child development
Observation 3: Analyzing Writing Samples Instructions: Part I: Observation 1. Read Vukelich Chapter 5 and Hulit & Howard Chapter 6. 2. Collect writing samples from at least THREE 3-, 4-, 5-, and/or 6-year-old children. Provide plain white paper and black Flair pens so that the products can be photocopied and the originals returned to the young authors. To obtain the samples, arrange with the teacher to sit at a table in the classroom and invite students to come and write. 3. Use all of the following questions adapted from those suggested by Harste, Woodward, and Burke (1984, p. 235): • Write your name for me. • Now write, or pretend to write anything else. • (To keep the child going) Can you write anything else? • Read me what you wrote. Show me what you wrote. As you observe each child writing, note the following as adapted from Genishi and Dyson (1984, pp. 185-186). • Follow and record you thoughts about all 4 items below regarding the child’s behavior and the writing samples. In your report and interpretations describe the stage of the child’s writing according to Sulzby in the Vukelich text Chapter 4. Be sure to cite theory and research to support your interpretations. (Use that attached form as a guide for writing up the observation and interpretations.) 1. The Message a. Does the child believe he or she has written a message? b. What is the message? Can the child read it? c. Did the child create the message or copy it? d. What is the length of the message? e. Is there a picture on the page? How do message and picture relate? 2. Writing System a. Can you read the child’s message? b. Does the child seem to have a systematic way of writing; that is, arranging the letters or letter like forms in a certain way to make words? c. Does the child use letter names for sounds, omit vowels, or have some other systematic way of spelling? d. Which category of Sulzby’s (Vukelich page 108-110) does the child’s writing reflect? Remember to use citations when citing others work. 3. The Written Product a. Do the child’s written symbols look like letters? b. Does the child write from left to right? c. Are the letters arranged in an organized way or haphazardly? 4. The Purpose of the Writing Was there a purpose such as: • To write a message (he or she may not know what the message is) • To show which letters he or she can write • To add a symbol needed to complete a picture, such as a number on a house • To label • To write a particular thing, such as a letter, a list, or a story • To practice how letters might fit together to make words • To write dialogue for a character in a picture the child has drawn Adapted from Charlesworth, R. (2000). Understanding child development. New York:Delmar. Part II: Guidance Paragraph Type one paragraph (i.e., no more than 200 words) in your own words on the guidance implications of the specific behaviors you have seen and the research that you have read on the reading and writing development in young children. Based on your observations and your readings, make specific, behavioral guidance suggestions for adults (parents, caregivers, or teachers) who work with the specific young children you observed. Be sure that your guidance suggestions are related to your observations. Document the theory or research that you cite from Hulit & Howard and Vukelich (2012). Organize your paragraph carefully and check for grammar and spelling errors. GRADING RUBRIC CRITERIA First name/age/developmental area/date Columns separate facts from interpretation 1 Facts Organized, unified, detailed 3 Objective, observable 3 Relevant to developmental area 3 Interpretation Appropriate theory/research citation from text 3 Limited developmental (not guidance) interpretation 3 Interpretation supported by facts 3 Guidance Grammar, spelling 1 Supported by behavioral evidence 2 Supported by theory and research from text 3 TOTAL 25less