Developing Readers: Reflection #2

1. What stage are they at?  What do they consistently spell correctly (name the features)? What do they need to work on (not just digraphs (for example) but what specifically? 

· My student is in the middle of the “Letter Name-Alphabetic Stage”. They can consistently spell CVC words. For example, my students got all of the initial and final consonant sounds correct, as well as the short vowel sounds when I analyzed the feature chart. My student was also able to complete most of the digraphs and blends within words. Luckily, I am able to go with my student to his reading specialist, so I have been able to see that he is currently working on blends and digraphs. He does really well in this class of a few students, so I believe working one-on-one with hands on activities, is what fits my student’s learning style best. For example, when I gave him the test, he struggled with not actually seeing the digraph or blend or matching a word with a picture. The practice of oral testing did not fulfill my students learning style. I think that if I had manipulatives or pictures, my student would have spelled these words correctly. The two digraphs that my student specifically struggled with was, “-sh” and “-th”. The two blends that my student specifically struggles with was, “-bl” and –“tr” which I found interesting because those two blends we had specifically been working on during time with the interventionalist.

2. What did you learn from listening to them read today?  In terms of their decoding? Fluency? Comprehension? Engagement in the task of reading while you were there?  About them as a person and what they are interested in? Take a learner-centered perspective and describe these aspects of reading with them with some depth.  

· When I was listening to my student read, I noticed that he really does well with CVC and CVCe words. When he was reading, Mrs. Stevens came by and told me that he had only started learning the sounds of letters in January; when he first started attending Park Elementary. I was simply astonished by my students progress and reading fluency, knowing how little of experience and practice he has had with literacy and phonics instruction. Like the previous week, my student read me more Dr. Seuss books. One in particular really stood out to me while he was reading, “Are You My Mother?”. I noticed that he had struggled with some of the words, but then he used the pictures to help him comprehend what the words were. As for engagement, my student started out strong, but lost some focus as time went on. I had to encourage him to read by asking if it would be okay if we switched off reading. For example, I asked him if it would be okay if I read a page and then he read a page. Luckily, it worked out and he agreed to finish the book this way. I learned that my student likes competition and he is always up for a challenge. When giving him the spelling test, he never gave up or complained about the amount of words I was asking him to spell. Phonics

3. What have you learned about teaching phonics and word study so far through the readings, in-class sessions and class work, and being in Ms. Steven's class? What still doesn't feel comfortable yet? 

· I have learned that teaching phonics and word study is vital to a student’s developmental growth in both their reading and writing skills. Especially this semester, I have been placed in a first grade classroom where I have seen a lot of phonics and word study within the classroom. For example, my teacher does a wordshop lesson once every week. In this session, my teacher will introduce a new feature; for example, right now my students are working on “ow” and “ou”. When practicing these features, the students will learn new vocabulary to go with it. The students will write the word on the carpet and in the air, and then physically write it on their own white boards. My teacher also practices tapping out each letter of the word on their arm, as well as sing a song to the tune of, Are You Sleeping. After the students have practiced saying, spelling, and writing the word, they are then given a small packet of multiple readings that include vocabulary words with these specific features. Being a part of these lessons have shown me how important the correlation between reading and writing is for students when practicing phonics that are brand new to the student’s schema. Something that still doesn’t feel comfortable with me is how to differentiate phonics instruction. It has helped see different methods in my student’s intervention time, but it worries me that I will struggle to meet each of my student’s needs during phonics instruction. It is a lot of information to be taken in at once, and I have noticed that even in my practicum class, it takes a while for students to full grasp the new features being taught.