Meet Rubielys!
Meet Rubielys, a sassy, go getting, hard working seven year old, with a strong love for learning. Like many of the other students in her class, Rubielys speaks Spanish at home and learns English at school. And although English is her second language, she never lets this deter her. She is always an eager participant in class, raising her hand to answer questions and make connections. Doing this has helped her practice her vocabulary, and work on speaking with fluency. Because she is more outgoing and fearless than some of her other classmates, she has ample opportunities to practice her English without reservations. This helps boost her confidence academically, and gives her more practice than some of her classmates.
As a student Rubielys is always eager to learn and try new things. She is naturally curious, and tenacious, and does well applying herself. She does sometimes get frustrated and break down when things do not go her way, or when she becomes overwhelmed, but she can typically bounce back. Her desire to learn manifests itself through her ability to apply what she learns during the lessons in her own work. A good example of this is in her writing. When trying to spell words she stretches the word out and sounds out each letter, writes it down, and then continues to sound out the rest of the word. In math we taught drawing circles as an addition strategy, and she now uses this consistently as a strategy to add. Her ability to pick up a strategy, apply it correctly, and consistently practice it helps her access new and challenging material.
In literacy related activities I’ve noticed that she exhibits certain common characteristics that you may see in English Language Learners. She sometimes struggles to get her ideas across, because she does not yet have vocabulary or know the correct grammar. She may ramble as she searches for words in her head, and does the same thing in her writing. This has placed her slightly below grade level in reading, but as her English improves so will her reading and writing.
In Math Rubielys is quite strong. Once again, her ability to pay attention and participate on the rug carries over into her independent work. She does a great job at applying a technique and using it successfully. When she is confused she is not afraid to ask questions and seek extra help. She is on grade level in math and can even assist peers who may need extra help.
Socially, Rubielys does have some difficulties with her peers. She likes to be in charge and has trouble sharing and working cooperatively with peers. During whole group work she often gets overwhelmed and feels frustrated without enough attention. During certain whole group activities like Fundations, we realized it would be best for her to sit at a seat by herself, so she had space from her table-mates. Giving her space helps her to concentrate on herself and her work, and not on her neighbors. Similarly, she has trouble taking a direction she may not want to follow. This can result in a breakdown, but by the next day she is back and ready to learn and try again.
Rubielys was a joy to teach throughout the year. It was wonderful to see how excited and eager she was to learn new things. As a teacher it was fun to see her change and push herself, and watch her become an enthusiastic and responsible member of our classroom community. I know her bubbly and outgoing attitude will help her go far in her life, and it has been a pleasure to see her grow.
Rubielys’ assessment on the President of the United States
Some of Rubielys’ writing from the beginning of the year. Watch her read her work below.
Rubielys’ opinion writing about snow. She did a great job tapping out words to help her spell. She also added transition words and multiple reasons, as well as a hook. She did a great job learning about the components of opinion writing and then applying them in her final assessment. 
