Robin Harmon
December 11, 2009
Professor Eastman
EDUC 301
Phase 1
Data Collection
This case study was done on a seven year old female of Hispanic descent. She attends an
elementary school in Northern Indiana. Her second grade classroom has 22 students in it. The
knowledge in the classroom varies greatly, from students who are reading fluently to those who
are still learning letter sounds. She knows all the letter sounds and is beginning to read words,
but is having trouble putting the words into sentences.
The student’s family is lower-middle class. The student lives in her home with her
mother, father, and younger sister. She does not have any pets. She likes to tell stories and ride
her bicycle when she is at home. She does not live near any friends so she usually plays with her
sister. The student claims there are not many books for her to read at home and the family does
not go to the library. She reads many books in class and takes home her school library book
almost every night.
At school, her favorite subject is art. She likes to work in groups but does not often
participate much to discussion. She also does not assume a leadership role. She enjoys Writer’s
Workshop but often draws pictures instead of writing words to her stories. She also likes math
class. She struggles with sentence problems. Her least favorite subject is reading.
The student was assessed at the beginning of the using the AIMSweb test. She scored in
the normal range in all areas of math but score below average in Language Arts and significantly
below average in the fluency section. The student had trouble reading at a consistent pace.
When the student got stuck on a word she would become frustrated and lose focus causing her
lower score. Because of the significantly lower score in fluency, it was decided that would be
the focus of the intervention.
The pre-assessment screening is a running record. The teacher advised this as it would
help to see if missing a word or two really threw off the student or if there was a deeper problem.
This assessment would be given before any interventions were to take place. This assessment is
done by the student reading and the researcher following along making note of any words
skipped, wrong words said, or words added. The researcher will also mark if there were any
self-corrections made.
Other assessments include the reading of a passage each time the student meets with the
researcher for an intervention lesson. The reading takes place for one minute. It will tell the
researcher how many words per minute the student is reading correctly. This data will be kept
on a graph so the student can see her progress.
The outcome based assessment is another running record. This will help the researcher to
gauge progress made as a result of the interventions.
Assessment Database
Name
Grade
How to Use
STAR
Reading test
1-12
Administered
on the
computer.
Reading
Speed
1-12
Northwest
Educ MAP
1-12
Students read
as many words
as they can in a
one minute
time period.
The number of
words read
correctly is the
words/minutes
Administered
on the
computer.
Yopp-Singer
Test of
Phonemic
Segmentation
K-3
Administered
one on one
with the student
Phonics
Inventory
K-2
Administered
one on one
with a student
When to
Information
Reference
Use
Provided
Information
When a
The student’s
www.renlearn.com
student
present
/MISDFull.pdf
begins
reading level
struggling
with a
certain
reading
level
When a
The student’s
Tompkins, GE.
student
current
(2006). Literacy for
seems to be reading pace
the 21st century: A
taking too
in
balanced approach. 4th
long to read words/minute
ed. Columbus:
certain
Pearson.
passages
Every year
to monitor
student
growth
If a student
is having
trouble
breaking
words into
phonemes
To help
break
students
into
common
knowledge
groups
Diagnose
http://www.nea.org/
instructional
assessments/
needs,
monitor
growth
To check a
http://teams.lacoe.edu/
student’s
reading/assessments/
knowledge of
yopp.html
phonemic
awareness
To help
group
students so
they are
learning with
others at
similar
levels.
http://teams.lacoe.edu
/reading/assessments
/inven.html
Phase 2
By doing the running record for the pretest, it was determined that the student could read
the words well. The trouble came that it took the student an extended period of time to read the
passage. The student stopped to sound out each word, even if it was a sight word. When the
student missed a word, she continued reading. The student had trouble reading whole sentences.
She broke them up in odd places and had no phrasing.
Lessons
Lesson 1: Modeling Fluency
Researcher introduces “The Frog Trail” by Judy Nayer. Researcher explains to the
student that it is important to read fluently (using expression, quickly, smoothly, and following
punctuation) so we can comprehend better. Researcher reads to first three pages of the book to
the student in a monotone voice, don’t follow punctuation, and stop often. Discuss with the
student what you should have done differently. Read the same three pages using correct fluency.
Discuss with the student what you did correctly. Have the student read the book to you. Ask the
student to try to practice fluency. Be sure to point out to the student places where their fluency
can improve and show them how to improve it. As soon as the student finishes the book tell
them they are going to read the book again. This time you are going to time them to see how
many words they can read in one minute. As the student reads, mark words they stumble on,
skip, or mispronounce. At the end of the reading, help the student mark their words per minute
on a chart.
The student will then write the new high frequency words found in the book (they are
marked on the last page). They will add to this list as they continue through the lessons. Before
the student leaves the Researcher will show the student the next book, “A Rain Forest Day” by
Judy Nayer. Have the student take the list of the new high frequency words with them so they
can use them in their writing.
Lesson 2: Picture Walk
Researcher reminds the student what fluency means. Student rereads “The Frog Trail.”
Researcher times the student for one minute, marking when the student stumbles, skips, or
mispronounces. When the minute is up, have the student stop reading. Have them record their
words per minute on the same chart they did last week.
Researcher gives student the new book, “A Rain Forest Day.” Rsearcher introduces the
concept of a “picture walk” Students look at the pictures in the book before they begin to read.
This helps them build schema, anticipate vocabulary, and make predictions. Take a picture walk
through the book with the student. Make sure they have the schema needed to comprehend the
story. As the student reads the book aloud make sure they try to read fluently. Also have them
refer to the pictures if they are having trouble with a word.
Have the student write their new high frequency words on the same sheet as they did the
week before. Allow the student to take both sets of words with them to use in their writing
during the week. Allow student to take a picture walk through the book they are going to use the
next week, “Dinosaur Hall” by Judy Nayer.
Lesson 3: Cut Up Story
Have student tell teacher what fluency means. Researcher has the student do the timed
reading and record words per minute as done on previous days.
Student takes a picture walk through “Dinosaur Hall.” Student reads the book to the
teacher. Researcher writes sentences from the book on strips of paper. Researcher and student
read the sentences together. Researcher helps student cut the strips of paper where there should
be a pause. The visual separation of the strips of paper help the student see when a natural pause
should be in a sentence. Have the student reread the story. Point out in the story when you come
to a sentence that was written on the sentence strips. Make sure the student includes the proper
pauses.
Have the student write the new high frequency words on their paper. Ask the student to
read all the new and old high frequency words and spell them. Introduce the next book to the
student, “Small Animals with Big Names.” Have the student take a picture walk through the
book and look for places where pauses would occur, such as commas.
Lesson 4: Syllables
Ask student to tell you what fluency means. Have student read three of the sentence
strips from the previous week. Have student do the timed reading and record the words per
minute as in previous weeks.
Look at the list of high frequency words. Tell student that one thing they can do to help
them read more fluently is to know the number of syllables in a word. A syllable is the number
of times the mouth moves up and down in a word. Show the student how the put their hand
under their chin and count the number of times it goes down while they say a word. Start with
their name and a few words they know very well. As they say the syllables draw a slash at the
end of the syllable in the word (boy/, moth/er/, an/i/mal/). Read the first page of the book,
“Small Animals with Big Names” with the student. Pause at the end of each word to say the
number of syllables. Take a quick picture walk through the rest of the book. Have the student
continue to read the book. Stop them at the end of each page and pick one word from the page
and tell you the number of syllables.
Have the student write the new high frequency words on their paper. Have them read and
spell all of their words. Introduce the book for next week, “Paws and Claws.” Have them take a
picture walk, look for places they need to pause, and look for large words and find the number of
syllables.
Lesson 5: Fill in the Blank
Ask student what fluency means. Have student tell you the number of syllables in the
words on their high frequency list. Have student do the timed reading and record as done in
previous weeks.
Tell students that sometimes when they approach a new word, it is best to read the whole
sentence and then go back to the word they do not know. Take out last week’s book “Small
Animals with Big Names.” Have some of the words already covered with a sticky note. Have
student read the sentence and then think of some words that the unknown word might be. Have
them look at the pictures and surrounding text for clues. Continue through the book.
Have student take a quick picture walk through “Paws and Claws.” Make sure they
notice pauses in the text. Have the student read the book to you. If they struggle with a word
have them read to the end of the sentence and then go back to figure out the word.
Have the student write the new high frequency words on their list. Have them read all the
words to you. Introduce next week’s book, “See the Sea.” Have the student take a picture walk,
look for pauses, find big words they are unsure of and check for syllables and picture or context
clues.
Lesson 6: Whisper Phone
Ask the student what fluency means. Review syllables. Have student do the timed
reading and record as done in previous weeks.
Tell the student that they have done very well learning all about fluency. This week they
are going to learn to use a whisper phone. The student speaks into the phone as they read and
they can hear themselves. Go through the book, “See the Sea” with the student. Take a picture
walk, help them find words they are unsure of and find syllables and context clues, and identify
places where pauses are important. Have the student read the book into the whisper phone. Tell
them to listen to themselves as they read and see if they think they are reading fluently.
When the student finishes the book, discuss with them what they heard as they read.
Write the new high frequency words on the list. Have the student read you all the words from
the list. Take time to share the words per minute chart with the student. Show them how their
words per minute increased every week because of their practice and their learning new skills.
Ask the student if they think they are a better reader now that they know how to read fluently.
October 21, 2009
To Whom It May Concern,
I have been working with your child to help increase her reading
skills. We are going to begin a series of lessons that focus on fluency;
the ability to read and write using accuracy, punctuation, and
expression. By focusing on fluency your student will be better able to
comprehend the text she is reading. We will be doing lessons such as
Modeling Fluency (I will show the student how to read fluently), Picture
Walks (the student looks at the pictures before beginning reading to
help them build what they already know), Cut up the story (this will
help the student learn the appropriate places to pause as they are
reading), syllables (this will help the student learn to break down big
words to read them more quickly), fill in the blank (this will help the
student to find context clues within what they are reading), and
whisper phones (these allow the student to hear themselves read so
they can check for their own fluency).
If you have any questions concerning the lessons, please do not
hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at
rjward@spartans.manchester.edu or at (574) 306-2502.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Robin Harmon
Phase 3
Lesson 1: Modeling Fluency
Researcher introduces “The Frog Trail” by Judy Nayer. Researcher explains to the
student that it is important to read fluently (using expression, quickly, smoothly, and following
punctuation) so we can comprehend better. Researcher reads to first three pages of the book to
the student in a monotone voice, don’t follow punctuation, and stop often. Discuss with the
student what you should have done differently. Read the same three pages using correct fluency.
Discuss with the student what you did correctly. Have the student read the book to you. Ask the
student to try to practice fluency. Be sure to point out to the student places where their fluency
can improve and show them how to improve it. As soon as the student finishes the book tell
them they are going to read the book again. This time you are going to time them to see how
many words they can read in one minute. As the student reads, mark words they stumble on,
skip, or mispronounce. At the end of the reading, help the student mark their words per minute
on a chart.
The student will then write the new high frequency words found in the book (they are
marked on the last page). They will add to this list as they continue through the lessons. Before
the student leaves the Researcher will show the student the next book, “A Rain Forest Day” by
Judy Nayer. Have the student take the list of the new high frequency words with them so they
can use them in their writing.
The student responded well to this lesson. When talking about fluency she was able to
describe what she needed to be doing. She understood the importance of fluency. She was able
to mimic what the researcher was doing. She giggled when she was allowed to fill in the chart of
how many words she read per minute. When asked if she thought she could read more fluently
next time she gleefully responded, “Yes!”
Lesson 2: Picture Walk
Researcher reminds the student what fluency means. Student rereads “The Frog Trail.”
Researcher times the student for one minute, marking when the student stumbles, skips, or
mispronounces. When the minute is up, have the student stop reading. Have them record their
words per minute on the same chart they did last week.
Researcher gives student the new book, “A Rain Forest Day.” Rsearcher introduces the
concept of a “picture walk” Students look at the pictures in the book before they begin to read.
This helps them build schema, anticipate vocabulary, and make predictions. Take a picture walk
through the book with the student. Make sure they have the schema needed to comprehend the
story. As the student reads the book aloud make sure they try to read fluently. Also have them
refer to the pictures if they are having trouble with a word.
Have the student write their new high frequency words on the same sheet as they did the
week before. Allow the student to take both sets of words with them to use in their writing
during the week. Allow student to take a picture walk through the book they are going to use the
next week, “Dinosaur Hall” by Judy Nayer.
The student was very excited after doing the one minute reading and finding out that her
number had increased. She was already familiar with Picture Walks. They do them in their
classroom. She was unsure of the reasoning behind the Picture Walk. The next time she did a
picture walk after having the reasoning explained she was able to point out many details. The
student was very surprised that after she wrote her new words, she could read the words from the
previous lesson.
Lesson 3: Cut Up Story
Have student tell teacher what fluency means. Researcher has the student do the timed
reading and record words per minute as done on previous days.
Student takes a picture walk through “Dinosaur Hall.” Student reads the book to the
teacher. Researcher writes sentences from the book on strips of paper. Researcher and student
read the sentences together. Researcher helps student cut the strips of paper where there should
be a pause. The visual separation of the strips of paper help the student see when a natural pause
should be in a sentence. Have the student reread the story. Point out in the story when you come
to a sentence that was written on the sentence strips. Make sure the student includes the proper
pauses.
Have the student write the new high frequency words on their paper. Ask the student to
read all the new and old high frequency words and spell them. Introduce the next book to the
student, “Small Animals with Big Names.” Have the student take a picture walk through the
book and look for places where pauses would occur, such as commas.
The student again was very excited that her words per minute had increased from the
previous week. She really seemed to enjoy cutting up the sentences. When she was reading the
story, she paid very close attention to commas. She stopped at every comma, pointed at it, and
then motioned with her hand to stop. The distinction had to be made between a pause and a stop.
She responded well to the correction and corrected her reading promptly.
Lesson 4: Syllables
Ask student to tell you what fluency means. Have student read three of the sentence
strips from the previous week. Have student do the timed reading and record the words per
minute as in previous weeks.
Look at the list of high frequency words. Tell student that one thing they can do to help
them read more fluently is to know the number of syllables in a word. A syllable is the number
of times the mouth moves up and down in a word. Show the student how the put their hand
under their chin and count the number of times it goes down while they say a word. Start with
their name and a few words they know very well. As they say the syllables draw a slash at the
end of the syllable in the word (boy/, moth/er/, an/i/mal/). Read the first page of the book,
“Small Animals with Big Names” with the student. Pause at the end of each word to say the
number of syllables. Take a quick picture walk through the rest of the book. Have the student
continue to read the book. Stop them at the end of each page and pick one word from the page
and tell you the number of syllables.
Have the student write the new high frequency words on their paper. Have them read and
spell all of their words. Introduce the book for next week, “Paws and Claws.” Have them take a
picture walk, look for places they need to pause, and look for large words and find the number of
syllables.
The student’s words per minute went down slightly from the previous week. This was
possibly due to the time between the lessons. The student did well with telling how many
syllables there were in a word. As she was reading the story, she found she had trouble using the
idea of syllables to help her figure out words. As student does the review activities from the
previous weeks, she did very well. She was very excited that she remembered how to do each
activity. When doing the writing for the week, the student shared that she had been using her
new words list as she was doing her Writer’s Workshop.
Lesson 5: Fill in the Blank
Ask student what fluency means. Have student tell you the number of syllables in the
words on their high frequency list. Have student do the timed reading and record as done in
previous weeks.
Tell students that sometimes when they approach a new word, it is best to read the whole
sentence and then go back to the word they do not know. Take out last week’s book “Small
Animals with Big Names.” Have some of the words already covered with a sticky note. Have
student read the sentence and then think of some words that the unknown word might be. Have
them look at the pictures and surrounding text for clues. Continue through the book.
Have student take a quick picture walk through “Paws and Claws.” Make sure they
notice pauses in the text. Have the student read the book to you. If they struggle with a word
have them read to the end of the sentence and then go back to figure out the word.
Have the student write the new high frequency words on their list. Have them read all the
words to you. Introduce next week’s book, “See the Sea.” Have the student take a picture walk,
look for pauses, find big words they are unsure of and check for syllables and picture or context
clues.
The student’s words per minute increased greatly from the previous week, ten words.
She was very proud of this and was smiling as she filled in the chart. When trying to fill in the
blanks left in the story, the student was picking words that made sense but not ones that would fit
with the illustrations. When that was brought to her attention, she began surveying the
illustrations before she began reading. When reading the whole book she began looking at the
illustrations to help her when she came to a word she did not know. Many times, she said the
right word. When doing the preview for the next week, the student began doing the things she
had been taught without being instructed to do so.
Lesson 6: Whisper Phone
Ask the student what fluency means. Review syllables. Have student do the timed
reading and record as done in previous weeks.
Tell the student that they have done very well learning all about fluency. This week they
are going to learn to use a whisper phone. The student speaks into the phone as they read and
they can hear themselves. Go through the book, “See the Sea” with the student. Take a picture
walk, help them find words they are unsure of and find syllables and context clues, and identify
places where pauses are important. Have the student read the book into the whisper phone. Tell
them to listen to themselves as they read and see if they think they are reading fluently.
When the student finishes the book, discuss with them what they heard as they read.
Write the new high frequency words on the list. Have the student read you all the words from
the list. Take time to share the words per minute chart with the student. Show them how their
words per minute increased every week because of their practice and their learning new skills.
Ask the student if they think they are a better reader now that they know how to read fluently.
As the student reviewed items from the previous week, she did so with great confidence.
When the student began using the whisper phones, she claimed that she did not like it. She said
that she did not like the sound of her voice. She continued to use it for half of the book before
she refused to use it any longer. Next time, possibly recording the student and then having them
listen to themselves would be a better idea. As the student wrote the words of the week on the
list, she read them all. She read them all perfectly. She explained some of the ways she had
been using the words in her writing.
Phase Four
By looking at the weekly words per minute assessment, the student greatly increased her
fluency. She was able to go from 36 to 56 words per minute. That is a 20 word increase. When
comparing the pre and post running record tests, the scores are not much different, but the
amount of time the student spent reading decreased dramatically.
While listening to the student read, there was an increase in fluency. The student read
more quickly and used inflection in her voice. She looked at the illustrations as she was reading
to help guide her with words she was unsure of. Some things that appeared that may need more
work are on rhyming words. She also could use some work in finding chucks in words. To
share with the student how she was doing, her scores were shared with her. Goals were set and
the student strove to achieve them.
As the student continued through the lessons, she was very excited to show how she had
used what she previously learned. She was also very excited to graph her performance. The
student’s attention span stayed relatively the same throughout the lessons. She seemed very
willing and wanted to learn. When the student was not able to read something, she became very
upset. She seemed to feel as though she was failing. Once she had a few minutes, she
recomposed herself and continued with the lesson.
Personal Reflection
As an instructor, I feel administering the reader case study has greatly helped me. I feel I
am better able to focus on what I am teaching and how the student is achieving at the goal rather
than having a personal connection to the student and their abilities. Assessment really drives the
instruction. Assessment is able to tell me what needs to be focused on and what a student
already has mastered. The reader case study has helped me to be able to read, understand, and
analyze assessment scores. The numbers can mean so many different things, and it is up to me to
determine what is most important. By seeing only one student’s work at a time has helped me to
see what needs to be worked on. When a student misses something, it is important to find out
why they missed it. What part did they not understand? By being able to design lessons for one
student, I am much more aware of that student’s strengths and weaknesses. As I continue
through my career, one of my goals is to gain knowledge of more assessments. I feel that
knowing what is available will greatly help me to help my students. I also feel that I need to set
the goal of better scheduling times to work with students. Sometimes the sessions were very
close together and other times they were spread too far apart.