Ashley Patnaude EDU 744 Professor Deterding April 27, 2012 Case Study Part Four: Interventions In order

to best meet the needs of Nancy, it is important that I utilize interventions that will benefit her growth most. Two interventions that will certainly accomplish this requirement are timed repeated readings and reciprocal teaching of four reading strategies. Timed repeated reading is a strategy used to promote fluency. This intervention is useful in also monitoring the progress made in fluency development. Two components of fluency, which this intervention zeroes in on, are accuracy and reading rate. In other words, using this strategy with Nancy will help her become a more fluent reader, thus propelling her to comprehend more easily as she reads. To carry out timed repeated readings, I will need to have a timer, pencil, and two copies of an independent reading level passage. It is important to choose a book that has been read before at about a 95% accuracy rate. (Reading Rockets, 2011). While Nancy begins to read, I will time her and complete a running record of her reading errors. Nancy will re-read the passage three to five times. Following each reading, I will count the number of words in the passage and subtract the number of errors she made. Dividing the number of words read correctly by the total number of words will provide me an accuracy rate. Next, I would convert the total time it took to read the passage into seconds and afterwards, divide it by 60. Id finally determine word count per minute (WCPM) by diving the number of words read correctly by the total amount of time it took to read in seconds.

I will conduct this intervention once per week during our individual tutoring sessions. I believe it will be a helpful intervention for Nancy because she is extremely competitive and visual. As I graph her reading speed each week, she will be able to see her improvement as it occurs, thus pushing her to feel more empowered and motivated as a reader. I would administer this intervention for the remainder of the school year, which is also the timeframe for the remainder of our tutoring sessions. Id be able to monitor Nancys progress in fluency with the aide of this intervention. Another intervention that would be helpful in developing Nancys comprehension skills is an intervention introduced by author, Kelley Stricklin. In her article, Hands on Reciprocal Teaching: A Comprehension Technique, Stricklin describes a reciprocal teaching method and refers to the components of this method as the Fab Four. Fab Four includes asking questions, summarizing, predicting, and clarifying. Stricklin stresses the importance of teaching these skills by modeling, and then allowing students the opportunity to try them. Furthermore, Stricklin stresses that teachers have three responsibilities while teaching according to the reciprocal method, which include: 1. Before reading, activate prior knowledge of words or ideas students will encounter while reading. 2. During reading, monitor, encourage, and guide individuals in their use of the Fab Four. 3. After reading, encourage student reflection and ask students to share which strategy helped them the most while reading. (Stricklin 620)

In order to carry out this strategy with Nancy, I would utilize some of the activities described by Kelley Stricklin. I would model each of the strategies for Nancy to understand them better. For predictions, Id show her my guess at what a book will be about and then allow her to share her guess. For asking questions, Id pretend to be a game show host and ask Nancy questions from the text, rewarding her with fake money for answering questions correctly. Then, I would allow Nancy to share some questions with me. Wed also spend another lesson practice clarifying by using a magnifying glass to zoom in on words and ideas. Id model that clues on the pages can help us figure out meanings of words or phrases. Nancy would also get the opportunity to practice while using the magnifying glass. Finally, in order to learn about summarizing, I would model summarizing the main idea of what we read together by putting it into one sentence. Nancy would also practice this with my guidance. I would have Nancy continually practicing these skills during tutoring, although Id allow her to make choices about which ones she would rely on. This intervention would be carried out individually during our private tutoring sessions that occur once per week. I believe this intervention would help Nancy because she has a great deal of difficulty comprehending what she reads. I believe this intervention would help her to consider and retain what she is reading, while adding an element of fun. I would administer this intervention for the remainder of the school year. Kelley Stricklin also included a number of ideas for progress monitoring that I would certainly incorporate into my plan for Nancy. There is a four-door chart that allows Nancy to fill in her thinking for each part of the Fab Four. Also, Id use the 1,2,3,4 chart, which is another visual way for Nancy to

organize her thinking. On this chart, Nancy would add one prediction, two questions, three words or ideas that stood out to her, and a four-sentence summary. Our weekly discussions would be helpful in allowing me to check for understanding, although it is the concrete evidence that would best allow me to monitor progress. After considering Nancys strengths, weaknesses, and ways in which I can be the most beneficial teacher possible for her, I feel that I have developed a wonderful plan to help her improve. I believe reading is the most important skill students acquire in their education and I am determined to do whatever I can to help Nancy grow into a successful, confident reader who can keep up with her peers, while enjoying the process of reading a good story.

References

Stricklin, K. (2011). Hands-On Reciprocal Teaching: A Comprehension Technique. The Reading Teacher, 64(8), 620-625 Timed Repeated Readings. (2011). Retrieved April 22, 2012 from http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/timed_repeated_readings/.