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.
[ The lesson plans that are included in this one is Lesson Four.]
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?
[4:45- 5:57 shows a mutual respect for my students because I can kid around with my students
about how they are handling their own selves as part of my classroom management. With the
student I was talking to she is very much okay with me joking with her about what she is doing. I
would not do this with another kids because he would not handle the attention like she can. I
think this also shows them how aware I am of them and how students are engaged in their
learning. ]
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.
[ 1:50- 2:70 Shows that I using questions that allow students more development in what they
already know, I am also making sure that they are using the correct terms. I also am making
sure that they are looking in back of the story something that we have been working on all week.
]
b. Describe how your instruction linked students prior academic learning and personal,
cultural, and community assets with new learning.
[ 20:46- 22:58 I compared how this student would explain what I was looking for in this section
of the video using what she has done in other stories that she have read. I also pointed out
vocabulary words that she need to use. I pulled her because she is great at recall but not at
going back into the story. ]
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.
[ 1;05- 2;20 During this part of the story I asked What is a character of a story. Then built on to
the answer to get a better more detailed answer that I would look for. I also had them look back
into the story because this is the essential literacy strategy of my lessons. ]
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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.
[ ]
5. Analyzing Teaching
Refer to examples from the video clips in your responses to the prompts.
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, 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.
[ 1:50- 2:70 I think during this section of my students if created more questions that they had to
look back into the story for. I did it once but I did not make it a priority as I was teaching the
introduction of my story. I think I could have done more for my students with IEPs by also going
and looking in the books and model as I was teaching this section. I think it would have been
more of a benefit for them to seen it more. ]
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.
[I think that this would be useful because modeling is because it shows them how to do
something. They can use it as a reference or to show them how to do something. The Article
Children benefit form modeling, demonstration, and explanation say how important students
need modeling, explanations and demonstrations of how to do something is important because
they are required to do it (p. 1). If students see me or even other students and get praise they
are more likely to also complete the task in a similar way. ]

Copyright 2015 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

2 of 2 | 6 pages maximum
All rights reserved.
V4_0915
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.