1 Instructional Program Name of Student: Linda Initiator: Zoie Weisberg

Context for Instruction Instruction and assessment will occur in Mrs. Bristles special services classroom during Lindas regular one-to-one reading instruction. The materials needed for instruction include Lindas instructional reading curriculum, a-z reading, a calendar on which Linda will put her earned princess stickers, and princess stickers. There are no other learners present during Lindas reading instruction. Just as well, there are no adults other than the instructor, either. Skill Sequence See Appendix A Research Rationale See Appendix B Program Objective During reading instruction, after taking turns reading a given passage (shared reading) at the ABC Reading Curriculum, Level I, Linda will verbally state the main idea and 2 supporting details of the passage with 60% accuracy, two out of five days. Generalization One of the main goals of instruction is for Linda to be able to identify a passages main idea and supporting details across all reading situations, regardless of a passages genre. To help her achieve this, a training sufficient exemplars strategy will be used, where Linda will be asked to identify the main idea and supporting details for passages with varying themes and genres. New passages are essentially chosen at random, but her reading curriculum, reading a-z, offers books that cover many genres. Mastery will have been met once Linda can independently identify the main idea and two supporting details for any given passage at her instructional reading level. Rationale Understanding the main idea of a story and the difference between the main idea and supporting details is a fundamental skill for reading comprehension. If Linda can grasp the main idea of a story, then it will be clearer that she has understood what she has read because she will be able to describe what she has learned. Linda has tested into this reading instruction level, so it has already been established that she is capable of comprehending the passages. Furthermore, according to the Common Core Standards for her grade level, Linda should be able to summarize the texts she reads and offer details about the plot, characters, etc.; hence, she should be able to state the main idea and supporting details. Because Linda is often distracted when expected to write these concepts down on paper, she will mostly be expected to state them verbally.

Assessment Schedule During baseline, assessment will occur during each instructional period, until performance is stable. Once instruction begins, assessment will occur after Linda has read a new story one time. Assessment Procedures 1. After reading a passage, provide Linda with a visual similar to this one:

The Main Idea:

Whats the story all about?

Supporting Details:
1.

2.

But do not give her a chance to write anything. The sheet should remain closer to the instructor than to Linda, so that she does not have a chance to write anything until after hearing the directions verbally. 2. Ask: What is the main idea about the storywhat is the story all about? 3. Offer three seconds of wait time 4. Mark on the data sheet (see Appendix C) the date of assessment and whether or not she provided the correct response. Indicate whether the response was obtained independently or with the help of the teachers prompting. If the response was the product of the teachers prompting or was an incorrect response, indicate so in the comment section

3 5. Ask: What are a couple supporting details in the storywhat are some details that give more information about the main idea? 6. Offer three seconds of wait time 7. For each detail provided, mark on the data sheet whether or not she provided the correct response. Indicate whether the response was obtained independently or with the help of the teachers prompting. If the response was the product of the teachers prompting or was an incorrect response, indicate so in the comment section

Instructional Procedures: 1. Sit on opposite side of table from Linda, so that the two of you are facing one another. To avoid distractions, make sure there are no extraneous objects within Lindas reach. 2. Discuss the title of the passage. Say: Whats the name of the story? 3. Take turns reading each page. Ask Linda who she would like to read first (typically instructor reads first) 4. When reading, have the book facing Linda and model using a pencil or finger to guide reading 5. When reading, use exaggerated, animated prosody to convey meaning 6. Do not block the pictures while reading because Linda often uses them for comprehension 7. When finished reading the entire passage, which may be during a different session, ask Linda, What was the story about? 8. Linda may respond with a detail. If she does, offer praise anyway; say, Well thats a detail about what the story is all about, and I like that you picked that up. But what is the whole story about? 9. Give 3 seconds of wait time 10. If no response or if she says another detail, say, I think this page (if applicable often the first or last page. If not explicit enough in the passage or illustrations, direct Linda to the cover page) can help you figure it out. 11. Ask again, so whats the story all about? 12. Wait 3 seconds 13. If no response, give 2 choices (one detail and the main idea) verbally and provide visual (can just write options on piece of scrap paper) 14. When answer is obtained, offer praise. Say: Right! Very goodthats the main idea of the whole story! 15. Mark level of prompting necessary in comment section of data sheet 16. Ask: What is one detail from the story that tells you more about that main idea? 17. Wait three seconds 18. If no response, ask the question in terms of the passage. For example, if reading Childhood Stories of George Washington, ask: Whats one story that tells us how George Washington was honest? 19. Wait 3 seconds 20. If no response, offer verbal and visual choices

4 21. If no response/wrong choice, tell the answer. Say, I think this is the right choice. What do you think? 22. When answer is obtained, offer praise. Say: Right! That is a detail that tells us more about the main idea! 23. Mark level of prompting necessary in comment section of data sheet 24. Ask Whats another detail that tells us more information about the main idea? 25. Repeat steps 16-23 as needed Reinforcement Linda will have two opportunities to earn a sticker throughout the course of one reading lesson: Prior to the lesson, tell Linda that if she stays focused through the lessons halfway point, she will earn a princess sticker; and if she stays focused from the halfway point through the end of the lesson, she will earn another sticker. Furthermore, make sure to offer Linda frequent feedback throughout the lesson to let her know when she is making good, on-topic comments, so she can gain a better idea of exactly what that means. If Linda makes a connection between the passage and her own life but down not bring the connection back to the passage, say, thats a great connection to your own life! How does that relate to what weve just read? If

5 Appendix A Skill Sequence:

Describe what the passage read is about

Entitle description the passage's "main idea"

Identify details that tell more about the passage

When verbally presented with a statement related to the passage, determine whether statement is the main idea or a supporting detail

When visually or verbally presented with the main idea and supporting detail, state which is the main idea and which is the detail

After reading a passage, state the main idea and two supporting details

6 Appendix B Research Rationale: The articles I read for my Instructional Program were Enhancing Main Idea Comprehension for Students with Learning Problems: The Role of a Summarization Strategy and Self-Monitoring Instruction by Jitendra, Hoppes, and Xin (2000) and Structured Strategy Instruction: Investigating an Intervention for Improving Sixth-Graters Reading Comprehension by Schorzman and Cheek, Jr. (2004). The article by Schorzman and Cheek, Jr. (2004) has enhanced by instructional program by providing evidence that three of the widely used techniques for fostering reading comprehension can each be effective. I plan to use components of each of these strategies in my instruction. The article by Jitendra, Hoppes, and Xin (2000) helped me in forming my instructional program for several reasons. First, they studied middle school children, which is about the age group of my student. This ensured that their results would be age-appropriate. Second, the self-management technique they propose is self-monitoring. In my instructional program, my student charts her own behavior by placing stickers on a calendar. This has been proven an effective strategy, and I am confident it will help my student as well.

7 Appendix C During reading instruction, after taking turns reading a given passage (shared reading) at the ABC Reading Curriculum, Level I, Linda will verbally state the main idea and 2 supporting details of the passage with 60% accuracy, two out of five days. Date Main Idea Supporting Detail Supporting Detail Main Idea Supporting Detail Supporting Detail Main Idea Supporting Detail Supporting Detail Main Idea Supporting Detail Supporting Detail I P Comment