Tutor-Marked Assignment July 2025 Semester

Question 1

Five-year-old Jacob has recently lost his father, and his mother has told him, “Daddy has gone to heaven and will not be coming back.” Soon after, the class pet fish dies. When Jacob asks about the fish, the class teacher, Ms. Kat, a novice educator, responds by saying, “He is taking a little break.” When Jacob asks more questions, she says that the fish has gone somewhere else, and she thinks it needed a change of water. When asked if the fish will come back, she
dismisses his concerns. Jacob becomes visibly anxious and begins to withdraw from his classmates.

a. Provide a brief synthesis of literature (no more than eight relevant sources, including newspaper articles) that explains TWO (2) challenges young families experience when facing unpredictable stressors, with a particular focus on the death of a family member. At the end of your answer, include a table listing all the sources you referred to, formatted according to APA 7th edition citation style.

(20 marks)

b. With reference to (a), use ONE (1) theory we have discussed in the course to examine how grief can impact the parent-child relationship and the collaboration between home and preschool. Include TWO (2) examples that clearly illustrate how the theory applies in this context. Draw on your course readings and your professional experiences to strengthen your argument.

(20 marks)

c. Analyse Ms. Kat’s response in the scenario and discuss TWO (2) potential implications it may have on Jacob’s grieving process, drawing on the readings below and other relevant course materials.

• Schonfeld, D. S. (2021). How early childhood educators can explain death to
  children. Teaching Young Children, 14 (3).
  https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/spring2021/explaining-death
• Olin, T., & Wilcox-Herzog, A. (2020). Discussing death with young children.
  https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/discussing-death-with-young-children.

(20 marks)

d. Present a detailed description of how you might respond to Jacob, incorporating both verbal and non-verbal interactions. Provide TWO (2) examples from your response to illustrate how your approach demonstrates cultural sensitivity, drawing on concepts discussed in the course readings.

(10 marks)

e. Illustrate TWO (2) culturally appropriate family centred collaborative practices that Ms. Kat can use to help Jacob, and his mother navigate their grief. For each of the suggested practices, include a clear rationale based on your course readings and the AECES Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Professionals (3rd edition)

(20 marks)

(Quality of Writing = 10 marks)
(Total = 100 marks)