Observation
This is a 4-5-year-old preschool classroom during lunchtime. There are 20 children in the class and 3 teachers. The children sit at three tables. Their seats are assigned by the teachers and there is a mix of boys and girls at each table. Children ask their teachers for help opening some of their lunch items as well as when they need more milk, a napkin, fork, spoon, etc. The children talk to their friends at their table while eating. Some children periodically need to be redirected to their lunches because they are playing and/or talking too much. Some children compare their lunch items while others talk about their families, their birthdays, and Star Wars seems to be a big topic in this classroom. The children already know that they are expected to eat their sandwich first and most of the children move throughout their lunch without guidance and without asking which items they should eat next. The children remain seated until they are finished eating unless they need to wash their hands or get a paper towel. There is one child who seems to have difficulty staying on task with eating her lunch. The teachers are repeatedly redirecting her and reminding her what is expected of her at lunchtime. She gets out of her seat over and over again for what appears to be no real reason (throwing a tiny bit of trash away, crawling on the floor, and picking up her lunch box). She has also had to be spoken to several times about the proper way to eat her sandwich. She has been taking her sandwich apart, putting it back together, then breaking off little bits of bread and dropping them on the table and floor around her. She seems to be very easily distracted.
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