The Importance of Providing Students With An Appropriate and Successful Educational Experience By Jennifer Felty EDUC 519

Introduction §Do all children enter first grade eager and ready to learn first grade concepts? §Struggling students need to be provided with a successful and appropriate education as early as possible.

Literature Review §Students considered “at-risk” for behavior or learning difficulties may have trouble completing the following tasks successfully: l following directions l working independently l learning same skills as peers l making social connections

The current policy for identifying struggling students with disabilities: §takes too long §must display a severe discrepancy between ability and achievement §children are not receiving help early enough §in reading the intervention must be given prior to third grade §chances for success decrease with time

A look at two intervention programs: Reading Recovery and Early Steps §thirty minutes of specialized instruction is given each day §instruction begins with the reading of a familiar text §time is devoted to word study §practice writing dictated sentences §end each day by reading a new book

With so many children struggling with reading it becomes obvious one approach will not work. §teachers need to acquire an understanding of students’ reading processes §phonemic awareness should begin very early §phonics activities are crucial §students need experiences with literature §activities to display comprehension are a necessity

A teacher’s intervention plan should include certain principles. §students must engage in reading on a daily basis §students must participate in monitored reading activities §students must be reading books at the appropriate level §reading with fluency is a key component

Teacher’s behaviors towards students can make a difference in performance. Behaviors should be: *supportive *respectful *encouraging The idea of differentiation states students of the same age differ in terms of : *learning styles *interests *experiences *readiness to learn

Context §elementary school §college introduced me to the “one-third” rule §teaching placements throughout college allowed me to see the different needs of students §student teaching and the realization of the demands placed on a teacher

Getting hired as a first grade teacher §first year teaching §during second year my perspectives about students’ learning and my responsibilities as a teacher were forever changed §waiting for Ricky’s arrival §Ricky’s intense behavior the first week

Strategies used in the classroom: §extra sight word practice §plenty of hands-on activities §behavior plan §lots of individual attention §extra writing instruction §my physical presence was needed

Learning about the student’s background will help a teacher make better accommodations. §using enjoyed techniques §was able to remain in regular education §received satisfactory grades in reading and math

The end of the school year arrived. §Ricky had a good first grade experience §I learned a great deal about myself and my teaching §since then I have had a number of students needing accommodation in the area of reading

Struggling readers often need assistance with a variety of concepts. *Phonics: magnetic letters word boxes flip books *Comprehension: story cubes story maps *Writing: dictated sentences own stories

Conclusion *Providing students with an appropriate education as early as possible had many benefits: - can prevent the gap from getting bigger - feelings of success vs. frustration - significant progress can be made - starting ground to discover more about the way a student learns