Glazier Artifact 5

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TE 846 Literacy Learner Analysis
Case Study- Ella

TE 846
Jennifer Glazier
Agust 3, 2014
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I. Background and Reason for Project Focus

According to Morrow and Gambrell (2011) Students must be literate in order to succeed
in school and in the workplaces of tomorrow (p. 11) Literacy plays an essential role in our
everyday life, allowing us to learn, communicate, and build relationships with people. Literacy
is more than just a subject learned in school, but plays an important part to being successful in
the world today. In my teaching experience I have seen many at-risk students come without a
literacy foundation, which has created a big focus in helping these types of struggling students
with the likes of No Child Left Behind and Response to Intervention. All students have different
academic backgrounds, family lives, and circumstances that make them and their learning
unique. As a teacher, one must be able to use assessment and communication with students to
develop a plan for their learning. The focus of this project will be to plan and teach lessons
specifically developed for a focus student to practice several skills to better promote literacy
learning in the area that is needed for them. This will be done through gathering information,
conducting a pre-assessment, planning and teaching lesson with a clear focus, conducting a postassessment, and finally reflecting on the literacy learning that was happening.
This project is of interest to me because it will push my thinking as an educator and as a
student of learning. I am not familiar with assessing or planning for Upper-Elementary grades,
because my background is in Early Childhood. I will have to think critically about lessons and
ideas for this project, and how I can make it best suited for an older student. This project will
allow me to step out of my comfort zone, and look at higher literacy level needs. While I am
familiar with pre-assessing, lesson planning, and post-assessing, I am not familiar with the topics
or strategies for the fourth/fifth grade level. This study will allow me to communicate and assess
an older student, while identifying and using different literacy strategies that I am not as familiar
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with as an educator. Working with an older student, it will also give me perspective of what I am
preparing my younger students for. I can use the information that I am learning and try to
incorporate these ideas at a preschool level. This study will allow for student development and
growth as well as teacher learning and reflection in the area of literacy learning.
II. Home and Family
For this study I will be working with a 10-year-old Caucasian girl named Ella. She will
be entering into the fifth grade in the fall of 2014. Ella is at the average reading level in her fifth
grade class, but does not have a strong interest in reading. Ella lives at home with her mom, dad,
older sister, dog, and two guinea pigs. I have known Ella and her family for three years. I spoke
with her parents about Ellas reading habits, and her dad expressed concerned with the ability to
keep focused when reading. He spoke about how he worried that no matter what book she
picked, she never seemed fully interested in it. Ella does not receive any special services or
support at school, but each summer Ellas parents get her a reading tutor. They discussed with
me how they think this important because they want Ella to continuing practicing her skills. Her
dad expressed these concerns with me, as he also mentioned Ellas older sister who loves to read
and never seems to have any difficulty choosing books. Ellas parents are worried that because
she is not developing the same literacy habits as her older sister, that she has the potential to slip
behind. While Ellas sister, who will be entering the 7th grade in the fall, is an avid reader, her
parents are hardly seen reading books. Ellas mom likes to read magazines, and Ellas dad
sometimes enjoys reading on the Kindle. Ellas parents are very invested in her education and
want to make sure she receives any help that she might need. There is a strong emphasis on
education and learning in Ellas household. Both Ellas parents received degrees in college, with
her dad receiving his MBA and CFA. Ellas dad is a Portfolio Manager/Partner of a financial
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firm, and Ellas mom is a stay at home mom. Education and extracurricular activities are the
main focus in the household. Every day after school when the girls get home, homework is the
first thing that is to be done. After homework is completed the girls either practice piano or go to
dance class. Ellas mother discussed with me how she had talked with the girls about reading at
least 30 minutes a day for the summer. Her mom said the girls could pick the books, hoping that
it would allow Ella to choose a book of interest. When discussing this case study with Ellas
parents they were both excited about the opportunity for her to work on strengthening and
developing greater literacy skills.
III. Emotional Climate
Ella attends the Elementary school where I also work. I am familiar with how her fourth
grade classroom was set up, and the relationship between teacher and student. Her classroom
teacher encouraged Ella to select books in the library that were of interest to her. Ellas teacher
even set up a system where if you read the first 20 pages and it is not interesting to you, then you
get to pick out a new book. When talking to Ella about her interest in literacy at school, she
mentioned writing more than reading. She enjoys writing stories and coming up with the ideas,
but did not seem to mention having an interest in books. She talked about reading the books for
Battle of the Books, but it came across as more of an assignment than something she was
interested in doing. When she does pick books she enjoys reading about horses, dogs, and
dancing. However, even when she finds books of interest, Ella still never talks about books that
she loves. She approaches reading as something that she has to do, instead of something that she
enjoys doing. Her motivation for reading is just doing it because she has to do it. Ella is a hard
worker, and wants to do well in school. She wants to please her teacher and her parents. She
studies hard, and always completes assignments. When talking with teachers at school they will
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describe Ella as a joy to have in class. Ella has a very supportive and caring home environment
and school environment.
IV. Literacy History
Education is something that has a very high value in Ellas household. Her mom and dad
both hold at least a college degree, with her dad receiving a Masters degree. Ellas dad really
enjoys reading both professional works and books for fun. He has a full library in their basement
filled with various genres of books. Ellas dad told me that he often encourages Ella to read, and
said he makes a point to tell her that her book looks interesting when she is reading it. Ellas
dad and sister often try to encourage her to read by giving verbal support, or by suggesting book
titles they think she might be interested in reading. Ellas mom and dad discussed with me that
they read a lot with Ella when she was younger, and she seemed to enjoy reading stories as a
young girl. As she has gotten older, her interest for reading has declined. Homework is
something that is done after school every day at Ellas household, which shows the high regard
the family has for education. Ellas parents want her to be as successful as she can.
Ella has participated in the Battle of the Books reading competition at school; she
participates in buddy reading with a younger class; and completes all of her assigned reading.
Ella receives small group and large group instruction in her classroom. Her classroom teacher
uses Fontas and Pinnell three times a year to continue to monitor her progress. Her classroom
teacher encouraged her to select books of interest whenever possible in the classroom. This past
February, Ella and her family came to the school wide Literacy Night. Ellas parents explained
how doing something as a family at school was important, and they wanted to show Ella
different things that could be done with literacy. Ella has been exposed to and participated in
various literacy activities and instruction at school.
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After talking with Ella and her family, the particular instructional challenges with this
student is that she does not tend to be interested in reading for fun. She does not view reading as
a challenge, and feels confident in her reading abilities, but does not enjoy reading for fun. At
school, Ella, told me she usually only picks books out because she has to read them for
homework. She always completes reading and writing assignments at school, as well as any
other homework, participates in class, and overall enjoys being at school. When she selects
books at school, it seems to only hold one purpose, because it is a requirement. Ella has a people
pleasing personality and wants to be known for being a good student who works hard. However,
she mentioned that she never really likes any of the books that she reads at school. Ella does not
receive any special services at school, and does not receive any individualized support because
she is consistently at or above grade level.
V. Tests Given and Summary of Test Results
After talking with Ellas parents about her reading, and determining that she reads at or
above the grade level, I decided to give Ella the MRP assessment (Gambrell et al. 1996). This
assessment consisted of two separate parts, a reading survey and a conversational interview. This
survey will assess two specific dimensions of reading motivation, self-concept as a reader and
value of reading (Gambrell et al, p.519). After completing the survey, the instructor scores each
response with a score from 1-4 (4 being the highest). Then the self-concept score is totaled, the
value of reading score is totaled, and there is a full survey total completed (total of 80 points).
Once the points are counted, the number is made into a percent. This allows the instructor to get
a basic idea of how the student views reading. This assessment was important for me to see how
Ella viewed reading and what were the specific parts about reading that she did not enjoy. After
knowing Ella and her family for a few years, I know the type of person Ella is, and she is one
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who wants to do well in school and would always complete an assignment. It was actually
surprising when talking with her parents that she does not seem to have an interest in reading. I
know Ella has specific interests, and I have seen books of those interests at her house, along with
her mom telling me that they have tried getting her books about what she likes. Having this in
mind, along with knowing that motivation is diverse (Morrow and Gambrell 2011) I was
interested to see what motivated or did not motivate Ella to read.
For our first session, I met with Ella at her house. We used her kitchen table as our
desk. I had her complete the independent portion while she was sitting right next to me, and
then once she finished I continued with the interview questions. She took the test very seriously,
and did not rush through it. I was observing her while she was answering the questions, and I
noticed that for some questions she hesitated or responded out loud with I dont know. Two
questions that she hesitated at were People who read a lot are ___ and I think libraries are
___. When we got to the interview section, Ella had a harder time answering the questions. She
was able to identify a book that she is currently reading, and give a brief synopsis, and tell how
she found out about it. When I asked her, Why was this story interesting to you? she responded
with, Thats a good question, let me think. Mainly because I dont know. She was quicker to
answer when I asked her about books that she would be interested in reading in the future. Ella
told me that she gets reading suggestions from her dad and sister, and they often encourage her to
keep reading whatever book she is reading. When I asked Ella, What do you think you have to
learn to be a better reader? She responded with, Have a bigger vocabulary, know more words.
It would help me enjoy the book more if I knew more detailed words. Once the survey was
complete, I counted up the score and Ella received a 38/40 on Self-Concept as a Reader and a
32/40 for Value of Reading, which gave her a total raw score of 70/80 or 87.5%. (Artifact 0).
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After completing this survey, I was able to identify some topics that motivated Ella, and find some
areas where she would like to improve. Morrow and Gambrell (2011) stated, When we think of
motivation our mind first turns to interest. (p. 178). I wanted to look more into what interested Ella,
and show her how she could use those interests to find books that she might enjoy reading. Ella
mentioned how she enjoyed fiction stories because they involved magical things like fairies, talking
dogs and mermaids. I wanted to find a realistic fiction book that still had some of these features. By
finding out Ellas interests, I wanted to show her how there are books that have her interests, but are
not the same type of fiction novel that she is use to reading. By identifying these as the key issues I
decided to focus on valuing knowledge from reading and values for the future (Dodge 2012,
PowerPoint). Ella does not lack confidence, and does not lack reading skills, but I think it is
important to point out how reading can help expand [her] knowledge of perceived world and have
an understanding of importance of reading to future goals (Dodge 2012, PowerPoint).
Ella also informed me that she felt that she needed a larger vocabulary, making it easier to read
books. This gave me the idea to plan a lesson around working towards identifying unfamiliar words
and using different strategies to figure out their meanings. I came up with the idea to use a dictionary
and thesaurus on the iPad. Most students are familiar with using these tools to look things up while
reading informational text, but I wanted to show Ella how she could use these tools while reading
books for pleasure. Morrow and Gambrell point out a quote from Oczkus (2009) that to model a
literacy concept, skill, or strategy, we must show children how it is to be a done, using lot of talking
out loud about our thinking as teachers (p.417). While doing this lesson, I will talk out loud and
model different strategies for Ella to find out meanings of words.
For the first lesson I will be introducing or re-introducing Ella to stories written in
different points of view. I created a flow chart (Artifact 1) that goes into detail on how to
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determine the point of view from which something is written. From there I will read Ella some
passages and she will determine what point of view they are written in (Artifact 2). This
assessment will provide me with documentation on whether or not Ella understands different
points of view, and how using these different points of view can make a story different. After
this assessment is given, I will introduce Ella to a new book, Racing in the Rain: My Life as a
Dog. This book is of interest to Ella because it is about dogs, and I wanted to show her how even
in a realistic fiction book, there could still be magical features found (talking dogs). After
reading a short selection in the book, Ella will identify what point of view the story is being told
in, and will think about how the story could be different if it was told from a different characters
perspective (Artifact 3 and 4). These assessments will allow me to see whether Ella knows
different points of view, and whether she finds one perspective more interesting than the other.
In the second lesson plan I will have a verbal conversation with her about her use with a
dictionary and thesaurus. I will ask her questions like Have you used this before? Have you
used the online versions of this before? and Have you ever used these tools outside of
homework? This will allow me to gauge how familiar Ella is with these tools, and show her
how they can be used for more than just homework. Once she starts reading, I will give her a
worksheet that has 5 columns labeled Word in Context, I think it means Dictionary
Meaning, Synonym, and Antonym (Artifact 5). As Ella reads she will write down words
that she does not know or understand, and fill out what she believes the meaning is. After doing
some independent reading, Ella will use the online tools to help her look up the meaning as well
as synonyms and antonyms. After she has completed the chart, she will make up or create 3 silly
sentences using the unfamiliar words. (Artifact 6) This will allow me to see if she understands
how to incorporate new words and use their meanings. I will then give Ella a few questions
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asking her about what she used to do when she came to a word that she did not know, and if she
found using the online tools helpful. This will allow me to see if these strategies were useful or
not.
After the two lessons are complete, I gave Ella a survey where she will answer questions
based on the strategies answering with yes, no or sometimes. This will serve as the posttest. Since Ella lacks a motivation to read for fun, I want to show her how she can look at books
differently, and how she can incorporate things like an iPad into her reading to make it fun.
These two lessons were based on trying to find ways to increase Ellas reading motivation. After
completing the original MRP assessment, talking with Ella and her family, and the assessments I
hope to see an increase in Ellas interest in reading. In the post-test (Artifact 8) Ella marked that
she was somewhat familiar with different points of view and she checked yes that she would
look for books written in different points of view in the future. Showing Ella stories written from
different points of view has helped show her the variety of books that are available to read,
hopefully inspiring her to read more books for fun. In the post-test (Artifact 8) Ella has also
checked yes that she will continue reading Racing in the Rain: My life as a Dog. This shows
that she shows interest enough in the book to continue reading. The last part of the post test
(Artifact 8) talks about Ellas use of dictionaries and thesaurus. In the box where it asked her if
she had ever used a dictionary or thesaurus for fun she checked no. In the box where it asked
if she would consider using them while she read for fun in the future she checked sometimes.
Based off of the results of the post-test, Ella has learned some new strategies and different ways
of looking at books to help peak her interest and stay engaged. In the post-test (Artifact8), I
wanted to create questions that dealt with results from the pre-test, as well as assess how
impactful the two lessons were. Comparing the pre-test (Artifact 0) and the post-test (Artifact 8)
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Ella learned a new strategy to help her identify words that she was unfamiliar with, which was an
area Ella wanted to improve on to become a better reader. Ella also found a book that was
written from a different perspective than what she was used to reading. The post-test (Artifact 8)
shows how Ella will sometimes use the strategy of using a dictionary and thesaurus in the
future, which will help her identify words.
VI. Lesson Plan Matrix
Lesson
Foci/Date
Objectives (include including

performance, conditions, and
criterion. State the Common Core
State Standard at the end of each
objective.
Instructional
materials (what
On-going assessment (to
will use to deliver
measure attainment of
the main
objectives)
objectives of the
lesson)
At the beginning of the lesson I

will use the point of view
question sheet to gauge
whether or not the student
Students will learn the difference
understands the different points
between first and third person points of
of view.
view. Students will begin reading a
The assessment I will use to
story and identify the point of view.
gauge the students learning is
Then the student will be asked to use a Racing in the Rain: being able to identify the point
different point of view to tell the story. My life as a dog,
of view in the story, and
July 12, 2014 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL4.6 (Compare point of view flow whether or not that interests the
chart, point of view student. The student has trouble
and contrast the point of view from
book questions
getting motivated to read
which different stories are narrated,
stories, and by identifying a
including the difference between firstnew point of view the student
and-third person narrations.)
will say if this is a book that
he/she would be interested in
continuing to read.
Student will use multiple ways to learn

the meaning of an unknown word.
July 15, 2014
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4 (Determine
of clarify the meaning of unknown and
Racing in the Rain:

My life as a dog,
iPad, vocabulary
sheet, silly sentence
sheet
I will be looking to see if the

student uses the tools
appropriately. If not, then that
means another lesson will have
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multiple-meaning words and phrases
based on grade reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.a
(Use context (e.g., definitions,
examples, or restatements in text) as a
clue to the meaning of a word of
phrase) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4c
(Consult reference materials (e.g.,
dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses),
both print and digital, to find the
pronunciation and determine or clarify
the precise meaning of key words and
phrases.)
to be developed to further
explain how to use the tools,
and show how it can be used in
a fast manner.
When the student creates the
sentences, do they use the
words correctly?
How does the student view using the
dictionary and the thesaurus?
VII. Reflections on Your Differentiated Literacy Lesson Plans

My literacy learner, Ella, had difficulty finding motivation and enjoyment to read. Guthrie
(2011) talks about the meaning of motivation as the values, beliefs, and behaviors surrounding
reading (p.177). The idea here is that motivation is more than having fun while reading
(Guthrie 2001, p.177). After completing a pre-assessment of the MRP Reading Survey (1996)
and having conversations with Ella about her interests, I decided to plan two lessons around a
narrative book about dogs. Dogs were one of main interests expressed by Ella. I wanted to focus
on interests, because it seemed like even though Ella was being shown books that were about
things of interest, she showed no sign of wanting to engage with the book. Choosing to base my
lessons around interest was going to be a challenge because researchers refer to interest as
intrinsic motivation, meaning something we do for its own sake (Guthrie 2001, p.178).
Knowing a little bit about Ellas literacy history, her views on reading are similar to what is
mentioned by Guthrie (2011) if you read for the reward of a good quiz score, what happens
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after the quiz is that you stop reading (p.178). I would say that after the two lessons were
completed, the instruction made a slight impact on the students overall reading progress.
During the first lesson Ella learned and reviewed the different points of view. After
talking with Ella, and gathering information from the MRP assessment (Gambrell et al., 1996), I
found that Ella had selected books that were told from very similar points of view. I wanted to
expose Ella to new styles of writing. After completing the Determining Points of View questions
(Artifact 2) it was clear that Ella had a firm understanding of how to interpret different points of
view. This worksheet had Ella read different passages to determine from what point of view it
was written. I wanted to expose her to examples of different points of view to make sure she had
a base understanding before looking at the book. Where I am unclear at is if she is at the level to
take her understanding of points of view and apply it to books she is reading for fun. This is
based off of Artifact 4. I am unsure if Ella did not understand the question, or if the question was
not clear enough. She said, I would pick Denny. Denny is Enzos owner. He often talks about
us meaning him and Eve (Artifact 4). Ella provided proof of a different point of view, but
failed to write in a different point of view. If I did this part of the lesson again, I would write
clearer directions and have more verbal clues about what I was expecting. This was the first time
for me creating a lesson for an older student, and I see how I need to improve upon writing more
clear directions. However, she did note in the post assessment (Artifact 8) that she is going to
look for books with different points of view in the future. I can see how the exposure to the
different points of view has made her more aware of what type of books are out there.
More progress was made during the second lesson, based from the responses from Ella on the
post-assessment (Artifact 7). When looking at Artifact 7 (2014) Ella wrote I did find it helpful
because now I know what the words really mean. She is showing that she learned something
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and that she is going to apply it in the future. Normally, when Ella came to a word she did not
know, she would skip the word and read the rest of the sentence (Artifact 7, 2014). While
using context clues to help her find meanings of words can be helpful, it seemed to be the only
strategy Ella was using in her reading. By using the thesaurus and finding synonyms and
antonyms, Ella was able to make more connections with words and find similarities between
words she already knew. This was only one lesson, and while Ella gained knowledge and
experience in using the dictionary and thesaurus while independently reading, it is hard to say if
Ella will continue using this practice as she continues reading for fun. The two lessons were
designed to help Ella with independent reading. Gambrell et al. (2011) define independent
reading as the time spent silently reading self-selected texts (p.143). It is important to help
students achieve success and help motivate to read independently because Anderson, Wilson,
and Fielding (1988) argued that the amount of time spent reading books [is] the best predictor
of gains in reading achievement between second and fifth grade (as cited in Gambrell et al.,
2011, p.144). I based these lessons on an independent reading book because Ella will be entering
fifth grade in the fall and I do not want her to lose interest in reading for fun.
During the two lessons Ella was mostly being supported by modeling. The first lesson was
more direct instruction with the second lesson having more strategy instruction. The first lesson
(Artifact 9) involved more direct instruction because of the teaching of points of view. In this
lesson I wanted to focus on what the different types were, and what type of information you
gained from reading in different points of view. Even though this was direct instruction, Ella and
I walked through the flow chart (Artifact 1) together. We both gave examples of things in
different points of view, and brainstormed different books we could think of that were written in
different points of view. While working on the different points of view worksheet (Artifact 2) I
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modeled how I read the sentence and then followed through on the flow chart (Artifact 1) to
determine the point of view. This allowed for Ella to see my thinking as I was reading through
the passage. The second lesson (Artifact 10) involved more strategy instruction because I was
showing Ella how she could use familiar resources for independent reading. In the second lesson,
I picked up the book and started to read out loud, and when I came to a word I did not know, I
stopped and said, Hm, I dont think I know what that word means. Lets write it down. Then I
modeled out loud what I thought the meaning of the word was. This was not only showing Ella
how I wanted her to complete the assignment, but I wanted her to see that even in books we read
for fun, we still come across words that we do not know. I feel that Ella benefited the most in
lesson plan 2 (Artifact 10) because of the amount of words that she was finding to look up using
different resources. She had mentioned that she was surprised by the amount of words that she
did not know, and that she was wrong about the meanings. The critical moments in the lesson
were when Ella made a connection from the book to her own life. While starting to
independently read at the beginning of the book, Ella pointed out how she remembered getting
her dog when she was a puppy, just like the puppy in the book. She had mentioned how she
wondered what it was like for Olive to come home with them. For me, this indicated a reason
why this book would be meaningful to Ella. Independent reading is all about making connections
and finding what is meaningful and interesting to you. As the teacher in this lesson it was
important for me to help Ella make those connections because how a teacher guides and
implements independent reading time influences reading achievement (Gambrell et al., 2011, p.
150). When Ella started making connections to her own life, I noticed how her facial expressions
started to change and she seemed to have more to say when talking about the book. Again, Ella is
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not a struggling reader, but it was important to find out what was holding Ella back from picking
up books to independently read.
Through the assessments and activities I found proof that the student had achieved the
learning goals. While this was only a two-part lesson, it would be hard to measure long-term
learning. In lesson plan 1 (Artifact 9), my learning goal was for Ella to learn different points of
view. This was directly linked to the CCSS. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL4.6 (Compare and contrast
the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between
first-and-third person narrations.) The evidence that Ella learned the difference between these
points of view is that she completed a determining points of view worksheet (Artifact 2) where
she read a similar passage told from four different points of view. She determined the points of
view by looking for the clues that we had talked about in the flow chart (Artifact 1). Ella
correctly identified the different points of view, showing that she had used the clues to help her
determine point of view. In the second lesson plan (artifact 10), the learning goals were for Ella
to find multiple ways to learn the meaning of a word. This learning goal was selected because
learning more words was a point that Ella had described as something she felt she needed to get
better at as a reader. Another goal for Ella in this lesson was to see how you could use common
resources even while reading for fun. While Ella was familiar with using a dictionary, I wanted
to show her the ease of using an online dictionary with an iPad, something she has interest in
using. I wanted to take this learning goal a step further and connect these new words to words
that Ella might already be familiar with through the use of synonymous and antonyms. My goal
as a teacher was to model good learning which involves developing learners who are active,
who personalize their learning and look for multiple sources of information to build meaning,
and who are playful with words (Blachowicz & Fisher 2011, p. 232).
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If I were given another opportunity to teach these lessons again I would focus more on tactics
to promote active participation and interest, as well as deepening content knowledge. While Ella
participated and was engaged in the lesson, I feel that her responses were not as developed as
they could be. Being a preschool teacher, teaching a fourth/fifth grade lesson was out of my
comfort zone. Teaching these lessons allowed me to experience teaching different strategies as
well as working with an older student. If I were to teach this again, or a lesson similar to this, I
would like to have the opportunity to talk with fellow fourth or fifth grade teachers and hear
what helpful techniques and strategies they have used. I feel confident in teaching literacy
lessons for preschool, but not in the upper grades. If I were to embark on working with upper
elementary students, I would like to learn more about the CCSS (Common Core Standards) in
those grades, and learn how to better reach the needs of upper elementary students. When
teaching the vocabulary lesson (Artifact 10) I would try to incorporate more fun learning games
and activities. Blachowicz & Fisher (2011) stated, part of creating a positive environment for
word learning involves having activities, games, materials, and other resources that allow
students to play with words (as cited in Morrow and Gambrell 2011, p. 229). In this lesson, Ella
made up silly sentences with the words that she was unfamiliar with in order to learn how to use
them in context. After seeing how the lesson went, next time I might try a more active way to
practice the words.
VIII. Recommendations to Teachers and Parents/Caregivers
To the Parents of Ella,
Over the past few weeks I have been working with your daughter to help increase her
motivation to read. As you know, Ella is an exceptional student and has a strong desire to do well
in school. After talking with you, you expressed concerns about Ella having an interest in
reading on her own. You had mentioned that even after trying to help her find books that were of
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interest to her, participating in different activities, and leading by example, nothing seemed to
work. The concerns you have about Ella is that she will eventually fall behind in reading because
she is not continuing to read as much as she gets older.
As I started working with Ella, I took notice of Ellas responses in the conversational interview,
where she seemed less confident in her answers. She had a difficult time recalling books she had
read and giving reasons why she liked them. She also shared how she would like to have a bigger
vocabulary to understand books better. After gathering this information I decided to pull a book
that Ella expressed an interest in, about dogs, and help her find ways to better understand
vocabulary. The book I selected was called Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog written by Gail
Stein.
In the first lesson we talked about different points of view, and how stories can be different
depending on who is telling the story. This story captured all of the things Ella expressed interest
in, fantasy, dogs, and fiction; however, it was not a story about a dog it was a story told by a dog.
After talking with her about the books she has read, it seems like she was reading very similar
books, and that was leading to a loss of interest. I would continue to help Ella find books that are
of interest to her, but have different qualities. In the example of this book, Ella and I had a
conversation about what type of story your family dog, Olive, would write if she could. Trying to
make connections to her real life could help increase her interest in the books she is reading. I
would continue to allow Ella to explore and encourage choice when selecting books for
independent reading at school and at home. Ella has expressed interest in books about fairies,
dogs, dance, and mystery books.
In the second lesson, we focused on unfamiliar vocabulary that Ella found throughout the book.
Ella had mentioned in the survey that she felt confident when she came to a word that she could
figure out the meaning. However, once she started reading she realized she came across a lot of
words that she did not know. Ella used technology and wrote silly sentences to help her better
understand the meaning and context of the word. I would encourage you as a family to talk about
different meanings of words, use synonyms when appropriate, and talk about words that might
be challenging. The idea here was for Ella to see that she can use a variety of tools even when
she is reading a book for enjoyment. Helping Ella expand her vocabulary will give her the
knowledge to continue reading books when she comes to an unfamiliar word.
I would encourage your family to keep holding a high standard to literacy in your household.
Continue to explore different types of text (magazines, articles on the iPad, posters) and help Ella
see that she can learn from and enjoy books about the things that that are of interest to her.
Some books Ella might be interested in the future are: Love that Dog written by Sharon Creech
and Ella Enchanted written by Gail Carson Levine.
Ella was a pleasure to work with. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
19
Jen Glazier
IX. Appendices of work
20
Outline for a Daily Lesson Plan (Artifact 9)

Date: July 12, 2014
Objective for todays lesson: Students will learn the difference between first and third person
points of view. Students will begin reading a story and identify the point of view. Then the student
will be asked to use a different point of view to tell the story. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL4.6 (Compare and
contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference
between first-and-third person narrations.)
Rationale (Explain why this content and/or skill is important and worthwhile, and how you will
make it relevant to your students lives): It is important for students to be aware of different points
of views when reading and writing. In this lesson students will see points of view they are familiar
with, and learn new ones. It is important for students to learn the difference because different
perspectives can let the reader know different parts of the story. It is important for the student to
learn that in 3rd person it allows the writer to share what they see and understand. In 3rd person, all
elements of the story can be told from more than one set of eyes. 3rd person view allows the reader
to find out what else is going on even if the main character is not involved in the scene. When the
narrator is in 1st person, it allows a relationship to build between the reader and the writer. 1st
person allows insight into a world that wouldnt be apparent from the other characters point of
view. It is important for students to identify the different between the two, so that they can use the
different points of views in their own writing. It will also give students the tool to look at how the
story could be told different from another characters point of view. When a student gets bored or
not excited about reading, they could try reading from a different perspective than what they are
use to. Showing students how stories change depending on the point of view, allows students to
learn different ways to share stories.
Materials and supplies needed: Racing in the Rain: My life as a dog, point of view flow chart, point
of view book questions
Procedures and approximate time allocated for each event
Academic, Social and
Linguistic Support for each
event
Introduction to the lesson (What will I say to help children
understand the purpose of the lesson? How will I help them
make connections to prior lessons or experiences in and out
Make sure there are
of school? How will I motivate them to become engaged in
no distractions for
the lesson and understand its real world purpose?)
student.
(_10_minutes)
Have student sitting
o After reading your survey, I see how sometimes
at a table in a chair.
you think reading is boring, or that you are not
Speak clearly, and
interested in it. Well today, I am going to show you
give multiple
a story that is told in a different point of view. After
examples.
talking and reading your survey, it seems like when
you pick similar books sometimes you get tired of
reading them because you can guess what is going
to happen next. I want to show you how there are
books out there about things you like, but might be
different than books you have read before. You
mentioned how you would really like to read books
21
that are humorous and that are about dogs.

o Before we start the story, we are going to talk
about the different points of view that characters
can tell the story in. Have you talked about points
of view before? Here I will talk with the student
and find out her prior knowledge about points of
view. This will show me what she already knows,
and what she can still learn.
o I will start out by introducing or reviewing first
person point of view. I will explain that the narrator
is telling the story and that narrator is a character in
the story. I will discuss how sentences written in
first person usually start with I, me and my
but can also use we and us.
o Next I will introduce 3rd person point of view by
explaining that the narrator is telling the story from
someone elses viewpoint and the narrator is an
observer in the story, not a character. Sentences in
3rd person usually use the pronouns, he, she,
they.
o I will show the student the view point flow chart,
which is a tool to allow the student to help identify
what view point is being told in a story. This will be
a helpful tool to refer too when looking deeper into
3rd person point of views.
o While looking at the chart, I will further explain how
there are three different types of 3rd person point
of view. I will explain the different between the
different types by explaining how they are different
depending on how much the narrator knows about
the characters thoughts and feelings. We will
follow the flow chart, which clearly states what
each point of view does. In 3rd person objective
point of view the narrator does not know the
characters backgrounds or history, so they cannot
say how they think or feel. In the 3rd person limited
point of view, the narrator knows the thoughts and
feelings of one character, and 3rd person omniscient
the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all
the characters.
OUTLINE of key events during the lesson (Include specific
details about how I will begin and end activities; what
discussion questions I will use; how I will help children
understand behavior expectations during the lesson;
when/how I will distribute supplies and materials) (4550_minutes)
o After looking at the chart, I will tell the student that
we are going to look at some examples and try to
Talk about what kind

of story her dog
might write, to help
increase motivation
to read.
22
identify what point of view they are being told in. I

will provide examples to help students distinguish
the difference between the different points of
views that were introduced and reviewed in the
introduction.
I will present a sheet that has examples of the
different points of views. The student will be
allowed to review with the flow chart to help
identify the points of view.
Example1: It was a cold winter day and I was iceskating with my friend Lexi and Molly. I have been
practicing all week and have gotten very good at
stopping my skates. My little sister, Susan, walked
over to us and asked if she could play too. I
thought, Shes too little. Shell just mess up and
start to cry, so I told her, No and she walked
away.
This is an example of first person point of
view. The narrator is telling the story and is
a character in the story. The narrator uses
the pronouns I and my.
Example 2: It was a cold winter day and Mallory was
ice-skating with her friends Lexi and Molly. She had
been practicing all week and had gotten very good
at stopping her skates. Mallorys little sister, Kate,
walked over to the girls and asked if she could play
too but the girls told her no.
This is an example of 3rd person point of
view because the narrator is not a character
in the story. The narrator uses the pronouns
her and she. This example is a 3rd
person objective point of view because the
narrator tells what happened without
saying any of the characters thoughts or
feelings.
excited to be ice-skating with her friends Lexi and
Molly. She had been practicing all week and had
gotten very good at stopping her skates. Mallorys
little sister Kate walked over to the girls and asked if
she could play too. Mallory thought, Shes too
little. Shell just mess up and fall down, so she told
her, no. Kate walked away.
This passage is 3rd person, because the
narrator uses her and she and is not a
character in the story. This example is third
person limited because the narrator only
tells the reader how Mallory feels and what
23
o
she is thinking.
excited to be ice-skating with her friends Lexi and
Molly. She had been practicing all week and had
gotten very good at stopping with her skates. As
Lexi was spinning around she thought to herself,
We should have a competition! Mallorys little
sister Kate walked over to the girls and asked if she
could play too. Mallory thought, Shes too little.
Shell just mess up and fall down, so she told her,
no. Feeling sad, Kate walked away.
This example is told through 3rd person
since the narrator is not in the story. The
narrator uses the pronouns she and her.
However, in this example it is 3rd person
omniscient because the narrator reveals the
thoughts and feelings of several characters.
As the student is going through the examples, I will
provide questions to help identify and determine
the point of view being used. Is the characters
name used? Does the narrator know the feelings
and thoughts of the characters?
Next I will place the book, Racing in the Rain, in
front of the student and give a brief summary of the
book.
Today we are going to start reading a new book. I
picked this book out specifically for you based off of
what you said you wanted to read about. This book
is about a dog, Enzo, and his life with his owner,
Denny. The story is told a little differently, you are
going to read the first couple of chapters and
determine what point of view the story is being told
in.
I am going to hand you the book, and I want you to
read for the next 15 minutes. Ask yourself Who is
telling the story? Are they included in the story?
Do they know how other characters feel?
Give student silent reading time.
Closing summary for the lesson (How will I bring closure to

the lesson and actively involve children in reflecting on their
experiences? How will I help them make connections to
prior lessons or prepare for future experiences? What kind
of feedback do I want from them at this time?)
(_10_minutes)
o Give student a 5-minute warning.
o After 15 minutes, tell the student that you have
24
o
o
some questions to ask them about the narrator in

the story.
Hand the student the point of view questions, and a
pencil to fill in the answers.
As the student is answering the questions, ask them
about the point of view the story was told from. Ask
the student if this point of view is something that
interests them? Have they ever wondered about
what their dog was thinking? What do you think
your dog would say if she was telling a story about
you?
Ask the student if they would have liked the story
as much as if it were told through Dennys point of
view instead of Enzos.
Ask the student how they can use looking at points
of views to find books that interest them.
Transition to the next learning activity
Assessment (How will I gauge the students learning as I

implement the lesson plan once the lesson is completed?
Specifically, what will I look for? How will I use what I am
learning to inform my next steps?)
o At the beginning of the lesson I will use the point of
view question sheet to gauge whether or not the
student understands the different points of view.
o The assessment I will use to gauge the students
learning is being able to identify the point of view in
the story, and whether or not that interests the
student. The student has trouble getting motivated
to read stories, and by identifying a new point of
view the student will say if this is a book that
he/she would be interested in continuing to read.

event
Outline for a Daily Lesson Plan (Artifact 10)

Date: July 15, 2014
Objective for todays lesson: Student will use multiple ways to learn the meaning of an unknown
word. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4 (Determine of clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning
words and phrases based on grade reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.a (Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text)
25
as a clue to the meaning of a word of phrase) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4c (Consult reference materials
(e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and
determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.)
Rationale (Explain why this content and/or skill is important and worthwhile, and how you will
make it relevant to your students lives): It is important for this student to learn ways to finding the
meanings of words. Students need to know the tools that can help them define words so that they
do not misinterpret the meaning of words when they read and write. It is important for students to
learn how to use the dictionary because it will help them use words correctly, spell words correctly,
and build their vocabulary. Looking up a word not only helps you understand and use the word, but
the process of looking it up helps put the word in their memory. It is important for students to learn
how to use a thesaurus so they can be more descriptive in their writing, and continue to build their
vocabulary. The thesaurus provides a list of new words, working as a vocabulary builder, and also
provides students with the best descriptive word to use.
Materials and supplies needed: Racing in the Rain: My life as a dog, iPad, vocabulary sheet, silly
sentence sheet
Procedures and approximate time allocated for each event
event
Introduction to the lesson (What will I say to help children
understand the purpose of the lesson? How will I help them
make connections to prior lessons or experiences in and out
Mention how I
of school? How will I motivate them to become engaged in
struggled with
the lesson and understand its real world purpose?) (5vocabulary when I
10_minutes)
was younger. Talk
o Today we are going to talk about some tools that
about the
can help you learn the meanings of words that you
frustrations in not
do not know. When reading books sometimes we
understanding the
come to words that we dont understand, and that
word, and how it can
can make reading frustrating and we can lose
make books
interest.
confusing and not
o I am sure you have heard and used a dictionary
interesting.
and thesaurus before. We are going to review how
to use these tools, and how they can help us
understand what we are reading, but also how
learning new vocabulary words can help with our
writing.
o Ask student why we use dictionaries.
o Clarify or restate that dictionaries show
The proper spelling of a word
How to pronounce the word
The syllables of a word
The meaning of a word
o Ask the student why we use a thesaurus
o Clarify or restate- A thesaurus shows:
Synonyms (same meaning) of wordssometimes you need an alternate word
when writing
26
Antonyms (opposite meaning) for words

o Explain how today in our lesson we are going to use
electronic versions of these tools today. By showing
the student the electronic version, they can see
how they can use these tools quickly while they are
reading a book for enjoyment.
o I want to show the student how using a dictionary
and thesaurus does not just have to be done for
homework purposes, but it can be used quickly to
find the meaning of words when you are reading
books for pleasure.
OUTLINE of key events during the lesson (Include specific
details about how I will begin and end activities; what
discussion questions I will use; how I will help children
understand behavior expectations during the lesson;
when/how I will distribute supplies and materials) (_4045_minutes)
o Today we are going to continue reading in the
Racing in the Rain book, but instead of learning
about points of view, you are going to practice
using these tools to find out the meanings of words
that you do not know.
o Pass out the word chart and explain.
o I am going to show you how you can use
something like this tool to help you figure out what
different words mean.
o Ask student what they usually do when they come
to a word they do not know.
o Today when you are reading and you come to a
word that you do not understand; I want you to
write it here under the column Word in context. I
would like you to also write the page number in
that you find the word on. That way you can go
back and re-read the sentence and see if it makes
more sense.
o After you write the word down, I want you to look
in the next column and write what you think the
word means.
o Explain to the student that you will fill the rest of
the chart out once the child has completed 15
minutes of reading.
o Let the student start reading.
o Give the student a 5-minute warning for when you
would like them to stop.
o Stop the student and let them know that you will be
handing them an iPad to start to find the meanings
of the words they did not understand.
o Hand student an IPad with the dictionary already
27
pulled up.
o Allow the student to work independently to search
the definitions of the words.
o Have the student fill in the dictionary meaning of
the words.
o Assist student when necessary.
o Once student has completed the dictionary
meanings, have them click over to the thesaurus.
o Here explain to the student that you are going to be
looking up the words and finding words that are
similar and words that are the opposite.
o Together with the student, look up each word. Talk
through the synonyms and antonyms together.
o Once the student has completed the chart, have
the student go back and look at how their idea of
the meaning of the word and the actual meaning of
the word compares.
Closing summary for the lesson (How will I bring closure to
the lesson and actively involve children in reflecting on their
experiences? How will I help them make connections to
prior lessons or prepare for future experiences? What kind
of feedback do I want from them at this time?) (_1015_minutes)
o Now, since you have found the meaning of the
words you did not know, we are going to use those
words and make some silly sentences. This way, we
can practice using them so you can remember what
they mean.
o Have the student go back through the chart and ask
any questions or clarifications they might have.
o Provide the student with a piece of paper that is
numbered 1-3. Explain that the student is going to
make three silly sentences using the words from
the chart.
o Give the student time to complete the activity.
Transition to the next learning activity
Assessment (How will I gauge the students learning as I
implement the lesson plan once the lesson is completed?
Specifically, what will I look for? How will I use what I am
learning to inform my next steps?)
o I will be looking to see if the student uses the tools
appropriately. If not, then that means another
lesson will have to be developed to further explain
how to use the tools, and show how it can be used
in a fast manner.
o When the student creates the sentences, do they
use the words correctly?

event
28
o
How does the student view using the dictionary and

the thesaurus?
See other attachment for Artifacts 0-8.

Artifact 0- MRP Survey
Artifact 1- Point of View Chart
Artifact 2- Determining Points of View
Artifact 3- Racing in the Rain Questions
Artifact 4- Change Point of View
Artifact 5- Unfamiliar Vocabulary
Artifact 6- Silly Sentences
Artifact 7- Post-test on Lesson 2
Artifact 8- Post-test for both lessons
X. Bibliography
Blachowicz, C. L., & Baumann, J. F. (2012). Language Standards for Vocabulary . (pp. 131-153)
Common Core State Standards (English Language Arts 4th grade). (2010). Washington D.C.:
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School
Officers.
Dodge, A.M. (2012) Module 3 PPT for Chapters 5&7 from the Best Practices Book by
Morrow & Gambrell [Powerpoint]. Retrived from D2L Online Web site:
https://d2l.msu.edu/d2l/le/content/144995/viewContent/1014435/View
Gambrell, L.B., & Marinak, B.A., & Brooker H.R., & McCrea-Andrews H.J. (2011). The
Importance of Independent Reading. In S.J. Samuels & A.E. Farstrup (4 th ed), What
Research has to say about Reading Instruction (pp. 143-158). Newark, DE: International
Reading Association.
29
Gambrell, L. B., Palmer, B. M., Codling, R. M., & Mazzoni, S. A. (1996) Assessing Motivation
to Read. The Reading Teacher, 49.
Guthrie, J.T. (2011). Best Practices in Motivating Students to Read. In Morrow, L.M., and
Gambrell, L.B. (4th ed), Best Practices In Literacy Instruction (pp.177-198)
Jewell, M. (2001). Adaptations are essential early years reading. Olympia, Wash.: Office of the
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Stein, G. (2011). Racing in the rain: my life as a dog. New York: Harper.

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TE 846 Literacy Learner Analysis

Case Study- Ella

I. Background and Reason for Project Focus

Objectives (include including

At the beginning of the lesson I

Student will use multiple ways to learn

Racing in the Rain:

I will be looking to see if the

VII. Reflections on Your Differentiated Literacy Lesson Plans

IX. Appendices of work

Outline for a Daily Lesson Plan (Artifact 9)

that are humorous and that are about dogs.

Talk about what kind

identify what point of view they are being told in. I

Closing summary for the lesson (How will I bring closure to

some questions to ask them about the narrator in

Transition to the next learning activity

Assessment (How will I gauge the students learning as I

Academic, Social and

Outline for a Daily Lesson Plan (Artifact 10)

Antonyms (opposite meaning) for words

Academic, Social and

How does the student view using the dictionary and

See other attachment for Artifacts 0-8.

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