2nd Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectations for texts organized around topics to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently. Each unit and the texts within as well as boxed text sets are organized around specific topics and guiding questions to build student knowledge around topics such as bugs, animals, community, literary stories, personal narratives, and more.

Teachers can also utilize read alouds and boxed sets (Hook Books, 100 Book Challenge, thematic sets) that are labeled according to the publisher’s self-determined readability levels (IRLA) and organized by topic. Teachers can also access thematic text sets organized around topics in science, social studies and literary genres including the subjects of family, culture, school, animals, and poetry that provide differentiated reading practice.

• Unit 1 uses themes of education, diversity, justice and heroism instead of topics. The poetry text set has 20 text parts. No list of books for the three read-aloud collections or the leveled boxes was provided.

• In Unit 2, the topic Bugs uses research questions and informational writing to guide content and literacy skills learning. Students actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. For example, on Week 4, Day 1, students close read (a first read and second read for building comprehension, repeated reading, and independent reading). The read-aloud collection includes both fiction and nonfiction texts such as James and the Giant Peach, Bugs, and poetry, Hey There Stink Bug!

• In Unit 3, the topic Animal Stories is used for a genre study. The read-aloud collection includes both fiction and nonfiction texts such as Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse and Turtles.

• In Unit 4, the topic Jobs in My Community uses research questions and informational opinion writing to guide content and literacy skills learning. The read-aloud collection includes both fiction and nonfiction texts such as Frankly Frannie and Communities.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectations for materials containing sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

Throughout the units, students independently and in pairs complete questions and tasks that require analysis of individual texts. Examples of sets of questions found in the instructional materials include the following:

• In Unit 1, Week 2, students are asked, “What strategies do you already use for figuring out new words? What do you think that word might mean? What makes you think that? What questions do you have? What do you remember about this book? Listening to this book again, what are you thinking, now?” and “Which books should we all know about? Why?”

• In Unit 2, Week 1, students are asked, “Did we find the answers to any of our questions we had before reading today? What new questions do we have? Who can define ___ in your own words? Who learned something really interesting? Who learned something that changed your thinking about _(topic)_?" In Week 8: “Today we will look back at different sections of text to see how authors use concluding statements within a text. The author writes his/her conclusion right here...I know this is his/her conclusion because... Evaluate the conclusion: This is a strong conclusion because... (e.g., The author reminds us about his/her main idea by....)”

• In Unit 3, Week 7, students are asked, “What makes this a short story collection? What do the stories have in common? Why do you think these stories belong together? Does this author earn ALL the points on our narrative rubric? Why or why not?” and “How do you think the author could change his/her story to make it more interesting/better/fun to read?”

• In Unit 4, Week 3, students are asked, “What is the author saying? How does this relate to RQ#__? What do you wonder about this? What questions does it raise for you?” and, “Who learned something really important about this RQ (or our Unit)?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectations for materials containing 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. During interactive reading, students engage in analyzing parts of text(s) for class discussion, addressing any given number of questions that may include responses in the form of graphic organizers, quick writes, or quick draws that involve drawing on textual evidence to support their answers. The general format of the reading questions (Research Questions), graphic organizers, and instructional tasks are designed to be used across multiple thematic units and grade levels.

Examples include:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students are asked, “What happened in the story? How do you know? • What did you learn about ___? What in the pictures/text taught you that? • What is surprising, funny, confusing, etc.? Why?" Students return to the text as they work with partners to answer each question.

• Unit 2, Week 8. “The text is all about ___. The author’s main idea is___. The author writes his/her conclusion right here: ___. I know this is his/her conclusion because ___.” Which conclusion is best? How does this compare to what you already knew/thought about ___?” and “How does this relate to what other authors have written about ___?”

• In Unit 3, students are asked, “How might this character’s background create a problem for him/her? What is the most important thing about this character? What is the first event in this story? What is the most important event from the beginning, middle, end of the story? Why do you think that?" and “Why do you think these stories belong together?”

• Unit 4, Week 2. “Let’s re-read this text to learn more about the key concepts/technical vocabulary related to this Research Question. • Define • Explain • Give an example. How does this compare to what you already knew/ thought about ___? How does this relate to what other authors have written about ___?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectations that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, and listening).

Within the materials, students have the opportunity to demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics through completion of culminating tasks and/or final projects. Students are asked to produce work that shows mastery of several different standards (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) at the appropriate grade level throughout their thematic units of study.

Examples include:

• Unit 1, Week 3. “Today, as we read and write poems, we will examine how poets use ___ (an element of structure/style [e.g, shape])." Each day, introduce a new element of structure/style, and add it to your What Makes a Poem chart. Students write a poem that mimics the style/structure of a poem you read together as a class.

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Each student will revise, edit, illustrate, and publish his/her informational piece. “Today, you will revise, edit, illustrate, and publish your section for RQ #2. You will revise to make sure you introduce a main idea that is developed and worth writing about.”

• In Unit 3, Students examine realistic fiction, fantasy, and traditional tales as they respond to and write about text-dependent questions. Culminating this unit, students will publish and present their short story animal collections.

• Unit 4, Week 2. Use peer reviews, student-friendly rubrics, accountable talk, etc. so that students are working to impress the audience that matters most to them – their peers. • Instead of memorization, ask students to explain things in relationship to each other. For example, instead of asking them for the specific dates of the Boston Tea Party, the Stamp Act, Lexington & Concord, and the drafting of the Constitution, ask them to put the events in order and explain why this must be the sequence of events.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations for including a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Opportunities to build vocabulary are found throughout the instructional materials. The established Literacy Lab routines state, “Teacher uses daily Read Aloud as an opportunity to increase students’ academic vocabulary, background knowledge, and speaking & listening skills.” Each lesson has Interactive Read Alouds to bolster students’ receptive vocabulary, and strategies quickly teach/clarify the meaning of a few unknown words. 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, Week 2. Have students point out new/interesting vocabulary, especially words with prefixes. Discuss: What do you think that word might mean? What makes you think that?”

• Unit 2, Week 1. “The author uses the words piece/pieces/pieced several times. Circle them. What are two meanings for the word piece as used by this author? What in the text supports your answer?”

• In Unit 4, Week 1, as students bring closure to their research, technical vocabulary words encountered are discussed. Students are responsible for being able to define and correctly use these terms. The teacher is responsible for selecting the words and adding them to the class word glossary.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 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, which include composing opinion pieces, informational/explanatory texts, and simple narratives. Each lesson contains protocols for students to share their writing and receive feedback from both the teacher and his/her peers. Students 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.

• In Unit 1, Week 6, students edit their personal narratives and draw illustrations to prepare for publishing. “Students publish their pieces in a way that will be meaningful to them.”

• In Unit 2, Week 2, using a Final Project Rubric, students focus on one research question each week to develop expertise, mentor text, draft, and revise and edit. Students begin to plan their book layout. Once students have a plan, they begin to turn their notes and graphic organizer information into paragraphs. The teacher shares good examples. Some students will share with the whole group, others will share with a partner.

• In Unit 3, Week 1, students use a rubric for a Constructed Response Baseline by story retelling including the story introduction and main character description. After reviewing the main character Character Study graphic organizer and partner think pair share, students watch the teacher model the process, practice with a partner, and then do independent practice.

• In Unit 4, a research unit, students use several graphic organizers to research a job. Students use the information on the organizers to write information in paragraph form using opinion as a focus of their research writing. In Week 5, Day 3, students generate an opinion about their reading and provide evidence and reasons from the text to convince the audience of their opinion.

The daily literacy block includes a 20-60 minute writing segment. The teacher models how the day’s focus will be applied to writing. Students are provided time to practice while the teacher confers with students in one-to-one conferences or small groups to provide coaching and feedback. By the end of each unit, students will have practiced writing in a variety of genres, both in and out of context, and will have produced at least twenty unique pieces of writing per unit within that range of genres. Additionally, they will take a fiction piece and an informational piece of writing to publication.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectations 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 complete a culminating writing task in each lesson. Writing tasks ask students to interpret, analyze, and/or synthesize information from above grade-level interactive read-alouds and texts from independent leveled libraries from a range of sub-topics within the larger context of a literary or scientific field of research. Students are provided with daily independent reading, research, and discussion times of about 20 to 40 minutes. Additionally, students engage in research writing daily for about 20 to 40 minutes and write about what they are reading.

• Unit 1, Week 3. “Collect poems students write over the next few weeks into a Poetry Anthology of their own. 2. Model: Think aloud as you compose a poem. Voice how you: • Choose a topic. • Choose style/organization. • Decide upon visuals to use/not use. • Decide on word choice.”

• In Unit 2, students begin to research a topic. “1. Classify the bug. Identify the group it belongs to, and describe the characteristics they have in common. 2. Describe the bug’s ecosystem. Explain how the bug relies on its habitat to meet its basic needs. 3. Describe the bug’s physical characteristics. Explain how these adaptations help the bug survive. 4. Describe the bug’s social behavior and explain how these adaptations help it survive. 5. Identify organisms that rely on the bug for their own survival. 6. Identify and describe threats to the bug’s survival. Theorize about what might happen to the bug’s ecosystem were it to become extinct. In Week 8, Day 4, students convert their notes and graphic organizer information into paragraph form.”

• In Unit 3, Week 7, students work in pairs to compare and contrast two stories from the collection, using a graphic organizer. Teacher listens to and observes students. Students read independently and end with a partner share of which books he/she read that would go into a short story collection. During the writing block, students look back at stories they have written and decide which ones to include in a short story collection. Students will revise/edit and write new stories.

• Unit 4, Week 8. “Decide how you want students to publish their final pieces. Consider different formats as the weeks progress: • Formal essay (cover page, typed, bound, etc.) • Letter to selected audience (principal, parent, etc.) • Blog entry • Class/school website • Submit to relevant newspaper • Class newspaper/ periodical/journal • PowerPoint • Create a book.”

The instructional materials for Grade 2 meet the expectations that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class. Texts are of publishable quality and worthy of close reading. There is a wide variety and volume of motivating content and Lexile levels from which students can select. Students can use text features and visual cues within the books to help him/her read and understand. Sufficient teacher guidance/support from the teacher includes modeling the thought process, guided practice, using mnemonic devices/chant, and when students are proficient, there are opportunities for them to help other students.

Procedures are organized for independent reading using the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) and the teacher’s guide. There is scheduled independent reading time daily. The 100 Book Challenge is an instructional system that addresses independent reading done in and out of school. Students select from a library of leveled readers and select texts of their choice in school to read daily (“eye on the page” independent reading) for fifteen to thirty minutes; any book counts for the 100 Book Challenge. The goal of the 100 Book Challenge is for every student to have 800 steps a year: 60 minutes a day/200 days a year (1 step is equal to 15 minutes of reading). A Home Coach is provided (a parent, guardian, or older sibling) to monitor reading done at home. Additionally, skill cards are provided to the Home Coach to support students. Each unit also provides students with reading logs to record their in class and independent reading as well as track their reading levels and growth.

• Unit 1, Week 3, Day 1. The 100 Book Challenge begins. Directions, log sheets and online SchoolPace instructions are found here. Suggestions for engaging families as Home Coaches is found here. Steps build gradually. For example, Week 3 begins with 1 step a day instead of 2, Week 4 increases to 2 steps a day, Week 5, 3 steps a day- 2 in school, 1 at home, and Week 6, 4 steps a day- 2 in school and 2 at home. This will continue the rest of the school year.

• In Unit 1, Independent Reading, students read for 15–30 minutes from self-selected books while teacher “kidwatches.” If students are unable to sustain 30 minutes of Independent Reading now, the teacher will provide time at the end of the literacy block so each student completes 30 minutes today. During this time, teachers conduct one-on-one conferences and establish baseline reading levels using the IRLA/ENIL. The baseline reading level for each student is entered in SchoolPace by the end of Week 3.

• In Units 2 and 4, the research units, a Resouces Check Sheet is provided for students to record the number of good books they find in each color level.

• Unit 3, Week 1, Day 1. Homework Reading: Students need to read independently every night from books they both can and want to read. This does not mean students should only read books in their IRLA levels or with IRLA-level tape on the spines. Any book a student is interested in reading and motivated to read can serve as homework reading. Homework reading does not need to be in the genre. If a student is really hooked on a book from the Genre Library, you might decide to make an exception and allow the student to take it home.