The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the expectations for texts being of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading, and consider a range of student interests. The included texts have been previously published and are worthy of careful reading. The texts address a range of interests, including real-world topics, historical fiction, biography, and fantasy.

Examples of how these materials meet the expectations of this indicator include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, an honoree of the 2001 Newberry medal, is in the second Nine Weeks Shared Reading Text Unit
• Lon Po Po by Ed Young, winner of the 1990 Caldecott Medal, is in the second Nine Weeks Interactive Read-Aloud Unit
• Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, an honoree of the 2006 Caldecott Medal, is in the third Nine Weeks Interactive Read-Aloud Unit
• Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, winner of the 1991 Newberry Medal, is in the fourth Nine Weeks Interactive Read-Aloud Unit
• Informational texts such as What is a Biome? by Bobbie Kalman and Soil by Christin Ditchfield are content-rich and accompanied by quality illustrations, photographs, or diagrams. These texts can be examined for textual evidence for research assignments.
• A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney can be examined multiple times for multiple purposes since the text contains poetry and informational text.
• Narrative texts encompassing multicultural themes such as Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say, When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan, and The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco include rich language, quality illustrations, and a well-crafted narrative and prose.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the expectations for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards. Thirty-two texts are used in the lesson plans. The ratio of fiction to nonfiction is appropriate to meet the balance for Grade 3 identified in the CCSS ELA standards for the grade band.

Shared Reading lessons include 10 non-fiction texts and 5 fiction texts.

• Examples of non-fiction texts students read are: And Then What Happened, Paul Revere by Jean Fritz, A Picture Book of Fredrick Douglass by David Adler, and Ancient Greece by Sandra Newman
• Examples of fiction texts students read are: Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, and Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Interactive Read-Aloud lessons include 6 non-fiction texts and 11 fiction texts.

• Examples of non-fiction texts student listen to as read-aloud are: What is a Biome? by Bobbie Kalman, Maps and Globes by Jack Knowlton, and Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
• Examples of fiction texts students listen to as read-aloud are: The BFG by Roald Dahl, American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne, and Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

The distribution of texts types and genres is very diverse, and a variety of genres are 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
• realistic fiction
• biographies and autobiographies
• historical fiction
• novels
• poetry

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 instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the expectations for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task. Anchor texts are at the appropriate level of rigor and complexity for 3rd grade. For the first quarter, texts have a quantitative Lexile range of 490-720. In the second quarter, texts range from 610- 830 Lexile. In the third quarter this span is 570-700, and in the fourth quarter this moves from 680-850. Overall, these are all appropriate for the grade level. Many of the shared and interactive reading texts are at the high end of the range or appropriate for higher grade levels, but planned scaffolding described in the instructional routines outlined in the teacher's manual makes these an excellent choice. These texts will build knowledge at a variety of complexity levels and on a range of topics.

The associated tasks described in the instructional routines that support the use of these readings include the following:

• Activating Background Knowledge
• Modeling Comprehension Strategies
• Asking Questions During Reading (included in the curriculum) during interactive reading improve access to material, promote comprehension, and generally support their use.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the expectations that materials support students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. In general, texts for both the Shared and Interactive Readings are at or slightly above grade level requirements throughout the year. Most texts (for both Shared and Interactive Reading) are within the appropriate grade level Lexile band:

• The texts in the first nine weeks have Lexile levels from 490-720. An example in the first nine weeks in Interactive Reading is the novel The BFG, which as an overall Lexile of 720. This text contains British words and invented words. As a read-aloud, the teacher scaffolds student understanding of this complex text over 17 days by reading aloud. The lesson plans have the teacher stop often to check student understanding with whole group discussion questions and opportunities to write summaries, diary entries, and emails.
• The texts in the second nine weeks have Lexile levels from 610-830. An example in the second nine weeks in Shared Reading is And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?, which has a Lexile of 830. This text contains a historical context thereby it has historic language. As a Shared Reading lesson, the teacher scaffolds understanding by showing students a video prior to reading the text. As the text is choral read over six days, the teacher helps students understand the text by making a timeline and synthesizing parts of the text.
• The texts in the third nine weeks have Lexile levels from 570-700. An example in the third nine weeks in Interactive Reading is Rosa, which has a Lexile of 900. This read aloud text contains very complex sentences about a historical time in American history. To help students access this rigorous text, the teacher creates a semantic map of the vocabulary and provides opportunities for students to make connections to the text and opinions about the text.
• The texts in the last nine weeks have Lexile levels from 680-850. An example in the fourth nine weeks in Interactive Reading is Shiloh, which has a Lexile of 890. This read aloud text contains very complex Knowledge Demands with the concepts of abused animals, socio-economic issues, and family dynamics. To support students' understanding of this rigorous text, the teacher lesson plans suggest places for stopping to ask key questions. The plans suggest opportunities for students to process their understanding by writing lists, advice, and summary.

Texts increase appropriately throughout the school year, with students engaging in increasingly complex and rigorous materials as they grow their reading skills.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 The BFG by Roald Dahl, What Is a Biome? by Bobbie Kalman, Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema, and Pinduali by Janell Cannon
• In the Third Nine Weeks students are read the texts Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say, When Marian Siang by Pam Munoz Ryan, Harvesting Hope The Story of Cesar Chaves by Kathleen Krull, Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway, and The Keeping Quilt by Patria Polacco.

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 Soil by Christin Ditchfield, Minerals, Rocks, and Soil by Barbara J. Davis, Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, and And then what happened, Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz chorally and with a partner.
• In the Fourth Nine Weeks students read the texts Twisters and Other Terrible Storms by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne, Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck, Who Was Franklin Roosevelt? by Margaret Frith, and Ancient Greece by Sandra Newman 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 3 meet expectations for materials, questions, and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills by providing instruction in phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, and reading fluency in a research-based and transparent progression.

Foundational skills are presented to address phonics, word recognition, 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 for word study (which addresses phonics, spelling, and meaning vocabulary). In the first six weeks of third grade, students learning doubling, Y-I, Doubling in Multisyllabic Words, and Prefixes and Suffixes.

• For example, in Week 3 of the First Nine Weeks, students learn how to change the spelling of words that have a CY base and a VY base. Each week, students learn one set of words as an entire class with consistent instruction across the week and a traditional spelling test every five days. After the first six weeks of third grade, the vocabulary words are divided into syllables as to teach students to decode multisyllabic words. Students practice word sorts with word hunts. Irregularly spelled words are addressed and labeled as belonging in the oddball category. 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 BFG lesson, the teacher directions emphasize sprinting and brilliant. “One of the words from the book so far is sprinting. What word?” (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 acquisition of foundational skills and making meaning from reading.

In the Grade 3 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 3 word study is “multisyllabic decoding based on syllable types, and the link between spelling and meaning. 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, students learn how to use chunking to decode, spell, and make meaning of words. According to Walpole and McKenna, “Consequently, word study not only extends decoding and spelling, it provides additional encounters with new words whose meanings are important to learn” (p.12).

During the Word Study Scope and Sequence, 10 minutes are suggested for Word Study and Meaning Vocabulary. In Grade 3, First 9 Weeks, Week 1, students are guided by the teacher to sort by pattern for base words +ing/ed (CVVC, CVC, CVCC). For example, shout becomes shouted and watch becomes watching (p. 2). Later in the lesson, students sort the words such as shouted and watching in their word study notebook. In week 6 for the First 9 Weeks, students are learning about prefixes and suffixes such as -ment, com-, and re- (p. 37). In Grade 3, Fourth 9 Weeks, Week 1 students learn: “Pres sure (closed, vce) is a word that means different things in different places.” If you are talking about pressure in sports, you might mean that one player is trying to force another player to do something” (p. 4). 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 3 Manual, “fluency is built through repeated reading” (p. 51). Students have the opportunity to read and reread one segment of text each day, which includes informational and narrative. Students have the opportunity to do silent reading during differentiated lessons. Once students complete their text-based reading, they may do self-selected silent reading. 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. After echo or 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.

Since most texts in the Grade 3 Master Book List are narrative and informational, students have the opportunity to become fluent readers of those styles of texts using choral reading, echo reading, and rereading. One of the texts, A Drop Around the World, in Quarter 2, provides students the chance to to hear poetry modeled by the teacher. Although the grade level band of this text is most appropriate for students in grades 4-5, there is a missed opportunity for Grade 3 students to practice reading grade level poetry fluently.

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. 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 buy.

According to a section in the Grade 3 Manual called Walkthrough Observation Tool Designed to Enhance Implementation, teachers can utilize narrative text during small group time to help students build fluency (p. 91). Students echo or choral read for 5-6 minutes and then reread with a partner or whisper read.