1st Grade - Gateway 3

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing.

Each Grade 1 Unit in the Benchmark materials is well-designed and takes into account effective lesson structure and pacing per lesson. Common Core Standards are utilized, so students have access to the components they need to be effective readers. The Components at a Glance section contains a unit opener that provides a detailed explanation of the ELA block. There are several components within the ELA block including: Interactive Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, Reading Mini-Lesson, Small Group Reading, Writing and Language Mini-Lessons, and Phonics Mini-Lessons. In addition, the Mini-Lessons at a Glance contains a weekly schedule and materials list as well as materials to teach a variety of learners during small group reading. For example:

• In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 3 the Reading Mini-Lessons are broken into three sections and are 10 minutes each. The students write an opinion for 10 minutes and the phonics Mini-Lesson is 10 minutes.
• In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 2 the Reading Mini-Lessons are broken into three sections and are 10 minutes. The students write a note for 10 minutes in the Writing and Language Mini-Lesson and the Phonics Mini-Lesson is 15 minutes.
• In Unit 10, Week 3, Day 5 the Reading Mini-Lessons are broken into two sections: the first is 10 minutes and the second session is 20 minutes long. The students take part in a shared writing piece in the Writing and Language Mini-Lessons for 10 minutes and the Phonics Mini-Lesson is 20 minutes.
• The program contains a link for the teacher to spend the first 20 days of the school year reviewing and teaching the routines and procedures that students will utilize before teaching academic tasks.
• The materials contain a planner for differentiated instruction. The teacher is provided a list of unit-specific leveled text for small-group reading instruction options. Examples include: reader’s theater, shared readings, reading strategy instruction, English language development, and intervention for small-group reading instruction. The materials include independent and collaborative activity options. Examples of collaborative activity options include, read independently, read collaboratively, write independently, conduct research, apply understanding, answer questions using text evidence, skills practice, and shared readings.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

The Benchmark Grade 1 materials meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding. The materials begin with a 20 day Review and Routines section to prepare students for the procedures and protocols that will be taught within each lesson. The program provides lessons that cover 150 days of teaching which include 10 Units that are each 3 weeks long. For example:

• Students spend 20 days at the beginning of the year learning the procedures and protocols available in The Review and Routines section that will be utilized in collaborative learning situations such as whole group, small group and learning pairs.
• There are 150 lessons available over the course of the year that are divided in 10 units that are each 3 weeks long. Each lesson contains content for instruction in whole group, small group, phonics/word study, intervention, assessment and opportunities for practice.
• Lessons are set up in 70-100 minute blocks with time built in for small group instruction.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (eg. visuals, maps, etc.)

The materials for Grade 1 meet the criteria for student resources that include ample review and practice. Students have access to E-books, trade books, an e-pocket chart used to build words, as well as an inquiry project that builds on skills. Students interact and complete a reader’s theater activity to reinforce reading skills. Students work in small groups to read decodable readers and use a workbook to practice skills. The program contains reference aids within the Review and Routines section that provides anchor charts as well as thinking maps that can be utilized during whole group and small group reading discussions. For example:

• Grade 1 practice materials are: handwriting practice pages; grammar; spelling; vocabulary; and phonics and high-frequency words.
• The whole group weekly presentations are linked to the lesson on the specific day of the week the presentation is to be given and available under whole group weekly presentations on the grade level page.
• The directions for each activity are divided between telling the teacher what to say and offering suggestions for the teacher to follow.
• In Unit 4, students learn about “How people create stories.” E-Books and a short video are utilized. Students listen to a mentor read aloud to help expand on skills, and vocabulary. Students read the story, “A Fish Wish,” in order to expand on phonological skills. This is done in whole group and is a part of the main lesson.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

Daily lessons and Performance Based Assessments specifically denote the standards to which the lessons and tasks are aligned. This publisher-produced alignment to standards is provided in Benchmark Program Reference Guide under the heading of ELA Correlations to the Common Core Standards. It is also provided within each lesson within each Unit. For example:

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 4, students work on the following standards during the writing tasks: RF.1.1a, W.1.2, L.1.1a, L.1.1b, L.1.2b
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 2, during the phonics lesson, students work on the following standards through tasks: RF.1.2a, RF.1.2b, RF.1.3b, RF.1.3c, RF.1.3g, L.1.2d
• In Unit 10, Week 1, Day 3, during shared reading, students are working on the following standards through tasks: RL.1.2, RF.1.4a, RF.1.4b, RF.1.4c

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The Teacher’s Resource System (TRS) has ample useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the material. The Teacher’s Resource System (TRS) contains recommendations in each unit and lesson on how to present the material as well as an Observation Checklist for Collaborative Conversation for the teacher to utilize as students are collaborating. There are routines and procedures that the students can practice for 15 days to teach specific classroom management routines. The teachers also have access to pre teach/teach routines. There is an integrated ELD support on each page that helps teachers to scaffold information as well as giving Sample Think-Alouds for the reading lessons and Sample Modeled writing for writing lessons. For example:

• On the right hand side of the Review and Routines section, there are support tips teachers can utilize to enhance the lesson. On Day 5, the teacher is prompted to add pictures to the chart students are working on which shows pictures of the students and the teacher engaged in each established routine.
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 3, the teacher is provided instructions on how to help students build fluency through multiple readings of a story. Directions for collaborative conversations provides questioning strategies to discuss the Essential Question.
• During Unit 7, Week 3, Day 5, the teacher has access to 3 layers of ELD support based on student need during the shared reading. Light support instructions are provided that include the teacher making a list of words from the story with silent e and students writing sentences using the words.
• In Unit 9, Week 2, Day 4, the teacher is provided directions on introducing and reading the text titled “Double Trouble” providing guidance such as, “Read aloud the title as you run your finger under the title. Explain that the word double means “two of something.” Point to the two boys in the illustration; they are twins. Tell students that “Double Trouble” also means “two problems.”” Scripts are provided to teach students how to visualize while reading.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The Grade Resources tab provides articles and key information to assist teachers in implementing the Benchmark program. Materials contain resources and articles that discuss phonics information and how to improve students overall reading, as well as resources that cover supporting students with disabilities and providing differentiated learning in the form of other articles.

The materials contain professional resources, such as the Read-Aloud Professional Guide which provides information for the teacher on the reasons for using read-alouds. Materials also provide information on making content comprehensible for English learners. The Read-Aloud Handbook is designed to provide information to the teacher.

The “Advancing Phonics Skills features instructional routines for phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, high-frequency words, spelling, and dictation. These time-saving routines help maintain consistently high instructional standards and offer familiar structures that enable students to focus on content. The routines also provide a built-in formative assessment opportunity. These routines appear once at the beginning of each grade-level book and contain target elements and words, which appear with gray shading. As teachers use these routines in the classroom, they replace the shaded sample elements and words with others that correspond to a given week’s phonics focus.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. Each lesson contains the standards addressed for each activity. For example:

• When each unit is opened, there are two tabs that introduce the teacher to the unit: Unit Strategies and Skills overview and Components at a Glance which gives the teacher a three week glance of the texts used for each unit.
• Skill and Strategies grid for Kindergarten can be found on pages 24-43 of the Program Reference Guide which is an online tool of the program.
• The Comprehensive Literacy Planning Guide for each weekly lesson reflects the order of the week's mini-lessons in the Teacher Resource System.
• Each weekly lesson also includes a Reading and Writing workshop planner and writing and vocabulary grids that outline lessons for writing and vocabulary.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

Materials include an Implementation Guide that provides a walkthrough of the curriculum citing and explaining the rationale and research-based strategies including but not limited to the principles of backwards design and the design principle of backward mapping. For example:

• The Program Reference Guide states, “This program was built to address key shifts in curriculum and instruction that reflect research on how best to prepare students for success in the globally competitive society of the 21st century. Benchmark enables all students to master rigorous learning goals with the support of strong differentiated instruction, focused English language development, and responsive teaching based on ongoing assessment. As a flexible comprehensive solution, Benchmark meets the needs of districts implementing a reading collaborative, balanced approach, or workshop model. A careful backward-mapping process was applied in the creation of lessons that promote meaning-making strategies in Week 1 and close reading opportunities in Weeks 2 and 3. Each Essential Question, is crafted to support the tenets of Understanding by Design, promotes thinking about a topic or concept from many perspectives simultaneously. Benchmark is a forward-thinking program that reflects a 21st-century vision. A state-of-the art digital portal provides access to online planning tools, interactive, customizable e-books built for annotation and accessible on any device, weekly teacher presentations, online assessments that prepare students for tech-enabled and tech-enhanced tests, and reporting features that enable teachers to identify and respond to the learning needs of every student.”
• In the additional resources tab there are clear explanations of the instructional approaches of the program. These explanations include information about: connecting content across disciplines, pre-teach and reteaching routines, small group strategies, and the collaborative conversation approach. Research based approaches are mentioned throughout the additional resources. The program contains supportive information on expanding the reading skills of learners, under the tab titled, Literacy and Language to Advance All Learners. The Access and Equity document discusses how to support students with disabilities and references “Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning and Behavior Problems [Vaughn, S. & Bos, C. (2012). Boston, MA: Pearson]”, which has provided many of the strategies used within the materials.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

The materials contain weekly and unit assessments that can be taken online or using a paper and pencil format. The assessments are available in English and Spanish and contain formal and informal writing and reading assessments to analyze student understanding of skills taught. Examples of regular and systematic assessment opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, weekly and unit assessments evaluate students’ ability to listen to a story read by the teacher and then answer questions. The story is called “Handy Helpers.” Students read a passage and answer 10 different questions about the story.
• In Unit 3, Week, Day 2, an online assessment is utilized to determine students level of understanding informational text. There are diagrams utilized to support student learning.
• In Unit 5, the interim assessment is online. Students read a passage and answer questions about the text, “Bear’s Fire.” Teachers analyze the students’ answers to adjust instruction.
• The materials contain weekly assessments for each unit. “Benchmark literacy offers an array of assessments to inform and support the instructional program. In keeping with the Common Core State Standards and the best of current assessment practices, Benchmark assessments use a variety of item types, as described below. All of the questions in the Weekly Assessments are selected-response items, but there are several different item types. The program provides teachers with a detailed explanation on each type and how to analyze the responses.
• Four interim assessments are available to assess students’ progress in reading and writing, based on the standards and skills taught across the units. Both types of assessment are aligned to the Common Core State Standards for each grade level. Descriptions of the Interim Assessments and the Performance Tasks are provided in the following sections, along with directions for administering and scoring the assessments, and directions for interpreting scores.”
• In the unit-based assessments, skills must be taught at least twice before the skills are tested. Thus, a skill taught in two lessons in Week 1 will be tested in Week 1. A skill that is introduced in Week 2 and taught only once will be tested in Week 3 or in a later unit after it has been taught again.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

The Benchmark materials for Grade 1 meet the standard for denoting which standards are going to be assessed on in the informal and formal assessments. The standards are broken down into one or two word skills. Unit assessments have a reading strategy checklist which mentions the skills and specifies the standards in the Unit answer keys. The materials contain a document that explains the skills to be assessed in Weeks 1-3 during the weekly and unit assessments. The answer key of the Interim assessments specify standards taught and assessed. For example:

• Interim assessments help determine reading comprehension when the teacher analyzes answers completed by students after reading a passage. Interim Assessment 3 assesses standards, R.L. 1.2, R.L. 1.3, RF.1.3b, L.1.5, L.1.6 and RI.1.4, L.1.4a. The material explain the DOK level of the questions. For example, question 4 is assessing standard RL.1.3 and is a DOK level of 2.
• Informal Assessment 5, assesses students’ skills in retelling fiction and nonfiction stories. Teachers are prompted to determine which comprehension standard will be assessed based on what has been taught.
• In Unit 7, Week 1, students are assessed on standards, RI.1.2, RF.1.4c, L.1.4a, L.1.6, RI.1.5, RI.1.3, RI.1.6, RI.1.7, RF.1.3c, RF.1.3g, and RF.1.4. The DOK levels range from a DOK 1 - 2.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

The materials contain information to guide teachers in analyzing assessment as well as foundational checklists to help guide the assessment material. The materials include a developmental writing checklist for teachers to use to analyze students’ skills to determine students’ level of writing and how to implement lessons and mini lessons.

The materials contain an Informal Assessment Appendix, which includes a guide to the assessments. This guide explains how assessments can guide learning and provide responsive feedback information for teachers after they administered an assessment and how this can help shape what teachers are doing with students and support their learning. The program guide contains a phonics skills guide that shows which sounds and letters students are learning in each unit. Teachers utilize this material in order to better analyze whether students are on track and what the next step may be if the students already can identify the letters and sounds and what support to provide if they do not.

Examples include but are not limited to:

• In Lesson 38, the Intervention activity helps students who are struggling to decode words with common suffixes er and est. This is a short and targeted lesson to help students gain this skill.
• In Lesson 10, phonics intervention works with students who are struggling with identifying letters versus other print materials.
• The interim assessment guidelines provides a pre and post assessment for the students. The assessments within the materials are aligned to each of the standards, for example in interim assessment 2 students are being assessed on RI.1.2, RI.1.3 and a series of other standards.The teacher can go back and pull from the intervention activities that align to the standards.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

The Benchmark materials for Kindergarten meet the criteria that include routines and guidelines that allow the teacher to monitor student progress in a variety of areas. The materials provide materials for teachers to monitor reading tone, intonation and pace as well as writing, foundations, phonics and students’ ability to answer text-based questions. For example:

• The materials contain Quick Check Assessments that are aligned to interventions. Students demonstrate ability to identify words, number of words in a sentence and groups of words in a sentence. An example of an intervention that can be utilized after giving the Quick Check Assessment would be for students to identify and understand that a word is made up of letters, is on page 12 of the intervention tasks.
• In Quick Check 4, Print Concepts, the teacher has the opportunity to evaluate a student’s ability to identify all of the skills on page 9, such as identifying the front cover, table of contents and identifying the index.
• The materials contain fluency quick checks. In Quick Checks 9 and 15, students read with understanding, intonation, and expression. The Quick Check provides a rubric for the teacher to document student progress.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The materials contain a differentiated instructor planner, as well as, an integrated ELD component. A recommendation of light, moderate to substantial support for students is available. The integrated ELD support is embedded in each lesson. For example:

• The Differentiated Instruction planner helps to guide teachers through meeting the needs of all learners. It provides Small-Group Reading Instruction Options: Unit-Specific Leveled Texts for Differentiated Instruction, Reader’s Theater, My Shared Readings, Reading Strategy Instruction, English Language Development, and Intervention. It provides Independent and Collaborative Activity Options: Read Independently, Read Collaboratively, Write Independently, Conduct Research, Apply Understanding, Answer Questions Using Text Evidence, Skill Practice, and My Shared Readings.
• The Advancing Foundational Skills for English Language Development provides guidance and support for students. It is recommended that foundational skills instruction for English Learners be adapted based on the student’s age and level of schooling, the student’s previous literacy experiences in his or her native language, the student’s level of oral proficiency in the native language and in English, the native language writing system used, and how closely the student’s native language is related to English. Therefore, students’ language and literacy characteristics need to be taken into consideration and individualized instruction may be needed in order to provide the appropriate foundational skills instruction.
• Each lesson includes Integrated English Language Development with specific guidance for multiple levels of support: Light Support, Moderate Support, and Substantial Support. As noted in the Program Guide, Strategies to support ELLs are embedded into every core lesson at three levels of scaffolding intensity. The goal of these strategies is to target the most cognitively or linguistically challenging task in each lesson with substantial, moderate, or light support so that all learners benefit from the core instruction. Therefore, teachers are able to consider and provide the level of support students need in relation to specific lessons, and to use the strategies flexibly. For example:
  • Unit 4 contains ELD Support for light support during Week 2, Day 3, while reading the text “A Big Fish.” During reading, the teacher is utilizing a checklist to observe and assess skills such as, context clues, and circling unfamiliar words.

• Additional resources are provided in the Grade Resources regarding Access and Equity: Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities and Meeting the Needs of of Students Who Are Advanced Learners.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

The materials include ELD support in each unit and lesson that is differentiated based on students needing light support to substantial support. Each lesson includes Integrated English Language Development with specific guidance for multiple levels of support: Light Support, Moderate Support, and Substantial Support. As noted in the Program Guide, “Strategies to support ELLs are embedded into every core lesson at three levels of scaffolding intensity. The goal of these strategies is to target the most cognitively or linguistically challenging task in each lesson with substantial, moderate, and light support so that all learners benefit from the core instruction. Therefore, teachers are able to consider and provide the level of support students need in relation to specific lessons, and to use the strategies flexibly.

Differentiated learning plans include grade level material that are differentiated for learners including different lexile level materials that support students learning. Intervention lessons can be assigned that are based on the standards and provides students with extra support in a certain skill. These lessons include letters and sound work as well as foundational reading materials. The materials include a vocabulary list of Spanish cognates. Other examples include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 4, the Integrated ELD support is for students to identify facts and opinions using “My Mom, the Vet” while the other students are making inferences and predictions.
• In Unit 9, Week 1, Day 2 the Integrated ELD support is for students to identify and practice using the ou and ow sounds using “Almond Milk” while the other students are practicing visualizing,
• Grade 1 materials contain an ELL intervention book that students can be assigned. It includes mini lessons to help expand students skills. In Unit 6, there are also texts included that build students reading ability.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

The Grade 1 materials contain Reader’s Theater activities that expand on students’ reading, writing and listening skills. Differentiated reading lessons that include high Lexile levels during small group can expand on student’s learning.

A Differentiated Instruction Planner is available under the Teacher’s Resource System. This planner provides the teacher with information on unit-specific leveled texts for differentiated instruction; Reader’s Theater; My Shared Readings; Reading Strategy Instruction; English Language Development; Intervention; and Intervention and Collaborative Activity Options. The Intervention and Collaborative Activity Options include the following: Read Independently; Read Collaboratively; Write Independently; Conduct Research; Apply Understanding; Answer Questions Using Text Evidence; Skill Practice; and My Shared Readings. Each of these provides the teacher with greater opportunities for differentiating instruction in order to meet the needs of all students.

The Access and Equity section contains an article titled, “Meeting the Needs of Students Who Are Advanced Learners”. The article discusses how to recognize students who are advanced learners and provides guidance to the teacher for differentiating instruction for students in this group. Some of the suggestions for differentiating instruction are: “flexible grouping and small-group instruction for most reading and writing activities allows teachers to group student with similar levels of advancement or similar talents/interests. Flexible pacing and If/Then "Reinforce or Reaffirm the Strategy" instruction within the mini-lessons allow teachers to compact the content and accelerate the instruction in each lesson, within each standard, as needed.

Each unit offers support for accelerated learners. For example:

• The focus for the trade books for Unit 1 is being a good community member. Some of the titles include, “We March,” and “Can We Help,” and “Drum Dream Girl.” Teachers can create a variety of activities in the literature circle that supports students in reading,speaking and listening.
• In Unit 2, the Connect Across the Disciplines Project requires students to make a culture mobile. Students expand on understanding of other cultures, as well as expanding knowledge by sharing picture books that support their mobile.
• In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 4, Finding Text Evidence: Understand the Central Message activity, the challenge activity is provided. For example, students read Why Turtle’s Shell is Cracked and students draw a picture of Turtle and write the lesson he learns under the drawing. Give them a sentence frame: Turtle learns that _____.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Students participate in partner and small group Think/Pair/Share, Whole Class Discussion, Small Group Discussion, Read Alouds, Shared Reading, Literature Circles, Independent Reading for both Informational and Literary texts and Leveled Texts. The Teacher’s Resource System provides small group options for teachers to meet the needs of their students. Teachers are encouraged to use information gained from whole group instruction to help determine where students need additional supports or extensions during small groups. For example:

• In Unit 3, Week 2, during phonics lessons, students are working on s blends. Students could be paired up based on understanding of s blends. Students could be grouped and complete different activities that reinforce their skill.
• Unit 5 contains trade books for literature circles that allows the teacher to group students in small groups.
• In Unit 6, small group reading lessons are based on Lexile reading levels from 60/l to 390/L. This also includes reading lessons that can help expand and keep students in small groups.
• Teachers can use the small group materials for each group as determined by student performance. The teacher can select specific small group materials by unit and week. The teacher can then assign students specific texts to read during their small group block.
• According to the Advancing Phonics Skills Handbook, “The Advancing Phonics Every Day spread offers a consistent instructional sequence for every day of the week. These activities can be used to reinforce core instruction, to provide additional practice, or to accelerate and deepen instruction.”