Secondary History/Social Studies

Task 2: Instruction Commentary

TASK 2: INSTRUCTION COMMENTARY

Respond to the prompts below (no more than 6 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within the
brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Commentary pages exceeding the maximum will not be
scored. You may insert no more than 2 additional pages of supporting documentation at the end of this file. These pages
may include graphics, texts, or images that are not clearly visible in the video or a transcript for occasionally inaudible portions.
These pages do not count toward your page total.

1. Which lesson or lessons are shown in the video clips? Identify the lesson(s) by lesson plan
number.
[The lessons shown in the video clips are from lesson two and three. These lessons addressed
how congress was formed and the powers which it has been given.]
2. Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
Refer to scenes in the video clips where you provided a positive learning environment.
a. How did you demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness to
students with varied needs and backgrounds, and challenge students to engage in
learning?
[In the video clip for lesson two, I did not reject any ideas that were proposed for the opening
activity. Instead I would simply redirect them in order to make the point in order to set the
students up for the lesson they were about to take part in. At certain points of the activity,
students began to blurt their ideas. The students who began to blurt included students that
normally do not speak up in class. Therefore, I continued to encourage their ideas by making
sure the class knew their ideas. I accomplished this by going back to their ideas once the class
settled down.
In lesson threes, video clip I instructed students that they would need to be able to justify their
reasoning behind the laws they created. Therefore before I rewarded point for correct answers I
listened to multiple perspectives for how each law could be justified through the Constitution. As
each student explained their ideas, I made sure I understood their reasoning through asking
questions. Then I would help to lead their thinking towards what the United States government
deemed as the best justification for a law.]
3. Engaging Students in Learning
Refer to examples from the video clips in your responses to the prompts.
a. Explain how your instruction engaged students in

developing the skills of interpretation or analysis in relation to accounts of historical

events or social studies phenomena

building and supporting arguments

[In the lesson three video clip, students were asked to look at a vague idea for a law. They were
then to examine the powers the legislative branch is given through Article 1, Section 8 and
determine how the law could be justified and accepted due to those powers. They would do this
in order to justify how that idea would be accepted by the Constitution as a power the legislative
branch holds. Therefore, before teams could gain points, some of them would have to justify
their reasoning to me as to why their interpretation of the Constitution makes sense.]
b. Describe how your instruction linked students prior academic learning and personal,
cultural, and community assets with new learning.
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Secondary History/Social Studies

Task 2: Instruction Commentary

[The instruction seen in clip two, linked into students prior personal experience. As a sophomore
level class, they had previously all been to a homecoming pep rally. Therefore, I took a previous
experience that they all could relate to and tied it into a concept that they had heard before
(compromise), and showed them how it was applied to the founding of the United States
Government.
Prior to this clip the students and I looked at expressed and implied powers of congress. We
went over some examples of these and discussed the characteristics for each. I tied this back to
the first unit, where they were first introduced to expressed and implied powers. I then helped
the students to build on their prior knowledge by directly applying it to the legislative branch. I
accomplished this by asking students what they recalled about each type of power and how
they think it applies to the United States Congress. ]
4. Deepening Student Learning during Instruction
Refer to examples from the video clips in your explanations.
a. Explain how you elicited and built on student responses that supported your students
ability to form interpretations or analyses of history/social studies sources and accounts
and build and support arguments.
[At the end of the video clip from lesson number two, I asked students to explain to me what
they thought compromise was. Once gaining responses (the responses seen in the video), I
was able to take what they knew and then give them more context into the lesson about how
compromise fit into the formation of this nations legislative branch (this took place outside of the
clip). ]
b. Describe and cite examples from the clips of how you supported students in using
evidence from sources to build and support arguments about historical events, a
topic/theme or social studies phenomenon.
[In the video clip from lesson number three, students had to look at Article One, Section 8 in
order to figure out how congress would legally be able to make a law. The students were
required to briefly justify their logic based on their understanding of this part of the Constitution,
which outlines the powers of the legislative branch. Also, as the Constitution can be difficult to
interpret, students were able to work in groups of two to three people in order to help one
another with interpretations.]
5. Analyzing Teaching
Refer to examples from the video clips in your responses to the prompts.
a. What changes would you make to your instructionfor the whole class and/or for
students who need greater support or challengeto better support student learning of
the central focus (e.g., missed opportunities)?
Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different
strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners,
struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic
knowledge, and/or gifted students).
[One way that I believe I could have better supported the learning process for the instruction
given in clip two is outlining which parts of the pep rally they should choose before they began
creating their lists. I could have required them to decide on a host, food, main activity, and one
extra item.
In clip three, I could have better supported students learning process by going through a few
examples of how a law is justified through the Constitution. I think if I would have gone through
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Secondary History/Social Studies

Task 2: Instruction Commentary

a few more examples and followed the gradual release pattern of me, us, and you in this
process, there may not have been as many questions asked during the activity.]
b. Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your
explanation with evidence of student learning AND principles from theory and/or
research.
[I think the first change may have made the activity go a bit quicker and be more focused,
therefore allowing me to make the main point of the activity sooner. Also, I believe that by doing
this, groups would have had to start compromising on a smaller scale, and then continue to
work up the level of compromise to reach a version of the Great Compromise.
In clip three, by giving more examples and implementing gradual release, I believe the students
may have had a greater understanding of how the legislative branch needs to loosely interpret
the Constitution in order to apply it to present day issues. This is supported through Banduras
Social Learning Theory as in the theory, it is suggested that people learn best through the
observation of others. Due to this I think that the implementation of gradual release would be
effective as students. I believe this because this modeling would allow students to see my
behavior and how I am able to justify my reasoning and logic in my decisions, so that they may
be able to make their own.]

Copyright 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

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All rights reserved.
V3_0914
The edTPA trademarks are owned by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Use of the edTPA trademarks is
permitted only pursuant to the terms of a written license agreement.