Running head: WILLIAMS’ I AS A LEARNER GOAL REFLECTION 1

I as a Learner Narrative Reflection on Goal

by

Jamie Williams

CIL 621 Assessment in Literacy

University of Nevada- Las Vegas

May 9, 2018
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My professional, course related goal this semester was to use Dolch Sight Word

assessments to guide my instruction of sight words for all students in order to attain eighty

percent accuracy of First grade sight words. I chose this particular goal because my classroom

make up has a high number range of English Language Learners, Response to Intervention, and

TIER II intervention students not at grade level. Since sight words are used frequently in reading

and writing, the importance of being able to recognize them quickly is important.This goal would

align with First Grade Common Core Standards. CCSS: Phonics and Word Recognition, English

Language Arts- Literacy RF.1.3 G recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled

words (CCSS, 2017). The target score for First Grade in winter would be one hundred or more

sight words. In the spring, knowledge of one hundred and seventy-five sight words are expected.

Most of my students’ scores fell in the fall range of twenty-five or more or close to the winter

range of one hundred. The Dolch Sight Word list consisted of two hundred and twenty words

divided into nine lists. It is estimated that the words make up about fifty to seventy percent of

words encountered in texts (www.blog.makertaketeach.com, 2018). In the beginning, it was

important to know which sight words the students were able to identify. I started with the first

list of sight words to assess how many words the students knew. I pointed to the word on the list

and the students would get a “+” in the square on the assessment form if they were able to say

the word. If the students hesitated for more than three seconds or provided an incorrect word a “-

” would be recorded. If the student was unable to identify less than half the words on the given

list, I stopped the assessment. I recorded the number of correct words and recorded the date

along with the number of words correct on the progress summary form. The students were

introduced to the graph provided to keep track of their progress. The date is recorded at the

bottom of the graph. Students then were able to color with a crayon the column up to the number

of the correct words. The sight words that had not been mastered on the list were then written
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down on flash cards for the student to practice. The flash cards were sent home in plastic baggies

for use at home while another set stayed at school. Other activities I completed with sight words

were: writing the sight words on the table in shaving cream, and having students find sight words

in reading.

This goal was important to me as a First Grade teacher because sight words are important

in helping students learn to read. By using the assessments to drive my instruction I was able to

increase fluency, which in turn improved my students’ comprehension. The ultimate goal for the

high number of ELLs, RTI, and Tier II intervention students in my school is to provide access to

grade-level content standards and concepts for ELLs, while improving their English Language

proficiency (Vogt, & Echevarria, 2008). In order to achieve the goal I provided my students with

practice and application of key content and language concepts. The interaction with each other

and with me also was important because students learn from practice and peer interaction.

Another criteria for selection ideas and activities provided opportunities for students to use

English while reading, writing, listening, and speaking through differentiating my instructions to

meet the needs of the students. The results of the assessments given helped guide my instruction

during my literacy block. During small groups, I would assess the students on their word lists

twice a month. Sight words that students mastered were placed on the classroom word wall and

written into their personal dictionaries. Once the students colored in the graph to visually

represent the number of words they had learned we would celebrate with a positive feedback

such as a high five or “good job”.

Students can become non-motivated by the repetition of the same activity. I needed to

work on accomplishing my goal of developing five lessons for sight words using different hands

on activities and using total physical response. The following lessons were introduced whole
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group, later small group, and then individually completed. To motivate and engage my students

to make learning fun, I color coded the sight word lists into different colors. The different colors

motivated the students to try and pass the beginning color of red, and move onto the next color

for the next higher level. The sight words printed in the color of their level made it easier for

them to know what level they were working on for their next goal and level. For example, list

number one had a total of twenty five words to master the cards were printed on red paper. The

next level was level two on blue cards consisting of a total of twenty words. This method was

easier for the students and myself to implement. During centers, students were able to use

shaving cream to spell their sight word on the table. I always would review a few previously

learned sight words with newly introduced sight words during all activities. The individual

activity for student was using colored paint or chalk to spell their sight words. The most

challenging hands-on activity for the students was forming the words using molding clay. This

also involved the gross motor fine skills still developing at age six. In addition to the hands-on

activities of sight words I incorporated total physical response when students were introduced to

a new sight word. As a group we would say the word, clap and spell the letters to make the word,

and end by repeating the word. After the same repetition of the activity students would

demonstrate lack of interest or motivation so I would change the clapping to Karate Spelling or

Baseball Spelling. The creative change of the activity motivated the students to want to learn and

become successful. The last activity I used was decodable books. Students enjoyed searching

with a partner the sight word or words given. They thought they were detectives. Once students

located the word a tally mark would be placed on a white board and who ever found the most

words for the time given won. The decodable books where then used as reinforcements when

placed in a book bag and sent home for the students to practice reading with the parent(s). Upon
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returning with the decodable book a short running record was used to assess their fluency

followed by a few comprehension questions.

At the start of the semester, I had twenty-one students in my class. Out of the twenty-one

students, two of them still are unable to pass the winter benchmark of one hundred plus.

Therefore, a meeting with the parents and reading specialist was conducted and a RTI plan has

been started, to be continued the next school year. The rest of the class has made steady growth

in learning the Dolch Sight Words through various hands-on activities.

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Reference

Nevada Department of Education. (2017). Retrieved from

http://www.doe.nv.gov/uploadFiles/nde.doe.nv.gov/content/

Vogt, MaryEllen & Echevarria, Jane (2008). 99 ideas and activities for teaching english learners

With the siop model. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.