2nd Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectations for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

Texts are high quality, including rich language and engaging content. Accompanying illustrations are high quality as well, supporting students' understanding and comprehension of the associated text. Examples of quality texts include

• In Unit 1, students read Rainbow Crow Brings Fire to Earth by Jeri Cipriano. In this engaging myth, Rainbow Crow brings fire to Earth which melts the snow and warms the animals.
• In Unit 1, students read Friends Around The World by Ana Galan. This engaging multicultural text introduces students to other cultures around the world.
• In Unit 3, students read Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurous President by Lisa DeMauro. This TIME for Kids Biography provides a brief look at Roosevelt’s life and is written in an informational tone with captioned photographs and text features that supply additional information.
• In Unit 3, students read Change Makers by Libby Martinez. This text uses text features, eye-catching photography and rich vocabulary to inform readers about people who are making a positive change.
• In Unit 4, students read The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 by Laurence Yep. A fictional story based off historical accounts and shared between two viewpoints. This text is written in a diary/journal format.
• In Unit 4, students read Disaster Alert by Christine Taylor-Butler. This informational text includes content specific vocabulary as well as well as age appropriate text features.
• In Unit 5, students read Pioneers to the West by John Bliss. This text contains real photos and interesting information for students. This historical text tells how pioneers traveled out west in search of gold, land, farms, and religious freedom through the eyes of pioneer children.
• In Unit 5, students read Going West by Jean Van Leeuwen. Realistic illustrations enhance this historical fiction which tells the tale of a family traveling out west and the hardships they endured.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectations for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards.

The materials include a mix of informational and literary texts. There is a wide array of informational and literary text integrated throughout every module. Additional supplementary texts are included, resulting in a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by the standards, including biography, historical fiction, mythology, history, poetry, social studies, and science informational texts.

The following are examples of literature found within the instructional materials:

• Unit 1, Lesson: Find Out about the Trouble At The Sandbox: Trouble At The Sandbox by Phillip Simpson
• Unit 1, Lesson: Find Out about the Trouble At The Sandbox: Rainbow Crow Brings Fire to Earth by Jeri Cipriano
• Unit 1, Lesson: Let’s Meet Snowshoe Hare!: Snowshoe Hare’s Winter Home by Gillian Richardson
• Unit 1, Lesson: Reading the House on Maple Street: The House on Maple Street by Ana Galan
• Unit 2, Lesson: Reading Alexander, Who Used to be Rich One Day: Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
• Unit 2, Lesson: Reading Alexander, Who Used to be Rich One Day: “Marty’s Summer Job” by Evan Allen
• Unit 2. Lesson: Reading A Chair for My Mother: A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
• Unit 2, Lesson: Reading I Wanna Iguana: I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff
• Unit 2, Lesson: Reading I Wanna Iguana: Decodable Practice Reader 8A: “Herb Helps Out” by Shanna Marcus
• Unit 2, Lesson: Reading I Wanna Iguana: Decodable Practice Reader 8B: “Fern’s Pitch” by unknown author
• Unit 2, Lesson: Reading I Wanna Iguana: Decodable Practice Reader 8C: “Curt’s Bike Trouble” by Amanda Hopkins
• Unit 3, Lesson: Who Was Susan B. Anthony?: Marching with Aunt Susan by Claire Rudolf Murphy
• Unit 3, Lesson: Making a City Green: City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan
• Unit 4, Lesson: The Earth Shakes in 1906: The Earth Dragon Awakes by Laurence Yep
• Unit 4, Lesson: Discovering the Central Message of The Earth Dragon Awakes: Rainbow Crow Brings Fire to Earth by Jeri Cipriano
• Unit 4, Lesson: Reading Seek the Sun: Seek The Sun by Phillis Gershator
• Unit 4, Lesson: Reading Myths: Do Dragons Cause Thunder?: “I Am Boom!” by Jack Prelutsky
• Unit 4, Lesson: Reading Myths: Do Dragons Cause Thunder?: “The Fool on the Hill” by Harry Devlin

The following are examples of informational text found within the instructional materials:

• Unit 1, Lesson: Meet Friends Around the World: Friends Around The World by Ana Gala
• Unit 2, Lesson: Reading Money Matters: Money Matters! by Nikki Tate
• Unit 2, Lesson: Reading Money Matters: “Car Wash: A Family’s Fundraiser” by Tisha Hamilton
• Unit 3, Lesson: Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?: Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurous President by Lisa DeMauro + TIME for Kids Editors
• Unit 3, Lesson: Who Were Some Change Makers?: Change Makers by Libby Martinez
• Unit 4, Lesson: Reading About Disasters: Disaster Alert! by Christine Taylor-Butler
• Unit 4, Lesson: Danger! Earthquakes: Danger! Earthquakes by Seymour Simon
• Unit 5, Lesson: Who Was Johnny Appleseed?: John Chapman: Planter and Pioneer by Ron Fridell
• Unit 5, Lesson: Johnny’s Timeline: Johnny Appleseed by Lola M Schaefer
• Unit 5, Lesson: Pioneer Life: Pioneers to the West by John Bliss
• Unit 5, Lesson: Kids Who Went West: Going West by Jean Van Leeuwen

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria for texts (including read-aloud texts and some shared reading texts used to build knowledge and vocabulary) have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade level according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and a relationship to their associated student task. Read-aloud texts at K-2 are above the complexity levels of what most students can read independently.

Most texts fall between the text complexity range for Grade 2. Examples of texts that support appropriate complexity include, but are not limited to, the following:

Unit 1

• Trouble at the Sandbox by Phillip Simpson: This fictional text presents a literal meaning about a group of younger children seeking a solution when older children steal their sandbox toys. The theme about how members of a community should treat each other can be easily understood by students. The chronological text structure presents events that are clearly connected. This text has a quantitative measure of 370 Lexile, which falls below the recommendation for Grade 2.
• Snowshoe Hare’s Winter Home by Gillian Richardson: This fictional text presents the idea of hibernation through a chronological story of snowshoe hare setting out to take a break and being told it’s time to hibernate. Snowshoe hare does not know what this means but quickly learns along with students. Illustrations support the text. This text has a quantitative measure of 530 Lexile.
• Friends Around The World by Ana Galan: This informational text is structured with four children around the world who are e-pals sharing a series of letters and responses. Photographs, captions, a world map, and concluding sections support the text. This text has a quantitative measure of 480 Lexile.
• The House on Maple Street by Bonnie Pryor: This literary text is presented in a chronological sequence with illustrative support. Two friends find an arrowhead and broken china cup and wonder what their neighborhood looked like 300 years prior. This text has a quantitative measure of 650 Lexile.

Unit 2

• Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst: This literary text shows what happens when people do not spend their money wisely to help the reader differentiate between wants and needs. The story structure changing from present to past and back to present and offers repetitive phrases, idioms, and figurative language. This text has a quantitative measure of 570 Lexile.
• Money Matters by Nikki Tate: This informational chapter book addresses basic financial terms and concepts and some abstract concepts relating to money and economics. The text offers text features and short, simple sentences with some domain-specific words. This text has a quantitative measure of 650 Lexile.
• A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams: This literary text is about a child overcoming the difficulties faced by her family with strong themes of love and familial bonds. Illustrations may not provide support for comprehension. This text has a quantitative measure of 640 Lexile.
• I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff: This literary text offers humor and knowledge of grade-appropriate actions and desires make text-to-world and text-to-self connections central to creating meaning. The text is structured as a series of letters between a mother and child. This text has a quantitative measure of 610 Lexile.

Unit 3

• Marching with Aunt Susan by Claire Rudolf Murphy: Marching with Aunt Susan falls in the Lexile band for Grade 2 and has a Lexile score of 650. The text structure and knowledge demands are complex as students bridge the understanding of narrative fiction based on historical events. The language is challenging at points throughout the story as content specific vocabulary is introduced (e.g., suffrage) and the addition of dialogue adds a level of complexity. The story line is clear and sequential. The illustrations support students in understanding the text and also extend the text by showing the detail of what life was like long ago.
• City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan: City Green falls in the Lexile band for Grade 2 and has a Lexile score of 480. The text structure and knowledge demands are average. The text follows a predictable plot with multiple, yet simple, characterizations. The text also addresses a problem with a creative and viable solution. The story line is clear and sequential. The illustrations support students in understanding the text. Students gain an understanding how they can improve their community with ingenuity, creative planning, and support from neighbors.

Unit 4

• The Earth Dragon Awakes by Lawrence Yep: This text switches between narrative and informational text. This text is set up in chronological order with journal entries. The text does contain figurative language and content specific vocabulary. This text has a quantitative measure of 510 Lexile and falls within the grade level recommendation.
• Disaster Alert by Christine Taylor-Butler: This is an informational text that focuses around five types of natural disasters. Text features aid in helping students assess knowledge on this topic. This text has a quantitative measure of 570 Lexile and falls within the grade level recommendation.
• Seek the Sun by Phyllis Gershator: This text contains quite a bit of text with very little illustrations. This text is above grade level, but is supported by teacher question that involves simple “right there” questions to gauge understanding before continuing with the lessons. This text has a quantitative measure of 880 Lexile and is above the grade level recommendation.
• Danger! Earthquakes by Seymour Simon: This informational text gives details about earthquakes. This text contains content specific vocabulary and uses text features to build knowledge on the concept. This text has a quantitative measure of 710 Lexile and falls within the grade level recommendation.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

In the platform’s Before You Begin materials, the publisher provides a description of several text selections. The materials state, “TEXT SELECTIONS: You can find more information about some texts you will read in your course in the text selection rationales. As you select texts to read independently, find books that have similar challenges to what you are reading, as well as finding books of different genres and topics. Use your Reading Log to create a balanced reading life!” The text selection rationales are provided through a link. This link takes you to a document that includes each text title, author, text genre, student task, and both quantitative and qualitative text features. The quantitative measure is provided through a Lexile score and the qualitative feature chart gives measures such as levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands.

A text complexity analysis is provided for the anchor texts in each unit. Most texts include instructional notes, text notes, and the rationale for the purpose and placement of the anchor and support texts is embedded into the student and teacher notes for most lessons. The instructional notes include a recommendation for how students should read the text (silently and independently, listen to text, read aloud, etc.) and support students with vocabulary they will encounter in the text. At times, the teaching notes also indicate specific strengths in the texts. For example, some texts are chosen for their value in reinforcing literary techniques while others were chosen as appropriate introductions to a particular time period or topic. All texts were chosen with second grade students in mind, as well as intentional variability in genre, readability, and interest.

Instructional and text notes found in Grade 2 materials include information in the introduction box such as, “This document outlines the complexity of each anchor text as text complexity is defined in Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards, Figure 1. Quantitative complexity of the text is measured in Lexile Level for each text. Task complexity refers to how the text demands contextualized within a larger learning activity, often the unit project. Qualitative complexity descriptors, as identified by the Common Core, are listed in the table according to the factors of qualitative evaluation as listed in Appendix A. Across these three complexity domains, the reader will see that complexity monotonically increases across the course of the year.”

In Unit 1, students read the text “Trouble at the Sandbox” by Phillip Simpson. This text is read aloud and independently. The task is for students to create a collage comparing and contrasting different aspects of two characters. The complexity information provided by the publisher includes the quantitative measure of Lexile 370L and the qualitative features of:

• Levels of Meaning: Accessible literal meaning about a group of younger children seeking a solution when older children steal their sandbox toys; more subtle theme about how members of a community should treat each other
• Structure: Simple chronological text structure in a single story line; events are clearly connected
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: Simple and complex sentences; occasional use of figurative language; few domain-specific expressions that may require adult intervention
• Knowledge Demands: Understanding of polite behavior; roles of teachers and students in a school setting

In Unit 1, students read the text Friends Around The World by Ana Galan. This text is read aloud and independently. The task is for students to create a collage comparing and contrasting different aspects of two characters. The complexity information provided by the publisher includes the quantitative measure of Lexile 480L and the qualitative features of:

• Levels of Meaning: Accessible literal series of letters between four children around the world
• Structure: Introduction; letters from each e-pal and their responses; photographs, captions, world map; concluding section
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: Words from various cultures; geographic names
• Knowledge Demands: Many countries around the world encourage the practice of being a pen pal.

In Unit 3, students read the text “Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurous President” by Lisa DeMauro. The task associated with this text is to interview and write a biography with text features about a community leader. This text is read aloud as well as independently. The complexity information provided by the publisher includes the quantitative measure of Lexile 570L and the qualitative features of:

• Levels of Meaning: Biography with detailed information about a broad range of subjects; themes of fairness and courage
• Structure: Chronological (excluding first chapter); photos with captions; sidebars with fun facts; timeline
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: Multiple-meaning words; using root words; implications
• Knowledge Demands: Conserving nature

In Unit 3, students read the text “Change Makers” by Libby Martinez. The task associated with this text is to interview and write a biography with text features about a community leader. This text is read aloud as well as independently. The complexity information provided by the publisher includes the quantitative measure of Lexile 570L and the qualitative features of:

• Levels of Meaning: Accessible information about kids making the world a better place; specific community projects that involve young people
• Structure: Table of contents; introduction; sections devoted to a singular topic; 4-step process; glossary support
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: Complex vocabulary; statistical data; geographical names
• Knowledge Demands: Understanding of West African cultures, orangutans and rain forests, hurricanes, community gardens, and murals

In Unit 5, students read the text “John Chapman: Planter and Pioneer” by Ron Fridell. This text is read aloud and independently. The task for the reader is to write a multi-purpose composition (narrative, explanatory, and argumentative) about life on the frontier. The complexity information provided by the publisher includes the quantitative measure of Lexile 550L and the qualitative features of:

• Levels of Meaning: Accessible, visually supported informational text about John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed); anecdotes, opinions, and reasons that Appleseed is famous, beloved, and the subject of legend
• Structure: Introduction: Mostly chronological structure; information organized under headings
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: Some historical and agricultural vocabulary.
• Knowledge Demands: Understanding of apples and trees; the concept of living in the “great outdoors”

In Unit 5, students read the text “Pioneers To The West” by John Bliss. This text is read aloud and independently. The task for the reader is to write a multi-purpose composition (narrative, explanatory, and argumentative) about life on the frontier. The complexity information provided by the publisher includes the quantitative measure of Lexile 770L and the qualitative features of:

• Levels of Meaning: Nonfiction accounts of real people faced with challenges while settling in the West
• Structure: Broken into chapters with additional information provided in text boxes
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: Academic language presented with definitions in context
• Knowledge Demands: Understanding of U.S. history and geography (territories and Native American tribes)

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that support materials for the core text(s) provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to support their reading at grade level by the end of the school year.

The stories, decodable readers, and Sleuth texts read and reread in lessons are underlined and hyperlinked. Learners can independently read text or enable the audio read-aloud capability by clicking on the hippo icon. Poems can be accessed through the text collection link. Also, students keep a Reading Log and independently read two to three books per week, in addition to the books in their English Language Course.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Creating A Character Collage!, students read several texts about characters and why they do what they do. The texts include the following: Trouble At The Sandbox, Snowshoe Hare’s Winter Home, Friends Around The World, and The House on Maple Street. The poems include the following: “Rainbow Crow Brings Fire To Earth” and “Dog Dreams.” The decodable practice readers include the following: "Gus," "The Van," "Ike and Ice," "We Can Do A Lot," "On Stage," "Fran and Flip,""Lifting," "Stan and Bev," and "Showing and Telling." The Sleuth text is a “A Birthday Surprise.”
• In Unit 2, Making Decisions, students read several texts including: Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, I’ll Trade You, Marty’s Summer Job, A Chair for My Mother, More Than Cash Dispensers, Earning Money My Own Way, Money Matters!, Car Wash: A Family’s Fundraiser, and I Wanna Iguana. The decodable practice readers include the following: "Gus," "Chet Checks," "Farm Chores," "Bart’s Chore," "Let’s Wish," "Herb Helps Out," "Fern’s Pitch," and "Curt’s Bike Trouble."
• In Unit 3, Biography of a Community Hero, students listen to, independently read, and interact with a variety of biographical and informational texts about the following historical figures: Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Alexander Graham Bell, and about everyday people who make a difference in their community. Students have the opportunity to either read texts independently or read texts with their Learning Guide, including: Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurous President (chapter book), Inventing the Telephone, Marching with Aunt Susan, Nana’s Herb Garden, Change Makers, America’s Birthday, City Green, and a story from Sleuth “Josh Gibson: Home Run King.” Students also have the opportunity to read poems during the unit, including: “Lincoln” and “Unfair.” Students also read the following decodable texts to their Learning Guide: "Things to Do," "Our Reading Party," "Lee Rakes," and "Sam’s Stroll."
• In Unit 4, Reading About Dangerous Disasters, students read informational texts about disasters. Texts are read independently or with the Learning Guide. Many texts, or sections of texts, are reread throughout a lesson. The texts include the following: The Earth Dragon Awakes (historical fiction), “Bill’s Birthday,” Blizzard, "A Backyard Birthday,” Rainbow Crow Brings Fire to Earth, Seek The Sun, “Mike’s Shirt,” “I Am Boom!” (poem), Disaster Alert!, “The Lunch Table,” “The Maple Tree,” Moonscape: The Surface of the Moon, “A Good Book,” and “Curtis the Cowboy Cook” from Sleuth.
• In Unit 5, Pioneering New Ideas and New Worlds, students read about pioneer life. The texts include: John Chapman: Planter and Pioneer, A Cowboy’s Life, Johnny Appleseed, Pioneers to the West, Going West, and A Visit to the Ranch. The decodable practice readers include the following: "Sally’s New Puppy," "New Clues," "In The Woods," "An Unhappy Spaceman," "Writing Letters," "Camp Gnome,""Meet Tom Lamb," and “From Seed to Fruit” from Sleuth.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-based, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text).

Text-dependent questions and tasks are found throughout the parts of each unit. The questions are prompted prior to a reading to set the purpose of reading, and discussed with the Learning Guide after learning has taken place, or as part of a task in writing responses in the English Language Arts Journal. Students use text evidence to support their answer and make comparisons with other texts. Each unit ends with a unit quiz which requires students to read passages and answer text dependent questions.

Examples of text-based questions, assignments, and tasks include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Lesson: Understanding Characters, Part 1, students finish reading Trouble at the Sandbox. Students work on character traits and characters’ point of view. Students are asked to answer various questions in their English Language Arts notebook, including, “When the big boys come up to Theo, Izzy, and Josh at the sandbox again, what words in the text help you better understand Theo’s character and point of view?”
• In Unit 2, Lesson: Reading Alexander, Who Used to be Rich One Day, Part 2, students learn about how illustrations help readers understand the story better. Students are then prompted, “Talk about the picture on p. 5 with your Learning Guide. Tell how the illustration shows Alexander's feelings. Then, find words in the text that connect to the illustration. Find two or three more places where the pictures show Alexander’s feelings.”
• In Unit 4, Lesson: Reading Myths: Do Dragons Cause Thunder?, Part 3, students compare the story structure between two texts. After rereading the ending of The Earth Dragon Awakes and Seek the Sun the students fills out a T-chart comparing the conclusions of the texts. After labeling the T-Chart, students are prompted, “Write details about each story’s conclusion in the correct column.”
• In Unit 4, Unit Quiz: Planting For the Future, Question 2, students read the passage “Max and Bud.” After students read the passage, they are asked, “Where did Bud have a bath?”
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Pioneer Life, Part 5, the students look at the importance of historical events within a text. The students compare people in the text to better see how they are connected to important events. The students are asked to label the two sides of the Venn diagram and then prompted, “Put details about the two men under their names. If a detail is true of both men, put it in the middle section.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing grade-appropriate writing (e.g. grade-appropriate revision and editing) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

Students have a number of opportunities for on-demand and process writing, as well as short, focused projects completed through a variety of instructional tasks. Many of the short, focused projects are a piece of a larger compilation at the end of a unit or a section of the unit. To demonstrate understanding of the text, students write on-demand and draw pictures to show meaning or in response to text through instructional tasks heavily throughout each unit. In the latter part of each unit, the writing tasks become more complex and demand more content or evidence to support the rationale. Writing assignments are integrated with the reading components of the program. Opportunities for editing and revising of written content is embedded within the lesson and often associated with a literature task, such as finding details in text and then adding details into writing. Additionally, the curriculum provides rubrics to depict criteria. The curriculum also uses a variety of digital resources with interactive components for students to demonstrate knowledge.

Opportunities for on-demand writing include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Lesson: Understanding Characters, Part 1, students are asked to write after reading Chapter 5 of Trouble at the Sandbox. The directions state, “Now you will rewrite a scene. Think about the sandbox in the story. Draw picture of the scene when the big boys come to the sandbox and take the trucks again. Write a paragraph or two that tells the story of the scene. Add descriptive words so your reader can really picture what is happening in the scene. Describe how the characters react to what happens so your reader can understand and how the characters feel.”
• In Unit 2, Lesson: Reading Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday, Part 3, students read a section of Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday. The on-demand writing prompt states, “Look at the picture on the page. You will write narrative description sentences about this picture. A narrative description tells what characters, do, think, or feel.” The students are then given steps to follow to help them complete their narrative description.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Who Were Some of the Change Makers, Part 2, students read the chapter of Change Makers about Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen. When students are finished they write a paragraph that summarizes why Madison and Rhiannon wanted to make a change and what change they made.
• In Unit 4, Lesson: The Earth Shakes in 1906, Part 1, the LEARN card directions state, “You will write a narrative about Henry and Chin’s points of view about their parents. Look for clues about their points of view on pages 1–16. Then, write a scene where Henry and Chin talk about their points of view about their parents. Whatever you write, be sure to use actions, thoughts, and feelings to show the boys’ points of view. Write your scene in your English Language Arts Journal.”
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Who Was Johnny Appleseed, Part 2, students look at the text and pictures on pages 7–10 of John Chapman: Planter and Pioneer. Then students write a paragraph that tells an opinion about why they think the book ties to the unit title: "Pioneering New Ideas and New Worlds." Students must support their opinion with reasons and evidence from the pages they have read so far.

Opportunities for process writing include, but are not limited to, the following:

• For the Unit 3 Project, Biography of a Community Hero, students read several stories in the unit about important people and their contributions. Students then find a community hero to interview and write a biography. Their biography must include: a clear introduction that says why the person is important, at least three sections (early life, schooling and training, and career and achievements), at least one quote from the person, a table of contents, a picture of the person with a caption, and section headings.
• In Unit 4, Lesson: Danger! Earthquakes, Part 3, students begin a process writing assignment. Students are provided the following prompt, “You will choose a natural disaster and write an informative paragraph. You will do research to find out the answers to who, what, when, where, and why. Your Learning Guide will help to find answers as you research your topic. Take notes as you read newspaper articles to find the answers to your questions.”
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Show: Heading For the Wild West, Part 1: students have written their opinion piece about pioneer life, an information piece about pioneers/events, and a narrative about John Chapman’s life. Student directions in Part 1 state, “Now you will put them all together. You will create a multi-purpose piece. A multi-purpose piece means you have written for three different purposes about one topic. By putting your pieces together, you will create a larger writing piece that is interesting to read! You will illustrate your piece and publish it. Your job today is to revise your writing.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing (year long) that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

Students to engage in writing tasks across the text types required of the standards. Students use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing, to compose many types of writing, including opinion, informational and narrative, while utilizing the writing process. There is a balance of short writing pieces which build up to longer writing pieces. Longer writing tasks are completed over the course of a unit or lesson part. Writing opportunities are scaffolded with Learning Guide supports, drawing about the text, graphic organizers to pull evidence from texts, and working on shorter pieces over the course of time to revise and edit a final piece. Rubrics are included with each larger writing piece, providing the criteria for grading. In some instances, examples are shared. Students have the opportunity to create their writing digitally and upload it to the platform or by hand and upload a picture of their work.

Examples of writing prompts that address the different text types of writing and reflect the distribution required by the standards include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Lesson: Let’s Meet Snowshoe Hare!, Part 2, Narrative, students write in their English Language Arts Journal about a time that something happened to them. Suggested prompts are: "what happened on your last birthday, a time you went to a new place, something fun you did with a friend recently, or an exciting day you shared with your family." Students are required to write about at least three things that happened during this time and to use sequence words.
• In Unit 1, Create A Character Project, Informative/Explanatory, students have compared and contrasted fictional and nonfiction texts throughout the unit. Students are instructed to, “First, you will write an informative paragraph about each character using facts from the character’s story. Then, you will write a compare and contrast paragraph about the characters. Finally, you will complete your Venn diagram collage with facts, details, and images.”
• In Unit 2, Lesson: Reading I Wanna Iguana, Part 4, Opinion, students write an opinion piece based off what they read in I Wanna Iguana. The prompt states, “Now it is time to plan your own opinion. Decide whether you agree with Alex’s or Mom’s point of view about having an iguana as a pet. In your English Language Arts Journal, plan your opinion paragraph.”
• In Unit 2, Lesson: What Lesson Did Alexander Learn?, Part 1, Narrative, the prompt says, “Think about the ending of Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday. Think about how you can be creative and write a new ending to the story. Now decide which characters will be in your new ending. Make sure the ending follows from the beginning and middle and provides a satisfying closure.”
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?, Part 4, Opinion, students write their opinion on whether they believe Teddy was a creator of ideas or a person who made a difference in our country. The materials state that their opinion writing must include: "A topic sentence that clearly states your opinion, at least two facts, examples, or details that give support to your opinion, and concluding sentence that ties it all together"
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Show: Publish Your Biography!, Part 2, Informative/Explanatory, students have worked throughout Unit 3 to learn about the structure of a biography. They have added text features into their writing piece and are at the final stage to make any last minute adjustments and will submit their project digitally, but have the choice of creating it by hand and submitting pictures of the project, or by uploading or copying/pasting their project into the assessment box. A four point rubric is attached with the criteria: introduction, structure, interview, text features, and revising/editing.
• In Unit 3 Project: Biography of a Community Hero, Informative/Explanatory, students interview an important person in their community and write a biography including information about their early life, schooling, and achievements.
• In In Unit 4, Lesson: Reading About Disasters, Part 3, Informative/Explanatory, students begin writing an informative piece. The prompt states, “Today you will research and write about a different type of natural disaster. You can choose a natural disaster you read about and would like to learn more about.” Students are given a list of natural disasters to choose from and are provided some tips to help them with their research before they begin writing their informative piece.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Who Was Johnny Appleseed?, Part 1, Opinion, students write their opinion on Johnny Chapman and defend their opinion on whether or not he was helping the country when he planted the apple trees. Their opinion must include: a clearly stated main topic and opinion, reasons supported by details, facts, and words from a text, a structure that groups information in a way that makes sense, words and phrases that link reasons to the writer’s opinion, and a strong ending statement that is connected to the opinion.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Pioneer Life, Part 1, Narrative, students have read Pioneers to the West. They are instructed to look back at the text to find interesting details about pioneer life. Then, write a story about pioneer life. Their story must include a beginning, middle, and end and be written in their English Language Arts Journal.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria for materials including regular opportunities for evidence-based writing to support recall of information, opinions with reasons, and relevant information appropriate for the grade level.

Materials include regular opportunities for evidence-based writing. The materials require students to justify their answers with evidence from the text or illustrations from the text when appropriate, often discussing their answers with the Learning Guide prior to writing. As students move through the units and parts of units, the tasks become more complex and build upon previous tasks that were completed. Students are engaged in tasks that require writing with evidence from the text or using the text as a mentor text to mimic the craft. Materials provide opportunities for students to recall information from the text by discussing it with their Learning Guide or organizing their thoughts on purposeful graphic organizers. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Unit 1, Project, Create A Character Collage, students read several stories in the unit and analyze the different characters. For the project students compare and contrast two characters from the unit. The project directions state, “Your student will create a Venn diagram collage. He or she will use pictures, drawings, sentences and/or paragraphs, and images that represent the characters. Your student will place the material in the correct part of the Venn diagram. It can be created as a poster or on an online platform.”
• In Unit 2, Lesson: Reading Alexander, Who Used to be Rich One Day, Part 4, the LEARN card directions state, “You have practiced finding out about the feelings and reactions of characters. Look back at what you wrote about Alexander and his feelings. Now read Chapter 1 of Marty’s Summer Job. Then write answers to these questions about Marty:
• How does the illustration on page 3 show Marty’s feelings? Why does he feel this way?
• How does Marty react to the job possibility his mother suggests?
• How does the illustration on page 9 show Marty’s feelings?"
• Unit 3, Lesson: Who Was Susan B. Anthony?, Part 2; In a previous part, students wrote questions they had about Susan B. Anthony. Students use a list of resources that they created in a previous part to find answers to the questions by locating factual information from the resources. Once they have all of the facts they need to answer the questions, students write a paragraph including an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
• In Unit 4, Lesson: Danger! Earthquakes, Part 1, the LEARN card directions state, “You’ve found the main topic and key details in Danger! Earthquakes. Now you will write to compare using key ideas and details. Writers support their main topic with facts and details. These facts and details help readers understand the most important ideas. You will write an informative paragraph using key details from the text and facts you find in your own research."
• Unit 5, Lesson: Heading For the Wild West, Part 1: Students have previously written their opinion piece about pioneer life, an information piece about pioneers/events, and a narrative about John Chapman’s life. Student directions state, “Now you will put them all together. You will create a multi-purpose piece. A multi-purpose piece means you have written for three different purposes about one topic. By putting your pieces together, you will create a larger writing piece that is interesting to read! You will illustrate your piece and publish it. Your job today is to revise your writing.”
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Kids Who Went West, Part 3, students read the text Going West with a focus on, “What details did the author include to tell you that winter is coming? What details in the story give you evidence about the family’s life on the prairie?” Students use a Key Events Chart to record events from Going West that have happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Students prepare to write a short narrative about a child pioneer by retelling the story of Hannah from Going West including key details from the story about her life on the prairie.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks provide explicit instruction for and regular practice to address the acquisition of print concepts, including alphabetic knowledge, and directionality (K-1), structures and features of text (1-2).

The Grade 2 materials provide students with explicit instruction and regular practice in text structures and features. Students have many opportunities over the course of the school year to analyze text features and structures. Graphic organizers for main idea and details, sequence of events, and cause and effect help to strengthen this instruction over the course of the school year. Students are frequently provided a question to think about during reading that focused on text structure such as, “What is the main topic of the text? What do the details show about the kind of person John Chapman was?” Text features such as photographs, illustrations, timelines, and text boxes were also frequently pointed out to the student and discussed.

Students have opportunities to identify text structures (e.g., main idea and details, sequence of events, problem and solution, compare and contrast, and cause and effect). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Lesson: Find Out about the Trouble at the Sandbox, Part 1, students identify the main idea and key details by answering the questions, “How are Theo and his friends building a volcano and what does this tell you about him? As well as how might you think Theo and his friends feel when the bigger boys show up in the sandbox?”
• In Unit 1, Lesson: Find out About the Trouble at the Sandbox, Part 2, students sequence the events of the story based on the characters. Students are prompted to think about how each event follows one another after the big boys show up in the Sandbox. Students are further prompted to focus on how events are sequenced and driven by the characters of the story.
• In Unit 1, Lesson: Meet Friends Around the World, Part 3, the Learning Guide tells the student the reasons that compare and contrast can help make decisions for what is planned for the weekend, or what instrument you might choose to play.
• In Unit 1, Part 4, Mighty Oak Tree, Part 4, students write about how the animals and people use oak trees by practicing their understanding of compare and contrast.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?, Part 1, students look for details in a biography.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Learning About Roosevelt and Lincoln, Part 1, students look for details in an interview and create a web for those details. Students learn about the text structure of a poem.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Susan B. Anthony, Part 1, students look for details in historical fiction and create a T-chart for those details. Students sequence a story using a sequence map. Later the students study sequence to see how it affects character actions.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Change Makers, Part 3, students find the main idea in a new story and complete a main ideas chart. The materials address cause and effect and have students complete a cause and effect chart. Students get a review of main idea and details by rereading earlier text. In a new text, students create a story sequence chart and map the story structure.
• In Unit 4, Lesson: The Earth Shakes in 1906, Part 1, students compare and contrast the points of view of two characters. Students also sequence character actions and feelings in a box chart, and compare characters in a Venn diagram. They reread a familiar passage to check for main ideas and details.
• In Unit 4, Lesson: Do Dragons Cause Thunder?, Part 3, students make a sequence chart for the new story. They then write a scene summarizing the central message. They do the same for another new story in this lesson. Students fill out a compare and contrast Venn diagram on characters’ responses to an action.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Who Was Johnny Appleseed, Part 1, students think about the answers to the following questions while reading the text about Johnny Appleseed, “What is the main topic of the text? What do the details show about the kind of person John Chapman was?” The Learning Guide revisits these questions with the student and they discuss the main idea of the text. The students also writes down three details from the text in their ELA journal.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Johnny’s Timeline, Part 1, students complete a main idea and details web graphic organizer for the text Johnny Appleseed.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Pioneer Life, Part 2, students read Pioneers to the West. Students are instructed to think about the following question: “What caused the events in the text?” In this lesson, students also fill out a cause and effect chart about the California Gold Rush. Students also watch a Brain Pop Jr. video about cause and effect.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Who Was Johnny Appleseed, Part 3, students watch a video titled "Determining the Main Idea." Afterwards, the student and Learning Guide discuss why it is important to find the main idea of a text.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Pioneer Life, Part 3, students read Pioneers to the West. Students are instructed to think about the following question: “In what order do the events in the text happen?” After reading, students fill out a story sequence chart about the text.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Pioneer Life, Part 5, students create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast George Staples and John McWilliams from the text Pioneers to the West.

Materials include lessons and activities about text features (e.g. title, byline, headings, table of contents, glossary, pictures, illustrations). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Lesson: Reading the House on Maple Street, Part 2, students learn that illustrations can help tell important details about the story.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?, Part 1, introduces students to text features in the chapter book -- photos, captions, chapter titles, headings and subheadings, sidebars. Students then write one paragraph about why the author might have included this text feature. Students are asked to think of a text feature that the author should have used. Students look for text features in a different book. Students then write one paragraph about this text feature.
• In Unit 1, Lesson: Let’s Meet Snowshoe Hare!, Part 3, students read the last three stories of the book. Students answer the following questions about how illustrations help to better understand the story. One of the questions is: “What does the picture on the page show you about how Snowshoe share feels?”
• In Unit 2, Lesson: Reading Money Matters, Part 4, students are prompted to use the glossary in order to understand words that they may not know or to use the pictures to see what something looks like such as a bank card.
• In Unit 2, Lesson: Reading I Wanna Iguana, Part 5, students learn about headings.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Learning About Roosevelt and Lincoln, Part 2, students look for sidebars and create a quotation. Students play Text Feature Jeopardy.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: Making a City Green, Part 2, students to examine how pictures provide information in a text.
• In Unit 3, Lesson: What is Change Makers All About?, Part 5, students add text features to a biography.
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Johnny’s Timeline, Part 1, students are given the following question to consider when reading the text Johnny Appleseed: “How do the text features and pictures connect to the words of the text?” Later on in this lesson text features such as timelines, photographs, and illustrations are discussed. The materials state, “Johnny Appleseed has a timeline. A timeline is a text feature. Text features help readers understand the information in the text. A timeline shows events in chronological, or time, order. Johnny Appleseed also has photographs and illustrations. It has captions that tell more about the photographs and illustrations. These are also text features.”
• In Unit 5, Lesson: Johnny’s Timeline, Part 2, students are given the following question to consider as they read: “What information can you learn from the photos and illustrations?” As students read they also answer questions that relate to text features such as: “Look at the photograph on p. 54. Read the text on p. 55. What does the photograph tell you about the frontier?” and “Look at pp. 56–61. The timeline does not change. Why is that?”