Case Study Kaitlyn Kendrick

Introduction Studying child development gives me very important information for how I as a teacher will guide my classroom. Knowing more information about how children develop has helped me understand why students behavior a certain way. Without E E! "#$% I may have thought that a child is disruptive and not listening% while it very well could be because he&she is developing in a different way than the other students. 'y doing this case study on a typical student% I have learnt how children develop in real life settings rather than (ust reading it from a te)tbook. *his has been the most beneficial tool that I have in learning how children develop. *his semester% I am in a Kindergarten classroom% helping +s. C and +s. , with lessons% as well as observing the relationship between the teacher and students as well as the peer interactions between the students. Specifically% I have been watching how my case study% *ara% has been developing as a typical child. Choosing a child for this case study was a difficult task. I had first asked my cooperating teacher if she had any options that would be desirable for this task. She had chosen a group of students who perform up to par% and may even e)ceed the information they should be learning. *his group had four girls and one boy. When interacting with this group% I ruled out two immediately. *he boy was at a reading level of -.% which greatly e)ceeded the typical reading level of .. *he other one was a girl who% +s. C informed me% had a negative home life. *his would have been a challenge for me because not receiving support from home does not help developing in a typical way /'erk% -##01. ,rom the three remaining girls% the task was even more difficult. *wo of the girls battled for my affection when we were playing a reading game. It seemed as though they wanted to impress me with their ability to read and spell difficult words by coming up to me after they

Case Study Kaitie Kendrick

completed each word. *he other girl instead wanted to work on the task% reading through each part and not approaching me until she had completed the entire task. In the end% I chose this child because she did not go out of her way to impress me or grab my attention% instead completing the work that +s. C had set out for her and the class. While I was a new face who wanted to get to know the students% she understood that school was her first priority. +ethods I collected data every Wednesday from 2anuary 1$th% -#1- to 3pril 11th% -#1-% as well as additional days during Immersion Week that occurred the week of ,ebruary -4th for a total of 15 days. !uring these days% I watched *ara and her class from $61. 3+ until "61. 7+ while in the classroom% at 8ecess% at unch% and at Specials% including 7hysical Education% ibrary% Computers% and 3rt. I used different observation tools such as a 8unning 8ecord% two Interviews% two *ime Samplings% a Checklist% and some work samples to help me understand *ara9s development. :.C. School is a school that is ;committed to building self<esteem% fostering the love of learning% tailoring instructional needs% and developing healthy lifestyles= /:reene County 7rimary School < >ome% -#1-% n.p.1. ?nfortunately% this school is not located in an economically prosperous are so the school does not receive as much help as it deserves. *he school holds appro)imately .## students. *he students have to travel to another building for some of their Specials% such as 7hysical Education and 3rt. *he hallways are decorated with students9 artwork% valuable pieces of work they9ve done% and the important ;8achel9s Challenge= links. 8achel9s Challenge was created in honor of 8achel Scott% the first victim of the Columbine massacre. *his challenge promotes kindness and compassion to prevent bullying. If the teachers think a student has done something that contributes to this outlook% they can fill out

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a paper link with their name on it. *hese links line the school hallways to remind students to be a positive influence and to avoid bullying. +s. C9s classroom is a very friendly environment. *he light tan walls with colorful accents on bookshelves make the classroom feel warm and welcoming. *he center of the room has four large tables on which the students do their work throughout the day. *o the left is the first play area% filled with toy cars and building blocks. @e)t to this is a bookcase that has more games and activities that my cooperating teacher uses to help instruct. *he children sit on the colorful carpet during the day% containing bo)es of different colors% each column a different color of the rainbow. An the outside of the carpet is each letter of the alphabet with upper and lower case letters. Each morning% the students sit on this carpet and participate in their morning activities. ooking at this main wall% there are many posters and a big calendar. *he posters include daily weather% the season% days of the week% months of the year% measuring instruments% coins% birthdays% behavior chart% and the important Word Wall. *he other side of the room is filled with an endless amount of books. *he main reading area is filled with bean bag chairs and stuffed animals% in which the students are allowed to read to a stuffed animal instead of read to someone. *his is a positive environment because the students are able to get comfortable and (ust read. It is important that the students are comfortable with reading so they get to the point in which they want to do it. @e)t to this area is the play kitchen area where students may spend their time at the end of the day playing house and dressing up. *he walls are filled with students9 names and different bulletin boards% depending on the holiday for the month. ,or e)ample% there were hearts on the bulletin board with Balentine9s !ay cards from different places across the ?nited States during ,ebruary. !ata and Interpretation

Case Study Kaitie Kendrick

*ara is five years and 11 months old. >er mother is a fifth grade teacher and her father is high school principal. *ara also has a twin sister% 8achel. *he two share a room and spend a lot of time together. ,or e)ample% *ara told me that every night during one week the two would lay in *ara9s bed and play eapster together. 3s well as playing together at home% they also play together at their mother9s school every day after school. She immediately does her homework when she gets home after being at her mom9s school. When I asked her if her parents help her with her homework% she said% ;sometimes. I like to do it by myself but they help me if I need it.= *hroughout my time in the classroom% *ara has told me of three instances in which one of her parents hasnCt been home due to other commitments% such as conferences. *ara didn9t seem to mind% though% showing e)citement that she got to spend more time with the other parent. Autside of school% *ara participates in e)tra<curricular actives such cheerleading and soccer. 3lthough Copple and 'redekamp /-##01 believe that most kindergartners are not ready for organiDed sports% *ara goes to cheerleading one to two times a week and has a soccer game every weekend. In class% she en(oys showing me what she has learned at cheerleading the previous night. 7hysical and +otor !evelopment *ara stands 5. inches tall. 3ccording to 'erk /-##01% the average height of a kindergarten student is 55 inches. She has dirty blonde hair% blue eyes% and fair skin. !uring the 1. days that I have been in the classroom% she has not missed one day. Ane day% though% she had to go to the clinic during lunch because her ;heart was hurting.= When she had first gone to the doctor for this pain% the doctor told her that she wasn9t allowed to participate in 7hysical Education or during recess. She went in for a follow<up later in the week and the doctor told her that there was

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nothing to worry about. She also participates in acts of good hygiene. Whenever she sneeDes or blows her nose% she always uses hand sanitiDer afterwards. +s. C has placed it so the hand sanitiDer is right ne)t to the bo) of tissues. *herefore% it is at a place in which *ara can reach it. *ara always washes her hands after she goes to the bathroomE sometimes I can see her hands dripping from not drying them off completely. In addition% she brushes her teeth every morning before she comes to school and has a routine in which she follows6 wake up% go to the bathroom% brush teeth% brush hair% get dressed% eat breakfast% go to school. She also dresses herself every day% picking out her outfit the night before. Since I have been in the classroom% she has not worn the same outfit more than once. *hese e)amples show that *ara engages in positive hygiene. *ara demonstrates both fine and gross motor skills. :ross motor skills for a typical .<F year old include increased running speed to 1- feet per second% galloping more smoothy% skipping and sideways stepping% whole<body throwing and catching% and riding a bicycle with training wheels /'erk% -##01. 3dditional gross motor skills that are developmentally appropriate for *ara9s age include running% (umping% leaping% sliding% skipping% and Guickly changing direction /8obinson% -#1-1. !uring 8ecess% I have witnessed *ara hopping% both her feet leaving the ground at the same time% and skipping% one leg on the ground while the other is in the air% bouncing rhythmically. Ane day during 7.E.% the students did an obstacle course around the perimeter of the gym. 7arts of this included crawling underneath a limbo stick% (umping over a limbo stick% and hopping in and out of hula hoops. In the beginning% I noticed *ara wasn9t (umping over the limbo stick% but rather stepping over it. When she came over to me% I asked if she could (ump over it% and she said ;yes% but there is no time toH *he people behind me are coming so fast.= 3fter I

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mentioned this to her% though% she tried it on her ne)t try around the obstacle course and succeeded% (umping with one leg over then the other falling close behind. *ara is also able to throw and catch a ball. !uring 7.E.% she and her friend took turns shooting the ball into the basketball net. In the beginning% she shot underhand% but then eventually switched over to overhand% using her full body to shoot the ball. 'oth her hands were on the ball and she bent down with her knees% using all parts of her body to take this shot. *he same day% *ara and her friend switched over to throwing the ball back and forth. 'ecause they placed themselves so far apart from each other% they were not able to catch the balls being thrown directly at them. Instead% the ball bounced and they would attempt to catch it. +ost times the ball went over their heads% but *ara was able to catch a few of the balls thrown her way. When she caught the ball% she stuck out both her hands and bending her knees. 3s previously stated% this is developmentally appropriate for a kindergartner according to 'erk /-##01. In addition to the previously stated gross motor skills% *ara is also able to sing and dance in time with music% which is developmentally appropriate according to 8obinson /-#1-1. If the class has time before lunch% +s. C turns on songs and the students sing and dance along with the music. Ane particular song is ;*ony Chestnut%= in which the students touch different parts of their body depending on the part of the songE *ara did all the movements at the appropriate time with the music. 3long the same lines% *ara participates in the alphabet chant in the morning. 3lthough one student stands in front and leads the chant% all the students participate. *he chant begins with ;3 < alligator% ah% ah% ah.= 3ll the students say this out loud and move their arms like an alligator9s mouth at ;ah % ah% ah.= *ara does this for every letter in the alphabet. *his is developmentally appropriate% because at this point in their lives% children ;can integrate all the parts of a particular pattern of movement into a well coordinated% mechanically correct act

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appropriate to the demands of the task= /Copple and 'redekamp% -##0% p. 1$01. An the other hand% *ara also has age appropriate fine motor skills. *hese skills include sorting small ob(ects% Dipping% buttoning% tying% pouring% and using scissors /Copple and 'redekamp% -##01. I have seen *ara tie her own shoes in class% as well as help other students who are not able to do it. She does the ;bunny ears= method in which she makes two large loops and ties them together in a knot. When it comes to her (ackets and sweaters she wears outdoors% she knows how to Dip and button. When other students ask me to help them% *ara asks if she can help them instead. *his shows that she not only knows hot to do it with her own clothes% but that she can also do it on other people% completely grasping the concept of Dipping and buttoning. *ara is also able to pourE one day% she poured pieces of ;popcorn= from one bo) to another. In this act% she had one popcorn bo) sitting on the ground while she used both her hands to hold the bo) from which she was pouring. *ara also uses an adult pencil grip when holding a pencil and crayon. 3ccording to 'erk /-##01% ;,ive< and F<year<olds create more comple) drawings I containing more conventional human and animal figures in which head and body are differentiated and arms and legs appear /p. -"01. ?sing her left hand to do the adult pencil grip% she makes clear and obvious shapes in her drawings. Ane day% the students drew pictures from a book that was read in class. *ara drew a picture of two men on a boat. 3s seen in 3ppendi) C% p. .% picture -% *ara made the head separated from the rest of the body% as well as clear arms and legs. She is also able to sort small ob(ects and complete puDDles. I was able to teach a lesson with a group of students in the class. 'ecause Balentine9s !ay was the previous day% the students had candy hearts that needed to be sorted by color. ?sing her fine motor skills% she grasped each piece and moved it into the appropriate pile. With completing puDDles% *ara used her fine motor

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skills to pick up the pieces and place them in the correct spot. She had to find the appropriate piece that fit the other puDDle pieceE *ara had to concentrate on looking at the e)act shape to ensure that it fit in the spot for which she was looking. Cutting with scissors is also a typical fine motor skill that *ara e)hibits /Copple and 'redekamp% -##01. *he students do this a lot in class% whether it is during the !aily ,ive or during a math lesson. *ara cuts slowly to make sure that she gets as close to the lines as she can. In one activity where the students compared :eorge Washington to 3braham incoln by observing pictures of characteristics that described them% *ara cut these circular pictures. She turned the paper% using her fine motor skills to correctly hold the scissors% cut around the circle% and hold the paper in place as she cut. *ara is on the right track for being developmentally appropriate in her gross and fine motor skills. With her gross motor skills% (umping and skipping% as well as her fine motor skills% using pincer grip when holding the pencil% *ara partakes in correct practices for her age. Emotional and Social !evelopment *hrough watching *ara in and out of the classroom% I have drawn conclusions about her emotional development. Emotional development is the development of responses% self< regulation% and approaches that guide one9s behavior /'erk% -##01. *here are two types of emotions6 basic and self<conscious. 'asic emotions include happiness% interest% disgust% sadness% fear and anger. Self<conscious emotions include guilt% shame% embarrassment% envy% and pride /'erk% -##01. 3ccording to 'erk /-##01% ;self<conscious emotions appear at the end of the second year%= therefore it is typical for a child at same age as *ara. *ara demonstrates both these types of emotions. 'asic emotions are universal to everyone. When it comes to happiness% *ara has come in each morning with a smile on her face%

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chatting away with her friends. Ane day when she was in a particularly giddy mood% *ara created her own song about her friend% bouncing in her chair and laughing while she was singing. *ara has is also fearful% another basic emotionE for instance% during the Wildlife Center of Birginia assembly% in which wild animals came to the school% *ara was scared when the snake was brought out. She covered her face and put her arm around her friend% holding onto her during the rest of the snake. When it comes to sadness% *ara has shown this when something doesn9t go her way. ,or e)ample% in 3ppendi) '% p. 1.% we see that *ara got sad when her friend !anny mi)ed up all the things she was separating% saying ;heyyyy%= in a whiny voice% ;I was separating themH= *ara also frowned and furrowed her eyebrows when the teacher did not go along with the game she was playing. Emotions that are shaped by the culture are called self<conscious emotions. 3ccording to ewis /-#111% it is important to note that in order to understand Jself<conscious emotionsK we must keep in mind that the biology of the species% and the cultural rules that surround the children% along with child9s specific dispositional functions like temperament% are all necessary for understanding their development. /p. 51 *ara has e)perienced envy when her grandmother came to visit her sister9s classroom. ;I wish grandma was coming to my classroom today I it9s not fair she gets to go to 8achel9sH= *ara comes right out and says that she is envious of 8achel. 3nother self<conscious emotion *ara has e)perienced is guilt. Ane day during recess% 8achel came over to *ara and laughed at *ara because she had to wear her (acket when 8achel didn9t have to. *ara stomped on the ground and said ;*hat9s not fairH !ammitH= When I pulled her aside to talk to her about what she had said% she started looking at the ground once I asked her if she thought it was a good thing to say. She

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felt guilty that she had done something wrong. *ara has also felt embarrassment. Ane day when *ara was playing with the i7ad during +ath% she thought she saw her last name as one of the games. She was gong through the possible choices of games she was allowed to choose from when she came across an app that was called something very similar to her last name. 'ecause the class had been talking and learning how to spell their last names% she was overcome with e)citement. When she rushed to show +s. C% she informed her that it was not her last name because the letters were mi)ed up and located in the wrong place% therefore forming a word different from her last name. When the teacher asked *ara what was wrong% she immediately burst out into tears. *ara was so embarrassed that she had messed up her last name in front of the entire class. 3 positive self<conscious emotion that *ara has felt is pride. Whenever *ara9s teachers compliment her on her work or tell her that she9s doing a good (ob% a huge smile comes across her face. >er eyes light up because she knows that her teachers are proud of her% giving her more self<confidence. Self<regulation is ;an internal ability to intentionally control our emotions and behavior as the situation demands= /Copple and 'redekamp% -##0% p. 10F1. ,or behavioral self<regulation% this not only is children controlling themselves from not doing something% but also to do something when the desire may not be there. ,or e)ample% *ara rarely calls out in classE when the teacher asks a Guestion% she sits Guietly and raises her hand. She can control herself from calling out% giving all the students an eGual opportunity to answer the Guestion. 3dditionally% *ara always cleans up at the end of center time% even though she wanted to continue to play with her friends. *his shows her ability to do something when she didn9t want to. It is possible for *ara to self<regulate her emotions as well. Ane day during lunch% the 7hysical Education teacher was slimed because of an agreement that he had made with the

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students. 3s he sat on the stage getting the pink slime poured all over him% *ara was completely disgusted with what was going onE she made a disgusted face% sticking out her tongue and scrunching her face% and covered her face with her hands% making it impossible to see what was going on on the stage. ;Emotional self<regulation reGuires voluntary% effortful management of emotions= /'erk% -##0% p. 5#41. 'y *ara covering her face% she voluntarily decided that she didn9t want to see what was going on in front of her. Within emotional development comes attachment. 3ttachment is the strong bond that one feels with others that lead to a need for interaction and comfort whenever they are near /'erk% -##01. In the beginning of the semester% *ara didn9t get clingy to me like some of her classmates did. 'ut as time continued% she began holding my hand everywhere we went and asking me to play with her every day at recess. When I told her no% she would pout% then continue on her way. While this is not complete secure attachment% it would be the attachment that is closest. Secure attachment occurs when a child initially is unsure about strangers% but acceptance does eventually occur. *he child also protests at being separated /+c!evitt and 3rmored% -##41. @ow that *ara is comfortable enough with me% she has increased her attachment to me. *emperament is the ;early appearing% stable individual differences in reactivity and self regulation /'erk% -##0% p. 5141. *ara has participated in basic emotions% self<conscious emotions% and self<regulation of her emotions. With the three main categories of temperament% I have come to the conclusion that *ara would most likely fall into the ;easy child= category. In this category% the child has a high activity level% high persistence and low distractability. *ara9s activity level is high. 3ctivity level refers to the ;ratio of active periods to inactive ones= /'erk% -##0% p. 51$1. Every time she is in 7hysical Education class% she runs around as fast as she can with her friends% trying to complete the task that the 7hysical Education teacher has

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planned out for them. !uring recess% *ara runs around the playground% playing games with her friends and climbing on the playground eGuipment. *ara also participates in group sports% such as cheerleading and soccer. Ane morning% *ara showed me a (ump that she had learned the night before at practice. She also told me how she played soccer the previous year and this current year. 'y participating in all these activities% it is obvious to see her high activity level. 3nother category of temperament is persistence. 7ersistence is the amount of time devoted to an activity /'erk% -##01E *ara9s persistence level would be high. Each morning% the teacher sets aside a coloring page for each student to complete before the morning announcements start. *ara will take her time with the activity% never rushing to finish it like some of her friends. While her friends like to finish the coloring so they can draw their own picture on the back% *ara will be slow when doing this% making sure she stays inside the lines and using the colors that she feels appropriate. >er distractibility would be categoriDed as low. !istractibility is the ;degree to which stimulation from the environment alters the behavior= /'erk% -##0% p. 51$1. Ane day% *ara was doing her independent reading during the !aily ,ive routine. !uring this time% students are allowed to find any spot in the room to do this reading. *ara chose a spot on the floor that was close to a group working with the class9 aid% +s. ,. 3s seen in 3ppendi) '% p. .<FE% we can see that *ara was not paying attention to her independent reading 1$ out of the "- times% which is appro)imately .FL of the time. *here have been other instances in which she has been easily distracted. ,or e)ample% one day during math% she and her group were doing an activity that involved categoriDing different colored candy hearts. While the rest of her group as participating in the activity% she continually looked to see what the other groups were doing% even if she had been to that station already or not. I believe her high distractibility is due to outside sources.

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*hese outside sources include other students% teachers% and things occurring in the environment that would be able to distract her from her normal work. Whenever she seems to get distracted% she is always looking to see what activities are groups are participating in. ,or instance% when she was distracted during silent reading% as seen in !iagram 1% she was sitting too close to a group doing a different activity. When she should have been Guietly reading to herself% she spent over half of her time distracted% watching the other group. *he activity that caused her distraction was the station in which she and her group had (ust left. *herefore% she wasn9t watching the group to see the new activityE rather% she was watching because she wanted to see what the rest of her peers were doing with the activity. *ara has established a daily routine for her mornings% proving her basic rhythmicity to be high. 8hythmicity is the regularity of body functions /'erk% -##01. Each morning% she wakes up% goes to the bathroom% brushes her teeth% brushes her hair% get dressed% eats breakfast% and goes to school. When she9s getting dressed% she already has the outfit picked out from the night before. *ara told me this set routine one morningE she said she only changes her outfit if her mom tells her it9s not right with the weather. Ane day% she had picked out a sweater for the ne)t day% but the F#M degree weather made that inappropriate. *ara also adapts easily to new e)periences% causing her approach level% her response to a new ob(ect% person% or food% to be high /'erk% -##01. *hree weeks ago% a new student was brought into the classroom. When *ara came into the classroom that morning% she saw that the new girl was standing by herself with the teacher. *ara walked over to the new girl% and stuck out her hand for the new student to hold and asked if she wanted to color at the table with her and her friends. *his shows that she is able to handle new situations with a positive attitude and not worry about how it will change her daily activities.

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*hrough the e)amples provided above% we can see that for the most part% *ara has high levels of temperament. *herefore% she falls in between the easy&fle)ible and difficult&feisty type of child. She has a positive mood yet is easily distractible. +any children do not fall in one set type of childE instead% they are blends of temperamental characteristics /'erk% -##01. *hrough self<regulation% different temperaments% and basic and self<conscious emotions% we see the typical emotional development of *ara. Social development ;refers to young children9s ability to form and sustain positive relationships with adults and other children= /'redekamp% -#11% p. 5-01. It is central to a child9s social development and happiness to form and sustain relationships with not only his&her peers% but also with adults /Copple N 'redekamp% -##01. *ara also participates self<esteem and mastery orientation% parts of their internal mental world. Self<esteem ;refers to a person9s self<worth or self<image% a personal global evaluation of the self= /Santrock% -##0% p. "5.1. *ara has a positive self<esteem. An 3pril 11th% her group was sitting at +s. C9s desk% working on their reading. When she was handed the new book% *ara said ;this book is so easyH= with a loud sigh. ater% when she and two other girls were playing a math game on the i7ad% she said ;I knew the answer but I didn9t tell= after each of the girls9 turns. 3nother day% *ara and her group were cutting out pieces of hearts for a word work activity. When she was finished cutting out her pieces% she asked +s. C ;Can I help isa cut out her pieces since I finishedO +ine are nice and neat% tooH= 3ll of these e)amples show that she has a positive self<esteem and believes in herself. 7utting a lot of time and effort into work is a way that one can achieve a positive self< esteem. *herefore% self<esteem may be a product of mastery orientation. +astery orientation children ;are task orientedE instead of focusing on their ability% they concentrate on learning

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strategies and the process of achievement rather than the outcome= /Santrock% -##0% p. 50F1. *ara pays attention in class every day% sitting with her legs crossed when on the carpet and her eyes on the teacher. She always answers Guestions that the teachers ask% thinking before responding. ,or e)ample% +s. C was going over the different coins with the entire class. When she asked how much the Guarter is worth% the rest of the class immediately shot their hands up in the air% even raising their hands before the Guestion even ended. Instead of raising her hand% she sat and thought about what the correct answer was. *his shows that she didn9t want to get the Guestion wrong% and knew that the correct answer was somewhere in her mind. Instead of rushing to answer the Guestion% her patience and thinking shows that she had mastered the material through her hard work in the past. 3nother e)ample of mastery orientation has to do with the word wall words that are in the classroom. When *ara9s reading group reads a new book% there are usually many word wall words in the book to help the students9 recognition. 3s *ara reads through her pages% she says these word wall words with no problem% while some other words she has to sound out each letter. *his shows that she has mastered these words and is ready to move on to harder ones. In social development% a large ma(ority of development is dedicated to the communication between people. ,riends ;help and share with each other I praise each other9s successes and encourage each other after failures= /'erndt% -##-% p. 4.1. 'ecause *ara is almost si) years old% she should view friendship as a handy playmate /'erk% -##01. When I asked *ara what makes a good friend% she said% ;*hey9re nice and share% will help you if you are being bullied% will help you up if you fall down% and will help you get away from someone who is mean.= While *ara should view friendship as a handy playmate% she is on the border of the higher ne)t level% viewing friendship as mutual trust and assistance. In this stage% ;friendship has

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become a mutually agreed<on relationship in which children like each other9s personal Gualities and respond to each other9s needs and desires= /'erk% -##0% p. F111. When *ara9s friend >annah was crying one morning when they came to school% *ara couldn9t take her eyes off her as she sat at her table and >annah sat on the other side of the room with +s. C. When the students were allowed to move% *ara put her coloring paper away and walked over to her friend% sticking out her arms for a hug. *his shows that *ara has an emotional attachment towards >annah and can empathiDe with her. *ara is also a popular<prosocial child. ;*he ma(ority of popular children combine academic and social competence= /'erk% -##0% p. F1F1. She is a good student who is able to communicate with peers in a positive way. *he students in the classroom desire to play with *ara. !epending on the day and what *ara wants to do% she plays with different people. 7opular children also adapt their behavior to make activities flow better /'erk% -##01. Ane day during centers% *ara was playing in housekeeping when one of her friends was really upset because she wanted the purse and cell phone. Even though *ara had (ust gotten those items from someone else and was e)cited for her turn% she shared with her friend to make her feel better. Social and emotional development go hand in hand. *hrough these e)amples% we see *ara developing typically for someone of her age. *hrough her self<esteem and all her different temperaments% we see that *ara does not fall into one e)act category but a combination of multiple ones. Cognitive !evelopment While observing *ara inside and outside of the classroom% I have drawn conclusions about her cognitive development. 7iaget was a theorist who believed in a constructivist approach to cognitive development% in which there are four stages6 sensorimotor% preoperational% concrete

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operational% and formal operational. 'ecause *ara is five years old% she falls in the preoperational stage of cognitive development. *his is the stage in which ;the most obvious change is an e)traordinary increase in mental representation= /'erk% -##0% p. -"F1. 3 way that I have observed *ara9s cognitive development is by sociodramatic play. Sociodramatic play ;allows children to gain understandings of their emotions% as well as the feelings of others% as they act out situations that induce strong emotions and resolve those feeling= /Copple and 'redekamp% -##0% p. -##1. Ane day during the ;>ousekeeping= area of centers% *ara and her friends were playing ;family.= *ara said% ;I9m going to act like the mom and you9re going to be the daughter. 3nd<and% the house is going to be the carH= She held the baby doll in her hand and talked on the cell phone% pretending to be a mother figure. 3ccording to 'erk /-##01% ;in communicating about pretend% children think about their own and others9 fanciful representations P evidence that they have begun to reason about people9s mental activities= /p. -"41. In this act of play% *ara is assigning roles to herself and to the others playing in the group. She also gave the baby doll lifelike Gualities% such as crying and sleeping. *his is an e)ample of animistic thinking. *ara has a desire to play in >ousekeeping appro)imately half of the times that she has the choice% raising her hand when +s. C asks to which center the students would like to go. Even when the students are outside of the classroom at recess% *ara participates in sociodramatic play on the playground. ,or e)ample% she and her friends like to play ;,airies.= *hey act like they are a family of fairies% each child choosing a part that they would like6 mother% father% child% dog% etc. In this family of fairies% they ;fly= around the playground% flapping their arms and skipping. *hey pretend like they have super powers as well% such as super speed% invisibility% and ability to repel fire. *his family of fairies is trying to run away from the mean fairies < each family of

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fairies tries to catch the other. 'y participating in sociodramatic play via ;,airies= and ;,amily=% *ara is learning many cognitive skills% such as ;memory% self<regulation% distancing and deconte)tualiDation% oral language abilities% symbolic generaliDation% successful school ad(ustment% and better social skills= /'odrova and eong% -##"% p. F1. 3lso during the 7reoperational Stage of 7iaget9s development is the inability to conserve. Conservation is the ;idea that certain physical characteristics of ob(ects remain the same% even when their outward appearance changes= /'erk% -##0% p. -511. 'ecause *ara is still in the 7reoperational Stage% she does not fully understand how conservation occurs. Ane day% *ara was playing with tall popcorn bo)es and different ;pieces of popcorn%= which were represented by magnetic letters and colored blocks. She had emptied containers of items% distributing them into the different popcorn bo)es. When she handed me a bo) of popcorn% I asked her to look the popcorn bo) and all the contents. I then poured it into a different container% one that was wider% and asked her which container had more pieces in it. She replied% ;this one /pointing to the tall popcorn bo)1 has more because it9s fuller.= *his shows that *ara does not fully understand that there was not an addition or subtraction of pieces during the transfer. In this same e)ample% *ara used dual representation with her ;popcorn= pieces. !ual representation is viewing an ob(ect as both its own definition as well as a symbol /'erk% -##01. When finding items to make her popcorn% she combined many different things% such as small plastic lemons% colored blocks% stars% and bingo chips. *ara came up to me and asked me if I would like some popcorn. When I asked her what kind it was% she said ;We9re making different types of popcorn .. *his one is butter and lemons /points to lemons bo)1 and this one is lemon and butter and caramel /points to lemons% bingo chips% colored blocks bo)1 aaaaaand this one is all the different kinds /points to lemons% bingo chips% colored blocks% stars bo)1.= In the

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beginning of playing% she was only looking for pieces that would fit into her tall popcorn bo)% picking up and putting down different bo)es of items. 'ut once she figured out all the contents she was using% I asked her what she was making and she said ;they9re all popcornH= 'ut later% when she came over to me% she described the popcorn as to having different flavors < the one with lemons tasting like lemons. *his shows that she is able to use the real representation as well as her imagination. 3fter observing *ara in the classroom% I believe that she has been learning the correct sub(ect matter that her teacher has been instructing so far in the year. ,or e)ample% every morning% the class participates in calendar time. !uring this time% *ara responds to the Guestions that the teacher asks with her peers. Some Guestions include ;What day of the week is itO= ;What month is itO= ;What day is tomorrowO= !uring calendar time% the class also must count to 1## and the current day of school by fives and tens. Every time% I see *ara moving her lips% saying the correct answers. *his shows that she is not merely relying on her classmates to answer the Guestion% but that she is following directions set out by her teachers by actively participating and paying attention to Guestions. anguage !evelopment *hrough communication and reading% one learns more about the language that we use on a day<to<day basis. *here are four subsystems to language development6 phonology% semantics% grammar% and pragmatics /'erk% -##01. *hrough my time in the classroom% I found many instances for phonology and pragmatics% but a minimum with grammar. *his is because I was not being able to take work samples from *ara. 7honology is ;the fundamental sound units and the rules for combining them in a given language= /'ukatko% -##$% p. -141. 7honics ;is a system of teaching how letters and

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combinations of letters correspond to sounds of spoken language= /Copple and 'redekamp% -##0% p. -#$1. 'y participating in different activities in the classroom% *ara has a phonological awareness. Each day% *ara participates in alphabet chants% Word Work during the !aily .% and learning Word Wall words in the morning. *he alphabet chants in the morning reGuire students to say each letter and make the phonetic sound. !uring Word Work% the students either play games or sit with the teacher and learn more about different types of speech% such as blends and digraphs. When learning the new Word Wall words% +s. C introduces the words to them by sounding out each letter then saying the entire word. *he students say this back to +s. C. 'y engaging in these activities% *ara is learning the e)act pronunciation and becoming familiar with each letter. She also is learning more about different parts of speech and the changes from the regularity of how each letter is pronounced. ,or e)ample% ;have= was a Word Wall word. +s. C had to teach the students that the e on the end was silent. We can also learn a lot about one9s phonological awareness by looking at spelling samples. 3fter doing a literacy assessment with *ara% I have come to the conclusion that she has a solid concept of word. ooking at the picture on 3ppendi) C% p. F% picture - and picture 1 on 3ppendi) C% p. $% we see that *ara understands the beginning and ending sounds for each word% but struggles with the medial vowels. Semantics ;refers to the meaning of words and sentences= /Santrock% -##0% p. -4F1. 3ccording to 'erk /-##01% children have about 1#%### words in their vocabulary by the time they reach si) years old. 'ecause *ara is in the highest reading group% she is in a literary rich environment. 3t home each night% *ara also reads for -# minutes% either with books that she has at home or with the books that she has gotten from the library or +s. C. *herefore% she is

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introduced to more words% e)panding her vocabulary as well reinforcing the words she already knows. *ara also listens to directions. *his has to do with receptive language% what the child understands /Santrock% -##0#. 3t the end of center time% +s. C asks the students to start cleaning up so they can get ready to go home for the day. Every time% *ara immediately stops what she is doing and starts doing whatever she can to clean up. If she has completed her own clean up before the rest of the students% she will go above and beyond% helping others put away their things. *his shows that she comprehends the words that her teachers have set forth into rules. 3nother component of language development is grammar. 3ccording to 'ukatko /-##$1 grammar is the following6 *he rules pertaining to the structure of language. :rammar includes two components% synta) and morphology. Synta) refers to the rules that dictate how words can be combined I +orphology refers to the rules for combining the smallest meaningful units of language to form words. /p. -041 With synta)% *ara knows that a period goes at the end of the sentence% not at the end of each line. She also knows that the first word in the sentence begins with a capital letter. An the other hand% *ara tends to put upper case letters in the middle of sentences% usually with the first letter of the word. See 3ppendi) C% p. -% picture - for an e)ample. 'ecause of this% *ara has not fully mastered synta). She has also not mastered morphology. In the same picture% *ara writes6 ;!addy and +e go to the !okt. *he !okt said I was o kay.= *he first half of the sentence is present tense% while the second half is in the past tense. astly% pragmatics is ;the appropriate use of language in different conte)ts= /Santrock% -##0% p. -4F1. When engaging in conversations% *ara is able to take turns in conversations when

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she wants to. If she en(oys the conversation% she will remain in it% but if she would rather have the conversation revolve around her topic% she will but<in while someone else is talking and change the topic. *his usually occurs in the morning when the students are first in the classroom. *hat does not mean% though% that she is not able to participate in conversations. When participating in conversations% she is able to make a turnabout% which occurs when ;the speaker not only comments on what has (ust been said but also adds a reGuest to get the partner to respond again= /'erk% -##0% p. "$01. Ane morning% *ara and her friends were talking about how they were going to have their first soccer game that weekend. *ara and aura recalled a game from last year in which they versed each other. *he conversation began talking about the colored team on which they played. *ara then commented% saying that the two went to *aco 'ell after the game together. *hey then started talking about where *aco 'ell was located and what food they ordered when they got there. 3fter studying all the components of *ara9s language development% I believe *ara is typically developing. She is able to put words together to form sentences% listen to directions% and use appropriate language in a given situation. >er language will continue to grow every day. Chart Categories 7hysical&+otor Strengths Q 3dult pencil grip Q Skipping% hopping% running
3reas for Improvement

7rogress Q Cuts more precisely with scissors Q @eater handwriting due to better fine motor control Q 'etter at resolving conflicts between peers < takes the time to listen

Q 2ump rope6 (ump more in time with the rhythm Q 2umping with both feet together Q earn how to take turns better

Emotional&Social Q Self<esteem6 thinks very highly of herself Q 7rivate speech

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Categories Cognitive

Strengths Q 3nimistic thinking6 teddy bears% blocks Q +emory6 recalled parts of books after they had been read% recalled how to say ;hello= in Spanish% Italian% and ,rench Q 7honological development Q Concept of word <'eginning and ending sounds

3reas for Improvement

7rogress

Q Conservation6 be able Q >as less of an to tell that there is the egocentric attitudeE same number of realiDing that other pieces in one bo) people should be when transfered to a able to talk in new one. conversations as well. Q 'e able to separate by more than one characteristic Q +edial sounds Q Synta)6 learn correct time to use capital letters Q ?se of correct punctuation% i.e. put the period at the end of the sentence

anguage

!ata Conclusion 3lmost at the age of si)% *ara has shown many e)amples as to why she typically developing for someone her age. With her cognitive development% *ara falls perfectly in the 7reoperational Stage of 7iaget9s cognitive development theory. *ara has reached all the components of language development% especially phonological and struggling more in grammatical development. She already views friendships as mutual trust and assistance% a higher level than someone her age should. 3s she continues in school% her vocabulary will increase from reading books and continued communication with her peers and adults. Continuing this pattern of typical development will allow *ara to handle herself in situations and understand more about the world around her as she grows up. Implications If I had the opportunity% I would like to e)plore *ara9s relationship with her sister further. While I know that the two girls share a bedroom and play together% I have never seen *ara and 8achel interact with each other in person. I am interested to know if the two have to fight for the attention of their parents. 3long with fighting for attention% I wonder if the two ever feel superior

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to the other. It would be interesting to find out if *ara works so hard in school because she wants to feel accepted by her parents. Even though *ara is at a young age% she may feel inferior to 8achel already. I would try to gather this information by performing another interview with *ara% focusing (ust on her home life. I would begin by asking about 8achel and how the two get along with each other. *his would include Guestions% such as ;what do you two like to do togetherO= and ;does 8achel ever make you mad and upsetO= *hese Guestions could take the conversation to either end of the spectrum% either showing a positive relationship or a negative relationship. I could also get these girls together during the school day% since they both have lunch and recess at the same time. !uring this time% I would see how they interacted with each other and if they behaved in typical conversations of this age group% factoring in that they are twins. Creating a classroom design is a very difficult task. 7hysically% *ara needs improvement with (umping. If I could% I would have an open area in the classroom in which students would be able to do activities that encouraged physical activity. >ere% the students would be able to do their singing chants as well as small activities% like (umping and (umping (acks. *he classroom would also be much like +s. C9s in that it would be colorful. I believe children work better in classrooms that appear to have more fun. !ark classrooms make people want to go to sleep% and that is not something that a kindergartner should want to be doing. *ara is a good reader and en(oys the time in which she gets to spend doing (ust that. *herefore% I would keep the reading section of the room how it isE this environment allows children to be comfortable while they are doing their work. I think the way this area is set up encourages children and lets them know that reading can be fun and something that one should want to do. *o help *ara improve in her development% I would have an area devoted primarily to

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words. *his would include the Word Wall words chart% along with other parts of speech that would help *ara prosper. ,or e)ample% there would be signs that had pictures of different types of blends and digraphs% such as ;<th= with a picture of a thumb. Seeing this pictures while she is doing her word work would help her better remember the sound that these parts of speech make. 'ecause of this case study% I was able to focus on a typical student and study how closely related she was to the developmentally appropriate practices of her age. 3fter studying her habits% I was able to look at e)pert9s advice and read through them% trying to figure if *ara was a typical five year old. 'y reading all the different e)perts and how they believed a typical child should be% I was able to look at the child as a whole% rather than (ust parts. 3ll the different e)perts gave me insight on how a child develops. Whether it9s through 7iaget9s cognitive theory or a physical readiness chart from online% all of the resources I used benefitted me in my understanding of the child. I didn9t realiDe studying child development in this depth would help me as much as it would. In the beginning% I assumed this case study was (ust something that I was reGuired to do% rather than something that would actually benefit me in the end. *o my surprise% I have learned more about how children develop and why they do the things they do. Instead of (ust writing a child off for doing something% I have learned to take a step back and look at the entire situation at hand. 7utting a child9s actions into the conte)t of the classroom and his&her development can make all the difference. When a child does something% I will now look at each type of development and interpret from there. 8eferences 'erk% . /-##01. Child development /$th ed.1. 'oston% +36 7earson&3llyn and 'acon.

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'erndt% *.2. /-##-1. ,riendship Guality and social development. Current !irections in 7sychological Science. 3merican 7sychosocial Society. 'odrova% E. N eong% !.2. /-##"1. Chopsticks and counting chips6 !o play and foundational skills need to compete for the teacher9s attention in an early childhood classroomO Roung Children% .$/"1% 1#<14. 'redekamp% S. /-#111. Effective practices in early childhood education6 'uilding a foundation. @ew Rork6 7earson. 'ukatko% !. /-##$1. Child and adolescent development6 3 chronological approach. 'oston% +36 >oughton +ifflin Company. Copple% C. N 'redekamp% S. /-##01. !evelopmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age $. Washington% !C6 @3ERC. :reene County 7rimary School < >ome. /-#1-1. 8etrieved 3pril 1-% -#1-% from http6&& [Link]&education&school&[Link]% +. /-#111. *he self<conscious emotions. In 8.E. *remblay% +. 'oivin% 8!eB 7eters /Eds.1% Encyclopedia on Early Childhood !evelopment /p. 1<F1. 8etrieved from http6&&[Link]<[Link]&documents& ewis3@:)[Link]. +c!evitt% *.+. 3nd 3rmored% 2.E. /-##41. Child development and education. ?pper Saddle 8iver% @26 7earson&+errill 7rentice >all. 8obinson% T. /-#1-1. 7hysical readiness6 Kindergarten. 8etrieved from6 http6&&[Link]&magaDine&article&RourUKindergartnerUShouldU'eU3bleU*o& Santrock% 2.W. /-##01. Child development /1-th ed.1. @ew Rork% @R6 *im +c:raw<>ill Companies Inc.