Sanjana Oral assessments allow teachers and school officials to understand the reasoning behind answers given to students

and provide individualized feedback on student thinking. Assessments give teachers the ability to differentiate their lessons depending on the learning ability and style of their students. Observing students at the early stage in observing a classroom permits student teachers to understand what to look for later in their careers in their own classrooms. Oral assessments are crucial to creating the best learning environment for each individual student as possible. In Miss Belmontes third classroom I observed an eight-year-old female named Sanjana. Sanjana is an average third grader. She can read, write, and communicate at the level that is expected at her age. Within Miss Belmontes class there are students of all different ability levels. The assessment that was used for this oral assessment came from the book Kidwatching: Documenting Childrens Literacy Development by Gratchen Owaki and Yetta Goodman. It outlines oral language functions for both classroom observation and individual observation. During a normal day in Miss Belmontes classroom students share and retell stories, ask multiple questions, talk amongst their peers regarding classwork, and create imaginative worlds. The students are able to do these things all around the room. Miss Belmonte allows students to work either at their desks or quietly on the rug. Students have time to converse with their peers when they first come into the classroom in the morning, during snack time, at lunch, and during transitions throughout the day. While observing Sanjana, I witnessed many interactions among her peers and Miss Belmonte. Sharing stories Sanjana is always very eager to share stories from the first second she enters the classroom. When the students are gathered at the rug in the morning or after one of their daily specials Sanjana is always willing to share what the class did during the special. Sanjana is also very vocal to me. For instance, when she returned from music she explained to me that as a class they were learning about making rhythms with their names and then used my name as an example. Although sharing stories makes Sanjana feel very good about her self, she sometimes has difficulty holding onto an idea until it is the right time to share. This distracts her from her work often. She needs to understand that there is a time to share story and a time to work and those times are not during the same duration. Retells events Sanjana is very good at retelling events. In Miss Belmontes class the students are writing small memory stories. I asked Sanjana to explain to me what she was writing about. She went into detail about a family trip to a cave.. She used many descriptive and transition words. This allowed for easy following because of her use of chronological order. Sanjana used facial expressions as well as different voice tones to allow me, as a listener, to better picture and understand what it was like to be there. One set back in Sanjanas ability to retell events is that at some points she has difficultly putting her thoughts into words. In her mind she knows exactly what she wants to say but sometimes she needs help thinking of the words to describe her thoughts. Explains how to do or make something Being as Sanjana is always wanting and willing to share, she is also eager to help others with directions. At her assigned table of desks, she will sometimes assist in explaining how to

complete an assignment to a classmate who may need help. For instance, during a math lesson a student sitting next to her was unaware what place value to round to. Sanjana was keen to help her friend. Another way Sanjana explained how to do something was after the class returned from music class. Just like when Sanjana was sharing stories, she also explained how to do something within her story about music class. She described how to make beats according to names. She used Miss Lawton and Miss Hunt to explain words with three syllables are the beats do da do and two syllable words are the beats do da. Creates imaginative worlds Not enough observation to describe Plans events During a math lesson, students were told to find a partner. They were then given their assignments and told to get started. Sanjana then took the position as the leader and planned out the procedure that her and her partner would follow. She discussed with her partner that she would grab a pencil and meet her partner at the rug, while the partner went to grab dice and the worksheet. Sanjana does not hesitate to take control. She has a very subtle dominating personality. It does not come off as snobby or controlling because it is due to the fact that she always wants to learn. Enjoys language for its aesthetic value Sanjana excels at putting her voice within her writing. Her writing is filled with quotations, which allows her to express her true thoughts. This shows that she understands the positives that come along with language. Sanjana uses descriptive words to play out what she wants to say or write. Although she may not know this, she uses language for its aesthetic value. She uses it in a constructive way that allows her to get the most out of her daily speech, which allows her to learn to the best of her ability. Expresses feelings, empathy, emotional identification Sanjana is not a shy girl, so her emotions shine through in all that she does. There was one instance when the students were told to find a partner in order to complete an assignment. Sanjana was having difficulty with finding one and became upset that no one wanted to work with her. She tried to solve the problem of not having a partner to work with by asking multiple students but each student she asked had already been paired with someone else. This was difficult for her to deal with because she kept getting shut down when attempting to find a partner. Finally Miss Belmonte stepped in and called out to the room looking for another person who did not have a partner, which then allowed Sanjana to finally have a partner to work with. Takes leadership Sanjana is a very caring student who is constantly helping others. She is always helping others with classwork. When in groups Sanjana always has a role in activities. She is not one to sit back a watch other do things. She enjoys being part of the work and having an opinion to share with others. Sanjana is a very intelligent third grader who is eager to learn and participate in daily discussions. She is a very vocal student. From the observations that recorded on Sanjana, it is

evident that she is a good student and is at the appropriate level for her age. Although Sanjana is a smart pupil she needs to work on staying on topic with assignments and worrying about herself before she worries about what others need help with. This is a good flaw to have because it shows that she is interested in learning but she needs to learn to keep it individualized instead of making it about others. It may be beneficial for Sanjana to work in a quiet area in the room when it is possible that way she is far from any distractions that may arise from her fellow students. It is also possible for her desk to be moved to the small table of desks that way there is not too many students surrounding her. Sanjana is a growing student and still has a lot of information to learn. With time and growth she will figure out what she needs to do in order to be the best possible student that she can be.