Best Practices
Elise DeMoully
EDU 361: December 10,
2012
ELL student from the Marshall Islands
 First Grade
 Beginning Reading Level: 3
 Dolch Words: 13/40 @ Pre-Primer
 Yopp-Singer: 20/22
 Interests: jump rope, baseball, Girl
Scouts, horses.
 Emotions toward reading: Good &
Grumpy
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Sound Boxes vs.
Letter Boxes
Struggled primarily
with CVCV patterns
(long vowels
followed by the
“silent –e”
After several sessions,
able to recall on
own
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Teacher Dictated
Sentences
Five Star Sentence
Struggled with
creating her own
sentences and then
writing them down.
These allowed for work
on sight words as well
and looking at all
aspects of the
sentence.
Self-checks
Choral & Partner Reading
 Enhanced fluency & Intonation
 Finger Pointing
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Fluency
Reading Strategies
Comprehension
Used Choral & Partner Reading to
enhance fluency.
 Strategy Posters were introduced every
one to two weeks with a new strategy.
 Reminders were given prior to running
records as well as the strategy poster
given during the writing work.
 Use of Graphic Organizers & Writing
Prompts related to key elements of the
stories.
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Graphic Organizers
 Magnetic Letters
 Sight Word Games
 Strategy Posters
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Interest Inventory
Running Records
Dolch Words—Assessed at first and last
session
Yopp-Singer—Assessed at half way point
Writing Work—Assessed student’s strengths
and weaknesses & where to move to next
Helped to decide text levels and word work
activities
Sight Words:
Beginning: 13/40 on pre-primer
Ending: 168/220 on pre-primer through 3rd
grade
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Text Level:
Beginning: 3-4
Ending: 14
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Able to recall
strategies on her own
Recognizes errors and
understands the
various ways to fix
them
Weaned from finger
pointing
Can dictate personal
sentences and write
them without teacher
appeals and help

Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G. (2009) When readers
struggle. Portsmith, NH: Heinemann
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Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G. (2009) Prompting
Guide. Portsmith, NH: Heinemann
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Cunningham, P. M. Hall, D. P. (1994). Making
words. Torrance, CA: Good Apple.

Roller, C. M. (1998). So….what’s a tutor to do?
Newark, DE: International
Reading Association.

Reading Comprehension: What Works by Linda Fielding & P.
David Pearson
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A Closer Look at the Five Essential Components of Effective
Reading Instruction: A Review of Scientifically Based Reading
Research for Teachers
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Every Child Reads: The Phonemic Awareness Instruction
Component of a Comprehensive Reading Program
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Proof, practice and promise: Comprehension strategy instruction
in the primary grades by Katherin A. Dougherty Stahl
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Lead 21: Reading Comprehension
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Pinterest & Teacher Blogs