5th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations for texts being of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading, including a mix of informational texts and literature, and consider a range of student interests. The included texts have been previously published and are worthy of careful reading. These texts are divided into Shared and Interactive Reading. Those narrative texts contain multicultural themes as well as rich language, rich characterization, and well-crafted prose. The texts address a range of interests, including historical fiction, science, poems, and fantasy.

The following texts are examples of titles included in the instructional materials:

• A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park, winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal, is included in the second Nine Weeks Interactive Read-Aloud Unit
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, winner of the 1978 Newberry Medal is included in the second Nine Weeks Shared Text Unit
• Aunt Harriet’s Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold, winner of the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, is included in the third Nine Weeks Interactive Read-Aloud Unit
• Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, winner of multiple awards including the Newbery Medal, is included in the third Nine Weeks Shared Text Unit
• The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, honoree of multiple awards including the Newberry Medal and Coretta Scott King Award, is included in the fourth Nine Weeks Interactive Read-Aloud Unit
• Informational texts such as Oceans by Seymour Simon, The Sun by Seymour Simon, and Volcano by Patricia Lauber are content-rich and accompanied by quality photographs and diagrams.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards.

Text selections do reflect an appropriate balance of literary and informational texts in both the Shared and Interactive readings. Twenty-four texts are included in the lessons. Poems and riddles by eight different authors are included.

Shared Reading lessons include 7 non-fiction texts and 5 fiction texts.

• Examples of non-fiction texts students read are: Plant Cells and Life Processes by Barbara A. Somervill, Volcano by Patricia Lauber, and Ice to Steam by Penny Johnson
• Examples of fiction texts students read are: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrock, and The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Interactive Read-Aloud lessons include 6 non-fiction texts and 6 fiction texts.

• Examples of non-fiction texts student listen to as read-aloud are: Flu of 1918 by Jessica Rudolph, Rats Around Us by Rachel Eagen, and I, Matthew Henson, Polar Explorer by Carole Boston Weatherford
• Examples of fiction texts students listen to as read-aloud are: Porcupine Year by Louise Eldrich, The Boy who Loved Words by Roni Schotter, and The Watson go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

The distribution of texts types and genres is very diverse, and a variety of genres is found throughout each unit for the entire school year. The number of texts of each included genre are well-distributed. Genres that are covered by this curriculum include the following:

• folktales
• informational texts
• poetry
• biographies
• historical fiction
• novels

Although a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by standards are evident, works of drama are not included in the instructional materials.

The texts reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations for having appropriate levels of complexity for the grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and their relationship to the associated student task. All shared reading texts are appropriate to the grade level, and all interactive texts are either at or slightly above the suggested Lexile level and include sufficient scaffolds in the lesson plans for improved access. In the first quarter, Lexile levels of texts range from 770-920. In the second quarter, Lexile levels range from 750-990.In the third quarter, Lexile levels range from 680-950, and in the fourth quarter, Lexile levels range from 920-950. Texts used over the school year are all qualitatively appropriate.

For texts at a higher Lexile level, the daily lesson plans indicate that there are fewer “technical” or tier 3 terms (words commonly associated with science and technical subjects) included (making them appropriate to grade level tasks). Examples of these include:

• I, Matthew Henson, Polar Explorer (Lexile 1070). Instructional support includes the guidance, "After Modeling Comprehension and Reading Aloud, the teacher explicitly teaches technical terms/multiple meaning words (such as tongue and calling) before students write."
• Rats Around Us (Lexile 1030). Lesson plans include a section on Day 1 titled “Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary.” This is followed by a discussion of the text structure to preface reading (“So this book is organized using a topic-subtopic plan. What’s the topic? And each of these short sections is a subtopic.”)

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations that materials support students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. Texts for Shared Reading increase in complexity within each unit, and the interactive reading texts meet the expectations of text complexity across the year and provide a variety of complexity levels within series of texts or text sets. Interactive texts that are read aloud and discussed whole group are generally above level texts, which is appropriate for this grade level. The shared reading texts that are read both aloud and with partners have complexity levels that are on grade level.

Although there are some texts at lower Lexile levels (for example, one text is 680 in the third quarter) these texts' content include more difficult subject matter and complex qualitative features associated with the informational text and related tasks, so students continue to engage with reading at a rigorous level. No texts are low enough to be considered "below" an appropriate level.

• The texts in the first nine weeks have Lexile levels from 770-920. An example in the first nine weeks in Shared Reading is the novelWalk Two Moons, which has a Lexile level of 770. This text contains a chronological story with literal and conventional language. Some words are unfamiliar, which increases the text complexity. The theme is implicit. To help students understand this text, there are 23 days of lessons with frequent stopping points for the teacher to ask whole group discussion questions. In Day 3, one of the comprehension questions starts to unpack a complex part of the theme: "How can we tell that there is a story within a story going on here? Find specific quotes to justify your answer" (p. 4).
• The texts in the second nine weeks unit have Lexile levels ranging from 750-990. An example is The Volcano which has a Lexile level of 830. This text is about one volcano, Mt. St. Helens, and the information is stated directly. The text features such as pictures assist students in understanding the text and information. This text does contain academic and domain-specific vocabulary. Six days of lessons are planned for this text. During Day 1, the teacher guides students through the diagram on page about volcano eruption. Each day the teacher is directed to ask comprehension questions based on the choral reading. Students have opportunities to show their understanding through Super Sentences and talking with a partner about the illustrations.
• The texts in the third nine weeks unit have Lexile levels ranging from 680-1070. An example is Bud, Not Buddy which has a Lexile level of 950. This text is chronological with implicit themes. This text contains slang and Tier II vocabulary, which may be new to students. Twenty days are spent on this text. To help students access this text, Meaning Vocabulary is emphasized daily. For example, on Day 6, words and phrases about trains (riding the rails, hopping a train, cardboard jungle) are discussion. To help students understand implicit themes, students write about their understanding based on different points-of-view and by analyzing the character's actions.
• The texts in the fourth nine weeks have Lexile levels ranging from 920-1000. An example is The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963 which has a Lexile level of 1000. This complex text is read-aloud to students. The story is chronological and most of the language is literal with the exception of the "Wool Pool." There are many levels of meaning and several themes, which can be understood better with background knowledge of the Civil Rights time period. This read-aloud has 20 days of lesson plans. To support students' understanding of this text, the teacher lesson plans suggest specific places to stop and ask questions. The plans suggest opportunities for students to process their understanding by writing a note to the main character, writing a list of suggestions for how to handle a bully, and writing a journal entry from the mother's point-of-view.

Texts and associated tasks do increase in complexity over the school year, with variation within the grade level band throughout the year (for both Interactive and Shared Reading). Overall, there is an overall increase in the rigor of texts for students to engage with as they build their reading skills.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations for supporting materials providing opportunities for student to engage in a range and volume of reading. The instructional materials include opportunities for students to read daily across a wide range and volume of texts that are read aloud by the teacher, read aloud chorally, and read during shared reading as well as a daily independent reading time for self-selected texts. Texts are divided into Interactive, Shared Reading, and Self-Selected texts. Interactive Reading texts are often above grade level and are read aloud by the teacher who also leads students in discussion of the text.

• In the First Nine Weeks students are read the texts Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, The Porcupine Year by Louise Erdrich, the poem “The Eagle” by Alfred Tenyson, and the poem “A narrow Fellow in the Grass” by Emily Dickenson.
• In the Third Nine Weeks students are read the texts The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter, I, Matthew Henson, Polar Explorer by Carole Boston Weatherford, Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringold, Scholastic Kids Discover Magazine titled “Underground Railroad”, Scholastic Kids Discover Magazine titled “Martin Luther King Jr.”, Scholastic Kids Discover Magazine titled Wright Bros., and the poems: “The Grackle by Ogden Nash, “Pigeons” by Lilian Moore, and “Something Told the Wild Geese” by Rachel Field.

Shared Reading Texts are at grade level and are read chorally as a class for a specific purpose and then reread with a partner for different purpose.

• In the Second Nine Weeks students read the texts Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens by Patricia Lauber, Oceans by Seymour Simon, The Sun by Seymour Simon, and The Wresting Game by Ellen Raskin chorally and with a partner.
• In the Fourth Nine Weeks students read the texts The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick and The Thief by Megan Turner chorally and with a partner.

Self-Selected Texts are read during Differentiated Instruction time while the teacher is working with groups. Students self-select texts from multiple reading levels and record texts using a reading log.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-dependent and require students to engage with the text directly and to draw on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text. During daily discussions and written assignments, students respond to text-dependent prompts and provide evidence for their thinking. Students must engage with the text to answer questions and complete tasks and assignments.

In the first nine weeks, students read the text Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech and answer the text-dependent questions and tasks such as:

• Is Gramps’ “helping” the woman surprising, given what we have learned about him?
• Does Phoebe seem like her parents? Why? What specific words and phrases from the story support your opinion?
• How do you think Mrs. Winterbottom feels during the dinner? What clues does the author give?
• What do we learn about the relationship between Sal’s mother and father?

In the second nine weeks, students read the text Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens by Patricia Lauber and answer the text-dependent questions and tasks such as:

• How did the volcano turn into a mountain?
• Why did animals and tourists visit the mountain before the eruption?
• How were the perspectives of geologists different from the perspectives of tourists?

In the third nine weeks, students read the text Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis and answer the text-dependent questions and tasks such as:

• Why does Mrs. Amos keep the suitcase as an assurance? Based on context, what does assurance mean?
• Use depression and commence in a super sentence that captures important details from these chapters.
• Reread and describe the reasons Bud gives that being six is hard. Provide a quote to support your argument.

In the fourth nine weeks, student read the Scholastic Kids Discover Magazine titled “Underground Railroad” and answer the text-dependent questions and tasks such as:

• Why was it called the Underground Railroad?
• Why didn’t slavery end before 1860?
• Think about how he learned to read. What does that tell you about the members of a slave-owning family?

The instructional materials for Grade 5 meet expectations that materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax. Daily text-dependent discussion questions are included for both Interactive and Shared Readings. Students are often directed to use new vocabulary terms both during discussion and when writing responses to text.

Protocols are included throughout lessons for students to “talk to your partner” or “ask your partner” prompting student discussion. “Every-Pupil-Response” Protocols include talking to a partner, pair sharing, polling the class, thumbs up and thumbs down, and written responses.

• In the second nine weeks, during the shared reading of the text Walk Two Moons, in Week 2 on Day 8 students are led in a comprehension discussion. Questions included in this discussion are:
  • What do you think is the relationship between Mrs. Cadaver and Mr. Birkway? Give evidence for your opinion.
  • Why doesn’t Sal like to spend time at Mrs. Cadaver’s?
  • Why do you think Sal notices that Phoebe’s mother is sad, but Phoebe doesn’t? Why is Sal's point of view different?
  • What do you think Sal’s father wants to tell her about Margaret?
  • What do you think the boy wanted to do when he saw pants on the bank of the river?
  • What does Gramps do to protect Sal and Gram?
  • How does the snakebite change everything?
• In the third nine weeks, during the interactive reading of the text Poems for the Birds, on Day 2 students are prompted to work in small groups to present to the class which of the three poems read they liked best and why. Students collaborate to create a presentation. After the presentations students take a straw poll. Students are then asked to discuss if anyone has changed his or her mind about which poem they liked best based on the arguments presented by other groups.

Teachers often pause and model their thinking using academic vocabulary during Interactive Read aloud texts.

• In the first nine weeks, during the shared reading of the text Walk Two Moons, in Week 1 on Day 3 the teacher states, “This story is going back and forth in time, so I am going to stop here to summarize. I am going to pick out only details that are about Sal’s parents.”
• In the second nine weeks, during the interactive reading of the text The Flue of 1918, on Day 2 when addressing the word pandemic, the teacher states, “I’ll underline the first three letters, pan, because they give us a clue. The prefix pan-means “all”. A pandemic is one type of epidemic, except that it takes place over a large area.”

The instructional materials for Grade 5 meet expectations that materials support students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

During both Interactive and Shared Reading, students are provided a focus before they read to “help them access relevant prior knowledge and lead them toward an appropriate mental representation of text meaning.” (Bookworms Grade 5 Manual, page 45)

• In the fourth nine weeks, during the shared reading of the text Thief, in Week 6 on Day 29 the teacher provides students with the lesson’s focus, “Think about how the author provides us with information about the setting-really the three kingdoms of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia.”

During choral reading and interactive read-alouds, teachers model seven comprehension strategies that students can use to better comprehend and discuss a text. These strategies are making connections, asking questions to aid understanding, creating sensory images, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing, and self-monitoring. Procedures for these strategies can be found in lesson plans and on pages 45 and 46 of the Grade 5 Manual.

• In the third nine weeks, during the interactive reading of the text Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky, on day3 the teacher models self-monitoring and asking questions to aid understanding. The lesson directs teachers to model their thinking by saying, “I’m a little confused here. When that happens I like to stop and think it through. Cassie has just found a note from her brother, but we know that he is on the ghost train. Now I realize he is ahead of her, but I thought the ghost train was moving across the sky, not on the ground. How can I make this make sense?”

Discussion starters are provided for shared and interactive readings that require students to combine information from the text with their prior knowledge in order to make inferences. Teachers are directed to follow up with student answers by asking how the student knows the answer or further question them to help them find the information to make the logical inference. Most discussions have students working with a partner to ensure that all students are involved.

• In the fourth nine weeks, during the interactive reading of the text The Watsons Go to Birmingham on Day 1 students are asked, “We are learning more about the characters from what they say and do. Think about Bryon. Do you think Byron and his friend were being mean or just playfully teasing? Talk it over with your partner.”

Graphic organizers are modeled to help students organize information from text and student must be active listeners during shared and interactive readings in order to participate in discussion and written responses.

• In the second nine weeks, during the shared reading of the text Oceans, in Week 2 on Day 7 the teacher models a semantic map to show the organization of the text,” He didn’t use subheadings, though, so I had to figure out the organization by reading carefully. There are five subtopics. I’ll start a map and we can add to it as we read. [Begin the semantic map and briefly introduce the five subtopics. Add the key terms when you come to each section].”

Pair-Share Written Responses are shared before beginning new reading each day. Students read and respond to another’s written responses.

• In the first nine weeks, during the interactive reading of the text Tuck Everlasting, on Day 3 students read the written response from Day 2 before they begin the new lesson. Students are asked to share with a partner their notes written from Winnie’s point of view, “Pretend that Winnie really did run away. Write a short note that she might leave to her mother explaining why. Remember, you’ll need to write from Winnie’s point of view.”

The instructional materials for Grade 5 fully meet expectations that materials include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information. Most writing included is informational (responses to literature and nonfiction texts), and tasks are appropriate to grade level. Writing includes expository, with some narrative, opinion, or poetry prompts in response to shared and interactive readings. Writing is at least 20 minutes daily. There are standards-based rubrics supporting teachers as they work with students’ writing from evidence on page 74 of the Fifth Grade manual.

• In the novel Walk Two Moons, which is read in the first quarter, an opinion prompt is given: “Reread these two chapters. What do we learn about Sal’s relationship with her mother? Find quotations to support your opinion.” (Week 1, Day 5)
• For the nonfiction book Volcano, read in quarter two, students are asked to make a brief timeline of the events leading up to the eruption of Mt. St Helen beginning in March, 1980. (Week 1, Day 1). Then they “Write a short front-page news story about the events of the eruption. Reread and think about the illustrations to help you.” (Week 1, Day 2)
• In quarter three, in response to the historical fiction text, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, “Pretend you are Homer and send an email to the sheriff telling him what has happened to Harold. Write from his point of view.” (Week 1, Day 1)

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet expectations for explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of the context.

The language standards are addressed both in small group lessons and during Interactive Read-Alouds (whole group) where students have opportunities to apply the skills in and out of context. Because the interactive read-aloud is teacher-directed and a whole-class activity, the teacher can target specific knowledge students need to attain . This can be done by pointing out features of sentences with which the class is working.

Application opportunities are found in the sentence composing component of the lesson. Bookworms teaches grammar and conventions through sentence combining.

“Grammar instruction in Bookworms is based on the daily study of sentences that come from the read-aloud. This approach is called sentence composing, and it is a well-established alternative to descriptive grammar instruction (Gartland & Smolkin, 2016; Killgallon & Killgallon, 2000). Drawing sentences from the text of the day’s read-aloud has two advantages: They are crafted by professional authors and they are fresh in mind." These sentences (sometimes in slightly modified form) are used in two brief activities each day, selected from a set of four basic possibilities. They include:

• Combining. The teacher presents two or three short sentences and leads the students in combining them into a single sentence with a more complex syntax (Lawlor, 1983; Saddler, 2005).
• Unscrambling. In advance of the lesson, the teacher breaks a relatively long sentence from the text into words and short phrases.
• Imitating. The teacher presents a single, well-crafted sentence from the text, and then replaces one or more content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) with blanks.
• Expanding. The teacher presents a simple sentence from the text and guides the students in adding to it by attaching words, phrases, and clauses, making the syntax more complex. (Grade 5 Manual, page 58-60)

Examples of Sentence Combining include:

1st Quarter

Sentence Combining - Tuck Everlasting - Day 3

• Unscramble: as she came – abreast of ­– it however – it blinked – and the movement – gave it – away
• Imitate: There were little flowers she did not recognize, white and palest blue. There were little ______ she did not recognize, ______ and ______ ______.

2nd Quarter

Sentence Combining - A Single Shard - Day 12

• Combine: Tree-ear did not stop walking. Every step took him closer to the palace. [Prompt use of the causal words and phrases, such as because or which is why.]
• Unscramble: he drew / a silent / breath to / quell the / small nudge of / anxiety that / was rising / within him / so far he had / not been / forced to lie

3rd Quarter

Sentence Combining - Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky - Day 1

• Expand: The Underground Railroad was a network of people and hiding places.
• Unscramble: during - the Civil War - Tubman served - as a nurse - a spy - and a commander - of intelligence - operations in - the Union Army

4th Quarter

Sentence Combining - The Watsons Go To Birmingham - Day 5

• Imitate: Four more times Momma lit a match and four more times Joey patoohed them out. Four more times Momma ______ and four more times Joey ______. Four more times ______ ______ and four more times ______ ______.
• Unscramble: Byron squirmed – around for – a second and – then did – something I’d – only seen him – do a couple ­– of times before

The following is a chart that includes the grammar/conventions skilled outlined in the standards and included in the 5th grade materials. (Bookworms, Grade 5 Manual, page 52)

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet expectations for materials, questions, and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills by providing instruction in phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, morphology, and reading fluency in a research-based and transparent progression.

Foundational skills are presented to address phonics, word recognition, morphology, and vocabulary (strong opportunities for vocabulary development in each shared/read aloud lesson in every unit). There are word study lessons described in the Word Study document as well as in the Shared Lessons to guide teachers to instruct word study (which addresses decoding, spelling, and meaning vocabulary). According to the Grade 5 Teacher’s Manual, students learn multisyllabic decoding based on syllable types and correlate the connection to spelling and meaning (p. 12).

• For example, week 1 of the Shared Reading Lessons, students study the following words, which are from the read-aloud text: return, restore, comfort, defend, respect, and impress. Students learn how to break each word into syllables and study word morphology.
• For example, in the First 9 weeks, Week 5, Day 21, students learn independent, “an adjective that means not needing any help. In- is a prefix that means not; dependent is a root word that means needing someone or something” (p. 27). Each week, students study particular words as part of the word study and then test their learning on the fifth day.

Tier 2 Words are addressed in the Interactive Read-Aloud lessons. The Tier 2 vocabulary words are related to the read-aloud selection. For example, in the Second Nine Weeks, Day 6 of the A Single Shard lesson, the teacher directions emphasize protrude and oblivious. “Another word from our book today was oblivious. What word? Oblivious means unaware” (p. 23). Tier 2 Words are also addressed in the Interactive Read-Aloud Poetry lessons. For example, in “The Bat” of Bat Poems, students learn amiss. “If something is amiss, it’s not right. It’s incorrect. What word?” (p. 2).

Fluency is addressed in Shared Reading Lessons and in differentiated lessons for small groups. In Shared Reading Lessons, students participate in choral reading and rereading. In small group lessons, students’ reading fluency will be addressed based on results of the informal Decoding Inventory.

The instructional materials meet expectations that materials, questions, and tasks guide students to read with purpose and understanding and to make frequent connections between the acquisition of foundational skills and making meaning from reading.

In the Grade 5 Manual, word study is described as a way “to move systematically across grade levels from sound to pattern to meaning” (p. 12). The fifth grade word study emphasizes “multisyllabic decoding, based on syllable types and the link between spelling and meaning” (p. 12). Words for study and analysis are selected from the meaning vocabulary in the shared reading selections. The manual contains explanations to the teacher about syllable types and word morphology such as common prefixes and suffixes. During the Writing Sort time, students write in their word study notebooks. Students copy the headers (categories) and sort the words. During Identify and Explain Syllable Types, students learn how to use chunking to decode, spell, and make meaning of words.

During the Grade 5 Word Study Scope and Sequence, 10 minutes are suggested for Decoding-Spelling-Meaning Vocabulary. For example, in Grade 5, First 9 Weeks, Week 1, students learn: Re turn (open, rcontrol) can be used as a noun or a verb, but the meanings are very similar. Return means to go back or come back, or the act of going or coming back. That makes sense because the prefix re means again” (p. 2). In Grade 5, Second 9 weeks, Week 6, students learn: “E co sys tem (open, open, closed, closed) is a noun that means a connected set of living things. This chapter is about the emergence and links in an ecosystem. Eco refers to a branch of science and system is a linked, connected network. They are connected to one another and to their physical surroundings” (p. 8). On some days, students are asked to go back to the text and find the words in context and talk about their meanings. Otherwise students participate in word study practice with student notebooks during differentiated group time.

The materials provide differentiated small group lessons for teachers to provide support of foundational word analysis skills. After students are assessed using the Informal Decoding Inventory, the teacher places students in one of four small groups. Depending on placement, students receive more targeted support in specific foundational skills such as word recognition skills and multisyllabic decoding.

It should be noted that these word study lessons do not include student materials (such as the student notebook) which would need to be generated by the teacher.

The instructional materials meet expectations that instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and achieve reading fluency in oral and silent reading, that is, to read on-level prose and poetry with accuracy, rate appropriate to the text, and expression.

According to Walpole and McKenna of the Grade 5 Manual, “Fluency is built through repeated reading” (p. 44). Students have the opportunity to read and reread one segment of text each day, which includes informational and narrative. Students have the opportunity to become fluent readers of those styles of texts using choral reading, echo reading, and rereading. Students participate in silent reading during differentiated lessons. Once students complete their text-based reading, they may do self-selected silent reading.

In each of the Interactive Read-Aloud Units, there are poems such as Mystery Poems, Narrative Poems, Poems for the Birds, and Bat Poems for students to hear read-aloud. Directions to the teacher do not include explicit instructions to have students read the poems aloud with the teacher. For example, in Poems for the Birds, Day 1, the teacher is to say: “As we read each of the poems, be thinking about one you like best and why” (p. 1). It is not clear if the students should be reading the poems aloud also. If students only listen to poems read-aloud, this is a missed opportunity for students to practice reading fluency with poetry.

In the Shared Reading Lessons, students have the opportunity to practice oral reading through choral reading and rereading with a partner. In the Lesson Plan, teachers are provided with page numbers for having students choral read. For example, in Grade 5 First 9 Weeks, Week 1, Day 3, the class will Choral Read Chapters 5-6 of Walk Two Moons, which is narrative text. In the Second 9 Weeks, Week 1, Day 3, students choral read Chapter 3 of Volcano. After choral or echo reading, teachers are to pair students up by reading achievement ranking. The teacher is directed to teach students how to participate as a reader and a coach. The expectation is that students will read with expression. When the reader makes an error, the coach should prompt the reader to reread. There is a missed opportunity to emphasize rate in the partner reading activity.

In order to assess students’ fluency, learning modules about screening and diagnosis are provided on the website. Teachers are directed to use DIBELS Next (which is free to access and to use) to assess each student’s fluency. It is suggested to do reading fluency 1-minute oral readings at least three times over the year. The materials suggest providing small group instruction around fluency and comprehension based on the results of the DIBELS assessment. Small group instruction around fluency can be found in the books by Walpole and McKenna, which the teacher will need to purchase.

In Walkthrough Observation Tool Designed to Enhance Implementation, teachers can utilize narrative text during small group time to help students build fluency. Students echo or choral read for 5-6 minutes and then reread with a partner or whisper read.