Planning Commentary Template s1

Early Childhood

Planning Commentary

Planning Commentary Directions: Respond to the prompts below (no more than 9 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts; both the prompts and your responses are included in the total page count allowed. Refer to the evidence chart in the handbook to ensure that this document complies with all format specifications. Pages exceeding the maximum will not be scored.

1. Central Focus

a. Describe the central focus for the learning segment.

[ The central focus of this learning segment is one-to-one correspondence and numeral and picture quantity recognition. ]

b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within your learning segment promote children’s

¡ active and multimodal nature of learning

¡ language and literacy development in an interdisciplinary context

[ The objectives and standards chosen for this learning segment provide a foundation for all math fundamentals. One-to-one correspondence is essential for all math equations. The activities performed within this learning segment allow for students to see and act out the process of naming one object to one number. They are completing tasks visually, kinesthetically, and through auditory practice. The students language is being built by using words such as “how many”, “numeral”, “number”, and the numbers’ names. They are also building oral fluency by talking in complete sentences when prompted. ]

c. Explain how your instructional plans build on each other to make connections between the active and multimodal nature of young children’s learning and their language and literacy development.

This learning segment is made to build on itself. The first lesson activates their previous knowledge of rote counting and their one-to-one correspondence. Once they have been exposed to such counting and matching, the lesson moves on to counting without visual cues. They need to rely on their ability to rote count and know that the last number they counted represents the quantity. Finally, the learning segments ends with an assessment of their ability to make one-to-one correspondence in a self-made book. Their language and literacy are also being built during this language segment. Their language skills are building because of the out-loud counting and explanations of numbers they are giving to the class. The student’s literacy skills are increasing because we are practicing reading numbers, pictures, and letters in our whole group and small group instruction. This aligns with the CAFÉ literacy strategies that my school follows. Additionally, by students are building reading behaviors by making and reading their own books.

d. Describe what was done (or could be done) to construct a physical learning environment that supports the active and multimodal nature of young children’s language and literacy development.

[ During the lesson in which the student finds its numeral and picture match, a number line could have been made with the number cards and quantity cards. This number line would have reinforced the visual that as the numeral increase the pictures increase by one. Additionally, for my struggling readers, we could have further exposed them to the numbers in order and the number names and its quantity. ]

2. Knowledge of Children to Inform Teaching

For each of the prompts below (2a–c), describe what you know about the children in your class 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., children with IEPs, English language learners, children at different points in the developmental continuum, struggling readers, children who are underperforming or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted children).

a. Children’s development related to the central focus—What do you know about the children’s

¡ social and emotional development

¡ cognitive and physical development

¡ language development for communication

[My students developmental levels are high. As a whole my students social and emotional development is appropriate. They are able to work cooperatively with each other. They are able to share, explain, and discuss with one another in an academic setting. Some of my students are unable to join be themselves however, but with redirections and reinforcements those students participate fully.

Cognitively, my students have a higher range of abilities. We have a very wide gap between our high students and out average students, and an even bigger gap between our middle and low students. In this learning segment, I have students who can to addition and subtraction as well as students who have not yet mastered rote counting. This poses a problem to the learning segment as both need such extra attention. However, their extra needs can be combatted by having the high students interact with the lower students. Therefore the higher students are kept on task and the lower students receive the repetition that they need. Physically my students are fully capable to participate in the learning segment. Movements such as walking and sitting are needed and all of my students are capable of performing those individually.

This learning segment allows for language development and communication between peers. There are many times that students turn and talk to their peers and have interactions with the teacher. They learn how to count aloud and how to explain their answers in a group setting. I think that language development for academic and social purposes are equally important. The amount of second language learners I have does not affect the learning segment. The students come in with an understanding of what these words sound like, and what they mean. ]

b. Prior learning and prerequisite skills related to language and literacy development—What do children know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do related to language and literacy development?

[ Prior to this lesson, most of my students know how to rote count 1-10. They can count on their fingers and say what number they are counting to. Additionally, my students have a limited knowledge of print. They understand that print carries meaning they have beginning reading behaviors. At the end of this learning segment as an assessment the students must make a book showing one-to-one correspondence and read sections from that book to a teacher. These tasks require reading behavior skills. This task also reinforces reading behavior skills. Making their own My Number Book illustrated how a book is made, that print carries meaning, the parts of a book, and it shows their personal levels of reading behaviors. ]

c. Personal/cultural/community assets—What do you know about your children’s everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests?

[ My students come from very diverse backgrounds. My students are first generation Americans, if they are a citizen. Most of my students are foreign born. Knowing this information allows for a better picture of their previous schooling. My students’ backgrounds do not affect the outcome of this learning segment. ]

3. Supporting Children’s Development and Learning

Respond to prompts 3a–c below. To support your explanations, refer to the instructional materials and learning experience plans you have included as part of Task 1. In addition, use principles from research and/or theory to support your explanations.

a. Explain how your understanding of the children’s development, prior learning, and personal/cultural/community assets (from prompts 2a–c above) guided your choice or adaptation of learning experiences and materials.

[ Understanding my students played a fairly large role in my instruction of this learning segment. Understanding developmentally appropriate strategies and standards played a large role as well. My students are five and six years old. Having a long structured lesson is not appropriate for those children. Short meaningful large group lessons are how my students learn best. Piaget shows us this in his four stages of development. My students are in the preoperational stage. My students background knowledge also was a factor; about half of my students went to pre-school and half did not. Those that did have mastered rote counting, those who did not go to pre-school have not had the exposure to numbers and are relatively behind because they cannot rote count 1-10. With all this in mind, I knew that the learning segment needed to be hands on and repetitive to allow for all to get fulfillment of the lesson. I needed to know where my students zone of proximal development is so that I can tie what they know and what they do not together. Vygotsky shows us that with teacher directed scaffolding a student and climb higher because of structured instruction. Without knowing that zone I would not be able to link my students learning as well, resulting in a less than foundational start to math. My high students were able to move and manipulate materials and my low students did the same, but they also were exposed to everyone doing the same. They got the repetitive exposure from watching their peers. Equally, knowing my students allowed me to properly stage partners so each partner would get the most out of the pairing. Some pairs were made for academic reasons and some pairs were made for social reasons. ]

b. Describe and justify why your instructional strategies and planned supports are appropriate for the whole class, individuals, and/or groups of children with specific learning needs.

Consider children with IEPs, English language learners, children at different points in the developmental continuum, struggling readers, children who are underperforming or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted children.

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c. Describe common developmental approximations[1] or misunderstandings that pertain to the learning experiences you are planning for the children and how you plan to address them.

[ Misunderstandings in my students learning during this learning segment came during rote counting. This means that during counting some students were not able to accurately count from 1-10. These misunderstandings come from a lack of exposure. Addressing these misunderstandings is as simple as repetition to allow for the rote counting. Having the entire class participate in counting each page in the math books, or counting the pictures for each student during the first lesson in this learning segment provided the necessary repetition. ]

4. Supporting Children’s Language Development

Respond to prompts 4a–c below by referring to key vocabulary[2] for the learning segment.

a. Identify the vocabulary (i.e., developmentally appropriate sounds, words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs) that will support children’s learning in the planned learning experiences.

[ During this learning segment my students used oral language as a main tool to express the answer. Their vocabulary included naming numbers, numerals, phrases such as how many, how much, more, and less. These words were used during their partner talking times as well as in large group discussions. ]

c. Identify a key learning experience from the learning segment plans that provides children with opportunities to develop, practice, and/or use the vocabulary identified in prompt 4a. (Identify the plan day/number.)

In this learning segment, each of the first two lessons have multiple spaces to enhance the students vocabulary, whether it be personally through speaking with a peer, or listening to a peer or teacher speak. During each lesson we read a book. During that reading, we counting the number of pictures that corresponded with the written numeral on the page. This experience allows for the student to practice their own counting abilities, while hearing the correct number sequence. For my students with limited number exposure, this out loud counting helped them practice without the pressure of others hearing. Additionally, we practiced counting on our fingers. This gave good informal assessments of which students could count up to a certain number and represent it on their hands.

Consider the range of children’s language development—what do children already know, what are they struggling with, and/or what is new to them?

[ My students language development is very scattered, but they all are able to say, repeat, and use the vocabulary words appropriately after these lessons. Their English as a Second Language did not hinder their ability to participate or master this learning segment. ]

c. Language Supports

Refer to your plans and instructional materials as needed in your response to the prompt below.

¡ Describe the instructional supports (during and/or prior to the learning experience) that help children develop and use the vocabulary identified in prompt 4a.

[ Language supports in this learning segment to promote vocabulary were simply repetition. Counting every day, counting in the books we read, counting and looking at the written numeral are all language supports. They allow the students practice pronouncing the words and using them in the correct context. ]

5. Monitoring Children’s 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 multiple modalities to monitor children’s learning of language and literacy throughout the learning segment.

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b. Explain how the design or adaptation of your planned assessments allows children with specific needs to demonstrate their learning.

Consider all children along the continuum of development (including children with IEPs, English language learners, struggling readers, children who are underperforming or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted children).

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[1] For example, beginning or transitional language errors or other attempts to use skills or processes just beyond a child’s current level/capability.

[2] Developmentally appropriate sounds, words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that you want children to use or create to engage in the learning experience.