I spent the first 15 minutes of our session speaking with Cade's mother. I explained that in my professional opinion, Cade would benefit most from reading remediations (as opposed to practicing for the STAR test). Next, I took Cade outside for a relaxed first session. Addressing alphabetic awareness, I asked him to name how many letters are in the alphabet and to sequence the letters. He struggled with the tasks. He was able to blend CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, but I noticed that he did distinguish between "short" e and "short" i. He was also inconsistent with short "o." Cade doesn't have the concept of silent E to automaticity. We played several rounds of Phonics Dice with CVC words which he seemed to enjoy. Using sidewalk chalk, I dictated irregular words for Cade to write (list is from the UFLI scope and sequence). From the first 15 words on the list, Cade did not know how to spell his, you, said, was, want. I will start a spelling deck for Cade to learn these irregular words. To conclude, we played hockey while practicing Cade's school spelling word list.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Cade will benefit from OG remediation. I will start at the beginning.
After a brief tour of The Batt School, Sasha picked an office, and we got to work. I evaluated Sasha's phonics knowledge using the Quick Phonics Screener (QPS), followed by a diagnostic spelling test developed by Orton-Gillingham Fellow Susie Van Der Worst. The QPS revealed that Sasha struggles to decode and has memorized many words. The spelling test indicates difficulty with letter formation and a lack of mastery of basic spelling rules. Sasha will benefit from prescriptive reading instruction such as Orton-Gillingham. Sasha was a pleasure to teach; she was enthusiastic and receptive to instruction.
I look forward to working with her!
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
In my professional opinion, Sasha should have a thorough psycho-educational evaluation. I am not qualified to diagnose, but I suspect she is dyslexic. Her mother indicated that she has been diagnosed with ADHD and is unmedicated. I am curious if she receives any remediation or accommodations at Marsh Pointe. I advise aggressive remediation; she is only in second grade and a cheerful, happy kid. I would hate to see her spirit squashed when third-grade testing comes along.
It was a pleasure to meet Reid. I evaluated him using a student spelling test created by OG Fellow Susie Van der Worst. The evaluation will drive the instruction during our session.
Reid was attentive and compliant during our session.
I prepared the following Orton-Gillingham assessments: IOTA Word List, Woodcock-Johnson Word Attack, DSPT Spelling, TOWRE sight word and phonemic, Gray Oral Reading Test.
Ben did not feel prepared to test this morning; we agreed to test another day after speaking with his mother. I cleaned Ben's office to help him feel calm; Ben spent the time reading independently.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
I will do whatever you think is best. I am stubborn, but I am kind. I think we need to ask more of Ben. I believe that he will step up and grow from high expectations.
I assessed Richard with the following tests: phonological awareness screening test (PAST) and the Quick Phonics Screening (QPS). Richard can manipulate phonemes at the basic syllable level (Level D1). He can identify all upper case and lower case letters and correctly voice all letter sounds. He seemed unable to blend consonant-vowel-consonant words, but his regular teacher attests that this skill is emerging.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
In my opinion, Debbie is doing a great job with Richard. I have nothing to add. I recommend that Richard's family read to him for at least 20 minutes every day and take him to the library or bookstore to find books he enjoys.
It was a pleasure to meet Ben. I administered the following assessments: CORE phonics survey, phonological awareness screening test (PAST), Words Their Way Spelling Inventory. I began, but did not complete, the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI-6). I will complete the assessment on Thursday.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
I will write up the assessments, but my initial impression is that Ben will benefit from OG. His phonological awareness is weak and is likely a big part of his spelling difficulties. He would benefit from intensive instruction of within word patterns (ew, aw, or, for example.) The QRI-6 word list suggests that his instructional level is grade 6, but I will know more after Thursday. Nice kid.
I used the Qualitative Reading (QR-6) to assess Jasmine's reading comprehension. The wordlist assessment on Friday indicated that I should start at level 4. Jasmine read three passages, and I noted her prosody and word accuracy. She was asked to retell the gist of the passages and answered comprehension questions.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Jasmine is reading at a fourth-grade level with good reading comprehension and excellent recall of detail. Her prosody a little stilted, and she occasionally conflates sentences. She is not confident about summarizing "on command," but she does well when she is asked specific questions. I plan to pick a book for us to read together and practice comprehension strategies.
It was nice to meet Jasmine and her mom. OG assessment will occupy the first two sessions. Assessments include the following: CORE phonics survey, Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST), diagnostic spelling test, and the QRI-6 evaluation. We will finish on Monday.
Assignment
none
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
Jasmine is a sweet, hard-working girl. She has had Wilson since Kindergarten (she is in fourth grade), and it shows. The CORE phonics survey showed strong decoding skills in all syllable types. Her diagnostic test showed appropriate integration of spelling patterns for a fourth-grader, and her cursive is perfect. The PAST was practically perfect and did not uncover any phonological awareness weakness, in my opinion. Next session, I will approach reading comprehension assessment.
I asked Jasmine how she felt about reading and what was difficult for her. She said that her eyes jump around and that sometimes she skips a line or reads it twice. When she writes, sometimes she writes a word twice. I asked her why she felt this was happening, and she said that she "spaces out a lot." I will be interested in the results of her psycho-educational testing. It is my hunch that the problem is attentional (ADD). If she has dyslexia, the years of Wilson have been effective. I am happy to work with her and practice reading comprehension strategies; although I've never done that with a student, I'm sure I can figure it out. I don't think she needs to be drilled on OG syllable types and syllable divisions. Let's discuss this when you have a chance.
