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VIDBE - Q Volume 62 Issue 4
Instruction
Alice had attended the reading center before I started working with her. From
previous reports I was given, Alice could identify the letters m, n, a, and n, in their
lowercase form. Alice was also able to spell three keywords: on, can, and Alice. Since
Alice needed such individualized instruction and accommodations, the previous tutor
could not evaluate Alice's growth using the standard assessments used by the rest of the
class.
When I first met Alice in the Summer of 2017, she had not attended the reading
center since the Fall of 2016. I was not sure what she had learned or forgotten in that
time. I spoke with her mom, and was told that her academic level was close, but not
consistent, with a kindergarten student. It took a while, and s ome trial and error, to
determine the content that she already knew and what educational growth had occurred
since her last tutoring sessions.
Phonological awareness. With little background knowledge, I started the lessons
by giving Alice a dark blue magne tic letter, placed on a yellow sheet that was taped to a
baking sheet (so the magnet would stick). I asked her to identify the letter name and
sound. Depending the targeted skill, I would either give Alice the sound and ask for the
letter name or vice vers a. I also had Alice focus on the letter's oral formation, and if she
did not know the name of a letter I would associate it with an animal name and the letter
sound (i.e., /p/ panda). This combination of strategies helped Alice with letter - recognition.
At the end of my instruction Alice could identify 11 new letters by sight: d, b, t, g,
u, s, l, i, O, A, v . Alice also started to identify the letters R, K, Y, and W , but not with
consistency. She could name 14 letters when matched to their sounds: d, m, b, e , k, o, u,
