The Cognitive Development of Nine

Year-Olds

Erin JohnsonLSIS5505

Concrete Operational Period

• According to Piaget, children around ages 7-11 go through the concrete operational period in regards to cognitive development

• Systematic and orderly thinkers• Can think about things in distant

time and space (from history to future)

• Flexible and reversible thoughts• Ability to stand back from a

situation and take note of several features and their interrelationships instead of focusing on only one aspect at a time

• Problem solvers

Reading Responses• Prefer exciting, fast-

moving stories• High interest in twists of

plot, secret codes, riddles and other language play

• Can sequence and rearrange events in a story

• Understand stories with more complex plot (flashbacks and stories within a story)

• Identify different points of view

Reading Recommendation 1: Encounter by Jane Yolen

•Historical Fiction

•When Christopher Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492, he discovered the Taino Indians. Told from a young Taino boy's point of view, this story traces how the frightened child tries to warn his people against welcoming the strangers, who seem more interested in golden treasures than friendship.

Encounter Justification

• Exposes children to a new point of view

• Can be read independently, together, or aloud by adult since some nine year olds are still struggling with reading

• Helps children learn about a historical event

• Can make a connection to the child narrator

Reading Recommendation 2:The Maze of Bones by Rick

Riordan•Part of The 39 Clues Series

•What would happen if you discovered that your family was one of the most powerful in human history? What if you were told that the source of the family's power was hidden around the world, in the form of 39 Clues? What if you were given a choice: take a million dollars and walk away, or get the first Clue? If you're Amy and Dan Cahill, you take the Clue, and begin a very dangerous race.

The Maze of Bones Justification

• Children in this stage enjoy collecting, reading, and trading books in a series

• Chance to piece clues together in order to solve a mystery

• Contains a lot of action

• Can connect to the young protagonists

Resources

•Kiefer, Barbara Z. Charlotte Huck’s Literature, 10th ed., McGraw Hill, 2010.

•Riordan, Rick. The Maze of Bones. Scholastic Inc., 2008.

•Tribe, Carol. Profile of three theories. Kendall Hunt Pub Co, 1982.

•Yolen, Jane. Encounter. Harcourt Children, 1992.