InTASC Standards Rationale Page

Standard #1: Learning Environments

The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning
and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional,
and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging
learning experiences.
Name of Artifact: Child Observation #3
Date: December 4, 2016
Course: EDUC 121: Child & Adolescent Development
Brief Description:
For my Child & Adolescent Development class, I was asked to observe a group of 6- to
8-year-olds for approximately one hour. I have a close relationship to one of the elementary
schools in my hometown of Lebanon, and I was able to observe a 1st grade classroom for the
second time. I was able to sit in on different aspects of the day, and was also able to use that
information to answer eight questions for this assignment.
Rationale:
To document my understanding of InTASC Standard 1, Learner Development, I have
selected to include my Child Observation #3 assignment. By observing a child between the ages
of 6- to 8-year-olds, it gave me great insight on how the child is developing cognitively,
linguistically, socially, emotionally and even in physically. I was able to completely concentrate
on the age, and I was able to understand what was developmentally appropriate and what was
challenging in their learning experiences. I learned that some behaviors are developmentally
normal, and others were not in the realm of normal.

Name: Margaret Herrin Class: Child and Adolescent Development Date: November
22, 2016
Purpose: Identify the signs of development in school-age children.
Directions: Observe a group of six- to eight-year-old children for at least one hour.
You may want
to observe these children more than one time. Record your responses to the
questions or statements
that follow.
Site: Harney Elementary School Date(s) of Observation(s): November 22,2016
Number and Ages of Children: Classroom of 20 6- to 7-year olds
1. Describe the small-motor skills you observe in these children.
Small motor skills are known as fine motor skills, and defined as any small
movement of muscles in the body (Staff, 2016). The use of laptops in schools is
increasing every day. I watched this first-grade classroom use laptops, and with that
they use their fine motor skills. Using their fingers to type, and then using their
fingers to maneuver the cursor is one way I noticed they used these small motor
skills. While walking around, I noticed some students tracing letters and numbers on
a worksheet. This also uses fine motor skills because they are using their hands and
fingers to move the pencil.
2. Describe the large-motor skills you observe in these children.
Large motor skills are also known as gross motor skills, and is defined as skills that
require whole body movement and which involve the large muscles of the body
(Corporation, 2016). I noticed a lot of gross motor skills at the elementary school. In
the classroom, I noticed that the students with laptops could chill out around the
classroom wherever they wanted, and most picked the ground. The students I saw

ended up crawling on the ground, and on their stomachs to play math games on the
laptops. Using their bodies to crawl and to maneuver their body to lay on their
stomachs is an example of a gross motor skill. I went outside to recess with these
children, and saw a lot of running, walking, monkey bar climbing, and some girls
were even doing gymnastics. These are all examples of using their gross motor
skills.
3. According to Erik Erikson, school-age children strive to be industrious. Describe
several behaviors
or actions you observe that support this theory.
Erik Eriksons theory seemed to be partially correct, to what I observed in the firstgrade classroom. I witnessed a little boy get upset when he did not know an answer
on his worksheet. To me, this proves that he is a hard worker, and maybe he isnt
used to being wrong or not knowing how to do a problem. I also noticed that most
students were working diligently on their work when they were split up into groups.
They were working hard to figure out the correct answers for the math problems
given. Also, some kids I noticed double checked their work on their worksheets
before turning them into the teacher. I used to do this in high school, but I have
never seen elementary school students so focused on making sure their work was
done right. That proves to me that those students are hard-working and industrious.
4. Observe school-age children involved in a group project. How do the children
utilize social and
language skills to work cooperatively?
When I observed the children working in groups, I noticed that the way they
communicate with each other is different than the way they talk to adults. When
communicating with each other, their tone of voice seemed really relaxed. They

used full sentences, but most of those sentences were short and to the point. They
did not explain why they thought what they thought, but they at least expressed
what they thought. I noticed that they talk in a more playful way toward each other.
Most of the time they stayed on topic, but other times they kind of trailed off topic.
5. During physical education time or outdoor active play, observe school-age
children in an organized
group game. What rules are the children able to follow?
During recess, I was able to sit in on a game of tag with approximately 5 boys. The
game was played for about 15 minutes, and the boys seemed to play the game with
the normal rules. I did see that a boy tagged another boy by hitting him, and that is
a big no-no, especially because around this age, kids like to tattle tale on others
(Lock, 2016).
6. Are the children dependent on teachers for enforcing the rules, or do the children
enforce rules
for each other? How is this accomplished?
While I was in the first-grade classroom, I noticed that the children were able to do a
lot of their own things. By that, I mean when it was quiet time so other kids could
finish their worksheets, it was far from quiet. The teacher didnt really stop them
from being loud or disrupting the students who had to work. Most of the students
would come together in a small group and do their work together, which the teacher
didnt mind, but to me, that isnt considered quiet time. In most classrooms, I feel
like the teacher enforces the rules, especially if the rules are being broken.
7. How are group play disputes handled between children? What social values, such
as honesty,
do the children strongly defend?

When I noticed an issue between two students fighting over a laptop, they
immediately went to the teacher to handle the issue. The students didnt try to
come up with an alternative plan. I asked the teacher if it was normal for disputes to
be handled by her, and she said For some reason, these students like to tattle on
each other, and they wont try to talk it out themselves. Tattling comes from when
they do something right, they expect everyone else to abide by the same rules, and
when these perceived rules are broken by others, this can lead to tattling (Lock,
2016).
8. Identify friendships between the children. Considering the behaviors you observe,
on what
basis do you think these friendships are formed?
While at recess, I almost immediately noticed that most groups of students were of
their own gender. Most of the girls were together, and most boys were together.
Most six-year-olds may increasingly prefer to play with children of their own gender,
and they may form best friend relationships with one or more select few children.
(Lee, 2016)

Works Cited
Corporation, K. S. (2016). Gross Motor Skills Overview. Retrieved from Kid Sense:
https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/gross-motor-skills/
Lee, K. (2016, September 1). Six-Year-Olds and Social Development. Retrieved from
VeryWell: https://www.verywell.com/6-year-olds-and-social-development621089
Lock, C. (2016). Why Kids Tattle -- And What to do. Retrieved from Parents:
http://www.parents.com/kids/development/social/why-kids-tattle/

Staff, C. H. (2016). Fine Motor Skills. Retrieved from Encyclopedia of Children's

Health: http://www.healthofchildren.com/E-F/Fine-Motor-Skills.html