Ver. 1.

0 09/16/2014
Non-subject Specific (All Content Areas)
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 clip(s)? Identify the lesson(s) by lesson plan
number. (if you videotaped your lesson)
[Drama Life Long Ago and Now First Grade]
2. Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
Refer to scenes in the video clip(s) or the lesson you implemented 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?
[When I set up for the drama lesson, I chose to have the students form a circle. In the
video, when I introduce the lesson and help students explore what drama is, I did so from a sitting
position in one of the children's chairs. I feel that this approach demonstrated mutual respect
between the students and myself in a low risk environment.
As the activity, It's a Spoon progressed there was a student which needed more time to
image how to transform the spoon. We waited as a class. When I felt that he might not have been
ready, I asked if he would like to pass and them I would come him. By waiting, it demonstrated
respect for his thinking process. I also created a challenging environment by asking to come back
to him and for him to continue to think and engage in the activity. While waiting, other student
were beginning to offer their suggestions. By saying, I know there are many different ideas, but I
would like to wait to allow him to use his imagination. This promoted mutual respect among
students.
To support the english language learners in the class in a positive learning environment, I
positioned them to sit close to me so I could easily give them additional help and they could see
me use my body movements as I introduced new vocabulary. For example, I introduced the
activity Narrative Pantomime. I demonstrated respect and challenged students to engage in
learning by saying pantomime and asking them to tell me what it means. I demonstrated
pantomime by modeling someone gathering ingredients and allowing the students to create a
definition of the word. The students had to create their own meaning of the word and it provided
an opportunity for students to express different perspectives.
I promoted a positive learning environment by using the diversity of ideas. During the
It's a Spoon activity, when one student decided to turn the spoon into a horse I said, Wow, I
never thought of that! By taking pleasure in the unique ideas presented by the many different
cultures, it illustrated my ability to promote a positive learning environment and responsiveness.]
3. Engaging Students in Learning
Refer to examples from the video clip(s) or the lesson you implemented in your responses to
the prompts.
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Ver. 1.0 09/16/2014

Non-subject Specific (All Content Areas)
Task 2: Instruction Commentary
a. Explain how your instruction engaged students in developing key understandings and
requisite skills.
[In the activity Narrative Pantomime, the students were engaged in developing and extending
their skills to be able to use their body in different shapes and space to kinesthetically illustrate a
chore from long ago. As I narrated for the students to carefully search for and pick up eggs in the
chicken coop, I paused my narration as they continued their pantomime. The students were
engaged in curving their back and using the space below them. They also were had created angles
with their legs to show they were in a medium to low position using their body. I used language to
help them identify how it sounds to describe their body in action using their drama vocabulary of
body shape and space. This activity was integrated with their newly learned understanding of
what chores people did long ago. ]
b. Describe how your instruction linked students prior academic learning and personal,
cultural, and community assets with new learning.
[I activated prior knowledge during the introduction of the lesson when I invited the students to
share their understanding of what they think drama is. Many students responded by telling me
that they had been to Can Do Days at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center which is one of our
community assets. These days are dedicated to learning about art and drama. The students were
able to effectively tell me that drama was like pretending.
The students participated in a group share activity. I linked their personal and cultural
information to new learning by asking, What types of chores to you participate in at home? How
does this compare to what students did long ago? Many students responded with, Chores are
hard. Through class conversation, students shared the types of chores they do. Many of their
cultures are rooted in family contribution and responsibility at a young age.
Through class conversation, we discussed when in class we used our bodies in an activity.
They recalled their creative movement teacher coming to their class for the first time. They
discussed what they did in terms of using their bodies in different ways. A student said, We did
lots of motion with our bodies. Using this information, I extended their vocabulary and added
more ways to use our bodies to connect it to what they were learning in social studies by
participating in pantomime activities.]
4. Deepening Student Learning during Instruction (Subject Specific Pedagogy)
a. Explain how you elicited and built on student responses to promote thinking and
develop key understandings.
[ I elicited student responses by engaging them in a Think Pair Share interaction. I offered
revisions to their first pantomime by having them consider how to use their body in a more
focused and deliberate action of using their body in different shapes and space. Then, I modeled
how to Think, pair, share. I said, When I was pantomiming picking up eggs, I was reaching
down into a lower space. I also had to bend my knees into an angled shape. Then, they were to
share orally what activity they did which showed their skills in using the body in shape and space.
As I assessed by walking around and listening to their interactions, I was able to build on their
responses. For example, one student shared, I milked the cow. I asked, What space were you
in while you were milking the cow?. Student responded and continued to speak about the space
and shape.
]
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Non-subject Specific (All Content Areas)
Task 2: Instruction Commentary
b. Explain how you facilitated interactions among students so they develop or apply
strategies or representations in ways that deepen and extend their understanding of key
concepts.
[ The final activity, paired pantomime allowed me to facilitate interactions among students by
having half of the group pair up and pantomime while others were the audience observing how
their classmates used their body in shape and space. One group was able to apply their drama
strategy of using their body in shape and space while enacting washing clothes. As the
pantomime was happening, I validated students by saying, I notice how some students are
curving their back to wash. I see straight shaped arms reaching into the high space to hang their
clothes. This was to affirm how students use their drama vocabulary. Then, I asked the audience
to notice what shapes and space their see their classmates making. I said Freeze, I asked the
class how they could even make their actions show how difficult the tasks were. Students said,
We can use our face. I asked them to explain and to give me an example. Then I asked the
performers to demonstrate what their chore would look like if they were to add their facial
expressions. I chose to model as a teaching strategy to explicitly teach how to use our body in
different shapes and space during in the introduction to the drama lesson. Then we we used that
information to connect it to our activity to demonstrate and deepen student learning about how
life was different than long ago. First we learned the strategy, then applied them.]
5. Analyzing Teaching (lesson plan reflection question)
a. What changes would you make to your instructionfor the whole class and/or for
students who need greater support or challengeto 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
(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).
[First, for the whole class I would have created a lesson with fewer activities. This way,
they would be able to focus longer on one activity. I wanted to allow all students to be able to
continue to focus on the specific skills during one activity. With more time on fewer activities
would address the non-English proficient learners as they require more time to process the
directions and be able to think critically about what and why we are participating in the activity.
I would have been more clear on the directions on how to pantomime. Not all students
were completely silent during the pantomime which is a quiet activity. I did not reiterate the
importance of the silence which should have been one of main focuses to participate at a higher
quality.
During the It's a Spoon activity, I would like to have begun with students doing a group
practice all at once because this activity is relatively higher risk. This would have also gave given
the English Language Learners an opportunity to listen to others prior to their turn.
To manage the time, activities, and learner motivation more effectively I would have
promoted an even greater amount of respect in our learning environment. Students needed to
listen to the teacher better to understand and implement all of the instructions. They also needed
to listen to each other to a greater degree without trying to speak over the other. ]
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Ver. 1.0 09/16/2014

Non-subject Specific (All Content Areas)
Task 2: Instruction Commentary
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.
[For the benefit of the whole class, I would like to have spent more time doing the
activities rather than moving on to another. I think that it takes time to become familiar and safe
using the newly learned strategies and using them in different ways. Maslow's Hierarchy of needs
discusses how students need to have their physical and psychological safety met. As students
work on the task as a group for a longer period of time, they will feel safer to express themselves
(Cornett, 2011).
In the Cornett text, it describes pantomime as an opportunity for students to think through
body and facial expressions. While students are silent, they have to focus more on the details of
their face and body. There are many English Language Learners in the class. However, they are
not afraid to express themselves verbally. This activity would give them a way to express
themselves in a way other than through voice and makes their thinking visible(Cornett, 2011).
According to Creating Meaning Through Literature, building block eight suggests a way
to differentiating for diverse needs by starting with whole group activities. The It's a Spoon
activity was a way to introduce creative thinking and to help students relax and feel comfortable.
I believe the quieter students and the ELL students would feel more comfortable sharing in after
participating as a whole group first and then in smaller before participating individually (Cornett,
2011).
To be able to teach responsively, I needed to create an environment which would increase
student motivation by helping students understand ways to communicate with the teacher and
their peers. Students need to learn the skills necessary to be a part of a positive and respectful
learning environment. This affects the individuals and the class as a whole. All students and
teachers are members in the learning community which needs to provide a safe environment for
learning. This in turn leads to students being motivated by the ability to try new strategies of
communication through the arts while being able to make mistakes (Tomlinson, 2006). By
respecting the teacher by listening intently to the directions, the students will have known exactly
what was expected during each task. By not talking, students would have had a greater learning
experience through the pantomime by focusing more on making their thinking visible through
their body actions rather than their oral communication.]

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