Exit Slips for READ 436: Ashley Warren

#1 Describe the assessments you will use for instructional level readers, define the
levels (independent, instructional, frustration), and explain the factors that will
influence your grouping for instruction.

Grouping for Instruction: I will take several things into consideration when grouping
my students for their reading block. First I will conduct several literacy assessments to
get to know my students and understand where they stand in regards to fluency,
comprehension, writing, and word study. I will always start at a kindergarten level when
assessing students WRI (word recognized in isolation) so I am not assuming knowledge. I
will make sure students feel confident and in a power before these assessments. I will
also conduct WRC (words recognized in context) assessments. I will start students off
with their highest WRI reading score (grade level). I will also use a DSA (developmental
spelling analysis) to assess the students spelling. The DSA will help me understand where
a student is in regards to spelling. I will use the DSPA to determine what word study
stage each student falls under. As a teacher, I will make it clear to both students and
parents that reading groups will change every eight weeks. This comforts parents and
students and reduces tension when groups are changed and students are moved up/down.
Independent Level: a student who reads comfortably and easily, with accurate reading
(98% or above), good comprehension (90% or above), good oral reading
speed/expression, and no support (from a teacher or peer) necessary.
Instructional Level: a student who reads with good accuracy (94% or above), good
comprehension (70% or above), adequate oral reading speed/expression, and they only
need guidance or support for difficult words and assessing meaning.
assessment for instructional level readers: several literacy assessments will be
given to instructional readers to make sure they are improving each day. Fluency,
comprehension/writing, and word study will all be assessed throughout the course
of the school year
Frustration Level: a student with poor reading comprehension (less than 50%), reads
slow and disfluent, and reads with an accuracy of less than 90%.

#2 Define fluency and describe how you will teach it, including examples and
resources from class.
 Fluency: the freedom from word identification; problems that might hinder
comprehension in silent reading of the expression of ideas in oral reading getting
expression back into the voice of the reader while also maintaining a steady speed while
reading.
Fluent reader means: automatic recognition of words, appropriate phrasing and
expression, and fluent reading allows students to focus on meaning/enjoyment of the
activity.
Examples & resources from class: repeated readings [rereading a short, meaningful
passage several times until a satisfactory level of fluency is reached], timed repeated
readings [calculates words per minute, only require students to reread three times
maximum and keep it personal], teacher/student modeling [read aloud, poems for two
voices], Readers Theatre [whole-class or small groups], Big Talk [poems for four voices],
visiting readers [especially beneficial for struggling readers who are not reading at their
grade level- to read to lower grades], dictated experience story [have students tell a story,
they write it down and practice and then can present their story to the teacher or whole-
class], drop everything and read [be sure to make time for silent sustained reading].

#3 Compare word study to the method used when you learned to spell.

The word study method is completely different compared to how I learned to spell. When
I was taught spelling words in elementary school I was taught to memorize each word.
This is completely different than word study because word study does not depend on
memorization. Word study groups words into patterns to make learning how to spell them
easier. Word study requires students to study the sounds, patterns, and meanings of
words. I was never taught to categorize my spelling words and never participated in any
word sort activities in elementary school. This greatly hindered my learning in spelling
because I was solely being taught through the method of memorization.

#4 Why do we use before, during, and after activities for comprehension? Name at
least one comprehension activity for each (before, during, and after) with resources
from class.

Before comprehension activity: Present students with a list of words from the story
before introducing them to the book. Then have the students anticipate what the title of
the story might be and what the story could be about. Ask the students what story
words caused them to make these predictions. This is great with fiction text and shows
students that stories can be told in different ways.
 During comprehension activity: Before finishing the story/book, have students
brainstorm and fill out a character map. A character map requires students to analyze the
main character in the story and helps them gain a better understanding of that specific
character. These are extremely valuable for books with more complex characters.
Post comprehension activity: Have the students write a response paper or create a
learning log about the book. This could start with a class discussion about the book where
students could make text to self-connections, text to something else they have read, or
other connections to the world. A response paper would give students freedom to write
about what inspired them in the story and gives them a sense of freedom/individualism.
The discussion beforehand will hopefully give students some ideas on what they could
write about.
Why do we use before, during, and after activities for comprehension? We structure
comprehension in this way to address the skills needed to use comprehension throughout
life. Students need to participate in the pre-, during, and post- comprehension activities
because that is how they are going to develop the skills professionals and everyday
people in society use to understand what they are reading.

#5 Compare our writing activities to what you see in practicum.

I noticed several similarities between the writing activities we learned about in class and
the writing activities I saw in my practicum classroom. For example, my fourth grade
class participated in a prewriting activity that involved them creating a web about how
they were going to structure their stories. My CT also provided the students with an
engaging start to their story, You are with your best friend in a tent in the middle of the
woods. All of a sudden, you hear a really strange sound. You open up the tent flap.
What happens next. I thought this was a great way to help students with their writing
because students often have a hard time coming up with a topic to write about. Another
similarity was peer-conferences, where positive and constructive feedback was given to
the students. For this specific story the students had to write they participated in
prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing. My CT had the students
peer-edit each other's papers, and gave them the option to share their stories with the
class.

#6 In class exit slip write your own information sheet for parents night (for
instructional level readers, grade of your choice). Use the handouts from class as
an example.

The reading block in an elementary classroom should consist of fluency, comprehension

and word study practice.
 Word study: Word study is an alternative to the traditional spelling approach because it
requires students to study the sounds, patterns, and meanings of words. Word study does
not depend on memorization; it groups the students spelling words by patterns to make
learning how to spell them easier. Students should spend 25% of reading class time
working on word study. In a 90 minute class this would mean about 15 minutes with the
teacher and 10 minutes individually. There are five different word study stages, the
emergent stage, letter name-alphabetic stage, within word pattern stage, syllables and
affixes stage, and the derivational relations stage. Word study activities consist of sorting
spelling words by sound, patterns and meaning. Students will be introduced to basic
sorting procedures and then can play games and activities in pairs or small groups.
Current word study routine: Monday- students will receive their words to cut
out and the teacher will introduce words and demonstrate sorts in small groups.
Then students will take their own word cards back to their seat and independently
replicate the sort and write it in their word study notebook. Tuesday- the students
will sort words with a partner, check each others work, and discuss difficulties.
Wednesday- the students will perform a word hunt using literature currently being
read; students will work in small groups and list words on chart paper, words are
also recorded in their word study notebooks. They will continue to sort words in
pairs seeking to improve speed and accuracy. Thursday- students will participate
in a speed sort against the teacher and participate in a review game or activity
with the words of the week. Friday- evaluation: blind written sort. Student papers
are divided into columns per feature and the words are called out. Students are
given one point for having it in the right column and one point for spelling the
word correctly.
Fluency: fluency is freedom from word identification problems that might hinder
comprehension in silent reading or the expression of ideas in oral reading. Fluency
involves getting expression back into the voice of the reader while also maintaining a
steady speed while reading. 20% of the reading block each day should be spent working
on fluency. We will use several different methods throughout the school year to improve
the students fluency. Activities include timed repeated readings, Readers Theatre, poetry,
read-alouds, silent reading, and more! The students will be sent home with a short
meaningful passage each week that can be practiced with a parent/guardian at home. It is
extremely important for students to reread passages because it has been proven to greatly
improve child fluency. Fluency routines will vary week by week, but each week a
pamphlet will be sent home to keep you updated.
Comprehension/Writing: Good comprehenders know how texts work (use structure),
are active readers (think as they read), approach reading with a purpose, and have
knowledge of the world and texts. Readability level of the text is key in regards to
comprehension. Style, the structure of the text, and vocabulary are three main things that
make comprehension difficult. Students who are told what to read have more success in
regards to comprehension. Students will always participate in a pre-, during, and post-
comprehension activity when reading a story/book. This ensures they are activating prior
background knowledge and taking time to process what they are reading. The activities
will vary depending on the book/story we are reading but some of the activities include
K-W-L charts, Venn diagrams, concept maps, character maps and more! For writing
students will always participate in a prewriting activity, create a draft, revise their draft,
edit their draft, and then share or publish their work. All of these processes work to create
a professional writer as time goes on. The students will participate in writers conferences
with the teacher, and participate in peer-editing. Topics will vary on student interest, but I
will always have an idea-box in the classroom where students can jot down ideas they
might want to write about and pull from the box if they are ever having a writers
block.