Missouri Pre-Service Teacher Assessment (MoPTA)
Library of Examples – Task 4 Non Video
Example Task 4, Step 3, Textbox 4.3.1
Below are two examples of written responses to Textbox 4.3.1 as excerpted from the portfolios of two different
candidates. The candidate responses were not corrected or changed from what was submitted. One response was
scored at the Met/Exceeded Standards level, and the other response was scored at the Did Not Meet/Partially
Met Standards level. This information is being provided for illustrative purposes only. These excerpts are not
templates for candidates to use to guarantee a successful score. Rather, they are examples that candidates can
use for comparison purposes to see the kinds of evidence that they may need to add to their own work.
The work you submit as part of your response to each task must be yours and yours alone. Your written
commentaries, the student work and other artifacts you submit must all feature teaching that you did and work
that you supervised.
Step 3: Analyzing the Sequence of Lessons Within the Unit
Textbox 4.3.1: Analyzing Instructional Strategies for the Whole Class
Met/Exceeded Standards Level
A. It is always a priority when I am teaching to use academic language, but the language is not just that
language that is specific to English Language Arts. I work hard to incorporate terms that students will be
hearing and learning in other content areas as well. An example of how I use academic content language in
my classroom is when I bring in the task of finding literary devices or figurative language throughout
different texts. With each text in this unit I had students digging through each text looking for examples of
figurative language (e.g. metaphors, personification), literary devices (e.g. parallelism, repetition), and
rhetorical strategies (e.g. ethos, pathos, logos).
B. To engage students in critical thinking to promote their student learning I did many things. An example of
this would be when students were reading a poem in a lesson by Phillis Wheatley called “On Being Brought
to America.” Students became engaged in this lesson by creating questions they had on the poem before
reading, during reading, and after reading. Students shared these questions and answered them as well in
partners. When students are creating part of their lessons they feel a sense of ownership and seem to
work harder.
C. I used questioning skills in every aspect of this unit. When reading, I ask students questions that are DOK
level 3 4 regarding the text. We do this while reading so they are paying attention and practicing thinking
on a deeper level instead of reading the text just for the surface meaning. Questioning skills also came into
play when student were deciding how they felt about certain work like in the triple entry journal
(EXAMPLE OF TRIPLE ENTRY JOURNAL FS1) when students had to ask themselves how they felt about
certain lines in the texts an English Language Arts teacher it is my core duty to integrate literacy into the
content I teach to promote student learning. It is also my belief that all content areas should focus on
literacy as it is an important life skill. As seen in assignment 1 (LESSON 1 PLAN), students read The
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Declaration of Independence. We did a K/W/L chart the lesson before this to prep for the next lesson
where we would be reading a difficult text. This chart helped students prepare and look for certain aspects
of reading the next.
Refer to the Task 4 Non Video Rubric for Textbox 4.3.1 and ask yourself:
In the candidate’s description of identifying resources and collecting data, where is there evidence of the
following?
 Use of academic content language to promote student learning, with evidence from instruction and/or
student work to support the analysis
 Steps taken to help each use of strategies to engage students in critical thinking to promote student
learning, with appropriate evidence from instruction and/or student work to support the analysis
 Use of questioning skills to promote student learning, with appropriate evidence from instruction and/or
student work to support the analysis
 Use of literacy integrated into the content being taught to promote student learning, with evidence from
instruction and/or student work to support the analysis
 Why is the candidate’s response detailed and thorough?
Step 3: Analyzing the Sequence of Lessons Within the Unit
Textbox 4.3.1: Analyzing Instructional Strategies for the Whole Class
Did not Meet/Partially Met Standards Level
A. Geometry makes it easy to use academic content language because of the definitions, theorems,
postulates, and terms. It is important for all of the students to differentiate all and apply them to lessons,
homework, quizzes, and unit test. I make sure to incorporate all into my notes as I am going over lessons. I
also correct my students as they are asking questions or discussing the unit. I want them to get familiar with
using the Geometry academic content language and understand what it all means when it is said or mentioned
in the classroom.
B. There are multiple ways I engaged students in critical thinking, especially since mathematics is a critical
thinking subject. I wanted to make sure while they were using critical thinking, that they were learning and
retaining what they were doing. One strategy that I felt promoted the most student learning was the
homework assignments. They were normally 20-40 questions over each lesson and the students had to show
me their finished work before getting the answers to the homework. I felt this promoted learning, but also
responsibility. They had to make sure they had it finished, but also brought to class for me to see. It also
promoted self-initiation and the students to apply what they had just been taught during the lesson.
C. I am definitely a question asker as a teacher. The students need to be prepared to answer and apply what
they learn, so I make sure to do it throughout the class period every chance I get. I ask questions after lessons
when I have introduced new material to the students. I want them to think about the new stuff and be able to
understand what they have just learned. I also make sure to ask the questions in a variety of ways in case
some students do not understand it in the way originally asked. It is just important to promote student
learning with questioning skills.
D. Mathematics is a hard subject area to integrate literacy into. However, Geometry does make it easier to do
so because of the definitions, theorems, postulates, and terms. It is important for all of the students to
differentiate all and apply them to lessons, homework, quizzes, and unit test. I do incorporate all into my
lessons and teaching so students get used to them. One of the easiest ways in this unit to integrate literacy is
by the proofs and word problems. All are in the notes, homeworks, quizzes, and unit test.
Refer to the Task 4 Non Video Rubric for Textbox 4.3.1 and ask yourself:
In the candidate’s description of identifying resources and collecting data, where is there evidence of the
following?
 Use of academic content language to promote student learning, with evidence from instruction and/or
student work to support the analysis
 Steps taken to help each use of strategies to engage students in critical thinking to promote student
learning, with appropriate evidence from instruction and/or student work to support the analysis
 Use of questioning skills to promote student learning, with appropriate evidence from instruction and/or
student work to support the analysis
 Use of literacy integrated into the content being taught to promote student learning, with evidence from
instruction and/or student work to support the analysis
 Why is the candidate’s response cursory and partial?
Suggestions for Use
After writing your own rough draft response to the guiding prompts, ask the question, Which parts of these
examples are closest to what I have written? Then read the 4 levels of the matching rubric (labeled with the
textbox number) and decide which best matches your response. Use this information as you revise your own
written commentary.
Lastly, using your work and/or these examples as reference, consider what you believe would be appropriate
artifacts for this textbox.