Presented by: Anne Craig Sara Lamont Bridgette Blair Veronica Thomas Case Study on Sylvia Presented by: Anne Craig Sara Lamont Bridgette Blair Veronica Thomas

Background Information Sylvia is a six year old student originally from Mexico. She was diagnosed with a communication disorder at age two. Her parents speak fluent Spanish at home and have trouble speaking English. Sylvia’s parents are very supportive of her education.

Educational History Sylvia has private educational services for her communication disorder. These included speech therapy and occupational therapy. She did not speak until she was four years old. Her speech therapy focus is on basic vocabulary and voice training. Sylvia is currently placed in a general education classroom She receives thirty minutes of speech therapy twice a week and thirty minutes of occupational therapy three times a week. She has an aide in the classroom who speaks fluent English and Spanish.

Current Performance Behavior Communication Sylvia has no major behavior problems. She does an excellent job of staying on task. She is able to follow directions very well. Sylvia tends to bite her hands and fingers when stressed. Communication Sylvia has trouble in expressive language, but her receptive language is fine. She understands directions in Spanish, but has difficulty understanding them in English. She can say basic nouns: food, clothes, body, color, shape, animals, etc. Sylvia can express herself when she wants to go to the restroom, eat, sleep, etc. She has trouble pronouncing entire words, but can usually say the beginning sounds of words.

Sylvia’s I.E.P. There were many participants in Sylvia’s I.E.P. meeting: Director of Special Education, Special Education Teacher, Regular Education Teacher, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Parents, Translator, Principal Her I.E.P. calls for her to be placed in a regular kindergarten classroom full time. The long term goals set in the I.E.P. focus on communication, math, reading, social, and behavior.

Instructional Modifications: Reading and Expressive Language Sylvia will make her own alphabet book and use it to practice sounds. She will use flashcards to practice recognizing and saying familiar words. There will be labels posted around the classroom of both sight words and familiar objects. There will be labels sent home to post for familiar objects (bed, shower, etc.) Sylvia will practice reading books that are written with both Spanish and English vocabulary. Expressive Language Sylvia will work with her aide on a regular basis using flashcards to practice expressive language. She will do one on one reading with her aide to improve her expressive language in this subject. She will make a book about herself that she can share with other children in the class.

Instructional Modifications: Co-Teaching There will be regular meetings held with the Aide, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Special Education Teacher, Regular Education Teacher, and the Parents to discuss progress and assess the goals. In the classroom, the aide will be there for support: translating and providing additional assistance in student work. To promote independence, there will be less aide responsibility over time as Sylvia becomes more comfortable and successful in the regular education setting. The one teach, one drift model will be used. The regular education teacher will be the main teacher and the aide will drift to help. This will help to keep Sylvia successful while still following along with the general education class and curriculum.

Social Skills and Interactions Foster Student Independence Use an aide when necessary, but allow for some days when he/she is not in the classroom. Encourage peer support: asking other students for help rather than the aide. Use positive reinforcement when Sylvia acts with independence. Improving Communication Use verbal reminders such as “Use your words” and “Raise your hand”. Allow for the use of personal signals for Sylvia to express herself. Continuously use positive reinforcement. Facilitate Classroom Interaction Incorporate group work everyday. Have an older “buddy” student come in to read and converse with Sylvia twice a week. Incorporate Spanish in the classroom through songs, greetings, etc. Invite Sylvia to share her Spanish customs and language with the class. Use teambuilding activities in the classroom.

Assistive Technology Sylvia will create her own alphabet book. She will draw pictures and write letters in the book. Ultimately, this book will be used as continuous practice for letter recognition and pronunciation. Sylvia will consistently use and practice flashcards that have both words and pictures. These will help with learning and remembering high frequency words. Sylvia will be given translated books. These are English books that will have Spanish labels covering certain words. These labels will be taken away with time as she becomes more comfortable with the English words. Sylvia will have sight words posted throughout the classroom as well as at home (book, chair, pencil, door, etc.). These labels will be in both Spanish and English.

Alphabet Books These will help Sylvia learn her alphabet, letter recognition, and letter sounds. Sylvia will construct the book herself with the help of her aide. She will practice by tracing the letter with her finger as she says it. In addition, she will practice saying the name of the picture on each page. There will be two copies of the alphabet book: one for school and one for home.

Flashcards These cards will have a word in English alongside a picture. The other side will have the word in Spanish. Sylvia will be encouraged to use the English side as often as possible. The flashcards will help Sylvia in many ways: She will practice high frequency English words using visual pictures. She will be provided with a comfortable transition from Spanish to English. She will practice them on her own as often as possible to help foster her becoming an independent learner.

Translated Books This concept will start by having Sylvia read English books that are completely translated into Spanish. The teacher can use white labels to place over the words right on the page. As her comprehension improves in Spanish, the teacher can remove the labels and place them under the English words. This will help Sylvia decipher the English text using both the pictures and Spanish words. When Sylvia is ready, the teacher will take away the Spanish labels altogether and she will practice the book in English.

Sight Words Sylvia will be able to grow in her familiarity of common objects both in the classroom at home by using sight words. These words will be posted throughout her house and in the classroom. They will be labels of various items, places, and so forth. The labels will be in both Spanish and English. Sylvia will work with her aide at school and her parents at home using these sight words. She will go around the room or her house reading off of these labels. As time goes by and Sylvia becomes more comfortable with the labels, they will include only English words.

Internet Resources http://www.eslkidstuff.com/MembersMenu.htm This website provides teachers and parents with useful information about ESL children. It has useful teaching tips for working with students like Sylvia. It includes a lot of valuable resources such as ideas for flashcards, songs, books, and games. There are also resources for journal articles about teaching ESL students. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslstudent.html This website provides teachers who have ESL students with lesson plans that include ESL activities. They offer a lot of ready made worksheets, quizzes, and games for ESL students. This site makes it easier for teachers to plan lessons and get ideas for working with students like Sylvia. http://www.literactive.com/Download/stories.asp?sub=ESL This website has several downloadable stories that are designed for ESL students to listen to and read. They offer stories suitable for various reading levels that incorporate many different themes and topics. It provides an excellent way to add technology into the process of emerging ESL students into the English language and literature.