1. LEARNER ANALYSIS 1
Learner Analysis
Autumn Schaffer
Georgia Southern University
FRIT 7430

2. LEARNER ANALYSIS 2
Introduction
The host school for the learner analysis project is located in a small rural town
approximately sixty miles south of Atlanta, Georgia. This school is publicly funded and
has been educating students since 1989. Until 2003 the school building housed
kindergarten through fifth grade levels. It now houses kindergarten through second grade,
as well as a state-funding pre-kindergarten program.
The host classroom contains twenty-one kindergarten students. The curriculum
for this classroom is based upon the Georgia Performance Standards for reading,
mathematics, science, and social studies. The students are now beginning their second six
week period in school. The focus reading standard supporting the designed unit for this
project is based upon the students’ abilities to predict, understand, and retell elements of a
story. These elements include the characters, setting, problem, and resolution. The
students will also be asked to determine the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
Afterwards, the students will create their own story. They will also describe the elements
and sequence of their creation. The Georgia Performance Standard for this unit is:
ELAKR6 The student gains meaning for orally presented text. The student:
a. Listens to and reads a variety of literacy (eg- short stories, poems) and
informational texts and materials to gain knowledge and for pleasure.
b. Makes predictions from pictures and titles.
c. Asks and answers questions about essential narrative elements (eg- beginning-
middle-end, setting, characters, problems, events, resolution)
d. Retells familiar events and stories to include beginning, middle, and end.

3. LEARNER ANALYSIS 3
ELAKW2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational,
persuasive and response to literature.
The student produces a narrative that:
a. Involves one event.
c. Begins to use organizational structures (beginning, middle, end).
d. May include describing words.
e. May include a sense of closure.
f. Includes oral or written prewriting to generate ideas (graphic organizers and
pictures).
g. May include a draft developed from prewriting.
Since the students will create their own story, as well as determine the elements of their
favorite stories in a creative manner, an information literacy standard is also included
within the unit plan. This Independent Learning Standard is:
Standard 5: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and
appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
-Indicator 1: Is a competent and self motivated reader
-Indicator 2: Derives meaning from information presented creatively in a variety
of formats
-Indicator 3: Develops creative products in a variety of formats
Demographics
The host kindergarten classroom supports the learning of twenty-one students,
ranging in the ages of five to six. While some of these students attended pre-kindergarten
at the same school, some attended private programs and daycares. Many students did not

4. LEARNER ANALYSIS 4
attend any pre-kindergarten program. Many of the mothers of the students, however, are
housewives and supported their pre-school learning at home. Some of the students have
diverse ethnic backgrounds and many of them live within a single parent household.
Some students have special educational needs, but none of them currently receive
educational services. One student receives services by consultation only. Like the
majority of the school, about half of the students within the classroom qualify for free or
reduced lunch. This is because the majority of the class’ family income is below, at, or
slightly above poverty level. The following demographics were obtained through the
regular classroom teacher’s personal records, which were established at the beginning of
the current school year.
Females 12
Males 9
Caucasian 11
African American 7
Other (Hispanic) 3
(one student is multi-racial, but since
father is Hispanic she is placed in this
category.)
Receive/Diagnosed Special Education 2
Services (Two students have been diagnosed with
ADHD. Both receive medication and one is
receives consultation services as needed.)
(One student receives ESOL services and
seems to be a “slow learner,” but he cannot
be diagnosed with a learning disability until
the response to intervention protocols are
complete.
Qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch 10

5. LEARNER ANALYSIS 5
Single Parent Households 8
Have siblings that have also
attended/currently attend this school system 7
Attended some type of pre-kindergarten
program 7
At least one parent stays at home during the
day 6
According to the Georgia Department of Education website for the 2009 AYP
score reporting, the host school educates 440 students. The Caucasian population consists
of 271 students and the African American population contains 144 students. There are 11
students who are categorized as Hispanic, with 304 of the population considered to be
“economically disadvantaged.”
Entry Skills & Prior Knowledge
The host kindergarten class completed the first six weeks of the school grading
period on September 1, 2009. The targeted skills for the prior six weeks focused upon
learning the alphabet letters, shapes, and numbers. The skills for the current six weeks
term include other more comprehensive reading and mathematics standards. The selected
reading goal of determining the elements and sequence of a story is including within the
tasks of this six weeks period. Also, writing standards will be introduced within the
upcoming weeks.
To determine the students’ prior knowledge in relation to these standards, a pre-
assessment, created by the graduate program student, was given to each student. This
assessment used the book The Three Little Pigs by Golden Books as one of its testing
tools. The first section of the pre-assessment dealt with the student’s ability to predict a

6. LEARNER ANALYSIS 6
story’s plot based upon the illustrations within the book. Each student completed this
section on an individual basis with either the graduate student, classroom teacher, or the
classroom paraprofessional.
After all of the students completed the reading prediction section, the graduate
student read aloud The Three Little Pigs by Golden Books as a whole group activity. The
students were then assessed individually by either the graduate student, classroom
teacher, or the classroom paraprofessional in order to complete the other section of the
pre-exam. This section focused upon the student’s ability to determine the elements of a
story, which include the characters, setting, problem, and resolution. It also assesses the
student’s ability to determine the beginning, middle, and ending of the story plot. Finally,
this section asked the students to retell the basic plot but provide their own unique
ending. This determined the student’s ability to recall specific and correct facts as well as
construct a believable ending.
The actual pre-assessment tool can be located in Appendix A and an example of a
completed pre-assessment based upon a student’s responses can be found in Appendix B.
The majority of the students were able to make a realistic prediction about the story’s plot
based upon the illustration. Many of the students were also able to determine the
beginning, middle, and end of the story. Few students, however, were able to determine
the specific elements of the story; this is possibly because they were unfamiliar with the
terms associated with the standard. The following information provides the pre-
assessment results for each student.
Student Reasonable Reasonable Describe Describe Reasonable
prediction prediction Beginning, specific retell of
based upon based upon Middle, and elements of story and
cover of illustrations End of story story creative

7. LEARNER ANALYSIS 7
book within the ending
book
IG Yes No No No No
“Pigs” “Pigs and
Dog are
friends”
GS Yes Yes No No No
“Pigs who “Pigs are *Only *Does not
are friends” chased by beginning describe
wolf” and end specific
details.
BHH Yes Yes No No No
“Pigs” “Pigs get *Only *Use
eaten” beginning creative
and end retelling
throughout
entire story
KT Yes No No No No
“Pigs” “Pigs” *Only *Does not
beginning follow any
sequence of
the story
AS Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
“Family of “Pigs and *Just *Says wolf
Pigs” wolf are not characters could have
friends” and problem eaten the last
pig.
NH Yes Yes Yes No Yes
“Pigs” “Pigs try to “Says wolf
get away could have
from the ran away
wolf” from the
brick house”
HP Yes No No No No
“Pigs” “Pigs” *Only *Loosely
Beginning follows plot-
no new
ending
AH Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
“Brother “Pigs and *Just *Pigs could
Pigs” wolves in a characters have
town” and problem forgiven the
wolf
JC Yes Yes No No Yes
“Pigs” “Pigs run *Just *Wolf could
from wolf” beginning have said he

8. LEARNER ANALYSIS 8
and end was sorry
LG Yes No No No No
“Pigs” “Pigs are *Just *Does not
scared” beginning retell major
events
CW Yes No No No No
“Pigs “Pigs *Just *Does not
outside” outside” beginning follow story
sequence
JA Yes No No No No
“Singing “Pigs” *Just *Does not
Pigs” beginning follow
sequence
KR Yes Yes Yes No Yes
“Pigs who “Pigs and a *Pigs and
are friends” wolf” wolf could
become
friends if
they say they
are sorry.
GH Yes Yes Yes No Yes
“Pigs” “Pigs run *Pigs run
from wolf” away from
wolf into the
woods.
TB Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
“Pigs” “Pigs are *Just *Pigs tell the
scared of characters wolf to go
wolf because and problem away or
he wants to they’ll eat
eat them.” him, and he
does
KJ Yes Yes No No No
“Pigs who “Wolf wants *Just *Does not
live to eat pigs” beginning retell new
together’ and end ending
SC Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
“Brother “Pigs keep *Just *Wolf might
Pigs” running characters give up
from wolf” and problem
HR Yes Yes No No No
“Pigs” “Pigs and *Just *Does not
wolf run” beginning provide new
and end ending
TH Yes No No No No
“Pigs” “Pigs” *Just *Does not

9. LEARNER ANALYSIS 9
beginning follow story
sequence
MP Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
“A pig “The wolf *Just *Wolf could
family” comes to the characters have eaten
pig’s houses, and problem the last pig.
but they run
away.”
MD Yes Yes No No No
“Pigs” “Pigs run *Just *Just retells
from wolf” beginning story- no
and end new end
Academic Motivation
Before conducting the pre-assessment, the graduate student aided the students in
completing a motivation inventory based upon their feelings towards reading. This
inventory was completed in a small group setting of four to five students. The teacher
read aloud the instructions and guided the students in recording their answers. They were
told to circle the green word if they agreed with the statement, circle the red word if they
did not agreed with the statement, or circle the blue word if they somewhat agreed with
the statement. The graduate student also observed the students closely to make sure they
were following along correctly. The actual motivation inventory can be located in
Appendix C. A completed version by a student can be located in Appendix D.
After the inventories were complete, the graduate student compiled the information to
determine the overall classes’ motivation towards the subject area. Most of the students
detailed that they enjoyed reading and retelling stories. Many of them, however, stated
that they do not read many stories outside of the classroom. The following information
details the students’ specific responses to the motivation inventory. “Q1” represents the
question “I love school” on the motivation inventory. “Q2” represents “I love to read and
be read to.” “Q3” represents “I read a lot of stories at home.” “Q4” represents “I like to

10. LEARNER ANALYSIS 10
think about what happened in the story after I read it.” “Q5” represents “I like to write in
my journal or talk with my friends about books I’ve read.” “Q6” represents “I like to
write my own stories.” “Q7” represents “I like to retell my friends the story that I’ve
read.” “Y” in this chart indicates the student marked “yes.” “N” indicates the student
marked “no.” “S” indicates the student marked “somewhat.”
Name IG GS BHH KT AS NH HP AH JC LG CW JA KR GH TB KJ SC HR TH MP MD
Q1 S S N Y Y Y S Y Y N Y Y Y S N Y S S S Y S
Q2 N S Y Y Y Y Y Y Y S Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y S Y Y
Q3 N N N Y Y Y N Y Y N N S Y S N N Y Y S Y N
Q4 Y Y S Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Q5 N N S Y Y Y N Y Y S Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Q6 S S N S Y Y Y S Y Y N S Y S Y N Y Y Y Y S
Q7 S S S S Y Y Y Y Y N S Y Y S Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Motivational Strategies
Based upon the results of the inventory, approximately half of the class stated that
they enjoy school as a whole. The majority explained that they like reading or being read
to. This leads one to believe that reading was not the cause of why those who do not like
school chose that specific answer. Also, only nine out of 21 students said that they read
stories at home. This may be a factor correlated to the student’s academic progress. Those

11. LEARNER ANALYSIS 11
who did not score well on the pre-assessment may have not had amble exposure to the
structure of stories, especially if those students did not attend pre-kindergarten. An
overwhelming majority stated that they like to think, write, and talk about what happens
in the story after they have read it. Perhaps this correlated to the interpersonal as well as
intrapersonal intelligence levels within the classroom. Only half of the class indicated
that they like to write their own stories. Perhaps these students were drawn to the word
“write,” which may have made them think that they are not able to do so. At this point in
the curriculum, students have not developed the basic skills to write their own story yet.
What was intended by the question, however, was that they students would intelligently
and creatively think to form their own unique story plot. Finally, the overall class
described that they like to retell what they have learned to others. Perhaps this will allow
for several cooperative grouping opportunities.
By analyzing the students’ academic progress based upon their first six weeks
report cards, many students many not have the foundation to begin reading text on their
own. For this reason, at this point, it was determined that the teacher would read aloud
the selections but the student would be responsible for listening and explaining the
elements of the story. This, perhaps, will ease the anxiety of the students as well as
maximize their abilities based upon the focus standard without the hindrance of other
related factors.
According to the Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2009), John Keller’s ARCS
model consists of four fundamentals of seeking and maintaining students’ motivation so
that adequate learning can occur. These elements include attention, relevance,
confidence, and satisfaction. Similar to any basic lesson plan procedure, the first step

12. LEARNER ANALYSIS 12
within any instructional lecture or activity is to gain the students attention and interest.
Based upon the motivation inventory, many of the students who enjoy being read to as
well as retelling or recording their learning will be intrinsically motivated. Those who
expressed that they did not enjoy school, reading, or engaging in post-reading activities
may need further motivation.
The Learning Theories Knowledgebase describes two strategies for gaining a
student’s attention. One method is by using the element of surprise or presenting a topic
that students have uncertain feelings about. This is known as perceptual arouse. The
second method is through inquiry, in which the students are asked to solve high-order,
challenging questions. Other suggested methods that seem to be age-appropriate for the
kindergarten students include humor, examples, active participation, as well as conflicts
with prior knowledge.
Many kindergarten students enjoy participation through the entire context of the
story. One specific strategy to incorporate into the unit’s activities is to have the students
engage in a motion or sound every time they hear a certain word within the story. For
example, when reading The Three Little Pigs, the students could make an “oink” sound
every time they heard the word “pig” or a howling sound every time they heard the word
“wolf.” This would also be a strategy for sustained attention seeing as students would
have to be alert throughout the entire reading in order to participate.
Even if they are not particularly motivated towards the academic tasks, usually
young students are willing to provide accounts of their own prior knowledge. By
questioning, or even purposely conflicting with their prior knowledge, many students are
willing to contribute to the discussion, therefore capturing their attention. For example,

13. LEARNER ANALYSIS 13
when reading The Three Little Pigs, the teacher may suggest the fact that she heard about
this same story on the news yesterday. Many students will quickly contribute that this
story cannot happen in real life because animals cannot talk and pigs cannot build houses.
The teacher may also suggest that the pigs try to eat the wolf. The students will probably
explain, based upon their prior knowledge, that pigs do not eat wolves. From here, the
teacher may choose to expand upon the students’ attention by asking them to predict what
will happen next within the story.
The second step within John Keller’s ARCS model, according to the Learning
Theories Knowledgebase (2009), is the relevance a student feels towards a particular
subject or activity. Prior knowledge and present worth are two particular strategies
associated with this step. The teacher may have the students explain what they already
know about the subject as well as why it would be important for them to understand this
skill now and in the future. One particular strategy that seems to be age appropriate for
kindergarten students is the practice of modeling what the teacher will ask the students to
do themselves. An article by Lutz, Guthrie, & Davis in Journal of Educational Research
(2006) also describes the importance of teacher scaffolding and modeling. Based upon
their study, low-achieving as well as high-achieving students were able to complete the
task more proficiently when a similar task had been modeled and then scaffold by the
teachers. This study did show, however, that low-achieving students still required
individual aid during the completion of their independent task (pg. 15).
Based upon these results of Lutz, Guthrie, & Davis’ article, the graduate student
plans to incorporate several modeling examples that include reading the story and then
using a think-aloud strategy in which the graduate students asks and then answers her

14. LEARNER ANALYSIS 14
own questions. This will also show the students how to regulate their own thought
process. The teacher will then have the students complete a guided example in which
their feedback, as a whole class is welcomed. Finally, the students will be given the
opportunity to complete a task similar to the examples on their own. Those with specific
needs, or who have a past history of lower achieving, may need extra aid in a small group
format.
The third step in John Keller’s ARCS model is confidence. Specific strategies
related to this element, as described by the Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2009), is
to allow for meaningful success as well as formative feedback. It is also suggested to
allow learners to control aspects of the task as well as provide opportunities for the
student’s growth to occur in steps so that their confidence is slowly built. A particular
strategy that seems to work well with young students in the aspect of confidence is
cooperative grouping activities. An article by Nolen (2007) suggests that individual
motivation is heighten when students feel a shared sense of direction and ownership of
the assignment. Based upon her study, students also seemed to value their peers’
responses and described them to be less threatening than an adult’s feedback (pg. 259).
For this reason, the graduate student plans to incorporate cooperative grouping activities,
perhaps after the guided instruction but before the individual assignment, so that students
are able to use each other’s opinions to strengthen their overall understanding.
The final step in John Keller’s ARCS model involves the student’s satisfaction
with the new understanding. As described by the Learning Theories Knowledgebase
(2009), students need to feel a sense of achievement by means of praise, entertainment, or
using their newly acquired knowledge. It is also suggested that students use their new

15. LEARNER ANALYSIS 15
understandings in a real world context so that the students become satisfied of the
objective’s relevance. Adomat, in The Reading Teacher (2009), describes a meaningful,
yet exciting, activity based upon the same standard used within the upcoming
instructional unit. Described within a case study, a particular student was having
difficulty recalling the sequence of events within a story. The teacher created a drama-
based activity so that the students could physically manipulate and see the events again
(pg. 630). This provided an extra re-telling of the story, but also allowed for the students
to use the plot within the context of their real lives. The satisfaction of completing a
dramatic retelling allowed for students to see the relevance and specific elements of the
story more vividly. This is also a task that could be incorporated within the unit, perhaps
after the students have completed guided activities. This, perhaps, could be included as
another cooperative grouping assignment.
Educational and Ability Levels
So far within the school year the majority of the students seem to be functioning
on grade level. The first six weeks is a difficult time to determine a student’s true ability
because of their diverse backgrounds. Some students have attended pre-kindergarten
programs and educational daycares since they were three years old. Some students have
never been exposed to a formal education setting until the first day of kindergarten. Many
students who seemed to lag behind the first couple of weeks will soon begin making
progress and eventually catch up with the rest of the classes’ abilities. Much of their
incoming knowledge is based upon how much they have been exposed to before
enrolling in kindergarten.

16. LEARNER ANALYSIS 16
Two students have been diagnosed as having ADHD. One of those students is
currently receiving consultation special education services and is in the process of being
filtered out of special education. He received services during his pre-kindergarten year,
but his academic progress has exceeded the need for individualized instruction. The other
student with ADHD, however, seems to be struggling with reading. The teacher will soon
begin her own interventions to accommodate these students and their reading abilities.
While it is unlikely the students will progress to strategic services, the teacher will make
modifications through the response to intervention process so that perhaps the students
can improve.
Learner Characteristics
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
To determine the students’ dominant intelligence based upon Gardner’s multiple
intelligence theory, the graduate student designed a learning style inventory. While there
are many learning style inventories based upon Gardner’s theory online, very few are
designed for very young students and readers. Based upon the results of this inventory,
the graduate student added what she believed to be the student’s dominant intelligence to
the learning characteristics graph. The regular classroom teacher also provided insight
based upon her personal observations throughout the year. The actual learning style
inventory can be viewed in Appendix E. An example of a completed inventory is
available in Appendix F. This inventory was completed in small group format of four to
five students. The students followed along as the graduate student, classroom teacher, or
class paraprofessional read the questions aloud.

17. LEARNER ANALYSIS 17
The following information shows the overall learning characteristics of the
students within the classroom. The academic information was derived from the first six
weeks report cards. The ethnicity and background information was derived from the
teacher’s personal records of each student. The learning style is based upon the inventory
results as well as the teacher’s personal observations.
Name Letters Shapes Numbers Pays Controls Follows Ethnicity Learning Comments
(Upper (including (1-10) Attention Talking Directions & SES Style
& Lower sphere & in Class School Family Background
Case) cube) Rules
IG 4 of 52 5 of 6 1 of 10 Yes Yes Yes 1st generation American Visual- *Visits ESOL
male (both parents are Spatial twice a week for
Hispanic and descend from *Enjoys 30 mins. Does
Mexico. Spanish is the puzzles and not seem to
main language spoke in the building 3-D understand many
household. Father is co- models verbal directions.
manager of a Mexican during center
Restaurant. One sister in time. *Quiet child.
high school, one brother in *Interested Does not interact
elementary. Brother in const- with others
receives special ed. ruction work much. Never
services for learning as an adult. misbehaves.
disability in reading.
GS 18 of 52 4 of 6 0 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Caucasian male. Only Bodily- *Enjoys recess.
child. Single parent Kinesthetic Willing to try
household. Low SES. *Highly new tasks. Never
involved in misbehaves.
activities that
allow
movement.
*Enjoys
team sports.
BHH 18 of 52 4 of 6 0 of 10 *Yes Yes Yes Caucasian Male. Only Bodily- *Recently
child. Single parent Kinesthetic diagnosed by
household. Strong *Posses extra doctor as ADHD.
relationship with energy. Receives
grandmother. High Low *Very medication twice
SES. competitive a day at home.
*Commonly Attention and
speaks of Behavior has
football and improved.
wrestling.
KT 39 of 52 6 of 6 7 of 10 Yes Yes Yes African American Female. Intra- *Has been
One older sister in 3rd personal “babied” and
grade. Parents are married. *Keeps to seems to have
Father is disabled. Both herself moments of
parents have at least 2 year *Has trouble “zoning out.”
college education. Middle expressing Does not
SES. herself in remember/follow
words. routines well.
*Try to *Very loving
“write child. Commonly
stories” hugs teachers.
during free *Speaks softly
time. and cannot be
*Doesn’t understood at
relate well to times.
others.
AS 52 of 52 6 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes No African American Female. Linguistic *Has dominating
Oldest of three children. *Expresses personality.
Father is a gym teacher and her wants *Curious of adult

18. LEARNER ANALYSIS 18
has a master’s degree in and needs conversations.
Instructional Technology. clearly. *Commonly
Mother is a Social Worker. *Commonly rejects
Middle SES. hold conver- instructions and
sations with follows her own
adults. ideas.
*Under-
stands how
to
manipulate a
conversation
to get what
she wants
NH 52 of 52 6 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes No Caucasian Female. Oldest Musical *Attended a
of three children. Parents *Enjoys church-based
are married. Mother is a singing and pre-kindergarten
housewife. Low Middle can be heard program.
SES. humming to *Tends to be a
herself “follower” of her
during friends.
activities. *Commonly
*Want to be argues with her
a friends.
singer/dancer
when she
grows up.
HP 52 of 52 6 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes No Caucasian Female. Only Linguistic *Talks
child. Single Parent *Expresses excessively.
household. Young mother herself *Does not follow
with high school education. mainly directions due to
Low SES. through talking.
verbal *Interested in
communicati adult
on. conversations.
*While *Enjoys “girly”
writing tasks things.
seems to be
slightly
below grade
level, her
vocabulary
and
conversation
skills are
advanced.
AH 52 of 52 4 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Caucasian Female. Oldest Linguistic *Is a “leader”
of two children. Mother is a *Has been among her
2nd grade teacher. Parents exposed to friends.
are married. Family values adult conver- *Understands
education. High Middle sations as rule and the
SES. well has consequences.
highly *Likes to help
educated the teacher and
people. students.
*Speaks to
other
students as if
she is the
“leader.”
*Enjoys
reading
books to
other
students.
JC 50 of 52 4 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes African American Female. Inter- *Aware of her
Youngest of three children. personal/Lin surroundings-
Mother works at public guistic enjoys
library. Parents are *Uses words conversations
divorced. Education is effectively to with adults and
valued. Middle SES. speak with students.

19. LEARNER ANALYSIS 19
individuals. *May have
*Is “favored” moments that are
among her considered
peers. “bossy.”
*Commonly *A leader among
expresses friends.
empathy and
understandin
g of their
unique
situations.
LG 44 of 52 4 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Caucasian Female. Only Intra- *Seems to have
child of young mother. personal anxiety about
Single family household. *Is highly new situations.
Very close to grandmother. secluded and *Did not adjust
Middle Low SES. rarely talks to school well.
to other Cried everyday,
people. several times a
*Spends time day, for the first
alone and two weeks of
complains of school.
“not having *Seems to have
any friends.” negative outlook
*Does not on most
express activities.
herself well
with others,
but is content
with herself.
CW 46 of 52 4 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes African American Female. Visual- *Teacher also
Middle of three children. Spatial taught his older
Parents are divorced, lives *Enjoys sister.
with mother. Low SES. building *Quiet child-
models of 3- rarely
D houses. misbehaves.
*Enjoys *Seems to be a
puzzles and “follower” and
putting will misbehave if
things others are doing
together. it.
JA 49 of 52 5 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Hispanic Female. Mother Inter- *Commonly
and father descend from personal speaks of diverse
Mexico. Mother is a *While her cultural
housewife and father works language experiences
in a factory mill. Oldest of skills are (Mexican food,
two children. English is somewhat Mexican
below average, but limited, she clothing).
functional. Low SES. manages to *Enjoys “girly”
maintain things such as
friendships jewelry and high
with other heels.
females. She
is also
“favored”
within the
class and
even “jokes”
with other
students.
KR 50 of 52 4 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Caucasian/Hispanic Linguistic *Has been
Female. Mother is *Has been described by her
Caucasian and has two exposed to mother as
older children from a adult conver- “stubborn” but
previous marriage. Father stations and she complies
is Hispanic. Student is understand with school rules
much younger than her adult and activities.
siblings. Mother is a contexts. *Willing to
housewife. Middle Low *Uses her answer and
SES. words to contribute to
vividly class discussions.

20. LEARNER ANALYSIS 20
describe *Enjoys the
situations “writing center”
and abstract immensely.
ideas-
including
others'
feelings are
intentions.
GH 50 of 50 5 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Caucasian Male. Single Inter- *Extremely quite
Parent household. Two personal student. Seems to
older brothers. Middle Low *Is very be nervous and
SES. quite and apprehensive of
rarely talks other students
to others- and teachers.
even during
lunch or
recess.
Prefers to
play alone.
*When he
does
contribute to
class
discussions,
his thoughts
are rather
intuitive and
well-thought
out.
TB 50 of 50 6 of 6 10 of 10 Yes No No African American Female. Linguistic *At the
Single Parent household. *Highly beginning of
Only Child. Low SES verbal and school, student
expressive. had trouble
*Argues with following
strategy, directions and
much like an behaving. After
adult. visiting the
*Can easily principal’s office
gain friends, and beginning
even after removed from
she has the classroom,
disrespected the student has
them. finally begun to
*Uses words comply with
to obtain her school rules.
desires.
KJ 29 of 52 5 of 6 6 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Caucasian Male. Is a Bodily- *Was diagnosed
member of an adopted Kinesthetic as having Fetal
home containing two other *Contains Alcohol
adopted males and two excess Syndrome. Was
younger adopted females. energy and adopted last year
Low Middle SES has difficult by foster parent
paying while student
attention for attended pre-k at
long periods the school.
of time. *Student began
*Commonly taking
fidgets and medication for
moves severe ADHD
around in last year. He does
seat. not seem to have
*Seems to behavior
retain problems now.
information *While he pays
better attention and is
through interest in the
“hands on” lesson- it seems
activities. he may be a slow
learner.
SC 31 of 52 6 of 6 9 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Caucasian Male. Oldest of Musical *Was “babied” at

21. LEARNER ANALYSIS 21
two children. Did not *Is a well- home and had
attend pre-k. Mother is a rounded some trouble
housewife and spends a student, but adjusting to
great deal of time with the tends to school during the
student. Low Middle SES prefer first week.
movement/si *Understands
nging complex ideas
activities. and has excellent
Commonly tuition about why
refers to things occur.
educational This is attributed
songs to the amount of
conducted time his parents
within the spend with him.
classroom in
order to
recall
specific
facts.
HR 45 of 52 6 of 6 9 of 10 Yes Yes No Caucasian Female. Middle Inter- *Enjoys talking
child of a three child home. personal to friends- even
Parents are married. Low *Enjoys during times of
Middle SES working in instruction.
groups, *Seems to have
despite trouble focusing
activity. on specific tasks.
*Commonly
provides
encouraging
words to
peers during
class.
TH 46 of 52 6 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes African American Male. Musical *Is an extremely
Single parent household *Hums, quite child and
with four other children. snaps, and only expresses
Low SES sings to himself when he
himself is with his
during friends.
independent *Enjoys singing
activities. pop culture
*Commonly music.
makes
reference to
R&B artist as
well as
Michael
Jackson.
*Adds pop
culture
movements
to
educational
movements
songs.
MP 31 of 52 5 of 6 9 of 10 Yes Yes Yes Caucasian Female. Lives Linguistic *Extremely
with grandparents, but *Is highly intuitive student,
thinks of them as her observant perhaps from
parents. Has a younger and intuitive being exposed to
brother in pre-k who lives to older adults and
with the biological mother. surroundings their
Middle Low SES *Curious of conversations.
other’s *Enjoys helping
motives and the teacher and
activities being the
*Uses her “leader”
words and *Bright, cheerful,
conversation and loving
to find out personality.
information
that she

22. LEARNER ANALYSIS 22
wants to
know, but
doesn’t
necessarily
need to
know.
MD 16 of 52 4 of 6 10 of 10 Yes Yes Yes African American Male. Visual- *Extremely quite
Lives with young single Spatial child who rarely
mother. Has one older *While he is expresses himself
sister, who is very an extremely at all, yet does
protective of the student. quite student, not seem to be
Also has an infant sister. he enjoys angry or upset.
Low SES. building *Peaceful
models. laidback student,
*He is also willing to comply
one of the with any
class helpers situation.
because he
can easily
find his way
around the
school.
Direction-
ality is a
strength for
him.
Based upon the results of the learning style inventory, the class seems to contain
several dominant intelligences. The most predominant is the linguistic intelligence, which
is where six of the students’ strengths are. Visual-spatial, interpersonal, bodily-
kinesthetic, as well as musical intelligences are also common within the classroom with
three students’ strengths lying in each category. Finally, intrapersonal is a strength among
two of the students.
Dr. Thomas Armstrong, an author and lecturer of multiple intelligences, describes
via his website (2000), that linguistic students seem to focus on word-based activities.
This is a natural means for instruction seeing as much of the lecture and activities are
based upon the teacher’s verbal conversations as well as the student’s ability to receive
and interpret auditory information. Bodily-kinesthetic individuals learn through
movement and physical activities or manipulation of objects. These are also common
finding within the classroom seeing as the kindergarten students participate in hand-on
activities with concrete objects. Dr. Armstrong also describes that musical intelligences

23. LEARNER ANALYSIS 23
learn from information associated with songs, beats, or rhythms. Movement and musical
activities have several allotments within the daily schedule.
Interpersonal skills are promoted during collaborative or cooperative grouping,
which is not such a common activity within the host classroom. An effort will have to be
made to allow for constructive group activities. While the students participate in journal
time once a day, the structure of the prompt will need to be formatted so that
intrapersonal students can benefit from the activity as it is tied to the learning objective at
hand. Finally, visual-spatial opportunities are not common place within the classroom.
While there are building and modeling centers available, specific activities have not been
formulated to specifically enhance the learning of the students’ whose strength lies in that
particular area.
Culture and Ethnic Diversity
Hispanic Population.
The main ethnical diversity within the classroom is the prevalence of two
Hispanic families as well as a multiracial family consisting of a Caucasian mother and a
Hispanic father. One of the Hispanic students speaks, and seems at this point to
understand, very little English. He currently receives ESOL intervention twice a week.
The student does not speak within class discussions and remains closed off from the rest
of the classroom. This student does show interest in building and manipulating objects,
which leads the graduate student to believe that he is a visual-spatial learner.
The Hispanic female has a functional English vocabulary even though she
misuses terms frequently. She has befriended the multi-racial female who is also half
Hispanic. Both of these females have strong interpersonal as well as linguistic skills.

24. LEARNER ANALYSIS 24
They are more vocal in discussions and participating in the class activities than the
Hispanic male.
According to the University of Ohio (n.d.), based upon the Hispanic culture, these
ethnic group posses strong family values. This is evident within the host classroom’s
Hispanic students. One lives with her parents, as well as her grandparents and cousin.
The Hispanic male’s family owns and manages a Mexican restaurant. The student’s
father and uncle commonly visit for lunch and attend conferences. Ohio State’s website
also explains that this ethnic culture is prideful and dignified. This is particularly true of
the male student’s family. When he cried and protested that he did not want to stay at
school at the beginning of the year, his family would not sympathize or allow for him to
misbehave in that manner. This is untrue of the other Caucasian and African American
families who used emotional support to encourage their students to come back to school.
It seemed that the Hispanic family did not allow the student the option of leaving or not
attending school.
According to Sarah Plastino (2009), a research student associated with the
University of North Carolina, Hispanic families perceive the common educational
experience differently than other people from diverse ethnical backgrounds. Due to their
culture, Hispanic students are not usually comfortable performing or speaking in front of
their peers. They also tend to avoid asking for help from an adult because they have been
taught not to bother or interrupt. Also, many view the teacher with high regard and
respect; they perhaps worry whether the teacher will be disappointed if they did not
understand after the first explanation. Specific methods suggested by Plastino include
allowing Hispanic students to work in smaller, collaborative groups instead of in a large,

25. LEARNER ANALYSIS 25
whole group setting. Also, it may be beneficial to have the Hispanic students work
together so that commonalities and possible past experiences are shared. This method of
instruction is suggested before allowing Hispanic students to work independently,
especially if they are struggling with the English language and curriculum.
Plastino also suggests incorporating as much of the Hispanic students’ culture into
the lessons as possible. She suggests providing Hispanic-based foods or memorabilia.
Perhaps for this unit, Spanish-based stories can be incorporated as well as stories
containing Spanish vocabulary. This may help the students connect to the story as well as
find personal relevance so that the analysis of the story is more meaningful.
Single Parent Families.
Eight of the students within the host classroom currently live in a single parent
household. Most of these students are in the custody of their mother, and many times the
father is not involved in the student’s daily life. Many times the students also have
several siblings near their age and under the care of the one adult within the family. This
group can be viewed as a subculture possessing its own unique characteristics and
difficulties. According to Laurie Elish-Piper in her article published within the Illinois
Reading Council Journal (2009), specific educational implications should be addressed
for this subgroup. It is a misunderstanding that parents from single parent households are
not concerned with their students’ academic success. Many of them, due to their own
difficulty, desire for their children to achieve and excel within school. Particularly those
who are also members of a minority culture possess a strong work-ethic and expect their
children to do the same (pg 51).

26. LEARNER ANALYSIS 26
Elish-Piper also describes the assumption that many single parent households
have financial difficulties different than other families. This may restrict their ability to
attend conferences, provide supplies, or contribute materialistic items to the classroom.
Elish-Piper suggests that this lack of personal involvement may be due to the fact that
many are ashamed of their situation or require longer working hours in order to support
the family. She suggests that teachers allow multiple opportunities for single parents to
visit or contribute to the classroom. If they do not attend a scheduled conference, allow
them to reschedule. Also, provide the opportunity to select a time that would be
convenient for their work schedule. Making sure that they feel welcomed into the
classroom is an important element for open communication (pg. 52).
This article also suggests that single parents, when time permits, visit with the
classroom to engage in the learning process of their child. Unfortunately, this is simply
not feasible for many single household parents. For this reason it is suggested that a
teacher be empathic of the student’s situation and overlook certain activities that would
otherwise be deemed as unacceptable. For example, many students may not have the
funds to purchase items to create projects with or use within the classroom. It is
suggested to have extra supplies for those who cannot afford them. It is also highly
important, however, to not explicitly pinpoint those students. Simply allow them to use
the materials as needed.
Some of these students may require extra remediation inside of the school hours.
Since the lead parent possibly works late hours, the students may not receive help at
home. Allow these students to spend a few minutes during the day to complete their
homework or read with another student for practice. Involving stories that may represent

27. LEARNER ANALYSIS 27
their situation, instead of the typical texts that tell of a utopian family, may also help the
students relate and find personal relevance to the situation.
Parents without Advanced Education.
Similar to the single parent household situation, the host classroom contains
several students whose parents did not graduate from high school. If these parents did
graduate, many of them did not receive any type of college or advanced education. Based
upon the observation of the classroom teacher these past few weeks, it has been
expressed that many of the parents may not have the understanding of how to help their
student succeed academically. While the parent may be able to read or analyze text
themselves, they may not have the knowledge to promote their own student’s abilities.
In Kathleen Cooter’s article published in The Reading Teacher (2006), she
explains that even within modern times, many parents are considered functionally
illiterate and do not have the educational resources to provide for their children. Their
lack of education often influences the student’s beginning literacy development. Cooter
explains that young, uneducated mothers do not provide as much verbal simulation to
their newborn as older, educate mothers. She also suggests that the vocabulary used
within the home is significantly limited compared to the homes of students with educated
parents. Many of these students that are categorized in this subgroup have not been
exposed to various stimuli in their early years; this may then affect their prior knowledge
when they begin school (pg. 698).
Specific strategies suggested by Cooter include teaching the parents to engage
with their students while reading. This information could be relayed to the parents
through a newsletter or conference. Teaching the parents, as well as the students, to point

28. LEARNER ANALYSIS 28
to words as they read will help expand the student’s vocabulary. Also, making
predictions and picture-based reading are beginning functions of any reader; even parents
with very little education can engage in this activity. Having the students make up their
own story using a picture book with illustrations not only increases the child’s
imagination, but it also helps develop his/her sense of a basic story plot (pg. 699).
Other strategy suggested by Cooter includes a “Million Dollar Game” in which
the nonreaders look through a magazine and choose items that they would like to buy if
they had a million dollars (pg. 701). This activity could be extended for students who
have difficulty reading, or even for all students to create their own story plot. The
students could take the items that they have chosen and form a short story beginning with
how they won the money and ending with how the last dollar was spent. This activity
would also incorporate the standards of the particular focus unit.
Accommodations
Special Needs Learners
English as a Second Language (ESOL).
As already established, three of the students within the host classroom live in
Hispanic-based households. In two of the homes Spanish is the primary language. One of
the students attends ESOL intervention twice a week to develop basic English
vocabulary. Lewis-Moreno, in her article published within Phi Delta Kappan (2007),
suggests that learning English vocabulary and structure in rote-like settings is useless.
Students must learn how to use English in context of situations with their peers. She
suggests that it is a teacher’s responsibility to pair the student with someone he/she feels
comfortable taking risks with. The teacher should then provide constructive feedback to

29. LEARNER ANALYSIS 29
the student as needed, keeping in mind that the student’s primary language may be very
different than the new vocabulary. Lewis-Moreno also suggests that teacher facilitate the
student’s verbal responses by questioning and repeating their phrases (pg. 773-774).
Another strategy suggested is to use books with vivid illustrations so that the
students may use the pictures to guide their reading. By reducing the amount of words on
a page or by using a simplified text for the student, he/she may become less frustrated
when trying to read or locate the correct answer. Finally, Lewis-Moreno suggests
developing a firm knowledge of what they students already know before beginning the
lesson. Also, if the student does already contain some prior knowledge of the activity,
have him/her explain it so that the teacher gains insight to particular titles, names, or
phrases he/she uses to describe particular elements (pg. 775).
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Two of the students within the host classroom have been diagnosed as having
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by a medical doctor. One has received
medication since he was in pre-kindergarten at the same school. The other student was
recently diagnosed and has begun medication within the past month. This student has
shown an increase in his attention span as well as an increase in his ability to remain
calm. While the classroom teacher has not observed the first student when he has not
taken his medication, the student’s pre-kindergarten teacher described that the student
could not focus at all. Now, however, this student seems to focus fairly well but still
needs ample time to move and express his extra energy.
According to an article by Jitendra, DuPaul, Someki, & Tresco, published in
Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews (2008), one should present the most vital

30. LEARNER ANALYSIS 30
information when discussing a new topic first, especially when educating students with
ADHD. It is also suggested to plan for several alerting tasks geared to re-focus the
student’s attention. One may even suggest minimizing outside stimuli that is not related
to the task, but maximizing the stimuli, including visuals, music, and movement, that is
related to the activity (pg. 326). The authors also suggest “collaborative strategic reading”
in which the students work together to determine the most important information related
to task. This specifically helps students with ADHD who may not be able to focus for
long periods of time or retain large amounts of information in one setting.
The Child Development Institute of California (2009) also suggests generalized
strategies to improve a student with ADHD’s learning potential. It is suggested to stand
close to the particular student, or have the student sit some place so that his attention is
maximized by the instruction and the distraction is limited. It is also suggested to limit
lecture-based activities, and allow for several smaller tasks. Cooperative groups as well
as physical movement and manipulation are usually welcomed by ADHD learners.
Concrete simple directions should be followed by having the student repeat those
directions in his/her own words. Finally, incorporating some of the student’s particular
interests within the activity may increase his/her motivation to stay focused.
Learning Disabled.
While students cannot be labeled or diagnosed as having a learning disability in
kindergarten, a few of the students are already showing significant delays in academic
progress, especially in the area of reading. The teacher plans to begin the response to
invention process on at least two of the students who have progressed very little since the

31. LEARNER ANALYSIS 31
beginning of school. She also uses strategies suggested to students who have already been
diagnosed with having a learning disability. According to the Learning Disabilities
Association of America (2009), students with learning disabilities may have memory
problems and commonly function below grade level. Specific interventions include
having the students follow along with a taped recording of a book after it has already
been read aloud several times. Repetition seems to be an element that works well with
these students. Visual organizers as well as word webs seem to aid students in retaining
new terms within their long term memory. It is also expressed that many students with
learning disabilities also have slow auditory reception; speaking slowly and common
repetition in various formats may aid these students. Finally, it is suggested to accompany
verbal information with written information for the student to follow along with.
Many of these strategies can be used within the focused unit plan. The teacher can
provide an extra copy of the book or story so that the student can follow along as the
teacher reads aloud. Also, the teacher can then allow the student to listen to a recording of
the same story within a specific center during the day. Finally, the student can conduct
his/her analysis of the story’s elements using a graphic organizer of some kind.
Conclusion
The host classroom, as well as the entire school, contains a variety of learners
with unique skills and abilities. In order to ensure that the students are all given a fair
opportunity to learn the targeted reading skill, the graduate student must analyze their
motivation levels, prior knowledge, personal background, ethnic diversity, as well as any

32. LEARNER ANALYSIS 32
special needs. It will also be essential that the graduate student remembers to differentiate
for these elements within the planned assessments as well as learning activities.
Peer Review Feedback
Upon receiving feedback from a fellow classmate, the graduate student made
several alterations to the original learner analysis. The majority of these changes included
grammatical and formatting issues. The reviewer obviously read the paper very
thoroughly and found several efforts in sentence formatting and usage. Suggestions were
provided as to how to rearrange certain words and sentences to portray a clearer concept
or idea.
Several APA style formatting issues were taken into account. The graduate
student had not included the date in which she accessed certain resource websites. After
consulting with the professor of this course, the graduate student decided to include these
dates just in case the website was updated within the upcoming weeks. Also, the graduate
student, based upon a peer’s feedback, decided to include the page numbers within the in-
citation references. This format is designed to help the reader locate the specific area in
which the quote or paraphrase was taken.
The majority of the peer’s feedback was positive and maximized on what the
graduate student had accomplished within her paper. The reviewer made special
comments about the thoroughness of the data and graphs included within the learner
analysis. The creation of the data collection tools, including the motivation inventory,
learner analysis, and pre-test, were viewed as excellent tools for the designated grade
level. Finally, the reviewer commented on the graduate student’s research of the selected
cultural and ethnical differences within the school. The reviewer stated that he/she now

33. LEARNER ANALYSIS 33
better understands the Hispanic population. Also, the peer reviewer had high comments
for the graduate student’s choice of including single parent households as a subgroup
within the culture diversity section.
References
Armstrong, Thomas. (2000). Multiple intelligences. Retrieved September 14, 2009, from
http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/
Adomat, D. (2009). Actively engaging with stories through drama: Portraits of two
young readers. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 628-636. Retrieved from Academic

34. LEARNER ANALYSIS 34
Search Complete Database
Child Development Institute. (2009). Ideas for attention deficit children. Retrieved
September 14, 2009, from http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/
learning/teacher.shtml
Cooter, K. (2006). When mama can't read: Counteracting intergenerational illiteracy.
Reading Teacher, 59(7), 698-702. Retrieved from EBSCO database
Elish-Piper, L. (2009). Parent involvement in reading. Illinois Reading Council Journal,
37(3), 50-54. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete Database
Georgia Department of Education. (2009). 2009 AYP. Retrieved September 13, 2009,
from http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/
Jitendra, A., DuPaul, G., Someki, F., & Tresco, K. (2008). Enhancing academic
achievement for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Evidence
from school-based intervention research. Developmental Disabilities Research
Reviews, 14(4), 325-330. Retrieved from EBSCO database
Learning Disabilities Association of America. (2009). Accommodations, techniques, and
aids for learning. Retrieved September 14, 2009, from http://www.ldanatl.org/
aboutld/teachers/understanding/accommodations.asp
Lewis-Moreno, B. (2007). Shared responsibility: Achieving success with English-
language learners. Phi Delta Kappan, 88(10), 772-775. Retrieved from Academic
Search Complete Database
Lutz, S., Guthrie, J., & Davis, M. (2006). Scaffolding for engagement in elementary
school reading instruction. Journal of Educational Research, 100(1), 3-20.
Retrieved from Academic Search Complete Database