Kalonikae Drenckhahn

Professor
RED 401 Kidwatching: Observational Research
30 November 2014
Observations of H
Setting
I had the opportunity to observe H, a second grader in Mrs.E. s class at
Elementary School. The setting includes a standard sized classroom on the corner of the
school with windows on two sides of the classroom. One view is of the parking lot with 4th
Street further in the distance; the other is of the playground/field area of the school. The room
itself includes five hexagonal-shaped tables for the students, a reading corner, the carpet in
front of the Smartboard, and the teachers corner that includes Mrs. Es desk and other things.
H sits at the front table directly in front. He sits with three other children. One child is an
above-level student in both math and reading and the other two are on-level in both math and
reading. Mrs. E. arranges her students so they can help each other if necessary. The room is
well-lit and decorated heavily but organized with many labels and diagrams. It appears that
Mrs. E. has a controlled class but there is plenty of laughter and the students seem to enjoy
themselves in her class. There is regular activity with both students and adults coming in and
going out consistently. Overall, the classroom is what one would expect upon entering a
standard, American elementary school.

Physical Presence and Gesture

Beginning with Hs appearance, I would describe him as being average size. He is
approximately three feet tall. There are some children in his class that are much bigger and
some that are much smaller. He is neither slim nor heavy. He has short, blond hair and blue
eyes. His clothing is well-kept, meaning it is not dirty or distressed. His presence is there,
however he does not stand out like some of the other children. He does not speak out of turn
or act out. He is quiet and is usually looking around the room as if it is the first time he is
walked into it. He is very interested in what his neighbors are doing, usually peeking over to
see what the others are doing. At times when he is working on a task he can appear very
contemplative. It is difficult to tell if he is thinking or if he is confused. Normally at this point,
I will ask him if he has any questions. If he does, he is very soft-spoken. I even had to have
him repeat himself several times.
He participates frequently and raises his hand often. Sometimes he sits on the edge of
his chair and at other times he waits patiently for further instruction. When he is called on and
he gets the answer right, he has a big smile and wide open eyes. He is very slow and
deliberate, especially toward the end of the day when it is time to begin packing up to go
home. When he is walking around the room, he will pause and gaze around and then continue
on to his destination.

Relationships with Children and Adults

When it comes to relationships with other children, H appears to fit in well with the
other students. When the students are tasked with working together at their tables, he
participates and does not seem bothered if he does not have the same answers as the others.
The other children include him, and he is accommodating to others. He respects the answers
and feelings of others by not dismissing them. However, I do not see him challenge them. H is
more likely to do what the others around him are doing as opposed to doing it first. He is
interested in what others are doing and tries to get a look at what they are doing, but does not
appear to come off as intrusive. On one occasion during cleanup time, he was moving around
the room to see if he could help stack chairs and one of the other children was irritated that he
was in the way. With other children, he is able to fit in well but seems to be trying to keep up.
H has a significant amount of time with adults. He seems particularly fond of Mrs. He
even chose to write his descriptive writing about her as opposed to a family pet or activity that
some of the other children chose to do. Along with his teacher, he spends time with a
specialist, other aids, and me. He has a lot of extra help with his writing and does not seem to
mind the extra attention. He is kind and a bit shy at first. Once he develops trust towards
adults, he is very affectionate. For example, on my last day I was reading out load to the
students and he came up behind me and gave me a hug.

Language and Communication

H uses language that is age/stage appropriate. Most of his sentences are complete but
short. He does not appear to have any speech difficulties though at times it is difficult to hear
him because he is very soft-spoken. There are times I think he may know what he is trying to
say but cannot seem to find the words. For example, when called on by the teacher he will
respond abruptly with the first portion of his response and then stop as if he has hit a
roadblock with choosing or knowing the right word to describe his thinking.
One of Hs difficulties is his writing. I noticed on some days he was able to write his
thoughts down, but the degree of detail was limited because of his shortage of vocabulary
words. When an adult would sit with him and work out his writing with him, which was often,
more detail was able to be added because we were able to supply some of the words after
asking some questions. At that point, we would write the words below the line and then he
would rewrite the sentences above the prewritten words. This seems to help him greatly. I will
point out though that he is hesitant about sounding out his words. It is unclear to me if he is
scared of getting it wrong, if he simply cannot do it, or a combination of both. I would need
more work with him to determine exactly why he is so hesitant.

Interests and Activities

I have learned quite a bit more about Hs interests and activities compared to the other
students because I have spent more time with him on his writing. Through questioning him I
have learned about his family and what he likes to do when he is not in school. He lives with
his parents, his older brother , and his baby sister, making him a middle child. He lives in the
neighborhood because he walks to and from school. Outside of school, he plays with his
brother in the neighborhood. Some of his interests and likes are animals, playing, being read
to by his mom, the beach, and the zoo.
When he is in the classroom, he likes being a helper and being given specific tasks.
When the students are given the option of reading-to-self or drawing, he usually draws. Like
the other children, when the students are tasked with playing a learning game, he gets very
excited. He plays well with the other children and takes turns.

Educational Implications
I think that H has exceptional ability and his current need for additional help with
writing is being addressed. He sees a specialist every day and receives additional help from
Mrs. E and paraprofessionals. I think the most important thing with H is to give him the time
to develop his vocabulary and writing skills. Gradually drawing additional help away and
allowing him to develop the ability to articulate his thoughts on his own is my
recommendation. I think it is also important to note that he does well with math and should
continue to be encouraged in that area. In the amount of time I have worked with him, I have
seen improvement so it is seems likely that with time he will be on-level with his writing.
From my observations, H does not seem to have any other academic or behavioral issues that
are not already being addressed. He is willing and ready to learn. With the additional support
he is receiving, I can only see him being successful.