Example 1

Form: "*PACT - Elem Literacy - 1. Context Form v. 

2009" 

Created with: TaskStream - Advancing Educational Excellence 

Author: Jerry Sithiphone 

Date submitted: 04/10/2011 11:56 pm (PDT) 

Context for Learning Form 

Please provide the requested context information for the class selected for this Teaching 

Event. 

About the course you are teaching 

(REQUIRED) 1. How much time is devoted each day to specific instruction in 

reading, writing, and other aspects of literacy in your classroom? 

2 hours 

About the students in your class 

(REQUIRED) 2. How many students are in the class you are documenting? 

33 

(REQUIRED) 3a. How many students in the class are English learners? 

21 

(REQUIRED) 3b. How many students are Redesignated English Learners? 

9 

(REQUIRED) 3c. How many students in the class are Proficient English speakers? 

21 

(REQUIRED) 4.1.a. How many students are at the Beginning Listening CELDT 

level? 

0 

(REQUIRED) 4.1.b. How many students are at the Early Intermediate Listening 

CELDT level? 

3 

(REQUIRED) 4.1.c. How many students are at the Intermediate Listening CELDT 

level? 

4 

(REQUIRED) 4.1.d. How many students are at the Early Advanced Listening 

CELDT level? 

3

(REQUIRED) 4.1.e. How many students are at the Advanced Listening CELDT 

level? 

2 

(REQUIRED) 4.2.a. How many students are at the Beginning Speaking CELDT 

level? 

0 

(REQUIRED) 4.2.b. How many students are at the Early Intermediate Speaking 

CELDT level? 

0 

(REQUIRED) 4.2.c. How many students are at the Intermediate Speaking CELDT 

level? 

1 

(REQUIRED) 4.2.d. How many students are at the Early Advanced Speaking 

CELDT level? 

4 

(REQUIRED) 4.2.e. How many students are at the Advanced Speaking CELDT 

level? 

7 

(REQUIRED) 4.3.a. How many students are at the Beginning Reading CELDT 

level? 

1 

(REQUIRED) 4.3.b. How many students are at the Early Intermediate Reading 

CELDT level? 

1 

(REQUIRED) 4.3.c. How many students are at the Intermediate Reading CELDT 

level? 

4 

(REQUIRED) 4.3.d. How many students are at the Early Advanced Reading CELDT 

level? 

3 

(REQUIRED) 4.3.e. How many students are at the Advanced Reading CELDT 

level? 

3 

(REQUIRED) 4.4.a. How many students are at the Beginning Writing CELDT level? 

0 

(REQUIRED) 4.4.b. How many students are at the Early Intermediate Writing 

CELDT level?

2 

(REQUIRED) 4.4.c. How many students are at the Intermediate Writing CELDT 

level? 

4 

(REQUIRED) 4.4.d. How many students are at the Early Advanced Writing CELDT 

level? 

6 

(REQUIRED) 4.4.e. How many students are at the Advanced Writing CELDT level? 

0 

(REQUIRED) 4.5.a. How many students overall are at the Beginning CELDT level? 

0 

(REQUIRED) 4.5.b. How many students overall are at the Early Intermediate 

CELDT level? 

0 

(REQUIRED) 4.5.c. How many students overall are at the Intermediate CELDT 

level? 

7 

(REQUIRED) 4.5.d. How many students overall are at the Early Advanced CELDT 

level? 

2 

(REQUIRED) 4.5.e. How many students overall are at the Advanced CELDT level? 

3 

(REQUIRED) 5. How many students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)? 

2 

(REQUIRED) 6. How many students participate in a Gifted and Talented Education 

(GATE) program? 

0 

About the school curriculum and resources 

(REQUIRED) 7. Describe any specialized features of your classroom setting, e.g., 

bilingual, Sheltered English. 

There are no specialized features in my classroom. 

(REQUIRED) 8. If there is a particular textbook or instructional program you 

primarily use for literacy instruction, what is it? (If a textbook, please provide the 

name, publisher, and date of publication.)

Open Court Reading Program, SRA/McGraw-Hill, 2005. 

(REQUIRED) 9. What other major resources do you use for instruction in this 

class? 

My cooperating teaching and I use a lot of novels, online resources, graphic organizers for 

literacy instruction. 

Context Commentary 

Please address the following prompts. 

(REQUIRED) 1. Briefly describe the following: 

- Type of school/program in which you teach, (e.g., middle/high school, themed school or 

program) 

- Kind of class you are teaching (e.g., third grade self-contained, sixth grade core 

English/social science) and the organization of the subject in the school (e.g., 

departmentalized, interdisciplinary teams) 

- Degree of ability grouping or tracking, if any 

I am teaching at a public K-6 elementary school. The school is located within a 

predominantly low-socioeconomic status neighborhood given the fact that there are many 

low-income housing/rentals and “For Sale” signs. While the neighborhood surrounding the 

school is quite impoverished, there are many community resources like ethnic 

supermarkets, restaurants, clothing stores, schools, parks, Boys and Girls Club, district 

office that the school can take advantage of to support their students. 

I am teaching in a sixth grade self-contained classroom. All core subjects (English 

Language Arts, Mathematics, History/Social Science, Science) are taught within the 

classroom except English Language Development (ELD) and Physical Education (PE). For 

ELD, students are grouped by ELD levels and spend 30 minutes with another teacher 

everyday. In regards to PE, my students have PE twice a week for 40 minutes with the 

school’s PE teacher. 

In my classroom, the students are grouped by abilities. For example, when my cooperating 

teacher (CT) and I regroup the students, we try to best group students using a number of 

key factors. Some of the factors are: academic, social, gender and race/ethnicity to create 

groupings that will support all of their strengths and areas of improvement. 

2. 

Describe your class with respect to the features listed below. Focus on key factors that 

influence your planning and teaching of this learning segment. Be sure to describe 

what your students can do as well as what they are still learning to do. 

(REQUIRED) 2a. Academic development

Consider students prior knowledge, key skills, developmental levels, and other special 

educational needs. (TPE 8) 

The students have been working on the Unit “Taking a Stand” where they are learning about 

heroes from across the United States and around the world. Students were paired up and 

given a hero to research and learn why exactly they are considered heroes and what 

courageous actions they took. Thus, students have been learning about what “taking a 

stand” really means and the sacrifices their heroes had to make to stand up for what is right 

and wrong. As a part of their research, students were expected to give an oral presentation 

and to help them with their speeches, they were given outlines that they would fill-in with 

information that they would need to present. Therefore, through this process they were 

developing their critical thinking and writing skills that would be appropriate for my learning 

segment. 

(REQUIRED) 2b. Language development 

Consider aspects of language proficiency in relation to the oral and written English required 

to participate in classroom learning and assessment tasks. Describe the range in vocabulary 

and levels of complexity of language use within your entire class. When describing the 

proficiency of your English learners, describe what your English learners can and cannot yet 

do in relation to the language demands of tasks in the learning segment. (TPEs 7, 8) 

In my classroom, there are 21 English learners (ELs), 9 of them redesignated English 

learners and 12 English only students (EOs). The remaining 12 ELs are mostly Early 

Advanced (EA) or Advanced (A), so in regards to the range in vocabulary and levels of 

complexity of language use, the range is pretty small in this classroom as they are all 

learning new vocabulary and language use as a class. For my learning segment, the ELs 

and EOs will be able to write the letters because they have all been writing a lot in the 

classroom. They will also be able to think critically about the Rush Limbaugh incident in 

which I will be exposing them to because they have had to use their critical thinking skills 

before. For my learning segment, they will all need to learn the components of a persuasive 

letter (position, arguments, counterargument) and also think critically about being bilingual 

and discrimination. 

(REQUIRED) 2c. Social development 

Consider factors such as the students ability and experience in expressing themselves in 

constructive ways, negotiating and solving problems, and getting along with others. (TPE 8) 

The students in my classroom participate in a lot of group work. Thus, over time they have 

developed an understanding of what it means to work in groups and solve their own 

problems. By working in groups, not only do they have to get along with one another, but 

also share the workload and trust one another to follow through with their tasks completed. 

Furthermore, as they work in groups, they are given more freedom in regards to how they 

ultimately complete and present their assignments. While there is a list of expectations, 

they are able to express themselves individually and as a group in regards to how they 

envision the final product. 

(REQUIRED) 2d. Family and community contexts 

Consider key factors such as cultural context, knowledge acquired outside of school, socioeconomic 

background, access to technology, and home/community resources.

The students in my classroom come from diverse backgrounds, cultures and languages. 

While the majority of the ELs come from families that speak Spanish, the remaining ELs are 

from families that speak Hmong, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Mien, Punjabi, and Hindi. Thus, 

not only do the ELs come with their own history and experiences, but the EOs also bring in 

their own traditions and unique experiences. Given the neighborhood that the school is 

located in, many of these students are coming from families with a low-socioeconomic 

status, but rich in cultures, languages, histories, and experiences. In regards to community 

resources, the school is located next to the Boys and Girls Club, which many of them are a 

part of, that provides them with access to the computers and printers. There is also a 

public library in the neighborhood that has computers and printers as well as books for 

them to read. The school is also located to many ethnic supermarkets and restaurants, 

clothing stores, district office and other community resources that the school could take 

advantage of to provide for their students. 

(REQUIRED) 3. 

Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that 

might impact your planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing, use 

of specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests. 

Fortunately, my CT is very accommodating and allowed me to map out my own learning 

segment. The only requirement that she had me follow is that I make sure to teach and 

assess the students on one of the California English Language Arts Content Standards

Form: "*PACT - Elementary Literacy - 2. Planning 

Commentary Form v. 2009" 




Write a commentary that addresses the following prompts. 

(REQUIRED) 1. 

What is the central focus of the learning segment? Apart from being present in the school 

curriculum, student academic content standards, or ELD standards, why is the content of 

the learning segment important for your particular students to learn? (TPE 1) 

The central focus of this learning segment is “Taking a Stand.” The students have been 

working on the unit taking a stand by researching and learning about heroes from across 

the United States and around the world. Through their research, they have discovered why 

we consider their heroes to be heroes and what courageous actions they took to become 

viewed as a hero. Not only have they learned why these heroes are considered heroes, but 

they have also learned that these heroes did not act alone and many of the courageous 

actions they took were planned. Given the impoverished neighborhoods that my students 

live in and the challenges that go along with living in such communities, it is important for 

my students to feel powerful and take a stand. Most of the times, students are always 

being told what to do, wear, eat, behave, etc., so there very few opportunities for them to 

feel empowered and like they are agents of change. Thus, with the incident of Rush 

Limbaugh mocking the Chinese language during President Hu Jintao’s speech, I thought this 

would be the perfect opportunity for the students to take a stand by writing a persuasive 

letter to Limbaugh asking for an apology. 

(REQUIRED) 2. 

Briefly describe the theoretical framework and/or research that inform your instructional 

design for developing your students knowledge and abilities in both literacy and academic 

language during the learning segment. 

The main theoretical framework that informs my instruction is that of Paulo Freire. Freire 

sees the education process as a mutual process in which teachers teach students and 

students teach teachers. Furthermore, he views education as a “practice of freedom,” 

where students and teachers are empowering themselves through the educational process. 

Thus, I believe that by having students engage in conversations about being bilingual and 

discrimination that they will be able to process that information and write powerful letters to 

Rush Limbaugh asking that he apologizes for his unprofessional and inappropriate actions. 

Additionally, Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Merrill Swain’s work on 

comprehensible output also guide my instructional plans. Gardner’s theory of multiple 

intelligences forces me to plan a variety of instructional strategies like using visuals, making 

logical connections and providing opportunities for students to use their interpersonal skills 

to express themselves and their thoughts. Finally with Swain’s work in mind and given the 

fact that the classroom is comprised of mainly ELs, students must be given the 

opportunities to use the language and that occurs in small group discussions as well as 

whole class discussions. These frameworks support students’ knowledge and abilities in 

both literacy and academic language because they are constantly being asked to think 

about the issue and also develop their own thoughts and opinions. By doing so, students

will be forced to use vocabulary like bilingual, discrimination, position, arguments, and 

counterarguments that develops their academic language and also supports their literacy, 

specifically writing. 

(REQUIRED) 3. 

How do key learning tasks in your plans build on each other to develop students abilities to 

comprehend and/or compose text, and to develop related academic language? Describe 

specific strategies that you will use to build student learning across the learning segment. 

Reference the instructional materials you have included, as needed. (TPEs 1, 4, 9) 

The focus of this learning segment is for students to take a stand by writing a persuasive 

letter to Rush Limbaugh on why they feel he should apologize for mocking the Chinese 

language during President Hu Jintao’s speech. Before writing their persuasive letters, 

students must first understand bilingualism and discrimination, listen to the audio clips of 

Rush Limbaugh and also the components of writing a persuasive letter. On day one, I will 

begin by using a cognitive content dictionary (CCD is a strategy to introduce new or 

unfamiliar words) chart to introduce/define the words bilingual and discrimination. In order 

for students to take a stand, they must understand what it means to be bilingual and the 

multiple forms of discrimination. Once we define the words and students provide examples, 

I will then pass out the Language Discrimination Scenario handouts and popcorn read the 

scenarios as a class. As we read the scenarios, I want the students to think about the 

following questions: What is the problem? Can you relate to the students? If not, how 

would you feel if you were in that situation? With the majority of my students speaking 

another language, I feel that many of them would be able to relate the students in the 

scenarios because they are also second language learners. After we read the scenarios, I 

will have the students discuss the questions in their groups and then have a classroom 

discussion. With the discussion fresh in their minds, I will then ask them to think about the 

pros and cons of being bilingual. In their groups, they will talk about the pros and cons of 

being bilingual and then as a class, we will create a T-Chart with the pros and cons of being 

bilingual. The goal for day one is to have the students think about bilingualism and its 

possible advantages and disadvantages before taking a stand on the Rush Limbaugh 

incident. 

Day two will start with a review of day one. I will ask the students: What did they 

learn/discuss yesterday? From there, I will pose the following questions: Is it okay to make 

fun of people who speak another language? Have you ever been made fun of for speaking 

another language? If so, how did you feel? What should you do if you do not understand 

someone speaking another language? I want students to first discuss the questions in their 

groups and then as a class, students can report what their groups discussed. Building off of 

the Language Discrimination Scenarios, our class list of pros and cons of being bilingual and 

their own experiences as English learners, I hope that the students come to a conclusion 

that it is not okay to make fun of people that speak another language. With the class 

consensus that making fun of people that speak another language is wrong, I will then play 

the audio clips of Rush Limbaugh mocking the Chinese language on national public radio. 

After listening to the audio clips, I want the students to think about these questions: What 

are your reactions? Are you angry? If so, why? Do you want to take action? Want to do 

something about it? Maybe take a stand? First, I want students to let out their initial 

reactions in small groups, before bringing the class back together as a class. Following the 

discussion, to provide students with more context and reactions from legislative officials, I 

will pass out the article “Rush Limbaugh Mocks Chinese President Hu Jintao” by ABC News’ 

Huma Khan. As we popcorn read the article as a class, I want the students to think about 

these questions: What do you think about Limbaugh’s mocking of the Chinese language?

Do you agree with the reactions by Congress Members Chu and Wu? Senator Yee? Once 

again, before I have students share their reactions to the class, I will have them first 

discuss their thoughts in groups. With the students’ reactions fresh in their minds and 

desire to take action, I will introduce the prompt for their persuasive letters and also 

provide them with my sample letter and the rubric that I will be using to grade their letters. 

Building off of day one, day two provides the students the context and background 

knowledge to write effective persuasive letters. 

The final day of the learning segment will also begin with a review of the previous two days 

as students reflect upon what they have learned. To better help students understand their 

assignment, we will review my sample letter and rubric and have the students identify my 

position, two arguments and counterargument in my letter. From there, we will review the 

prompt once again and then to help students write their letters, I want them to discuss in 

their groups some possible arguments they would give to persuade Rush Limbaugh to 

apologize and some counterarguments Limbaugh would give for not wanting to apologize. 

As a class, we will create a T-Chart of possible arguments and counterarguments students 

could write in their letters. Finally, to take a stand and empower themselves and others, 

students will write their persuasive letters. Over the course of the three lessons, they are 

building upon another as the lessons develop the students academic language in 

preparation for their composition of the persuasive letters. By beginning the learning 

segment with a discussion of bilingualism and discrimination, the lesson not only sets the 

foundation for students to take a stand, but also allows them to use the academic language 

in the small group and whole class discussions. From there the students listen to the audio 

clips and with the previous discussions in mind, they will be able to think critically about the 

situation and have some tools to take a stand. To complete the task, students will be given 

the prompt, sample letter and rubric to see and understand what is expected of them. By 

reviewing the prompt, sample letter and rubrics, students will understand the components 

of a persuasive letter and use that knowledge to write their own. 

(REQUIRED) 4. 

4. Given the description of students that you provided in Task 1.Context for Learning, how 

do your choices of instructional strategies, materials, technology, and the sequence of 

learning tasks reflect your students backgrounds, interests, and needs? Be specific about 

how your knowledge of your students informed the lesson plans, such as the choice of text 

or materials used in lessons, how groups were formed or structured, using student learning 

or experiences (in or out of school) as a resource, or structuring new or deeper learning to 

take advantage of specific student strengths. (TPEs 4,6,7,8,9) 

To take advantage of my students’ backgrounds, interests, and needs as I plan the learning 

segment, I am focusing on two things: 1) They are mainly English learners and 2) They 

come from impoverished neighborhoods. Given the fact that there are a lot of English 

learners, I know that they will be able to relate to Language Discrimination Scenarios and 

be outraged when they hear the audio clip of Rush Limbaugh mocking the Chinese 

language. Additionally, given the classroom environment and level of respect the students 

have developed for one another, the English only students will also be able to relate in 

regards to discrimination as English only students or seeing the negative treatment of their 

bilingual classmates. Coming from an impoverished communities mean that many of the 

students have limited opportunities and experiences. Furthermore, in regards to making 

decisions in their lives, they have even less say because their parents tell them what to eat, 

where, do, etc. and at school, their options are limited as well. As a result, I want to 

provide my students with the opportunity to feel empowered and feel like they have the 

voice to change what they feel is wrong. Thus, over the course of the three lessons, I will

provide them with opportunities to reflect on their lives and experiences with bilingualism 

and give them the framework to empower them to create positive change. 

(REQUIRED) 5. 

Consider the language demands of the oral and written tasks in which you plan to have 

students engage as well as the various levels of English language proficiency related to 

classroom tasks as described in the Context Commentary. (TPE 7) 

a. Identify words and phrases (if appropriate) that you will emphasize in this learning 

segment. Why are these important for students to understand and use in completing 

classroom tasks in the learning segment? Which students? 

b. What oral and/or written academic language (organizational, stylistic, and/or 

grammatical features) will you teach and/or reinforce? 

c. Explain how specific features of the learning and assessment tasks in your plan, including 

your own use of language, support students in learning to understand and use these words, 

phrases (if appropriate), and academic language. How does this build on what your students 

are currently able to do and increase their abilities to follow and/or use different types of 

text and oral formats? 

The words and phrases that will be emphasized are: bilingual, discrimination, persuasive 

letter, position, argument and counterargument. All students must be able to understand 

and use these words and phrases to complete their persuasive letters. To begin, students 

must first understand and think critically about what it means to be bilingual and then the 

discrimination that sometimes occur with being bilingual. By having this conversation, 

students will be able to take their own stance on the issue as they develop their thoughts 

and opinions. From that foundation, students will then be able to write their persuasive 

letters, but they must first understand the components of a persuasive. By reviewing the 

prompt, sample letter and rubric, students will have that opportunity to learn about what a 

persuasive letter needs and looks like. 

The written academic language that I will be teaching is writing a persuasive letter. Before 

the students begin writing, I will give them their prompt, a sample letter and rubric. As a 

class, we will review the sample letter and identify the key components of a persuasive 

letter and how that coincides with the grading rubric. Students must understand that in a 

persuasive letter they must take a clear stance and then provide arguments to support their 

position. Students must also be able to think critically about counterarguments that might 

be given and how they will dismiss those counterarguments in their letters. 

To help students learn and use these words, I will first introduce the words using a CCD 

chart which is how my CT introduces new words in the classroom. With this familiarity, 

students will be able to reflect on their prior knowledge and work with one another to 

understand and be able to use the new words. To model the language, I will say things like, 

“Being bilingual has its benefits” or “Let’s think about what it means to be bilingual.” By 

doing so, the students will hear the words over and over and begin to use the language 

themselves. In regards to the assessment, students will be asked to write a persuasive 

letter and by building their background knowledge, they will have to tools to use what they 

learn in their letters. This process builds on what they are currently able to do because they 

are familiar with the process and will not be thrown off task because it is not something 

new.

(REQUIRED) 6. 

Explain how the collection of assessments from your plan allows you to evaluate your 

students learning of specific student standards/objectives and provide feedback to students 

on their learning. (TPEs 2, 3) 

The goal of this learning segment is to have the students take a stand by writing a 

persuasive letter, so the students will be assessed in accordance with the California English 

Language Arts Content Standards. The content standard for this learning segment is: 2.5 

Write persuasive compositions. A) State a clear position on a proposition or proposal B) 

Support the position with organized and relevant evidence C) Anticipate and address reader 

concerns and counterarguments. With the content standard in mind, I will create a rubric 

that assesses them on stating a clear position, their arguments and also counterargument. 

In addition, I will also assess the students’ spelling/grammar and overall organization of the 

letter. By creating a rubric, I will be able to systematically grade their letters and provide 

feedback on their writing of a persuasive letter. 

(REQUIRED) 7. 

Describe any teaching strategies you have planned for your students who have identified 

educational needs (e.g., English learners, GATE students, students with IEPs). Explain how 

these features of your learning and assessment tasks will provide students access to the 

curriculum and allow them to demonstrate their learning. (TPEs 9. 12) 

This learning segment is designed specifically to engage my English learners because they 

are bilingual and will be able to relate to the discrimination faced by the students in the 

Language Discrimination Scenarios. By being able to speak from personal experiences, my 

English learners will feel empowered as they share their experiences with their peers using 

the English language. To ensure that all students are given the opportunity to share their 

thoughts, I will have them talk in their groups first, then as a class, we will continue the 

discussion. These strategies will help engage the English learners because it is a topic that 

they are all familiar with and have to deal with daily. In regards to the assessment, by 

reviewing the prompt, sample letter, and rubric as a class will not only support the English 

learners, but the class as a whole. In order for students to fully understand their 

assignments, they must know what are the expectations and how they will be assessed. 

The sample letter will provide all students with a clear model of what they are expected to 

produce.

Form: "*PACT - Elementary Literacy - 3. Instruction 

Form v. 2009" 




Video Label Form 

Candidate ID # 

213212117 

Elementary Literacy Clip(s) 

(REQUIRED) Lesson from which clip came: Lesson # 

3 

(REQUIRED) Focus of Clip(s) (Check all that apply.) 

• Student Composition of Text 

(REQUIRED) If Electronic, Video Format of Clip(s): (check one) 

• Windows Media Player 

Instruction Commentary 


(REQUIRED) 1. 

Other than what is stated in the lesson plan(s), what occurred immediately prior to and 

after the video clip(s) that is important to know in order to understand and interpret the 

interactions between and among you and your students? Please provide any other 

information needed to interpret the events and interactions in the video clip(s). 

As outlined in the lesson plan, what occurred immediately prior to the first clip was a review 

of the previous lessons. Immediately after the first clip, the students were working in 

groups coming up with possible arguments to persuade Rush Limbaugh to apologize and as 

well as counterarguments Limbaugh may have for not wanting to apologize. After the 

students have discussed their arguments and counterarguments, the second clip starts with 

students reporting their answers to create a T-Chart of arguments and counterarguments 

they could use in their persuasive letters. Immediately after the clip, students asked 

clarifying questions and were given line paper to write their persuasive letters. As they 

began writing, I circulated the classroom to keep students on task and also answer 

questions they had. 

(REQUIRED) 2.

Describe any routines or working structures of the class (e.g., group work roles, class 

discussion norms) that were operating in the learning task(s) seen on the video clip(s). If 

specific routines or working structures are new to the students, how did you prepare 

students for them? (TPE 10) 

In order to eliminate any confusion, I kept the classroom routines and working structures in 

regards to class discussions. As seen on the first clip, the students were first asked a 

question, then discussed the possible answers in groups, and finally shared their answers to 

the entire class. This classroom norm not only provided stability for the students, but also 

gave them the opportunity to work in groups to come up with their answers. 

(REQUIRED) 3. 

In the instruction seen in the clip(s), how did you further the students knowledge and skills 

and engage them intellectually in comprehending and/or composing text? Provide examples 

from the clips of both general strategies to address the needs of all of your students and 

strategies to address specific individual needs. (TPEs 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 11) 

In the first clip, I furthered the students’ knowledge and skills in composing text by 

reviewing the prompt, sample letter and rubric. To help the students understand what was 

expected of them, I asked them to identify the arguments and counterargument that I 

wrote in my letter. By doing so, students were given a clear picture of what they were 

expected to produce in terms of their own writing. Additionally, students were able to work 

in groups to think through the arguments and counterargument that I wrote and how the 

arguments and counterargument would persuade Rush Limbaugh to apologize. After 

reviewing the sample letter and rubric, I refocused the class by going over the prompt once 

again and point out what they were expected write in their persuasive letters. To further 

support the students compose their persuasive letters, I asked them to work in groups to 

come up with possible arguments to persuade Limbaugh to apologize and counterarguments 

Limbaugh may have for not wanting the apologize. The second clip shows the creation of 

the T-Chart as students proposed their arguments and counterarguments. By creating a T- 

Chart of arguments and counterarguments, I provided the students with a foundation to 

begin their letters. In addition to the sample letter and rubric, the students now had a list 

of arguments and counterarguments they could use to help them write their persuasive 

letters. These strategies provided all of the students with the tools and resources they 

would need to complete their persuasive letters. To complete their assignment, the 

students simply had to sit there and write their letters because they had all of the supports 

needed. 

(REQUIRED) 4. 

Given the language abilities of your students as described in Task 1. Context for Learning, 

provide examples of language supports seen in the clips that help your students understand 

the content and/or academic language central to the lesson. (TPEs 4, 7) 

This lesson was about giving students the tools and skills they would need to take a stand 

and write their persuasive letters. To do so, students had to first understand the 

components of a persuasive letter. Having the students identify the arguments and 

counterargument in the letter that I wrote provided them with the opportunity to use the 

academic language. In regards to language support, in the first clip, students were unsure 

what counterargument meant, so I had to rephrase a couple times before I asked them to 

find the counterargument in my letter. As a result, they were then able to effectively 

complete the task by identifying the counterargument. In the second clip as students were

eporting their arguments and counterarguments, I had to summarize/condense their 

thoughts in order to write an argument or counterargument that the class would have been 

able to use in their letters. By doing, I not only validated their responses, but made the 

arguments and counterarguments clearer for the entire class to understand. 

(REQUIRED) 5. 

Describe the strategies you used to monitor student learning during the learning task shown 

on the video clip(s). Cite one or two examples of what students said and/or did in the video 

clip(s) or in assessments related to the lesson that indicated their progress toward 

accomplishing the lessons learning objectives. (TPEs 2, 3) 

In the first clip, I monitored student learning by circulating the classroom and making sure 

that they were identifying the arguments and counterargument that I wrote in my letter. As 

I circulated the classroom, I made sure that the students were on task and if they were 

taking their time to start, I refocused them by asking, “What are the two arguments?” The 

first clip shows students actively reading my letter to find the arguments and 

counterargument, which means that they not only understood the directions, but will also 

be able to provide those components in their letters. Students were also working in groups, 

so they were supporting one another as they sought out the arguments and 

counterarguments. For the second clip, I monitored student learning by clarifying their 

arguments and counterarguments. Some of the reasons that the students were giving 

could have been interpreted as arguments as opposed to counterarguments and vice versa, 

so I had to refocus them and make the appropriate interpretations.

Summary of Student Learning 

Category 3 2 1 

Position 

Position is clearly 

stated. (73%) 

Position is stated, 

but unclear. (7%) 

Position is not 

stated. (20%) 

Arguments 

Arguments are 

clearly stated and 

supported. (37%) 

Arguments are 

stated, but are 

unclear and not 


Arguments are not 

stated. (0%) 

Counterargument 


is stated and 



is stated, but is 

unclear and not 



is not stated. 

(53%) 

Spelling/Grammar 

There are no 

spelling or 

grammar errors. 

(0%) 

There are 1-3 

errors in spelling 

and/or grammar. 

(33%) 

There are 4 or 

more errors in 

spelling and/or 

grammar. (67%) 

Organization 

The letter is wellorganized 

and 

written. (7%) 

The letter is either 

not wellorganized 

or 

written. (76%) 

The letter is not 

well-organized or 

written. (17%)

Form: "*PACT - Elementary Literacy - 4. Assessment 






(REQUIRED) 1. 

Identify the specific standards/objectives measured by the assessment chosen for analysis. 

You may just cite the appropriate lesson(s) if you are assessing all of the 

standards/objectives listed. 

The California English Language Arts Content Standard that is being measured through this 

assessment is: 2.5 Write persuasive compositions. A) State a clear position on a proposition 

or proposal B) Support the position with organized and relevant evidence C) Anticipate and 

address reader concerns and counterarguments. 

(REQUIRED) 2. 

Create a summary of student learning across the whole class relative to your evaluative 

criteria (or rubric). Summarize the results in narrative and/or graphic form (e.g., table or 

chart). Attach your rubric or evaluative criteria, and note any changes from what was 

planned as described in Planning commentary, prompt 6. (You may use the optional chart 

provided following the Assessment Commentary prompts to provide the evaluative criteria, 

including descriptions of student performance at different levels.) (TPEs 3, 5) 

Using the rubric, I scored the students across five different categories (position, arguments, 

counterarguments, spelling/grammar, and organization) on a scale of 1-3. For position, 

73% of the class received a 3, which means that their position was clearly stated in their 

letters, 7% of the class received a 2, which means that their position was stated, but not 

clear, and 20% of the class received a 1 for not stating their positions at all. Moving on to 

arguments, 37% of the class clearly stated their arguments with supporting detail to get a 3 

and the rest of the class (63%) got a 2 for stating their arguments, but either not clearly or 

did not provide support. For counterarguments, 7% of the class received a 3 for stating and 

supporting their counterarguments, while 40% of the class got a 2 for stating their 

counterarguments, but was either unclear or not supported, and 53% of the class got a 1 

for not stating their counterarguments at all. With spelling and grammar, no students 

received a 3 for having no spelling/grammar errors, 33% of the class got a 2 for 

spelling/grammar, which means they made between 1-3 spelling/grammar errors, while the 

remainder of the class (67%) received a 1 for having 4 or more spelling/grammar errors. 

Finally, for organization, 7% of the class received a 3 for writing a letter that was wellwritten 

and organized, while 67% received a 2 for writing a letter that was either not wellwritten 

or organized, and 17% of the class got a 1 for writing a letter that was not wellwritten 

or organized. 

(REQUIRED) 3. 

Discuss what most students appear to understand well, and, if relevant, any 

misunderstandings, confusions, or needs (including a need for greater challenge) that were

apparent for some or most students. Cite evidence to support your analysis from the three 

student work samples or the documentation of student work you selected. (TPE 3) 

Based on the summary of student learning in regards to the standards, students understood 

how to clearly state their position and also provide some arguments with supporting detail. 

73% of the class received a 3 for their position, which means they clearly stated their 

positions in response to the prompt in their letters. For example, in looking at student work 

sample 1, this student wrote, “I strongly believe that you should apologize to Hu Jintao for 

mocking him,” giving that student a 3 for a stating a clear position. Additionally, in 

examining student work sample 2, this student wrote, “You should take back what you did 

to President Hu Jintao” and also received a 3 for a stating a clear position in response to the 

prompt. The entire class also wrote arguments in their letters with 37% of the class 

receiving a 3 for having clearly stated arguments and supporting details while 63% got a 2 

for writing their arguments, but was either unclear or not supported. Focusing on student 

work sample 3, this student wrote, “Think of children listening to your radio show. They 

may be mocking you and the mocking the Chinese culture. What if someone did that to 

[you?] Wouldn’t you be mad [?].” This student has a great argument, “Think of children 

listening to your radio show,” but needs to support this argument more by explaining that 

perhaps children tend to imitate what they see and hear, so he should be careful with what 

he says and does. Or, this student could support the argument by saying that Limbaugh’s 

actions suggest that it is okay for people to mock people because they do not understand 

them or because it is something “different.” This student’s work is a good example of what 

many students (63%) did in regards to stating their arguments, but not supporting them 

well, but also some only stated one argument, when they were prompted to have written 

two arguments. Overwhelmingly, the students struggled with counterarguments. With 

40% of the class receiving a 2 for writing their counterargument unclearly or without 

supporting detail and 53% of the class not writing a counterargument at all shows that the 

students needed more support and/or examples. Looking at student work sample 2, this 

student wrote, “If you were in Hu Jintao’s place and you had no translator what would you 

think if a person like you were making fun of you?” This student is clearly attempting to 

write an effective counterargument, but just misses the target a bit. The counterargument 

could have been, “Perhaps you have been in that situation before and you were made fun 

of, but that does not mean you should then make fun of others.” By doing so, the student 

does not just hypothetically place Limbaugh in that situation, but acknowledges that 

Limbaugh may have already been in such a predicament, then rejects his actions when he 

witnesses someone else in that exact same situation. Once again, this student’s attempt at 

writing and supporting a counterargument highlights the challenges my students faced in 

writing their counterarguments. 

(REQUIRED) 4. 

From the three students whose work samples were selected, choose two students, at least 

one of which is an English Learner. For these two students, describe their prior knowledge of 

the content and their individual learning strengths and challenges (e.g., academic 

development, language proficiency, special needs). What did you conclude about their 

learning during the learning segment? Cite specific evidence from the work samples and 

from other classroom assessments relevant to the same evaluative criteria (or rubric). (TPE 

3) 

For all of my students, this would be their first time writing a persuasive letter in the 

classroom in accordance to the California English Language Arts Content Standards. While 

they have been doing a lot of writing in class, they were not taught the key components of a 

persuasive letter (position, argument, counterargument). The two student work samples

that I have chosen for further analysis are from students 2 and 3. Student 2 is also an 

English learner, but students 2 and 3 collectively represent a microcosm of the entire 

classroom because like the class as a whole, their literacy strengths are reading and oral 

language comprehension, but struggle with writing and composing their own text. Based on 

their literacy strengths and area of need, their letters highlight their reading and oral 

language comprehension, but show their continuing need for support in their writing. For 

example, student 2 wrote, “Making fun of others makes you look like a fool. Also it looks 

like you’re a person that have no manners and is not nice at all.” These two sentences 

exemplify the fact that student 2 clearly understands the assignment and requirement of 

giving arguments as to why Limbaugh should apologize for mocking the Chinese language. 

This student is drawing upon their own experience as a bilingual student as well as class 

discussions to support their writing. However, there are a few grammatical errors and the 

language that this student decided to use gives the letter an angry tone. While this student 

has every right to be angry with Limbaugh’s actions, in order to persuade him to apologize, 

the letter needs to be a bit more subtle and have more sophisticated word choices. 

Nonetheless, I have learned that student 2 is an active listener and comprehends extremely 

well. On the other hand, student 2 could use additional support in writing. Perhaps a minilesson 

on words with multiple meanings would help this student learn and use more 

sophisticated language in their oral and written language. Looking at student 3, this 

student wrote, “Think of children listening to your radio show. They may be mocking you 

and the mocking the Chinese culture. What if someone did that to [you?] Wouldn’t you be 

mad [?].” Once again, this student displays an understanding of the prompt, more 

specifically, the act of persuasion. The student wrote, “Think of children listening to your 

radio show.” While short, this sentence is powerful because it forces the reader to reflect 

for just a bit and “think of children” and what their reaction might be. The challenge for this 

student to expand their thoughts and make their connections explicit for their readers. 

Simply stating “They may be mocking you and mocking the Chinese culture,” does not 

make it clear for the readers why they would be mocking the Chinese culture. The 

assumption could be made that children are mocking Chinese people and culture because 

they imitate what they see and hear, but that is not the role of the reader, but the writer. 

Like student 2, I learned that student 3 comprehends extremely well, but needs additional 

support with more detailed writing. To assist student 3, a mini-lesson on brainstorming 

would help this student expand their thoughts and ideas before they begin their writing. 

(REQUIRED) 5. 

What oral and/or written feedback was provided to individual students and/or the group as 

a whole (refer the reviewer to any feedback written directly on submitted student work 

samples)? How and why do your approaches to feedback support students further learning? 

In what ways does your feedback address individual students needs and learning goals? Cite 

specific examples of oral or written feedback, and reference the three student work samples 

(or documentation of student work) as evidence t o support your explanation 

In regards to oral feedback during the persuasive letter writing, I noticed that some of the 

students took a little longer than others to start, so I reminded them and the class as a 

whole to use the arguments and counterarguments that we came up with as a class to help 

them write their letters. By doing so, the feedback refocused the students and supported 

them in completing their task to further their learning by demonstrating their ability to write 

effective arguments and counterarguments. For written feedback, I wrote, “It looks like you 

are trying to make a counterargument” for student 2 because this student was attempting 

to make a counterargument, but was just off target. The comment acknowledges the 

student’s effort, but also forces that student to reexamine what they wrote and how they 

can make it a valid counterargument. The feedback also gives this student the guidance

they need to become a better writer, which is this student’s area of need. For student 3, I 

wrote, “Good arguments, need to support them though” because this student has great 

ideas and thoughts, but tends to leave them at that, forcing the reader to make the 

connections themselves. Once again, the comment validates the student’s writing, but also 

guides the student to think about what else they need to add to make the letter stronger. 

While there are times when keeping things short and simple is necessary, there are also 

times to expand on your thoughts, so the feedback further develops the student’s thinking 

and writing. 

(REQUIRED) 6. 

Based on the student performance on this assessment, describe the next steps for 

instruction for your students. If different, describe any individualized next steps for the two 

students whose individual learning you analyzed. These next steps may include a specific 

instructional activity or other forms of re-teaching to support or extend continued learning 

of objectives, standards, central focus, and/or relevant academic language for the learning 

segment. In your description, be sure to explain how these next steps follow from your 

analysis of the student performances. (TPEs 2, 3, 4, 13) 

Based on the summary of student learning, the next step for instruction for all my students 

would be to re-teach counterarguments. The summary shows that 40% of the students 

received a 2 and 53% a 1, which means they either struggled with counterarguments or 

forgot about them altogether. As a result, they could use another lesson on 

counterarguments. To begin the lesson, I will ask the students in their groups to define 

counterarguments. As a class, we would then discuss the possible definitions and decide on 

a class definition that everyone understands. For an analogy, I will use the Courtroom, 

where the prosecution attempts to persuade the jury to find the defendant guilty. The 

defendant’s job then, with or without their lawyer is to come up with many 

counterarguments that would refute the arguments that the prosecution is making. To 

make it more personal for the students, an analogy could be where their parents argue that 

their bedtime should be at 9pm, but the students believe their bedtime should be at 10pm, 

so they must come up with several counterarguments to persuade their parents. With 

these analogies in mind, I will then divide the class in half to play the “Arguments vs. 

Counterarguments” game. I will call one student up for either half of the class and read 

them an argument and they must be the first to answer with a valid counterargument to 

receive a point for their team. For example, using the bedtime analogy, the argument 

parents would give is, “You need at least 8 hours of sleep every night and you will get those 

8 hours if you are in bed by 9pm.” A possible counterargument would be, “I know I need 8 

hours of sleep, so if I sleep by 10pm and get up at 7am, then I get more than 8 hours every 

night.” After the game, I will hand back their letters and ask them to rewrite or give more 

supporting details to their counterarguments. By re-teaching counterarguments, I will meet 

the needs of my students because their letters showed that they were unsuccessful in 

writing counterarguments and this lesson will support their understanding of 

counterarguments and also give them an opportunity to rewrite them.

Monday, March 7, 2011 

What is working is the CCD Chart. All of the students were able to work in their groups to 

discuss the meanings of the words and contributed to the class discussion. The Language 

Discrimination Scenarios was also effective because not only were the ELs able to relate, but 

also the EOs. The pros and cons of being bilingual T-Chart was effective, but some students 

had difficulty coming up with cons. 

For the next lesson when we review, I will need to emphasize and provide more examples of 

possible cons of being bilingual. 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 

What really worked today was having the students listen to the audio clips of Rush 

Limbaugh. They were shocked, angry, and outraged, so I used that energy to have them 

focus on taking action by writing a persuasive letter. Reading the article was also helpful 

because it gave the students more background information on what happened and what were 

some of the reactions. We began to review the prompt, sample letter and rubric, but ran out 

of time. 

For the next lesson, we will definitely need to spend time reviewing the prompt, sample letter 

and rubric before they write their letters. 

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 

I think what really helped the students was having them identify the components of a 

persuasive letter in my sample letter. Having the students talk about possible arguments and 

counterarguments in their groups also helped them begin to think about what they would 

write. There was an initial confusion on counterarguments, so that may be an issue in their 

writing. Not all of the students started once they got their papers, so some may have written 

less than others. 

In grading their letters, I should check for their understanding of counterarguments and 

consider time constraints in regards to the completeness of the letters.

Form: "*PACT - Elementary Literacy - 5. Reflection 






(REQUIRED) 1. 

When you consider the content learning of your students and the development of their 

academic language, what do you think explains the learning or differences in learning that 

you observed during the learning segment? Cite relevant research or theory that explains 

what you observed. (See Planning Commentary, prompt # 2.) (TPEs 7, 8, 13) 

In regards to the learning that I observed during this learning segment, I definitely would 

say that Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Swain’s work on comprehensible 

output explain my observations. While the ultimate assessment for this learning segment 

was the persuasive letters, as I read the letters, I could picture myself having conversations 

with my students because while the overall writing could have used some additional 

support, the ideas and thoughts were not lacking. The reason why their thoughts were so 

evident was because they had numerous opportunities to discuss the topics with their peers, 

so they were able to use their interpersonal skills (Gardner) and make comprehensible 

output (Swain). Thus, it began with the conversations they had in their small groups, then 

the discussions we had as a class stuck with them and all of the information came pouring 

out in their letters. Without the conversations and discussions, they would not have been 

able to retain the same about of information and knowledge had they solely been lectured 

and asked to think about the topics individually and not asked to verbally produce anything. 

(REQUIRED) 2. 

Based on your experience teaching this learning segment, what did you learn about your 

students as literacy learners (e.g., easy/difficult concepts and skills, easy/difficult learning 

tasks, easy/difficult features of academic language, common misunderstandings)? Please 

cite specific evidence from previous Teaching Event tasks as well as specific research and 

theories that inform your analysis. (TPE 13) 

Given the fact that over 90% of my students struggled with counterarguments in their 

writing suggests that they could have benefited from more comprehensible input. Stephen 

Krashen argues that in second language acquisition students need to acquire language 

through direct and explicit instruction without necessarily having to produce language (as 

opposed to Swain). While I believe that students should receive both comprehensible 

in/output, in regards to counterarguments, I should have been more explicit in my 

instructions before asking them to produce the language. Thus, with respect to literacy, I 

should have given them more examples and opportunities to fully demonstrate their 

understanding of counterarguments before having to identify and write them. 

(REQUIRED) 3. 

If you could go back and teach this learning segment again to the same group of students, 

what would you do differently in relation to planning, instruction, and assessment? How

would the changes improve the learning of students with different needs and 

characteristics? (TPE 13) 

If I were to go back and teach the same learning segment to the same group of students, I 

would first plan to give myself and my students more time. Upon reflection on their 

assessments, I would also plan to write out a letter as class in addition to providing them 

with a sample letter. As we write the letter out as a class, I would highlight the arguments 

and the supporting details. For the counterarguments, I would not only highlight the 

supporting details, but also point out why it is in fact a counterargument to the arguments 

already given. In regards to the assessment, I would not change it because the goal is for 

them to take a stand by persuading Rush Limbaugh to apologize for mocking the Chinese 

language. The improvements in planning and instruction will better assist the students in 

writing extremely powerful and sophisticated letters. With more explicit instruction, all 

students will have access to the material and be able to produce their best work in the end.

Overview 

Lesson Plan Title: Taking a Stand 

Content Purpose: Writing a persuasive letter 

Multicultural/Social Justice Purpose and/or Social/Affective Purpose, including what model of 

Multicultural Education this lesson attempts to meet (Sleeter and Grant; James Banks; etc.): Human 

Relations – students will be working in groups, so they will need to understand the different working styles, 

strengths and areas of growth of each group member. 

Key Concepts: bilingual, discrimination, taking a stand 

Relevancy to students’ lives, needs and interests: By writing a persuasive letter, students are given the 

opportunity to take a stand on an issue and give arguments and counterarguments for readers to understand 

their perspective. Furthermore, through the writing of the persuasive letters, students will feel empowered 

and that are able to create change in this world. 

Cohesiveness/Continuity: Students have been working on the taking a stand unit and this is the 

culminating learning segment of that unit. 

Vocabulary: Bilingual, discrimination 

Integration with Other Content Areas: VAPA 

Supplementary Materials (include a description of how these materials reflect content, input, and or 

the values that supports/reinforces your MCE/Social Justice Purpose; also include integration of 

technology and resources): Language Discrimination Scenario Handouts, Cognitive Content Dictionary 

(CCD) Chart, T-Chart pros/cons of bilingualism 

Standards (Content and/or ELA/ELD): 2.5 Write persuasive compositions. A) State a clear position on a 

proposition or proposal B) Support the position with organized and relevant evidence C) Anticipate and 

address reader concerns and counterarguments 

List Objectives in this 

column: 

Content Objective/s 

BTEOTL, SWBAT orally 

explain the definitions of 

bilingual and discrimination. 

Describe formative 

Assessment and Criteria 

Students will explain 

orally and provide an 

example. 

Describe summative 

Assessment and 

Criteria 

Assessment Tool 

(attach a sample) 

Observation 

Language Objective/s: 


state one pro and con of 

being bilingual. 



example. 

Observation

Multicultural/Social Justice 

Objective/s: 

BTEOTL, SWBAT discuss 

in groups and with the class 

the pros and cons of being 

bilingual. 

Critical Thinking 

Objective/s: 



the pros and cons being 

bilingual. 

Students will take part in a 

group/class discussion. 



Observation 

Observation 

Rationale for emphasis on certain objective/s: The emphasis will be on the Language Objective because 

students need to be able to express their views on the pros/cons of being bilingual. 

Lesson 

Outline 

Timing 

Description [include a specific description 

of what the Teacher (T) and Students (Ss) 

will do] 

Special considerations (include 

grouping, adaptations for ELs and 

students with special needs, how 

vocabulary, concepts and skills will 

be introduced, emphasized, and 

reviewed, etc.) 

Intro 10 

10 

10 

T: Use CCD Chart to define the words 

bilingual and discrimination with the class. 

First, ask how many students have or have 

not heard the words before. Then have 

students make predictions in their groups 

using the context clue and their own 

background knowledge. Ask for their 

predictions and then give them the 

dictionary definition. Finally, ask for 

examples. 

Ss: Use context clue to predict what 

bilingual and discrimination mean and then 

come up with examples in groups. 

T: Pass out Language Discrimination 

Scenario handouts. Popcorn read as a 

class. Have students think about these 

questions as they read: What is the 

problem? Can you relate to the students? If 

not, how would you feel if you were in that 

situation? 

Ss: Students will read and listen to the 

Language Discrimination Scenarios and 

think about the questions. 

T: What is the problem? Can you relate to 

TPS, Circulate classroom

Practice/ 

Application 

the students? If not, how would you feel if 

you were in that situation? 

Ss: Students discuss questions in their 

groups and then one person shares out to 

the class. 

15 T: What are the pros and cons of being 

bilingual? Discuss in your groups and 

come up with at least 3 pros and cons. As 

a class, create a T-Chart. 

Ss: Discuss the pros and cons of being 

bilingual. Share out at least one pro and 

con of being bilingual. 

TPS 

Circulate classroom and remind 

students to come up with at least 3 

pros and cons. 

Review 5 T: Have 3-5 students state 1 pro and con of 

being bilingual and explain their answers. 

Ss: State and explain 1 pro and con of 

being bilingual.

Overview 














Vocabulary: Bilingual, discrimination, arguments, counterarguments 





(CCD) Chart, T-Chart pros/cons of bilingualism, “Rush Limbaugh Mocks Chinese President Hu Jintao” 

article, sample letter and rubric. 





column: 



explain the 3 parts of a 

persuasive letter. 





example. 



Criteria 



Observation 



explain the 3 parts of a 

persuasive letter. 



example. 

Observation


Objective/s: 



their reactions to Limbaugh’s 

mocking of the Chinese 

language. 


Objective/s: 



their reactions to Limbaugh’s 

mocking of the Chinese 

language. 





Observation 

Observation 

Rationale for emphasis on certain objective/s: The emphasis will be on the Multicultural/Social Justice 

and Critical Thinking Objectives because students are being asked to take a stand on Rush Limbaugh’s 

remarks. To do so, they must be able to express their reactions to hearing a national figure mock a language 

on public radio for the entire world to hear. 

Lesson 

Outline 

Timing 



will do] 







Intro 5 

5 

T: Review CCD Chart, Language 

Discrimination Scenarios, and pros and 

cons of being bilingual. What did we 

learn/discuss yesterday? Have students first 

review/reflect with their groups and then 

ask students to share out. 

Ss: Discuss what they learned the day 

before in groups and as a class. 

T: Is it okay to make fun of people who 

speak another language? Have you ever 

been made fun of for speaking another 

language? If so, how did you feel? What 

should you do if you do not understand 

someone speaking another language? 

Ss: Discuss questions in groups and then as 

a class. 

TPS 

TPS 

Practice/ 5 T: Have students listen to the audio clips of

Application 

Rush Limbaugh. 

[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/1 

9/rush-limbaugh-mocks-huji_n_811223.html] 

Ss: Listen to the audio clips of Rush 

Limbaugh. 

5 

10 

10 

10 

T: What are your reactions? Are you 

angry? If so, why? Do you want to take 

action? Want to do something about it? 

Maybe take a stand? 

Ss: Discuss their reactions in groups, then 

as a class. 

T: Hand out article “Rush Limbaugh 

Mocks Chinese President Hu Jintao” by 

ABC News’ Huma Khan to students. 

Popcorn read the article as a class and have 

students think about the following 

questions: What do you think about 

Limbaugh’s mocking of the Chinese 

language? Do you agree with the reactions 

by Congress Members Chu and Wu? 

Senator Yee? 

Ss: Read and listen to article and think 

about the questions posed. 

T: What do you think about Limbaugh’s 

mocking of the Chinese language? Do you 

agree with the reactions by Congress 

Members Chu and Wu? Senator Yee? 

Ss: Discuss the questions in groups and 

then share out to the class. 

T: Review prompt: Write a persuasive 

letter to Limbaugh on why you believe he 

should apologize for mocking the Chinese 

language. Give and explain 2 arguments. 

Also, address 1 counterargument 

Limbaugh might have for not apologizing. 

Hand out sample letter and rubric. Popcorn 

read sample letter and rubric as a class. 

Ss: Read and listen to prompt, sample letter 

and rubric. 

TPS 

TPS 

Review 5 T: Have 3 students identify the 3 parts of 

the persuasive letter. 

Ss: Identify the 3 parts of the persuasive 

letter.

Overview 














Vocabulary: Bilingual, discrimination, arguments, counterarguments 





(CCD) Chart, T-Chart pros/cons of bilingualism, “Rush Limbaugh Mocks Chinese President Hu Jintao” 

article, sample letter and rubric. 





column: 


BTEOTL, SWBAT write a 

persuasive letter to Rush 

Limbaugh on why they 

believe he should apologize 

for mocking the Chinese 

language. 





Criteria 

Students will write a 

persuasive letter that 

states a clear position, 

has at least 2 arguments 

and 1 counterargument. 



Rubric 


BTEOTL, SWBAT write a 

persuasive letter to Rush 

Limbaugh on why they 

Students will write a 

persuasive letter that 

Rubric

elieve he should apologize 

for mocking the Chinese 

language. 

states a clear position, 

has at least 2 arguments 

and 1 counterargument. 


Objective/s: 



arguments to write to 

Limbaugh to apologize and 

counterarguments Limbaugh 

may have for not wanting to 

apologize. 


Objective/s: 



arguments to write to 

Limbaugh to apologize and 

counterarguments Limbaugh 

may have for not wanting to 

apologize. 





Observation 

Observation 

Rationale for emphasis on certain objective/s: The emphasis will be on the Content and Language 

Objectives because students will need to be able to demonstrate their learning over the past two days by 

writing a persuasive letter to Rush Limbaugh. 

Lesson 

Outline 

Timing 



will do] 







Intro 5 

10 

T: Review CCD Chart, Language 

Discrimination Scenarios, and pros and 

cons of being bilingual, audio clip and 

article. What have we learned/discussed 

over the past two days? Have students first 

review/reflect with their groups and then 

ask students to share out. 

Ss: Discuss what they learned the past two 

days in groups and as a class. 

T: Review rubric and sample letter. What 

is my position in the letter? What are my 

two arguments? What is my 

counterargument? 

Ss: In groups, identify the position, two 

TPS 

TPS

10 

arguments and counterargument in the 

letter. 

T: Read prompt: Write a persuasive letter 

to Limbaugh on why you believe he should 

apologize for mocking the Chinese 

language. Give and explain two arguments. 

Also, address one counterargument 

Limbaugh might have for not apologizing. 

Have students discuss in their groups 

arguments to persuade Limbaugh to 

apologize and counterarguments Limbaugh 

might have for not wanting to apologize. 

Create a T-Chart of arguments and 

counterarguments. 

Ss: Read and listen to prompt and discuss 

in groups and then with the class possible 

arguments and counterarguments. 

TPS 

Practice/ 

Application 

30 T: Hand out line paper and have students 

write their persuasive letters. Address any 

questions students may have before writing 

their letters. 

Ss: Write their persuasive letters. 

Circulate classroom and address any 

questions and/or concerns. 

Review 5 T: Have three students read their 

persuasive letters to the class. 

Ss: Read and listen to the persuasive 

letters.

March 8, 2011 

Dear Mr. Limbaugh, 

I believe you should apologize for mocking the Chinese language because that was very 

unprofessional and offensive. 

Your mocking of the Chinese language was extremely unprofessional. Even though you did not 

understand what President Hu Jintao was saying does not mean you have the right to mock the 

language. As a professional, you should know by now that if you do not understand something, 

then it is your job to figure it out or ask for help and in this case, find a translator for yourself. 

Not only was your mockery unprofessional, but it was also very offensive to everyone who 

speaks another language. Through your actions, you are sending the message that “If you do not 

speak English, then I will mock your language because I do not understand,” which is simply 

discriminatory. Living in a country that has people from all over the world with different 

cultures, foods, languages, etc., you should understand that not everyone only speaks English and 

be more tolerant of differences. 

While I understand that we all have “Freedom of Speech” in the United States, your mockery of 

the Chinese language was not an example of you exercising your right to speak your mind, but 

an example of your ignorance. We should all have the right to say what is on our minds, but that 

does not mean we have the right to be hurtful and make fun of others. As the saying goes, “If 

you do not have something nice to say, then do not say anything at all.” 

Thank you for reading my letter and I hope to hear an apology from you soon. 

Sincerely, 

Mr. Sithiphone

Rush Limbaugh Mocks Chinese President Hu Jintao 

ABC News’ Huma Khan reports: Conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh is at the center of controversy 

once again, and this new one goes beyond U.S. borders. 

The talk show host is taking heat for mocking a speech made by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White 

House Wednesday. 

"Hu Jintao -- He was speaking and they weren’t translating. They normally translate every couple of words. Hu 

Jintao was just going ching chong, ching chong cha," Limbaugh said, before launching into a 17- 

second imitation of the Chinese leader's dialect. 

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., the first Chinese-American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, said 

she was "shocked and appalled" by Limbaugh's comments. 

"Calling the Chinese names and imitating the Chinese language was a childish and offensive tactic," she said in 

a statement to ABC News. "It is one thing to disagree with a nation and criticize its policies, but it is another 

thing to demonize an entire people. 

"Over the last 150 years, Chinese in America have faced severe racial discrimination. It wasn’t that long ago 

that the Chinese in America were legally excluded from the basic rights given to every other newcomer. They 

were called racial slurs, were spat upon in the streets, derided in the halls of Congress and even brutally 

murdered," she added. "So when I hear popular leaders in the media, like Mr. Limbaugh, unearth the same type 

of derogatory rhetoric I can only think about how far we have come and worry about whether we want to head 

back in that direction." 

Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., the first Chinese-American to serve in the House, called Limbaugh's recent rhetoric 

another example of his "fundamental lack of character." 

"What begins as an ugly display quickly becomes as striking for its pathetic childishness," Wu said in a 

statement to ABC News. "Mr. Limbaugh proves once again his disinterest in civil and thoughtful discourse, and 

in doing so he ridicules one of the world’s oldest languages, insults the Chinese American and Asian American 

communities, and disrespects the 1.3 billion people of China." 

The mockery is being criticized my many across the country. California State Sen. Leland Yee asked Limbaugh 

to apologize for his “classless act” and touted Wednesday’s show as an example of the “bigotry that has often 

plagued his commentary.” 

"His classless act is an insult to over 3,000 years of cultural history, and is a slap in the face to the millions of 

Chinese Americans who have struggled in this country and to a people who constitute one-quarter of the world's 

population," Yee said in a statement. 

Salon.com editor and blogger Andrew Leonard called Limbaugh’s “bravura performance” an embarrassment to 

the country. 

“This is just embarrassing,” Leonard wrote. “I'm sure the clip is already surging through the Chinese Internet, 

and hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens are contemplating the fact that one of the heroes of the newly 

ascendant Republican party is a nativist ignoramus intent on purposely humiliating the current leader of the 

world's next great superpower.”

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