On-the-Spot Observation Recording Tool
Is this required or optional?
Use of this Tool is optional.
What is it?
The On-the-Spot Observation Recording Tool is a checklist. Teachers may use it to collect information quickly, either for one child or a group of children. The Tool is
designed to streamline the process of documenting physical, literacy, and mathematics development and learning. To help you collect information, the dimensions
of the large-muscle physical objectives (4–6) are included. Whether or not your program or school includes these dimensions in reports, the information will inform
your ratings.
Why use it?
Information about a child’s behavior as it occurs during the course of play or planned small-group times contributes to the total picture of a child’s development.
Documenting children’s learning means recording and preserving your observations throughout the day. Documentation takes many forms: observation notes,
photographs, video or audio clips, checklists, and samples of children’s work. This Tool eliminates the need for teachers to create their own checklists for particular
objectives, especially those for physical, literacy, and mathematics development and learning.
How to use it?
• Focus your observations on the particular objectives included: Objectives 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23.
• Find the indicator and level that best describes a child’s skills and behaviors. Write the date that you observed these skills or behaviors. If you used a particular
Assessment Opportunity Card to gather the information, note this.
• At progress checkpoints, refer to both the On-the-Spot Observation Recording Tool and other documentation before making your final ratings.
Objective 6 Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills
a. Throws
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Reaches, grasps, and releases
balls or other objects
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Throws a ball or other object
by pushing it with both hands
or by flinging it
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Steps forward to throw ball or
other object overhand toward
a target (6–10 feet away) and
follows through
Throws a ball or other object
overhand or underhand
toward a person or large
target several feet away
Children
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
José
Tim
Maya
Kai
1.
10/15, 12/1
2.
3.
4.
10/15, 11/15
2/3
10/15
2/3
12/1, 2/3
11/4, 2/7
5.
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6.
7.
7.
8.
8.
1
Objective 4
Demonstrates traveling skills
a. Walks
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Rolls from front (stomach)
to back and back to front
(stomach)
Level 3
Level 4
Crawls and/or begins to cruise
Level 5
Level 6
Walks steadily without support
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Walks up and down stairs,
alternating feet
Children
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3
4
Objective 4
Demonstrates traveling skills
b. Runs
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Uses a hurried walk
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Runs, but may fall sometimes
Level 5
Level 6
Runs smoothly
Level 7
Level 8
Runs smoothly and quickly,
avoids obstacles, changes
directions, stops and starts
easily
Level 9
Objective 4
Demonstrates traveling skills
c. Gallops and skips
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Gallops, but not smoothly
Level 3
Level 4
Gallops smoothly, always
leading with the same foot
Level 5
Level 6
Uses a one-footed skip (not
alternating feet)
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Skips smoothly (alternating
leading feet)
Children
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5
6
Objective 5
Demonstrates balancing skills
a. Sits and stands
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Sits unsupported; pulls to a
standing position
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Reaches for a toy without
falling over while sitting;
stands unsupported
Level 5
Level 6
Stands on one foot briefly
while holding on
Level 7
Level 8
Stands on one foot for 5–10
seconds without support
Level 9
Objective 5
Demonstrates balancing skills
b. Walks on beam
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Walks on a line on the ground
or a balance beam lying flat
on the floor
Level 3
Level 4
Walks on a low, wide beam,
watching feet; leads with
same foot
Level 5
Level 6
Walks on a low,
wide beam, alternating feet
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Walks forward easily on
a 2– to 3-inch-wide beam
Children
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7
8
Objective 5
Demonstrates balancing skills
c. Jumps and hops
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Jumps off floor with both feet
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Jumps over small objects;
hops up to 3 times on one
foot
Level 5
Level 6
Jumps forward landing on
both feet; hops 4–6 times on
same foot; attempts to jump
rope
Level 7
Level 8
Hops 7–10 times on same
foot; jumps rope
Level 9
Objective 6
Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills
a. Throws
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Reaches, grasps, and
releases balls or other
objects
Level 3
Level 4
Throws a ball or other object
by pushing it with both hands
or by flinging it
Level 5
Level 6
Throws a ball or other object
overhand or underhand
toward a person or large
target several feet away
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Steps forward to throw ball or
other object overhand toward
a target (6–10 feet away) and
follows through
Children
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9
10
Objective 6
Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills
b. Catches
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Grasps a rolled ball
or other object
using two hands
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Catches large, bounced ball
against body with straight
arms
Level 5
Level 6
Catches a large ball with
two hands; traps ball against
body if not successful with
hands alone
Level 7
Level 8
Catches a large ball with both
hands and with bent elbows
Level 9
Objective 6
Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills
c. Kicks
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Pushes against ball with foot
Level 3
Level 4
Kicks a ball with a straight
leg, not bending knee, and
with stiff body movement
Level 5
Level 6
Kicks stationary ball forward,
stepping or running up to it,
bending the kicking leg at
the knee
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Kicks moving ball by
stepping forward, swinging
leg back, and using full range
of motion
Children
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11
12
Objective 7
Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination
a. Uses fingers and hands
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Reaches for, touches, and
holds objects purposefully
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Uses fingers and whole-arm
movements to manipulate
and explore objects
Level 5
Level 6
Uses refined wrist and finger
movements
Level 7
Level 8
Uses small, precise finger
and hand movements
Level 9
Objective 7
Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination
b. Uses writing tools
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Grasps drawing and writing
tools, jabbing at paper
Level 3
Level 4
Grips drawing and writing
tools with whole hand
but may use whole-arm
movements to make marks
Level 5
Level 6
Holds drawing and writing
tools by using a three-point
finger grip but may hold the
instrument too close to one
end
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Uses three-point finger grip
and efficient hand placement
when writing and drawing
Children
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13
14
Objective 15
Demonstrates phonological awareness
a. Notices and discriminates rhyme
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Joins in rhyming songs and
games
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Fills in the missing rhyming
word; generates words
spontaneously
Level 5
Level 6
Decides whether two words
rhyme
Level 7
Level 8
Generates a group of rhyming
words when given a word
Level 9
Objective 15
Demonstrates phonological awareness
b. Notices and discriminates alliteration
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Sings songs and recites
rhymes and refrains with
repeating initial sounds
Level 3
Level 4
Shows awareness that some
words begin the same way
Level 5
Level 6
Matches beginning sounds of
some words
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Isolates and identifies the
beginning sound of a word
Children
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15
16
Objective 15
Demonstrates phonological awareness
c. Notices and discriminates smaller and smaller units of sound
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Hears and shows awareness
of separate words in
sentences
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Hears and shows awareness
of separate syllables in words
Level 5
Level 6
Verbally separates and
blends onset and rime
Level 7
Level 8
Verbally separates and blends
individual phonemes in words
Level 9
Objective 16
Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet
a. Identifies and names letters
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Recognizes and names a few
letters in own name
Level 3
Level 4
Recognizes as many as 10
letters, especially those in
own name
Level 5
Level 6
Identifies and names 11–20
upper- and 11–20 lowercase
letters when presented in
random order
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Identifies and names all
upper- and lowercase letters
when presented in random
order
Children
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17
18
Objective 16
Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet
b. Uses letter–sound knowledge
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Identifies the sounds of a few
letters
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Produces the correct sounds
for 10–20 letters
Level 5
Level 6
Shows understanding
that a sequence of letters
represents a sequence of
spoken sounds
Level 7
Level 8
Applies letter–sound
correspondence when
attempting to read and write
Level 9
Objective 17
Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses
a. Uses and appreciates books
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Shows interest in books
Level 3
Level 4
Orients book correctly; turns
pages from the front of the
book to the back; recognizes
familiar books by their covers
Level 5
Level 6
Knows some features of a
book (title, author, illustrator);
connects specific books to
authors
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Uses various types of books
for their intended purposes
Children
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19
20
Objective 17
Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses
b. Uses print concepts
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Shows understanding that
text is meaningful and can
be read
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Indicates where to start
reading and the direction to
follow
Level 5
Level 6
Shows awareness of various
features of print: letters,
words, spaces, upper- and
lowercase letters, some
punctuation
Level 7
Level 8
Matches a written word with
a spoken word but it may not
be the actual written word;
tracks print from the end of
a line of text to the beginning
of the next line
Level 9
Objective 18
Comprehends and responds to books and other texts
a. Interacts during read-alouds and book conversations
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Contributes particular
language from the book at
the appropriate time
Level 3
Level 4
Asks and answers questions
about the story; refers to
pictures
Level 5
Level 6
Identifies story-related
problems, events, and
resolutions during
conversations with an adult
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Reconstructs story, using
pictures, text, and props;
begins to make inferences
and draw conclusions
Children
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21
22
Objective 18
Comprehends and responds to books and other texts
b. Uses emergent reading skills
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Pretends to read a familiar
book, treating each page as
a separate unit; names and
describes what is on each
page, using pictures as cues
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Pretends to read, using some
of the language from the text;
describes the action across
pages, using pictures to
order the events; may need
prompts from adult
Level 5
Level 6
Pretends to read, reciting
language that closely
matches the text on each
page and using reading-like
intonation
Level 7
Level 8
Tries to match oral language
to words on page; points to
words as reads; uses different
strategies (e.g., sounding out
words, known words, and
patterns in text) to make
meaning from print
Level 9
Objective 18
Comprehends and responds to books and other texts
c. Retells stories
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Retells some events from a
familiar story with close adult
prompting
Level 3
Level 4
Retells familiar stories, using
pictures or props as prompts
Level 5
Level 6
Retells a familiar story in
proper sequence, including
major events and characters
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Retells stories with many
details about characters,
events, and storylines
Children
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23
24
Objective 19
Demonstrates emergent writing skills
a. Writes name
Not Yet
Level 1
Scribbles or marks
Carolyn
Children
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Level 2
Controlled linear
scribbles
Lilly
Level 3
Mock letters or letter-like
forms
Paula
Level 4
Letter strings
Emma
Level 5
Partially accurate name
Vicky
Level 6
Accurate name
Brooke
Level 7
Objective 19
Demonstrates emergent writing skills
b. Writes to convey meaning
Not Yet
Level 1
Scribbles or marks
Maya said, “Here
Mommy. Read this.”
Level 2
Controlled linear scribbles
Carolyn said, “That’s my
phone number. You can
call me.”
Level 3
Mock letters or
letter-like forms
Erica said, “I’m
writing my ABCs just like
my sister.”
Level 4
Letter strings
Jordan said,
“Here’s a ticket! You’re
under arrest!”
Level 5
Early invented spelling
Meir wrote, “Uncle Clay,
I love you.”
Level 6
Level 7
Late invented spelling
Jenna said, “I need
to buy some blackberries
and grapes at the store.”
Children
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25
26
Objective 20
Uses number concepts and operations
a. Counts
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Verbally counts (not always in
the correct order)
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Verbally counts to 10; counts
up to five objects accurately,
using one number name for
each object
Level 5
Level 6
Verbally counts to 20; counts
10–20 objects accurately;
knows the last number states
how many in all; tells what
number (1–10) comes next in
order by counting
Level 7
Level 8
Uses number names while
counting to 100; counts 30
objects accurately; tells what
number comes before and
after a specified number up
to 20
Level 9
Objective 20
Uses number concepts and operations
b. Quantifies
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Demonstrates understanding
of the concepts of one, two,
and more
Level 3
Level 4
Recognizes and names the
number of items in a small
set (up to five) instantly;
combines and separates up
to five objects and describes
the parts
Level 5
Level 6
Makes sets of 6–10 objects
and then describes the
parts; identifies which part
has more, less, or the same
(equal); counts all or counts
on to find out how many
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Uses a variety of strategies
(counting objects or fingers,
counting on, or counting
back) to solve problems
with more than
10 objects
Children
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27
28
Objective 20
Uses number concepts and operations
c. Connects numerals with their quantities
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Begins to recognize and
name a few numerals
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Identifies numerals to 5 by
name and connects each to
counted objects
Level 5
Level 6
Identifies numerals to 10 by
name and connects each to
counted objects
Level 7
Level 8
Identifies numerals to 20 by
name and connects each to
counted objects
Level 9
Objective 21
Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes
a. Understands spatial relationships
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Follows simple directions
related to position (in, on,
under, up, down)
Level 3
Level 4
Follows simple directions
related to proximity (beside,
between, next to)
Level 5
Level 6
Uses and responds
appropriately to positional
words indicating location,
direction, and distance
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Uses and makes simple
sketches, models, or pictorial
maps to locate objects
Children
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29
30
Objective 21
Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes
b. Understands shapes
Not Yet
Level 1
Level 2
Matches two identical shapes
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Identifies a few basic shapes
(circle, square, triangle)
Level 5
Level 6
Describes basic two- and
three-dimensional shapes by
using own words; recognizes
basic shapes when they
are presented in a new
orientation
Level 7
Level 8
Shows that shapes remain the
same when they are turned,
flipped, or slid; breaks apart
or combines shapes to create
different shapes and sizes
Level 9
Objective 22
Not Yet
Level 1
Compares and measures
Level 2
Makes simple comparisons
between two objects
Level 3
Level 4
Compares and orders a
small set of objects as
appropriate according to
size, length, weight, area,
or volume; knows usual
sequence of basic daily
events and a few ordinal
numbers
Level 5
Level 6
Uses multiples of the same
unit to measure; uses
numbers to compare; explores
standard measuring tools
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Uses measurement words
and some standard
measurement tools
accurately; uses ordinal
numbers from first to tenth
Children
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31
32
Objective 23
Not Yet
Level 1
Demonstrates knowledge of patterns
Level 2
Shows interest in simple
patterns in everyday life
Children
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Level 3
Level 4
Copies simple repeating
patterns
Level 5
Level 6
Extends and creates simple
repeating patterns
Level 7
Level 8
Recognizes, creates, and
explains more complex
repeating and simple growing
patterns
Level 9