Literacy Instruction Sept 2016

Elementary Education
Task 2: Instruction Commentary
TASK 2: INSTRUCTION COMMENTARY

Respond to the prompts below (no more than 6 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within the
brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Commentary pages exceeding the maximum will not be
scored. You may insert no more than 2 additional pages of supporting documentation at the end of this file. These pages
may include graphics, texts, or images that are not clearly visible in the video or a transcript for occasionally inaudible portions.
These pages do not count toward your page total.
1.
Which lesson or lessons are shown in the video clips? Identify the lesson(s) by lesson plan number.
[ Video Clip 1 is the beginning of Lesson 2. Video Clip 2 is the end of Lesson 2. ]
2.
Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
Refer to scenes in the video clips where you provided a positive learning environment.
a. How did you demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness to
students with varied needs and backgrounds, and challenge students to engage in
learning?
[ I demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness to students with varied
needs and backgrounds throughout each video clip. I also challenge students to engage in
learning. I show respect for students by calling them by their name when they raise their hand to
speak or when I am working with them independently. For example, at the very beginning of
Video Clip 1 at minute 0:01 I am calling on a student with their name, and this continues on
throughout the rest of this video clip, as well as in Video Clip 2 (which can also be exemplified at
the very start of the video clip at 0:00) when I walk around the room to work with the students in
their responsibilities graphic organizer. By calling the student by their name, I am promoting a
courteous and respectful learning environment. In Video Clip 2, as I am walking around the
room I am getting down to their level, instead of towering over them, while working on the
writing task. This is especially evident at minutes 1:17, 1:45, 3:20, 4:01 and 4:54 in Video Clip 2.
This demonstrates respect because I do not present myself standoffish or intimidating. Rather, I
am ensuring my students feel comfortable to voluntarily interact with me and share their
thoughts or ideas. This exemplifies good rapport with my students as well. My students do not
hesitate to share their work or their opinions and do so in a calm manner. This leads me to
believe that they feel respected and understand that their opinion truly matters to me as their
teacher.
I am seen chatting with my students about their work, making eye contact with each
student and showing interest in their learning. This is evident in the entirety of Video Clip 2
as I ensure that I am looking at the students when I am talking to them, and promoting an
encouraging environment for them to succeed by rewarding student comments and
questions with verbal praise, but also working with them to ensure their understanding of the
content. For example, while working with a student I exclaim that the work is completely
understood when I exclaim Perfect! at minutes 2:54 and 2:57. At minutes 3:46 and 3:51 I
tell two different students I like that! in regards to their unique and thoughtful writing. Each
came up with original answers and truly reflected on their personal experiences.
I am extremely sensitive to each individuals learning needs and work to incorporate
various learning strategies into my lessons to enable myself to reach all of the students with
varied needs and backgrounds, as well as diverse learners in the classroom. I demonstrate
mutual respect and good rapport when I come to class prepared with materials and visuals
designed with all students in mind, including those with disabilities. In Video Clip 1, I begin
with a read aloud and then move on to a SMARTBoard activity at 6:09. I use visuals from
the book and interactive graphics on the SMARTBoard, while also using myself to reach
auditory learners. At the beginning of this lesson (not shown) I had a song about
responsibilities playing.
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I demonstrate responsiveness in each video clip. I welcome students opinions and ideas
into the flow of the activity. In Video Clip 1, I specifically ask the students at minute 1:22
Who do you think? when a character returns in the story. At minute 2:44 I ask What
happened? and at 3:15 I ask Why do you think its an elephant bird? I ask questions such
as this to engage the students and to share their ideas because I have created an
emotionally and intellectually safe classroom. In Video Clip 2, I also demonstrate
responsiveness by using the students real life experiences to connect school learning to
students lives. For example, when asking the students about something they are
responsible for, at 0:30 I say There is something that I can think of that you bring home and
to school every single day. All of the students in the class can relate to this as bringing their
take home folder to and from school is an essential component to our classroom. I made a
clear connection for them to use as an example in deciphering other responsibilities through
their own experiences.
I challenge my students to engage in learning throughout the video clips, and across the
entire learning segment. I utilize stimulating, engaging activities, such as using the
SMARTBoard to sort out the different responsibilities students and teachers have, in Video
Clip from minutes 6:09 to 10:38. ]
3.
Engaging Students in Learning
Refer to examples from the video clips in your responses to the prompts.
a. Explain how your instruction engaged students in developing an essential literacy
strategy and related skills.
[ The essential literacy strategy that is being addressed is to categorize ideas and information
by using graphic organizers. My instruction engaged students in developing this essential
literacy strategy by posing questions to elicit responses and using various supports for
reinforcement. Video Clip 1 begins in the middle of a read aloud where I frequently stop to
check for comprehension of what is going on in the text and its underlying meaning of
responsibility. For example, at 0:08 I asked, How did the bird let him get in trouble? and the
student said, they are bringing him to the zooso all of these people can laugh at him
(minutes 0:16-0:26). Also, I stopped reading when the egg began to hatch in the story. At 2:44 I
asked the students, What happened? Many hands came up and the student I called on said,
at minute 2:47, Its a baby elephant! Another example is at 3:15 when I asked, Why do you
think its an elephant bird? and the student responded by saying, Its because it haslegs like
a birdand a trunk like an elephant at minute 3:20. The students use this support to transfer
knowledge over into the interactive graphic organizer sorting activity on the SMARTBoard a few
minutes later, also shown in the video beginning at minute 6:09.
During this sorting activity, the students interact with the SMARTBoard in deciphering
whether each egg is a student responsibility or a teacher responsibility. I explain what each
nest represents (either a student responsibility or teacher responsibility) and then I
specifically state at 6:24, Each of these eggs is a different responsibility. We are going to
read them together and then Im going to need some help putting them in the right spots. I
am explaining the different parts of this interactive graphic organizer and how each nest is a
category in which the eggs need to properly be organized into. During this part of the video
clip, I am asking the students about where the chosen egg would be properly categorized,
especially at 6:45 (Whose responsibility is it to help the students learn?), 7:18 (So who
works with parents?), 7:25 (When the students are in school who communicates with the
parents?), 7:31 (where is the egg going to go? Whose responsibility?), 8:18 (who
follows the rules in the classroom?), 8:27 (Which side does it go? Student responsibility or
teacher?), and 10:05 (So during snack time, who cleans up after themselves?).

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My instruction engaged students in developing related skills regarding writing

conventions and word choice. In Video Clip 2, students are working on their responsibilities
graphic organizers. At the beginning of the clip, at 0:10 I remind the students that they have
sentence starters. This is a reminder for the students to understand that they are to
complete the telling sentence. As I make my way around the room to work independently
with the students, I frequently remind the students about using proper punctuation in their
writing. At minute 1:04 I ask a student, What comes at the end of your sentence? A student
can be heard, at 2:19, asking Do we need a period? This informs me that this student
understands that it is a telling sentence but is working on developing the writing convention
of punctuation. Again, at minute 2:56, I ask a student What do you need at the end of your
sentence? as I remind the student that they are in fact writing a sentence and they need to
use proper punctuation. ]
b. Describe how your instruction linked students prior academic learning and personal,
cultural, and community assets with new learning.
[ My instruction linked students prior academic learning and personal, cultural, and community
assets with new learning. The theme of Lesson 2, which is where both video clips is from, is
about the responsibilities and in particular those of students and teachers. The students are
using knowledge of each role and how they are transpired in the classroom. By using this
knowledge, the students are learning that they each have different responsibilities that can be
shown in many ways and forms.
In Video Clip 1, the students are using their experiences of being students in school for
reflection. Also, as students, they have teachers in the classroom and the building. Again,
they are using their experiences of being students, as each classroom has teachers in it, for
reflection. The students are making a personal connection enabling the ability to relate to the
activity and have more of an understanding. For example, from 7:18-7:31 I ask, Who works
with parentswhen theyre in school? The student begins to think. Then I ask another
question to assist them, When the kids are in school, who communicates with the parents?
Who calls up the parents? And at minute 7:30, the student correctly responds with The
teacher. The student reflects on being a student and knowledge of the responsibilities of a
teacher opposed to a student, to determine an answer. Another example is at 9:22-9:31. I
first clarify the responsibility is about having lessons and work ready. Then I say, So to get
lessons for the day ready. Who does that? Whose responsibility? Who has all of the work for
the class ready? The student answers, at minute 9:33, that it is the teacher. This probing
with questions helped the student determine the answer through relating to being a student
in a classroom with the teacher. Lastly, another example is 10:05-10:21 when I work with a
student in categorizing whether cleaning up after themselves in the classroom is an
important responsibility for a student or teacher during snack time. At minute 10:05, I ask
So during snack time, who cleans up after themselves? The student responds by saying, I
do! I further clarify the students response by asking, So are you a student or a teacher?
Ultimately, the student responds with Student and understands that it is a student
responsibility rather than a teacher responsibility. Throughout these examples from Video
Clip 1, I ask the student questions that they would know the answer to because they are a
student. They are being asked to think back about their personal experiences in the
classroom to provide an answer. Also in Video Clip 1, I ask a student to explain what the
word participate means, at 8:51. The student quickly thinks back and relates this answer to
prior academic learning and personal, cultural, and community assets when providing their
answer. The student is actively involved in basketball where they participates in a team
activity, as well as karate where the student participates in the lessons with other peers. This
student provides an immediate answer a few seconds later, stating that participate means to

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listen (minute 8:56) or to share (minute 8:57). It is evident that this student uses prior
experiences and learning to define the term.
In Video Clip 2, I ask the students at the beginning of the clip to think about what a
student is responsible for. I reflect on the previous interactive graphic organizer sorting
activity we completed as a class, and also incorporate their personal connection, especially
in bringing their take home folder to and from school, to do their own graphic organizer
worksheet. For example, at 0:17 I say, In school, a student is responsible for Hmm It
can be something different than our eggs. We talked about a few things. What are you
responsible for in school? One student responds by saying My work (at 0:29). Another
student states that they are responsible for their homework (at 0:37). A student also raises
their hand and mentions that they are responsible for their [take home] folder (at Lastly, a
student states at 0:48 that they are responsible for packing up their stuff at the end of the
day. I am welcoming students opinions and ideas that may be derived from personal,
cultural or community assets into the flow of the activity and new learning of how everyone
has a responsibility and can be categorized. ]
4.
Deepening Student Learning during Instruction
Refer to examples from the video clips in your explanations.

a. Explain how you elicited and built on student responses to promote thinking and
apply the essential literacy strategy using related skills to comprehend OR compose text.
[ I elicited and built on student responses in both Video Clip 1 and Video Clip 2. In both videos I
am asking the students to make connections to real life which will provide them with a way to
start their answers and understand the categorization of student responsibilities and teacher
responsibilities. In Video Clip 1, I used questioning strategies that make all students think and
answer. I frequently stop during the reading to check for comprehension and understanding of
what is happening up to that particular moment. At 1:22 I ask, Who do you think? In response
to an action taking place in the story. A student responded by providing their opinion that they
think the bird, a character in the story, has returned (at 1:26), Another example is at 2:44 when I
ask What happened? during a major moment in the story when the egg was hatching. Several
students chimed in and one student responded with Its a baby elephant (at 2:47). At the end I
pose several questions to engage the students to share their thoughts, ideas and information,
while also checking for comprehension and understanding. For example, at 4:28, I ask Who
say on this egg for so long? A student responded correctly with Horton. A few moments later,
at 4:35, I ask Why did he sit there for 51 weeks? A student replied with it was his
responsibility! I encourage the students to explain what is going on within the story to indicate
they are following along, and also to check for clarification of the responsibility detailed in the
read aloud.
After posing questions, I listen to what the students are saying and then develop a new
question. For example, in Video Clip 1, at minute 4:10, I ask Why do you think he took
home the elephant bird? The student responded by saying, He belongs there. I built on
this answer by asking Why? at minute 4:21. Students respond with the correct character of
who sat on the egg the longest (4:34). Then, I continue to build on this idea that he belongs
there by clarifying critical moments in the story by asking Why did he sit there for 51
weeks? at minute 4:35. I am moving from student to student to elicit responses because it
is clear that I am interested in what they are saying and want to know more. In Video Clip 2
I am working with the students independently. I am eliciting student responses by asking the
students to reflect (at minute 0:17) about the previous activity and to also reflect on being a
student (at minute 0:30). Through this strategy, the students are asked to think and
welcomes a flow of ideas. In particular, at 3:51, I begin working with a student who is unsure
of what to write about for a teacher responsibility. I start to pose questions to the student to
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elicit ideas. For example, at 4:13, I ask What does the teacher do? Does she teach
something? Does she do something? The student reads the room and looks at the
SMARTBoard to look for ideas. The student comes up with an answer and immediately
begins writing. Another example is at 5:06 when I work with a student to figure out what a
teacher is responsible for. The student had previously indicated that she was having trouble
explaining her ideas. At 5:06 I ask the student, In school, a teacher is responsible for
[Student Name] and who else in the class? The student responds by saying, Myself.
Which I then continue to probe for answers by asking Who are you? You are a teacher? Or
a student? Through this questioning to elicit responses, I was also able to build on the
students responses to determine an answer. The student indicates that they are a student
and begin to formulate the rest of the sentence.
I promote thinking and apply the essential literacy strategy using related skills to
compose text. The students have to categorize examples of a student responsibility and a
teacher responsibility in Video Clip 1 from 6:09-10:38 and in the entirety of Video Clip 2. In
Video Clip 2, the students are reminded at 0:10 that they are using sentence starters to
categorize the responsibilities which indicates to the students that they are to complete the
telling sentence. The students, through previous lessons not indicated in this learning
segment, they have practiced writing telling sentences which means they must use proper
writing conventions, which are the related skills. While working with the students, I ensure
the students are using proper writing conventions by also checking for understanding. At
1:04 I state that it is a complete thought, then I ask what is needed at the end of the
sentence. The student responds correctly with the proper punctuation. This again occurs at
2:19. At 2:22, the students are reminded to use finger spaces in their writing, which is
another writing convention and related skill. ]
b. Explain how you modeled the essential literacy strategy AND supported students as
they practiced or applied the strategy to comprehend OR compose text in a meaningful
context.
[ I modeled the essential literacy strategy in both video clips. At 6:09 in Video Clip 1, I began the
interactive graphic organizer activity. At 6:24 I begin to explain how the graphic organizer is
categorized into two different categories (student responsibilities and teacher responsibilities).
The students see visually that there are two different nests that they are to categorize
responsibility eggs into. In Video Clip 2, I model the essential literacy strategy again when I hold
up the graphic organizer handout at 0:12 and point to the different categories and how they are
to complete the sentence starter for each category. I supported students as they practiced the
strategy to compose text in a meaningful context. In Video Clip 2, I work independently with
students to ensure comprehension and clarity. I am checking for understanding by asking the
students to read to me their writing and also to explain their ideas. For example, at 3:13 I begin
to work with a student who has many ideas of student responsibilities and teacher
responsibilities, and as clearly categorized them appropriately. At 3:20 the student explains their
thinking and why they categorized this particular responsibility for the specific role. The student
wront In school, a stufent is responsible for math and books. The student explains their answer
by saying, Because this person is reading the book about math. The student has a detailed
picture of a math lesson going on and they are using math books to complete the lesson. ]
5. Analyzing Teaching
Refer to examples from the video clips in your responses to the prompts.
a. What changes would you make to your instructionfor the whole class and/or for
students who need greater support or challengeto better support student learning of
the central focus (e.g., missed opportunities)?

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Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different
strategies/support, such as students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners,
struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic
knowledge, and/or gifted students.
[ I would make a few key changes to my instruction to better support student learning of the
central focus. For example, in Video Clip 2, I would have started the students off with a model of
the graphic organizer handout they were to complete with my own example. Although I did talk
about the handout, I did not fully elaborate on my ideas and put it on paper to provide the
students with a model and an example to work off of. This truly would have helped my students
with IEPs who require a vast amount of visual aids and cues. This would also have helped my
struggling readers to see what is expected of them and to practice reading the telling sentence. I
would have also given my high performing students a more detailed example to provide them
with more of a challenge. While I did explain how to start to do the graphic organizer activity, I
would have spent more time focusing on their understanding of the graphic organizer and how
they are to be categorized.
Another change I would have done regarding my instruction is in Video Clip 1. Before
jumping right into the interactive graphic organizer sorting activity, I would have given the
students other examples of sorting things into categorizes. For example, I would not have
done the first egg together. Rather, I would have liked to give them a general example like
categorizing the differences between two sports which would make more personal, cultural,
and community connections. ]
b. Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your
explanation with evidence of student learning AND principles from theory and/or
research.
[ I think these changes would drastically improve student learning. According to social learning
theorist Albert Bandura, modeling is an instructional strategy in which the teacher demonstrates
a new concept or approach to learning. Students learn by observing and the theory of modeling
is an instructional strategy that I believe is extremely important for students of this age group.
Bandura states that from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are
performed. This means that if the students were to see how the graphic organizer worksheet (in
Video Clip 2) can be written using an example, the students would then be able to complete the
worksheet on their own and working with their own ideas because they know what is being
asked of them to do. I truly believe that that it is important for teachers to model what they are
asking the students to do, and this is something that would definitely improve student learning.
This directly relates to Video Clip 1 as well because I would have modeled the activity using
another example to sort things into categories because this would have enabled the students to
gain a better grasp on what is asked of them when they categorize. Bandura explains that
teachers can first model the task for students, and then the students begin the assigned task
and work through the task at their own pace. This allows for not only differentiation, but allows
for students to realize what is being asked of them and then completing what is asked of them. I
plan on using this strategy for future lessons as I believe it is imperative for students to see what
is being asked of them, not just being told. ]
Source: Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Press.

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Literacy Instruction Sept 2016

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Elementary Education

Task 2: Instruction Commentary

TASK 2: INSTRUCTION COMMENTARY

Promoting a Positive Learning Environment

Engaging Students in Learning

Copyright 2016 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

My instruction engaged students in developing related skills regarding writing

Copyright 2016 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

Deepening Student Learning during Instruction

Refer to examples from the video clips in your explanations.

Copyright 2016 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

Copyright 2016 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

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