Gender_Identity

Early Childhood Development LaTisha Davis June, 3, 2012 Reading, Writing, and Development The two age groups I have chosen for this assignment are third, and tenth grades. Development for each age group depends highly on a number of factors that include social development, cognitive abilities, and the assessment from teachers. It is important to note that children learn by the way they view and analyze the world around them. Rightfully so, the quicker they can grasp concepts and conceptualize their surroundings, the better capable they will become at understanding the world from an abstract and complex point of view. Positive reinforcement from the teacher allows the child to grow and develop into a sophisticated problem solver, and critical thinker. Children in the third grade have begun to solidify their abilities to read and write. Therefore, their ability to conceptualize has also been enhanced and the child has begun to show signs of strong cognitive abilities. The child can read, say and write entire sentences, instead of fragments, and they think in the abstract using a more logical approach to learning. This means if the child is given a word problem, and several ways to solve the problem, the child can determine what is the most concrete and specific problem solving method. At this grade level the child is able to communicate in terms of distinction as the child develops reading and writing abilities and independence for them is a key element in developing strong language and writing skills. They are able to create small stories when challenged, that give a detailed account of the facts as they perceive them, rather than information that is generalized. For example, when asked to describe their house, they will reference their red sofa instead of their sofa, and their blue cup as opposed to their cup. As an instructor, it is extremely important to keep lesson plans that highly motivate the child. Some ways to accomplish this goal is by encouraging and reinforcing independence, use lessons that provide the ability to practice language skills, readily provide concrete evidence for abstract learning, use the model learning technique, encourage group activities, use visual effects, puzzles, and art work. This allows the child to continue to develop socially, and congnitively. Children in the tenth grade by now have fully developed the ability to demonstrate a working understanding of cognition and abstract reasoning. These students are able to strongly communicate their verbal and written abilities through proficiency. The student has acquired skills that allow them to write documents that demonstrate their ability to communicate in any area. They can write for expression, narration, figuratively, persuasively, and to an abundance of audiences with clear meaning and purpose for their communication. At this stage the child is able to construct sentences, use proper grammar and punctuation, spelling, and their penmanship is clear and legible. The student is now able to use the skills they have acquired to go beyond simple measures of exploring information and basic writing, to research, analysis, and collection of data. This process allow the child to build even greater critical thinking skills through their ability to challenge information, process information in using various methods, establish a thesis and hypothesis through reading, and observation. As an instructor for this age group it is rather important to continue cognitive development by allowing the student explain how they draw conclusions and problem solve. The instructor should continually encourage the student by challenging him to construct their own concrete evidence and research techniques as a way to show a clear understanding of reading materials. A journal that entails their literary works for specific essays such as narrative, persuasive, etc. should be composed. It is a good idea to introduce students to literary poets to continue motivation and stimulation of the constant developing skills. This allows students to become proficient readers and writers, and also prepares them for the standardized tests that most states are required to assign to assure that the students are developing along the guidelines of students in their grade level. My preferred group to teach is the tenth grade because I think it is a much harder task to continue the basic learning skills after they are learned. As an instructor, the most important thing to note is that fact that each child develops differently and no assumption should be made based on age alone. There are several factors that influence learning development to include physical, social, and cognitive abilities. The best way to ensure that each child is developing successfully is to assess them individually and develop a keen sense of awareness for the child’s individual strengths and weaknesses. The best instructors are those that are able to lead their children form one level to the next of development while keeping them highly motivated and performing to the best of their abilities at all times. Third Grade development | Tenth Grade development | Able to think logically and understand concrete evidence | Able to read and write proficient essays | Able to construct whole sentences instead of fragments | Able to construct paper that are free of grammatical errors, and sentence mechanics | Able to tell stories with refinement | Able to demonstrate the drafting process of writing | Able to identify key words and definitions | Able to think critically and develop several ways to problem solve | Students are able to work independently and in groups | Reading and comprehension are highly proficient | | | | | References: McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2004). Child development: Educating and working with children and adolescents (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. 2012 http://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/writing-standards/ninth-and-tenth-grade/, 2012 http://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/writing-standards/third-grade/, 2012