Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA)

Elementary Mathematics

Task 1: Planning Instruction and Assessment

Part C: Planning Commentary
1. Content Focus Summarize the central focus for the content you will teach in this learning segment. [Begin response here: ] Students will be able to identify two-dimensional (square, circle, rectangle, trapezoid, rhombus, & hexagon) and three-dimensional shapes (sphere, cylinder, & rectangular prism) and some of their characteristics (side, face, & corner). 2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching For each of the categories listed below (ad), describe what you know about your students prior learning and experience with respect to the central focus of the learning segment. What do they know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do? Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different strategies/support. a. Academic development (e.g., prior knowledge, prerequisite skills, ways of thinking in the subject areas, developmental levels, special educational needs) b. Academic language development (e.g., students abilities to understand and produce the oral or written language associated with the central focus and standards/objectives within the learning segment) c. Family/community/cultural assets (e.g., relevant lived experiences, cultural expectations, and student interests) d. Social and emotional development (e.g., ability to interact and express themselves in constructive ways, ability to engage in collaborative learning, nature of contributions to a productive learning environment) [Begin response here: ] a) The students in my classroom have knowledge of what a square, triangle, rectangle, circle, and diamond are. Some may know that the diamond is a rhombus. The students also have worked with the pattern blocks before in other activities and enjoy building or making things with them. Within the student math journal are sections titled, Math boxes with four problems. Some of the math boxes have a question related to shapes (e.g., shade all the squares, match the shapes). Student are also able to count by ones in order to recognize characteristics of 2-D and 3-D shapes. b) I only have four students that are in the strategic reading group, eleven in the on-level group, and six in the advanced group; therefore, I believe that the students will be able to understand the academic language with some support from me (the instructor) on three-dimensional shapes and their characteristics since they are more familiar with twodimensional shapes. I do not have any English language learners. c) All my students come from stable home environments with parents/guardians willing to assist their child when needed. No student has any relevant lived experiences, but they have all traveled within Iowa. I know that students do return their homework as soon as it is done. The students expectation for homework is that they return in as soon as they can. If it does get turned in by the time the teacher goes over that homework their name may be drawn to review a problem and then would receive a reward (which is based on the school districts system of warrior way tickets). d) Students know how to work in a whole group setting, partners, and small groups. It does take some reminders, but overall the students work well with each other. The one student diagnosed with ADHD does have a hard time working with others because it
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Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA)

Elementary Mathematics
does take him longer to process the information, fidgets in his seat when hes not focusing, and has a hard time making friends. The other student diagnosed with a behavioral IEP can get distracted or set off easily by his peers or surroundings. This doesnt seem to affect his learning, but it can disrupt other students learning. 3. Supporting Student Learning in Mathematics Respond to prompts ae below to explain how your plans support your students learning of mathematics related to the central focus of the learning segment. As needed, refer to the instructional materials you have included to support your explanations. Cite research and theory to support your explanations. a. Explain how your understanding of your students prior learning, experiences, and development guided your choice or adaptation of learning tasks and materials to develop students conceptual understanding, computational/procedural fluency1, and mathematical reasoning/problem solving skills. b. How are the plans for instruction sequenced in the learning segment to build connections between students prior learning and experiences and new knowledge? c. Describe common mathematical errors or misunderstandings within your content focus and how you will address them. d. Explain how, throughout the learning segment, you will help students make connections between facts, concepts, computations/procedures, and reasoning/problem solving strategies to deepen learning of mathematics. e. Describe any instructional strategies planned to support students with specific learning needs. This will vary based on what you know about your students but may include students with IEPs (individualized education programs), English language learners, or gifted students needing greater support or challenge. [Begin response here: ] a) I wanted the students to build upon what they already know about two-dimensional shapes to help them start to understand three-dimensional shapes with more exploration. The developmental learning theory states that using ones hands in their own learning helps ones mind understand that concept more because it becomes tangible or concrete. For example, in lesson 7.4 where students are to construct straw polygons I decided to see what the students can come up with on their own before I would provide any support. I also took out some of review concepts so I could focus more on building knowledge with shapes and then added in some of the differentiation and extra practice ideas. For example, in lesson 7.3, I decided I wanted to incorporate literature with a book about shapes for students to see how shapes are seen and used in our everyday life. b) Unit seven is actually seven lessons long. The first two lessons are where the students are learning with attribute blocks. I wanted to focus on the learning segment about twodimensional shapes and three-dimensional shapes. The first lesson has students identify 2-D shapes which is a skill they have some prior knowledge with. The second lesson transitions students to learning more about polygons that was mentioned in the first lesson. The third lesson continues to build on to 2-D shapes by introducing terms for 3-D shapes and some of their characteristics with items that students are familiar with (e.g., a ball for the sphere, a box for the rectangular prism, and can for the cylinder). c) Common misunderstandings within my context focus could include trouble understanding the term polygons and constructing polygons. In order to help students
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For some geometry topics, procedural fluency may not be appropriate; if thats the case, replace it with use of characteristics/properties of shapes. Copyright 2011 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. pages maximum All rights reserved. Page 2 of 4 | 9

Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA)

Elementary Mathematics
better understand polygons, I will model how to making a polygon with straws and ties. I will tell students they cannot use my shape and will need to come up at least three different polygons. I may need to model making a shape more than once. Another misunderstanding may be the similarities and differences among shapes which would be an example of building language form. I would help them with this concept by showing the student how to manipulate a square into a rhombus and by using questioning as an instructional strategy to guide students. Students may also have difficulty understanding 3-D shapes. I will guide student with the geometry words word bank, 3-D shapes poser, and labels for the shapes museum with one of our class examples (the box, can, and ball). d) Within the learning segment I will help students make connections to shapes with the literature connection on the first day and by having students count by ones the number of sides and corners for each 2-D shape. Then in the last lesson I deepen the students understandings by having them bring in objects from home to place in our shapes museum which makes their learning more concrete and meaningful. e) Students who need more support or gifted students who need challenge will be paired with another like ability student. I do not have any gifted students identified in math, but for those who do understand 2-D shapes will have the challenge to construct different shaped polygons. For the two students identified with ADHD and the behavior IEP, I will refer their attention to page 143 in their student math journal or the teaching master worksheet on page 205 for some shape ideas to make. 4. Supporting Student Understanding and Use of Academic Language Respond to the prompts below to explain how your plans support your students academic language development. a. Identify the key academic language demand and explain why it is integral to the central focus for the segment and appropriate to students academic language development. Consider language functions and language forms, essential vocabulary, symbols, and/or phrases for the concepts and skills being taught, and instructional language necessary for students to understand or produce oral and/or written language within learning tasks and activities. b. Explain how planned instructional supports will assist students to understand academic language related to the key language demand to express and develop their content learning. Describe how planned supports vary for students at different levels of academic language development. [Begin response here: ] a) The academic language demand includes essential vocabulary which is part of the language of the discipline. When discussing similarities and differences this is an example of language form. Students will also need to use language development when they are identifying pattern blocks and 3-D shapes in the shapes museum. All these forms of academic language support are an important part to the central focus of the learning segment because students need to be able to say the vocabulary words first and then learn what they are so they can work with them as the lessons progress. This enables students to be more fluent with the properties of shapes. b) Vocabulary words are included on the geometry words worksheet for student reference. These terms will be discussed as they are introduced in the lesson and reviewed thereafter in following lessons. Planned supports such as pages in the student math journals can be used more in depth for those students who need extra support. Then for those students who understand the concepts and support pages will be
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Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA)

Elementary Mathematics
encouraged to link 2-D and 3-D shapes to objects they might see outside the classroom and use their words from our language of the discipline, language form, and language development to expand their academic language to include geometry terms and ideas. 5. Monitoring Student Learning a. Explain how the informal and formal assessments were selected and/or designed to provide evidence you will use to monitor student progress toward the standards/objectives. Consider how the assessments will provide evidence of students conceptual understanding, computational/procedural fluency2, and mathematical reasoning/problem solving skills. b. Describe any modifications or accommodations to the planned assessment tools or procedures that allow students with specific needs to demonstrate their learning. [Begin response here: ] a) I selected in informal/formative assessments in specific parts of the lesson that I felt are crucial for the students to understand because that concept in particular will transition the students learning into following lessons. For example, if a student is unable to identify pattern block shapes in lesson 7.3 then they will not be successful on their homework and the following lessons on polygons and 3-D shapes. The homework pages I selected for each lesson I made sure tie into the concept we learned for the day so they would have more independent practice with the concept we just learned. They do include some review questions from past concepts which I still feel is important so children do not put that concept on the back burner of their brain. Everyday Math is very much a spiral curriculum which I feel is great because it really gives the teacher and students an opportunity to be successful with concepts with repeated exposure and practice. The last homework for 7.5 I selected was actually an enrichment page. The original homework had nothing to do with 3-D shapes and I want students to have more practice finding 3-D shapes outside the classroom. b) The modifications on my planned assessment tools for the student with ADHD or behavioral IEP includes allowing more time for these students to work and return their homework. I also do have them working with a like ability student when in partners so that the partner is not so far ahead of them on the spectrum and just telling/helping the struggling student what to do so that they can move along. I could pull them aside in some free working minutes, not during math time, so that it wouldnt disrupt their math learning, but enhance it because they would have that extra opportunity to build onto their background knowledge.

For some geometry topics, procedural fluency may not be appropriate; if thats the case, replace with use of characteristics/properties of shapes.

Copyright 2011 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. pages maximum All rights reserved.

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