1. Case Study Presentation
Presented by: Vanessa Barros

2. Philosophy of Literacy Instruction
As a literacy teacher, my main goal is to develop independent, life-long readers.
Effective reading instruction should be strategy based.
Literacy instruction should include plenty of modeling to allow for scaffolding.
The classroom is a very diverse place – teachers must be aware of who their learners are and what motivates them so that instruction can be tailored to fit the needs of each student.
Literacy instruction should be meaningful and relevant to the students.
Successful literacy instruction should be integrated.
by providing guidance as the students build upon prior learning and put strategy use into practice.

3. The Role of a Reading Specialist
Assess literacy abilities of students, especially those demonstrating a need for basic skills instruction
Work in a one-on-one or small group setting to correct reading deficits
Collaborate with and advise teachers, parents, and administrators
Conduct workshops
Assist in the literacy curriculum development  
Maintain knowledge of current research and best practices in the field of reading and writing

4. Background Information
First grade student in a Catholic Elementary School
Current teacher recommended that parents seek out tutoring for J because he was not reading on grade level and was making little progress
His parents are divorced and therefore spends part of the week with his dad and part of the week with his mother.
Tested by a Child Study Team, but determined to be ineligible for special services

5. Guiding Theories
Constructivist Theory- Individuals actively construct knowledge by comparing new ideas or concepts with their current knowledge (schema or mental models). Therefore, learning should be active, meaningful, and authentic
Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory and Zone of Proximal Development - Social interaction is critical for cognitive development. Students should play an active role in their learning, as they collaborate with their teachers and peers.
-Related to this is the idea of a "Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD),” which is the disparity between what students can complete independently and what they can accomplish through scaffolding.
 The Control Theory of Motivation – students needs’ should guide literacy instruction that employs active learning techniques to engage and motivate the learners
Control Theory - Boss teachers/ Lead teachers: motivated by their own desire to learn

6. Tutoring Sessions Assessments Activities
1 hour weekly session conducted at Colonia library
Assessments
Activities
Fry Sight Word Inventory
56/100 words
Spelling Inventory
Early Within Word (no long vowels)
QRI Word List
Pre-Primer 1 – ind.
Pre-Primer 2/3 – frust.
QRI Reading Passage
Pre-Primer 1- instr.
Test of Phonemic Awareness
Satisfactorily mastered most subtests, but had difficulty with Phoneme Addition, Deletion, and Substitution
Informal Phonics Inventory
Systematic instruction for:
Rule of silent e
Long Vowel Digraphs
Diphthongs
R-controlled vowels
Sight Words/Word Recognition
Phonics
Sound and Pattern Introduction
Word Sorts
Word Building
Fluency
Poetry
Repeated oral reading
Tumblebooks
Text Reading
Decoding
Comprehension
Pre-Reading Strategies
Retelling

7. Strengths and Weaknesses
Discussion
Final Results
Strengths and Weaknesses
Added about new words to his sight word vocabulary
Improved reading level – moved from a Level D to F/G
Mastery of short and long vowels
Recognize and transfer long vowel patterns
Improved oral reading fluency
Beginning to independently take picture walks and make predictions
Strengths
Vocabulary
Tracking
Uses picture clues
Beginning to recognize regular spelling patterns
Weaknesses
Sight Word Vocabulary
Focusing
Lacks intrinsic motivation
Decoding/”Fix-up Strategies”

8. Significance and Recommendations
Difficulties in focusing and attending should be addressed through a consistent structure of diversified activities
Incorporating computer based technology interventions will serve as both a motivational tool as well as a meaningful instructional tool that provides authentic tasks for J to be successful with
Continue to develop the reading and writing connection
Using graphic organizers (i.e. story map) for retelling and to write stories
Consistency and collaboration between teacher and both parents