The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 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. Texts address a range of interests and topics that integrate other content areas and expose students to rich character development. Texts include rich, academic vocabulary with tier 2 and 3 words included in the lessons for teacher to easily access. These texts are divided into Shared and Interactive Reading and include some award winning texts.

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

• The novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl is included in the first 9 weeks as part of the Shared Reading Text Unit
• The award winning novel Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone is included in the second 9 weeks as part of the Shared Reading Text Unit
• The award winning novel Tangerine by Edward Bloor is included in the third 9 weeks as part of the Shared Reading Text Unit
• The text My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian is included in the third 9 weeks as part of the Shared Reading Text Unit
• The text The Worst of Friends by Suzanne Tripp Juryman is included in the fourth 9 weeks as part of the Interactive Read-Aloud Unit
• The poem "Zombies! Evacuate the School!" by Sara Holbrook is included in the second 9 weeks.
• Informational texts such as Georgia: What's So Great about this State? by Kate Boehm Jerome, Earthquakes by Seymour Simon, and The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin by James Cross Giblin are content-rich and include quality illustrations or photographs and rich academic and content specific vocabulary.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 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, with a slight emphasis on nonfiction in some units. Twenty-one texts are used in the lessons with 9 non-fiction texts and 12 fiction texts. Some of the fiction texts are historical fiction such as Freedom on the Menu by Carole Boston Weatherford and Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone.

Shared Reading lessons include 3 non-fiction texts and 7 fiction texts.

• Examples of non-fiction texts students read are: Georgia: What’s so Great about this State? by Kate Boehm Jerome, Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz, and The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin by James Cross Giblin
• Examples of fiction texts students read are: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, and George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff

Interactive Read-Aloud lessons include 6 non-fiction texts and 5 fiction texts.

• Examples of non-fiction texts student listen to as read-aloud are: Go Straight to the Source by Kristin Fontichiaro, My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen, and Earthquakes by Seymour Simon
• Examples of fiction texts students listen to as read-aloud are: Alabama Moon by Wyatt Key, Miss Alaineus by Debra Frasier, and Steal Away Home by Lois Ruby

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:

• informational texts
• realistic fiction
• biographies and autobiographies
• historical fiction
• novels
• poetry

Although a variety of genres are included in the instructional materials, including regular practice with poetry, works of drama are not included.

The texts reviewed for Grade 4 all meet the requirements for having the levels of complexity for the grade level according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and their relationship to the associated student task. Lexile levels of included texts are appropriate to the grade level, in both the shared and interactive readings. Within each 9 week unit, there are variations within the appropriate grade level band, from the beginning to the end of the year. For example, the first 9 weeks of interactive readings includes texts at 720-1090, and the final 9 week unit ranges from 660-1010 (within the complexity band recommended for 4th grade, meeting Standard 10 for 4th grade). Texts used over the school year are all qualitatively appropriate. This is an appropriate distribution and pacing both within each unit and throughout the year, and associated tasks are appropriately paired to prevent frustration and provide sufficient challenges.

Representative texts that are examples of appropriate quantitative complexity for the grade include:

• In the 1st 9 weeks in interactive reading, the novel Alabama Moon, has a Lexile level of 720 overall, but chapters and sections include a range up to 1090. Its grade band levels are 3-4.
• In the 1st 9 weeks in shared reading, the novel Steal Away Home, has a Lexile level of 890
• In the 2nd 9 weeks in interactive reading, The Lost Colony has a Lexile of 850 with a grade level band 4-5.
• In the 2nd 9 weeks in shared reading, the novel Blood on the River has a Lexile level of 820.
• In the 3rd 9 weeks, in interactive reading, the novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen has a Lexile level of 1020.
• In the 3rd 9 weeks, in shared reading, the novel Tangerine has a Lexile level of 680.
• In the 4th 9 weeks, in interactive reading, in the text The Moon Book the Lexile level is 680.
• In the 4th 9 weeks in shared reading, in the novel George Washington’s Socks, the Lexile level is 840.
  • In addition,in the 4th 9 weeks, students are introduced to tier 2 and technical vocabulary, imagining and given examples of their usage in the appropriate context. The materials facilitate students' digging deeper and acquiring meaning from new vocabulary.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the expectations that materials support students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. Text sets for both the Shared and Interactive Readings increase in complexity within each unit and rarely deviate from grade level requirements throughout the year. Although there are some later texts at a lower Lexile level (for example one at 660 in the final unit), the more difficult subject matter associated with the informational texts and related tasks do not compromise overall rigor. Other texts are included at more ambitious Lexile levels, including Hatchet which is at 1020 in the third nine weeks.

• The texts in the first nine weeks have Lexile levels range from 450-890. An example in the first nine weeks in the Shared Reading is the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which has an overall Lexile level of 810. This text contains a chronological story with complex sentences. Some words are unfamiliar, which increases the text complexity. There is one major theme, which students can start to figure out throughout the story and that theme is revealed at the end. To help students understand this text, there are 15-18 days of lessons with choral reading and frequent stopping points for the teacher to ask whole group discussion questions. In Week 5, Day 21, one of the comprehension questions starts to unpack and hint at the theme: "Why do you think the author creates such a terrible situation for the Bucket family? Give specific details that make the situation terrible" (p. 37).
• The second nine weeks Lexile levels range from 610-820. An example in the second nine weeks in Shared Reading is the novel Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? which has a Lexile level of 800. This is a complex text with no introduction. The sentences are complex with challenging vocabulary such as philosophy, midst, and yacht. This text is challenging without background knowledge. On Day 1, the teacher lesson plans provide a link to a YouTube video, which provides background knowledge.
• The third nine weeks Lexile levels range from 570- 1020. In the third nine weeks in Interactive Reading the novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen has a Lexile level of 1020. This read-aloud text is chronological. The main narrator and character speak with conventional language. There are complex sentences. This text is challenging for students who have little background about the wilderness. Nineteen days are spent on this text. The lesson plans include stopping points for the teacher to ask questions for comprehension and clarification.
• The fourth nine weeks Lexile levels range from 680-840. In the fourth nine weeks in Shared Reading the novel George Washington’s Socks has a lexile level of 840. This text is complex due to parallel time plots and time travel. There are multiple layers of meaning such as satire, academic content, and abstract thought. There are dialects, colloquialisms, and figurative language. Since this story is about the American Revolution, students may not have background knowledge to help them understand the story. To help build background knowledge, students compare the original painting of Washington crossing the Delaware to the cover of the book. Throughout the unit, teachers and students have opportunities to check understanding of the text and vocabulary.

The lowest lexile level is in the first nine weeks, and the highest lexile level is Hatchet in the third nine weeks. The novel, George Washington’s Socks has a Lexile level of 840 in the 4th 9 weeks. 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 4 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 Alabama Moon by Watt Key and poems from Zombies! Evacuate the School! by Sara Holbrook.
• In the Third Nine Weeks students are read the texts Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen, and poems from Zombies! Evacuate the School! by Sara Holbrook.

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 Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone and Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz chorally and with a partner.
• In the Fourth Nine Weeks students read the texts George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff and The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin by James Giblin 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 4 meet expectations for materials, questions and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills that build comprehension 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 4 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: region, piedmont, sacrifice, monuments, traditions, resources, colonize, and symbols. Students learn how to break each word into syllables and study word morphology.
• For example, in the First 9 weeks, Week 1, Day 1, students learn pied means foot and mont means mountain, so piedmont means the foot of the mountains (p. 2). Each week, students study particular words as part of the word study and then test their learning on the fifth day. Differentiation of foundational skills occurs in small groups. One type of the differentiation lessons addresses word recognition and fluency. Students are identified for this support with the diagnostic Informal Decoding Inventory.

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 First Nine Weeks, Day 1 of the Alabama Moon lesson, the teacher directions emphasize stoop and reflection. “One of the words from our book today is stoop. What word? Stoop means to bend your head down and to the side so that you can get under something” (p. 3).

Fluency is addressed in Shared Reading Lessons and in differentiated lessons for small groups. In Shared Reading Lessons, students participate in choral reading, echo 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 4 Manual, word study is described as a way “to move systematically across grade levels from sound to pattern to meaning” (p. 12). The focus of grade 4 word study is “to build on the foundation laid in third grade to emphasize 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 Identify and Explain Syllable Types in the Shared Reading lessons, students learn how to use chunking to decode, spell, and make meaning of words.

During the Word Study Scope and Sequence, 10 minutes are suggested for Decoding-Spelling-Meaning Vocabulary. For example, in Grade 4, First 9 Weeks, Week 1, students learn: “Mon u ments (closed, open, closed) are structure that are made to honor someone or something. They could be statues, or gravestones, or flags. They come in many forms” (p. 4). In Grade 4, Second 9 weeks, Week 6, students learn: “Mon ar chy (closed, r control, open) is a noun that means a government ruled by a king or queen. That person is called a monarch. Power is passed down inside the family. Even today, there is a monarchy in England, although the king or queen doesn’t have political power” (p. 42). 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 three or 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 4 Manual, “fluency is built through repeated reading” (p. 45). Students have the opportunity to read and reread one segment of text each day, which includes informational, narrative, and poetry. 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 the Interactive Reading, students practice echo reading of poetry. In the First Nine Weeks, Poetry: Zombies! Evacuate the School!, students echo read parts of the poem first. Later students choral read the entire poem.

In the Shared Reading Lessons, students have the opportunity to practice oral reading through choral reading, echo reading, and rereading with a partner. In the Lesson Plan, teachers are provided with page numbers for having students echo or choral read. For example, in the First 9 Weeks, Week 1 Day 5 of students practice reading fluency of an informational text called Georgia-What's So Great About This State?. The teacher can have students echo or choral read page 31 of that text. In the Third 9 Weeks, students practice reading a narrative text called Tangerine. Students choral read Pages 12-22. After choral 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.