OTSMA

 I performed an over the shoulder miscue analysis with a first grade boy.  We read the book The mouse and the Fox, a short story for on level readers from a previous curriculum the school had used.  It was very repetitive and included many short words that followed the journey of a mouse through the forest as he tried to outrun the fox.  Overall it was very informative to listen to him read.  One on one was a great opportunity to evaluate how he was doing as an individual reader.  I was able to gage what kind of reading strategies he used when he was struggling with a word and watch him work through words he struggled with.  Beyond this I was able to evaluate his reading fluency and his read aloud skills.  Did he pause after a period? Did his voice fluctuate properly with the story? 

            After asking him to retell the story back to me I was able to observe how well he was able to comprehend the story. Was he able to recite back main events? Did he remember details? Did he remember them accurately? From here, as a teacher you can evaluate how well he was able to actually understand what he was reading.  After looking at how many miscues the reader had and what kind of miscues you can better assess the reader and what kind of literature they should be reading and exposed to daily. 

            However, as a flourishing reader it is important to stay motivated.  This particular student was already an excited reader but for those who do not enjoy reading as much it is important to give them choice in their reading and allow them to read about things that they are interested in.  If they are more interested in the selection for the miscue they may be a more or less actively engaged reader than usual.

            Next time I perform an over the shoulder I want to be more prepared with what I will be reading to them.  I think it would be beneficial to have tried to locate difficult words before having him read so that I could be sure to observe how he problem solved.  I think having prepared questions to ask him about what specific reading strategies he thought he was using would be beneficial.  Although it takes time to do this with each student I think that it is a great way to individually assess how your students are progressing as readers.  Some readers can become content with reading their on level books and books that are too easy for them.  Through the over the shoulder you can even quickly evaluate that they perhaps need to be reading more challenging books and then suggest works to them accordingly.