Write accurate, concise, and objective notes about the child’s appearance, interactions and behaviors.
Write down what the child says and does during the observation.
Try to be unobtrusive and not interfere in the class or child’s normal activities.
For at least a portion of the time you are observing, maneuver close enough to the child so that you can see and hear them clearly.
Be sure to capture descriptions of the child’s physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional domains of development including play.
Make note of the child’s interactions with materials and with other people within the environment.After you have completed Parts 1-3, proceed to Part 4.
Part 4: Observation Interpretation Paper
For this part, you are to interpret[4] and analyze your child observation notes based on what you have learned about social, emotional, physical and cognitive development for this child’s developmental age. This portion of the assignment should clearly demonstrate your ability to use observation, documentation and other appropriate assessment tools[5] and approaches, including the use of technology in documentation, assessment and data collection (NAEYC 3b.); note that most of your data will come from your observation. Your paper will have 5 sections:
Introduction
Use your pre-observation/setting notes (part 1)
Developmental Observation Analysis
Overview of what you observed in each developmental domain. Be sure to use developmental theory[6] and developmental milestones[7] to explain why that was observed.
Three (3) specific examples, based on what you observed, in which the child has met or not met expected milestones.
Three (3) specific examples, based on your observation, of how each area of development interrelates8.
Contextual Factors
