Jamie Ropars 3-05-13 ELD-307 Oral Language Assessment Over the past week I conducted an oral language assessment

in Mr. Pinners second grade classroom. The purpose of this assessment was to observe the oral language functions that are occurring or not occurring in the classroom. There were two parts to this assessment, one part was a classroom observation and the second was an individual observation. By observing one will notice that the group and the individual assessments produce different results. For the group it is good to observe language functions as a whole because then the assessment will reveal any functions of oral language being missed or any that are going well. Some students try to blend in with other students. When doing a class oral assessment it is difficult to assess every one of the students that is why an individual assessment also has to be set up so that information on a students oral function development doesnt get missed. With the individual assessment you can detect more and see what the child needs help with or areas they are performing well. The class observation occurred during the part of the day when they were doing group work. There was an ongoing discussion as a class where I saw regularly occurring functions. Oral language regularly occurs in this classroom because their desks are set up in groups and the students would hold conversations with each other concerning the different situations throughout the day. For the individual assessment I am not allowed to say the students name so I have to use her initials, which are KS. She sits at the group of desks farthest away from the teachers desk. KS does have three friends that sit around her at that table. From watching you can tell that KS is a hard worker but, she can be easily distracted. The time that I was observing her

included a period when they were reading a fairytale story, doing a math worksheet, and going over that worksheet together in class. Some parts of the observation surprised me and others resulted in the results I expected to see. To conduct the assessment I used two pages from the Kidwatching book by Gretchen Owocki and Yetta Goodman. The worksheets from this book help guide an oral language assessment. One of the worksheets was for the class setting and suggested looking for functions like planning events, sharing stories, and explaining how to do or make something. The individual worksheet had fewer questions but asked the same kind of questions and left room for more detail because you have a chance to only focus on one student. These two pages concentrate on important information that students should be doing to develop good oral language skills. While reviewing my findings concerning the classroom observations, I noticed most were repeated frequent in the classroom. Sharing stories is the most frequent connection method in the classroom. The skills required in this area of language observation resulted in the students have no problem meeting expectations. Mr. Pinner has morning meeting everyday and picks three or four students to share anything that is on their mind. This exercise enables them to share their feelings as well as share anything that may have happened within the last few days. This gives them the courage to speak in front of their peers. The class also is always asking questions and seeking information on the books they read individually in the class. First they record the questions they have on a post it note and then when it comes time to share to the class they make a list of information such as vocabulary words. When the students come across the meaning of a word that another student has voiced a question on, they share it with the class and then record it on the list, for the entire class to reference at all times. Another function that is not uncommon is
2

that their social interactions are very developed in this classroom setting. This comes easy for the students because there is a significant amount of group work that occurs in this classroom. One area that was difficult to observe because the opportunity did not present itself during my review was describing sensory experiences. It may be something that occurs in the class however, I have not seen it occur yet. I believe they may talk about more sensory details when they get to the science skills development but I am not in the classroom for that part of the day. This class performs one of the oral functions in a different and interesting way for the students. They plan events in a way that makes it fun for the children. They had to write a fairytale for the literacy unit, but the fun twist was they took a story like Snow White and changed all the details. The class was able to plan all the events in the fairytale story without even realizing they were planning out events in a story. The individual language assessment took a little longer than the group assessment. KS is seven years old and I would like to point out that she was more expressive today in the classroom than I have seen her previously. KS was picked to share a story at morning meeting. She did not raise her hand to speak but she was called on to share. When sharing her voice became hesitant and very low, it was hard to hear what she was saying to the class. Although later on in the class when KS was back at her desk she was very vocal with her friends and peers. She does do a really great job retelling stories when you can hear her. When she was picked at morning meeting she shared with the class that her mother is going to have a baby. Also when listening to her discuss with her friends about the fairytale she is creating, KS retold the events of the real fairytale and the events she changed to show the difference in her story. One of the areas that KS could use more work on is explaining how to do something. She tends not to raise her hand because it seems like she is afraid to say the answer in front of her classmates. For example
3

when creating imaginative words, the class was working on a science project about motion and KS had a great idea but she would only tell an adult she would not share it with her fellow classmates. She will present an answer to the class if she has to, however she really has to be prompted to share her ideas. The teacher has to look on her worksheet and encourage her that

she in fact knows the answer and should share what she has found with the class. For the oral function she has no problem explaining something, the problem is having her gain the confidence to voice the opinions and answers she has. KS acknowledges feelings comfortable with her close group of friends at the table but when it comes time to share with the class, she is uncomfortable as evident by her voice becoming lower and lacking confidence when she has to share to the class. KS often knows the answer but she will not take the leadership to talk unless prompted by someone. She tends to stand back and let the others lead. The information I found can be very useful in developing a plan to teach this student. KS is one of those students who blends in and you can miss the fact that she does in fact understand the concept that is being taught. With KS and the individual observation the teacher can notice what KS needs to work on in oral skills. She isnt missing the comprehension standard but is actually lacking the confidence to share the ideas. This can be helpful because her teacher can use this information in order to bring her out of her shell to help her participate more in class. To do this it may be helpful to have KS lead discussions in smaller groups with her friends and a few other students. This can then graduate to a larger group and eventually a group without her friends, and eventually the classroom. I think it also is important to constantly reinforce that she has correct answers and good ideas, and that she is helping others by sharing her ideas. Also the teacher can use these charts to see what the students need more of in class or to see what occurs too frequently in the class.
4