1

VANDEVORST CAPSTONE A ASSIGNMENT

Marygrove College
Dominique Vandevorst
Capstone A Assignment

2
Part 1
Arendal International School (AIS) was the first English-medium primary and middle school in
Norway funded by the local authorities. The school opened in August 2006 with 20 students
ranging from 6-13 years, and has been developing rapidly ever since. After authorization
and accreditation visits, AIS is now an official International Baccalaureate (IB) World School
offering the Primary and Middle Years programs. Currently AIS offers the two IB programs to
over 130 students of 37 nationalities. After three years in the centre of Arendal AIS outgrew
the facilities in the United Nations house and moved to Hisy. The school is based in the
premises of the former His school at Fagerheim and can enjoy more space both inside and
outside. There is a football field, basket ball area and sand volleyball pitch. AIS became a
private school in August 2012. The school offers an English language educational program
for students from age 6 to 15.
Arendal is a small town situated in the south of Norway with a total area of 270 square
kilometers. It has a population of about 42,000 inhabitants. There are several multimillion
international companies located around Arendal. Many of the students who come to AIS
have a parent who works for one of the multinational companies in Arendal. The families
have quite often traveled around the world due to work related assignments and prefer to
keep their children in an English speaking school. The school has a high percentage of nonNorwegian students and students who are of dual nationality. Since the school became
private there has been an increase in Norwegian students applying as there are now no
council or state restrictions on who can apply to the school. The school is no longer bound
by regional and state regulations in terms of who can come to AIS. This brings with it an
increase in students who do not have English as their first language and those who have
very limited English language skills.
The lesson that I used for the Capstone A Project was part of the content area: reading
comprehension. During the lesson students practiced reading aloud a text or part of a book

3
in pairs to practice fluency, pace and expression. I wanted students to know that reading
with fluency and expression makes the text more interesting and helps them understand the
text. I wanted students to read the text accurately and with appropriate pace and expression
and to give them opportunity to practice reading aloud so they could become fluid and
expressive readers.
Ten students were part of the lesson that was filmed. All are in grade three. Grade three and
four are usually taught together except for some lessons such as spelling and grammar
where they are divided according to grade level. There are six boys and four girls in this
group. Two of the ten students are Norwegian, four of them are non-Norwegians and four of
them have one parent who is Norwegian. Nine of the students started at AIS in primary one
and have therefore a fairly good understanding and command of the English language. One
student joined AIS at the beginning of this school year. She has an English mother and
Norwegian father. One student has an individual educational plan (IEP) and has after
extensive testing by educational psychology services, been appointed extra teacher and
teacher assistant lessons during the week. The student struggles with concentration,
retention of information and social skills. Most of the grade three students have English as a
second language and have a multicultural background. Only two students have English as
their mother tongue.
One student is from Japan and he has a limited English vocabulary. Both his written and
verbal English language skills are behind of what is expected for this age group. He is strong
in math and science orientated subjects but due to the differences in his mother tongue and
English he has had difficulty learning English and expressing himself in English both in
writing and verbally.

Due to the wide range of reading levels in the classroom and the different needs of the
students I adapted the lesson according to learner profile and reader interest. I used texts
that were appropriate for each reading level. This increased interest in the task (Tomlinson

4
and Imbeau, 2010, Heacox, 2009). I partnered readers so that one reader was slightly
stronger than the other rather than same level readers. According to Reading Rockets
(2012) it is useful to have reading pairs with slightly different reading levels so that students
can help each other learn different reading skills. Reading Rockets (2012) also suggests
partnering an ESL student with a non-ESL student to support language development.

I had followed Heacoxs (2009) differentiation strategy of differentiating the resources, here
the reading material, and using the same learning outcomes and initial instruction for all
students. I started with a short mini-lesson introducing ways to become better readers.
Students were building knowledge and skills while I modeled together with the whole class
how to be good readers. According to Joelle Brummitt-Yale (2012): Adult modeling is
essential for helping students especially those in the elementary grades develop fluency.
Many young readers do not intuit the pace at which they must read to comprehend a text.
Similarly, expression and phrasing may not be readily apparent to them. This is why it is
important that adults read aloud to children using appropriate phrasing, expression and
pacing. When we model these aspects of reading for children they begin to develop an
understanding not only of the ways that they can use fluency in their own reading, but also
the importance of it for reading comprehension.

By having the whole group discussion as an informal pre-assessment I was quickly able to
establish whether all students understood what makes a good reader (Heacox, 2009).
Heacox (2009) refers to informal pre-assessments as sweeps of the classroom to quickly
gather general information of where students are at regarding a certain topic or skill. This
helped me have a fairly good idea who remembered the strategies we could use to be good
readers and who I needed to spend extra time with once the students had started their
reading task.

5
After the mini-lesson students went with their partner and practiced the reading strategies we
discussed and concentrated on expression, pacing and word accuracy. Students found a
comfortable place in class to start their reading. Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010) refer to the
importance of the physical environment in order to support learning and to make students
feel safe so they can focus on the task at hand. According to constructive pedagogy
students can develop their own learning and frame of thought through hands-on, activitybased learning (Keegnwe and Onchwari, 2011). My role as educator within a constructivist
framework is to provide the setting, pose the challenges and offer support that will encourage
construction of knowledge (Gruber and Voneche, 1977, as in Keegnwe and Onchwari, 2011).

The planning for this lesson and lay-out for the lesson was influenced by the needs of my
special needs student and by the various levels of English in the class. I wanted to begin the
lesson with a short mini-lesson which would quickly give me an awareness of where each
student was at and what they needed to be able to complete the reading aloud task
successfully. I also knew that for the boys in this group it would be hard to stay focused in
group discussion for a longer length of time. I therefore planned to have a short mini-lesson
with an interactive discussion whereby the students would guide themselves to the
appropriate answers in this case how to become good readers and what we needed to pay
attention to when reading aloud. I choose various books that were about either girls or boys
being part of a sports team knowing this would appeal to all. I selected to put readers in
pairs according to slightly different reading levels as I knew that this would increase success
for those that have English as a second language and finding it hard to read out loud. They
would be supported by the stronger reader and be encouraged to follow the stronger readers
lead and example.

At the centre of my teaching philosophy is the belief that every student has the potential to
achieve given the right tools and opportunities and that every student should have the
possibility and the opportunity to develop and excel (McCoy, 2008, as cited by Lane, 2008).

6
This belief reflects that I care deeply about the students and that I value them as human
beings. I want to see potential in each one of them and regardless of background, economic
or social situation they will be given the opportunity to reach their full potential. I am in the
classroom to enable each student to be the best they can be (Zander and Zander, 2002). I
was therefore a facilitator and guide to help students gain the skills and ability to become
during the lesson better readers which will help them develop lifelong reading and
comprehension skills.

The students worked as a small community of learners as they took ownership of the lesson
by contributing during the mini lesson. During pair-share reading aloud they were helping
each other as well as during the evaluation using the self-assessment rubric and recording
sheet. They would check with their partner whether they had evaluated themselves properly.
According to Fiderer, 1999; Goodrich Andrade, 1997; SRI International-Center for Technology
in Learning, 1997-2002; Kasman Valenza, 2000; TeacherVision.com, 2000-2002; Tedick,
2002): Rubrics help us to set anchor points along a quality continuum so that we can set
reasonable and appropriate expectations for learners and consistently judge how well they
have met them. I used a rubric to help students remember what they needed to focus on
when doing the reading aloud task and help set goals for their second read aloud. This was
part of the formative assessment whereby I used the rubrics and recording sheet as tools to
gather information about student learning and understanding (Heacox, 2009). I knew
students had reached lesson goals by looking at their individual recording sheets and by
meeting them in pairs throughout the lesson to hear them read and discuss how they got on.

7
Part 2
Link to video: http://vimeo.com/55222501
Password: AIS
Lesson Plan: Grade Level(s): grade 3
Title of Lesson: Partner reading.
Content Areas: Reading comprehension
Description/Abstract of lesson: Students practice reading aloud a text or part of a book in
pairs to practice fluency, pace and expression.
Timeline of Lesson: 60 minutes
Step 2: Goals/Content and Cognitive
I want students to know that reading with fluency and expression makes the text more
interesting and helps them understand the text. I want students to read the text accurately
and with appropriate pace and expression. To give students opportunity to practice reading
aloud so they can become fluid and expressive.
Students will gain an awareness of punctuation and how that influences reading aloud.
Students will learn how to scan ahead for punctuation marks that give clues to expression.
Students will use a ruler under the line of text to keep their place.
Students will read and re-read the text to improve expression and pace.
Students will use a variety of context clues to decode unknown words.
Links to Curriculum Standards Questions:
Use a variety of context clues to decode unknown words.
Adjusts speed of reading to suit purpose and difficulty of the material
Use phonetic and structural analysis techniques, syntactic structure and semantic context to
decode unknown words.
Listen to classmates and adults: work cooperatively
Step 3: Guiding Questions for This Lesson
Students would want to know about reading with fluency and expression because it will help
them to be competent and enjoy reading and help them become more adept at reading for
meaning. Reading with fluency and expression will help them in the long term to access
more challenging material.
What do good readers do when they are reading and how do they read?

8
What can help us become good readers? How can we become good readers? What do we
need to look out for when reading aloud?
Step 4: Assessment
STUDENT RUBRIC for self \ ongoing assessment:
A.

Partner reading

What to do:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Section the text into passages you and your partner will each read.
Read the passages silently first. Discuss any words that seem difficult. Try to figure them out.
Decide who will go first. That partner then begins reading aloud. Focus on good expression and pace.
The other partner follows along and listens, giving help, if needed.
Evaluate your reading using the fluency rubric.
Re-read the text.

RUBRIC

Expression and
phrasing

I read with a flat

I read with some

I read with

voice.

expression. Some of

expression, changing

my reading sounded

my voice to show

like normal talking.

meaning. My reading

I read word by word.

sounded like normal

talking.

Word accuracy

Pace

I did not know may

I knew many words

I knew most or all

words that I tried to

but had to figure out

words without having

read.

some words.

to work on them.

I read slowly. I had

I read mostly quickly

I read at a good pace

to repeat many

but had to slow down

and did not have to

words and phrases.

or repeat some

slow down or repeat

words and phrases.

very much at all.

9
B.

Reading aloud record sheet:

Title:_____________________________________________________________
Author:______________________________ Page(s) read: __________________

First Read: Read the text silently first, then read aloud taking turns with your partner. Use the fluency rubric to
evaluate your reading. Circle the numbers to know your scores.

What did you do well?_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________
What would you like to work on?_________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Second Read: Read the same text aloud again taking turns with your partner. Use the fluency rubric to evaluate this
reading. Circle the numbers in a different color to show your scores.

How have you improved?_______________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________
Explain a new reading goal?_____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

C. I will know students have reached lesson goals by looking at their individual recording
sheets and by meeting them in pairs throughout the lesson(s) to hear them read and
discuss how they got on.

D. Student pairs can use online recording programs such as Audacity to record their
reading then listen to themselves and help each other evaluate their reading using
the rubric. They can then read the text again while recording themselves and
checking whether they have improved their reading pace, expression and word
accuracy.
Step 5: Learning Connections

10
Students need to be able to follow instructions. Be able to work with a reading partner.
Partner reading encourages cooperation and supports peer-assisted learning (Reading
Rockets, 2012). Students need to be able to know what different types of punctuation mean
and expression and pace while reading a passage. Students need to be able to decode
words and use contextual clues to find the meaning of not familiar words.
Difficulties: ESL students need text at appropriate level for their level of English. Reading
Rockets (2012) also suggests partnering an ESL student with a non-ESL student to support
language development. Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010) write that content needs to be made
accessible to everyone.
There are a wide variety of reading levels in my class. I will use texts that are appropriate for
each level. This will increase interest in the task (Tomlinson and Imbeau, 2010, Heacox,
2009).
I will partner readers so that one reader is slightly stronger than the other rather than same
level readers. According to Reading Rockets (2012) it is useful to have reading pairs with
slightly different reading levels so that students can help each other learn different reading
skills.
Step 6: Learning Activities or Tasks
Students will read a text or passage from a book in pairs. Then students will self-assess
using the rubric and recording sheet. They can check with their partner whether they have
evaluated themselves properly. According to Fiderer, 1999; Goodrich Andrade, 1997; SRI
International-Center for Technology in Learning, 1997-2002; Kasman Valenza, 2000;
TeacherVision.com, 2000-2002; Tedick, 2002): Rubrics help us to set anchor points along a
quality continuum so that we can set reasonable and appropriate expectations for learners
and consistently judge how well they have met them.
If time allows some students will be able to record their reading using Audacity. They can
download the recording onto their blog page to refer back to later in the year. National Centre
for Technology in Education (2012) suggests the following benefits of using audio recording
in the classroom: It captures the students interest by allowing them to create their own
resources using voices to read, develops students confidence and develops students
fluency by allowing them to listen to themselves reading.
Students will build knowledge and skills while I model together with the whole class how to
be good readers. According to Joelle Brummitt-Yale (2012): Adult modeling is essential for
helping students, especially those in the elementary grades, develop fluency. Many young
readers do not intuit the pace at which they must read to comprehend a text. Similarly,
expression and phrasing may not be readily apparent to them. This is why it is important that
adults read aloud to children using appropriate phrasing, expression and pacing. When we
model these aspects of reading for children they begin to develop an understanding not only
of the ways that they can use fluency in their own reading, but also the importance of it for
reading comprehension.
Next students will practice these skills with their partners and after that will once more
practice these skills with either myself or teacher assistant when evaluating how they got on.
I will also ask a few pairs to present their reading in front of class.

11
Students will show they manage this task by completing the rubric and recording sheet.
The lesson is challenging in that texts are leveled at each readers reading level. The topic is
related to current unit of inquiry. Students will be using various different learner profiles such
as reading, writing, recording their voices using digital technology and perhaps presenting
their reading in front of class.

Step 7: Teaching Strategies

HOOK: I will read out loud a short passage from a book. Heacox (2009) mentions using a
hook as this will help students become engaged in learning.
As a class we will sit in our reading corner and start by looking at the question: What makes
a good reader? We will do a brainstorm together. Heacox (2009) refers to informal preassessments as sweeps of the classroom to quickly gather general information of where
students are at regarding a certain topic or skill. This will help me have a fairly good idea
who remembers the strategies we can use to be good readers and who I will need to spend
extra time with once the students start their reading task. We will discuss how a good reader
uses expression, good pace and fluency when reading aloud and how this will help them
understand the text. We will revise punctuation and what it means using a visual picture on
the smart board.
I will read a short passage from a book and model different ways of reading aloud, one
without expression, no regards for punctuation, pace or fluency and one with.
I will model with a student how we can partner read by taking turns, using a ruler to follow
along, by re-reading passages and by helping each other evaluate their reading.
Then I will explain the partner reading task to students and assign partners. I will model how
to fill in the rubric and how students can answer the recording sheet. This will be part of the
formative assessment according to Heacox (2009) whereby I am using the rubrics and
recording sheet as tools to gather information about student learning and understanding.
Students will find a comfortable place in class to start their reading. Tomlinson and Imbeau
(2010) refer to the importance of the physical environment in order to support learning and to
make students feel safe so they can focus on the task at hand.
I will circulate in class, observe students and offer individual and pairs remediation. I will work
with different pairs, listening to them read aloud. Several educators such as Fountas and
Pinnel, 1996, McLaughlin and Allen, 2002, Diller, 2007 recommend small groups as a way to
meet the individual needs of readers.
At the end of the lesson we will meet as a group and I will ask a few pairs if they can share
their experience with the wider group.
Management
Students will work in pairs in different areas of the classroom.

12
I will use reading texts appropriate for the various reading levels represented in class.
I will use Audacity program to encourage students to pay careful attention to the different
elements that will help their reading fluency, pace and expression.
If I have a teaching assistant in the autumn then she will provide support for some students
with special needs while doing the task. The special needs students will be supported by
assistant to fill out the rubric and depending on the needs will have a modified recording
sheet. According to Heacox (2009) modified tasks will provide more support or scaffolding
so that the student is successfully able to demonstrate his \ her learning (p.55).
Materials and Resources
If I am using Audacity then I will need to set up some computers and perhaps have those
students read in a different room with a classroom assistant in order for the recording to work
well.
Using the Audacity program will help so that I can listen to the recordings afterwards and
evaluate students reading. Students can also compare the two different readings and see
whether they are making good changes to their reading aloud. They can save the readings
onto their blog page and come back to this task later on in the year to check whether they
have improved or not.
I will need reading material appropriate for different levels.

For the first part of this lesson the students and I met in our reading corner. This is a cozy
area of our classroom with comfy sofas and carpets for students to sit and read. There is
enough space for ten students to sit comfortably in a circle. The students were of course
excited about being filmed although most of them relaxed after a while and forgot about the
camera being there. Two students in particular were distracted by it and I had to remind
them every now and then to stay focused on the lesson. The boy who has special learning
needs found this distraction very difficult to ignore but managed to partake in the mini lesson
and did well during the pair share reading aloud task later on. All students took part in the
discussion during the mini lesson. One or two I had to prompt to give answers or make their
thinking verbal. The students know each other well and feel comfortable enough with each
other to share their thinking whether it is right or not. Even the girl who had only joined this
school term was very keen to be part of the discussion.

13
If during the mini lesson some of the students were distracted by the camera I would
physically touch them on the knee or shoulder to make them aware of the discussion going
on and that they had to turn their bodies towards the group rather than the camera.

There were a couple of unexpected questions and answers and I gave credit to the students
who brought them up.

I felt the lesson was a success. The mini lesson worked well, each student participated in
the conversation. Through the different examples of how to read a book aloud to the
students they quite quickly understood why and how we had to read with good pace,
expression and fluency. This was a particularly effective strategy I thought.

I started reading a passage from a book and then asked questions to help the students think
about how to become better readers. There was definitely an ah-ha moment when I read a
part from the book out loud in two different ways. First I read it with a flat voice,
monotonously and very fast, the second time I read the passage with expression, good pace
and intonation. The students recognized straight away what was different and how the
different ways of reading affected the person who was listening as well as the reader.

I believe the lesson was developmentally appropriate since reading comprehension and how
to become stronger readers with expression, fluency and good pace is a grade three learning
target. Grade three students are emerging readers who have usually mastered reading
small chapter books but now need to work on strengthening their comprehension skills and
becoming fluent readers. By modeling the reading aloud first in the mini lesson students
understood what they needed to do and focus on. Using the pair share strategy made
students accountable to each other. Partner reading encourages cooperation and supports
peer-assisted learning (Reading Rockets, 2012). Students were more focused on
completing the task and trying their best. Listening to each other and hearing how the other

14
student used expression and intonation helped the weaker student to gain knowledge and
experience. Using the rubric helped them to know exactly what they needed to focus on. I
was impressed when students evaluated themselves after the first read aloud and set a goal
for the second read aloud. Many of them changed the way they were reading the second
time and did much better with expression, pace and fluency.

I did an informal assessment during the mini-lesson by involving students in the discussion.
This gave me a good idea of who knew about the strategies for becoming better readers and
who needed more help. Once students went in pairs I went around and listened to each pair
while they were reading. I gave extra explanation to the boy who has learning difficulties and
to the Japanese boy. Both changed their expression and pace after we discussed their
reading together. The peer assessment, using a rubric and goal setting, went well as I
observed students asking each other whether they agreed with their rating or not. Some
students were suggesting to their partner whether they needed to focus more on expression
or maybe slow down their reading. They also helped each other set a goal for the second
reading aloud. The rubrics were part of the written data that I could collect and look at after
the lesson. I can use these again when we have our next reading aloud lesson as a
reminder for students what they are focusing or working on.
I was pleased by how well students engaged in this lesson. They were actively involved in
the mini-lesson, contributing ideas, answers and suggestions. The students would raise their
hands when they wanted to share. When students went into pairs they all took turns reading
a passage and listening to each other. It did help that there were only ten students present
during this lesson so the distraction element was smaller. Students were partnered with a
slightly stronger reader which helped the weaker reader to stay focused and challenged. I
was impressed by how well they listened to each other and how helpful they were. The boy
who has learning difficulties often finds it difficult to stay focused in group work or listening to
another person but being in a group of only two people helped him stay focused.

15
Part 3

I believe the mini lesson went well. The students were active participants and definitely made
links and showed understanding when I gave different reading aloud examples.

Doing the pair-share with a slightly stronger reader encouraged students to listen and follow
examples of expression, pace and intonation. This was great to see. The students were
helping each other when one did not understand or could not pronounce a word. I had
differentiated the lesson by using different reading resources which helped tremendously for
the students who are all at different levels in their reading. It was great to see the student
with special learning needs able to read his passage with expression and good pace. The
Japanese student was following his partners lead and using great expression during the
second reading aloud part.

During the pair-share reading aloud students read alternately a passage from their book.
Then after an agreed time they stopped and looked at the rubric. They both would indicate
on the rubric where they felt they were with regards to their reading and then create a goal
for the next reading aloud. Students checked with their partner whether they had been
honest about their reading. This made the students accountable for their self assessment.
When they read aloud for the second time there was a significant improvement in the reading
aloud. This was definitely a plus. While walking around and observing and listening to
students I could hear and see that they had understood the learning objectives for the lesson
plan and were putting into action what they had learned.

The self assessment rubric and recording sheet made students aware of their own reading
skills and made it visually clear where they were at. This was a great help for all of them.
The rubric gave them instant feedback and the recording sheet with their reading goal gave
them something to aim for during the next reading aloud section with their partner. I would

16
definitely use this strategy again as it saves me to check and score work while students have
to wait a day or two to receive feedback. This strategy gave me the opportunity to see
instant results based on peer and self assessment.

One wish for this lesson in future is that I need to shorten the mini-lesson. Overall the lesson
went well. The students partook in the discussion and then went with their partner to do the
reading aloud task. I could see during the end of the mini lesson that the students were
getting fidgety. However during the trial run I made the mini lesson too short and had not
explained the rubric and recording sheet well enough to the students so this time I wanted to
make clear to the students what they were supposed to do. I need to narrow down the mini
lesson to maximum 15 to 20 minutes. I could in future address one part of the mini lesson
first and let the students practice and then have another short mini lesson before the second
read aloud. That would have worked much better and would have kept students focused on
the mini lesson as well as on the reading task. I could also use a short film, for example from
youtube or an scholastic, as part of the mini-lesson this would perhaps have explained the
learning outcomes in a clear way while making it visually accessible. It would also shorten
the length of the mini-lesson since these types of clips can be very good at explaining
concepts in a short amount of time.

17

References:
Heacox, D. (2009). Making differentiation a habit: How to ensure success in
academically diverse classrooms. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
ISBN-10: 1575423243
ISBN-13: 9781575423241
Brummitt-Yale Joelle (2012) Reading fluency and instruction
http://www.k12reader.com/reading-fluency-and-instruction/
Keegnwe, J. & Onchwari, G., (2011). Fostering meaningful student learning through
constructivist pedagogy and technology integration. International Journal of Information
and Communication Technology Education, 7, 4. pp. 1-10.
Lane, B. (Creator). (2008, July 18). The ABCs of educational leadership [Video file].
Retrieved
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRAZ4iu-EgA
Lieberman, A., & Miller, L. (2004). Teacher leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
ISBN-10: 0787962457
ISBN-13: 978-0787962456
Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated
classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
ISBN-10: 141661074X
ISBN-13: 978-141661074
Zander, B., & Zander, R. (2002). The art of possibility. New York: Penguin.
ASIN: B003TEOR12
ISBN: 978-0-14-200110-3
www.readingrockets.org (2012)