Task 1b Planning

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.
[Students apply their grammar and reading comprehension skills to a written narrative. Setting a
purpose and monitoring understanding will cause students to synthesize information gathered to
write their narrative.]
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 students are to demonstrate the correct usage of standard English grammar, capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing. In addition, evaluating the information synthesized
through and monitor their understanding on how to create a coherent narrative.]
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 stem from my students’ prior knowledge and expands their use of application when
using the following literacy strategies in their short essays. My students will start reading and
notating a selected text that requires the use of the essential literacy strategies. An example
would be referring back to a conflicting moment in a story and connect it to writing by mapping
out the ideas to support their set purpose and monitor their understanding by synthesizing
collected information on the topic.]
2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching
For each of the prompts below (2a–b), 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,
underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted
students).
a. Prior academic learning and prerequisite skills related to the central focus—Cite evidence
of what students know, what they can do, and what they are still learning to do.
[The morning assignments I assign each day includes narratives that features
grammatical/punctuational errors or focuses on identifying details in the passages. Completing
these assignments gave my students practice and familiarity with narratives and its
components. Now that my students have experience with editing written text and distinguishing
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details within text, they can apply their prior knowledge into making clear narratives. Currently
they are learning how to apply and connect their previous experiences with narratives by using
their essential literacy strategies and following the guidance of the lesson’s central focus. My
EIP students and ESOL students required assisted reading and small group instruction to build
their prior knowledge to meet the central focus. Extended time and verbal/visual examples were
given to develop skills to help them format narratives. ]
b. Personal, cultural, and community assets related to the central focus—What do you know
about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural and language backgrounds and
practices, and interests?
[I teach a multicultural classroom, in which I have bilingual speakers and different dialects. The
diversity makes for better narratives, in which I encourage my students to put their traditions,
cultures, and interests in their writing. When writing becomes personal, it helps connect the line
between instruction and reality, which makes learning tangible enough for students to
understand.]
3. Supporting Students’ Literacy Learning
Respond to prompts 3a–c 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 2a–b 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.
[The students know themselves the most and oftentimes use storytelling as a means of
communication. The learning tasks help capture this phenomenon and construct it into formally
written narratives. However, I realized I would have to approach my instructional plans
differently when teaching about narratives and the components that forms it. This caused me to
give my students a True Colors Personality Assessment to give me an analysis on what type of
learners I have in the classroom. The top color was Blue, which were my creative socially
interactive students who thrive off group assignments. Gold and Orange fell right after the Blue
personalities in equal results. My Gold labeled students are detailed oriented and focus on
finishing work, and the Oranges are the students who like to be kinesthetic and hands-on. I
began planning activities that invoked the students’ interests as well as increase their
engagement by having them work primarily in groups and move around the classroom.]
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.
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,
students).
[The lessons are appropriate because it strengthens all of my students’ writing and
metacognition skills, whether they are underperforming or gifted. Writing is an important aspect
to literacy; therefore, all of my students need to become accustomed to the strategies and
formation of writing. The lessons are crafted to highlight the importance of writing, strategies to
use, and elements to produce a properly written narrative.]
c. Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within your
literacy central focus and how you will address them.
[Writing is not based on the number of sentences written or how much fills the page. The focus
is to teach students to use proper writing strategies along with grammar and punctuation and a
purpose to create a polished narrative. I will not allow or accept written assignments that are
measured by quantity, I look for proficiency.]
4. Supporting Literacy Development Through Language
As you respond to prompts 4a–d, consider the range of students’ language assets and
needs—what 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/contrast Describe Explain
Interpret Predict Question Retell Summarize
[Apply prior knowledge about narratives using story elements with proper English grammar and
punctuation when writing.]
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.)
[Refer to examples of organized and appropriately written text that students can analyze and
identify supporting key details that is needed in writing. October 2nd, 2018 Lesson #2]
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 examples examined will serve as a guide for the students incorporate their vocabulary in
their writing and activities. Discourse is primarily used in the content because students are
writing/recording details and formulating ideas into written passages.]
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).
[The activities listed in my plans support the usage of the vocabulary words and writing as the
discourse to fulfill the objective of the central focus in the lesson. This causes the students to
identify the components of narratives and how they are formed structurally and expressively
with detail and grammar.]
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 assessments will show growth in their application of using vocabulary words, writing
exercises, comprehension skills, and sequencing passages.]
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,
students).
[The assessments allowed students to work at their own pace and instructional level. The
questions were direct and I made sure to make the directions short and explicit. Therefore, the
assessment was primarily multiple choice, which helped my underperforming students use their
recognition method in assignments and testing.]

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Elementary Education

Task 1: Planning Commentary

TASK 1: PLANNING COMMENTARY

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