Instructional Inquiry Project

Hali Plummer andReilly CondidorioCurriculum 511Dr. PeckSpring 2013

A Description of the community and its demographics:Victor is a town in Ontario County in western New York. Victor lies on the edge

of Monroe County. Due to Victor falling in Ontario County it’s in the Finger Lakes area. It has a “small town feel” with big city surroundings. Victor, as a town, provides residents with recreational programs and events, parks, hiking trails, golf courses, shopping, and dining opportunities. Examples of some of these entertaining opportunities are: The Eastview Mall, Olive Garden, Bonefish Grill, Giovanni’s Ristorante, Ravenwood and Cobblestone Creek Golf Courses, Maryfrances Bluebird Park, Fishers Park, and Lehigh Crossing Park.

We found some literacy related areas that Victor’s community produces. Some newspapers and magazines in this area include: The Canandaigua Daily Messenger, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, the Victor Post and The Shopping News. The Victor Voice Newsletter is available three times a year, and issues are available online. Victor’s Public Library is a source of literacy for the community as well. It offers more than just a selection of resources. Some activities that are offered are; Hang Around Victor Day Book Sale, Be a Star…Buy a Book for the Library, School Break Activities, Booked for the Evening Book Discussions, and Winter/Spring Story Times. Each of these are described and printed in the town’s newsletter and advertised in the Library (See Appendix B). While driving through the town of Victor there is an abundance of environmental print. Examples of these are road signs, small and large business signs, print on vehicles, and welcome signs around the town.

Victor is divided into two sections: the town and the village. Each section has its own demographics provided by the Census Bureau. There are multiple areas included in the demographics. The areas that we chose to focus on are: total population, race, school enrollment, languages spoken, employment, and income. According to 2010 U.S. Census Bureau, Victor’s total population of the town is 14,275 people. Out of this total number 815 people are under the age of 5. Also, based on this total number of 14,275 people there were multiple race populations involved:

•White 95.1%•Asian 2.3%•Hispanic/Latino 1.9%•Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0%•American Indian and Alaska Native .2%•Black or African American .8%•Some other race .4%

Within these multiple race populations there are multiple languages spoken in the home. The population of children over the age of 5 is 12,559. Based on this total 95.1% of people speak English only. There are then a total of 621 people that speak a language different than English:

•Spanish 1.1%•other Indo-European languages 3.2%•Asian and Pacific Islander languages .6%•other languages 0%

The total number of people, in the town of Victor, over the age of 16 that are employed is 10,131. For income and benefits the 2010 Census Bureau took the total income of 5,224 households. This total number includes various income and benefits per year:

•Less than $10,000, 1.5%•$10,000-$14,999, 1.8%•$15,000-$24,999, 4.6%•$25,000-$34,999, 8.1%•$35,000-$49,999, 11.9%•$50,000-$74,999, 18.2%•$75,000-$99,000, 12.3%•$100,000-$149,999, 21.7%•$150,000-$199,999, 8.7%•$200,000 or more, 11.2%

Based on analyzing Victors Early Childhood Education Center we looked at the school enrollment of early childhood students. The total population that is enrolled in school over the age of 3 is 3,909. The number of children enrolled in nursery school and preschool is 317 which is 8.1%. Also, the number of children enrolled in Kindergarten is 199 which is 5.1%.

Again, according to 2010 U.S. Census Bureau, Victor’s village total population is 2,696 people. Out of this total number 160 people are under the age of 5. Also, based on this total number of 2,696 people there were multiple race populations involved:

•White 96.4%•Asian .9%•Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0%•American Indian and Alaska Native .3%•Black or African American .3%•Hispanic/Latino 1.9%•Some other race .3%

Within these multiple race populations there are multiple languages spoken in the home. The total number of people 5 years and over is 2,495. Based on this total 96.3% people speak English only. There are then a total of 93 people that speak languages other than English:

•Spanish .9%•Other Indo-European languages 2.5%•Asian and Pacific Islander languages .3%•Other languages 0%

The total number of people employed in the Town of Victor over the age of 16 is 2,059. The 2010 Census Bureau took the income and benefits of 1,079 households. This total number includes various income and benefits per year:

•Less than $10,000, 3.9%•$10,000-$14,999, 4.4%•$15,000-$24,999, 5.7%•$25,000-$34,999, 9.5%•$35,000-$49,999, 13.8%•$50,000-$74,999, 22.6%•$75,000-$99,000, 12.6%•$100,000-$149,999, 18.8%•$150,000-$199,999, 4.3%•$200,000 or more, 4.3%

Based on analyzing Victors Early Childhood Education Center we looked at the school enrollment of early childhood students. The total population that is enrolled in school over the age of 3 is 820. The children enrolled in nursery school and preschool is 6.7% of that total and the children enrolled in Kindergarten is 2% of that total.

A Description of the school and its demographics:Based on Victor being an extremely large community filled with members in both

the town and village, it is safe to say that Victor’s School District will be quite large. The Victor School District is comprised of five different school buildings on one campus. Victor Senior High School is home to more than 1,300 students in grades 9-12 and employs approximately 121 staff members throughout the building. Students at the High School are offered more than 120 courses in ten different academic departments. Victor Junior High School has more than 600 students and approximately 70 staff members to walk their hallways each day for the grades of 7-8. The Junior High is based on three instructional teams. Each team provides instruction in the core subject areas of language arts, social studies, math, and science. Victor Intermediate School consists of over 850 students in grades 4-6 and has more than 90 staff members. Victor Primary School includes students in Kindergarten through third grade with approximately 900 students. There are100 staff members that are committed to providing the best possible education and environment for students. The staff at the primary school use a developmental approach to learning, teachers make decisions in the classroom based upon their knowledge and understanding of child development.

The last building, and the building we will be focusing our instructional inquiry on, is Victor’s Early Childhood Education Center. This Early Childhood Center consists of four first grade classes, thirteen Kindergarten classes, six half-day Universal Pre-Kindergarten classes and two Good Start classes. There are approximately 500 children within the center and about 50 staff members throughout. The schedule throughout this building is morning Pre-K classes: 9:15 a.m.-11:45 a.m., afternoon Pre-K classes: 12:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m., and Kindergarten and first grade: 8:50 a.m.-3:05 p.m. Since this Early Childhood Center is the first stop to a child’s education it can be said to be the basis and most important start to the success and future for each child. To assure that each child has ample opportunities to be successful, the Early Childhood Education Center offers a wide variety of programs to meet individual needs and maximize student learning.

As stated above, Victor’s Early Childhood Education Center holds approximately 500 students (in Pre-Kindergarten-First grade). The average class size within the school is 20 students. Based on the center’s report card and demographics there is a 94% annual attendance rate. With the large amount of students attending this school there is 12% eligibility for free or reduced lunch. Based on the approximated 500 students the demographics include:

•88% white•4% Asian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander•3% American Indian or Alaskan Native•2% Hispanic or Latino•2% Black or African American

These are the demographic rates for only one out of the five-school buildings within Victor’s School District. As a whole school community, there are approximately 4,150 students and 431 staff members.

Relationship between the community and Early Childhood Education Center demographics:

After researching the demographics of Victor’s community as a whole and Victor’s Early Childhood Education Center we saw that there were direct relationships between the two. The most direct relationship shown we feel was race. Based on the schools race 88% of students were white. Overall for the community (town and village) the total population is 16,971 people. Out of this total number for the community 16,170 people are white. This leaves 801 people to be a difference race. The next largest race within the center was Asian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander at 4%. This is also true throughout the community with a total number of 354 people. Based on the other three races within the school it shows that American Indian or Alaskan Native (3%), Hispanic or Latino (2%), and Black or African American (2%) in this order. Throughout the community there is a significantly larger amount of Hispanic or Latino population (318 people), rather than American Indian or Alaskan Native (38 people) and Black or African American (126 people). The reason for this could be that those in this population haven’t had children yet or are a lot older and their children already went through the school district.

Due to the Census Bureau analyzing the income and benefits rate by dollar amounts it was easier to see the majority of low, middle, and high-class households in Victor. The majority of the 6,303 households that were accounted for were in middle to high class. Therefore, looking at the 500 students in The Early Childhood Education Center there is a 12% student eligibility for free or reduced lunch. Out of 100 students, 12 students will be eligible for free or reduced lunch within the building. In total, out of 500 students only 60 students are eligible for free or reduced lunches.

Looking at the Census Bureau, the total number of students enrolled in nursery school, preschool, and Kindergarten is 587 and the school enrollment is approximately 500. This allowed us to account for most of the children of school age in the community. Overall, we felt based on what we know about the Early Childhood Education Center demographics and Victor’s community demographics that there is a direct correlation between the two in more ways than one.

The literacy instruction methods:The Victor Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) does not base instruction

from a set literacy program or basal reader. They use several different literacy programs to focus their instruction. The first program that they use is Handwriting Without Tears. Handwriting Without Tears is a program used to allow students an easy, non-stressful way, to master the fine motor skill of handwriting. This is used in all grade levels at the ECEC. Teachers model how to form letters and student learn designated language that is consistent throughout the program. When students get into Kindergarten they have a handwriting book that they use daily for letter formation practice.

Fundations is another program that Victor uses for Kindergarten and first grade. “Wilson Fundations for K-3 is a phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling

program for the general education classroom” ("Fundations: Wilson language," 2005). Fundations uses a thirty minute Language Arts lesson each day. The lessons focus on “print knowledge, alphabet awareness, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and spelling. Critical thinking, speaking and listening skills are practiced during story time activities.” There is also a small group aspect of the program that allows for differentiation.

The final program that Victor Early Childhood Education Center bases instruction on is Lucy Calkin’s Units of Study. This particular program is created for grades Kindergarten through second grade. The series includes books and CDs. This program uses a writing workshop method of writing instruction. There are seven different units that last from four to six weeks. The books will help teachers “plan goals, mini-lessons, and shares for that unit”. There is also a Conferring handbook that offers support for conferring with children. There are resources and printable forms on the CD for more support with writing.

Literacy Assessments:In the Early Childhood Education Center teachers use Aimsweb as an assessment

tool. “Aimsweb is the leading assessment and RTI solution in school today—a complete web-based solution for universal screening, progress monitoring, and data management for Grades K-12. Aimsweb provides guidance to administrators and teachers based on accurate, continuous, and direct student assessment” (Aimsweb, 2012). Victor Early Childhood Education Center hires a professional to pull students out of their classroom for one on one assessment. Each child is assessed once in early Fall and another time in late Spring.

In the Pre-Kindergarten classrooms, the teachers created their own assessment based on the Common Core State Standards (See Appendix C) and their expectations for their children. This assessment includes knowledge of letters, letter sounds, numbers, shapes, colors, fine motor skills, concepts of print, social and emotional skills and self-help skills. The teachers administer this assessment in November, March and June. Children are assessed one on one by the teacher in the classroom. See Appendix D for student examples of assessment samples.

Summary of observations and interviews:Mrs. Condidorio is a kind and caring teacher who loves her students. She is

enthusiastic about teaching and you can tell that she is passionate about what she does. There is a full time aide in the classroom to assist Mrs. Condidorio. The classroom that she is in is temporary during the expansion of the Early Childhood Education Center. Although the classroom is on the small side, her classroom next year will be new. The classroom is brightly decorated with environmental print on the walls and shelves. The main focus of the classroom is the carpet and calendar wall. The carpet is bright and inviting as well as the display around the calendar. The children sit at tables that are sized for children their age. Each child has a cubby and a mailbox to put their belongings. There is a sink and cupboards throughout.

Through interviews (See Appendix E) and observations we were able to get a grasp on the way that Mrs. Condidorio runs her classroom. She discussed the diverse aspects of her classroom with us. We talked about her methods of home to school

connections and how effective she feels they are. She explained her assessment methods and how she conducts them in the classroom. We also asked her about her teacher created curriculum and its characteristics. The Common Core State Standards were briefly discussed and how her curriculum aligns with them. We also interviewed Mrs. Condidorio’s aide, Mrs. Stimmel (See Appendix F). She lives in the Victor community and has a daughter in the Victor school district. We were able to get a perspective from a community member and the aspects of literacy that she sees throughout the community.

Literacy instruction methods, materials, grouping, goals, and expectations:We are focusing in on one Universal Pre-Kindergarten classroom located in the

Early Childhood Education Center. The teacher in this classroom is Mrs. Condidorio. We were able to interview, participate in multiple conversations, and observe Mrs. Condidorio teach her students. In addition to the previously explained school-wide literacy instructional methods, Mrs. Condidorio also uses the help and expertise from Katie Wood Ray’s mentor textbook, Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten. Mrs. Condidorio describes this textbook as a “great resource to help young students with words and writing.” She uses this as a beginning guide to get her students to start thinking about the basis of words so they will eventually read and write consecutively.

Along with this literacy instructional methods are the materials to go with them. The literacy materials Mrs. Condidorio uses are: authentic texts (both fiction and non-fiction), charted poems, big books, read aloud, and the materials used in the Handwriting Without Tears program. The materials used for Handwriting Without Tears program are chalkboards, wooden pieces, and blue mats. The teacher models using large wooden pieces to form letters. The children have their own wooden pieces and a blue mat to model the formation of the letters. Some days Mrs. Condidorio models the letter and the children each have their own chalkboard to practice writing the letter. They use common language for each letter such as big curve, small curve, big line, and little line. Mrs. Condidorio tries to use charted poems as much as possible to help solidify lessons being taught due to their easy, simple, and possibly repetitive, rhyming words.

Mrs. Condidorio uses multiple types of instruction. Whole group instruction, small group instruction, and individual play are all used daily. The way the small groups are formed is based on the students’ needs. Students who need similar instructional needs and/or extended needs are grouped together. These groupings are done on a daily basis by Mrs. Condidorio. The half day in Pre-Kindergarten is two and a half hours. Forty five minutes a day is dedicated to whole group instruction. This includes calendar routine, phonics lessons, math instruction, read alouds, and shared reading. Approximately thirty

minutes a day is dedicated to small group instruction during center time. Children are exposed to a variety of activities during this time such as fine motor activities, crafts, listening centers, and writing centers. Children have opportunity throughout the day for individual time during centers for play. During this time areas such as housekeeping, blocks, puzzles, art, reading, and sand table are open for children to choose from.

Mrs. Condidorio has been teaching at the Early Childhood level at Victor for 17 years and has been able to create positive and appropriate goals and expectations for her Pre-Kindergarten students. Her main goals and expectations will be that children will recognize the letters of the alphabet and the sounds linked to each letter. She also hopes that children master early concepts of print. Lastly, she attempts to have children recognize numbers and shapes before entering Kindergarten.

Home to school Connections:In this Pre-Kindergarten classroom, constant communication is kept between

school and home. A weekly newsletter (See Appendix G) is sent home that includes the activities and themes for the upcoming week. The newsletter also includes ideas for activities for parents to do at home. The teacher keeps contact through email and phone messages when needed. The half-day program does not include transportation; therefore the teacher is able to speak with many parents on a daily basis. Literacy take home bags are used for students to differentiate instruction. It provides parents with a model for learning activities. Six or seven times in the school year, each child participates in a thematic take home activity. One student takes it at a time and brings it back to share with the class. This includes listening, writing, and speaking skills.

An analysis of texts that teacher and students read, talked about, wrote about, or listened to throughout an extended time (3-5 days):

On a typical week in Mrs. Condidorio’s Pre-Kindergarten classroom students are introduced to both fiction and non-fiction texts based on a weekly theme. We were able to observe Mrs. Condidorio during the five senses week. Each day students were introduced to a new sense during shared reading. Mrs. Condidorio chose to use a series of books throughout the week by the same author. The books by Dana Meachen Rau used were: Shhhh: A Book About Hearing, Look! A Book About Sight, Soft and Smooth, Rough and Bumpy: A Book About Touch, Sniff, Sniff: A Book About Smell, Yum! A Book About Taste. In addition to these texts, during shared reading Mrs. Condidorio adds her teacher created texts and charted poems. The charted poem for the five-sense week was:

5 senses, 5 senses.We have them. We have them.

Hearing, seeing, touching,tasting, and smelling.

There are five. There are five.

Following shared reading at the end of this themed week was follow-up sense writing piece. Students write the word of something that smells good to them and draw a picture.

Suggestions:Based on the information we collected, classroom observations, and interviews

we feel that Mrs. Condidorio’s Pre-Kindergarten classroom is a nurturing environment for literacy. Her classroom is specific to the age of her children and the time that they spend in the classroom each day. We thought of a few suggestions that Mrs. Condidorio could incorporate into her classroom that would enhance the literacy instruction for her students. Although we understand that a writer’s workshop would be difficult to run in her classroom, it could be very beneficial for her children. While four year old children don’t all have the fine motor skills to write, this type of structured program could allow them more opportunities as writers. We feel that including more individual instruction would allow Mrs. Condidorio to differentiate for students with a variety of needs. These needs could range from gripping a pencil, to writing more formal sentences.

Mrs. Condidorio expressed her lack of differentiation for more advanced children. She differentiates most of her instruction for children that have more needs. We feel that if she could find the time to differentiate for advanced learners, this could allow them to grasp more advanced literacy skills, preparing them for Kindergarten. We suggest that one day a week Mrs. Condidorio allows her classroom aid to run an academic center while she works one on one with more advanced learners.

The teacher created curriculum used in Pre-Kindergarten is based on thematic units. The Pre-Kindergarten teachers created this curriculum based on the needs of their students and the Common Core State Standards. Although we didn’t find flaws in what is being taught, we thought that a more structured curriculum could be valuable. A program such as the Café model by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (2009) would provide more stability in the classroom. This program would “provide a structure for conferring, a language for talking about reading development, and a system for tracking growth and fostering student independence” (p. 5). As time is of the essence in half day Pre-Kindergarten classrooms, we don’t suggest that Mrs. Condidorio follow the Café model in entirety. Rather, we recommend that she borrow bits and pieces such as the conferring notebook, the whole group instruction and strategy groups.

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix C continued

Interview with Cris Condidorio on March 20, 2013

What is the diverse composition of your classroom?o I have academically strong and secure students to students struggling with

early academics. Some children that are very socially capable and others who are on the autism spectrum who benefit from continued support to interact socially. I don’t have a very culturally diverse classroom. 98% percent of the children are white and in a medium to high SES.

How do you communicate with parents and is it effective?o I see most parents daily because our school does not provide

transportation for Pre-School students. I am able to provide immediate information regarding behavior and social acclamation. I send a weekly newsletter that explains our curriculum and weekly plans. I conference with parents three times a year to give specific academic information regarding their children’s growth and development. I keep an open line of communication through emails, phone calls, and publishing my home phone number to address all questions and concerns from parents. I find that my methods of communication are highly effective.

What is the biggest issue or difficulty that you have with giving assessments?o Finding time to assess children individually is difficult within a school

day. Most Pre-school assessments must be done individually and because of the nature of the assessments the teacher is removed from teaching the whole group.

What are the different forms of assessment that you use? (formal vs. informal)

o The children are given the Dial 4 assessment by a school representative early and late in the school year. I use a teacher developed checklist of early academic and social skills observed through informal observations and teacher created assessments.

o I assess students monthly on fine motor skills, letter recognition, number recognition and shape recognition. These assessments go into a portfolio that is given to the parents at the end of the year.

How have you had to change your lesson plans & instruction to meet new state/national changes (APPR or common core)?

o Common core standards mandated that we teach personal/social information such as address, phone number, parent’s names, etc. We have added that to our curriculum.

What curriculum programs does your school use? Do you follow it? Are you enforced to?

o Our curriculum was created by the school and our teachers. We also use Handwriting without Tears. There is no enforcement of curriculum; teachers are trusted to use their professional judgment regarding instruction.

Do you collaborate with other teachers in your school/district? How frequently? In what context?

Appendix D Appendix E

o I meet with our Pre-Kindergarten team weekly to plan lessons and group activities. Informal daily meetings keep ensure that our team is covering the same basic information in our lessons.

Appendix E continued

Informal Interview with community member, Katy Stimmel on March 20, 2013:

1. How long have you lived in Victor?-I have lived in Victor for two and a half years.

2. Do you have children in the Victor school district?-I have a daughter who is in fifth grade at Victor Intermediate School.

3. How well does Victor School communicate with you as a parent? Do you think that there is enough home-to-school connections?-I believe that the school district works effectively in communicating with parents. They are very attentive and caring toward parents. A line of communication is kept through both phone and email.

4. How long have you worked in the school district?-I have worked here for two and a half years.

5. Do you think that Victor’s community promotes literacy for young children? Why?-I know that the library offers many programs for children of the community to engage in.

6. Do you see a difference from where you used to live or other places you have visited?-I feel that this environment is very similar to the town where I previously lived.

7. How do you think the Eastview Mall affects the Victor community? Either positively or negatively.-I have never thought about how it affects our community. I guess I would say that it affects us in a positive way. It brings new people to our community. Besides the mall we have a lot of store and restaurants that attracts people.

8. Have you visited the Victor public library? Do you think that the library has adequate resources and books for the size of the community? How well does the library interact with the community? Do they promote special activities or nights for community member?-I have been to the Victor Free Library. Although I have yet to participate in the events, I know that the library hosts book sharing and children’s events for the community. I do feel that the library is quite small for the size of the community. The library has an interlibrary loan system that shares books with other libraries. I have always been able to find a book from another library if our library doesn’t have it.

9. Do you know if the school district libraries connect with the public library?-I don’t know if the two connect but I don’t think so. I know that the ECEC library is expanding within the next year.

Appendix F

Appendix G

References

Aimsweb. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.aimsweb.com

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The cafe book: Engaging all students in daily literacy    assessment & instruction. Portland, Maine; Markham, Ontario: Stenhouse Publishers, Pembroke Publishers.

Calkins, L. (n.d.). Lucy calkins & colleagues from the reading and writing project.Retrieved from http://www.unitsofstudy.com

Condidorio, C. (2013, March 20). Interview by R.A. Condidorio [Personal Interview].Instructional inquiry teacher interview., Victor, NY.

Fundations: Wilson language basics for k-3. (2005). Retrieved fromhttp://www.fundations.com

Handwriting without tears. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.hwtears.com/hwt

Stimmel, K. (2013, March 20). Interview by R.A. Condidorio [Personal Interview].Instructional inquiry community member interview., Victor, NY.

United states census bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/

Victor central school district . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.victorschools.org

Victor new york. (1997). Retrieved from http://www.victorny.org

Victor free library happenings. (n.d.) Retrieved from victorfreelibrary.blogspot.com