Weber EdTPA ELE Planning Commentary

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 purpose for the content you will teach in the learning
segment.
[
The central focus and purpose for the content is to produce clear and coherent writing in
which the students development and organization are appropriate to tasks, purpose, and
audience. The students will have chosen a piece of writing to take through the editing process.
During this editing process they will learn about organization that fits the purpose of the piece
they have chosen.]
b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within your
learning segment address
an essential literacy strategy

requisite skills that support use of the strategy
reading/writing connections
[
The essential learning strategies that are implemented in this learning segment selfevaluation and revision for publishing to ensure they are reaching the central focus of writing a
clear and coherent final text. Students should learn to ask themselves questions such as Is this
written in an order my audience understands? Am I using appropriate grammar and punctuation
for my sentences to make sense? that lead to appropriate changes in their work.
Requisite skills that support the use of organizing their writing will include asking
themselves if their writing is clear for their audience to understand their purpose. Students will
learn to use a variety of skills to help answer this question. They will identify simple or dull
sentences and add or modify words and phrases to bring in more detail using synonyms. They
will learn to identify sentences that are unnecessary or confusing to the reader through
rereading and peer reviews. Students will learn to use appropriate proofreading marks to edit
and revise their writing before creating a published piece.
The reading/writing connections this learning segment makes is by having students write
in a style that emulates a model. Each of the pieces they were able to choose from were
inspired by examples read in previous lessons. One particular lesson leading up to this
introduced a personal narrative and explained how the author used their personal memories to
compose their writing. Another lesson presented alphabet books and discussed how the author
determined the pattern they would use in their writing. A third lesson modeled two types of
informational text about animals and had the students explore why each of the authors chose to
organize what they were telling the audience in different ways. The prior lessons truly aimed at
the connections between what we read and how we write. During this learning segment
students will be reminded of those models to help them determine the best way to organize their
piece of writing so it makes sense to the audience. ]
c. Explain how your plans build on each other to help students make connections
between skills and the essential strategy to comprehend OR compose text in meaningful
contexts.
[
The students will work on findings ways to improve their writing throughout each lesson
to make it clear for their audience to understand the purpose of their piece. As students share
the changes they have made and discuss suggestions with their peers they will help each other
Copyright 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.
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permitted only pursuant to the terms of a written license agreement.
identify specific parts to their writing that need to be rearranged to make better sense, have
additional information to make the purpose clear, or have information removed that is confusing
to the reader. In this learning segment the students start by altering just one word to improve
their writing. Then they move to adding or deleting sentences to clarify their thoughts. By the
third lesson the students are either adding or editing their introduction.
During the one-on-one conferencing that is included each day I am able to help each
student reflect on the clarity of their ideas and ensure their purpose is understood. Students
often look to the teacher to simply edit everything for them. The goal during the conferences in
regards to self-evaluation will be asking them to reread their piece aloud; having the student
repeat sentences that sound confusing; and prompting them with the types of questions they
should be asking internally. By the end of the week I should be able to ask students why they
made changes to their writing and have them respond by describing one of the requisite skills
they learned during the week. ]
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,
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.
[
Through discussions and reading/writing conferences leading to this specific learning
segment I was able to gather what my students had learned from previous schooling about
writing. I would ask about their writing and they often explained strategies they had learned in
previous grades when writing about a topic they had researched. Students had implemented
ways to mark their writing for errors such as spelling. Some students would ask questions about
resources they could use to help them with their ideas. I was able to determine which students
understood what a thesaurus was to help them come up with interesting synonyms. Knowing
how many students understood the resources they could use within the classroom helped me
decide what examples and terms to use in the first lesson of this learning segment.
Their reading conferences also informed me about their prior academic learning. I was able
to identify what genres the students were familiar with which helped when discussing the ways
in which texts are organized. I also would have them tell me the sequence of events which
proved they had skills to identify a narrative should have a beginning, middle, and end.
Beyond conferencing I was able to determine their prerequisite skills of writing with
developmentally appropriate understanding of grammar and sentence structure by reviewing
written responses to various other lessons in other content areas. This gave me specific areas
to focus on during the lesson on mechanics and editing.
For students with IEPs I was able to learn their levels of independent writing and focus
based on the progression they made during free writing time. One student in particular needed
to have strong support with organization to write their initial ideas down. The student needed the
whole alphabet written down and a short term goal of writing responses for three letters before I
returned to check on their progress. This showed me that my expectations for him to complete
his task in a timely manner and meet the central focus will need verbal prompts, written
prompts, and explicit instruction on expectations.

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My students who are lower in English proficiency I recognized a need for them to stay
simple with their writing. I encouraged them to select their alphabetic piece to publish so they
could stick with the sentence frames provided]
b. Personal/cultural/community assets related to the central focusWhat do you know
about your students everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices,
and interests?
[
My students come from a variety of backgrounds and bring with them a variety of
personal interests. By allowing students to pick from their free writing selections they are able to
show me what depth of writing they are comfortable with and what topics they feel confident in
writing about. Their personal choices also help individuals take ownership of the purpose of the
writing. For example I have one student who selected an informational piece they started about
European countries because they lived in Germany from birth until June of this year. He was
writing for his friends to better understand where he came from and what types of things interest
him. Another student began an alphabet pattern piece based on the professional and college
athletic teams he enjoyed. By allowing students to select any topic for this first piece they are
publishing has allowed them to share their expertise in many areas of life.
I have learned during my time with this particular group of students which ones are strong in
verbally explaining their thoughts and teaching others what they know. Not everyone is
comfortable with sharing their thoughts. By seeing the leaders within the group I know how to
utilize their strengths at the appropriate times in discussion. I also have discovered my students
who have great ideas but are less likely to volunteer their thoughts. I also use this knowledge to
call on students who I can tell are following along and can provide learning opportunities for
their peers. One student in particular has shown strength in her reasoning behind her choices.
She tends to take an alternative point of view than her peers which challenges their thoughts.]
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 Task 1. In addition, use principles
from research and/or theory to support your explanations.
a. Justify how your understanding of your students prior academic learning and
personal/cultural/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, assets, and research/theory.
[
With students creating a composition it is important to model the steps and tasks.
Knowing their interests and background knowledge helps me decide what topics I will use in my
modeling. When I am able to pull from their prior knowledge it is building upon the schemas they
have developed over time and helping them make meaningful connections. For example when
we work on hooks/leads on day three of the learning segment I will use examples of stories we
have read in class or I know some students are reading for their individual reading time. I know
the majority of my students prior academic learning exposed them to Charlottes Web by E. B.
White so I have chosen to use the opening as an example for a lead. When I am working with
students individually during conferences I will refer to their own background knowledge to help
them understand the concept further. I know that several students are new to the district and
may not have the same background and community experiences the majority of my students
have already. I have to use my knowledge of their previous schooling and/or community to help
them make connections in ways that make sense to them.
I will use their prior academic learning to also stay consistent with editing skills they are
comfortable with. When we discuss the mechanics on day four of the learning segment I will

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have students help decide what marks to use to remind us what we want to change when we
begin to write the final draft.
With my students who are ELLs at a low language proficiency they will be provided
sentence structures to help them get started with their writing. Research suggests that ELLs
need supports like sentence structures to help them when writing is not a strength, but still
allows them to fill in the sentence with content that shows they comprehend the concept. ]
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 students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, struggling readers,
underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted
students.
[
The instructional strategy of presenting the main concept each day by modeling it and
providing examples is beneficial for the whole group to get initial exposure. After students have
been shown examples then they are allowed to discuss it with a peer. This is staying consistent
with the gradual release of responsibility model and it give students some time to practice the
strategy and possibly help each other answer questions they may have about the strategy using
peer language verses teacher language. There is a generous amount of time given to students
to work independently to allow them to progress on their piece, but also for individual
conferencing so I can help students meet their individual needs. This is the time where I am
able to reinforce organizing tools for students who need extra support. During conferencing I am
able to challenge students who are gifted to extend their thought process and further their
writing skills. It is also during the independent time students with IEPs are able to be pulled for
intervention in writing. By this point students are able receive the same task as the whole group
but get the proper support they need from the special education instructor. When students will
IEPs are in the class they will be provided supports as needed such as verbal prompts to stay
on task, short term goals to complete tasks, and/or sentence frames that apply to their topic. ]
c. Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within
your literacy central focus and how you will address them.
[
Students at this point in their writing will feel confident in their spelling and basic writing
skills. They will need to be reminded to carefully reread their work and have peers help them
catch common mistakes such as spelling errors and punctuation. Students will also continue to
struggle with the new academic vocabulary. When I communicate using the academic
vocabulary I will need to include a small definition or synonym for them to understand what it is I
am referring to. I will also paraphrase their responses using the appropriate academic language
that agrees with what they have described or explained. ]
4. Supporting Literacy Development Through Language
a. Language Function. 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
Interpret
Predict
Question
Retell
Summarize
Explain

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[
Students will develop and practice using the literacy function of analyzing in this learning
segment. They will need to practice analyzing their own writing as well as their peers while
working through the editing and publishing process. Students will use other terms such as
reread, evaluate, review and inspect to describe the action of analyzing work. ]
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 strategy. Identify
the lesson in which the learning task occurs. (Give lesson day/number.)
[
Students will specifically be analyzing writing during the first, second and fourth days of
the learning segment. On the first day students will be closely looking for areas to improve their
writing by incorporating synonyms that help the audience truly understand the idea the writer is
expressing. On the second day students will need to analyze their own work to find parts that
should be either deleted or changed for clarification. They will also analyze peers work to help
them identify confusing parts of their writing. On the fourth day of the learning segment the
students will be analyzing their work one last time to find mechanical errors. After strategy has
been taught in each of those lessons it is the goal to hear students practice using language
such as analyze, review, through careful searching or after rereading to describe what
actions they are taking while editing their work. ]
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
Consider the range of students understandings of the language function and other
language demandswhat do students already know, what are they struggling with,
and/or what is new to them?
[
Additional key vocabulary that students will need to comprehend and use include
synonym, revise, editing, proofread, lead, hook, publish and draft. These are higher level
vocabulary for concepts most students already understand. The aim will be for them to
incorporate them into their own discourse while having conversations with their peers.
Students will need to be using purposeful communication to express their ideas to each
other. Though these are fourth grade students they still need to work on having positive, fruitful
conversations that can actually promote progress to their writing. Sentence frames need to be
provided and modeled to support them in productive peer conversations. ]
d. Language Supports. Refer to your lesson plans and instructional materials as needed
in your response to the prompt.
Describe the instructional supports (during and/or prior to the learning task) that help
students understand and successfully use the language function and additional
language demands identified in prompts 4ac.
[
Throughout prior class sessions given to writing there has been a slow scaffolding of
how to communicate with a partner. Mini lessons have included topics like think pair-share, 32-1 where students share three things they liked, two things they didnt like, and one thing they
would change and other strategies for having meaningful conversations. This has set the stage
to have peer interaction be productive and appropriate to the task.
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As support for meaningful conversation sentence starters have been written on chart paper
and displayed for students to be reminded of the variety of ways they can begin a valuable
conversation. Other instructional supports will be included in the whole group discussion where
students share their thoughts as a quick reminder on how we communicate with peers in a
positive and purposeful manner. How to be a good listener will also be highlighted. There will
not be a mini lesson to teach listening since it was covered extensively in other curricular areas.
Instruction for the new vocabulary will be covered and reviewed in other content areas
and reinforced in writing as well. Academic language is added at the beginning of the week to a
chart for students to refer to throughout the school year. Students are encouraged to use the
vocabulary when they feel it is appropriate. When paraphrasing a students thoughts I, as the
teacher, will also use the vocabulary word along with their choice of words as context clues. For
example I might say, So you are saying you decided to make a change, or revise, your piece
by adding more detail to your part about the zoo. Again, students often are completing the task
that each vocabulary word describes, but do not know the vocabulary word that coincides with
it. I will use those teachable moments to inform them of what we call the action they are taking. ]
5. Monitoring Student Learning
In response to the prompts below, refer to the assessments you will submit as part of the
materials for Task 1.
a. Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct
evidence that students can use the essential literacy strategy and requisite skills to
comprehend or compose text throughout the learning segment.
[
Throughout the learning segment there are several informal assessments and one
formal assessment on the students final published work. Students will be assessed on their
progress through conferencing during independent work time. During the conference I will
choose questions to ask about their progress or examples of where they have implemented the
skills we have been discussing throughout the week. I will be asking students to identify places
where they have made their ideas clear to the audience by changing words, moving sections or
sentence around to fit the structure or where they have marked to delete parts altogether to
have their piece make more sense. Students will also be formally assessed when turning in
examples of leads/hooks on day three of the learning segment. These will be collected to see
how well they were able use the strategy. Students will not be required to put one of the
leads/hooks into their piece but will have shown a way to grab their audiences attention using
an exciting introduction.
A formal assessment in the form of a rubric will be used to assess students final published
work. This will be used for students to see how well they have done overall with the editing
process. The results will be looked at for future writing units to adjust planning to focus on what
students struggled with during this editing process. ]
b. Explain how the design or adaptation of your planned assessments allows students with
specific needs to demonstrate their learning.
Consider all students, including students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language
learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic
knowledge, and/or gifted students.
[
By assessing students during individual conferencing I am able to alter the conversation
and reteach or challenge students based on their abilities. Students that are ELLs will be
provided specific examples that apply to their writing and support their language. For example
when working with a student that struggles with syntax of the English language I will be able to
provide support in a more comfortable setting to help them make their writing clearer for their
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audience. They may have a high affective filter which will keep them from sharing during whole
group lessons and individual conferencing can help ease their nervousness.
For students who are gifted the individual conferencing brings an opportunity for me
scaffold their thinking to a higher level beyond what I would ask of the whole class. If their
strength is vocabulary then I may find other words in their writing and push them to think about
other synonyms to use that would liven up their piece.
Overall having the informal assessment along with the choice students were given in the
topic and style of writing will allow the assessment to show each of the students strengths in
learning and writing. It will be valuable information to influence the instruction needs for every
writing unit to follow. ]

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Elementary Education

Task 1: Planning Commentary

TASK 1: PLANNING COMMENTARY

an essential literacy strategy

Copyright 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

Copyright 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

Copyright 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

Vocabulary or key phrases

Copyright 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

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