Final Copy of Case Study - Emily Hall

Running Head: Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student
Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Emily J. Hall
James Madison University

Table of Contents
Introduction2
Introduction2
Methods..5
Data and Interpretations.....8
Background, Data, Interpretation...8
Physical and Motor Development..8
Emotional and Social Development..13
Cognitive Development16
Language Development19
Moral and Ethical Development...23
Implications, Reflections and Assessment of Development.25
Implications...25
Assessment of Childs Development26
Executive Summary.. 29
References and Appendix..33
References..33
Formal Observation Notes.35
Informal Observation Notes...42

Introduction
A. Introduction:
A case study is a naturalistic research study in which investigators document a single
persons or small groups experiences over a period of time (McDevitt & Ormrod 2010, p. 44).
The following case study is a research based case study. The case study will follow the growth in
development of one student over the course of a semester. It will allow the researcher to apply
theoretical concepts to one particular child and practice observation skills. In addition, it will
allow the researcher to focus particularly on one students growth and development overtime.
Through focusing on only one child, the researcher can develop a complex and detailed
understanding of the one student.
This case study will follow one male kindergarten student who attends Pond Straight
elementary school. For confidentiality purposes, names of all locations have been changed. Pond
Straight Elementary School is a small school located in Notleck, Virginia. Notleck is a primarily
white, middle-lower class, blue collar town. It has a low crime rate, but alcohol and illegal drug
addictions are common for the area. Seventy-five percent of adult residents, in Notleck, have a
high school diploma as their highest education. As compared to other cities and counties in the
state, Notleck is significantly more white and less racially diverse, than other state averages.
Notleck has a very small Asian and Hispanic population.
Pond Straight elementary school is a small school with approximately 350 students. It is
the newest elementary school in the county. Between teachers, administration, and staff, it
employees over 35 full-time adults. The majority of staff are white women. The student
population is over 80% white in ethnicity. Approximately 50% of the students are eligible for
free and reduced lunch, which is not unusual for Notleck. Pond Straight Elementary School has
been open since 2009, and the lead principal has been principal since the opening. The lead
principal is a white woman and has experience within administration. The assistant principal was
recently hired in 2014. He is a white male and helps with discipline and behavior issues in the
school. He knows many of the students by name and is well respected and liked by both teachers
and students. He spends most of his day circulating through the school interacting with students
and observing teachers.
The student studied for the case study will be referred to as Carlos. His name has been
changed for confidentiality purposes. Carlos was 5 years old and 2 months (62 months) at the

start of the case study. He is a younger kindergarten student, as he just turned five. In Notleck
schools, students must turn 5 by August 1st before the start school year. Most of the students in
Carloss class are a few months older than him.
Carlos is Hispanic, and comes from a home which speaks both English and Spanish. His
parents are both Hispanic. Carloss mother speaks fluent Spanish and broken English, while his
father speaks both English and Spanish fluently. Both of his parents work full time jobs.
According to the United States Department of Labor in 97% of two parent, married homes, at
least one parent works. And, in 60% of two-parent, married homes, with children, both parents
work (Employment Characteristics...Summary, 2016). So, it is not unusual for a child to come
from a home in which both parents work.
While both parents do work, it is inferred that both parents, especially his mother, make
an effort to be involved is Carloss life and education. His mother came to a parent teacher
conference during her lunch break, has chaperoned two out of five field trips, and volunteers
when available in the classroom. When papers are sent home in Carloss folder, they are returned
signed and in a timely manner. Carloss homework is nearly always complete. When Mrs. Albert
needs to contact the parents, they are easily reached and respond promptly.
He has one sister who is in 4th grade. His sister also attends Pond Straight Elementary
School. She had the same kindergarten teacher he has now, so the teacher is very familiar with
Carloss family. Carloss sister is very advanced in school and reads above grade level. Carlos
also has an older brother who is in high school. Carloss older brother is an average student who
helps watch his younger siblings in the afternoons while Carloss parents work. Carlos enjoys
playing with his siblings. Specifically he enjoys playing video games with his brother and
playing outside with his sister. Carlos loves playing with his classmates and his siblings.
Typically youngest children in the family find it easier to interact with peers (McDevitt &
Ormrod, 2010, p. 82).
Carlos was selected in coordination with the Mrs. Albert. Carlos behaves well, but
sometimes struggles with language arts. In addition, he is an English Language Learner (ELL).
The researcher is interested in ELLs, so she wanted the chance to study ELLs in greater detail. In
addition, Carlos came to Pond Straight Elementary School with minimal English skills. In his
time in pre-k and kindergarten, he has already shown great improvement in language arts, so he

was also selected because he shows great academic potential. He was recommended by the Mrs.
Albert as a case study child.
B. Methods:
Because this is a case study, and the researcher attempts to understand and gain an
overview of the child, and specific aspects of development of the child, many different
methodologies were used. The researcher made formal and informal observations using time
samples, observation notes of the class, interviews, activities, writing samples, and questioning
of teachers working with Carlos. All observation notes were objective and did not include
interpretation.
All observations for this case study were taken during the school day in the practicum
setting. The practicum itself lasted from Monday September 12, 2016 - Monday, December 5,
2016. So, Carlos was observed over the course of approximately 10 weeks. The researcher had
the chance to observe Carlos through her practicum class through her university. The researcher
spent most Mondays with the class. Because Carlos is in school for learning, the observations
were kept short and distraction free. When assessments needed to take place, the researcher
worked with the Mrs. Albert to find a time to work Carlos that still allowed for maximum class
and instructional time. When formal assessments needed to be conducted, the researcher and
Carlos went to the schools library. This prevented distractions in the classroom.
Physical development information was primarily taken during recess and gym class,
using a checklist style of observation. Emotional and Social development was observed
throughout the entire semester through informal observation notes. Cognitive Development was
assessed through several activities and observations using a rubric of those activities. Language
Development was observed through interviews, formal and informal observations, conversations
with Carloss teachers, observations of speech class and reading group time, and written samples.
Moral and ethical development was observed through a timed observation of Carlos playing a
game with other students and keeping observation notes.
The researcher has been trained in the ethics of conducting a case study. The researcher is
certified through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). CITIs mission is to
provide the public with researchers who are trained in the ethics and laws behind conducting
research (CITI Program, 2016). The researcher was trained in the social and behavioral course.

When conducting a case study, it is essential that the researcher follows a code of ethics.
First and foremost, the researcher received written consent from the parents for permission to
conduct this experiment. A permission slip was sent home and returned within a week for
consent. The permission slip is not provided, as it ensures privacy and confidentiality of the
child. And, if at any point the parents wanted more information on the case study, or to remove
their child from the study, parents had full permission to do so. For this experiment to ensure
confidentiality of the child, no names of people or the school will be used, nor will images of the
childs face will be used. In addition, when the researcher leaves the classroom, in order to
maintain respect and privacy, Carlos will only be discussed in college classes, with professors
and with the Mrs. Albert. When the researcher is conducting studies and interviews with the
child, the researcher will ask non-biased questions, to prevent the problem of fishing for
answers. Many efforts have been made throughout this study to maintain a high code of ethics
and maintain complete confidentiality.
Carlos attends Pond Straight elementary school. Pond Straight Elementary School grades
pre-k through fifth. The pre-k program is not for all students, and children must qualify for the
program through one of the following criteria (information was obtained from the countys
website, but no source is provided to maintain confidentiality): at or below 200% poverty,
homelessness, parents/ guardians are school dropout, or family income is 350% lower than the
federal poverty level. In addition to one of the previous requirements, students are then scored on
the following local criteria: parents did not complete high school, abuse, single parent home,
foster care, ELLs, incarcerated parent, military deployment, student raised by relatives, or other
local criteria. Students are ranked, and those with the highest score, qualify for pre-k at the
elementary school. Carlos qualified for the pre-k program, and attended the program the year
before kindergarten. So, coming into Pond Straight elementary school as kindergarten student, he
was well known by the school teachers and administrators.
Carlos was placed in Mrs. Alberts kindergartens classroom. Mrs. Albert is in her
60s and has been teaching kindergarten for over 20 years. Immediately after high school, she
went to college for a biology and teaching degree. After graduating, she stayed home to raise her
children. Once her children were raised, she became a kindergarten assistant, and eventually
went back to school to receive a BS in elementary education. Since beginning to teach, she has
only taught kindergarten. While she has had some offers to move to higher grades, she says she

loves kindergarten and believes she is called to only teach kindergarten. Administrators believe
she is being wasted as a kindergarten teacher, but she loves kindergarten. She is also the lead
kindergarten teacher of the three teachers. As lead teacher she has monthly meetings she must
attend and many other responsibilities.
In addition to Mrs. Albert, a speech therapist also works closely with Carlos. The speech
therapist began working with Carlos at age 3. Carlos is an English Language Learner, and came
to Pond Straight Elementary School knowing only one word in Spanish. The speech therapist
works in close relation with Mrs. Albert and Carloss parents. She writes very specific lesson
plans for each child, and ensures that each of her students receives individual attention. The
speech teacher also works in conjunction as the speech therapist at the neighboring high school.
She has worked as a speech therapist for over 15 years and is very experienced.
Within Mrs. Alberts classroom, there is also an assistant literacy teacher. The assistant
literacy teacher is in the classroom Monday-Friday for two hours within the kindergarten
classroom. She helps run reading groups and different activities. She has worked with Mrs.
Albert for the past four years. She is respected by students, but does not assert much authority in
the classroom. Students know that she is not the lead teacher in the classroom, and tend to push
the rules with her.
Mrs. Alberts classroom management style is focused on routines and structures. At the
beginning of the year she established routines for everything from how students enter the
classroom, to bathroom routines, to completed work, and even routines for getting a band aid.
Classroom Teacher does not use a behavior chart. She has two timeout desks which she sends
students to if they are crying for no reason and cannot get control of their emotions, if they are
not able to focus on classwork, or if they significantly misbehave. In addition, for small recurring
offensives, such as talking out of turn, touching another student, or not completing homework,
students walk wiggle laps at recess time. Wiggle laps are on the track and students often walk
two or three laps and come to talk to the teacher about fixing their behavior. Afterwards, they are
allowed to go and play with their friends. For positive reinforcement, the school uses a feather,
hole punching system. At the end of each week, if the student has attended every day of school,
they get a stamp on their feather. And if they have had no behavior issues, they also receive a
stamp. And, throughout the week, if students receive compliments from other teachers, they also

earn a stamp. Once students get ten stamps, they get their picture taken at the office and receive a
small prize such as extra gym game time or lunch with a friend from a different class.
Mrs. Alberts kindergarten class has 18 students. There are 5 girls and 13 boys. Within
the class, there are 2 students (including Carlos) who leave for speech therapy. In addition there
are 3 students who are monitored by the behavior specialist. There are also 3 students (including
Carlos) who leave for additional literacy block time with the reading specialist.
Data and Interpretation

C. Background, Data and Interpretation
The following section presents data and interpretation of Carloss development. Information
on Carlos physical, motor, emotional, social, cognitive, language, moral, and ethical
development is provided. All data is gathered from formal and informal observations. The
observations notes are included in the appendices. The interpretation is supported from research,
and sources are provided in the reference list.
1. Physical and Motor Development.

Health and Nutrition.
On Monday, September 26th, a checklist observation was conducted on Carlos. A
checklist observation was used because it allows the observer to watch for specific behaviors in
relation to his physical and motor development (see appendix a). The observer hoped to observe
the childs size, health and nutrition, fine motor skills and gross motor skills. The observation
occurred during recess and class time. In addition, an interview was conducted. The interview
discussed Carloss favorite and least favorite foods. This form of observation encourages the
child to speak. The observation was conducted to observe Carloss fine and gross motor skills.
The observations are as follows:
Carlos, as compared to the other students in his class, is a bit smaller. He is the shortest
boy in his class, but appears to be of average height. He is of average weight. Development is
based on both nature and nurture (McDevitt, TM & Ormrod JE, 2010, p. 5). Nature refers
specifically to genetics affecting growth (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 5). Carloss height and
weight growth therefore would be caused partially by nature. Carlos was born as a healthy child

with no genetic disorders. On the other hand, nurture is caused by the environment in which the
child grows up in (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 5). Carlos is of healthy weight, eats well
balanced meals, and would be considered to have healthy nutrition. Nutrition is caused by
environment. It can be assumed that Carloss parents have encouraged good nutrition.
While his physical nutrition is of good health, Carlos has many fillings in his baby teeth.
He has not yet lost a tooth. His fillings could imply a lack of oral hygiene or an over
consumption of artificial sugars (Dental Caries in Children, 2016). Many other students in the
kindergarten also have fillings. It is recommended that the class have a lesson on oral hygiene.
After the formal observation and interview, it was concluded that his favorite food is
broccoli. Typically elementary school students do not enjoy vegetables, but he claims that his
favorite food is broccoli. Because his favorite food is broccoli, this again implies that his parents
have encouraged good nutrition. Taste is developed and there are certain foods he likes more
because of encouragement from his parents.
He is on the free lunch program, due to his parents economic status. He always eats part
of his school lunch. He enjoys the meat, bread, and fruit served at lunch. He typically does not
eat the vegetable provided at lunch. The free and reduced lunch program provides a wellbalanced meal for students of lower income families, allowing them to focus throughout the day,
without worrying about nutrition.
Gross Motor Skills.
According to McDevitt and Ormrod (2010), gross motor skills are large movements of
the body that permit locomotion through and within the environment (159). Gross motor skills,
according to Gesell, develop in age stages in his maturation stages (McDevitt and Ormrod,
2010). This theory is supported, because Carlos has average gross motor skills, as compared to
those of which have developed on his peers. In the observations of Carlos, gross motor skills
were defined as running, walking, balancing, climbing, kicking and so forth.
Carlos gross motor skills seem to be developed at the same rate of his peers. When
walking in the hallway, he is able to walk in a straight line meaning he is able to follow behind a
student when walking down the hall. When running on the playground, he tends to run sideways.
Instead of running in a straight line, he tends to run in a diagonal. In the process of running, he
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notices that he is not running straight, so he slows down and walks to get back on a straight path.
It can be inferred that he is still gaining peripheral vision, because it is difficult for him to run in
a straight path (David, Chapman, Foot, Sheehy, 1986).
Carlos is able to jump over low objects with both feet and able to hop on either foot. He
is able to walk on a narrow beam, such as a balance beam approximately 6 inches in width. But,
if asked to walk quickly or run, he is unable to balance on said beam. Carlos attempts to skip, but
normally trips over his feet. Tripping over their own feet is not unusual for other kindergarten
students in Carlos class.
While climbing on the jungle gym and monkey bars, he climbs in a hand-to-hand and
foot-to-foot method, meaning that he only moves one limb at a time, rather than two. By age
seven, most children are able to climb independently (Davis, 2015). So, I would recommend
continuing to monitor Carloss climbing ability.
During recess on Monday September, 26th, Carlos and the observer attempted to play
catch. They played catch with a medium sized, soft dodgeball, approximately 25 inches in
circumference. At the time of the observation, Carlos was able to catch the ball about 50% of the
time (see appendix b informal notes figure 19). He was able to throw the ball, but the ball had
limited direction. So, he would throw it towards me, but it seldom made it directly to me, as the
catcher. Children at age 5 are still developing their gross motor skills, throwing being one of
those skills. As Carlos grows older, he will improve in his throwing and catching skills (Bardid
et al, 2016).
In Carlos physical education class, they gym teacher not only encourages physical
education, but also reinforces the students gross motor skills through teaching various sports. So
far this year, students have worked on kicking, catching, and throwing with balls. They have also
worked on rope climbing, rock wall moving, and scooters. Each of these skills reinforce
students gross motor skills. On October 19, a time sample observation was conducted in gym
class to observe Carlos in gym class (see appendix b informal notes figure 5). On that date, the
gym teacher used kicking balls, the ropes, the rock wall, and the scooters for instruction to
develop students gross motor skills.
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Carlos began at the scooters. While scooters do not require the most physical exertion,
scooters do get students moving (Latchford, 2014). The scooters encourage students to roll
around freely without constant supervision or instruction from the teacher. Carlos began by
rolling around seated on his bottom using the heels of his feet for control of speed and direction
of the scooter. But as time progressed, he switched to laying on his stomach. He realized that as
he laid on his stomach, he had more control of the scooter and could use both his hands and feet
to change directions. Carlos was able to move quickly and swiftly on his scooter while lying on
his stomach. Many of the students ran into each other on accident, as they would lose control of
their scooter. Carlos did not run into others and was able to keep control of his scooter.
After the scooter station, Carlos moved to the rock wall center. At the rock wall center,
students climb horizontally across the rock wall. Most of the kindergarten students were able to
climb across the wall, but Carlos was did not have the ability to climb across. While climbing
across, he put one foot on the wall and both hands on the rocks, but left his other foot on the
ground. Instead of climbing across the wall, he left the majority of his body weight in one foot
and shuffled across the wall. Carlos does not yet have the upper body strength to pull himself
across the wall. As he grows older, his climbing skills will develop.
Next, Carlos progressed to the ropes activity. There are two sections of ropes including a
swinging rope and a climbing rope. Carlos first attempted to participate at the climbing rope. The
climbing rope is set up so that a student stands on an elevated surface, grabs ahold of the rope
and swings across a mat, letting go at the end of the one amplitude. The majority of kindergarten
students are able to swing from the elevated surface to the end of the mat. Carlos attempted the
journey, but could not successfully swing across. In addition to the swinging rope, there is also a
climbing rope. The climbing rope is stationary with a single knot at the bottom of the rope.
Students climb the rope using their upper body strength. The majority of kindergarten students
attempt this rope, but seldom were able to climb the rope. Carlos did not attempt the rope
climbing activity. From observing Carlos on various physical education skills, it is assumed that
Carlos has limited upper body strength, as compared to his classmates. As Carlos progresses
through gym class, his upper body strength will continue to be monitored.
Fine Motor Skills.
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Fine motor according to McDevitt and Ormrod (2010), are small and precise movements
of particular parts of the body, especially the hands. In the observations of Carlos, fine motor
skills are defined as art tools abilities, zippering, shoe tying and other various fine motor skills
(160). Carlos has average fine motor skills as compared to those of his peers.
Carlos holds scissors correctly and has full control of scissors when using them. He is
able to cut in relatively straight lines, cut small objects, and cut circular shapes. Some students in
Carloss class are unable to use scissors at this point. They struggle to hold the scissors and cut
sloppy lines. As compared to other students, in comparison to scissor holding ability Carlos is of
average ability.
In addition to holding scissors, he is also able to correctly hold a paintbrush. Each week,
students paint a picture on the easel relating to the theme of the week. Students have painted
apples, leaves, pumpkins, butterflies and other various blank shapes. Each time Carlos paints his
shape, he is able to cover the paper in paint and utilize different colors. He makes smooth brush
strokes and does not get paint on his clothes. Unlike many students in the class, he covers his
picture in paint, and it never sent back to add more paint to his picture. He takes pride in his
painting. Painting is a successful activity to help students develop their fine motor skills
(Stewart, Rule & Giordano, 2007). According to research, painting helps increase kindergartners
attention span, and control with hands while holding a paint brush.
Carlos uses a thick pencil (traditionally viewed as kindergartener pencils) to write with.
As the year progresses, Mrs. Albert tries to switch students to writing with a traditional pencil. In
recent studies, it is discovered, that as students pencil grip improves, so do their other fine motor
skills (Sellers, 1983, 17-23). So, as Carlos learns to write with a thin, traditional pencil, it can be
inferred that his other fine motor skills will also increase.
Carlos is able to zip his jacket when lining up to go outside. But, he is only able to zip
jackets with a large zipper clasp. Most of his classmates are also able to zip their jackets
independently without the help of an adult.
At this point in the year, Carlos is unable to tie shoes. Mrs. Alberts class is practicing
shoe tying, and so far out of her 18 students, 4 children are able to tie shoes. For assessment of
shoe tying, students attempt to tie Mrs. Alberts sneaker, with long laces, to make it easier to tie.
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When it was Carloss turn to try to tie the shoe, he came up and looked at Mrs. Albert throughout
the entire attempt (see appendix b informal observation notes figure 20). Tying shoes is much
more than just fine motor skills, but incorporates bilateral coordination, visual coordination, and
visual perception (Le Roux, n.d.). As Carlos increases his fine motor skills, and these skills are
reinforced away from the classroom, he will learn how to tie his shoes.
Mrs. Albert understands the importance of kindergartens students increasing their fine
motor skills. So, her lessons often include skills which develop childrens fine motor skills. For
example, their crafts often require students to cut, paste, tear and trace. Carlos says he enjoys
completing these tasks, but sometimes complains that his hands hurt. This is not uncommon for
the kindergarten class, as they are all developing their fine motor skills.
2. Emotional and Social Development.
Emotional and Social development of children focuses on a childs behavior and motivation
for behavior, there relationships with others, and their thoughts of themselves. Overall, Carlos is
described as a good kid. He behaves well in class, he respects authority, he plays well with
other students, and he rarely cause arguments with his peers. Carloss emotional and social
development will be discussed in detail in the following section.
Esteem and Competence.
According to Carl Rogers, there are three parts to explaining self. They include self-image,
self-worth, and ideal self (McDevitt & Ormord, 2010). Self-image is how we describe ourselves,
self-worth is what we think of ourselves, and an ideal self is what one aspires to be. When Carlos
is asked to describe himself, he describes himself as a 5 year old boy, Hispanic, and a
kindergartner. Carloss self-image is that of his age, his ethnicity, gender, and occupation. Carlos
is proud of his Hispanic ethnicity, and this relates to his self-worth. Some children struggle to
identify their ethnicity. But, because of positive encouragement from parents and teachers, he is
proud of his ethnicity. At home, both Spanish and English are spoken and his parents are proud
of their Hispanic heritage. Within the classroom, Mrs. Albert and the students make sure to call
Carlos by the Spanish pronunciation of his name. If someone pronounces it with English accent,
the class and Carlos are quick to correct the mispronunciation.
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Self-competence involves the way in which a child views their academic abilities
(Wilkinson, 2004). Academically, Carlos is below grade level. His math and literacy skills are
not equal to those of his classmates, but at this point in the year, I do not think he realizes this.
Throughout the school day, he is eager to learn. He is always focused on the words of the
teacher, finishes his work accurately within a short amount of time, and asks questions when he
doesnt understand certain topics.
Carlos would identify as a child with high self-esteem. He is confident in the classroom and
with his friends. He is satisfied in his ethnic identity, and willing to speak proudly of himself.
Carlos uses his high self-esteem to continue his learning in the classroom.
Temperament.
Temperament can be defined as the way in which a persons nature naturally effects their
behavior and personality is a way of characterizing the way in which the child behaves
(McDevitt and Ormord, 2010, p. 428). Carlos has a very mild temperament, and his personality
and temperament will be discussed in terms of The Big 5 Personality Traits. The Big 5 are a
way of discussing specific aspects of personality and include the traits of extraversion,
agreeableness, conscientious, neuroticism, and openness (Cherry, 2016)
Extraversion is based on the activeness, expressiveness, and outgoingness of a child
(McDevitt & Ormord, 2010, p. 433). I would consider Carlos to be mildly extraverted. He is very
active and enjoys playing and socializing with other children. When speaking he is very
expressive and loves to tell stories. But, he rarely needs to be reminded to quiet down during
teacher instruction. Carlos loves to speak to his friends and teachers, but is quiet when nessecary.
Agreeableness is considered to be the warmness of a child. These children are kind,
compliant and cooperative (McDevitt & Ormord, 2010, p. 433). Carlos is very agreeable. He
speaks in kind words to his classmates. Many students in Mrs. Alberts class make fun of other
children, but I have never heard Carlos make fun another child. Carlos works well with all of the
other children. If a child says something mean to Carlos, he never retorts with a mean comment.
One day in art class, Carlos and JM (name not included for confidentially) were standing around
the demonstration table, watching the art teacher demonstrate how to create the days craft (see
appendix b informal notes figure 21). JM is much taller and larger than Carlos. JM physically
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pushed Carlos out of the way. Instead of pushing back, Carlos looked at JM as said, Excuse JM,
can you please make space, so I can see also. JM did not make space, he stayed in his spot.
Instead of getting frustrated, Carlos moved away from JM and found a new spot at the table. It is
not uncommon to find Carlos creating situation in which he is seeking to make the situation
comfortable for the other child.
Conscientious children are attentive, organized, and show goal directed behavior (McDevitt
& Ormord, 2010, p. 433). Carlos is not a conscientious child. It is not uncommon for him to lose
papers during the day or forget his lunch box when leaving for lunch. When Carlos is given
complete independence in his coloring or journaling activities, he is often sent back to his seat to
retry his work. Carlos is a very sweet boy, but he is not organized, and needs assistance in setting
goals and reaching those goals.
Neurotic children are instable, anxious, lacking in self-confidence, and emotional. Carlos is
not a neurotic child. He is very emotionally stable and never lacks in self-confidence. In my
practicum experience, I have never seen Carlos cry or exhibit extreme emotion. He is not an
anxious child, and rarely gets nervous.
Openness is the trait of a child exploring their environment. Carlos is not a very open child.
He does not ask a lot of questions and does not explore by choice. During free choice play when
all of the centers are open, he does not choose to explore in the rice table or playdough. Carlos
loves to play and learn new materials, but only when encouraged to explore. With prompting
from adults, Carlos is more willing to explore.
Relationships with peers and other children.
Carlos loves to play with other children and other children enjoy playing with Carlos. When
interviewing other classmates, many students describe Carlos as their favorite friend to play
with. Carlos is considered a popular child because he is well liked by students, is sensitive to
others needs, and has good social skills (McDevitt and Ormord, 2010, p. 557). The way young
children communicate and spend time with each other is through play. Children in Mrs. Alberts
class are given time to play during recess and free choice play. Often Carlos is observed
participating in cooperative play. This type of play involves sharing of toys and playing with a
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purpose. As Carlos and his friends continue to play, they learn social skills such as sharing,
communication, and problem solving.
Relationships with adults.
Carlos is very respectful of adults and teachers who are in authority over him. He behaves in
class and is rarely scolded. One day in class during free choice play, he got too excited and raised
his voice. Mrs. Albert scolded Carlos in front of the entire class, and asked him to please lower
his voice. Carlos was quiet, and almost silent for the rest of free choice play. Carlos cares about
his behavior and wants to behave well. He has learned to be respectful of adults and behaves well
in school.
Erik Erickson studied the psychosocial development and many of his stages for young
children demonstrate the relationship between child and adult. According to Erickson, at this
point Carlos is in between the stages of initiative vs guilt and industry vs inferiority (McDevitt &
Ormord, 2010, p. 407). In the stage of initiative vs guilt, children try to find the balance between
taking initiative with independence and feeling guilty when letting an adult down. In the
previous example, Carlos felt guilty when he was scolded by the teacher.
In addition, Carlos is in the stage of industry vs inferiority. In this stage children wrestle
with the conflict of comparing their skill set to other childrens skill set. Carlos is just beginning
to enter this stage. Carlos experienced this conflict during a snack activity. On Tuesday, October
18, students made jell-o during a morning center time. The teacher led the center, and one of the
steps required students to cut apart slices of pineapple. Carlos struggled to cut apart the
pineapple. When the teacher offered help, he turned it down, but was still unable to cut the
pineapple. After a few more minutes of struggling, Carlos finally allowed the teacher reluctantly
to help. He saw that some of his classmates could cut the pineapple with assistance, but he
realized he could not complete the task. He compared his abilities to those of his peers, and was
disappointed when he failed.
3. Cognitive Development.
Cognitive Development was studied by several theorists including Piaget and Vygotsky.
Piaget studied the stages of cognitive development in relation to age and believed children
developed independently, regardless of their environment. Vygotsky focused on childrens
17

development socially through language. Cognitive development is the development of a childs
reasoning in regards to conceptual understanding, construction of meaning, imagination and
creativity, and problem solving (McDevitt and Ormord, 2010). This area of development is
promoted through a childs family, school, community, and individual being. This section will
discuss Carloss cognitive development and its relation to the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky.
Conceptual Understandings and Construction of Meaning.
Conceptual Understanding is the ability to do more than state facts. Conceptual
Understanding is a child having the ability to explain the why of situations and take the
reasoning behind thought and apply it to other situations. Piaget understood conceptual thinking
in terms of schemas, assimilation, and accommodation. A schema is an organized way for a child
to explain and object or situation (McDevitt and Ormord, 2010). Assimilation is a childs way of
responding to a new situation, using their old schemas, while accommodation is responding to a
new situation by modifying the old situation.
Carlos uses these skills in the classroom to further his understanding of different careers.
During fire safety week, students learned about the role of firemen. Students learned who
firemen are, what they do, and the vehicles they drive. Specifically, students learned that firemen
drive fire engines. Later in the week, the class discussed other community helpers including
nurse, doctors, and police men. At one point, I asked Carlos, what type of vehicle do medical
workers, like the doctors and nurses that work at the hospital, drive in emergencies? I was
hoping for Carlos to respond with ambulances. Carlos thought about it, and answered with
hospital engines. Confused by his response, I asked Carlos to explain his answer. In short,
Carlos used his previous knowledge of the firemen community helpers, to create an explanation
for the word ambulance. Carlos was able to use his previous knowledge to come to a new
explanation. While Carlos answer was incorrect, he does have the ability to process and
understand. As he continues to grow older and develop more, his conceptual understanding of
new objects and situations will continue to grow.
In addition, Piaget studied cognitive development and the stages of development. He declares
that there are four stages of development and children move through the stages. In order to
determine Carloss stage, I observed Carlos in a real and fake activity (see appendix a).
After a read aloud story on Monday, September 26th, students were asked to separate real and
18

imaginary bear cutouts. Half of the bears were cartoon bears, and half were images of living
bears. He had no problem telling the difference between the two, and when asked, he explained
which bears were real and which were fake.
Carlos understands the concepts of fake and real, in very black and white terms. When
asked to explain what real or fake means, he could not come up with a decision. According
to Piagets stages of development, Carlos is in the concrete operations stage (McDevitt &
Ormrod, 2010, p. 198). In this stage, children have a limited view and see in categorical,
ambiguous terms.
Imagination and Creativity.
Carlos enjoys pretend play. After a conversation, (see appendices b informal notes figure
2), he stated that his favorite centers are Legos and the town center. Its interesting that Carlos
enjoys playing Legos. Much research has shown that Legos increase fine motor skills, memory,
and cognitive development (Can Lego bricksskills, n.d.). Through playing with Legos,
Carlos must visualize what he wants to build by drawing from past experiences. Then he must
use his fine motor skills to construct his building.
Carlos plays many imaginative games during recess. He and his friends enjoy playing good
guys, bad guys, cops, and super heroes. He likes playing the bad guy, as he ends up being
chased around, like in a game of tag. Carlos plays the zombie tag game with other boys at recess.
He enjoys playing with lots of children, and wants each child to play a different role. According
to Vygotsky, through this type of play, he is increasing his sociocultural theory (McDevitt, TM
& Ormrod JE, 2010, p. 211). This is a theory in which children learn through other people. He is
learning from the other students how to play together, and different characteristics of the
characters in the game.
Problem Solving.
As a class, Mrs. Alberts classroom struggles with problem solving and self-sufficiency.
She encourages her students to be problem solvers, when they have an issue. For example, if a
child cannot find their pencil, they need to be problem solvers and go and look for a pencil
themselves, instead of asking Mrs. Albert for help. Carlos is one of the students who struggles
with problem solving. He tends to turn to adults in the room, when faced with a challenge.
19

In addition to problem solving in the classroom, problem solving in children also to
relates to concepts such as sequencing, sorting, and understanding the concept of conservation
(Problem Solving Skills, n.d.). Sequencing involves ordering items from start to finish. Carlos
has had the opportunity to order several items. During the fall season, students ordered the life
span of a pumpkin, starting with seeds progressing to a jack-o-lantern (see appendices b
informal notes figure 21). Carlos was able to successfully order the items. In addition, students
have worked on sorting. During the bear sort, Carloss sorting skills were formally observed, and
it was observed that Carlos was successfully able to sort items. He understands how to sort items
by color, shape, size, and other various ways.
Finally, part of problem solving is understanding the concept of conservation, which also
relates to Piagets stages of cognitive development. Conservation is understanding volume does
not change based on shape. Ways to test conservation is through liquid tests, shape images, and
counting actives. Carlos loves to count, so to test if Carlos understands conservation, I showed
him 8 plastic blocks snapped together, and 8 plastic blocks in a pile (observation notes are
provided in the appendix). I asked Carlos to tell me which pile had more. He looked at both
choices, looked at me, and then looked back at the blocks, and began counting. After counting
both piles, he looked up and said they are the same, they both have 8 and 8 is the same as 8.
Through this simple, informal observation, Carlos demonstrated his understanding of
conservation. Because Carlos understands conservation, this also places Carlos in Piagets stage
of concrete operations.
4. Language Development.
Carlos language development is below grade level and the area of development of which he
is growing the most. As previously mentioned, he came to Pond Straight Elementary School at
age 3 to begin working with Speech Therapist, only knowing one Spanish word. His language
delay can most likely be explained partially because he comes from a dual language home. While
students from dual language homes often become fluent in both languages, there is sometimes a
language delay, as seen with Carlos (Paradis, Crago, Genesee & Rice, 2003).
20

Carloss oral language has grown significantly in his time at Pond Straight. He is still below
grade level on his written language and reading skills. For an observation of this section of
development, a phonological awareness assessment was performed on Carlos on September 26th
(see appendix a). The Phonemic Awareness Skills Assessment for Kindergarten Students was
given to Carlos, as it was recommended by Mrs. Albert and another university professor. In
addition, a retelling assessment was performed on Carlos, in which he was read a story, and then
instructed to orally retell the story. Finally Carloss speech was also observed and assessed over
the course of the semester informally through conversations within the classroom.
Expressive and Receptive Speech.
Expressive Speech is the ability to communicate effectively through speaking and writing
while Receptive Speech is the ability to understand the language one hears or reads (McDevitt
& Ormord, 2010, p. 320). As discussed further along in this section, Carlos has the ability to
communicate orally, but struggles to communicate via writing and reading. He responds to oral
speech, but struggles to follow directions, learn from, and respond written text.
Phonological Awareness.
The Phonological Awareness Assessment observes students alphabet recognition, letter
sound identification, rhyme recognition, fluency, blending and segmenting, and concepts of
print. This is a successful assessment because it allows the assessor to work with the student
individually in a low stress environment. This section looks at both written and oral
communication. Carlos performed well on the assessment and his scores reflect similarly to his
PALs scores. Each section and the results are discussed below:
Alphabet Recognition. Carlos at the time of assessment, recognized 22 out of 26 of his letters.
Throughout the assessment, he quickly identified the letters. He was unable to identity the
uppercase letters {V, J, I, Y}. He was unable to identify the lower case letters of {j, q, c, g).
He could identify the traditional lowercase {g}. He quickly and confidently answered the
majority of the letters. When he was unable to identify a letter, he looked up at me, and asked
what the letter was. He did not guess at any letters.
Letter Sound Identification. At the time of assessment, Carlos was unable to complete this
section. As we went through this section, he stated only the letter name. As the semester has
21

progressed he is able to identify more letter sounds. When he is asked orally what sound a
letter makes, he is sometimes able to identify the letter sound. As the year has progressed, he
is able to identify some letters and letter sounds. The assessment was not completed a second
time in the school year but according to Carloss PALS scores, he was able to identify 7/26,
which is an improvement from the original scores.
Rhyme Recognition. Carlos did not know what rhyming was at the time of assessment. While
students I the classroom do read a poem with rhyming words each week, rhyming has not
been formally taught in the classroom yet. According to his PALs scores, he received a 20%
on this section.
Onset Fluency: Isolate the Initial Phoneme. Carlos did not understand the concept behind
this section either. Out of the 10 questions, he answered four correctly. He was able to
correctly identify {F, K, L, B}. According to his PALs scores, he also struggled with this
section. This section is difficult for him because he cannot identity letter sounds.
Blending Compound Words & Syllables. Carlos completed this section and scored 7 out of 10
questions correctly. He answered {pur-ple, tar-get, and wig-gle} incorrectly. These were
answered incorrectly because they sound odd when divided into syllables.
Identifying Final Sounds in Words. Carlos correctly identified 2 out of 10 of the end word
sounds. He was able to identify the ending sounds with the letters {s, t}. Before Carlos can
identify his ending letter sounds, he must first learn his letter sounds.
Print Concepts. Carlos was able to perform all of the tasks for print concepts including
holding a book, distinguishing between pictures and words, identifying his name,
understanding concept of word, and isolating specific words.
After reviewing Carloss scores of this assessment, he is identified as an emergent reader
(Morrow, 2015). Emergent readers are classified as readers who have strong concept of word,
enjoys the reading of short stories, and is beginning to have concept of print. In addition to
Carloss beginnings of phonological awareness, he also has a strong sense of oral
communication.
Oral Communication.
Carloss oral communication was specifically assessed through a read aloud assessment. This
assessment was performed on Thursday, October 20th after lunch in the schools library (see
22

appendix b informal notes figure 14 and 15). For this assessment, the observer read Carlos the
story Fox Makes Friends. After reading the story, together the two retold the story with paper
figures. And third, Carlos retold the story using his own language. Below is a brief description of
the retelling. Each section of the story retelling is divided up. His language and retelling
comprehension results are provided below:
Setting and Characters. Carlos did not know what a character was. When asked to tell the
characters of the story, he seemed to be confused. He did not use words to explain his
confusion, but instead looked confused. But, when the word character was explained to
Carlos, he was able to successfully describe each character.
Story Problem. Carlos caught onto the story problem in the first reading of the story. While
reading the beginning of the story, he was able to explain very quickly and easily that fox
cant make friends, he needs to go meet people and be nice to them. When asked to explain
the problem, he was able to quickly explain the problem of the story.
Event One. This is the section Carlos struggled the most with. He was not able to explain the
first event. Even with some teacher prompting, Carlos was unable to explain the first event of
the story. When given major prompting such as, what does fox try to do first? What
character does fox meet first? Carlos was able to provide a very fragmented answer.
Event 2. Carlos remembered event two of the story and was able to explain this section in
much more detail. Carlos retold Fox becoming friends with a rabbit and their attempt to make
a friend out of a pumpkin.
Event 3. Carlos also remembered event three of the story. The first sentence of episode 3 is
squirrel laughing at Fox and Rabbit. Carlos thought this was the funniest part of the story.
When asked to retell episode three, he stood up, and acted out the squirrel laughing. He was
also able to retell how the friends made an even bigger friend, still out of vegetables. Carlos
used the pictures he remembered seeing to assist in the retelling of the story. He explained
the third friend made to be as big as the ceiling. While the story never mentioned the size of
the third friend, the pictures showed a big friend towering over the three creatures.
Resolution. Just as Carlos was able to pick up on the problem of the story, he was able to
clearly define the resolution. This is a very straight forward and obvious fable, so Carlos was
able to predict the resolution in the beginning of the story.
23
Reactions of the Characters. Carlos was able to explain how the characters were friends
forever at the end of the story. When asked how the characters felt, he said happy because
they have friends to play with! I like playing with my friends, so that would make me
happy.
In this activity, Carlos was able to use his vocabulary to explain the sequence of events. He
was successful in this assignment, and as he progresses forward in retelling, I would recommend
using more difficult books. Vocabulary wise, Carlos understood every word in this story. If he
had been unfamiliar with some of the words, he would learn more words through expansion
(McDevitt and Ormrod, 2010, p. 327). As Carlos progresses in his vocabulary, I would
recommend expanding his spoken vocabulary.
Written Communication.
Carlos knows how to write almost all of his letters. He is slowly learning how to combine
letters to make words, but does not know how to spell yet. As the semester has progressed, his
hand writing has improved. Until he advances in his letter sounds and reading ability, his writing
will remain at the same level of an emergent reader.
5. Moral and Ethical Development
Moral Development is advancements in reasoning and behaving in accordance with
culturally prescribed or self-constructed standards of right and wrong (McDevitt and Ormord,
2010, p. 518). In other words, moral development is the ethics behind our behaviors and our
beliefs of fairness, responsibility, empathy and rights of others. Within the classroom, Mrs.
Albert works hard to teach children skills regarding ethics and moral development, rather than
just teaching academic content.
Empathy.
Empathy is the ability to understand the emotions of others. Empathy is trait Mrs. Albert
teaches on a daily basis. If a child misbehaves, instead of just scolding the child, she asks the
child to think about their behavior, and how their behavior affected others. She will ask the child
to explain how their actions made Mrs. Albert felt, how the other child felt, and it made the child
who participated in the behavior felt.
24

During fire safety week, the firemen came into the classroom and spoke to the children
about the importance of fire safety. At the end of the week, the firemen presented the class with
dress up firemen hats. A few children were excited about the gift, but many children were
disappointed with the gift. Several students made comments such as I already have this or I
dont want a fake fire hate. Once the firemen left, Mrs. Albert sat the class down, and asked the
students about the situation. She questioned them, and asked how their behavior had made the
firemen felt. Several students had the opportunity to answer, including Carlos. Carlos knew that
the behavior probably made the firemen sad. He said, I think the firemen felt sad when they
heard us say that stuff. Carlos is slowly learning the trait of empathy.
Fairness.
Carlos does not understand fairness, especially in terms of games. On Monday,
November 14th, a formal observation was conducted. During math time, students played a game
a math game called more or less. Both players start with 10 cubes, and there is a spinner which
says more and less. To start the game, students put a certain number of cubes in the middle,
and whichever child has more cubes gets to spin. Once spinning, which every side it lands on
(more or less), wins, and gets to keep all the cubes. The rules of the game are very simple and
easy to follow. Carlos played this game with one of his friends. While playing, neither child took
the opponents cubes. So, they both kept 10 cubes for the entire game. Once time was up I asked
Carlos who won, and he said we both won!
Most of the kindergarten students tried to bend the rules so that they won, and the other
person lost. Carlos wanted he and his partner to win, so that both children could be winners.
Carlos did not want to lose and he did not want his friend to lose because he is an empathetic. As
Carlos grows older, he will learn the skills of the game.
Responsibility and Rights of Others.
Part of responsibility in the kindergarten classroom is keeping your area clean. As
previously stated, Carlos is not an organized child. He struggles to keep his area clean and often
loses papers. He also sometimes forgets to pick up his papers. Carlos will become more
responsible as he grows older. Mrs. Albert has discussed the rights of the kindergarten students.
She has taught the children that they have the right to learn, the right to feel safe in her
25

classroom, and the right to freedom of thought and religion. Carlos agrees with these rights and
thinks his classmates should have the same rights.
Stage of Moral Development.
Kohlberg studied moral development in humans and broke the process into a series of
stages. His stages are not written in age groups, per se, but more so in terms of development of
morality. Carlos would most likely fall in the pre-conventional morality level. Pre-conventional
Morality is when one makes decisions that benefit ones self and one lacks an internal moral code
of right or wrong (McDevitt and Ormord, 2010, p. 520). At this point, I think Carlos belongs in
stage 1, entitled punishment avoidance and obedience. In this stage, the child only obeys rules
because it is established by a higher power, and the child is afraid of punishment. Sometimes
during the day, when observing Carlos, I have noticed that he only wants to finish his work or
behave, so that he doesnt have to walk wiggle laps. When asked what wiggle laps are, Carlos
explains wiggle laps as what you have to do if your bad. Carlos is afraid of punishment, and
obeys the rules to avoid said punishment.
Implications, Reflections and Assessment of Development

D. Implications
The following is an overall formal reflection of the assignment. Questions were retrieved
from the professor assigning the project.
1. If you had the opportunity, what areas would you want to explore further and how might you
do it?
I love English Language Learners and studying their process of learning language. Due to
time constraints though, I wasnt able to due in depth research on language learners. I would love
to have the opportunity to study Carloss language learning ability. I would study his language in
greater detail through learning more about ELLs, speaking in more detail with the Speech
Teacher, and comparing Carlos to other ELLs at Pond Straight Elementary School.
26

In addition, I wish I had the opportunity to spend a longer period of time with Carlos. I think
I would have learned more about Carlos is I had the opportunity to observe him from a younger
age. I wish I could have observed Carlos at the young age of three, when he first came to Pond
Straight. And, I wish I could observe him longer. I look forward to seeing Carloss development
at the end of the kindergarten school year.
Carloss social standing also interests me. Carlos is well loved and very popular in the
classroom. If given the opportunity, I would love to learn more about why Carlos is so popular. I
think it would be interesting to study what makes children popular, how it effects their selfesteem, and how to ensure all children are loved in the classroom.
2. If this were your classroom, what specific plans would you make for this childs continued
growth?
Carlos is a great student. He has grown significantly this semester and will continue to grow
throughout his schooling experience. While he has many strengths, he also has many areas in
which he has room to grow. Each domain of development has specific areas in which he can
grow.
Physically Carlos is very healthy. He is of average height and weight. He eats relatively
healthy meals and exercises when in gym class and at recess. I am concerned though because he
has several cavities. At some point in the next few weeks, I would recommend inviting a dentist
to come in and speak to the children on the importance of oral hygiene. I think proper education
would help Carlos. Carloss biggest concern of his gross motor skills, is his inability to run in a
straight line. While kindergarten students are clumsy, I would like to see Carloss peripheral
vision strengthened, which would in turn make it easier for him to run in a straight line. His
vison can be increased through different visual exercises and through increasing his physical
activity and including more exercise in his daily schooling.
Socially and emotionally Carlos does not face any disabilities or major issues. At this point,
he does not realize that academically he is behind in his schooling. Once he realizes that he is
behind in his schooling, I think it will be important to monitor his self-esteem. In addition, I
would like to see Carlos grow in his ability to explore the world. He does not ask a lot of
questions and does not explore on his own. I would recommend opening up the special centers
27

more often and encouraging Carlos to play at those centers. For example, open the rice table, and
sit and play with Carlos at the rice table. This will encourage Carlos to explore on his own by
teaching him how to explore.
The language aspect of development is what concerns me the most for Carlos. While he is
growing in his oral speech, he really struggles with writing and reading. He does not know his
letters and letter sounds. This must be learned, or he will not advance in school. I would
recommend improving this through repetition during reading groups. While flash cards and
repetition is not always fun, it has proven to be successful with Carlos in the past. So, I would
spend at least 10 minutes during every reading group reviewing his letters and sounds using flash
cards.
Morally and ethically, Carlos is developing at the same rate as his peers. Carlos still does not
understand games and winning and losing. So, I would recommend playing more games with
Carlos that involved winning and losing and keeping score. These games can be played during
math time or center time and will slowly teach Carlos how to healthily compete.
3. Describe what you consider to be the single most meaningful experience of the whole case
study process? How has this child and this assignment influenced your beliefs about children
and your own ability to gain information and interpret childrens behavior?
As a future educator, I value every moment of the school day. From my practicum
experience, I have learned that every moment of the day is important and every activity in the
classroom needs purpose. But, from this project, I have learned that assessment is very important
also. In order to know what a child needs to learn, I must be able to assess where the child is at in
learning at the time. Within the process of observing Carlos, I worked in close relation with Mrs.
Albert to avoid taking Carlos away from instruction time. I tried to do my short observations
during times such as free choice play and morning work. When doing our observations, we made
sure to be away from the class to prevent being a distraction.
While sometimes it was inconvenient for me to work around Carloss schedule, I learned
how to make every moment still count in the classroom for Carlos. Once I start teaching and
have my own classroom, I want to make every moment count for each student. So, when I need
28

to take formal assessments on my children, I will work to create a learning environment in which
students can work independently, but still learn.
I also learned how to target my observations around the needs of Carlos. It was interesting to
compare my observations, to other students completing the same observations. While we all had
the same assignment, the implementation of observations looked different for each child because
each child learns differently. I look forward to my own classroom in which I can tailor
observations for each child, because every child in my classroom will learn differently.
E. Assessment of Childs Development
This section provides an informal assessment, based on my observations of Carlos. The first
chart provides a baseline of development. Not every child fits into this standard, but it is a basis
for comparing Carlos to the average kindergarten student. The second chart addresses Carloss
development in each domain. It is divided into areas of concern meaning areas in which Carlos
does not yet meet the average kindergartner, but has room to grow in. It also includes areas of
strength of which Carlos is stronger than the average kindergartener. And the third column
includes areas in which Carlos has grown over the progression of the semester.
1. The average kindergarten student
Physical and Motor
Emotional and Social
Development
Development
Health and Nutrition
Esteem and Competence
Height: 40-46
Positive self-image
Weight: 38-52 lb.s
High self-esteem
Cognitive Development
Language Development
Concp. Understanding &
Communication between
construction of meaning
others
Concrete operations
Ability to listen and
Development
stage
Some teeth loss
Able to sort
None/ few cavities
Inability to explain
why in all situations
Eats 3 meals a day
Moral and Ethical
respond to adults
Able to answer
Moral Values
Empathy slowly
learning empathy
Fairness struggle to
questions asked by
play games fairly,
adults
often cheat
Speaks with other
Eats 1 or 2 snacks
children
Gross Motor Skills
Temperament
Imagination and Creativity
Writing
Catches and throws
Temperament for every
Lots of creative play
Writes all 26 letters
Moral development is
child is different, and is
Playing character
Able to write some
based on temperament,
Stage of Moral
Development
ball
Skips
effected both by
versions of tag (ex.
Run in straight line
personality and
power rangers tag)
Hops on one foot
environment.
sight words
Able to phonetically
spell words with first
and last letter sound
environment, and age.

Most kindergarten
students are in the
29

Walks on balance
Playing different
beam
Attempts to write
centers at free choice
Climbs on jungle gym
obedience/ punishment
avoidance stage.
sentences
play
Using other childrens
ideas for play
Fine Motor Skills
Relationships with peers
Problem Solving
Reading skills
Recognizes all 26
and adults
Correct pencil grip
Each child has a different
Relying on teacher/
Cuts with scissors
way of making friends in
adult to solve minor
Paints
kindergarten, but the
problems
Colors relatively in
majority of children are
lines
letters and sounds

Knows some sight
Understanding
able to make friends.
conservation
words
Attempts to sound out
Ability to sort by
Traces objects
words
Comprehends and can
Zips zipper
Many children respect
different
Ties shoes
the teacher, but its not
characteristics
Pours liquid without
uncommon for a child to
Can answer some
have one or two behavior
comprehension
issues each week.
questions
spilling
Cuts with blunt knife
retell short stories
2. Carloss development
Physical and Motor
Emotional and Social
Strength
Area of Concern
Progress Observed
Carlos physically is a
Carlos has several
Carlos hand writing
very healthy boy. He
cavities at a very
has improved
falls into the norms
young age. I would
significantly through
for height and weight. recommend
the school year. He
Carlos has control
monitoring his dental
has gained more
over his body when
health.
control in his pencil
moving around
Carlos struggles to
grip and has much
slowly. Carlos
run in a straight line.
more legible
correctly holds
When he begins
handwriting.
scissors and excels in
moving quickly, his
cutting lines and
peripheral vison is
shapes.
affected.
Carlos has great
At this point, Carlos
In regards to
control over his
does not realize that
temperament and
30

emotions and positive he is behind in
personality, Carlos
self-esteem. He is
school. Once he
has become more
well loved by
begins to realize he is
comfortable and
students and enjoys
academically behind,
willing to try new
playing with other
I would recommend
things. He is much
children.
monitoring his self-
more open than in the
esteem.
beginning of the
semester.
Cognitive
Language
Carlos loves pretend
As a class, Mrs.
Carloss construction
play. He plays well
Alberts children
of meaning has
with other students
struggle to be
grown greatly this
and is willing to play
problem solvers. I
year. He has become
off of other childrens would like to see
better at independent
imaginations.
Carlos grow in his
thinking and
independence.
reasoning.
Carlos has great
Carlos is very behind
Carlos has learned
comprehension skills.
in his letters. He has
more letter sounds. In
He is very skilled in
to learn his letter
the beginning of the
communicating
sounds, or he wont
semester he only
orally.
be able to advance in
knew a few, but now
reading.
he knows about half

of the alphabet.
Moral and Ethical
Carlos is willing to
Carlos does not at
Carlos is still not
learn about morals.
this point understand
completely
He tries to practice
winning and losing. I
responsible, but is
empathy.
would recommend
slowing learning how
easing Carlos into
to be responsible for
games with rules.
himself.
31

F. Executive Summary
The following is a letter to be sent to the parents of Carlos.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. XX (names have been excluded for confidentiality),
Hello! My name is Emily Hall, and I am a junior at James Madison University. Back in
the beginning of the semester, I sent home an information sheet with a slip granting me
permission to observe and study Carlos over the course of the semester. I am studying to be a
teacher, and having the opportunity to observe Carloss development physically and
academically has been such a learning experience. Not only have I learned about your child, but I
have also learned about the teaching profession and children as a whole.
Through conversations with Carlos, I have come to learn more about him and his
personality. He is a wonderful child who is eager to learn and quick to listen. During the school
day, he is focused and engaged in the learning environment. When sitting on the carpet, he is
always focused, and ready to learn. If he is asked to do something, he is always willing to do it.
He is quick to listen to those in authority, and respects all teachers. He is always more than
willing to try new things - whether this be academically in the classroom setting, or during a
holiday party and trying a new snack. He is so loved by his classmates, as children look forward
to playing with him. When interviewing other students in the classroom, I asked them who they
enjoyed playing with, and nearly every child listed Carlos as one of their favorite friends. Carlos
has a contagious smile that lights up everyones day. I always look forward to practicum on
Mondays, because I love kindergarteners, but seeing Carlos makes the day even better!
In addition to learning about your child, I have also learned more about the teaching
profession. I have learned how to informally assess children, without interrupting their learning
time, but still assessing their academic skill level. I have learned how to encourage positive
social interactions between students, while still allowing the children to play. I have learned how
observe students behavior over the course of a semester, and monitor improvement. And most
importantly, I have learned how to observe my students, in order to create an environment that is
best suited for them as learners.
32

Thank you so much for allowing me to study Carlos. He has taught be more than a class
or textbook could ever teach. I am so excited to enter the classroom in a few years, and my
experiences with Carlos will make me a better teacher.
Sincerely,
Emily J Hall
hallej@dukes.jmu.edu
33

References and Appendices
G. References
References
Bardid, F., Huyben, F., Lenoir, M., Seghers, J., Martelaer, K. D., Goodway, J. D., & Deconinck,
F. J. (2016). Assessing fundamental motor skills in Belgian children aged 3-8 years
highlights differences to US reference sample. Acta Paediatrica, 105(6).
doi:10.1111/apa.13380
Can Lego bricks and other construction toys boost your child's STEM skills? (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://www.parentingscience.com/Lego-bricks-construction- toys-and-STEMskills.html
Cherry, K. (2016, July 15). What Are The Big 5 Personality Traits? Retrieved from
https://www.verywell.com/the-big-five-personality-dimensions-2795422
CITI Program. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2016, from
https://www.citiprogram.org/index.cfm?pageID=30
David, S. S., Chapman, A. J., Foot, H. C., & Sheehy, N. P. (1986). Peripheral vision and child
pedestrian accidents [Abstract]. British Journal of Psychology, 77(4), 433-450.
doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1986.tb02209.x
Davis, B. (2015, October 16). Developmental Milestones Related to Climbing. Retrieved
from http://www.livestrong.com/article/542645-developmental-milestones-related-toclimbing/
Define self-competence. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://msu.edu/~dwong/StudentWorkArchive/CEP900F04-RDP/WilkinsonAcadSelfPercept.htm
Dental Caries (Tooth Decay) in Children (Age 2 to 11). (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/FindDataByTopic/DentalCaries/DentalCariesChil
dren2to11.htm
Employment Characteristics of Families Summary. (2016). Retrieved, from
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm
34

Latchford, T. (2014, October 9). Hartman Public School campaign gets kids moving. Auroa
Banner. Retrieved from http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/4908060-hartmanpublic-school-campaign-gets-kids-moving/
Le Roux, T. (n.d.). How to Tie Shoelaces. Retrieved, from http://www.ot-mom-learningactivities.com/how-to-tie-shoelaces.html
McDevitt, T. M., OrMrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education. Boston: Pearson
Custom Publishing.
Morrow, L.M. (2015). Literacy development in the early grades: Helping children read and
write (8th edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Paradis, J., Crago, M., Genesee, F., & Rice, M. (2003). French-English Bilingual Children With
SLI. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 46(1), 113. doi:10.1044/10924388(2003/009)
Problem Solving Skills. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://sproutsdevelopment.com/resources/problem
-solving/
Sellers, J. S. (1983). Relationship Between Hand Strength and Pencil-Scissors Skills. Physical &
Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 3(4), 17.
Stewart, R., Rule, A., & Giordano, D. (2007). The Effect of Fine Motor Skill Activities on
Kindergarten Student Attention. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(2), 103-109.
doi:10.1007/s10643-007-0169-4
35

H. Appendices
a. Formal Appendices
Formal Observations: Physical Development
Observations made Monday September 26
Context: The Gross Motor Skills were observed during recess on the outdoor playground.
Students receive 30 minutes of outdoor active play daily between 2:30 and 3:00 pm. The entire
class plays together so CSS was observed while playing with other students.
NO ATTEMPTS YES
NOTES
Gross Motor Skills

Walks in a straight line
Walks on balance beam
Balances on one foot
Jumps over low object

with both feet
Runs
Skips
Runs sideways
Gallops
Climbs on jungle gym
Climbs hand-to-hand, foot-to-foot, only

moving one limb at a time
Climbs later
Throws ball
Catches ball
Bounces Ball
Fine Motor Skills

Ties Shoes
Catches ball sometime, not every time
36

Zips zipper
Pours liquid without

spilling
Opens milk
Opens chips bag
Cuts with scissors
Holds pencil
Traces object
Holds paint brush
Tears paper
Plays with play dough
Not perfectly, but tries
Healthy Practice Interview

YES NO HOW
OFTEN
Brush Teeth
# of teeth lost
Says he has not lost teeth? Check

with CT
Flossing
Visit dentist
Wash hands
NOTES
x
x
Has several cavities
37

Taking bath
Brushing hair
Washing hair
Cut nails
Wearing clean clothes
Wearing clean socks
Cover mouth when

sneezing
Wash hands after
sneezing
Cover mouth when
coughing
x
x
x
Visiting doctor
CSS Play Conversation

Observation: Monday October 3rd during morning free play time
CSS played in the lego station and town center station with other children.
Today during center time, I observed CSS playing during free choice play time at the
town center w/ one other student. He then went to play at the lego station.
At the town center station, there are toy cars, houses, planes, and a carpet with a road.
While observing, he makes lots of sound effects, uses lots of imagination and plays well
with other students.
While at recess, he also played zombies, bad guys, superheroes, and cops. He likes being
the bad guy, meaning he is chased by other students.
THIS OBSERVATION WILL BE CONTINUED ON MONDAY OCTOBER 10.
Cognitive Development Observation A lesson was taught for this observation. Student were read
a story about bears, and then sorted the bears. Carlos was observed. This occurred on Oct. 16.
38
39
40
41
42
The above three documents are from the formal language assessment performed on Carlos
on Monday, September 26. The test was recorded at the end of the day during rest time in
the library.
43

b. Informal Appendices
Below is a list of all informal notes from class including some of the observations done
throughout the semester. The notes are labeled, dated, and described in the chart below. Some
formal observations that were required for the course are included here, as they were handwritten
observations.
Figure Title
Informal Notes - Figure 1
Informal Notes - Firgure 4
Date
3-Oct-16
3-Oct-16
9-Sep-16
9-Sep-16
9-Sep-16
21-Oct-16
21-Oct-16
20-Oct-16
20-Oct-16
20-Oct-16
19-Oct-16
10-Oct-16
18-Oct-16
18-Oct-16
18-Oct-16
16-Sep-16
16-Sep-16
19-Sep-16
16-Sep-16
14-Nov-16
10-Oct-16
29-Nov-16
Description of Figure
Notes from string art activity
Questions and daily notes from class
writing sample
timed observation from gym class
timed observation from classroom - Carlos interacting with peers
Pals tests scores
Notes from observation of speech thearapy
Notes from observation of speech thearapy
Social observation notes
Real vs Fake Bears - Cognative Lesson Plan Assignment
Notes from Music Class - during Immersion week
Fox Maks Friends Retelling Assignment
Fox Maks Friends Retelling Assignment
Notes of Case Study - observed while in class
Observations of Play of Case Study Student
Informal Notes of Playing Catch/ Throw with Carlos at Recess
Morning Lesson Notes - phone numbers/ tying shoes
Informal Notes from Halloween Party
Conservation informal observation notes
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
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Running Head: Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Data and Interpretation

1. Physical and Motor Development.

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Implications, Reflections and Assessment of Development

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

Emotional and Social

Health and Nutrition

Esteem and Competence

Weight: 38-52 lb.s

Concp. Understanding &

Ability to listen and

Some teeth loss

None/ few cavities

Eats 3 meals a day

Moral and Ethical

play games fairly,

Speaks with other

Imagination and Creativity

Catches and throws

Temperament for every

Lots of creative play

Writes all 26 letters

child is different, and is

Able to write some

versions of tag (ex.

Run in straight line

power rangers tag)

Hops on one foot

environment, and age.

Case Study of Carlos Kindergarten Student

centers at free choice

Climbs on jungle gym

Fine Motor Skills

Relationships with peers

Each child has a different

Cuts with scissors