Task 1 Planning Commentary

Elementary Literacy
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 the essential literacy strategy for comprehending OR
composing text you will teach in the learning segment.
The central focus for the lesson segment is reading with intent. At this time in the school
year, the students are reviewing the concept of making inferences in literacy. It is important for
students to not only understand what they are reading but also what is the purpose of the text.
Reading with intent is a very broad subject; there are many different focuses that students could
be analyzing, such as making predictions, inferring, or understanding the authors purpose. For
the following lesson segments, the students are practicing how to make inferences using
evidence and background knowledge.
The essential literacy strategy I will teach in the learning segment is analyzing.
Throughout the year, the students have been looking at text to give reasons behind their
answers on worksheets, whole class discussions, as well as in standardized assessments. The
students are currently preparing for the PARCC test in a few weeks, so they will be challenged
to look carefully at the multiple texts they are reading. They must be able to read with intent,
understand what the questions are asking and how they can make accurate inferences to
achieve high accuracy.
b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within
your learning segment address
the essential literacy strategy
related skills that support use of the strategy
reading/writing connections
The Common Core English Language Arts standards for Illinois address the literacy
strategy and related skills that support it. Each lesson segment focuses on reading, writing,
listening, or speaking skills regarding literacy. The students are being given opportunities to
learn about inferring in a variety of examples and scenarios. For example, the students are
making connections about the social-emotional program the district uses, Second Step, and
how it ties in with making inferences. By giving the students a familiar topic and introducing the
literacy strategy gives more of a solid foundation for students to build off of.
The learning objectives in the lesson segments also tie in with the essential literacy
strategy, analyzing. The students will be working in both small group and as a whole class to
attain knowledge about making inferences. They will be reading examples as a whole class as
well as working in small groups writing about the evidence they are being exposed. The
students are constantly practicing their skills about how to make inferences.
The reading and writing connections are in the lesson segments as well. Due to majority
of the students are at either below grade level expectations or at the average, I felt it necessary
to assist the students in reading the examples used in the lesson segment. I also gave
explanations for words or concepts that are difficult for the students to understand. The students
are listening to a text being read aloud and are contributing by answering the questions
following the text. The writing connections are being met in the second lesson segment. The
students are writing on a worksheet within the designated segments based upon the materials
they are examining. The students are writing both the evidence and the inferences they have
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Elementary Literacy
decided upon in small groups. It is a simple form of writing, but it is still effective. Most of the
students are struggling with writing in some form or another, which is why there is not a huge
emphasis on writing correctly (i.e. using full sentences, spelling, etc). I believe that it is important
that the students are focusing about inferring in general, not necessarily how to write their
inferences for each and every activity. Based upon the lesson segment videos attached, the
students are practicing their skills about inferring orally. They are providing responses and the
evidence that support them.
c. Explain how your plans build on each other to help students make connections
between the essential literacy strategy to comprehend OR compose text and related
skills that support use of the strategy in meaningful contexts.
For the first lesson segment, I incorporated another part of their daily routine, which is
the social-emotional program, Second Step. Second Step is a program that helps students
better understanding empathy, how to handle their emotions, conflict, and managing other
behaviors as well. This program is implemented on a daily basis lasting from thirty minutes to an
entire hour. For the majority, the students enjoy the program as they are able to talk about nonacademic topics that they are experiencing both inside and outside of school. The first lesson
segment introduces inferring as well as another example of identifying emotions. The students
enjoy talking about their emotions and can easily make connections with them as well. I wanted
the first lesson segment to be brief and interactive; the students should be an active agent in all
activities. It helps them better understand concepts and how to practice them.
For the second lesson segment, the students are making connections between inferring
and their community. The students are working on how inferences can be made not only
through reading and writing, but also through observation. The students are analyzing different
materials separated in bags and determining where they were purchased from. This helps
students relate their community and how they can use their literacy skills in their daily lives as
well. This meaningful context is crucial for these students because their environment is personal
and familiar. Without making important connections outside of the classroom, the students will
show no interest nor retain the information as well. I believe that all activities should at least try
to make one or two connections to students lives and their communities. It shows the
importance of school after graduation and how everyone is constantly learning. If a student
agrees to try their best to continuously learn and grow as a learner, they will achieve deeper
understanding and higher knowledge.
For the final lesson segment, the students are making connections with different text.
This is the final assessment of inferring directly within a literacy-based activity. While the
students are not necessarily reading the text individually, they are listening and following along
on the SMARTboard. The students are receiving a tremendous amount of assistance in reading
to assure understanding and comprehension. This will help students with their standardized
testing in upcoming month, such as PARCC testing or NWEA testing at the end of the year.
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.
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Regarding prerequisite skills related to analyzing, the students have a basic concept of
finding evidence to support their answers. From the beginning of the school year, according to
my cooperating teacher and my personal experience, the students are constantly
highlighting/underlining parts of a text that support their answers. They can also determine a
correct answer by deleting wrong answers, looking for key words and phrases, and
understanding what the question is asking. The students also know how to orally articulate their
responses in a whole group and small group setting. For all content areas, the students are
grouped based upon their seats, proving their answers and assisting other students to achieve
higher understanding. The students also know how to look for things in facial expressions and
body language to identify emotions.
The students can read and write basic texts and information. They are sufficient in
answering questions correctly on paper as well as orally. The students are aware of the class
rules with the focus of maintaining a calm and quiet learning environment. The students often
have difficulty in raising their hands to answer a question and will blurt out a response instead.
However, the students are aware of the possible repercussions if this happens frequently.
The students are still working on their context clues in text. Some students can
determine the definition of a word based upon surrounding words or phrases, but not all
students. They are also working implementing their background knowledge. Most of the
students have a general idea of what background knowledge and how they are using in their
daily activities, but not in all situations.
b. Personal, cultural, and community assets related to the central focusWhat do you
know about your students everyday experiences, cultural and language
backgrounds and practices, and interests?
All of the students come from a low-income background with various family experiences.
Some of the students have lived in the same district for the entire time. There are also other
students that were expelled from schools in nearby districts and were enrolled in my
cooperating school. Some of the students have difficulty in managing their behaviors. Based
upon my personal experience and what my cooperating teacher has told me, the students
express their anger violently and with extreme language due to the exposure they have in their
homes. There are constant verbal and physical fights in the classroom, during lunch and recess,
and on the school buses at the beginning and end of the day.
The culture of the classroom has been deterred if a student walks into the classroom
throwing classroom materials, pushing down chairs, or slamming desks. There is a behavior
management system in place for students with extreme situations. In the classroom I am
teaching in, there are four students enrolled in this program. There is a certain amount of points
they are challenged to achieve in order to graduate from this program. Two out of the four
students are in the final stage of this program; the other two have another level of this behavior
program before graduating.
The language background of the students is common within most low-income,
predominately African-American environment. The students have common phrases and slang
that are embedded in their daily conversation and writing. There are a few students that do not
speak the norm of their environments; they speak and write Standard English. There is one
student that has some Spanish-speaking family members in their background. However, this
student does not speak Spanish and comprehend little of it.
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 Planning Task 1. In addition, use
principles from research and/or theory to support your justifications.

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a. Justify how your understanding of your students prior academic learning and personal,
cultural, and 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, their assets, and
research/theory.
My understanding of the students prior academic learning and personal, cultural, and
community assets guided my choice of learning tasks and materials by being selective in the
activities I chose. I wanted my lesson segments to embed the importance of inferring through a
multiple of ways, not just solely literacy. I understand that not all of the students are confident in
their reading and writing skills, which is why I wanted to start with a visual exercise. By giving
the students an example that connects with a daily part of their school day is both comforting
and simple to understand. For the second lesson segment activity, the students are being
reminded in the comfort of their community and how it ties in with their academic learning. This
further strengthens the relationship between school and community.
The school that I have been placed in has a strong interest in Blooms Taxonomy. This
theory has been updated since its first debut, which is interesting for a preservice teacher, like
me, to be exposed to. I have been exposed to multiple education theories which emphasize a
different part of teaching. However, the New Blooms Taxonomy is a theory that I wholeheartedly agree with. It breaks down each level into an overarching theme that is tied with
assessments and questions to ask. The six levels are broken down as follows: knowledge,
comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Based upon my reflection of
the lesson segments created, I believe that there is a gradual progression of levels in the
activities. The students are recalling key concepts in finding evidence through the first two
lesson segments. Throughout the lesson segments, the students are working on how to
demonstrate understanding of their ideas by organizing and giving descriptive answers. While
they are not necessarily completing all of the levels in Blooms Taxonomy, they are progressing
to the third level, application, and the fourth level, analysis. The students are making use of the
evidence presenting and analyzing it to answer questions and make basic inferences.
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 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).
My instructional strategies are appropriate for the different settings, which are whole
class and small group. For the first lesson segment, the students are in a whole class setting
(the students that were approved to be videotaped). I wanted all students to be exposed to the
first activity at the same pace with teacher assistance and the same instructional strategy.
Because most of the students struggle with either reading or writing, I wanted to be available for
any questions or clarifications at the beginning of the lesson segment. I believe that all students
should have the opportunity to answer any questions or clarifications at any time of an activity in
order to ensure understanding of what is being discussed. For the second lesson segment, I
grouped the students in small groups because I wanted an opportunity for the students to work
on collaboration. It is important for students to understand that there might different answers
and opinions in an activity. I paired up the students at random, with at least 1 boy and girl in
each group. It is important for students to work with peers that they might not work with on a
daily basis. Because there are students that struggle with maintain their behaviors, this is an
opportunity to improve on their skills.
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Elementary Literacy
b. Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within

your literacy central focus and how you will address them.
A common developmental approximation within my literacy central focus is that
inferences can only be made in literacy. There are students in the class that do not necessarily
understand that the academic skills learned in the classroom can be implemented in other
situations as well. A common misconception could be that inferring and predicting are the same
idea. A prediction is a devised guess based upon evidence only. An inference includes evidence
and background knowledge. While it is okay for students to understand the similarities between
these two ideas, there is a distinction that will be made.
4. Supporting Literacy Development Through Language
As you respond to prompts 4ad, consider the range of students language assets and
needswhat do students already know, what are they struggling with, and/or what is new to
them?
a. Language Function. Using information about your students language assets and
needs, 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
The language function essential to the central focus is analyzing. It is crucial for students
to analyze whatever information is being presented, both visually and orally. The students are
using different types of evidence, such as pictures, physical objects, and text examples. The
students will be challenged to analyze the evidence presented and to combine it with their
background knowledge to make inferences. They will be developing these skills at a gradual
process. The first lesson segment uses visual examples for students to try their inferring skills.
The second lesson segment uses physical materials to help students directly hone their inferring
skills. The final lesson segment concludes the central focus solely on literacy. It is the final stage
in the students applying their knowledge to an academic topic.
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 literacy strategy.
Identify the lesson in which the learning task occurs. (Give lesson day/number.)
In the final lesson segment (Lesson Segment 3), the students are being assessed in
their oral participation of responding to inference-led questions from a text. The students are
following along as the teacher reads the text example. They are analyzing the text orally and
audibly and making inferences as needed. The essential literacy strategy is reading with intent,
which is what the students should be doing in order to reach higher understanding of
knowledge. The students are taking all of their skills of making inferences from the prior two
lesson segments and using it in text examples with different vocabulary to understand. They are
being given the example directly and are added the task to make individual inferences. Their
background knowledge may vary from student to student, but the evidence is the same amongst
all students.
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:
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Elementary Literacy
Vocabulary or key phrases

Plus at least one of the following:
Syntax
Discourse
The key phrases in the lesson segments are as follows:
Inferences: using both evidence and background knowledge
Evidence: the information presented
Background knowledge: information essential to understanding something; information
that is not necessarily directly taught, but implied in certain situations
Facial cues: movements in the face that directly relate to how a person might be feeling
Body language: nonverbal communication expressed through bodily movements and
gestures
Gestures: visible bodily movements
The syntax for the written language is the simple graphic organizer created for the second
lesson segment. I wanted the students to have simple guidelines to follow in order to achieve all
points allowed in the rubric. The students will be working in groups to further understand how to
collaborate and work together to come up with accurate inferences in where the materials were
purchased from. The syntax for the oral language depends on the classroom setting. If the
students are in a whole class, the system is that the students raise their hand to answer a
question and waited until called upon to give a response. When the students are working in
small groups, they are to be talking amongst their groups and discussing each material and the
evidence that supports their reasons.
d. Language Supports. Refer to your lesson plans and instructional materials as needed
in your response to the prompt.
Identify and describe the planned instructional supports (during and/or prior to the
learning task) to help students understand, develop, and use the language demands
(function, vocabulary or key phrases, discourse, or syntax).
The planned instructional supports to help students understand and use the language
demands are the visual representations. Most of the students tend to do better with visual
representations and class collaboration to better understand certain concepts. If the students
are attentive and understand different opinions and responses, they can often determine
automatically if they agree or disagree. If a student disagrees, they have the opportunity to voice
their opinion and reasons as well. Majority of the students enjoy voicing their opinions in one
context or another. That is why I placed all of the lesson segments including at least three
surrounding peers to better help discuss ideas and evidence to better understand how to make
inferences.
5. Monitoring Student Learning
In response to the prompts below, refer to the assessments you will submit as part of the
materials for Planning Task 1.
a. Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct
evidence that students can use the essential literacy strategy to comprehend OR
compose text AND related skills throughout the learning segment.

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The first lesson segment is an informal assessment based upon participation in their
responses and questions. I wanted this to be informal to gain a better sense of where each
student stood regarding inferences, evidence, and background knowledge. The second lesson
segment includes a formal assessment in the form of a rubric to guide the grading of their
inference worksheet. Because the students will be working in small group and collaborating on
their answers, I will be able to hone in on the students that need further instruction as well as
see if there are any general misconceptions or concepts not expressed thoroughly. The
worksheets also provide direct evidence whether the students understand the literacy strategy
and language function as well. For the final lesson segment, it is an informal assessment. If I
had additional time to expand on inferring, I would include a formal assessment for a following
activity to see individual work. The reason behind another informal assessment is because the
students tend to achieve higher understanding and accurate answers in a whole class setting.
The students are, generally, eager to hear the student responses as it helps them understand if
they understand the question as well. They are more confident in their answers if they check
with their peers as well.
b. Explain how the design or adaptation of your planned assessments allows students with
specific needs to demonstrate their learning.
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).
The two informal assessments allow students to demonstrate their learning. The
students with IEPs are included in the lesson segment activities and can demonstrate their
learning in other ways other than oral responses. The second lesson segment allows writing
and peer collaboration to help all students achieve deeper understanding. The small grouping
also helps students that are underperforming and perform above the grade level requirements.
Those are underperforming can work with their peers to come up with answers. The students
that are performing above what is required of their grade can also pair up with students that
need more help to further explain what the lesson is asking them to do. All of the students are
benefiting in one way or another through the smaller groups. They can collaborate and help
each other provide additional evidence and background knowledge in order to make better
inferences.

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Task 1 Planning Commentary

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Elementary Literacy

Task 1: Planning Commentary

TASK 1: PLANNING COMMENTARY

the essential literacy strategy

related skills that support use of the strategy

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

b. Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within

Vocabulary or key phrases

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

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

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