Caitlin Podratz

ECE-360

March 21, 2019

Child Descriptive Review

Physical Presence and Gesture:

Date: 3/13/2019 Time: 8:20 a.m. Chronological Age: 3.9.5

Observation Location: 3 and 4 Morning Classroom

Anecdotal Record: After being greeted by the teachers, B.W. entered the classroom with

his mother and appeared to be rather calm. B.W. took a quick look at the fish tank then

went to hang up his backpack and his coat. B.W. was dressed for the weather as he had on

long pants, a coat, and a hat when he arrived at school. After putting away his belongings,

B.W.’s mom stayed for a few minutes. B.W. decided to draw on a magna doodle. While

he was drawing, his mom asked questions about the picture. When B.W. said he was

finished, his mom gave him a high five and complimented him on the drawing. After that,

B.W.’s mom said, “see you after daycare.” B.W. said his goodbyes, his mom left, and he

went back to drawing pictures.

Interpretation: I would say that B.W. is of average size and build. He normally has on

pants and a t-shirt or long sleeve. From what I’ve seen, B.W. typically wears primary

colors. While I have not noticed any prized possessions that B.W. has, he always appears

very excited to be able to get his bus token out to give to the driver. B.W. moves about

with steady pace. During large group time, B.W. tends to copy the gestures that the

teacher is doing. When B.W. is inside the classroom, he likes to play in the sensory table

or with some of his classmates. B.W. focuses on the task he is trying to complete. He

seems to have a good attention span for his age, as he can spend multiple minutes on a

single task.

Due to the weather, I have not been able to observe this child outside. While I have

not seen this child outside, I have spent time in the large motor room with him. During

large motor time, B.W. likes to run around with other classmates. I have noticed that B.W.

has also taken a liking to finding a ball to shoot in the basketball hoop or finding a teacher

to play catch with. During this time, B.W. releases more energy and has an overall higher

energy level than he does in the general classroom.

When B.W. enters the classroom, he is typically very calm and collected. Normally,

B.W. makes his way to hang up his coat and bag without too many pauses to look at stuff

around the classroom. On the days that I’ve observed B.W. his mom has always been the

one to bring him to class. After hanging up his belongings, B.W. and his mom normally

transition into an activity for a few minutes before she departs. B.W. does not usually cry

when his mom leaves, instead he gives her a high-five or hug or simply says “see you

later.” B.W. appears to be most at ease during large group time. During this time, B.W.

normally sits towards the front of the carpet so he can be closer to the teacher leading the
lesson. When the teacher is reading, B.W. is always watching closely and does not

normally get distracted by what the children around him are doing. B.W. also participates

during the songs, singing if he knows the words, otherwise just following the teacher’s

gestures. During this time, B.W. sits relatively still and does not tend to move all over the

carpet.

In a group, this child says his thoughts and ideas, but does not try to take over the

conversation. This child is sometimes soft-spoken, and the teachers need to ask him to

speak up so they can hear what he is saying. When B.W. speaks, it is normally at an even

pace and tone. If B.W. gets upset, he will often speak faster. When B.W. is sad, he

normally expresses himself through his eyes and will occasionally cry. I am able to tell

when B.W. is happy or excited as he often throws his hands up in the air or will start to

talk about why he is excited. Depending on the situation depends on how easily B.W.’s

feelings can be read. It is harder to read him when he is sad than when he is happy. This

child is typically very easy going and does not require a lot of reminders about how to act

in the classroom. While this child is easy going, when tension does arise it is normally

during free play. From what I have seen, tension generally occurs when another child

takes a toy from B.W. When this happens, B.W. will sometimes cry and other times he

will tell the teacher that a classmate has taken his toy.
Disposition and Temperament:

Date: 2/6/2019 Time: 8:45 a.m. Chronological Age: 3.7.28

Observation Location: 3 and 4 Morning Classroom- Sensory Table

Anecdotal Record: B.W. was playing in the sensory table. He brought over dinosaurs

from another part of the classroom and put them in the table. During this week, there was

colored rice in the sensory table. B.W. was attempting to completely cover a dinosaur

with the colored rice. He began to work with another student, O.S., to complete the task.

At first, the children had the dinosaur standing upright. After working at covering the

dinosaur for some time, the children realized that it would be easier to cover the dinosaur

if it was laying on its side. The children were able to complete their task and were no

longer able to see the dinosaur. After they finished, B.W. pulled out the dinosaur and

continued to play in the area.

Work Sample

Process Process Product

In the first picture B.W. and O.S. had the dinosaur standing upright. After they realized

that they were running out of resources and that it would be easier to cover it laying

down, they made the dinosaur lay down. In the second picture, B.W. is almost finished

covering up the dinosaur. In the last picture, B.W. was very excited to show me that the

dinosaur was all the way covered up and exclaimed to me “hey, we did it!”

Interpretation: B.W. is typically in a cheery mood. During school I normally see this

child smiling in whatever task he is completing. This child appears to enjoy working with

other children and can incorporate his ideas with those around him to complete a task.

B.W. is almost always excited to try new activities during free play and during small

group. Typically, B.W. gives the new activity time before he decides if he enjoys it or not.

This child has an even emotional terrain. When B.W. starts the day, he is generally

slightly quieter, then quickly warms up and interacts with other children and teachers.

B.W. seems to care deeply about his family. Whenever his mom picks him up or

drops him off, he likes to show her what he did that day. When B.W.’s mom comes to

pick him up, he typically runs up to her and gives her a big hug. B.W. also cares about his

friends. When he is working with classmates, he allows them to have a turn and to speak

their ideas. B.W. does not like when those around him are upset. When this happens, he

will normally go to see if they are alright and if he can help them.

It appears to me that B.W. is a child that believes in following the rules. I generally

do not see teachers reminding him of the rules in the classroom. I also think that B.W.

values sharing as he does not mind playing with others or letting them use the toys he is

using. When there is something not going his way, B.W. talks through the situation or gets
help from the teacher instead of using force or yelling at people. B.W. is loyal to his

friends and family. He wants to see those around him happy. B.W. works to keep peace

among those he is interacting with.

Connections with Other People:

Date: 2/27/2019 Time: 10:00 a.m. Chronological Age: 3.8.19

Observation Location: Small Group in the Documentation Room

Anecdotal Record: B.W. was in small group. During small group, the children were

learning about the moon. The activity for the day was to discover what was inside the

moon rocks. Each moon rock had a letter inside that the children were to identify then

trace on their piece of paper. B.W. got excited each time he was able to crack open a new

moon rock. B.W. was able to trace the letters that were discovered throughout the lesson.

B.W. was able to recognize letters from his name when he uncovered them.

Work Sample

Process Process Product

In the first picture, B.W. is breaking open a moon rock to find out what letter is inside. In

the second picture, B.W. is tracing the letter that one of his classmates found. The final

picture shows his product for the day. The group was not able to complete the worksheet

as it was time to go to the large motor room.

Interpretation: In large groups, I usually see this child at the front of the group. In a

smaller group, B.W. generally positions himself somewhere in the middle of the group.

When B.W. is in a new group, he is a little shy to begin with, but quickly warms up and

interacts with those around him. This child has a close relationship with his mother. B.W.

has a few classmates that he tends to play with. Along with this, B.W. seems to create

relationships with those around him doing the same activities and tasks.

B.W. is fairly even tempered when difficulties arise. He typically will try and find

different solutions to the problem and if he still has trouble, he will ask for help from a

classmate or a teacher. When B.W. is in a group or with a friend he will try and talk

through the problem with them. B.W. gives his input and also allows for those around him

to do the same. If B.W. encounters a problem when he is alone, he will often try to work

through it himself. If he is having difficulties, he may ask a teacher for help. I’ve noticed

that if a teacher prompts him or gives him open-ended ideas, he can typically figure out a

solution without too much more assistance. If B.W. gets accidently left out of an activity

he generally will find a different group to play with, or he will play on his own. Through

my observations, I’ve noticed that B.W. has no problems playing alone as this gives him

time for discovery without interruption from others.

B.W. does not seem to mind being around adults. In the classroom, B.W. talks to

the teachers when he has questions. B.W. also interacts with the teachers when they ask

him about what he is doing. Sometimes B.W. will greet adults by giving them a hug and

other times I’ve noticed that B.W. runs up to them and says “hello.” I don’t think this

child has a pattern when interacting with adults. During small group, B.W. has more

interaction with a teacher as this is more of a hands-on discovery time often led by the
teacher. B.W. shows attachment through affection and interaction. B.W. will give hugs

and high-fives to those he is close to. I have also noticed that B.W. smiles more and is

willing to take more risks around those he trusts. One way that I think B.W. negotiates

from one adult to the other is by asking lots of questions. If B.W. is not sure about how

something works, or he does not understand the point, he will ask teachers questions to

better understand what is going on. One thing that draws my attention to this child is his

desire to discover how objects around him can be used and manipulated. Many times,

when I’m in the classroom, I’ve seen B.W. trying to figure out how to make something

work in the sensory table. During small group, I have also seen B.W. work to figure out

how to complete the task he is given. He always tries to complete the task unassisted

before asking for help from a teacher. When the group was completing the letter task

shown above, B.W. was able to make connections to things outside of the activity. For

example, when he found a letter that was in his name, he got excited about tracing it on

his paper. His love of learning and discovery pushes me to continue to want to learn more

about the children that I am working with.

Interests, Preferences, Modes of Thinking and Learning:

Date: 2/27/2019 Time: 8:20 a.m. Chronological Age: 3.8.19

Observation Location: 3 and 4 Morning Classroom- Sensory Table

Anecdotal Record: B.W. was at the sensory table. During this week, the sensory table

was filled with sand, toy trucks, and scooper scissors. B.W. was working to fill up a toy

truck with sand. He decided to change tools and use scooper scissors to fill up the truck.

After working with them for a little bit, B.W. discovered that the sand goes out of the

scooper because “there’s holes in it.” Once B.W. made that observation, he switched back

to a different scoop that didn’t have holes in it.

Work Sample

Process Process Product

In the first picture, B.W. discovered that there were holes in the scooper scissors and that

sand was small enough to go through the holes. In the second picture, B.W. was trying to

get the scooper scissors open at the top instead of using the handles. The final picture is

when B.W. decided to use a different object to fill his truck with sand.
Interpretation: I think this child is inspired to wonder and question by issues that he is

slightly familiar with but wants to figure out more from them. Many of these

provocations come from when this child is involved in hands-on discovery. B.W.

continues with his questioning when there is someone there to help further questioning

and discovery. When I’ve observed B.W., if I notice he is running into an issue, I will ask

him a question to help get him thinking about the issue in a different way. Often, B.W. is

able to draw conclusions based on the probing questions that have been asked. In the

scenario above, I asked him about the scooper scissors and how they worked. He told me

that there were holes in them and that small materials could pass through the holes. After

this encounter, B.W. continued to work on filling up his dump truck, but he used a

different object to scoop the sand. B.W. seems to have lots of questions and spends lots of

his time discovering in the sensory table. The sensory table normally has a semi-messy

material in it along with different manipulatives. I’ve also noticed that B.W. has an

interest in dinosaurs and similar animals.

B.W. often uses his hands to figure out things that he does not know. When he does

not know how something works, he will spend lots of time trying to figure it out. B.W.

will try to manipulate pieces or change the way the object is situated. He will also ask

those around him or a teacher if he is confused about how something works. B.W. uses

many different languages to figure out problems including his hands, playing, thinking,

and speaking. B.W. spends time messing about with materials to figure out how they

work.

I would say that B.W. mixes between interpersonal intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic

intelligence, and logical-mathematical intelligence. B.W. works well with others and is
good at verbally communicating with others. When B.W. works, he tends to use his hands

to solve problems. B.W. has good problem-solving skills for his age and works to find

different solutions for his problem. From what I see, B.W. seems to prefer to learn about

things that have to do with science. He enjoys getting messy and discovering the natural

world around him.

I think one of B.W.’s personal theories is that people around him can assist him in

furthering his learning. B.W. asks lots of questions and is always welcoming of others

input. He has discovered that other people can help him get farther in his discovery. I

know that this is one of B.W.’s theories as he asks for input from others then takes the

time to listen to what they have to say. Another personal theory that I think B.W. has is

that if he works with his hands, he will have an easier time learning and remembering

what he is doing. While observing him, I noticed that he almost always has something in

his hands that he is trying to manipulate or figure out.

When there is an accident or mistake, B.W. often tries to complete the task again. If

he still has questions, he will ask for help from someone around him. Typically, B.W.

does not cry when he makes a mistake. When it is a task that can easily be redone,

teachers tend to let B.W. continue figuring it out without interruption. If the task is more

difficult to replicate, I’ve noticed that teachers will prompt him to help him think in a

different direction or ask questions like “what if you tried doing it this way?” The help

offered is generally a suggestion and not a demand. B.W. typically realizes when he has

made a mistake. Sometimes he will point it out and other times he will just work to fix the

issue.