Part 2: Running Record Analysis

Data: Running Record

DATA: THE BABY DUCKLING
Running Words
Errors ERROR RATE

20
1
9 ACCURACY

Self-corrections (SC)

13

Running words
Cues Used Errors:
Errors
Meaning
Structure
201 = Ratio 1:22
Visual
9
Cues Used Selfcorrections (SC):
Meaning
Structure
Visual

100
8
8
100
7
95.5%

E X 100
RW
1

E + SC
SC

X 100 =

9 + 13 = 1: 1.7
9

9
201

2
3
6

SELF-CORRECTION RATE

(Clay, 2005).

Observations
Orchestration of cues, fl uency and reading strategies
Christopher is constructing meaningful sentences and is achieving this by
drawing on both visual and structural cues. He demonstrates useful
strategies in self-monitoring and self-correcting particularly through the use
of visual cues as well as structural and meaning cues to a lesser extent. Most
of Christophers errors occurred as a result of him drawing on all three cues
meaning, structure and visual, suggesting that he is confidently integrating
all three sources of information to analyze his reading. This also suggests he
is using grammatical knowledge well and, in spite of not comprehending the

text at a sophisticated level, is demonstrating a good understanding of how

the text should sound. To help correct inconsistencies he also often re-reads
words and phrases to draw meaning and structure, especially when selfcorrecting. His self-correction rate is quite good at a rate of 1:1.7, falling well
within the preferred self-correction rate, which is correcting a minimum of
one in every four errors (so for every word he self-corrects 1.7 times). Aside
from some omissions at the end of the story which he missed (as structure
and meaning were still intact the story still made sense) he attempted all
words within the text, even on those few occasions where he appealed. For
those words he did not know or was unsure of he often sounded them out.
Some words which presented some problems for Christopher included:

Saw (he sounded out the w first).

Your (self-correcting and repeating).
She (repeating, confusing with other words her and my but was always
self-correcting).

Behaviors observed during his reading included (an emphasis on those which
could be heard):

Stopping (trying to problem solve monitoring) e.g. pp. 103 saw and 203

baby.
Appealing for help (unsure monitoring) e.g. p. 501 They.
Repeating (self-corrections) e.g. p. 201 saw.
Re-reading (to self-correct and also to help problem solve) e.g. pp. 302-

304 Come with me. Come with me. I can find your baby.
While Christophers reading suggests he needs to develop some additional
techniques in order to be able to read more fluently, he was able to show
evidence of a number of strategies which demonstrated some orchestration
in relation to the reading process.
Some of these included:
Using good intonation at times (e.g. p.401 No, no!)
Re-reading words and phrases for meaning and comprehension. When he
does this the reading is well paced and fluent and also at times

appropriately phrased (e.g. pp. 408 & 501 - he self-corrects and then
repeats I can find your baby They went down).
Analysis of Christophers running record suggests he requires some
additional strategies to assist him in the area of fluency. It highlights that he
is bringing the reading process together by employing a number of
techniques such as:

Often reading slowly, word-by-word (e.g. p.102 went to look for her

baby).
Does not pay much attention to punctuation (e.g. pp.106-107 She is little

and yellow - Is she here?).

Does not use intonation or expression all that often reading mostly in a
monotone voice evidenced throughout the text.
(Clay, 2005).

Diffi culty level of the text:

According to Marie Clays text difficultly classification Christophers text was
calculated at the easy level with a score over 95% (it was assessed at
96%). While his score is a good indication of where he is at with his reading
(grammar, phonics, letter and word recognition), it fails to take into account,
and accurately measure, the more specifics such as his fluency and
comprehension, which are critical factors in the reading process. During the
retell, which involved some questioning and discussion with his father,
Christopher appeared to have a basic understanding of the story, however
did require some prompting and help from his father. He also had to draw on
pictorial evidence from the story by looking back over the pages to better
gauge the role of individual characters and their role within the text. In
saying this though, it should be noted that this was his first attempt at
reading this particular story and with additional practice and modelling he
would undoubtedly continue to improve in his fluency and comprehension.
On this basis Christopher could be given texts at a more instructional level

next time, however he should also be given ample opportunities to further

develop strategies to help with his fluency. This would assist him with his
overall comprehension of the text and, in turn, would ensure he is able to
solidify the orchestration of the reading process. Given his love of animals
and dinosaurs it would be extremely beneficial for Christophers father to
model and read such stories to Christopher using expression and phrasing,
allowing him to learn how they should sound and then attempt them himself.
The text (The Baby Duckling) would be categorized at around levels 9-12 as
the criteria, taken from Barbara Petersons Characteristics of Texts That
Support Beginning Readers, indicates:

Repetition of three or more sentence patterns

Or, varied sentence patterns (repeated phrases or refrains)
Blend of oral and written language structures
Or, fantastic happenings in framework of familiar experiences
Illustrations provide moderate support
(Barbara Peterson, 19888 cited in Winch, Johnston, March, Ljundahl, &
Holliday 2010, p. 128).

Sequence of activities to support learning

After analyzing Christophers running record, evidence suggests that he
requires support in the areas of fluency and comprehension. Both elements
are inextricably linked to one another as fluency is the bridge to being able
to decode and comprehend meaning (Wolf, 2007, para. 4). While fluency is
the ability to read with speed, accuracy and proper expression (Reading
Rockets, 2014, para 1) comprehension involves responding to, interpreting,
analyzing and evaluating texts (NSW Department of Education and Training,
2010, p. 2). According to the National Reading Panel comprehension is an
active process between the reader and the text and has been described as a
process which is both intentional and thoughtful. Stanovich believes the key
to successful and effective reading comprehension is to activate students
prior knowledge which is a vital prerequisite for higher engagement in what

he terms the Matthew effect (Stanovich, 2004 cited in Winch et al., 2010, p.
91). This notion suggests that readers who possess a sound background
knowledge base (semantic knowledge) often excel in comprehension.
Therefore it is important that the activities recommended for Christopher
encompass a range of strategies which will assist him in the development of
fluency and ultimately improved comprehension.

Running Record Summary and Analysis