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Elementary Literacy
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 the essential literacy strategy for comprehending OR
composing text you will teach in the learning segment.
The central focus of the learning segment is to analyze and discern patterns across
stories. The essential literacy strategy that I will teach is comparing and contrasting.
Comparing and contrasting requires students to identify, understand, and analyze story
elements. Students gain a better understanding of the material and become proficient
readers. The ultimate goal is to have students analyze and discern patterns in an
academic and home setting. Students will be able to compare and contrast concepts
across the curriculum because the strategy can be applied to all content areas.
Students can compare and contrast historical events, literature pieces, cultural beliefs,
and more. Also, they will be able to use this strategy in their everyday lives to make
informed decisions.
b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within
your learning segment address
the essential literacy strategy
related skills that support use of the strategy
reading/writing connections
The standards and learning objects within my learning segment addresses the essential
literacy strategy of comparing and contrasting. CCSS.RL.K.9 states, With prompting
and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in
familiar stories. Students will orally compare and contrast stories in Lessons 2 and 3.
They will complete a double bubble map as they compare and contrast two stories in
Lesson 4. The skills of retelling a familiar story and identifying story elements will be
used in Lessons 1, 2, and 3 to accomplish this strategy. The CCSS.RL.K.2 standard
states, With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
Retelling is an important skill that helps students better comprehend the story. It
scaffolds the process of comparing and contrasting stories and supports the use of the
strategy. There are reading and writing connections throughout the learning segment.
Standard CCSS.W.K.3 states, Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to
narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order
in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. There is a range of
opportunities for students to draw, dictate, and write about the sequence of events
throughout the learning segment. Lesson 1 and 2 requires students to orally describe
the order of events in a story. Lesson 3 requires students to draw, talk, and write about
the order of events in a story. All standards addressed throughout the segment provide
students a foundation to meet proficiency in the central focus.
c. Explain how your plans build on each other to help students make connections
between the essential literacy strategy to comprehend OR compose text and related
skills that support use of the strategy in meaningful contexts.
Each lesson builds on each other to help students make connections between the
essential literacy strategy and related skills that support use of the strategy in meaningful
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Elementary Literacy
contexts. Related skills that support the use of comparing and contrasting include
retelling stories, identifying story elements, and working collaboratively. My lessons are
designed to help students develop these skills in order to apply the strategy of
comparing and contrasting. In Lesson 1, students practice the skill of retelling The Five
Chinese Brothers to better understand the story. Students collaboratively identify story
elements as they complete the first column of the matrix, as the matrix will be later used
compare and contrast stories in future lessons. In Lesson 2, students retell The Seven
Chinese Brothers to collaboratively identify story elements and complete the second
column of the matrix. We will briefly compare and contrast The Five Chinese Brothers
and The Seven Chinese Brothers in an oral class discussion. In Lesson 3, students
retell The Seven Chinese Sisters to collaboratively identify story elements and complete
the third column of the matrix. We will briefly compare and contrast all three stories in
an oral discussion. Lessons 1, 2, and 3 are intended to scaffold student learning in
order to support students ability to compare and contrast independently. In Lesson 4,
students will apply what they learn in previous lessons to utilize reading strategy of
comparing and contrasting two stories.
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).
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 use my knowledge of students prior academic learning and prerequisite skills to inform
my teaching. Students know the basic steps of retelling a story. With prompting and
support, students are able to retell a story using their own words with accurate story
sequencing. They have been practicing this skill since first quarter, and it helps them to
remember and comprehend a familiar story. They are learning how to retell a story
using key details of a text because mentor texts are getting increasingly longer and more
difficult throughout the school year. Students know how to identify the beginning,
middle, and end of a story. They have been using flow map worksheets and activities to
practice this skill since first quarter. They are learning the relationship between the
middle and end of a story to the problem and solution. Students know how to identify
character, setting, and major event a story. This concept was introduced in second
quarter, and they are learning to utilize this skill in more difficult texts. Students know
how to identify similarities and differences between stories. With prompting and support,
they are able to compare and contrast two stories using a double bubble map. They are
learning how to compare and contrast three stories using a matrix and complete a
double bubble map independently.
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?
I use my knowledge of students personal, cultural, and community assets to inform my
instruction. My Kindergarten students are between the ages of five and six years old
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and enjoy hands-on learning experiences. They are unable to sit for a long period of
time and complete lengthy worksheets. There are about eight students that do now know
letter sounds. Thus, they have difficulty in writing and sounding out words. My mentor
and I often conference with these students to interpret their written work. There is a
wide range of cultural backgrounds in my class. Three students are a part of a military
family, three students moved from a different country, and thirteen are Hawaii locals.
The three ELL students speak Samoan or Tongan. Military and foreign students are
unfamiliar with Hawaiis culture and common celebrations. The community is very
segregated between military and local families. The military families are from the
Aliamanu Military Reservation while the local families live near the school. The diversity
of my class impacts my planning and instruction because students need background
information about Chinese culture. Many of them arent familiar with Chinese culture,
and it may affect their understanding of stories. I need to make sure to provide
background information about the culture before diving into my lesson segment.
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 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.
My understanding of students prior academic learning and personal, cultural, and
community assets guided my choice in scaffolding learning tasks and materials to fit the
needs of all students. Gibbons states, It can be argued that it is only when teacher
support-or scaffolding- is needed that learning will take place, sine the learner is then
likely to be working within his zone of proximal development (2015). I made it a priority
to scaffold the content, process, or product as developed the learning segment. I
considered students prior academic knowledge and prerequisite skills in choosing
learning tasks. I chose to scaffold the strategy comparing and contrasting by focusing
on the skills needed to compare and contrast in each lesson. Students will utilize their
abilities of retelling a story and identifying story elements in Lessons 1, 2, and 3. This
scaffolds the process of comparing and contrasting two stories in Lesson 4. I chose
graphic organizers familiar to students because it scaffolds their learning task. Students
will have an easier time demonstrating their ability to retell a story using a flow map in
Lessons 1 and 2 because they regularly use it to describe the beginning, middle, and
end of a story. Students will have a general understanding of the formal assessment in
Lesson 4 because they frequently use a double bubble map to compare and contrast
two stories. In Lesson 4, students draw and label the similarities and differences in their
double bubble map. This scaffolds the product for students who are unable to write
words.
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,
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struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic

knowledge, and/or gifted students).
My instructional strategies and planned supports are appropriate for the whole class and
individuals. There is a variety of activities throughout the learning segment that
addresses the needs of all learners. Students practice the skill of retelling in three
different ways including acting it out, using puppets, and creating a flipbook. Throughout
the period of three lessons, students participate in hands-on learning experiences that
scaffold learning from group to pair to individual activities. Modeling is an important
instructional strategy that will be used in all lessons to scaffold learning. According to
Andrews, Modeling, when an expert demonstrates a particular task or skill so that it can
be emulated or replicated by the learner, is the first step of the scaffolding process
(2007). All students of various abilities can benefit from modeling. I will provide
preferential seating to IEP, ELL, and struggling readers in Lesson 1. These students will
sit in front of the life size flow map so they can observe the steps in retelling a story. I
ensure flexibility when grouping my students throughout the lesson. For example, I will
allow ELL and struggling students to participate in a small group for the retelling activity
in Lesson 2. These students will have the option to do paired work when creating the
flipbook is Lesson 3. I give accelerated students the opportunity to challenge their
thinking. Students can be the narrator in Lesson 1, complete a double bubble map in
Lessons 2 and 3, and compare three stories in Lesson 4.
c) Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions within
your literacy central focus and how you will address them.
A common misconception within the literacy central focus is the process of retelling a
story. Students tend to repeat every single detail when practicing the skill of retelling.
Focusing on minute details will make it difficult for students to recognize similarities
throughout the three stories. I will address this misconception by teaching students to
retell the beginning, middle, and end of a story in 1-2 sentences each. I will use
modeling and think-aloud strategies to demonstrate the process of retelling a story.
Also, students may have a difficult time in identifying the problem and solution of a story
because it is a fairly new concept to them. I will address this by teaching them to retell
the middle of the story as the problem and the end of the story as the solution. This
helps students clearly see the relationship between the middle and end to the problem
and solution.
4. Supporting Literacy 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 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

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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.)
The key learning tasks that provide students with opportunities to practice retelling is in
Lessons 1, 2, and 3. Students are able to retell a story in a variety of ways. In Lesson
1, students retell a story using a life size flow map. One student is retelling the story
while others are acting it out in the life size flow map. Students will use this skill to
identify story elements when filling out the first column of the matrix. In Lesson 2,
students retell a story with a partner using puppets and a flow map. Students will use
this skill to identify story elements when filling out the second column of the matrix. In
Lesson 3, students retell a story after completing a flipbook. Students will use this skill
to identify story elements when filling out the third column of the matrix. Students will
use all information in the matrix to compare and contrast the stories. Thus, the language
function of retelling supports students in identifying similarities and differences in stories.
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
Students need to understand key vocabulary such as retell, beginning, middle, end,
author, copyright, character, setting, problem, solution, compare, contrast, similar, and
different. Students need to understand and use key vocabulary such as retell, compare,
and contrast because they are crucial to meet the goal of the learning task. The student
must understand their task when I tell them to retell, compare, or contrast a story. Also,
students must understand key vocabulary such as beginning, middle, and end. These
words are important because it relates to the skill of retelling a story. We use these
words to teach students the problem and solution of a story. Students must understand
key vocabulary such as author, copyright, character, and setting because these are the
categories of the matrix. They must understand the words in order to compare and
contrast two stories in Lesson 4. Students must understand the syntax because it
provides students a foundation to retell stories and compare and contrast stories.
Students must understand discourse because it is important to accurately speak about
comparing and contrasting. Sentence starters, sentence stems, and question stems are
included throughout the lesson to build accurate academic knowledge of the learning
segment.
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 language demands
(function, vocabulary or key phrases, discourse, or syntax).
The planned instructional supports help students understand, develop, and use the
language demands. The language supports include the problem and solution anchor
chart, matrix, teacher modeling, feedback, and conferencing. The anchor chart provides
student a visual poster that relates the middle and end of a story to the problem and
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solution. The matrix is a clear visual to compare and contrast the three stories in a
simple and organized way. Teacher modeling, feedback, and conferencing provide
exemplary models of using the language demands throughout 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 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.
My planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct evidence that students
can use the essential literacy strategy to comprehend text and the related skills
throughout the learning segment. Informal assessments are the formative assessments
throughout the segment. This includes students questions and responses, turn-and-talk
responses, conferences with students, and observations during learning activities. I will
observe students ability to act out the beginning, middle, and end of the story in Lesson
1. I will circulate the room, observe student work, and listen to students conversations
in Lessons 2 and 3. This will provide direct evidence about students abilities to utilize
the skill of retelling. Students responses during matrix collaboration will provide direct
evidence about students abilities to practice the skill of identifying story elements.
Students questions and responses during discussions of similarities and differences are
formative assessments that I will use in Lessons 2, 3 and 4. This will provide direct
evidence about students abilities to orally compare and contrast stories. My planned
formal assessment will provide direct evidence that students can use the essential
literacy strategy. Students will be required to choose any two books to compare and
contrast. They will independently complete a double bubble map showing their ability to
apply the reading strategy.
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 planned assessment allows students with specific needs to
demonstrate their learning. The double bubble map format is a familiar format for
comparing and contrasting. Students prior knowledge and experiences with this
worksheet should provide a familiar foundation to demonstrate their learning. Students
with IEPs, ELL, and struggling readers have a variety of options to demonstrate their
learning in the final assessment. They are given the option to draw pictures to represent
the similarities and differences in the double bubble bap. I will provide extra support in
reviewing the process of completing a double bubble map. Lastly, students will have the
option to compare and contrast two stories orally. Accelerated students are challenged
to compare and contrast three stories using a double bubble map or Venn diagram.
Thus, the planned formal assessment is designed to support the needs of all students.

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Elementary Literacy
Works Cited
Andrews, S. E. (2007). The Impact of Modeling upon Preservice Teachers in a Content Area
Reading Course. Online Submission,
Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning.

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Task 1: Planning Commentary

TASK 1: PLANNING COMMENTARY

the essential literacy strategy

related skills that support use of the strategy

struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic

Copyright 2015 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

Vocabulary or key phrases

Copyright 2015 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning.

Copyright 2015 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

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