Planning Commentary

English as an Additional LanguageTask 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 language and content (subject matter) you will teach in the learning segment. [In this learning the central focus of my lesson is text features. This will include what they are, how to identify them, and he purpose of using them while reading a non-fiction text. Content will include students identifying text features in a non-fiction tent. Language will include students being able to talk about text features using academic language and answering how they found an answer using text features.] b. Given the central focus, describe how the ELPD standards, content standards, and learning objectives within your learning segment address students’ development of ELPD and content for all of the following that apply:  grammatical competence (vocabulary and structure)  pragmatic competence (appropriate use of communication strategies)  discourse competence (cohesion and coherence)  metalinguistic competence (language learning strategies) [Throughout my lesson, I support students’ language needs in a variety of ways. Grammatical competence is supported through providing sentence frames in order for students’ to have assistance speaking English and using academic language. Students have support of pragmatic competence through the repetition and rephrasing of questions. While I am teaching I repeat and rephrase questions or statements in order for students’ to have more than one opportunity to understand. In addition, I use wait time in order for students to translate from their L1 (1st language) to English. Next, students have support with discourse competence because I use student language throughout the lesson. As I am introducing and teaching students about text features, I am using student-friendly definitions along with visual support. In addition, I provide support for students when we begin using ―academic language‖, I do this by explaining what I mean when I say ―academic language‖ and provide support by assisting students with accessing and using those academic words. Finally, my lesson supports students’ with metalinguistic competence. My lesson does this through using a variety of teaching strategies. For example, I provide students with sentence frames, visuals, definition cards, partner work, whole group work, and a variety of non-fiction texts in order for each student to have the opportunity to understand the content.] c. Explain how your plans build on each other and make connections between language competencies (listed above) and content to support students’ English language development in at least one of the four modalities (speaking, listening, reading, or writing). [My lessons build upon one another because they go in sequential order. On the first day of my lesson I am building background knowledge for the students and beginning to introduce vocabulary words. On the second day, the students continue learning vocabulary words and practice reading them in a chant. The third day, the students begin learning what text features are and how to identify them and we begin practicing those skills by looking at our chant from Copyright © 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 1 of 5 | pages maximum All rights reserved. V4_0914 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. English as an Additional Language Task 1: Planning Commentary the day before. Having students refer to the chant from the day before is something that is familiar to them. After, we begin looking at text features more closely and identifying text features in a non-fiction text. The fourth day, students take a formal assessment in which they are applying their knowledge of identifying text features. Finally, on the fifth day the students and I will go over the assessment together. The results of the assessment will focus my instruction for the day. I will have to think about what I need to reteach in order for students to gain a better understanding of text features. My lessons build on one another with connection to the four language domains because students are using all four skills while we are in group. For example, students have the opportunity to practice their speaking skills while in small group I also use sentence frames in order to prompt students thinking. In addition, in every lesson I have students speak with a partner before I have them share aloud therefore, students are always participating in practicing their English. Next, students are practicing using their listening skills while in group. Throughout the lesson, students are always listening to hear a question or to follow directions. Students practice this skill in group and I repeat and rephrase in order for students’ to have an opportunity to understand more than once. Students also practice reading skills while in group. At the beginning of every lesson students read our ―I can‖ statements, practice vocabulary words, and read chants and summaries. Finally, students practice their writing skills by using a graphic organizer to organize their thoughts and practice the reading skill for the week.] 2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching For each of the prompts below (2a–b), describe what you know about your students with respect to the central focus of the learning segment. Consider the variety of English language learners in your class who may require different strategies/support, such as students with IEPs or 504 plans, Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), readers who struggle in their first language, students at varying levels of language proficiency, long-term ELLs, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students. a. Prior academic learning and prerequisite skills related to the central focus—Cite evidence of what students know, what they can do, and what they are still learning to do. [The selected group of students are students I have been teaching for a few weeks now therefore, I had some background knowledge on what my students know, what they can do, and what they are still learning to do. In respect to this lesson the classroom teacher introduced my students to text features and as the ESL student teacher I had the opportunity to build and expand their learning. While teaching, I noticed that my students were able to tell the name and definition of a text feature as well as point it out in a nonfiction text therefore, I was able to see what they can do. Being able to see what students were able to accomplish allowed me to build on text features with not only identifying them in a non-fiction text but also tell the purpose of text features. Therefore, when trying to direct my instruction I wanted to find out what students still needed to learn. Students still needed to learn and practice the skill of identifying text features and knowing the purpose of text features. Therefore, I believe that my students are still learning the purpose of text features and how it helps the reader better understand the text.] b. Personal/cultural/community assets related to the central focus—What do you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests? Copyright © 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 2 of 5 | pages maximum All rights reserved. V4_0914 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. English as an Additional Language Task 1: Planning Commentary [When I began working with this group of student on the first day the students and I talked about where their family comes from and what languages they speak at home. I thought that this was a good introduction into me teaching because it shows that I care about the students and their home life. In addition, at the beginning of all of my lessons I always ask the students ―how is everyone doing today?‖ I believe it is important to open up the lesson by asking how students are or what has been the best part of their day. It is always enjoyable when students want to share their outside life with me. I think by doing this my students and I begin to create a relationship.] 3. Supporting Students’ English Language and Content Learning Respond to prompts 3a–b below. To support your justifications, refer to the instructional materials and lesson plans you have included as part of Task 1. Use principles from research and/or theory relevant to ELL education to support your explanations. a. Justify how your understanding of your students’ prior academic learning and personal/cultural/community assets (from prompts 2a–b above) guided your choice or adaptation of language tasks and materials when planning to provide English language development within content-based instruction. Be explicit about the connections between the learning tasks and students’ prior academic learning, assets, and research/theory. [When deciding how to teach my students the content as well as preparing materials I took into consideration all of their strengths and struggles with language, reading, and writing. That being said, I did my best to support all of my students needs. For example, allowing students time to talk to their partners before sharing out in whole group lowers students’ anxiety about speaking aloud. In addition, research has show that ELLs need an efficient amount of wait time. Using wait time allows students to have time to process from English to their L1 and back to English. Allowing students’ to take the time to process what is being said allows for them to understand and comprehend better. Therefore, I use wait time as much as I can in order for students’ to take the time to process the content. In addition to wait time, I also provide sentence frames in order for students to access that language they might not have. Providing sentence frames and visuals allows students to have more than one opportunity to understand as well as build on their English.] 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 including teaching ELPD through content. Consider students with IEPs or 504 plans, Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), readers who struggle in their first language, students at varying levels of language proficiency, long-term ELLs, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students. [My lesson contains a variety of instructional strategies which is suitable for all learners. For example, individual students who need more assistance with practicing speaking English have the opportunity to work and talk with a partner in order to practice their English as well as have those participation points. Once students have worked and talked with their partners we open up our lesson back to whole group in which I ask students to share aloud. Typically I will call on groups of students rather than just one in order to lower students’ anxiety. ] 4. Supporting English Language Development in the Content Areas a. Language Function. Identify one language function essential for students to engage in the content-area learning within your central focus. Listed below are some sample Copyright © 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 3 of 5 | pages maximum All rights reserved. V4_0914 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. English as an Additional Language Task 1: Planning Commentary language functions. You may choose one of these or another more appropriate for your learning segment. Analyze Argue Categorize Compare/contrast Describe Explain Interpret Persuade Predict Question Retell Summarize [My lesson focuses on text features therefore the language function being performed is describe and explain. Students describe text features and explain how they are used in a nonfiction text.] b. Identify a key learning task from your plans that provides students with opportunities to practice using the language function identified above. Identify the lesson in which the learning task occurs. (Give lesson day/number.) [Students have the opportunity to practice describing and explaining what text feature are in a non-fiction text. Students learn the academic vocabulary for text features as well as practice using that academic language in a sentence frame that I provide. In addition, students describe a particular text feature and explain its purpose on Lesson 3/Day 3.] c. Additional Language Demands. Given the language function and learning task identified above, describe the following associated language demands (written or oral) associated with the content area students need to understand and/or use:  Vocabulary or key phrases  Plus at least one of the following:  grammatical competence (vocabulary and structure)  pragmatic competence (appropriate use of communication strategies)  discourse competence (cohesion and coherence)  metalinguistic competence (language learning strategies) Consider the range of students’ understandings of the language function and other language demands—what do students already know, what are they struggling with, and/or what is new to them? [This particular ELL group has a high language function aside from one student. One of my students came to this school 2 weeks before I began recording. Therefore, it made it difficult to know how much schooling he had prior to coming to this new school. After, a few lessons with him I was quick to learn that his language function was lower than the rest of the group. In addition, another one of my students was lower at reading than the rest of the group. Therefore he required more assistance while we did reading. Overall, the group I worked with was a high group in regards to reading and language function with the exception of two students who were lower in language and reading.] 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 4a–c. Copyright © 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 4 of 5 | pages maximum All rights reserved. V4_0914 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. English as an Additional Language Task 1: Planning Commentary [While teaching my lesson I had to support and meet the needs of all of my learners. In order to do that, I provided a variety of visuals, sentence frames, and partner work. Providing a variety of instructional strategies and manipulatives allow all of my learners to have an opportunity to understand what is being taught.] 5. Monitoring Student Development of English Language and Content 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 of students’ development of English language proficiency within content-based instruction throughout the learning segment. [Throughout the learning segment I had students participate in both formal and informal assessments. My informal assessments included having students do a ―round robin‖ and name a text feature and temperature checks. As for my formal assessment students took a quiz and applied their knowledge of text features. The following day, I used the quiz in order to guide my instruction. The results of my assessment allowed me to determine what I need to reteach to my students. My assessment will provide evidence on student’s language development by students’ beginning to learn the academic language when talking about text features. In order to accomplish this I provide sentence frames as well as the name and definition of the text feature.] b. Explain how the design or adaptation of your planned assessments allows students with specific needs to demonstrate their development of English language proficiency within content-based instruction. Consider the variety of English language learners in your class who may require different strategies/support, such as students with IEPs or 504 plans, Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), readers who struggle in their first language, students at varying levels of language proficiency, long-term ELLs, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students. [Within my English Language Learners group I have a variety of learners. For example, I have students with a variety of needs and each student needed something different. For example, some students needed assistance with reading while others needed assistance with language.] Copyright © 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 5 of 5 | pages maximum All rights reserved. V4_0914 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.