Performance Objectives:

The student will, given an appropriate level text, read with at least 95%
accuracy.
The student will, given an appropriate level text, read with a rate of at least
45 words per minute.
The student will, given an appropriate level text, answer at least 3 of 4
comprehension questions correctly.
The student will, given a set of 30, correctly identify 80% of the nonsense
word sounds.

Sample Assessments for each Objective:

First objective: Frogs Lunch (D). There was a fly buzzing around Frog. Gulp! He
said Yum! The student must read sentences such as this with as few errors as
possible.
Second Objective: Student would read sentences such as, Frog was sitting at the
pond. Teacher will use a timer and mark miscues, self-corrections, etc. for a period
of 60 seconds.
Third Objective: (example of comprehension questions) How do you know Frog
liked his meal? (He said Yum!) The student answers are recorded by the teacher
and checked for appropriateness and validity.
Fourth Objective (Nonsense words): suv, pof, laj, ture, paf, mes. Students must
read nonsense words, such as these, as quickly as possible in one minute.
Instructional Sequence:
The students in the Focus Groups all start on the same level with the same book.
This group will start with level D books since that is the most common Instructional
Level for this group. The group will complete 2-3 books per week, depending on the
content and instructional goals. In addition, they will complete one benchmark per
week on average. These benchmarks are used to determine readiness of each
reader to move on. The books are completed in sequential order as prescribed by
the Teachers College series.
Pre-instructional Activities:
Before the grouping process begins, each student takes the Measures of Academic
Progress (MAP) assessment. The scores, or RITs, are used to help to determine each
students area(s) of concern. The students are then placed into designated groups
based on these areas (comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, etc). Then each student
in the class is given a Teachers College benchmark assessment until their
Instructional Level is determined. The students are then placed into groups with
students of the same, or nearly the same, instructional level to ensure the most

effective grouping possible. Once these groups are determined, each group
member completes a pre-instruction benchmark as part of the Teachers College
series.

Information and Example for each Objective:

For objective one, the students must read a given text with at least 95% accuracy,
as scored by teacher during student reading. This is done my marking errors,
miscues, omissions, etc. as they child reads. The number of these miscues is then
subtracted from the first 100 words to get the percentage. According to Teachers
College, less than 95% accuracy means the child is not reading on the level needed
for successful advancement. This plays a large part of comprehension.
For objective two, the student must read at a rate of 45 words per minute (wpm) to
be moved to the next reading level. Reading rate (fluency) is closely tied to
comprehension. A slower reader, more often than not, has difficulties with
comprehension due to the start-stop flow of their reading. The breaks in fluency
lead to disconnected ideas, which translate into comprehension issues. The goal for
second grade students is to be reading at a rate of 90 words per minute by the end
of the year. Fluency measures are taken every month and charted in a data
notebook.
For objective three, the student must answer three out of four comprehension
questions correctly. Questions are based upon the story, or passage, the student
just read. The questions check both literal and inferential reasoning. Answers are
recorded by the teacher. These questions may ask about setting, characters,
authors craft, plot, and other literary elements.
For objective four, the student will read from a list of nonsense words. The main
focus of this list is to check the students phonemic awareness. Many students do
not have a proficient understanding of vowel sounds and the rules that govern
vowels. This quick assessment gives teachers an idea of each students knowledge
of phonics in a very quick time frame. Students would be asked to read words such
as taf, hok, liw, and roze to see if they can quickly figure out the vowel sound or if
they have to stop and think without reading the words fluently.
Practice and Feedback for Objective:
The beauty of these focus groups is that each of these objectives, with the
exception of objective four, are practiced daily in a small group setting for 30
minutes each day. This gives the teacher 2.5 hours a week of individualized
attention with the students who are struggling with reading. The students practice
these skills without realizing they are. They quickly move through books, which
increase in difficulty slightly, completing two or three books per week. During these

time teachers can work with the group on a common difficulty or focus one-on-one
with students on particular skills they are having issues with and provide them with
tips to help them become better readers. Teachers also keep a data notebook in
which they take daily anecdotal notes on for all students in the group. The teacher
then uses the notebook during weekly interviews with the students as well as to
guide planning for lesson both in focus groups and during Guided and Shared
reading times.

Strategies for Teaching Each Objective:

The strategies for teaching each objective are intertwined with the lesson for each
leveled book. Some books focus on phonics while others focus on fluency or
comprehension. This ensures that each objective is taught in a spiral manner so as
to provide continued practice. One strategy may be to play a phonics game geared
to increase phonemic awareness while another lesson will have the students to
partner read to their neighbor. This differentiated approach ensures that learning
takes place for all students while providing continued practice even after the skill
has been mastered.
Media Selections and Rationales for Delivery of Instruction:
The main media used for Focus Groups is Promethean Software and Audacity. All
classes are equipped with Promethean Boards and lessons are given using the IWBs.
This allows students to be hands-on and interact with the lessons and turns the
games into interactive events. This is more stimulating and engaging than simply
reading from a book or using ditto sheets. Audacity is used to record the students
reading. The students can then go back and listen to their old readings to selfcheck their growth. This has proven to be a great motivational tool for the students.
Pre- and Posttests that Will Be Used During the Instruction to Provide
Formative Data
All pre- and posttests for Focus Groups are created by Teachers College. This
ensures that the content covered during each lesson is accurately assessed.
Posttests for this program come in the form of benchmark tests and running
records. These are not necessarily conventional posttests but they do provide
excellent data for what the students can and cannot accomplish proficiently. These
benchmarks are done weekly, sometimes twice a week depending on the lessons
being covered.