LEARN NC

people reading on benches

Ongoing assessment for reading

By Jeanne Gunther

1.9 Practice story

Ready to practice?

Print out the following story and have a blank piece of paper or a blank running record form ready. Use the sound clip below to practice taking a running record of this child’s reading. First, record what the child has read by using check marks and appropriate shorthand for errors and self-corrections. Then, analyze the errors using MSV in the proper columns. Calculate the error ratio, accuracy rate and self-correction ratio. Consider what you might choose as a teaching point.

As is done with most reading inventories, assessments, or in classroom practice, the teacher should read the title of the book and give the student a purpose for reading. In the case of the following story, the teacher would read the title, “Like You Were Mine” and say, “Read to find out about a special relationship between sisters.” The title is not included in the total of running words read by the child, even if the child repeats the title before beginning the book or passage. The running words total for the following story is 100 (I’ve included only the first part of the story here).

Listen

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Download recording (Right-click or option-click)

Read

Like You Were Mine

I remember very well the day you were born. Mom went
into the hospital. I was only eight years old and I wasn’t
allowed in the hospital room. So I sent mom a necklace and a
note. I bought the necklace from the school store. It was a
heart charm with a flower in the middle and a note that
read:

Dear Mom,

I hope you are o.k. I hope you like the present I got
you. I hope the baby is a girl.

Love, Maria

Mom did like the present. And she was o.k. And you were a girl.

Check your answers

You can check your answers against this running record.