Developmental Assessment

The classroom is set up appropriate for kindergarteners. The tables, chairs computers and
books are all at the childs level. The word wall is also at the childs level so the children can see
all of their sight words throughout the year. The bookshelf and book cubbies are also placed by
the carpet and are at the level the children can reach. The tables and chairs are in front of the
smart board so they can use it when needed. The room has a place for the calendar, weather, and
jobs that the children are responsible for doing each day and that change each week. The easel is
where the teacher writes the message for morning meeting and is at the level for the children to
see. We also use the easel for shared reading and sharing time for the children. The school has a
warm and welcoming feel to it. The teachers and students greet you and each room has a bulletin
board for a project the class has worked on. Outside both kindergarten rooms there is a Child of
the week poster with pictures and different facts about the child. I did my developmental
assessment observation on Valarie. Valarie is in kindergarten and is 5 years old. She is an English
Language Learner and this is her first year in this school. Her father speaks some English but her
mother speaks little to no English.
Val has good posture and balance. She sits up straight and is alert through out morning
meeting and the lessons. She has good eye-hand coordination and large and small motor skills.
When the students were playing a game that required tossing a ball of paper to a partner spelling
out their sight words she could throw and catch the paper ball with ease. When she is cutting she
is using her fine motor skills and does well at it. When we were sharing our favorite Physical
Education activity she chose mountain climbers to be her favorite and had no trouble doing them.
She has little to no trouble with large and small motor activities. She has a high level of activity

in the classroom and also in Physical Education. Val prefers activities that get her up and
moving. She likes to dance and move around. She does not like to sit in one spot for a long time.
In Physical Education she loves to run, jump and play. They do warm ups when they first come
to the gym and she enjoys doing them. Outside Val likes to swing, climb on the monkey bars, run
across the bridge, and run/walk on the mileage track. Along with her physical development I also
observed her cognitive and language development throughout the semester.
Val has demonstrated knowledge and abilities in class related subjects when she is
reading her books that go in their take home reading Ziplocs. She tracks as she is reading; she
tries to sound out words that are in the book and the sheet with sight words and other words they
are learning. When we play the Sparkle Game she demonstrates her knowledge of sight words, as
she knows the words, she can say them and tell you what letters are in them. The Sparkle Game
is a way to assess evidence of Vals memory and comprehension. She has to remember the
different words and how they are spelled. When we are doing the morning meeting she can fill
blanks with the appropriate sight words. When I taught the morning meeting on December 6th I
asked her to pick a blank and write the sight word that goes in it. She wrote the word, said the
word and then spelled the word. We also did an activity that incorporated math and language arts.
Mrs. Pierick had the word are hidden in numbers. When she called a number the students had
to find that number and color it in. For each letter she used a different color. This helps the
children with number recognition and counting skills but also helps them learn the word are.
Val found most of the numbers with little help but when it came to the 80s and 90s she had a
few problems. Another way to assess or observe memory and comprehension is by asking
questions after reading or an activity. When I taught my lesson on the letter and sound of n, I
asked her to tell me what sound the letter n made and find a word in the story that started with

that letter. When teaching a beginning sound match before moving to the next center I asked her
what the beginning sound of the picture on her card were. When I did this center a few weeks
later I again asked her to tell me the beginning sounds of the pictures on her mat and she told me
the sound. When I started at the beginning of the semester Val knew the all the letters in the
alphabet but could not associate the sounds with the letter. Through these activities she knows
more sounds of letters. Vals use of language when interacting with other children and adults is
getting better. When I started the semester in the classroom she was not very verbal and it was
difficult interacting with other children. She did not know how to say what she wanted to say. If
she did not like what others were doing to her or she wanted them to stop doing something she
would just make a sound and was not able to tell them to stop. Now she can tell you a word or
short phrase that the teacher, myself, and other students can understand. She can also say please
stop, hands to yourself or make the stop sign they have learned in class.
Another thing that has been observed in the classroom with Val is her emotional and
social development. The students learned the word said and they had to use the word said in
a sentence. The sentence said I said that is my family. The students then had to draw a picture
of their family. She drew a picture of her mom, dad, and brother. She draw a baby on her moms
stomach and when I asked her what she was drawing she said My mom is having a baby. That is
my little bother or sister. She is identifying the people in her family. An activity that I thought
Val demonstrated a sense of accomplishment and pride is when I was working with her on
rhyming pairs. When she would get one correct she would light up and be so proud that she knew
the words rhymed. You could see the excitement in her eyes when I told her she was correct. Val
is getting better at expressing her emotions with classmates, myself, and the teacher. When she
does not like what a child is doing to her she will tell them to stop or to leave her alone. If the

student does not stop she will move to another spot. Val is a fun, energetic, active, and happy
child. She usually has a smile on her face and is friendly to others. I observed her building with
the blocks one day and she was talking with one of the other students. They were talking about
the garage they where building for the tractors and cars to park in. They worked together to build
with the blocks. When another student asked if they could help build she said yes and handed the
child a block to help. Once they had it built she asked another student to look at what they had
made and see how cool it looked. Val has no discipline issues or problems with the teacher or
students. When Val does not know something or is confused with something she will ask the
teacher for help. Val likes activities that are active and hands-on. She likes working in groups and
interacting with the students. If she needs help with something I will tell her to phone a friend or
ask another student to help. I make sure that the other students in the classroom are helping and
supporting her in new activities that she may have problems with.
Val is learning many new things and is starting to become more outgoing. Having more
social interactions with peers she will become more social and learn to communicate better with
them. With more individual and small group activities and instruction, Vals cognitive
development will flourish. Val is a becoming more verbal and communicating with words instead
of actions. With consistent encouragement and support she will be a successful student. The
more active or hands-on activities are, the more Val will learn. Getting her involved in the lesson
will help her cognitive and social development as well.