first I really did not know how to get him to make the connection to the text, but this worked very well. Finally, one of my most adaptive moments during the case study was based on a comment by Roy. When he said he didnt like reading because he couldnt picture what was happening, a big light bulb was turned on for me. For a student like Roy, who spends so much time getting words right, it is very likely that he has not learned to put the words together to make mental images. Early on, when we were drawing notes in the margins, they were usually
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not pictures of things in the actual text, they were pictures of Roys thoughts and connections. I had failed to include how to visualize the actual text, which I think became very obvious once we started reading a fictional novel. Roy was not seeing the story. I wish I had understood this earlier, but this realization did lead me to start working on visualization with Roy. Though our required sessions are over, I am still going to meet with Roy throughout the remainder of the semester, and we will continue to work on visualization. I find this to be an important adaptation because it will help Roys comprehension, but more importantly it may help him learn to like reading a little more, which is one of my biggest long term goals for him. Final Assessments and Results Pre-assessment
QRI - 5 Passage Calculations Clinicians Name Megan Ormond Date of administration 3/1/11 Word List Administration-Instructional level found in previous administration
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I documented a running record with Roy. S/he read an expository passage on a third level titled Where do people live. The passage contained 279 words. S/he read it in 2 minute(s) and 39 seconds. S/he made 2 miscues and 0 self-correction(s). S/he retold approximately 13 of the 51 ideas noted on the retelling scoring sheet. S/he answered 3 explicit questions correctly and 3 implicit questions correctly. Calculate the accuracy rate, miscue/error rate, self-correction rate, retelling, & comprehension score. Include details about prior knowledge and prediction on an additional page. Label each calculation and answer clearly. Is this passage at an instructional level? How do you know (explain)? 277 (# words read correctly) = 279 (# words in passage) 99 % accuracy rate
60 = 16740 / 159 (#seconds read) Final fluency rate = number of words read per minute (_105 WPM) retelling score: 13 (# of ideas retold) /51 (# of ideas noted on QRI-5 retelling scoring sheet)=_25 % comprehension: explicit 3 implicit 3 ___6_/_8__ overall comprehension score =_75__% independent/instructional/frustration level (look at # correct on QRI-5 score sheet) This passage is at an instructional level because both Roys accuracy rate and overall comprehension rate place him in the instructional range based on the guidelines given by the QRI-5. Details about prior knowledge: Roy scored 9/12 on the concept questions for a familiarity rate of 75%. He explained that he knew people who lived in the country and had been around many farm animals. Details about prediction: Roy predicted that the passage might be about farming since the questions were about the country and farming. Next Steps for Instructional Support: Begin intervention lessons on comprehension, particularly focused on understanding the questions and leaving tracks to comprehend.
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I began administering QRI-5 passages at the fifth grade level since the examiner should begin at an independent level for the student. I used the expository passage Martin Luther King, Jr ((Leslie & Caldwell, 2011, p. 286). Based on the concept questions I administered prior to reading, Roy had adequate background knowledge to comprehend the piece. This is important because a readers knowledge on a topic prior to reading can significantly impact comprehension (McCormick & Zutell, 2011). I was surprised that Roy scored at the frustration level for that text. Fluency did not prove to be an obstacle as he had only 4 total miscues, only 1 of which changed meaning. This again showed an independent level for fluency, and I calculated his correct words per minute to be 94. The retelling score sheet and comprehension questions showed a lack of comprehension on Roys part. He was only able to recall 11 of 53 ideas and answer 4 of 8 questions correctly without look-backs, making this a frustration level text for comprehension. This was particularly surprising to me because Roy made many comments while reading that made me think he understood. He was interacting with the text and sharing some of his internal conversation and said things like, Thats not fair, in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks and, Thats good, when he read the part about laws being changed by the U.S. Supreme Court. He also made connections by explaining to me that he had visited the Supreme Court when he went to Washington D.C. On some questions, he gave a very simplistic answer that was not correct but did show thinking about the text. For instance, when I asked What happened when people refused to ride the buses?, Roy answered, They probably walked. For other questions, though, he gave answers that in no way answered the question. For example, when asked to name one way in which Martin Luther King was honored for his work, he responded that Martin was really big.
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Next, I administered a third grade passage, Wool: From Sheep to You (Leslie & Caldwell, 2011, p. 238). Surprisingly, Roys fluency was at the instructional level for this passage, having made 10 miscues. He was only able to recall 3 of 42 ideas and answer 1 question correctly. I was baffled that both his fluency and comprehension were worse on the third grade passage than the fifth grade text. I went to discuss the situation with Roys teacher. Together, we concluded that Roy has been trained (through Wilson Reading) to focus on saying words correctly on the first try. We suspected that he was spending much of his mental focus on word calling, both because he had been taught to do that and because he wanted to impress me. I decided to administer another third grade passage, Where Do People Live?; however, this time after Roy read the passage aloud to me and I had completed the running record, I asked him to read it silently to himself. This time Roy scored at the instructional level, answering 6 of 8 questions correctly, but he still struggled with retelling, recalling just 12 of 51 ideas. After completing the passage administration, I concluded that Roys main reading deficit is in the area of comprehension. Harvey and Goudvis (2007) posit that constructing meaning is the main goal of comprehension (p. 14). The pre-assessment helped me identify the need for comprehension strategy lessons with Roy. I saw that he was particularly weak in being able to recall events and answering implicit questions about a text. Because of this, I decided to implement lessons that focused on selfmonitoring comprehension and strategies that would aid in clearing up confusion and providing a more focused reading with connections to background knowledge.
Post-assessment
QRI - 5 Passage Calculations Clinicians Name Megan Ormond Date of administration 5/3/11
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I documented a running record with Roy. S/he read an expository passage on a third level titled Amelia Earhart. The passage contained 263 words. S/he read it in 2 minute(s) and 30 seconds. S/he made 3 miscues and 0 self-correction(s). S/he retold approximately 26 of the 47 ideas noted on the retelling scoring sheet. S/he answered 3 explicit questions correctly and 3 implicit questions correctly. Calculate the accuracy rate, miscue/error rate, self-correction rate, retelling, & comprehension score. Include details about prior knowledge and prediction on an additional page. Label each calculation and answer clearly. Is this passage at an instructional level? How do you know (explain)? 260 (# words read correctly) = 263 (# words in passage) 99 % accuracy rate
60 = 15780 / 150 (#seconds read) Final fluency rate = number of words read per minute (_105 WPM) retelling score: 26 (# of ideas retold) /47 (# of ideas noted on QRI-5 retelling scoring sheet)=_55 % comprehension: explicit 3 implicit 3 ___6_/_8__ overall comprehension score =_75__% independent/instructional/frustration level (look at # correct on QRI-5 score sheet) This passage is at an instructional level because both Roys accuracy rate and overall comprehension rate place him in the instructional range based on the guidelines given by the QRI-5. Details about prior knowledge: Roy scored 9/12 on the concept questions for a familiarity rate of 75%. He had heard of Amelia Earhart before but did not know exactly what she had done. Details about prediction: Roy predicted that the passage might be about Amelia Earhart and an adventure with planes. Next Steps for Instructional Support: Work on visualization.
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During the post-assessment, I let Roy read in a whisper voice to himself rather than reading aloud in order to get a more accurate measurement of his comprehension. I felt this was warranted because Roy showed better comprehension when reading to himself during our intervention sessions. I began the post-assessment by administering a 3rd grade passage, since that was the instructional level found during the pre-assessment. We began with the passage Cats: Lions and Tigers in Your House. Roy scored in the independent level on this passage, recalling 20 of 47 ideas, and answering all 8 questions correctly. I moved on to the 4th grade passage Amelia Earhart. Roy scored in the instructional level on this passage, retelling 26 of 47 ideas and answering 6 questions correctly. Next, I administered the 5th grade passage The Octopus. Roy retold 20 ideas out of 54, but he only answered 5 questions correctly. Roy answered all 4 explicit questions correctly but only 1 of the implicit questions correctly, making this a frustration level text for him.
Assessment Findings and Discussion During my intervention with Roy, I noticed marked growth in using all of the strategies we implemented. However, several things were evident throughout our sessions together. Roy has severe confidence issues about reading, especially reading aloud. His anxiety about reading aloud affects his ability to use comprehension strategies effectively. Roy is more likely to apply comprehension strategies when reading silently, being read to, or when only reading very short sections of a text aloud. Also, Roy does not always connect his comments and understandings to the text itself. He likes to suggest answers or connections and when challenged about how it relates to the text, he answers Well, it could, or Its possible. He does not like to admit that his answers are not
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supported by the text. However, we did make progress in this area, especially as we worked on making inferences. I noticed, as well, that when initially learning a strategy, Roy needs a lot of modeling and prompting. He needs to see a strategy utilized several times and be asked to use it often before applying it on his own. This emphasizes what Harvey and Goudvis (2007) argue about the importance of teaching students not just how to use a strategy but when to use a strategy so that they are able to use it independently without a teachers encouragement. I believe it will take a lot more work before Roy is consistently using these strategies independently. They are not yet second nature, and he still seems to do things only to please me sometimes. His post-assessment on the QRI-5 does show growth. His instructional level was increased from 3rd to 4th grade. I think he may have done even better had there not be a two and a half week lapse between our last session and the post assessment (due to the tornadoes). I am most excited the Roy was able to recall far more ideas during the post-assessment than he had in the pre-assessment. Also, the frustration level passage showed implicit questions to be a weakness. I believe Roy still needs more work with implicit questions and skills like inferencing, visualizing, and drawing conclusions. I would place Roy firmly in the category of a transitional reader (Fountas & Pinnell,1996). I believe he was in the beginning stages of this classification when we started, and perhaps even in the early reader stage. I see a much more controlled use of strategies now than when we started, and he is much more aware of when he is confused about a piece of text than he was in our initial sessions. Home School Partnership A Parental Contact
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I plan to conference with Roys mother at least three times. Roys mother, Mrs. Perez, is a stay at home mom; however, she is not able to drive to the school for a conference so we will be communicating by phone. My first contact with Mrs. Perez will take place on March 16. At that time, I will share with her assessment process I used with Roy and his results on those assessments. Specifically, I will share that Roy is a relatively fluent reader and that he is able to read aloud many high school level words, but I will explain that he does not always understand what he reads. I will briefly explain what we will be working on in our one to one sessions: connecting to background knowledge, previewing texts and making predictions, identifying parts where meaning is not clear, using look-backs effectively, and using strategies to fix-up comprehension. An important part of our conversation will involve my suggestions of how she can help Roy at home. My initial suggestion will be for Mrs. Perez to share articles in the newspaper or magazines with Roy. She can read the article first and then let him read it, or she may decide to read it together with him. Then they can discuss conversationally what the article was about and their reactions. If Roy presents an idea that does not seem congruous with the content of the article, she can ask simple questions like What makes you say that? or Maybe I missed that. Where did you see that in the article? to get him to connect his understanding to the text. I will explain how this extra practice at home in a comfortable setting could help Roy improve his comprehension as well as his enjoyment of reading. I plan to call again in two weeks to update Mrs. Perez on Roys progress and then again at the end of our sessions to inform her about the progress he has made and to share any new assessment data with her. Teacher I have been meeting with Roys English teacher on a weekly basis, and I plan to continue to do that. Initially, I met with Coach Q several times to get a clearer idea of Roy as a student
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and what his strengths and weaknesses are in the classroom. After administering my initial assessments, I shared the information with Coach Q. He was not at all surprised by my findings. In fact, he provided me with even more insight that helped me to understand Roys problems better. We discussed again Roys need for approval and to be right. Coach Q said that in class, Roy often thinks too much about something and gives an answer thats off topic because he is trying to sound smart when only a very simple answer was needed. He agreed with my decision to focus on comprehension in my sessions with Roy. I shared the texts that I was using in my sessions with Roy, and he was happy to see that I was pulling some non-fiction selections to use since he thinks that will most greatly benefit Roy in his content classes and on his English End of Course test. I also explained the specific strategies I would be starting to work on with Roy. Coach Q said he would try to incorporate some of those strategies into his English class so that Roy, and the other students, could continue to practice comprehension strategies. He felt like the strategies I was using with Roy would be beneficial for his other students as well. I asked him to note on Roys assignments whether or not he saw evidence of strategy usage and to share that information with me. I was thrilled with his cooperation and support. We will meet weekly to note any progress Roy has made in the one to one sessions and/or in his English class.
Home School Partnership B Parental Contact 1st Contact: March 16 I introduced myself to Mrs. Perez and told her I had been working with Roy to find out more about his reading abilities. She said Roy had been talking about me a lot, and she was glad I was trying to help him. I shared the results of my initial QRI-5 assessments to her, explaining
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that Roy could read and identify words well, just slightly below his grade level, but that he had difficulty understanding or remembering what he read. Mrs. Perez told me that Roy never liked to read and that reading had always been hard for him. I told her that I would be working with him at school to try to improve his reading skills. She was so grateful; she kept thanking me over and over. I told her that it would be very beneficial to Roy if she and her family could help Roy with reading at home, too. I asked if they had magazines or newspapers at home. She said they did get one magazine but it was in Spanish. I told her that reading in Spanish would be fine and that Roy could still work on understanding what he read. I suggested that she read an article and ask Roy to read the same one. Then, they could discuss the article together or she could ask him to tell her about the article. I also suggested that Roy read stories to his younger brother. I explained this would give him some confidence in reading aloud and he could help his brother understand the story (Roys brother is much younger so his stories would be on an independent level for Roy). I also told her that it would be good just for her to talk to Roy about reading, about what she liked to read, or to tell him about something she read in order to show Roy that reading was important in his family. Mrs. Perez thanked me again and said that she would start talking to Roy about articles at home. I told her I would be in touch again in a few weeks to let her know about Roys progress. Contact 2: April 4 I called Mrs. Perez again to update her on my work with Roy. I told her that we had read several articles but that we were not reading a longer fiction book. I explained the different skills we had worked on so far and that these lessons were designed to help Roy better understand what he was reading. She said Roy still talked about me every week and he had told her we were reading a book. I was pleased that Roy was sharing what we were doing with his family. I told
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her that Roy had made progress with all of the skills we worked on but that he still sometimes made comments or questions that were not really related to the text. I told her about my conversation with Mr. Quinerly during which he suggested Roy wanted to impress people with his answers and be unique. She agreed that Roy liked to please and that he always wants to be a good boy and a smart boy. She said that she had been talking to Roy about some of the articles in the People en Espanol magazine. She said sometimes he would talk to her about them but sometimes he was not very interested. I told her it may be a good idea to find a magazine that Roy was interested in that they could talk about together. I told her that Roy had mentioned a Spanish soap opera that they liked to watch. I told her that she could talk to Roy about the show and ask questions about what he thought was happening in the episode and why. I explained that if Roy gave an answer or made a comment that didnt make sense she could ask him what made him say that. Even talking about the show would help Roy understand that his answers have to be based on something. She said they often talked about the show and she would pay attention to Roys comments in the future. She thanked me again and I told her I would call her back after I assessed Roy again in two weeks. Contact 3: April 19 I had hoped to contact Mrs. Perez this week with Roys final assessment results; however, the tornadoes that caused school to be canceled for the week changed my plan. I called Mrs. Perez as scheduled and explained that I would finish Roys assessment after Spring Break. I asked if their family was okay after the storms and she said that they were fine, but that Roy was upset about missing the extra week of school because he was worried about exams. I told her that I thought Roys reading had improved during our sessions. I explained that he was able to remember more and summarize more independently after reading now. I shared that I thought
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these skills would help him on his upcoming end of course test. She said she was very happy to hear that. I shared with her what Roy had said about not being able to picture what he read. I told her that if they continued to discuss articles at home, she could explain what she pictured to Roy to help him see how people visualize. I told her she should also ask him about the book he was reading with me and get him to explain what was happening in the book after each of our sessions. She said she had already asked him what the book was about but that she would ask him more often what had happened in the book. I suggested that Roy needed to keep reading during the break because two weeks is a long time to be away from school. I told her about the public library, which she had never been to. I told her that they had magazines and books there and that all of her children would probably enjoy going. She was excited to hear about this and said she planned to go this week. I told her I would call back after I completed the assessments after Spring Break, but that I would continue to meet with Roy even after our assessments up until exam time. Once again, she said she could not thank me enough and that I was a very nice lady. Contact 4: May 3 I contacted Mrs. Perez briefly to share with her the results of Roys post-assessment. She was very happy that he had improved his comprehension by one grade level on the assessment. I told her that I would continue to work with Roy as our schedule allowed up until exams. She told me he had told her more about the book we were reading and I told her that I would try to finish the book with him before the end of the semester. I thanked her for her support at home. Teacher Contact Mr. Quinerly, Roys English teacher, and I have met weekly throughout the duration of this case study. We met initially to discuss Roys strengths and weaknesses and Mr. Quinerly
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shared his insights about Roys abilities and behaviors, and I outlined my initial assessment results and plans for Roy. Mr. Quinerly showed a lot of enthusiasm and willingness to cooperate with me to ensure Roys success. During our next meetings, I shared with Mr. Quinerly the concept of leaving tracks and the Huh? strategy I was using with Roy. Mr. Quinerly loved the Huh? strategy and felt that was one his students could really use. He said he sees a Huh? look on their faces a lot so this would be a good way for them to articulate and identify places of confusion in a text. He said he had been teaching them to highlight as they read. I told him that highlighting can be a good strategy but students have to know what to highlight and they have to be able to look back at highlighted sections and remember why they highlighted them. He said he had never thought about that before. I explained that leaving tracks would be more beneficial because then the students had evidence of their thinking. I told him that I had been using this strategy with Roy with some success. I shared, though, that Roys connections often seemed off topic. Mr. Quinerly agreed that Roy had the same problem in class, especially if he could work in a comment about computers. We both agreed that we would start questioning Roy about how his comment related to the text we were reading. During the next several meetings, I shared with Mr. Quinerly my work with Roy on questioning. He told me that Roy did not seem to be reading closely and was still missing a lot of details. I told him that questioning might help him focus on his reading more and pay more attention to detail. I explained that I still had to prompt Roy to make questions sometimes and suggested that he do the same in class as they read. I told him we were now keeping a readers notebook, and he thought that was a great idea. He also shared with me that Roy was having difficulty identifying main ideas, which was what they were currently working on in class. I told
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him that one way to teach students to identify a main idea was to have them summarize the text first. I agreed to work on summarizing with Roy. Mr. Quinerly said he would try to reinforce that by working on summarizing with the class. I continued to update him on our progress with questioning and summarizing. Mr. Quinerly said Roy was one of the best in class at summarizing and often added an important part that someone else had missed. I suggested that activities like that, summarizing as a class, probably motivated Roy because he wanted to come up with more right answers than everyone else so he was likely to give a thorough summary to impress his peers. He said he did notice, though, that Roys questions often seemed irrelevant to the test, and I told him I would continue to work on that with Roy. Our final meeting was about making inferences. I told Mr. Quinerly that Roy and I had started working on inferences. He was very interested in this because he said that this was one of the biggest problems he had with his classthey are very concrete thinkers. In his words, If it isnt written in the passage, they dont think its an answer. We both know that the end of course test will require students to make a lot of inferences. I shared with him the formula and formula worksheet I had used with Roy. Mr. Quinerly was so excited. He said that this would make a lot of sense to his kids because it was more concrete and it had steps to follow. Mr. Quinerly is trained as a special education teacher and never received a lot of training in teaching high school English, so he is always excited to learn something that he thinks will help his students. I told him that Roy had initially had trouble basing his inferences in the text. He said that as he worked on inferences in class he would be sure to notice whether Roys inferences were justified and help correct him as necessary. I shared the post-assessment data with Mr. Quinerly. He was not surprised that the results showed improvement, but he thought Roy would have gone up more than one grade level based
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on what he had seen in class. We both agreed that had the tornado not disrupted the schedule we may have seen even more progress on the post-assessment. These meetings proved to be so beneficial for Mr. Quinerly and I. I gained a lot of insight about Roys behaviors in class as well as a great deal of support and reinforcement. Mr. Quinerly implemented almost everything I did in his classroom. This helped me by giving Roy additional practice, and it aided Mr. Quinerly by giving him strategies that would benefit his entire class. Final Reflection This case study was the most difficult task I have completed during graduate school, but it has simultaneously been the most rewarding. I have learned so much about my student, myself, and my profession through the completion of this project. First, I learned the importance of building relationships and the impact that can have on success. I have always been a proponent of building rapport with students as a way to motivate them in my classroom. However, during this case study it was so clear how my initial roaming the known sessions and photo journal sessions impacted my work with Roy. After those first few sessions, I had a very clear understanding of what was important to this student, how he felt about himself and his reading abilities, and what his strengths and weaknesses were. All of those things directly impacted my instruction and ultimately made that instruction more successful. I was able to connect to things that Roy was interested in, and I could understand much more deeply why he may have done something the way he did. Harvey and Goudvis (2007) argue that listening to students is one of the most important things we can do as educators, and I agree. I have learned how vital explicit instruction, modeling, and think alouds are for reading teachers. During this case study, I have realized that this has been one of my weaknesses as a teacher. As a person who automatically gets it as a reader, it has been difficult for me to slow
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down and articulate my thinking processes to share and model them. I have not done a great job of that in the past. However, I have seen how beneficial and, honestly, how necessary this type of modeling is for most students, especially struggling readers. I cannot expect my students to know how to do something after I tell them how to do it; I must show them how to do it (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). The greatest growth I saw in Roy was after I had modeled and done think alouds for different strategies. Also, when looking back at my case study, the points where Roy struggled most were often times when I had not done enough modeling or been explicit enough. This will be a focus for me in my future instruction and I have already begun to work on this type of teaching in my classroom. My school has focused on the importance of formative instruction during the last two years, but this was the first opportunity I had to give a formative assessment for comprehension. I was surprised by how much I could learn about a students comprehension skills by giving the QRI-5. The word lists provided me with a quick and easy way to find a starting point for my comprehension assessments. The results of the word list inventories also reminded me that fluent readers are not necessarily skilled at comprehension. By assessing Roy with the QRI-5, I was able to determine that he had trouble with comprehension and was several grade levels behind in this area, while his fluency results on showed a slight discrepancy from his grade level. All of this information helped me to guide my instruction and give me a starting point to help Roy. My formative assessment with Roy, however, did not end with the QRI-5. Each time we met, I informally assessed Roy through observation and his reading notebook. This allowed me to be responsive, flexible, and adaptive (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 36) Because I used these formative assessments rather than following a prescriptive routine, I was able to adapt to his needs as a learner and modify my instruction to ensure his success. I spent more time on
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questioning because Roy struggled more in adopting that skill successfully. I spent less time on summarizing in each lesson because he used that strategy with more skill. I felt that my lessons with Roy were much more student-centered because I let his performance and needs drive my instruction. This experience taught me so much about the job of a reading teacher and about working with struggling readers. First, I learned that you cannot assume anything. If I had not taken the time to get to know Roy and administer my initial assessments I would not have been able to work with him successfully. Those first pieces of data were key for me. I was also reminded of the importance of using authentic texts to teach reading (McCormick & Zutell, 2011). Using real texts gives students an authentic purpose for reading and applying strategies. I learned that working with struggling teachers takes a lot of patience and a large capacity for encouragement. There were times when I was frustrated because I wasnt sure what else I could do to help Roy after I had modeled and explained things over and over. However, when I kept thinking about it and working on it, I was able to adapt my plans to find new ways to help him. I had to learn that it is okay to keep working on the same thing over and over again. I do not typically have that luxury in my classroom because of pacing guides and looming EOCs. However, when working with struggling readers, it is counterproductive to move on just because you have taught it once. These students need repeated exposures to strategies and ideas, and it is important to provide that type of ongoing support (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007). I have learned that even struggling readers have strengths. They may be very fluent, or they may be great at making predictions. Each student has something they are good at and it is important to build upon that to give the student a sense of success. I think struggling readers often struggle with self-esteem about reading which perpetuates a cycle of not reading and falling further behind. I have learned that one very
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important role of a reading teacher is to be a cheerleader for that studentto help him see his own strengths and to encourage him as he works on his weaknesses.
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Bear, D.R., Invernezzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2008). Words their way (Fourth Edition). Columbus, OH: Prentice Hall. Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement. York, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers. Leslie, L. & Caldwell, J. (2011). Qualitative Reading Inventory-5. New York: Addison Wesley Longman. Lloyd, S.L. (2004). Using comprehension strategies as a springboard for student talk. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 48(2), 114-124. DOI: 10.1598/JAAL.48.2.3 McCormick, S. & Zutell, J. (2011). Instructing students who have literacy problems. Boston, MA. Pearson Education, Inc. Neufeld, P. (2005). Comprehension instruction in content area classes. The Reading Teacher, 59(4), 302-312. DOI:10.1598/RT/59.4.1

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Running Head: FINAL CASE STUDY

Final Case Study Initial Profile and Plan Narrative Profile

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Upper Middle High School 45 15

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fluency rate: 279_ (# of words in passage X

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