El Camino College Instructor: Janet Young, Ed.DChild Development 103

Preschool Observation Overview

OBJECTIVE: This project has been developed to help you understand the role and value of play in the development of a preschool child. You will have the opportunity to study terms and behaviors associated with language development and play and to observe various types of play in an actual early childhood education setting. You will then have the opportunity to explain and evaluate what you observed.

STEP ONE: Make the appointment. For this assignment you are required to observe in a preschool or licensed family childcare program for a minimum of two hours. The children must be between the ages of 2 1/2 to 5 years. Be sure to call the program director and explain that you are in a child development class at El Camino College and request permission to observe. You may observe in a school that is closer to your home or work. Let me know (immediately) if the school wants a letter from me to confirm that you are in a child development class at ECC.

STEP TWO: Prepare for the observation: Read the instructions for this assignment. Read the textbook and familiarize yourself with all the terms and behaviors described. Design a strategy for recording information about each topic

STEP THREE: Conduct the Observation: record what the children do or say as it relates to the terms below. Do not include their names. Sit quietly in an inconspicuous place during the visit. Try to minimize any interaction with the teacher and children so that you do not disrupt their class time. Be sure to thank the teachers and the director when you are thorough. Sending a thank you note, shortly after your visit, is VERY professional gesture.

STEP FOUR: Write the report. Cut and paste the information below into your WORD document and use it as a template. Fill in the various parts as described. Your report should be approximately 8-11 double-space typed pages for full credit. You will need to formally quote and cite the text for full credit in the summary. Please see the attached document “Quoting and Citing the Text” for instructions.

See the next page for full instructions

Grading Rubric (This is the rubric I will use to grade your report)

Points Possible Points Earned CommentsFormat is followed. Font size/headings 5I. General Information is complete 5II. Observations: Definitions and Three (3) well-developed examples that directly relate to the term.A. Language Skills 8B. Fine Motor Skills 6C. Gross Motor Skills 6D. Functional Play 6E. Constructive Play 6F. Cooperative Play 6III. Summary – book is quoted and cited a minimum of three (3) times in the appropriate areas. Summary is well-written and complete. Meets minimum two-page requirement. Role of Play 15Does the Program Promote Play? 10Would You Enroll Your Child? 10Assignment Evaluation 5Work Cited Page Included (See sample.) 2

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Observation Report Instructions(NOTE: Cut and paste this section into a WORD document and use it as a template for your report.

The fields will expand as you add information.

I. General Information

Name of Facility Director’s Name Date of Visit Teacher’s NameAddress of Facility Time In

Phone NumberAges of Children (Must be 2 ½ - 5) Time Out

II. Observation: Make each of these behaviors/terms a separate bolded heading so that I can find them easily in your report. Provide THREE examples of each of the terms ( A- F). Use complete sentences and explain what you observed in detail. You will usually need 2 or 3 sentences to adequately explain each example.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not observe one of these items, you still need to explain exactly what you were looking for. You may use examples from the book to convince me that you understand the concept and that you would have recognized it if you saw it. If you do not do this, I will assume that you skipped it and I will deduct points.

A. Language Skills: A child’s ability to speak and to communicate so that he/she can understand and be understood by others. It includes grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and inflections. Language arts activities include speaking, listening, pre-reading and pre-writing (Young, 2012).

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B. Fine Motor Skills: Physical abilities involving the hands, and more specifically, the fingers. It involves activities that help a child develop the pincer grasp and prepares them for handwriting (Young, 2012).

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C. Gross Motor Skills: Physical abilities involving large body movements that help children develop and strengthen the large muscles in their arms and legs (Young, 2012). Example 1:

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D. Functional Play: Play that involves simple, repetitive activities typical of 3-year olds. This may involve objects or repetitive muscular movement. Examples include moving dolls or cars repetitively, skipping, jumping, rolling or unrolling a piece of clay (Feldman, 2012).

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E. Constructive Play: More sophisticated play, in which children manipulate objects to produce of build something. This skill is usually developed by age 4. Constructive play lets children test physical and cognitive skills and practice fine muscle movements., Examples include building a doll house or car garage our of Leggos or blocks, putting together a puzzle, making an animal out of clay (Feldman, 2012).

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F. Cooperative Play: In this type of play children genuinely play with one another, taking turns, playing games, or devising contests. Examples include a group of children working on a puzzle may take turns fitting in the pieces. Children play will dolls or cars and may take turns making the dolls talk or may agree on the rules of the game or activity (Feldman, 2012).

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III. Summary – Must be a minimum of two-full pages for full credit. Be sure to quote and cite the text a minimum of three (3) times for full credit. This is where most people lose points.

1. Role of PlayBegin by explaining the role and value of play in a child’s development. Use a minimum of three quotes from your book to support your position.

2. Does the Program Promote Play? Explain if/how the program you observed promotes learning through play. Do they provide the time, space, and materials for children’s play? (Provide both negative and positive examples if applicable.) Use a minimum of three quotes from your book to support your position.

3. Would You Enroll Your Child in this School? Would you enroll your own child in this program? If so, why or why not? If you do not have any children yet, imagine that you do for this assignment. No quotes from the text are needed for this section.

4. Assignment EvaluationDo you have any recommendations for changing or improving this College assignment for future classes?