Field Observation Report #3

Rachel Ross 

RICA Domain: 3- Fluency

RICA Competency: Role in Reading Development and Factors That Affect Their Development

Grade Level: 4^th and 5^th Grade

Any Additional Descriptions: Combination class

Instruction

Mr. Serafin spends 20 minutes everyday reading aloud to the students.  The Read Aloud usually takes place right after lunch.  He reads different novels throughout the year and the students do not follow along in their own book, they only listen.  The class started the school year reading the book, Maniac McGee.  He chooses high-quality novels that are the appropriate academic level.  As he reads, Mr. Serafin demonstrates enthusiasm, expression, and volume to transmit the message of the story.  He also demonstrates proper pacing for the students by reading at a consistent pace and pausing at the appropriate places.  During the reading, he stops sometimes to ask the class a comprehension question to make sure they understand what they are hearing.  He asks questions like, “Why didn’t he want to go back to the park?” to keep students engaged and make them think about the story.  Mr. Serafin also takes an occasional break when he comes across a vocabulary word.  He’ll tell the students about the context cues and the definition of the word. 

Instructional Setting

The daily Read Aloud time supports the teaching of the concepts about print. The students learn the relationship between written and spoken language; that the printed words transmit meaning and tell a story.  Students learn concepts about word boundaries and expressions when they listen to a reading because the teacher pauses after each sentence and expresses the ending punctuation of each sentence.