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 for language arts content is to build upon students prior knowledge about
adjectives. The students will learn to categorize, define, recognize, and identify adjectives and
display how it is used in a sentence. This lesson will also serve as a building block for students
in their writing process.]
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 standards and learning objectives interconnect by scaffolding and deepening students
understanding of what they already know about adjectives. The activities support the strategies
of classifying, elaborating, emphasizing, and making judgments. Students will be able to use
adverse language to articulate that adjectives are words that describe a noun. The learning
objectives will allow students to build imagery in writing which will play an important part in how
descriptive their stories will develop. It will also connect back to their prior knowledge of story
details: such as characters, setting, and mood.
1. Students will connect to the central focus by recognizing there are certain types of
adjectives. The students will describe adjectives by use of manipulatives so that it will
connect to a real life experience.
2. Students will be able to connect adjectives to themselves as well as to their families.
They will be able to use a variety of descriptive words to describe themselves and
families.
3. Students will be able to use their writing strategies to write and illustrate the use of
adjectives.
4. Students will be able to apply their knowledge of nouns and combine it with the use of
adjectives in a creative fashion.
5. Students will be able to identify adjectives in a story through informal assessments.]
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.
[According to the pre-assessment, students had a pretty good knowledge of adjectives. This
was a way of assessing their current knowledge and experience for the content area. I
wanted to start by relating the content to what students already understand or can do.
Students were allowed opportunities to feedback when asked probing questions. I used
verbal cues and prompts to assist students.
Day 1-I will introduce the Central focus on day 1 and let students connect to literacy that further
supports the Central Focus. I will use guided strategies to include some activities that further
build on students knowledge. They will be allowed to answer questions such as; how many?
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

How Big? What kind and which? Students will be given informal assessments by They will use
their writing strategies to illustrate their use of descriptive adjectives. Students will draw a
picture of their family and use the picture to identify adjectives.
Day 2- I will start by reading students a book about adjectives. Students will use pictures out of
magazines to identify nouns.
Day 3- Students will use everyday objects/personal items to list adjectives that describe a noun
and connect back to real life experiences. ]
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.
[The results from the pre-assessment yield evidence that the students are overall familiar with
adjectives. The pre-assessment included questions to include knowledge and skills included in
the Central Focus and learning objectives. I currently have 1 student with a 504 plan, 2 students
with EIP plans. These students struggle with identifying nouns but didnt seem to have that
much difficulty with recognizing adjectives. I keep re-teaching subject and predicates because
they are still having some difficulties. I have about 13 high learners, 8 medium learners, and 3
lower learners. I have identified that students learn at different levels and methods. I
administered a multiple intelligence test and it yielded results that I have a classroom full of
diverse learners. Bodily kinesthetic, visual-spatial, intrapersonal, and naturalist scored the
highest. Mathematical-logical, verbal-linguistic, musical-rhythmic, and interpersonal scored low.
The results of the multiple intelligence tells me these students work well when using
manipulatives, like it when things are modeled to them instead of showing them, and they enjoy
having fun while learning. ]
b. Personal/cultural/community assets related to the central focusWhat do you know
about your students everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices,
and interests?
[I know most of the students parents value their childs learning experience. They take the time
to help their child achieve and live up to their potential. I can also tell the parents who doesnt
help their children with their work because it shows in their academic achievement. Most of the
students are very sensitive when they feel they are scoring low on tests or failing test. I believe
as a result of them not doing well on some of the test, they fear they will get in trouble with their
parents. Therefore, it holds them accountable for their learning. The classroom consist of 10
African Americans, I Hispanic, and 15 Caucasians. As a classroom the students embrace
diversity very well and respect each others cultures. A set of twins shared their Jewish culture of
Yom Kippur with the class by bring in apples and honey. They also shared one of their customs
of reading a scripture.]
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.
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

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.
[Students havent learned about adjectives yet; so I thought it would be good to introduce it
while they were still focusing on nouns. When students were asked to name the noun, some
would name an adjective. I want to make sure students know that adjectives are usually in front
of a noun. If they can correctly identify a noun, then the adjective should not be hard to identify. I
didnt want to introduce other types of adjectives; such as, comparative, superlative, or irregular
adjectives. I wanted students to recognize adjectives that were common to them in their
everyday encounters.]
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.

[When completing English lessons, students would often mistake nouns for adjectives. The
teacher advised me the students had not learned adjectives as of yet. This sparked my decision
to introduce the students to adjectives. I wanted to further help students understand what
adjectives are by exposing them to various activities. I wanted this to be a strategic tool to help
students with their writing skills as well. I didnt want to introduce superlative or comparative
adjectives because they can be confusing. I wanted to meet the needs of all the students by not
going too fast and making sure they were catching on to the concept especially for my low level
students.]
c. Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within
your literacy central focus and how you will address them.
[As I mentioned in the prior question, sometimes students get confused with comparative
adjectives; such as, far, farther, and farthest. This is the reason I didnt want to expand on the
different forms of adjectives. When these content areas are scaffold, students can make the
connections between nouns, verbs, pronouns, and adjectives. As the teacher, I will further
model the use of adjectives as I provide examples of words/sentences.]
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

[Students will have to describe adjectives throughout the lessons as an informal and formal
assessments. They will have opportunities to write down the adjectives they describe and be
able to use them in the appropriate context.]
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.)
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

[During the beginning of lesson segment # 1, Describe your Adjectives, students will be able to
describe information that relates to the following focus question: what is an adjective?
Throughout each lesson, students will describe adjectives that are usually related to color, size,
or number. They will also be required to describe information to provide evidence that supports
these focus questions: Adjectives describes what? What usually comes before an adjective?
Students will apply this information within the assessment. Students will describe adjectives
related to their family portrait.
Day#2the whole group lesson, Magazine Adjectives, consist of describing adjectives they
locate in the magazine pictures. They will give a description based on the common definition of
an adjective. They will describe adjectives by finding the noun and describing the noun by
using an adjective.
Day#3 whole group lesson, My Adjectives. consist of students choosing a noun in the
classroom to describe adjectives. Most of the students completed a character project in which
they created their own favorite book character. Instead of choosing an object from the
classroom, I used this opportunity for them to describe their book character and list them. After
describing adjectives associated with their book character, I assessed their learning by
reiterating the definition of an adjective. They were given a post-assessment as well. ]
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?

[Vocabulary and Key phrases: Adjectives, nouns, describe, person, place, thin, details, variety,
and different.
Students will use syntax as they describe their adjectives in sentences. Students will know that
adjectives usually are on front of the noun. As students give examples of sentences, they will
follow this rule. The will recognize that by using these adjectives, it modifies the nouns. Students
already have a good idea of the definition of adjectives. My low level students doesnt appear to
be struggling too bad other than sometimes naming nouns instead of adjectives. Adjectives are
not new to them, they just havent had a lesson on adjectives. Adjectives are supposed to be
taught later on in the school year.]
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.
[I like probing questions to see what students already know. Once I find out what they already
know, I dig a little deeper to broaden their conceptual learning. By using the specified language
demands, students are able to describe what they are learning. All of the vocabulary ties in to
one another in order to successfully describe adjectives. Students will be able to answer
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

questions such as; I can describe adjectives that are in front of nouns. I can describe adjectives
during a read aloud and I can describe adjectives in a sentence. ]
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.
[During each lesson, students will be given informal assessments throughout the lessons. They
will have the opportunity to model certain aspects of their learning. All of the activities will be
used to measure students understanding of correctly describing adjectives, using adjectives
correctly in a sentence, and distinguishing the shades of meaning among adjectives that are
related, sharing their knowledge of adjectives with the class. Students will turn in papers on
which they have recorded adjectives which serves as an assessment. ]
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.

[The students with 504 plans, underperforming students, and IEP students will be assessed
throughout the lessons by observing their work. According to each student ability, modifications
will be addressed. I call on these students randomly and frequently as a form of informal
assessment. Based on the pre-assessment results, the students responses were within normal
range.]

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