Date completed: Spring 2017

Date submitted: Spring 2017

Title of Artifact: Observation #5- Language Arts
Standard: Standard Five- Application of Content

I am placing my artifact, Observation #5- Language Arts, under Standard Five, Application of
Content, as evidence of continued mastery towards connecting concepts to engage learners in
critical thinking and problem solving related to authentic local and global issues. In the data
section of this observation I talked about how the students were learning how to memorize their
birthday, phone number, and address. The importance of this is that if something were to ever
happen and there was an emergency, the student could tell a reliable adult or police officer this
information for help. The data section of this observation shows how Observation #5- Planning,
collaborates with Standard Five, Application of Content.
I. Observation 5:
Kindergarten Enrichment (KE) classroom at All Day Learning Centers
II. Grade:
Kindergarten Enrichment
III. Students:
29 total
15 boys and 14 girls
IV. Setting:
Kindergarten Enrichment classroom at All Day Learning Centers
Multi-age classroom (5 and 6 year olds)
29 students
1 lead teacher (Miss Erica S)
Ratio is 1 to 15 (1 teacher per 15 students)
V. Pre-Observation:
To prepare for this observation I read the short article, Learning Your Address And
Phone Number. It was talking about how the students should really know their address
and phone number so that if they are ever lost and need help, their know this vital
information to tell a police officer or and adult. A quote that I found informative from the
article is, To help keep children safe, they should know their address and phone number.
If they are lost or in trouble when away from home, they should have their phone number
and address memorized so they can tell a safe grown-up how to reach their family.
VI. Data:
In the beginning of the year the children didnt really know much about their birthday,
where they lived, and their phone number. What Miss Erica S does with this is that she
makes little notecards with each childs birthday, address, and phone number on it.
Throughout the year the children are tested at circle time to see what they know and dont
know. The goal is for them to memorize their information. In the beginning of the year
Miss Erica S would have to say each childs information and they would have to repeat it
back. One of the things the teacher does is go over this during circle time. They take
attendance and then move onto memorizing their information. They start with their
birthday, then their address, and lastly their phone number. At first it was just the teacher
repeating the information to them and the student saying it back. Now after a few months
of the repetition, most of the students know the three things. When they said their
address, the town, state, and zip code were not included. I asked the teacher about this
and she told me that they would eventually get to this but not right now. Their birthday,
address, and phone number is a lot to memorize all at once. I love the idea of this because
it is great to have children know all of that information about themselves. It is even better
to know this information so that if they are ever lost or need help they can tell the police
officer their information.
VII. Analysis:
After seeing this memorization in the kindergarten classroom, I thought that it was a great
way to show the language arts domain. The teacher is talking to them about the
information and the student is talking back. At first, the teacher said the information and
the student repeated it back. Now the teacher just says their name and they try their best
to repeat the information they know. If they need help the teacher will help coach them
 along. I really love the idea of children knowing this and I even try to get my five year
old sister at home to try and do it since I think it is such a great idea.
VIII. Recommendations:
For this observation I really thought it was a great idea to get the students to memorize
their birthday, address, and phone number. I love the fact that this could help them in an
emergency situation. What I would recommend the teacher to do is not throw all this
information at the students at once. I would space out what they learn into a few different
weeks. Even though these kindergarten students know all of it by heart, I feel that it
couldve been spaced out differently. Another recommendation I have is instead of the
teacher saying the information and having the student repeat it, the student should be
involved with hands on activities to help this. I looked at the article, Teaching Students
Their Names, Birthdays, and Phone Number by Allie Magnuson. What they had
recommended is that when learning their phone numbers they could have a fake phone in
the class the practice dialing it and seeing the numbers themselves.
IX. Post-Observation:
I love the daycare that I am working and doing these observations allows me to pay even
more attention to the children in their classroom. I am considered a floater, which means I
dont have a specific room that I am in all day. I am able to see what goes on in all the
classrooms and I get to know all of the children. Although I would like to have a set
classroom, knowing all of the children in the school is pretty awesome rather than just in
one class. All of the children know who I am so not only can I observe them, I can also
teach them something. They look up to me as one of their teachers and I will be there to
help them with whatever it is they need. I am so happy to have the opportunity to work in
such a great daycare that allows me to not only work there but also observe each
classroom in order to get my schoolwork done.
X. Citations:
Fink, L. S. (n.d.). Learning Your Address and Phone Number - ReadWriteThink.
Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-
afterschool-resources/activities-projects/learning-your-address-phone-30275.html
Magnuson, A. (n.d.). Teaching Students Their Names, Birthdays, and Phone Numbers |
Scholastic. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/allie-magnuson/teaching-
students-their-names-birthdays-and-phone-numbers/