Jessi Towne

EDUG 547
October 5, 2015
Appendix P
RICA Reflection
Competency 4: Concepts About Print, Letter Recognition, and the Alphabetic Principle
TPE Connection 1.3: Candidates create a print-rich environment where students learn to read
and write, comprehend and compose, appreciate and analyze, and perform and enjoy the
language arts.
A. Definition In your own words state your understanding of this competency.
This competency is all about familiarity with English language print, recognizing upper
and lower case letters, and comprehending that English speech sounds are letters.
B. Personal Connection/Evidence Describe ways that you have engaged with this
competency which illustrate you know how to implement it.
a. In other words, indicate events/activities in which you have engaged which are
directly related to this RICA competency both in the Reading/Literacy course
and aside from this course. In this section, take ownership with words such as
the following: It has been my experienceThe lesson I created entitledis an
example of this RICA competencyI have observed Reflect on how your
understanding of this competency is connected to TPEs. How is it important to
your teaching and your students learning?
Although my tutees are in 3rd and 4th grade, their reading and writing levels are not up
to their grade standards because they are a few of the low-performing students in their
class in those areas, which is why they need tutoring. Both of my tutees have a pretty
good grip about concept of print and letter recognition, but they both struggle when it
comes to the alphabetic principle. For students that are low-performing in reading and
writing, this concept is difficult. One of the ways I have tried to help them was by
assessing their knowledge with the Phonics and Decoding and Phonemic Awareness
assessments. This helped me to know where they were at and how to best help them
to gain English literacy. When I tested my tutees, the 3rd grade girl seemed more
knowledgeable than the 4th grade boy about words and sounds. This meant I had to
work more in depth with the boy to make sure he was getting better at recognizing
sounds of letters in words. The TPE I connected this competency to was 1.3,
Candidates create a print-rich environment where students learn to read and write,
comprehend and compose, appreciate and analyze, and perform and enjoy the
language arts (Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), 2013). I am trying to do
the best I can in getting my tutees closer to the overall goal of literacy of the English
language. I do not want them to just simply know the English language artsI want
them to love it and enjoy learning.

C. Differentiation
a. Describe at least three examples of when and why to use particular strategies
with a student need.
i. If a student struggles with recognizing upper and lowercase letters, then I
will provide instruction that compares, contrasts, and identifies lower and
uppercase letters.
ii. If a student struggles with connecting letters and their corresponding
sounds, then I will provide instruction to guide the student in making that
connection.
iii. If a student struggles with the basic principles of print and how letters,
sentences, and words are intertwined with language, I will provide
instruction on how to make those connections.
D. Text-To-Text
a. Reference a minimum of one reference mentioned in the reflection.
TPE 1.3 talks about creating a learning environment where students know how to
accurately read and write and and have a love for the language arts (CTC, 2013).