Anthony is reading at an average level for a first grader. The basic assessments recently given to him show that he can comfortably read independently at a primer level . I cannot detect any major deficiencies that would keep him from working to further develop his reading skills.
I recommend the following to keep Anthony on track:
- The continued pursuit of reading material at a 1st grade level. Anthony loves basketball. Stories related to that are something he will enjoy.
- Diversifying his reading a bit by choosing more expository works. A few minutes every day reading the newspaper or a magazine should help to enhance his comprehension skills while also exposing him to a different form of writing than he is used to.
- Writing independently in a journal will help him to boost his writing skills, while reinforcing what he has gained by improving his reading. I will encourage Anthony to keep a notebook at home where he can write about the books (or other materials) he reads. He can also write about the things that he does daily, in particular his sports activities, as these are likely the things he would be most eager to write about (periodically, I will ask for his journal, review it, and post some of his writing samples in this portfolio).
The ideas above are all things Anthony can do independently, as that is likely how he is going to gain the most benefits.
In the classroom, I will make available books for him to read that will be challenging and interesting. During classroom discussions regarding our reading curriculum I will try to directly ask him detailed and probing questions in an effort to further sharpen his comprehension skills. Making him a leader when we split up to do group projects will help to push his level of competence, as he will be directly articulating his knowledge to his classmates. He will have to do this in a clear and detailed way, which should sharpen his understanding of the material.