Letter to Ms. Doe

Dear Ms. Doe,

It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to work with Kevin over the past few months in the classroom. He is such an intuitive child and his insightful idea’s that he brings into the classroom creates not only an exciting learning experience for the class, but places a smile on the face of the students and myself. I have had the opportunity to work with Kevin a lot on a one on one basis, which has allowed me to recognize a lot of his academic strengths, and also areas that need some improvement. One of these areas that I feel Kevin could benefit from with further assistance is comprehension. I have noticed that while were engaging in discussion as a whole group, and the content (or objective) is explicitly administered to him, he has no difficulty what so ever providing his insight and inferences he has derived from the material. I have noticed that while reading to himself (during silent reading) he often becomes very frustrated and loses focus, and he is unable to retell or answer questions referring to the text just read. I took Kevin aside the other afternoon and had him read to me for 10 minutes. From this, I walked away understanding that he is having difficulty comprehending the text, which stems from his difficulty in decoding words. The more time he spends on difficult words while reading, will be less time spent to think about and relate to the text (which promotes comprehension). I intend on spending more time working with Kevin individually in the classroom, as I know he will overcome this small deficit in a matter of no time. I’m going to provide you with some ideas or methods that you can do with him at home that will require only about 30minutes a night. I’m going to send him home 3-4 books each week, that are at his appropriate reading level. Along with these books I will provide key vocabulary words that Kevin may have difficulty in reading. Start with the vocabulary words and do decoding strategies, such as analyzing the different sounds in the word (phonics). With your assistance, you can even create rhyming words (if appropriate or applicable) for Kevin, and this way the key words will resonate better, as he can associate it with another word that’s close. You can also let him give his definition or understanding to the word, making a web of ideas or other words (synonyms) that have the same meaning of the vocabulary word. If you have internet access at home, there is a plethora of phonics games online, which will also assist him in decoding unfamiliar words. After going over vocabulary words and using different strategies, read the book aloud to Kevin. Let him read along with you, using your finger to trace over each word. Place emphasis on the key vocabulary words. We can transition into him reading texts by himself, by having him read with the purpose of retelling certain key events or ideas in the story.

Kevin’s a very bright young man and I feel that if we use some of the strategies provided above, he will have no difficulty at all comprehending texts better. If you have any questions please let me know.

Mr. Knighten