edTPA Task 1 and 3 Commentary

Part One
Context for Learning Commentary Prompts: No more than two pages double spaced
Times New Roman. Follow APA style and clarity guidelines. Refer to handbooks for
specific explanations.

1.

Describe special features, considerations and requirements that effect your teaching.
Describe course name, length, schedule, ability groups, textbooks and instructional
programs and other resources used in the classroom.
This class is called Woods 1 and is basically and entry into basic woodworking
that all students can take without any prior knowledge on the subject. Class period
lasts forty-five minutes, but that really only leaves about thirty-five minutes after
class introductions and class clean up. Class meets three days a week on Monday,
Tuesday, and Friday and will follow class templates provided by instructor. This
class does not use a textbook, but rather a step-by-step check off list that gives
students the detailed information they need to complete the project by the end of
the first semester. Along with this check off list, students will also be shown
demonstrations on how each piece/part is to be cut out or created by the instructor.
The instructor, showing the students the proper way to use it, properly
demonstrates every tool that is used in the project. If a student misses a
demonstration, they will not be able to move on in their project until they have
been properly shown. The main considerations and requirements that affect my
teaching are the use of power tools in the classroom. Since the class requires the
use of drills, saws, and sanders, it is very important that the students understand
how to properly and safely use all tools in the classroom. Ferguson (2013) writes

that understanding the limitations of different saws is as important as knowing

proper operating procedures. This is something that is very strictly enforced and
maintained throughout all technology education classrooms. All students are
required to pass a safety test before they can even consider working on any of the
machines in the classroom. Students are also required to wear safety glasses at all
time while they are working in the classroom.
2.

What do student know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do?
Most students entering this class have little to no knowledge when it comes to
woodworking experience. Most of them have never even heard of a band saw or
table saw. They have never been taught that they can create products out of wood.
Most students that sign up for the class are in it because they are curious about
woodworking or just want to take a fun class, where they can actually create
something out of scratch and turn it into a finished product. This accomplishment
is unlike most others in high schools, and I believe this is why students get such
enjoyment out of taking technology education courses. From a mental standpoint,
students entering Woods 1 can easily understand the concepts in the class by just
paying attention. There is little to no homework, so students learning is done
primarily in the class room, using hands on techniques to learning. From a
physical standpoint, I see the biggest separation from one student to the other.
While the students should be able to physically use all tools in the class, there are
some students that lack the strength it takes to use the tools. For students with
these physical struggles, I will help them use which ever tool they are struggling
with. The students are first required to pass a tool shop safety test that will set

them up with the right ways to use the tools in the classroom. Branwyn (2004)
writes that power tools can ease some of the burden of woodwork but make no
mistake; they still require finesse and a little practice to get the most out of them.
Safety is of the utmost importance and students will find this out very quickly. By
the end of the semester, students will have properly constructed an Adirondack
chair that will match the design template provided to the students. The purpose
behind the class is to familiarize students with how to properly read and analyze
instructional to help in constructing an end project. In this unit, the students will
reach the unit goal by following the step-by-step check off list, understanding the
tool concepts worksheet, and by using the problem/solution graphic organizer
properly.

Part Two
Unit Plan Commentary Prompts: No more than two pages double spaced Times New
Roman. Follow APA style and clarity guidelines.
1. Determine a central focus for your learning segment. The central focus
should support students development of technology-related conceptual
understanding, technical skills, and engineering design or other problem
solving strategies while completing a project.
The central focus of this unit is to guide students into realizing that in order to
properly build anything, a solid plan must be put in place to guide them to
creation. The students must be able to not only read and analyze plans, but must
also understand the big picture of the plans. The students should be able to read
through a plan and figure out what materials and tools are required to construct
the end product. They must focus on specific items such as; the wood type, tools

used, nails/screws used, and which parts can be glued. According to Mishra
(2014) a civil engineer for the Constructor Company, Planning is an important
part of the construction project management. Planning and scheduling of
construction activities helps engineers to complete the project in time and within
budget. Because of the importance of planning, our central focus is on reading
and analyzing plans so that students can plan and budget properly for their future
projects.
1.

Describe how using literacy increase content knowledge.

The use of literacy in this unit is extremely important to its success. When
planning for a project, students must be able to properly read and analyze plans.
To ensure that students can properly accomplish this task, this unit first introduces
the students to a tool concepts worksheet. In this worksheet, students must
identify the purpose of the tools they are going to be using in their project. Using
literacy terminology, the students increase their knowledge of the tool. This way
students not only know how to use the tool properly, but understand why they use
it. Without the use of literacy, students would not be able to tie the
demonstrations they see, to actually using the tool themselves. By researching and
developing a strong understanding for the tools they will be using the students
will be able to connect with the tools and feel much confident when using them. It
is hard to jump right into using wood working tools without having knowledge of
what the tools are used for. The use of woodworking tools concepts focuses the
student into acknowledging what a tools purpose is.

Part Three

Lesson Plan Commentary Prompts: No more than two pages double spaced Times New
Roman. Follow APA style and clarity guidelines.
1.

Explain how your understanding of your students prior academic literacy needs
guided your choice or adaptation of learning tasks and materials.
Most of the students entering this class have little to no experience or even
understanding of the tools and materials being used in the class. With this
knowledge, I focus more so on them understanding what each tool is capable of
doing. I want to give them a strong understanding of what the tools purpose is,
before they actually use them, this way when they actually use the tools, they
understand the purpose behind using them. I want them to understand the tool
instead of just use it to create an end product. I approach the students literacy
needs by providing them with a worksheet that lists the tools they will be working
with. The goal behind the worksheet is to see what the students already know by
having them fill in what the purpose of each tool is used for. When they figure out
what a tools purpose is, they then become more literate about what purpose the
tool serves in the classroom and in real life. I feel this not only helps them
succeed in the classroom, but it also will help them teach others in the real world.
Without out the literacy background of what the tool does, they wouldn't be able
to pass that knowledge on to others. This all comes together and meets the
standard of being able to read, analyze and understand a text.
Describe and justify why your instructional strategies and planned supports are
appropriate for the three focus students and student with similar learning needs.
Provides proper citation.
Ferguson (2013) writes that understanding the limitations of different saws is as
important as knowing proper operating procedures. In tech ed classrooms safety is

one of the most important factors. My instructional strategies are based around the
safe operation of the tools in the workshop. I plan my lessons around the students
always feeling safe and comfortable around the tools. Branwyn (2004) writes that
power tools can ease some of the burden of woodwork but make no mistake; they
still require finesse and a little practice to get the most out of them. One big
problem students have with power tools is the fear factor that comes with them. I
don't blame students for having this fear, but it is this problem that leads to
accidents. I demonstrate the safe and proper ways to use tools as well as reiterate
the purpose of the tools so that students become more aware and comfortable on
the tools. The last key to students success and the central focus of this entire unit
is that students need to be able to set up a plan and stick to it to complete a
project. According to Mishra (2014) a civil engineer for the Constructor
Company, Planning is an important part of the construction project
management. Students need to be able to successfully read analyze plans in order
to prepare, process, and complete a project. I provide students with a check off
list, which lays out the steps to their plans. They use the tools concepts worksheet,
the problem/solution graphic organizer, and the demonstrations I provide to make
a plan, read and analyze it throughout the project, and complete a finished product
according to their plans.

2.

Describe common content errors or misunderstandings and how you address them
in your learning segments.
One issue we run into a lot during Woods 1 is students struggling to know which
tool they are using. Most of the time students can use the tools very efficiently,

but don't know the name of the tool or its actual purpose. Because of this, I
created a literacy worksheet called tool concepts that the students will finish
prior to using the tools. This way, students understand the name of the tool they
are working on and why they use it. Once they have mastered the tool concepts
worksheet, students will no longer struggle with content errors such as not
knowing a tools purpose. Another mistake a lot of students struggle with is how to
properly use the band saw. It is shown in a demonstration, but for some reason a
lot of students forget how to properly use the band saw. In the demonstration,
students are shown that when they cut out a traced part, they are to first make
safety cuts up to their traced line, so that when they follow along their traced
pattern, small chunks off the cut off pieces fall off rather than one large piece.
This ensures that the band saw blade runs smoothly and makes using it much
safer.
Part Four
Academic Language Commentary. No more than one page double spaced Times New
Roman. Follow APA style and clarity guidelines.

1.

List the lesson that provides students with practice using language functions.
In lesson 1 Adirondack Chair Tool Concepts, students will get practice learning
the different tool types and their purposes. In this lesson, students will complete a
worksheet that lists the tools they will use and they must use their resources to
research each tool and what purpose it serves. This way they learn the tool names,
and why they are using them. The language function the I want the students to
grasp is to seek information. The tool concepts worksheet allows students to fill in

the purpose of the tools they know, and then using their resources, research the
tools they don't know and figure out that specific tools purpose.

2.

Describe why students need to know the specific vocabulary/symbols and or syntax
and discourse in the identified language function above.
The tool concepts worksheet helps students identify and understand the tools they
are working with. It is extremely important that the students understand why they
are using a particular tool. For example, a table saw can be used to make many
various types of cuts, but you wouldn't use it to cut out a traced piece. They need
to know that a table saw is used for creating square edges and a band saw is used
to cut out curvatures. While you could use both tools to complete a task, it is more
practical and efficient to use the tool for its intended purpose. The students need
to know the particular names of the tools they are working with to meet the
literacy needs of the class. The tools they work with serve more of a purpose than
just creating the project they are working on. In a real world situation, students
can use these tools for many projects. Without knowing the name of the tool, they
would not be able to go out and buy/rent the tools they need. By driving home the
names and purpose of the tools, it leads to the students being a more well-rounded
literate population.

3.

Describe the instructional supports that help students understand and successfully
use language functions identified above. Why are they helpful?
The tool concepts worksheet helps students understand and successfully use the
language function to seek information. In this worksheet, they are given the tool

names and must research the tools purpose. After this is complete, the students are
then shown a demonstration of the proper type of cuts the tool should be used for.
The instructional is based directly on the worksheet, because these are not only
the tools they will be using to create their project, these are the most common
tools they will use in real life. It is extremely helpful for students to not only
understand a tools purpose but to also understand how to safely use it. By guiding
them to understand a tools purpose, and then demonstrating the tool they get a
true understanding for how the tool should be used.
Part Five
Assessment Commentary. No more than two page double spaced Times New Roman.
Follow APA style and clarity guidelines.

1.

Identify the specific standard and objective and describe how this assessment
supported that standard or objective.
The standard for this unit was Read and analyze text to defend thinking. The the
objective is TSW test the Adirondack Chair for strength and durability using
problem/solution boxes. In this assessment, the students are being tested on how
well they can find a problem, analyze the problem, and fix the problem. They will
use their plans to analyze their mistake, fill in their problem, and come up with
possible solutions to correcting the mistake.

2.

Describe the evaluation tool or rubric.

In this unit I choose to use a rubric to assess the students project. The rubric is
broken up into four categories; plan, materials, care, and modification/testing. In
this unit, planning is the main component but students also need to be focused on

how they put the chair together and what they do to fix mistakes throughout the
process. With this being a beginner class, the actual cosmetics of the chair are not
graded as heavily as understanding how to properly plan a project. I dont want
students to focus on the look of their chair but more so want them to focus on the
process of constructing the chair. This is done by following along with their plan,
using the correct materials, maintaining a clean shop and clear evidence of care
taken and pride in their work. They also should be able to create a solution to the
problems they run into.
3.

Explain how the feedback you provided addressed the student strengths and needs
related to the objectives.
I gave feedback to two students on the completion of their Adirondack chair. With
student A, their plans were set up very clean and concise, they chose the correct
materials to use in the construction process, but skipped a few steps along the
way. They also lost points for not correcting the mistakes they made. I made it
clear in the lesson that they needed to use the problem/solution handout that I
gave them to try and solve the problems they came across. This student did not
spend the extra time fixing the problems with their final project. I pointed out that
the students plans were very good, and their modifications to the wood they used
was done very nicely. They lost points because they didnt follow the plans they
created from the beginning. I wanted to drive home the point that they need to
read and analyze their text (plans) so they could follow along and complete the
chair the way their plans say to do so. Next with student B, they have a better
score, because they followed their plans precisely, should excitement and pride in
their work, and fixed problems that they faced throughout the construction

process. They lost points because they didnt make the project their own. Meaning
they just followed along with the templates I created, basically constructing their
chair to match the one I built.
4.

Provide a graphic or narrative summary describing student learning as it relates to

objectives.

This graphic shows whether or not my target students met my objectives for the
unit. If their color does not show up it represents that I felt they did not meet my
objective. If they go a five in the category, I feel they met the objective.
5.

What changes would you make in your instruction and why?

The first change in my instruction would be adding a lesson on reading a tape
measure. I find this to be single highhandedly the most difficult concept for a
student to pick up. As simple as it may seem, at least 90% of all students in this
beginner woods class cannot read or understand a tape measure. Most of the time
students can understand inch increments, half and inch increments, and usually

quarter inch increments, but when it comes to reading eighth inch and sixteenth
inch increments they can not figure out what they are reading.
Why would these changes support student learning?
These changes would support student learning because with a proper
understanding of how to read a tape measure, students will be able to make more precise
cuts. They would then be able to make more accurate readings of the items they measure
and would also be able to find mistakes they made earlier, before it is to late to fix the
problem. I believe students are making this mistake because they were not properly
taught how to read and analyze a tape measure. I had one field experience in a middle
school, and what I saw was that students are taught how to use a tape measure, but they
were never really challenged to learn each of the increments on a tape measure. Focus
was mainly on inch and inch increments, but students struggle with the smaller 1/8
inch and 1/16 inch measurements.

References
Branwyn, G. (2011, February). Skill set: Getting started with power tools. Make.
Retrieved from http://makezine.com/2011/02/22/skill-set-what-basic-power-toolsdo-i-need/
Ferguson, R. (2013, August). Understanding different saws. Skil Tools Knowledge Center.
Retrieved from http://diy.skiltools.com/tips-and-techniques/understandingdifferent-saws
Mishra, G. (2014). Planning, scheduling and construction management. The Instructor.
Retrieved from http://theconstructor.org/constrution/planning-scheduling-andconstruction-management/14/