Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
1
School Report Card
Midwestern High School is an accredited Kansas 9-12 high school. During the 20122013 school year, Midwestern High School had a total student enrollment
population of 637 students. 51.65 % of the student population was male, and
48.35% were female. The building ethnicity records indicate that 89.8% of the
student populace was White, 4.55% of the student population was Hispanic, 2.51 %
African American, and 3.14% were considered of Other races. Demographic records
show that of the 637 students enrolled, 29.98% were considered economically
disadvantaged. The percentage of students with disabilities at Midwestern High
School, during the 2012-2013 school year was 10.6%. Less then 1% of the student
body was reported to be English Language Learners.
Student Information
Juana is a left-handed 16-year-old female junior at Midwestern High School. She
dresses appropriately for school, and displays normal social behavior. Juana lives in
a single parent home and is the eldest of two children. Juana was diagnosed in the
third grade with the primary exceptionality of LD (Learning Disabled). She has
delayed skills in both reading and math. Juana’s IEP team has her currently placed
in Special Education Class in the Regular Education building for English Language
Art, Consumer Math and Communication and Careers equaling 150 minutes, 5 days
a week for 33 weeks. She receives Direct Services through paraprofessional support
in her Regular Education classes 150 minutes, 5 days a week for 33 weeks.
Throughout Juana’s academic history, she has continued to struggle with reading,
spelling, and writing making only small gains. Juana 04/08/13 Comprehensive
Evaluation (Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement) scores indicate that she
continues to score in the below average range in Letter & Word Recognition: 74
(Below Average), 4th percentile, 3.5 GE. Reading Comprehension: 89 (Average),
23rd percentile, 8.6 GE. Reading Composite: 80 (Below Average), 9th percentile
Present Level of Performance
Juana’s functions intellectually is in the near average range, according to the results
of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT) (SS=86), Comprehensive Test of
Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI) (SS=90) and the perceptual reasoning subtest score
of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) is SS=86.
Reading: Juana’s (04/13) achievement testing showed that her reading
comprehension is at approximately the 7th grade level. Juana’s comprehension is
stronger than her decoding skills. Juana’s test performance in Social Studies and
English coursework has improved greatly when tests are read to her and when she
is allowed extended time to complete the tests. Juana reads slowly, allowing her to
work in small groups with more proficient readers while she follows along has
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
2
improved her speed and comprehension. Teachers report that Juana is very grade
conscience, and is motivated to be successful.
Writing: Juana’s recent assessments show that she is functioning at about the 4th
grade level or in the Developing range using the 6 trait-writing rubric. Her ideas and
voice are relative strengths, while her spelling, mechanics, punctuation, and
sentence fluency are her areas of need. Juana has learned to utilize the spelling and
grammar correction features in Microsoft Word to her edit her work. Juana enjoys
working with computers and has started using the computer on more of her written
assignments.
Learning Styles/Other: Juana benefits from repeated instruction, demonstrations
and benefits for oral testing.
Functional Performance
General Ability and Problem Solving: (4/13) school psychologist administered
WISC-IV assessment score reveals Juana has a full scale I.Q. in the average range of
ability as compared to her grade level peers. Non-verbal assessments were
determined to be the most appropriate measure of Juana's intellectual ability.
Communication Skills: Juana communicates well with her peers and teachers.
Social/Emotional: Juana is a very friendly, caring and polite student who gets
along well with others. She tends to put a great deal of pressure on herself,
academically, in that she expects to always do well. Tests, quizzes and writing
assignments tend to cause her to become anxious. Because of her friendly and
caring nature, Juana is not comfortable with negative confrontations or social
interactions, and her feelings can be easily hurt. She sometimes becomes tearful
and/or distracted when emotionally stressed over academics or social issues.
Fine Motor Skills: Juana’s fine motor skills are within normal limits.
Gross Motor Skills: Juana’s gross motor skills are within normal limits.
Self-Advocacy Skills: Juana explains her strengths and accommodation needs, and
usually does this in a positive and respectful manner.
Career/Vocational: Juana participates in FFA (Future Farmer of America); she is
also active in the local Autism awareness program. She enjoyed working with
students as a youth friends mentor. Her goal for the future is to works as a
veterinarian’s assistant. She is taking courses at the high school to help prepare her
to reach her vocational goal.
Additional Functional Performance Areas: Juana is very dependable & takes
pride in her work. She accepts constructive criticism.
Results of the Individual, Standardized Assessment: The results of the KTEA II
suggest that Juana is in the 1st percentile in decoding fluency. Juana’s phonemic
decoding skills reflect that she has an extremely low ability in reading nonsense
words using phonics patterns. Juana’s scores reflected a slightly higher reading
3
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
comprehension scores at the 32 %tile. I believe this reflects her ability to
comprehend reading passages aided by enhanced coping skills and relying on
context clues. When compared to her age equivalent peers (11th grade), her skill
level compared more consistently with those of a 3rd grade student. Overall, Juana
appears to have an extremely low ability with emergent reading concepts.
TEA II (Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement - Second Edition) standard score
- 100 average 85 - 115 average range
Letter Word Recognition 55
Reading Comprehension 60
Word Recognition Fluency 46
Decoding Fluency 8
Name
Subtest
Word Recognition
Fluency
Decoding Fluency
Reading
Comprehension
Letter Word
Recognition
Standard Score
Descriptive
Category
Percentile
84
Lower Extreme
14
67
Lower Extreme
1
93
Lower Extreme
32
75
Lower Extreme
5
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP) 100 average 85 - 115
average range
Phonological Awareness Not Age Appropriate
Specific Learning Needs Identified in the Present Levels, and the case study
objective
Juana is at the emergent word recognition stage of reading. She recognizes most
common lower level sight words as indicated by EDCON Diagnostic Reading
Assessment. One-minute timed reading test, indicate she continues to read at a slow
labored pace, stopping frequently to decode unfamiliar 5th grade level sight words.
Juana relies heavily on context clues, this becomes obvious as she often inserts
words she predicts and will have to go back are re-read the printed word. Juana’s
lack of automatic word recognition is an obstacle in her progression.
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
4
Standards
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels
based on individual student needs.
Baseline
When given 20 multi-syllable nonsense words, Juana scored 12 /20 correct.
Case Study Objective
By December 12th 2013, when given a list of 2 syllable nonsense words, Juana will
read 18/20 correct.
Instructional Plan
The 25-lesson unit focuses on helping students use multiple strategies when
challenged by unfamiliar words. The goal of this unit is to teach Juana how to apply
decoding strategies when reading independently. These lessons review the short
vowel sounds and basic syllable division rules. This Unit introduces open and
closed syllables, syllable patterns, silent letters, consonant blends, prefixes and
suffixes. After reviewing the students KTEA-II assessment results, I have learned
that Juana struggles greatly in the area of word recognition and decoding skills. In
order to promote Juana’s overall reading skills necessary to become a fluent reader;
I chose to adapt her reading instruction to focus on site words, word analysis and
fluency. I decided to hold daily-individualized instruction periods in the resource
room, each session meeting for 50 minutes for 6 instructional weeks.
Lessons
Introduction to Syllables- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 1)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Counting Syllables
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
5
Students will be able to:
1. Students will be able to identify the number of syllables in a word.
2. Students will be able to count the beats in a word.
3. Students will be able to realize that one beat -words are shorter than three beat
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:




A list of words with two syllable sounds/patterns
Individual charting for each student
White board and markers
Breaking words into syllables worksheet
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
 Explain to the student that every word has at least one syllable. Explain that
syllables are chucks or sounds which words can be broken into. Demonstrate
how to break a word into syllables by either clapping out or feeling for their
chin to drop.
 To count the syllables, think about the number of parts that are in the word.
 Practice as a class with the following words: done, mailbox, correctly,
concentration.

A syllable may or may not contain any consonants.

Sometimes the rules do not work, but most of the time they do.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
 Teach: Say: Lets look at the word jump. We say the word “jump” in one chunk,
which means that it has one syllable! Now… Lets look at the name Madison. Say
the name Madison (Mad/i/son), how many syllables do you hear (3)? Next say
the word bubblegum. Ask the student how many syllables does this word have
(3). Now say the word football. Ask the student how many syllables does this
word have (2). Say…Lets try one more, now say the word pencil. Ask the student
how many syllables does it have.
 Teacher Led Practice: Lets review some basic syllable rules. (1) Every
syllable has to have at lease one vowel sound. The number of vowel sounds in
a word equals the number of syllables. (2) When two consonants come
between two vowels, the word is usually split between the consonants. (3) A
compound word is divided between the two words that make the compound
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013





6
word. (4) Consonant blends and digraphs are never separated.
Lets work a few words together and list the rule that applies: Write the
following words on the board, decide where to divide the word and list the
corresponding rule (sun, brag, alligator, desk, hamburgers, happy, campus,
seldom, and starfish).
Apply: Allow students to work in small groups: Working together in small
groups write the rule number used to divide the following words, make sure to
discuss and explain your decision.
Write the following words on the board—bushel, treat, pencils, seaweed,
cucumber, and butter.
Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in groups and
checking on how they divide the syllables. Listen to pairs explain the decision
for dividing their words into syllables.
Independent work: Breaking words into syllables worksheet.
Closing: (5 minutes)
Put a new CV syllable words on the board (she, go, able and agent). Have the
students analyze the word. Ask the class how they were able to decode the
word correctly. Ask them what patter they now notice.
Assessment Measures:
Students will independently complete the assigned worksheet, a list of twenty
open and closed two syllable words and have their results charted.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and eager to learn, they worked closely and
diligently in their small group. They caught on very easily to these basic
strategies. The students felt the strategy for holding their hand under their
chin was more helpful then clapping out syllables. When I asked them to assign
the syllable rule number to the words on the list they were comfortable in
doing so, and aided in peer learning. In this lesson I chose words that would
make noticing syllable patterns clear in order to build confidence. I offered
frequent verbal praises and showed excitement for correct responses.
All students scored very well when dividing compound words and words
with two consonants. In order to check for prior knowledge I add several
more complicated multi-syllable words. When dividing these words into
syllables the students made numerous mistakes with consonant blends,
digraphs and silent letters. But I expected this, and it gives me a better idea of
which lessons I will need to focus on. While watching the students work, I
noticed my case study student often had trouble distinguishing the difference
between b and d. While working together the students kept up a very pleasant
disposition, she laughed as she made simple mistakes. All students showed a
true interest in improving their skill level. Juana felt comfortable and enjoyed
working with the two other students and exchanged her thoughts and
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
7
welcomed assistance from her peers.
After reviewing results from the assigned worksheet Juana scored a 48% or
12/20, I noticed my case study student had no definable pattern for decoding
words.
Syllable Patterns CVC (closed syllable)- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 2)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Dividing closed two syllable words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Students will understand that words consist of consonants and vowels
 Blend combined open syllables
 Become automatic decoders.
 Increases their reading rate and accuracy.
 Develop reading fluency skills.
 Improves reading comprehension.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Materials:
 A list of controlled open two syllable words with individual sounds/patterns
already learned
 Individual charting for each student
 Ppt http://www.google.com/#q=open+syllable+ppt
 Open and Closed syllables worksheet
 Site words flash card- with CVC pattern
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
8
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
Remind students that words can be divided into units called syllables, each of which
has it’s own vowel sounds. Learning how to correctly divide words will make it
easier for you to read multi-syllable words and improve their fluency. Guide students
syllable by syllable to decode word.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
 Review--Use projector and PPT.
http://www.google.com/#q=open+syllable+ppt
 Teach: Let’s look at the words written on the board. All of these words are
closed syllable words. That means the vowel comes between two consonants
in the syllable. Ask if any student can read the words. Explain that when a
syllable ends with a consonant, its vowel sound is usually short. The words,
rab/bit, nap/kin, and ob/ject. Read the words-- first syllable-by-syllable, and
then whole word.
 Next, have students draw slashes to divide the words into syllables. Finally,
have a student underline the vowel in each syllable and tell what sound it
stands for. Encourage students to notice that syllables ending with consonants
have short vowel sounds.
 Ask students to notice that the words with the CVC patter all have a short
vowel sound.
 Teacher Led Practice: Next, write these words on the board: motel, program,
volcano, unless, react, began, cargo, and imprint. Have students read the words
aloud syllable by syllable and draw slashes to divide each word into syllables.
Then have them underline each syllable that has a short vowel sound. Tell
student to notice that those syllable follow the closed syllable rule.
 Apply: Allow students to work in small groups: Provide students with a list
of words that have closed syllables (magnet, number, chapter, problem,
Sunday, stamps, and present). Have students read each word aloud, write it
on a sheet of paper, Ask students if they notice a pattern CVC, then direct
student to underline the CVC. Instruct student to divide words into syllables.
Ask students to circle each syllable in which the vowel says its name. Go over
answers in class.
 Check for understanding: Walk around and observe when students are in
their small group and check on how they label the consonants vowels,
underline their CVC syllables and how they decode their words. Ask if all
students are participating, ask if there are any questions, and have a student
show you how to divide and label patterns.
 Independent work: Assign this Practice Page.
Closing: (5 minutes)
Word list: read fluency words aloud- call attention to CVC pattern. Choral
reading
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9
Velvet
Princess
Zipper
Magnet
Admit
Fantastic
Plastic
Ribbon
Fluency Reading—(reread until student reaches fluency)
When I wore my red velvet pant, I felt like a princess. Two weeks after I got
them, the zipper broke and I had to use a magnet to keep them up. I admit, it
was not a fantastic solution, but it was better than a plastic ribbon.
Assessment Measures:
Students will independently complete the assigned word sheet with a list of
twenty open and closed two-syllable words and have their results charted.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and this lesson. We set goals on based on how
many nonsense words they believed they could correctly read at the ended of
25 lessons. All three student stated they believed they would score 20/20
correct. Both male students picked up easily on the CVC strategy, but my case
study student struggled with the concept of identifying the syllables pattern. I
needed to repeatedly remind the student that when a vowel comes between to
consonants the vowel sound would be short, even if the CVC comes in the
second syllable. When I asked the student if the word sounds right (using the
incorrect vowel sound) as she had it divided, or I when used the
mispronounced word in a sentence, the student can correct the word. She is
familiar with the correct verbal pronunciation of words, but does not
recognize the phonemic patterns. Tomorrow, we will begin with a review of
this lesson. I will model this lesson using words written on the board, applying
the think aloud strategy to sound out and divide syllables. I am hoping that by
watching me sound out the word and divide the label syllable patterns, Juana
will recognize the CVC pattern. Tomorrow I will also introduce “If two
consonants appear in the middle of a word try dividing the word between the
two consonants, the vowel sound is often short.
Even though this lesson was a little confusing for Juana she kept up with
her usual good spirits during the lesson and practice. She was able to
exchange her ideas and except the comments from her peers with welcoming
results. More practice will be necessary to improve her performance.
Upon reviewing Juana’s independent work she scored a 65 % or 14/20, she
tends to be dividing syllables with no established pattern.
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
10
Corrective Reading-Dividing Syllables repeated practice- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 3)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Dividing Syllables
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Students will be able to identify the number of syllables in a word.
2. Student will be able to divide words into syllables
3. Students will be able to determine if the vowels are long or short.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:


Interactive: http://www.vocabulary.co.il/syllables/primary/matilda-syllablegame/
Letter tiles
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
 Remind students that knowing where to divide syllables can help them read
unfamiliar words.
 Ask students to explain open and closed syllable words (closed vcv—open vc)
 An open syllable has only one vowel, and that vowel occurs at the end of the
syllable or the vowel is the last letter
 In VCV words the consonant can stay with the first vowel or go with the
second vowel (the more common situation). A syllable may or may not contain
any consonants.
11
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013

Divide between consonants and keep blends and digraphs together.
Development: (30-40 minutes)
 Apply: Allow students to work in pairs:
http://www.vocabulary.co.il/syllables/primary/matilda-syllable-game/
 Instruct the students to Break up the words: Then Drag the Dotted lines
between the letters to divide the syllables.
 Instruct the student that if they cannot correctly divide the word to click on
the hint button.
 Show score to teacher, before moving to the next level.
 Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they divide the syllables. Listen to pairs explain the decision
for dividing their words into syllables.
 Independent work: ask students to take out a sheet of paper and break these
words into syllables starfish, hibernate, respectful, character, victory, elephant,
understand, fantastic, necklace, window, zipper, winter, rocket, afternoon,
quietly, exercise, property, envelope, surprise, and quarterly.
Closing: (10 minutes)
Say, ―Now it is your turn to decide if a syllable follows the CVC pattern or not.
Complete the following activity. These are all syllables you might find in a
longer word. Decide if the syllable fits the CVC pattern and place a check in the
appropriate column.
Syllables
Dis
Ket
Chim
Ic
Mod
Bab
Creat
Trans
Peek
Lo
CVC
Not CVC
Assessment Measures:
Students will independently divide a list of twenty open and closed two
syllable words and have their results charted.
Teacher Reflection:
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
12
All students were engaged and seemed to enjoy using the interactive
computerized game. I really like the Matilda Syllable Game, as it refers
students back to basic rules of syllabification. Both of my male students caught
on pretty quickly. However, my case study student had to ask for repeated
help. The boys readily offered help and paraphrased the rules for her.
As I viewed the students working she continued to make numerous mistakes
dividing syllables, in reference to consonant between vowel sounds. She
appears to be dividing the words with no regard for the accented vowel sound.
Even after I have made the emphasis on the rule, that every syllable must have
at least one vowel she often left consonants standing alone. I asked her if she
could explain vowels to me and she did so correctly. I then ask her to recite
the short vowel sounds and she did the correctly also. I now know she is
familiar with vowel sounds. I need to find out where her confusion is. We will
review rules for dividing syllables again tomorrow.
My student accepts instruction with a good spirit and willingness to
improve. She enjoys working with her peers, and accepts their assistance.
However, I did notice that she would remain quiet and allow her peers to take
the lead. I offered frequent phrases of praise to my student for her efforts, in
order encourage her motivation and practice. I will have a para work with my
student during seminar on a separate worksheet to enhance skills.
According to my case study students independent assessment she scored a
55%.
Syllable Patterns-CV (open syllables)- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading (Lesson 4):
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Dividing open two syllable words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
13
Students will be able to:
 understand that words consist of consonants and vowels.
 blend combined open syllables
 become automatic decoders.
 increases their reading rate and accuracy.
 develop reading fluency skills.
 improves reading comprehension.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:




A list of controlled open two syllable words with individual sounds/patterns
already learned
Individual charting for each student
Read 180 Practice Page 17 worksheet
Ppt http://www.google.com/#q=open+syllable+ppt
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
Write an open syllable word on the board. Ask if any student can read the word.
Explain that in today's lesson students will learn how to divide words into units
called syllables. Learning how to correctly divide words will make them easier to
read. Guide students syllable by syllable to decode words. Then explain that once the
students can decode double syllable words they can use that skill to decode three and
more syllable words "like what's on the board" by themselves.
Development: (30-40 minutes)
 Teach: Let’s look at the words on the board, each of which has its own vowel
sound. Use projector and PPT. http://www.google.com/#q=open+syllable+ppt
 Explain that when a syllable ends with a vowel, the vowel usually “says its
name.” Say the words program, basic, and unit with students, first syllable by
syllable, and then the whole word. Write the words on the whiteboard. Have
students draw slashes to divide each word into syllables and ask them to
underline the first syllable. (pro /gram, ba /sic, u /nit) Point out that the first
syllable of each word ends with a vowel. Finally, have students circle the vowel
at the end of each underlined syllable and tell what sound it stands for. (/ ̄o/,
/a/, /u/)
 Teacher Led Practice: Next, write these words on the board: label, potato,
react, equal, item, spider, cargo, moment, menu. Have students read the words
aloud syllable by syllable using letter tiles divide each word into syllables. Ask
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013



14
them to raise their hands when they recognize which syllable has the vowel
sound that says its name. Point out that those syllables follow the open syllable
rule.
Apply: Allow students to work in small groups: Provide students with a list
of words that have open syllables (polite, dilute, refuse, migrate, debate, bacon,
poem). Have students read each word aloud, write it on a sheet of paper, Ask
students if they notice a beginning CV pattern, then direct student to underline
the CVC patterns. Instruct student to divide words into syllables. Ask students
to circle each syllable in which the vowel says its name.
Check for understanding: Observe students are in small group settings and
checking on how they label the consonants vowels, underline their CVC
syllables and how they decode their words when the class goes over the list.
Ask if all students are participating; ask if anyone has questions, then ask
students if you can watch while they divide a word into syllables.
Independent work: Assign this Practice Page.
Closing: (5 minutes)
Word list: read fluency words aloud- call attention to CVC pattern—Chorale
read
1. Dentist
2. Splendid
3. Contact
4. Trumpet
5. Frantic
6. Insist
7. Sluggish
8. Inspect
Fluency Reading—(reread until student reaches fluency)
Last week I went to see my dentist about some pain. The problem started
when I was in a contest to see who could eat the most pies. All of a sudden, I bit
into something hard. It was part of a plastic fork. The dentist did a full
assessment and said I had cracked a tooth.
Assessment Measures:
The number of correctly divided syllables on the assigned independent work
sheet. Score worksheet to determine the number of correctly divided syllables
in each word.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged, and enjoyed working with the letter tiles. I did
notice students moving their tiles as we checked answers in class and this is
fine, I hope it means they’re learning from their mistakes. Juana is making
progress with open/closed syllables, she is now scoring and average of 75% on
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
15
her independent worksheets. I am continuing to rely on the think aloud
strategy to reinforce syllable division and vowel sounds. The students also
continue to enjoy working together in their small group and assisting in peer
modeled teaching.
I have decided to include more lessons that will take advantage of Juana and
the others kinesthetic strengths. I will include inter-changeable syllable note
cards, letter tiles, using her finger/hand to cover part of the word to decode
syllables, and reminding her to decode words by placing her hand under her
chin to feel the number of syllables in each word. I will continue to offer
students praise for their performance, my case study student is very grade
conscience and was excited to see her improved scores.
Corrective Reading- Review (open and closed syllables) - Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 5)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Review CV/CVC (open and closed syllables)
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Blend combined open syllables
 Become automatic decoders
 Increases their reading rate and accuracy
 Develop reading fluency skills
 Improves reading comprehension
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:

White boards with markers
16
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013



Projector
YouTube video
Open/Closed syllable Flash cards
Preparation:
Initiation: (15 minutes)
Today we will be reviewing open and closed syllables.
1. Syllables are sounds we hear, in each and every word.
2. Can someone explain or give me examples of open and closed syllables
 Write the words on the whiteboard
3. Begin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epiG5K2CzxA
Development: (35- 40 minutes)
Guided Practice:
Closed Syllables
Let review what we have learned
a. Start by giving them a list of words:
cap
can
rob
red
tin
It
cub
mug
trot
men
is
am
and
b. Tell them that these words are all closed syllables. Then ask them what these
words have in common. At first, many students may not understand what they
are looking for. If this is the case, ask the following questions:
1. How many syllables are there in each word. (1)
If students aren't sure, read the list of words and ask them how many
vowels they see in each word.
2. Do these words end in a consonant or a vowel? (a consonant)
3. Ask students how many vowels there are in each of these words. (1)
4. Now read the words in the list and ask if the vowels are long or short?
(short)
c. Then ask: Who can put all this information together and come up with a
definition of a closed syllable: (Students should work towards the following
definition):
A closed syllable is a one-syllable word, ending in a consonant. It has only one
vowel and that vowel sound is short.
The fact that the vowel sound in closed syllables is usually short is the
important piece of information that you are looking for.
Open Syllables
17
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
a. Then introduced the open syllable pattern. Follow the same procedure used
for closed syllables, except that in this case, you will have two groups of words:
Group 1
she, I
me, he
Group 2
the 1st. syllable in these words:
open
apron
university
b. Show your students the words in-group 1 first and ask what they have in
common. If students have problems answering, ask the following questions:
1. In-group 1, the words are made up of how many syllables? (1)
2. Do the words in group 1 end with a vowel or a consonant? (a vowel)
3. Read the words in-group 1 and ask students if the vowels are long or
short? (long)
c. Now read the words in-group 2.
1. How many syllables are there in the words in-group 2?
Open = (2 syllables)
Apron = (2 syllables)
University = (5 syllables)
2. The first syllable in each of these words ends in what kind of a letter? (a
vowel)
Read the words and ask how the vowel in the first syllable is
pronounced?
(The vowel is long (says its name)).
d. Then ask if there is someone in the class who can put all this information
together to come up with a definition of open syllables. The answer I am
looking for is:
An open syllable ends in a vowel and the vowel is long (or says its name).
Apply: Allow students to work with a partner:
 Students will work in pair with flashcards
Check for understanding: This gives me a chance to walk around and observe how
well the students understand open and closed syllables.
Closing: (10 minutes)
Student will be given a list of words containing both open and closed syllables
and asked to highlight open syllables with a yellow highlighter and closed
syllables with a green highlighter.
Assessment Measures:
Student will highlight targeted syllable in words with 90% accuracy.
Teacher Reflection:
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
18
All students were engaged, and I am proud to report that all students are
showing great improvement and mastery of this decoding concept. Juana was
able to reach the goal of 90% accuracy. The Juana was very noticeably pleased
when I shared my excitement with her score. I told the students that in honor
of their very, very impressive scores we could play the syllable rummy card
game tomorrow. They have played it before and enjoy it. I hope now it will
have taken on a renewed prospective.
The students shared with me that they did not like the YouTube video; they
felt it was pretty immature and geared toward a younger learning group. I do
however; believe that the visuals in the presentation were beneficial. But, I
will take the comments into consideration. If I were to do this lesson again, I
would find a better video geared toward an older group of learners.
Working in a small group with flashcard seems to be a preferred style of
learning. Today, I gave the students with a score of 90% or better a coupon for
a free yogurt in the school cafeteria. They were very appreciative of this
gesture. I feel confident now with moving on to the next lesson.
Dividing Open Two Syllable Words- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 6)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Dividing open two syllable words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Blend combined open syllables
 Become automatic decoders.
 Increases their reading rate and accuracy.
 Develop reading fluency skills.
 Improves reading comprehension.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
19
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:




A list of controlled open two syllable words with individual sounds/patterns
already learned
Individual charting for each student
Pot http://www.google.com/#q=open+syllable+ppt
Syllable flash cards (including open, closed, prefixes, suffixes, consonant
blends, double consonants, vowels and letters.
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
Write the open multi-syllable word on the board (initiation). Ask if any student can
read the word. Explain that in today's lesson students will learn how to divide multisyllable words into units or syllables. Remind students that learning how to correctly
divide words will make them easier to read. Guide students syllable by syllable to
decode the word. Then explain that once students can decode double syllable words
they can use that skill to decode three or more syllable words "like what's on the
board" by themselves.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
 Write these words on the board program, basic and unit.
 Teach: Let’s look at the words on the board, each of which has its own vowel
sound. Use projector and PPT. http://www.google.com/#q=open+syllable+ppt
 Explain that when a syllable ends with a vowel, the vowel usually “says its
name.” Say the words program, basic, and unit with students, first syllable by
syllable, and then the whole word. Write the words on the chalkboard. Have
students draw slashes to divide each word into syllables and ask them to
underline the first syllable. (pro /gram, ba /sic, u /nit) Point out that the first
syllable of each word ends with a vowel. Finally, have students circle the vowel
at the end of each underlined syllable and tell what sound it stands for. (/ ̄o/,
/a/, /u/)
 Teacher Led Practice: Next, write these words on the board: label, potato,
react, equal, item, spider, cargo, moment, menu. Have students read the words
aloud syllable by syllable and draw slashes to divide each word into syllables.
Ask them to underline each syllable in which the vowel says its name. Point
out that those syllables follow the open syllable rule.
 Apply: Allow students to work in pairs Provide students with a list of
words that have open syllables (polite, dilute, refuse, migrate, debate, bacon,
poem). Have students read each word aloud, write it on a sheet of paper, Ask
students if they notice the patterns CV and CVC, then direct student to
underline the CV pattern and circle the CVC pattern. Next, ask students to box
in each syllable in which the vowel says its name.
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013


20
Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they label the consonants vowels, and if they are circling the
CVC syllables and how they decode their words when the class goes over the
list.
Independent work: Student will use the syllable cards to form 10- 2 to 3
syllable words.
Closing: (5 minutes)
Put new closed syllable word on the board (patterns, support, succeed, music,
practice, publish, basic). Have the students analyze the word pattern and
vowel sound. Ask the class how they were able to decode the words correctly.
(They will explain how they analyzed a closed two syllable word)--guide
where needed.
Assessment Measures:
Students will independently create a variety of multi-syllable words.
Teacher Reflection:
This lesson was meant to be a review of open/closed syllables that
reinforces decoding multi-syllable words. All students were engaged and like
to divide the words on the board, and really enjoyed the hands-on
manipulation of syllable cards. One of my students asked for harder words.
However, Juana at time still struggles with determining long and short vowel
sounds. I continue to use think aloud modeling, and focus on stating the vowel
sounds and rules; when I watch her work she seems to do it correctly.
However, when I leave her side she falls back into old habits. If she recognizes
the word she can pronounce it correctly. Although, she has made considerable
progress, and recognizes syllable patterns, when I ask if the syllable vowel has
a long or short sound she continues to make frequent mistakes.
All students did well in piecing words together using the common syllable
cards to form words, and most words they constructed were three and four
syllable words. The students worked well together and challenged each other.
I will assign a worksheet for her and the para to practice with during
seminar, to enhance this skill. The student recognizes this is an area of
weakness and I can sense mild patterns of anxiety. I offer frequent phrases of
encouragement and praise, this works toward keeping her motivated.
Tomorrow I will reinforce this lesson with another hands-on practice lesson,
which will draw upon her kinesthetic strengths.
Corrective Reading-Decoding Longer Words--Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 7)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
21
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Decoding words with more than one working (or sound) vowel.
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Students will be able to identify the number of syllables in a word.
2. Students will be able to determine if the vowels are long or short.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:





Syllable word puzzle pieces
Individual charting for each student
White board and markers
YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvsAxl7j5hA
Dividing syllables worksheet
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
 Remind the student that every word has at least one syllable. Reinforce that
syllables are chucks or sounds which words can be broken into. Demonstrate
how to break a word into syllables by either clapping out or feeling for their
chin to drop.
 Remind students that every syllable must have at least one vowel.
 Practice as a class with the following words: done, mailbox, correctly,
concentration.

A syllable may or may not contain any consonants.

Sometimes the rules do not work, but most of the time they do.
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
22
Development: (30-45 minutes)
 Teach: Begin with YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvsAxl7j5hA
 Teacher Led Practice: Lets review some basic syllable rules. (1)The number
of vowel sounds in a word often equals the number of syllables. Every syllable
has to have a vowel sound. (2) When two consonants come between two
vowels, the word is usually split between the consonants. (3) A compound
word is divided between the two words that make the compound word. (4)
Consonant blends and digraphs are never separated. Do you have any
questions over this?
 Lets work a few words together and list the rule that applies: Write the
following words on the board, decide where to divide the word and list the
corresponding rule. (sun, alligator, hamburgers, happy, campus, seldom, and
starfish)
 Apply: Allow students to work in pairs: Working together students will sort
the following puzzle pieces into to patterns (cv, cvc, cvcc)
 Next, have students form words using the syllable puzzle pieces
 Finally, student will place words in to categories of 2-3-4 syllable words
 Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they divide the syllables. Listen to pairs explain the decision
for dividing their words into syllables.
 Independent work: Breaking words into syllables worksheet.
Closing: (5 minutes)
(give students a few minutes to review list) Student will read from a common
nonsense word syllable frequency chart for 3 minutes and teacher will check
for accuracy-pay attention to vowel sounds.
Assessment Measures:
Student’s ability to accurately read common syllables including prefixes,
suffixes, CV and CVC patterns.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and worked well as a team. Juana scored very well
when dividing word with open and closed syllables, between two repeated
consonants and dividing compound words. My student made remarkable
progress identifying long and short vowel sounds, the extended practice
during seminar has been time well spent. I believe using both the YouTube
video and hand manipulatives drew upon my students strength and alleviated
her anxiety. Both her performance and engagement were increased. When I
quizzed Juana using 20 nonsense words consisting of two and three syllables
she scored a 75%. We are ready to move on to the next lesson.
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
23
Corrective Reading- Syllable division VCCV Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 8)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Dividing two syllable VC/CV
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. read words with two or more syllables
2. increase recognition of syllable patterns
3. use syllabication rules to divide words into syllables
4. identify the correct vowel sound
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:



1.
2.
3.
4.
Whiteboard & markers
List with VCCV words
Practice Sentences with VCCV words
Camden won the contest for the biggest pumpkin in the state of Wisconsin.
We saw the Denver Bandits with a fantastic basketball game at the buzzer.
The monster chased the victim into the empty parking lot.
After dinner, we plodded up the hill to the park where we expected to see the
sunset.
5. The drummer had a problem with his cotton shirt at the big concert.
 Handouts for further practice
Procedure:
Initiation: (10 minutes)
Say: Reading multi-syllable words can be simple once they are broken down into smaller
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
24
chunks (syllables).
1. Teacher explains and models the VC/CV syllable division rule to student
 Write the word bandit on the board
 Model how to mark vowels with a V and consonants with a C (VCCV).
Then divide the word VC/CV= (ban/dit)
vc/cv
 Model how to sound out the syllables and blend together to get the
whole word.
2. Repeat steps using the words rabbit and bottom
 Model how to mark vowels with a V and consonants with a C (VCCV).
Then divide the word VC/CV= (rab/bit)
vc/cv
 Then divide the word bottom: VC/CV= (bot/tom)
vc/cv
Development: (30-40 minutes)
Guided Practice:
1. Have a student write the word hobnob on the board.
 Tell them to mark the vowels with a V and the consonants with a C
 Check to make sure vowels and consonants are marked correctly
 Tell student to divide the words using the VC/CV method
 Write the following words on the board (funny, until, daughter, vaccine,
compass, moment, consume, moccasin, and membrane)
 Tell students to silently sound out the words and divide the syllables (look at
teacher when competed)
 Teacher monitors for correct decoding.
2. Repeat steps listed under guided practice 1 above using a three syllable word
(hobgoblin, intending, commented)
3. Students independently practice and apply the VC/CV syllable division rule.
Have students write the word concept on their paper, and tell them to mark
the vowels and consonants, divide the word, and silently sound and blend the
syllables (look a the teacher when finished).
Apply: Allow students to work individually:
 Present students with sentences containing VCCV words
 Tell students to underline all VCCV words and practice decoding them using
the syllable division rule.
 Have students silently practice reading sentences
 When students are finished, chorally read the sentences, monitoring for
correct decoding and fluency.
Check for understanding: Walking around when students are working and
checking on how they divide the syllables. Listen to pairs explain the decision for
dividing their words into syllables.
Closing: (3 minutes)
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
25
I will complete my lesson by asking for any questions or comments that they
might have. For students who need more practice or more of a challenge the
internet game sites can be done solo or in pairs.
Assessment Measures:
Use the following procedure to assess students’ understanding of this multisyllable VC/CV rule:
 Say a word and use it in a sentence.
 Have students write the word on their papers.
 Continue with the remaining words on the list.
 When students have finished, collect their papers and analyze their
division and labeling of the words.
 Use the assessment to plan small-group or individual practice.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and are feeling very confident with the newly
acquired decoding skills. All students were able to grasp this concept quickly
and easily. My student enjoyed this lesson and took pride in her prior
knowledge. I call Juana up to the board on several occasions and ask her to
divide words into syllables and ask to model think to the rest of the class. I ask
her explain how she determined long and short vowel sounds. I probably
could have bi-passed this lesson, but I thought it would give the students
another opportunity to reinforce previously learned lessons and reinforce a
sense of confidence. Juana scored a 100 % on this assignment. We are ready
to advance to the next lesson.
Corrective Reading- Decoding Nonsense Words- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 9)
Grade 11
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Decoding nonsense words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
26
Students will be able to:
 Learn how to look for patterns in words
 Learn how changing one letter or where you put a letter changes the whole
word
 Construct new words by manipulating and reordering a set of letters from
another word
 Use meaning clues and phonics patterns to make words
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:



Nonsense words---Storm Card game
White board and markers
Nonsense word list
Preparation:
Initiation: (10 minutes)
Review syllable rules (at least 1 vowel per syllable, look for syllable patterns
to determine vowel sounds)
 Rule: In a vowel/consonant/consonant/vowel combination, the word is
usually divided between the two consonants (VCCV).
 In a vowel/consonant/consonant blend or digraph/vowel combination,
the word is usually divided between the consonant and the consonant
blend or digraph.
 Each syllable must contain at least one vowel.
1. Write the following passage on the board
“The greedle miks at barmin.
Haddy greedles never mik.
They only shoon wommily.
The lominik pels the greedle.
The greedle pels the zore.
The zore goes to the plinder with the sooly rath.”
2.) Have students read aloud passage with you, until they reach fluency…Help
students pronounce and divide words, when needed.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
Guided Practice:
Read Game Rules aloud
Directions: Each player takes a turn by drawing one card at a time. If the player can
read the nonsense word, they get to keep the card. If they are unable to read the
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
27
word, the card goes back in the pile. If a STORM card is drawn, that person must
return all of his/her cards to the pile and start over. You can choose to use 3, 9, or 6
STORM cards. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins! Have Fun!
Apply: Allow students to work individually:
 Hand out independent worksheet. Dividing nonsense words into syllables. I
will read the directions clearly, and ask if there are any questions. The
students will correctly divide 20 nonsense words into syllables independently,
students scoring less than 90% will make corrections.
Check for understanding: Walk around the classroom and observing students while
playing the card game and working independently allows me to understand if
students are picking up on basic decoding rules/skills.
Closing: (3 minutes)
Ask students which if any words created the most difficulty for them to divide,
review the correct syllables divisions.
Assessment Measures:
Have students read the list of multi-syllable nonsense words with 90%
accuracy.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged in this lesson. The card game was a hit, and a
welcome change to the daily routine. During my initiation lesson, I could see
my case study students’ level of discomfort when reading non-sense words.
She preformed fairly well however, she read very slowly and struggled with
the diagraph and consonant blends. I used the remainder of this lesson as a
type of review/quiz, to determine if the students were picking up on syllable
patterns and vowel sounds. The students enjoyed playing the short card game,
and I was able to determine through observation if the students independent
skills were improving. As the students were playing the game, they offered
helpful suggestions to each other on dividing the word into syllables. I
reviewed results and noted missed words, I feel the students did well but
would benefit from reinforcing this lesson. This lesson was enjoyed by the
students and was very beneficial. Allowing the student to act as instructors
helps reinforce their learning. Juana readily accepts instruction from her
peers, and they are always patient with her level of understanding. Juana
scored an average of 75% when reading two and three syllable nonsense
words with varying syllable patterns.
Corrective Reading- Compound Words Lesson Plan
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
28
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 10)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Compound Words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Students will develop an understanding of how compound words are formed.
2. To improve student word recognition decoding and encoding compound words.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:






Whiteboard & markers
Sheet with example compound words in case students cannot think of any on
their own
Word cards
Handouts
A Firefighter’s Thanksgiving
Compound Site words flashcards
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
Today we’re going to be talking about compound words. Has anyone heard of
compound words? Can you give me some examples? [Write the examples on the board.
What do you notice about these words? What do you think makes these compound
words? That’s right. They all have 2 words that are put together to make a new word.
What words make up the compound words we have on the board? [Mark each
individual word as the students call them out.] Great. Can we think of some more
compound words?
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
29
Development: (25-35 minutes)
 Teach: Say: Lets look at he word jump. We say the word “jump” in one chunk,
which means that it has one syllable! Now… Lets look at the name Madison. Say
the name Madison (Mad/i/son), how many syllables do you hear (3)? Next say
the word bubblegum. Ask the student how many syllables does this word have
(3). Now say the word football. Ask the student how many syllables does this
word have (2). Say… Lets try one more, now say the word pencil. Ask the
student how many syllables does it have.
4. Teacher Led Practice: Compound words are made up of two smaller words,
called root words, which are put together to create a new word with a new
meaning. Like the words we already have on the board. You can see the two
smaller words [point to a word with each individual word marked.] that make
up the larger word. Sometimes you can get hints of the meaning of compound
words from those smaller words, the root words, which make it up. For
instance, in snowman [write the word on the board] you have the root words
“snow” and “man” [underline each root word, separating them with a line].
From these two root words, you get an idea of what a snowman is, which is a
man made out of snow, right? You also know how to pronounce it because you
know “snow” and “man” so you combine them to say your new word
“snowman.
5. Can you tell what the definition of outdoors is from the root words? [Write the
word on the board] What words make up “outdoors”? How can it be
segmented, or divided into two root words? That’s right. [Underline “out” &
“doors” separating them with a line] So what does outdoors mean? [Students
should be able to explain]. And we know how to say it, right? because we know
how to say the smaller root words that make it up-“out” + “doors” =
“outdoors”.
6. There are other compound words, though, that are a little trickier and you
can’t exactly tell the meaning just from the smaller root words that make it up.
For instance, “butterfly” is a compound word. [Write it on the board] What two
root words make up butterfly? That’s right “butter” & “fly” [underline them on
the board]. We can pronounce this word pretty easily, because we know how
to say “butter” and “fly” but if you just went by those root words, what would
you think a butterfly was? [After students give responses...] And what does it
really mean? Exactly! So you have to be thinking about the words when you
see them. Sometimes you will be able to figure out the meaning from the small
root words that make up the compound word. And this can help you figure out
some pretty big words! Sometimes, though, you will have to look for other
context clues in your reading to figure out the meaning. Remember to question
if your guess at the meaning of the compound word makes sense with the
story.
7. We’re going to read a short passage titled “A Firefighter’s Thanksgiving”. It
contains many compound words. While I’m reading, every time you hear a
compound word, signal thumbs up. At the end, we’ll list all the compound
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words we can remember. Remember we’re looking to signal thumbs up for the
compound words –any word that is made up of two smaller words.
8. After reading the story, asks the students, which compound words, they
heard? Write them on the board. Can you see the two words that make up each
compound word?
9. Let’s try segmenting/dividing these words together:
10. ---If necessary----Look at the story again to see if we can figure out what all
these compound words mean. [Re-read the story, stopping after the sentences
with compound words to figure out the definitions as a class.] Do you get any
clues from the root words?
 Apply: Allow students to work individually or in pairs: Can you think of
other compound words? What two words makeup the compound word? What
is the definition of the compound word?
Independent work:
1. On their own or in pairs, have students complete worksheet.
2. Working in pair’s students will use the word cards to create 5 compound
words.
3. With the whole class, have students share their compound words and use the
word in sentences as they share their words with class.
 Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they divided the compound word and syllables. Listen to
pairs explain the decision for dividing their words into syllables.
Closing: (10 minutes)
Allow student to quiz each other using the compound word flashcards.
Ask the student if there are any syllable rules they are unclear on or feel they
may need some additional practice. Ask the student if they are now better able
to immediately recognize familiar syllable patterns. Next, ask the students if
they are using their new decoding skills when reading in other classrooms.
Assessment Measures:
1. Students are able to accurately predict the meaning of compound words
in the story and on their worksheets using both the root words and
context clues.
2. Students are able to combine two words to form a compound word
(done both in a group with the word cards and on their own on their
worksheets).
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and enjoyed the thumbs-up practice. It became
somewhat of a race to see who answered first. The students also enjoyed the
story about the firefighter. It was initially difficult for students to create their
own compound words. Until we reviewed a list of compound words, then they
found their inspiration and began to have fun. All of the students performed
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well on this mini lesson scoring 100%. The students were able to draw upon
prior knowledge and were eager to share their strengths with others. I
allowed students who finished early to play the Computerized interactive
game to create compound words. http://www.vocabulary.co.il/compoundwords/intermediate/make-a-compound-word/
All students earned a free yogurt coupon to be used in the school cafeteria.
The student left the classroom with an overall sense of pride and in good
humor. Allowing the students to work in small groups, allowed peers to act as
teachers reinforcing their skills. We are able to progress to the next lesson.
Corrective Reading-Dividing Syllables repeated practice- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 11)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Dividing Syllables
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
4. Students will be able to identify the number of syllables in a word.
5. Student will be able to divide words into syllables
6. Students will be able to determine if the vowels are long or short.
7. Dividing syllables worksheet
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:

Procedure:
Interactive: http://www.vocabulary.co.il/syllables/primary/matilda-syllablegame/
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Initiation: (5 minutes)
 Remind students that knowing where to divide syllables can help you read
unfamiliar words.
 Ask students to explain open and closed syllable words (closed vcv—open vc)
 An open syllable has only one vowel, and that vowel occurs at the end of the
syllable or the vowel is the last letter
 In VCV words the consonant can stay with the first vowel or go with the
second vowel (the more common situation). A syllable may or may not contain
any consonants.

Divide between consonants and keep blends and digraphs together.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
 Apply: Allow students to work in pairs:
http://www.vocabulary.co.il/syllables/primary/matilda-syllable-game/
 Instruct the students to Break up the words: Then Drag the Dotted lines
between the letters to divide the syllables.
 Instruct the student that if they cannot correctly divide the word to click on
the hint button.
 Show score to teacher, before moving to the next level.
 Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they divide the syllables. Listen to pairs explain the decision
for dividing their words into syllables.
 Independent work: Breaking words into syllables worksheet.
Closing: (3 minutes)
Write nonsense 3 syllable words on the board and have students determine
where to divide the word into syllables.
Assessment Measures:
Students will independently read a list of twenty open and closed two-syllable
words and have their results charted.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and appeared to enjoy playing this interactive
computer game. I did notice Juana often having to rely heavily upon the help
button to appropriately divide the syllables. She also repeatedly asked her
peers and I for help to explain the syllable rules. Juana has difficulty recalling
information she has learned from one lesson to the next. Although she as
mastered CVC, CV, and VC/CV.
I observed Juana placing her hand under her chin to feel the syllable
sounds, she also vocalized (in a whispered voice) syllable patterns by saying
CVC = short vowel, CV= long vowel and VC/CV divide between consonants. I
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admit I am now a firm believer in thing aloud modeling.
As I viewed the students working I also noticed that Juana continued to
make numerous mistakes dividing syllables, in reference to the rule “When
one consonant appears between two vowels, it will most likely be in the same
syllable as the second vowel” and “dividing before a single middle consonant
when the vowel sound before it is long” as in the word si/lent. This is an
excellent tool to use with students who struggle decoding, I have bookmarked
this site, as I plan on referring back to it regularly.
As a result of this observation, I will create a poster with the 10 rules for
dividing words into syllables.
Corrective Reading- Nonsense Word Decoding Quiz
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 12)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Automaticity: decoding of words with minimal effort
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. demonstrate their knowledge of syllable patterns.
2. demonstrate their knowledge of long and short vowel patterns.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:


Procedure:
Pathways to Reading assessment
Pathways to Reading Examiner’s Manual
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Initiation: (5 minutes)
Model how to divide a polysyllabic word into syllables. Review the following syllable
rules with the student(s) (printed on index cards for easy reference):
 A closed syllable has 1 vowel. It begins and ends with a consonant. It has a
short vowel sound.
 An open syllable ends with 1 vowel. The vowel sound is usually long.
 A double consonant indicates a long vowel sound.
 A single consonant indicates a short sound at the end of a syllable.
Hand out test material: Say to the student, I’m going to ask you to read some words
and sentences to me so I can find out what kinds of words are easy for you to read and
what kinds of words you still need to learn. Some of these may not be real words. I want
you to try to do your best. We’ll stop if the words get too hard. Do you have any
questions?
Begin on Task 3
Part A. Point to the first word. Say to the student, Please read these words.
Remember, so of these words may not be real words. Read across the page.
Part B. Point to the first word or sentence. Please read these sentences.
Make every effort to have the student compete a task once it has been started.
However, you may stop at ay time if the student appears to be very frustrated.
Closing: (3 minutes)
For students who need more practice or more of a challenge the internet game
sites can be done solo or in pairs.
Assessment Measures:
Student strengths and weakness in 6 different task areas. Letter Names and
Letter Sounds, VC and CVC, Common Beginning and Consonant Digraphs, CVCC
and CCVC, Silent e, R-Controlled Vowels, Advanced Consonant Sounds, Silent
Consonants, and Consonant Digraphs, Vowel Digraphs and Diphthongs, Two
Syllables, Common Prefixes, Common Suffixes, Three Syllables and Four
Syllables.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and did not appear anxious when hearing the word
assessment. Even Juana who has a history of test anxiety appeared relaxed.
When taking this assessment, Juana informed me of areas she found difficult.
Juana scored a 90% or better on VC, CVC, Common Beginning and Ending
consonant Digraphs CVCC, CCVC. She scored much lower in the areas of Silent
E, R-Controlled Vowel, Advanced Consonants sounds, Silent Consonants,
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Consonant Digraphs and multi-syllable words. I will use the information
gathered during this assessment to develop individualized instruction.
Corrective Reading-syllable pattern CVCe- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 13)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
CVCe--Silent e
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to build a
solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders their ability to
comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers, they must be able to
recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 identify, decode, and properly pronounce words with the CVC and CVC silent e patterns.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic awareness,
phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based on individual
student needs.
Materials:




Index cards with CVC words from the word list printed on them.
Pencil with notecard attached to top—notecare has the small letter e written on one side.
Reading passage “A letter to Mike”
Pencil and paper.
Preparation:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
The teacher will first perform a quick review of the long and short vowel sounds then describe a
new combination of consonant-vowel-consonant words that can be changed “magically” by the
addition of the letter e on the end of the original word.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
Teacher led practice: The teacher will produce, the previously prepared index cards
containing the CVC, short vowel sound, patterned words from the attached word list and the
magic wand (pencil with attached note card e).
Next, Initially, not showing the letter e that is written on the one side of the magic want, the teacher
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proceeds to magically change the words on the index cards by applying the magic wand, placing
the wand with the letter e facing outward at the end of each word for the individual or class to see.
Next, At the same time, the teacher will say the word before the addition of the e and after,
modeling for the students. Now it is the student’s turn to perform some magic. Each, student will
pick a card from the pile, say the word as it is written, then apply the magic e wand, and say the
word with the first vowel being long and the e silent.
Each time a student performs the magic, the teacher will ask them to repeat what kind of pattern the
word on the card is (CVC) and what the vowel sound is (short), followed by identification of the
pattern with the e added (CVC-silent e ) and saying what the vowel sound is (long).
Independent Practice:
a. Starfall.com, http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/silent-e/load.htm?f Macromedia
Flash presentation, Magic E.
Apply: Allow students to work individually:
 Students will read aloud the short passage “A letter to Mike” and then go back and
circle all the words with a silent e.
Check for understanding: This gives me a chance to walk around and observe how well the
students understand open and closed syllables.
Closing: (3 minutes)
Ask students to write 10 words using the CVC pattern and than restate the word with
a silent e.
Assessment Measures:
The students’ ability to recognize the CVCe syllable pattern and the long vowel
sounds.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were initially engaged, however the boys quickly became distracted when
I showed the starfall video. I also got the impression they felt the magic wand was a
hokey idea and very elementary school also. Juana however enjoyed the practice with
the wand and asked if she could keep it. Once again, I selected a video far below the
age level. All students grasp this concept easily. The boys were confident with their
silent e skills, and felt this lesson was a waist of time. They did not act out in a
disrespectful manor, but were definitely unfocused. My case study student shared
with me that this was easy, but she did not know this rule. She was also excited to
share that she feels much more comfortable with her decoding skills, and believes she
can tell the difference in her reading. I am anxious to she the results when I give her a
timed fluency passage practice. I told the students they earned a special cookie
coupon to be used in the school cafeteria.
Corrective Reading- Decoding Ending Consonant Blend- Words Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 14)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
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Topic:
Consonant Blends
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Students will write and read words that contain consonant blends. It is
important
for students to recognize consonant blends, in order to quickly and easily
decode words.
 Read and spell phonically decodable two-syllable and three-syllable words
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:





White board
Sentence Strips, 1 set with the following sentences:
I gave my friend a gift.
It was a soft kitten.
The kitten sleeps in a loft.
A soft kitten is a nice gift!
Haiku
Handout
Consonant blends picture handout
Preparation:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
3. Handout Sentence Strips, have students read their sentence aloud. Place
sentences together—what do you notice these sentences have in common. Do
you notice the common ending?
4. Say: What does the word blend mean? Wait for a response. Who can tell me
what a consonant blend is? Wait for a response. Consonant blends are those 2 or
3 consonant letters, which quickly mix their sounds together. Such as the sound
Ch makes when we form the word cheese, or the sound STR makes in the word
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string. Say: You may recognize consonant blend at the beginning, middle or end
of words?
5. Using the letter blend flash cards, have the students say the sounds to provide
a visual aid. Review the sounds typically made by consonant blends. The most
common beginning consonant blends include: bl, br, cl, cr, dr, fr, tr, fl, gl, gr, pl,
pr, sl, sm, sp and st. Blends can also occur at the end of words as in the word
“last”. There are also blends, which contain three consonants. Common three
consonant blends include: str, spl, and spr.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
Guided Practice:
 Tell the students that they will be learning about an important phonemic
pattern. Ask them to think of some words that include the consonant blends
they just reviewed. Write words on the board.
 --If need for further reinforcement--View PPt with phonemic rules for
consonant blends: http://www.abcfastphonics.com/letter-blends/blendbl.html
 Use the pictures provided to aid students in recognizing and decoding
common words with consonant blends.
 Next, place the worksheet on the overhead. I will read the directions clearly.
The students and I will work on identifying the consonant digraphs/blend for
each word. I will be asking literal questions as to how and why the students
came up with the particular digraph team. This way I can see if the students
fully understand how to locate consonant digraphs. I will be answering any
questions that the students may have.
 Read aloud:
Football
Like medieval knights
Armor clad, in fields battle
To reap victory
 Tell me how many syllables are in each line of the Haiku poem (5-7-5= 17 in
all). For students additional practice have students complete accompanying
worksheets
Apply: Allow students to work individually:
 Student will write a Haiku about nature, they may use words from today
lesson, previous lessons or worksheets for assistance.
Check for understanding: This gives me a chance to walk around and
observe how well the students comprehend consonant digraphs.
Closing: (5 minutes)
Students will share their Haikus.
Assessment Measures:
Haiku- was the student able to count the number of syllables
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Teacher Reflection:
My boys are definitely showing signs of boredom or lack of interest. I had
to remind one student several times to put his phone away. I also had to stop
several times because of off task talking between the boys. Juana was engage
and tried to keep the discussion going. Writing the Haiku required a lot of one
on one support with students. This may be partially due to my approach
perhaps I was unclear or should have shown more examples. After completing
this task the students were incredibly pleased with their results and eager to
share their poems, and we appeared to have regained our motivation. Juana’s
decoding skills are still choppy, and she still was uncertain of where to divide
words. Consonant blends posed some difficulty especially when the ending
contained three letter blends. Juana had some confusion with this task as she
was focused on the previous rule of dividing between consonants. We will
continue to work on this skill during seminar. I will allow students to play the
“Fish” card game using syllables and ending consonant blends. I feel pretty
confident this will help reinforce this skill.
I feel I need to shake things up some in order to keep the boys focused. I
will try to incorporate more hands on activities or computer generated games
to hold their interest.
I did not score my students on the project as my help was continuous and
impacted much of their assignment.
Corrective Reading--VCCCV Syllables- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 15)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
VCCCV two syllables words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Students will use word analysis to recognize and build words with syllable
pattern VCCCV during whole group and guided practice.
Student Case Study
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

40
Students will apply knowledge of the VCCCV syllable pattern to identify
syllables and decode words in context and independent of context.
Students will review syllables VCCCV during whole group and independent
practice.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:



A list of words with VCCCV sounds/patterns
Reading passage “Pepita Talks Twice”
White board and markers
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
 Write the following words on the board (laughter, mischief, district, and
complain).
 To count the syllables, think about the number of parts that are in the word.
 Practice counting the number of syllables in the following words (write the
words on the board).

Ask student to focus on the (V)owels and (C)onsonants ---Do you recognize a
common pattern.

Label the vowels and consonants in each of the previously listed words.

Can you think of any other words that may fit this pattern?

VCCCV words are unusual in that two of the consonants in the center of the
word make only one sound or comprise a blend. Two consonants together
that make one sound are known as a consonant digraph. Some common
consonant digraphs include: "sh," "ch," and "th." Can you find the consonant
blends in the listed words?
Development: (30-45 minutes)
 Teach: Say: VCCCV words are two syllable words. The pattern VCCCV indicates
that the word must have three consonants in the middle surrounded by vowels
on each end. This does not mean the words are only five letters long. There can
be more letters on either end of the word, but the center of the word has a vowel,
three consonants, followed by another vowel.
 VCCCV words are unusual in that two of the consonants in the center of the word
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Capstone Practicum Fall 2013






41
making one sound or comprised a blend. Two consonants together that make
one sound are known as a consonant digraph. Some common consonant
digraphs include: “sh,” ch,” and “th.”
All VCCCV words will contain a consonant digraph or blend. Consonant blends
are common consonants used together in words that keep their own sounds, such
as “cl,” “br,” and “st.” Some words that follow the VCCCV pattern include:
laughter, mischief, district, and complain.
Teacher Led Practice: Lets read the story “Pepita Talks Twice”. Have
students’ help you find words that have the VCCCV letter pattern. Write each
word on the board. Some words from the story that follow the VCCCV pattern
are listed here: grumble, mumbled, instead, little, wiggle, and answer.
Apply: Allow students to work in pairs: Working together in pair’s student
will practice with flashcards. They will identify the VCCCV and divide the
following words, after the first consonant.
Write the following words on the board—monster, complete, hundred,
control, pilgrim, children, purchase, and explode have student practice
dividing the word into syllables, underline the syllable blends and labeling the
pattern
Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they divide the syllables. Listen to pairs explain the decision
for dividing their words into syllables.
Independent work: Breaking words into syllables.
Closing: (3 minutes)
Have students reread aloud the “Pepita Talks Twice” for fluency.
Assessment Measures:
Students’ ability to independently divide words into syllables, including words
with the VCCCV pattern.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged today. I reinforced how proud I was with the
effort they have been giving, and their willingness to help each other learn.
Then I asked the students if they had any ideas for helping to create or teach a
lesson. There were no takers in this area. So I told the students if we can get
through these next couple of lessons without to much distraction, I would
allow them to have a game day during class. They may play syllable rummy,
scrabble or syllable bingo if I can find one ready. This seemed to get them
refocused and to show more interest.
Although, Juana has made clear progress she is continued to be confused
as to where to divide VCCCV pattered words. I have been modeling the think
aloud strategy with her, since we have had success with this in the past. I have
modeled dividing syllables and ask the question is this a blend or just double
consonants, then I put my had under my chin to feel the syllable drop. Juana
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tends to want to divide these words between the blended consonants. Once
again the student can recognize the word when she reads it, but cannot
identify the syllable sounds.
Juana’s motivation continues to be strong and she is eager to improve her
over all skills. Allowing her to work in a small group allows her peers to offer
helpful advice, which she willingly accepts. She acknowledges her mistakes
and immediately sets out to correct them. I can tell when the student is
uncertain of her skills, as she will quietly wait for her peers to answer or offer
assistance. Juana scored a 65% on the assignment. Further practice will be
needed; I will have a para review a YouTube video with her then work
together on VCCCV word list.
Corrective Reading- Dividing Syllables Rule Review
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 16)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 2-50 minute class periods
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Dividing Words Into Syllables to Develop Fluency
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. demonstrate their knowledge of syllable patterns.
2. apply syllable division rules to multi-syllable words
3. demonstrate their knowledge of long and short vowel patterns.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:
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Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears by Leo and Diane Dillon
Paper and pencil
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Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
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Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
Write 30 syllable words on the white board a set of ten-1, 2, and 3 syllable words.
 Review how the vowel sounds in words is broken into parts called syllables.
 Have students divide the words into syllables…Discuss how the vowel sounds
in the word is broken into parts called syllables.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
1. Introduce the story “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears” (hand out copies)
Tell students that many of the words in this story are 3 syllables word.
2. Tell students that they will need to apply their decoding skills.
3. Ask student to take turns reading the passage aloud.
Apply: Allow students to work individually:
1. Next, have students make a 3-column chart on their paper.
2. Then instruct the student to list words found in their reading under column heading 2and 3 syllable words.
3. Next, ask to divide the selected words into syllables
4. Review answers
Closing: (3 minutes)
For students who need more practice or more of a challenge the internet game
sites can be used working solo or in pairs.
Assessment Measures:
Students will have a correctly identified and divided twenty words multisyllable words with 90% accuracy.
Teacher Reflection:
Juana scored a 60% on this assignment (I finally based percent scores on nonrepeated words found in the first two paragraphs); most mistakes occurred in
the second and third words syllables when applying the VCV pattern. Mosquito
was a particularly difficult word for her as she divided the word differently
many times. Juana also made two mistakes dividing consonant blends
however, her scores did show improvement. This lesson plan took longer than
I thought it would. It actually required 2 class periods and a small amount of
time in my seminar class. I believe the students might have actually performed
better if I would have initially asked them to only find twenty 2 or 3 syllable
words in the first 2 paragraphs. I believe the Juana grew tired of this
assignment and rushed to complete the task. She might have become
overwhelmed by the length and view of this passage before even beginning. I
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did apologize for not taking this into consideration earlier. After making my
apologies the students’ demeanor quickly shifted to a renewed willingness to
continue our practices.
Syllable Patterns (“R” controlled vowels)- Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 17)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Dividing two syllable words and “R” controlled patterns
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Blend recognize sets of words with “r” controlled vowels
 Become automatic decoders.
 Increases their reading rate and accuracy.
 Develop reading fluency skills.
 Improves reading comprehension.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:

A list of controlled open two syllable words with individual sounds/patterns
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already learned
Individual charting for each student
Read 180 Practice Page 129 worksheet
Ppt. “R” Controlled Vowels-Bossy letter R
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
Today we are going to continue decoding multi-syllable words. We will learn how to
read syllables that have a vowel affected by the consonant-R. We call them “Rcolored” vowels.
Development: (15-20 minutes)
 Review--Use projector and PPT.
http://www.powershow.com/view1/20b019NGY3Z/r_Controlled_Vowels_Bossy_Letter_R_powerpoint_ppt_presentation
 Teach: Let’s look at the words written on the board— arm, bar, her, stir, cord
and fur. All of these words have what we call a “r” controlled vowel (when the
letter “R” follows a vowel, it usually effects the vowel sound. The vowel and
the /r/ usually stay in the same syllable).
 Have students to look at the board, and ask: How many vowels do you see in
each word? (one) Than ask: What does each word end with? (A closed syllable).
 Next, have students read the words on the board, paying particular attention
to the vowel sounds in each. Say: How are they pronounced? (All with a short
vowel sound accept the last words.) Say: Why can’t you read the last word with
a short vowel sound? (The /r/ controls the vowel sound.)
 Next, ask the students: What would be a good name for this syllable? (An rcontrolled syllable.) Define it: It contains a vowel plus a /r/ sound; these make
their own sound and are kept in the same syllable.
 Teacher Led Practice: Next, write the following sentences on the board for
student to complete: An r-controlled syllable contains _________ and a ________ (a
vowel and an “r”). The vowel sound is affected by the letter __________.
Continue the lesson by writing two-syllable words with and r-controlled vowel
(harvest, circus, normal, after, return). Have students draw /’s between
syllables.
 Apply: Allow students to work in pairs: Provide students with a list of
words that have “r” controlled syllables (rebirth, argue, suburb, floral, favor,
murmur, garlic, and birthday). Have students read each word aloud, write it
on a sheet of paper, ask students if they notice a pattern CVC, then direct
student to underline the CVC. Instruct student to divide words into syllables.
Ask students to circle each syllable with the “r” controlled vowels.
 Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they label the “r” controlled vowels, underline their CVC
syllables and how they divided syllables.
 Independent work: For further practice, assign this Practice Page.
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EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
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Closing: (5 minutes)
Ask student to make two rhymes for each of the following r-controlled vowel
words they may make up nonsense words (fur, her, fir, far, for).
Assessment Measures:
Students will independently read a list of twenty-two syllable words and have
their results charted.
Survey, dirty, vertical, fury, confirm, curfew, firm, research, nervous, burrow,
terms, conserve, turbulent, splurge, vertex, perform, pearl, earliest, miserable,
squirrel.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were focused and engaged today. My case study student
performed with 90% accuracy. All students seemed to have a strong grasp on
the concept; I do not believe extended practice is necessary for this lesson.
One of my boys said this is an easy rule, just forget the vowel before the r and
say “R”, its not that hard. The students enjoyed the interactive “Bossy R” ppt.
Students were rewarded with a yogurt coupon to be used at the school
cafeteria. Students are looking forward to tomorrow game day, so am I. We
will be playing syllable rummy and or scrabble. I hope this reward will keep
their focus and motivation going.
Corrective Reading- Decoding Review Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 18)
Grade 11
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Review syllable decoding rules
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Decode unfamiliar words
 Distinguish, reproduce and manipulate the sounds in words
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Recognize syllable patterns
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:
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2x2 animal pictures (turtle, rabbit, spider, camel
10 recipe size
Markers with varying colors
Syllabication worksheet
Preparation:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
6. Remind student that decoding unfamiliar words is a necessary skill for every
competent reader. Tell the students that today we will be reviewing 10 basic
rules of syllable division.
7. Remind students that the placements of vowels and consonants in words have
an impact upon the pronunciation.
8. Next, write the word s u c c e s s on the whiteboard. Draw a line above the
word from the first vowel to the next vowel or vowel sound in the word.
________
v c c v
s u c c e s s
9. Say the word and listen for the syllable break. Have the student help decide
what letter sound ends the first syllable. Draw a line to divide the word after
that sound. This is the VCCV rule- divide as VC CV
10.
________
v c c v
s u c c e s s
Development: (15 minutes)
Guided Practice:
 Tell the students that today they will be make a cheat sheet of sorts, to help
them remember the rule for dividing syllables.
 Tell the student to wright the words Rabbit Rule on card # 1. Let write the
rules for Dividing words with double consonants: Instruct the student to
write the word rabbit on the right side of the card and say the word while
listening for the syllable break.
 Hand each student 10 notecards. Tell the students we will work on the first
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few cards together and they may design the remaining card on their own.
Then have the students draw a line about the word from the first vowel to the
next vowel or vowel sound in the word. Next, have the student help decide
what letter sound ends the first syllable. Divide between the double
consonants. This is the VCCV rule- divided as VC/CV.
Have student copy the following diagram and insert a picture
________
v c c v
r a b b i t
Now lets make a card for lesson number 2: Words with –le. What is the rule
for le? Dividing words with “le” at the end of the base word or syllable. Draw
a line above the word from the first vowel to the next vowel or vowel sound in
the word. Say the word and listen for the syllable break. Have the students
help decide what letter sound ends the first syllable. Put your finger on the le
and last the consonant sound before the le, divide the word there. Remind the
student that the sound before the le is taken in the same syllable as le.
_________
v c c c v
t u r t l e
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
Have the student copy the diagram.
Now lets make a one more card together a card for lesson 3. Words with one
vowel in the middle position. We must pronounce the word several ways and
then decide which one is correct. We will call this the spider rule. Listen to
the word and determine which sounds correct. If the vowel has a long vowel
sound- it is the Spider rule.
_______
v c v
s p i d e r
Apply: Allow students to work individually:
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Now lets make a card for the rule number 4- the camel rule (vowel consonant
vowel)
Rule number 5- the butterflies rule (compound words)
Rule number 6- the dragon rule (consonant blends and digraphs—remember
their never separated)
Rule number 7- the dolphin rule- when two or more consonants come
between the vowels in a word, it is usually divided between the first two
consonants. (vccv)
Rule number 8- the giraffe rule- when a single consonant come between two
vowels in a word, it is usually divided after the consonant if the vowel is short.
(vcvc)
Rule number 9- the bison rule- When a single consonant comes between two
vowels in a word, it is usually dived before the consonant if the vowel is long.
(open syllable)
Rule number 10- the lion rule- when two vowels come together in a word, and
are sounded separately, divide the word between the two vowels. (cvvc)
Check for understanding: Ask student make a rule for
1. A vowel that stand alone (ex: apron, graduate, until_
2. The bossy “R” rule.
Closing: (3 minutes)
Introduce prefixes and suffixes. Write the following words on the board and
ask student if they can circle the prefix or suffixes in the following words:
nonfat, defeat, tricycle, dishes, skipping, and boxes?
Assessment Measures:
Score attached worksheet that has student apply the rule of syllabication to the
word list.
Teacher Reflection:
This was a great day, all student motivated and engaged. They were helpful to
each other and reinforced the syllable rules as we went along. Hands on
projects are definitely winners with these students. All students did very well
on this lesson and scoring a 90%. While reviewing these rules, I did think that
maybe I should have presented this lesson earlier on. Then I would have been
able to begin each lesson while referring to the visual representation. All
students really liked doing this lesson plan. I believe visually connecting the
rule to an animal help reinforce the syllable rules. Students enjoyed the artful
cutting and pasting. Including the T-diagram also helped the students
visualize the syllable patterns. My selected student seemed very please with
her work, she punched holes in her card and attached a ring to make a flip
chart. I hope we will benefit from this tool in the next few lessons.
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
50
Corrective Reading Decoding Silent Letters Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 19)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Silent Letters at the beginning of words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Students will be able to define and identify silent letters and apply silent letter
rules.
2. To improve student word recognition decoding and encoding compound words.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:
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PPT Silent letter rules
Whiteboard & markers
Sheet with example silent letter words in case students cannot think of any on
their own
Word cards
Handouts
Procedure:
Initiation: (10 minutes)
• Introduce learners to silent letters. Explain that over time, the way that words are
pronounced changes. For example, a thousand years ago the word ‘knife’ was
pronounced ‘k-nife’. This was hard to say, so over time people stopped sounding
the separate ‘k’. However, the spelling of the word remained the same. The ‘k’
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became a silent letter.
• Write a set of words containing silent letters on the board and read the words
together with the learners.
• Silent k: e.g. knee, knife, knock, knight, kneel, knot, knew, knit, know
• Silent l: e.g. calf, could, talk, half, chalk, walk, calm
• Silent b: e.g. comb, crumb, lamb, thumb, doubt
• Silent w: e.g. answer, wrap, sword, know, who, saw, whole, wrist
• Silent h: e.g. honest, honor, hour, spaghetti, ghost, rhyme
• Silent g: e.g. sign, design, campaign
Development: (35-40 minutes)
Teach: Say: Students, sometimes a letter stands for no sound in a word; it is silent.
Point out that when the letters ‘wr’ are together at the beginning of a word like write
the letter ‘w’ is silent. Write the word (write) on the board, underline the ‘wr’ and ask
for students to read the word. Say: Silent consonants can be found in the beginning,
middle, or end of a word. The silent letters talked about in this lesson are gh, w, k, and b.
 Begin PPT
11. Teacher Led Practice: Say: Lets review the rules for silent letters,
a.) A silent “l” comes after m or before t. As in the words lamb, thumb,
bomb, and debt
b.) A silent “k” and a silent “g” are found before n. As in the words gnome,
gnat, knee, and knife
c.) A silent “l” follows vowels a, o, u. As in the words calf, salmon, chalk,
and yoke.
d.) A silent “w” often goes before r. As in the words wrapper, wrist,
wrestle, and wreck.
 Write the following words on the board (Condemn, Hymn, Resign, Limb,
Autumn, and Campaign) Say: Can you find the silent letter in each of the
following words?
 Apply: Allow students to work individually or in pairs: Distribute the
words given in Handout to the students, working in pairs, and ask them what
is common to them. The answer you are looking for is: silent letters. Then ask
each pair to find which letter in each word is silent; that is, which letter is not
pronounced. Each pair then has to add three more similar words. For example,
in the word calm “l” is silent, so three other similar words are talk, half and
chalk. Allow the students to refer to a dictionary if they wish — the more
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words they learn the better.
 Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they divide the syllables. Listen to pairs explain the decision
for dividing their words into syllables.
Independent work:
4. On their own or in pairs, have students complete worksheets.
5. If students did not have time to complete worksheets, time can be given in the
next class.
Closing: (5-10 minutes)
For students who need more practice or more of a challenge using internet
game sites can be done solo or in pairs.
Assessment Measures:
1. Students are able to read/ recognize words containing silent letters.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged today, regardless of my lack of hands on activities.
Juana stated she was unaware of these rules or the history behind silent
letters; she stated that makes since. She found this lesson very interesting. She
also stated I was hoping this lesson would explain why “of” is not spelled
“ov”…the other students laughed, and said this is true. Another, student said I
forgot to mention the word pneumonia, asked if I pronounced the word with
the “P” sound. Humor, is a great tool for keeping students interested. Juana
performed the tasks pretty well on this assessment, considering the
information present was relatively new, she scored an 80%. She appears to
miss words due to confusing silent letters with consonant blends. In doing
this lesson, I can still see the student has not completely grasped some syllable
patterns. When sounding out the words to find the silent letter, she made
numerous mistakes dividing syllables. I will have the student do a silent letter
worksheet during seminar to reinforce this lesson.
Corrective Reading- Decoding Y as a vowel- Words Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 20)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Decoding Y as a vowel
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
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build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Students will be able to recognize that [y] is a vowel at the end of a word
and [y] is a consonant at the beginning of a word when words are presented to
them.
 Students will be able to recognize that one-syllable words ending in [y] make a
long [i] sound when words are presented to them.
 Students will be able recognize that multi-syllable words ending in [y] make a
long [e] sound presented when words are presented to them
 participate in learning and understanding how to use two-syllable words
ending in y.
 decode two-syllable nonsense words and regular multi-syllable words
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:
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Hand out “I spy a little fly”
Flash cards
White board and markers
Preparation:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
11. Hand out copies of the poem “I spy a little fly” for whole class reading. Have
students circle all the words with “y”. Discuss that sometimes Y is considered
a vowel because it can sound like the vowel letters just like in the poem it
makes the I sound.
12. Y can also make an A or E sound depending on the letters around it or whether
the letter Y is at the middle or end of a word.
13. Write on the board words with the long I vowel sound cry, try, fly, dry, sky, my,
spy, fry, and by.
14. Then ask the student what sound does the y make in the following words
happy, lazy, funny, money, and liberty. Finally, write these words on the board
and ask the student what sound the Y makes myth, physics, syndrome,
syllable, crystal, gym and physical.
Development: (35-40 minutes)
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Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
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Guided Practice:
Say: Sometimes, the letter y is consonant, and other times it is a vowel. The rule
for telling the two apart is simple: The letter y is a consonant when it is the first
letter of a syllable that has more than one letter. If y is anywhere else in the
syllable, it is a vowel. Lets look at some examples…
Examples of Y as a Consonant
o yellow
o yogurt
o yell
o yes
o
Examples of Y as a Vowel
gym
my
cycle
baby
Here are some additional Rules for the Letter Y---Y has three sounds
and functions both as a consonant and vowel sounds.
Y=Vowel (long I) The letter Y makes the long sound of I when it comes at
the end of a short word that has no other vowel: fly, my, sky, deny, rely,
vilify, mystify, justify, and in two-syllable words if the stress is on the Y such as in "NYlon and deNY” and is between two consonants (VCV)
Y=Vowel (short I) The letter Y makes the short sound of I when it comes
in between two consonants. crypt, cynic, myth, mystery, gym, pygmy,
onyx, and dysfunctional. (CVC)
Y=Vowel (long E) The letter Y makes the long E when a words ends with
the letter Y and is not stressed: baby, stormy, comely, jelly
Y=Vowel (short I) The Letter Y has a short I sound in words such as
"Odyssey" (CVCC)
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Less familiar Rules
o Oy Use oy at the end of a word. Examples: boy, toy.
o EY or YE has a Long I sound in: eye, geyser, rye, dye, Meyer
o UY has a Long I sound in: buy, guy
Apply: Allow students to work individually:
Hand out the independent worksheet. I will read the directions clearly, and ask
if there are any questions. The students will be given 15 minutes to complete
the worksheet independently.
Check for understanding: This gives me a chance to walk around and
observe how well the students comprehend Y as a vowel.
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Closing: (5-10 minutes)
I will ask students to write y word on a sheet of paper. Students will write
two y words for each rule on their paper. I will ask students to share the
words that they wrote with their peers. I will ask students to read the words
that they wrote and tie it to the corresponding rule.
Assessment Measures:
Students’ ability to read and divide 20 multi-syllable words containing the
letter y with 90% accuracy.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged again today. This lesson was a lot for the students
to take in, additional practices would be necessary. One student stated, “that’s
a lot of rules for one little letter. Juana stated that she did not feel comfortable
with her understanding of this lesson. Her independent work revealed a score
of 40%. She stated she knew the sounds for Y at the beginning of a word, and Y
as an I but admitted Y, as an e was very confusing for her. She kept up good
spirits during the lesson, but during independent practice recalling the rules
and attaching words was extremely difficult. She struggles with her ability to
determine the correct vowel sound for each Y placement. I will use and
accompanying PowerPoint, YouTube, or computerized game along with
supportive worksheets to enhance learning. I will have the student work one
on one with a para until the student can reach automaticity.
Corrective Reading- Decoding -le Words Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 21)
Grade 11
Monday- Friday (2) 50 minute classes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Decoding -le Words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
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Students will recognize words ending with -le.
Students will discriminate between and decode words in the CVCle and CVCCle
patterns.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:
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Pictures of common household items, including candle, ladle, picture of a table,
marble, pickle, buckle, bottle, cable, and several items whose names do not end
with -le or the /l/ sound.
Notecards with nonsense –le words
Markers
Whiteboard/marker and eraser. Be sure there are two colors to write with.
Reading passage handouts
Preparation:
Initiation: (10 minutes)
15. Write one nonsense word on note card that ends with -le, such as bipple,
fackle, taple, mible, diggle, vinkle, pangle, and fugle. Make approximately half
of the words in the CVCle pattern and half CVCCle constructions.
16. Have students divide the words into syllables and mark each syllable pattern
with indicating consonants and vowels.
Development: (35-40 minutes)
Guided Practice:
 Tell the students that they will be learning about an important phonemic
pattern C-le. Also known as the stable final syllable, C-le combinations are
found only at the ends of words. If a C-le syllable is combined with an open
syllable (CV) — as in cable, bugle, or title — there is no doubled consonant. If
one is combined with a closed syllable (CVC) — as in dabble, topple, or little
— a double consonant results.
 Ask them to think of the names of each item as in the pictures. Be sure they
use the -le name if the item is a -le item. Write the name of each item on the
board.
 Allow volunteers to come forward to circle the -le and underline the vowel
sound that comes in the first syllable.
 Have the students generate additional -le words. Write them on the
board. Use one color for CVCle words (with long vowels in the first syllable)
and another color for CVCCle words (short vowel in the first syllable). When
you have 10-15 examples of each, ask for student speculation about why the
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words are in different colors. If necessary, help them to the conclusion that
the words are sorted by the type of vowel sound in the first syllable.
Ask students what color you should use to write additional -le words of your
choice. Use words with mixed patterns.
Apply: Allow students to work individually:
Present students with the following words handle, title, rumble, noble, middle,
table, staple, gentle, poodle, pickle, tangle, bridle, juggle, uncle, beetle, gullible,
crinkle, obstacle, fable and muscle.
Tell students to underline all CVCle patterns and practice decoding them with
vowel sound, and then circle all CVCCle patterns and practice decoding them
with vowel sounds.
Have students read aloud the following passages circling the word that end
with c-le. Then have the student mark the syllable patterns and indicate if the
vowels are long or short.
Discuss the patterns that you notice. The students need to conclude that the
words with a single consonant before the -le will have a long vowel sound and
words with two consonants before the -le will have a short vowel sound.
Check for understanding: Ask student to explain the phonemic rule that
determine why they put the words into the two different stacks.
Closing: (3 minutes)
For students additional practice have students complete accompanying
worksheets.
Assessment Measures:
Pass out notecards with nonsense -le words written on them. Have the
students sort the words according to whether the vowel in the first syllable
has a long or short sound.
buggle, sittle, sluggle, thurple, dafle, swiggle, potable, nable, podle, and idealy
Teacher Reflection:
This lesson took additional worksheets and one on one time during seminar.
Juana did very well on this lesson and scoring a 90%. I had her create her own
nonsense words using syllable patterns with the c-le ending. This allowed her
to focus on the vowel sounds. In the past nonsense words posed a big
challenge for my student as she relied heavily her word recognition skills. I
can now see great improvement on her decoding unidentifiable two syllable
words. She appeared comfortable decoding words with le endings, as well as
identifying CVC, CVCCle, and consonant blends. I believe that placing the rules
for syllables on the poster and having students work on the Matilda interactive
game has contributed to their learning. The Matilda site has helped prepared
the students so they have some background knowledge prior to presenting the
lesson. I am please to notice my student no longer waits for her peers to lead
the activities, today she was frequently first offering her answers and
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Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
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assistance. We used the remainder of time to review Y as a vowel. I gave my
student a cookie coupon for the cafeteria.
Corrective Reading- Nonsense Word Decoding Quiz
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 22)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Automaticity: decoding of words with minimal effort
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. demonstrate their knowledge of syllable patterns.
2. demonstrate their knowledge of long and short vowel patterns.
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:



Pathways to Reading assessment
Pathways to Reading Examiner’s Manual
Matilda syllable games
http://www.vocabulary.co.il/syllables/primary/matilda-syllable-game/
Procedure:
Initiation: (30 minutes)
Model how to divide a polysyllabic word into syllables. Review the following syllable
rules with the student(s) (printed on index cards for easy reference):
 A closed syllable has 1 vowel. It begins and ends with a consonant. It has a
short vowel sound.
 An open syllable ends with 1 vowel. The vowel sound is usually long.
 A double consonant indicates a long vowel sound.
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A single consonant indicates a short sound at the end of a syllable.
Hand out test material: Say to the student, I’m going to ask you to read some words
and sentences to me so I can find out what kinds of words are easy for you to read and
what kinds of words you still need to learn. Some of these may not be real words. I want
you to try to do your best. We’ll stop if the words get too hard. Do you have any
questions?
Begin on Task 3
Part A. Point to the first word. Say to the student, Please read these words.
Remember, so of these words may not be real words. Read across the page.
Part B. Point to the first word or sentence. Please read these sentences.
Make every effort to have the student compete a task once it has been started.
However, you may stop at ay time if the student appears to be very frustrated.
Closing: (15-20 minutes)
For students who need more practice or more of a challenge the internet game
sites can be done solo or in pairs. I really like the Matilda Syllable Game site.
Assessment Measures:
Student strengths and weakness in 6 different task areas. Letter Names and
Letter Sounds, VC and CVC, Common Beginning and Consonant Digraphs, CVCC
and CCVC, Silent e, R-Controlled Vowels, Advanced Consonant Sounds, Silent
Consonants, and Consonant Digraphs, Vowel Digraphs and Diphthongs, Two
Syllables, Common Prefixes, Common Suffixes, Three Syllables and Four
Syllables.
Teacher Reflection:
Student scored a 90% or better on VC, CVC, Common Beginning and Ending
consonant Digraphs CVCC, CCVC, Silent E, R-Controlled Vowel, Advanced
Consonant sounds Silent consonants. She scored lowest in the areas of
Consonant Digraphs and multi-syllable words.
Syllable Patterns: Prefix Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 23)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Word building for increasing vocabulary
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60
Rationale:
A prefix is a group of letter added to the beginning of a word, changing its meaning.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Students will identify and define prefixes
 Student will use their understanding of prefixes to decode words and identify their
meaning
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic awareness,
phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based on individual
student needs.
Materials:




Prefix list with meanings handout
Prefix list handout
Prefix cards
Prefix passages
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
A prefix is a group of letter that appears at the front of a word. A prefix affects the meaning of
the root or base word to which it is attached. To determine whether or not a group of letter is
a prefix, remove them from the word. The letters are a prefix if a know word remains. Write
the following words on the white board. For example, remove the letter un from the following
words: unhappy, untie, uncle, uninterested. In which word are the letter un not a prefix?
Yes, these letters are not a prefix in the word uncle.
Development: (30-45 minutes)
Teach: Hold up the prefix cards one at a time for students to read. Tell students the meaning
of each prefix: bi– = two, im– = not, un– = not, mis– = wrong, pre– = before and re– = again
 Explain that knowing the meaning of the prefix can help them determine the
meanings of words that have the prefix.
 Write the following words on the white board (judge, place, cycle, lingual, mature,
impossible, fair, true, dict, pay, count and place)
 Ask students to add a prefix to change the meaning of the word.
 Teacher Led Practice: Read aloud the Prefix passages, have students circle the
words in the passage that contain prefixes. Next, working as a group write a short
story or paragraph using prefixes.
 Apply: Allow students to work in pairs: Provide students with a list of 12 words
play, historic, code, lead, pay, state, tell able, respect, title, national and circle. Next,
provide students with a list of 12 common prefixes: un, trans, inter, re, pre, fore, simi,
de, over, dis, mis, and sub. Instruct the students to create a list with as many words as
they can by combining the root words with the prefixes.
 Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and checking
on their understanding of prefixes
Student Case Study
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Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
 Independent work: Have the student read the prefix reading passage aloud. Then
ask the student to go back and circle all words with prefixes and answer
comprehension questions.
Closing: (5 minutes)
A prefix is a word element attached to the beginning of a root word. A suffix is a word
element attached to the end of a root word. Add suffixes to the ending of your words.
Assessment Measures:
Student ability to recognize prefixes and decode multi-syllable words. Students will
independently divide the list of 20 words into syllables. The assigned word sheet
containing words made with prefixes followed by open and closed two syllable words.
Student will have their results charted to determine mastery.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and seemed to have a solid foundation on prefixes. Juana
scored a 90%. This is an area that we reviewed and practiced at the beginning of the
school year. The students were able to rely on prior knowledge and tie it in to todays
lesson. Juana seemed to enjoy writing the short passage and sentences. She is very
creative when it comes to writing. I also observed that Juana spelling is also showing
improvement. She is spelling many more words correctly, and those words that she
continues to misspell are now recognizable. She also took the lead in her group when
creating words and was interacting with her peers as more of a leader instead of a
follower, or waiting for their guidance. I see no need in spending additional time in
this topic. I feel we have gained considerable ground in the area of decoding skills.
Syllable Patterns: Suffix Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 24)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday 50 minutes
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Word building for increasing vocabulary
Rationale:
A suffix is a group of letters or words added to the ending of a word, changing its
meaning.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Students will identify and define prefixes
 Student will use their understanding of suffixes to decode words and identify
their meaning
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Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
62
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:



Suffix list with meanings handout
http://www.learnthat.org/pages/view/suffix.html
Suffix cards
Suffix reading passage
Procedure:
Initiation: (5 minutes)
A suffix is words or letters you add to the end of the word, that can change the words
meaning. (Remember a Prefix you add to the beginning of a word.) Lets look at a few
examples:
1. root word: "play" + suffix: -ful to create the word playful.
2. root word: "blind" + suffix: -ed to create blinded (He was blinded by the light.)
3. root word: "taste" + suffix: -less to create tasteless (The shirt she was wearing was
very tasteless.)
Can you think of any other endings we may commonly at to words? (ing, tion, able,
er) Great…
Development: (30-45 minutes)
Teach: Suffixes are often just called endings the most common are (Hold up suffix
cards) s (plural forms), er (relating to a person or thing that does something), ful, less,
able, ible, ist.
 Write the following words on the white board (fighter, folder, helpful, visitor,
doubtful, powerless, suitable, gullible, persist). Ask the students what do these
words mean when the suffix is added?
 Teacher Led Practice: Handout suffix with meanings list. Then tell the
students, here are some words using the suffix less meaning without: Hold up
the notecards and have the student read aloud the words: ageless, backless,
careless, endless and flawless.
 Next, hold up the notecards with the suffixes ful and full. Ask the student what
the suffixes mean and then read aloud the words. (meaning full of): artful,
awful, beautiful, blissfully, cheerful, faithful, and faithfully. Ask the student
how the endings changed the words.
 Lets try one more, hold up the notecards with the suffix ible. Ask the student
what the suffixes means and then read aloud the words. (meaning able to be):
accessible, collectible, divisible, edible, flexible, and horrible.
 Apply: Allow students to work in pairs: Ask the student to create a list of 6
words with the following suffixes (ment, ance, ness and tion) and use the
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words in a sentence. Be sure to include the meanings of each suffix at the top
of your word lists.
Check for understanding: Walking around when students are in pairs and
checking on their understanding of prefixes.
Independent work: Have the student read the suffix reading passage aloud.
Then ask the student to go back and circle all words with suffixes and answer
comprehension questions.
Closing: (5 minutes)
A prefix is a word element attached to the beginning of a root word. A suffix is
a word element attached to the end of a root word. Add suffixes to the
ending of your words.
Assessment Measures:
Students will independently complete the assigned word sheet with a list of
twenty open and closed two-syllable words and have their results charted.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and shared in assisting each other. All students
have a prior knowledge of common suffixes. I was surprised that Juana did not
perform better on this assignment than she did. This is a lesson we covered at
the beginning of the school year also. Scores for her independent work show a
score of 70%. I was also surprised to find Juana struggling with the prefix
“tion, icle and ous”. We practiced this suffix multiple times and each time she
acted as if it were new. She seemed to enjoy writing the short passage and
creating sentences. She also took the lead in her group in creating words. I
will practice suffixes with her independently during seminar, including a video
and independent worksheets. Thinking back to the lesson I did that required
the student to write a haiku, I am now thinking I should have covered prefixes
and suffixes first.
Corrective Reading Multi-Syllable Review Lesson Plan
Subject: R.R. Reading --Corrective Reading: (Lesson 25)
Grade 11:
Monday- Friday (2) 50 minute class periods
Unit: Decoding
Topic:
Silent Letters at the beginning of words
Rationale:
Students selected for this small group do not have decoding strategies necessary to
build a solid foundation in reading. Therefore, their reading lacks fluency and hinders
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
64
their ability to comprehend text. For students to become successful fluent readers,
they must be able to recognize words immediately without spending a lot of time
decoding.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 read words with two or more syllables
 read words with both long and short vowel sounds
Kansas ELA Standards 9-10:
Literacy Learning 3-- Engage the five essential components of reading (phonemic
awareness, phonic, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) at all grade levels based
on individual student needs.
Materials:


Whiteboard & markers
Handouts-Sentence reading activity
Procedure:
Initiation: (10 minutes)
 To gauge how much the students understand about syllables, write the
following nonsense words on the board (fip, zid, podume, trum, hube, chawn,
bimmest, streeve, explairing, impannerous and clumb) on the board.
 Next, ask the students to hold up the number of fingers representing the
number of syllables in each word in a group response. Remind them they my
hold their hand under their chin to feel the syllables.
 Also remind them each syllable must have at least one vowel.
 Then ask students to take turns coming up to the board and divide the words
into syllables—noting prefixes, suffixes, silent letters, consonant blends and
syllable patterns.
 Use questioning strategies throughout this practice to keep track and reinforce
the students understanding.
o Ask how might a long and short vowel sound help us in decoding a
word?
o Ask how can we tell if the letters are consonant blends or double
consonants?
o How many suffixes and prefixes do you recognize?
Development: (45 minutes)
Teach: Review syllable rules—Ask student to take out “syllable rule notecards”
 When two consonants come between two vowels in a word, divide syllables
between the consonants. Ex: coffee, border, plastic
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EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
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
When there are more than two consonants together in a word, divide the
syllables keeping the blends together. EX: employ, monster, entrance
 When there is one consonant between two vowels in a word, divide the
syllables after the first vowel. EX: bonus, plural, glacier
 If following the previous rule doesn’t make a recognizable word, divide the
syllables after the consonant that comes between the vowels. EX: dozen,
method, courage
 When there are two vowels together that don’t represent a long vowel sound
or a diphthong, divide the syllables between the vowels. EX: client, poem, lion
Independent work:
Handout sentence reading activity.
 Have the students read to sentence aloud if in pairs or silently if working with
a partner.
 Have students circle word parts at the beginning and end of the multi-syllable
words.
 Next, have students underline the vowel sounds- using long and short vowel
marks.
1. The performance was very artistic.
2. Our new plane propeller is very effective.
3. The cruel words in the letter were unspeakable.
4. When construction is finished, we can furnish the house.
5. Everyone is sick because the infection spread.
6. Did you make a commitment to finish the work?
7. Can you exterminate the ants before they eat all the food?
8. The food consultant will help the people plan their dinner.
9. The man gave them instructions about how to furnish their houses.
10. The container leaked; it was not effective for holding water.
11. The awful painting was completed by an inartistic person
12. The new construction will result in expansion of the school.
 Check for understanding: Walk around when students are in pairs and
checking on how they divide the syllables. Listen to pairs explain the decision
for dividing their words into syllables.
Closing: (3 minutes)
As a wrap-up activity for this lesson, I will write the word celebration on the
back of cafeteria coupons if the student can correctly divide the word into
syllables the may redeem the coupon for cookies or a yogurt.
Assessment Measures:
Students’ ability to use multiple strategies to decode the longer words with at
least 90% accuracy.
Teacher Reflection:
All students were engaged and enjoyed this lesson. This turned out to be a
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really fun unit to teach. Although, some students still made repeated mistakes,
all students have shown tremendous growth and improvement. Students are
not 100% confident with the rules of syllabification, but admittedly stated they
did not just guess at their answers. All students claimed that they are more
confident with their reading skills and are more comfortable decoding words
in all their reading material. Decoding nonsense words is still a challenge,
however growth in this area is also evident. I am going to do one more lesson
before closing this unit. I am going to have the students work together to make
a decoding PPt for young readers. We will also do continuous practice
decoding words through our vocabulary, spelling and daily reading practices. I
have also learned a lot through these lessons, and plan to continue teaching
decoding skills to my struggling readers. I will review these lessons before
teaching the unit again, and will add improvements that will draw upon and
enhance students’ individual strengths.
Assessment:
At this point in the intervention, the student has completed all twenty-five sessions,
which involved decoding open syllables, closed syllables, syllable patterns, letter
blends, silent letters, long and short vowel sounds, compound words, multi-syllable
words, nonsense words, prefixes and suffixes.
For the outcome-based assessment, the teacher will administer an Informal
Nonsense Word Assessment once again; however, the assessment will be slightly
different from the screening assessment because it will be a teacher created test
with words reflecting on the 10 basic rules of decoding.
After reading the nonsense words, the student will answer questions referring to
the applicable decoding rule. While reading the nonsense words, the teacher will
take note if the student used strategies learned in the intervention sessions.
The researcher will look for improvement in the student ability to decode
unknown words and note the student’s confidence level.
12/12/13: When given a list of 20 nonsense words, Juana scored 16 out of 20
correct. The student was able to recognize many syllable patterns and recall most
syllable division rules. She appeared much more calm during this assessment than
during our initial assessment session. She made numerous comments about her
improved skills. I told her I could see her improvement as well.
67
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
11-Dec-13
27-Nov-13
Column2
13-Nov-13
Column1
30-Oct-13
Series 1
16-Oct-13
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Reflection on what occurred with the instruction
Both the student and I got so much out of this experience. I learned the value
of screening, formal assessment tools and daily progress monitoring. Using these
tools allowed me to identify the student’s independent strengths and weaknesses.
Understanding her area of weakness allowed me to focus and plan instruction to
meet her specific learning needs. Juana in turn learned strategies that will continue
to improve her independent reading skills, and she also learned more about her self
and perseverance.
After teaching this unit on decoding, I feel that the student has become a
more confident reader. She is now able to recognize syllable patterns as well as
apply basic rules of decoding to unfamiliar words. Juana can now recognize and
sound out unfamiliar words more quickly. Her reading fluency has also increased,
at the beginning of this unit she read 98 wpm, and is now scoring 110 wpm. One of
the areas Juana has made the most growth in is in determining the correct vowel
sound. Upon our initial lesson she was scoring an average of 50%, and now she is
scoring 80% in this area. I began this unit by teaching the student to identify and
count syllables as well as reinforcing the rule that “every syllable (or chunk) must
have at least one vowel sound”. By the middle of the lesson, I felt that Juana was
improving on her ability to identify simple consonant vowel patterns. Therefore, we
both set a goal of improving her decoding skills, which will improve her ability to
identify many more words and improve her reading fluency and comprehension.
Juana initially scored 12 out of 20 nonsense words; at the end of this unit she scored
16 out of 20 nonsense words correct.
I frequently used the think aloud technique as a teaching tool, and I notice
during Juana’s independent work that Juana was mirroring this strategy as she was
decoding her words. I heard her ask herself, do you see any consonant vowel
patterns, what is the vowel sound, and remember to divide between double
consonants? I must have asked those same questions a thousand times during this
lesson. This has proved to be an invaluable strategy to use. I also relied heavily
upon teacher led instruction, small group discussion and drills. All of these
techniques were beneficial. However, I wish had I would have included visual more
hand on activities, as this would have drew upon her kinesthetic learning style.
After reviewing the lessons that were designed to include her kinesthetic strengths
Juana scored here highest scores 90-100%, and she made statements saying she
Student Case Study
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EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
68
enjoyed these task. Looking back I should have allowed students to create a word
wall that would have appealed to Juana’s visual learning style, to reinforce syllable
patterns I could have had the student trace consonants vowel pattern on a piece of
sand paper or sorting words printed on to cards into to syllable pattern groups.
Lesson 18-syllable rule review really seemed to help the student when she made her
own cue cards. I feel that the cue cards will continue to be a useful tool for this
particular student. By referring to her cards, she was able to visualize and organize
her thoughts and syllable patterns. The student also had fun restating the rules and
designing the card to aid as a quick glance visual cue. I tried to design as many
lessons as I could, that drew upon Juana’s kinesthetic strengths. I used note cards as
puzzle pieces that allowed the student to manipulate the cards to build words, letter
tiles she could manipulate and interactive games. These were the lesson that
seemed to keep all of the students engaged and they resulted in more progress.
Allowing the student to monitor her own progress, also helped keep a tone of
positive motivation. Reviewing scores together gave us an opportunity to discuss
lessons she found difficult and determine lessons where improvement was still
needed, or mastered.
There were three lessons, which I had particular trouble with motivation and
distraction, in each lesson delivery was obviously not executed effectively as the
case study student only received a 60% on her lesson assessment scores. The
lessons that proved the most troublesome where those in which I included a
YouTube video. The video I selected, the students found childish, and quickly lost
attention. When I teach this lesson again, I will definitely find better videos or take
a completely new approach. Another lesson I had trouble with was lesson 16, I
misjudged the amount of time and work I expected the students to complete in one
lesson. I did however quickly notice my error and I apologized to my students and
modified the lesson. Lesson 14 also posed a particular problem, with the behavior
of boys in my class. They clearly did not like the haiku activity and allowed their
disinterest to build into distraction and off task behavior. I realized I was probably
not as prepared to teach this lesson as I should have been. When I reteach this
lesson I will keep the idea of writing haikus, but I will provide word cards including
a syllable count. I think having words prepared ahead of time will alleviate some of
the stress of finding the right words and making sure that they have the number of
syllables needed.
After reflecting upon this unit I think I also had a couple of missed
opportunities that would have enhanced the students, academic growth. When I
reteach this lesson I will include mini lessons geared toward spelling. I believe this
could have helped connect they syllable patterns while increasing spelling. Next
time I teach this lesson, I will also slow the pace; I focused so strongly on covering
the entire syllable patterns and rules, which I did not slow down enough to make
sure the student, had completely mastered the concept before moving on. Juana is
also such a creative student, I found myself wishing I had given her more time to
write and use her vocabulary while strengthening her independent skills.
Student Case Study
Lori Arguelles
EDUC 559
Capstone Practicum Fall 2013
69