Running Head: Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Debra Dorn
Texas State University
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

As students’ progress through their school years they are constantly assessed for various

competencies. We test their skills in order to determine whether they would benefit from

additional instruction. Literacy competency is very important in the student’s development.

Without skills, such as critical thinking, the student will struggle to be successful in the

classroom.

Background

Student Information

The student chosen for the assessment is an eighth -grade student in a Comal Middle

School. This student, Mark, barely passed the STARR this past year. The previous assessment

scores were well within the average range. Since this student is somewhat new to the district it

was suggested he could be a candidate for assessment. His history is unremarkable. He was

very ill prior to entering school but seems to be healthy today. Academically, he scores above

average in his other classes and is enrolled in pre-AP courses. He is enrolled in various sports

and band. Based on the limited interaction with his teachers, it appears that he will well liked

and is classified as a hard worker. His elementary school teachers spoke very highly of him.

Parent Child Interview

Mark’s mother was concerned with the most recent STARR results. She is supportive of

the assessment. She did not find a reason for the lower score on the test, other than it may have

been a bad day or he may need additional time to work on refining these skills. Other areas of

concern were not noted at this time.

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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Hypothesis

If the student spends more time reading, especially using outside reading, then they will

score better on the STARR. Also, the additional reading will help with comprehension and

vocabulary currently and in the future.

Assessment

Mark, an eighth grader, appeared to meet many goals of our assessment when we

discussed him in class. But, due to the poor performance and recent relocation, we decided to

start with the Elementary Spelling Assessment from Words their Way. As he scored well on the

Elementary Assessment we completed the Upper-Level Spelling Inventory next.

Assessment Analysis

Mark took the Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory. He scored full points

for every section except Words Spelled Correctly, where he scored 24/25. His score put him in

the Derivational Relations Middle category. As a result, we then took Words Their Way Upper-

Level Spelling Inventory. He scored 27/31 correct. He lost one point on affixes, he missed -ible

and used -able. He lost one other point in Derivational Relations Greek and Latin Elements. He

missed medic- and used midic-. Overall, he is considered to be in the Derivational Relations

Late Stage.

Goals for Instruction

The goals for instruction are to work on affixes and Greek and Latin Elements.

Additionally, this student should benefit from regular recreation reading. Some of the lessons for

this student will include working with common roots, such as- corp, ped, bio. We will use word

sorts, word hunts, writing word roots and more. The student will be able to recognize 90-95% of

the affixes and Greek and Latin Elements when assessed.

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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Instructional Program

Outline

 Day 1-Teacher Directed Sort (Derivational sort 27 and 8)

 Day 2-Root Word Graphic Organizer (Latin Roots, Greek and Latin Elements- 35- 42)
 Day 3-Cinquain Poems (Greek and Latin Roots-Mindful Words - 44- 58)
 Day 4-Word Hunt/Dictated Sentences (using recreational reading text by Rick Riordan)
 Day 5-Assessment- Quiz, review and analysis (will suggest skills to student)

Lesson Plan: Day 1, Teacher Directed Closed Sort

 8th Grade ELA TEKS

§110.20. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 8
(b) Knowledge and Skills.
(2) Reading/ Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(A) determine the meaning of grade-level academic English derived from Latin,
Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes:
(B) use context (within sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or
clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words or words with novel meanings;

 Learning Objective
o The student will distinguish between the open affixes and prefixes and will be
able to identify Greek and Latin roots.
 Materials
o word sort cards printed on cardstock and pre-cut
o checklist for progress monitoring

 Instructional Process
o Engage/Explore-
 Tell student that we will be sorting words today.
 Give student word cards face up (no headings yet), but all mixed up and
ask, “What do you notice about these words?”
 Ask student if she sees any patterns among the words.
 Begin to sort into groupings together with the student.
o Explain-
 Bring out the headings for the sort
 Place headings out for students and ask student to define the heading.
o Elaborate
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Ask students if there are other words with the root word or affix word not
included the word sort.
 Discuss the pattern of Greek and Latin words and their origin.
o Evaluate
 Ask student chose most difficult word of the day and explain why it is
difficult. Ask them to share if our sorts, lists, or seek were of help with
the decoding.
 Student will discuss the use of the words in everyday life. They will
mention definition of certain root words of the day.
 Formative Assessment
o Use checklist to mark student’s sorting, hunting, and seeking for day 1- day 4
o Write anecdotal notes at bottom of checklist if needed
o Formal evaluation on day 5 (spelling and vocabulary assessment- using words in
lesson)

Progress Monitoring Plan

This student performed well on the assessments. He was able to master 100% the word

sorts and the hunts. We need to continue working on relations of root words, but that skill has

been taught to the student and they appear to have a grasp on how to do so. If the student

preforms well on the remaining lessons I would not recommend further instruction at this time.

This student appears to be able to continue with traditional instruction methods. The ELA

teacher should note any concerns over the next semester. Concerns may warrant another

intensive lesson plan.

As this student is not in my classroom I will continue to monitor informally. Some of the

things to review will include finding new vocabulary in each recreational reading he encounters.

Encouraging use of dictionary, or on-line searching, to find meaning of words. Encourage use of

context clues. Continued reading during weekends and school breaks is encouraged.
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Reflection

I enjoyed performing this assessment. Words their Way was able to isolate a section of

knowledge that required further evaluation. The assessment step up from Elementary to Upper-

level analysis was necessary in our case and was consistent with prior findings. This enabled me

to design a lesson plan that would benefit this student both this year and into high school and

beyond. Greek and Latin words were a small problem with the student having demonstrated

some base knowledge. The assessment demonstrated the need to continue working on this

section. As this student enters high school and encounter more Greek and Latin words he will be

better able to understand them and therefore understand the lesson or concept being taught.

I believe the Words their Way Assessment is a valuable tool for the classroom. I would

use it in conjunction with other assessments early in the school year to assess the class. The

results would be helpful in guiding lessons plans throughout the year. For example, if we have

10% of the students in Syllables and Affixes early, and the rest of the class falls in to

Derivational Relations early and middle, then I will have to address the small group with

additional instruction or, if an ELA specialist is on campus, refer the students to the ELA

specialists. If no ELA specialist is available it will be imperative to work with these students as

soon as possible. I would start their learning objectives and lessons and re-evaluate at regular

interval in order to determine if they are able to move into whole class instruction. I would look

for patterns of problems for all students and make the small group instruction fluid, in order to

accommodate anyone who may need additional instruction.

With my student, I was thankful it pointed out a weakness that can be addressed prior to

entry into the high school. This interact will be beneficial to the student for years to come. He

will be able to develop tools to address unknown words in the future.

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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Lesson Plan: Day 2, Root Word Graphic Organizer

 8th Grade ELA TEKS

§110.20. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 8
(b) Knowledge and Skills.
(2) Reading/ Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(A) determine the meaning of grade-level academic English derived from Latin,
Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes:
(B) use context (within sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or
clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words or words with novel meanings;

 Learning Objective
o The student will distinguish between the open affixes and prefixes and will be
able to identify Greek and Latin roots.
 Materials
o word sort cards printed on cardstock and pre-cut
o Mindful Words section 35-42
o 8 copies of root word graphic organizer
o Colored pencils (for organizer)
 Instructional Process
o Engage/Explore-
 Tell student that we will be using root word graphic organizers today.
 Give student word cards face down
 View words in section 35
 Ask student if she sees any patterns among the words.
 Begin to discuss groupings with the student.
o Explain-
 Bring out the organizer
 Demonstrate one dictator.
o Elaborate
 Ask students if there are other words with the root word -dict-.
 Discuss the pattern of Greek and Latin words and their origin.
 Have student take one word from each section to use in organizer.
o Evaluate
 Ask student chose most difficult word of the day and explain why it is
difficult. Ask them to share.
 Student will discuss the use of the words in everyday life. They will
mention definition of certain root words of the day.
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

 Formative Assessment
o Use checklist to mark student’s sorting, hunting, and seeking for day 1- day 4
o Write anecdotal notes at bottom of checklist if needed

Continue making notes of progress

Formal evaluation on day 5

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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Lesson Plan: Day 3, Cinquain Poem

 8th Grade ELA TEKS

§110.20. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 8
(b) Knowledge and Skills.
(2) Reading/ Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(A) determine the meaning of grade-level academic English derived from Latin,
Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes:
(B) use context (within sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or
clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words or words with novel meanings;

 Learning Objective
o The student will distinguish between the open affixes and prefixes and will be
able to identify Greek and Latin roots.
 Materials
o word sort cards printed on cardstock and pre-cut
o Mindful Words section 35-58
o Cinquain Poem sheets- 4 copies
o Colored pencils
 Instructional Process
o Engage/Explore-
 Tell student that we will be writing cinquain poems using our Greek and
Latin words from this week.
 Give student cinquain poem sheets.
 Share mindful words and word sort words.
 Dictionary for definitions.
o Explain-
 Bring out the example. Share example using dictator
 Have all other Greek /Latin words used this week available to choose from
o Elaborate
 Ask students if they had a favorite word this week. Or, ask if they found
one word more challenging than others.
 Discuss how poems have been around since ancient Greek times.
o Evaluate
 Ask student chose most difficult word they have learned so far. Explain
why it is difficult. Ask them to share how they learned about its meaning
and contextual use.
 Student will discuss the use of the words in everyday life. They will
mention definition of their chosen root word.
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

 Formative Assessment
o Read their final poems. Depending upon student, they may be able to do 3 poems
during our allocated time.
o Ensure their definition and poem flow as expected
o Review their selections and correct if needed
o Note if they need additional support in this category
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Lesson Plan: Day 4, Word Hunt

 8th Grade ELA TEKS

§110.20. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 8
(b) Knowledge and Skills.
(2) Reading/ Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(A) determine the meaning of grade-level academic English derived from Latin,
Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes:
(B) use context (within sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or
clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words or words with novel meanings;

 Learning Objective
o The student will distinguish between the open affixes and prefixes and will be
able to identify Greek and Latin roots.
 Materials
o Rick Riordan book and lined paper
o Highlighter – for use on root words section
o checklist for progress monitoring
o dictionary
 Instructional Process
o Engage/Explore-
 Tell student that we will be hunting for Greek and Latin words today.
 Give student 2 blank sheets of paper to use in the word hunt.
 Have the student open their recreational reading book up to the last chapter they
completed.
 Have them review each page in search for Greek or Latin words (each chapter is 12-18
pages).
o Explain- that we have been working all week on Greek and Latin words. They
mentioned that their recreational reading book contained some Greek or Latin
words.
 Have them write each word with a space in between each word.
 After they complete each word have them write the definition.
o Elaborate explain that it was a great find but now we need to know what the
word means.
 Ask students if there are any words they do not know.
 If the student is unable to define a word have them refer to the dictionary.
o Ensure their definitions are correct
 Have the student highlight words he was unfamiliar with in one color.
 Formative Assessment
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

o Use checklist to mark student’s vocabulary proficiency. Note unknown or missed

words—make note of root.
o See if there is a pattern to the unknown words from the lesson.
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Lesson Plan: Day 5, Teacher Directed Assessment

 8th Grade ELA TEKS

§110.20. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 8
(b) Knowledge and Skills.
(2) Reading/ Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(A) determine the meaning of grade-level academic English derived from Latin,
Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes:
(B) use context (within sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or
clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words or words with novel meanings;

 Learning Objective
o The student will distinguish between the open affixes and prefixes and will be
able to identify Greek and Latin roots.
 Materials
o word sort cards printed on cardstock and pre-cut
o Mindful Words section 35-58
o Rick Riordan book and lined paper
o Highlighter – for use on root words section
o checklist for progress monitoring
o Quiz
 Instructional Process
o Engage/Explore-
 Tell student that we will be taking a quiz today.
 Give student quiz face down
 Ask student if he is ready to begin and to try their best even if they do not know the
answer.
 Have them begin the test and give them 10 minutes
 Call for time, if needed.
 Review the whole test with the student
 Review the words that were problematic for them in this week’s lessons.
 Discuss roots, prefixes, and suffixes
 Ask students if there are any other words they believe they have problems with
 Praise their hard work with you this week.
 Encourage them to continue reading.
 Reward them with a free slushy from 7/11 (coupons are still available)

 Formative Assessment
o Use checklist to mark student’s sorting, hunting, and seeking for day 1- day 4
o Write analysis
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Word Study Assessment and Instruction Project

Make suggestions for further instruction or monitoring as needed

micro- mega-
super- hyper-