Session Plans:  1,  2,  3. 

My plans: This being the first session of the instructional phase, we met in what should be the core of every student's, class' and school's curriculum, the library. I also invited along two other students who would benefit from the instruction and could act as peer role models. Through the assessment phase of working with this student Jenny exhibited a need to be pro-active in her literary choices. Not relying on the peer selections or book jacket art to make her reading choices was key to maximizing her literacy development. Jenny's classroom teacher incorporates Silent Sustained Reading into the curriculum, therefore what Jenny chooses significantly affects her chances for success and growth. 

Plans:

1. Talk about the book selection process. 
2. Elicit Jenny's likes and beliefs  about her reading ability [again] (to heighten her metalinguistic awareness).
3. Make a list of goals for the reading session (I would write them down, she would come up with them).
4. Turn her loose on the library to pick books and read (giving her an opportunity to get used to making independent reading choices while still in a group setting).
5. Have a 4 person reading group book share.
6. Take a look again at her list of goals and see which ones she accomplished.
7. Talk about what went well, and what could be improved upon for next time.

What really happened:

 We met outside the library about 10mins after they had finished school. We discussed our plans for the afternoon and entered the library. Rachel and Gina were eager to take part and this seemed to heighten Jenny's enthusiasm as well. We talked about the book selection process, I gave each of them an opportunity to explain their method of entering a library and looking for books. Jenny once again reiterated books on butterflies and animals as her favorite. I gave each of them an idea of what was expected, that they would choose books and read silently after which we would get in a reading group and share what we liked and what we learned from our books. Jenny and I wrote down our goals. 1. Read the first page of the book before choosing it. 2. Think about what the book is going to be about based on the title, cover art, and a reading of the first page. 3. Ask yourself, 'am I interested in this book' 'did I understand what I read'. 4. When you find a book with which you are satisfied, sit in a comfortable quiet place in the library and enjoy the book. 5. When you are done ask yourself questions about what happened in the book. 6. Have fun.

 Jenny foraged into the library searching for something to read, at first she didn't concern herself with what Rachel and Gina were doing (they were looking for chapter books) [my goal was not to make Jenny feel unintelligent or marginalize her reading level, rather to create an atmosphere similar to her classroom, if she achieve some success in this environment, the likelihood of similar success occurring in her classroom were higher]. She picked out a book (Spanish) and sat down at my table [I was "reading a book" / observing her], the book seemed to be on her level. 

 Minutes later Rachel and Gina sat down at a different table and began to read their chapter books. Jenny got up and went to sit down by them, she showed them her book and they showed her theirs. They read for about 5 minutes before Gina and Rachel got up and put their books back and headed for the English section of the library. Jenny saw them and in seconds was with them looking at the English books. Gina and Rachel picked out a few English books and Jenny did too (some but not a lot of previewing). After about a minute sitting with Gina and Rachel, Jenny came over to me and asked me to help her find a book in English that she could read. We looked at a bunch of books and found one that she could handle. She read it at my table, asking me what certain words meant when she didn't know. 

After finishing the English book she went back to the shelves and picked a Spanish book. Again she sat down at my table (after showing her book to the girls) and read it.

When it came time for reading circle Jenny talked for a short period of time about her book and listened to the others speak about theirs. 

Jenny and I then went over her goals to see how she did.

1. Read the first page of the book before choosing it. We agreed that she did quite well with this goal.

2. Think about what the book is going to be about based on the title, cover art, and a reading of the first page. She thought that she did this a little bit, but not every time and not by the end of the session.

3. Ask yourself, 'am I interested in this book' 'did I understand what I read (on the first page)'. She thought that she mostly forgot to do this.

4. When you find a book with which you are satisfied, sit in a comfortable quiet place in the library and enjoy the book. Yep, she said, she did this one all the way.

5. When you are done ask yourself questions about what happened in the book. She said that she forgot to do this.

6. Have fun. Yes, she said she had fun.

In talking about what went well for her, she liked reading the books she picked, especially the English one.

We decided that she could improve on the implementation of her book selection, prior knowledge and post reading strategies. Also we agreed that she should try to focus more on what she wanted and less on what others were doing or reading.

What that means for the student's literacy:

 I believe that this session laid the ground work for growth and success in subsequent sessions. Jenny has begun the process of taking conscious control of her book selection process. This is an essential element to master if she is to develop her literacy in a classroom where independent reading is a crucial component.

What instruction the student needs next:

Jenny needs to continue to work on this aspect of her literacy. She also would benefit from duolog reading sessions. The second session will be much like the first, but will use what we learned in the first session to build and work towards more success. 

1. Student Background
2. Assessment Instruments
3. Student Summary
4. Session Plans 1, 2, 3. 
5. Final Summary
6. Parent, Teacher Letter