5th Grade Readingpen Case Study Observation

Date: Friday, May 6, 2005
Time: 2:15 to 3:10 p.m.

Teacher/Class: Cindy Thomas, Grade 5
School: Mastricola Upper Elementary School, Merrimack, NH

Observers: Cynthia Dunlap and John Richards

Class Activity Observed:

Students used the Readingpens on a vocabulary list from the story Last Days at Red Clay distributed by Cindy. She did not borrow any additional devices from her colleagues, so the students were partnered in teams, sharing the pens. First the students were required to find the vocabulary word in their text and note the page location (in some instances they needed to find the word a second time, because the first example located was hyphenated from the end of one line to the beginning of the next). Then the students scanned the word and used the sentence in the text to identify the part of speech and the correct definition. They wrote only the definition that matched the use in the sentence. Throughout the observation, while John was speaking with Cindy, I was able to answer questions about the ReadingPen features for some students, assist with scanning words that were posing challenges, and experiment with the students scanning words on patterned or pictured backgrounds.

Particularly the Grade 5 Language Arts anthology has many stories where the text narrative is overlaid upon the story illustrations. Stories in this particular text are proving challenging for the Readingpen’s scanning capacity. The students have also learned that scanning black text on a gray background is not always accurate.

Student Use:

Cindy mentioned that only a few, if any, of the students use either the earbuds or the trainer. None were observed using the “trainer” during the observation. Most all of the students were focused and worked very well independently with the ReadingPen. Most scanned the word they wanted accurately after the first or second time.

One student commented to John that the Readingpen was much better than using the “heavy” dictionary and a lot quicker!

The students, for the most part, were patient and polite sharing the devices. The students were using the pens appropriately throughout the observation.

(Please note: I have nine digital photos of the students engaged with the Readingpen in Cindy’s classroom. All photos are shot from behind the students – over their shoulder, so no faces are shown. These pictures were taken with the approval of the teacher, but should be cleared with the teacher/school before they are included in any marketing materials.)

Teacher Management/Logistics:

So far, no caps, trainers, or earphones have been misplaced. Due to the dynamics of her class this year, she has chosen not to let the students take the Readingpens home overnight.

The students know where the pens are kept and allowed to get one to use for an assignment at any time unless specifically told that the Readingpens will not be allowed for a certain activity. Cindy explained that the students use the Readingpens in a guided activity 3 to 4 times per week and some students use them independently on a daily basis.

Cindy has structured the use of the pens on an alternating basis, so on one vocabulary assignment half the class uses the Readingpens, the other half use the print dictionary, until the first half has finished and then they share their pen with someone using the print dictionary. The next assignment the roles are reversed. This arrangement seems to be working for her students.

The students love the technology and are aware that they are one of the few classrooms in the building with the devices. The students have shown great care of and respect for the devices within the classroom environment.

Curriculum Integration:

To date Cindy has experimented with the Readingpens in all the disciplines she teaches: language arts, math, and science. She specifically mentioned one ESL student who has benefited significantly from the use of the Readingpen. This student is no longer receiving direct services but continues to need vocabulary development. The Readingpen has been a valuable support strategy for her.

Cindy described a science unit on “Magnets and Motors” the class recently studied and she was pleasantly surprised that all of her vocabulary words, except bar magnet and horseshoe magnet, were included in the dictionary in the Basic version of the Readingpen. In addition to single words, many phrases are included in the Readingpen dictionary.

Cindy teaches another class for science each day, while her teaching team partner teaches her class social studies. She has tried the Readingpens with this second science class with good success as well. Since they are less experienced, they have experienced more challenges with scanning accurately.

Although Cindy does not have SSR (silent sustained reading) daily, on the days when they do, the students are welcome and encouraged to use the Readingpens to assist with comprehension.

Teacher Observations/Comments:

While I was walking around the room, taking photos, interacting with and observing the students, Cindy and John spent considerable time discussing the activities and impressions that Cindy has regarding the use of the Readingpens in her classroom. John’s notes should be incorporated into this observation report.

Parent Comments:

Cindy has not received any feedback from parents to date regarding the use of the Readingpens by their child.

General Comments:

The next visit we will schedule the observation such that we may conduct a “mini focus group” with the students to obtain their input, thoughts, and suggestions. This would last for 20 to 25 minutes.