Planning Commentary Elementary Literacy

1 - Central Focus a) Describe the central focus and the essential literacy strategy for comprehending OR composing text you will teach in the learning segment. The central focus of this learning segment involves students being able to describe story elements, drawing on specific details in the text they are reading. Throughout the learning segment that I have planned, the essential literacy strategy focuses on in depth descriptions of character, setting, important events, and the main problem. The students will take the information from the text and develop lists for these topics to show they are comprehending the text. The Common Core State Standard that I have chosen, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions), directly relates to the central focus because the students are learning how to use text to describe story elements. They will begin to understand how using reading clearly connects them to writing. b) Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning targets within your learning segment address    the essential literacy strategy related skills that support use of the strategy reading/writing connections The essential literacy strategies have been identified through the Common Core State Standards as well as preassessment done before the lessons were decided. The Common Core State Standard addressed in this learning segment is CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). The main standards that are exemplified throughout each lesson of the learning segment consist of literacy skills that are combined to directly support the students’ growth of the selected strategy. Learning target for lesson one being, I will show understanding of story elements including main characters, setting, and problem. Then following with the learning target for lesson two, I will make predictions using evidence and details from the text. These targets will direct them in making connections between reading and writing; taking text details and evidence (reading) and creating lists for characters, problems, events, settings, as well as making predictions for the future of the story (writing). c) Explain how your plans build on each other to help students make connections between the essential literary strategy to comprehend OR compose text and related skills that support use of the strategy in meaningful contexts. The lesson plans I have created build upon each other to help students make connections between the essential literary strategy to comprehend text and related skills that support use of the strategy in meaningful contexts. These skills are practiced throughout the learning segment, in both of the lessons. In lesson one, students begin by hearing and then reciting the learning target. They then are told that they will be keeping notes in their reader’s notebooks as they read along with the teacher and/or groups of assigned students. They are directed to their pages of lists to include characters, settings, problems, and important events. The students listen as the teacher describes, in detail, what the main story elements are. In the second lesson, students are given their learning target and asked to recite it. To begin collecting evidence for their predictions, students take notes in their reader’s notebooks. They are asked to follow along as the teacher reads and incorporates others to read as well. The students should be categorizing the notes through each main story element. As the students sort through their notes, they are making progress towards reaching their goals outlined in the central focus and learning targets. In addition to developing connections to previous learning targets and procured skills, I also heighten student understanding by evoking prior knowledge from different genres of text across numerous stages of instruction. d) Student Understanding of Learning Targets     If not in your lesson plans, provide the learning targets exactly as presented to students. How and when will you introduce the learning targets to students? How and when will you give students opportunities to express their understanding of the learning targets and why they are important to learn? What tools or strategies will students use? How familiar are students with them? Learning targets are introduced in the very beginning of each of the lessons. Students are told what the learning target is in lesson one: I will show understanding of story elements including main characters, setting, and problem. Once said out loud by teacher, the students will then recite it out loud. For lesson two, the learning target (I will make predictions using evidence and details from the text) will be written down and handed out to each student. The students will then re-write the learning target in their own words. Throughout the lessons, students are given opportunities to verbally, visually, and write down their learning targets in different ways. A tool I use to recognize that the students are becoming familiar with the learning targets are informal assessments. Sometimes altering the instruction so that all students are acquainted with the targets is needed. 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 learners in your class who may require different strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, struggling readers, under-performing students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students). a) Prior academic learning and prerequisite skills related to the central focus and the learning targets— Cite evidence of what students know, what they can do, and what they are still learning to do. Before beginning the learning segment, students are given a formal, written assessment to recall what they know about developing notes of main story elements as well as collecting evidence to make predictions. With the information I received from the students’ assessments, I was able to determine a plan to help the students succeed in the learning segment. Almost all of the students knew exactly what main story elements were. The help needed for the students was to find the evidence and details to use to make predictions for how they see the future of the book. How I plan on helping these students succeed in the lesson is to go thoroughly over how to find the evidence by writing a retell summary at the end of lesson one. This will help them to succeed in finding the evidence not only in the text but also using their summaries to find detail. To offer further assistance to students with literacy needs and IEP/504 plans, I examine their progress, offer direction, and give verbal reminders during activities. b) Personal, cultural, and community assets related to the central focus—What do you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural and language backgrounds and practices, and interests? During the development of my learning segment, I kept in mind the experiences, cultural and language backgrounds, practices, and interests of my students. My learners come in all different shapes and sizes. I do not expect them to learn the same way. Because of the variety of learners I have, each lesson will be modified for my students to be able to accomplish the learning target. 3 - Supporting Students’ Literacy Learning Respond to prompts 3a–c below. 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 2a–b 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. I chose these specific lessons because of my students’ prior academic learning and personal, cultural, and community assets. These particular topics guided my adaptation of learning tasks. The specific studentcentered method of instruction I base my work upon is differentiated instruction which is used to meet the needs of all types of learners. I differentiate instruction by giving access to all types of content needed for each lesson including technology, books, and different ways to research; by engaging small group instruction; having students read all different genres of books; and following up with reteach topics as needed. The preassessment testing reveals that having a plan for all different learners will help in the succession of the class. 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, under-performing students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students). Every student has strengths and weaknesses, their own way of learning, and their own way of best expressing what they have learned. Depending on the learner, I would teach in auditory, visual, and kinesthetic types of ways. I would start with a brief oral introduction to the lesson and follow-up with asking students if they had any questions thus far. By beginning with auditory, the students will hear the direction and learning target for the lesson. Visually, I will have their reader’s notebooks ready and handed out. They will write down their learning target along with other details for the text that will be read. This will also help with my kinesthetic learners by being able to write stuff down. Another way for my kinesthetic learners to succeed is by moving from their desks to their groups. Some meet in the classroom and some meet in groups with para-professionals. c) Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within your literacy central focus and how you will address them. Common misconceptions within the literacy central focus can possibly contain misunderstanding of what main story elements can contain or how detailed the content should be. To be more specific, one concern would be that the students, while working independently, would not fill in the traits of the characters on the character list but only their actual name. This could make things difficult when trying to recognize the characters. They will need to look back into the book to find more descriptive words for each character which will set them back as a learner. Since each of the students progress at a different rate, I will recognize their particular levels of development to deliver learning capabilities that promote their intellectual learning. 4 - Supporting Literacy Development Through Language As you respond to prompts 4a–d, consider the range of students’ language assets and needs. What 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 develop and practice the literacy strategy within your central focus. Listed below are some sample language functions. You may choose one of these or another more appropriate for your learning segment: Analyze, Argue, Categorize, Compare/contrast, Describe, Explain, Interpret, Predict, Question, Retell, Summarize Although most of these language functions are essential for my students to develop and practice the literacy strategy within my central focus, the one that stands out most would be to describe. My central focus being to describe main story elements including character, setting, problem, and important events. This would be the strongest language function to focus on. In lesson one, I verbally and visually show the students how to use description to explain their main story elements. I verbally explain each element in descriptive respect. An example of this would be explaining what setting means to the students, “The setting is the location of the action. An author should describe the environment or surroundings of the story in such detail that the reader feels that he or she can picture the scene.” How to visually show students a description of this would be to point it out in the book or have them draw a certain setting that they found from the text. 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 literacy strategy. Identify the lesson in which the learning task occurs. (Give lesson day/number.) As I said in the previous question, I describe the main story elements in their own way. This could be verbally or visually but in my first lesson, it is both. I explain the main story elements in the “Teach” part of the lesson. I describe each in detail and ask questions as an informal assessment to make sure the students understand. In the “Active Engagement” part of the lesson I show the students the different lists in their reader’s notebooks. The lists are a visual representation of what they need to fill in when it comes to the main story elements. 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 or Discourse The following vocabulary words are included in my two lessons:        Comprehension: capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; power to grasp ideas; ability to know. Prediction: to declare or tell in advance; to foretell the future. Evidence: that which tends to prove or disprove something; an indication; proof. Character: the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person. Setting: the surroundings or environment of anything; the location of where a novel takes place. Problem: dealing with choices of action difficult either for an individual or society at large. Genre: a class or category of artistic endeavor; of or relating to a distinctive literary type. Discourse (as a verb: speak or write authoritatively about a topic) is something understood by students through the retell summary. This is where the students can summarize each particular quadrant of the book through writing. They then are able to discuss their retell summaries in their book clubs, creating the verbal discourse. d) Language Supports. Refer to your lesson plans and instructional materials as needed in your response to the prompt.  Identify and describe the planned instructional supports (during and/or prior to the learning task) to help students understand, develop, and use the identified language demands (function, vocabulary or key phrases, discourse, or syntax). The language demands are found throughout the lesson with planned instructional supports. We have a group discussion about predicting what the book will have in the future, our verbal discourse also includes the time students spend in their book club meetings. 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. a) Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct evidence that students can use the essential literacy strategy to comprehend OR compose text AND related skills throughout the learning segment. 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, under-performing students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students). c) Describe when and where you and the students will use tools and/or strategies to identify what they are doing well and what they need to improve to reach the learning targets through a process of reflection, revision, and goal setÝng.