7th Grade - Gateway 2

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2a. 

The texts in each unit are connected by a grade-appropriate and cohesive topic/theme. Each unit also includes a related essential question. The sequence of texts and activities helps students build knowledge over the course of the unit. Activities and prompts throughout the materials focus on the themes, topics, and essential questions. 

Texts are connected by a grade-appropriate cohesive topic/theme/line of inquiry. Texts build knowledge and the ability to read and comprehend complex texts across a school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, students focus on the essential question, “How do a community’s shared values create both belonging and rejection?” According to the Unit Overview description, “Students will read fiction, nonfiction, and poetry about what makes a community, the struggle to belong, and navigating multiple communities. By the end of the unit, students write a literary essay that analyzes how the idea of community is developed in a short story.”

• In Unit 3, students read Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson and focus on the essential question, “How does the time and place in which we live shape our story?” Materials help build historical knowledge relating to the author and how the world around her influenced her future. 

• In Unit 6, the content focuses on which school electives matter most and the essential question, “How do different electives motivate students and prepare them for the future?” Knowledge building centers on a hypothetical situation where schools cut all electives except for one, leaving students to decide which one should be saved: computer science, cooking, or music. Students read “Arlington Heights Parents Oppose District 25’s Plan to Cut Electives” by Karen Ann Cullotta, “Middle School Music And Theater Students Get Better Grades” by Tom Jacobs, “Reading, Writing, and Roasting: Schools Bring Cooking Back Into The Classroom” by Allison Aubrey, “Coding-It’s All Around Us” by Michael Signal,  and “The Value of Taking Electives” by Ashleigh Lutz.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2b. 

Materials require students to analyze the key ideas, details, craft, and structure within individual texts and across multiple texts using coherently sequenced, high-quality questions and tasks. Multiple reading standards for this indicator are represented in each unit text. Teacher copies of lessons indicate the lesson skill focus is aligned to the standard. Independent tasks such as multiple choice and short response writing indicate standard alignment to analyzing key ideas, details, craft, and structure. Each unit guide indicates the reading lessons and aligned reading standards. The 7th Grade Scope and Sequence also references all standards addressed across all six units, including RL/RI 1-6.

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details  (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Reading Lesson: “What is ‘community’ and why is it important?”, students read “What is ‘Community’ and Why is it Important?” by Toby Lowe. During the first read, students complete a Think & Share where they respond to the following prompt: “What claim does Lowe make about the word ‘community’ in paragraph 1?” Students then write about the following: “What is the relationship between the claim above and the bulleted list in paragraph 2?” In the Independent Practice section, students answer the following multiple-choice question: “Which piece of evidence best illustrates the central idea of the article?” 

• In Unit 2, Reading Lesson: “How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships,” students are introduced “to key unit knowledge about adolescence. Students will learn about teens’ increased emotionality, attachment to peers, and risk-taking and reward-seeking behaviors.” Students analyze key ideas about changes in the adolescent brain and respond to the prompt: “You have just read ‘How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships’ by Daniel Siegel. According to the article, what challenges arise as a result of changes to the adolescent brain?”

• In Unit 4, Reading Lesson: “This is Your Brain on Instagram: Effects of Social Media on the Brain,” students read “This is Your Brain on Instagram” by Kelly McSweeney and analyze how an author makes connections between ideas. After reading paragraphs two to four, students respond to the question, “Based on paragraph 4, how does the idea apply to social media?” Students are provided a box to respond to the question. 

• In Unit 5, Reading Lesson: “The Man in the Arena,” students read “The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt. Students write a response to the following prompt: “As noted in the About this Text section, this is an excerpt from a longer speech called ‘Citizenship in a Republic.’ What message was Roosevelt trying to convey about being a citizen in a republic, a country like the United States.” 

• In Unit 6, Reading Lesson: “Middle School Music And Theater Students Get Better Grades,” students analyze the connection between music and theater electives and student achievement. After reading “Middle School Music and Theater Students Get Better Grades” by Tom Jacobs, students consider the essential question, “How do different electives motivate students and prepare them for the future?— and whether taking a music elective is most beneficial for students.”

For most texts, students analyze craft and structure (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Reading Lesson: “How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships,” students “build an understanding of the challenges of adolescence and how they contribute to our growth.” One example of analyzing craft and structure is the Independent Practice. After reading “How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships” by Daniel Siegel, students review paragraphs 8 to 12 and answer the question, “How does Siegel structure paragraphs 8-12 of the text?”

• In Unit 4, Reading Lesson: “This Muslim-American Teen Turned His Suffering Into a Full-Fledged Battle Against Stereotypes,” students analyze how details develop an author’s main point of view. The purpose of the text is “To learn about how one teen is using social media to impact others so that we can build an understanding of how social media can create a community.” After reading “This Muslim-American Teen Turned His Suffering Into a Full-Fledged Battle Against Stereotypes” by Rae Paoletta, students respond to questions to analyze how the subject uses social media to impact the reader’s point of view. For example, “Ziad Ahmed is using social media to help teens learn acceptance and tolerance.”

• In Unit 5, Reading Lesson: “Ain’t I a Woman,” students read “Ain’t I a Woman” by Sojourner Truth. After reading, students answer the following question: “First, navigate back to the Lesson Overview and review the ‘About this Text’ section; then reread paragraphs 7-9 of the text. In this section, how does Truth make the difference between her point of view and her audience’s point of view clear?” Then, students respond to the prompt, “Explain how Truth’s use of a rhetorical question at the end of this section helped her accomplish her purpose.” 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2c.

Throughout the course of the year, most sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas. The materials build throughout the unit toward the culminating tasks, so most questions build on student knowledge to prepare them for the culminating task. The materials also include choice texts that provide opportunities for students to build knowledge through reading, answering questions, and responding to writing prompts. The related media explorations also provide knowledge-building opportunities. The materials provide opportunities for students to analyze across multiple texts. However, the materials do not clearly identify the appropriate standards (RL.9 and RI.9). 

Most sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Related Media Exploration: “What role do we play in creating community?,” students watch videos and relate them to what they have learned about in the unit. For example, after students watch “Group Identity- Ingroup and Outgroup Formation,” they respond to the following: “In ‘How the Need to Belong Influences Human Behavior,’ Kendra Cherry says the desire for belonging ‘plays a role in many of people’s social behaviors, such as self-presentation and social comparison.’ What behaviors do you observe in this video that relate to ‘self-presentation’? What examples of ‘social comparison’ do you observe in this video?”

• In Unit 3, Choice Board: Texts, students select a text and read about it to learn about the historical context to help them understand Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson better. Students can choose to read “The First Time John Lewis and I Integrated the Buses” by Bernard Lafayette Jr. or “Transcript of Full Joseph McNeil Interview” by Newsday. After reading, students respond to the prompt, “How did the activists you read about create change?” Students also complete an Independent Reflection where they respond to the following prompt: “In ‘south carolina at war,’ Woodson’s grandfather tells her, ‘This is the way brown people have to fight...You can’t just put your fist up. You have to insist/ on something gently. Walk towards a thing / slowly.’ How do the actions of the activists in the text you read demonstrate these ideas?”

• In Unit 4, Choice Board: Texts, “students conduct a short research assignment and gather relevant information from multiple sources.” Students select two texts from a choice of five in order to gather evidence and analyze how the text supports “the ways using social media can be beneficial.”

• In Unit 6, Related Media Exploration: “What is the power of electives?,” students “collaboratively engage with seven videos, build knowledge about the unit topic, discuss and reflect on new learning.” Students analyze videos and core unit texts in order to use the evidence to respond to this prompt: “Based on the videos in this exploration, why is it important for students to take electives? Write a paragraph convincing a friend that students need elective classes. Summarize evidence from the videos in your response.”

Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Reading Lesson: “The Party,” students analyze an article and short story from the unit in order to respond to a student-led cross-textual question that asks, “The article, ‘How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships’ describes intense emotions, increased risk-taking, and the need for peer attachment as key changes that adolescents experience. Explain how the narrator of ‘The Party’ demonstrates these changes.”  

• In Unit 3, Choice Board: Texts, students selected a text and read about it to learn more about the historical context to help them better understand Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Students can choose to read “The First Time John Lewis and I Integrated the Buses” by Bernard Lafayette Jr. or “Transcript of Full Joseph McNeil Interview” by Newsday. After reading, students respond to the prompt, “How did the activists you read about create change?” Students also complete an Independent Reflection where they respond to the following prompt, “In ‘south carolina at war,’ Woodson’s grandfather tells her, ‘This is the way brown people have to fight...You can’t just put your fist up. You have to insist/ on something gently. Walk towards a thing / slowly.’ How do the actions of the activities in the text you read demonstrate these ideas?”

• In Unit 4, Choice Board: Texts, students choose two texts from a list of five to gather relevant information and conduct a short research project. Directions state, “Select two texts to read and annotate. Then, take out your Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizer and gather evidence.” Students choose from five texts that relate to the possible impact of social media on mental health. They gather evidence across two texts and record relevant information in their note-taking graphic organizer.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2d. 

The materials provide culminating tasks for each unit. Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate a variety of reading, writing, and speaking and listening standards. Almost all culminating tasks require students to use evidence from texts read throughout the unit. While the culminating task is often introduced towards the end of each unit, the materials require students to record evidence from texts they read throughout each unit that will support them as they respond to prompts. Culminating tasks often require students to present their tasks and utilize technology in some way. Culminating tasks are varied and often try to mirror real-life situations. The culminating tasks are broken into multiple lessons with lesson copies for both the teacher and the student.

Culminating tasks are evident and varied across the year and they are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards (reading, writing, speaking, listening) at the appropriate grade level, and comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics through integrated skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Planning the Culminating Task: Literary Analysis Essay, students break down the prompt, discuss ideas with partners, find evidence from two texts, draft their thesis statements, and outline their essays. In Drafting the Culminating Task: Literary Analysis Essay, students write their drafts to the prompt “In the article, ‘What is ‘community’ and why is it important?’ Toby Lowe argues that ‘a community is a group of people who share an identity-forming narrative.’ Explain how this idea can be seen in the community’s view of the painter lady in ‘The War of the Wall.’ Use evidence from both texts in your response.” In Revision: Introductions and Revision: Conclusions: students read an exemplar essay introduction and conclusion, respectively, discuss a triangle strategy with a partner, and revise the introductions and conclusions of their literary analysis essay. Students read a model introduction and conclusion independently and determine key components needed in an opening and closing paragraph in an essay. With a partner, students view the diagram of the triangle strategy and then respond and discuss answers to questions such as, “Why do you think writers often start essays with a statement about the world?... How is a conclusion different from an introduction?” The last steps involve students revising their introductions and conclusions using the triangle strategy. This culminating writing task requires students to demonstrate mastery of reading, writing, speaking and listening. 

• In Unit 5, Planning the Culminating Task: Rhetorical Analysis Essay, students respond to the prompt, “Write an essay about the Choice Board text you read in which you explain the rhetorical choices the speaker made that helped them accomplish their purpose. Include evidence from text and video to support your essay.” Students review one of three speeches and respond to questions, such as, “What was the speaker’s overall purpose in your speech?” to prepare for the discussion. Students work in groups based on the chosen speech and take notes during the discussion in order to integrate peer ideas into their essays. In Drafting the Culminating Task: Rhetorical Analysis Essay, students draft an essay to the prompt, “You have learned about how the speakers in this unit develop their central idea and purpose through specific rhetorical choices. Write an essay about the Choice Board text you read in which you explain the rhetorical choices the speaker made that helped them accomplish their purpose. Include evidence from text and video to support your essay.” In a later lesson, students analyze a model body paragraph and revise their own. This culminating writing task requires students to demonstrate mastery of reading, writing, speaking and listening. 

• In Unit 6, Culminating Task Part A: Argumentative Presentation Deck, students begin drafting their presentations based on the prompt “Imagine your school is considering cutting some elective courses. Which of the following three electives would you save and why: Computer Science, Cooking, or Music? Prepare a multimedia presentation for your local school board to convince them which elective should be saved. Be sure to make a pitch about why your chosen elective is best, including evidence, appeals, and visual messaging to support your argument.” In Writing Lesson: Expanding Your Pitch, students analyze a pitch script, learn how to create powerful pitches, and plan and draft their elevator pitches. In later lessons, students rehearse their presentations and review their works cited pages. In Culminating Task Part B: Delivery of Argumentative Presentation, students present their culminating task. The teacher copy suggests that students can present their argumentative presentation live or pre-recorded. While students are presenting, the rest of the class is filling out the “Argumentative Presentation Student Participation Tracker” and taking notes on all the other presentations. Students are presenting on the following prompt, “Imagine your school is considering cutting some elective courses. Which of the following three electives would you save and why: Computer Science, Cooking, or Music? Prepare a multimedia presentation for your local school board to convince them which elective should be saved. Be sure to make a pitch about why your chosen elective is best, including evidence appeals and visual messaging to support your argument.” This culminating writing task requires students to demonstrate mastery of reading, writing, speaking and listening. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2f. 

The materials include research and writing activities and projects from the beginning to the end of the year. Materials provide opportunities for students to complete research activities tied to topics and core unit texts. Research standards are present in the Scope and Sequence for each unit. The language of research standards is referenced in all Unit Guides. Research is integrated throughout the curriculum and can be found in Related Media Exploration lessons and Culminating unit lessons. Students synthesize multiple texts and source materials to gain knowledge and understanding of the topic and record this information in a note-taking graphic organizer to be accessed in the culminating unit tasks. Materials provide opportunities for students to draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Professional development materials in PDF format, found under How-to Guidance, support teachers in guiding students to use graphic organizers to gather relevant information, writing exemplars, and understanding the Research Process. Guidance is available in the digital teacher resources found in the series of culminating tasks at the end of the unit.

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills according to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Writing: Planning the Culminating Task: Informational Presentation, students respond to the following prompt: “What will it take to achieve success this school year? Prepare a presentation explaining how you will use the ingredients from the recipe for success to be successful this school year. Use examples from the texts and videos in this unit to support the information in your presentation.” During the planning stages, students are prompted to find evidence from various texts used throughout the unit. 

  • In Unit 4, Planning the Culminating Task: Argumentative Presentation, students consider what message they want to promote about social media. The materials contain a graphic organizer for students to put their claims and evidence that supports their message. Students gather evidence from the “Research Note Taking Graphic Organizer” they have used throughout the unit. Students use evidence from a variety of texts used throughout the unit. 

  • In Unit 6, Review: Formatting Your Works Cited Page, students learn the standard format for citation. The lesson contains four parts: Identifying Texts and Multimedia Sources Referenced in Your Task, Review Works Cited Formatting for Texts, Independent Practice: Starting Your Works Cited with Reading Texts, and Finishing Your Works Cited List. When students create their own work cited page, there is a list of requirements to follow, for example, “Use a hanging indent: the first line of each entry should begin at the margin; all following lines should be indented by 0.5 inches.”

Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects of a topic via provided resources. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Materials support teachers in employing projects by providing tools found under Professional Development in How-To Guidance. One PDF teacher resource, Using a Note Taking Graphic Organizer Effectively, provides a list of teacher tips to guide students in using the evidence-gathering tool, such as, “Pace your lesson by dedicating at least 10 minutes after reading a text to reviewing, organizing, and summarizing ideas.”

• In Unit 4, Choice Board: Texts, the materials provide a list of five choice texts students can use to conduct their research for their culminating task. For each text, except “Using Social Networks Safely,” the materials provide the text, paired texts, and related media for more information about that topic all in one place.

• In Unit 6, Note Taking Graphic Organizer, students gather evidence from multiple print and digital sources to record evidence. The teacher guide, Using a Note-Taking Graphic Organizer Effectively, provides guidance in quoting and paraphrasing data with the following: “Some key connections within a text can get lost in the process of jotting them down. Model a think-aloud to show your thinking process for identifying key details, citing evidence, and summarizing and synthesizing their importance.”

Materials provide many opportunities for students to synthesize and analyze content tied to the texts under study as a part of the research process. 

• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Related Media Exploration: What role do we play in creating community?, students “collaboratively engage with three videos, build knowledge about the unit topic, reflect on their lives, and discuss what they’ve learned.” Students conduct research relating to the community and respond to questions such as: “What problems might arise from people interacting without understanding each other’s community stories?”

  • In Unit 4, Outlining the Culminating Task: Argumentative Presentation, students respond to the prompt, “In this final project, convince other teens to make more positive decisions while online. Create a social media campaign in order to inform teens of the effects of frequent social media usage -positive or negative.” Students are asked to check off the requirements for the project. Two of the requirements state: “Do you have evidence from the research that supports your claims? Do you know what research article this evidence comes from?” Students use their Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizer for this activity, which they have used throughout the unit to collect evidence from texts. 

  • In Unit 6, Planning Your Culminating Task: Argumentative Presentation, students research to answer the question: “Imagine your school is considering cutting some elective courses. Which of the following three electives would you save and why: Computer Science, Cooking, or Music?” Students draw on a number of sources, including five core informational texts, one of three Choice Board Texts, and three videos to gather evidence to respond to the research question. 

  • Opportunities to generate individual research questions for further research and investigation are not present in the materials. 

• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Planning the Culminating Task: Literary Analysis Essay, students draw on evidence from literary and informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. For example, students read the short story “The War of the Wall” by Toni Cade Bambara and gather “three pieces of evidence that reveal the community’s views of the painter lady.” Analysis of this text follows as students support how their evidence explains “...how the identity-forming narrative of the community in ‘War of the Wall’ influences their views of the painter lady.”

  • In Unit 2, Drafting the Culminating Task: Literary Analysis Essay, the materials provide a rubric for the culminating task. The category for a four says, “Includes strongest, most relevant text evidence to support [the] thesis and overall analysis of the text(s). Includes support of explicit and implicit points. Evidence is introduced, contextualized, quoted, or paraphrased accurately.” 

  • In Unit 4, Choice Board: Texts, students select two texts to read and annotate. Texts include, but are not limited to, “Teens Using Social Media for Good Deeds” by Smart Social and “Social Media: What’s Not to Like?” by Alison Pearce Stevens. Students fill out their Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizer and take notes for their culminating project. The graphic organizer asks students to find examples and evidence from the texts that show the rewards of social media and the risks of social media. 

  • In Unit 6, Note Taking Graphic Organizer, students draw evidence from informational texts, news articles, essays, and three videos to learn about computer science and coding. For each text/video, students record reasons for saving music, cooking, and computer science electives and then record specific evidence from the unit texts and videos to support their reasons. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2g. 

Materials spend the majority of instructional time on content that falls within grade-level aligned instruction, practice, and assessments. Aligned grade-level standards are stated clearly in the materials. Questions and tasks are aligned to reading, writing, language and speaking and listening standards in a majority of the lessons. Grade-level standard-aligned assessments are found in vocabulary quizzes, grammar quizzes, and culminating writing tasks at the end of each unit. Multiple reading and writing and speaking and listening standards are repeatedly addressed within and across units to ensure mastery of grade-level standards. Although the Scope and Sequence indicate most of the standards are represented, some standards are missing or only represented once. 

Over the course of each unit, the majority of instruction is aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Most Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are taught throughout the school year as recorded in all Unit Guides: Unit at a Glance, Skill Focus, Arc of Reading and Writing Instruction, Vocabulary, Discussion, and Grammar Sections. Materials record standards in brackets next to skills in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening and Language. Grade level standards are indicated in the teacher copy of unit lesson overviews, specifically in the skill focus and Independent multiple choice and short answer questions. 

• In Unit 1, Related Media Exploration: “What role do we play in creating community?” students learn about how communities use differences to bring people together. The skill focus of this lesson states, “Students collaboratively engage with three videos, build knowledge about the unit topic, reflect on their lives, and discuss what they’ve learned” (RI.3, RI.7, W.2, W.7, W.8, SL.1, SL.2) is aligned to numerous grade-level standards. The Teacher Copy includes facilitation information, including how long students should work on each section of the lesson and the recommended modality, which is student pairs. The “slide deck” includes slides that help teachers pace through the lesson and an optional set of discussion questions that teachers can use at the end, such as 

  • “Which video(s)show an example of belonging? Explain your reasoning. 

  • Which video(s) illustrate the damaging effects of feeling rejection? Explain your reasoning.

  • How are Sara from “What It’s Like to Be an Outsider” and the narrator from “The White Umbrella” similar? How are they different?”

• In Unit 2, Writing Lesson: “Adding Reasoning to Your Writing,” students practice providing reasoning that explains their evidence, which addresses standards W.7.1b. Students begin by analyzing and taking notes on weak and strong reasoning. Students also practice adding reasoning to a sample response. The Teacher Copy includes exemplar responses for both of these parts of the lesson. The Facilitation suggestions prompt teachers to require students to analyze the weak reasoning in pairs. The suggestions prompt teachers to facilitate the analysis of the strong reasoning in a teacher-led format. The Teacher Copy notes suggest that students complete the rest of the lesson independently. Students use this skill to complete their culminating task later in the unit. 

• In Unit 4, Writing Lesson: Choosing Strong Evidence, students learn how to gather strong evidence from research. They begin by looking at types of evidence and then practice choosing strong evidence. The Teacher Copy provides the notes, passages, and possible answers. The facilitation guidance for this lesson suggests that teachers lead most of this lesson or have students complete it independently. This lesson addresses standard W.7.8. 

• In Unit 5, Related Media Exploration 1: Introduction to Rhetoric, students are introduced to rhetorical analysis. The lesson’s skill focus requires students to “...collaboratively engage with three videos, build knowledge about the unit topic, and discuss what they’ve learned” (RI.4, RI.6, RI.7, W.2, W.7, W.8, SL.1, SL.2). Students practice analyzing rhetoric and end the lesson in discussion around questions like “How can multiple appeals work together to inspire or influence an audience? Explain using an example from one of the movie clips.” In the first part of this lesson, students are introduced to rhetorical analysis by watching a video clip. Then, teachers lead students through a series of questions to analyze this clip. In the Teacher Copy, there are exemplar student answers to the questions provided for the teacher. 

Over the course of each unit, the majority of questions and tasks are aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Discussion Lesson, “Students will receive explicit instruction on how to introduce new ideas and check their understanding in a discussion” (SL.7.1). The task focuses on teaching students how to introduce new ideas and modeling statements that check and clarify understanding. In the first part of this lesson, students learn discussion expectations. In the second part of this lesson, students analyze a sample discussion transcript and answer questions like “Why does Reza use the words “I’m wondering” to introduce a new idea?” One part of the lesson prompts students to answer questions about effective discussions, for example, “Based on these sentence starters and discussion skills, list three things that you think will make a class discussion stronger.”

• In Unit 3, Section 1: During Reading Questions, students focus on how the setting develops the character. Students begin by reading and responding to During Reading questions such as, “In your own words, explain what Hughes says life is like when dreams die” (RL.7.4). Students are tasked with a student-led discussion at the end of this lesson in which they refer to text evidence to support their ideas. 

• In Unit 6, Reading Lesson: “Coding - It’s All Around Us,” students read the text by Michael A. Signal. While reading, students take notes on the benefits of learning to code. During Independent Practice, students respond to multiple questions, including, “How does the author illustrate the importance of exposing students to coding and computer science?” (RI.7.3) Standards addressed in this section also include R.7I.1, RI.7.2, and R.7I.5.

Over the course of each unit, the majority of assessment questions are aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Grammar and Usage Quiz, students are assessed on the unit’s grammar skills: understanding the function of phrases and clauses. Students take a 20-question assessment that starts with multiple choice and then finishes with rewriting sentences to address the L.7.1a  standard.

•  In Unit 2, Reading Lesson: “First-Day Fly,” students read “First-Day Fly” by Jason Reynolds. The lesson focuses on how an author develops a theme (RL.7.2). Students respond to the Independent Practice Prompt, “In ‘How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships,’ Daniel Siegel explains, ‘The adolescent brain transforms our relationships so that we no longer look to parents or caregivers alone for our oatmeal. Instead we look also to our friends and to society.’ Explain the narrator’s experiences with this change in Jason Reynolds’s story ‘First-Day Fly.’” The question addresses standard RL.7.2. The independent practice also has students address standards R.7l.1, Rl.7.4, RL.7.5, and RL.7.6. This entire lesson is meant to be completed independently by students. 

• In Unit 4, Reading Lesson: “This Muslim-American Teen Turned His Suffering Into a Full-Fledged Battle Against Stereotypes,” students independently read the text by Rae Paoletta. During Independent Practice, students respond to a variety of multiple choice questions, including but not limited to, “Why does the author describe Redefly as ‘a multi-platform organization’?” (RI.7.4) and “What is the relationship between social media and Redefy’s success?” (RI.7.3). Students then answer the following short response prompt: “You have just read ‘This Muslim-American Teen Turned His Suffering Into a Full-Fledged Battle Against Stereotypes’ by Rae Paoletta. According to the article, how can social media create a community for teens? Use Text evidence to support your response” (RI.7.2). This entire lesson is meant to be completed independently by students. 

• In Unit 5, Drafting the Culminating Task: Rhetorical Analysis Essay, students are assessed on the grade level standard W.7.2 as they respond to the culminating task prompt, “You have learned about how the speakers in this unit develop their central idea and purpose through specific rhetorical choices. Write an essay in which you explain the rhetorical choices the speaker of the Choice Board text you read made that helped them accomplish their purpose. Include evidence from text and video to support your essay.” Students use the Grade 7 Literary Analysis Rubric to guide their writing.

By the end of the academic year, standards are repeatedly addressed within and across units to ensure students master the full intent of the standard. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, standard W.7.2., writing informational and explanatory texts, is found in every unit and repeatedly addressed within Unit 1. Examples of lessons that ensure mastery of standard W.7.2 are Writing a Complete Paragraph, Exemplar Essay Review, and the Culminating Task Essay Prompt. Culminating tasks in Units 2 and 3 require students to write a literary analysis essay, and in Unit 4, students write an informative essay. 

• In Unit 2, Reading Lesson: “How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships,” students read “How the Teen Brain Transforms Relationships” by Daniel Siegel. During reading, students focus on determining details that help explain aspects of the text. During Independent Practice, students respond to the following prompt: “Select two statements below that best express the central ideas of this passage.” This addresses standard RI.7.2. In Unit 4, Reading Lesson: “Teens Say Social Media Isn’t As Bad for Them As You Might Think,” students also work on standard RI.7.2. In the Independent Practice, students respond to the following two questions: “What is the central idea of the article?” and “Which statement best describes how the author develops her central idea?” 

• In Unit 3, standard SL.7.2, interpreting information presented in diverse media and formats is repeated throughout the unit and across all of the units. Speaking and Listening standards are integrated into a majority of the unit lessons during turn and talk, student-led discussions, whole group discussions, During Reading Questions, and Related Media Exploration lessons. For example, in a During Reading Questions lesson, directions state, “Discuss the questions with a partner. Record both of your answers to the questions. Practice speaking with academic language by using the discussion sentence starters.”

• In Unit 4, Reading Lesson: “This is Your Brain on Instagram: Effects of Social Media on the Brain,” students read the text and answer questions, such as “You have just read ‘This is Your Brain on Instagram’ by Kelly McSweeney. How does the connection between brain chemistry and behavior support McSweeney’s central argument? Use evidence to support your response.” This addresses standards RI.7.3 and RI.7.2. In Unit 6, students read “Middle School Music And Theater Students Get Better Grades” by Tom Jacobs. During the Independent Practice, students answer questions that address RI.7.3 and RI.7.2. Questions include, but are not limited to, “What is the thesis of this text?” (RI.7.2) “Why did the researchers choose to focus on middle school students in their study?’ (RI.7.3),” and “How does the author develop his argument?” (RI.7.3)

• The following standards are missing or only taught once throughout the school year: RL.7.9, RI.7.9, W.7.3, W.7.4, W.7.6, W.7.9, L.7.3, L.7.5,  SL.7.3, and SL.7.5. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2h. 

The implementation schedules align with the core learning and objectives and can reasonably be completed in the time allotted. The materials contain six units, with each unit taking five to seven weeks to complete, assuming 45 minutes of instruction a day. The pacing guide includes flextime for teachers to utilize for completing previous activities, independent reading, supplemental text activities, or additional unit writing options. Optional activities are provided. They do not distract from learning, and they enhance core instruction. Most optional tasks can be found under the Additional Materials tab. Optional tasks may include writing prompts, book clubs, and additional texts. Optional tasks relate to the unit’s essential questions and focus on the skills students are learning in the unit.

Suggested implementation schedules and alternative implementation schedules align to core learning and objectives. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The resource Scope and Sequence outlines materials for the units over the course of the year. There are six units: three thematic units, one research, one novel, and one argumentative. Each unit includes focus skills for reading, writing, and speaking and listening. An instructional time frame of five to seven weeks is suggested. Evidence of alignment to core learning and objectives can be found in the standards addressed per unit. The Pacing Guide for each unit provides some options for flex time. The materials say, “Supplemental texts, independent reading, vocabulary activities, and grammar activities can often be assigned as homework or completed during flex time. Teachers should expect to revise pacing as needed.” 

• In each Unit Guide, core learning can be seen under the Unit at a Glance. The guide provides an essential question, the length of the unit with the link to the pacing guide, unit texts, and focus skills tied to grade-level standards addressed for all core learning and objectives. 

• Each Unit Guide provides a suggested implementation guide broken out week by week. For example, Unit 1, Week 1 suggests a writing baseline assessment on Monday, an introduction to the unit and a vocabulary activity set on Tuesday, a reading lesson on Wednesday, another vocabulary activity set and reading lesson on Thursday, and flex time on Friday. Week 1 aligns with core standards in reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening skills.  

Suggested implementation schedules can be reasonably completed in the time allotted. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, under lesson materials, suggested implementation times at a glance can be seen before opening the text and instructional material. For example, Reading Lesson: “The White Umbrella” suggests 85 minutes for implementation. This information, in conjunction with the pacing guide in the unit, breaks the lesson up into two days with specifics such as a slide deck, reading, and independent practice. The two days provided to read the text and complete the comprehension activities should suffice for students to complete these tasks. 

• In Unit 3, Planning the Culminating Task: Literary Analysis Essay, the suggested implementation time is 80-105 minutes. The unit pacing guide suggests two days to complete the planning steps for writing. Students are allotted two class periods to “Break down and review key terms from the prompt, Discuss their ideas, Find evidence from unit sources, Draft their thesis statements, and Outline their essays.”

• In Unit 4, the pacing guide provides suggestions for what to include in a daily lesson. For example, on Tuesday of Week 1, the pacing guide suggests the following activities: “Vocabulary Activity Set List 1: Activity 2, Related Media Exploration: ‘Status Update’-Day 2.”

• In Unit 6, the pacing guide suggests students spend one day on “Coding – It’s All Around Us” by Michael Signal. On the first day, students complete the “Coding – It’s All Around Us” slide deck, read “Coding – It’s All Around Us,” and complete the Vocabulary Activity Set: Activity 4. The allotted time for the reading lesson is about 30 minutes; therefore, students should be able to complete both the reading lesson and vocabulary activity in a 45-minute class period. 

Optional tasks do not distract from core learning. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Additional Unit Writing Options found under Additional Materials can be used to offer creative writing practice. These tasks should not distract from core learning as they are to be used in addition to the culminating unit task. One optional writing task includes a Personal Reflection Essay. The essay refers to a core unit text, “Where I’m From” by Misa Sufiura, that offers a description of a community. The prompt asks students to “Write an essay in which you describe the different communities you are from.”

• In Unit 2, Supplemental Texts and Lessons under Additional Materials, the materials provide a Guidance for Supplemental Text Sets document. Under the heading “Why use supplemental texts?” the materials state, “...teachers can use the texts to support and challenge a wide range of learners.” The materials also provide four suggestions for how to implement the texts: Independent In-Class reading, Small Group or Partner In-Class Reading, Homework, or Student Choice. 

• In Unit 6, Supplemental Texts and Lessons under Additional Materials, the materials provide five texts related to the Unit. The essential question for Unit 6 is, “How do different electives motivate students and prepare them for the future?” Supplemental texts include, but are not limited to, “A Lesson in Farming, Classroom to Cafeteria” by Steven Yaccino, “The Band Room” by Jazmine Hughes, and “Freedom, Respect and High Expectations” by Esther Wojcicki.

Optional tasks are meaningful and enhance core instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Theme Review Lesson, students learn the protocol for determining the theme. Although this lesson is optional, if implemented, students will use this protocol to analyze how character interactions and conflict develop a theme when reading a required reading lesson, “The Stolen Party.” 

• In Unit 2, Independent Reading and Book Club Resources under Additional Materials, the materials provide the Independent Reading Materials Unit 2: Adolescence Independent Reading Teacher Guide. The materials provide general questions and unit-specific questions. Unit-specific questions relate to what students have been learning about over the course of the unit. One question asks, “In this unit, you learned that adolescents’ relationships with family and friends are affected by their extreme emotions, risk-taking, and drive for peer connections. How are the relationships in your book affected by the changes in the adolescent brain? Explain your answer.”

• In Unit 4, Additional Unit Writing Options under Additional Materials, the materials provide an additional writing prompt that teachers may choose to use. The Teacher Copy provides a Note to Teachers that states, “Included here is an additional writing opportunity. This optional prompt is meant to be used in addition to the Culminating Task. You may choose to incorporate this prompt throughout the unit in a way that best aligns to the needs and interests of your students.” The prompt states, “Write an argumentative paper about the effects of social media use on local teens at your school. Support your argument with evidence from the unit’s texts, your independent research, and survey results.” 

• In Unit 5, Additional Unit Writing Options, materials include five “supplemental texts that connect to the unit’s themes.” One example is Winston Churchill’s “Never Give In” speech, where students have an opportunity to reflect on the unit’s essential question, “How does a speaker motivate or persuade their audience?” while analyzing Churchill’s diction and its impact on tone and meaning. This text offers practice in reflecting on the unit’s essential question and analyzing diction and its impact.