Elementary Education

Task 1: Planning Commentary

TASK 1: PLANNING COMMENTARY

Respond to the prompts below (no more than 9 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within the
brackets. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Pages exceeding the maximum will not be scored.

1. Central Focus
a. Describe the central focus and the essential literacy strategy for comprehending OR
composing text you will teach in the learning segment.
[The purpose of this learning segment is to provide students with the opportunity to explore
the main idea and supporting details in a variety of texts. This central focus for
comprehension will allow the students to understand what a text is mostly about and back
up the claim with supporting details from the text. ]
b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within
your learning segment address

the essential literacy strategy

related skills that support use of the strategy

reading/writing connections

[ The standards and learning objectives within the learning segment will allow the students
to make deeper connections with texts that they read by learning strategies to help them
identify main idea and supporting details. Students must be able to identify the main idea of
a text as well as give supporting details in order to fully comprehend a text. If a student is
able to identify the main idea of a text and support their decision with details, they have the
ability to comprehend a text. Students will be reading on their current reading level so they
will be building on the requisite reading comprehension skills they already possess through
focusing on identifying main idea. The students will be required to both read and write about
their text and the strategies they are learning.]
c. Explain how your plans build on each other to help students make connections
between the essential literacy strategy to comprehend OR compose text and related
skills that support use of the strategy in meaningful contexts.
[ The plans for this learning segment are designed to build on one another as well as
gradually release responsibility to the students. To begin the learning segment, I am
introducing a way to identify main idea during a read aloud. We will fill out a graphic
organizer together as a class. Then I will be having students work in groups to read different
types of text and using strategies to identify main idea. During these centers I will move
around to the different groups to give students prompts while they are working. After these
centers they will have had the opportunity to read several different texts and use different
organizers and strategies to identify main idea. Through this building, the students will be
able to develop a deeper understanding of the texts and reading will have more meaning
after they are able to identify why it is important and what the text was mostly about. ]
2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching
For each of the prompts below (2ab), describe what you know about your students with
respect to the central focus of the learning segment.
Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different strategies/support
(e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, struggling readers,
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted

students).
a. Prior academic learning and prerequisite skills related to the central focusCite
evidence of what students know, what they can do, and what they are still learning
to do.
[ In regards to identifying the main idea of a text, the majority of the students in the class can
tell you what a text is mostly about but they have a hard time giving details. My student with
a 504 does not have a difficult time telling me what a story is mostly about. He can also give
a summary of a text after reading. The students have been learning about story structure
and story sequence. These skills have been pushing students to develop deeper
understanding while reading. On the pre assessment, the 35% of the students could not
identify the main idea from the passage. I will be providing explicit instruction of strategies to
find main idea. ]
b. Personal, cultural, and community assets related to the central focusWhat do you
know about your students everyday experiences, cultural and language
backgrounds and practices, and interests?
[ As I have listened to my students throughout my experience I have had them write in their
journals about their weekends, their favorite vacation and a trip that they have gone on. One
thing that really stood out to me was that they could give major details such as we went to
the beach but they could not give many supporting details. This was concerning because
they had difficulty writing more than 3 sentences. I know that my students know how to give
a general idea of something but have a hard time recalling supporting details. This is
something that I will address in the learning segment. ]
3. Supporting Students Literacy Learning
Respond to prompts 3ac below. To support your justifications, refer to the instructional
materials and lesson plans you have included as part of Literacy Planning Task 1. In
addition, use principles from research and/or theory to support your justifications.
a. Justify how your understanding of your students prior academic learning and personal,
cultural, and community assets (from prompts 2ab above) guided your choice or
adaptation of learning tasks and materials. Be explicit about the connections between
the learning tasks and students prior academic learning, their assets, and
research/theory.
[ After administering the pre assessment and getting to know the students, I knew that I
would have to introduce strategies to find main idea and show why supporting details were
important. I also realized that it would be necessary to show the strategies in different ways
and allow the students to use the strategies using different types of texts. After the students
would be able to try using the strategies on different types of text with the assistance of me, I
wanted the students to work in small groups to read and identify main idea and supporting
details. I know that my students enjoy working in small groups and talking with their peers so
I knew I wanted to include that in the learning segment. ]
b. Describe and justify why your instructional strategies and planned supports are
appropriate for the whole class, individuals, and/or groups of students with specific
learning needs.

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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different
strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners,
struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic
knowledge, and/or gifted students).
[ After administering different learning style inventories, I noticed many of the students liked
to work in groups and learned better with auditory instruction. When planning my learning
segments I knew that I wanted the students to be able to work together in groups and I
wanted them to have the opportunity to talk with each other. The students will be able to
read aloud in small groups and talk amongst themselves to discuss their ideas about main
idea and supporting details. I also wanted to help my visual and auditory learners by
modeling the strategies for finding main idea and supporting details. I planned on using
gradual release of responsibility for my students so I could use different teaching strategies
to help each of my students with different styles of learning. ]
c. Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within
your literacy central focus and how you will address them.
[ The biggest misconception in finding the main idea is assuming that the title is always the
main idea. I will find texts that have a main idea that is more specific than the broad title so
that the students are able to see that the main idea is not always the title of the text. ]
4. Supporting Literacy Development Through Language
As you respond to prompts 4ad, consider the range of students language assets and
needswhat do students already know, what are they struggling with, and/or what is new to
them?
a. Language Function. Using information about your students language assets and
needs, identify one language function essential for students to develop and practice the
literacy strategy within your central focus. Listed below are some sample language
functions. You may choose one of these or another more appropriate for your learning
segment.
Analyze

Argue

Categorize

Compare/contra
st

Describe

Interpret

Predict

Question

Retell

Summariz
e

Explain

[ Throughout the learning segment the students will be required to analyze as they read. As
the students read their texts, they will be analyzing the text in order to decide on the main
idea. I want the students to think deeper about the text they are reading to identify the main
idea. ]
b. Identify a key learning task from your plans that provides students with opportunities to
practice using the language function in ways that support the essential literacy strategy.
Identify the lesson in which the learning task occurs. (Give lesson day/number.)
[ In lesson 3, the students will be putting their knowledge of identifying main idea to the test.
Students will be put into small groups and set off to read a levelled book based on reading
level and interest inventories. When they get into their small groups they will be instructed to
analyze the text as they read, take notes on what they are analyzing and then complete a
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

graphic organizer based on their analysis of the text. They will have lesson 3 and 4 to
complete this task. In lesson 5 the students will present their books and they will have to
justify their choice of main idea and explain how they analyzed the text to find the main idea.
]
c. Additional Language Demands. Given the language function and learning task
identified above, describe the following associated language demands (written or oral)
students need to understand and/or use:

Vocabulary or key phrases

Plus at least one of the following:

Syntax
Discourse

[ The main vocabulary that the students will have to learn is graphic organizer, identify, main
idea and supporting details. The students will be expected to complete the graphic
organizers in complete sentences and when the students present their books they will be
required to speak in complete sentences. ]
d. Language Supports. Refer to your lesson plans and instructional materials as needed
in your response to the prompt.
Identify and describe the planned instructional supports (during and/or
prior to the learning task) to help students understand, develop, and use the
identified language demands (function, vocabulary or key phrases, discourse, or
syntax).

[ Before the learning segments we will discuss the vocabulary necessary for the segment.
Before we begin each lesson we will review the vocabulary and I will encourage the students
to utilize the vocabulary they have learned as they discuss the texts. They will be in constant
contact with the vocabulary included on the different graphic organizers they will use
throughout the learning segments. As the students present their books they will be
encouraged to use the vocabulary they have learned. When I move from group to group, I
will ask questions requiring students to use the vocabulary we have learned as well as
speaking in complete sentences when they speak. ]
5. Monitoring Student Learning
In response to the prompts below, refer to the assessments you will submit as part of the
materials for Literacy Planning Task 1.
a. Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct
evidence that students can use the essential literacy strategy to comprehend OR
compose text AND related skills throughout the learning segment.
[ The planned informal assessments will allow me to monitor the student's progress
throughout the segments. They will be completing different graphic organizers while reading
different texts to identify main idea and supporting details. The formal assessment of the
levelled book group presentation along with the graphic organizers they completed will
provide with the direct evidence that the students know how to identify main idea and
supporting details in a text. I will also be using the comparison of the pre and post
assessments to prove that the students can use the literacy strategy to comprehend text
after the learning segment. ]
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

b. Explain how the design or adaptation of your planned assessments allows students with
specific needs to demonstrate their learning.
Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different
strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners,
struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic
knowledge, and/or gifted students).
[ When administering the pre and post assessments, the students were not on a time limit
and the students that required more time were able to spend as much time as they needed
on the assessment. Students that required some help reading the questions and answers
were able to ask for assistance. I would read the question and possible answers aloud for
the students who asked. The items used as informal assessments will allow for the students
to spend as much time as needed to answer the questions and/or complete graphic
organizers. If any student requires more time to complete an assessment, they will be able
to use time later in the day to complete the assignments. If students need things read aloud
for clarification they will be able to ask for assistance and if they require more time for
writing, they will be able to receive that time.]

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