EDU 3410

Name Lizabeth Mattson

Observation Date 9/12/16

Observation Time 10:00 AM

(B-4) Objective: To observe teachers use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) during

reading and writing instruction.
Directions: Observe teachers use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) during reading and
writing instruction.
1. Does the teacher use computer-assisted instruction (CAI) during reading and writing
instruction? Yes
2. If the teacher does use CAI, describe the types of computer programs used. Scholastic
First Little Readers reading books with students projected onto the whiteboard. This allowed
students to all see the book, large, at the same time that the teacher was reading it.
First she played 2 books that the class had read during previous CAI reading instruction.
Method:
The teacher read the title (I Can) with the students and directed them to the cover picture of a
girl. She asked them, What are some of the things you think she will be able to do? What else
might be in the book? Lets take a look. She looked at the first page with a picture of a girl
skipping. The text was I can skip. She read I can and then worked with the students to figure
out the word skip by asking them, what do you think she is doing? Some of the children who
understood letters and reading were able to figure out skip. The next page was I can slide.
She read I can, then said what do you think that word might be? They answered slide.
Then she asked What is the first letter of the word? S. Then she made the s, sound and
said, so you can look at the picture. The next page she read, I canwhat? Someone
answered run. She asked, How could you tell it was run? R. But how do you know its
not rabbit? Then she talked about the picture of the girl running and said, Do they kind of
match? (meaning the word run and the picture). She kept reading through the rest of the book.
The last page said, I can do ANYTHING! and had a picture of the girl hanging upside down
from monkey bars. Then she said, Sometimes the words match and sometimes they dont, so
thats why you have to check.
Next she told the students, Just listen to the book, and she played the book being read. At the
end she said Thumbs up if you liked that story.
Next she instructed the students to listen to the book, and repeat the words the reader said just
after (So if she says, I can run, you will say, I can run.), and she played the book being read
again.
Next she opened the book again and on random pages asked, Who can point to the word can,
slide, etc., and had students come up to the board to point to the words they recognized. After
the student pointed to can she asked, How do you spell can?
Then each child was given a paper version of the book to take back to their tables, where they
colored the pictures and cut out the pages. The teacher stapled each students homemade book

and they put them into their book bags (large Ziplock bags hanging on hooks attached to the
backs of their chairs).
Later, during read-to-self time, the students took out those book bags to reread the books for five
minutes. The teacher also told me that eventually, making these books will be one of the centers
at literacy center time.
3. If the teacher does not use CAI, describe ways you think the teacher could utilize
computer programs in the literacy program. n/a

2
EDU 3410.0L1 Mr. Donald Barringer, MA