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Signature Assignment: RICA Case Study

Yvette Diaz

Division of Teacher Education, Azusa Pacific University

SPED 525 Methods of Tchg Read/Writing

Dr. Cynthia Dollins

May 4th, 2022

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Part A: DIAGNOSIS

This case study focuses on a six-year-old student named Jackson. Jackson is a first-grade

student in a moderate/severe classroom.

Components of Reading: Fluency, Comprehension, Phonics

● Assessment #1: First Grade Dolch Sight words (See Appendix A)

● Assessment #2: Running record and comprehension questions (See Appendix B)

● Assessment #3: Monster Spelling Test (See Appendix C)

● Assessment #4: Concepts of Print (See Appendix D)

Part B: ANALYSIS

Three Strengths/Needs

1. Strength: Phonics/Blending/CVC: Jackson has good word recognition, letter recognition,

and decoding skills. He was able to read 36 of the 47 first-grade sight words (Appendix A)

correctly. He is currently working on high-frequency words in his classroom. In addition, he is

able to read most beginning sounds or attempts to do so even when he is unable to read the

whole word. Jackson is also able to read most CVC words which consist of a consonant, vowel,

consonant. During the running records (Appendix B), he was able to read most CVC words such

as Dan, Jan, and got. Jackson was also able to blend the beginning sounds of the words in the

passage. For instance, he said “splas” instead of “splash”. He is currently learning how to blend

sounds in his classroom. This is a newly acquired skill and therefore I believe he is doing a great

job. Jackson was also able to answer the reading comprehension questions correctly (Appendix

B).

2. Needs: Phonics/Digraphs: To increase Jackson’s reading level, I believe he needs digraph

comprehension. Jackson is currently reading at the kindergarten level. Digraph skills still have
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not been taught to him however they will be introduced shortly. As earlier stated, during the

running record (Appendix B) he was able to blend the beginning letters of “splash” but was

unable to make the “sh” ending sound of the word. Once this skill is taught, Jackson will have

the ability to read at grade level with much ease.

3. Needs: Orthographic Knowledge/Spelling: Jackson is currently in the semiphonetic stage of

writing. This stage needs to be further reinforced so he can move to the phonetic stage of writing.

The Monster Test (Appendix C) shows that for most words he only wrote the beginning sounds.

For example, “united” was spelled as “u”, “hiked” was spelled as “h”, and “closed” was spelled

“c”. Surprisingly Jackson was able to write the “dr” in “dress”. This probably stems from his

ability to read some beginning blended words.

Part C: IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Two Instructional Strategies/Activities

1. Word Sorts for Reading and Writing

To support Jackson with reading and writing, I would use a Word Sort activity. First, I would

choose a digraph book such as Whose Shoes Would You Choose. I would pull all the digraph

words from the text and make flashcards with matching visuals. I would have Jackson sort the

digraphs words by “sh” and “ch”. Once completed, I would go over each word to either reinforce

or correct its placement. Next, I would have Jackson read the book to further reinforce his

understanding of digraph words in the text. This activity will help with phonemic awareness as

well as orthographic knowledge.

2. Elkonin Boxes for Spelling

To help Jackson with spelling, I would use Elkonin boxes with visuals. This will help him

break down the sounds of each word when spelling it. I would start with CVC words so
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he can work on hearing the vowel sounds in each word. I would then introduce digraphs and

more complex vocabulary. I would also use meaningful, appropriate vocabulary for this activity.

I would first use the traditional form of sliding a marker into each box and then move on to

Elkonin box worksheets.

Part D: APPLICATION

1. Word Sorts for Reading and Writing

Word Sorts is a strategy used to help students understand predictable patterns in words. This

strategy is helpful for both reading and writing since students’ are analyzing, sorting, and

categorizing words. This strategy is engaging and can be used when teaching CVC words, sight

words, and/or content words. For Jackson, this activity will help him examine an assortment of

“sh” and “ch” words since it’s what he struggles with when reading. Furthermore, providing

Jackson with various digraph words will help him with pronunciation, pattern recognition, and

orthography. One can continue to use this strategy to introduce diphthongs and other content

words which will help Jackson succeed in the overall classroom.

2. Elkonin Boxes for Spelling

Elkonin Boxes are a great strategy to help students with orthography. They help students with

word blending as well as phonological awareness. This strategy will help Jackson hear and

manipulate phonemes when spelling words. Moreover, Elkonin Boxes will help Jackson become

a better speller for the reason that he will be breaking down each word as well as blending

sounds. He would start with simpler words such as CVC words and move on to more complex

words such as digraphs and diphthongs to further reinforce both his spelling and reading skills.
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Appendix A

Sight Words: Jackson read from 1st Grade Dolch sight words list.
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Appendix B

Running Record: Jackson read the short passage and answered the comprehension questions.
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Appendix C

Monster Test: Jackson spelled words to the best of his ability.

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Appendix D

Concepts of Print: Jackson was given a book and asked to point to book features
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References

(n.d.). Untitled. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from

https://users.manchester.edu/Student/AMDickman/ProfWeb/Monster%20Test.pdf

Concepts of print assessment. (n.d.). StudyLib. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from

https://studylib.net/doc/8911833/concepts-of-print-assessment

A Day at the Beach | Worksheet. (n.d.). Education.com. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from

https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/a-day-at-the-beach/

1st grade Dolch sight words Reading. (2019, December 2). GreatSchools. Retrieved April 12,

2022, from https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/first-grade-dolch-sight-words/