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Case Study Example

This case study focuses on a student named Isabel, who is eight years old. Write a response of approximately 300-600 words to Assignment E. Identify three of Isabel's important reading strengths and / or needs.

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
119 views6 pages

Case Study Example

This case study focuses on a student named Isabel, who is eight years old. Write a response of approximately 300-600 words to Assignment E. Identify three of Isabel's important reading strengths and / or needs.

Uploaded by

distanceprep
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Case Study Assignment
  • Reading Survey
  • Informal Reading Assessment
  • Teacher Notes
  • Written Response to a Text
  • Informal Skill Assessment

RICA® Written Examination Practice Test

ASSIGNMENT E
CASE STUDY

Record your written response to the case study in the Case Study Response Booklet. Your response is
limited to the lined space available in the four-page Case Study Response Booklet. You are to prepare a written
response of approximately 300–600 words to Assignment E.

This case study focuses on a student named Isabel, who is eight years old. Her primary language is
English. The documents on the following pages describe Isabel's reading performance at the beginning
of third grade. Using these materials, write a response in which you apply your knowledge of reading
assessment and instruction to analyze this case study. Your response should include three parts:

1. identify three of Isabel's important reading strengths and/or needs at this point in the school year,
citing evidence from the documents to support your observations;

2. describe two specific instructional strategies and/or activities designed to foster Isabel's literacy
development for the remainder of the school year by addressing the needs and/or building on the
strengths you identified; and

3. explain how each strategy/activity you describe would promote Isabel's reading proficiency.

45 CONTINUEÎ
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004
RICA® Written Examination Practice Test

READING SURVEY

Printed below are Isabel's responses to a survey of reading habits prepared by her teacher.

Name: Isabel

My Reading

1. Do you enjoy reading?


no, almost never sometimes yes, most of the time

2. Do you read for fun outside school?


no, almost never sometimes, but not much yes, a lot

3. Do you think you are a good reader?


no sort of yes

4. Write the title of a book you like.


The Elmwood Kids and the Secret Club

5. What do you do when you want to find a good book to read?


I see if I can find a book about the Elmwood Kids.
Sometimes I ask my friends.

46 CONTINUEÎ
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004
RICA® Written Examination Practice Test

INFORMAL READING ASSESSMENT

Printed below is an excerpt used for an informal assessment of Isabel's reading performance. For this
assessment, Isabel read aloud the beginning of a selection from a third-grade reader. As Isabel read, the
teacher made the following notes about her performance.

It had been a long day on the trail, and Sarah was tired. The covered wagons

stood in a circle, lit by the glow of cooking fires. As Sarah climbed into her family's

wagon to lie down beside her little sister, she looked up at the darkening sky. Soon

the sky above the prairie would be filled with more stars than she could count. Back

in New York State, the sky had never seemed so big.

"Sarah!" Lizzy was still awake. "I can't sleep. Tell me a story."

Sarah lay down and pulled the quilt up to her chin. She thought for a minute, then

began. "Grandma made this quilt to keep us warm in our new home in Oregon," she

said. "In one square, she made a patch in the shape of a maple leaf. We used to have

picnics under a maple tree in her yard." Suddenly her eyes filled with tears. When

would she see that maple tree again?

Key:
deletion short pause repetition self-correction
insertion long pause cat substitution
cow

After Isabel's oral reading, she reread the passage silently, and then the teacher asked her some questions.
Printed below is a transcript of part of their conversation.

Teacher: Where is Sarah's family from, and where are they going?
Isabel: I think they are from New York State, and they're going to Oregon.
Teacher: What can you tell me about Sarah?
Isabel: Um . . . she's a girl. She has a little sister.
Teacher: Why do Sarah's eyes fill with tears?
Isabel: Because she's tired. My mom says she can tell when my brother's really tired because he
starts to cry at the littlest thing.

47 CONTINUEÎ
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004
RICA® Written Examination Practice Test

TEACHER NOTES

Printed below is an excerpt from the teacher's notes documenting informal observations related to Isabel's
reading activities.

9/28 During independent reading Isabel fidgeted, played with her hair,
yawned, looked around the room. Didn't distract others, but certainly
wasn't engaged in her own reading.

10/15 Assessed students' oral reading fluency using another passage


from the social studies textbook. Isabel's accuracy was 97% and rate was
70 wcpm * (less than 10 words below the fall 50th percentile benchmark
of 71 wcpm). She didn't make many errors, but she slowed down to
decode several high-frequency irregular words and a number of low-
frequency multisyllabic words.

10/23 Conference today with Isabel's parents; asked them about her
reading at home. They were a bit vague and apologetic: talked about
being so busy that they often don't ask whether she's done the 20 minutes
of daily at-home reading that all the children are supposed to do. Her
father pointed out that he always checks to see if she's done her written
homework, which he described as "the really important thing."

10/30 Most students chose their new independent reading books for the
Rain Forest unit. Isabel is still only 3/4 of the way through her book for
the Pioneer Life unit. Need to check in with her and help her work out a
plan for finishing the book by the end of the week.

*NOTE: wcpm = words correct per minute

48 CONTINUEÎ
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004
RICA® Written Examination Practice Test

WRITTEN RESPONSE TO A TEXT

Students in Isabel's class keep logs in which they write about the books they select for independent
reading. For each entry the teacher provides a general question or short assignment to focus students'
responses. Printed below is an excerpt from Isabel's reading log. The assignment was as follows: "Write
a short summary of the book you read. Identify the main character and tell three things about him or her."

My book was The Elmwood Kids and the best Yard Sale Ever. I have
read 6 other books about the Elmwood Kids. They are also on a T.V. show.
This story was on T.V. once. In this story there is a family that has a fire
at their house when they are away, and all their stuff burns up. So the
Elmwood Kids have this huge yard sale. They make lots of money for the
family. There are 6 main characters in the Elmwood Kids. They are also on
the show. They are Sally, Mei-Ling, Pedro, Jamal, Tim, and Vimla. I like Vimla
best. She is quiet, but she always has the best ideas. She has shiny black hair
and dark eyes.

Printed below is an excerpt from a dialogue between Isabel and her teacher about this reading log entry.

Teacher: How did you happen to choose this book?


Isabel: Well, I just like the Elmwood Kids. I always watch them on TV, every week. I also
have almost all of the collector figures of them. The only one I still have to get is
Jamal—oh, and Pedro's mom.
Teacher: If a friend asked you why you liked this book, what would you say?
Isabel: Well, it's really good because it's just like the TV show.
Teacher: Is there anything in the book that wasn't in the TV show?
Isabel: Oh . . . maybe some little parts, like when they get the rocking horse for the sale. But
mostly it's like the show, and the kids are just the same. Like I said, Vimla always has
good ideas. And Tim always is good with animals. It's nice because I always know what
the kids are going to be like, even if I don't know everything that's going to happen in the
story.

49 CONTINUEÎ
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004
RICA® Written Examination Practice Test

INFORMAL SKILL ASSESSMENT

Printed below are Isabel's responses to a worksheet designed to measure students' understanding of
multiple-meaning words.

Name Isabel

Directions: Read each word. On the lines below, write sentences that show different
meanings of the word.
Example: kind
1. The boy was very kind to his sick neighbor.
2. What kind of game did you watch last night?

park
1. I went to the park.
2. My mom had to park the car.

rose
1. A rose is a flower.

2.

rock
1. I found a big rock.

2.

play
1. I like to play with Kara.

2.

3.

left
1. I left my book at school.

2. The car turned left.

beat
1. My team beat the other team.

2.

3.

50 CONTINUEÎ
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.
Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004

Common questions

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Isabel's response to teacher questions shows basic comprehension abilities, accurately identifying details such as the characters' origins and destinations . However, her conclusion about Sarah's tears, attributed to tiredness, reveals a superficial understanding of emotional context clues and suggests a need for deeper inferential comprehension strategies. Isabel's responses indicate she can follow a narrative but struggles with interpreting character emotions and motivations, an area for targeted instruction .

Isabel faces challenges with oral reading fluency as she reads at a rate of 70 words correct per minute (wcpm), which is below the fall 50th percentile benchmark of 71 wcpm . She slows down when decoding high-frequency irregular and low-frequency multisyllabic words. To overcome these challenges, targeted interventions such as repeated reading and echo reading might help increase her fluency by familiarizing her with different word structures and enhancing her reading speed and accuracy .

Isabel's parents perceive written homework as more important than her reading assignments, often not verifying whether she completes her daily 20 minutes of at-home reading . This emphasis on written tasks over reading can limit her literacy development, as consistent reading practice is crucial for improving fluency and comprehension. Their vague understanding and apologetic tone also suggest a lack of engagement, which might negatively impact Isabel's motivation and overall reading progress .

To address Isabel's low engagement in reading and improve her reading proficiency, educators can implement guided reading sessions and integrate interest-based reading materials. Guided reading sessions provide personalized attention and help teachers assess the specific areas where Isabel needs improvement in fluency and comprehension . Meanwhile, integrating books related to her expressed interests, such as stories similar to 'The Elmwood Kids,' can stimulate engagement and motivation to read . Both strategies aim to enhance her interest and proficiency by addressing her personal reading needs and preferences.

Recognizing Isabel's reading strengths, such as her ability to recall specific narrative details and her enthusiasm for specific character-driven stories, allows educators to build upon her existing skills . Instruction can focus on expanding her narrative comprehension and drawing connections between character motivations across different texts, thereby enhancing critical thinking. By incorporating her interest in character analysis, educators can introduce complex texts gradually, fostering growth in her analytical abilities and overall reading proficiency .

Isabel's affinity for 'The Elmwood Kids' series, both on TV and in book format, highlights the effectiveness of media linkage as a motivational reading strategy . Her engagement peaks with content she encounters across different formats, suggesting that using multimedia connections could enhance her reading motivation and comprehension. Educators can leverage this insight by incorporating multimedia resources aligned with literary themes to increase her interest and encourage more consistent and engaged reading habits .

Isabel's classroom environment appears to provide structured opportunities for reading, such as independent reading time and reading logs . However, her tendencies to fidget and lack focus during reading sessions may indicate that this environment is not fully stimulating or conducive to her engagement. Introducing more varied and interactive literacy activities that cater to diverse learning styles could enhance her involvement and subsequent literacy development by creating a more engaging and supportive classroom climate .

Isabel's responses to the multiple-meaning words worksheet show that she can identify different meanings of a word depending on the context, as demonstrated by her examples for words like 'park' and 'left' . However, her incomplete responses for some words, such as 'beat,' indicate that further development is needed to fully grasp multiple meanings across various contexts, reflecting her intermediate literacy development and comprehension skills .

Isabel's independent reading performance, marked by a lack of engagement and delays in completing assigned reading materials, reflects a need for improved comprehension strategies . Her ability to summarize 'The Elmwood Kids' book, indicating strengths in recalling story details, contrasts with her limited expression of why she enjoyed the book, which suggests difficulty in analyzing and synthesizing deeper themes or messages . To address these needs, Isabel could benefit from strategic reading interventions that emphasize comprehension and engagement enhancement.

Isabel's preference for 'The Elmwood Kids' series, heavily influenced by her enjoyment of the matching TV show, suggests a reliance on audiovisual context for comprehension and enjoyment . This indicates a need for literacy instruction that bridges her existing interests with reading materials, promoting books that expand her narrative engagement beyond familiar television adaptations. Encouraging exploration of diverse genres could also broaden her literary exposure and enhance her critical and creative thinking skills in reading .

45
CONTINUEÎ
ASSIGNMENT E
CASE STUDY
Record your written response to the case study in the Case Study Response Booklet.  Your
46
CONTINUEÎ
READING SURVEY
Printed below are Isabel's responses to a survey of reading habits prepared by her teacher.
Name:
47
CONTINUEÎ
INFORMAL READING ASSESSMENT
Printed below is an excerpt used for an informal assessment of Isabel's reading perf
48
CONTINUEÎ
TEACHER NOTES
Printed below is an excerpt from the teacher's notes documenting informal observations related to
49
CONTINUEÎ
WRITTEN RESPONSE TO A TEXT
Students in Isabel's class keep logs in which they write about the books they select
50
CONTINUEÎ
INFORMAL SKILL ASSESSMENT
Printed below are Isabel's responses to a worksheet designed to measure students' unde

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