Module 1: Activity 4 on page 14 in Opitz

Opitz, M., Rubin, D., & Erekson, J. (2011). Reading diagnosis and improvement: Assessment and instruction. (6^th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

When I was deciding which student to observe to diagnose whether the child would be classified as a proficient reader or less proficient reader I wanted to choose one of my students I was very unsure of where they would fall. During my guided reading groups today I focused on one of my more quiet students. When she was reading her leveled reader I noticed she would correct herself on in three miscues. I have been stressing with my students that reading is not just following the words along the page, that good readers are those who think or stop and think about what they are reading throughout.

Through the readings in the past endorsement course and this course so far, it's important for our students to remember that it's ok to make mistakes as long as when we are making mistakes there is a purpose for them. I have been more focused in my reading groups since this past semester to see what sorts of mistakes students are making. Whether they are substitiuting a word that could make sense or if they have no idea what the words on the page are. This student I observed also that my student was chuncking what she was reading and replacing words with ones she was more familiar with that made sense in the sentence. She stopped me while she was reading to make a connection to soemthing she had experienced in her life. The book we are currently reading is about where names of things come from, and how many items are named after people. I noticed when she was reading that she wasn't stopping or ignoring parts she was confused about. Luckily in the part we were reading there were many visuals to help aid the process. I would say through my observation and reviewing Table 1.1 on page 8 in the Opitz text that my student is a proficient reader. There are always areas to improve and make a plan.

Throughout chapter 1 we are told to identify diagnosis, asses and set goals. For this student I would set goals towards extracting meaning and connections through her analysis of comprehension. By the time students get in to fifth grade they have a fairly good foundation on phonics, but struggle in the comprehension area because they are focusing so much on the words, especially since I have majority English Language Learners. My specific student is needing more help in her cognitive domain. Even though she struggled in parts she never showed much frustration with herself which showed me that she is confident in her abilities and is willing to put forth the effort towards her goals once we can set them together.