15 Responses (15 students, 11 teachers)

Questions 8-9
How has the teacher observed the students strength/weakness been observed?

Phonics

Phonemic
Awareness

Vocabulary

Strength Observed

Weakness Observed

Student is able to identify all letters and their

sounds
Student can decode most words in practice
Student is usually able to match the letter with the
word that makes that sound
Student can sound out words and knows about text
and text features
The student can point to letters that correspond to
letter sounds
The student can write the letter of the sound they
hear
Can identify words that rhyme
Can identify most letter sounds
Can read CVC words with familiar letters

Student was unable to decode or identify sigh words

Student can only read high frequency words
Observed one-on-one and with peers
Student is unable to read unfamiliar sound patterns
that do not exist in their native language

Student is able to bend and sound out small

phonetic words with ease
Student is beginning to tell if two words start with
the same letter
He can blend sounds and is able to identify rhyming
words
Observed through one-on-one instruction

Student is not connecting written text with sounds

and is only just beginning to understand the concept
of beginning sounds

Oral responses
Paper tests

Student doesnt know the meaning of many common

words
Student often asks what words mean in assignments
Student rarely retains new words

Based off responses to reading short decodable

Student cannot answer comprehension questions

before, during, or after a story
Student is unable to answer questions about the text
Unable to make inferences

Ability to sound out multisyllabic words correctly

most of the time
Memorization through repetition through reading
Recognizes cognates and their meanings

Reading is choppy on cold read-aloud

Sentences are only read word by word mostly be
repetition of what the teacher says
Student is unable to read independantly

Comprehen- books
sion

Fluency

What instructional techniques that teachers have found useful in developing the
strength/weakness?
Techniques for this strength

Phonics

Phonemic
Awareness

Word building
Letter/sound identification practice
Using rhyming words to help spell unfamiliar words
Practicing letter sounds during word building
Practice adding endings and prefixes
Discussing how endings change words and how to
say words once endings or prefixes are added
Reading lists of words that rhyme
Repetition of letters and sounds with flashcards
Word building techniques
Decodable books
Worksheets with pictures of objects and people that
start with the letter sound
Using games
Using kinesthetic activities such as tossing a bean
bag onto words with specific word blends

Techniques for this weakness

Direct phonics instruction of sound/letter
relationships
Explicit phonics instruction

Singing, chanting, providing many words with the

sounds needs to master
Singing songs with sound patterns that are
unfamiliar
Repetition

Creating rhyming booklets that the student can add

to in a creative way

Vocabulary

Comprehension

Fluency

Repetition
Modeling
Scaffolding
Worksheets to reinforce knowledge
Encouraging student to find familiar parts in words
to determine meaning

Repeated reading of stories

Listening to stories before attempting to read them
Reading and talking about stories
Previewing and predicting
Retelling
Encourage student to find word parts they know to
understand more difficult vocabulary

Big books with familiar words and chants

Oral reading practice
Repetition of the material until the student is
proficient
Frequent writing activities and practice

Review of necessary vocabulary prior to a test

Using pictures
Pre-teaching regular classroom vocabulary lists
Student makes a picture dictionary using the
computer
Practice using context clues to determine the
meaning of unknown words
Supporting student in creating their own sentences
with new vocabulary
Making a craft that matches the word with the
definition and a picture
Begin by asking yes and no questions
Using questions such as Whats this? or Where
are they?
Using picture cards to show who, what, when, and
where
Using pictures to assist with answering the
questions
Using constant checks during reading
Using graphic organizers to analyze text
Comparison charts to analyze characters
Reading predictable books
Scaffolding
Deeper questioning
Practice in writing about text
Participation in Readers Theater activities
Using high frequency words in combination with
pictures
Reading very basic books with short CVC words
Reinforcement of sight words
Positive support and opportunity to read orally
Rhymes to improve fluency

Question 10
Teacher reflections on how the students reading ability affects their learning in school.
Negative
Student is behind in all classes.
Student looses interest often
because the student does not
understand the teacher or
directions. Student pays
attention to peers to try to
imitate what they do rather than
listening to instructions.
Student is very slow to learn and
seems to have other
developmental issues.
All other courses are negatively
affected.
The student is unable to do Math
word problems.
The student is currently behind
two grade levels and may have
other learning needs besides
ESL.
Student is confused because the
student does not apply new
words to new concepts.

Neutral
Improving the students reading
ability would greatly improve
the students learning in school.
Reading comprehension affects
the students ability to
understand questions and text in
all other subjects.
Reading ability affects the
students learning
tremendously.
Poor reading comprehension
affects the students ability to
understand text and new
vocabulary all subjects.

Positive
Student is behind but with
focused attention to phonics and
reading strategies seems to be
catching up to peers.
Student is doing well, does not
seem to be behind peers.
The student does well in other
content areas but is sometimes
unable to write about topics
with much detail or
organization.
At this time reading ability is not
affecting his learning because
st
the student is in 1
grade and
everyone is learning to read.