17 Baldy Hall, University at Buffalo 716.645.

2470
Dr. Mary McVee, Director Dr. Ashlee Campbell, Assoc. Director
INSTRUCTIONAL REPORT
Name: Cupcake Age: 8 CLaRI ID: 8401
nd
Gender: Female Birth Date: Grade: 2

Parents: Dates of Instruction:

Address: Phone:

School:

Teacher: Reading Clinicians: Robin (558S2201)

This is a report of the individual reading instruction given to Cupcake at the University at Buffalo’s Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction, CLaRI. This report will
discuss Cupcake’s reading background, goals for literacy instruction, evaluation of overall literacy progress, and recommendations for further literacy instruction.

Reading Background

Cupcake’s parents brought her to CLaRI, to receive 75-minute, bi-weekly reading tutoring sessions to increase her sight word recognition, learn reading comprehension
strategies, and to improve overall her literacy skills that were impacted by virtual instruction during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to attending CLaRI for
tutoring, Cupcake was administered literacy-related assessments to determine her comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, spelling, and writing abilities. During this
evaluation, Cupcake was administered the following assessments.
First, Cupcake was administered the Words Their Way Primary Spelling Inventory (PSI). This assessment looked at Cupcake's general understanding of spelling
patterns. The results of this assessment showed that she has a strong understanding of how to spell initial and final consonants, short vowels, and digraphs. It showed
she was still developing in her ability to spell consonant blends and common long vowels. Cupcake was in the late letter name-alphabetic spelling stage, which is
slightly below grade level for a ‘spring’ second grader. Typically, children in kindergarten through the middle of second grade are letter name-alphabetic spellers.

Next, Cupcake was given the 6-Trait Writing Assessment. Cupcake was given an opinion-based writing prompt "What is your favorite game?" and then was given 5
minutes uninterrupted to write. Cupcake wrote for around a minute of this time. She wrote one sentence “I like the game ti, ta, tou, becase I win all the time.” She read
her work back as “I like the game tic, tac, toe because I win all the time.” The results of the assessment showed a strength in presentation and writing conventions.
Cupcake’s writing was still developing in the areas of ideas, organization, voice, word choice, and sentence fluency. She scored 14.5 out of 36 points on this
assessment.

Next, she was given the Basic Reading Inventory (BRI) Graded Word Lists (Form C). This assessment uses graded word lists to estimate a reading level based on sight
word knowledge, as well as assess an individual’s isolated sight word knowledge and decoding abilities. Cupcake scored at the independent level on the beginning- and
middle-of-kindergarten sight word lists. She scored instructionally on the end-of-kindergarten and first-grade word lists. She experienced frustration reading second-
grade words on this assessment. At the end-of-kindergarten level, Cupcake recognized 75% of the words by sight and at the first-grade level, Cupcake recognized 60%
of the words by sight. As a second grader, Cupcake should be able to recognize all words up to the first-grade level independently. This assessment showed that
Cupcake’s sight word knowledge was below grade level.
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Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction Cupcake, 8401

Following the BRI word lists, she was administered the BRI Oral Reading Narrative Passages (Form C) to determine her independent, instructional and frustration
reading levels. This assessment uses Cupcake’s contextualized reading accuracy, reading speed, and comprehension to determine these reading levels. Cupcake orally
read the middle-of-kindergarten passage through the second-grade passage. Cupcake demonstrated that she could read text as high as beginning-of-first grade
independently. She read middle-of-first-grade text through end-of-first grade text instructionally. Cupcake demonstrated frustration reading second-grade text. During
this assessment, data was collected on Cupcake’s reading speed revealing that she read between 34 to 81 words per minute. The average for reading speed in the Winter
nd
of 2 grade, when this assessment took place, is read between 60-80 WPM. After reading these passages, Cupcake showed strength answering topic, evaluation, and
inference questions, as well as strong vocabulary knowledge. Cupcake was still developing in her ability to consistently and accurately answer fact-based questions.
Next, Cupcake was administered the BRI Listening Comprehension Assessment (Form B). This assessment determines the highest level of text an individual can listen
to and comprehend. This assessment is useful to understand if a student can comprehend text without the barrier of word recognition and fluency. Cupcake listened to
three passages, an end-of-first-grade text, a second-grade text, and a third-grade text. Following each read aloud, she was asked several comprehension questions.
Cupcake demonstrated she was able to listen to text as high as the second-grade level and have at least 70% comprehension. Cupcake showed strength answering topic,
evaluation, inference, and vocabulary-based questions after listening to these passages. She showed a need for development in answering fact-based questions. A
discrepancy between the level of text Cupcake can read and the level of text she can comprehend was seen on this assessment. Cupcake can comprehend grade-level
text, but she does not yet have the sight word knowledge or decoding knowledge to be able to read second-grade text herself.

Next, Cupcake was administered the Fry's Sight Word Inventory. This assessment was used to determine her ability to read high frequency words. Cupcake
demonstrated independent-level sight word knowledge on the first-hundred word list, recognizing 93 of the 100 words accurately. On the second-hundred word list,
Cupcake demonstrated instructional level sight word knowledge, accurately recognizing 66 of the 100 sight words. Typically, children can learn sight words rapidly by
the end of first grade. As such, the first-hundred word list is typically associated with first grade, while the second- and third-hundred word lists are associated with
second grade. As such, Cupcake demonstrated below-grade level sight word knowledge.

Finally, Cupcake was given the Wilson Assessment of Decoding and Encoding (WADE). This assessment looks at a student's knowledge of isolated, English
orthographic features (the way sounds are represented in writing, such as digraphs and long vowels patterns). Through this assessment Cupcake recognized 24/24
consonant sounds, 7/9 digraphs/trigraphs, 30/56 vowels, 1/15 additional sounds (i.e., consonant clusters and silent letters), and 3/16 welded sounds. Cupcake
demonstrated partial phonics knowledge on this assessment.

Goals for Instruction

Four long-term goals were identified for Cupcake’s reading instruction:  (1) to improve her comprehension and meaning vocabulary, (2) to improve her spelling
knowledge and abilities, (3) to improve her fluency, and (4) to improve her writing abilities.  
First Long-term Goal

The first goal is to improve Cupcake's comprehension and meaning vocabulary. Reading comprehension, the act of making meaning of what one has read, is an
important skill to develop if a student is to read independently. It is the main goal of reading. Vocabulary development is important because the more vocabulary words
a student knows, the more complex a text they will be able to read successfully. The BRI results indicated that Cupcake needed support in reading comprehension,
particularly in the area of recalling facts after reading. Although vocabulary was a strength in the BRI, it is still important to continuously teach vocabulary to allow
students to read more difficult texts.

The first specific instructional goal for Cupcake was for her to retell a story with detail, and remember fact-based information correctly. As stated above, the BRI
results showed that answering fact-based questions is an area of need for Cupcake. Retelling is a strategy that can be used to help better remember fact-based
information from a story. Therefore, Cupcake participated in a variety of activities to help improve her ability to sequentially retell a story. We began by stating the
main idea of a story using provided sentence frames. Next, she learned to sequence the events in a story using illustrations from the story. When Cupcake showed an
understanding of telling events in order we began practicing the skill of retelling, first with a general "what do we need when we retell?" lesson, followed by several
lessons focusing on a five finger retell chart, which helped her remember all of the parts of retelling, including characters, setting, problem, events, and solution.
Cupcake read several texts with increasing complexity to practice retelling. She has also practiced it with texts at her listening level. Additionally she was taught to go
back in the text to find information when she is unsure of an answer and has used this skill independently to improve her retelling.
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Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction Cupcake, 8401

The second specific instructional goal was to improve her vocabulary knowledge. As students read increasingly complex texts, they develop in their literacy skills and
they become exposed to new vocabulary words. Comprehension improves when students can make meaning of sentences they are reading, including those that include
new vocabulary words. To improve Cupcake's vocabulary, texts were selected that included words that she may not have in her receptive vocabulary already. Each
word was directly taught to her by discussing it’s meaning, and discussing her current background knowledge related to the word and when it is typically used. She also
was asked comprehension questions to check for understanding of the word’s meaning when she read the word in the text and after reading. These words were
reviewed using vocabulary games throughout the semester, such as vocabulary bingo where Cupcake was provided a definition and needed to find the word that
matched.

Second Long-term Goal

The second long-term goal was to improve Cupcake's spelling, and her ability to encode and decode English orthographic features. Orthographic features, the ways in
which sounds are represented by letter symbols, help readers to decode unfamiliar words in a text, and help them to spell correctly in their writing. At the beginning of
tutoring, the results of the Wilson Assessment of Decoding and Encoding (WADE) and Words Their Way Primary Spelling Inventory (PSI) showed that Cupcake
needed support in decoding and spelling single-syllabic words with consonant blends and long vowel patterns.

The first specific instructional goal was for Cupcake to read and write words that include consonant blends. The results of the WADE and PSI assessments revealed a
need to learn this orthographic feature to advance her reading and spelling abilities. We specifically focused on cr, dr, and tr blends in single-syllabic words. Cupcake
was taught these patterns using word sorts to compare the different blend patterns. She read words with these blends in isolation, sorted provided word cards, and
practiced writing them independently. Activities were done in a variety of ways, both in print and using the digital tool, jamboard.

The second specific instructional goal was for Cupcake to read and write words that include long vowel patterns. According to the WADE and PSI, Cupcake needed
support in writing words with long vowel patterns. We used anchor charts to review long versus short vowel sounds. When teaching CVCe words (ex. hide, hope),
Cupcake compared similar words with long and short vowel sounds. For example, when taught how to read and write the word hide, she compared it with the word hid.
Cupcake was asked to articulate the number of vowels in the word and why the vowel made either a long or short sound. After Cupcake sorted long vowel words, she
practiced writing them, and correcting the spelling when appropriate. After Cupcake worked through all of the vowels with silent e, we began learning other common
long vowel patterns, such as vowel teams (e.g., ee, ea, ay, ai). To practice these patterns, Cupcake was directly taught the orthographic feature, then was given
sentences with multiple words containing the orthographic features to give her practice decoding the feature. After she showed an understanding of how to read words
with long vowel patterns, she practiced writing those same words.

Third Long-term Goal

The third long term goal was to improve Cupcake's fluency, specifically her sight word knowledge. Fluency can incorporate many parts, but ultimately refers to a
student's reading speed, accuracy, and prosody. The ability to read at an appropriate speed is important for the comprehension of a text. According to the BRI results
Cupcake read between 30 to 81 words per minute (WPM). In mid second grade, children should be able to read between 60-80 WPM. On some passages, Cupcake read
at an appropriate rate, but she did not demonstrate this consistently on each passage. Sight word knowledge is also an important factor for fluency. The results of the
BRI Grade Word Lists, BRI Oral Passages, and the Fry's Sight Word Inventory showed that Cupcake had around a first-grade level of sight word knowledge. To
increase her WPM, it was important to first increase her sight word knowledge.

The specific goal was to increase the number of sight words Cupcake can accurately and automatically recognize. This was influenced by the results of the BRI Graded
Word List assessment and the Fry's Sight word Inventory. Many activities were used to explicitly and directly teach sight words. Cupcake enjoyed kinesthetic learning
activities, such as using sand to write the sight words, the use of letter magnets to spell words, verbally spelling the words, and a roll and write activity where she rolled
a die to determine the number of times she would write a word. Between 3 to 5 sight words were taught and/or reviewed each session. Cupcake practiced reading and
writing her sight words multiple times. To review previously taught sight words we played sight word games, such as sight word flip, where the clinician stated a sight
word and Cupcake needed to find the sight word card to flip it over. Following each activity, Cupcake was shown the sight words in isolation to have further practice
reading them. Cupcake demonstrated the need for multiple sessions to practice reading and writing sight words to fully learn them.
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Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction Cupcake, 8401

Fourth Long-term Goal

The fourth-long term goal is to improve Cupcake's writing. Strong writing skills are a necessity both in school and life, allowing the writer to express their thoughts.
When assessed using the 6-trait writing assessment, Cupcake showed the most need for instruction in areas of organization and ideas. At the second-grade level, it is
appropriate for Cupcake to write multiple sentences in a paragraph when given a writing prompt. Cupcake only wrote one sentence. This shows that she needs to
develop her ideas, so she has more to write. This also shows a need to organize her ideas.

The first specific instructional goal was for Cupcake to improve her organization when writing narrative and opinion paragraphs by increasing the number of sentences
she was able to write. When assessed, Cupcake produced one sentence. She was reminded that she had plenty of time to write, and encouraged to write more, however
she stated she was done and ready to turn in her writing. Therefore, it was determined that she needed support in developing paragraphs. Writing instruction began with
opinion writing. Cupcake was taught to use a graphic organizer to write a main topic and provide three supporting details, and a conclusion. At the end of this writing
section Cupcake used a graphic organizer to help her write a 5-sentence opinion paragraph independently, that included a main idea, three supporting details and a
conclusion. During this time she also learned to proofread her writing to check that she included all of the parts of the graphic organizer, as well as proper capitalization
and punctuation. Following this she learned to use a graphic organizer to write short narrative passages. This graphic organizer asked her to list the characters in the
story, the setting (when and where the story takes place), a problem and solution. Next, there was space to write out the plot with all of the listed story elements. She
then used the organizer to write a narrative paragraph.
The second specific instructional goal was to improve her ideas by helping her to develop a strong topic, and helping her to use more key details when writing. Her 6-
trait writing sample did not include a main idea or key details, therefore it was important to teach her how to use these writing elements. Cupcake was directly taught
how to write main ideas and three supporting details using the opinion writing graphic organizer. She was also directly taught what a conclusion is and how to write
them. Later, when she showed mastery of writing a main idea and three supporting details, she learned about conclusion writing. She practiced with conclusions first by
writing conclusions for prewritten paragraphs using an anchor chart, then used the same anchor chart to write conclusions for her own writing.
One objective of this instructional goal was for Cupcake to be able to use transitions in her writing. Cupcake was taught simple transitions to indicate sequence of
events (first, then, next, last or finally). She practiced finding them in prewritten paragraphs. She then repeatedly practiced writing 4-paragraph stories that incorporated
transitions, telling a linear story. She was also introduced to additional, harder-level transition words to give her a deeper understanding of transitions that she might see
in texts. Instructional time did not allow Cupcake to practice using all of these transitions, but she did show an understanding of some of these transitions and attempted
to use them in her writing.
Evaluation of Overall Progress

Fluency

To improve fluency, the clinician decided to focus on building sight word knowledge. At the beginning of tutoring Cupcake was assessed using the Fry’s first- and
second-hundred word lists. During this assessment, she read 93% of the first 100 words, and 66% of the second 100 words. This data was used to determine what
words would be taught and in what order. Cupcake worked diligently to read her sight words in isolation and to independently write them each tutoring session.
Cupcake typically learned 5 new sight words a week, with assessment after each lesson to determine if she was ready to add new words to the list or if she needed
further review of the words. Cupcake also was assessed on her recall of previously taught words through larger review lessons, which allowed the clinician to
determine if Cupcake was able to retain the sight word in her long-term memory. At the end of tutoring, Cupcake was reassessed using the same sight word lists used
during the diagnostic assessment. Cupcake read 100% of the Fry’s First 100 words, 97% of the Fry’s Second 100. Cupcake was also administered Fry’s third-hundred
list, which was not explicitly taught, and she read 67% of this list correctly. Cupcake’s current sight word knowledge is approaching grade-level expectations, because
she has mastered Fry’s Second-hundred list and is close to mastering Fry’s Third-hundred list.
Comprehension Monitoring and Meaning Vocabulary

To improve Cupcake’s comprehension, the clinician focused on event sequencing and retelling. At the beginning of tutoring Cupcake was administered the BRI,
reading passages from the beginning Kindergarten through the second-grade reading level. According to this assessment Cupcake’s independent reading level was the
end-of-kindergarten, her instructional level was the end-of- first grade, and her frustrational level was the end-of-second grade. The comprehension assessment
following each reading showed that Cupcake’s main area of need for reading comprehension was her fact-based recall. At the end of tutoring, Cupcake’s progress in
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her ability to retell was assessed following the reading of authentic texts at Cupcake’s instructional level. Cupcake was assessed using a basic rubric based off of the
five finger retell anchor chart. She was assessed on her ability to tell the characters, setting, problem, events and solution.

To assess Cupcake’s reading development over the semester she was asked to read two texts, an end-of-first grade text and a beginning-of-second grade text. Running
record data was taken while she read to keep track of her miscues.

On the end-of-first grade text, Cupcake read 76 words per minute. In the first 100-word section, Cupcake made one significant miscue, substituting the word “did” with
“don’t,” a visual error. During this section she also showed text monitoring, correcting a miscue that would be significant. Next, she was asked to retell what happens in
the story. Cupcake successfully retold the events of the story, naming the characters, setting, a main problem, several events in sequential order and a solution. Cupcake
did not provide additional details when prompted, but met assessment requirements. This data shows that Cupcake’s current independent reading level is the end-of-
first grade.

Next Cupcake read a second-grade text. Cupcake read approximately 30 words per minute in this section, taking time to decode difficult words, such as “pickles.” Her
slower-than-expected reading rate was due to think time to identify difficult sight words, such as “giggled” and “hiccup.” In the first 100-word section, Cupcake made
3 significant miscues, omitting the words giggled, hiccups, and skipping one line of text. Due to frustration with this level text, as well as technical difficulties with the
orientation of the text, the clinician assisted in reading three pages of this text, following running record portion. Following the reading, Cupcake was asked to retell
what happens in the story. Cupcake successfully retold the characters, setting, a problem and two events from the story. Cupcake did not include a third detail, and did
not retell the solution to the problem. With this data, Cupcake’s instructional level is the beginning of second grade. Most likely, her reading speed will improve as
Cupcake learns more and more words that appear in the second-grade texts. She is not ready for end of second-grade texts. Cupcake has worked very hard to develop
her reading comprehension and has shown great improvement throughout the semester.

To improve her vocabulary knowledge, Cupcake was introduced to a new word with each book we read. During the reading, Cupcake was asked to describe the
meaning of the word in context. Following the reading she was again asked what the target vocabulary word was. Throughout the semester several of the vocabulary
words were reviewed in context of other texts as well as through vocabulary review games. In total, Cupcake was taught 16 new vocabulary words, as often the same
text was used multiple times in a week. To assess Cupcake’s receptive vocabulary she was given the meaning of a word, and asked to find it out of a group of words.
Cupcake found 100% of the assessed vocabulary words correctly. Following this part of the assessment, Cupcake was asked to verbally define 5 of the vocabulary
words, randomly selected from the list. Cupcake successfully defined 100% of the assessed vocabulary words.

Spelling

To improve Cupcake’s spelling, the clinician focused on consonant blends and long vowel patterns. Cupcake worked through several words a session (approximately
10), sorting them by their pattern and spelling them independently. At the beginning of tutoring, Cupcake scored 4/7 words (57%) with consonant blends, and 1/7
(14%) words with common long vowels.

At the end of tutoring, Cupcake was given two assessments to determine her spelling abilities. First, she was given the Words Their Way (WTW) Primary Spelling
Inventory, followed by a spelling assessment of words she had worked with through the tutoring sessions. In both assessments, the clinician analyzed the spelling
features and if Cupcake was able to use them successfully in her spelling. According to the WTW assessment, Cupcake’s knowledge of spelling features has improved.
On the WTW assessment she scored 5/7 (71%) for consonant blends, staying consistent with the missed features cr and tr. According to the second spelling assessment,
however, Cupcake was able to successfully spell a word with a cr blend when it is a familiar word. In this case Cupcake correctly spelled the word “crab” using the cr
blend that she missed in the word “crawl” on the WTW assessment. These assessments showed that Cupcake is in need of further support for independently spelling
“tr” blends. It is important to note that during tutoring, Cupcake demonstrated the ability to spell and read all blends; however, she is not consistently spelling blends
after explicit instruction on blends ended.

Moving on to common long vowels, Cupcake started working with silent e vowel patterns, comparing long and short vowel sounds. She learned many words
containing long and short vowel sounds, reading and spelling words with one vowel at a time. Following each new feature, Cupcake was assessed on her ability to read
the words in isolation, as well as her ability to independently write the words. On the WTW assessment Cupcake scored 1/7 (14%), correctly using the CVCe spelling
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pattern for i-e. This is an improvement from the beginning of the semester when Cupcake received 0/7 points for common long vowel patterns. When assessed on
words pulled from the word study lesson, Cupcake’s ability to use common long vowel patterns improved. Cupcake was assessed on 9 words with common long vowel
patterns and scored 6/7 (86%), missing the feature points for a_e, This is consistent with assessment done through the semester, as Cupcake had difficulty
differentiating between long and short “a” patterns during the semester. The comparison between the WTW spelling inventory and the word study assessment shows
that with support and instruction Cupcake is capable of using common long vowel patterns, however she is still in need of instruction to improve her ability to
independently use them.
Writing

To improve her writing, Cupcake’s instruction focused on ideas and organization. Cupcake was initially assessed using the Six Trait Writing Rubric, which showed
multiple needs in writing. Organization and ideas are foundational skills of writing and critical for overall writing performance, so they were selected as the focus of
tutoring. Cupcake was taught to develop her ideas using graphic organizers, and taught to improve her organization through paragraph writing throughout the semester,
with some reminders of writing conventions. Student writing samples were taken throughout the semester to assess her ability to independently fill out and use graphic
organizers. Writing samples of paragraph writing were also collected. At the end of tutoring Cupcake’s writing was assessed in two parts. First, anecdotal data was
taken to assess Cupcake’s use of a narrative graphic organizer to plan her writing. After independent writing time, Cupcake’s writing was assessed using the Six Trait
Writing Rubric.

To start the writing assessment, Cupcake was given a few narrative writing prompts to choose from. She selected the prompt “How I met my best friend.” As the
assessment was done virtually, the clinician assisted Cupcake in filling out the graphic organizer she would use to complete her writing. She displayed the graphic
organizer for Cupcake to see, and typed in her responses. Cupcake did a great job setting up her writing. She had clear ideas, and was able to articulate sentences for the
clinician to write.

Following the completion of the graphic organizer, Cupcake was given time to write independently. She wrote for several minutes. After her writing was completed,
Cupcake read her work aloud. Following the assessment, the clinician used the 6-Trait Writing Rubric to assess Cupcake’s writing. Cupcake showed improvement in
many areas of writing. She showed improvement in her ideas development, organization, and word choice. Cupcake wrote a strong paragraph, showing improvement in
the length of her writing, and overall detail.

Although Cupcake showed a lot of improvement in her writing, the longer independent writing piece did reveal a need to review conventions and presentation, as well
as sentence fluency, specifically in the area of run-on sentences and dialogue punctuation. With continued practice Cupcake will continue to develop her writing skills
and will be on track with grade level expectations for writing.

Classroom Literacy Instruction

Over the course of instruction, Cupcake worked diligently to improve her reading and writing abilities. To further Cupcake’s learning after tutoring, the clinician has
identified instructional goals in the form of recommendations for classroom instruction. Three overarching goals for Cupcake to continue working towards are: (1)
using transitions in writing, (2) increasing her recognition of orthographic features, and (3) comprehension strategies for reading nonfiction texts.

During tutoring sessions, Cupcake practiced writing with graphic organizers in order to organize her ideas. She also began incorporating basic transitions into her
writing. Cupcake would benefit from additional instruction on the use of transitions. At this time, she has focused on sequencing transitions to show order of events.
She shows a natural curiosity towards more sophisticated transitions and would benefit from guidance in the use of them. Cupcake has benefited from having a list of
transitions to check off when she works to remind her to use them, such as first, then, next, last, at last, then, at once, before that, second, third, fourth, etc). She
consistently uses transitions when the expectation is made that they will appear in her writing. One transition activity we began working on, but assessment showed was
too advanced at the time, was finding and highlighting transition phrases in a text. With the foundational knowledge of what a transition is and when it appears in a
sentence, Cupcake would be able to do this type of activity now. This would be a great activity to go alongside a mentor text.

To move Cupcake to the next spelling stage, she would benefit from instruction on common long vowel patterns. In particular, she would benefit from direct instruction
on vowel teams for O and U, as we were unable to practice these during tutoring sessions. Cupcake has shown improvement in her understanding of orthographic
features through the use of word sorts, or word study. Word study works best in a small group environment during literacy centers, when the teacher can select
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developmentally appropriate spelling features and differentiate for the needs of different students. To begin planning a word study lesson, select the spelling feature that
will be the focus. Although instruction focused heavily on CVCe patterns, assessment showed that Cupcake is still in need of additional support in spelling these words
in isolation. The Words Their Way Primary Spelling Inventory showed she is still developing in her use of common long vowel patterns in general, particularly in
differentiating long and short vowel sounds. The authentic word study assessment showed she is best able to independently spell the most recently taught vowel teams,
for example, we most recently discussed long a and long i patterns, and she was able to correctly use the ay, ie, igh and CiCe, spelling patterns in the word study
assessment. As instruction continued, she developed the necessary knowledge to begin comparing different long vowel teams for the same vowel sound (ex. long a
patterns ai and ay). To implement the sorts, select several single-syllabic words that incorporate the target orthographic features (e.g., tray, play, say, hay, pay, clay for
the long vowel pattern of ay). It is also important to teach the meaning of the selected words during this phase of the word study lesson. Next is the actual sorting of the
words. Provide word cards to the student to read and sort into columns, with the orthographic feature stated at the top of the column. This can be written on a piece of
paper and the word cards can be cut-up index cards. This is an activity that would benefit from a journal or word sort folder, but if this is not available sorting word
cards is also fine. When the small-group of students are able to independently sort words by the orthographic feature they contain, they are able to move on to writing
the words. The end goal of the word sort activity is that the students can write words containing the targeted orthographic feature independently.

Comprehension instruction during tutoring focused on retelling fiction texts. Cupcake has shown development in her retelling ability using the 5 finger retell chart
(telling the teacher 5 key elements of the story, including characters, setting, problem, events, solution). Due to the time constraints of the semester she did not receive
any instruction on retelling nonfiction texts. Cupcake seemed to benefit from having a visual anchor chart to reference, as well as the mnemonic device of counting the
steps on your fingers. Selecting a mnemonic device for the retelling of nonfiction texts would likely benefit her in this case as well. An anchor chart listing the key parts
for retelling nonfiction texts, such as main idea, key details, and an interesting fact. Referencing a visual tool will help her to remember what is needed in a retell.

At-home Literacy Instruction

Perhaps, one of the most difficult tasks for parents is selecting appropriate reading materials for their child. The following section contains lists of books that are most
appropriate for specific reading activities, based on Cupcake’s current reading performance and, most importantly, interests. All books selected are available through
local bookstores, and through the Buffalo Erie County public library system.
Independent Books
These books Cupcake can easily read independently, with little to no parental assistance. Cupcake can simply pick up these books and read them at any time. These
books are also preferred for use when working with Cupcake on increasing her fluency. Cupcake independent reading level is the end-of-first grade.
●
The Pigeon Series
o st
Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! By Mo Willems, 1 grade reading level.
● st
Mittens by Lola M. Schaefer, 1 grade reading level.
● st
I Am (Not) Scared, by Anna Kang, 1 grade reading level.
● st
I Like Myself! By Karen Beaumont, 1 grade reading level.
● st
Mouse Loves School by Lauren Thompson, 1 grade reading level
Read-together Books
These books Cupcake can enjoy with parental assistance. They are preferred for use when working with Cupcake on increasing comprehension and word recognition.
Cupcake read-together reading level is the beginning-of-second grade.
● nd
The Grouchy Ladybug, Eric Carl, beginning of 2 grade
● nd
In a Dark Dark Room by Alvin Scheartz beginning of 2 grade
● nd
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel, beginning of 2 grade
● nd
Henry and Mudge and The Careful Cousin, by Cynthia Rylant, beg. of 2 grade text.
● st
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, end of 1 grade reading level.

Read-aloud Books
These books are perfect for reading aloud to Cupcake. They have engaging story lines and are of high interest. They can be used when working with Cupcake on
increasing comprehension. However, in regard to a read aloud, Cupcake will be listening for comprehension, as opposed to reading for comprehension. Cupcake read-
aloud reading level is second- and third-grade level.
● nd
The Magic Treehouse series, by Mary Pope Osborne, 2 Grade
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● nd
The Amazing Bone by William Steig, 2 Grade
● rd
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, 3 Grade
rd
● Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, Kate DiCamillo, 3 Grade
● rd
Fenway and Hattie by Victoria J. Coe, 3 Grade

Suggested At-home Reading Activities:

Along with reading at home every day, below are activities for Cupcake that would help to improve her literacy skills.
Cupcake expressed interest in writing independently. This natural curiosity towards writing fiction should be encouraged whenever possible. When Cupcake chooses to
share this writing with you, have a natural conversation about what she wrote, who the characters are, what they are doing, and any future plans in writing. She will
write more when she is supported in this hobby. You can also talk with her before she writes. Discussing ideas for her stories and supporting her ideas development
before she writes will help her to write better first drafts. To support her organization in writing, the graphic organizers used during tutoring sessions are attached to this
report (See Attachment A and B). Copies of this can also be found on the website Teachers Pay Teachers, under the title Narrative Writing Graphic Organizer, a free
download from the creators 3 Blonde Bloggers.

Reading with your child is a fun and easy way to incorporate literacy practice into everyday routines. When reading with Cupcake, either with books selected for her to
read or books you have selected to read aloud to her, it is important to pause during the reading to ask questions. For example, when a problem arises in a picture book
pause to ask “What is the problem in this story so far?” or when characters are expressing new emotions ask “How is the character feeling now?” Questions will come
naturally during the reading, think these questions out loud and encourage conversations to happen around the book. These conversations encourage curiosity with
reading and build comprehension skills. Asking what a child thinks might happen later in the story, or how characters are feeling encourages children to make
inferences when reading. Asking about the plot helps build fac- based retelling skills. While reading aloud, also pause to discuss any vocabulary words found in the
text, especially words that may be new to Cupcake or may be used in a new context.

One way to help students read quicker and more fluently is to build sight word recognition skills. One activity Cupcake enjoyed and requested during tutoring was
using sand to write sight words. All you need to create your own is a baking tray and enough sand to cover the surface. Both can be purchased at the dollar store. If
regular sand is too messy, try kinetic sand instead which has a slightly easier clean up. The sand can be cleaned up and put in a bag for later use, or a second baking tray
can be used as a cover. Attached is a list of sight words to work on to help Cupcake to read second-grade level texts. After selecting a few words, have Cupcake write
them in the sand using a finger or pencil.

Another sight word game we used was a roll and write game. You will need a six-sided die, six colors of crayons or other writing tools, and paper. Pick a few words to
work with at a time. Show Cupcake one word at a time and give her an opportunity to guess the word before teaching it to her. After telling her what the word is, ask
her to roll the dice. The number you land on will be the number of times you write the word. After rolling, write the word down and say each letter as you write it.
Repeat layering the colors on top of each other until you have written the word the correct number of times. After writing the word, read it back. Repeat with as many
words as you’d like, but try to limit to 5 new words at a time.

It was a pleasure working with Cupcake this semester. She was cooperative, hardworking, and should be congratulated for her achievements in reading.
Instructional Reading Report Page 9
Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction Cupcake, 8401

Attachments

Attachment A

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Graphic-Organizer-2622097

Attachment B

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Narrative-Writing-Graphic-Organizer-3991443