Elementary Education - Literacy

Task 1: Literacy Context for Learning Information

TASK 1: LITERACY CONTEXT FOR LEARNING INFORMATION

Respond to the prompts below (no more than 4 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within the
brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Pages exceeding the maximum will not be scored.

About the School Where You Are Teaching

1. In what type of school do you teach? (Type an X next to the appropriate description; if
other applies, provide a brief description.)
Elementary school: __X___
Middle school: _____
Other (please describe): _____
2. Where is the school where you are teaching located? (Type an X next to the appropriate
description .)1
City: __X___
Suburb: _____
Town: _____
Rural: _____
3 List any special features of your school or classroom setting (e.g., charter, co-teaching,
themed magnet, intervention or other leveled small group instruction, classroom aide,
bilingual, team taught with a special education teacher) that will affect your teaching in this
learning segment.
[ This school is a public elementary school that serves third grade through fifth grade. It is
located in a small military city. There are currently 615 students enrolled. The racial
demographics at this school are approximately 54% white, 18% African American, and 14%
Hispanic, 8% Asian, and 5% two or more races. Only 5% of the student body is learning
English and 29% of students come from a low income home. Girls make up 48% of the
student body and boys make up 52%. Students with disabilities make up 11% of the student
population.
I am in a gated classroom that teaches fourth grade math, science, and socials studies. My
teacher co-teaches with a literature teacher, so students switch classes half way through the
day to learn all of the subjects. Although this classroom is gifted, only 19 out of the 24
students are gifted tested. The other students are high achievers placed into the gifted
class. In the class I will be doing this lesson with there are ten girls and fourteen boys. The
classroom is also culturally diverse. There are 14 white students, 6 African American
students, 3 Asian students, and 1 Hispanic and Asian mixed student.]
4. Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that might
affect your planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of
specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests.
[ Each teacher is given a pacing guide by the county to follow. This pacing guide gives an
outline for what standards need to be taught and when they need to be taught. It gives
instructional strategies for each unit that is to be taught. The instructional strategies are at

1 If you need guidance when making a selection, reference the NCES locale category definitions
(https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/definitions.asp) or consult with your placement school administrator.

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 Elementary Education - Literacy
Task 1: Literacy Context for Learning Information

the end of the pacing guide and give specific strategies to help teach each standard. The
Georgia Milestones Test is given to student and teachers receive the results. Every teacher
has the results of the Milestones test that was given last year and they prepare their
students to take another Milestones test at the end of this year. ]

About the Class Featured in this Learning Segment

1. How much time is devoted each day to literacy instruction in your classroom?
[ Each class gets one hour for grammar and writing and one hour for reading. During the
writing and grammar time, students work on types of sentences and conventions throughout
the whole year. During reading time students read independently, the teacher does a read
aloud, and the teacher meets with student book clubs. ]
2. Is there any ability grouping or tracking in literacy? If so, please describe how it affects your
class.
[ Each literature teacher is required to give every student a HCLI. The HCLI is the Houston
County Literacy Inventory and it gathers information on the students reading level. My
teacher groups students into book clubs by their HCLI reading levels. They meet weekly for
their book clubs and groups may change as needed when students reading levels change.
My teacher also uses STAR testing to test their reading levels. This is done online and helps
my teacher group students. Students also track their STAR reading levels every month to
see their progress. ]
3. Identify any textbook or instructional program you primarily use for literacy instruction. If a
textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of publication.
[ The county provides The Arc of Story, published by Firsthand Heinemann in 2013. My
teacher does not use this book regularly. She does use The Shurley Method by Brenda
Shurley and Ruth Wetsell, published by RR Donnelley in Owensville, MO in 1997. I will look
at The Shurley Method along with resources my host teacher has from her past lessons. ]
4. List other resources (e.g., electronic whiteboard, classroom library or other text sets, online
professional resources) you use for literacy instruction in this class.
[ The classroom has a smart board with a document camera connected to it. There are five
laptops and an iPad for students to use. My teacher uses Splash Top which she uses to
manipulate her computer on the smart board with her ipad. There are classroom sets of
thesauruses that the students may use when writing, as well as dictionaries. My host
teacher uses and I will use Teachers Pay Teachers for some support to my lessons.]

About the Students in the Class Featured in this Learning Segment

1. Grade level(s):
[ The grade level is the fourth grade. ]

2. Number of
students in the class: __24___
males: __14__ females: __10__
3. Complete the charts below to summarize required or needed supports, accommodations, or
modifications for your students that will affect your literacy instruction in this learning

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 Elementary Education - Literacy
Task 1: Literacy Context for Learning Information

segment. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete the charts. Some
rows have been completed in italics as examples. Use as many rows as you need.

Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different strategies/supports
or accommodations/modifications to instruction or assessment (e.g., students with
Individualized Education Programs [IEPs] or 504 plans, students with specific language
needs, students needing greater challenge or support, students who struggle with reading,
students who are underperforming or those with gaps in academic knowledge).
For Literacy Assessment Task 3, you will choose work samples from 3 focus students. At
least one of these students must have a specified learning need. Note: California candidates
must include one focus student who is an English language learner.2

Students with IEPs/504 Plans

IEPs/504 Plans: Number of Supports, Accommodations,

Classifications/Needs Students Modifications, Pertinent IEP Goals

Example: Visual processing 2 Close monitoring, large print text, window

card to isolate text
None Identified

Students with Specific Language Needs

Language Needs Number of Supports, Accommodations,

Students Modifications

Example: English language 2 Pre-teach key words and phrases through

learners with only a few examples and graphic organizers (e.g.,
words of English word cluster, manipulatives, visuals)

Have students use pre-taught key words

Example: Students who
speak a variety of English
other than that used in
textbooks
and graphic organizers to
complete sentence starters
5 Make connections between the language
students bring and the language used in
the textbook

2 California candidatesIf you do not have any English language learners, select a student who is challenged by academic
English.

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 Elementary Education - Literacy
Task 1: Literacy Context for Learning Information

None Identified

Students with Other Learning Needs

Other Learning Needs Number of Supports, Accommodations,

Students Modifications

Example: Struggling readers 5 Leveled text, targeted guided reading,

ongoing reading assessment (e.g.,
running records, miscue, conferencing)
Gifted students 19 In this class we go deeper into content
and ask higher level thinking questions for
these students.

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The edTPA trademarks are owned by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Use of the edTPA trademarks is
permitted only pursuant to the terms of a written license agreement.