EdTPA Planning

Elementary Mathematics
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.
[ The central focus for these three lessons is representing and interpreting data. This is an
important skill for third grade students to begin to understand. It also provides a foundation in
developing students algebraic reasoning. During these lessons, students will be exploring the
different ways data is often shared in graphs: picture and bar graphs. Each of these lessons are
concepts addressed in GoMath! with adaptations made by myself. Understanding data in
graphs is an important skill as it reinforces to students the importance of organizing data and
determining what information is needed to solve a problem. ]
b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within your
learning segment address
conceptual understanding
procedural fluency AND
mathematical reasoning or problem-solving skills
[ Conceptual understanding in math refers to the comprehension of math concepts, relations,
and operations. Being able to read and interpret data in graphs requires the student to be able
to recognize the relationship between variables and to identify what symbols represent in order
to solve problems. For instance, a student must not only recognize what a graph title is, but the
variables and quantities addressed in it. To do so, a student must also recognize the symbols
used in a picture graph may represent different variables from graph to graph.
Procedural fluency involves carrying out procedures flexibly and accurately. I believe procedural
fluency in math, most of the time, does not require one strategy or solution. My lessons have a
rather significant time set aside for students to converse with one another and share their
thinking and strategies. This reinforces to them that math strategies can be flexible and varied
from student to student. I have adapted several of the problems from GoMath! to engage
students in greater procedural fluency. I believe developing fluency in math requires a fair
amount of time solving problems and engaging in math. The lessons I have developed provide
students opportunity to work on their fluency by attending to precision, organizing their data
from graphs (efficiency), and being flexible.
Promoting mathematical reasoning and problem solving skills begins, in my opinion, with the
problem sets themselves that students are presented with. Although my hands are tied on part
of the GoMath! lessons, I have made several adaptations to the problems presented to students
during small group work. My objectives of reading and interpreting data in graphs requires
conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and mathematical reasoning. I have added
problem solving skills within the lessons to challenge students even more. ]
c. Explain how your plans build on each other to help students make connections between
facts
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concepts
computations/procedures AND
mathematical reasoning or problem-solving strategies to deepen their learning of
mathematics
[The first lesson in this series of lessons has students reading and interpreting data in a picture
graph. In this lesson students are recognizing the title of a graph and what information is
provided in it. They must attune to the key and what picture symbols represent mathematically.
Lesson two builds on the knowledge gained about reading and interpreting data by having
students create their own graphs. They must account for all the components of a picture graph,
and be able to describe their graphs and what they represent to others. In lesson three,
students are now dealing with a different type of graph-bar graphs. This lesson builds on earlier
lessons because although bar graphs look different than picture graphs and have a few
differences, they are another way of organizing and interpreting data. Students will encounter
data presented in different ways throughout school, and these lessons do a nice job of
introducing them to the different types of graphs they will encounter.
My plans build on students problem solving skills by requiring them to combine story problems,
mathematical procedures (such as concept of half), and their newly learned knowledge of
graphs. Students are challenged cognitively and must make sense of problems when they are
presented with 2 and 3 step problems to solve, at the same time using data from a bar graph to
help solve the problems. ]
2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching
For each of the prompts below (2ac), 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).
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 learning to
do.
[ Most of the students in our class have basic math facts down very good. They have been
introduced to one step and basic two-step story problems to a limited extent in the past.
Students are at times still struggling with story problems that use the words fewer than , half,
twice, and combined than. GoMath is a new program this year, and students used a very
different program last year, Expressions. There is a greater emphasis placed on working
multiple problems in GoMath than in Expressions. From earlier assessments from chapter 1, it
is evident students can identify most addition story problems correctly, but struggle at times with
subtraction problems or story problems comparing 2 or 3 variables. Some students do not look
carefully enough at all the facts in a problem before they begin to attempt to solve it. This could
potentially be problematic when symbols in bar graphs represent a value greater than one. ]
b. Personal/cultural/community assets related to the central focusWhat do you know
about your students everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices,
and interests?

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[10 of the students in my class are English Language Learners where English is not the primary
language spoken at home. I have 2 students that have a parent with a no-contact order and
several others with challenging home lives. The students in my class are excited about learning,
and enjoy stories, problems, and activities they can relate to from their everyday lives. The
graphs used in these lesson do a nice job engaging students at that level as several of the
graph titles are how we get to school, our favorite fruit, number of books students read,
books read, and favorite kind of book. This is a caring, cooperative class that enjoys sharing
ideas with one another. ]
c. Mathematical dispositions related to the central focusWhat do you know about the
extent to which your students
perceive mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile1

persist in applying mathematics to solve problems
believe in their own ability to learn mathematics
[ I am blessed to have a group of students that, by and large, enjoy math. Our class motto after
every lesson is math is fun! The students I will work with for small group in particular have a
positive attitude towards math. They enjoy aha moments, and we have a saying of electricity
is coming out of your brain when students get these moments. Both my mentor teacher and
myself celebrate these times and reinforce to students that can be successful with math. I
believe one of the keys with mathematics instruction is the attitude of the teacher.
The students in my class are not afraid to acknowledge if they do not understand something. In
the same light, they are not afraid to receive assistance from a teacher or peer, and will attempt
to gain understanding. The biggest obstacle related mathematics for many of my students is
limited vocabulary that can impede understanding of a problem. ]
3. Supporting Students Mathematics Learning
Respond to prompts below (3ac). 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, mathematical
dispositions, and research/theory.
[ I knew that many of the students were still developing their problem solving skills when
presented with 2 and 3 step problems using words described above. With this understanding, I
purposely, in small group setting, chose to present students with problems that were beyond
simply reading the graph. I wanted them to have to make sense of the problem and persevere in
solving it. This required them to pay careful attention to the words in the problem. Students in
our class have, in the past, not read the words in a story problem carefully enough and made
errors such as adding instead of subtracting. Based on this understanding, I have presented
them with additional problems that require them to continually look to the words in the problem
carefully, make sense of what the problem is asking, what they know and need to know, and
how they can go about solving it.
From the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

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There are connections to research and theory here as well. The Common Core State Standards
for mathematics include 8 mathematical practices that teachers should help their students
develop in order to become stronger mathematicians and promote deeper mathematical
understanding. My lessons have taken existing content and adapted them to integrate several of
the mathematical practices for students. Students are required to address several of the
mathematical practices, including: (1) making sense of the problem and persevering in solving
it, (3) Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others (this is accomplished by
having students share their solutions with one another), (4) model with mathematics, (6) attend
to precision, and (7) look for and make use of structure.
In addition, I have used research and theory in my adaptations for these assignments by taking
into account the type of mathematical work my students are engaged in. During several of my
math classes as a student at Drake, we often talked about the level of cognitive demand that a
task places on students. Although there is a time and place for all levels in instruction, engaging
students at the highest two levels is generally preferable as it requires a greater cognitive
demand and can lead to increased learning. Many of my task adaptations engage students at
the Procedures with Connections level, considered the third level of four in the hierarchy. It can
even be argued that students are, at times, engaged at the Doing Mathematics level- the
highest level of cognitive demand.
Students are engaged at these levels due to the adaptations presented to them. They are
required to make connections to understanding in solving the problems. They are presented
with multiple step problems to develop deeper understanding (and promote the mathematical
practices). They use a diagram, and significant cognitive effort is required to solve the problems.
They are engaged at high levels because for many of them they are required to monitor their
own process, and often are challenged enough to cause some anxiety in solving the problem.
(Doing Math)
]
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.
[Students with IEPs or 504 plans are targeted as Tier 3 students for every math lesson, meaning
they receive in-class support from a support teacher for a significant portion of the class period.
Our school has instructed us to follow the whole-group unlocking the problem and whole-group
problem solving with fidelity. I have tried to make the most of this by having students come up
front to the classroom and working with a math partner- carefully selected by my mentor teacher
and myself. I also believe using the interactive smartboard for the lesson helps make it more
engaging for all students. I take careful time in the lessons to reinforce vocabulary for ELL
students. In fact, at the beginning of every GoMath chapter is a day devoted to vocabulary to
assist all students. In small groups, I have tailored the assignments to challenge students, rather
than just following known procedures. This is accomplished by 2 and 3 step problems. ]
c. Describe common mathematical preconceptions, errors, or misunderstandings within
your central focus and how you will address them.

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[ The major misconception that students will have entering these lessons is that each symbol in
a picture graph represents 1. Although that is true in some graphs, often it is not. This requires
students to pay careful attention to the key at the bottom of the graph and determine what each
symbol represents. I will address these by pointing out the key several times during whole-group
instruction. In addition, I will reinforce this by asking students questions as they share solution
strategies such as how did you know there were 8 students that chose ice hockey? So each
smiley face represents 2 students, not 1? ]
4. Supporting Mathematics Development Through Language
a. Language Function. Choose one language function essential for student learning
within your central focus. Listed below are some sample language functions. You may
choose one of these or another language function more appropriate for your learning
segment:
Categorize
Compare/contrast
Describe
Interpret
Justify
[ The language function essential to accomplishing learning objectives from this lesson is
represents. Studetns must accurately determine what a symbol represents to accurate read and
interpret data from a graph. ]
b. Identify a key learning task from your plans that provides students with opportunities to
practice using the language function identified above. Identify the lesson in which the
learning task occurs. (Give lesson day/number.)
[ Throughout the three lessons, students are asked to, and encouraged to use the word
represents when analyzing and solving problems. Graphs represent data, and symbols within
those graphs represent data. Represent is an important word in math, and it is important to
develop students algebraic reasoning by understanding that symbols can represent numbers.
Represent is utilized in teacher language and student language during lessons 1,2, and 3. ]
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
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?
[ Students are struggling at times with the words fewer, combined, more than when solving
problems. Their understanding of these words is developing and will continue to develop
through repeated exposure during story problems. ]
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.
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[To support the additional language supports, the problem of the day incorporates many of these
language demands, and Tier 3 students are exposed to these words in greater detail during
their small group time.The story problems I have presented for students during small group work
also do a nice job incorporating these language demands. In addition, I will constantly reinforce
these words and their meanings during group time. Finally, on the whiteboard at the front of the
room are many of these words and what they mean , such as fewer=less, combined=together. ]
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 of students conceptual understanding, computational/procedural fluency, AND
mathematical reasoning or problem-solving skills throughout the learning segment.
[The story problems I have created in addition to the GoMath problems provide a very valuable
assessment tool for where students are at and if they have met learning objectives. I believe it is
critical that assessments accurately match learning objectives, and the problems, student work,
and math workbooks will provide me the tools necessary to make the determination if students
have met learning objectives. In addition, for GoMath a mid-chapter checkpoint and end of
chapter assessment are used.
I would also like to add that checking student work in determining small groups is another way
that I am monitoring student learning, and placing students in the groups they are a best fit for
with that particular days instruction. ]
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 mathematics students, underperforming students or those with gaps
in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students.
[ For Tier 1 students I will work with in a small group setting, the adaptations I have created will
allow them to think deeper about the problem and challenge them at a greater level cognitively.
This allows them to show me their advanced thinking and ability to solve multiple step problems
reading and interpreting graphs. Students with IEPs have in-room support that follows a special
protocol. Students that I work with in the small groups can demonstrate their learning through
explaining their reasoning and solution strategies, through their workbook, and their completed
work in their GoMath! workbooks. ]

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Elementary Mathematics

Task 1: Planning Commentary

TASK 1: PLANNING COMMENTARY

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

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

perceive mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile1

From the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

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

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

Vocabulary and/or symbols

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

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