Instructional Design: Dyslexia Intervention

Megan Taylor
9/2013

Topic: Increasing students reading comprehension

and writing with the aid of technology resources in
a Dyslexia Intervention program

Overview
The client is a dyslexia therapist working in a mid-size school district in the state
of Texas. She is the only therapist serving the entire district and works with students on
three campuses, grades 3-9, and has approximately 25 students this year completing the
2 year (SRTF) curriculum. The Dyslexia Intervention program calls for students to be
tested for dyslexia no earlier than the end of second grade based on teacher, parent, and
therapist recommendations.
A student admitted into the program works with the client everyday for two
consecutive years after which he or she is released by a 504 committee (including the
dyslexia therapist). Students are released based on the following criteria: completed and
met requirements of SRTF curriculum, scored average on program post-tests, passed
appropriate STAAR tests, and passed reading class. If at the end of the basic 2-year
curriculum the student has not met these requirements, the 504 committee may choose
to not to exit the student and he/she will remain in the Dyslexia program to work on
additional areas as needed (e.g. reading rate, reading comprehension, spelling, etc.).
Learning Theory
In Dyslexia Intervention, while it is necessary for the teacher to be the leader of
instruction, it does not serve students to be fed information and act as passive learners.
Instead students need to be active, they need to experience the information they are
learning and build skills, knowledge, and connections while they learning. For this
reason, the instructional design will employ a constructivist theory of learning. Students
will need sufficient guidance, but they will also embark on independent learning
activities that help them to apply the knowledge and skills they need to develop. It will
be important for these activities to be authentic, have an element of fun, and include
proper teacher feedback and support.
Audience
The target audience of this instructional design will be four 5th grade students
who are enrolled in the Dyslexia Intervention program. For various reasons, they were
not exited from the program after 2 years. These students have finished the SRTF
curriculum; and while each has met some of the criteria (listed above in the clients
notes) for exit, there is at least one (resulting in sufficient need) that he/she has not.
Therefore, the client and the 504 committee decided to keep these 4 students in
the Dyslexia Intervention program for an additional year to focus on the areas where
each student still needs improvement. A major goal for the students is to pass, or score
a state acceptable score, on all areas of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic

Readiness (STAAR), but particularly the reading and writing portions. The client desires
to better address the needs of these students, who have completed the 2-year curriculum
but are still in the schools Dyslexia program.
Purpose
The purpose of this instructional design is to: (a) improve students reading
comprehension through the integration of technology resources, and (b) increase
students independent learning, reading, and writing with the use of technology.
Problem
Currently, the client uses parts of the established SRTF based on the area in
which the student needs improvement; this is determined and chosen by the client. She
combines these with other Dyslexia Intervention strategies. The curriculum is
completely planned and documented for the 2-program (with the exception of
technology integration), but her current plan of instruction for students past their 2nd
year is flexible, modifiable, or she is able to use a new instructional plan. This
instructional design will address the area in which the client sees as the most pertinent
for students to be successful on state exams and in their reading classes.
An additional issue the client is having is incorporating technology into her
classes. Texas Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS) assesses
teachers use of technology to enhance students learning and support objectives. The
SRTF curriculum does not integrate technology, therefore the client needs to find ways
in which she can effectively and meaningfully use technology resources with her
students while still maintaining the curriculums requirements. She also needs to find
and integrate technology resources which can support students not in SRTF, and which
they can use independently. She would like tools for learning or tools that can support
students reading, writing, etc. As of now, she is not highly familiar with many
technologies (apps, programs, etc.), but has access to iPads, iPods, and computers (1:1).
The client would like to focus on writing and reading comprehension. Students
reading comprehension is high enough to pass the standard state tests, but when they
must independently read something that is slightly above their reading level, they
struggle with reading comprehension. Students also struggle with writing and spelling.
Here is an example from one of the clients students:
8th grade student Student has average IQ and reads only slightly below average
What is your favorite snack?
Students written answer candeiy and coloties
What food do you dislike? - clile

This student passed STAAR last year and manages to do okay in reading classes, yet
spelling is still a significant issue. The client is already working on students spelling, but
it will be necessary to provide more focused instruction on writing.
Learning Expectations
These learning expectations aim to meet the needs of the students who need extra
instruction in the areas of reading comprehension and spelling. They also incorporate
effective technology tools, as well as independent use of these tools. With minimal to
medium assistance from the teacher, the students are expected to meet these objectives
with the first attempt/first story; and they are expected to meet them with minimal to
no assistance from the teacher on second (and 3rd, 4th,...) attempts/stories.
G.1 Students will increase their reading comprehension skills.
1.1 While reading book as a group, the student will recognize information
requested by a graphic organizer. (cognitive)
1.2 Given pencil and a graphic organizer, the student will record
information in graphic organizers to increase comprehension. (cognitive
and psychomotor)
1.3 Using a graphic organizer, the student will recall information and
verbally tell what a story is about. (cognitive)
1.4 Using pencil and paper, the student will summarize story by writing
one to four sentences. (cognitive and psychomotor)
1.5 In collaborative groups, students will discuss a book (read together).
(cognitive)
1.6 During discussions and reading aloud, students will support
classmates and exercise good etiquette, with the goal of constructing a safe,
collaborative learning environment. (affective)
1.7 Students will evaluate a book/passage, and share reasons for
liking/disliking. (cognitive)
1.8 Using iPad/computer app, the student will retell a story by creating an
animated video to exhibit comprehension. (cognitive)
G.2 Students will use technology tools to support their reading and writing.
2.1 The student will manipulate symbolic figures to demonstrate their
ability to spell a given word. (psychomotor and cognitive)
2.2 The student will verbalize his or her spelling of the word and explain
the specific strategies used. (cognitive)
2.3 After learning to apply strategies and technology tools, student will
display openness toward writing and reading independently with the new
strategies. (affective)

2.4 Using pencil, paper, and assistive tools, students will implement
spelling strategies to correctly spell and write words. (cognitive and
psychomotor)
2.5 Students will verbally describe how they can use technology outside
the classroom to improve their reading and spelling. (cognitive)
2.6 Using applications and/or audiobooks, students will track the text and
practice their own reading. (cognitive and psychomotor)
Learning Activities
1. Teacher will explain and model how to use a graphic organizer (see Appendix
A.1) while reading.
2. As a group, students will read story/passage aloud [1.1, 1.6]. As reading,
teacher will assist students in recording information in graphic organizer [1.2].
3. Students and teacher will collaboratively discuss the information recorded in
graphic organizer and students will verbally share details about story [1.3, 1.5,
1.6] (for grading rubric see B.1)
4. Once again, students will read story/passage aloud [1.1, 1.6], and students will
record information in graphic organizer [1.2].
5. Referring back to graphic organizers and recalling information from story,
students will write short summary of story (1-4 sentences) [1.4] (for grading
rubric see B.1).
6. Students will evaluate the book using a review sheet (see A.2), and share with
peers what they liked, disliked, and thought about the story [1.6, 1.7]
7. Students will take turns using the Puppet Pals iPad app (refer to Job Aid for
more info) to create an animated video in which they retell or summarize a story
(read in class) they choose [1.8] (see B.1 for grading rubric).
8. While a student is working on the iPad the other students will read
independently utilizing audiobooks and/or reading apps [2.6].
9. The class will watch the videos and reflect on how the creator retold the story
[1.5, 1.6]
10. Students will use the SmartBoard and magnetic alphabet letters to spell words
prompted by teacher [2.1, 2.3] (see B.3 for assessment checklist). Throughout the
activity the teacher will provide instruction and reminders of the strategies
(learned previously in program) which assist students in spelling correctly.
Students will take turns verbalizing their spelling and sharing the strategies they
used [2.2]
11. The teacher will lead a discussion of the available technology tools (on the
computer and iPad/iPod/iPhone) to assist students in writing, reading, and
spelling independently [2.5]. The students will brainstorm occasions when the
apps/programs would be helpful [1.6].

12. Using pencil, paper, and technology tools, students will spell and write words
correctly after prompted by the teacher [2.3, 2.4] (for assessment checklist see
B.3)
13. Students will share with one another and teacher how they will use the
strategies learned and programs/apps to help them succeed outside the
classroom [2.3, 2.5]
Assessment
The assessment for these lesson components and objectives will fit into a
cognitive constructivist learning theory. Each assessment tool for both concepts will
exemplify that students have built an understanding of the knowledge and skills and
have developed the ability to apply skills and concepts. Assessment will consist of
checklist tools for the instructor, projects that synthesize concepts learned, and surveys
giving students an opportunity to verbalize their understanding.
To assess students reading comprehension the instructional design will use
authentic tools and provide the instructor with a checklist to ensure student meets each
requirement. The assessments will build on one another each day and culminate in a
creative synthesis that combines students knowledge of various elements from the story
to show their reading comprehension. The first lesson component will consist of two
parts and two assessments: (1) students will accurately fill in graphic organizer (A.1)
with information obtained from reading (teacher will check for understanding
throughout and upon completion, as well correctness of student work), and (2) students
will verbally summarize the story (teacher will have a rating/checklist tool to assess
students summaries (B.1)). The second component will have students write a short
summary; the teacher will use this activity to determine if students comprehend the
literature and can express their ideas (B.1). The final component will assess students
through a self-made animated video utilizing their written summary. A successful video
will include the appropriate characters, setting, and main event found in the story read
by the student (B.2).
The instructional design will utilize teacher checklists of hands-on cognitive
activities to assess students spelling. Given a list of words, students will attempt to
correctly spell the word and successfully use strategies. The teacher will use a checklist
(B.3) to track and record students demonstration of these tasks.
Evaluation
The instructional designs effectiveness to address students and instructors
needs will be determined using surveys. One survey will be provided to students, asking

for students perspective of what they learned, if they enjoyed the activities, and if they
plan to utilize strategies and technology in the future (see C.1). The instructor survey will
evaluate her perception of the effectiveness of the learning activities and assessments,
overall student learning from instruction, her likeliness to repeat the activities, and if
this instruction complemented the original curriculum and bridged the gap in student
learning caused by not having a written curriculum (see C.2).
Timeline

Day 1

Reading comprehension
set-up & welcome (3 minutes)
graphic organizer overview (2 minutes)
read book and record information on graphic organizer (15 minutes) [1.1, 1.2, 1.6]
discuss G.O. and information from story, and verbally summarize (10 minutes) [1.3, 1.5, 1.6]
Repeat with story #2 (30 minutes)

Day 2

Reading comprehension
set-up & welcome (3 minutes)
reread story #1 (10 minutes) [1.6]
write short summary (10 minutes) [1.4]
evaluate and share (5-10 minutes) [1.6, 1.7]
repeat for story #2 (25-30 minutes)

Reading comprehension
set-up & welcome (3 minutes)
make puppet pals video with summary of story (45 minutes) [1.8]
read independently (45 minutes) [2.5]
watch videos (10 minutes) [1.6]

Day 3
Day 4

Spelling/writing & Technology

set-up & welcome (3 minutes)
activity introduction (2 minutes)
SmartBoard spelling activity (30 minutes) [2.1, 2.2, 2.3]
technology education and practice (20 minutes) [2.3, 2.4]
discussion (5 minutes) [1.6, 2.5]

Appendix A: Learning Activity Resources

A.1 Graphic Organizer
Story Details Graphic Organizer
Name:
Title of story/book:

List and describe the characters:

Event 1:

Event 2:

Event 3:

Summary/main idea:

Describe the setting:

A.2 Book Review form

's Book Review

Title of Book:

What did you like?



What did you NOT like?



Who was your favorite character and why?



Draw a picture of your favorite scene:











What did you think?

qfQ


Appendix B: Assessment Resources
B.1 Summary Rubric

10


B.2 Puppet Pals Rubric

11


B.3 Spelling Activity Checklist

12

13

Appendix C: Evaluation Resources

C.1 Student Survey

Student Post-Survey (Oral)

Ask the students the following questions and record/note the answers

Did you enjoy the activities this week?
Y
N
Did you understand the instructions?

Y
N
Do you want to do these activities again?
Y
N

What was your favorite activity? ___________________________________________________________________

Why did you like it? _________________________________________________________________________________

Which technology tools did you like? And what will you use outside the classroom?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did you learn this week?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What do you still want to learn?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14

C.2 Instructor Survey

Instructor Survey

Did you feel amply prepared to carry out this instruction?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Were the Job Aid and Design/development documents helpful?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Were the learning activities effective?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Were students engaged during activities?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If not, what prevented their engagement? And what might increase student interest?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is your perception of the technology chosen and integrated?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did the technology used help students when attempting to read/write independently?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did the instruction correlate with the standard curriculum?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did the instruction conflict with the standard curriculum? If so, please explain in what way.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did this instructional design help to bridge the gap for students out of the standard
curriculum?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15

Did anything hinder your ability to carry out these lessons? If so, what?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What would you like to see changed in the lessons/instruction?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Overall, how effective do you think these lessons were?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please provide any other comments, ideas, concerns, or requests you may have.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________