Case Study Presentation: Rachel

(3 Students)

Personal Information

Rachel is: 16 years oldIn 10th gradeFrom Silver Spring, MDA native Washingtonian (born and raised in the metro region)

Education

Woodlawn Elementary from K-3rd grade (public)Lowe from 4th-6th grade (private K-6)Felds School from 7th-10th grade currently (private 7-12)

Language Learning Self-Assessment

Rachel rated her Spanish literacy skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) at the novice level Reported difficulty learning Spanish. Specifically, she struggles to remember concepts she learns in class Dislikes rating her abilities

Parent’s Educational Background

Father has Ph.D. in EconomicsMother has M.B.A in International Relations and (DPH) Physical TherapyBoth studied foreign languages in school English is the primary language spoken in their home

Learning Profile

Reading problems evident since 1st grade (received tutoring)Educational Assessment conducted per request by director of Lowe elementary in spring 2001 reported:

1. Rachel struggles with phonetic analysis and visual

processing 2. Sometimes she transposes left-right order

of letters and at times inserts letters inappropriately. For example, she

read inspiration for interpretation 3. Has a tendency to “burn out” quickly

Accommodation granted: extended time on exams

Spanish Language Background

Began studying Spanish in 4th grade at Lowe - after school program 1-2 hrs./weekStarted with Spanish I at Felds in 7th grade and just completed Spanish IV

Reasons for Studying Spanish

1. Her parents wanted her to take a language class

2. To meet the requirements for applying to college

3. To learn about a different culture

4. To interact with and be of service to the growing Latino population in the U.S.

Goals

To communicate with other Spanish speakers proficientlyTo practice Spanish skills in Panama during 3-week service learning trip this summer

Learning Strategies

Rachel identifies herself as an auditory learnerShe prefers material in the textbook explained orally. When reading a passage, she understands best when asked to summarize and discuss it aloud

Case Study Procedures

June 8, 2006: Felds School, Washington, DC K.and B. interviewed Rachel,[R], completed profile R received reading sample (from Spanish textbook) and briefly looked it over R read it aloudR read it silently K. asked R to recall article details, R responded in EnglishReading sample was taken away; B. asked comprehension questions in English; R responded in English

Miscue Analysis

Decoding and visual processing errors Missing a firm base in phonetic analysis, uses made up words (Nacimanito, festigo)Guessed at words by general configuration (gatos, tradujieron, donda)Transposed the left-right order of letters Inserts/omits letters (trajen, famlia, gatos, español)Failure to stop or pause after commas and periods (more frequent towards the end of the article)

Article Recall

Rachel recalled much of the articleIdentified most main pointsOmitted minor details

Recommendations

Help develop a sight vocabulary of root words, prefixes and suffixes (flash cards, repetitious activities)Teach word attack skills – common prefixes and suffixes (ción, miento, mente)Incorporate the find/apply patterns learning strategy when working with word attack skillsTeach the monitoring learning strategyTeach rhythm and spacing (books on tape, voice recordings, movies) www.readplease.com

Additional Recommendations

Student should continue to point to syllables and words as she reads to help her recognize omissions, additions, substitutions and reversalsStudent should continue summarizing after paragraphs when she readsContinue to have her work on evaluation (task and self evaluation) Student should practice self-talk strategy to build self efficacy Teacher should vary activities; provide small group/individual instruction