Assignment 4A - Instructional Approach: Teaching

Getting to Know Your Students

Consult with your master, mentor, or supervisory teacher; with additional school personnel; and with families,
as needed, to develop your understanding of students’ assets and learning needs. Review student work and
available assessment or survey data and talk with and/or observe students to learn about the class’s range of
assets, including academic strengths, and learning needs. You will use this information to establish content-
specific learning goals (including California English Language Development (ELD) Standards as appropriate).

Write a description of Students’ Assets and Learning Needs ~ Whole Class or

Focus Students
Prior academic Describe what skills students already have coming into this lesson – what are they already
knowledge able to do?
related to the
The students already know what the different parts of a story are, such as the plot, theme,
specific content
main characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. The students also have basic skills to read a
you plan to
book independently.
teach
English language List students and their CELDT or ELPAC levels:
proficiency I do not have their CELDT or ELPAC levels, but my three focus students struggle with reading. My
levels (Standard first focus student ER is able to engage in discussions with others and understands the letters and
English learners sounds of the alphabet. However, he reads at a lower first grade level and is receiving an F in ELA.
and English My second focus student LC is roughly reading at grade level but continues to work on decoding
learners words. He currently has a C in ELA and receives outside support. My third focus student SM
engages in English discussions, but is limited in his proficiency and currently reads at a lower first
grade level.
Cultural and Cultural resources and funds of knowledge:
linguistic My first focus student is connected to his cultural community and connects with his peers that
resources and speak Spanish and English. My second focus student LC’s mom is very invested in his education
funds of and communicates with his teacher daily. My third focus student is the oldest sibling and feels a
knowledge (i.e., responsibility within his family.
knowledge and
skills derived Linguistic resources and funds of knowledge:
from cultural The whole class, including the three focus students, have been working on advancing their
experience reading and writing skills. They had a lesson last week where they learned the different terms that
make up a story in which they can draw from for this lesson to continue building on their reading
knowledge.

Prior How might you incorporate or build on their experiences and interests as assets to this lesson:
experiences and This lesson will incorporate their experiences and interests as they will be given the option of
interests related which book they would like to read for the activities. The books will have a variety of themes,
to the content cultures, experiences, and topics that can connect with the students. The students will also have a
choice in how they will present the information they have learned based on what they feel more
comfortable doing and what interests them.
Lesson What behavioral expectations will you model and expect?
management I will model and expect students to engage with the material and be respectful when others share
structure their opinions. I expect the students to try their best to use the knowledge they have and use it to
complete the activities. I plan on using the students’ interests so they feel more connected and
engaged with the material provided. The students will be closely watched throughout the lesson
to make sure they stay on task and complete the activities. The guidelines/rules for the lesson will
be established with the help of the students. This will also help the students keep accountable for
each other to make sure they are behaving appropriately.

Content of the Lesson

What do you What do you expect students to deeply understand about the lesson?
expect students to
I expect students to understand that the lesson is going to help them improve their reading
deeply understand
skills by analyzing a book of their interest to understand the point of the story and explain what
about the lesson?
the main points of the story is with details.
What do you
expect students to What do you expect students to retain after the lesson and use in future learning?
retain after the
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to determine the main idea of a text and explain
lesson and use in
how it is supported with at least 3 key details, as well as summarize the text with 80% accuracy
future learning?
and little support. (CA Common Core Reading Standards 4 th Grade).
What What misunderstandings or misconceptions do you expect students might have from the
misunderstandings lesson?
or misconceptions
The misunderstandings students may have from the lesson is their interpretation of what the
do you expect
main ideas and different parts of the story are as it can vary based on their thinking and
students might
understanding. This is why the definitions of the different parts of the story were taught
have from the
beforehand and the class will have a model of what the different parts of the story are as the
lesson?
whole class will be read aloud a story to analyze and justify the main ideas and parts together as
a class.
What knowledge What knowledge do you expect students to have after engaging in the lesson?
and skills do you
I expect the students to have the knowledge of exactly what the main ideas and different parts
expect students to
of a story are by justifying their answers with details from the story. The class is ready to learn
have after
this as they have been taught the definitions of the different parts of the story and they have
engaging in the
basic reading comprehension skills.
lesson?
What skills do you expect students to have after engaging in the lesson?
I expect the students to have the skills to analyze a story to find the main ideas and be able to
summarize the story. The class is ready for this as they can recall parts of a story on their own,
so they will build on this knowledge to summarize the story themselves and point out the main
ideas using key details.

Assessment / Checking for Understanding

What essential Essential Questions: (how will you know if students are exceeding, meeting, partially meeting
questions will you or not meeting the learning goal?
ask to determine if
students are not You could create a rubric for each essential question to clearly show what your criteria is.
meeting, meeting,
As we read the book aloud and the students do their individual activities, I will ask them what
or
they believe the main ideas is, who the main characters are, what is the problem, how did they
exceeding the
solve the problem, and to justify their answers. After the lesson the students will be required to
learning goal(s) of
summarize what they read through their own projects or choice of presentation. A rubric can be
the lesson?
listed as such: highly developed-answers question with at least 3 specific details from text,
developed-answers question with vague details from text, emerging-answers question with no
justification/key details, and initial-attempts to answer question and no justification/keydetails.
This rubric can be used for each essential question asked during the assignment and for the
assessment project/presentation after the lesson.
What will students How will students demonstrate the knowledge they have learned from the lesson?
do to demonstrate
Students will demonstrate their knowledge by choosing from a selection of options they can do
achievement of
to present the information they have learned. These choices will be a written assignment, a role
content during the
play of the story, a poster board, a drawn story comic strip/timeline, or a presentation through
lesson? Identify
technology. This incorporates multiple means of engagement as it allows the students to choose
the UDL Principle
based on what they are interested in and optimizes individual choice. It also provides multiple
Guidelines
means of action and expression as it enhances capacity for monitoring progress with the
incorporated. State
essential questions to guide their self-reflection and using the scoring rubrics.
the criteria!
How will you know How will you know students have retained the information learned during the lesson?
students
I will understand that students have retained the information and understand the content when
understand the
they pair up with other students and talk about their thoughts and ideas. As I observe them, it
content? What
will allow me to know how much they have learned and how they use the information they
evidence will you
have learned to summarize a story and explain the main ideas and parts of the story. This uses
collect? Identify
multiple means of engagement as it fosters collaboration and community as the students share
the UDL Principle
their ideas with one another. I will collect and look over the graphic organizers the students use
Guidelines
during their individual activity while they talk with their partners/groups to see if the student is
incorporated.
on the right track with understanding the content. When I am done looking over the graphic
organizer, I will give it back to the student so they can use it as a guideline for their assessment
as this allows them to use a tool for construction and composition which falls under multiple
means of action and expression.

Structured Student Learning Activities

What activities will What activities will support the students in achieving the learning goals of the lesson?
the students be
The learning goals of this lesson is for students to summarize a story they read on their own and
involved in during
identify the main ideas/parts of the story through analysis and interpretation. The first activity
the lesson to
will be a read aloud of a short story with the students to model how they should analyze the
support their
book on their own and build their higher-order of thinking. The second activity is where
achievement of
students will choose from a selection of books that interest them and read it independently. As
the learning
they read the story, they will analyze the story to determine the different parts and main ideas.
goal(s)? Identify
This activity is used to give the students the chance to work on their own and show what they
the UDL Principle
skills and knowledge they have learned so far. After the students have read and analyzed their
Guidelines
story, they will have the opportunity to discuss with other students that read the same story
incorporated.
about their thoughts and ideas. This will help students who may be struggling on their own and
receive support from others to engage their thinking. The first activity supports multiple means
 of action and expression as it guides appropriate goal-setting with the modeling and asking
essential questions. The second activity supports multiple means of engagement as it offers
relevance with their culture, language, and experiences, as well as fosters collaboration and
community. The lesson overall supports multiple means of representation as it activates their
background knowledge of stories and their different parts.
How will you group How will students be grouped for each activity? How will you manage the grouping to support
students and student learning?
manage group
For the first activity, the students will be in one whole group as it gives the students equal
work to support
access to the material, modeling, and can give students the opportunity to see and hear their
student learning?
peer’s different perspectives. Thi I’m s group will be managed by modeling appropriate behavior
Identify the UDL
and allowing the students to set the rules for group time to keep each other accountable. The
Principle
second activity the students will be on their own for the first part to challenge the students to
Guidelines
work on their own and show their knowledge and skills. This will be managed by walking around
incorporated.
the classroom and monitoring the students as they do the activity. This will give me time to
check in on the students, answer any questions they may have, and correct any inappropriate
behavior if needed. The second part of the activity will be pairs/small groups depending on the
number of students per book and what the students are more comfortable with. This will be
managed as the students will get to choose who wants to talk, the students will use their quiet
voices to prevent the classroom from getting too loud, and whichever student is talking will use
a talking stick so the others know to listen. The first activity supports multiple means of action
and expression by supporting planning and strategy development as it teaches the students to
stop and think about their answers before their share with the group. The first part of the
second activity helps support multiple means of representation as it allows me to help guide the
students’ information processing and visualization. The second part of the activity helps support
multiple means of engagement by minimizing threats and distractions for the students.

Instruction to Support Learning

What instructional What instructional strategies are used with multiple modalities to support the students? How
strategies will do you assess when to move on? How do you know if students are making progress?
support student
There will be a combination of direct and indirect instruction between the two activities. The
learning through
direct instruction with the story uses visual and auditory as the book shows pictures and is being
multiple
read aloud to the class. There is also collaboration as students think-pair-share when the
modalities? How
essential questions are asked. The indirect instruction offers the students the opportunity for
will you use
reading and writing on their own. There is also collaboration in the small groups as they discuss
gradual release?
with their peers their ideas and support each other. There will be a gradual release as it goes
Identify the UDL
from the teacher reading aloud and modeling to the students thinking and sharing answers to
Principle
the essential questions and then moving on to the students working independently. I will assess
Guidelines
when to move on by the responses of the essential questions. Based on my rubric, if the
incorporated.
students are understanding the content and accurately responding to the questions, then it is
time to transition to individual work. I will know if students are making progress based on their
small group discussions and graphic organizers as they do their individual work. The direct
instruction helps support multiple means of engagement by promoting expectations for what
the students should be doing for the activities. The indirect instruction supports multiple means
of representation by maximizing transfer and generalization of the new learned skills and
knowledge.
 What resources, What resources will be used during the lesson?
materials, and/or
The main resources and materials used will be books, mainly chosen by the students based on
educational
their interests, background, and varied reading levels. There will also be a variety of materials
technology will you
for the students to use based on their chosen assessment, such as posters, art materials,
or your students
technology with software for presentations, etc.
use during
the lesson?
What adaptations What accommodations will be used to support students’ learning?
and
In the group read aloud, students will be allowed to move around when needed as not all
accommodations,
students can focus and stay still the entire time during the reading. There will also be breaks
including, as
placed throughout the lesson for students to take a mental break, get up, and move around to
appropriate,
help them refocus when they are having a hard time focusing or having an urge to move. This
assistive
helps students like my second focus student LC as he can get impatient and needs self-
technologies, will
regulating strategies. Students will have the opportunity to choose between partners or a small
support individual
group depending on how much interaction they are comfortable with. This helps students like
student learning
my first focus student ER who is more comfortable with his peers he has shared experiences
needs beyond the
with. The instructions for the activities will be given one at a time to prevent students from
UDL supports built
feeling overwhelmed with all the work they need to do at once. This will also help students like
into the lesson?
LC who can get too overwhelmed with too much work at once and feels like they will not be
able to complete it. Students can also be provided with a checklist so they understand what
they need to accomplish and help self-regulate their progress. This can support students like my
third focus student SM who need help managing their responsibilities and keep them on track
for the lesson. Students can also be provided with a text-to-speech to help those who struggle
with reading on their own. For those who choose the written assignment, a paragraph template
will be given to those who need it to organize their thoughts into the structure of a paragraph.
They can also be provided with a text-to-speech technology if they struggle with writing on their
own so they can still portray their thoughts and knowledge to complete the assessment.

Taken from: CalTPA Performance Assessment Guide Instructional Cycle 1 Multiple Subject Learning About Students and Planning Instruction
Copyright © 2019 by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing 1900 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95811. All rights reserved. 33

Resources
Please refer to: resources available in the Blackboard course in the CalTPA Section in the Left-Hand Menu

● The CalTPA 2.0 Assessment Guide

o Multiple Subject
o Single Subject
● The CalTPA 2.0 Assessment Guide Glossary (found at the end of the Assessment Guide)