Elementary Education

Task 2: Instruction Commentary

TASK 2: INSTRUCTION COMMENTARY

Respond to the prompts below (​no more than 6 single-spaced pages, including prompts​​) by typing your responses within the
brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Commentary pages exceeding the maximum will not be
scored. You may insert ​no more than 2 additional pages of supporting documentation​​ at the end of this file. These pages
may include graphics, texts, or images that are not clearly visible in the video or a transcript for occasionally inaudible portions.
These pages do not count toward your page total.

1. Which lesson or lessons are shown in the video clips? Identify the lesson(s) by lesson plan
number.
[Lesson #1 ​Najma_Intro & Activity
Najma_Kids Presentations & Closing​]
2. Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
Refer to scenes in the video clips where you provided a positive learning environment.

a. How did you demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness to
students with varied needs and backgrounds, and​ ​challenge students to engage in
learning?
[The students’ engagement with participating in the introduction, body lesson, and presentation
showed rapport and responsiveness. The mutual respect was shown by the students good
behavior and their attentiveness to following my cues or questions.]
3. Engaging Students in Learning
Refer to examples from the video clips in your responses to the prompts.

a. Explain how your instruction engaged students in developing an essential literacy

strategy and related skills.
[The whole group activity introduced students to the story elements, and the small groups’
activity gave students a platform to elaborate on and develop their understanding of a specific
element. The presentation allowed the students to share their new found literacy skill to their
peers.]
b. Describe how your instruction linked students’ prior academic learning and personal,
cultural, and community assets with new learning.
[In the introduction of the lesson the students used their prior knowledge to determine whether
the statements were true/false. The same statements also connected to their personal/cultural
knowledge, such as one group who illustrated the element of characters by drawing a Ninja
Turtle (cartoon character), Michael Jordan (athlete), among other examples.]
4. Deepening Student Learning during Instruction
Refer to examples from the video clips in your explanations.
a. Explain how you ​elicited and built on student responses​​ to promote thinking and
apply the essential literacy strategy using related skills to comprehend ​OR​​ compose text.
[Through group work, the students, who focused on plot, composed a mini story depicting a
man surfing that gets knocked off and later gets back on the surfboard. In the presentation the
group they shared their story element and explained how their illustration mirrored a plot.]

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 Elementary Education
Task 2: Instruction Commentary

b. Explain how you modeled the essential literacy strategy ​AND​​ supported students as they
practiced or applied the strategy to comprehend ​OR ​compose text in a meaningful
context.
[The story element cards which showed the definition and an illustration modeled each element.
The students were supported by me providing materials, checking for understanding of the
elements, monitoring their group work, and using proximity to ensure students stayed on task.]
5. Analyzing Teaching
Refer to examples from the video clips in your responses to the prompts.

a. What changes would you make to your instruction—for the whole class and/or for students
who need greater support or challenge—to better support student learning of the central
focus (e.g., missed opportunities)?

Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different strategies/support,
such as students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, struggling readers,
underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted
students.
[I would have regained their attention at the end of the lesson. Once I realized I lost their
attention, I should of used my “thumbs-up” cue as I did earlier in the lesson. The ESOL students
would of benefited from me using more visual elements to better grasp the written material.]
b. Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your explanation
with evidence of student learning ​AND​​ principles from theory and/or research.
[Using cues or repetitive motions grabs students attention. Once a teacher repeats the same
cues and actions to mimic back, the students responses become immediate and they know from
that signal to pay attention to the teacher. The method is needed to maintain focus and limit
distractions; this is explained in the ​Teach HUB​ article, “It is essential that you have a verbal or
non-verbal signal that will grab your students’ attention quickly (Cox, Janelle).” Many educators
use this method to contain behavior and bring students back on task. To accommodate and
assist my ESOL students in their learning experience, I discovered that using visuals can help
connect the lesson’s concept to the learner. Having ESOL students identify text through
illustrations or modeling builds understanding and serves as an example of what the text is
conveying. The strategy is explained in the ​Cult of Pedagogy​ article, stating, “[...] modeling the
steps of a process or showing students what a finished product should look like can go a long
way toward helping students understand (Gonzalez, Jennifer).” Applying these methods will
improve the quality of my instruction and improve my students’ learning experience.

Cited Sources:
“12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom.” Cult of Pedagogy, 21
Sept. 2018, ​www.cultofpedagogy.com/supporting-esl-students-mainstream-classroom/​.

Cox, Janelle. “A Collection of Quiet Cues, Attention Getters.” TeachHUB,

www.teachhub.com/collection-quiet-cues-attention-getters​.]

Copyright © 2017 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.​ 2 of 2 | 6 pages maximum
All rights reserved. V6_0917
The edTPA trademarks are owned by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Use of the edTPA trademarks is
permitted only pursuant to the terms of a written license agreement.