Riley O’Brien

EDU 260
Dr. Salyer
6 May 2018

Title 1 Observation Essay

On Monday, April 30th, I observed a Title 1 lesson at Fulton Elementary School. Mrs.

Carrie Pins taught the lesson to two 2nd graders, Colton and Javion. The lesson included reading

passages aloud, reading phrase cards at various grade levels, phonemic awareness activities on a

whiteboard, and a fluency and comprehension check with a chapter book. Each of these activities

practiced in the lesson helped the students build various skills, as well as complemented various

theories surrounding literacy skills.

The lesson began with a passage that one student, Javion, was told to read aloud. As he

read, Mrs. Pins had him monitor his reading by asking him if what he was reading made sense

when he made an error, as well as asking him to reread passages. Another student, Colton, was

given the same passage to read aloud. He was asked to read more slowly and think about what he

was reading. When he was done reading, she asked him a few questions to check for

comprehension. Fluency and comprehension are two very important components of proficient

reading. By asking students to reread difficult passages and asking comprehension questions, the

students were able to strengthen these skills and work toward become more proficient readers.

The next thing the students did was read phrase cards. One student read phrase cards at a third

grade level, which included phrases such as “look at the view” and “a second later.” The other

read them at a 5th grade level, which included phrases like “once there was.” Each student had to

read a certain number of cards correct; they had to beat the number correct they read the day

before. This was another activity that helped the students build fluency skills by expecting them
to read the phrases at a quick but accurate rate. After using the phrase cards, the students used

dry-erase whiteboards to create words and manipulate phonemes. For example, they were asked

to write the word ‘ear,’ then to add a ‘f’ to the beginning of the word to spell ‘fear.’ She also had

them add ‘cl’ to ‘ear’ to make the word ‘clear.’ This activity helps students build phonics and

phonemic awareness skills - other skills critical to proficient reading. In addition to manipulating

phonemes, their teacher had them look for familiar words inside longer words. The words she

selected were words that the students would encounter in their textbooks. By breaking down

new and challenging words, Mrs. Pins was building the students vocabulary and background

knowledge to prepare them for texts they would encounter in their classes. The last thing the

teacher did was give the students identical chapter books titles “Ms. Daisy is Crazy.” This book

is about a 2nd grade boy that loves to play sports. Mrs. Pins had the students take turns reading

aloud. While one was reading out loud with her, the other student silent or whisper read to

himself. Before the students began reading, Mrs. Pins asked them what they remembered about

what they last read. While either student was reading, their teacher asked them a variety of

prepared comprehension questions and asked them to reread sections of the text that they had

difficulty reading. This was another strategy used to help build fluency and comprehension

skills. Each activity that the teacher chose to give to the students incorporated at least one of the

main five components of reading, and helped build those skills.

The activities practiced in the Title 1 Lesson reflected a variety of theories. As mentioned

before, the chapter book that Mrs. Pins gave the students to read was about a 2nd grade boy - the

same grade as the two students in the lessons. This makes the text relatable to the students, and

their engagement and interest while reading the texts was a display of how much they did relate

to the text. This choice of book for these particular students goes along with the Schema Theory,
a theory that builds reading skills by using the student’s individualized background knowledge

and interests (Morrow & Tracey, 2017). The students demonstrated this theory by being able to

apply their own background knowledge and experiences to what they were reading. In another

part of the lesson, the students were both reading aloud, but for different purposes. One student

was reading to practice comprehension, the other for fluency. I observed that one student was a

very fast and fluent reader, but had difficulty remembering what he was reading. The other

student could remember and comprehend what he read, but spent a lot of time decoding words.

While they were reading, their teacher would ask them to answer various comprehension

questions or reread passages that were difficult to read. These practices reflected the

Metacognitive Theory, which asks students to monitor what they are reading and saying

(Morrow & Tracey, 2017). The student that was more fluent was then able to stop and think

about what he was reading, and the student that had an easier time remembering what he read

was able to stop and think if what he was reading made sense, then try again. Another theory that

was present in the lesson was Teacher-Student Relationships. The students in the lesson had a

great relationship built with this teacher, which correlated to their high levels of motivation and

engagement ((Morrow & Tracey, 2017). The students were very eager to complete the activities

they were given, to the point where they would even try to complete their individual activities

together. At the end of the lesson, the students were so engaged in reading that they didn’t want

to give up their books. The Teacher-Student Relationship built was not only reflected in the

student’s readiness to learn and abilities to complete the tasks given to them, but also in the

decisions the teacher made that would best benefit her students and keep them motivated

throughout the lesson.

 Overall, the Title 1 Observation was a great opportunity to observe all five components

of reading being practiced in one lesson. The usage of various theories and activities kept the

students engaged and helped build their reading skills. Building good relationships with students,

finding activities that they enjoy, and encouraging them to think about what they’re learning are

just some of the ways that help students build necessary literacy skills and set them up for

successful and proficient reading throughout their academic careers.

Sources

Morrow, L.M., & Tracey, D.H. (2017). Lenses on Reading: An Introduction to Theories

and Models. New York, NY: Guilford Press.