On day 2 of my observation I was allotted more time with my student. I worked with him on his writing skills to help prepare him for the approaching state examination. We haven't gotten into writing the story yet, as the teacher requested that I help him improve in certain areas of weakness. Ultimately this will help the student on the test and it will help him when we get to writing the story.
A major area of weakness for my student was recalling facts and reading comprehension. The class read a passage aloud and then each of the students had to answer the corresponding questions. The activity was somewhat of a continuation of activities that took place during day 1 of my observation.
When I was working with the student on his comprehension skills I advised him to read the questions before reading the passages. This is a basic technique that I have always found helpful. Some teachers advise against it, but I feel think that it makes the story an easier read once you know exactly what you're looking for. I noticed a slight improvement in the student's scores when he started employing this technique. Developing these comprehension skills are important it's a major part of the state test, but it will also be a part of the story that he will write. I plan on having him put together a set of questions upon concluding his story. If my student has a better grasp of the goal of comprehension questions and how to answer them, it will allow him to put together a set than can properly gauge reader retention.
As for the assignment, the teacher has told me that I will be able to focus strictly on my assignment once the class has completed the state exam.
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