Planning Commentary
Respond to the prompts below (no more than 9 single-spaced pages, including prompts).
1. Central Focus
a. Describe the central focus and purpose for the content you teach in this learning
segment
In this learning segment, I afford students opportunities to make connections and
comparisons between their own experiences and opportunities to make connections
and comparisons between the experiences and knowledge they bring and the
cultural products, practices, and perspectives of the Hispanic cultures they are
learning. I will also afford students the opportunity to use target language for real
world purposes in meaningful and cultural significant contexts.
In this learning
segment, I will provide students with multiple opportunities to effectively use the
target language to communicate with others.
Through learning about universal
concepts such as the weather, seasons, and holidays, students will be able to
develop their ability to communicate with others through their linguistic knowledge,
interpersonal knowledge, and sociocultural knowledge of the Spanish language and
of Hispanic cultures. They will also be able to make connections regarding the
similarities and differences between Hispanic cultures and our own (The United
States).
b. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives within
your learning segment address students’ development of communicative
proficiency in the target language

in meaningful and cultural context(s): In these learning segments, students
will draw comparisons between societies and use some key cultural traits of
Hispanic societies. Correctly use and interpret cultural manifestations, such
as gestures accompanying greeting and leave taking the appropriate distance
to maintain. Although students are to be taught on the “Checkpoint A” level, I
try to prepare them for “Checkpoint B” by focusing lessons on cultural
similarities and differences between our society and Hispanic societies. This
creates meaning that goes beyond words.
It challenges the students to
generate a better understanding of things such as perceptions, gestures, and
family and community dynamics. A better understanding of these concepts
increases the effectiveness of communication.

with focus on all three modes of communication:
o
Interpretive: Students will interpret videos and presentations within the
learning
segment
and
students
will
read
simpler
materials
independently but may have to guess at the meanings. Students will
and interpret a crossing of different subject matters such as
mathematics, geology, astronomy, and social studies through the use
of diagrams and explanations. Students will comprehend Language
consisting
of
simple vocabulary and
structures
conversation with peers and familiar adults.
in face-face
Students will
comprehend main idea of more extended conversation with some
unfamiliar vocabulary and structures as well as cognates of English
words. Students will also recognize cultural patterns and traditions of
the Hispanic culture.
o
interpersonal: Students will comprehend messages and short
conversations when listening to peers and familiar adults, give
information orally through short conversations when speaking to
familiar adults, and students will exhibit spontaneity in their
interactions, particularly when the topic is familiar. Students will
compose short informal notes and messages to exchange information
with members of the target culture
o
Presentational:
Students will present formal presentations to the
class, adhering to specific guidelines. Each presentation is centered
on the concept of the day’s lesson or of the lesson segment as a
whole. The concepts to be taught for this lesson segment are all
categorized as cultural concepts. Weather, the seasons, and holidays
apply to the world universally. However, different regions of the Earth
experience different seasons and weather than others. Also, cultural
variations exist between societies even if they are celebrating the
same holiday.
c. explain how your plans build on each other and make connections between
language forms and language functions to help students develop communicative
proficiency in the target language in meaningful and cultural context(s)
My lessons progress with balance from learning language forms and applying them to
language functions. The first lesson is primarily based on language forms: vocabulary
and some grammar.
The later lessons focus on taking these language forms and
applying them to language functions: such as communicating with peers, singing, writing
short messages, drawing pictures to demonstrate understanding and presenting ideas to
the class.
I would consider the most important language functions of the lesson
segment to be compare and contrast, reflect, and present. Constantly, in this lesson,
students are practicing new vocabulary through the actions of comparing differences
between our society and Hispanic societies, reflecting on these differences, and then
presenting these reflections to the class.
Each of the language functions is either
completed through the use of reading, writing, speaking, listening, or all four.
The
language functions are also completed through interpersonal or presentational modes of
communication.
Consider how you make connections between language forms (e.g., vocabulary and
grammar) and the accomplishment of language functions (expressing self, greeting,
introducing family members and friends, ordering food, giving advice).
2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching
For each of the prompts below (2a-2b), describe what you know about your students
with respect to the central focus of the learning segment.
Consider
the variety or
learners in your
class who may require different
strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs, English language learners, readers who
struggle in their first language, students are varying levels of language proficiency,
students who are underperforming or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or
gifted students).
a.
Prior academic learning and prerequisite skills related to the central focus --- What
do students know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do?
Students will be learning new vocabulary regarding the weather, the seasons, and
holidays (terminology used in the Unites States, and terminology used in Spanish
speaking countries.) Students will also be learning about the cultural differences and
similarities we share with Spanish speaking countries (for this lesson segment
specifically, students will be focusing on Mexico). Through this linguistic and cultural
study, students will also incorporate other skills and knowledge from other subjects
such as mathematics, social studies, astronomy, and geology. Concepts from these
subject matters incorporated into the lesson segment students may or may not be
familiar with.
Students know how to conjugate verbs in many tenses. Some students are on a
higher level of communicative proficiency due to excellence in study and due to the
fact that Spanish is their first language. Students can work together in order to learn
and teach one another. Seeing as that these students are first year learners, they
can rely on other skills aside of their linguistic skills to follow the lessons. Students
have the ability to compare and contrast, classify, interpret, research, reflect, etc., in
order to understand the main concepts of the lesson to be tought.
b. Personal/cultural/community assets related to the central focus --- What do you
know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds,
practice, and interests?
Many of my students are from Hispanic families. Although they are from Hispanic
families, each of their families may share different practices and backgrounds
because the Hispanic culture is very broad.
Few students are monolingual and so are the people in their household. This shows
that the cultural backgrounds and practices of my students are very diverse.
Everyday my students are submersing themselves in a diverse environment: in
social activity, in class, and at home.
I know that my students’ interested and attention can be attained by gearing lessons
towards real life experiences. This is why my lesson segment incorporates universal
concepts. It is also why I have students reflect on what they have learned and how it
applies to them through the use of comparing and contrasting our society and those
of Hispanic cultures.
3. Supporting Students’ Communicative Proficiency in the Target Language
Respond to prompts 3a-d below. As needed, refer to the instructional materials and
lesson plans you have included to support your explanations. Use principles from
Second
Language
Acquisition
research
and/or
theory
to
support
your
explanations, where appropriate.
a. Explain how your understanding of your students’ prior academic learning and
personal/cultural/community assets (prompts from 2a-b above) guided your choice or
adaption of language tasks and materials.
A factor that contributed frequently to how I had planned the adaption of language
tasks and materials is that many of my students speak Spanish at home. From this, I
created many tasks in which lower proficiency students are paired with higher
proficiency learners (generally native speakers). The reason I use this strategy is
because of Second Language Acquisition that I have encountered. One article “The
Role of Native Language Transfer and Task Formality in the Acquisition of Spanish
Fluency” by Mary L. Zampini, explains how native and non-native speakers to a
language both have things to improve when it comes to communicative proficiency.
The article further explains how surrounding learners by native speakers allows nonnative speakers to hear an authentic accent to follow. The pairing of a non-native
speaker and speaker also allows for greater learning on both parties in an
interpersonal way.
b. Describe and justify why your instructional strategies and planned supports are
appropriate for the whole class and students with similar or specific learning
needs
My instructional strategies and planned supports are justified for various reasons. For
one, I use many visual aids and technological support to assist lower proficiency
students. In the article “The Relationship between Second Language Acquisition Theory
and Computer-Assisted Language Learning”, by Carol A. Chappelle notes the benefits
and challenges multimedia brings to learners of a classroom. The article covers how
multimedia learning greatly aids the learner in strengthening their communicative
proficiency.
Consider students with IEPs, English language learners, readers who struggle in their
first language, students at varying levels of language proficiency, students who are
underperforming or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students
c. Explain how the language tasks promote comparisons and connections between
students’ prior academic learning and personal/cultural/community assets, and the
cultural practices, products, and perspectives of the target language.
The concepts of weather, seasons, and holidays is a universal concept. It applies to
every society in the world. However, each society experiences different weather at
different times, and also have varying holidays or share holidays with alterations in
which they celebrate these holidays. Each student has a personal experience with
the weather, the season, and holidays.
Each student has created their own
perspective of these concepts during their life.
The language tasks presented in this learning segment constantly challenge
students to compare and make connections between their generated perspectives of
these concepts, and to the perspectives of the varying Hispanic cultures. Students
reflect on these concepts mainly through essays and drawings and also present
these reflections to the class.
d. Describe common errors and misconceptions about the target language and/or the
cultural practices of the target language within your content focus and how you will
address them.
A large misconception of Spain is that all of its citizens are practicing Catholics. In
reality, many of its citizens are agnostic or atheist. This is why I specifically focus my
lesson on the celebratory customs of the Mexican people when speaking about
religious holidays such as Christmas.
The number of people who identify
themselves as catholic and practicing catholic is much higher in Mexico than Spain.
Which is interesting to note because Spain was the conquering power that enforced
Catholicism amongst the indigenous of Mexico. I will address this in the start of our
Holiday lessons to explain the misconception and to explain to students why we
specifically focus on the Mexican perspectives of holidays.
4. Monitoring Student Development of Communicative Proficiency in the Target
Language
Refer to the assessments you will submit as a part of the materials for Task 1
a. Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct
evidence of students’ development of communicative proficiency of the target
language in meaningful cultural context(s).
Many of the informal assessments are listening to students during partnered
conversation. Much of this conversation will revolve around cultural topics of the
Spanish culture.
The formal assessments from Lesson Plan 1 and Lesson Plan 2 focus on interpretive
and interpersonal communication. They also focus on both the writing/reading and
listening/speaking
objectives
of
the
content
standards.
These formative
assessments also reveal students’ fluency with the language, their ability to make
connects with the culture of the target language, and their ability to incorporate other
subject matters.
Assessments from Lesson 4 are heavily dominated by cultural understanding and
the objectives presented in the content standards. It also focuses on all three modes
of communication. Students must interpret the cultural variations of holidays and
evaluate which season and weather condition it correlates with; students must
exercise their presentational skills through demonstrating their understanding, and
they must interpersonally communicate with one another in order to guess the theme
of the presentation.
b. Explain how the design or adaption of your planned assessments allows students
with specific needs to demonstrate their development of communicative proficiency
in meaningful cultural context(s).
The discussion work sheets created cannot be completed without interpersonal
communication with peer students. For those of lower proficiency, it would be best to
benefit them by pairing them with higher proficiency students.
It would also be
beneficial for the higher proficiency students because they will have the opportunity
to reflect and teach on their understandings. There is no better way to learn than to
teach.
The discussion questions in the textbook are completed during the time informative
films are being played. This assists visual and auditory learners in completing the
assignment.
Three of the assessments centered on the creation of drawing. This is helpful to
visual learners. They can draw what they understand and use the drawing as a
guide for what to write and what to present or talk about.
Assessments from Lesson 4 enable students who struggle to read in their first
language to demonstrate their development of communicative proficiency because
the rubric in how they are being assessed is in English and it provides clear prompts
as to what to do. Students may also their planned assignment as a guide for their
presentation. This enables these learners to plan ahead what they are going to say
during the formal presentation. They can have all the structural points of what they
are going to say planned prior to the actual presentation.
Consider all students, including students with IEPs, English language learners,
readers who struggle in their first language, students at varying levels of language
proficiency, students who are underperforming or those with gaps in academic
knowledge, and/or gifted students.