The learning goal with which my students were least successful was LG1 as four of my LD students did not reach my stated target of 70% or above.  For this Learning Goal the student had to recognize plot, setting and character within text.  This meant that the students had to listen/read and comprehend the material being read.  Because of this, two reasons why my LDs did not reach my goal was -

- The students not being at grade level in reading.

- Because of not being able to read at grade level the comprehension was not there.

            To improve and enhance student performance in the future I would have more practice in reading comprehension.  This could be done by having students read short stories and retelling what they read while asking questions such as, Who were in the story? What is the story about? What happen in the story?  At first ask questions without using the words characters and plot as students may get submissive when hearing these terms.

            At reading time we do centers.  I looked at the school/classroom basal reader and identified the goals for this reading chapter.  The students were then divided into centers/groups.

o       3 Students in the listening center – Listen/read (Headphones & Basal Reader) the story of the week.

o       3 Students in Weekly Skills – a related activity such as subject and predicate, fact and opinion, words and definition etc.

o       3 Students on the Promethean Board – a related activity such Hang Mouse, matching words with definition or sentence scramble with the weekly words.

o       3 Students in DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) – These students get to go to the library and exchange their books and sit and read.

o       3 Students on the classroom computer; doing a reading activity.

o       3 Students in games.  It can be singular/plural, synonyms or antonyms etc.

o       6 Students sit with me (teacher) for the entire session (no rotation) for guided reading; fluency.

          We rotate once after 45 minutes, while the guided reading students stay with me (teacher) for the entire session (no rotation).  We would do this for 4 days so that each student could get a chance at each center.  At the end of the second rotation we would correct any homework assignment or play more reading activities quizzed and games on the Promethean Board.

          To maximize instructional time students were not allowed to talk at all times in centers or they cannot be up and walking around.  I would say, “One minute”, this is the cue for the student to pack up their area/center (not move yet) and be ready for rotation.  Then I will say, “Walk”, only then they can move to the next center and the same routine to go back to their seats.

          The most important detail when planning my lesson had to be including adaptations for all necessary students.  Adaptations included –

          For students with short attention span I could break up the length of time the student is expected to listen at any one time.  This kind of instruction is necessary as these students can become impatient or drift away when extensive listening is required.  In the lesson plan I inserted visualization techniques as compared to written assignments.  With visual techniques these students will not become bored and lose interest in what is being taught.  Wait time was given but careful monitoring of wait time as students could lose focus and no learning will take place.

          For students with learning disabilities, psychological disabilities and speech or hearing impairments, because of these students’ difficulties with focusing, concentrating, and completing work in a timely fashion, lesson was lengthen so as to provide extra time for the completion of assignments.  There was also the incorporation of visual aids into my teaching such as pictures, charts, graphs, films, and video and writing down of directions as I give them orally or even giving a print out of notes.  Additionally, during the lessons students were given adequate wait time to think and process information and producing an answer.

          Care also had to be taken with my high learners as they can get off task when I give wait time for my other students.  Other activities were provided for these students such as online related educational activities.  Also my high learners were allowed to peer tutor.  By peer tutoring, these students got to strengthen and streamline their concepts of the specific topic being taught.   

          According to an online article titled, Different Learning Styles (1996-2011), there are three major classifications of learning styles; Auditory, Visual and Tactile.

o       Auditory - these auditory learners gain the most knowledge from what they hear. Therefore, they should be encouraged to read aloud when they must comprehend something from a book

o       Visual – these learners retain knowledge best by what they see.  Visual learners also retain more knowledge from the use of charts, graphs, and spreadsheets than from oral lectures or other more auditory teaching aids. Computer programs and other types of visual aids can enhance their comprehension as well.

o       Tactile – these learners retain knowledge the best when they learn through hands on activities and move around while learning.  Therefore, it is more difficult for the tactile learner to retain knowledge by reading a textbook, either to themselves or aloud, than it is for other types of learners.

          My student fall into two groups (visual and tactile) because my students fall into one of or both of these classifications, I designed all of lesson plans with them in mind. 

          I would lecture for at most ten minutes so as keep my LDs focus then, we played online objective-related quizzes or games, such as BrainPop or FunBrain, so that the entire class could participate on the Promethean Board.