Tuesday SOL My laughs during assessments

Tuesday Slice of Life with Two Writing Teachers

It is the end of the school year and I am awash in doing final assessments of my preschoolers.
I am always amazed at how time-consuming it is, and
how delightful I find the one-on-ones with these little ones.
They say the most adorable things.

Three examples -

One,
gathering data on children's ability to recognize shapes,
showing a preschooler pictures of
rectangle, triangle, circle;
she's recognizing them right away.

I show her a square, and
she declares,

"SQUARE! SQUIRREL! Oh, that reminds me, I saw a dead squirrel in a trash can on the way to school this morning, and my Mommy said she didn't like it, that she doesn't like squirrels, because they hurt our garden, they take our seeds and the plants don't grow, and this one was dead and it was in the trash can with flies, too."

Yes, the square meant very little to her,
but the morning walk meant all the world...

(Hey, maybe I can enter her words in my alliteration data...great connection, square to squirrel!)

Two,
now I am gathering data on spatial relationships,
students' ability to follow simple directions related to position and proximity -
in, on, under, beside, between...
I have some small blocks out and a couple counting bears...
I say,
"Move the bear ON a block..."

He moves the counting bear to the appropriate place.
But then he begins to build with the blocks.
He builds a simple set of stairs, and moves the counting bear up these, saying,

"Here's the bear, 
bear goes up the stairs. 
Daddy says he's gotta go to bed, 
'gotta go to sleep, bear.  
I love you, bear.' "

What a dear! Suddenly this spatial relationship data seems rather trivial...I'd rather hear this child's stories....

Three,
I am gathering data on number sense -
How high can a child count?
Do they associate the number with a quantity?
Let's look at their one-on-one correspondence.

I have a large container filled with counting bears and another large container filled with small blocks.

She begs to explore the materials  -
"No questions, Ms. Ingram...let me fix this, first!"

She begins to build the longest line of blocks, using every single one of the cubes.

"Now, let me give each bear a chair!,"
and she puts one small bear on each small block, painstakingly, unhurried.

It is just she and I, with, seemingly,
all the time in the world.

"Wow, that is a lot of bears and a lot of blocks...would you like to count them?"

"Oh, sure! Watch!" and

she dances her pointed finger from the beginning to the row to the end,

"One - two - three- four - five - six - seven - eight! 
See! 
That is FAST counting! 
I am good at this!!"

Too funny.

How can I argue about her mathematical prowess when she has shown me such focus and precision in the creation of her line of bears?

These assessments are too narrow in their focus!
Children have so much more to share.

How do three year olds write?

Since this post is about writing, I knew it was perfect for the Tuesday Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers!  Check out the Two Writing Teachers blog for lots more reflection about teaching...

At the beginning of each school year, I gather "baseline data" on my preschoolers' writing skills - their ability to use a writing tool, to write alphabet letters, and their overall interest or curiosity about writing. For preschoolers, these skills can be discovered through drawing.  

I invite each of them to draw a self-portrait. I work with them one-on-one, enticing them with a "teacher pen" (one of my black thin felt tip markers) and a personal mirror propped to catch their reflections.  

I give simple directions, "Draw a picture of your face; here's a mirror so that you can check all the details.  See if you can draw your face just as large as it is in the mirror.  How should you begin?" 

I am continually amazed how every child throws themselves right into this endeavor, without a pause; there is no concern about ability, there is simply excitement about the mirror and the pen.  (How many of us adults would willingly attempt a self-portrait?)

When they pronounce the picture, "Done!", I double-check - "Did you get all the details? Your eyes? Your nose? What else do you see in the mirror?" And then, when they are really, truly done, I ask them to sign their name to this masterpiece.

This self-portrait work provides me a delightful opportunity to observe many details. Let me share some of the questions I consider and also some of the children's work, in hopes of illustrating how this simple exercise - drawing a self-portrait - can reveal so much about how a child is learning and developing.

How long do they attend? Do they show curiosity and eagerness? 

Do they work to make their drawing more detailed? Do they use the mirror or ignore it? Are they focused and studious? Or 'quick to escape'? Are they able to ignore most distractions and interruptions?

How familiar are they with drawing? How are they holding the pen? Do they hold it purposefully? Or do they jab at the paper?  As preschoolers develop their writing ability, they move from grabbing the pen with a blunt, full fist to more precise finger and hand movements, leading to a three-point grip.

 

How many details do they add to their picture?  How well do they plan the space on the page?  

How skilled are they at writing their name? As preschoolers develop their ability to print letters in the alphabet, they move from scribbles, to more controlled "mock letters," then letter strings, and, finally,  an accurate name.

Self-portraits have proven to be a playful, enjoyable, yet informative ritual at the start of each school year, providing me a window into my children's writing skills, and informing my teaching.  

We do lots of drawing all year long - and we work with mirrors a great deal more, as well.  

We will draw self-portraits again at the end of the school year.  At year end conferences, I show families both the beginning and end-of-year drawings. It is always breathtaking to see the growth in preschoolers' development, how much more detailed and polished their self-portraits look at year's end.  Almost all have learned to write a very clear signature! 

SOLSC #13 Where does this little guy fit?

Still thinking about those darn alphabet assessments - and what they miss, what they don't show. 

One of my three year olds simply won't or can't name any alphabet letter other than the first one in his name.  He loves the first letter of his name!  

I know he is very intelligent.

I think he has keen spatial intelligence.  He loves to build.  He loves to rearrange things.  He's the first to notice any change I've made to the room - shifting the puppet theater to a new location, setting up a center in a new way.  

He loves to draw.  When he draws, he works his first letter into all his artwork, no matter what he draws - almost a "Where's Waldo?" abstract image. 

Leave a pencil laying around, this little guy will find it.

(That's why I stash clipboards and pencils throughout the room, throughout all my centers.)

The other day, I found him staring at an old Morning Message, a page that was turned over in the pad, and upside down on the table.   I had left the flip chart laying about.   I had left my marker out as well.  Yes, careless me.  There was this little guy totally engrossed, like a scientist, 

searching, studying, staring, intently, 

marker in hand:

He was tracing my note from the day before..."Good Morning, Big Cats!..." Upside down, backwards...he was writing.

Lovely.

It is irrelevant to me that he can't name his letters. He likes to draw letters!  

He knows the letters on a much more intimate, visual level.

This juxtaposition is fascinating to me.  Not going to name them, but really wants to draw them.

This little guy fits so well in my class.  I'm so, so glad that I'm not looking simply through one lens: does he know his letters?

SOLSC #11 Alphabet Assessments

I just completed my March "alphabet assessments" for my preschool class.  This is where I pull each one of them aside and have them read a mixed up list of capital letters, followed by a mixed up list of all the lowercase letters.

Honestly, for me, conducting these assessments is about as attractive as swallowing a spoon of cod liver oil.  I so don't want to do it!

Yes, you see, I am one of those teachers who loathes standardized assessments of preschoolers.  I don't really "get it." To me, the entire purpose of preschool is the social-emotional learning.  My own boys went to preschool only a couple mornings a week, to a community (cooperative) preschool that had a play-based curriculum.    ABCs? 123? Never really meant much to me...and still doesn't.

The work of a three and four year old is to play, play, play with others and by oneself, to whet one's appetite for learning, to investigate, to explore, to discover.

But, it doesn't matter what I believe in my bones.  I am teaching at a public charter school and I regularly assess their alphabet and numeric knowledge every quarter of the school year.  So be it.

I have a great relationship with my students and each of them enjoys "meeting with me" for a quiet, one-on-one discussion, much like when I pull them aside to tell me how their story begins....  The assessments are quick, not so memorable (I hope) for any of the children.  I keep a straight, welcoming face, not indicating right or wrong, just listening to them.

Here are some echoes, now that the 3rd quarter assessments are over -

• Did that one girl notice me making small notations when she missed a letter? She seemed to stumble in her recitation afterwards?  Goodness, is this "preschool test anxiety"???  She is always so aware of her own skills and those of others...I would hate to think that I caused her any doubt about her capabilities.

• Wasn't that adorable how my "oh so musical" student simply put his finger on each letter, and just started singing "A B C D E F G..." as if all the letters were in order?

• And that one little fellow who just made up sounds, totally different from "letters," as he pointed...this strikes me as pretend reading.  Pretty cool, really!  Wonder where the assessment column is for "thinking outside the box"? 

It is so clear that many of my students are working on other skills.  We must remember to attend to the whole child, not just one tiny detailed part of a child.