Learner Analysis: Catherine Eval
Demographics
The instructional setting that I have chosen is a class of 2nd graders in reading. The school is located in a small rural town in Logandale, Nevada. The student population is 598, with 53% male and 47% female. The population of students is mostly made up of white at 83%, Hispanic 13%, multi-racial 2%, American Indian 1% and other 1%. The majority speak English at 97% and Spanish at 3%. The ability of students in regular education is 87%, special education is 8%, and gifted/talented are at 5%. The population is 30% low socioeconomic status. A typical 2nd grade class has 21 to 25 students.
My class has 21 students. My target population consists of 8 students who currently struggle to find details and information in both informational texts and reading literature. Of these 8 students 5 are reading below grade level. 2 are reading at grade level. One of these students is in special education. There are 70 minutes of reading instruction in the classroom, which mostly consists of small groups made up of 4-6 students. Small groups will meet with the teacher for 20 minutes. In the small groups the focus will be on reading for details and finding information in the text to support their answers. The curriculumn used is aligned with common core state standards.
Currently in our school we have a reading specialist who works with students who are reading below grade level and do not have an IEP. Recently, we have attained an aide that is also working with students who need extra support. Their are two special education teachers for the primary grades and secondary grades. Of my target population 5 students are receiving additional help from these personnel.
Prior Knowledge of Topic
Students need to make connections to text as they read. When they do this their comprehension increases. By connecting what they know with what they are reading students will be able to make sense out of what they read. It is important to help students make those connections before, during, and after they read. Prior knowledge needs to be talked about before reading the text to help set the stage for what is coming. To ensure that the target population has prior knowledge and they are making connections it is best to use a graphic organizer, such as a concept map, a flow chart, or a KWL chart. Students should also keep a journal so that they can record their thoughts, feelings, and questions about what they read. Three main types of connections students make as they read are text to self, text to world, and text to text. (Mosaic of Thought, Keene and Zimmerman, 1997)
Students in the target population will need to be shown how to make these connections. As of yet, they do not automatically make sense of what they read by seeing how it