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..

[During this leaning segment the students will learn about adjectives and adverbs. The student
will learn how to choose between an adjective or adverb depending on what is being modified
The goal of this learning segment is to model strategies and provide practice for finding
adjective and adverb, determining what the adjectives and adverbs modifying, and how to
properly use them the build stronger sentences. ]
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 essential literacy strategy addresses standards and learning objectives to identify the use
of adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.
In order to satisfy the literacy strategy, the requisite skill requires the students to have
previous experience with identifying nouns, verbs, and words used to describe them.
The reading connections will be established when the students will go on a word hunt
looking for adjective and adverbs in books. A writing connections address the learning
objectives of using adjectives and adverbs to add details to sentences. ]
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.
[ The students will be able to determine whether the word that is describing the noun or verb in
a sentence is an adjective or adverb. In order to for the students to use this skill they must first
understand the terms adjective and adverb. To begin this unit, I will start by introducing one part
of speech at a time. The students will apply their knowledge of these terms by completing
assignments where they identify and label words as adjectives or adverbs. Once the students
grasp the concepts of how to use the two parts of speech, I will then add practice for them that
requires them to use the essential strategy when identify a word as an adjective or adverb, as
well as using adjectives and adverbs in sentences. ]
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).

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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

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.
[I have three students who have IEPs for language; these three students leave my classroom to
attend a PEC classroom to complete their language lessons. All of their assignment and
assessments are given and collected by that teacher. As far as academic learning, I have
observed that the students work better when they are not rushed and have plenty if time to
complete their work. Several of my students need repetitive practice in order the grasp more
advanced standards, such as adjectives and adverbs. The students have been introduced to
several parts of speech, such as nouns, pronouns, and verbs. The prerequisite skill that the
students will need to be efficient with is nouns and verbs. Prior to this unit we have completed
and activity so that I could monitor who needs more practice identify nouns and verbs. I had a
few students to mix them up, but when asked to check their work they were able to correct and
give a brief explanation of their errors. As far as identifying nouns and verbs in a sentence, they
students did really well with the nouns and need more practice with verbs, will I will address in
my lesson over verbs and adverbs. From the pre-assessment, I noticed that the students were
not familiar with the terms adjectives and adverbs. ]
b. Personal/cultural/community assets related to the central focusWhat do you know
about your students everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices,
and interests?
[From what I have learned about by students by administering, learning style inventories and
Get to know you questions, the majority of my students are visual, auditory, and kenisitic
learners. So I know that my lessons should address these learning styles. Also, my students
enjoy drawing and being able to work together. They are a very social, friendly group. I noticed
that because they are very social, their seating arrangements were causing issues during
instruction time. By completing a sociogram, I was able to arrange my seating according to
where the students will most likely be able to focus and complete their work efficiently. In order
to have a well understanding of the unit I will teach, I will need these students full attention and
by making a few minor adjustments to their learning environment, this will be a positive
change. ]
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.

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.
[ The pre-assessment that I gave my students prior to writing my plans, provided me with many
initial assumptions about adjectives and adverbs that I will address. The pre-assessment
checked for knowledge of the terms adjective and adverb, choosing whether to use an adjective
or adverb to complete a sentence, and identifying whether the word in bold is an adjective or
adverb. The majority of the students were not familiar with the terms. Since the verbiage I used
in the terms stated the word describes I noticed that the students would look for the noun and
then circle the verb since it is describing what the noun is doing. Also, when deciding whether
the word in bold was an adjective or adverb the students were able to easily guess instead of
asking themselves and essential question, Is this word describing a noun or a verb?
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

From the information I collected from the pre-assessment, I know that I will need to
address the terms, examples of adjectives and adverbs, and provide the students practice with
finding nouns/adjectives and verbs/adverbs. Also, I will need to teach these two parts of speech
separately. In my first lesson, I will begin introducing the students to adjectives and how they
describe nouns. The first day will be introduction and then I will follow that lesson with
application of this new skill. I will do the same when introducing verbs and adverbs. Since I
know the student as social and kinetic learners, I will introduce verbs and adjectives by have the
student acted out scenarios. By asking themselves the essential questions how, when, or
where the verb is taking place?, the students will be able to identify the verb (action), and the
adverb (how, when, or where). Lev Vygotsky also believes that social interactions are a
fundamental role in learning; this is why I will let the students teach each other through play.
Once the students have applied their learning with adjectives and adverbs separately, I
will then have them try to identity the two parts of speech together. During this lesson, the
students will need to be encouraged to reinforce the strategies they have learned to choose
which part of speech is being used in a sentence.
]
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.

[I have three students who have IEPs for language; these three students leave my classroom to
attend a PEC classroom to complete their language lessons. All of their assignment and
assessments are given and collected by that teacher. The lesson that I will teach during this
unit will begin as whole group instruction. As I collect assignments, I will then work with small
groups in order to provide more practice and support. Since I am aware that my students are
visual and kinetic, I will provide visual aids and hands on practice that will follow whole groups
instruction each day. Since this is the first time that the students will be introduced to these parts
of speech, I will use whole group instruction, such as a power point, anchor charts, and guided
practice to begin each lesson. Once the students are engaged in an activity to complete, I will
pull students as needed to work in small groups to reinforce the strategies and essential
questions that are used to find adjectives and adverbs. ]
c. Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within
your literacy central focus and how you will address them.
[I noticed in my pre-assessment that when students were looking for adjectives, the students
would circle the verb, seeing that the verb describes what the noun is doing. I will need to plan
a full lesson over the verbiage of adjectives and adverbs and teach them separately. Also on the
last section of the pre-assessment, I noticed that it was hard to determine if the students
actually knew whether the word in bold was an adjective or adverb or if they were guessing
because the question provided a 50/50 chance. I will address several times through all my
lessons and particularly when I teach adjectives and adverbs together, that you must look at the
word being described and decided whether its a noun or verb, that will help you make sure
that you label it as the correct part of speech. ]
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

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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

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 students will learn that adjectives describe nouns and that adverb describe verbs. The
students will need to be able to locate and list describing words so that they are able to identify
adjectives and adverbs in a sentence and use them properly, as well as, be able to provide
describing word to add to their sentences.]
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.)
[In the first lesson that I will teach, Adjective Lesson (1), the students will complete a
worksheet where they have to identify the noun and circle the adjective that describes the noun.
Then, once they have completed that, they will work in groups to complete and adjective
challenge. In this activity, they will be given several prompts that require them to think of
adjectives to describe each question on their own. ]
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?

[In the beginning of the lesson, as a whole group we review an anchor chart that gives
examples of how adjectives describe nouns. Then, when completing their activities they will
search for describing words that provide more details about the nouns or nouns in the sentence.
Since they are familiar with nouns, I will encourage them to first identify the noun, and then look
for the word that tells you more about that noun. This will be a lesson in syntax because the
students will provide written evidence of their knowledge and how they apply it to each given
task. ]
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.

[In lesson one Adjective Lesson, lesson two Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives , and lesson three
Acting out Verbs and Adverbs The students will complete activities in which they identify words
that describes the nouns and verbs on each assignment. I will encourage them to complete
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary

each assignment by asking themselves, which word in this sentence describes the noun/verb?
]
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.
[Each assessment that will be used during this learning segment will be recorded on a
spreadsheet so that I can monitor students growth through the lessons and determine which
students will need additional help. (See spreadsheet attached). I will informally and formally
assess the students each day. To informally assess the students I will use thumbs the see
which students are getting the material and which students still need more instruction. Each day
I will collect the materials that the students completed in order to monitor that the students are
able to use the essential strategy for that lesson or if I need to meet with them in a small teacher
lead group. Since the students are being introduced to this standard for the first time, I know
what the prerequisite is for the students before teaching them adjective and adverbs, and have
made sure that the students are ready and were assisted if not. However, the majority of the
assessments that I will collect would be used to assess their comprehension of the material thus
far and then a formal assessment will be administered at the end of the learning segment.]
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.

[I have three students who have IEPs for language; these three students leave my classroom to
attend a PEC classroom to complete their language lessons. When choosing the assessment
that I wanted to use for this learning segment, I wanted to address the students interest so I
incorporated drawing in the assessment for lesson three Acting out Verbs and Adverbs. Also,
from my Get to know you questions, I knew that my students are social, so in lesson number
one Adjective Lesson I gave them a worksheet called, adjective challenge, so that they could
work together to come up with describing words for each prompt.]

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