CD005 Walden University Observing Documenting and Assessing Children Paper

 

This assessment has three parts. Click each of the items below to complete this assessment.

PART I: CASE STUDY #1

ANGELICA, 9 MONTHS OLD

Review all of the documents and videos provided for Case Study #1.

• Angelica at Play

Document #1: Weekly Observations

• Document #2: Parent Questionnaire

WRITE A 1- TO 2-PAGE RESPONSE THAT ADDRESSES THE FOLLOWING:

• Choose one segment in the video of Angelica playing that illustrates her level of development in each of the domains of child development
• Describe the segment, and explain how it reveals characteristics of her physical, cognitive, or socio-emotional development
• What observation tools did you use in the process, and why?
• Make a clear connection to personal experience and/or professional practice

PART II: CASE STUDY #2

NATHAN, 4 YEARS OLD

Review all of the documents provided for Case Study #2.

• Document #1: Quarterly Child Assessment Rubric
• Document #2: Sample Drawing by Nathan
• Document #3: Parent Interview

Write a 1- to 2-page response that addresses the following:

• Analyze the work sample from Nathan
• Describe insights related to Nathan’s physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development, using specific evidence from the work sample to support your response.
• Explain why work samples are valuable sources of information about a child’s development in specific domains.
• Make connections to the professional knowledge base

PART III: ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION

In a 5- to 7-page response, analyze the information in each case study, and make a recommendation for developmentally appropriate practice for each child. Your response should include:

• A brief analysis of each child’s physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development, based on the documents and videos provided and your knowledge of the frameworks of early childhood development. Use specific examples from the case studies.
• A recommendation for at least two additional strategies that could be used to gather information from families about the development of the children in the case studies
• An explanation of how information from families supports assessment of children’s development and learning
• A recommendation for developmentally appropriate learning experiences for each child, with an explanation of how these experiences reflect the principles of developmentally appropriate practice
• A clear connection to personal experience and/or professional practice

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Case Study 1: Angelica

Age: 9 months old

Location: Early Childhood Care Center

Document #1: Weekly Observations

Read this month’s worth of weekly observation reports by Angelica’s primary caregiver at her early childhood care center:

September 6:

This week, Angelica has continued to cry at periods throughout the day. It often happens when she is tired before a nap. I have noticed that she is using other expressions to ask for things, like pointing. She is smiling often, grabbing at objects, and putting objects in her mouth. She is holding a spoon and helping to feed herself.

 

September 13:

Angelica’s crying was less frequent this week. She is responding to sound and speech from caregivers, and is beginning to make sounds that sound like speech. She also responds and seems to understand when spoken to in both English and Spanish. I have also noticed that she is more and more interested in other children lately.

 

September 20:

Angelica continues to show interest in communicating with other children. The other day, I was reading Angelica a book in the corner, and I showed the book to a group of 2-year-olds at a nearby table. When one of them wanted to look at it, she got upset and cried. She is showing signs of wanting to be more independent and likes to explore the space around her by crawling and walking while holding onto the wall or shelves. She wants to touch and hold everything.

 

September 27:

Angelica has become very good at feeding herself and often refuses assistance. There were 2 days this week that she did not nap well. On those days, she tended to cry more and did not respond well to speech from adults. I have noticed a great fluctuation in her need for attention from adults and her willingness to explore on her own. Yesterday, she spent the morning playing with toy objects with another child, and seemed to be making speech sounds. After an unsuccessful nap, however, she was very fussy for the rest of the afternoon and unresponsive to our attempts to use speech and sounds to calm her. She relaxed only when she had a toy that she could touch or put in her mouth.

 

 

Document #2: Parent Questionnaire

Case Study 1: Angelica

Read this questionnaire completed by Angelica’s father. The questionnaire was originally completed in Spanish, and then translated to English.

1. What name do you use for your child?

Angelica. Some members of the family use “Angie.”

 

2. What language(s) do you use to talk to your child? Who else does your child spend time with and what languages do they use?

I speak Spanish to Angelica, as does her mother and her grandmother, who lives with us. She has two older brothers, who both speak English very well. They speak mostly Spanish with us, but try to teach her English words. It’s what they speak with their friends and schoolteachers.

 

3. What types of play or behavior do you notice in your child?

She likes to crawl and is standing up a lot, and even learning to walk when somebody holds her hands. Everyone in the family plays with her and helps her. I sing songs to her, in Spanish, and she likes to touch my mouth and make sounds with hers. We love music in our home, and she bounces and smiles whenever it’s playing. She understands some words in Spanish, like the names of the people in our family and the Spanish word for “dog.” We have a dog, and she loves to touch his fur and play with him.

 

4. Do you have any questions or concerns about your child?

We want Angelica to speak English and Spanish equally well.

 

Case Study 2: Nathan

Age: 4 years old

Location: Preschool

Document #1: Quarterly Child Assessment Rubric

Review this Quarterly Child Assessment Rubric completed by Nathan’s preschool teacher.

Name of Child: Nathan    Age: 4    Teacher: Lana Ford    Quarter: 3

	1 Low	2 Average	3 High	Observations and Notes
How well does this child play with other children?		x		Nathan is sometimes shy about joining others in play. He seems to enjoy it when we encourage his participation. He is learning to share nicely.
How well does this child express himself verbally?		x		Nathan tends to stay quiet. However, when you ask him a question one-on-one, he speaks very clearly and has a lot to say! He also has shown great growth in speaking up when he needs something, like a snack or to use the bathroom. He is learning to write very quickly.
How well does this child follow instructions?		x		Nathan listens very closely to instructions and does what he hears. If the instructions include working with other children or moving objects around the space, however, he is often slow to follow.
How well does this child learn new physical skills?	x			Nathan struggles with group physical activities. He seems nervous and often becomes confused. Sometimes he needs to be coaxed into participating.
How much does this child show interest in learning about new topics?			x	Nathan has shown great interest in learning about topics, especially when we learned about sea animals and outer space. He became very talkative and engaged.
How well does this child cope with disappointment?		x		Nathan can get upset when things don’t go as planned. When painting, for example, he sometimes gets frustrated when he makes a mistake. However, he is very receptive to encouragement by teachers.
How much does this child express joy or pleasure?		x		Nathan often acts shy, however when he gets very excited about a game, song, or new topic, he shows it with talking, laughter, and smiles.