RICA Competency 14, Comprehension: Instruction and Assessment- Understanding and

Analyzing Narrative/Literary Texts In this section of RICA it discusses that fictional stories are
referred to as narratives and literary text and can be presented in novels, short stories, poems, and
dramatic plays. The seven topics listed are strategies to help students recognize the structure and
characteristics, instruction in elements of story grammar, instruction in narrative analysis and
literacy criticism, oral language activities with literature, writing activities, meeting needs of all
learners, and assessment of comprehension (Zarillo, 2011, pg. 104). RICA Competency 15,
Comprehension: Instruction and Assessment-Expository/ Informational Texts and Study Skills,
there are eight topics covered in this competency. One, the characteristics of expository texts,
using text structures, text features, instructional strategies for content-area textbooks, oral and
written activities, promoting study and research skills, meeting needs of all learners, and how to
assess comprehension (Zarillo, 2011, pg.114).
Three experiences I have had with this competency include encounters with my tutees,
observations in the classroom, and witnessing it being modeled. With my tutee I have used story
maps as a strategy to meet his needs as an English Learner. This provided him a graphic
representation of what the story we read was about, highlighting the main events (Zarillo, 2011,
pg.110). I found this to be effective for my tutee, because he is an EL and a story map provides
him with a visual aid. In the classroom I have seen my teacher pre-teach key vocabulary to help
the students understand what they will be learning. Whether she is reading a story, covering new
subject matter, or just talking to the students my master teacher has a list of words ready to
define, knowing what her students have been exposed to, or what they havent been exposed to.
For example when she has a story picked out to read aloud to the class, she uses a piece of chart
paper to write the words she believes her students have not been exposed to, and writes the

words, defines them, and adds a picture. Before she reads the story she defines the words to the
students, as she reads the story and the word appears she asks the students if they remember what
the word means, referring back to the chart paper, this refers to using context for vocabulary
growth. She uses the word she defined before reading the book and pauses to read the word in a
sentence to help students learn to use context to gain information with words that are new to
them (Reading and Learning to Read).
This relates to TPE1.4, Candidates understand how to use instructional materials that include
a wide range of increasingly complex literary and informational texts for the appropriate grade
level (California TPE, 2013). In RICA Competencies 14 and 15, it talks about the wide variety
of reading materials ranging from narrative to expository. Teachers need to have both in order to
teach students about the elements of a story and subject matter. In these two competencies it also
provides effective strategies to teach the wide range of texts. From think pair share, graphic
organizers, vocabulary, analyzing, questioning, and etc. it is one thing to teach these different
types of texts, but it is another to get the students to learn the importance of them.
I can apply RICA Competency 14, and RICA Competency 15 to my future tutoring sessions
and future classroom by identifying and becoming familiar with the different types of texts, and
the multiple ways of teaching them. One thing I want to incorporate more of, is pre-teaching
vocabulary in the way my master teacher does. Having a high English learner population, using
visuals is something that benefits their learning experience and helps them better connect to the
subject matter being taught, so when introducing students to new words I want to not only define
them, but put a picture to the definition to help make that connection.

Works Cited

Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2013). California teaching performance

Expectations. Retrieved from http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/TPA-files/TPEsFull Version.pdf
Vacca, J. A., Vacca, R. T., Gove, M. K., Burkey, L. C., Lenhart, L. A., & McKeon, C. A.
(2015). Reading & Learning to Read. Upper Saddle River : Pearson .
Zarrillo, J. J. (2011). Third Edition Ready for Revised RICA. Boston : Pearson .