Observation Number 3- RICA Domain 5

TC Name: Heather Taylor

RICA Domain: # 5 “Comprehension” Instruction and Assessment- Understanding and Analyzing Narrative/Literary Texts

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Any Additional Descriptors: Mainstream with three ELL Students

Instruction: 

In Mrs. X’s Kindergarten class she continuously teaches her students how to comprehend narrative stories she reads daily. She also consistently assesses their comprehension of the text by asking frequent questions and also has them create story maps after the story has been read. For example, she recently read her students the story, Rosie the Hen. Prior to reading she conducted a picture walk with the students. The students predicted what was happening on every page through a series of questions Mrs. X asked, such as, “Do you think Rosie scared?” or “What do you think Rosie is thinking?” Once the picture walk was complete Mrs. X began reading the story. During the story she would stop and ask questions, such as, “where is Rosie at?” “why is Rosie doing that?” and many more similar questions to check for understanding and comprehension. Through her series of questions she is giving her students an introduction to instruction in the elements of story grammar. Her questions reflect the main points of story grammar including, identifying the characters, the setting, the problem, and the solution. Prior to having the students create their own story map for Rosie the Hen, Mrs. X went over the key elements such as plot and characters once again with her students. She did this by writing it on the board and drawing corresponding pictures. For example, when she asked, “who are the characters?” the students replied, “Rosie and the Fox.” From there she wrote Rosie and Fox on the board and drew pictures of Rosie and Fox next to their names. After she went through every element, showing the kids pictures and writing their suggestions on the board, she allowed them to create their own story map as a form of assessment. The story map was a skeletal outline which had four boxes and included a space for characters, setting, problem, and solution. The students were tasked to draw a picture of each in its given box.  It was beneficial for the students, especially EL students to have Mrs. X’s pictures on the board so they could reference them throughout their assignment. Creating a story map was also beneficial for struggling readers as it provided a great visual to better understand parts of a story. 

Instructional Setting: 

Mrs. X did not have many supporting visuals for story comprehension throughout the room; however, she has a wonderful library full of age-appropriate books. She also keeps pictures of the main characters for that week’s story hanging around the room as a reference and daily reminder for her students.