Age-Level Characteristics

Preschool and Kindergarten (3, 4, and 5 years)
Physical Characteristics:

1. Very active
2. Need frequent rest periods
3. Large muscles more developed than fingers and hands (may need assistance with buttons and tying shoes)
4. Eye hand coordination may be imperfect
5. Bones that protect the brain are still soft
6. The gender differences in physical development and motor skills are usually not noticeable

Social Characteristics:

1. Most have 1 or 2 best friends but they may change rapidly; preschoolers usually will play with most anyone, but they are usually of the same gender
2. They exhibit different types of play behavior which may vary from social class and gender
3. They are aware of gender roles and gender typing

Emotional Characteristics:

1. They tend to express their emotions freely and openly and anger outbursts are frequent
2. Jealousy among classmates is common

Cognitive Characteristics:

1. They begin to develop a theory of mind (being aware of the difference between thinking about something and experiencing that same thing and to predict the thoughts of others)
2. Kindergartens are quite skillful with language, especially in front of a group
3. They do not accurately assess their competence for particular tasks
4. Competence is encouraged by interaction, interest, opportunities, urging, limits, admiration, and signs of affection

Primary Grades (1, 2, and 3; six, seven, or eight years)

Physical Characteristics:

1. Extremely active and energy may be expressed in nervous habits
2. They need frequent rest periods
3. Large muscle control is still superior to fine coordination (boys may have trouble using a pencil)
4. Quite a few may be farsighted because of the shallow shape of the eye (have trouble focusing on small prints or objects)
5. May be extreme in their physical activities (accident rate is at a peak for 3rd grade)
6. Bone growth still not complete (can not stand heavy pressure)

Social Characteristics:

1. May be more selective in their choice of friendships
2. Often like more organized games in small groups (overly concerned with rules and team spirit)
3. Quarrels are frequent (words used more than physical aggression, but boys may indulge in punching and wrestling)

Emotional Characteristics:

1. Sensitive to criticism and ridicule and difficulty adjusting to failure
2. Eager to please teacher
3. Becoming sensitive to the feelings of others

Cognitive Characteristics:

1. They understand that there are different ways to know things and that some are better than others
2. Begin to understand that learning and recall are caused by particular cognitive processes that they can control
3. They still do not learn as efficiently as older children due to their neurological development still continuing to develop and their limited experiences
4. They may talk aloud to theirself

Elementary School (4th and 5th grade; 9 and 10 years)

Physical Characteristics:

1. Girls and boys both become leaner and stronger
2. Obesity can be a problem with some children
3. Gender differences in motor skill performance may be apparent
4. Physical development is relatively calm and predictable

Social Characteristics:

1. Peer groups become powerful and begin to replace adults as the source of behavior and recognition of achievement
2. Friendships are more selective and gender based

Emotional Characteristics:

1. They are developing a more global, integrated, and complex self-image (self-description, self-esteem, and self-concept)
2. Disruptive family relationships, social rejection, and school failure may lead to deliquent behavior

Cognitive Characteristics:

1. They can think logically but can be constrained and inconsistent
2. Simple memory skill tasks often are equal to adolescents and adults but complex tasks are much more limited

Middle School (6, 7, and 8th grades; 11, 12, and 13 years)

Physical Characteristics:

1. Physical growth is rapid and uneven (early-maturing boys may be more popular and have a more positive self-concept; late-maturing boys may have lower self-esteem; early-maturing girls may be taller and heavier, lower self-esteem and more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and panic attacks; late-maturing girls may look more like the stereotypical model and have positive self-esteem and popularity)
2. Puberty development is evident in most all girls and in many boys
3. Concern and curiosity about sex

Social Characteristics:

1. The development of interpersonal reasoning leads to greater understanding of the feelings of others
2. The desire to conform is highest at this age level

Emotional Characteristics:

1. The period of "storm and stress" can be an exaggeration at this age
2. They are typically self-conscious and self-centered

Cognitive Characteristics:

1. They need a classroom environment that is open, supportive and intellectually stimulating
2. Self-efficiacy is an important influence on intellectual and social behavior

High School (9, 10, 11, and 12th grades; 14, 15, 16, and 17 years)

Physical Characteristics:

1. They reach physical maturity and all attain puberty
2. They become sexually active
3. The birthrate for unmarried adolescents is still high as is the rate of STD's

Social Characteristics:

1. Parents and other adults influence long-range plans and peers influence immediate status
2. Girls seem to experience greater anxiety about friendships than boys
3. Many are employed after school

Emotional Characteristics:

1. Many psychiatric disorders either appear or become prominent (eating disorders, substance abuse, schizophrenia, depression, and suicide)
2. The most common emotional disorder is depression
3. If depression becomes severe, suicide may be contemplated

Congitive Characteristics:

1. They are more capable of engaging in formal thought, but they may not always use it
2. Between 12 and 16 political thought becomes more abstract, liberal and knowledgeable

Technology

1. Kidlink (www.kidlink.org): a nonprofit organization that helps teachers and students arrange electronic exchanges with students from around the world
2. Adventure learning: a program that allows students to interact electronically with experts and explorers around the world (virtual field trips) (Ex: Global Online Adventure Learning Site www.goals.com/index.htm and ThinkQuest's Ocean AdVENTure site http://library.thinkquest.org/18828 )

Experiences:

I work with all age level students from 3 to 18 so I see each of these age-level characteristics quite often. I think it is important to know what your students are like and what they are going through when trying to teach them. By knowing each of these characteristics we can find more things to do with them that fit them individually. Every child learns at a different rate and matures at a different rate so we need to be aware of this when working with them. After reading this I will be able to think about these characteristics in a little different way when finding activities and assignments for my students.

Discussion Boards:

There were so many different ideas for using technology in the different age-level classrooms that I have decided that I will go back and right down the ones that I like the most and add them to this blog latter. I also found many different handbooks that were really informative. I want to do the same with them. At the school that I work at the only handbook is the one that is put out by the school as a whole (1 for elementary and 1 for high school). I think it would be great to come up with a handbook for the parents of the children that I serve that has a lot of information that they could use. I also want to have a section for the children that is written at their level. It may not be as age specific but it will have things in it that are specific for my area.

Weekly Question: (Based on the grade level that you will be teaching, how do the age-level characteristics for you age group help you to better understand your grade level? Knowing the age-level characteristics and the theories that we learned in chapter 2, how do you think this will help you become a better teacher?)

I work with such a variety of ages that it will give me a better idea of activities and assignments that I would use for each of my groups. These characteristics help me to understand what each age-level is capable of doing if gone about it in the right way. The theories will help me to find that right way of teaching each of them. Teaching is building on our knowledge and experiences and does not happen all at once it takes time to develop and mold into what we really want and need.