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K-12 Performing Arts

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 of the content you will teach in the learning
segment.
[The central focus of my lesson is identifying individual melodic or expressive parts in a
chamber piece and understanding their relationship with the other players in the group. The
purpose of my learning segment is to teach students how musical elements, such as dynamics
and balance, can be used to exhibit different players and parts throughout a chamber ensemble.
Students will learn about chamber music in relation to music history and its context in the
performing arts today. Students will also learn how to decipher musical elements in a piece,
such as the climax and important harmonic sections. Finally students will perform the chamber
piece and apply what they have learned about dynamics and balance in their performance.]
b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within your
learning segment address creating, performing, and/or responding to
music/dance/theater by applying

knowledge/skills (e.g., tools/instruments, technical proficiencies, processes,


elements, organizational principles)

contextual understandings (e.g., social, cultural, historical, global, personal reflection)


artistic expression (e.g., interpretation, creativity, exploration/improvisation, individual
choices)
[In my learning segment I address responding to music through contextual understandings by
applying National Anchor Standard 7 (perceive and analyze artistic work), Anchor Standard 9
(apply criteria to evaluate artistic work), Anchor Standard 11 (relate artistic ideas and works with
societal cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding), National Standard 9
(understanding music in relation to history and culture), Anchor Standard 11 (Interpret intent and
meaning in artistic work), and IL State Standard 27.A (Analyze how the arts function in history,
society and everyday life) in lesson plan one and two. In lesson plan one I will give a
presentation on chamber music and its relationship to music history. In this presentation I will
discuss the cultural views on chamber music and what purpose it held for society when it was
first created. I will also discuss how chamber music has developed over the years and what
purpose it serves in our society today. I will play listening examples of chamber music
composed in the Classical period as well as modern day chamber music. I will allow students to
respond to music by answering questions about the listening examples and information learned
in the power point verbally, and with a brief exit slip assessment. The exit slip is designed to
support students in retaining and building knowledge about chamber music and the content
taught in the lesson. In lesson two students will display their musical knowledge by discovering
where each performer has their important line in the piece. In order to successfully discover
this they will need to use critical thinking skills to reflect on the different elements and lines of
the music. I utilize creating and performing music through artistic expression in lessons 2-4,
through Anchor Standard 5 (develop and refine artistic work for presentation), Anchor Standard
10 (synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art), IL State Standard
26.A (demonstrate the ability to read written notation for instrumental art) and IL State Standard
25 B (apply skills and knowledge necessary to create and perform one or more of the arts)
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through applying artistic and critical thinking skills, since students make informed decisions as a
chamber group and identify qualities in the music. In lesson 2-4 students continually work to
improve and refine the chamber piece that they received in lesson one. Students will connect
the knowledge they learned in lesson one and two to help them make informed decisions in
regards to musical elements in the piece. In lesson four I will address performing and
responding music through artistic expression when students perform their chamber piece for
me. When the students perform the chamber piece I will record their performance so that they
can self reflect. The final assessment for my learning segment will involve self reflection on the
performance itself as well as reflecting on the different musical elements and decisions made by
the group to create their final performance. This assessment will ask students to respond to
their artistic skills and their contextual understanding of chamber music and how it differs from
playing in a large ensemble.]
c. Explain how your plans build on each other to help students to create, perform, and/or
respond to music/dance/theater and in making connections to knowledge/skills,
contextual understandings, and artistic expression.
[The supportive framework of the lesson plans begin in lesson one, where students learn the
history and background of chamber music, as well as listening to examples of how chamber
music has developed over the years. This lesson encourages students to make connections
between musical knowledge, and how they can be related to artistic expression. This lesson
engages students to respond through music using their musical knowledge of concepts such as
blend, balance, dynamics and texture. Lesson two builds off of lesson one as it asks students to
make connections through their contextual understanding of chamber music to artistic
expression, such as dynamics, articulation and tone quality. Lesson two guides students to
connect their musical knowledge and critical thinking skills to discover where each line has their
important part within the piece. By connecting their musical knowledge to artistic expression
students will explore how to bring out the important lines in the piece using musical elements
such as dynamics and balance. Students will also connect their performance with the musical
elements such by playing one dynamic level louder when it is their time to shine in the piece
(playing their important part, discovered earlier in the lesson). In lesson two students begin to
refine and develop the piece as a group, students continue to work on the piece in lesson three
so that they are able to perform the piece in lesson four. Lesson three builds off of lesson two as
students connect their musical knowledge, such as dynamics and balance, to their contextual
understanding of the pyramid of sound. Lesson three also builds off of lesson two because
students continue to practice their chamber piece, which helps students make connections
between performing, creating and their musical knowledge. Lesson four cumulates the prior
lessons, since students perform their chamber piece; this incorporates their musical knowledge,
contextual understandings of chamber music and artistic expression as a group and individual
player. After the students perform their piece, lesson four guides students to self reflect on their
performance using personal reflection as well as their knowledge of the piece and chamber
music. This reflection guides students to make connections to artistic skills, musical knowledge,
such as musical elements, and contextual understandings, such as a personal connection.]
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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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.
[Through prior observations and assignments I am informed about my students ability to
perform this learning segment. Three of the four students in my lesson were involved in a
chamber group last semester. The chamber group was an outside of school activity, and not
monitored by the band director. I viewed the footage from their performance and was made
aware of what type of literature the three students were capable of playing. By viewing their
previous chamber group performance, I was able to choose appropriate repertoire that would be
challenging yet at an attainable level for the students. I also observed the students in full
ensemble rehearsal and witnessed that one of the goals of the ensemble is to improve their
concept of sound, and taking ownership of their individual contribution to the ensemble. In large
ensemble I have picked up on the music terminology the students know and what type of
terminology my co-operating teacher is still working on teaching them. With this knowledge I am
going to work in new music terminology into my lesson plans that they students do not know yet
along with terminology that they do know. In addition to observing rehearsal, I also had the
opportunity to observe these four students seating tests. In the seating test I was able to cue in
to the specific learning gaps for each student, and what individual goals each student was
already working on, or needed to start working on. One thing that all four students had in
common was that they played with a limited dynamic range. In the seating test each student
played an etude, I observed each of the four students in my class play with the dynamic level
they were most comfortable with throughout the entire etude. I also know from this observation
that the students do not have much experience on how to play expressively outside of a large
ensemble setting. I guided my central focus around these observations, since students will be
discovering where each line has their musical time to shine and discovering how to bring that
part out, using dynamics. I am aware of a student with an IEP, so I will accommodate this
student by intentionally seating them closer to me, give them visual and verbal reminders to stay
on task and also allowing them extra time to complete exit slips at the end of the lesson. I am
also aware of a gifted student, so I will accommodate this student by encouraging them to bring
in interdisciplinary viewpoints to the lesson segment and also give them extra work to do outside
of class that will engage them in the unit. Additionally to the IEP and gifted student I also have a
student who is an English language learner. I will accommodate this student by seating them
closer to me and have them repeat directions to ensure they understand what is asked of them
to do. Of the four students in my class I am aware that the 3 students (one with an IEP, one
student who is gifted) are appropriately challenged by this lesson progression. To further
challenge these three students I will use guided questions in the lessons to guide the students
to use critical thinking skills come to conclusions about the music and the content on their own.
One of my students (English Language Learner) will need accommodations and individual help
with some tasks in this lesson progression, specifically the tasks that include music terminology.
To accommodate for this student I will allow time in the lesson for questions and brief personal
practice while I check in with this student to make sure they are on task and with the rest of the
group.]
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?
[The demographics in this middle school are not very diverse. The school is made up of 83.2%
White students, 12.1% Asian students, 2.8% Hispanic students, .9% Black students, and .9%
mixed race students. In this specific clarinet class there are 3 Asian students and 1 White
student. 2.6% of the student population comes from low-income families. The majority of the
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students attending this school also come from high earning households. Three of my students
have families who value music and encourage participation in the performing arts at home; they
take private music lessons outside of school and play on professional model instruments. With
that being said, each of these students has a different background in music. One of the students
taking lessons has recently stopped clarinet lessons to pursue jazz piano, where as the two
students have been taking lessons each for 2 years with the same teacher. During parent
teacher conferences I observed that these three students parents encourage practicing at
home and view music as any other subject in school. Three of my students speak Korean as
their primary language at home, two of which the language transition from Korean to English is
seamless from home to school. However, one of my students is an English Language Learner,
which has accommodations in the classroom. One of the students in my class is labeled as
gifted and has recently transferred from a specific gifted school to be back in a mainstream
classroom. This student continues to go to the neighboring High School to take advanced math
and science classes. During parent teacher conferences I observed the gifted students parent
express an interest in his success in music, however they were more concerned with his
progress in the advanced courses. With this background, I gather that music is not a high
priority in their household. Another one of my students is in the honor choir and jazz band at the
school, so I think they will enjoy learning about how to convey emotion and play expressively in
a small group. I also think the student will be an asset in lesson two when I introduce the
pyramid of sound, a concept that is familiar to the choir program in this school. One of my
students is on the basketball team at the school; to engage this student I plan on using sports
references when presenting new ideas and concepts in the lesson progression. Since band is
an elective, I feel that students want to be here and enjoy playing their instrument. Local parents
of music students and administrators show their support of the music program by attending
concerts regularly. Parents often send complimenting emails and regards after concerts to show
their appreciation. The parent support will help encourage these students to individually practice
their parts and come prepared to the lessons during my learning segment.]
3. Supporting Students Performing Arts Learning
Respond to prompts below (3ac). 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.
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.
[Constructed on my previous knowledge that my students final project for term is to participate
in a solo and ensemble festival, I felt that a unit that incorporated chamber music would be very
useful for my students. My students can take concepts from this learning segment and apply it
to their future chamber piece, and also can forgo the trouble of trying to form an ensemble that
they already are comfortable playing with, as one is created for them. Three of the four students
in the class played in a chamber group together in the past year, and had a positive experience
as they were chosen to play their chamber piece on the spring concert. I presume that these
three students will be more invested in this project, as they have had an enjoyable experience
with chamber music in the past, which is supported by Maslows Extrinsic Motivation theory,
which states that learners who receive positive reinforcement for doing a task, will be prompted
to continue doing that task more often. In this case students were selected to perform their
chamber piece on a public concert, and now they are working on a chamber piece during class,
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which could be performed in the future. Based off of observations of how the students contribute
to the large ensemble, I have gathered that these students are strong in their playing, however
are unfamiliar with musical terminology and vocabulary. I feel that this unit will be a challenge for
them as I start to build their music vocabulary and have them practice using vocabulary in their
speech and in writing. When choosing repertoire for the ensemble I considered how three of the
four students currently take private lessons, and one of my students is enrolled in the gifted
program. With these considerations in mind, I was able to choose a piece that properly suited
the level of players in the group and was capable of challenging each student in the group as
well. Each student in the class is also involved in a separate extracurricular activity a part from
band; I plan on structuring my learning tasks around incorporating interdisciplinary ideas into the
learning segment. This is supported by Howard Gardners multiple intelligence theory, which
states that there are seven different ways that people understand in the world. In my class I
have four students who all learn differently, from previous observations one of my students is
more of an innate musician, whereas another student of mine understands the world through a
logical-mathematical lens. To best serve my students, I will encourage them to bring in
interdisciplary ideas into the lesson so that they can connect and apply the concepts in their
own unique way. For example, in lesson 3/day 3 we will focus on the pyramid of sound, and
use terms that are related to choir parts (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) to define the different parts
of the pyramid. One of my students is involved in the honor choir at the school, I presume that
he will have a lot to add to this lesson, where as for my student who takes a mathematicallogical approach to learning, I will define the different parts of the pyramid of sound with a
number that corresponds to the line in the music so that he can better understand the concept.
During my informal and formal assessments to reinforce my students developing musical
vocabulary, I will ask students to use their critical thinking skills and connect two musical ideas
with a question that supports the use of musical vocabulary. Designing an assessment that
promotes critical thinking and connecting two different ideas is supported by Jean Piagets
theory of Cognitive Development, which states that when individuals are in the formal
operational stage (11+ years of age) they use abstract thinking and are beginning to develop
logic thinking. This learning segment will develop both abstract and logic thinking skills by
asking students to consider abstract musical concepts, such as dynamics and phrasing, and
apply and use them to create and express musical ideas in the piece.]
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).
[As stated earlier, I know that my students may be familiar with some music vocabulary and
concepts, however not familiar enough that they fully understand the concept or able to use the
vocabulary in their writing and speech. In lesson one and lesson two I make an effort to point
out symbols in the music and use vocabulary in my directions and description of tasks. Italian is
the predominant language that most of the music terminology that we will be introducing, and
using in my learning segment, which is a language that is unfamiliar to my class. To support my
student who is an English Language Learner understand the vocabulary and musical symbols I
have him, along with the entire class mark in reminders in their music that will be a visual cue
for them for the designated symbol. This strategy is supported by Richard Mayers cognitive
theory of multimedia learning, which states that people lean more deeply with words and
pictures, than from just words alone. During my learning segment there will be times where the
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Task 1: Planning Commentary

class will not be playing their instruments and instead contributing to a class discussion or
listening to examples of chamber groups. These brief breaks in playing could be a challenge for
my student with an IEP and other students in my class who tend to loose focus easily. To
support these students I plan on directing their attention to the discussion by giving them
personalized questions to reflect on and contribute to the discussion with. For my learning
segment the class divides into 4 parts, which vary in technical difficulty. From previous
observations, the students in my class can be very competitive when there are different playing
parts involved. To accommodate my class I will choose parts for my students by considering
how they are musically independent and what skills they need to improve on. This teaching
strategy uses the principle that is states by the Goal Orientation theory, which supports that
students desire to develop themselves by acquiring and building on new skills. In lesson one I
plan on explaining to my students how each of them have individual goals to work on, that are
unique to them. I will then explain how each part plays a specific role in a chamber group and
each part equally challenging. I plan on continuing to support my whole class by pointing out
areas each student can grow in their individual parts throughout the learning segment.]
c. Describe common student errors, weaknesses, or misunderstandings within your
content focus and how you will address them.
[A common weakness I have observed my students make in their previous chamber and solo
performances is that they tend to play at one dynamic level throughout the piece. I plan on
addressing this weakness throughout the learning segment by having my students mark in the
dynamics, and positively reinforce the idea of playing musically by pointing out when the
students do play musically with dynamics. The technique of constant positive reinforcement is
supported by Skinners theory of operant conditioning, because my students are given positive
attention and reinforcement for their conditioned behavior of playing with dynamic contrast.
Another error that I presume my students will make is not writing in complete sentences in the
final assessment, as in the past they have not had to complete any written assessments in
music class. To address this error I have created an informal written assessment that will be
administered at the end of each class to support the use of writing about music, and using
complete sentences. I also will have a section on the rubric, used for the final assessment,
which will address spelling and grammar. I will also address this problem by reminding and
encouraging my students to use complete sentences during the exit slips and on the day of the
final assessment. One misunderstanding that my students may have is that they need to play
their part like how they would play their part in a full ensemble. When playing in a large
ensemble, the balance is different than when playing in a small chamber group. To alleviate this
misunderstanding I have designed my lesson three to discuss balance, specifically the pyramid
of sound. This lesson will show my students how each line (first, second, third, fourth)
corresponds to a quadrant in the pyramid of sound. Before this lesson occurs in lesson one and
lesson two I will discuss balance and have my students practice balancing with their small group
during the warm up activity. Lev Vygotskys theory on the Zone of Proximal development
supports the concept of scaffolding: building on concepts and continually adding supports to
reinforce the task to students until they are able to do the task themselves, unsupported by an
adult.]
4. Supporting Performing Arts 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 learn the performing arts
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Task 1: Planning Commentary

knowledge 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

Compare/contrast

Create

Describe

Evaluate

Explain

Identify

Improvise

Perform

Respond

Summarize

Express

[A key language function that is essential to my central focus is the ability for students to
express through music. This is a foundational language function in my learning segment
because students must be able to express the emotion present in the piece through how they
play and perform the piece. Students must also be able to express their important musical line
when they have the important part in the piece.]
b. Identify a key-learning task from your plans that provides students with opportunities to
practice using the language function. Identify the lesson in which the learning task
occurs. (Give lesson/day number.)
[Students have an opportunity to practice this language function many times throughout the
learning segment. In lesson plan 1/day 1, students will listen to examples of chamber music and
will be asked to comment on how the group expresses the music. They will verbally discuss with
the group what they concluded about how the group plays expressively. In lesson plan 2/day2,
students will begin to discover how the use of dynamics can contribute to playing expressively
and expressing the emotion in music. In this lesson plan students will discover where each line
plays an important expressive part in the piece. Lesson plan 3/day 3, gives students the
opportunity to look at the piece as a whole and discover how they can express the piece as a
group. Also in this lesson plan students will learn about the pyramid of sound and how those
principles can relate to how they can express the music through shaping their dynamics and
balancing the ensemble. Finally lesson plan 4/day 4, students will perform their piece and be
assessed on how well they were able to express their individual important parts in the music,
that they discovered in lesson 2/day 2. The written assessment due after their final
performance, will ask students to self reflect on how well they expressed their individual part as
well as what factors contributed to how they played to express the music.]
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 and/or symbols


Plus at least one of the following:
Syntax
Discourse
[An additional language demand that the students will need to understand is vocabulary in their
exit slips and final written assessment. In the exit slips I require students to use complete
sentences to prepare them for their final written assessment. I also like to understand the
thought process that goes in to my students exit slip answers, which would have been left out if
bullet points were used. Students must also use vocabulary to explain their reasoning on how
they played expressively in their final written assessment. A secondary language function that is
essential to my teaching segment is discourse. Throughout my learning segment I ask students
to listen to examples of chamber groups and respond to guided discussion questions. Discourse
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is an important learning function in this type of scenario because students are verbally
conversing with their peers about their contextual understandings of chamber music. Students
will carry out this language demand throughout the lessons when they engage in discussion
with their peers. This language function will be an appropriate challenge for my class, since they
may not have a lot of experience in discussing their musical knowledge and using correct music
terminology. To support my students I will review music terminology with them and encourage
them to include terminology in their speech when they answer questions. I also will encourage
them to bring in interdisciplinary ideas to their discussions in the learning segment.]
d. Language Supports. Refer to your lesson plans and instructional materials as needed
in your response to the prompt below.

Identify and describe the instructional supports (during and/or prior to the learning
task) to help students understand, develop, and use the identified language
demands (vocabulary/symbols, function, syntax, discourse).
[Throughout the learning segment I have created supports to help my students with the key
language function, express as well as the additional language demands vocabulary and
discourse. To help students better understand how to express in lesson 2/day 2 I lead them in a
warm up designed to discover their dynamic range as a group. By doing this I am proving my
students a way to express musicality. After leading them in the warm up I will have my students
go through the piece line by line and find the important musical parts in the piece, then I will ask
my students how can they bring out those parts that they found. This step-by-step process will
lead my students to discovering how they can use their dynamic range to play expressively, and
express the music. I also support the students with this language demand during lesson 3/day 3
when we discuss the pyramid of sound. The concept of the pyramid of sound challenges
students to think about how each part has a specific voice and function within the ensemble
(soprano, alto, tenor, bass). During this lesson we experiment with balance and applying the
concept of the pyramid of sound to how the group as a whole can be expressive. Finally, in
lesson 4/day 4 we continue building on the language function by exploring leadership within the
group. In lesson 4/day 4 before the students perform their piece I lead them through a chorale
where we discuss the concept of support, and creating musical decisions as a group using
communication. To do this I have the first player experiment with leading the group in
crescendos and decrescendos through phrases in the chorale, by doing this the students learn
how to communicate and support each other using the concept of the pyramid of sound while
performing music. The learning segment has an overarching goal of teaching students how to
be able to express music as a group and individually. To help students better understand the
vocabulary demand in this learning segment I will have them complete a daily exit slip for each
lesson. The exit slip allows students to practice writing about music, and using correct grammar,
and also prepares them for the final assessment. Throughout the lesson segments I frequently
introduce new and review previous music vocabulary, such as crescendo, decrescendo,
dynamics, tempo, classical music, pulse, phrase; specifically in lesson 1/day 1, lesson 2/day 2
and lesson 3/day 3. I will assist students in the discourse language demand of this learning
segment by leading guided discussions encouraging the use of musical concepts presented in
lessons 1-3. In order to encourage students to use musical vocabulary in their speech I will
include musical vocabulary in the question to model what the appropriate response should
reflect.]
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.

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Task 1: Planning Commentary

a. Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct
evidence of students creating, performing, and/or responding to music/dance/theater by
applying knowledge/skills, contextual understandings, and artistic expression
throughout the learning segment.
[My informal assessments begin in lesson 1/ day 1 when I have students respond and reflect to
what they observe and think about the listening examples presented in the presentation on
chamber music. I continue verbal informal assessments in lesson 2/day 2 when I ask the
students as a group to find where each line has an important melodic part in the piece, providing
direct evidence of the students ability to apply their understanding of artistic expression in their
response. In lesson 3/day 3 I give students each an individual question to consider while I play a
listening example, which provides direct evidence of the students individual ability to apply their
contextual understandings of music to their individual response. When the students respond
verbally with their observations and thoughts on the listening examples it will provide direct
evidence on my students ability to apply their music theory and musical elements knowledge to
their response. After each lesson (lesson 1/day 1, lesson 2/day 2 and lesson 3/day 3) I will give
out an informal written assessment in the form of an exit slip. The purpose of the exit slip is to
provide direct evidence of my students individual ability to respond by applying contextual
understandings of music and musical knowledge. A formal assessment that I use in this learning
segment is the rubric that applies to each students performance and final written reflection. This
formal assessment provides detailed evidence on how each student performed the chamber
piece, assessing each student on their artistic skills used to express their important part in the
music while performing, and each students ability to respond to music through their personal
reflection on their performance as well as their reasoning behind the overarching focus on how
to express music while performing.]
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 design of my assessments allows my students with specific needs to demonstrate their
learning in their own unique way and also cumulatively through the rubric. My informal
assessments, specifically the exit slips administered at the end of each lesson, ask students to
recall information that was covered during the lesson. This assessment is an important tool for
my student with an IEP because it asks him to hone in on what he is able to focus on during the
lesson, the exit slip also is designed as a way to motivate this student to pay attention during the
lesson. The exit slip serves a different purpose for my student who is an English language
learner; because it continues to work on building the students English reading and writing skills
and also their knowledge of music vocabulary. As for my gifted student, the exit slip is a way for
them to exercise their knowledge of music and build confidence in their skills. The final
assessment at the end of the learning segment corresponds to the rubric. This rubric will
correspond to both the performance of the chamber piece and the final written reflection. In the
written reflection I tailor to individual learning needs in my class by including open-ended
reflection questions, where there is not a definitive wrong or right answer. Throughout my
learning segment I provide different forms of assessment, from exit slips and verbal
assessments to the group performance and final written reflection, that are adapted and allow
each student, no matter their learning level, to demonstrate their learning and comprehension of
the central focus of the unit.]
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