Analysis:
This analysis was based on a number of writing and spelling samples R shared with us. One of the writing pieces he shared was a final draft letter to his principal about change he would like to see at his school. The other piece of writing we looked at was a rough draft story about a mysterious bottle he found; this is going to be the piece of writing we focus on. The last thing we complete with him was a spelling inventory.
Meaning and Ownership of Writing Pieces:
The piece R shared with us was titled “The Bottle”. This was a fictional piece about a bottle that the main character found, which contained a note in it instruction him to go to the video store and purchase a new game that had just been released. The story was written in the first person context and was telling a fictitious story about R himself as the main character. Although my partner and I have not directly asked R about the meaning of this piece, it is obvious that he wrote about something of interest to him. Upon initially meeting R, we asked him what he likes to do for fun and how he spends his free time. He told us that he “really likes to play video games” and that he plays a lot on the weekends. This story seemed to be about a made up situation that contained elements that were in his everyday life. The other writing piece that R shared with us was a letter he had written to the principal of his school. This was a prompt from his teacher but one in which R seemed excited about. This was the first piece he shared with us and was eager to read us the story. The change that R was asking the principal for in this letter was the addition of two more tether ball courts. After R read us his piece we asked him why he chose to ask for tether ball courts and he replied, “I like to play on them and do not think there are enough for everyone at this school”. This was another example of R writing about things that are important in his life. Since I am curious about the types of writing R enjoys to do, in our next class with him I am going to ask him about the genera he enjoys writing about and I am also going to take a closer look at the topics he’s written about in his writing journal.
Six Traits Assessment System:
Ideas & Content
R’s rough draft piece was written with a narrow and manageable topic. This piece was relevant, telling, and had quality details, providing me with more information than what would have been obvious or predictable. Although this piece was clear and detailed, at times the ideas were not expanded enough to show a strong sense of purpose. It was very obvious that R was writing from knowledge and experience. During one of our conversations with him he told us that he enjoyed video games, which is what this piece of writing is about. At the end of the piece, I was left with questions that could have been answered with more information.
Organization
Through this piece, it was obvious that R has a strong sense of his organizational abilities. He could have added a more inviting introduction, but wrapped his story up with a very satisfying conclusion. R uses great transitions such as “seconds later” and “thirty long minutes later” which show that his ideas are clearly connected. This piece was written in a story form and has logical and effective sequencing. There were a few times in this piece where R could have added more time on details that were important. The title of this piece is “The Bottle”, which is very fitting for the story, however, could have been changed to something less obvious and more interesting.
Voice
R makes an attempt to connect with the audience in this piece, but does so in a bit of an impersonal manner. He also reveals a bit of personal details, but had he added more it would have improved his voice in this piece. Through R’s use of relevant details and expository style it is obvious that he has commitment to the topic. R ends this piece with “I’ll never forget the mysterious bottle.”
Word Choice
R uses very specific and accurate words throughout this piece, making it very easy to understand what the writer means. Striking phrases were also used to catch the reader’s attention, such as “… and hurry before their all sold out.” The piece reads very easy and naturally. A number of changes were made during the revision process which showed R’s recognition of using the right words to make his intended statement.
Sentence Fluency
This piece’s sentences are constructed in a simple manner and lack an opportunity for expressive oral reading. The sentences vary in length and structure and sometimes contain creative and appropriate connectives. While some sentences are original in their connectives, many begin the same way and follow the same pattern. At times, R followed the same pattern of subject-verb-object and made his sentences lack individuality.
Conventions
Conventions were one of R’s main strengths. Other than a few spelling errors, the piece had correct punctuation, capitalization, and grammar usage. One area where R could grow is with his paragraphing. While I can see what the main point of each paragraph is supposed to be, I originally had a hard time figuring out the topic of each paragraph and how they all connect to the introduction and conclusion. Since this is a rough draft, it is unclear if R made all of the necessary editing for the final paper.
Spelling:
R’s writing sample contained a few errors, but were all corrected except for two during revision. Words that were originally spelled incorrectly, and then revised, were “examene” changed to “examine”, “heared” changed to “heard”, “thirdy” changed to “thirty”, and “bootle” changed to “bottle”. “Trafic” for “traffic” and “finially” for “finally” were the two words that were misspelled and not corrected on our copy of the revised piece. Through this piece it was obvious that R was having trouble with double consonants. The spelling inventory was also proof that R was at this stage in his spelling. While he only missed two, one was “oposition” instead of “opposition” with the double “p” consonant. The other word that was missed on the spelling inventory was “pleasher” for “pleasure”. This shows that R is also still working on diagraphs and blends.
Lesson Plan:
*Same as Katie’s
Objectives:
The student will understand the way a double consonant affects the vowel sound in a word.
Standards:
3.3.1 Spells words appropriate for the grade level accurately.
Materials:
List of words with single consonants that cause a long vowel sound
List of words with double consonants that cause a short vowel sound
White board
Dry erase marker
Eraser
Instructional Strategies:
- The teacher will begin the lesson by giving the student a list of 15-20 words, of varied lengths, that either follow the rule of double consonants creating a short vowel sound or words that have a single consonant and a long vowel sound. Some of these words will be ones misspelled in the students writing. Using words from the student's own writing and incorporating this into the patterns in other words will make the spelling more relevant to the student (Templeton and Morris, 1999).
- The student(s) will use a white board to put the words into categories however (s)he chooses. (Words are written out to reinforce correct spelling as well as to make the student aware of the patterns as he is writing them). As this is happening, the teacher will be doing a formative assessment to see how the student choses to sort the words.
- After the words are sorted, the teacher will discuss with the student(s) how the sorting decisions were made. Based on this, the teacher may ask to see if there is a different way to sort the words, or, if more support is needed, may sort them and ask the student what (s)he notices about the patterns (both in spelling and sound).
- The teacher will then explain how words with a double consonant before the vowel sound different than some words with a single consonant before the vowel. She will then model (using words from the sort as well as new words) how she thinks aloud when spelling about the way the word sounds and how that relates to how they are spelled.
- The teacher will repeat the process, asking the student to spell the words aloud with her.
- After guided practice, the student will independently practice correctly using these types of words in his writing over the course of the week.
Assessment:
Teacher will assess student ability to spell words correctly by assessing their knowledge while the student sorts the words and through a spelling test using some of the words from the word sort as well as new words that follow the same spelling patterns. The teacher will look for correct spelling of the words both on the spelling tests and in the student's writing.
