8th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials for Grade 8 meet the expectations of indicator 2a that texts are organized around a topic/topics (or, for grades 6-8, topics and/or themes) to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

The texts are organized around grade-level appropriate topics for students in Grade 8. The publisher is intentional about integrating units to include materials that are cross- content. Students build knowledge via a variety of genres and different types of informational text. The texts build knowledge and the ability to read and comprehend complex texts across a school year. While there are recommendations for where each unit fits (grade and location in the year) teachers do have the ability to “mix and match.” Teachers also have the option to incorporate texts from outside the initial text set should they choose to do so.

It is explicit in the course description and pacing that reading is a regular part of the instructional day. Additionally, because curriculum is topic focused, research projects/writings around those topics are part of each unit as culminating tasks. Students can take what they have read in each unit and apply that knowledge toward the completion of their culminating task. For example, in the cross content unit in science the topic centers on the Human Body. Students will use what they have read throughout the unit to complete their Final Project, an informational book. They convert their response to several research questions into central idea/key details paragraphs for the book. The texts in this unit that support student’s building knowledge are a mix of fiction and informational text (e.g., The Core Text is the Human Body exemplar pack, Frankenstein, Ethics of Food: Making Food, Choices, Life Science in Depth: Body Systems and Health, Grossology, DNA).

The cross content literacy unit on social studies is focused on learning about Westward Expansion and culminates in students becoming experts about the topic. The variety of texts about this topic are also a mix of text types and genres although the bulk of text is informational (e.g., The Industrial Revolution, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Century for Young People, The Harlem Renaissance, A Changing Nation, Freedom Heroines).

Similarly, the unit on historical fiction exposes students to several text types that range in complexity and support students building knowledge about this genre. Text examples for this unit include Taking Liberty: The Story of Oney Judge, George Washington’s Runaway Slave, Coolies, Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African American Women of the Wild West, A History of US, and All About America.)

The instructional materials for Grade 8 meet the expectations that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of texts. Materials contain sets of questions and tasks that require analysis of individual texts.

The content literacy units provide questions and tasks that are more specific and help support students in making meaning and building a better understanding of text. For example, the Human Body unit provides an exemplar, a collection of articles which provides student with text-specific questions. The teacher materials for this exemplar provides resources for the teacher, including graphic organizers, specific text dependent questions, and specific lesson plans.

The Geology Unit (content based) includes a collection of articles with accompanying carefully sequenced text specific questions:

1. Draw a diagram that illustrates the levels of organization within the human body. (Key details)
2. What are cells? Circle all the definitions of cells in the second paragraph.Why are cells important? (Key details)
3. What is the relationship between cells and organelles? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. (Key details)
4. What information does Solway include only in the diagram and not in the body of the text? Why do you think he makes this choice? (Structure)

The genre unit (historical fiction) and the literacy lab unit (the launch unit) incorporate student tasks on a weekly basis that scaffold student understanding of text. An example of a constructed response from the mythology unit is from day one: “Today, you will write a short essay in which you make a claim based on your reading to show what you know about literary elements and __ (genre) __. You may use your “Literary Elements” graphic organizer and W.1 Rubric to help you with your response. Writing Prompt: What is the most defining literary element in __(genre)__? Why? Use evidence from multiple texts to support your answer.”

Additional examples of questions from the genre unit include:

What is the setting of this book so far and why do you think it will matter to the story? What evidence from the text best supports your answer? What generalizations can you make about settings in this genre? How might setting be important to this genre as a whole?

Another example of student task during the Literacy Launch unit requires students to respond to this prompt: “Today, you will have a chance to demonstrate your understanding of how authors develop themes through characters by writing a short essay in response to the following prompt: What is a central theme of our Core Novel? How is it conveyed by particular literary elements? In addition to your essay, you will need to turn in: a Thinking Map with the notes/quotes you used to generate your essay and a W.1 Rubric with the score you think your essay deserves.”

Additional tasks in the Literacy Launch unit offer students an opportunity to discuss through discussion groups. Questions focus on the overarching concept being taught. Students could choose any book to answer the questions. It could be challenging for a teacher to monitor student understanding and mastery if teacher is not familiar with the self selected text. Examples of questions include:

• Who are the characters in this story so far?
• Have we been introduced to a protagonist and an antagonist? What other character types have we met so far?
• What is each of these characters like?
• What can you learn about each of these characters through his/her thoughts? Actions? Body language? Reactions to other characters?
• How does the author use events and/or dialogue to tell you about this character?
• How/why do you think these characters will matter to the story? What evidence from the text best supports your answer?

The instructional materials for Grade 8 meet the expectation required for indicator 2c. The materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. The materials contain text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across individual and at least one more text. The majority of analytical questions and tasks apply to single texts, although in two of the four units there are cross-text tasks. Each unit contains several sets of text-dependent questions in which students are required to provide text evidence in their responses.

Within each unit, text-dependent questions appear in the teacher’s guide that are static in nature across multiple texts. Students are reading and completing daily written responses to these questions. At the end of each week there is a culminating activity. For example, in the first unit students complete various written tasks about the core novel they are reading together as a class as well as their independent reading. An example of this is:

Write an argument to support your claim about the author’s theme in our Core Novel; Decide what you think the author’s theme/message is. Support your claim with evidence from the text (literary elements). However, because there are no specific questions provided to guide the teacher’s instruction about the novel, text dependent questions would be reliant on the teacher.

Additional tasks are similar to this prompt, requiring students to write about characters, setting, and plot, using the core novel and their independent reading as their basis for analysis.

Another example is in the literary unit (historical fiction). Each week there is a specific skill that is focused on and practiced and each week there is a constructed response to demonstrate learning of that new skill. The work throughout the week builds toward the constructed response. However, because all text-dependent questions in this unit are generic in nature, specific guidance in helping students develop deeper comprehension would be dependent on the teacher.

Opportunities for students to analyze knowledge and ideas across texts is limited. For example, in each unit there is a core novel and several anchor texts; however, no guidance is provided for how the texts may relate. This is evident in unit 2 (Human Body). There is a collection of various text types in the workbook that each student is provided; however, the questions for each text, although more specific in nature, don’t require students to make connections among the various texts. Furthermore, there is no guidance for how the anchor texts relate to the topic. Two works listed as anchor texts, Frankenstein (fiction), and DNA (nonfiction), are connected to the topic of, but the connection between texts is unclear in the materials.

The instructional materials for Grade 8 meet the expectations for indicator 2d. Materials contain questions and tasks that support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through combined skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Culminating tasks incorporate a range of reading, writing, speaking, and listening opportunities.

The culminating task in the cross-content units center around a research project in the science and the social studies units. These units provide a series of questions students answer using the resources provided. The final project for the Human Body and Industrial Era Units are presentations that address the Speaking and Listening Standards; throughout the unit students read a variety of self selected materials on their reading level and research a topic of their choice related to the theme which culminates in a task such as a presentation. An example of the type of presentation is Expertise with Research Questions. This can be as simple as sharing with partners or as elaborate as creating a living history/ science museum and inviting the community in. The teacher decides what the culminating task will be. Multiple suggestions are included in the teacher’s guide (e.g., Peer Reviews, Oral Presentation to Small Group or a student from another class, Issue Debate/Campaign, town hall meeting to decide what action to take on the issue, or a Fair/Museum).

For culminating tasks, the questions and tasks preceding support students’ knowledge of a specific topic. For example, the focus of the Industrial Era Unit is for students to become an expert on one issue and be able to stand in front of the class and say “Ask me anything about my Industrial Era issue”. Students are asked to create a timeline of at least ten key events in the development of this invention and its effects on American society. They will be able to explain the relationship between this invention and industrialization, immigration, urbanization, the rise of big business, unionization, WWI, and the Great Depression. Throughout this unit students read from leveled self selected texts, write for a variety of purposes, learn vocabulary terms that are essential to his/her understanding of the Industrial Era, create illustrations, and publish a final project. Several resources in the form of graphic organizers are provided to guide students during the exploration.

The culminating project for the Early American Historical Fiction unit is for students to write and publish a short story/picture book in the genre. Lessons throughout the unit require students to read, analyze, and write about one grade-level novel in this genre as part of a whole class intellectual community, read at least four novels in the genre on his/her own (these can be any levels, from the Genre Library or elsewhere), and write four very short essays (constructed responses) and one longer literary essay analyzing multiple texts in this genre. The tasks students are asked to engage in support their ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate knowledge of topics.

In the initial unit, the ARC Literacy Lab, the questions and tasks are static, text-dependent questions. The teacher’s guide provides guidelines for students responding to what they are reading by having them respond first in writing and then verbally with partner or small group: What did the author say? Why did s/he say it? How did s/he say it? Which parts of the book so far drew your interest? Why? The culminating task asks students to take two pieces of writing from draft to completion.

The instructional materials for Grade 8 meet the requirements of indicator 2e that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Opportunities to build vocabulary are found throughout the instructional materials. Lists of topic specific words as well as high leverage words are provided in all of the units.

Vocabulary instruction calls for students to think about the meaning of words. Definitions are provided in student-friendly language, and word meanings are taught with examples related to the text as well as examples from other, more familiar contexts.

Unit 1: Literacy Lab

The introduction of the teacher’s guide for unit 1 provides an overview of where the language standards are addressed. Listed is the scope and sequence of standard focus throughout all four units for the year. Standard 4 - Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text and is indicated as a focus standard for Unit 1. Language Standards 4 - 6 are then indicated as a focus across the four units.

On page 199 in the Unit 1 Overview (week 3, day 1), academic vocabulary is introduced to students through mini-lessons. Teachers model vocabulary work though the whole class text and ask students to begin noticing words in the texts they read. Week 4 also has a vocabulary focus. The focus this week is on denotation, connotation, and figurative language. Students are directed to “flag at least a new word you want to learn and share.”

Students are also provided with tools that help them work on Academic Vocabulary during the course of Unit 1. For example, as a class, students collect high-leverage academic and technical vocabulary they find and share with the class. The teacher’s guide provides a mini lesson on Language Standard 4 titled “The More Academic Vocabulary, The Harder the Book.” The teacher is directed to introduce/review the three tiers of Vocabulary and introduce the concept that academic language is one of the major differentiators between reading levels. The guide states, “Make sure students understand that Tier 2 and Tier 3 words are rarely part of everyday speech, even of adults. These words are mostly only in text. Learning academic language works like learning any new language - you need to encounter the same new words and ideas over and over again, in a variety of contexts, to internalize them. Voracious reading provides the immersion required to make this happen.”

Students are encouraged to “practice noticing new vocabulary, categorizing it by Tier, and discussing what each word might mean based on evidence from the text.” The guide says if students have difficulty, the teacher should ask: What might this word/phrase mean? What in the text supports your answer? What is a good synonym? Reread the sentence, replacing the unknown word with your synonym. Does this change the meaning of the sentence? Why or Why not?

Unit 2: Human Body

Multiple lessons provide teachers with direction and opportunities to hone in on both content-specific vocabulary and academic vocabulary in the texts. Examples of key concepts from this unit include the following: digestive, respiratory, skeletal, and immunity. Examples of high-leverage academic vocabulary include: function, filters, and corrosive. Teachers are directed to highlight any high leverage/Tier 2 vocabulary words with the following note to teachers about how to determine which words to teach: “Teaching words in context and developing students’ ability to learn word meaning from context is a rich, essential part of vocabulary instruction. However, choosing the words to spend time on in the context of complex text can be a struggle for teachers. Hiebert (2009) describes three general criteria for determining which words to choose for intensive teaching: 1) words needed to fully comprehend the text, 2) words likely to appear in future texts from any discipline, 3) words that are part of a word family of semantic network.”

The Human Body Unit provides support around vocabulary with sections specific to vocabulary and different types of words to teach, including Tier 2, which is referred to as High Leverage. There are several lessons at the beginning of this unit that have this vocabulary support built in.

Additionally, in the Human Body unit, there are questions that target vocabulary and text structure integrated into lessons, i.e., “Look at the diagram of the circulatory system. How is oxygenated blood different from deoxygenated blood? How do you know? What does “de-” mean? What other words do you know with this prefix? Oxygenated blood is oxygen rich, while deoxygenated blood is oxygen poor. “de” refers to the removal or reversal of something. (defrost, de-escalate, demote).”

Text-dependent questions also require students to define words based on context clues. Some examples are: What do these words mean and how are they related? The text uses the term journey to describe the process of digestion. What is a journey? Is this a helpful analogy for describing the process? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. If digestion is a journey, what is the goal? The guide states, “While used by the text, most of these terms are not defined within it. Students should be able to discuss the relationship between these terms and develop working definitions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 8 meet the expectation for materials supporting students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year. Students are supported through the writing process and various activities are placed throughout units to ensure students' writing skills are increasing throughout the year.

Students are encouraged to develop stamina and a positive attitude towards writing by writing daily and for various purposes. They engage in activities that include reading and discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write, examine and identify a range of text structures, and they are guided to assess the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing. At the end of each unit, students produce, present, and publish writing pieces as part of a final project.

The materials provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning through writing about what they have read. Writing is embedded throughout the school year in multiple ways. Students are provided with prompts on a daily basis to make observations and reflect on their own writing to build skills and knowledge for future writing and are required to take at least two of their drafts throughout a unit to a final publishable product. Standard practices for writing are built into every day from the onset of unit one throughout the entire course of the school year. Students complete weekly constructed response writing tasks that provides an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of a reading skill that was taught during that week. Student support of meeting writing goals is provided in writing rubrics used to reflect on their own work and on partner’s writing. Also included in the materials is guidance for teachers to conference with students to provide meaningful feedback as students write.

Writing instruction spans the whole school year; each unit emphasizes writing and lessons that are embedded that require students to write every day. Each unit requires a different kind of writing from personal narrative writing to informational writing to argumentative writing.

Unit One: ARC Literacy Lab

The progression of narrative writing starts with students writing about themselves as both readers and writers. There are daily prompts to generate ideas. For example:

• Day 1, Lesson 1: Write a reading autobiography.
• Day 2, Lesson 2: Design the book jacket for your ideal fiction book.
• Day 3, Lesson 3: Complete a genre profile for the book you read today and create a list of books you want to read.
• Day 4, Lesson 4: Write a narrative explaining the role reading has played in your life or an argument trying to convince someone that this thing is important.
• Day 5, Lesson 5: Create your own About the Author page to use with the pieces you will publish write and publish this year.

During week three of this unit the teacher’s guide lists the following goal:

“Write to Task/Prompt Goal: Across the next two weeks, students write on a variety of prompts while they practice using the new vocabulary they are learning in their writing. Each day, choose 1-3 prompts that relate to the reading work in some interesting way (see Suggested Writing Prompts in the following pages). Make sure to choose both Argument and Narrative prompts across the weeks so that by the time you reach Week 5, students have several pieces in each mode from which to select ones they’d like to publish.”

Unit Two: Human Body

The focus on writing is research based in which students answer a research question connected to a science theme. Students will research, draft, revise, edit, illustrate, and present a final project about their system. The teacher’s guide provides this explanation: (page 110)

“The RESEARCH LABS® Instructional Frameworks focus on a few Common Core Standards, carefully sequencing instruction, practice, and formative assessment to ensure all students master each element of these rigorous reading, writing, and thinking standards. Phase II: Informational Writing Through carefully scaffolded whole-group instruction and differentiated support, all students learn to: 1. Provide an objective summary of any informational text. 2. Determine the central idea(s) of an informational text and use both content and organization analyze the development of this idea(s). 3. Examine how non-fiction authors build on research to craft compelling informational texts. 4. Publish and present a scientifically/historically accurate Final Project book on his/her research topic.”

Extended Writing: Final Informational Piece (Book) Each student engages in a carefully scaffolded, extended research project, taking a final written product through the entire writing process from note-making to publication.

The teacher materials provide this guide :

“Model how you use the rubric to write a 5-point answer, including how you use text evidence to prove the veracity of your fact (e.g., I read __ by __. It is about...The most interesting thing...This sounds unbelievable, but it says right here on page 24...).”

The teacher’s guide includes a step-by-step guide for modeling the research process. Students become experts on each research question; the teacher models the process and then students apply to their own topics.

For example on week 2, day 5:

“By the end of today, you will have completed your FPOs for RQs #1-2. We’ve spent this week analyzing how authors develop central ideas using supporting ideas and details. Today, after we read, each of you will use our RI.2 Thinking Map to draft a short essay demonstrating your current ability to determine an author’s central idea. Your essay will need to answer the question: What is a central idea of this text? How does the author use supporting ideas and details to develop this central idea?”

Unit Three: Early American Historical Fiction & American History

Students write a comparative essay analysis and a short story. There is a focus on literary analysis as well. The teacher’s guide includes the goals of this unit emphasizing a new focus every week on a literary element but all follow this general pattern:

“Setting 1. Set Focus Today, you will take a position on something you read and explain your reasons for taking that position. Your position is your opinion. Another word for this is claim. Writing Prompt: What about the setting will be most important to this book? Why? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.”

The next week focuses on character analysis then plot. Students make claims and provide evidence and reasoning. Each writing assignment requires students complete a graphic organizer in order to complete the written assignment. The guide to this process includes modeling and some samples along with guidelines for revising and editing. Students write a constructed response in which they “use generalizations about literary elements in multiple texts to develop a working definition of this genre and support their definition with evidence from the text. In a subsequent lesson, students respond to new prompt-- What is the most defining literary element in this genre? Why? Use evidence from the Central Text to support your opinion”. Rubrics are provided to support students in reviewing criteria for good evidence. The teacher’s guide also suggests modeling as necessary and sharing good examples of evidence as teacher locates and observing students as they work.

During week 5, students will write a comparative essay after reading and analyzing works in this genre. The teacher’s guide provides this explanation for the learning goal:

“Over the next two weeks, you will each write an essay in which you make a claim based on a connection you have discovered between our Central Text and one of the texts in the genre you have read independently.“

Graphic organizers are provided to support students during this process. The guide to this process includes modeling and samples, along with guidelines for revising and editing. The final writing assignment for this unit is to write an argumentative essay with clear reasons and relevant evidence. Students participate in quick writes, draft and revise arguments, and then edit, illustrate and publish their argument. Students are scaffolded during the process and teacher materials contain several resources including several different types of graphic organizers on how to write a claim statement and support with evidence as well as how to revise with a focus on powerful language and logical and coherent arguments.

Unit Four: Industrial Era

Students write responses to research question connected to a social studies theme. The unit follows the same format as Unit 2: Human Body. It begins with topic selection and introduction to argument, six research questions over course of three weeks, drafting, revising and editing, publishing, presenting, and formal debate.

The instructional materials for Grade 8 meet the expectations of indicator 2g that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials. Units are designed for students to act as researchers and gather details or ideas from texts throughout the unit to build a body of evidence for the culminating task. For these tasks, students select a topic and spend about nine weeks reading, writing, and speaking about their topic. By the end of each unit, students write and publish an informational book or other project demonstrating their increased knowledge about their selected topic. Students are provided with daily independent reading, research, and discussion times.

For grade 8, the standards require that students “gather relevant information from multiple print and digital resources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standards format for citation.”

The research tasks are a part of two of the four units in the materials provided for review Unit 2 (Human Body) and Unit 4 (Industrial Era). The guidelines for both units are quite similar. Throughout the course of the unit students become an expert on a self-selected topic within the theme and answer research questions specific to the topic.

The research tasks are a part of two of the four units in the materials provided for review: Unit 2: Human Body and Unit 4: Industrial Era. The guidelines for both units are quite similar. Throughout the course of the units, students become an expert on a self-selected topic in the theme and answer research questions specific to the topic.

For example, the teacher’s guide for Unit 2: Human Body provides this introduction:

“Encourage students to become totally immersed in learning about the human body. Expect them to know EVERYTHING about their system. Even your absolute beginning readers can learn a great deal about their subjects through photographs and illustrations. In this unit students are to select a major system of the body to research and be able to answer the following questions:

1. What roles does this system play in maintaining the health of the human body?
2. What are the major organs involved in this system? How do their structures support their functions in the system?
3. What types of tissues are involved in this system? How do their structures support their functions?
4. What types of specialized cells are involved in this system? How do their structures support their functions?
5. How can breakdown in this system impact the human body?
6. How does exercise/inexercise [sic] affect this system?
7. How does nutrition/malnutrition affect this system?

The final project requires students to “research, draft, revise, edit, illustrate, and present a final project about their system” (Research Labs 2).

The guidelines for Unit 4: Industrial Era require students to select an invention that transformed American society during the Industrial Era (1870-1940). There are ten research questions to guide students in this:

1. Create a timeline of at least 10 key events in the development of this invention and its effects on American society. Explain the relation between this invention and its effects on American Society.
2. Industrialization
3. Immigration
4. Urbanization
5. The rise of big business
6. Unionization
7. World War I
8. The Great Depression
9. What were the most important events in African American history during this era? How was this invention involved?
10. How did the roles of women in American society change during this era? How was this invention involved?

The teacher’s guidelines includes this information to support teacher during this unit:

“Teachers use carefully scaffolded whole-group instruction to teach all students to read, write, present, and evaluate arguments. 2. Students practice making claims and supporting those claims with relevant evidence and logical reasoning. 3. Students produce a final argument essay that makes a claim related to their Research Topics and defends that claim with evidence and reasons from their research”

The Industrial Era unit takes students through this:

“We are going to spend the next 9 weeks reading, writing, and arguing about the big ideas in __(Unit)__. Each of you will pick one topic on which to become an expert. You will research this topic and write a research-based argument essay about it. By the end of this Unit, you will: 1. Be an expert on __(Unit)__, 2. Be an expert on your research topic, 3. Find something controversial in your research topic, take a position on this issue, and make a well reasoned, well researched argument supporting your position. If you will be grading students’ work in this unit, hand out the point system/grading rubric now. For a sample point system, refer to the Research Lab Grade Tracker in the Introduction.”

The instructional materials for Grade 8 meet the expectations of indicator 2h, supporting students’ independent reading development.

The publisher has designed its own book leveling and student reading leveling system called the IRLA (Independent Reading Level Assessment), in which students are able to choose books for Independent Reading at their appropriate level. The teacher’s guide begins with an overview of the entire reading program.

The beginning unit is designed for the first six weeks to focus on building students’ reading skills and for teachers to use the IRLA system and publisher’s guidelines in determining student reading level. The publisher has designed its own book leveling and student reading leveling system called the IRLA, in which students are able to choose books for Independent Reading at their appropriate level. By doing this, texts are organized and scaffolded to foster independence. In addition, supports and specific procedures are provided for the teacher around independent reading. Time is built into the daily lesson for independent reading and students are encouraged to read outside of class as well and to participate in the 100 book challenge. An accountability system helps both the teacher and students track their progress. Unit 1 in this curriculum thoroughly sets up a system in place to support independent reading throughout the year.

There is an overview on Page 9, which provides an explanation of the IRLA Expert Coaching and 100 book challenge. The IRLA Expert Coaching supports teachers in using the IRLA to “find the highest level of text complexity students can currently read (and understand) without any help or prompting of any kind from the teacher.”

The following explanation is provided for the system:

The IRLA System is a text complexity analysis system for American Reading Company which is explained in the introduction to Unit 1. Every book provided by the publisher includes a color-coded sticker on the spine. This sticker indicates the book’s IRLA text complexity level.

The 100 Book Challenge is “a community wide reading culture system to bring students’ own reading interests and choices into the center of the curriculum while ensuring that all children experience the rich reading lifestyle.”

Rotating Common Core leveled classroom libraries place authentic trade books color-coded to each IRLA level at the fingertips of teachers and students, giving each student instant access to just-right text for independent practice, coaching, and conferencing.

There are supports built into the first unit for teacher and student that will be used throughout the year. These include the following: Status of the Class (page 85), Genre Profile (page 104), Genre Record (page 105), Engaged Reader Status Check (page 132), Thinking Maps (throughout), 100 Book Challenge checklist (page 178), and Reading Log (page 192).

Another strength of the program is that regardless of the unit, every day has a reading component. For example, page 11 of Unit 3: Early America includes a description of the recommended Research Lab Daily Structure, and includes Independent Reading for 15-20 minutes where students are reading self-selected books. This particular page can be found in each unit.

Further support for the teacher is offered on page 13 of Unit 2:

Leveled Text Sets/Independent Reading provide daily opportunities for students to engage in reading at their independent levels. Providing leveled text sets and a minimum of 15–30 minutes of structured, accountable Independent Reading is crucial to the success of all students, especially those who are struggling readers. With leveled text sets, students are able to do the hard thinking learned in Grade-Level Instruction to books they can read. Spend More Time and Thought on Your Students Who Need It: Students who are currently reading below grade level or learning to speak English should receive extra support. Don’t worry about trying to equalize the time you spend with each student. Become an expert on your students who are struggling. Be sure you know them well enough to teach them; know what they are currently able to do and what they need to learn next.

Likewise, the volume of independent reading can be seen in the cross content units for science and social studies (Units 2 and 4). During the 3-topic Trial, before students pick their research topic, students read 15-30 minutes of self-selected Research Lab books.

Teachers conference with students and help them establish Power Goals. These goals are set once a child has been successfully leveled in the IRLA system. These power goals drive the work of small group instruction and one to one conferencing. The publisher claims that these goals, which are to be used during the Reader’s Workshop, “accelerate reading growth through Power Goal conferences.”

There is also a SchoolPace/IRLA Performance Management System. This is a web-based system that provides numerous reports to monitor students’ growth and performance in real-time. Incentive Reading Folders, used at school and home, vary by color. Students begin with a blue folder, once 100 Steps of reading are completed they move to a red folder. The folder color lets teachers monitor and reward students that are moving and provide additional support for those needing to move.

Furthermore, teachers are encouraged to solicit the assistance of families in the independent reading through home-school letters. The home-school connection is developed through the use of home school letters and the Home Coach Contract that encourages parents to observe students reading 30 minutes, discussing the book and signing the reading log sheet each night. Students are provided with a variety of books, paired specifically to their path of achievement, to take home. Parents are expected to help students develop an independent reading routine using the provided materials.