Kayla Harrison

Dr. Madden
School Reading Problems
25 September 2015

Reflection #1
Word Study
Since Dawson had trouble reading words with vowel combinations, such as ea, Rachael
and I decided that we would make a word sort based on long e words, using the combinations ee,
e, and ea. Before the sort, Dawson was able to correctly identify 17 out of 20 words. He
correctly identified which category each word belonged to, and at the end of the sort he
identified where he heard the e sound in each word. He eventually came to a realization about
how to listen for where the long e sound is heard in a word, in order to know how to spell it.
However, we had him listen to us read a passage from a story and stand up whenever he heard a
long e sound. This did not work, as he did not stand at all. We decided we needed to change our
methods. Rachael asked him to read us the short passage and stand up when he read a word that
contained a long e sound. Out of 6 words containing the long e, he correctly identified four
of them.
Next lesson, I would like for us to work with Dawson on sight words that will help him to
move up to the next reading level. I feel as though he will benefit more from learning sight
words at the same time as he is learning word patterns. I would also like to work on words
containing the patterns i-e and igh, because Dawson showed difficulty when reading words
that contain those patterns in a text.

Fluency
On Wednesday, Rachael and I worked with Dawson on reading with expression,
something Dawson does not do when he reads aloud. Our lesson on reading with expression
succeeded, as Dawson was able to identify the difference between reading in a monotone voice
and reading with expression. He stated that reading with expression makes reading more
interesting. We also asked him to read a few sentences on the board for us that contained
different punctuation. He correctly read each sentence according to its punctuation. For
example, the sentence containing an exclamation mark was read in an excited voice, while the
sentence with a question mark was read with the voice getting slightly higher at the ending.
One thing I wish I would have had him do was read from a text that contained dialogue to
test his new knowledge of expression according to punctuation. Next lesson, I would like to
have him complete a timed reading because his reading pace is a bit slower than it should be in
third grade. I also want to take some informal notes on how he reads, looking for if he reads
with expression.

Comprehension
Dawson was asked to read a passage from Library Mouse, which is a bit above his
reading level, but it was part of a running record. I wanted to see if he was capable of moving
forward with his reading level at the moment, but he is not quite ready yet. However, after
reading the first two pages, he made an inference about the remaining plot. This was a surprise
because neither Rachael nor myself had asked him a question about what would happen next. It
was great to see him making inferences on his own. I could tell that this text interested him and
he wanted to keep reading.

I want to somehow incorporate bits of this text into his future lessons because I think that
it interests him and it will help him begin reading more difficult texts. This book also contains
sight words that he needs to know for third grade. In our future lessons Id also like to have him
begin reading informational texts and give his opinions on them, as well as answer questions
about what the passage/book was about and other story components.

Writing
Wednesday, Rachael and I gave Dawson a picture and asked him to write a story based
off of what was happening in the picture. This did not go over as well as I had planned. Dawson
did not write a story, but he wrote facts about the picture, such as He is a hero for all the people.
He is holding a sword. I tried to help him recognize the components of a story, but I did not
know how to explain it. I need help learning the best way to teach a child how to write a story. I
felt very discouraged because I just did not know how to help him. It was upsetting to see that I
did not succeed. I did move on, and I asked him to read what he had wrote, aloud. He read his
facts aloud, but he stumbled over some of the words.
I think that Dawson needs to work on how to write a story. I think in future lessons I
need to devise a plan/method on how Dawson can best learn how stories are written, so that he
can work up to writing his own. I also would like to have Dawson write an opinion piece on a
text that we read together. For third grade, Dawson should be able to write an informational
piece and an opinion piece. I would like for us to work on both during the course of tutoring.