Student Name: Kristina Karlsson

Student ID: 214168072

Unit No.: ECL210 Multiliterate Learners in Early Years Environments
Tutorial Time: Wednesday 2.00pm
Tutor: Andrew Eyers
Assessment Number One: Early Years Learner Profile
Due Date: 13 April 2015
INTRODUCTION

This assignment contains an investigation into one childs funds of knowledge; and
observations of their reading and writing interests, behaviours, and comprehension. Both child
and parent were interviewed; and reading and writing samples were obtained. These were
then used to try to determine where the child sits in AusVELS Levels, Standards, and
Progression Points. By analysing the information collected, one reading and writing goal have
been set.

For the purpose of this assignment I will be referring to the child studied as Child A. Child A is
male, in Grade 1, and six years of age. Parental permission was obtained via a Signed Learners
Parent Permission Form (Appendix 1). Child A read four pages of A Bear called Paddington.
Included in the Appendices are images of Reading Sample Title Page and Sample of Page
Read (Appendix 2).

FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE

Funds of knowledge or Virtual Backpack (Thomson 2007) is the idea that children bring prior
learning and knowledge into the classroom from home. Kamler and Combler state that when
teachers communicated with parents and carers in ways that opened up different kinds of
conversations, they gained insights into the histories, privileges and disadvantages of family
lives as well as the childrens out-of-school practices and interests (2005, p. 125). Teachers can
use this information to help make learning more relevant for the student. Hill affirms this by
declaring Culturally responsible teachers are mediators who actively learn about childrens
family and community literacies, encourage children to incorporate their funds of knowledge
and ensure that a variety of language styles are supported in the classroom (2010, p. 317). A
Funds of Knowledge Interview (Appendix 3) was conducted, and the following information
gathered:

Child A has Sri-Lankan grandparents. He has been exposed to cultural traditions and foods, but
not language. The family attend church, and he has knowledge of biblical stories through
worksheets, activities, and music. He plays and watches football and cricket with his brother
and father, and has a good understanding about scoring and rules. He understands road rules
and safety as he rides a skateboard with his brother.

Child A knows that his mother looks at things through a microscope, and is aware that
microscopes make objects appear bigger, and that they look at blood. He helps with cooking
and baking. He is able to measure quantities such as cups, teaspoons, and millilitres. He helps
with house-cleaning, and completes chores for pocket money. Therefore, he knows how to
save and budget.

Child A understands narratives as his father makes-up stories with him. The family do word-
searches together, improving his vocabulary and spelling. He plays computer games: Angry
Birds, where he uses measurements; and Minecraft in which he builds worlds. This develops
spatial awareness and understanding of real-life environments.

READING INTEREST SURVEY

A Reading Interest Survey (Appendix 4) was completed. The following information was
collected:

Child A finds reading an enjoyable activity that relaxes and entertains him. He reads daily, at
school and home. From an early age he has read independently and with family. He enjoys
hearing expression when being read to, and sees that as a sign of a good reader. He knows how
to use speech marks and different voices for each character.

Child A is a confident reader. His favourite books are real-life stories, information books, and
narrative chapter books. He has developed good techniques for working-out unfamiliar words.
These are stoping and thinking, and re-reading sentences. He has a good understanding of
which books are suitable for him. He does not over-extend himself, and finds easy books
boring. It is clear that his family have ensured that reading is a pleasurable pastime, and have
modelled good reading practices.
READING BEHAVIOURS

The following observations are drawn from Fountas & Pinnell Guide for Observing and Noting
Reading Behaviours (Appendix 5):

Early Reading Behaviours

Child A read fluently from left to right. He returned to the left without difficulty. He did not skip
ahead or fall behind, and his voiced matched the print. He easily recognised high-frequency
words.

Searching for and Using Information

Child A did not use the picture to gather information, he gathered context from the text only.
He used knowledge of oral language to solve unfamiliar words. He re-read sentences to check
the unknown word was in right context. He occasionally used visual information, and guessed
words that were similar i.e. excited for except. He self-corrected when the word did not sound
right in the sentence. He used the first letter of the word and syllables.

Solving Words
Child A recognised most words in the text immediately. For unfamiliar words he used a range of
techniques. These included: using the meaning of a sentence; known parts of words; and
attempts that were visually similar.

Self-Monitoring
Child A was aware when he made an error, and used a range of techniques to self-correct. He
persisted in trying to work-out unfamiliar words. He required minimal assistance.

Self-Correcting
Child A self-corrected independently. He made multiple attempts until accurate. He asked for
assistance only twice.
Maintaining Fluency
Child A read fluently. He used punctuation, speech marks, and intonation correctly. He
attempted different voices for each character. The only area lacking was emphasis on
appropriate words to give the text more meaning.

READING COMPREHENSION

Reading Comprehension Questions and Responses (Appendix 6) were asked after Child A had
completed reading, the following conclusions have been drawn:

A discussion on the text occurred afterwards. I believe his comprehension of the content was
very good. He answered both literal questions correctly, indicating good memory recall. He
understood the emotions of the characters, as he answered both interpretive questions right.
After prompting, he answered the inferential questions appropriately.

Child A did not struggle to answer the literal and interpretive questions, he used recall and
interpretation. Child A was coaxed to answer the inferential questions, but eventually he
connected the emotion (guilt) to a personal experience. The only area of need would be to gain
further understanding of how to connect his own personal experience and feelings to texts.

READING LEVELS

From the data collected Child A appears to be at Reading Level 3 in AusVELS English Standards.
This is due to the fact that he meets all the standards of Level 2; and has a good understanding
of the concepts of language, literature, and literacy in Level 3.

Child A is reading texts that contain complex sequence of events that extend over several
pages and involve unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences (AusVELS
2014). He recognises high-frequency words; can draw connections between personal
experience and the text; has personal preferences for literature; reads an increasing range of
different texts; and uses comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning. Due to
this I would put him at a Level 2.5 for AusVELS Progression Points for Reading and Viewing.
WRITING INTEREST SURVEY

A Writing Interest Survey (Appendix 7) was completed, the following information was
collected:

His mother stated that Child A is a very proficient writer for his age. His spelling and content is
considered above average. He likes writing at school, especially when asked to recall weekend
events. He has a good understanding about why people write, that is as a non-verbal method of
communicating information.

Child A is proud of his writing, especially his letter formation. He wants to improve this and
spelling. He learned to write from handwriting books and reading. His favourite type of writing
is letters, fantasy, information books, mystery stories, plays, biographies, and autobiographies.
He writes stories with his older siblings, and they have taught him many writing skills. He
makes-up stories with his father, and although they do not write them down, this has fostered
his imagination for future writing efforts. His family participate in word-searches, which
improve his spelling and vocabulary.

WRITING BEHAVIOURS

The child was asked to complete a Writing Sample (Appendix 8) and Notes from Observations
during Childs Writing Sample (Appendix 9) were taken. The following observations were
made:

By the time Child A attempted a writing sample he was beginning to lose interest. Therefore, I
do not believe that the writing sample obtained is truly representative of his capabilities. He
does not typically like to draw, but with encouragement he completed a picture.

Child A had good pencil-grip. He is left-handed and held his wrist low. He explained this was so
he did not smudge his writing. His flow of writing was slow, as he referenced the book to
check spelling. Child A wrote from left to right appropriately. The last line of text was bunched-
up and untidy. His letters are, for the most part, correctly formed. There is sufficient spacing in-
between words. He uses full-stops correctly, but did not use appropriate capitalisation. He did
not use any other punctuation. His spelling is correct, and his sentence structure is good: The
men had Beards. there were several important looking men. His drawing matched the content
of his writing.

Child A did not communicate during writing. He did not audibly read or sound-out words. Only
on completion did Child A read out what was written and drawn. He talked about why the
beards where green because all important beards are green. He also talked about the chairs,
hats, eyes, and weather.

WRITING ANALYSIS

Child A strengths are letter formations, spelling, spacing between words, and forming correct
sentences. His weaknesses are inaccurate capitalisation and distraction.

After completing Hills (2012) Emergent and Early Writing Assessment (Appendix 10), I believe
that Child A is a Level 5 for Written Language. This is because he wrote several sentences with
punctuation, but did not write paragraphs. I have placed him on Level 5 for Ideas as he
recorded his own ideas, but did not compose several ideas. I have graded him at a Level 4 for
Text Conventions as he used punctuation appropriately, but did not check capitalisation or edit.

I predict that Child A sits at Level F.5 in the AusVELS English Progression Points. This is because
he used common punctuation correctly, wrote one or more sentences and completed an
illustration that supports the meaning of the text. I would not place him at Level 1.5 as he did
not create imaginative reconstructions of stories or use strategies to re-read, revise, and edit
(AusVELS 2014).

WRITING LEVELS

From the writing sample, I predict Child A would be on Level 1 in AusVELS English Standards for
Writing. I believe he meets all the requirements of Foundation Level and can understand
patterns of repetition and contrast; recognise different types of punctuation; recreate texts
imaginatively using drawing and writing; create texts that use appropriate text structure,
sentence-level grammar, word-choice, spelling, and punctuation; and writes using unjoined
lower-case and upper-case letters.

GOALS

The following reading and writing goals for Child A is recommended:

Reading Goal
I would encourage Child A to think more about his own personal experiences to enable him to
connect more with the narrative. This would improve his inferential understanding of the text.

Writing Goal:
I believe that Child A could be more informed in the appropriate use of capital letters.
Particularly after full-stops, and avoiding use of unnecessary capitals. This would benefit his use
and understanding of grammar.
REFERENCES

Fountas, C & Pinnell GS 2010, Guide for Observing and Noting Reading Behaviours,
Heinemann & Pearson, Australia.

Hill, S 2010, The millennium generation: Teacher-researchers exploring new forms of literacy,
Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, vol. 10, no. 314, pp. 314-340.

Hill, S 2012, Developing early literacy - assessment and teaching, 2nd edn, Eleanor Curtain
Publishing, South Yarra, Victoria.

Kamler, B & Comber B 2005, Turn-around pedagogies: improving the education of at-risk
students, Improving schools, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 121-131.

Thomson, P 2007, Vicki and Thanh, Schooling for the rustbelt kids: making the difference in
changing times, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW, pp. 1-18.

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2014, AusVELS, Victorian Curriculum and
Assessment Authority, retrieved 7 April 2015,
<http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F-10>.

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2014, AusVELS, Victorian Curriculum and
Assessment Authority, retrieved 10 April 2015,
<http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/documents/auscurric/progressionpoints/ausvels-
englishprogressionpoints.pdf>.
LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Signed Learners Parent Permission Form

Appendix 2: Reading Sample Title Page and Sample of Page Read
Appendix 3: Funds of Knowledge Interview
Appendix 4: Reading Interest Survey
Appendix 5: Fountas & Pinnells Guide for Observing and Noting Reading Behaviours
Appendix 6: Reading Comprehension Questions and Responses
Appendix 7: Writing Interest Survey
Appendix 8: Writing Sample
Appendix 9: Notes from Observations during Childs Writing Sample
Appendix 10: Emergent and Early Writing Assessment
Appendix 1: Signed Learners Parent Permission Form
Appendix 2: Reading Sample Title Page and Sample of Page Read
 Appendix 3: Funds of Knowledge Interview

Kristina: Do you speak any other languages at home?

Mother: No, my parents are from Sri Lanka though.
Kristina: Child A, do you listen to them speak Sri Lankan?
Child A: No, they only speak English.
Kristina: Do you have any Sri Lankan Traditions that you do with them?
Mother: Yes, some foods and celebrations.
Kristina: Child A, what do you like to do for fun?
Child A: I like to skateboard.
Kristina: Where do you like to ride your skateboard?
Child A: My brother and I skate outside.
Kristina: On the road?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: Have you taught him the road rules?
Mother: Yes, he knows to look out for cars and his brother looks out for him.
Kristina: Do you like any sports?
Child A: Yes, I play cricket and footy.
Kristina: With Dad?
Child A: Yes, and my brother and at school. I go to Auskick.
Kristina: Do you watch sport as well?
Child A: Yes, footy and cricket.
Mother: He watches it with his father and brother.
Kristina: Would you say that he knows the rules and how to score?
Mother: Yes, definitely.
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: Do you like computer games?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: What do you play?
Child A: Minecraft and Angry Birds and.
Kristina: So you build your own worlds in Minecraft.
Child A: Yes, with my brother and sister.
Kristina: Do you know what your father does for his job?
Child A: Ahhhh.he goes to lots of boring meetings.
Kristina: That doesnt sound like fun!
Child A: No!
Kristina: What about your mother, what does she do?
Child A: She looks at blood and stuff through a microscope.
Mother: I work in Pathology.
Kristina: Child A, what does a microscope do?
Child A: They make things look bigger! Like a telescope but smaller, telescopes look at stars and
stuff.
Kristina: Thats great. Do you help around the house with chores?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: What sort of things do you do?
Child A: Sweep up stuff.
Mother: He cleans his bedroom, clears up a bit.
Child A: I get pocket money when I do chores.
Kristina: Great, what do you do with the money?
Child A: Buy stuff.
Kristina: Does he have to save a certain amount, or can he do what he wants?
Mother: He has to save some.
Kristina: So he knows the value of money and what things cost?
Mother: Yes, he is saving up for a new skateboard.
Kristina: Child A, do you know how many chores you have to do to get the money you need?
Child A: Yes, I have $40 already and I need another $50.
Kristina: How much do you get paid per chore?
Mother: $1
Kristina: So how many more chores do you have to do to get the money for your skateboard?
Child A: 50!
Kristina: Wow! Does Child A help you with cooking?
Mother: Yes, he does. Him and his sister both help me? His older brother isnt so keen.
Kristina: Does he work with measurements? What measurements do you use?
Mother: Yes, cups and teaspoons and measuring jugs.
Kristina: So you show him how much 250ml is?
Mother: Yes, he knows how to do that.
Kristina: Do you read much as a family?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: What are your reading habits at home, how much did Child A read before he went to
school?
Mother: We read a lot at home. We have always read to Child A from birth. He reads with all of
us. We all read for enjoyment. I would say that we have always encouraged reading and Child A
could read before he started school.
Kristina: What fun things do you do with reading?
Child A: My Dad and I make-up stories.
Kristina: Do you write these?
Child A: No, we just make-up stories to each other.
Kristina: What other things do you do with Dad?
Mother: We all play word-searches all together?
Kristina: Would you say that he is learning new vocabulary and spelling from the word-
searches?
Mother: Yes, absolutely. I guess because we are all older than him, he has all of us teaching
him.
Kristina: Is there anything else that Child A does, a member of any clubs, do you go to Church?
Mother: Yes, we go to church every Sunday.
Kristina: Does Child A go into church with you?
Mother: No, Child A goes to kids church.
Kristina: What sort of activities does he do in kids church?
Mother: They sing songs and learn Bible stories. Sometimes he comes home with worksheets
and drawings based on what they learnt about that day. I think they do quizzes and other
activities too.
Kristina: So, he is socialising in there too?
Mother: Yes, and afterwards we stay around and talk with other families. There is a lot of
interaction between the adults and children and the families together.
 Appendix 4: Reading Interest Survey

Kristina: Tell me about what you like to read? Books, magazines, cartoons, comics
Child A: Books.
Kristina: Who reads to you?
Child A: Mummy, Daddy, Me!
Kristina: What about your older brother and sister?
Child A: Yes and Nana, and Pa used to. (Pa has since past away)
Kristina: Who do you read to?
Child A: Mummy and Daddy. And You! And my toys!
Kristina: Who do you know who is a good reader?
Child A: Mummy and Daddy.
Kristina: They are really good readers are they?
Child A: Yes! And Pa.
Kristina: Can you tell me a little bit about why they are good readers?
Child A: Because they have expression.
Kristina: That is a good one! When do you like to read? When is the best time?
Child A: Like when it is bedtime.
Kristina: I like reading at bedtime too, because it relaxes you.
Child A: Yeah.
Kristina: Who reads in your family?
Child A: Mummy, Daddy, older brother and sister.
Kristina: What do they like to read?
Child A: Chapter books.
Kristina: Why do people read?
Child A: For fun, and because its relaxing.
Kristina: How often do you like to read and how much?
Child A: I read a little bit.
Kristina: Do you think you would read once a day at least?
Child A: Yep.
Kristina: Maybe once at school, once at home?
Child A: Yes, we do read at school every day.
Kristina: How much do you like to read?
Child A: (points to the happy face)
Kristina: How well do you read?
Child A: (points to the happy face)
Kristina: Definitely a smiley face isnt it! How much do you like reading at school?
Child A: (points to the happy face)
Kristina: How much do you like reading at home?
Child A: (points to the happy face)
Kristina: This is good! How much do you like someone to read to you?
Child A: (points to the happy face)
Kristina: What do you like to read? Can you name two types of books from the ones above?
Child A: Biographies and information books.
Kristina: Why do people read?
Child A: So that we can learn more words.
Kristina: Any other reasons?
Child A: Nope.
Kristina: Do you think we might read to learn about other peoples lives and other things.
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: What is the best book or movie that you have seen?
Child A: Paddington.
Kristina: Is that the best book and the best movie?
Child A: Aha.
Kristina: What do you do if you come to a hard word in reading?
Child A: I stop and think.
Kristina: Do you have a look at some of the letters maybe?
Child A: Yep.
Kristina: Do you sometimes read the whole sentence and then come back to that word and try
to read it again?
Child A: Yep.
Kristina: That is a good technique. How do you know if a book is right for you?
Child A: I could check the level is right.
Kristina: Is that at school?
Child A: Yep.
Kristina: What about at home?
Child A: I go through the pages and see if its interesting.
Kristina: Is that to make sure it is not too hard or too easy as well?
Child A: Yep, I dont like too easy.
Appendix 5: Fountas & Pinnells Guide for Observing and Noting Reading Behaviours
 Appendix 6: Reading Comprehension Questions and Responses

Literal Questions
Kristina: How many times did Mrs Brown win a prize in the rug making competition?
Child A: 2.
Kristina: What did the several important men have on their faces?
Child A: Beards.

Interpretive Questions
Kristina: How would Paddington know that the men were arguing over the painting?
Child A: Because they were talking loudly and maybe they were talking over each other.
Kristina: When Paddington was sitting down and he had a strange feeling in his stomach what
do you think he was feeling?
Child A: Ill?
Kristina: Why was he feeling sick do you think?
Child A: He shouldnt have rubbed the spots off, maybe nervous?

Inferential Questions
Kristina: Has that ever happened to you before? Have you done something and worried that
you would get caught?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: How did that feel?
Child: Not good.
Kristina: Have you ever won a prize for something?
Child A: Yes, I won a prize for getting 10 stars in Prep.
Kristina: What did that feel like to win something?
Child A: Good.
Kristina: Do you think Mr Brown felt good when he won?
Child A: Yes.
 Appendix 7: Writing Interest Survey

Kristina: Why do people write?

Child A: So you dont have to just talk, so you can actually tell people more about information.
Kristina: Why do you write?
Child A: Because its fun!
Kristina: Do you like to write to tell people stuff?
Child A: I like writing about my weekend and I like doing handwriting and I like practising my
letters and I like my spelling words.
Kristina: Is that something that you did last week at school? Write about your week?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: Did you have to do any other writing last week in class?
Child A: Well, we did do a bit of writing.
Kristina: Like a narrative?
Child A: Yep.
Kristina: How often do you write when youre not at school? Why?
Child A: A little bit.
Kristina: How do you decide what to write about?
Child A: I just think and then I go Lets write letters and stuff. I do it when I am bored.
Kristina: Do you sometimes just come up with an idea and go ooh Ill write that down?
Child A: Yes, I often do that.
Kristina: How do you feel about the writing that you do at school?
Child A: Happy. (He chooses the happy face)
Kristina: And at home?
Child A: (He chooses the happy face)
Kristina: What is the best thing that youve ever written?
Child A: Something at home?
Kristina: What was it?
Child A: A letter.
Kristina: Why did you like it? What made you happy about that writing?
Child A: Because it was good writing.
Kristina: Because you were proud of the writing that you did?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: Yeah, that is a good reason I think. How did you learn to write?
Child A: By handwriting books.
Kristina: So your mum got you some handwriting books and you just look at how to draw the
letters?
Child A: Yeah.
Kristina: Did you watch anyone else writing as well?
Child A: Yes, Mum.
Kristina: Have you learned anything about writing from a book someones read to you, or from
a book that youve read yourself?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: Have you used it in your writing later?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: Do you remember what it was that you learnt?
Child A: I learnt some words, spelling.
Kristina: Do you have a favourite book?
Child A: Yes.
Kristina: What is that book?
Child A: Can it be a picture book?
Kristina: Yes, anything you want.
Child A: They are all favourites. I cant think of one.
Kristina: Maybe well come back to that if you can think of one favourite one. What do you like
to write about?
Child A: Letters, cards and writing sentences.
Kristina: What kinds of writing do you like? (Ticks indicate does like - Crosses indicate do not
like)
Letters Poems Fairy Tales fantasy
Science reports mystery stories plays realistic stories
Biographies history reports autobiographies
Kristina: Which one do you like the best?
Child A: Biographies.
Kristina: Why?
Child A: Because it is fun.
Kristina: What are you good at with your writing?
Child A: Letters.
Kristina: Do you mean writing letters to people or the way that you construct your letters and
words?
Child A: The way I write letters and words.
Kristina: What do you think that you need to work on, to help improve your writing?
Child A: Drawing some letters.
Kristina: what about spelling or full-stops?
Child A: Spelling.
Kristina: How can your teacher help you to become a better writer? What could you teacher
do?
Child A: Help me with my spelling.
Kristina: Is there anything else that youd like me to know about you as a writer?
Child A: No.
Appendix 8: Writing Sample
Appendix 9: Notes from Observations during Childs Writing Sample
Appendix 10: Emergent and Early Writing Assessment