5th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Center for Collaborative Classroom Grade 5 partially meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

Within the units of Making Meaning the instructional materials are organized around literary and informational texts and the teaching of reading comprehension strategies. Texts are not consistently organized by topic and students have limited opportunities to build knowledge and vocabulary about topics consistently. Examples include but are not limited to:

In Genre Opinion Writing of Being a Writer, the read-aloud texts are about television and the use of animal testing. There are two texts about television: “WARNING: Too much TV is Hazardous to Your Health” and “Television: The Most Disparaged Resource of the Information Age.” After the reading those texts, student have the knowledge needed to write an opinion essay. There are two texts about the use of animals for experimentation: “Animal Experimentation Saves Lives” and “Animal Testing: Here is the Truth.”

In Genre Nonfiction Expository of Being a Writer, the read-aloud texts are about Earth and nature. Students hear the following texts: I Wonder Why Penguins Can’t Fly and other questions about polar lands, I Wonder Why the Sahara is Cold at Night and other questions about deserts, Rainforests, Extreme Earth Records, and Global Warming. Students exploring these texts will engage with the expository nonfiction, but will not necessarily be provided connections to create knowledge building beyond the single texts unless the teacher creates these connections.

Other text sets in Grade 5 Making Meaning are not organized by topic; rather, they are organized around the skills practiced. Examples include:

• In Unit 2, the title of the unit is Using Text Features: Expository Nonfiction. Students listen to the texts Rainforests by James Harrison, “Follow That Ball! Soccer Catching On in the U.S.” (author unknown), “All Work and No Play: Trends in School Recess” (author unknown), and Great Women of the American Revolution by Brianna Hall. Students focus on the skills of using text features to better understand expository nonfiction texts, books and articles and use text features to locate key information. To provide students opportunity to build knowledge on a topic, the teacher will have so supplement the unit with other texts.
• In Unit 3, the title of the unit is Questioning: Expository Nonfiction. Students listen to Big Cats by Seymour Simon. This text is utilized for both Week 1 and Week 2. Students focus on the skills of using questioning to help them make sense of the text, use schema to articulate all they think they know about a topic before they read, and learn the procedure for “Stop and Ask Questions.”
• In Unit 4, the title of the unit is Analyzing Text Structure: Fiction. Students listen to Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. It is utilized as the only text for all 4 weeks of instruction. Students focus on the skills of analyzing text structure in a novel, including the story elements, character, setting, plot, and conflict, using questioning to make sense of a novel, think about whether their questions are answered explicitly or implicitly in a novel, use questioning to make sense of a novel, and explore an important theme in a novel. The use of the single text in this unit will support the outlined instruction but will not support their building knowledge or growing vocabulary beyond the plot and text structures within the novel.
• In Unit 7, the title of the unit is Analyzing Text Structure: Expository Nonfiction. Students listen to “Copycat: Why Clone?” (author unknown), “The Debate on Banning Junk Food Ads” (author unknown), “All-girls and All-boys Schools: Better for Kids” (author unknown), “Do Kids Really Need Cell Phones?” (author unknown), “How to Make an Origami Cup” (author unknown), “Blue Line Train Schedule” (author unknown), “Ashton Hammerheads Schedule for September 2015” (author unknown), “Frontier Fun Park” (author unknown), Survival and Loss: Native American Boarding Schools (author unknown). Survival and Loss: Native American Boarding Schools is utilized in both Week 4 and Week 5 instruction. Students focus on the skills of analyzing how the information in expository nonfiction articles is organized, explore how articles can inform by highlighting pros and cons, explore how articles can inform by investigating one side of an issue, explore authors’ opinion, analyze how the information in functional texts is organized, identify what they learn from functional texts, explore how functional texts inform readers, use two functional texts to solve problems, hear and discuss an expository text, identify what they learn from an expository text, and explore the text structures of sequence, cause/effect, and compare/contrast in an expository text. Students engaging in this text work will not necessarily build knowledge on a topic or topics, however, as the texts are disconnected and not linked with intentional knowledge building, and to create that the teacher will have to provide other instructional supports.

The materials reviewed for Center for Collaborative Classroom 5 partially meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

In Making Meaning students are asked questions about the read alouds that require students to think about the process of reading and discussing text with classmates; however, most of the questions are focused on this process and not on deeply analyzing the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. Some representative examples illustrating this include (but are not limited to) the following:

• In Unit 4, Week 4, students continue to discuss Tuck Everlasting. As a class, students discuss the following: "What kind of person is Winnie now compared to the beginning of the story? What in the story makes them think that?" This focus on plot and key points is open-ended, and the teacher will need to be prepared to guide students to choosing relevant text-focused information to support.
• In Unit 7, Week 1, students are reading persuasive articles and analyzing arguments for and against topics. For example, students read “The Debate on Banning Junk Food Ads” and discuss arguments for banning ads. They answer the following: "What arguments are against it? What pros and cons did they find in the article?" These questions focus on the surface level of the material, rather than homing in on the structural components or providing other detail work. 
• In Unit 9, Week 1, students read a summary of “Zoo” and write an opinion with scaffolded instruction. The teacher asks, “How might you summarize 'Zoo?'" Next, the teacher asks, “What might someone who recommends this story say about it?” Students discuss their thoughts with partners. Then the teacher asks, “What might someone, who doesn’t recommend the story, say about it?” Students discuss responses with partners. These questions do provide support for collaborative discussions, but do not support closer examination of the craft, language,  and structure of materials. 
• In Unit 5, Week 1 students are making inferences about poems and narrative texts during independent reading. In student response journals students complete graphic organizers in the form of a double entry journal describing what they read and then what they inferred about each part. Students are asked,"What is happening in the part of the text that you read today? How do you know? Are those things stated directly, or are you inferring them from clues? What clues?" Some students may unpack their reading to the depth of analysis here, but the teacher will have to build in supports for those who demonstrate  basic comprehension only. 

In Being a Writer students are asked questions about the read alouds that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 2 students read the text The Sweetest Fig and asked, “What words or phrases describe Monsieur Bibot?” This focus on the descriptive language supports the expectations of this indicator. 
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 4 the Teacher Edition states, “Show the table of contents on page 3 and point out that the author organized the information into smaller topics, or subtopics, within the larger topic of rainforests. Subtopics in the book include who lives there (for example, “Rainforest peoples”) and how the rainforest is being destroyed (for example, “Rainforests in danger”) This detailed work around the text is an example of how the program supports that deeper analysis of craft and structures. 
• In Unit 8, Week 1, Day 2 students are asked, “What examples of personification do you notice? What words does the poet use to write about the sea as if it were a person?” 

The instructional materials reviewed for Center for Collaborative Classroom Grade 5 partially meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

The materials in Grade 5 contain some coherently sequenced sets of text-dependent questions and tasks. In Making Meaning and Being a Writer, the questions provided frequently ask students to refer to an individual text, and some help build students’ understanding. Questions provided don’t always lead students to analyze or integrate knowledge. Opportunities to integrate knowledge and ideas across multiple texts are typically offered only as extension tasks.

In Making Meaning and Being a Writer, students use a text over the course of several days. Each day, to a limited extent, questions and tasks require students to integrate knowledge about the text. Examples include:

• In Unit 2, Week 3 in Making Meaning, students work with “Great Women of the Revolution.” Afterwards, student partners respond to the following question on Day 1: “What did you find out about women who participated in the American Revolution?” On Day 4, students discuss: “What did you learn about Elizabeth Burgin? What did you learn about Ann Bates?” This type of questioning is frequently utilized. It encourages literal recall and retelling, but is not conducive to analysis and integration of knowledge.
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 2 in Making Meaning, students listen to an excerpt from “Tuck Everlasting”. Text-dependent questions include, “What has happened in these two chapters?” “What are some of the conflicts or problems in the story?” “What do you think might happen next?” On Day 3, students explore story climax and are asked, “What exciting and interesting event happened in yesterday’s reading involving the Tucks and the man in the yellow suit?” Students learn that after the story’s climax, characters often change in some way. This exemplifies a sequence of questions that lead to deeper understanding.
• In Unit 7, Week 1 in Making Meaning, students hear an article on about cloning. Students are asked text-dependent questions such as: “What have you learned so far about cloning?” On Day 2, students are asked: “What are some ways that cloning might help people? What are some ways that cloning might be dangerous?”
• In Unit 8, Week 1 in Making Meaning, the teacher reads aloud the text, A River Run Wild and asks the following: “What was the way of life of the Native Americans who settled along the river? How did it change? What effect did machines have on the Nashua River during the industrial revolution? How did the river become clean again?”
• In Genre Personal Narrative, Week 2, Days 1-2, students hear Still Firetalking. On Day 1, students answer: “What challenges did Patricia face as a child? What did you learn from others?” On Day 2, students answer: “What ideas for stories did Patricia get from her own life? What did you learn about the process Patricia goes through to make a book?” Students begin to write their own personal narrative after listening to the personal narrative.
• In Genre Opinion Writing, Week 1, Day 1, students hear “WARNING: Too Much TV is Hazardous to Your Health.” During the read aloud, students answer: “What is the author trying to do in this essay?” After the read aloud and after students read the text with a partner, students answer: “What is the author trying to convince us to believe? How do you know? Did this essay change what you believe? Why or why not?” These questions about the text lead to helping students write an opinion essay.

Most question sets address literal aspects of the article, only occasionally requiring inference. Most inferential questions are based on explicit information in the text. Therefore, many of the questions and tasks are not sufficient in leading students to analyze ideas within and across texts. Few opportunities are included in the materials for students to independently integrate knowledge and ideas across multiple texts. Regular opportunities are not provided throughout the year-long materials to meet the criteria of this indicator. Examples include:

• In Unit 2, Week 2 of Making Meaning, students are introduced to the text, “Follow that Ball! Soccer Catching on in the U.S.” Students learn about text features of articles and are encouraged to notice text features in other texts. On Day 1, the teacher asks: “What is this article about?" On Day 2, students listen to the text again and complete activities in their Student Response Books. On Day 3, students skim the text and look for headings and subtitles. On Day 4, students examine and discuss the bar graph, “Minutes of Recess Per Day” and answer text-dependent questions in their Student Response Books. There is little focus on how text features contribute to deeper understanding of the content.
• In Unit 3, Week 1 of Making Meaning, students hear a fictional story about animals, Big Cats. Students can integrate knowledge and ideas in the Writing about Reading task: “Have the students write about how lions and tigers are alike and different.” However, the there are only two questions leading up to the task which include, "What information do we learn about lions in this passage?" and "What information do we learn about tigers in this passage?" These questions do not require students to analyze knowledge or ideas.
• In Unit 4, Week 3 of Making Meaning, students are asked "What are some of the conflicts or problems in the story? What do you think might happen next?" as it relates to Tuck Everlasting, which is the text that they are currently reading. Students are asked to discuss with the class and their partners about which of their questions were answered and which were not. However, there is not a coherent sequenced set of questions requiring students to analyze the conflicts and problems. Students are only asked questions that are not specifically related to the text being discussed. For example, students are asked, "What is a question that got you and your partner talking about the story?"
• In Unit 5, Week 1 of Making Meaning, students listen to "The Cafe" and "The Possum," which are the first two chapters of the book The Van Gogh Cafe. Teachers are asked,"Reread the passage on page 5 that begins “Marc bought the cafe seven years ago ...” and ends “It seems right for her.” Ask:Q What do you know about Clara based on what you heard in this section?Q Clara says, “Kansas is like a tall person relaxing.” What do you think that means?" Though students are asked to pull information from the text to create an inference, students are not analyzing ideas, but instead creating an inference about a singular detail.
• In Unit 8, Week 3 of Making Meaning, students hear Hey World, Here I Am! Students are asked to write summaries of the text and answer the following questions when analyzing one another's summaries: "Which summaries give a clear idea of what this story excerpt is about? Why do you think so? Heads together." Students integrate knowledge of the text into their analysis of one another's summaries; however, students do not integrate knowledge to analyze the ideas presented within the text.
• In the Being a Writer section, students read various nonfiction texts in the Expository Nonfiction Unit about the earth and nature such as I Wonder Why the Sahara is Cold at Night, Rainforests, and Extreme Earth Records. Text-dependent questions are asked after each text, such as “What did you learn about global warming that you were curious about?” In Week 2, Day 2, students take all of these texts to help write their own nonfiction essay, which supports students in integrating ideas across multiple texts.

The instructional materials reviewed for Center for Collaborative Classroom Grade 5 partially meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

In the Grade 5 materials, the opportunity to use integrated skills in culminating projects is inconsistent. There are some opportunities in the Writing about Reading activities, journal entries, and writing pieces for students to demonstrate knowledge of a topic or skill. In most lessons or tasks, students’ oral and written responses provide the teacher with information about students’ readiness to move forward in the materials. Some of these tasks provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics, but are not necessarily culminating tasks. Many fall under the Extension or Technology Extension sections, which may be perceived as optional. According to the publisher, “In both Making Meaning and Being a Writer, Writing about Reading activities provide multiple opportunities to analyze a single text in response to a sequence of questions presented by the teacher, and then write a response to the literature using text evidence to support opinions or conclusions.”

In Expository Nonfiction of Being a Writer, students immerse themselves in nonfiction texts about topics of interest to them and their partners. Students choose a topic to research together in some depth. Each pair of students write, revise, and publish an informational report about that topic. At the end of the unit, students present their reports by reading them aloud from the author’s chair.

In Unit 2, of Making Meaning, students discuss text features. Students hear the text, Rainforests, and on the second day go back into the text while teacher asks questions, such as “How might these photographs and captions help a reader better understand these pages about rainforest destruction?” However, the Writing about Reading task does not align to these tasks during the day. The students are asked to write their opinions about which rainforest birds are the most interesting.

In Unit 5, Week 2 of Making Meaning, students make inferences about various poems. On Day 4, in the optional Writing about Reading activity, students are provided a new poem called “Circles.” Students are asked questions and tasked with writing about visualizations and inferences from the poem.

In Unit 8, Week 1, students hear the text, A River Ran Wild about the history of the Nashua River in Massachusetts. The teacher asks students, “What did you learn about the river valley in the part of the story you just heard?” The end of week optional Writing about Reading prompt is for students to write about visualizations of a specific portion of the text.