Assignment -
IRA Case Study: Standard 2.1, Curriculum & Development Mr. Edwards's Class-Grouping Strategies
IRA Standard 2.1
Below is a class profile of students' reading levels from Mr. Edwards's fourth grade classroom. There are also some activities that take place during his reading/language arts block, and a few challenges faced by Mr. Edwards in reaching all of his students. From the information provided below, describe how you would structure and arrange groups in this classroom during the reading/language arts block. Be sure to include a rationale for your grouping options that includes an appropriate purpose in placing the students within those groups during literacy instruction.
There are 28 students in Mr. Edwards' classroom-17 boys and 11 girls. For instructional purposes, five are reading at or above grade level, with most slightly below (at third grade level). There are five ESOL students in the class-three arrived one year ago and are reading at a high second grade level in English, and two arrived at the beginning of this school year, now reading at a pre-primer level in English. The ESOL students were assessed for reading proficiency in their native language, and only one read below a fourth grade level in his first language. Mr. Edwards is ESOL endorsed and therefore is considered qualified to teach ESOL students all subjects, including literacy and language.
Most of the students have enjoyed the daily reading/language arts block. The ESOL students read slowly, but those reading at a high second grade level can now blend sounds and are beginning to show proficiency in the English phoneme/grapheme system. Those reading at the pre-primer level do not like to read aloud and become embarrassed when they come to words they cannot pronounce. The students love to work on the six computers available in the class during reading/language arts time and often are slow to stop their work on the computers when asked to wrap things up and return to their desks.
Pedro is a brilliant student who has strong comprehension and quickly answers questions; however, most of the time Pedro is uninspired. He does not do his work and becomes disruptive. He seems to be affected by his parents' divorce and most recently the death of his biological father. Due to his interruptive behaviors, Pedro's desk is beside the teacher's desk, and he sits apart from the other groups in class.
Other challenges Mr. Edwards faces with this class of students is making enough time to meet with those who are below grade level, specifically the ESOL students who need targeted language and reading instruction, while still keeping his stronger readers engaged and on task, as well as meeting regularly with a co-teacher to plan for instruction. A co-teacher does come in to assist with reading/language arts instruction. The other is addressing the many reading skills that will maximize comprehension and fluency skills, such as vocabulary, spelling, writing, and word work within the 2-hour reading/language arts block. Engaging all students continues to be a challenge in this classroom.
Note: you must include citations, best practices, and research to validate and justify your response. There is no one right answer. Use the knowledge you have gained in the program to best respond.
No word limit but would like two pages.