Task 2b

Elementary Mathematics for Washington
Task 2: Instruction Commentary
TASK 2: INSTRUCTION COMMENTARY

Respond to the prompts below (no more than 7 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 clip(s)? Identify the lesson(s) by lesson plan
number.
[The first lesson plan that is used is lesson one. The video clip is taken from the middle of the
lesson period. The second lesson plan that was used is lesson two. The video clip for lesson
two is taken at the beginning of the lesson. ]
2. Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
Refer to scenes in the video clip(s) 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?
[I provided positive learning environment and respect for the students through the following
ways:
1. I showed mutual respect for the students by addressing them by their names. This
can be seen throughout video clip 1 1:10pm, 1:11pm, 1:13pm and video clip 2
9:40am and 9:43am. Knowing each students name is important to build a solid
student teacher relationship. Students knew I knew him or her and were more
comfortable with me as their teacher. They knew I had respect for them and valued
what they thought.
2. I provided a positive learning environment by handling students with extra help. In
video clip 1 1:09pm-1:10pm I am helping a student who has not yet reached the prior
knowledge as the other students. I provide him with additional help yet make sure
he is still learning. For example, he is finding the LCD and the denominators are 9
and 4. I asked him how you make them into 36. I know he has prior knowledge in
multiplying so I know he is able to answer the question. I pause and let him think
about each question I ask. Video clip 2 9:44am-9:46am I helped the student change
an improper fraction to a mixed fraction. Showed him what a mix fraction looked like
so that he knew in his head what the end product was suppose to look like. I
showed the student the steps that were needed to switch to a mixed fraction. The
other students knew how to perform this step already.
3. I provided a positive learning environment by providing time for the students to
engage in their learning. Video clip 2 9:39am-9:43am has the students answering as
we write the steps to solving the steps. The students were to be pushed to take a
part in their learning of the steps and offer their ideas or prior knowledge to the
problem. Also in video clip 2 9:43am I have the students solve an improper fraction
on their white boards because they seemed to have different ideas. I wanted them
to show me what they know about reducing the improper fraction to a mixed fraction.
4. I gave the students each time to answer questions. In video clip 1 1:10pm-1:13pm
the students are able to go up to the board and write and talk out what they did to get
the LCD. Another student who did not volunteer to go up to the board was able to
ask a question, Do you reduce once you get your answer on this problem, I
answered, no, and then proceeded to explain why it was not necessary. In video clip
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2 9:37am-9:38am the students were to answer the question what quotient meant.
One student answered with, Is it the answer and I proceeded to ask her, Answer to
what. I wanted her to answer the full question with a full and confident answer. She
then went to give me a description in her own words of the answer that I was looking
for.
5. The positive learning environment was also achieved by my demonstrations. Video
clip 2 9:39am-9:43am shows that I was showing the exact steps on how to divide
fractions. I include the students thoughts and ideas while at the same time showing
them the students that I want to see on their paper. These steps have been taught in
every lesson. ]
3. Engaging Students in Learning
Refer to examples from the video clip(s) in your responses to the prompts.
a. Describe your strategies to elicit student expression of their understanding of the
learning target(s) and why they are important. (Optional, if evidence is provided in the
student self-reflections in the Assessment task; evidence may also be provided by
responding to this prompt.)
[
I elicit student expression of their understanding of the learning targets through
observation of how the students responses to the questions and the involvement they had in
the activities. In video clip 1 1:14pm I ask what we are learning about. One student says,
fractions I want a deeper answer so I ask, What about fractions. Another student says,
finding the least common denominator. Again this is just a part of the learning target so I ask
again for more of the learning target and a third student says, adding and subtracting fractions.
The students are to verbally tell me what they are learning in their minds. Throughout the
lesson the students are to answer this question and at the end of the lesson they are to write in
their journals what they learned and how they could use this information. The learning target
was on the board and they had written it in their journals to refer back to. In video clip 2
9:39am-9:43am the students are to help me with writing out the steps. With the students telling
me what they would do next reinforces their knowledge of the learning target and what they
know about the fractions.
At the beginning, middle and end of lesson one and the other two lessons I would ask
them what they were learning. Each lesson had an activity that would promote understanding of
the learning targets and why they are important. In the second lesson they were to divide food
amongst the class and school evenly. I had brought a rectangle pizza to class and a plate of
fresh cookies. They were able to eat the food after they correctly divided it according to what I
had asked. This helped the students understand why fractions were important in their everyday
lives and why we where having a lesson just on them. In the third lesson they were to write
story problems of fractions that they could run into in their lives. ]
b. Explain how your instruction engaged students in developing understanding of
mathematical concepts.
[
My instruction engaged students in developing understanding of mathematical concepts
by helping them understand the way to solve fractions and how they are involved in their lives
around them. In the video clip 1 1:10pm-1;14pm the students where to solve the LCD on their
boards using the M chart. I had asked for two volunteers when they had completed their work
on the boards. The volunteers talked out what they did to get their answer. One student
volunteer had the wrong answer and so I encouraged her to look back and redo what was
wrong. Then encouraging everyone to circle the multiples because you can get mixed up.
Video clip 2 9:39am-9:43am has the students answering as we write the steps to solving the
steps. The students were engaged to take part in their learning of the steps and offer their
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ideas or prior knowledge to the problem. Also in video clip 2 9:43am I have the students solve
an improper fraction on their white boards because they seemed to have different ideas. I
wanted them to show me what they know about reducing the improper fraction to a mixed
fraction. The students were encouraged to engage themselves not only in the activities but also
throughout the lesson. All but one student has had assignments with these problems on it, so I
wanted them to tell what they knew already and then build on that with more understanding of
mathematical concepts. The other activities that are not on the video had the students working
in groups and they talked over their problems that they were solving. They told me how this was
going to affect them now or in the future through verbal and written communication. ]
c. Describe how your instruction linked students prior academic learning and personal,
cultural, and community assets with new learning.
[
My instruction linked students prior academic learning with new learning of ways to
solve fraction problems. Lesson two, video clip 2 1:14pm, I ask the students when they have
divided fractions in their past. The ones that had solved dividing fraction problems raised their
hands. Only one did not raise his hands and that is because he is the 4th grader that took the
place of the 7th grade boy. The 7th grader was sick and unable to come for the lessons. The 4th
grader had some background with fractions but not adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing
them. Also through out the rest of the video clip 2 I have the students use their prior knowledge
to answer question about the steps to solving a division fraction problem. For example, I asked
the students in video clip 2 9:14 what they had learned on Friday. I then proceeded to tell them
that there was a similarity in the steps.
These lessons are written to deepen the knowledge about fractions for all the students.
Because they were struggling in fractions, they had some prior knowledge and experience but
not the full understanding of fractions. The lessons provided students with instruction and
learning activities that pushed them to think about the concept and understanding of fractions on
a deeper and step-by-step process. I took what they knew and pushed them further by asking
them to interpret the fraction problems.
In video 2 9:38am, I had mentioned that we were going to divide food among the school
and the class. This was to use their personal and cultural background to identify where they
could use fractions. That portion of the lesson is not included in the video clips but they were
able to relate having to divide up pizza and cookie with their families and now they where
performing the same technique to their classroom and to the subject at hand. Within this lesson
the students also divided recipes and found that dividing from a fraction increases the recipe.
Two of the students cook at home and sometimes at the school. In Lesson 3, not in the clips,
the students where to write a list of ways they would use fractions in their lives. The students
wrote a story problem using one item on the list. They used their prior knowledge of fractions
and what they knew about their community, family, and personal life and created a problem that
they could run into in their lives. ]
4. Deepening Student Learning during Instruction
Refer to examples from the video clip(s) in your explanations.
a. Explain how you elicited and built on student responses to promote thinking and
develop understandings of mathematical concepts.
[
I elicited and built on students responses to promote thinking and develop
understandings of mathematical concepts by asking the students questions. In writing and
instructing my lesson I focused on engaging students in the learning process by having the
students work through the instruction and asking them to individually respond to questions. In
video clip 1 1:14pm, I asked the students what we were learning that day a student replies, we
are learning about fractions. I asked the students, what about fractions? The next student
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responded with another good and correct answer but not the full learning target. I did not get
the full answer that I was looking for but each student thought about what they were learning
and built on the understanding that they had to answer me further.
In video clip 2 9:40pm I asked the students what they should do in step two. A student
replies that they would flip the fraction. I asked the student, flip which one? Asking the
student which fractions helps me know their thinking process and understanding of the
mathematical concept and for them to think more deeply about the problem. I wrote out on the
board what the students said and asked them if it looked correct. This built the students
thinking in a way that they were able recognize the steps of dividing fractions. By building on
the students responses and knowledge it promoted their thinking and the ability to take what
they hear and build to make a better understanding of learning fractions. Throughout the
lessons, not shown on video, I ask the students to look back at what they did and explain it to
me. This provides me with the evidence of students understanding of the concepts and if I need
to reteach the learning target or objective before moving on to the next lesson.]
b. Explain how you and the students used representations (manipulatives, models, tools,
diagrams, charts) to support students understanding and use of mathematical concepts.
[
I used different manipulatives throughout the learning segments. The students used
charts and models to support their understanding and use of mathematical concepts. Video clip
1 1:10pm-1:14pm shows the students using what we call the M chart. The student used this
chart to find the multiples of the denominators. The M chart provided the students a way to
understand and write out the process of finding the multiple in an organized manner. The
students where to use the M chart in their journals anytime they were adding or subtracting
fractions with unlike denominators. The M chart was very successful for the students and they
understood more about the learning segment after understanding the process of finding the
LCD.
In my second lesson segment the students used food and recipes to practice dividing
food. This was mentioned in video clip 2 9:38am. The students enjoyed working with food and
solving how they would evenly divide the 23 cookies amongst 5 people. This manipulative
helped them understand how fractions are found in everything around them, even their food.
This method also gave them a clear picture on the way dividing looks with fractions.
The students wrote in journals and wrote out each step as I wrote it on the board. I
focused on involving the students throughout the instruction process and engaging each one to
use what they have learned with what they had. I provided each student the opportunity to
share their knowledge and insight to the different way of solving fraction equations. I found that
using manipulatives had an impact on the student development of understanding the learning
segment and how this can be used outside of the classroom.]
5. Analyzing Teaching
Refer to examples from the video clip(s) 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).
[
Please note: There are no IEP, 504 plan, or ELL students in my class. After I
watched the videos from my learning segment I saw some areas that I could have done
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differently. In the first lesson, video clip 1 1:10pm, I allowed one boy to be up at the board
writing while the older boy was explaining what he did to solve the problem. I should have let
the older boy wait until the second boy was done writing or made the second boy wait to put his
answer on the board. The student trying to tell about what he did was not receiving the total
attention of all the students and I should have made sure of that. Also I noticed in the first
lesson segment I would praise with good job quite often. I should have more information
about what they did that was good. As the lessons continued I found that I did better with the
praising but I still need work. In video clip 1 1:11pm I should have said, Good job with following
the steps to find the LCD.
The second lesson I wrongly paired two students in the group activity. When it was time
for grouping I grouped him with a quite student. This student did not include him in the steps or
help him understand them. When I saw this I switched it for the next lesson. It went much
better for the 4th grade student and he became more involved. The 4th grader was in the session
because the 7th grader was sick for all the days I was teaching my edTPA lessons. Because I
needed at least 4 students I had to bring the 4th grader in. It is a small school so I knew the 4th
grader well. I accommodated for him by going to him to give individual instruction after
instruction to the whole class. The last two lessons were over his head and I did my best with
what I had to help him understand. I wish that I would have known earlier then the morning of
my first edTPA lesson that the 7th grader was not going to be at school for the rest of the week. I
would have had separate assessments for the 4th grader to do that was more on his level of
understanding.
In the video clip 2 9:40am a student gave me her answer to my question I acknowledged
the answer but I never wrote it on the board. When the second student answered I wrote his on
the board. I should have wrote out all their answers on the board so they could see the
difference and similarities in what they were thinking and what was correct. Also in video clip 2
9:44am I am telling the 4th grade student how to solve the problem. I saw that I wrote out some
of the problems for him instead of having him write them out. I would have had the student write
what I told him so he would better remember the steps to finding the mixed fraction from an
improper fraction. While watching the time I realized that we were going to run out of math time
so I started pushing the last bit of assessments before the ending of math. I feel that the
students did not understand completely the last portion of the lesson segment. I would either
continue the lesson in to the next subjects time or I would continue the lesson to the next day
until the students have a total understanding of the mathematical concept.
Lesson three was not in the video clips. The students were applying what they had
learned to real life situations and writing story problems about it. I feel that I did not explain well
the process of writing a story problem to the students. There where two students that did not
fully understand what they were to do and when they asked I did more telling then asking. The
students did not learn fully about how to write story problems because I did not ask them what
they thought and to show me their thoughts before telling them what to do. What I should have
done was to ask the students to show me what their thoughts were and to explain to them what
they did not know. I would build on their knowledge so that they come to a full understanding of
using fractions out of the classroom and how writing cue words in story problems.
The students wrote on the last 5 minutes of the lesson segment what they learned, how
could they use it in the future, and what they still did not understand. I received a lot of yes
and no answers instead of complete sentences. I feel that I could have asked them to answer
and explain their answers fully. This could have helped me to better understand their knowledge
and if they understood the learning target. ]
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.
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[
These changes would improve student learning because it provided the students with
more opportunities to broaden their understanding of the central focus of each learning
segment. In following Bruners theory of scaffolding I could provide the students will more
learning opportunities (Burner, 1978). The prompts that I had mentioned in 5a would have
helped students understand their learning target for the day more deeply. When I took time to
fully explain what the steps were, the students understood what was required of them and what
the learning target was. Deweys Theory about prior knowledge talks about using prior
knowledge to help the students understand the learning target to the fullest (Dewey,
1938/1998). I understood the students prior knowledge but when I started asking the students
questions and having each student use that prior knowledge together they pushed their
understanding to a deeper level. The groups, when grouped correctly, would help each other
and I was able to see their knowledge of the central target grow. Giving the students the ability
to take learning into their own hands and teach each other how to solve fraction equations.
Cutting some activities out of a lesson was something I should have done in lesson two
instead if trying to push the last bit in. It would have given me the opportunity to help the
students that still needed more time to learn and understand dividing fractions. The students
would have had a better understanding of dividing fractions and the learning target for that
lesson. ]

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Elementary Mathematics for Washington

Task 2: Instruction Commentary

TASK 2: INSTRUCTION COMMENTARY

Elementary Mathematics for Washington

Elementary Mathematics for Washington

Elementary Mathematics for Washington

Elementary Mathematics for Washington

Elementary Mathematics for Washington

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

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