edTPA Comprehensive
Questions and Solutions
Graded A+
discourse - Answer: Discourse includes the structures of written and oral language, as well as
how members of the discipline talk, write, and participate in knowledge construction.
Discipline-specific discourse has distinctive features or ways of structuring oral or written
language (text structures) that provide useful ways for the content to be communicated.10 In
the language arts and literacy, there are structures for composing, interpreting, and
comprehending expository, narrative, poetic, journalistic, and graphic print materials as well as
video and live presentations. If the language function is to interpret character development,
then appropriate language forms could include written essays (with particular ways of citing
textual evidence) or pattern sentences such as "The author used (action, dialogue, and/or
description) to introduce (main character). One example of (action, dialogue, and/or
description) was ____________, which suggested that the character was _______________."
language demands - Answer: Specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions,
discourse, syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing,
listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their disciplinary understanding.
language functions - Answer: The content and language focus of the learning task represented
by the active verbs within the learning outcomes. Common language functions in the language
arts include identifying main ideas and details; analyzing and interpreting characters and plots;
arguing a position or point of view; predicting; evaluating or interpreting an author's purpose,
message, and use of setting, mood, or tone; comparing ideas within and between texts; and so
on.
, syntax - Answer: The set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together
into structures (e.g., sentences, graphs, tables).
vocabulary - Answer: Includes words and phrases that are used within disciplines including: (1)
words and phrases with subject-specific meanings that differ from meanings used in everyday
life (e.g., table); (2) general academic vocabulary used across disciplines (e.g., compare, analyze,
evaluate); and (3) subject-specific words defined for use in the discipline.
aligned - Answer: Consistently addressing the same/similar learning outcomes for students.
artifacts - Answer: Authentic work completed by you and your students, including lesson plans,
copies of instructional and assessment materials, video clips of your teaching, and student work
samples. Artifacts are submitted as part of your evidence.
assessment (formal and informal) - Answer: "[R]efer[s] to all those activities undertaken by
teachers and by their students . . . that provide information to be used as feedback to modify
teaching and learning activities."14 Assessments provide evidence of students' prior knowledge,
thinking, or learning in order to evaluate what students understand and how they are thinking.
Informal assessments may include, for example, student questions and responses during
instruction and teacher observations of students as they work. Formal assessments may
include, for example, quizzes, homework assignments, journals, and projects.
assets (knowledge of students) - Answer: personal: Refers to specific background information
that students bring to the learning environment. Students may bring interests, knowledge,
everyday experiences, family backgrounds, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support
learning.
cultural: Refers to the cultural backgrounds and practices that students bring to the learning
environment, such as traditions, languages, worldviews, literature, art, and so on, that a teacher
can draw upon to support learning.
community: Refers to common backgrounds and experiences that students bring from the
community where they live, such as resources, local landmarks, community events and
practices, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support learning.
Questions and Solutions
Graded A+
discourse - Answer: Discourse includes the structures of written and oral language, as well as
how members of the discipline talk, write, and participate in knowledge construction.
Discipline-specific discourse has distinctive features or ways of structuring oral or written
language (text structures) that provide useful ways for the content to be communicated.10 In
the language arts and literacy, there are structures for composing, interpreting, and
comprehending expository, narrative, poetic, journalistic, and graphic print materials as well as
video and live presentations. If the language function is to interpret character development,
then appropriate language forms could include written essays (with particular ways of citing
textual evidence) or pattern sentences such as "The author used (action, dialogue, and/or
description) to introduce (main character). One example of (action, dialogue, and/or
description) was ____________, which suggested that the character was _______________."
language demands - Answer: Specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions,
discourse, syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing,
listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their disciplinary understanding.
language functions - Answer: The content and language focus of the learning task represented
by the active verbs within the learning outcomes. Common language functions in the language
arts include identifying main ideas and details; analyzing and interpreting characters and plots;
arguing a position or point of view; predicting; evaluating or interpreting an author's purpose,
message, and use of setting, mood, or tone; comparing ideas within and between texts; and so
on.
, syntax - Answer: The set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together
into structures (e.g., sentences, graphs, tables).
vocabulary - Answer: Includes words and phrases that are used within disciplines including: (1)
words and phrases with subject-specific meanings that differ from meanings used in everyday
life (e.g., table); (2) general academic vocabulary used across disciplines (e.g., compare, analyze,
evaluate); and (3) subject-specific words defined for use in the discipline.
aligned - Answer: Consistently addressing the same/similar learning outcomes for students.
artifacts - Answer: Authentic work completed by you and your students, including lesson plans,
copies of instructional and assessment materials, video clips of your teaching, and student work
samples. Artifacts are submitted as part of your evidence.
assessment (formal and informal) - Answer: "[R]efer[s] to all those activities undertaken by
teachers and by their students . . . that provide information to be used as feedback to modify
teaching and learning activities."14 Assessments provide evidence of students' prior knowledge,
thinking, or learning in order to evaluate what students understand and how they are thinking.
Informal assessments may include, for example, student questions and responses during
instruction and teacher observations of students as they work. Formal assessments may
include, for example, quizzes, homework assignments, journals, and projects.
assets (knowledge of students) - Answer: personal: Refers to specific background information
that students bring to the learning environment. Students may bring interests, knowledge,
everyday experiences, family backgrounds, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support
learning.
cultural: Refers to the cultural backgrounds and practices that students bring to the learning
environment, such as traditions, languages, worldviews, literature, art, and so on, that a teacher
can draw upon to support learning.
community: Refers to common backgrounds and experiences that students bring from the
community where they live, such as resources, local landmarks, community events and
practices, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support learning.
