Vanessa Hadley

19 April 2016
SED 328
McWilliams
Fieldwork Experience Final Reflection
Throughout my fieldwork experience with students at the upper elementary age, I had to
the opportunity to not only work with Mrs. Derbish and her fourth grade students but also
Hutchinson Elementarys Title 1 Reading and Special Education teachers. While working and
observing the various teachers I have learned a lot when it comes to reading instruction. Through
real time action, I was able to expand on vocabulary, phonics, fluency, comprehension, writing,
and differentiating instruction concepts we learned in class by witnessing them taking place in
the classroom.
Fluency is an important concept students need to master to increase their comprehension
of various texts. Like any subject or skill, it is important to initially teach a skill then continue to
monitor it; fluency is no different. During my fieldwork experience, I had the opportunity to
administer a fluency assessment to a fourth grade student at Hutchinson Elementary and progress
monitor his fluency skills three times. Administering a fluency assessment takes a lot of
concentration and multitasking; you need to know all the rules, keep track of time, and establish
a note system to help track errors for data mining after the assessment. The first time I
administered the assessment, I was nervous but quickly came up with a note system that carried
over during the progress monitoring assessments. From the initial assessment data, I noticed the
student had trouble with fluency leading to comprehension issues. After progress monitoring him
by completing another two fluency assessments and an observation while working in a small
instructional group, I was able to notice that my student focused on increasing his word count.
This was noted because during the small group instruction, he ready with prosody and even
better fluency than during the assessments. In both the initial assessment and two other follow up
assessments, my student would read without prosody, have trouble reading words, and only focus
on the beginning sounds of words and formulating guess; he was not reading for meaning and
struggling with comprehension questions. Observing him in a more relaxed environment, I
noticed he did read with prosody and was better able to answer comprehension questions
compared to the ones asked at the end of the fluency assessment. This could be the result of the
pressure of the time limit that comes with a fluency assessment. Without progress monitoring
this student, I would have never caught these differences thus skewing data and adding unneeded
instruction support for the student. By monitoring fluency of all students, teachers are able to
adjust instruction to increase fluency skills for all students without singling out only the students
who are struggling. One last aspect of learning Mrs. Derbish does to teach and assess fluency is
model reading; if time is remaining towards the end of the period, she will continue reading a
chapter from their chapter novel; by modeling reading, Mrs. Derbish is showing students the
appropriate way to read with prosody and expression. Fluency is a skill that teachers at all levels
need to continuously monitor to ensure students are capable of reading and actually
comprehending what they are reading.
Another concept students need to master to succeed in reading to learn is vocabulary and
phonics (spelling). As teachers it is important that we provide explicit instruction for both
vocabulary and phonics. Throughout my observation in Mrs. Derbishs room, Title I Reading,
and Learning Support (Special Education), I learned it is important that students have a strong

grasp on vocabulary and spelling words in each unit before they can fully comprehend any text
they are reading. By explicitly teaching vocabulary and phonics students can complete various
educational activities, have word walls, and complete graphic organizers to understand the
meaning/spelling of words. In Mrs. Derbishs classroom the fourth grade students have a split
word wall; the interactive side of the word wall includes the current lesson/unit vocabulary and
spelling words along with a flip side holding definitions. The other side of the word wall just lists
previous unit terms for students to reference and continue to use as the units go on. Another
concept I learned from the fieldwork is that creating activities that will aid in assessment for the
students. Do not provide an activity that will not assist students in learning the material for an
assessment, especially when the assessment is typically a pencil and paper test. I really liked how
Mrs. Derbish focused and reviewed a few words each day during downtime students had. By
recalling a few words at a time, students are able to break the words into chunks and focus
section by section. Even though I did not have the opportunity to observe any spelling
instruction, I do know Mrs. Derbish teaches it parallel with vocabulary and provides interactive
activities for both. By explicitly teaching vocabulary and phonics, teachers are setting their
students up for success when it comes to word knowledge and reading comprehension.
The end goal in reading instruction is for students to fully comprehend the text. Before
teaching and assessing reading comprehension, it is important for students to teach and assess
vocabulary, phonics, and fluency; all those skills are necessary for students to be able to
comprehend any text they read. When teaching comprehension it is crucial to provide
background knowledge and metacognition for students to make connections to the text. When
teaching comprehension for fiction and nonfiction texts, there are different strategies teacher can
use. While doing my field experience I had the opportunity to watch Mrs. Derbish teach and
assess reading comprehension by providing strategies for students to appropriately construction
summaries for fictional texts. Mrs. Derbish used the Fab 5 Strategy meaning each summary is
structured to include somebody, wanted, but, so, and then; students will pull the elements from
the text to construct the summary. The summary was assessed by each student turning in a
written summary to Mrs. Derbish to read through and check for the Fab 5 to keep the length
appropriate. Mrs. Derbish shared that it is important that when assessing for comprehension, it is
important that you use multiple strategies to check for understanding because different strategies
work for different students. Along with the Fab 5 strategy, Mrs. Derbish uses close reading in her
classroom to teach and assess comprehension; I even had the opportunity to construct and teach a
lesson using the strategy on informational text. Since Mrs. Derbishs classroom is filled with
readers at different reading levels, she uses close reading for students to take a deeper look at the
text then just reading through a text one or two times. After I finished teaching my lesson, I
thought it was important to not only assess the students based on their answer to the
comprehension question but also how they used various strategies during previous a
read through; if students are not using strategies right during guided readings chances are they
will not use the strategy correctly independently. When teaching and assessing comprehension
there are many strategies that range from being interactive to using graphic organizers and other
types of worksheets. One last strategy that I loved from all the classrooms was having a leveled
library. By having a leveled library, where students know their level, children are given the
opportunity to read at their own level and practice all reading skills. As teachers, it is important
that we select the best strategies for our students.
Writing is a skill students will use daily for the rest of their lives. It is important that
writing instruction begins in the lower grades and continues throughout third and fourth grade.

During my observations in all settings for Reading to Learn, I did not have the opportunity to
witness straight writing instruction; however, Mrs. Derbish and other teachers are sure to assess
writing skills during majority of other lessons, activities, and assessments. For example during
Mrs. Derbishs lesson on writing summaries, she would constantly remind students to write as
neat as possible, start each sentence properly with a capital letter, and ensure each sentence ends
with some sort of punctuation. She then assesses writing by giving assignments two different
grade marks one grade mark for the content of the assignment and another grade mark for
writing skills. During my observation in the Title I room, even though the primary focus was
reading, the teacher taught and assessed writing skills, too. She specifically designates a time
during every class for students to journal. In the journals students are to write sentences using
key words then the teacher will individually review the sentences with each student for content
and writing skills (i.e. sentence structure). One concept that I learned while visiting the different
classroom settings was that even though you are assessing for writing on activities, assignments,
and assessments, it is important that a writing grade is not the only grade on the assignment; you
need to make sure you separate the grade from the content grade. Students can know the material
but struggle with writing skills; therefore, this concept is crucial. Even though there is not a
designated period for writing, I really like how all the teachers continuously reinforce and assess
writing skills. Writing will follow students for the rest of their lives, by tying handwriting and
writing skills into daily assignments and assessments students will be more prepared and better
writers.
Technology is becoming used more in classrooms each day, especially to differentiate
instruction for students and enhance literacy. Mrs. Derbish differentiates instruction and designs
her classroom based on the instructional levels and abilities of her students. During reading
assignments, Mrs. Derbish uses peer reading a lot; she peers a strong independent reader with a
reader who may struggle a bit. Besides peer reading, she also constructs groups and places the
struggling readers in a group not only for them to attend their pullout services but also because
she can work with them all at once. In both the Title I and Learning Support classroom,
instruction is differentiated based on the instructional level of each student plus the program
curriculum is already differentiated for intervention. In the Learning Support classroom, the
students use a program to practice reading and identifying words. There are many lessons each
individual student is suppose to master by the end of the school year; instead of teaching lesson
by lesson to the group as a whole, instruction is differentiated meaning the students work at their
own pace. They will read each lesson aloud to the teacher who will assess for mastery; if the
student has no errors they move onto the next lesson along with given a worksheet for skill
reinforcement or if the student has many errors, they will repeat the lesson and be given practice
materials and more one-on-one instruction. On top of differentiating instruction, Mrs. Derbish
uses a SMARTboard to enhance literacy. During my observations, Mrs. Derbish utilized the
SMARTboard or Elmo for most, if not all, literacy lessons. She said just by using the technology
over whiteboards, her students are more intrigued to learn, especially during English Language
Arts class when they can potentially have a chance to demonstrate a skill on the board. In Title I
and Learning Support, technology is also used to enhance literacy and even differentiate
instruction. In Title I the iPad is utilized a lot during instruction especially when it comes time to
progress monitoring. As the student reads, the teacher is able to keep data on the iPad app; as the
student reads, data is collected and analyzed to provide different strategies to help target and
strengthen the trouble areas. Each classroom I observed did a fabulous job keying in on the
different instructional levels to differentiate instruction and use technology to enhance literacy.

The best way to fully see and understand teaching concepts learned in class is to witness
them in real time. Throughout my time spent at Hutchinson, I learned and observed many
teaching strategies and tips I can implement in my future classroom. Throughout my experience I
learned more in-depth about close reading and even felt comfortable enough to teach a lesson on
it. In my future classroom close reading will be one of many comprehension strategies I
implement. When it comes to various strategies I will use in my classroom, I will ensure the
strategies run parallel to what skill will be assessed. There are many strategies out in the teaching
world that teachers can use but it is crucial to know the demographics of my students to ensure
the strategies are differentiated and able to help students succeed at all instructional levels.
Throughout my fieldwork experience I also learned how important it is to know how to identify
signs of struggle along with the appropriate course of action to take; this is the key for formative
assessments to notice differences and intervene immediately. Teaching and assessing
vocabulary/phonics, reading, and writing are all skills critical for the present and future success
of students. In my classroom I will ensure students are provided with enough vocabulary and
phonics instruction that will path the way for success in reading. During reading class, my
classroom instruction will include prereading activities to build background knowledge and
activate meta-cognition, each and every reading assignment will have a clear purpose for reading
and students will know what will be expected of them, guided reading activities or questions to
keep students on the right track for comprehension, an opportunity to explore topics from the
text, and finally a chance to apply what they know through either projects or tests. There are
many skills that encompass reading; therefore, it is important that, as a teacher, I take time to
ensure all skills are developing and continuously provide activities to keep those skills fresh and
strengthened. One aspect of learning that I really enjoyed during my time in Mrs. Derbishs
classroom is ending classes with a few minutes of teacher reading. By picking a novel as a class
and reading it aloud to the students, not only am I sparking and showing my love for reading but
also modeling reading for students. Some of the best ways students learn is through a model.
Also in my future classroom I want to use technology to enhance literacy. By pulling in
technology, whether it is iPads, computers, or a SMARTboard, childrens interest levels are
sparked and they are more in tuned to the lesson. Also children are in the technology era, by
providing technology to students they are using a tool they are most comfortable with; I want my
students to be comfortable and understand technology is not always a bad thing. One last aspect I
really loved during my observations was how Mrs. Derbish and other teachers assess writing. In
her classroom, simple activities and assignments not only include a content grade but also a
writing grade. In my classroom, the writing grade would be very little but would serve as a
reminder that writing skills are forever and we must continue to develop them. I want my
students to know how to successfully write. I am glad I picked Hutchinson Elementary and Mrs.
Derbishs fourth grade classroom because I walked way from my placement full of knowledge
and wisdom that I cannot wait to implement in my future classroom.
As a future teacher, I love the opportunity to get out in the classroom and see instruction
in real time. During observations I learn many strategies and concepts that will benefit me in my
future. At Hutchinson I learned various ways to implement differentiated instruction along with
research-based literacy strategies and ways to provide extra practice for struggling students. As a
teacher, my goal is for all my students to achieve maximum success. My classroom will be
designed to incorporate the uniqueness of each student to foster a love for reading and writing.
Reading is a forever concept meaning it will never go way; the best way for students to foster a
love is by being the best role model for my students. My classroom will be filled with multiple

opportunities and strategies I have learned during my field experience and in class to lead
students to success. By getting out into the field and observing Mrs. Derbish, Title I Reading, and
Learning Support, I have seen what it takes to run a successful English Language Arts and
Reading class and cannot wait to have my own classroom one day.