Field Observation Evidence Report 1

TC NAME: Ashley Guile

RICA DOMAIN:  2  - Word Analysis

RICA COMPETENCY: Phonics

Grade Level: First Grade

INSTRUCTION:

            I observed Mrs. Burrows teaching a lesson on phonics.  The teacher showed large images and letter cards of words that end with the “at” sound.  The pictures and letter cards served as a visual support for all of the students, including EL’s.  She sounded out the words for the students, then isolated the ending sounds so that the students could hear that the sounds were the same.  She also pointed to her mouth as she said the “at” ending sound to show them the movement their mouths should be making.  She modeled saying the “at” ending at the end of the words, and emphasized the ending sound of each picture to show the sound relations.  These techniques were used to show the students tactile support for all students in the classroom.
                Mrs. Burrows modeled blending the ending “at” sound with different onset phonemes such as /h/, /b/, /c/, and /ch/.  She then had the students sound out some of the words with her as she held up the different images and letter cards, having them emphasize the “at” ending.  By showing the images, and prompting them to sort the phoneme from the ending sound, she provided scaffolding for blending sounds. 
                She then passed out puzzles, picture cards, and letter images showing different onset phonemes such as /b/, /h/, /ch/, and /c/, as well as cards and images showing the “at” ending.  She then had students work together to blend the phonemes with the “at” ending to create different words and match the words with the corresponding picture images.  This activity provided peer interaction and practice.  She then asked one group from each table to show her their word and picture match, and show her how they were able to put the word together and find the matching image. 

INSTRUCTIONAL SETTING:

                I observed that the instructional setting contained multiple supports for teaching and learning the phonemes and “at” ending: large written “at” on poster, alphabet posters, images with blended words and their spellings, large written examples, onset cards, ending sound cards, image cards, and cards with the blended word written for reference.