Primary Grade Observation and Reflection Protocol

Due: Week 5 or 6
Value: 40 points
Note​: If available, you may want to bring a laptop or tablet to your observation. This way you can complete the form electronically while you
are at the site. If this is not possible, print this form and bring it with you to guide your observation.

Date of Observation January 18, 2019  School Observed: John Reed School 
Grade Observed Kindergarten  Address: 390 Arlen Drive,  
Rohnert Park, CA 94928 
Brief School Description​ (e.g, location, number of children served, number of children in setting 
you observed, demographics, and any other distinguishing information. 
244 students, 67% English Language Learners 77% Free/Reduced Lunch 
79% Hispanic or Latino, 2% Asian, 1.6% African American, .4% Pacific Islander, 13% White 
24 students in the class I visited 2 with behavioral special needs 

Environment (Anderson & Robinson)

Complete the chart below AND draw a layout/map of the environment or attach a photo.
Guidance from Anderson & Robinson My observations:
What I saw and/or heard related to this criterion
Room is rich with printed materials The whiteboard had RAN boards, sight words 
posters and vocabulary words 
There were books in every area of the room. 
Posters 
pre-writing organizational tree 
Children’s language and literacy work is displayed Art work for story a Snowy Day 
Technology is used appropriately to support language The only technology used while I was in the 
and literacy room was an iPad that hooked to a screen. The 
teacher took a picture of the prewriting 
 organizational tree. Then projected the image 
on a large screen which gave more students 
access to seeing the chart.   
Children have access to materials needed for  Yes there was paper in an accessible drawer. 
writing  There were pencils on each table.   
There was a cabinet with white boards, dry 
erase pens, colored pencils and other writing 
supplies.  
Classroom library includes a variety of genres  There was a library of books along one wall. 
and materials reflect the cultural and linguistic  There were theme books on a rack. 
diversity of children  There was a box of books near the meeting rug 
that students were reading as the rest of the 
class came in from recess.   
Room organization promotes early literacy and  There were posters, white boards, markers, 
reading instruction  pencils and colored pencils accessible for the 
children 
Arrange learning environments to fascinate  There were images of penguins and illustrations 
children and prompt conversations  of the STEM activity. On a previous day they 
made things to go down an ice slide.  

Skill and Strategy Instruction (Henk, Moore, Marinak & Tomasetti, 2000)
Complete the chart below.
Selected Guidance from Henk, Moore, Marinak & Tomasetti My observations:
What I saw and/or heard related to this criterion
Teacher provides a clear explanation of the The lesson I observed: The teacher activated 
skill/strategy and its purpose prior learning about penguins from the books 
they read together.   

Teacher models using the skill/strategy in the
appropriate context
Teacher provides explicit instruction
Children use the skill in the appropriate context
Create literacy rich environments
Language Modeling (Pianta, La Paro & Hamre, 2008)
Complete the chart below.
Indicator
Then the teacher wrote down the facts on a 
Tree Map see * below 
Students stated facts about penguins which the 
teacher collected on the chart. She included a 
simple drawings to help students remember the 
words.  
The teacher gave examples of the Penguins can 
____, Then the students stated what they 
remembered from the books using the form of 
the teacher’s example 
The students gave facts in the correct format. 
Then students stated the first sentence they 
were going to write Penguins can ________. 
Then the students went to desks to write.   
Teacher moved around the room to give 
students the support they needed.   
For one student she wrote the next the word on 
a card.   
The chart was enlarged and projected onto a 
screen. The original was placed on the opposite 
side of the room 
The students were going to make a Penguin to be 
posted in the room with their writing.   
My Observations:
What I saw or heard that is evidence of this indicator
Conversations with more than three back and forth
exchanges
Questions that require more than a one-word response
(open-ended questions)
Teacher extends and elaborates on child’s response
Teacher talks aloud, describing her thought process or
actions
Teacher talks aloud, describing a child’s thought
process or actions
Teacher uses advanced language (vocabulary) with
students
While working at the carpet with the whole 
class, most exchanges were one or two 
statements. All statements were complete 
sentences. The students had a sentence frame 
to support them.   
When the teacher was working with individuals 
there were longer exchanges as the teacher 
helped the student plan their first sentence.   
Teacher required students to answered in 
complete sentences. If the student gave a one 
word answer the teacher pointed to the chart 
to support the student in answering in a 
complete sentence.   
One student mentioned the Penguins can jump 
out of the water. The teacher elaborated on 
this comment by showing the picture of penguin 
swimming then how the penguin jumped out of 
the water landing on their feet.   
Teacher talked about thinking about the 
penguin, making a picture of a penguin in her 
head. Then she thought about facts that she 
learned about Penguins and picked one to fit into 
this pattern.  
This was not done while I was there.  
The teacher used familiar words and words from 
the books that they had been reading together.   
Teacher connects advanced language to familiar This was not demonstrated during my 
concepts and/or words observation.   

Assessment​: In the box below, briefly describe the ways the early childhood educator assesses the children’s language and literacy
development. If the program uses the Desired Results Developmental Profiles (DRDP) or another continuum, explain how the program collects
the required information to complete the instrument.

Reflection Questions: Use what you have learned about language and literacy learning and development in infant toddler settings to identify the
educator’s strengths. Answer each of the questions below. Your responses need not be more than two paragraphs, but they need to be detailed
and include specific evidence (see rubric for more details).

1. In the area of ​Environment​, what are this educator’s strengths? Use what you observed and have read about rich language and literacy
environments as evidence of the educator’s strength.
The teacher had a very rich language and literacy environment. She had books in various 
parts of the room. When I arrived some students were finishing snacks. The students who 
were finished snack were on the meeting carpet enjoying a variety of books including more 
Penguin books (Fiction and Informational). 
2. In the area of​ Skill and Strategy Instruction​, what are this educator’s strengths? Use what you observed and the Common Core State
Standards for English Language Arts as evidence of the educator’s strength.
The teacher was very skilled in supporting student’s learning informational writing. She 
activate their prior knowledge and collected that knowledge on a Tree Map. She used a 
sentence start to help all students success in thinking of facts to add to the Tree Map about 
Penguins. The whole class “read” the chart together using the sentence stems. Then they 
read to an elbow partner. Then they told her what they were going to write then they went 
to work independently. Most students successfully wrote at least one sentence. Some wrote 
more. The teacher was skilled at moving around the room to support students who needed 
extra support. Some she wrote one word on a card. Some she just had them say again their 
sentence to help them focus.   
 3. In the area of ​Language Modeling​, what are this educator’s strengths? Use what you observed and the indicators described above as
evidence of the educator’s strength.
The teacher modeled correct English grammar and provided a sentence stem to support the 
students growing use of English. She modeled the sentence with spaces and periods with 
motions. I saw her silently use the motion as she floated around the room supporting 
individuals. The student said “On yeah, and added a period or fixed a capital.  
4. In the area of ​Assessment​, what are this educator’s strengths? Use what you observed and the CA preschool learning foundations in
language and literacy strands (e.g., listening and speaking) and substrands (e.g., language use and conventions) as evidence of the
educator’s strength.
I was not able to stay for after lunch to see the conclusion of the student writing but I did 
see most of the students independently (or with individualize support) write more than one 
sentence with did Capitals, periods and spaces. 

RF.K.1C words have spaces between them 

W.K.7 learn about a subject and then write about it. 
W.K.2 write to explain about a topic 
 
California Department of Education (2013). C
​ alifornia Common Core State Standards: English 
Language Arts.​ Retrieved onFebruary 3, 2019 from 
https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/finalelaccssstandards.pdf 

*Teacher - Compete sentence The penguin can ____________. 

Tree map 
Penguin 
Can -------------------eats ----------- has 
-- 
Jump out of the water  krill feathers 
With little picture  fish  egg 
Short legs 
  
Teacher to help student give an answer – “put a picture of a penguin in your head” then tell 
me ___________. 
Anderson, M. & Robinson, J. (2007). Observing in a reading first classroom. Retrieved on March 11, 2013, from
http://plainfieldschools.org/district/reading_first/Anderson-Observing_in_a_RF_Classroom.pdf​.

Henk, B., Moore, J. C., Marinak, B. A., & Tomasetti, B. W. (200). A reading lesson observation framework for elementary teachers, principals, and
literacy supervisors. Retrieved on March 11, 2013, from
http://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=edu_fac&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google
.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%​.

Pianta, R.C., La Paro, K. M. & Hamre, B. K. (2008). ​Classroom assessment scoring system​. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.