1. Central Focus
a. Describe the central focus and purpose for the content you will teach in the learning
segment.
[ In this segment, students will be continuing to work on finding the main point and supporting
details and summarizing a text. They have worked on this skill previously and have difficulty
identifying supporting details that fully relate to the main point and help the reader understand
the text. By working in both small and large groups with new and familiar texts, students should
be able to identify the main point more fully, and be able to use that information to summarize
the text. ]
b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within your
learning segment address
Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary
Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary
[ The focus group in this particular lesson does not include any students who have specific
learning difficulties as identified by an IEP or 504 plan, but many students in the small group do
have trouble focusing during both small and large group instruction. By building in group work
and discussion, students are encouraged to share their ideas during those times instead of
during direct instruction. Also, the careful grouping of students ensures that students will have
support during the initial segment in that they are grouped with students who are high and low.
By grouping them in this way it motivates those students to perform better and base their
discussion in the task at hand. Because group work is built in to all parts of the overall segment,
this allows students to be able to have focused conversation instead of distractions. ]
c. Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within
your literacy central focus and how you will address them.
[ The main difficulty this group has is differentiating between supporting details of the main point
and interesting facts found in an article/text. By beginning the lesson with the 20 words or less
summary, students are required to narrow their focus to the details that have the most relevance
with what the article is addressing. By slowly building on the short summaries to where they
start writing whole paragraphs and short essays about a topic, students will be able to easily
determine important details first instead of focusing on interesting facts. Also, thoughtful
questioning that causes dissatisfaction in prior misconceptions is important in any lesson. By
asking questions that ask students to compare interesting facts to the main idea, students will
realize which facts are important and which were included only to catch the readers attention. ]
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
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
[ Differentiate. Students will need to differentiate between main points and interesting facts in
non-fiction texts in this lesson segment. Students have shown struggles in this area, and have
been using interesting facts that dont necessarily support the main point of a text. Using the
coding strategy, students should have a better opportunity to evaluate a text and see the
difference between main ideas and interesting facts. ]
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 lesson one of the learning segment, students are asked to summarize an article in 20 words
or less. As they go through the article students code the paper using code symbols that help
them identify important details, questions they have, and new information. After each section of
their reading, students are required to edit the summary they have to include any new or
important details that they think would help an outside reader get the main idea of the text. They
do this with a gradual release, starting with teacher modeling, then working in carefully chosen
groups, and finally working by themselves. ]
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:
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Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary
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.
[ Students have multiple graphic organizers and worksheets that they will use to organize the
information they find in the selected texts. Each of these uses terms like main idea,
supporting details, summary, etc. in order to help students use those phrases in context of
the learning segment. ]
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.
[ The one informal assessment I have during the lessons is making sure that all students are
participating in the first lesson by means of a spreadsheet to help me keep track. This ensures
that all students are participating and sharing ideas during that particular part of the learning
segment, and the spreadsheet allows me to track individual participation as well as group
sharing. The formal assessments in this lesson are in checklist format and ensure that all
students are participating and completing all parts of the lessons that determine whether or not
they understand the learning segment. All assessments allow students to work in group but
show evidence of understanding on the individual level. They do this by first allowing students to
discuss the information they found and coded and building off each others background
knowledge(social learning theory), and then asking them to use the information to create a
summary. This is consistent in each lesson and gives students ample opportunity to succeed. ]
b. Explain how the design or adaptation of your planned assessments allows students with
specific needs to demonstrate their learning.
Elementary Education
Task 1: Planning Commentary
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.
[ Within the small focus sgroup, all students should be able to meet the criteria for each
segments checklist without little or no teacher intervention. Students in the class who have 504
plans or IEPs would be able to complete these with some teacher intervention. Aids do come in
throughout the day and would be able to help students with this part of the lesson. All students
who are identified as ELLs have experience writing in paragraphs including important details.
By making sure not to include a criteria in any of the segments in regards to spelling or grammar
gives these students the opportunity to succeed without worry of losing points. Also, during
group time, students who are identified as ELL, or have an IEP or 504 plan are paired with
students who do not need accommodations, ensuring that all students should succeed at that
stage of the learning segment.]