3 Case Studies
April 2012
#1 Focus on Accuracy
Concerns: Student speeds through reading, does not self-correct, and does not read for comprehension. He substitutes words with the same first letter sound and the word substitution changes the meaning of the story. The student does not use pictures to help understand or interpret text.
Discussion: The student has beginning decoding skills, a fast reading speed and poor word recognition skills – all of which impact his reading comprehension. He needs support in the areas of word recognition, pacing and reading comprehension. Reading comprehension skills include activating prior knowledge, self-monitoring while reading, identifying main ideas and summarizing important information.
Recommendations: First, use Kurzweil 3000’s reading pace features to slow down the reading pace to model effective oral reading. Have the student use the Self-Paced feature to pause after each unit or section and reflect on what was read using the built-in Sticky Notes or Flash Cards.
Teach reading comprehension strategies using the Thinking Reader program or Kurzweil 3000. The Thinking Reader program is a read-aloud program that also teaches seven reading strategies and allows students to interact with text using them. The program uses middle-school level literature so it may not be appropriate for younger students. Text is read aloud and simultaneously highlighted on the screen. Students can access a built-in glossary or links that provide definitions of key vocabulary words. Pop-up characters are embedded to help students learn and use the reading comprehension strategies which are (1) summarizing what has been read, (2) self-questioning, (3) clarifying something they do not understand, (4) predicting what will happen next, (5) visualizing, (6) making a personal connection to what has been read, and (7) reflecting on what has been read.
Kurzweil 3000 has fun tools to support reading comprehension also. Teachers can use the Circle Tools to identify key information prior to reading. Or, use the Bubble Note feature to embed comprehension questions. (Very cool feature!) I think the best option to start with would be the Highlight Text features which can be color-coded and “extracted” to create a study guide or outline. If preferred, the student can use the Note Taking feature to take notes as he reads.
#2 Focus on Prosody – rhythm, stress,intonation
Concerns: Student has poor reading fluency. She does not read in phrases, instead pronouncing each word individually. When reading aloud, she reads in a flat, monotone voice with no inflections which makes it difficult for her book group members to extract meaning from the text.
Discussion: Fluency (reading speed, accuracy and expression) impacts comprehension. Guided oral reading, repeated readings, timed tests and student self-monitoring have proven effective in building reading fluency. Reading programs that display text with simultaneous audio readings of text model proper fluency for students with regard to pace and expression. Such programs also enable students to record and time themselves and track their fluency scores over time.
Recommendations: Use the text-to-speech feature in Kurzweil 3000 to change the reading pace, using a reading voice selected by the student. Once text has been read several times with the reading voice selected, turn off the speech so the student can maintain the pace by reading words as they are highlighted on the computer. It would be good to use Aaron Shephard’s Reader’s Theater materials also.
I would also use Kurzweil to convert text to audio files that can be downloaded into her portable player or phone so that she can read along away from her computer. She can then use the SLiCK , pre-reading strategy. The acronym stands for the following steps:
S—Set up your audio player.
L— Look ahead to preview the text by using the player feature that navigates from title to header (can be used in conjunction with book headings and sub-headings).
C—Comprehend what you are reading by using the bookmark capability of the player to note important points, slowing down the text to focus attention on a particular
segment and/or resolve text confusions, re-listening to text to aid comprehension and taking notes on key words to use in drafting an initial summary of the text.
K—Keep it all together by creating an individual summary as a basis for discussion and collaborative construction of a group summary.
(Source: http://www.learningthroughlistening.org/Listening-A-Powerful-Skill/The-Science-of-Listening/Learning-Through-Listening-in-the-Digital-World/How-New- Technologies-are-Changing-What-a-Literacy-Program-Should-Be/148/).
#3 Focus on Rate
Concerns: Student reads at a very slow rate, laboriously sounding out each word. She does not understand what she is reading and brings her face very close to the text while reading.
Discussion: The student may need support in four key areas: Phonological processing, sight word recognition, vocabulary development, and visual acuity. With so much energy spent decoding words there is little mental energy left for understanding what she is reading.
Recommendations: Earobics or FastForWord are programs that teach phonological processing. Each has the ability to slow down and exaggerate sounds to make sound patterns easier to recognize. The duration of sounds can be shortened as the student progresses, which will make the brain process sounds faster and improve reading rates.
Use Kurzweil 3000 to make the text size larger. The simultaneous hearing and reading highlighted text will give her access to text, increase her word recognition and model fluent reading. The initial reading speed should be set fairly low and increase as word recognition and vocabulary are strengthened. Highlighted words should be extracted to make vocabulary lists. Targeted words should be played back as often as necessary.
The National Reading Panel recommends students learn vocabulary words in context of their reading and writing assignments; not in isolation. Thus, to further build her vocabulary and sight word recognition, she should study words in her assigned reading using Kurzweil 3000’s read aloud feature by having the word definitions read to her. She should then say and spell the words aloud, and write or type them, along with paraphrased definitions, into a personalized vocabulary journal. She could also use the built in picture dictionary and the double-column note feature to build a personal vocabulary list.
#1 Focus on Accuracy
Concerns: Student speeds through reading, does not self-correct, and does not read for comprehension. He substitutes words with the same first letter sound and the word substitution changes the meaning of the story. The student does not use pictures to help understand or interpret text.
Discussion: The student has beginning decoding skills, a fast reading speed and poor word recognition skills – all of which impact his reading comprehension. He needs support in the areas of word recognition, pacing and reading comprehension. Reading comprehension skills include activating prior knowledge, self-monitoring while reading, identifying main ideas and summarizing important information.
Recommendations: First, use Kurzweil 3000’s reading pace features to slow down the reading pace to model effective oral reading. Have the student use the Self-Paced feature to pause after each unit or section and reflect on what was read using the built-in Sticky Notes or Flash Cards.
Teach reading comprehension strategies using the Thinking Reader program or Kurzweil 3000. The Thinking Reader program is a read-aloud program that also teaches seven reading strategies and allows students to interact with text using them. The program uses middle-school level literature so it may not be appropriate for younger students. Text is read aloud and simultaneously highlighted on the screen. Students can access a built-in glossary or links that provide definitions of key vocabulary words. Pop-up characters are embedded to help students learn and use the reading comprehension strategies which are (1) summarizing what has been read, (2) self-questioning, (3) clarifying something they do not understand, (4) predicting what will happen next, (5) visualizing, (6) making a personal connection to what has been read, and (7) reflecting on what has been read.
Kurzweil 3000 has fun tools to support reading comprehension also. Teachers can use the Circle Tools to identify key information prior to reading. Or, use the Bubble Note feature to embed comprehension questions. (Very cool feature!) I think the best option to start with would be the Highlight Text features which can be color-coded and “extracted” to create a study guide or outline. If preferred, the student can use the Note Taking feature to take notes as he reads.
#2 Focus on Prosody – rhythm, stress,intonation
Concerns: Student has poor reading fluency. She does not read in phrases, instead pronouncing each word individually. When reading aloud, she reads in a flat, monotone voice with no inflections which makes it difficult for her book group members to extract meaning from the text.
Discussion: Fluency (reading speed, accuracy and expression) impacts comprehension. Guided oral reading, repeated readings, timed tests and student self-monitoring have proven effective in building reading fluency. Reading programs that display text with simultaneous audio readings of text model proper fluency for students with regard to pace and expression. Such programs also enable students to record and time themselves and track their fluency scores over time.
Recommendations: Use the text-to-speech feature in Kurzweil 3000 to change the reading pace, using a reading voice selected by the student. Once text has been read several times with the reading voice selected, turn off the speech so the student can maintain the pace by reading words as they are highlighted on the computer. It would be good to use Aaron Shephard’s Reader’s Theater materials also.
I would also use Kurzweil to convert text to audio files that can be downloaded into her portable player or phone so that she can read along away from her computer. She can then use the SLiCK , pre-reading strategy. The acronym stands for the following steps:
S—Set up your audio player.
L— Look ahead to preview the text by using the player feature that navigates from title to header (can be used in conjunction with book headings and sub-headings).
C—Comprehend what you are reading by using the bookmark capability of the player to note important points, slowing down the text to focus attention on a particular
segment and/or resolve text confusions, re-listening to text to aid comprehension and taking notes on key words to use in drafting an initial summary of the text.
K—Keep it all together by creating an individual summary as a basis for discussion and collaborative construction of a group summary.
(Source: http://www.learningthroughlistening.org/Listening-A-Powerful-Skill/The-Science-of-Listening/Learning-Through-Listening-in-the-Digital-World/How-New- Technologies-are-Changing-What-a-Literacy-Program-Should-Be/148/).
#3 Focus on Rate
Concerns: Student reads at a very slow rate, laboriously sounding out each word. She does not understand what she is reading and brings her face very close to the text while reading.
Discussion: The student may need support in four key areas: Phonological processing, sight word recognition, vocabulary development, and visual acuity. With so much energy spent decoding words there is little mental energy left for understanding what she is reading.
Recommendations: Earobics or FastForWord are programs that teach phonological processing. Each has the ability to slow down and exaggerate sounds to make sound patterns easier to recognize. The duration of sounds can be shortened as the student progresses, which will make the brain process sounds faster and improve reading rates.
Use Kurzweil 3000 to make the text size larger. The simultaneous hearing and reading highlighted text will give her access to text, increase her word recognition and model fluent reading. The initial reading speed should be set fairly low and increase as word recognition and vocabulary are strengthened. Highlighted words should be extracted to make vocabulary lists. Targeted words should be played back as often as necessary.
The National Reading Panel recommends students learn vocabulary words in context of their reading and writing assignments; not in isolation. Thus, to further build her vocabulary and sight word recognition, she should study words in her assigned reading using Kurzweil 3000’s read aloud feature by having the word definitions read to her. She should then say and spell the words aloud, and write or type them, along with paraphrased definitions, into a personalized vocabulary journal. She could also use the built in picture dictionary and the double-column note feature to build a personal vocabulary list.
CLASS PRESENTATION - Making Connections to Improve Reading Comprehension
http://prezi.com/wtlgho-pvote/making-connections-reading-comprehension/
Background: This lesson is for a 6th grade male student who has beginning decoding skills and poor reading comprehension. He is not interested in reading and subsequently rushes through his assignments without engaging with text. He also LOVES basketball.
This lesson supports reading comprehension by teaching the student how to engage with the text by drawing on his personal experiences and prior knowledge. Specifically, we will leverage his LOVE of basketball to introduce three types of connections (text-to-reader, text-to-text, text-to-world). This lesson is appropriate for grades 3-8 and incorporates UDL concepts.
Goal: Student will learn to make different kinds of connections with text and use this knowledge to monitor his own thinking and make personal connections between the text, his prior knowledge and own experiences.
Lesson Plan:
Introduce the concept of connecting with text to make reading more interesting. You know, last week how we talked about reading for meaning…to understand what’s going on the story or text? Well, I was thinking that it’s hard to understand what your reading when you can’t get into the story…you know, if you’re not connected to what you’re reading it’s like…why do I care? Right? So, today, I want us to spend some time working on ways that we can build connections and get into what we are reading. And give you specific ways of going about it and tools that you can use in class.
Show a short segment of Michael Jordon’s Flu Game. Set up the clip using all or part of the following: 1997 NBA finals - Game 5, known as "The Flu Game", was one of Michael Jordan's most memorable. On Tuesday, Jordan woke up nauseated and sweating profusely. He hardly had the strength to sit up in bed and was diagnosed with a stomach virus or food poisoning. The Bulls' trainers told Jordan that there was no way he could play the next day. The Jazz had just won Games 3 & 4 to tie the series at 2 wins apiece, and there was doubt as to whether Chicago could win without Jordan. Game 5's have often been the turning point in the NBA Finals best-of-7 format, since the winner would be just one victory away from an NBA title. Despite his ailments, Jordan rose from bed at 3 p.m., in time for the 6 o'clock tip-off at the Delta Center.[1]
Jordan was visibly weak and pale as he stepped on the court for Game 5. At first, he displayed little energy, and John Stockton, along with reigning MVP Karl Malone, quickly led the Jazz to a 16-point lead (36-20) in the second quarter. But Jordan slowly began to make shots despite lacking his usual health. He scored 17 points in the quarter as the Bulls ended the quarter with a large run. While Jordan was fatigued in the third and sitting on the bench, Utah was able to reclaim the lead and stretched the lead to 8 (77-69) points early. Jordan began to score points at a rapid rate in the 4th quarter, scoring 15 fourth quarter points. With 46.5 seconds left and Chicago down 85-84, he was able to shoot free-throws. He made the first to tie the game, but missed the second. Toni Kukoc tapped the offensive rebound to Jordan, who dribbled back to allow the offense to set up. He passed the ball to Pippen, who was quickly double teamed. Pippen then passed the ball back to a now unguarded Jordan, who made a 3-point field goal to give the Bulls an 88-85 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the game. The Bulls won the series 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named Finals MVP. (Source: Wikipedia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX33tc3rCqg 32 seconds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIvzResty4E 6:17
Start asking questions and record answers on Post It notes or a ¼ sheets of paper.
1. Text to self: What do you think was going through Michael Jordon’s mind during the final quarter of the game? Can you relate to that? If so, how? Can you remember a time when you had a similar experience? So, if you were going to write a headline about this video clip, what would you write?
2. Put the theme (headline) at the top of the page.
3. Text to text: What stories have you heard or read that have a similar theme? What did you enjoy about the stories?
4. Text to world: Can you think of someone in history or someone in the news who overcame odds and won?
Review the Post It notes and group them by category: Text-to-self, text-to-books, text-to-world (using words and symbols for the groups).
Recap: We just practiced making connections to a video as a way to improve what you understand and remember. When we read, we want to ask ourselves these types of questions so that we can get into the story. So we are going to practice making these three types of connections with a short passage. Here’s a cheat sheet for you to write on. Let’s look at it.
Distribute and review the handout.
Select a reading passage at his Independent Reading Level and use Kurzweil Text-to-speech feature that he can read along with.
Group the connections.
4th grade reading passage from: the Analytical Reading Inventory.
The Bicycle Race
“Look out,” Sheila Young thought as she saw her challenger’s bicycle coming too close. “Watch out or you will foul me!”
At that moment a horrifying thing happened as she was bumped by another racer at forty miles an hour. Sheila’s bicycle crashed and she skidded on the surface of the track. From the wreck she received a nine-inch gash on her head.
The judges ruled that the race should be run again since a foul had been made. Sheila would not have enough time to get her wound stitched; still, she didn’t want to quit the race because she could only think of winning. “Just staple the cut together and bandage it,” she told the doctor. “I want to win this race!”
The doctor did as Sheila asked, and as she stood in silence while being treated, tears rolled down her face from the intense pain. Then, with a blood-stained bandage on her throbbing head, she pushed on to amaze the crowd with a sensational victory and a gold medal!
Walk through the handout with the student. Ask the bonus question: How does Sheila Young’s story compare and contrast to Michael Jordan’s 1997 flu game clip?
Wrap-up/Reflection
What do you think of this reading strategy Making Connections? Address any concerns/problems. Tell me when you might use this strategy…what type of reading assignments…which classes?
****END OF LESSON***
UDL Principles Used:
Recognition Goals : (1) Provide multiple examples; (2) Highlight critical features; (3) Provide multiple media and formats; (4) Support background context;
Strategic Goals: (5) Provide opportunity to practice with supports; (6) Provide ongoing, relevant feedback; (7) Offer flexible opportunities for demonstrating skill;
Affective Goals: (8) Offer choices of content and tools; and (9) Offer choices for learning context.
Photo credit: GetFreeImage.com, Google Images
Background: This lesson is for a 6th grade male student who has beginning decoding skills and poor reading comprehension. He is not interested in reading and subsequently rushes through his assignments without engaging with text. He also LOVES basketball.
This lesson supports reading comprehension by teaching the student how to engage with the text by drawing on his personal experiences and prior knowledge. Specifically, we will leverage his LOVE of basketball to introduce three types of connections (text-to-reader, text-to-text, text-to-world). This lesson is appropriate for grades 3-8 and incorporates UDL concepts.
Goal: Student will learn to make different kinds of connections with text and use this knowledge to monitor his own thinking and make personal connections between the text, his prior knowledge and own experiences.
Lesson Plan:
Introduce the concept of connecting with text to make reading more interesting. You know, last week how we talked about reading for meaning…to understand what’s going on the story or text? Well, I was thinking that it’s hard to understand what your reading when you can’t get into the story…you know, if you’re not connected to what you’re reading it’s like…why do I care? Right? So, today, I want us to spend some time working on ways that we can build connections and get into what we are reading. And give you specific ways of going about it and tools that you can use in class.
Show a short segment of Michael Jordon’s Flu Game. Set up the clip using all or part of the following: 1997 NBA finals - Game 5, known as "The Flu Game", was one of Michael Jordan's most memorable. On Tuesday, Jordan woke up nauseated and sweating profusely. He hardly had the strength to sit up in bed and was diagnosed with a stomach virus or food poisoning. The Bulls' trainers told Jordan that there was no way he could play the next day. The Jazz had just won Games 3 & 4 to tie the series at 2 wins apiece, and there was doubt as to whether Chicago could win without Jordan. Game 5's have often been the turning point in the NBA Finals best-of-7 format, since the winner would be just one victory away from an NBA title. Despite his ailments, Jordan rose from bed at 3 p.m., in time for the 6 o'clock tip-off at the Delta Center.[1]
Jordan was visibly weak and pale as he stepped on the court for Game 5. At first, he displayed little energy, and John Stockton, along with reigning MVP Karl Malone, quickly led the Jazz to a 16-point lead (36-20) in the second quarter. But Jordan slowly began to make shots despite lacking his usual health. He scored 17 points in the quarter as the Bulls ended the quarter with a large run. While Jordan was fatigued in the third and sitting on the bench, Utah was able to reclaim the lead and stretched the lead to 8 (77-69) points early. Jordan began to score points at a rapid rate in the 4th quarter, scoring 15 fourth quarter points. With 46.5 seconds left and Chicago down 85-84, he was able to shoot free-throws. He made the first to tie the game, but missed the second. Toni Kukoc tapped the offensive rebound to Jordan, who dribbled back to allow the offense to set up. He passed the ball to Pippen, who was quickly double teamed. Pippen then passed the ball back to a now unguarded Jordan, who made a 3-point field goal to give the Bulls an 88-85 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the game. The Bulls won the series 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named Finals MVP. (Source: Wikipedia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX33tc3rCqg 32 seconds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIvzResty4E 6:17
Start asking questions and record answers on Post It notes or a ¼ sheets of paper.
1. Text to self: What do you think was going through Michael Jordon’s mind during the final quarter of the game? Can you relate to that? If so, how? Can you remember a time when you had a similar experience? So, if you were going to write a headline about this video clip, what would you write?
2. Put the theme (headline) at the top of the page.
3. Text to text: What stories have you heard or read that have a similar theme? What did you enjoy about the stories?
4. Text to world: Can you think of someone in history or someone in the news who overcame odds and won?
Review the Post It notes and group them by category: Text-to-self, text-to-books, text-to-world (using words and symbols for the groups).
Recap: We just practiced making connections to a video as a way to improve what you understand and remember. When we read, we want to ask ourselves these types of questions so that we can get into the story. So we are going to practice making these three types of connections with a short passage. Here’s a cheat sheet for you to write on. Let’s look at it.
Distribute and review the handout.
Select a reading passage at his Independent Reading Level and use Kurzweil Text-to-speech feature that he can read along with.
Group the connections.
4th grade reading passage from: the Analytical Reading Inventory.
The Bicycle Race
“Look out,” Sheila Young thought as she saw her challenger’s bicycle coming too close. “Watch out or you will foul me!”
At that moment a horrifying thing happened as she was bumped by another racer at forty miles an hour. Sheila’s bicycle crashed and she skidded on the surface of the track. From the wreck she received a nine-inch gash on her head.
The judges ruled that the race should be run again since a foul had been made. Sheila would not have enough time to get her wound stitched; still, she didn’t want to quit the race because she could only think of winning. “Just staple the cut together and bandage it,” she told the doctor. “I want to win this race!”
The doctor did as Sheila asked, and as she stood in silence while being treated, tears rolled down her face from the intense pain. Then, with a blood-stained bandage on her throbbing head, she pushed on to amaze the crowd with a sensational victory and a gold medal!
Walk through the handout with the student. Ask the bonus question: How does Sheila Young’s story compare and contrast to Michael Jordan’s 1997 flu game clip?
Wrap-up/Reflection
What do you think of this reading strategy Making Connections? Address any concerns/problems. Tell me when you might use this strategy…what type of reading assignments…which classes?
****END OF LESSON***
UDL Principles Used:
Recognition Goals : (1) Provide multiple examples; (2) Highlight critical features; (3) Provide multiple media and formats; (4) Support background context;
Strategic Goals: (5) Provide opportunity to practice with supports; (6) Provide ongoing, relevant feedback; (7) Offer flexible opportunities for demonstrating skill;
Affective Goals: (8) Offer choices of content and tools; and (9) Offer choices for learning context.
Photo credit: GetFreeImage.com, Google Images