C&T 842 Otisina Case Study

University of Kansas
John Coffey
 Otisina Case Study

I learned from the Otisina case study that there are specific steps

to take in assessing a students literacy level. I think we often just want

to dive-into assessing students without getting to know them first, but

this should not be the case.. We should do an activity with them to

calm their nerves and build relationships. This will build trust and

hopefully reveal some hidden issues that may be affecting the

student.

The case study notes that Otisina has difficulties with

comprehension, but I think a lot of these problems are rooted in other

pillars of literacy. She has difficulty breaking words down into smaller

units, and she does not recognize many of the grade level sight words.

These components of literacy need to be addressed first, or

comprehension will not come easy.

I believe she is going to need interventions with phonics and

vocabulary. Initially, she needs to be further assessed for her

knowledge of phonemes and morphemes. Interventions should be

provided in blending these units into words. There are many great

programs I could use, such as Orton Gillingham.

Simultaneously, targeted instruction should be provided in sight

words and vocabulary. If she does not know the meaning of words she

is reading, comprehension is going to be difficult., if not impossible.

Strategies, such as learning the purpose (part of speech) of a word,

synonyms/antonyms, context clues, prefixes/suffixes, and other

methods should be used.

The background information was helpful, but there were no

previous reading assessments to draw significant information from in

the module. In this age of testing, she should have many scores,

especially as a struggling reader. Similarly, it would have nice to have a

sample of her writing and other works.

I also wonder if something else is occurring. Does she have a

learning disability or some other physical handicap, such as hearing or

sigh issues? I also wonder if she is a SIFE student, meaning she has

missed a significant part of her education for some reason. Perhaps her

family has moved around a lot, or she grew-up outside the country?

These things are important to determine.

If I were going to plan a personalized lesson for her, I would

continue to get to know her through some new activity. I would also try

and meet with her parents/guardians to determine what is going on

with her. I would also begin to give her selected assessments and

meeting with the intervention teachers/administrators to create a plan.

Once I gain an understanding of her true literacy level, I will

begin providing her with the resources/interventions that she needs. I

will find texts on her reading level, and constantly use progress

monitoring.