Writers Name: Sarah Fitzgerald Focus Child: Lawson

EC edTPA Planning Commentary (Large Group Lesson Plan)

In Planning (Task 1), you will write a commentary, responding to the prompts below
corresponding to your Circle Time (Large Group) lesson for your placement. Your
commentary should be no more than 9 single-spaced pages, including the prompts.

1. Central Focus

a. Describe the central focus and purpose of the content you will teach in the learning segment.

Understandings/core concepts
Align standards and objectives
Address the developmental and subject-specific components in the learning segment
o subject-specific components
developmentally appropriate practices to promote language and literacy
development in an interdisciplinary context that take into consideration
the active and multimodal nature of young childrens learning

Overall, my learning segments central focus includes the development of rhyming sounds and
different transitional directions. In other words, my students will be using their rhyming skills to
help reinforce literacy aspects of their overall cognitive development. They will also be
monitored during different transitions such as an attention getter/settler and an excuser transition.
By the end of the lesson, the students should understand how words that sound alike are
considered rhyming words, and also the suggested behavior during different transition times and
large group activities. These different objectives align with the TS Gold standards for 3, 4, and 5
year olds. The literacy domain is touched on during the learning segment because the children
are demonstrating phonological awareness skills by noticing and discriminating the rhyming of
Writers Name: Sarah Fitzgerald Focus Child: Lawson

words. The physical domain is also touched on during the learning segment because the students
are demonstrating traveling skills and are moving purposefully from place to place with control.
Throughout the learning segment, several developmentally appropriate practices are included in
order to promote successful language and literacy aspects to the students development. For
example, the encouragement of active and multimodal learning is distinguished through the
unique and interactive transitions, the read aloud book that introduces rhyming words, and then
the rhyming activities at the end of the lesson that reinforce the rhyming concept. These
activities include real-life props and different picture/word cards that the students will be helping
me sort with words that rhyme. These developmentally appropriate practices should help
students strengthen their skills within the core concepts of rhyming and expected behavioral
transitions.

b. Describe how the standards and learning objectives for your learning segment support
childrens

active and multimodal learning

Students will be actively learning throughout the entire learning segment. They will be
physically active in their transitions, such as coming to the carpet and jumping up if one of
their characteristics is called in the attention getter song. They will also be physically active
when they roll across the carpet as a transition to choice time. Students will also be
participating in multimodal learning because they will be learning through auditory senses
during the entire lesson, especially during the read aloud of the rhyming book. They will
also be learning visually through the rhyming activities with the real-world props and
rhyming cards as they determine which words rhyme together.

language and literacy development in an interdisciplinary context

Students will develop language and literacy skills through the use of not only listening as the
teacher reads aloud the different rhyming words in a story, but also as they distinguish with
their peers what other words and names of objects rhyme too. This promotes children to
build phonological awareness skills within their literacy development context. Students will
also be building their language development by answering different questions about the read
aloud story. This will help build basic processing and recall skills within the students
development.

c. Explain how your plans build on each other to support childrens language and literacy
development through active and multimodal learning.

My plans within the learning segment build on each other to support childrens language
and literacy development through different modes of learning because I have prepared a
lesson that is not only intriguing to the students, but a lesson that reinforces and builds on
students prior knowledge. Students should already be familiar with the oral sounds of
different words. They should also be familiar with the expected behavior through transitional
periods and group time. The lesson builds on this previous foundation by including different
visually appealing aspects such as the read aloud book and different real-life props. This
Writers Name: Sarah Fitzgerald Focus Child: Lawson

lesson also encourages literacy development through the aspect of characterization as we sing
along a song that includes different physical characteristics of each student. Lastly, the
lesson builds on auditory learning because the students are constantly listening to directions,
listening to their peers, or participating in the sing alongs throughout the lesson.

d. Describe how the physical environment in which you are teaching supports the active and
multimodal nature of childrens learning. (If, in your view, the physical environment in
which you are teaching does not adequately support the active and multimodal nature of
childrens learning, please describe the changes you would make.)

The physical environment of the preschool room does a great job of supporting the active and
multimodal learning of the students. Not only is there a space where students can practice
their different fine-motor and tactile skills, but there is also a larger open area where the
students have room to participate in different body movements. The children will be
participating in free-play before my lesson takes place. They will then be transitioning to the
large rug where we will be spending most of our time together. This allows for some space
for movement within my lesson plan. This also allows for enough room for each child to roll
their bodies across the rug in order to transition at the end of my lesson.

2. Knowledge of Children to Inform Teaching

For each of the prompts below (2ac), describe what you know about your focus child with
respect to the central focus of the learning segment.

a. Childrens development What do you know about their

social and emotional development

Lawson is socially developed and accepted by his peers. He also remains emotionally
stable throughout the day. Lawson is a very happy little boy and doesnt tend to get
upset easily like other children in his class. However, if there is too much commotion
around him, Lawson becomes stressed. Lawson also does a great job of
forming/maintaining positive relationships with trusted adults and staff.

cognitive and physical development

Lawson is more physically developed than many of his peers. He can run, skip,
jump, and balance all with ease. Lawson also has strong cognitive abilities. An
example of this includes the fact that he doesnt have to try every single possibility
when solving problems. I have witnessed this aspect through watching Lawson
complete a puzzle. He is also very bright when it comes to classification skills and
grouping objects.

Language development for communication

Lawsons language development is the area in which he needs the most assistance.
Lawson not only has troubles using his words at times, but he also has troubles with
Writers Name: Sarah Fitzgerald Focus Child: Lawson

listening to directions as a sense of communication. When told to do something he

doesnt want to do, he will ignore the order; and when asked later about it, he will
ignore a response to the teacher. However, Lawson has productive grammar usage
and is able form complete and accurate sentences.

b. Personal, cultural, and community assetsWhat do you know about your childs
everyday experiences, cultural and language backgrounds and practices, and
interests?

Lawson has grown up in a very friendly household with all Caucasian family members. I
am unsure if Lawson has siblings or not. Lawson comes to preschool every day of the
week and is always very welcoming to his peers. Lawson is very interested in sports and
always wants to be playing different ball games during outside free play. Lawson is also
very interested in animals and science. He loves being able to participate in the sand or
water table and use the different exploring manipulatives provided.

c. Prior learning and prerequisite skills related to language and literacy development
What can they do and what are they learning to do related to language and literacy
development? Cite evidence from your knowledge of this child.

One of Lawsons prior learning skills related to language and literacy development is he
demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet and is able to identify and name most letters. He
is also able to use letter-sound knowledge to identify the sounds of a few letters. Lawson
has a good understanding of print concepts and is able to show awareness of different
types of print such as letters and words. Lawson is also interactive during read alouds
and book conversations. Lawson is currently learning to expand his expressive
vocabulary and comprehend different language. For example, we are working on him
being able to respond appropriately to simple statements and questions. Lawson is also
working on the aspect of following directions properly.

3. Supporting Childrens Development and Learning

Respond to prompts 3ac below. To support your justifications, refer to the plans and materials
you included as part of Planning Task 1. In addition, use principles from research and/or
developmental theory to support your justifications.

a. Justify how your planned learning experiences and materials align with your understanding
of the childs development, prior learning, and personal, cultural, and community assets
(from prompts 2ac above). Be explicit about these connections and support your
justification with research/developmental theory.

Overall, the learning segment aligns with the understanding of Lawsons development
because my lesson includes different modes of learning within it. I know that Lawson learns
best and is more in control when he is able to use an array of multiple intelligences
throughout the day. Dr. Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences
Writers Name: Sarah Fitzgerald Focus Child: Lawson

which includes different modes and examples of the ways students learn. For example, some
students learn better through bodily-kinesthetic intelligences while others learn best through
spatial/picture intelligences. Since Lawson, along with many other children in the class learn
best through several different intelligences, I included examples of different types throughout
my lesson plan; such as bodily-kinesthetic examples, intrapersonal examples, and musical
intelligence examples. These array of intelligences justify Howard Garners explanation of
how students get the most out of learning when they are provided with different pathways to
learning. My lesson also focuses on Lawsons prior learning because I am building on his
prior knowledge of phonological awareness skills by including different rhyming sounds and
word activities into my lesson plan. This learning segment does a great job of building on
the cognitive, language, and physical domains of Lawsons learning through reinforcing the
different dimensions of his language background.

b. Describe and justify how you plan to support the varied learning needs of all the children in
your class/group, including individuals with specific learning needs.

I plan to support the varied learning needs of the children in the preschool room through
several different ways. The first way is by differentiating my instruction in order to reach out
and help all the students at different levels learn and understand concepts within the
classroom. For example, I will continually be adjusting my lesson during the time that it
occurs in order to meet student needs in the best way possible. If some students need the
opportunity to move their bodies around during the read-aloud, I will incorporate this into the
day by letting the students have a brain break in which we move our bodies around before
continuing in our lesson. Another example includes providing different supports for the
students with specific learning needs. For example, two students in the classroom are
English Language Learners, therefore, I have provided different real-life props to help
support the understanding of words that rhyme. This visual representation allows these
students to grasp the concept of rhyming more accurately because they are able to pair
different words with manipulatives that they see in their everyday life.

c. Describe common developmental approximations or misunderstandings that pertain to the

learning experiences you are planning for the children and how you plan to address them.

Some developmental misunderstandings that pertain to the learning segment include the short
attention span of some students during my short read aloud. I plan to address this by keeping
the read aloud interactive and engaging by asking different interesting questions during the
read aloud for students to answer. I will also include sound effects and actions to the story to
keep the children entertained and engaged in the content of the story. Another
developmental misunderstanding pertains to some students ability to notice and discriminate
rhyme. Since some students are more phonologically advanced than others, it is important to
have supports and activities prepared for the students who need more guidance or
explanation about certain content. I plan to address this by creating enriching activities at the
end of the rhyming read aloud in order to break down the concept of rhyming words and how
we determine when words rhyme or not. This enrichment will include visual manipulatives
for the students to see and use to help their learning. These enrichment activities will be
easier for some students, but will be a simple review and reinforcement to their learning.
Writers Name: Sarah Fitzgerald Focus Child: Lawson

However, the rhyming activities will be a helpful learning experience for the other students
who need more help with the rhyming concept.

4. Supporting Childrens Vocabulary Development

Respond to prompts 4ac below by referring to childrens range of vocabulary development

related to the learning segmentWhat do they know, what are they struggling with, and/or
what is new to them?

a. Identify the key vocabulary6 (i.e., developmentally appropriate sounds, words, phrases,
sentences, and paragraphs) essential for children to use during the learning segment.

One of the key vocabulary words that is essential for children to know/use during this
learning segment is rhyme. This is because one of the central focuses of my lesson is
the ability to notice and determine different words that rhyme. Following along this line,
students must understand the phrase what words sound alike in the sentence I just read?
and how to decipher this phrase because this ties into the rhyming concept. Some
students might struggle with the rhyming concept, but I am hoping that practicing this
key vocabulary throughout the different activities in my lesson plan will help them
develop a more clear understand of words that rhyme and sound similar. Students must
also understand the developmentally appropriate cleaning up song so they are able to
know when it is clean-up time and can participate with their peers. It is also essential that
the students have a good understanding of the names of the different colors because we
will be singing a settler transition in which students will be standing up inside the circle if
they have that certain color or characteristic of clothing on. Students will be using all of
these developmentally appropriate words and phrases and singing the different transition
songs during the learning segment.

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

One of the learning experiences that will provide the children with opportunities to
practice the concept of rhyme is through my Sheep in a Jeep read aloud. During this
time, I will be religiously asking interactive questions about the different words
throughout the story that sound alike and therefore, rhyme. All of the students will get a
chance to participate in this activity and build upon one anothers knowledge and answers
to help determine how to figure out which words rhyme. The students will also have the
opportunity to use the rhyming vocabulary during an enrichment activity after the read-
aloud. During this time, the students will be participating in an activity that uses real-
world props such as a sock, rock, book, hook, can, pan, etc. They will be determining
which props rhyme with one another while using key vocabulary they have established
previously and during the beginning of the lesson. Students will also participate in a
picture card rhyming activity in which they will advance their phonological knowledge
even further. The students will also practice their color classification and vocabulary
skills by participating in a circle time transition activity. I will be singing a catchy song
Writers Name: Sarah Fitzgerald Focus Child: Lawson

that includes a different color each time I repeat the song. If a child is wearing that
specific color, they will stand up and shout hooray and then sit back down until the
next verse. This activity allows the students to not only practice their color vocabulary,
but it allows them to use recalling skills by being able to catch on to the song vocabulary
and repeat it after the first couple of times.

c. Describe how you plan to support the children (during and/or prior to the learning
experience) to develop and use the key vocabulary identified in prompt 4a.

I will be supporting the children to develop and use the key vocabulary of the learning
segment by constantly engaging them in the learning process throughout the entire
lesson. I will be showing the students my good attitude and my passion towards the
lesson and hope that this positive environment promotes the children to want to learn and
therefore, understand the key vocabulary in a clear manner. I will also support the
children to develop key vocabulary by asking relatable questions throughout the entire
lesson that not only encourage the children to tap into their prior knowledge, but also that
allows them to better understand the new and upcoming vocabulary terms. Finally, I will
support the children in using the essential vocabulary by encouraging them to participate
in hands-on enrichment activities that allow them to relate what they are learning to real
world items.

5. Monitoring Childrens 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 provide direct evidence to
monitor childrens multimodal learning throughout the learning segment.

Throughout this learning segment, I will be conducting an informal assessment. This

informal assessment will take place after the rhyming read aloud and during the rhyming
enrichment activities. I will be monitoring each of the childrens knowledge and
multimodal language learning as they help me distinguish which real-life props and
which picture cards rhyme. This will provide me with evidence in an informal way of the
prior knowledge and new knowledge that each child has learned as a result of our lesson
thus far. I will also be observing and monitoring the childrens behavior as they
participate in different transitions and songs at circle time.

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

There are a variety of learners within my preschool classroom including one child with
autism, two children with developmental delays, and two English language learners. My
informal assessment encourages the use of visual processing which helps the child with
autism and the two children with developmental delays demonstrate their learning. This
is because when students are able to take part in activities that encourage them to use
visual aspects and processes, it helps them make abstract concepts more concrete and
Writers Name: Sarah Fitzgerald Focus Child: Lawson

useful to their own individual learning. These children will also be able to demonstrate
their learning with the help of my close monitoring skills throughout the lesson. I will be
observing and monitoring these children throughout the learning segment to make sure
that they are gradually catching on to what is being taught to them. The informal
assessments will also allow me to hear and see the learning process of these specific
students and determine if they need additional supports or not. The two English language
learners within my classroom will also be able to demonstrate their learning through the
use of my example manipulatives that help pre-teach the students key words and phrases
throughout the rhyming lesson. These different manipulatives will help the English
language learners make connections between the object they have already seen before
and the English word that corresponds with it. I will also make sure that I understand
what these children are describing when they demonstrate their learning to me. If they
are having troubles speaking or I am having troubles distinguishing what they are saying,
I will simply state, show me what you need with actions.

Consider the variety of learners in your class/group who may require different strategies/support
(e.g., all children along the continuum of development, including children with IEPs or 504
plans, English language learners, struggling readers, and/or gifted children).

Teaching Aid / Props

One of the teaching aids I will use throughout my learning segment is the read-aloud book Jeep
in a Sheep. This book will be used during a large-group read aloud and will help the students
relate to the different rhyming words within the book. I will also be asking interactive questions
during this read-aloud. Some other props include a book, hook, sock, rock, pan, can, etc. I will
be pulling these items out after the read-aloud and asking the children to help me determine
which objects sound alike and which ones do not. Finally, I will be pulling out different cards
that have a word and a picture of that word on them. The students will be helping me classify
them into groups by determining which cards rhyme and sound alike.