Thanks for making it a super class today, students! We are off to a great start!
In preparation for class next week (September 14), please do the following homework:
Read
Read pages 27-33 of Understand Child Development. Pay particular attention to the terms and definitions on page 33. Taking notes or underlining and marking up your book will help you to process and retain more information.
Watch Videos
Watch the fetal development month by month video linked below. Taking notes will help you to get more out of it!
Also, watch this video about birth.
Interview and write up
Use the interview guide handed out in class to interview someone about their pregnancy and birth experience. This could be your mom or someone else. Remember the guidelines we talked about in class: be attentive and respectful, ask follow up questions (e.g., what did you think about that? How did you feel about that?), practice active listening (e.g., Wow! That’s interesting. Tell me more about…), and remember to thank them for their time (even if it’s your mom!).
While conducting the interview, take notes on the interview guide. This will make it much easier to do your write up. The write up consists of two parts. First, a summary. This is an objective summary of what happened and what was said. Just the facts. This is the type of information that might possibly be included:
I interviewed Henrietta (name changed for privacy) on September 9, 2023. The interview lasted from 2:32 pm until 3:14 pm.
She cried as she told me about seeing her baby for the first time…etc.
She didn’t remember having any cravings except for ice cream. She reported that she ate ice cream everyday…etc.
The second part of the write up is subjective and consists of your thoughts, opinions, and ideas about the interview and what was said. This section may look a little like this:
I was amazed that Henrietta remembered so many details about the birth of her first child. It must have been one of those moments that stay with you forever. It was difficult for her to speak because she was crying. Everything she went through–a very hard pregnancy–was worth it for her when she saw her baby.
Or…It was interesting to interview my mom because we haven’t ever talked about how she felt when she was pregnant and preparing to be a mom. She has just always been a mom to me.
This write up does not need to be in essay format. You are presenting your findings. It should, however, be typed and in 12 pt font so I can read it 🙂 No requirement on length.
And the final note, ask your participant whether they would like to be anonymous or if they are okay with their name being included in the write up. You will not be sharing your report with class members, but I will be reading them. I can’t wait!