4th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Center for Collaborative Classroom Grade 4 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 Unit 3 of Making Meaning, the focus is questioning with expository nonfiction. In Animal Senses: How Animals See, Hear, Taste, Smell and Feel by Pamela Hickman, students learn about different animal senses. In Slinky Scaly Slithery Snakes by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, students learn about survival techniques of snakes.

In Unit 6, of Making Meaning, students work on making inferences with fiction, expository nonfiction, and narrative nonfiction loosely centering around immigration and migration. In Week 1, students practice this skill with the text Amelia’s Road, which is about life as a child of a migrant worker. In Week 2, students hear Peppe the Lamplighter about a boy who gets a job to help his large family. In Week 3, students read the story Coming to America about the history of immigration.

Other text sets in Grade 4 Making Meaning are not organized by topic; rather, they are organized around the literacy skills practiced. Examples include:

• In Unit 1, the title of the unit is The Reading Community: Fiction. Students listen to the texts A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon, The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant, “A Bad Case of the Stripes Read by Sean Astin,” and Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman. Students focus on the skills of hearing and discussing stories, exploring the themes of the stories, discuss a visual presentation of a story and discuss a character’s feelings and thoughts. Students also begin their Individual Daily Reading (IDR) block by reading independently.
• In Unit 2, the title of the unit is Using Text Features: Expository Nonfiction. Students listen to the texts Shattering Earthquakes by Louise and Richard Spilsbury, “Tying the Score: Men, Women, and Basketball” (author unknown), “Food for Thought: Cafeteria Menus Shape Up” (author unknown), Nineteenth-Century Migration to America by John Bliss. In this unit, students focus on the skills of using text features to better understand expository nonfiction texts and use text features to locate key information, but they do not have an opportunity to grow knowledge on a topic as the texts examined are disparate. To provide connection to build knowledge and academic vocabulary, the teacher will have to supplement and differentiate the lesson in a different way than is presented.
• In Unit 4, the title of the unit is Analyzing Text Structure: Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction and Drama. Students listen to the texts Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco, The Princess and the Pizza by Mary Jane and Herm Auch, Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco, The Bat Boy and His Violin by Gavin Curtis, Teammates by Peter Golenbock, “Demeter and Persephone” (author unknown), “Co-chin and the Spirits” (author unknown), and Gluskabe and Old Man Winter from Pushing Up the Sky: Seven Native American Plays for Children by Joseph Bruchac. Students focus on elements of narrative text structure in fiction stories, including character, setting, plot, point of view, and conflict, discuss the use of first- and third-person points of view in stories, use questioning to help them make sense of the text, use schema to articulate all they think they know about a topic before they read, discuss theme in narrative text, use questioning to help them make sense of myths, think about whether their questions are answered explicitly or implicitly, explore elements of narrative text structure in myths, including character change and conflict, and compare themes and events in myths. While these texts are arranged in terms of genre, they do not offer further connections nor are they accompanied by instructional supports to grow knowledge on a topic or leverage what they have learned to expand their academic vocabulary.
• In Unit 8, the title of the unit is Determining Important Ideas and Summarizing: Narrative Nonfiction. Students listen to the texts Flight by Robert Burleigh, A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart by David A. Adler, In My Own Backyard by Judi Kurjian, A Picture Book of Rosa Parks by David A. Adler. Students focus on the skills of making inferences to understand a narrative nonfiction story, think about important ideas and supporting details in a narrative nonfiction story, explore elements of narrative text structure, including point of view and plot, in a narrative nonfiction story, use important ideas to build summaries, use important ideas to summarize an excerpt from a narrative nonfiction story, and use schema to articulate all they think they know about a topic before they read. With this practice, students are not provided opportunity to grow knowledge and academic vocabulary as is; to link the texts together, the teacher will have to provide supplemental instructional planning and/or other texts to create knowledge about a topic.
• In Unit 9, all reading done in the core classroom is student-chosen, so any opportunities for building knowledge about a topic and growing vocabulary are left to the student and are not assured by the instructional materials.

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 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 5, the teacher reads aloud Gluskabe and Old Man Winter. In their journals, students write a description of the story elements, main characters, and setting and analyze characters using evidence. This supporting students' identification of these elements provides some practice in the criteria of this indicator. 
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 2, the students have just heard “When We First Met” and are using the double-entry journal to record their thinking as a class to explore the inferences they made about Damon’s feelings and clues that helped them make these inferences. The teacher may have to supplement here to support all students in the appropriate level of depth and rigor for this work. 
• In Unit 7, Week 4, Day 1, the teacher is reading the chapter, “Competition for Work” and poses two questions to the group: “What did you learn about competition for work from this chapter? What did you notice about how the author organized information in this chapter?” These questions provide guidance back "in" to the text for students to focus not only on detail but also on structures within the text. 
• In Unit 8, Week 3, the teacher models writing a summary for the entire class. He or she asks, “What comes next in the summary? Why do you think that?” These questions do focus on an understanding of text.

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

• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 5 students read from “Hot Rolls,” and are asked: "What does the author do to wrap up this piece? What words or phrases tell you that the story has reached an end?" These questions focus the reader back on the detail and craft within the text. 
• In Unit 8, Week 1, Day 1, students are asked, “What sensory details does the poet include to help you see what’s happening? Hear? Feel? Smell or taste?” This guidance may provide an opportunity for students to do in depth study, although the teacher may need to support with examples and/or other guidance to assure students are drawing the connection between sensory details and the overall impact of the text. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Center for Collaborative Classroom 4 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 4 contain some coherently sequenced sets of text-dependent questions and tasks. 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 synthesize knowledge from a single text. Examples include:

• In Unit 3 in Making Meaning, students use the text Animal Senses: How Animals See, Hear, Taste, Smell and Feel throughout the unit. Questions help students integrate knowledge across this single text such as “What did you learn today about how animals hear? How
• Unit 4, Week 3, Day 3 in Making Meaning, students the story Teammates Jackie Robinson and are asked questions, such as “What is this story about?” and “What kind of person was Jackie Robinson? While these questions probe students' understanding of the single text, students are not led to make connections with learning from other texts.
• In Unit 7, Week 3,  Making Meaning, students make inferences about information provided in the headings of Farm Workers Unite: The Great Grape Boycott. Students participate in “heads together” to answer text-dependent questions, such as “Why was it difficult for farm workers to improve their living and working conditions?” Throughout the week, the teacher reads chapters from the book and asks text-dependent questions.
• In Unit 8, Week 2, students write about the themes of the books, A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart, and A Picture, Book of Harriet Tubman. However, the questions that support the writing do not require students to integrate ideas from both texts to draw conclusions or demonstrate knowledge.
• Being a Writer Week 1, the teacher reads Tar Beach. During the reading, students answer, “What happened so far in the story?” After the reading of the text, students answer, “What events in this story could happen in real life? What events could happen only in the imagination? What things could you write about that could happen only in the imagination?” While the texts touch on elements of the story, they fall short of eliciting information about knowledge that was gained from the of the text.
• Being a Writer, Genre Expository Nonfiction, Week 1, the teacher reads Australia. After the read-aloud, students answer, “What are some things you learned about Australia from the parts I read? What other country would you like to read about, and why? What do you want to know about the country you picked?” However, the bulk of the questions move away from the text and draw students into making connections to themselves and the world at-large. 

Most questions and task address literal aspects of the story, 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. The materials do not consistently include a coherently sequenced set of questions requiring students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. Consistent opportunities are not provided throughout the year-long materials to meet the criteria of this indicator. Examples include:

• In Unit 2, Week 1 of Making Meaning, students are asked "How is the information in the first hand account the same as the information in the second hand account? How is it different? What in the text makes you think that?" Students are asked to read an excerpt from a second hand account and the teacher explains what a second hand account is. However, there is not a coherent sequenced set of questions requiring students to analyze the second hand account. Students are only asked, "What information did you learn from the second hand account?"
• In Unit 3, Week 3 of Making Meaning, students hear two texts about animals, Animal Senses and Slinky Scaly Slithery Snakes. Students can integrate knowledge and ideas across those two texts in the Writing about Reading task: “Have the students write about the sense of sight using facts from both books.” However, the there are only two questions leading up to the task which include, "What did you learn about how animals use the sense of sight?"and "What else did you learn about how animals use the sense of sight?" These questions do not require students to analyze knowledge or ideas.
• In Unit 4, Week 4 of Making Meaning, students are asked, "Remind the students that they heard myths from two different cultures that have a similar theme: they explain how the seasons came to be.
• In Unit 7, Week 1 of Making Meaning, students two articles on school uniforms called “School Uniforms: The Way to Go” and “School Uniforms: No Way!” On the Day 4 of instruction, students write their own opinion about school uniforms, integrating their knowledge from the two articles.
• Being a Writer, students learn about various countries in the Expository Nonfiction Writing unit. Students hear several books about countries such as Kenya, Mexico, Italy, and Japan. Questions are asked such as “What did you learn about Japan that you were curious about?" Then, students take their knowledge of countries to engage in a research project. Students choose a country they are curious about and research it using sources with a partner.

The instructional materials reviewed for Center for Collaborative Classroom Grade 4 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 4 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 Unit 3 of Making Meaning, Questioning Expository Nonfiction, there are extension and journaling activities throughout the unit that focus on questioning with a combination of speaking and writing. At the end of the unit, the students write about how animals use the sense of sight from evidence from the books, Animal Senses and Scaly Slithery Snakes in the optional Writing about Reading activity.

In Unit 4, Week 3, of Making Meaning, the students hear several fictional texts such as The Boy and his Violin and Teammates, between which the students have to make connection. The optional extension activity includes a class discussion about point of view. Students determine whether it is more interesting to read a story from first person or third person point of view. There is another extension activity in which students compare the themes of these stories. Students write their opinions about firsthand and secondhand accounts of Jackie Robinson’s experiences in the Writing about Reading section. If time is available, students can share their writing with the class.

In Genre Expository Nonfiction of Being a Writer, students immerse themselves in non-fiction texts about countries. Partners select a country to research. For the writing task, students write an informational report based on their research.

In Unit 8 of Making Meaning, students write and speak in small and large groups. They compare firsthand and secondhand accounts of Charles Lindbergh’s Flight, along with discussing the similarities and differences between the two. There are several extension and writing activities throughout the unit. Through reading and conversations, students distinguish between fact and opinion. The culminating activities are Writing about Reading prompts. Students write about the themes in A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart and Picture Book of Harriet Tubman.

In Genre Opinion of Being a Writer, students hear opinion texts and then draft persuasive essays. Students select a topic to write a persuasive essay about after discussing the following question with a peer: “What opinion do you feel strongly enough about to publish a persuasive essay about it?” After writing the essay, students share in the author’s chair.