Assessment-Driven Instruction in Hildi Perez's Classroom

Shared Reading

                During Ms. Perez’s shared reading lesson, students of all reading levels join together to read the text. Although not all of them can read fluently yet, the students are observing an expert, their teacher, read with expression and ease. Those who have a harder time decoding are catching on with their peers who can. The children learn critical concepts of phonological awareness and how print works, as they improve their fluency and automaticity. Shared reading gives the children a chance to think that they’re reading on their own, thus giving them confidence to continue reading.

                When Ms. Perez moves on to explicit phonics instruction, instead of spoon-feeding the rule to them, she guides them with clues to help them figure out new words with the short o vowel sound. She then takes it a step further to teach them this rule using consonant blends. Although some children are still experiencing difficulty figuring it out, Ms. Perez compliments and encourages them to continue trying with comments such as, “I like how you’re thinking.” This methodical teaching practice will eventually help these children become super readers.

Guided Reading

                Ms. Perez asks her pupils, “Did anyone notice what she just did? How did she think?” “Getting stuck? What should you do?” She is training them to use and express various good-reader strategies. The more the students verbalize their thinking, the more they internalize. When children can voice their strategies, they slowly learn to implement them when they get stuck while reading on their own. This is a fundamental step toward helping our students become independent and fluent readers. 

                She also guides their comprehension by asking questions. She makes them look at the book and predict what will happen. She then helps them use analytical skills by asking thought questions such as why they think the character would do something. This questioning trains the children to begin asking themselves such questions when reading on their own which elevates their comprehension skills.

Differentiated Instruction

                Ms. Perez gears to students on all levels in her classroom. She provides small group instruction for weaker students with a student teacher. During this time, the teacher can focus primarily on the strengths and weaknesses of each child and prompt them when needed. The teacher can hone in on skills she deems necessary for each student. One such example is when the student and teacher work on making words, which improves both, reading and writing capabilities.

                On the other side of the spectrum, she also caters to her above-average or gifted students. She supplies them with books that are of high interest to them. She then teaches them to link it to writing through note-taking skills and organizing data. They feel challenged when they are asked to create a poster or book on their newfound information. The differentiated instruction provided in this classroom helps each student perform to their maximum potential.

Assessment

                Ms. Perez uses the information she gains from assessing her students to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. She takes note of the areas in which each child is excelling or struggling and accommodates accordingly. Revisiting these assessments throughout the year allows her to keep track of each student’s progress.

                Her class profile chart helps her group students according to reading level. She uses benchmarks to see where each child is up to according to the rest of the class. This can help her especially when grouping them for learning centers. She can create different levelled centers and assign students to the center that will most benefit them.

Incorporating ongoing assessments in my classroom is crucial for both my students and me. It will help me keep tabs on their progress while ensuring that I am staying focused to their needs throughout the year.