Planning Commentary Ela Middle School Exemplar

Planning commentary in ELA for middle school serves as a crucial tool for teachers to reflect on their instructional decisions, analyze student learning, and continuously improve their practice. It’s more than just filling out a form; it's a deep dive into the why behind your teaching, the how of your strategies, and the what of student outcomes. A well-crafted planning commentary showcases a teacher's ability to design engaging and effective lessons that meet the diverse needs of middle school learners.

Understanding the Essence of a Planning Commentary

The planning commentary is essentially a structured reflection that prompts teachers to articulate their thinking and decision-making processes before, during, and after a lesson or unit of study. It requires educators to demonstrate a thorough understanding of their students, the content they are teaching, and the pedagogical approaches they are employing. In the context of ELA for middle school, this often involves analyzing literary texts, developing writing skills, and fostering critical thinking abilities.

Key Elements of a Strong Planning Commentary:

• Contextual Understanding: Demonstrating knowledge of the students' backgrounds, prior learning, and individual needs.
• Learning Objectives: Clearly defining what students are expected to know, understand, and be able to do by the end of the lesson or unit.
• Alignment: Ensuring that learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessment strategies are all aligned.
• Differentiation: Planning for diverse learners by providing differentiated instruction and support.
• Rationale: Explaining the reasoning behind instructional choices, citing research-based practices or pedagogical theories.
• Assessment: Describing how student learning will be assessed and how assessment data will be used to inform future instruction.

The Importance of Planning Commentary in ELA Middle School

Planning commentaries offer numerous benefits to ELA teachers in middle school. They promote:

• Reflective Practice: Encouraging teachers to critically examine their teaching methods and identify areas for improvement.
• Data-Driven Instruction: Enabling teachers to use student data to inform instructional decisions and tailor lessons to meet specific needs.
• Collaboration: Providing a framework for teachers to share their planning processes and receive feedback from colleagues.
• Professional Growth: Fostering continuous learning and development by engaging teachers in a cycle of planning, teaching, reflecting, and refining.
• Improved Student Outcomes: Ultimately, leading to enhanced student learning and achievement in ELA.

Deconstructing the Planning Commentary Prompts

Most planning commentary templates will include specific prompts or questions that teachers are expected to address. While the exact wording may vary, the core concepts tend to be consistent. Let's examine some common prompts and explore how to craft effective responses in the context of middle school ELA.

Prompt 1: Describe the learning objectives for this lesson or unit. What do you want your students to know, understand, and be able to do as a result of this instruction?

• What to do: Be specific and measurable. Avoid vague statements like "students will understand the theme." Instead, articulate what specific understanding looks like. Use action verbs to describe what students will be able to do.
• Exemplar Response: "The primary learning objective for this unit on dystopian literature is for students to be able to analyze how authors use literary devices such as symbolism, imagery, and irony to convey themes of social control and resistance. By the end of the unit, students will be able to write a persuasive essay arguing whether the society depicted in The Giver is ultimately a utopia or a dystopia, supporting their claims with evidence from the text."
• Why it works: This response clearly states the content (dystopian literature, literary devices), the cognitive skills (analyzing, arguing), and the observable outcome (writing a persuasive essay).

Prompt 2: How does this lesson or unit connect to prior learning and to future learning? How does it build upon students' existing knowledge and skills?

• What to do: Demonstrate that you are not teaching in a vacuum. Connect the current lesson to what students have already learned and preview how it will prepare them for future learning.
• Exemplar Response: "This unit on dystopian literature builds upon students' prior knowledge of literary devices, which they learned in the previous unit on short stories. It also connects to their understanding of persuasive writing, which they practiced in the argumentative essay unit. This unit will prepare them for future learning by providing a foundation for analyzing more complex texts in high school English, as well as developing critical thinking skills that are applicable across all disciplines. Furthermore, analyzing themes of social control will provide a framework for understanding historical events such as the Holocaust or the Civil Rights Movement, allowing students to make connections between literature and the real world."
• Why it works: This response shows a clear progression of learning. It highlights how the current unit reinforces prior skills and lays the groundwork for future learning.

Prompt 3: Describe the instructional strategies you will use in this lesson or unit. Why did you choose these strategies? How do they align with your learning objectives and the needs of your students?

• What to do: Provide a detailed description of your teaching methods and explain the why behind your choices. Ground your rationale in research-based practices or pedagogical theories.
• Exemplar Response: "I will use a combination of whole-class instruction, small-group discussions, and individual activities to engage students with the text. Whole-class instruction will be used to introduce key concepts and model close reading strategies. Small-group discussions will allow students to collaborate and share their interpretations of the text, fostering critical thinking and communication skills. Individual activities, such as journal writing and character analysis worksheets, will provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of the material independently. These strategies are aligned with the learning objectives by providing multiple pathways for students to engage with the text and develop their analytical skills. They are also responsive to the diverse needs of my students. For example, struggling readers will benefit from the scaffolding provided by whole-class instruction and small-group discussions, while advanced learners will be challenged by the independent activities. My instructional choices are guided by constructivist learning theory, which emphasizes the importance of active learning and social interaction in the learning process."
• Why it works: This response offers a clear explanation of the instructional strategies and connects them to the learning objectives and student needs. It also cites a relevant learning theory to support the rationale.

Prompt 4: How will you differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners? Describe specific modifications or accommodations you will make for students with diverse learning styles, needs, or backgrounds.

• What to do: Demonstrate that you are aware of the diverse needs of your students and that you have planned specific strategies to address those needs. Avoid generic statements like "I will provide extra help."
• Exemplar Response: "To differentiate instruction, I will provide a variety of options for students to demonstrate their learning. For example, students can choose to write a traditional essay, create a multimedia presentation, or design a graphic novel adaptation of the story. For students who struggle with writing, I will provide sentence stems and graphic organizers to support their writing process. For students who are English language learners, I will provide bilingual dictionaries and allow them to use their native language to brainstorm ideas. For students with visual impairments, I will provide large-print versions of the text and allow them to use assistive technology. I will also create flexible groupings based on student readiness and interest, allowing students to work with peers who have similar needs and learning goals."
• Why it works: This response provides concrete examples of differentiation strategies tailored to specific student needs. It shows that the teacher has considered the diverse learning styles, needs, and backgrounds of their students.

Prompt 5: How will you assess student learning in this lesson or unit? What types of assessments will you use? How will you use assessment data to inform future instruction?

• What to do: Describe the different types of assessments you will use (formative and summative) and explain how you will use the data to adjust your teaching.
• Exemplar Response: "I will use a variety of assessments to monitor student learning throughout the unit. Formative assessments will include class discussions, quick writes, and exit tickets. These assessments will provide ongoing feedback on student understanding and allow me to adjust my instruction as needed. Summative assessments will include a persuasive essay and a unit test. The persuasive essay will assess students' ability to analyze the text and construct a well-supported argument. The unit test will assess their knowledge of key concepts and literary devices. I will use the assessment data to identify areas where students are struggling and to inform my future instruction. For example, if a majority of students struggle with a particular concept, I will reteach that concept using a different approach. I will also use the assessment data to differentiate instruction and provide targeted support to students who need it."
• Why it works: This response describes a comprehensive assessment plan that includes both formative and summative assessments. It also explains how the assessment data will be used to inform future instruction.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Planning Commentaries

While crafting your planning commentary, be mindful of these common pitfalls:

• Vagueness: Avoid general statements that lack specific details.
• Lack of Alignment: Ensure that your learning objectives, instructional strategies, and assessment methods are all aligned.
• Superficial Differentiation: Don't simply state that you will "provide extra help." Describe specific modifications or accommodations you will make for individual students.
• Absence of Rationale: Explain the why behind your instructional choices. Cite research-based practices or pedagogical theories to support your rationale.
• Ignoring Assessment Data: Demonstrate that you are using assessment data to inform your instruction. Explain how you will use the data to adjust your teaching and provide targeted support to students.
• Using Jargon Excessively: While demonstrating knowledge of educational terminology is important, avoid using jargon in a way that makes your writing unclear or inaccessible.
• Lack of Reflection: A planning commentary is not simply a description of your lesson plan. It is a reflection on your teaching practice. Be sure to critically examine your instructional decisions and identify areas for improvement.

Exemplar Planning Commentary: A Deep Dive into The Giver

Let's examine a more comprehensive exemplar planning commentary for a unit on Lois Lowry's The Giver, a popular choice for middle school ELA.

Context: This unit is designed for an 8th-grade ELA class with a diverse range of learners, including students with IEPs, English Language Learners (ELLs), and advanced readers. The class has a solid foundation in literary devices and essay writing, but they need more experience with analyzing complex themes and engaging in critical discussions.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to identify and analyze the key elements of a dystopian society as presented in The Giver.
• Students will be able to explain how the author uses symbolism, imagery, and foreshadowing to develop the themes of memory, emotion, and individuality.
• Students will be able to participate in respectful and productive discussions about controversial topics related to the novel, such as euthanasia and social engineering.
• Students will be able to write a well-organized and persuasive essay arguing whether the community in The Giver is ultimately a desirable or undesirable society.

Connection to Prior and Future Learning:

This unit builds upon students' previous exposure to literary devices and argumentative writing. It also connects to their understanding of historical events involving social control and oppression. This unit will prepare students for future learning by developing their critical thinking skills, analytical abilities, and persuasive writing skills, which are essential for success in high school and beyond.

Instructional Strategies:

The following instructional strategies will be used throughout the unit:

• Anticipation Guide: Before reading the novel, students will complete an anticipation guide with statements related to the themes of the book (e.g., "It is important to suppress negative emotions"). This will activate their prior knowledge and generate interest in the topic.
• Read Alouds: The teacher will read aloud excerpts from the novel, modeling fluent reading and providing opportunities for students to hear the text.
• Think-Pair-Share: Students will engage in think-pair-share activities to discuss their initial reactions to the novel and to brainstorm ideas for analysis.
• Small-Group Discussions: Students will work in small groups to analyze specific passages from the novel and to prepare presentations on key themes.
• Jigsaw Activity: Students will be divided into expert groups to research different aspects of dystopian societies (e.g., government control, surveillance, propaganda). They will then share their findings with their home groups.
• Character Analysis: Students will complete character analysis charts to track the development of Jonas and other key characters.
• Debate: Students will participate in a debate arguing the pros and cons of the community in The Giver.
• Film Adaptation: Students will watch the film adaptation of The Giver and compare and contrast it to the novel.

These strategies are chosen to cater to different learning styles and to promote active engagement with the text. The use of collaborative activities is grounded in social constructivist theory, which emphasizes the importance of social interaction in the learning process.

Differentiation:

The following differentiation strategies will be used to meet the needs of all learners:

• Flexible Grouping: Students will be grouped based on their reading level, learning style, or interest.
• Scaffolding: Graphic organizers, sentence stems, and vocabulary support will be provided to students who need extra assistance.
• Choice Board: Students will be given a choice board with different options for demonstrating their learning (e.g., writing an essay, creating a presentation, composing a song).
• Technology Integration: Students will be allowed to use technology to access audiobooks, research information, and create presentations.
• Extended Time: Students who need extra time to complete assignments will be given extended time.
• One-on-One Support: The teacher will provide one-on-one support to students who are struggling with the material.
• ELL Support: Visual aids, bilingual dictionaries, and simplified language will be provided to English Language Learners.

Assessment:

Student learning will be assessed through the following methods:

• Formative Assessments:
  • Class discussions
  • Think-pair-share activities
  • Exit tickets
  • Character analysis charts
• Summative Assessments:
  • Persuasive essay
  • Unit test

The formative assessments will provide ongoing feedback on student understanding and allow the teacher to adjust instruction as needed. The summative assessments will assess students' ability to analyze the text, construct a well-supported argument, and demonstrate their knowledge of key concepts. The assessment data will be used to identify areas where students are struggling and to inform future instruction.

Reflection:

After teaching this unit, the teacher will reflect on the effectiveness of the instructional strategies and assessments. They will analyze student work to identify areas where students excelled and areas where they struggled. They will also solicit feedback from students to gain insights into their learning experiences. Based on this reflection, the teacher will make adjustments to the unit for future years.

Conclusion

Planning commentary in ELA middle school is an invaluable tool for teachers dedicated to improving their practice and fostering student success. By thoughtfully addressing the prompts and engaging in critical reflection, educators can create meaningful learning experiences that empower middle school students to become confident and capable readers, writers, and thinkers. The process encourages a deep understanding of why we teach what we teach, ensuring that our methods are purposeful, student-centered, and effective in achieving desired learning outcomes.