Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education Degree

Observation Table: Environmental Print in the Classroom

Table 1: Documenting Environmental Print
Examples of Environmental Print

Purpose

Labeling demonstrate
the alphabetical letters
that could be used by
children during lessons.
Engage children to
remind them about
letters that already
study.
Develop language when
they will remember
phonics.
Enjoying linking the
letters with pictures to
remember the words.

Showing the numbers in

written and abstractive
way dots.
Help children remember
numbers from 1 to 9.
Illustrate the main
colors to help children
recognize these colors.
Being able to use the
colors or flashcards
color during the lesson.
Display the months of
the year.
Encourage children to
use the months of the
year during circle time.
Reviewing the months
to recognize them.

Ideas for further

development

Use more colorful

pictures to interact
students attention.
Make the print more
useful by link words
for each letter to
improve students
language
development.
Engage children to
make this classroom
print.
Make for each letter
classroom print for
example, in each
week they take one
letter, so that can
illustrate the letter
with students
works.
Engage children to
write the numbers
and draw the dots.
Let children use the
real colors to make
the classroom print
by themselves.
Develop this labels
by including the
mixing colors also.
Its useful to let
children learn about
days of the week
first, then the
months of the year.

Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education Degree

Reflections on Observation Task 1: Environmental in the Classroom

Read the questions below and choose (1) one to respond to
1. How does environmental print impact students language development, and their
reading and writing abilities?
From classroom print, students during the lesson use them. For example, they use the
months of the year to finds the letters. They also tried to read the colors with the
teacher support.
2. How do students of different reading levels use environmental print?
3. How does awareness of environmental print impact how students view themselves as
readers?
4. How does a school-home connection (based on environmental print) impact students'
literacy development?

Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education Degree

Observation Task 2: Teaching a Phonics Lesson

Table 2: Teaching a Phonics Lesson
The Structure of the Lesson
What the teacher does

What the children do

Comments

Introducing the Sound:

The teacher asked children what the sound that
the snake do?

One of them said and guessed s s s

and others they did not.

She wrote the letter /s/ and she said today we will
learn about the sound letter /s/.
She asked them to make the sound of the letter
with song.
She taught them the action of the letter /s/,
sausages are sesiling s s s s. She was repeating
the action with showing students the cards of the
sausage and the form of the letter /s/. also, she
was moving her hand on her stomach.

I think it is an
important to teach
and focus on the
sound and the action
of the letter as the
teacher did.

All students were imitating to say the

sound of the letter.

They were engage to repeat with her.

They were like to move their hand
with singing.

Hearing the Sound in the initial position:

The teacher asked children that she will display
and read some words for them that start with the
letter /s/. They have to identify the letter /s/ in the
smart board and listen to the teacher when she
will read.
She used the flashcards for different words. She
read these words.

They were listening to the teacher.

They were able to identify the letter.

I think it is useful to
use the flashcards
when she was saying
the words.

Students were saying if the words is

start with the letter /s/ or not.

Introducing the Writing of the Sound:

She told students that today they will write the
letter /s/.
She show them how to write the letter using
the weight board. She said start at the snakes
head and then slide down to his tail
Then she engaged them to write the letter in
the air. Then, she asked them to write the
letter on their some body parts like, eye, nose,
mouth, hand and leg.

Students were listening to the teacher.

They were watching the teacher how to
write.
All of them were participating to write
the letter following the teacher
instructions.

The teacher can give

children clay to make
the letter.
It is great to let
children write on
their body parts to
make
them
remember.

Practicing Writing the Sound:

She took small group to practice writing the

letter.

Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education Degree

She gave them a worksheet that contain color
the pictures that start with letter /s/ and
practice writing the letter by tracing the letter.
she made a line to make it easy to trace.

They were tracing the letter.

Reflections on Observation Task 2: Teaching a Phonics Lesson

1.

What program is used in your school to teach phonics?

They have a jelly phonics program.

2. How is phonics taught in your school?
They used the strategy of teaching first the form of the letter, then the action. After
that, they start to teach them how to write the letter. And at the end they let them try
to blend words.
3. What was the focus of the lesson?
They were focusing in the sound and the action of the letter. As well as the writing.
4. Were the learners engaged in the phonics lesson? If they were, select (a); if they were not, select
(b).
a. Describe the different types of active engagement activities that the
teacher used. Students were interesting to involve on the activities. For
example, when the teacher used to take small group to do the activity also
were active to do. She used different kind of activity, likes puzzles and craft
work.
b. What active engagement activities could the teacher have used to help
learners b e t t e r understand the lesson?
5. What types of activities did the children participate in during their independent centers that reinforced the
lesson objective/learning outcome? If they participated in learning centers, select (a); if they did not,
select (b)
a) Describe the different types of learning center activities that the
students did. Reading a story about letter /s/ in the reading centre. Act the
story that she read it for them in the role play centre. Also, in the science, they
write the letter on the sand.
b) Describe two (2) learning center activities that the teacher could have
used to help reinforce the learning outcome.

Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education Degree

Observation Task 3: Teaching Shared/Guided Reading

Table 3: Teaching Shared/Guided Reading
Title: the very hungry caterpillar.
What the teacher does
The teacher said today, I will read a story.
The story is about very hungry caterpillar.

What the children do

Students were listening and
observing.

She asked them what can you see in the

cover page?
She said in English we called it caterpillar.
She let children to repeat the word
caterpillar
She used to change her voice when she was
reading. She used to teach children new
words by let them repeat the words like
orange, moon, sun, apple, pears, plums and
strawberries.
She used to engage children count.
She was asking children about the color of
the fruit, the sequences of what happen for
the caterpillar, and identifying the days of
the week.

Comments

I think the teacher must

focus more on the
pictures of the story.

They said the name of the caterpillar

in Arabic.

Let children use their

imagination by asking
open-ended questions.

They were repeating and saying the

word caterpillar

Make activities that

related to the story to
support childrens
learning.

They were repeating the words after

the teacher.
Students were participating with the
teacher to answer her questions and
count with her.

Reflections on Observation Task 3: Teaching Shared/Guided Reading

1. Which concepts about print (CAP) did the teacher focus on?
a) What strategies/activities did the teacher use to help the students
understand the CAP concept being taught? She was focusing on teaching
children new words by let students repeat them. She was focus on the pictures
and asking questions.

2. Were there any initial/medial/final sounds, punctuation, sight words or word families that
were covered during the lesson? If they were, select (a); if they were not, select (b).
a. W h a t was the purpose of teaching these concepts? Explain its importance. It is
beneficial for students language learning and reading skills. When the teacher will focus on these
concepts it will help children pronounce, read and learn new words.

Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education Degree

Observation Task 4: Development of Early Writing Skills

Table 4: Development of Early Writing Skills

Developmental Writing
Stage

Supporting Activities

Writing on small
board and markers
to practice writing
the letter.

3- strings of
letters and
Early Phonemic
Writing

Write letter in
sand

Write letters on
the body parts.

Links to the ADEC Curriculum

Link sounds to letters, naming and

sounding the letter.
Being form to recognizable letters.
Use a pencil and hold it effectively
form letter.

Link sounds to letters, naming and

sounding the letter.
Being form to recognizable letters.

Link sounds to letters, naming and

sounding the letter.
Being form to recognizable letters.

Suggestions for the further development of early writing skills

Use playdough mat to form the letters.
Use the tracing cards to practice writing letters.
Use shaving foam to write the letters.
Use the iPad to let children write the letters.

Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education Degree

Reflections on Observation Task 4: Development of Early Writing Skills

1. What developmental writing stages are the majority of the students in?
Early Phonemic Writing: they can use letters to stand for some sounds, forms some
letters correctly and use rebus writing (letters and pictures)

2. Describe and explain two (2) suggested strategies that the teacher can use to help the
majority of the students within their developmental writing stage.
1) The teacher can use on line tools or iPad to encourage and develop children writing
skills.
2) Create a space in your classroom for writing that is free from distractions. That will
help the child to write what he\ she want to write.