Final answer:
A work sample is a practical method to document a child's ability to print her name, representing a direct evidence of their literacy skills. It is an essential tool for assessing development, guiding instruction, and measuring the effectiveness of educational interventions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, a work sample can indeed be used to document a child's ability to print her name. A work sample is a direct collection of evidence demonstrating a student's ability to perform a certain task or set of skills. In early education contexts, documenting a child's developmental milestones, such as name writing, is crucial not only for assessment purposes but also for planning future instruction targeted to the child's needs.
By age 4, most children have developed the motor skills necessary to scribble with a crayon and by age 5, they generally have the ability to use a pencil to trace letters. This progression shows that collecting work samples, like those of a child printing their name, is a valid way to gauge their literacy development. When assessing handwriting abilities, work samples are compelling evidence as they show a child's skill level in a concrete manner, which can be used to track progress over time and guide further educational interventions as needed.
Moreover, in educational research, such as the thesis by Zwicker (2005), the effectiveness of different teaching approaches in improving handwriting skills in children has been explored. This research reinforces the importance of work samples in both documenting current skill levels and as an outcome measure of intervention effectiveness.