Alexis Fodor

Professor Bottliglieri

Educ 111

December 7, 2019

Bonus Observation Requirement

15 Minute Snapshot

Placement: Preschool/School Age

Child Name: “Child C”

Child Age: 9-10 Years

Observation:

Child C entered the classroom with the rest of the school age kids. He followed the rest of

the line to the cubbies, quietly hung up his coat and backpack, then followed the line again where

they washed their hands in preparation for snack time. The teacher reminded the students to wash

their hands quickly because of the long line behind them. After each child washed their hands,

they took a seat at the tables. Since Child C was one of the first to sit at the table, the teacher

asked if he would like to hand out snack. He nodded his head and followed her to the counter. He

grabbed two cups and approached three girls sitting at one of the tables. He politely asked them

“Would you like some water?” Once the girls answer, he gently placed their cups in front of

them and returned to the sink for more cups. He continued this until each person had a cup of
water. He then retrieved one for himself as he sat back down in his seat. The boy sitting beside

him asked Child C if he was ready. Both boys flashed a grin at each other and scrambled to

collect the flash cards on the table. All of the sudden, the teacher began to sing a snack time

song. She sang “It, it….” until the children joined in her song. After the song was finished the

boys started counting how many cards they grabbed. The two began to quietly argue with each

other trying not to get caught playing a game. The boys then discuss different ways they could

play a game, but the other boy began to fake cry when Child C suggested a new way. Child C

then put his cards down and took a sip of his water. The other boy tried to steal some of Child

C’s cards, but he quickly swept them up and sat them in his lap. At this point, the teacher noticed

the two boys quarreling and asked them to quietly eat their snack. Child C sat his cards down on

the floor out of the other kid’s reach and began eating his apple slices. After a few minutes of

silent snacking, the other kid’s dad walked in the door. Child C waved goodbye and went back to

eating his apples. He continued to munch on his apples and observed the conversations going on

around him.

Reflection:

Child C didn’t seem to like conflict. He continued to try to wager with the other child on

ways to make the game fairer. He also follows directions well. He knew the expectations that

were set for him and followed them without dispute when redirected by the teacher. Once his

friend left, Child C was very observant. He was very keen on listening to thing going on around

him. His observations may help him later in life to not miss big details both in and out of the

classroom.
Implication for Teachers:

Child C’s teachers should be proud of how hard he worked to follow directions. They

could pair him with other students in group settings to help him make friends and strengthen his

social skills. Coming up with activities that practice problem solving would strengthen skills that

Child C already has shown advances in. I think that teachers should try to encourage Child C to

find ways to be more socially active. It was noticeable that he was uncomfortable once his friend

left and it will only help him in life to be able to make more connections.
 Reflection

I chose the preschool/school age classroom as my bonus observation because there are

the age groups that I would eventually like to work with. I really enjoy getting to watch them

interact with each other and watch their creativity flow. Most of my visits were in the morning,

so I switched this one up and came after school for a change in environment.

The end of the day is a hectic time in a daycare/learning facility like U-Gro. I arrived a

few minutes before the school kids got off their bus. Preschool had just finished their snack time

and teachers shuffled them into partner station activities in anticipation of the other kids’ arrival.

The preschoolers were able to stay on task and not become distracted as the group of older kids

entered the classroom. The school age kids made a single file line and followed it the entire way

from the door to their cubbies, then to the sink, and finally to the table for snack. Some of the

school age kids were good helpers by offering to help pass out snack and drinks. Most of the kids

munched on their apple slices while doing their homework. A few even asked for teacher

assistance to get their work done. Again, preschool was barely aware due to their investment in

their activities. Slowly the older kids cleaned up after themselves and settled into stations of their

own. Once each of the kids were finished eating, the teacher cleaned up the tables and had all the

kids clean up their stations to meet on the rug. At this time, a handful of children had been

picked up by their parents so the group had dwindled in size and one of the teachers had left as

well. For the remainder of my time in the classroom, the teacher led the mixed-age group in a

series of group activities. They practiced their gross motor and listening skills by playing “Red

Light, Green Light” until each child had a turn.

 As the group continued to shrink, the teacher changed gears and gathered the children

back to the central carpet. She got out bins of small plastic animals, jenga blocks, colored shape

blocks, and legos. She gave each team an equal amount of materials and instructed them to build

a bridge from one edge of the carpet to the next – the team that built a sustainable bridge in the

quickest time would get to pick from the prize box. It was really neat to watch the children

interact and share their ideas. I was really impressed with how well they worked with each other.

In the end, both teams discovered they didn’t have enough materials and joined back into one big

group to accomplish their goal. The teacher kept giving helpful tips and words of encouragement

through the length of the activity. The kids all cheered in unison as they put the final block on

their bridge. They then worked together to make their twenty-something animals cross the bridge

and occupied themselves for another twenty minutes or so. When the teacher told them time was

up, they all cleaned up the toys in a timely fashion, grabbed their coats and backpacks, lined up

at the door, and followed her into the next classroom.

I was so impressed with the teacher and students at this observation. Even though there

wasn’t any teaching going on, the teachers I had seen come in and out of the classroom made an

effort to create a calm but fun environment for the students. Each activity taught about equality

and how to be a fair player both by yourself and in a team. I saw the teacher redirect two kids

several times and eventually got them back on task and involved in the group before it was time

to leave. The way they handled the entire group with such ease is something that I definitely

want to strive for.

 Classroom Sketch

Please reference the Preschool Observation Requirement or School Age Observation

Requirement for an accurate representation of this classroom – preschool and school age children

are often facilitated in the same environment.