1

Table Of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………2-10
Background Information………………………...2
Writing Samples……………………………........3-4
Writing Analysis and Recommendations……......5-7
Introduction to Assessments……………………..8-9
Overview of Assessments………………………..10
Word and Letter Recognition………………………………………………...11-17
Fry Summary and Procedure/Observations………11
Fry Sight Word Inventory………………………..12
Dolch Summary………………………………….13
Dolch Words List………………………………....14
Letter Recognition Summary…………………….15
Letter Recognition………………………………..16
Analysis & Recommendations…………………...17
Fluency……………………………………………………………………….18-20
Book Handling Summary…………………………18
Retelling Summary………………………………. 19
Analysis & Recommendations……………………20
Overview…………………………………………………………………….21-22
Strengths and Weaknesses………………………..21
Recommendations ………………………………..22
Instructional Plan for Intervention…………………………………………...23
Instructional Approach……………………………23
 2

Name: Ava Dates of Observation: 9/14/17-12/7/17

Grade: Kindergarten School: Lore Elementary School

Background Information

Ava is an outstanding and charismatic student in the kindergarten class of Lore

Elementary School. She loves to draw and expresses her feelings throughout each piece of her

drawings. Within the classroom, Ava would like to diligently work, but also, as any

kindergartner, loves to share her thoughts at any given time. She enjoyed being able to leave the

classroom for a short amount of time to work with me. She was enthusiastic about the knowledge

she already had obtained previously, but she would be self-conscious when she didn’t know the

right answer. She always wanted to rush and skip the work if she was not sure of how to respond

and would get distracted easily. She enjoyed the attention she received by being able to read to

me and match letters with pictures. I feel that she will excel in her work with some more practice

and a push of motivation.

 3

Writing Sample

The first writing sample is from the week before Thanksgiving and the children were told

to write what they are thankful/grateful for and are supposed to draw a picture that goes along

with it. The second writing sample is where she wrote about her Christmas elf. The first writing

sample was planned and to be displayed for others to see on the bulletin board. The second

writing sample was for her own enjoyment on the back of an activity sheet.

Writing Sample 1:

Exact Transcription:​ I am thankful for: my stuffed animals

What she is trying to say​: I am thankful for: my stuffed animals.

 4

Writing Sample 2:

Exact Transcription:​ I See My eLF

What she is trying to say:​ I see my elf.

 5

Handwriting Analysis:

After looking at these two examples, it is evident that Ava’s handwriting is clear and concise for

her age. However, the written letters are her work, which she does an excellent job with.

Between both samples, Ava seemed to not understand the concept of uppercase and lowercase

letters. In the first sample, she was able to write all the words in lowercase. However, when

asked to write something about Christmas, she capitalized the ​S i​ n ​see, ​the ​F ​in ​elf ​and the ​M ​in

​ va is also having a difficult time with space between the words. She seems to write the
my. A

​ as written ​st-uffed ​and

words down, but not put them together. For example, the word ​stuffed w

animal​ was written ​a-nimals.

Handwriting Recommendations:

1. Have Ava practice where to use uppercase and lowercase letters.

2. Have her sound out specific words.

3. Have her practice spacing between words and letters.

Spelling Analysis:

Although Ava has spelled the words correctly for the first sample, it is with help from a teacher

that she is able to know the spelling. Ava does not like to be wrong and make sures to receive

reassurance if she doesn't feel that her work is complete or correct. She would consistently ask to

help spell words, which is great, but when asked to try to spell it out, she would hardly try

because she did not like to be wrong.

 6

Spelling Recommendations:

1. Ava needs to try and practice spelling out her words.

2. Have her ask friends for help as a buddy system.

3. Have her practice high frequency words so they become familiar to her.

Usage Analysis:

Ava has a difficult time with punctuations at the ending of her sentence. She never adds a period

or exclamation or a question mark. Ava does not struggle with run-on sentences, but I was not

able to assess her on that due to her always trying to make her stories short and concise. She

didn’t feel comfortable stepping out of her comfort zone and trying something new with her

sentences because she did not want to be wrong.

Usage Recommendations:

1. Have Ava practice her punctuations with the specific sentence they match.

2. Have her practice writing longer sentences, but also to differentiate from run-ons and

fragments.

3. Have her reread her work and see if she can add more or less.

Vocabulary Analysis:

Ava’s work consists of vocabulary that she hears on a daily basis. She does not explore to find

new words, but stays in her comfort zone of words such as ​stuffed animals a​ nd ​elf ​for Christmas.
 7

There were not many writing samples to view Ava’s vocabulary, but in person, she was able to

tell descriptive stories with vivid details.

Vocabulary Recommendations:

1. Ava should practice trying to use more higher level words in her sentences.

2. She should write down words that she uses in her day to day stories.
 8

Introduction to Assessments

Word Recognition- Fry Sight Words and Dolch

Word Recognition is an important factor for a child’s education because it helps grow

their vocabulary and recognize them without decoding. Sight words are used daily to help

children write and read. Before words become sight words, they are known as high frequency

words because they are so often seen in text. Being able to recognize sight words is beneficial for

children because they will be more likely to read faster, which will help their comprehension

instead of taking their time and trying to reread and decode each word. This was assessed

through the Dolch/Fry Sight Words Inventory.

Comprehension- Retelling Fluency(RTF)

A child does not just read to read, but to comprehend the knowledge that is written in

front of them. Teachers explain many strategies as to how a child can comprehend readings such

as C-Space. C-space is a writing strategy for children, but it helps them brainstorm while reading

what characters are in the story, what is the setting, purpose, action, conclusion and the emotions

that ran through the character(s). This was assessed by the Retelling Fluency assessment.

Letter Recognition

Letter identification is made up of the name, formation and characteristics of the 26

letters that make up the alphabet. It is important for children to be able to identify these letters

before learning the letter sounds. Being able to identify letters makes a child a stronger reader

and helps with basic reading skills. It also helps with decoding skills, which can benefit writing

skills as well. This was assessed by playing a matching game and going over the uppercase and

lowercase letters of the alphabet, but not in order.

 9

Book Handling

Book handling is when a child is able to hold a book properly and read it from left to

right. The child is able to identify the title, what the story will be about, letters and words in the

book, and punctuations. This assessment was assessed by reading a short story.
 10

Overview of the Tests Administered

Fry Sight Words (First 100 words)

Recognized Immediately 12 words

Decoded 3 words

Incorrect Response 18 words

No Response 67 words

Dolch Words List(Preprimer and Primer)

Preprimer

Recognized Immediately 25/40

Primer

Recognized Immediately 41/48

Letter Recognition

Recognized Letters 26/26 letters

Book Handling

Words Read 14

Incorrect Words 1

Total 13

Retelling Fluency

Retell Total 40 words

 11

Fry Sight Words

Summary

​ hich are instantly

Dr. Edward B. Fry’s came up with the list known as ​Fry Words, w

recognized since there are only 1,000 of them. These words are grouped by levels of frequency

by 100 per group. Each group is according to grade levels. Sometimes children can read above

their grade level whiles others are reading below their grade level. If children are able to

recognize these sight words without having to decode them each time, they are likely to be

reading pretty fluently. These words appear in text frequently and therefore become sight words,

which help the children with their reading skills. This inventory only measured the child’s first

100 words since she was not able to continue with the other lists.

Procedure and Observation during Testing

This test is to be administered by having the child read the words without decoding or

stopping. For each word the child said correctly, I marked with a check or a plus sign. For the

words the child decoded, I put the letter ​D​. For the words the child said incorrectly, I wrote what

the child had said and for the words the child did not know at all and did not try, I put ​NR

meaning ​No Response. ​When I told Ava the activity we were going to do, she began to start

asking about playing games. She didn’t seem to have much interest in reading the words, but she

would get excited when she knew a word. Towards the ending, she seemed to be bored and not

interested in trying to read the words or even sound out the letters. She wanted to get back to the

classroom so I felt that she gave up by the ending of the page. Throughout reading, she would

stop and ask if she said it correctly and I would just let her know the word and she would

continue to try and read, read or just skip over the word she did not identify.
12
 13

Dolch Words Summary

Summary

The Dolch Word list was created by Edward Williams Dolch, who felt that it was

necessary to create a list of frequently used words for children to identify. There are

approximately 220 words in the Dolch Words list and the levels range from preprimer, primer,

kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade. These words are taught to be memorized

by children so that instead of decoding, they are able to read the word while comprehending the

definition. Learning the words on the Dolch Word list helps with the fluency of reading for

children.

Procedure and Observation during Testing

While going over the words, Ava seemed to want to rush the cards. The stack were pretty

big, but I only made flash cards up to first grade level. I started on primer with her and she was

able to read 41 out of 48 of the words. She sounded out a lot of them and I assisted so I did not

count all of them. I went back a level to preprimer and without assistance she was able to receive

a 25 out of 40. She kept getting distracted with wanting to play games or a word would trigger a

memory. She kept feeling bad as well when she did not know the word and I feel that made her

want to quickly get it over with more rather than trying to read aloud the word.
14
 15

Letter Recognition Summary

Summary

Letter recognition is an important skill a kindergartener needs to be fluent in because it

helps with reading and writing skills. Children that are able to identify letters, can sound out

these letters and connect them together to make words. Once this step is processed, children have

a better percentage of reading fluently without having to decode each word letter by letter.

Procedure and Observation during Testing

During this assessment, Ava really wanted to play a game, to which I had promised. To

ensure she understood the concept and also was able to enjoy, I made a matching game up for

her. At first, we just went over capital and lowercase letters. Then, after going the entire alphabet

not in alphabetical order, we played match the letters to pictures. She enjoyed this game because

she was familiar with the pictures drawn and the letters she sounded out to match the pictures.
16
 17

Word Recognition

Analysis of Results

Ava has a difficult time with having patience to do the work. She feels that all work has

to be fun and if it is not, she will become sidetracked, talking about a different subject that she

enjoys. There were a lot of challenges she faced such as sounding out words or even just rushing.

Many of the words, I was sure, she knew, but since she gave up, she struggled to sound out the

letters. Although Ava is at her grade level, she should work on certain readings and writings with

the teacher.

Recommendations for Word Recognition

Ava gets distracted easily and wants to enjoy her work, as in play. To help her understand

concepts better or comprehend words, she should be in a setting, where it is quiet and not too

many people are walking around her. One way of getting her to pay attention is by playing a

game that is connected with the topic of the day. Instead of making her do busy work, interact

with her through the activity and therefore she can be assessed and also have a good time. The

words Ava got wrong in both the Fry and Dolch list should be practiced over and over again until

she knows them. These words are going to help shape her mind and help her become an

independent individual, who can stand for herself.

 18

Book Handling Summary

Summary

Book handling is an assessment based on the factor if a child understands the concept of

reading a book for knowledge and not just looking at pictures. There are specific types of text,

which include: wordless, created, and nonfiction text. These books need to be understood by the

cover of the book or the words within the book. These books help children read sight words and

repeat words that help them gain support and understanding they can read. While having a book

handling assessment, a student should be asked what the title is, what it is about, the

letters/words in the book and punctuations.

Procedure and Observing during Testing

While reading the book, Ava was able to identify that the book was about things that

swim and was able to come to that conclusion from the fish she saw swimming on the cover. She

saw at one point in the book that dogs can swim and she made a connection saying, “I know dogs

can swim because in my swim class, they teach us about doggy paddling”. She also kept adding

the word​ ​can​ to “I swim”. Instead of the two words together, Ava is better now.
 19

Retelling Summary

Summary

Retelling Fluency Assessment is when a child listens to a story read to them and

then has to sum it up in a certain amount of words. Usually this assessment helps assess

whether or not the child paid attention, is making stuff up, or comprehending the story. Teachers

will be able to evaluate whether or not a child is behind in their grade level on comprehension as

well as fluency.

Procedure and Observing during Testing

After finishing the reading, I asked Ava what she remembers from the story. She told me

how the book was about Clifford and Emily Elizabeth. She recognized three of her sight words,

which she made a connection to and pointed out: see, one, and the. At first, I had to ask some

questions to get her started because she was blanking. I asked, “So what was Clifford doing” and

then she began to summarize from beginning to end what he did, but it was not in complete

order. After summarizing, she wanted to keep reading the text she learned how to read because

she felt good about it and the sentence she read was “See Clifford on TV” which all four words

fall under her vocabulary.

 20

Fluency

Analysis

Ava had a difficult time staying focused at first during the book handling assessment.

After she understood what the concept of the book was, she felt it much easier to read. She

would connect the picture with the sentence, “____ swim.” and kept adding that animal or person

in the blank. She was much more confident in the end of the story. To make more sense of the

sentence structure, Ava kept adding the word ​can​ to make it “____ can swim.” I corrected her in

the end, but it showed that she was aware of fragment sentences, even if she was not familiar

with the term.

As for her assessment in retelling, Ava was pretty good and comprehending the story.

She summarized the story in about 40 words, but not in order. She aimlessly was just answering

what Clifford did, no matter when it happened in the story. She was able to tell me specific

details, whether Clifford came in first place or why he was not able to hide. In the middle of the

summary, she was side tracked and started talking about another Clifford story that I did not

count in my summary. Overall, she comprehended the story well.

 21

Reading Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Ava is a determined girl, who loves to work hard and do things the right way. She is able

to comprehend stories and does not tend to forget much. If you tell her you are going to work on

something next week, she will remember when the day comes. She is at preprimer level for Fry

Sight Words and can read many of the words in the text. She is at a good level for her age and is

at the instructional level for her grade level.

Weaknesses

Ava tends to become distracted in crowded situations. If she feels that she is doing poorly

on an activity or assessment, she wants to give up unless you give her some support and

motivation, which boosts her confidence, having her try harder. She tries to sound out words, but

I do not think sounding out is being practiced enough. She’ll sound out the letters, but then when

it is time to put the sounds together, just makes a word up. She needs to practice on spelling and

sounding out.
 22

Recommendations for Improvement

Long-Term Improvement

For long term improvement, Ava needs to practice sounding out letters and words. She

also needs to practice her sight words in order to comprehend the text better and not be confused

while trying to decode. Instead of having her sit with an entire group and talking and being

distracted, she could have her own seat in the back, where she was before to improve her skills. I

think she should also be apart of a reading group that is at her level so that feels comfortable

sharing what her thoughts are and they all can help each other.

Short-Term Improvement

For short term improvement, Ava should practice certain digraphs to improve her reading

skills. She can focus on a certain letter blend each week and review them at the end of the month

all together until she has mastery of the skill.

 23

Instructional Plan for Intervention

Instructional Approaches

One instructional approach for the classroom could be through experiential learning,

where the children learn through either: field trips, games, role playing, or model building.

Instead of just having children write down things they have learned or sing the same song over

and over again, other methods to teach can help them engage properly, have fun and still

comprehend and retain the information. For example, instead of just reading about butterflies,

they will be more enthusiastic they have a net with caterpillars transforming into butterflies or if

they role play and act out the stages of becoming a butterfly. This process will help children not

only memorize, but retain the information and help with their writing skills and vocabulary.

The class works on colors throughout the week. I feel that the teacher should encourage

the children to do projects with specific colors, not only use worksheets to identify specific

colors and help their vocab with how to spell it and identify other objects of the same color. She

could also make groups based on colors for children so they also can identify what group goes

with what color.

These two instructional approaches will help the children become comfortable in the

classroom amongst their peers and also help Ava become more opinionated around her

classmates. She will be able to improve her skills of reading and writing with an advanced

vocabulary set and not hesitate to question something.