week 5

Assignment one

Mary read a level two word list with a total of 16 words read correctly out of twenty.

Assignment two

Mary read four of twenty words correctly. She scored at 20%, which indicates that level two is the appropriate level for her.

Assignment 3

Mary read the passage with relative ease. For every one error she read nineteen words correctly. The accuracy rate was 1:5. She self corrected herself a couple of times. wpm-46 wcpm-44. Mary demonstrated that she is comfortable with level two. When retelling the story she was able to recall the main idea but not many details. 
Assignment 4
From this reading assessment it is clear that Mary is on level two. When she was given the level three word list she was having trouble reading it. Mary can use improvement in her comprehension skills. When retelling the story she couldn't recall all the details.   

week 4 assignment 2

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cbnrc26omK

week 4 assignment 1

The RTI method seems like a wonderful approach to identifying students with specific learning disabilities. RTI tries to intervene right away, whereas the discrepancy model sometimes waits until its too late and the students fall way behind. RTI assesses the students frequently to see if intervention is necessary and if it is they start right away. They don’t have to wait for a standardized test or an IQ test to be performed. The goal for us as teachers is to have our students read and have the ability to link the text to prior knowledge. Some students are failing to perform well on the NAEP exam because it focuses on thoughtful responses and teachers aren’t focusing their lessons on that. They are focusing on having their students perform well on standardized tests and that test focuses on memorizing details and spitting back information. In my opinion until the standardized test get switched to the NAEP format teachers aren’t going to focus on the thoughtful literacy, which is a shame because that’s a really important skill.

RTI is a three tier system which recognizes early on if a student needs extra help. They start off in tier 1 and continue moving up if they need extra help. If the students in tier 3 still need extra help then they are referred for special education. RTI prevents many students from having to need special education. They catch the problem early on and intervene right away.

RTI is a great system but it requires a large amount of funds and human resources. Can every school handle this?

week 3 assignment 3

1. A QRI5 is an informal reading assessment that is administered individually. It is not a standardized instrument.

 2, A QRI5 is used to provide information  about how students can identify words and comprehend texts and vice versa. It helps determine the students reading level, group students for guided reading sessions, or to help them choose appropriate books.

3. The only other reading assessment that I know of that sounds familiar to this is a running record assessment.  It is also  administered individually and tests similar things.

4. My impression of the QRI5 is that it sounds like a great instrument to measure a students reading level but I would like to try an administer one this way I can get a real feel of it.

week 3 assignment 2

The three sample  fourth grade lesson plans were real eye openers. After reviewing these lesson plans I learned that with a little bit of thought and creativity the common core standards can be easily integrated into lesson plans and they can be applicable for all students even if they are at different reading levels. Students can be assessed using the QRI-5 and a running record assessment. These are great to tools for teachers to assess their students reading levels. They should also be doing daily informal assessments to make sure the students are up to par as oppose to waiting for the results of the formal assessments.

week 2 assignment 3

In the first video, we see the vital role parents play in their children's literacy development. Her parents are preparing her for when she is ready to read on her own. She find opportunities to point out print and how it is used. They read to her, speak to her, and show her different signs while they are out. The most important thing a parent can do to help children read is to give them a love for reading.

In the second video, an experiment  was conducted which proved that babies can distinguish between sounds. It is crucial that parents speak to their children at a young  age because by the time the babies reach twelve months their language is already highly developed.  Speaking to babies  also helps set a foundation for their reading skills.

In the third video, I learnt that parents should play word games with their children. Word games can help children develop phonemic awareness. Rhyming can be the beginning of  phonemic awareness.

In the fourth video, a  teacher builds upon alphabetic connections with her students. She reinforces links between letters and sounds. She makes sure that all of her students have grasped phonemic awareness because if they fall behind with this, the students are at risk for reading failure.

In the fifth video, it shows a reading program, which focuses on fluency. It teaches decoding with comprehension. It uses a strategy called a word web. Students expand the web by using words and phrases that relate to what is written on the web. This tool can help develop better fluency.

In the sixth video, students create semantic gradients.  It helps the students develop their vocabulary.  They figure out the vocabulary words by doing activities together, such as playing word games.

In the seventh video, the students learnt that spelling makes sense and that its not just hard and they have to memorize it. They used a strategy called word study. Students discover spelling patterns.

In the eighth video, the Jigsaw strategy was explained.  The strategy helps students with reading comprehension. The students get grouped in a way called jigsaw. The students were divided into groups to read a text. The students read the text in a group and then they go on to discuss what they read in another group.

The ninth video focused on the education of writing. The teacher explained how she helped her students excel in writing. The students practiced writing every day. She gives her students their own writers notebook where they write down whatever they would like. She explains to the students the importance of details and word choice when writing.

The tenth video explains that teachers must use ongoing assessments. Teachers have to use continuous assessments to see what level their students are up to and if they are having trouble, to be able to help them right away.