heathercollinsportfolio.weebly.comheathercollinsportfolio.weebly.com/.../2/4/8/5/24851818… · Web view, so maybe that is why it made such a difference to be separated. Will it make

HEATHER COLLINS’ 2013 CHILD STUDY REFLECTION2

Table of Contents

Initial Profile 3

Physical Development 4

Social/Emotional Development 6

Cognitive Development 9

Final Summary 13

References 16

Observation Plans & Notes 18

Appendix 25


Initial Profile of Child Study : “T1” (9/26/13)

I have chosen to observe “T1” for several reasons. The main reason is that I believe he is

one of the few “typical” 2nd graders. The majority of our class seems to be above or below the

“average”. Another fact that piqued my interest is that “T1” is a twin and in the same class as his

twin. I, myself, am a twin and firmly believe that twins should be separated in classes so that

they can form their own unique identity and thoughts. I was an identical twin, so maybe that is

why it made such a difference to be separated. Will it make a difference because his twin is

female and has a stronger, more outgoing personality? Will it make a difference that his sister is

a high achieving student and above “average” in the class? Will it matter that he and his sister

hold each other accountable for their school work and participation in class to their parents?

“T1” is not only smaller than his sister, but is smaller than the majority of his class. This also

leads me to wonder if there is a correlation between underweight students and their academic

success. Throughout my child study, I plan to make observations and comparisons between “T1”

and his sister and between “T1” and his fellow classmates.

I’m not sure of“T1”’s age, (NOTE: I later found out that his birthday is 8/4/06 and he is

seven years old) but he is an African American second grader in a first/second grade mixed class

at the brand new Academy 360 (A360). “T1” is 4’0” and 51.2lbs (which I am told by our Health

& Wellness Coordinator creates a low Body Mass Index [BMI] compared to others in his age

group). He is visibly more slender than the other boys in his class. Inside the classroom and

outside on the playground, he seems to be on the quiet side but occasionally has bursts of

hyper/goofy energy. “T1” has a good attendance record and seems very healthy, except for that

fact that he occasionally has a cough that sounds like whooping. He has good energy, but is calm

and methodical.


He comes from what seems to be a solid family unit. I’ve been told by someone on our

leadership team that he lives at home with his mom, dad, older brother( NOTE: I found later that

his brother is 11 and in third grade and that he has two younger brothers, ages three and two),

twin sister, and grandfather. However, I believe I’ve heard his sister say they have more siblings.

I’m curious as to if “T1” was born before or after his sister and whether or not he is the “middle”

or “youngest” child in the family. “T1”’s Mom works at a school, but is not a teacher. His mom

seems to be tough, but I have yet to meet his dad. Although he and his sister ride the bus to and

from school most days, they occasionally get picked up or dropped off by their mom.

Physical Development

T1 appears to be a very healthy student. There is nothing of concern to note in is health

records and his eyesight is 20/30 in both eyes. He always looks healthy, though very rarely when

he is sick he has a runny nose and cold. He is one of the few students who have only missed one

day of school this semester for being sick. I’m not an expert in physical development, but I

thought T1 was slightly underweight compared to other students in his class. However, when I

spoke to our Health and Wellness Coordinator, she looked on the Child & Teen BMI Calculator

on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website and found that his Body Mass

Index (BMI) was 15.6 and that it put him in the 53rd percentile for his age group. According to

the CDC, for his age, being in between the 5th percentile and 85th percentile is considered healthy

(Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, n.d.) Maybe my confusion was due to his

height, as he seems to be taller than most of the second grade boys. It makes sense that the CDC

says he’s a healthy weight – I have seen him be very active outside of school, and he seems to

eat healthy options (as a health and wellness school, we only provide healthy options, and at

snack he always has breakfast bars or granola) and portions (doesn’t eat all of what the lunch


servers put on his plate, which can be a lot for his age) at lunch and snack time. T1 is most active

when he is at recess or P.E. During recess I often observe him playing a tag game or playing on

the playground equipment. Sometimes he and a few of his classmates show off their flexibility

and “gymnastics skills” to each other – activities like splits, cartwheels, and back-flips. He can

perform all three with ease and agility and they are usually well-executed. He seems to be very

coordinated and flexible.

In general, when T1 is not outside, he seems to walk and carry himself with a calm

confidence. He doesn’t usually express his mood through how he moves or sits. The only

tensional outlet I have observed is when he is sitting on the carpet waiting for instructions or

waiting for his turn, he sits on his feet, or legs, and gently rocks back and forth. Occasionally he

will pick something up like a pebble from someone’s shoe or a plastic ring, and play with it in

his hands or mouth. When T1 returns from the carpet to his seat, he sits fairly still. When writing

at his table, he uses his right hand and holds his pencil “near point with three-fingered, pincer-

like grasp they [he] find[s] difficult to relax”, just as Chip Wood (2007) claims is typical for a

seven-year-old (p. 92). His writing seems to be on par with the rest of his class – fairly legible

but juvenile and small (Wood, 2007, p 92). T1 is also right-footed, so he is right-dominant in his

body.

When observing T1 superficially, I can tell that he fits in with the rest of his peers. It is

not as hard for him as I can imagine it would be for students his age who go to a school where

they can wear whatever they want and whatever they can afford. At Academy 360, we have a

dress code of blue or khaki pants, our school’s grey polo shirt, and tennis shoes. I believe it helps

make everyone equal, in a sense, because the students can’t compare or brag about what kind of

clothes they wear, putting some kids on a higher social status. So, I do not get to see if he has a


favorite article of clothing. However, sometimes he seems to try to push the boundaries to show

character or individuality -- our students are supposed to wear solid blue or solid khaki pants and

he has sneakily been wearing blue patterned pants (camouflage, jeans, checkered, etc.). His

dentition also has an effect on T1 fitting in. According to the American Dental Association

(ADA), children who are 7 should have lost, or will be losing their Incisor teeth in the front of

their mouth (2005). T1 has lost six teeth, all of them in the front of his mouth, and all of them

almost fully grown in. Students in his class/age group (including T1) are intrigued by loose teeth

and I often catch them comparing how many teeth they have lost to other students, showing each

other and adults wiggly teeth, or gaps in their teeth. Because T1’s teeth are almost fully in and

seem to be growing in straight, they have no affect on his speech.

Social/Emotional Development

I believe T1 gets along well with others socially because he embodies a common

definition of a good friend. He listens well, makes people laugh and laughs with others, and does

not share secrets. When I have observed T1 with friends, he has good listening skills and allows

the other person to finish speaking before he talks. In second grade, and throughout a lot of

elementary school, it appears as though a critical part of social development and “fitting in”

involves being silly and funny with others. According to Chip Wood (2007), seven-year-olds

“need humor and games to help moderate their seriousness” (p93). [See Appendix, Fig. 1] T1 is

often distracted by those who are goofing off. Although he is rarely the initiator, he will also

participate in and enjoy whatever act of silliness a friend or group of friends will be performing.

Though he says things concisely, often times in conversation he will add nonverbal behavior like

eye-rolling, putting on different voices, and adding an arm/body motion to go along with


whatever he’s saying in order to get a laugh out of whomever he is talking to . This is all part of

good and appropriate conversation for second-graders (Simpson, 2013).

Due to T1’s ability to have a good conversation, make people laugh, and participate in

physical activities, he is easily accepted into a group. He normally gets invited and encouraged to

join in an activity by other students, but he does not normally initiate. I could label him a

“follower”, but he tends to just float around and does his own thing until people invite him in. I

do not believe he is anti-social, I just think sometimes he lacks motivation and is confident

enough that people will ask him to join. He has very little conflict when he does join an activity,

but I have caught him a couple times being “cheeky” and playing chasing games with others who

have “egged” him on in the classroom. He has only gotten in trouble once when he had a little

tiff with one of our students who is a repeat offender for starting fights and arguments in the

class. T1 refused to admit he pinched the other student in response to being pushed out of the

way when they were seated on the carpet. He gave excuses like “I was shrugging” and “I was

putting my hands at my side”, which according to Louise Bates Ames and Carol Chase Habor

(1085) is typical because seven-year-olds “do not take correction well and [are] quick to provide

and alibi” (p. 33). He rolled his eyes and became stubborn when I began to mediate the situation.

I believe that this is because he is in Lawrence Kohlberg’s second stage of moral reasoning –

reciprocity. “The Golden Rule becomes, ‘if someone hits you, you hit them back’. What’s right

is what’s fair in the sense of an equal exchange […]” (Nucci, 2008). I think that because the

students in second grade are still learning to speak up for themselves and restrain themselves, all

they know is how to make things “even”.

The idea of reciprocity or fairness seems to continue when he plays with his classmates.

If T1 and his friends are practicing or showing off their gymnastics skills, they take turns and


allow others to try and emulate them. The students also encourage each other to teach each other

how to perform a move. I think they are demonstrating that they have learned to take turns and

somewhere in their previous schooling, or perhaps from the culture my mentor sets in our

classroom, that there is friendly competition, but also a chance to learn from someone and honor

and recognize each other’s strengths. I think T1 and his classmates see my mentor model

appropriate cooperative play and get to experience it on their own in math choice play time, as

well.

T1 does not have any best friends or students he clings to. There are two students who are

consistently a distraction for him in the classroom, though. The two students are boys – one is a

mature first grader and the other is a second-grader who is a year older than the rest. Both are

easily distracted themselves and like to goof off and entertain others. The boys used to all be in

the same Intensives class together and tend to sit next to each other on the carpet when they can,

and in free time they visit each other’s tables. What is interesting to me is that T1 seems to have

very little interest in interacting with his twin sister. They do not usually talk to each other, sit by

each other, or hang out together. They have certainly developed separate identities – perhaps

because they have been separated in every other school they have attended and the fact that their

whole family is male except for his sister. While T1 is quiet and is at his grade-level in

academics like reading, his sister is a bit louder, shows off more, and is above-grade level in a

many of her academics.

In relation to academics, T1 seems to put in as little effort as he can. I am not sure if it is

because he sees games and hanging out with friends as more appealing and rewarding than

school work, or if perhaps he feels there is no way he can compete with his twin, so why even

bother? It could even be that he has “middle child syndrome”, considering he is right in the


middle of his brothers and sister. Bates and Haber (1985) believe that “a middle child may

expect an older sibling to look out for him and may be much less competitive than an older

sibling, less driven to succeed” (p. 114).When he does not get an answer right, or understand the

question being asked, he sometimes puts on a fake frown face and says “I’m mad” to get a

reaction. Other times he just sits and guesses. If he does not understand and it is on paper, he will

just quickly jot down any old answer. If it is a question asked by a teacher or in front of the class,

he will put on a silly grin, open up his eyes pretty wide, and says an answer in almost a baby-like

voice. I believe he does this because he knows he does not know the answer and he hopes it will

soften the teacher’s reaction to his naivety and make it look like he is too cool to put that much

value on school. According to my mentor, Dorothy, “He gets playful to get what he wants,

[sometimes maybe less challenging]. When his team was struggling with the apple tree life

cycle, he got silly and cute and they all started laughing, and it worked really well - they were

able to get a lot done because he LED, but in a really easy going and non-threatening way” (D.

Shapland, personal communication, December 7, 2013).

Cognitive Development

Like most of the students in his second grade class, T1 is an inner thinker. I know this

because when my mentor or I ask him a question, I notice he looks up and tilts his head to the

side and pauses – the tell-tale signs of thinking. However, even though he takes time to think, a

lot of the time he does not know the correct answer or how to get the correct answer, so he blurts

out something he thinks is related. I believe he is in the second stage of inner speech, according

to Dee Joy Coulter, because he is showing “signs of impulse control” when answering a

questions (1968). I agree that it is important for T1 to have his inner speech to reason and

formulate a response. I think it helps that my mentor models what Coulter suggests, “[…]


think[ing] aloud in front of children, honestly listen[ing] to them as they begin to talk about

problems and ideas, and allow them to think aloud as well (Coulter, 1986). Although T1 is using

inner speech and taking time to give answers, he is showing signs of what Jean Piaget calls

“suggested conviction”. This means that he “makes an effort to reply to the question but either

the question is suggestive or […] is simply trying to satisfy the examiner without attempting to

think for himself” (1951, p. 10). Occasionally his answers will be from Piaget’s “liberated

conviction” which is “[…] strictly speaking, neither spontaneous nor suggested; it is the result of

reasoning, performed to order, but by means of original material [(schema)] and original logical

instruments [(problem-solving)] (1951, p. 11).

According to Piaget, children that are seven to eleven years old should be in the

“Concrete Operational” stage of cognitive development, which means that they get what they

“know” from what they have experienced, and do not really comprehend abstract ideas (Erikson,

1963). I found this to be true of T1 when I performed the Piagetian Tasks. [See Appendix, Fig. 7]

He understood that when I had a number of items and moved them around, the number of items

stayed the same, and that the length stayed the same. He could emulate patterns that I set out

because he had been exposed to patterns. However, T1 has not been exposed to the concepts of

volume or mass, and so those ideas were abstract or foreign to him. When I flattened a ball of

play dough that was identical to another ball, he claimed the flattened one was bigger. When I

showed him two containers of equal volumes of water and poured one into a taller, skinnier

container, he thought the taller one had more because the water level went higher. Going along

with the idea that he processes things in relation to what he knows and has experienced, T1 knew

his left and right hands, but could not figure out which one of my hands was my left or right. He


could figure out what items were to the left or right if each other because he could put his hands

out near the objects and compare (Duncan, 2005).

Based on the Piagetian questions posed by the Finneytown Local School District on their

website, it seems that T1, as well as the other three other students I interviewed all seem to

struggle with the concept of height and weight measurement. [See Appendix, Fig. 8] T1 guessed

he was 43 inches tall and had no idea how much he weighed and he guessed his mom was 55

inches tall and had no idea how much she weighed. Most of their answers are concrete – the

answers were what they have observed and experienced, nothing really scientific – for example,

all four of the students said that wind makes leaves fall off of trees. They didn’t mention

anything about a tree life cycle. T1 and the others also answered the question about how far away

the stars are as “all the way to the sky”. Another example of how T1 thinks concretely is when he

answered the question, “Where do dreams come from?” with “From my head” (Piaget Project 3,

p 2-3).

When observing T1’s language development in his writing journal, I notice that he has

composed grammatically correct sentences, but that he uses “and” frequently. It makes for a lot

of run-on sentences. I see this happen a lot with first and second grade writing. I think it is

because the students try to write like they talk, and they tend to talk with a lot of “ands”. I also

note that T1, like many second graders, write a lot about life events and people. They have not

gotten to the point where fiction writing comes naturally. I also noted that he carries on a habit

that he must have learned in first grade or kindergarten. He puts equal amounts of space between

all words so that it looks like he is writing in columns. I assume someone taught him one way to

make sure words do not run together and now it is ingrained in his writing style. [See Appendix,

Fig. 2]


Lev Vygotsky believed that “intellectual development and learning can be understood

only in light of historical and cultural contexts children experience” (Erikson, 1963). I know that

T1’s mom works with high school students and values education, so I think that helps T1 and his

twin at home. It means they are encouraged and supported to do their homework, read, and study

at home. What I can tell from observing T1’s interaction with peers is that, for the most part, his

family speaks English at home with proper grammar. We have to keep in mind that his home

culture is slightly different from school culture. Although I know that could be said of any

student, I have observed that T1 speaks in a different tone when he thinks teachers are not

listening. He speaks with a confident, yet silly voice with his friends. It lets them know he is in

charge and demands attention. His word choice is different when he is around his peers, too. He

uses some slang or shortened words. It is what he sees at home, so it is a method that he probably

feels evokes comfort, familiarity, and comradery.

I have observed that the first and second grade culture has shaped his sense of humor,

too. For instance, using different voices to speak, telling jokes about butts and underwear, telling

knock-knock jokes, putting things where they’re not supposed to be (a shoe on your head; an

orange slice in your mouth) are all humorous to T1 and his classmates. The first and second

grade culture for creativity in art right now is to draw shapes of common items and people –

houses, hearts, pumpkins, “Minions”, rainbows, etc. Stick figures are acceptable, too. [See

Appendix, Fig. 3] My mentor is trying to change the culture and way of thinking about art so that

the students pay attention to detail and try not to draw from memory. T1 shows his creativity in

movement more than anything else. He often changes how he gets about the room or from one

square on the carpet to another. As mentioned earlier, gymnastics, running, and athletic games


are where he truly shines. I think he is starting gymnastics soon and that is why we are seeing it

as an interest and motivation in school.

When I checked in with my mentor about where I thought T1 was in his academic

competencies, she confirmed my thoughts: T1 has progressed in reading (he was at Levels I/J in

reading, and now he is on Level K instructional and Level J independently). [See Appendix,

Fig.4]. In math, I thought he was doing fine, but that we were pushing his zone of proximal

development by moving him from single digit addition and subtraction to double-digits and

money problems. [See Appendix, Fig. 5]. Dorothy agreed saying that he can focus on a lesson

enough to get what he needs to move forward, but that he’s not showing an eagerness to

progress. She also told me that it is the one subject where his twin sister is actually behind him in

abilities. We both agreed that T1 is also where he needs to be in his growth in Expedition

(science). We know this because he is grasping the ideas of seed parts, plant needs, and plant life

cycles since he is participating in the group posters we have assigned and because he is filling

out his Science Journal (D. Shapland, Personal Communication, December 9, 2013). [See

Appendix, Fig. 6].

Summary

From what I have observed, I think that T1 is a fairly typical second- grader. Like every

student, he should be viewed as an individual with different learning styles, strengths, and

challenges. I have noted that T1 is relatively active and likes to utilize his body as often as he

can. If I could change things to help him achieve the most that he can in school, I would

advocate for a longer recess, or maybe two recesses a day, and continue to have lots of

movement breaks. I would try and differentiate his learning by trying to incorporate movement

into lesson plans. I would continue to educate him on healthy eating and living in our Health and


Wellness class and send supporting literature home. Although in my initial profile I thought he

was underweight and worried about whether or not it had any effect on his learning, I think any

worries can be squashed. After finding out that he is in a healthy range for his age, I do not

believe it has any affect on his learning.

In the social realm, I am satisfied with the amount of confidence T1 has in his

interactions with friends and classmates, so I do not think I need to adjust anything there. I would

continue to coach, model and encourage him to keep our hands and legs to ourselves and use the

peace table and conversations to solve disputes. I would like to have a meeting with him and

elicit ideas from him about how to stay focused and what he thinks he can try to do, or what I

could do for him to help him concentrate. In my initial profile I wondered if having his twin in

his class would have an effect on his social interaction with others. I realize now that it does not.

As I stated earlier, he does not seem to hang out with her or interact with her at all throughout the

day. He seems to have developed his own personality, identity, and friends circle.

Cognitively speaking, T1 could use a little more support. Based on the fact that he thinks

and responds to questions with answers in a silly voice, I would try to give him techniques that

would really help him dig into the depths of his brain for schema to find an answer. I would

encourage him to give a serious “scholarly” answer. Developmentally, he is starting to get ready

to think about abstract ideas, so we might start pushing his thinking that way, too. In my initial

profile I wondered if having his twin in his class would have an effect on his cognitive

development and actions in class. I am still not sure if he feels like he has no chance of reaching

his sister’s level of ability. I am not sure if it is reasonable or if I am even allowed to ask T1 if

that is having an effect on his motivation to learn. This is something I could talk to his parents

and/or my mentor about before pursing further.


T1 has great potential for being a student who excels. Being able to observe him in his

day-to-day class routines has helped me understand him a little better. I understand it has only

been eight weeks of observations and can only be a snapshot of his character traits, abilities, and

interactions. However, it gives me a short-term idea of things I can implement or change in the

classroom to help his learning. I can also use my new knowledge of the three developmental

domains to help me take notes, compose anecdotal records, and draw running records that I can

use to help all of my students achieve and excel in school.


References

American Dental Association. “Tooth eruption: the primary teeth.” (November 2005.). JADA.

Retrieved December 7, 2013, from

http://www.ada.org/sections/scienceAndResearch/pdfs/patient_56.pdf

Ames, L. B., & Haber, C. C. (1985). Your Seven-Year-Old. New York: Dell Publishing.

Coulter, D. J. (1986). “The world of inner speech” [handout]. Retrieved Dec. 7,

2013, from http://www.stanleyteacherprep.org/uploads/2/3/3/0/23305258/

coulter._the_world_of_inner_speech.pdf

Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. “BMI percentile calculator for child and

teen English version.” Healthy weight: assessing your weight: BMI: child and teen

calculator. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.

<http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/>.

Duncan, B. (2005). “Piagetian tasks to discern thinking processes of a preoperational child

(2-7 years old)” [handout]. Stanley Teacher Prep Program, University of Colorado,

Denver, CO.

Erikson, E.H. (1963). “Piaget’s stages of cognitive development” [handout]. 3 Oct. 2013. Stanley

Teacher Prep Program, University of Colorado, Denver, CO.

Erikson, E.H. (1963). “Vygotsky’s theory on cognitive development” [handout]. 12 Oct. 2013.

Stanley Teacher Prep Program, University of Colorado, Denver, CO.

Nucci, L. (2008, December 2). “Moral development and moral education: an overview”


[handout]. . Studies in social and moral development and education. Retrieved

December 7, 2013, from http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/overview.html

Piaget, J. (1951). The Child's Conception of the World. Lanham: Littlefield Adams Quality

Paperbacks. (Original work published 1929)

"Piaget Project 3." www.Finneytown.org. Finneytown Local School District, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2

2013. pages 2-3. <http://www.google.com/url?

sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CD4QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F

%2Fwww.finneytown.org%2FDownloads%2FPiaget

%2520Project3.doc&ei=K9aSUvmTDoqhrAHCx4DQCA&usg=AFQjCNFCJFhen3IIkx

A-

8CNE4NjzRV4b0g&sig2=JO22qEr0vGFBdb8Ew8dDCA&bvm=bv.56988011,d.aWM> .

Simpson, C. (2013). “The anatomy of a conversation” [class handout]. Personal collection of

Carrie Simpson, Stanley Teacher Prep Program, University of Colorado, Denver, CO.

Wood, C. (2007). Yarsticks (3rd ed.). Turner Falls: Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.


Scheduled Observation Plan and Observation Notes

Child Study Observation Schedule October 7, 2013 – November 22, 2013

MONDAYS-THURSDAYS—8:00-8:30am Crew, M,W8:30-9:45am Reading10:55-11:35am Writing11:35-11:50am Recess11:50-12:15pm Lunch w/students12:15-12:30pm Skills2:00-3:10pm Math3:10-4:00pm Intensives FRIDAYS—8:00-8:30am Crew9:15-11:35am Literacy/Expedition11:35-12:15 Lunch w/students12:15-12:25pm Reading/Skills12:25-1:15pm Intensives

Note: The other times I am assisting Julie’s 1st grade class. Though I may be teaching/assisting/observing during some of these times, these are the times available for

observation. P.E. is 9:45am – 10:30am. I am working with Julie’s class during this time, so I will talk with Karl (P.E. teacher) and Julie to see when it is appropriate to observe the class.

*UPDATED SCHEDULE ON NOVEMBER 18, 2013*

M-Th8:00 - 8:30 – Crew, M, W8:30 - 9:00 -- Literacy 10:00 - 10:25 -- Literacy 10:25 - 11:10 -- Intensives11:10 - 11:35 -- Math 12:20 - 12:50 -- Math 1:20 - 2:20 -- Expedition


Fri8:00 - 8:30 -- Crew 10:00 - 11:35 -- Exped./Lit. 12:15 - 12:25 -- Skills 12:25 - 1:10 -- Intensives

Note: Same as above, except P.E. is 3:05pm – 3:50pm. Also, I no longer get to observe my child study at lunch or recess. I am also continuing my observation through December 6, 2013.

Child Study Observation Notes

10/15/13

– T1 is reading at his grade level and his sister is above grade level. On the “Mondo” book

sets, T1 is reading at a level I/J and his sister is reading at a level M.

– T1 is starting to show character and individuality in class. Our students are supposed to

wear solid blue or solid khaki pants and he has sneakily been wearing blue patterned

pants (camo, jeans, checkered, etc.)

– While reading Nestor, T1 exclaimed “His face is like this!” <makes face> “I think he is

surprised”. T1 also simulated or acted out a lot of things that he read about – i.e. he

simulated fishing when he said “fishing”. T1 read a bit slower than the others in his

reading group. He lost focus a few times and had to be reminded by Dorothy to get back

on track.

10/18/13

– T1 was out sick today with his sister. It’s the first time they’ve been sick all school year.

They seem to be fairly healthy.

10/21/13


– T1 is here today, thought his sister is still out sick

– He has a hard time focusing.

– Likes being silly and goofing off, but isn’t disruptive of class – just enjoys the attention.

– During Crew Meeting he sucked on a big purple ring and played with it in his mouth. He

also played with the reflections from the light on the ring.

– T1 paid enough attention to be called on to make a prediction during reading.

– A fellow student’s mom passed away over the weekend and he acted a bit shocked when

he heard, but was grinning at the fact that he was so dramatic about the shock.

– Challenges/pushes boundaries (with me at least). When going up the slide or climbing or

doing something he’s not supposed to be doing (and he knows it), he’ll give me a

sneaky/guilty look to see if I’m watching.

– Sometimes he likes to pretend he’s upset or angry when he’s not, just to get a reaction.

– He is one of the fastest students in gym class, but he just quits when he wants to.

10/22/13

– T1 had a little tiff with one of our students who usually initiates fights and arguments in

the class.

– T1 refused to admit he pinched the other student. He gave excuses like “I was shrugging”

and “I was putting my hands at my side”. He rolled his eyes and became stubborn when I

began to mediate the situation.

10/23/13


In all honesty, I haven’t been able to observe as much as I wanted to/should have. From October

7th -11th I had to assist Julie (1st grade teacher) by watching over her students and occasionally

teaching while she got through the DRA testing which we found out on the 7th was due the 11th.

This left me little or no time in Dorothy’s (my mentor) classroom. I thought I would be able to

record more during the week of October 14-18th but I ended up assisting Julie while she

completed the STEP testing and was an emergency sub for her that week, too. This week I’ve

done as much as I could, but I had to emergency sub for Julie for a half day Tuesday and full day

Wednesday. I understand it may not be enough, but it’s what I could catch when I had time to

observe.

– T1 tends to sit at the back of the class (in hopes of not being in the teacher’s immediate

eyesight?).

– I’ve only been able to observe two P.E. classes and I couldn’t do much because there

were so many behavioral issues (violence, hitting, etc.) that I had to remove students

from the class several times – both days – and take them to the office. However,

according to Karl, our P.E. teacher, T1 is pretty focused, depending on whom he’s around

– he’s easily influenced. His coordination is ahead of most students and Karl believes this

could be why he sometimes seems to lose focus – as if to say “Why are we learning this

basic stuff. I already know it”. Karl also mentions that T1 was side conversations in

Health and Wellness class.

– His writing is not as advanced as his sisters. He tends to write his paragraphs in what

looks like columns. I wonder if it’s a technique he was taught at a previous school about

spacing between words, though I don’t believe his sister writes the same way.

Examples:


10/29/13

– Dentition has no affect on T1’s speech.

– Students in his class/age group (including T1) are intrigued by loose teeth and often

compare how many teeth they’ve lost to other students. May have bragging rights.

– T1 doesn’t have any particular favorite piece of clothing that he likes to wear. We have a

dress code/uniform at our school so he doesn’t get to show much unique identity through

clothes.

– Movement: he seems to walk with a calm confidence. He doesn’t seem to express his

mood through how he moves or sits. Even when he is hyper in nature, he sits fairly still

and with a calm, laid-back air about him. He is a bit quicker when on the playground, but

his moves are usually agile and well executed. He usually plays a tag game or plays on

the playground equipment. Sometimes he and a few of his classmates show off their

flexibility and “gymnastics skills” to each other – activities like splits, cartwheels, and

back-flips. He can perform all three with ease and agility. He seems to be well

coordinated.

11/12/13


– T1 claims to have lost 6 teeth and I noticed most of them were in the front.

– T1 is right handed. He holds his pencil fairly tight.

– He kicks with his right foot.

– Told T1 and small group to “make a monocle. Now hold it up to your eye and look

through it”. T1 held up his right hand to his right eye.

– T1 eats a bit of everything at lunch, but some is left on his plate. I’m not sure if he’s a

finicky eater or if they just put too much on his tray.

– He usually has granola or cereal bars for snack and has no problem finishing them.

11/19/13

– Based on the Piagetian questions I found online, it seems that T1, as well as the other

three other students I interviewed all seem to struggle with the concept of height and

weight measurement. (T1 guessed he was 43 inches tall and had no idea how much he

weighed and he guessed his mom was 55 inches tall and had no idea how much she

weighed.) Most of their answers are concrete – the answers were what they have

observed, nothing really scientific – for example, all four of the students said that wind

makes leaves fall off of trees. They didn’t mention anything about a tree life cycle. T1

and the others also answered the question about how far away the stars are as “all the way

to the sky”.

12/2/13

– T1’s last vision exam (done September of this year) results were 20/30 in his left eye and

20/30 in his right eye. His hearing exam will be done in March.


– His BMI is 15.6 which puts him in the 53rd percentile, according to our Health &

Wellness Coordinator (Child & Teen BMI Calculator on the CDC website).

– His birthday is 8/4/06.

– His household actually consists of a grandfather, father, mother, older brother, twin sister,

twin brother (T1), and 2 little brothers.

– According to his health history filled out by his mother, he walked at 11 months and

talked at 6 months.


Appendix

Fig. 1 – T1 being silly with me

.

Fig. 2 – T1’s writing journal


Fig. 3 – Second Grade Art by T1


Fig. 4 – T1’s “Book Box” Compilation (October 3rd, then December 9th)

Fig. 5 – T1’s Math Worksheets


Fig. 6 – T1’s Expedition Group’s Projects and Journal Entry

heathercollinsportfolio.weebly.comheathercollinsportfolio.weebly.com/.../2/4/8/5/24851818… · Web view, so maybe that is why it made such a difference to be separated. Will it make

Documents