Joe has already done a very brief assessment of Ruben's comfort speaking English and he sees that Ruben is very comfortable expressing himself. Joe also knows that Ruben's teacher thinks he is doing well. These two facts lead Joe to believe this activity will be relatively easy for Ruben. He allows Ruben to "read" this book on his own. This will give Joe a good sense of his skill level with this activity.
Ruben: It's about a dog. I have a cat and a fish, but Mama says we can't have a dog. Dogs are a lot of work.
Joe: Maybe when you are older. The name of this book is Good Dog Carl. (Joe opens the first page of the book, pointing to the words and reads) Look after the baby, Carl. I'll be back shortly. Let's think about what this story is going to be about.
Ruben: Well, the mom is leaving and she tells the dog to watch the baby. A dog is going to be a babysitter? (Laughs. Then Ruben "reads" the story. He comments on how much fun the baby is having. He comes to the picture of the powder puff.) What's that thing?
Joe: Good question. When readers don't understand something, they stop and do just what you are doing — ask. Do you see the white stuff that's on the dog's nose? That's powder. The baby used the pink puff (pointing) to put it on the dog. Sometimes women put powder on their faces to make them look pretty. Does your mom do that?
Ruben: I like it when the baby rides on the dog — like a horse.
Joe: (Points to a picture where the dog is up on its back legs looking out the window.) What do you think the dog might be thinking?
Ruben: He's thinking Oh no, the mom's coming home! and everything's all a mess and the mom's going to be so mad. Look, the dog is fixing the bed.
Joe: You read the story very carefully. You noticed all the adventures the baby and Carl had together. Did you have a favorite part?
Ruben: (Thinks and nods.)
Joe: How about drawing that?
Joe fills out his recordkeeping form while Ruben draws. Ruben shows Joe his drawing. The dog is holding the baby in the fish tank.
Joe: You liked it when the baby was in the fish tank?
Ruben: Sometimes I watch my fish and wonder what it's like to swim in the bowl.
Joe: Will you write your name on the picture somewhere?
Joe wants to see how Ruben writes, and if he already knows how to form the letters in his own name. Ruben writes his name without difficulty and shows his work proudly to Joe.
Needs Assessment … What just happened?
The goal for this session was to gather some information about Ruben's ability to understand and communicate in English, and also find out about his understanding of story: how to tell one, how to handle a book, and how to interpret information such as pictures or the title.
During this session Joe learned that Ruben was able to:
- Tell Joe a little about what he likes in school
- Express his thoughts comfortably in English
- Make an immediate personal connection to the story by saying that he wants a dog
- Hold the book correctly and turn the pages in the right direction
- Tell the story based on the pictures, make insightful comments about the events in the story, and make accurate predictions
- Draw a picture representing one of the events in the story
- Write his name legibly
See Session 2: Reading a predictable book
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Date of Last Updated: 7/8/2004
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