Running head: ASW 1

Analysis of Student Work (ASW)

Sarah Acosta

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

EDEL 311-1001

Supervisor Ronette Badalucco

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Abstract

I worked directly with my assigned first-grader in hopes of building his independent

reading level. In order to do so, we read books at his instructional level—books that are too hard

for him to read and comprehend on his own—and utilized shared-reading as a scaffold. We

focused on different language arts skills during the sessions to improve his independent level. To

specify, we worked on phonics rules through word work to improve his decoding skills and

worked on retelling/summarizing a story and sequencing, signal words as clues, and inferring the

lesson of a story to exercise his comprehension skills. For each of the three lessons following, I

implemented the Analysis of Student work (ASW) process of teach-check-reteach-recheck,

utilizing multiple strategies, in order to identify areas of struggle and provide intervention for the

aforementioned skills. Based on the CRI, Anthony’s instructional level is DRA level 20 to 28.
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Analysis of Student Work

Student Background

Anthony, my assigned first-grader for EDRL 442, is a seven-year-old boy. He is the

youngest of four and lives at home with his mom and dad. During the icebreaker activity at the

beginning of the semester, he asked me if I speak Spanish and then said that he is Guatemalan.

This led me to believe that his family might speak Spanish at home but did not indicate whether

or not his parents were fluent in English. Based on the results of the Interest Inventory, Anthony

has a generally positive attitude toward school. He likes all the subjects, but his favorites are

computers and science. Although no one really reads with him at home, he has a positive attitude

towards reading; he answered eleven out of fourteen questions on the Reading Attitude Survey

with a smiley/happy face.

Session One

Grade Level Standards/Expectations

Standard RL.1.2. requires that first-grade students be able to “[r]etell stories, including

key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson” (Nevada

Department of Education, 2017). Standard W.1.3. requires students to able to “[w]rite narratives

in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details

regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of

closure” (Nevada Department of Education, 2017). My first tutoring session was a language arts

lesson which focused on summarizing. Its purpose was for Anthony to be able to retell a story,

recounting the sequence of main events using signal words. Thus, the goal was for Anthony to be

able to write a summary of Old MacDonald had a Dragon by Den Baker after shared-reading

using the story board sequence without teacher prompting or intervention; he would use at least
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three signal words to recount the main events in the appropriate sequence, including essential

details, and conclude with the lesson of the story.

Analyze ASW Student Performance

Anthony had no difficulty answering the questions during reading and was able to

appropriately sequence the four main events from the story on the Story Board Sequence

worksheet without needing to look back in the text. However, he did not meet the desired goal.

Anthony did not use a minimum of three signal words appropriately; in fact, he neglected to use

signal words to indicate the order of main events. Anthony gave the appropriate sequence of

events but left out key details. He did not give readers essential background information—

namely that the farmer had a dragon. This would have given his summary a stronger beginning.

Anthony concluded with what the farmer learned, meeting the expectation for identifying the

central message, but could have provided support for his answer.

Initial Strategy

Read the title of the book to the student and ask if he thinks it is a good idea to have a

dragon on a farm. Then, read the book aloud to the student and have him chime in for the

E.I.E.I.O. tune and the words “dragon” and “drown.” These words repeat throughout the text and

start with the blends we had been working on. Old MacDonald had a Dragon by Den Baker

(DRA level 20) is a high-interest book at his instructional/developmental level. Implementing

shared-reading will allow him to focus on comprehending the story rather than putting all his

efforts into decoding it. During and after reading, ask inferential (and literal) questions to ensure

that he understood the story. After reading, have the student complete the Story Board Sequence

of Main Events worksheet. This worksheet will serve as a scaffold for accomplishing the

aforementioned goals and expectations. Then, explain that signal words (such as first, in the
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beginning, and then, in the end), like numbering items, indicate order. Go over the directions for

his writing. Have the student refer to the sequence worksheet to write his summary.

New Strategies

There are several strategies to aid students in understanding the purpose of and recalling

to use signal words. One such strategy is to highlight the signal words within a book we are

reading (“Teaching,” 2013). Then, ask what those words told him and how they were helpful to

his understanding of the story. Another strategy is to ask, what if those words weren’t there?

Cover all the signal words in the book. Read the story aloud, excluding the signal words. Then,

ask the student questions pertaining to order. Read the book again, but this time with the signal

words. Ask the student how having the signal words made a difference in his comprehension of

the story. One could also provide a graphic organizer which asks for order or a sequencing

worksheet. This implicitly asks for order and naturally demands that signal words be used.

Lastly, having a signal-word chart to refer to would remind him to use the words within his

writing (“Teaching,” 2013).

There are also plenty of strategies to scaffold students’ retelling of a story. One such

strategy is the I Can Recount a Story graphic organizer. This organizer requires students to

identify the main events and aids in sequencing the events. A similar strategy is to use retelling

cards (Haag, 2017). This strategy segments the retelling process by breaking it up into different

components. Another strategy for retelling a story is a “Story Retelling Rope.” On the rope, there

are several symbols. Each symbol represents an essential element of retelling a story

(VandenBerge, 2012). The symbols are used to prompt students. Because comprehension is an

essential aspect of retelling a story, a third strategy is to ask questions throughout the story, both

literal and inferential.

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Reteach

Begin the lesson by explaining what a summary is: a retelling of important parts of the

story. Show the student the teacher-created “I Can Recount A Story” graphic organizer example

for Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin. Explain that even though he did not read

the story, he knows what happened in the story because the retelling named important characters

and told the main events. Inform the student that he will fill out a graphic organizer just like the

example but for Click, Clack, Peep by Doreen Cronin (DRA level 18); then, use it to write a

paragraph to retell the story. Tell the student to pretend he is telling a friend (who has not read it)

what happened. Read the book aloud to the student. Have the student share the reading by

reading the animal sounds. During reading, ask literal questions relating to the main events of the

story, inferential questions which lead to the next event, and connection questions. Write the

student’s answers underneath the questions on the sticky notes.

After reading, guide the student through the process of completing the graphic organizer.

If needed, he can refer to the book and question notes. For time purposes, write what he says.

Then, model how to use the graphic organizer to retell a story. Using the example graphic

organizer, verbally summarize Pete the Cat: I Love My New White Shoes. Then, instruct the

student to write his summary paragraph in his journal, explaining that he already figured out the

main events and characters. Before he begins, give him a list of signal words, reminding him of

what they are and their purpose—words used to tell the order of events so that readers know

what came first, what came after, and what happened in the end. Instruct him to use them in his

writing. If time is running short, have the student give an oral summary and scribe his response.

Afterwards, have the student identify his signal words for highlighting to ensure that he did

indeed use them in his writing.

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Reflection

For the initial teaching, in his summary, Anthony needed a stronger beginning. He did

not tell readers that the farmer had a dragon. Asking Anthony what the problem of the story was

would have supported his opening. It would have also been helpful if the sequencing worksheet

included, “The farmer had a dragon.” Anthony provides some elaborated details that could be

summarized with an overarching idea. For example, he tries to list the order in which the dragon

eats the farm animals instead of simply saying the dragon ate all the animals or the dragon ate the

animals one-by-one throughout the story. In his writing, he states what the farmer learned but

should have used more accurate language to clarify his thoughts. Although he did not provide

support for how he determined the moral, I concluded that Anthony understood the lesson of the

story; after reading, I had asked him if he thought it was a good idea to have a dragon on a farm

and he responded that it was not because the dragon eats the animals and the farmer needs them.

During the reteach, I decided to focus on the summary component—including key details

as well as identifying (and using) signal-words to sequence main events—but did not include

identifying the lesson of the story since he met that portion of the expectation. I decided to utilize

the I Can Recount a Story graphic organizer because it simultaneously prompts the student to

recall main events and naturally aids in sequencing and using transition words. Anthony did not

have issues answering the questions during reading or identifying the main events for the graphic

organizer. I also gave him a list of signal words to refer to during his writing since he neglected

to use them during the initial teaching session. I also had him highlight the signal-words in his

writing to ensure that he used them. Although Anthony met the expectations (he identified main

events in the appropriate sequence, using a minimum of three signal words to indicate order), he

missed the main idea of the story. He focused on mundane details within the main events. For
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example, he gave elaborate detail about the chick being born. Anthony needs practice

differentiating between main ideas and details within a story.

Session 2

Grade Level Standards/Expectations

Standard RF.1.3c. requires that first-grade students “[k]now final -e and common vowel

team conventions for representing long vowel sounds (Nevada Department of Education, 2017).

During the session, we did word work for vowel-team conventions—two vowels sitting next to

each other—representing long vowel sounds. The purpose was for Anthony to know and apply

grade-level phonics. He was expected to be able to identify which vowel would “do the talking”

and what it would say with moderate teacher guidance. Then, he would be able to correctly

decode the words.

Analyze ASW Student Performance

Using the vowel list, Anthony was able to tell me which letters in the words were vowels.

However, when asked which vowel was first, he would name a vowel that was not in the word. I

reminded him that he had already identified the vowels in the word and needed to decipher

which would be silent and which would “talk.” I restated the rule for him, but he was still

confused. For other words, Anthony would answer correctly but when asked to explain his

answer would reply with an “I don’t know.” Anthony did not meet the desired goal. He required

maximum teacher prompting and still struggled with identifying which vowel would “do the

talking.”

Initial Strategy

Begin the session by reviewing which letters are vowels and the long vowel sounds.

Then, explain to the student that when a word has two vowels side-by-side, the second vowel is
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silent and the first vowel says its name. Give an example: write the word “wait” on a piece of

paper. Then, write small a ‘v’ over the ‘a’ and the ‘i’ to indicate that they are vowels. Draw an x

over the ‘i,’ explaining that it is going to be silent since it is the second vowel. The first vowel,

the ‘a,’ says its name. Then, stretch the word: /w/a/t/ (wait). Work on this phonics rule with the

student through the literacy activity Stretch It. Leave the list of vowels up for the student to refer

to during the activity. Using the letter-cards, create the words paint, goal, jeep, float, always, and

seed. For each word, instruct the student to identify which vowel will be silent by flipping the

card over so that it is blank. Have him identify which vowel will speak and tell you what it will

say. Then, have him stretch out the word by sounding out each letter according to the vowel

pattern and then blending the sounds together.

New Strategies

There are several strategies for teaching and applying the double vowel long pattern. One

way to introduce this concept is to read books to the student that have words with the double

vowel long pattern. When reading such words, point out the way the word is said and its spelling.

Another strategy is “Spin and Spell.” Have the student spill a paper on the wheel. The wheel

contains symbols which indicate from which column on the picture board the student will spell.

The student will then spell the item in the picture (Becky, 2015). Another strategy is to use a

word study. Read through a list of words with the student. Ask the student if he notices

something all the words have in common regarding how they are said and how they are spelled.

Then, go over the long vowel rule for double vowels. Go over the long vowel rule by using word

cards in which the student is asked to identify the vowels and which vowel would speak.

Reteach
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Begin the reteach by reviewing the vowels and their long sounds as well as the rule for

when there are two vowels sitting next to each other. Give an example. Again, provide the

student with the list of vowels; but, this time, also write down the rule for him with an example

underneath. For the reteach, utilize word-cards instead of letters-cards. For each card, underline

the two vowels siting side-by-side after the student identifies them. Then, have the student

identify which vowel comes first and put an arrow above it. After that, explain that he has

figured out which vowel is first and which is second; so, ask him to refer to the rule and tell you

which vowel in the word will be silent. Put an ‘x’ over the vowel he identifies as the silent

vowel. Then, ask him which vowel will speak and what it will say. After that, have him read the

word aloud.

Reflection

For my initial strategy, I should have done my example in the same manner as the

activity, using letter-cards, to keep it consistent and model the directions. I wanted Anthony to

have more practice with the rule before applying it in spelling activities; so, I decided to use the

word-card activity. Initially, I thought that the letter-card activity would be beneficial because it

allowed more freedom for manipulation. But, because I was not sure why Anthony was naming

letters not in the words, I thought that it would be less confusing to use word-cards for the

reteach since there would be less pieces to manipulate with. After I discovered Anthony’s

misunderstanding, it was easy to fix the problem. When I asked him which vowel came first,

Anthony had thought that I meant first from the list of vowels instead of first from the two within

the word. After the clarification, Anthony had no difficulty identify which vowel would be silent

and which one would speak. For the last card, I had Anthony read the word before telling which

to cross out. He read the word “soap.” When I asked him why he read it as soap instead of /s/o/p/
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or /s/a/p, he responded by recalling the long vowel rule for double vowels. Anthony met the

desired goal for the session.

Session 3

Grade Level Standards/Expectations

Standard RL.1.2. requires that first-grade students be able to “[r]etell stories, including

key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson” (Nevada

Department of Education, 2017). The purpose of my third session was for Anthony to be able to

determine the moral of a fable. Using the input chart, Anthony will be able determine the lesson

of the story with moderate prompting.

Analyze ASW Student Performance

Anthony was able to answer most of the questions without guidance and even made some

unsolicited predictions. He had difficulty answering why the lion had apologized though it was

stated directly in the book. Anthony struggled with some of the vocabulary (prideful and

apology) even after a definition/explanation was given and would ask for reminders. He did not

grasp the lesson of the story. When asked what the lesson was learned, Anthony said “He, [the

lion], is not going to be famous.” Anthony was prompted to reconsider his answer with a

reminder that the lesson of a fable can often be found at the end of the story and was asked to

recall/look at input-chart for what the lion apologized for. But, he was pleased with his answer. I,

then, explained that the lion apologized for being prideful, or being so proud that you are mean

to others because you think you are better than them. The lion learned that being prideful is bad

because it causes bad things to happen. The lion’s pride led him to go with the man; the man was

mean to him.

Initial Strategy
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Use shared-reading to determine the moral of Deep in the Jungle by Dan Yaccarino

(DRA level 29). Before reading the book aloud to the student, explain that it is a fable. A fable is

a story that often has animal characters that talk and act like people and teaches a lesson. The

lesson is usually found at the end of the story and is supported by key details. Use the fable about

the dog (title not listed) to model how to identify the lesson of a story. Pre-teach the following

words for the student to read during shared-reading: slumber, blissful, and slunk. During the

reading, explain words that the student might not know such as incidentally, capacity, encore.

Ask the student questions to help him determine the lesson and record his responses on the input-

chart. After reading, tell the student to use the input-chart to tell you what he thinks the lesson of

the story was.

New Strategies

There are several strategies to assist students in identifying the moral of a story/fable.

Firstly, teachers could teach a series of mini lessons modeling how to determine the moral of the

story, answering the following questions:

What is a fable? Why is it important to be able to recount a story's details in

sequential order? How does the reader determine the moral of a fable? What key

evidence does the author give to help the reader determine the story's moral, or

lesson? Does the moral make sense based on the events in the story? How does

the reader know? (Seltzer, 2017)

Providing sentence stems will further help students to support their answers. Another strategy is

a sequencing-chart. A sequencing-chart aids students’ recall of important events so that they can

then determine the moral of the story. Another scaffold is to provide choices from which students

can choose from (Seltzer, 2017). Lastly, utilizing simpler or shorter text as a scaffold would
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lessen the cognitive demand of students and allow them to focus on acquiring the new skill of

identifying the lesson and providing support for their answer.

Reteach

Use shared-reading to determine the moral of The Boy Who Cried Wolf (DRA level 20).

Before reading the short fable aloud to the student, review what a fable is: a story that often has

talking animal characters that act like people and teaches a lesson (which is usually found at the

end of the story and is supported by key details). Then, go over the four vocabulary words—

prank, tended, shepherd, and startled—which are essential for understanding. Use the words in a

sentence. Given the context clues, ask the student what he thinks the words means. Give the

student the correct definitions before reading. During reading, the student will be in charge of

reading the vocabulary words which will be highlighted. After reading, ask the student literal and

inferential questions. Write his answers on the input-chart so that he can refer to them when

deciphering what the moral of the story is.

Reflection

In the initial lesson, Anthony struggled to identify the lesson of the book. In some books,

the lesson is implied and, in others, the lesson is directly stated. In Deep in the Jungle by Dan

Yaccarino the lesson was implied. When considering how to go about the reteach, I asked myself

whether Anthony knows how to infer. After looking at past lesson responses, I concluded that he

does know how to infer since he successfully answered inferential questions on multiple

occasions throughout previous sessions. Looking back on my notes for the initial lesson, I

noticed that Anthony struggled with key vocabulary words. Because Anthony struggled with the

vocabulary, I decided use a lower level text for the reteach. Based on the CRI results, I knew that

his instructional level was between 20 and 29. Deep in the Juggle (DRA level 29) was at the
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higher end of his range. Going toward the lower end of his range would be helpful since we were

working on developing a new skill and using a new type of genre. To ensure that Anthony first

understood the story, I introduced a few level-appropriate vocabulary words and asked questions

after reading to aid his comprehension so that he could then infer the lesson.

Anthony did not meet the desired goal but was headed in that direction. When asked what

the boy learned, Anthony stated that the boy should not do pranks so that he could protect the

animals. Although he identified that it was the boy’s pranks that inhibited him from protecting

the sheep, his response was not “all the way there.” He did not make the connection that the

boy’s pranks made him unreliable, untrustworthy. Due to time, I was unable to provide

prompting to see if Anthony would cross the bridge and make the connection.

Application

I will apply the Analysis of Student Work (ASW) process to my future teaching in order

to better my practice. After giving my initial lesson, I will evaluate student learning through

formative and summative methods of assessment. Through my analysis, I will be able to identify

students who need more support and possibly identify the root for the child’s lack of

understanding. Using what I know about the student (his/her background, interests, and learning

profile) and reflection of my own teaching, I will use a new strategy to explain the concept/skill

in a way that is more meaningful and purposeful for that particular student. To ensure that the

student learned the lesson after the reteach, I will assess once again for learning through

formative and summative methods of assessment.

Using the ASW process will better my practice because it keeps teachers accountable for

content (required standards). A description of grade-level standards and expectations required in

this process ensures that teachers are aligning their lessons to the standards. It also ensures that
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teachers have an expectation, or desired goal, from which to evaluate whether a student is

learning. Without a desired goal, teaching is meaningless and success is arbitrary.

Another way in which the ASW process will better my practice is its accountability

process for student learning. Assessment is an essential aspect of teaching because it enables

teachers to identify whether students are learning. The ASW process takes assessment a step

further by requiring teachers to analyze student shortfalls and to then provide intervention.

Teachers are required to identify learning issues, articulate questions, and select possible

solutions for a reteach based on what they know about the student (interest, learning style,

content misunderstandings, and otherwise). By requiring teachers to evaluate why students are

not learning, the ASW process provides opportunities for goal-setting. By requiring teachers to

select possible solutions based on what they know about the student, the ASW process naturally

makes way for differentiation. Another way in which the ASW process fosters differentiation is

through its emphasis of formative assessment. Formative assessment provides teachers with the

ongoing information they need to make decisions regarding student needs. Its innate disposition

for differentiation makes for more purposeful and meaningful teaching and leads to student

achievement/improvement.

The ASW process is not only useful for teachers because it provides needed information

for remediation, but also because it provides teachers with evidence for discussing student

growth with parents and providing evidence for possible referrals of exceptionality.

Philosophy

The purpose of teaching is for students to learn. The teach-check-reteach-recheck process

of the ASW approach keeps teachers accountable for student learning. It ensures that teachers do

not just check off a skill or content topic as taught simply because they did a lesson on it.
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Teaching is accomplished when students learn. The ASW approach requires teachers to check

for learning and, if it did not occur, to differentiate and to then check again for learning. Its

requirement of issue identification and solution selection and, thus, its innate disposition for

differentiation, gives the ASW process an essential role in student achievement.

The requirement of the ASW process to identify learning issues and to select possible

solutions based on what they know about the student makes way for differentiation, ultimately

giving way for more purposeful and meaningful instruction and, thus, leading student

achievement. In contrast to the “one size fits all” approach, differentiation takes into account

varied teaching strategies and student differences. It plays a significant role in student success

because students do not all learn in the same manner. In the words of Linda Darling Hammond,

education researcher, “Ensuring that students get the specific help they need requires rich

information about what they know and can do as well as how they learn” (McCown &

Snowman, 2015, pp. 238). Differentiation is the use of a variety of teaching techniques and

adaptations to content, process, and/or product in response to student needs and differences with

regard to readiness, interest, cultural backgrounds, prior knowledge, and learning profiles (Great

Schools Partnership, 2014 & Koeze, 2007). Considering these student differences plays a

significant role in student achievement because each is a lens through which students filter

information.

Reteaching is essential to student achievement because it works on filling in the gaps or

misconstrued understandings of the student’s learning. After identifying the issue, a solution can

be found and bounds can be made toward understanding and achievement.

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References

ME.D. Becky. [26 July 2015]. “Tips for Teaching Vowels.” This Reading Mama. Retrieved from

https://thisreadingmama.com/teaching-vowel-sounds/

Great Schools Partnership. [2014]. “Differentiation.” The Glossary of Education Reform.

Portland, ME. Retrieved from https://www.edglossary.org/differentiation/

Haag, K., [2017]. “Strategy Lessons: Retell.” Like to Read. Retrieved from

http://www.liketoread.com/retell.html

Koeze, P. A., [2007]. “Differentiated instruction: The effect on student achievement in an

elementary school.” Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. Eastern Michigan

University. Retrieved from

http://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=theses

McCown, R., Snowman, J. (2015). Psychology Applied to Teaching (14ed). pp. 238.

Pearson.

Nevada Department of Education. [2017]. “English Language Arts.” Nevada Academic Content

Standards. Retrieved from

http://www.doe.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/nde.doe.nv.gov/content/Standards_Instructional_S

upport/Nevada_Academic_Standards/K-12_ELA_Standards_ADA_Accessible.pdf

Seltzer, J., [2017]. “Moral of the Story.” CPALMS: Where Educators Go for Bright Ideas.

Florida State University. Retrieved from

www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/54947

“Teaching Text Structure: Help Students Identify Signal Words.” Effective Integration of Science

and Literacy. [27 Sept. 2013]. Retrieved from

https://seedsofsciencerootsofreading.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/teaching-text-structure-
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help-students-identify-signal-words/

VandenBerge, N., [27 March 2012]. “Retelling Stories.” First Grade WOW: Window of Wonder.

Retrieved from http://firstgradewow.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/retelling-stories.html

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Supplemental Materials

Cooter, JR. R. B., Cooter, K. S., Flynt, S. E. [2014]. The Flynt/Cooter Comprehensive Reading

Inventory 2: Assessment of K-12 Reading Skills in English and Spanish. (2nd ed. pp. 31-

33, 34-36, 84-87 & 115-119). Pearson.

Core Knowledge Foundation. [2013]. “Fables and Stories Tell It Again: Read-Aloud Anthology

Listening & Learning Strand GRADE 1.” New York State Common Core ELA & Literacy

Curriculum. pp. 11 & 15-17. Core Knowledge. Retrieved from

https://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/downloadable-

resources/ckla_g1_d1_anth.pdf

“Part 1 Reading: Literature.” CCSD Literacy eHandbook. McGraw. Retrieved from

https://macmillanmh.com/ccssreading/imagineit/grade3/ccslh_g3_rl_1_1c_l1.html