Shania Grijalva

April 29, 2017

TLS303

Benchmark

Family & Community Interactions

Among the first questions I asked my case study family was how the mother felt about

Graham growing and her own first experience as a mother. Amy said it was very rewarding and

many experiences she has had as a mother is something she would otherwise not have

experienced. I think she also saw Graham growing after she had her second baby, Will. She

mentioned seeing Graham coaching Will into crawling. This was something she felt really

showed his growth. Another special story shared with me was how within twenty-four hours of

Grahams birth, both set of grandparents went to visit him.

Amys pregnancy with Graham was normal but moderately miserable which she

thought was normal. As an infant, she felt Graham was just like a first baby, which she says she

may as well have caused. Graham wanted to be held and be given attention, and she be held him.

She says she was happy to hold him because she had all the time she needed.

For having a first child, she felt prepared. She knew he was going to be overwhelming, it

wasnt something she thought was going to be easy. Amy said she got maternity leave during the

time, getting three months with just having to raise her child. It made things easier, she said,

having nothing other than having to worry about her child. I asked about her second child, which

she said she also received three months off. At the time, she said, Graham was with her still, so

she could raise both at the same time. While it was not one on one as much, she thought it was

still nice.
 When I asked more about how prepared she was for a child, she said she felt prepared.

She knew how to change diapers because she did research and babysat. She was informed when

she was pregnant and knew the baby would cry all night. She said it was interesting because her

sibling has a child, and there are things that surprise them. She said that her second child was

much easier, calling Graham high maintenance.

After asking about Grahams school experience, she says that he has felt that Graham

would talk a lot about it. Specifically, Olive who is among his best friends, from what I have

perceived. As for his greatest strengths, it comes back to his memory and cognitive ability. She

did not mention a fear for her son, but she has said that she hopes he finds happiness in school, or

at least enjoyment. Amy wants Graham to have a plan after he finishes school. Based on her

hopes, I assume her fears would be Graham not finding what he likes to do, or not having a plan

past school.

My case study childs family is very involved in their community, both the university

community and the local high school level. The mother works at the University of Arizona at the

bursar office, and the father works as a Flowing Wells District high school basketball coach.

Graham is part of a swim team, and he sometimes hang out with the fathers basketball team,

knowing all the girls by name and having his own miniature basketball hoop on the court. When

I asked about the mothers experience she said that she stayed in the same place while her

husbands childhood had been frequent moving because his father was a military man. Both

parents said they liked school. The mother loved it, and the father teased that it was because she

was a know-it-all. I asked if the mother asks about Grahams day, and she said she does.

However, she needs to prompt him to get answers otherwise, he will say, nothing. As an
educator, I felt it was important to think about the parents funds of knowledge and what she

believes she has passed down.

They go to museums and parks and to different story times. The parents also explore new

experiences with their children. Based on their home and my findings, the University of Arizona

has a large part to do with their life. Like Grahams father is a basketball coach, I would want to

incorporate coaching moments or different roles for children to coach or be coached. Grahams

friend Oliver knows how to swing. In many different occasions, Oliver attempts to teach Graham

to swing. Another example would be family structures, from people have lots of cousins, a few

cousins, two moms, two dads, one mom, no mom, no dad, one dad, no sibling, or lots of siblings.

Based on my knowledge, I need to ask more questions to my students about their families and

talk to more parents and guardians.

Child Background Information

Graham was born May 11, 2013, and this year, Graham is going to be 4 years old this

year. Graham has one sibling, a one-year-old boy named Will. There is a two-year difference

between the two. Graham was smaller and lighter than his Will at birth. Graham was 6 pounds 15

ounces. Currently, Graham is 3 feet 4 inches. He was 1 foot 7 inches.

Graham and Will get along together very well. I also found that because of the age difference,

Bram enjoys coaching Will. One special story of a coaching moment was when Will was a baby and

Bram decided to teach him how to crawl. Bram would coach Will into moving further by offering toys. I

felt that this was a special story to see Bram going as a child and through his funds of knowledge

although he was not an infant. Now, Graham runs around and Will follows. Based on previous home

engagements, I have seen the two children play together. However, the first visit this spring, Graham did

not want Will to play with him because he would bite on the puzzle pieces.
 After I asked about how the parents felt about Grahams growing, they said it happened

around his second birthday. She mentioned how one day he was saying words and phrases and

suddenly, weeks after his second birthday, he could talk sentences.

Physical Development

I asked Amy around the time he started walking, and she said it was between 13 and 14

months. While she was able to answer the question on walking, she had a harder time

remembering when he first sat. According to her, his gross motor skills seem pretty good. His

fine motor skills, she said, were also pretty good. She mentioned how he doesnt write or color

carefully, but she does believe it to be average for his age.

He is her first child, so she must be looking for marker for her second child to more or

less match this child. In the classroom, I know his gross motor skills are strong. His father is a

coach, and his mother sometimes does yoga around her kids. It is only notable to see how this

would affect his gross motor skills.

I then asked about directions, and she said that Graham would listen to one or two

directions and be able to follow them. She said that if you want him to do something, he follows

instructions very well. She mentioned how at home, they do laundry and he can put things in the

bag and shell fold. At this, I shared that after nap, the kids stuff everything back into their nap

sack, and I help fold blankets and such as they do this.

Language Development

As I asked the mother about his language ability, she seemed very confident in him. She

said that Grahams language ability is has grown a lot. He knows a lot of words, although his

pronunciation is not always correct. Certain sounds he still struggles with, but he knows a lot of
words and picks up words. As she has said before, he has a strong memory, so he does remember

a lot of words.

Graham started to babble between 1 and 2. He was building sounds and noises. It was not

until after his second birthday, his mother said, when he started to speak in sentences. The

mother recalls the first word as Ball, which was the first word he said and meant it, like he said

ball and was referring to a ball. The mother does not remember the exact month, but it was

interesting to find out that ball was his first word. Coming from his background, with his father

being a coach and being around balls.

Graham usually does as he wants, but he does understand directions. He knows when to

listen and follow them. When I asked the mother how she encourages language development in

her children, she said books. She has books lying around at home, they pick up books. The

parents read to them or the kids just look at the pictures. There are also books in the car, and she

jokingly mentioned preschool. However, it is a valid point, children in preschool experience all

sort of new things every day. Both of her boys have books in their rooms.

Cognitive Development

I started with questions on his thought process. She said that she could tell that he was

always thinking things through. She said, You can tell he sometimes is thinking about things for

several minutes. She mentioned how it is the way he asks a question that lets her know that it is

more than just a random question. I thought this was interesting because I have heard Graham

ask a question that made me really think about how he got to that point.

I then asked if she felt that he was learning and if he was, how he learned. She said that

she felt he was always learning. I thought it was important when she mentioned shes not looking

for very specific skills. It is like a checklist, hell get to it when he does, until then, just
supporting him and making sure he has developmentally appropriate tasks is enough. She also

said that Im always looking for a variety of skills that he is participating it. This also led to a

conversation of how much she liked the daily note.

I then asked about story time, as I know he is read to at least once a day by his mother

and father. They read to him before bed time. His favorite story changes, she mentioned. This

made me think of the books I read in class, and how I need to find a balance between reading it a

lot and then too much. One interesting thing she mentioned was how he gets a kids highlights

magazine. She said how he enjoyed them, which made me think of adding puzzles or things into

a basket. She said that highlight magazine had a short story and puzzles. This would keep him

thinking and finding these things fun.

She said that her sons strengths are that he is always paying attention, and hes always

aware. He hears everything and he is aware of everything. I remembered how sometimes he

brings up things that we did two week ago, things I could not remember. Sometimes, I ask him to

explain his memories, which also makes me think that he pays close attention to our

conversations.

Overall, I feel that he has very strong cognitive skills. He thinks closely to things, and it

makes me want to create a larger focus on memory and writing down thoughts and stories. This

is why, I have recently added book making into an almost daily center.

Emotional Development

When I asked the mother about his emotional range, she said she thought it was very

normal. She said that when he is angry, he is still figuring out exactly how to communicate his

anger. Such as not crying, laying on the floor yelling, but he does have a large range of showing

his emotion.
 The day of the interview, the mother shared the story of his flexibility in change. The

father said that as long as the change is planned, and Graham is informed, he does well. When

you tell him something and it doesnt happen, he does get upset. However, he usually does try to

be flexible. She said she does her best to keep him informed and why. They shared the story of

how she and Graham got dropped off to see the book parade while Will with the father to park

the car. They gave them warnings on what to expect, and he is content.

The mother said that Graham is usually happy, she said that is his default, which made

me interested. The father also said that Graham will tell you when he is sad and how he is pretty

good at letting you know how he is feeling. When I asked about how she knows he is angry, she

said he is not as physical. For the most part, she said, he will tell you he is made or make faces. I

thought about how in class, when he is upset, he pouts, but he has never been physical in the

classroom. It confirms that Graham does behave differently in different situations.

Social Development

Grahams social skills are average, according to his mother. She says that her son is

aware of social interactions, especially at school, where he is the only one there to interpret

things for himself. On his social skills, I mentioned how his friendship with a single child has

been branching out, how he is finding different people to play with, in different areas of the

room, one being dramatic play. As I mentioned that, the mother seemed excited, as we both

realized it was a big step in his social development, to move past a single friend and have friends

outside that relationship. She also mentioned how she can see that Graham is making new friends

when she picks him up or drops him off. He is talking to more kids and not just looking for a

single child anymore. At this mentioned how I had also seen it, when I first started my student

teaching, there was still the looking for Olive and now there is some more space, and Graham
can talk to other kids more openly. I also mentioned how it has been the last few weeks which

have had me see it. Meaning, he can play, whether making new friends or playing by himself.

At this point, the mother mentions her fear on Graham is very into they said they

werent my friend, and the mother wondered if her son was going to branch out or if he was the

one telling people he wasnt friends with them. She also said that Graham seemed to be very go

with the flow. Which I thought was an interesting term to use with a very young child. One thing

I did realize is that it must be soothing to hear that from a teacher in the classroom.

Graham loves to play with friends and even his little brother. The morning I talked to her

about it, she shared that Graham said he always wanted a little brother, and now he had one. This

made me think about the age different and how Graham will really recognize traits in his brother

in about another few months. I am excited to look back at my observations on Graham and his

brother. Graham also understands that his brother is smaller than he is and their play interactions

will be different.

We also talked about social interactions and how Graham knows and is excited to see

family and understands what birthdays and parties are. As Graham heard us, he said, Momma!

Im so excited to go to Granmas house! When I asked about how he interacts with strangers,

she said it mostly depended on his mood and where they were at. At the book fair, they spoke a

lot to new people.

Possible Home Activities

Because Amy works for the University of Arizona, she could spend more time there with

her children, taking them to events on campus. While some of the resources do cost money,

children are usually free. Around campus there are several resources that my family can take

advantage of. Each of the resources expands Grahams development domain.

 Near campus there is the Islamic Center of Tucson which the family can visit. Because

the center talks openly to the visiting people there, I believe it would provide my family some

new experiences they may otherwise not know about. There is also the Quran there is multiple

different languages which provides new literacy experiences. It supports the Family &

Community Interactions as the family will come closer to a smaller community they may

otherwise not think about. It also influences Grahams Language Development as the family can

look through the Quran and talk about the different languages there are. I also supports his Social

Development where some people may not be open to talking to new different people, he can talk

to them in a safe environment with his parents as positive roll models.

Also close to the University is Arizona History Museum. It has storytelling and music

which can be engaging for children. There is also different Arizona exhibits, such as the

Geronimo exhibit which is important to me as, it is Native American History which can be

ignored in schools. This starts a bridge between ignorance and understanding and having the

open conversation between parent and child. This supports Cognitive Development as the

children begin to think critically about history and Emotional Development to show how they

feel about experiences that are different from their own. Again, it supports his Social

Development as he learns about different behaviors that are expected in different places.

The University of Arizona Museum of Art is also provides events for families and

children. This experience provides experiences to look at art and create art while being with their

families will form stronger relationship and enhance their motor skills and cognitive skills. This

will support their Physical Development through art using motor skills. It also supports their

Social Development and Cognitive Development through forming stronger relationships with

their family and their Expect More Arizona worksheet.

 The Arizona State Museum is on campus and can provide different experiences for

children, such as in April there was a hands-on basket weaving activity. These events enhance

motor skills and focus on Physical Development. They also help with Social Development as it

puts children in new situations and has children interact with new people. The museum also

shows and honors different cultures, working with children to develop their Cognitive

Development as they ask questions and explore new materials in the museum.

Some free things families can do at home is reading, which may family already does.

They can have full conversations with their children, asking them questions and involving them

in the conversations. This supports their Social Development and Language Development, as

they learn to speak for themselves when ordering food at restaurants or with new adults.

My family can also focus on Emotional Development and Physical Development by

talking to him about his feeling using a feeling chart and connecting with him emotionally. They

can also take him to parks or on a regular walk to have a one on one conversation. When he is

happy, being happy with him is important. The family should also model how to handle their

emotions healthy. The family also needs to focus on giving him what he need emotionally, such

as focusing on him as an emotional being and creating a strong bond with their children. They

family can also focus on eating healthy and walking when able to and running when they can

with him.

Focusing on Cognitive Development and Family & Community Interaction, my family

can play memory games with him and continue having Graham help with chores, such as

laundry, making dinner, or setting the table. They can also focus on giving him a few directions

and slowly add onto it. My family can also go regularly to a function or spend time with other
families with children around their ages. Through this, they can interact with new families and be

part of their community.

Possible School Activities

In the classroom, I have supported the Family & Community Interaction by having a

family week. During that week, I asked families to come in the classroom and share something

with us. Families came in and shared solar ovens, music, basketballs, cameras, gardening, and

animals. I even shared my hedgehog in the classroom. I think that in the classroom, we have to

invite parents in and let them know that we want them to be part of our community.

We can also support Physical Development through dance and outside play. We support it

through stretches on the rug and outside playtime when they play on the equipment. On the

climbers or firefighter poles, they know that we will spot them. They understand that we wont

let them fall and that we will catch them. Building that trusting relationship is key.

In the classroom, I support Cognitive Development. After nap, children are expected to

tuck their things away and put it away in the closet or the round table. Children also focus in

following directions. We could create picture lists in the classroom that let them do things by

themselves. I could also add more puzzles and thinking games or riddles into the classroom. I

also think we could focus more on books, so children organize their thoughts better and think

ahead.

Children will work on Language Development in the classroom through conversation and

book reading. As I read books, I ask them about words. Sometimes when the word is unfamiliar,

they ask us. We could also start a word of the day to go with our theme or dramatic play area. I

would want to provide them more books about the theme that have the word of the day

highlighted or at least in them.

 I would support Emotional Development is through providing an emotion chart. I also

think acknowledging their emotions and giving them space or comfort is something that needs to

be taken more seriously. While in my classroom, we do take it seriously, we could always

improve. I think talking about emotions at least once a day during circle time would be a good

idea, such as Take a deep breath, how do you feel right now?

Another way we can support Social Development is with conversation and interactions.

Through the dramatic play area, we support social development, as children learn how to interact

with each other in new roles. I think taking more time to have conversations with children and to

observe and support interactions between the children would aid them best in social

development.

Final Reflections & Connections

Being with my case study child and family for a year has been very exciting, as I have

seen Graham grow from day to day and month to month. It is exciting to see all the things and

the data I have complied on him and his family.

Again, I will touch on the most important factors of a childs development, their parents.

For Amy, Grahams greatest strengths is his intelligence. He thinks everything through, and if

she thought he was advanced in anything it would be that. He is able to make connections

between thing and remembers things. He is able to recall things from visual prompts, like

looking up at the ceiling, seeing the planets and saying, We never made Jupiter, we should make

that planet. As long as his mother supports and continues to notice and develop his cognitive

abilities, she will provide Graham his needs.

When I asked what Amy wished for her child, she responded with just happiness for her

son. The mother wanted her child to have fun, to connect to people, to be able to find something
they can be successful in. This is something that is so important. She does not force anything on

her child, instead accepts Graham for who he is. It is important to remember as educators that we

need to always wish the best for our children, even if the best for them might not be your idea of

best.