Guided Observation: School-Age ChildrenSix to Eight Years

Name _Julie Petrowski_________ Class _Elementary Class______________ Date

_11/15/15__________

SCHOOL AGE OBSERVATION

Julie Petrowski
IVY Tech Community College
November 15, 2015

Guided Observation: School-Age ChildrenSix to Eight Years

Name _Julie Petrowski_________ Class _Elementary Class______________ Date
_11/15/15__________

Observation
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: _Franklin Homeschool Group Date(s) of Observation(s): _October 29, 2015__
Number and Ages of Children: _16 Children ages 5 through eight (only one five year old)
1. Describe the small-motor skills you observe in these children.
During Career Day the children had to touch small and large articles in the room to determine
if someone had designed them. They then had to pick up M&Ms with their fingers and eat them.
Finally they had to write their observations for a mock clinical drug trial, the M&Ms being the
drug.
2. Describe the large-motor skills you observe in these children.
The children are able to walk and run one mile. They may skip, hop, jump, do jumping jacks,
stretch and bend. They have performed in the Presidents Physical Fitness Program.
3. According to Erik Erikson, school-age children strive to be industrious. Describe several
behaviors
or actions you observe that support this theory.
The elementary class is very industrious. The children have made small biomes out of dirt plants
and sometimes snacks in order to learn about the biomes in Indiana. Some of the children have
made models of intricate motors. They have made clay animals and pots. This semester the

Guided Observation: School-Age ChildrenSix to Eight Years

Name _Julie Petrowski_________ Class _Elementary Class______________ Date
_11/15/15__________

students have had a class called Career Day where two people each day share their careers in
order to get the students juices flowing toward what career they would like. They have climbed
on fire engines, wiggled through army tents of soldiers, participated in mock clinical trials,
learned about state troopers, learned about construction workers and built small projects. They
were all very excited about this class and eager to participate in everything that was asked. I
believe they were industrious.

4. Observe school-age children involved in a group project. How do the children utilize social
and Language skills to work cooperatively?
The children working on the mock clinical trial listened to the explanation of what a clinical trial
was and how their trial was to work. The teachers passed out a red or green M&M to each
participant. The children were instructed that they had a mock headache and they were to all at
one time take their pill. They then took turns talking about how they felt after the pill was
taken. They were then to record their results on their spreadsheet. They were very animated in
their answers. Two of the sixteen participants felt better, several became worse, several said they
had felt better immediately and then very soon needed another one and that they had become
addicted and four said they had died (obviously they were all fine and just acting a little silly). I
then explained that in a real trial their paperwork would be collected. The data would be entered
and then sent to the statisticians who would compile a report for the Food and Drug
Administration to determine the efficacy of the drug and whether it would be permitted to

Guided Observation: School-Age ChildrenSix to Eight Years

Name _Julie Petrowski_________ Class _Elementary Class______________ Date
_11/15/15__________

market. They had utilized social and language skills to work cooperatively to participate in the
mock trial. They were polite and funny at the same time.
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?
We had a game night where several outdoor active games were played. I have observed this
group play outside in organized games with their older and younger siblings as well. I have to
say I am honored to be a part of this group as they always behave very well. The older children
many times will lead the games without being asked to the point that the parents may just watch.
The ages of the entire group when they are together are one through seventeen years. They have
played a game where children lock arms in pairs in a circle and there are two children in the
middle chasing. The chasee will lock arms with one of the pairs and the opposite person of the
pair then becomes the chasee. This game starts slow and then becomes very fast. We try to make
sure everyone gets a chance to run several times. It is a good ice breaker game. They have played
sharks and minnows several times where the minnows have to cross through a zone of sharks to
get to the other side. If tagged they then become a shark. The students follow all the rules well.
Amazingly, I do not remember ever having to repeat instructions on a game for this group.
6. Are the children dependent on teachers for enforcing the rules, or do the children enforce rules
for each other? How is this accomplished?
In this group the children followed the rules. They did not have to be enforced by anyone as it
was not necessary. I have observed children in the younger classes enforcing rules for each other
on occasion.

Guided Observation: School-Age ChildrenSix to Eight Years

Name _Julie Petrowski_________ Class _Elementary Class______________ Date
_11/15/15__________

7. How are group play disputes handled between children? What social values, such as honesty,
do the children strongly defend?
I have never seen this group of children have a play dispute, unless you call one child saving a
seat for their friends a dispute. The child obliged and later they asked him to come sit with them.
No teacher intervention was needed. These children are raised in Christian, Bible believing
homes. Most of them read their Bibles as a family and are in prayer daily. They do believe in
honesty, truth and justice. They believe in giving of themselves. Many of them at tender ages are
already serving others in some capacity at food banks, helping and visiting the elderly, tending
chores for their families, and in two of the families everyone helps with the family business.
They have a strong work ethic. As I said earlier I am privileged and blessed to know these
families and have my children in this group. They are not perfect but it is quite peaceful.
8. Identify friendships between the children. Considering the behaviors you observe, on what
basis do you think these friendships are formed?
Deeper friendships seem to be between children who have been in the class the longest as they
have spent more time together. The children seem to make the most friendship connections
during active run around play. They do have class together where they have open conversation
and serve together several times a year. However, it is during the games the connection seem the
deepest.