Kayla Karnes

March 1, 2022

Language Observation

During this observation I was in the hallway of Easton Elementary School. It was fairly
quiet with no distractions. While we were talking I brought things for us to do such as coloring
books, puzzles, and toys that I knew he would be interested in and peak his interest so he would
talk. Prior to this observation I made note of things that he was interested in so I knew what to
get. I mainly got him Spider-man things and superhero themed things because that is what he
talks about all day everyday. When I first called Carson into the hallway he was more than
confused. I briefly explained to him that he would be helping with my school because I want to
be a teacher and he would help me by having a conversation with me and letting me talk to him
and seeing how he answers and speaks. Carson is a very smart child so when I told him this he
thought it would be fun.

In the conversation asked him different questions to gin his perspective on certain things.
I first asked Carson his favorite Avengers Character and who he was. Carson responded with
“My favorite Avengers Character is Spider-man. I like Spider-Man because he shoots webs out
of his wrists and can swing from buildings.” As you can see from his answer Carson restated my
question in his response, answered the question, and added on why he liked Spider-man so much.
Carson was able to answer my questions more than I had intended him to. He was able to speak
in a full sentence, understand the language of others when spoken, follow verbal directions,
speak freely to others, used appropriate vocabulary for level of maturity, and can be understood
by others. Carson was able to understand my question and fully process his answer in order to
give me an answer I would understand and he could understand as well. Later in the conversation
while colring in a coloring book I asked Carson how he felt about not having to wear masks in
school anymore, which he responded with “I like not wearing masks in school because the mask
makes my nose feel stuffy.” To which I responded with “Stuffy? Do you mean it is hard to
breathe?” He answered “YES! I forgot the word for it.” This shows that he is aware of how to
use certain words and phrases, but like any other adult you can forget how exactly to form a
sentence and which words go together and which words don’t. Also I asked Carson his favorite
part of school. Carson said “My favorite part of school is recess . . . I don’t really like listening
activities or rest time ``''I don’t like comparing rhyming words like boy and toy or words that
don’t rhyme like bat and goat.” Him answering made me realize that he is aware of phoneme
sounds, identifies familiar sounds, and can differentiate similar sounds.

Carson's specific language acquisition level would be Stage 3 : Symbolic/Linguistic, age

5-6. I would place him in this stage and age because he overall surpasses every standard of
observation as well as shows me in everyday conversations how advanced he is in his language
skills. You can see this by his responses in the previous paragraph. He answers with full
sentences and can realize when he has said the wrong word or pronounced it the wrong way and
is able to correct it or he will ask the right word and will restate it in his answer. Carson being
just turned 5 in February is right at his level if not higher. In addition to being able to
communicate well Carson is always willing to learn which makes sense as to why he is so good
at having a long conversation. Carson once asked if I knew all my states and capitals which I
answered with my honest answer of “no” to which he answered “I do” and proceeded to name
them in alphabetical order of states. Carson's reading development will be easy for him to learn
because he already knows all of his letters and all of their potential sounds. He can read his name
as well as other students' names in the class. He has read words on the board before and he even
can read a digital clock as well as an analytical clock. As far as reading development goes it
should be smooth sailing based on what he already knows with all the basics and even more than
the basics.