Curriculum Planning Assignment- Reading

8/2/2019 Curriculum Planning Assignment- Reading

1/12

Curriculum Planning Assignment/Reading

SPED 447

Alyssa Margulis

Student description (age, grade, placement, reading level):

*R.G is 19 years old and is a senior in high school

*He is taught in an instructional (self contained) Senior English class which tries to follow the general education curriculum as much aspossible

*After taking multiple assessments, R.G was placed at a beginning third grade reading level.* His assessments label him as having significant deficits in the areas of reading comprehension and reading decoding

*R.G is labeled as having a Specific Learning Disability in the areas of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics.

Current curriculum (core/supplementary/intervention as applicable):

At the High School, at this point in the semester, Seniors in the General Education Curriculum are focusing on these things-

Standards:

1.B.5c: Evaluate a variety of compositions for purpose, structure, content and details for use in school orAt work.

1.C.4e: Analyze how authors and illustrators use text and art to express and emphasize their ideas.

Essential Questions:

1. What strategies can I use to help me understand specific information from challenging text?2. How should I best evaluate my understanding and implementation of the six traits in my written

Documents?3. What are logical and emotional appeals and how do they affect the meaning of persuasive texts?

4. What are the elements of persuasion?

Content:


2/12

Critical reading strategiesReview of Six Traits: organization, ideas, word choice, voice, sentence fluency and conventions

Understanding logical and emotional appeals

Elements of persuasion - page 330

Skills:Select reading strategies for text appropriate to the reader's purpose 1C6

Interpret concepts or make connections through inference and evaluation 1C7

Synthesize key points and supporting details to form conclusions 1C11Identify and use criteria for evaluating the accuracy of text information 1C20

Challenge ideas presented in a text through questions about specific parts of the text 1C24Demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among reader, author, form, and text 2A17

Current instructional delivery (describe learning environment and delivery model for ALL reading instruction):

At the high school, they offer corrective reading classes in the areas of decoding and comprehension, but R.G is currently not in those

classes because they would not allow him enough credits to graduate on time.

R.G is in a self-contained instructional classroom with 10 other students all with IEPS for one, 50-minute period. R.G does not get direct

instruction on HOW to read. He does however, practice many different comprehension strategies, and skills associated with reading. Someof these skills are annotating paragraphs he read, summarizing sections of reading, and making predictions about content he will be

reading. R.G has the accommodations when it comes to reading that he is entitled to having everything read aloud to him. R.G has also

found success in his English Classroom by listening to books on tape independently. He also performs better in whole class settings than

independently when it comes to any type of activity involved in reading. Reading also impacts his other subjects areas as well. Heperforms much higher in all other content areas, including mathematics, when the content is read aloud to him.

Benefits and challenges of current implementation:

Is student progressing? How do you know?

At his IEP meeting in the spring of last year, the decision was made to teach R.G methods of functional reading, and to mainly provide


3/12

accommodations to him to aide in his schoolwork. Since he is a senior in high school, his case manager and mother decided that directioninstruction in reading fluency and decoding skills were no longer the best and most appropriate option for R.G. Assessments on his reading

decoding and fluency have not been formally conducted for over a year. R.G is currently learning reading skills and abilities that will help

him in the work force, such as reading memos, E-mails, applications and other work related reading skills. Comprehension assessments ofspecific novels shows he can comprehend the novels he is having read to him with a high level of accuracy based on his comprehension

question scores. However, R.G has a difficult time reading the questions, and often times will not turn in any assignments that are assignedas homework.

Are there opportunities for inclusion with same-aged peers? N/A

Are all Big 5 being addressed at some point in his/her school day?

No. Students in High School are expected to have mastered decoding, fluency, and phonemic awareness. Comprehension is the biggestBig Five being addressed, with many different comprehension skills being worked on each week. Vocabulary is also addressed,

however, the vocabulary being addressed is that which is important to provide background information on novels or units being addressedin his classes.

What do you like and/or dislike about the current programs being used?

The current program being used has some benefits and some weaknesses.

I think the biggest benefit I see with this placement (in the self contained English Class) is that the teacher tries to mirror it as much as

possible to that of the general education curriculum. The teacher of that class does not water down the curriculum; instead she providesmeaningful texts that get the students excited about reading and knowledge. The students are given accommodations and materials that are

significant to their independent abilities. I like that R.G has high expectations set for him, and that the teacher pushes him to work on hisreading abilities. R.G works on answering comprehension questions, and is not embarrassed to speak out loud and ask questions. I think

this shows he feels comfortable in the classroom, and that he is actively engaged in the tasks.

One of the weaknesses that this placement offers is that unlike the corrective reading classes offered, this placement does not allow for any

direct instruction in decoding or fluency, two areas where R.G has deficits in. My COOP told me many students take BOTH the corrective


4/12

Spring 2012

reading, as well as the grade-level instructional English class to help further their English skills. I think R.G would have benefitted fromthat if he had started out with that when beginning high school. However, since he transferred in and was lacking credits, the choice had to

be made as to which placement would be most beneficial to him. I think that they made the right decision because he is able to gain depth,

understanding and social skills in his current placement, even if it is lacking direct reading instruction. As a senior, I think that is mostbeneficial.


5/12

Big 5 Grade level expectations Current level of performance Source (record review,

informal assessment,

interview, observation,etc)

Phonemic

awareness

N/A

Expected to be mastered by

High School

No information about his Phonemic awareness is

available at this time. Cannot be compared to same-

aged peers.

N/A

Decoding N/A

Decoding should bemastered/advanced by

senior year

Based on his state assessments and psychological

testing, R.G is in the


6/12

analyze texts and look forsymbolism, tone, structure,

and syntax. Students will

not onlyunderstand/comprehend the

main idea of the text, butwill be able to look for

meaning beyond that and

participate in whole groupand small discussions.

Students will use many

different strategies to aid in

comprehension includingsummarizing what they

have read in research basedessays, answering

comprehension questions,

annotating passages, andparticipating in literacy

discussions.

to annotate and then continuing on with the passage.

R.G is able to answer comprehension questions with

support. The teacher will ask him to say the answerout loud and then write it down. Many times, R.G

struggles with being able to read the actualcomprehension question. If it is read out loud, he can

get the right answer 80-90 percent of the time.

R.G can orally summarize about 2-3 pages in a novel

at a time with significant accuracy. Again, his oralreading comprehension is much stronger than his

written comprehension.

R.G loves to participate in classroom wide and small

group discussion. He almost always is able to meetthe requirements set on the rubric by the teacher.

Summary of students strengths and needs in reading:

R.G is a young man who participates frequently in class and puts forth a considerable amount of effort on all in class work. R.G is

very strong at making predictions about novels, and enjoys sharing them with the class. He incorporates background knowledge of thenovel or theme discussed in class. R.G is also strong in oral comprehension, and is able to make text-to- text, text-to-self, and text-

to-world connections about the reading material. R.G is able to answer comprehension questions and write short essays about readingpassages when readings are read aloud to him or listened to on tape.


7/12

R.G is still working on independent reading comprehension and decoding skills, which are currently at a beginning third grade level.R.G has difficulty reading passages independently, and often times refuses to seek help /accept support. R.G also does not always use

his in school study support time wisely, and due to the challenges of reading independently, often does not turn in homework

assignments when reading is involved. R.G is still working on answering higher-level thinking/inferential questions when it comes toreading comprehension. He also has trouble in his general education classrooms because the textbooks are written in a level above his

current reading abilities. With significant supports and accommodations, R.G can be successful and pass all of his classes and graduatehigh school.

Objectives and rationale:

In his current IEP, these are the objectives for reading that R.G is currently working on -

Goal Statement-R.G will apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency

1BObjective-When reading, R.G will make connections to aid with understanding 80% of time on tests and during class work.

- If I were the teacher writing this objective, I would specify by adding the tree types of connections to look for: text-to- text,text-to-self, and text-to-world.

- Rationale- The reason this is an important objective is because it aids in R.Gs comprehension, and calls on him to think abouthis background knowledge about a specific area. When R.G graduates, it will be important for him in a retail setting (where hewants to work) to make connections to what he is reading. Primed background knowledge is one of the ways to increase

comprehension of text, therefore, it is important the teacher makes R.G aware of these connections so he can hopefully apply

this strategy in other aspects of life.During reading, R.G will annotate passages for the main idea with 80% accuracy on tests and homework.

I think this is a good objective, however, I would change the wording. I would say When given a passage at his independent

reading level, or while the teacher is reading a passage out loud, R.G will annotate the passage by looking for the main idea in


8/12

the text/passage 100% of the naturally occurring opportunities.

I changed the mastery criterion of this objective because in class, R.G is given specific times that annotation should be done, and he is

always expected to annotate when asked. He has been working on annotation all year, and is able to do annotations relatively well.

Rationale- Annotations/notes about the passage are a proven way for the reader to gain comprehension. The reader is asked tosummarize/highlight the main ideas of the passage when they annotate. This takes out all the small details, and leaves what they

actually need to know. When a student makes annotations for themselves, they know exactly what they need to write to jog their

memories, so it is beneficial to them. Also, when working after leaving high school, R.G may be required to annotate memos,passages of customer reports, or write notes to himself about other written pieces of information. It will be a vital skill if he is able to

condense what these things say to the main idea of what he needs to know.

The last objective written in R.Gs IEP is:

After reading, Robert will summarize what he has read with 80% accuracy on tests and class work

I think the skill being addressed here is good, but, there needs to be a better mastery criterion. I think a better way to write

this objective would be- When given a passage at his instructional level, or after being read to out loud, R.G will orally

summarize what he has read. Mastery Criterion will be met when R.G is able to score an 80% or higher on a scoring rubric,

on at least five different passages from each of the genres of: fiction (narrative), non-fiction (narrative), and informational

passages.

I think summarizing is an important skill that R.G needs to have in the real world. R.G may be asked in the future to read some

technical pieces of writing, and tell other people about them, or have to remember himself. The reason multiple genres were includedin the mastery criterion was so that the teacher made sure he was exposed to many different types of writing. I think the most

important type of writing to hit would be informational passages. Information passages may include items such as memos, e -mails,or brief summaries of a topic. It would be important that R.G is taught how to summarize these types of skill so he can be fully

successful when he is in the work force. He wants to work in a retail setting, so this would be a very helpful skill to have in his

repertoire.

The last objective was NOT included in his IEP, but I think it is an important one-


9/12

While in the classroom, R.G will orally signal the teacher or teaching assistant that he would like to receive his accommodation

of having the assignment or passage read out loud to him. Mastery will be when he is able to do this on 100% of the natural

opportunities given to him for 14 consecutive trials.

I think this is an important objective to include because although it is not directly related to reading instruction, it is still teaching himthat he needs to advocate for help with reading. It has been a real struggle with R.G not turning in work, or wasting time because he

does not ask teachers or aides to help with his reading. If he was taught to advocate and ask for his accommodation, I think it would

help him be more successful. Especially since he is set to graduate from high school in less than a month, he needs to learn how toappropriately request help.

Ideal instructional delivery model:

I think the most effective model for R.G would be similar to how he is receiving his instruction now. However, if it was realisticallypossible, I would like to have him taking both the Senior English self-contained class, as well as a corrective reading class. I think hebenefits immensely for the connections, novels, and information he receives in his English class. I think incorporating writing and

reading together is a great way to help R.G learn. His English class has 11 students in it, and often times breaks into small groups todiscuss, read, and work on projects. R.G prefers smaller classes, and is performing much better in those classes than his general

education classes with 25 students in them.

However, because there are many different levels ofstudents, including very high functioning students in that classroom, a moreGen Ed curriculum is taught. This curriculum does NOT focus on HOW to read, which is why being enrolled in the corrective

reading class as well as the Senior English class would be ideal for R.G. I think he would work well in an intensive, small groupsetting, where the teacher can really focus on his decoding skills, which seem to be holding his other skills in reading back. If I could

have found a way to make this reading instruction available, I think R.G would gain the most skills in the amount of time he has left inhigh school.

Conduct a record review of a student. Complete the information below. If the information is not available, please note NA in

the box and provide a brief explanation of why it might not be available.


10/12

Information needed Documentation/Results

Past schooling/Educational history

-Has the student attended more than one

school, either in or out of state?

R.G has moved around a lot in his 14

years of being in school. Records are

very limited about his past schooling.However, upon talking to both him and

his case manager, I was able to find out

he attended Junior high in a school in

Michigan, and half of High School in a

school in Indiana. In his cum folder, it is

stated that he transferred in with a lot of

failed classes and was not on track to

graduate within four years. Since

attending school in Urbana, R.G has been

able to make up those credits, and if hepasses all classes this semester he will

graduate with his class.

With whom does the student live? The student lives with his mother, two

brothers, and two sisters. He has one

sister who also attends the same high

school as him. His mothers boyfriendrecently moved out of the house they

shared together. He has moved to many

different states throughout his life. He

has limited to no contact with hisbiological father.

Report card from past year

-Relevant comments, especially with

regard to literacy and/or functional

academics

R.G received mainly Cs and Ds on hisreport card last year. He had good

attendance. His comments were all

related to Failure to turn in homework.


11/12

Received a C- in Senior English Fall 2011

Achievement scores/Formalassessment data

-Standardized tests (ISAT, PSAE)-IAA

-IQ or intelligence tests

In his sophomore year in high school, R.G

took the PSAE work keys and the ACT

component.ACT composite score- 10(out of 36)

ACT Reading component- 5(out of 36)

ACT English Score-10 (out of 36)

ACT Writing score- 3(out of 12)

Workeys Score in reading section


12/12

Attendance patterns from past twoyears

R.G has excellent attendance. Last year

he missed 7 days total, including two

days for suspension.

This year is very similar; with five days

resulting from two separate suspension

due to fighting and inappropriate

language.

Demographics

-Parents occupation

-Free and reduced lunch

-SSI

R.G is African American

His mothers occupation was notlisted/accessible

He does qualify for free/reduced lunch

and food in the morningSSI N/A- No information provided

Health concerns and/or medicationrequired

R.G has no other health problems and

takes no medications.

Curriculum Planning Assignment- Reading

Documents

Transcript of Curriculum Planning Assignment- Reading