Madison MonaghanTTE 357Benchmark Paper

Bianca

Description of child

Family background

My case study child’s pseudo name is Bianca. Although all of the information I have

collected on her is from a variety of sources it is all recorded in my observation binder. I learned

from going to her house on 9/18/14 that she is from a family of five. She has a mother (Annie),

father (Richard), brother (Brad) and sister (Jewl). In my home visit on 10/06/14 I learned that

Bianca’s entire family is originally from Mexico. More specifically from Nogales and Cananea,

Sonora. They were all born in Mexico except for Bianca. They moved to the United States

thirteen years ago when Brad was three years old. Fred has some family that lives in Sierra

Vista, Arizona whereas Ana’s entire family lives in Mexico. Most of Ana’s family doesn’t get to

come visit in Arizona because they do not have visas. Her only family members that have visas

are her sister and niece. (Recorded in observation notebook.)

Linguistic information

During the home visit (9/18/14) I learned that at home her family speaks Spanish to each

other. Her mother and father are monolingual with Spanish being their native language however;

both her parents are capable of minimal communication in English (information received by my

mentor teacher 9/12/14). Through my further communication with Ana I learned that she is

taking English classes at Los Niños, where Bianca attends school. Therefore, she is able to

speak more than minimal English. During my home visit on 10/06/14 Ana and I were able to

communicate in English using visuals and expressive gestures to understand each other.

(Recorded in my observation notebook.) From talking to her brother during my home

engagement (9/18/14) I became aware that he is able to talk fluently in English and Spanish.

Bianca speaks English as well as Spanish. When we were interacting during the home

visit (9/18/14) she was speaking to me in English. When I conducted the parent interview at

Bianca’s home on 10/10/14 I learned that she started speaking Spanish first but English quickly

followed because she was being spoken to in Spanish by Ana (mom) and Richard (dad) while

Brad (brother) and Jewl (sister) spoke to her in both Spanish and English. Therefore, she had

experiences with both Spanish and English. (Recorded in observation notebook.)

Cultural information

As stated above in the family background section, Bianca’s entire family is originally

from Mexico. More specifically from Nogales and Cananea, Sonora. (Recorded in observation

notebook from home visit on 10/06/14.) Although they could not bring their family with them

they were able to bring their religion. I learned during my second home visit (10/06/14) that

Bianca’s family is Catholic and attends a catholic church in Tucson. Her mother is involved in

the church choir, which she brings into the home through the families interest in music. Another

way you can see their religion in the home is by the crosses and paintings of religious figures

throughout the hallways, kitchen, living room and bedrooms of the family home. (Recorded in

observation notebook.)

Interests/Hobbies

During our home visit (9/18/14) Bianca and her mother told me they like to do things

together as a family. They turn off the television and other technologies to do things together as

a family. One of the things they do as a family is play cards. Bianca told me that sometimes she

plays with her family and other times she just watches while they play. I asked her what kinds of

card games they play and she couldn’t remember.

Another thing Bianca’s family likes to do together is make music (Told during home

engagement 9/18/14). Her sister and mother play instruments including the piano and guitar.

Bianca told me that her sister plays guitar while her cousin sings Hey There, Delilah. Later

during the home visit her mother told me that Bianca sings Hey There, Delilah while her sister

plays guitar as well.

Lastly, Bianca showed me her art supplies during our first home visit (9/18/14). She told

me that she likes to put glitter on different types of materials such as paper and play phones.

During a conversation on 9/15/14 at school Bianca told me that she likes to paint and be able to

create artwork. Therefore, art is something that she enjoys and still wants to learn more about.

(Recorded in observation notebook.)

Description of assessment tools used

One of the assessment tools I use in my classroom and during home visits is an

observation notebook. It is a binder filled with loose-leaf papers that are separated into two

sections. The first section is all my observations of Bianca in order by date. The second section

is all of my observations of Mike in order by date. The observations I put into my observation

notebook are from a variety of different settings and times. They are taken of whole groups,

small groups, partners and individuals. They are anecdotal notes that I take everyday while I am

in the classroom working with my students, interviewing my mentor teacher or other important

experts in my students lives and home visits with students’ families.

For example, if we are working on math problems I will write down the

interactions my students are having with each other, my mentor teacher or myself. If I hear an

intriguing conversation going on I jot down what is being said so that I can come back to it later.

Another thing that I put in my observation notebook are the notes I take on home engagements.

The notes are either taken while I am talking to the family or as soon as I leave so that the

conversations are fresh in my mind. My observation notebook also has notes from interviews

that I do with students for a variety of reasons. For example, the kids bring home the story

backpacks that I have brought to the school as part of my coursework. When they come back I

ask them to share with me their experiences with the backpack, what they liked and whom they

shared the backpack with at home. I take notes on their responses and any other information

they share so that I always have it to look back on. Many times the information they share helps

me to create more meaningful lessons that will get them actively engaged.

The second assessment tool I use to assessment my students is a writing rubric. After

my students have completed a unit writing assignment I collect their writing samples and score

them based on the writing rubric. First though, I take a picture of the writing sample so that I can

hand it back and also keep it for future reference. The rubric is based on the Arizona Career and

College Readiness Writing Anchor Standard, Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. It is based

on levels with the lowest level being one and the highest level being five.

Level one pertains to students that demonstrate limited command of the grade-level

standard. Level one students demonstrate limited command by providing only limited

development of ideas relating to the prompt given. Level two are students that demonstrate

partial command of the grade-level standard. They demonstrate partial command by responding

to the prompt with partially developed ideas. Level three includes students who demonstrate

moderate command of the grade-level standard. Demonstrating moderate command means that

their ideas are adequately developed. Level four are students who demonstrate strong command

of the grade-level standard. To demonstrate strong command students must address the prompt

with effectively developed ideas. Lastly, level five includes students who demonstrate

distinguished command of the grade-level standard. In order to show distinguished command

students must address the prompt with consistently effective and comprehensive development.

Along with using the writing rubric to assess the content of my students writing I also

assess their handwriting skills. As I said above, when the kids complete unit writing assignments

I collect them and sometimes other writing samples if I think they would be good to document.

They could be good documentation for a variety of reasons. It could be a writing sample that

really shows of their handwriting in a different way than the unit writing assignments can. On

the other hand, it might be useful in showing what the student still needs to work on. As I also

stated before, I take pictures of the writing samples I collect in order to keep them for potential

future referencing. That way my students can take them home to show their parents but I can

still have the documentation. When looking at my students writing samples for handwriting I

complete an individual checklist for each child. Along the top are dates that writing samples

were collected throughout the semester (09/22/14, 10/06/14, 11/03/14). Along the left side are

the following headings, letter spacing, word spacing, letter height and letters touching the bottom

line. If the elements are present and well done the children get a plus in the box for that date. If

the heading elements are present but questionable, the children will get a check in the box for

that date. Lastly, if the elements are not present the box will stay blank.

Another assessment tool we use in the classroom are beginning and end of unit

worksheets. They are used mostly in math to see if the children have grasped the unit concepts

compared to what they knew in the beginning. The specific one I will be talking about is used at

the end of our geometry unit. It has a picture of a circle, a square, a triangle and a hexagon.

Underneath each pictures there is a line for the name of the shape, a line for the number of sides

and a line for the number of vertices. They are collected after the children finish them and

looked over so the teacher can see how many children learned the unit concepts.

The last assessment to I use are folders for individual children. The folders are on my

computer with each child’s name on it. Inside the folder are the pictures of a variety of work

samples I collect, videos of children or their progress, pictures of projects children have

completed and anything else that I want to document.

Analysis of child’s growth in all areas

Physical Development

In the area of physical development Bianca has growth in her fine motor skills. More

specifically, her handwriting has gotten clearer and more structured since the beginning of the

year. The improvements in her handwriting tell us that she is better able to hold a pencil and

write steadily than she could at the beginning of the year. In the writing sample that I collected

on 10/06/14 Bianca’s letter spacing was present and good, her word spacing was present and

good, her letter height was not consistently present and her letters were not all touching the

bottom line that she was suppose to be writing on (handwriting checklist, child folder). In her

most recent writing sample collected on 11/03/14 she had shown improvements. Her letter and

word spacing were both present and good as with the first writing sample. Unlike the first

writing sample though, her second writing sample letter heights were better. All but two letters

were at the right height and all of them were touching the bottom line they were supposed to

(handwriting checklist, child folder). This shows that she has gotten steadier and in control of

her pencil, which is a testament to her fine motor skills.

Social & Emotional Development

Bianca’s social and emotional development has grown in the area of working with others

and being able to help those around her. At the beginning of the year Bianca was slightly choosy

about whom she worked with. Generally, she chose to work with the girls at her table while

excluding the boys unless they needed help (observation notebook, 9/15/14). Throughout the

semester she has had time to work with a variety of children and has started to include all

students during group work. She met a boy who solves problems in ways that are not familiar to

her and she has started working with him to see how he solves strategies (observation notebook,

11/10/14). Bianca has gone from focusing on the girls around her to involving all her classmates

when working on projects and problems.

Language Development

Bianca’s language development has grown in her ability to read better in English. She

was able to read English words at the beginning of the year by herself. During reading she was

able to sound out words with her partner as well as individually (observation notebook, 9/19/14).

Since the beginning of the year she has increased the amount of words she can read in English as

well as the difficulty of the words. She has gone up a level in our reading classes since the

beginning of the year (teacher interview, observation notebook, 10/20/14).

Reading & Language Arts Skills

In the area of reading and language arts Bianca has grown in the different styles of

writing she knows how to write. When I first started observing Bianca she was strictly working

on narrative writing (observation notebook, work samples, child folders, 9/12/14). Throughout

the semester she has learned to write towards a variety of audiences in many different formats.

After narrative writing, she wrote opinion pieces, letters to the school counselor and my mentor

teachers and finally two different informational papers based on research (observation notebook,

work samples, child folders, (9/29/14, 10/06/14, and 11/03/14). She has learned how to write in

many formats and for different audiences, which is something she did not know how to do at the

beginning of the year.

Math Skills

Math is an area that Bianca has learned a lot so far this year. One way she has grown in

math is her ability to understand shapes, how many sides they have and how many vertices they

have. At the beginning of our geometry unit my mentor teacher put a circle, a square and a

triangle on the white board. The children were talking to their table partners discussing what the

different shapes were, how many sides each shape had and how many points they had. I heard

Bianca tell her partner while pointing at each shape that there was a circle, a triangle and a

square on the white board. Then she said, “I don’t know how many sides” (observation

notebook, 10/01/14). When the unit was over she knew which shapes were which, how many

sides each shape had and how many vertices each shape had (end of unit worksheet, 10/03/14).

Social Studies Skills

Bianca’s social studies skills have grown through her ability to learn the pledge and be

able to stand still throughout both the school pledge and the Pledge of Allegiance. When I

observed Bianca during the pledges towards the beginning of the year she was unable to always

stand still throughout the pledge and say the entire thing (observation notebook, 9/22/14). Now,

she is able to do both of those things. In the times I have observed her doing the pledge in the

last month she has stood still throughout the entirety of both pledges. She has also been able to

say every phrase to both pledges (observation notebook, 11/24/14, 12/03/14). This is something

that she consistently has practice with in the classes everyday reciting of the pledges and the

expectations that you respect the flag by standing still. Her growth in her ability to stand still

and recite both pledges shows the importance she sees that she may not have seen previously.

Science Skills

Bianca’s science skills have grown in the area of animals’ habitats. When we first started

talking about polar bears she didn’t know about their habitat or much of anything about them

(observation notebook, 10/08/14). I learned this by her conversations with partners during our

opening discussion of polar bears. However, through our multiple discussions, readings and

videos Bianca learned a great deal about polar bears and more specifically their habitat. By the

time she was suppose to write her research paper on polar bears Bianca had a lot to write about.

She wrote about the different places they lived and what it was like where they lived (work

samples, child folders, 11/03/14).

Creative Arts

In the area of creative arts Bianca has shown growth in the shape of her artwork, which is

one of the elements of art. In some of her early artwork Bianca’s lines are not straight and they

are overlapping in ways that are not meant to be part of the piece (child folders, observation

notebook, 9/22/14). As she has gotten more practice the shape of her figures have become more

intentional and useful. Bianca gives enough space for each element of her drawings. She also

takes her time to add details such has adding distinguishing elements like glasses on a persons

face (child folders, observation notebook, 12/03/14).

Areas of Strength and Room for Growth

Bianca’s bilingualism is her most valuable strength. She has the opportunity to hear both

English and Spanish at home, which gives her the chance to keep her first language while still

learning English (observation notebook, 9/18/14). She has room for growth in expressing her

bilingualism. It is difficult at school to speak in Spanish but I would hate to see her lose the asset

that is her bilingualism.

Mike

Description of child

Family background

My case study child’s pseudo name is Mike. From the interview I had with him on

9/15/14 I learned that he is seven years old. He comes from a three-person family and is an only

child. He lives with his mother (Molly) and his father (Matt). Although he is an only child he

told me that he has a few cousins. Two of his cousins are boys and one of his cousins is a girl.

The cousin that he sees and plays with the most is one of the boy cousins named Alonzo.

(Recorded in observation notebook.)

Linguistic information

Prior to speaking with Mike I conducted an interview with my mentor teacher to get

some background knowledge (9/12/14, recorded in observation notebook). What she told me is

that Mike’s mother speaks Spanish as her first language. Although Spanish is Molly’s primary

language she is able to fluently speak in Spanish. Mike’s father also speaks both Spanish and

English. However, Matt’s English is more limited than Molly’s. Matt is able to communicate in

functional English. I saw this first hand on 11/12/14 when Mike’s father came into the

classroom to see if we had found Mike’s glasses that he lost. (Recorded in observation

notebook.) Mike speaks English and Spanish. In the classroom Mike speaks English except

some interactions between friends when he sings songs in Spanish or speaks a few words in

Spanish. (Recorded in observation notebook everyday throughout the semester.)

Cultural information

During another interview I had with Mike on 11/5/14 (recorded in observation notebook)

I learned that Mike’s family is Catholic. Their religion is something that Mike’s grandparents

brought with them when they moved here from Mexico. He told me that they sometimes go to

church throughout the year but they always go for big holidays like Easter and Christmas.

Interests/Hobbies

Mike’s interests are soccer and art. I learned during my interview with Mike on 9/15/14

that he often plays soccer with his cousins. He also told me that he plays on a soccer team with

his cousin Alonzo. His favorite part of soccer is kicking the ball. Another thing he likes to do

with his cousins is play hide and seek. Mike told me that one time while they were playing hide

and seek Alonzo accidently pushed Mike down and he broke his arm. (Recorded in observation

notebook.)

Description of assessment tools used

One of the assessment tools I use in my classroom is an observation notebook. It is a

binder filled with loose-leaf papers that are separated into two sections. The first section is all

my observations of Bianca in order by date. The second section is all of my observations of

Mike in order by date. The observations I put into my observation notebook are from a variety

of different settings and times. They are anecdotal notes that I take everyday while I am in the

classroom working with my students and copies of work samples done by children.

For example, if we are working on math problems I will write down the

interactions my students are having with each other, my mentor teacher or myself. If I hear an

intriguing conversation going on I jot down what is being said so that I can come back to it later.

Another thing that I put in my observation notebook are the notes I take on home engagements.

The notes are either taken while I am talking to the family or as soon as I leave so that the

conversations are fresh in my mind. My observation notebook also has notes from interviews

that I do with students for a variety of reasons. For example, the kids bring home the story

backpacks that I have brought to the school as part of my coursework. When they come back I

ask them to share with me their experiences with the backpack, what they liked and whom they

shared the backpack with at home. I take notes on their responses and any other information

they share so that I always have it to look back on. Many times the information they share helps

me to create more meaningful lessons that will get them actively engaged.

Another assessment tool I use that are connected to my observation notebook are

interviews with the speech therapist. In the interviews I ask a variety of questions that revolve

around Mike’s IEP, his speech development and any questions I have regarding Mike’s learning

challenges. During the interviews I take notes that are recorded in my observation notebook.

Also recorded in my observation notebook are any interviews I have with my mentor teacher.

My mentor teacher has a checklist for our student’s counting skills. It has the children’s

names down the far left column. The next column headings include; 1 – 10, numbers switched, 1

– 20, numbers switched, and highest number. We have a set of cards that have the numbers 1

through 20 on them. They have a red background with black letters on one side and a yellow

background with black letters on the other side. In the hallway just outside of our classroom we

have a table with a handful of chairs in order to do individual and small group work outside of

the classroom. I call the children one by one and have them come out to the hallway table with

me. When we get there, I show them the cards and explain that they are number cards from 1 to

20. I ask them if they have any questions or if there is anything they notice about the cards to

give them a chance to get acquainted with the materials they will be asked to use.

Next, I have them put the numbers 1 through 10 in order. Then I ask them to count from

1 to 10 while pointing to their cards. In the 1 – 10 column next to their name I put the highest

number they counted to and in the numbers switched column I put the numbers if any that they

mixed up. Then I do the same exact thing but for 1 – 20. After they have finished I ask them to

count as high as they can. The first time we do it is at the beginning of the school year

(throughout August) and then again before they go on winter break (throughout December).

The third assessment tool I use to assessment my students is a writing rubric. After

my students have completed a unit writing assignment I collect their writing samples and score

them based on the writing rubric. The rubric is based on the Arizona Career and College

Readiness Writing Anchor Standard, Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. It is based

on levels with the lowest level being one and the highest level being five.

Level one pertains to students that demonstrate limited command of the grade-level

standard. Level one students demonstrate limited command by providing only limited

development of ideas relating to the prompt given. Level two are students that demonstrate

partial command of the grade-level standard. They demonstrate partial command by responding

to the prompt with partially developed ideas. Level three includes students who demonstrate

moderate command of the grade-level standard. Demonstrating moderate command means that

their ideas are adequately developed. Level four are students who demonstrate strong command

of the grade-level standard. To demonstrate strong command students must address the prompt

with effectively developed ideas. Lastly, level five includes students who demonstrate

distinguished command of the grade-level standard. In order to show distinguished command

students must address the prompt with consistently effective and comprehensive development.

Along with using the writing rubric to assess the content of my students writing I also

assess their handwriting skills. As I said above, when the kids complete unit writing assignments

I collect them and sometimes other writing samples if I think they would be good to document.

They could be good documentation for a variety of reasons. It could be a writing sample that

really shows of their handwriting in a different way than the unit writing assignments can. On

the other hand, it might be useful in showing what the student still needs to work on. As I also

stated before, I take pictures of the writing samples I collect in order to keep them for potential

future referencing. That way my students can take them home to show their parents but I can

still have the documentation. When looking at my students writing samples for handwriting I

complete an individual checklist for each child. Along the top are dates that writing samples

were collected for handwriting purposes throughout the semester (09/25/14, 10/06/14, 11/03/14).

Along the left side are the following headings, letter spacing, word spacing, letter height and

letters touching the bottom line. If the elements are present and well done the children get a plus

in the box for that date. If the heading elements are present but questionable, the children will

get a check in the box for that date. Lastly, if the elements are not present the box will stay

blank.

The last assessment to I use are folders for individual children. The folders are on my

computer with each child’s name on it. Inside the folder are the pictures of a variety of work

samples I collect, videos of children or their progress, pictures of projects children have

completed and anything else that I want to document. A copy of the picture and my comments

are included in my observation notebook.

Analysis of child’s growth in all areas

Physical Development

Mike’s physical development has improved in the area of fine motor skills. We see this

through his improved handwriting. At the first collection Mike’s letters were spaced individually

spaced correctly. His word spacing on the other hand was a little too far at times and too close at

other times. All of his letters were taller than the amount of space between the top and bottom

lines and most of the letters were not touching the bottom line (handwriting checklist, child

folder, 09/25/14). His most recent writing sample was a different story. His letter spacing was

still present and done correctly. His word spacing was consistently present throughout the

writing sample. Mike’s letters all fit in the amount of space between the bottom and top line and

over half of his letters were touching the bottom line (handwriting checklist, child folder,

11/03/14). This shows that his fine motor skills have improved throughout the year and in turn

given him the ability to control his pencil in order to improve his handwriting.

Social & Emotional Development

In the area of social and emotional development Mike has grown in his ability to express

his feelings. At the beginning of the year Mike talked to others in his reading class when it was

not time for socializing (observation notebook, 9/19/14). The teacher asked him to get back on

task and start reading with his partner. When she walked away he continued to talk to his partner

instead of reading their book. I stepped in and sat with the two to insure they stayed on task.

After class I asked Mike why he wasn’t partner reading and instead talking off task with his

partner. His response was that he didn’t know and that was as much as he would tell me. More

recently, Mike was again talking to others in the classroom while my mentor teacher was

teaching (observation notebook, 12/03/14). A handful of students including Mike were asked to

put their heads down while the rest of his classmates who were listening were able to have 5

minutes of free time. This time when I asked Mike why he wasn’t listening to the teacher his

response was different. He told me that he wanted to talk to his friends in the class. Therefore,

his ability to express his feelings and explain himself has increased since the beginning of the

year.

Language Development

Mike’s language development has grown in the area of his expressive speech. At the

beginning of the year I talked to Mike’s speech therapist and learned that he has speech

diversities. More specifically, his expressive speech is something that he struggles with over his

receptive speech (observation notebook, interview, 9/19/14). Later that day I saw it in action

during reading class as I explained in the social and emotional development section. Mike was

off-task during class even after being redirected. When I asked him after the incident why he

was off-task he couldn’t tell me (observation notebook, 9/19/14). However, that isn’t the case

anymore. During another interaction I had with Mike on 12/03/14 he was again off-task. This

time when I asked him why he was off task he explained that he want to talk to his friends

(observation notebook). This evidence was not enough for me though. On 12/03/14 I had

another interview with Mike’s speech therapist where he told me that he has seen Mike’s

improvement of expressive speech during their sessions (observation notebook, interview).

Reading & Language Arts Skills

In the area of reading and language arts skills Mike’s writing is what he has shown the

most growth in. His papers have gotten longer because he went from writing only one or two

sentences at the beginning of the year to now writing as many as six sentences (observation

notebook, 9/25/14, 11/03/14). When it comes to the content of Mike’s writing he has started to

make his sentences more meaningful. In the beginning of the year he was writing partially

developed of ideas getting twos and threes on his assignments (writing rubric, child folder,

9/10/14, 9/25/14). Now he is writing more effectively and getting threes and fours on

assignments (writing rubric, child folder, 10/06/14, 11/03/14).

Math Skills

Mike has shown growth in his math skills in a variety of ways. The one that he and I

found the most important to highlight is his growth in counting. It is something that he is very

excited about and has truly grown a lot in. At the beginning of the year (August 2014) he was

able to count to 39 (math checklist). When we did our end of the year assessment (December

2014) he was able to count to 200 (math checklist). That is a huge gap that he was able to fill in

the last five months and is something that he is very proud of.

Social Studies Skills

In the area of social studies skills Mike has learned a lot. He has grown most in his

knowledge of inventers. Partway through this year we started learning about inventors Benjamin

Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell and Meggie Moon. When we first started the lesson the whole

class was asked what they knew about inventors. When Mike was talking to his partner he said

that he knew inventors made things (observation notebook, 10/22/14). He did not know what

Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell or Meggie Moon. Through reading about those

inventors and watching videos about inventors he was able to learn a lot. In our closing

discussion of inventors Mike told the class that he learned that Alexander Graham Bell invented

the telephone by accident (observation notebook, 12/03/14).

Science Skills

We have not done a lot of science work throughout the semester but one thing Mike has

learned is about animal habitats. During our opening discussion of polar bears Mike shared with

the rest of the class his knowledge of polar bears living in cold places (observation notebook,

10/08/14). Through out discussions he learned a lot more about polar bears and their habitats.

He learned the many different places they live and what they eat in their habitats. All the things

he learned he wrote in his research papers of polar bears at the end of the unit (work sample,

child folder, 11/03/14).

Creative Arts

In the area of creative arts Mike has grown in his attention to detail and ability to add

color to his work. At the beginning of the year Mike drew a picture about his favorite part of a

book. In the picture he drew a house and two people. One person was walking into the house

and the other was standing next to it. There was no color, other items to show a setting or detail

in the people (observation notebook, work sample, 9/19/14). Towards the end of this semester

the children were asked to write an opinion piece along with it Mike drew a picture. In the

picture he drew a house, a dinosaur, cacti, clouds, the sun and dirt. Not only did the picture have

all of these elements to depict a scene it also had color. Mike’s artwork has grown with detail

with his increased practice in art.

Areas of Strength and Room for Growth

Mike’s strength lies in his receptive speech. Although his expressive speech has grown

throughout this year so far he still has room for improvement. He improved from having trouble

to emotionally express himself at the beginning of the year to now expressing his feelings to a

certain extent (observation notebook, 9/19/14 and 12/03/14). Mike has the ability to use his

speech to explain not only emotions but also academic content.