Kindergarten - Gateway 3

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing.

The materials are designed to immerse students in all areas of the standards and provide explicit lesson structure with embedded teacher direction as well as recommendations for supporting all learners. The Teacher Guides clearly instruct the teacher throughout each lesson on its implementation before, during and after the readings and activities, as well as recommendations for scaffolded support throughout.

The materials for K-2 include 2 strands of instruction; Skills and Knowledge Domains. The program guide states, “The Skills Strand provides comprehensive instruction in foundational reading skills, such as phonological awareness, phonics, and word recognition, language skills including conventions of English, spelling, and grammar, as well as reading comprehension and writing instruction. The Knowledge Strand teaches background knowledge, comprehension, vocabulary, analysis of complex text, and speaking and listening.”

Each strand is designed for a 60 minute lesson totaling 120 minutes of instruction daily.

Every lesson is effectively broken down into time frames for coverage of material. At the beginning of each lesson there is “Lesson at a Glance” that maps out the skill being covered, grouping suggestions for students, the time each skill section should take, and the materials that will be needed.

For example, in the Knowledge Strand Domain 2, the Lesson 2 at a Glance shows the 60-minute lesson breakdown as “Introducing the Read Aloud” (10 minutes), “Read Aloud” (30 minutes), and “Application” (20 minutes). An example of this in the Skills Strand from Unit 4 shows the 60-minute Lesson 5 focus on foundational skills is broken down by a warm-up, including oral segmenting/sound spelling review (10 minutes), sound sprints (20 minutes), Chaining for Spelling (15 minutes), and Review for Spelling (15 minutes).

The Contents page of each unit states the topic of each lesson, the skills to be addressed in that lesson (reading, writing, speaking/listening, language, etc.), and the time allotted for each.

Materials include a curriculum map located in the program guide that tracks the “Knowledge Domains” that students will be working in through each grade. In each unit, students are immersed in a domain topic that centers on science, social studies, or literature. The program guide states, “In the Knowledge Strand, students spend several weeks at a time learning about a topic in science, social studies, history, literature, etc.”

Also included within the materials is a research guide for the “Skills Strand” available as an, “Online companion to the program guide” that details the rationale for its approach to decoding/encoding, letter/sound correspondences, systematic phonics, and focus on phonemes.

Out of the 12 Domains (units) in grade K, 5 are based in science, 5 social studies, and 2 literature. The Skills Strands contain decodable texts, and out of the 10 units, only units 6-10 contain literary character stories using controlled text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.).

Materials include but are not limited to photos, captions, glossaries, charts, diagrams, illustrations, sentence strips, graphic organizers, rubrics, digital images, labeled supports, activity pages, timing reminders, tiered vocabulary charts, notes to teachers, image cards, chaining charts, writing prompts and journals.

In Knowledge Domain 6, Lesson 1, the Teacher Guide states, “Show image 1A-25: Collage of Native Americans in different dress.” Skills Unit 3, Lesson 5 states, “Make one copy of the sound boxes, Activity Page TR 5.2, for each student, and provide students with small cubes, buttons, or other manipulatives.

Teacher and student resources include clear directions. Activities that are completed with teacher guidance have directions included throughout the lessons. Suggestions for grouping, additional supports, challenge ideas, and direct instruction are clearly defined, explained, and embedded throughout. Each lesson provides the ‘primary focus’ and 'advance preparation’ of the lesson,' 'the ‘formative assessment(s),’ ‘lesson at a glance,’ ‘recommendations for universal access,’ and a ‘check for understanding’ section. Activity pages correspond correctly to the teacher guide and make finding information seamless and efficient.

An Image Review in Knowledge Domain 1, Lesson 10 states, “Ask students which of the images they think best shows the moral of the fable. Have them explain why they chose a particular image.”

Additional Support example from Skills Unit 3, Lesson 5 states, “Call out the following target sounds and words in the box and ask students to place their manipulatives in the corresponding box.” And from Knowledge Domain 4, Lesson 7, states, “If students have difficulty responding to questions, reread pertinent lines of the read aloud and/or refer to specific images.”

The Primary Focus in Lesson 9, Skills Unit 8 states, “Students will read simple phrases and sentences of single syllable, short-vowel words with single consonants, consonant clusters, and digraphs to match the sentences to the correct pictures.”Reference aids, including vocabulary charts, lessons at a glance, visual resources such as images, illustrations, and digitally presented graphics, correlating activity pages, and rubrics are clearly and correctly labeled throughout the teacher guide, activity book, and image cards. For example;

The formative assessment for Knowledge Domain 7, Lesson 3 provides corresponding Activity Book page 3.1 for Sequencing Events in a Story”.

Skills Unit 4, Lesson 14 recommends “Digital Component 14.1” for sight word instruction and Lesson 7 in Knowledge Domain 4 requires “Flip Book 7A-1-7A-7” for an image review.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for materials including publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

Alignment to the CCSS is documented in multiple places throughout the curriculum. The alignment chart for the CCSS standards are documented in the K-2 Program Guide and in the contents pages of each unit. At the beginning of every lesson under ‘Primary Focus of the lesson” the standards being addressed are clearly stated as well as within the formative assessments for what is being measured. The same is true for the unit assessments in which the standards being measured are also found under the “primary focus” and formative assessments given through the activity pages. Within the sidebars of the Teacher Guide there are standards listed within the scaffolding of the lesson for “emerging/expanding/extending” the learning.

For example, the Primary Focus in Knowledge Domain 7, Lesson 4 states, “Students will recall facts about kings and queens and will review rhyme. [SL.K.4; RF.K.2a; ELD.PI.K.1, ELD.PII.K.1]. Students will describe the actions of Old King Cole. [RL.K.1; ELD.PI.K.6]. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the Tier 2 word merry. [L.K.5b; ELD.PI.K.12b]"

An example of alignment provided for formative observations can be seen in Skills Unit 4, Lesson 8, “Oral Segmenting Observation Record [RF.K.2d; ELD.PIII.Phonological Awareness], Letter Sounds Observation Record [RF.K.3a,b; ELD.PIII.Phonics and Word Recognition] and Activity Page 8.1: Spelling the Sound [RF.K.3a,b; L.K.1a; L.K.2c; ELD.PIII.Phonics and Word Recognition]”

An example of standards listed within the scaffolding sidebars in Knowledge Domain 4, Lesson 10: “Exchanging Information and Ideas (ELD.PI.K.1): Emerging—Reframe questions as simple yes/no questions (e.g., “Do people use cotton to make clothes?”); Expanding—Provide students with a specific sentence frame (e.g., “People use cotton to . . .”); Bridging—Encourage students to use key details in complete sentences (e.g., “People use cotton from cotton plants to make fabric and cloth.”).

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials containing teacher editions with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning. Materials provide support instructional planning in multiple ways.

The Teacher Guide gives clear annotations and suggestions on how to present content. At the beginning a unit, teachers are encouraged to read the introduction, alignment chart, assessments, and to review the pausing points for the lessons. At the beginning of each lesson, teachers are encouraged to use the Lesson at a Glance to review the primary focus and formative assessments. There is also an Advance Preparation section included in the Universal Access section that helps to support teachers. Throughout the lessons, sidebars are included to support teachers in how to present materials to both support and challenge student learning.

There are also Additional Support activities within and/or at the end of lessons that provide assessment and remediation for skills lessons. Teachers are directed to consider whether additional activities in the Assessment and Remediation Guide or Decoding and Encoding Supplement should be utilized for students who may need additional support. Teachers are also instructed to review Language Studio content for English Language Learner students.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials containing a teacher’s edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary. The introduction section of each Teacher Guide fully explains the primary purpose and goals of the unit including readers, writing, vocabulary, and beginning-of-year assessments where applicable. The Teacher Guide for the Skills Strand also includes guidance for how to implement basic skill instruction. There are also teacher resources at the end of each unit that assist with the implementation and direct instruction of the lessons including, but not limited to, dialogue starters, rubrics, checklists, image cards, activity book answer keys, and code charts. Teacher guidance throughout every step of the lesson is clear and explicit. Within Unit 1 there are also appendices that offer understanding of more advanced literacy concepts for teachers to improve their knowledge of the subject, although the scripted explanations for the students' understanding is clear.

An example in the Skills Strand Teacher Guide for Unit 2 shows direct guidance for implementing basic skills: “As a teacher, you should be aware of the difference between sequential and final blending. In sequential blending the word is built step by step by adding sounds to blended sound sequences. For example, the word fish is blended like this: “/f/” . . . “/i/” . . . “fi” . . . “/sh/” . . . “fish.”

Another example in the introduction in Skills Unit 2 states, “When blending, utilize motions to make the process a kinesthetic experience. In this unit two sets of gestures for blending are taught. The first set of gestures, explained in Lesson 1, works when blending two syllables or two sounds. It involves opening a palm for each component and then clapping the hands together when the two components are blended.”

Appendix A in the Unit 1 Skills Strand offers information about the program and the philosophy behind its design. For example, the appendix states, “It is going to take you and your school system a long time to build up your students’ language comprehension ability because this is not a job you can accomplish in the course of a single school year. Rather, language comprehension ability is acquired over many years.”

Another example from Skills Unit 1 Appendix A states, “Although this may seem very abstract and theoretical, there are two ideas here that are very important for reading instruction and for understanding this program. The first important idea is that reading comprehension depends crucially on both decoding skills (D) and language comprehension ability (C); the second is that language comprehension ability takes much longer to acquire than decoding skills.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials containing a teacher’s edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. The Program Guide for grades K-2 contains explicit instruction on the role of the standards in the overall curriculum. It details the qualitative and quantitative text complexity of each unit, the balance of literary and informational texts, the basis of foundational skill instruction, the complexity and task demands of units, as well as the language demands on student understanding by topics and grade. The appendices in Unit 1 also provide the Scope and Sequence of Foundational Skills.

The Program Guide states, “CKLA CA is designed to provide a steady gradient of text complexity and task demand as students progress through the grades. For example, students in Kindergarten will focus mostly on literal understanding of text, while by Grade 2 inferential and evaluative questions are core to both the Knowledge and Skills Strands.”

Knowledge Demands are explained in the Program Guide stating, “Students begin Kindergarten with highly familiar literary topics—nursery rhymes and common fairy tales. The context is clearly fantastical. Meanwhile, in the Skills Strand students in Kindergarten use Readers that cover relatively simple topics, such as fictional tales about different families. The themes are also simple, and do not require students to think through multiple perspectives outside their own and contain direct explanations of character thoughts and feelings.”

The Program Guide also states, “The first informational text of Kindergarten-in Domain 2-is The Five Senses. This allows students to reference themselves and conversations they are likely to have had in their home and peer environment as they learn more. This is also true of the early Skills Readers." and “Students in Kindergarten are given written and Read-Aloud texts that focus mostly on literal language in clear prose. The context and language is contemporary or timeless, and there are a limited number of academic and domain-specific words introduced."

Also, the materials explain the purpose behind the quantitative text complexity, providing decodable and above grade level text: “One of the unique features of CKLA CA is the intensity of its use of Read-Aloud text, because of the compelling research about the difference between listening and reading comprehension throughout elementary grade levels.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials containing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies. The CKLA CA Program Guide: K–2 and A Research Guide: The CKLA CA Curriculum: Links to Research on Teaching and Learning serves as a companion to the Program Guide. The Guide discusses the research in English Language Arts instruction including, but not limited to, print and phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, reading fluency, prosody, vocabulary, and background knowledge.

The Program Guide also includes footnotes to research as they are explaining their educational approaches. Also, during the English Language Learner section of the Program guide, teachers are provided with a Research Base: Why this Matters Explanation for instructional approaches.

The Appendices in Skills Unit 1 also provide insight into the research behind and instructional approaches for phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials regularly and systematically offering assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress. Assessments include Checks for Understanding, Formative Assessments, Content and Mid-Unit Assessments, and Unit Placement and Assessments Benchmark Tests. Some are designed to be held weekly and others are at the middle and/or end of a unit. Many assessments include instruction for implementation as well as analysis of errors, charts, and records for marking student progress.

Checks for Understanding are designed to allow teachers to amend instruction within the context of the lesson. Formative assessments range from in-the-moment adaption to opportunities for individual, small group, and whole class reteach and review. Checks for Understanding and Formative Assessments also provide information to decide whether additional supports and practice (found at the end of the lesson and in the additional guides) are appropriate. Mid-unit, end-of-unit, and benchmark assessments should be used to direct remediation, Pausing Point days, and to enhance and/or differentiate instruction.

The Program Guide states, “There is a range of formal assessment opportunities found within units, including but not limited to: Spelling Assessments, Word Recognition Assessments, Story Comprehension Assessments, [and] Fluency Assessments.”

Within the Skills Strand, students complete benchmarks at the beginning, middle, and end of the year, which are differentiated based on prior student performance. The Program Guide states, “Flow charts and placement planning and tracking sheets are provided with the benchmark assessments to support teacher recording of student standard and progress.”

Ongoing tracking for student progress includes student progress records and anecdotal reading records.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for assessments clearly denoting which standards are being emphasized. There are multiple ways that students are assessed throughout each unit, including formative assessments, mid-unit assessments, pausing points, and end-unit assessments. Within each form of assessment, it is clear what standards are being addressed.

Examples of formative assessments and the standards that are being emphasized in them are as follows:

• In Skills Unit 4, Lesson 11, “Student Performance Assessment,” examples of the standards being measured are shown as, “Students will orally segment words with two or three phonemes. [RF.K.2d; ELD.PIII. Phonological Awareness]” and “Students will substitute individual sound/spellings in simple CVC words to make and read new words. [RF.K.2e; RF.K.3a,b,d; ELD.PIII.Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition]”
• Formative Assessments in each Knowledge Domain Lesson also contain the standards that are being emphasized. For example;
  • Knowledge Domain Unit 5, Lesson 2 states, “Students will substitute individual sound/spellings in simple CVC words to make and read new words. [RF.K.2e; RF.K.3a,b,d; ELD.PIII.Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition]”
  • Knowledge Domain Unit 7, Lesson 4 states, “Students will create a draft of a story about Old King Cole. [W.K.3; RL.K.3; ELD.PI.K.6]”
• Skills Unit 8, Lesson 20 Unit Assessments states, “Students will read and match rhyming words. [RF.K.2a; ELD.PIII. Phonological Awareness] Reading Students will read “The Band” independently with purpose and understanding. [RF.K.4; ELD.PIII.Fluency]”

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for assessments providing sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

Assessment keys are provided, as well as multiple suggestions and protocols for teachers to provide feedback such as:

• Teacher questioning to check for misconceptions.
• Wrap-Up questions and Checks for Understanding to check for comprehension.
• Student work to monitor students’ mastery of skills.
• Peer-to-peer feedback to provide immediate feedback on student performance.

There are a number of other tools that support teachers in providing specific feedback to students and monitoring and tracking student progress over time.

Portfolios and journals also allow for feedback. The Program Guide states, “There are a number of other tools that support teachers in providing specific feedback to students and monitoring and tracking student progress over time. These tools can be used broadly and flexibly across grades or very specifically for targeted instruction purposes.”

Knowledge Domain 5, the Domain Assessment details how to use the assessment to guide further instruction, “This domain assessment evaluates each student’s retention of domain and academic vocabulary words and the core content targeted in Farms. The results should guide review and remediation the following day.”

The Pausing Point in Skills Strand Unit 8 states, “Students who do poorly on Word Recognition, Pseudoword/Real Word and/or Code Knowledge Diagnostic Assessments should not move on to Units 9 and 10. Instead, using the Assessment and Remediation Guide, your instruction should be a reteaching of skills from Units 3–7, as identified by the assessment results.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for including routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

Each lesson includes a formative assessment that is highlighted at the start of the lesson. These assessments are used to track student mastery of objectives.

For example, in Knowledge Domain 11, Lesson 4 the formative assessment states, “Students will interact with their peers while drawing pictures and writing about a natural resource and discuss ways to conserve. [RI.K.3; ELD.PI.K.6]”

There are also Checks for Understanding throughout the lessons to be used by the teacher to determine if students are ready to move on to the next part of the lesson. The Check for Understanding questions are meant for quick formative assessments that happen during instruction to assess if students have mastered the key content and skills in the lesson.

In Knowledge Domain 5, Lesson 3 an example of Check for Understanding is, “One-Word Answer: What is the main topic, or main idea, of today’s lesson? (chickens) What is a male chicken called? (rooster) What is a female chicken called? (hen) Does a rooster or a hen lay eggs? (hen) What is the yellow middle of an egg called? (yolk)”

The Skills Strand also uses observational student records to track student performance. For example, Skills Unit 3, Lesson 10 states, “Call on a different student to blend each word. Note students’ performance in the Oral Blending Observation Record.”

Instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials providing teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards. Materials provide modeling, formative assessments, language and visual supports, and background knowledge in each lesson to ensure student understanding. Materials also provide universal access recommendations within the lessons as well as an “Assessment and Remediation Guide” for students who need review, re-teaching, and/or remediation of foundational and comprehension skills.

Materials include sidebar notes that include suggestions for emerging, expanding, and bridging students. The sidebars also include access, support, and challenge notes that provide strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners.

Examples of sidebar strategies seen in Knowledge Domain Unit 6, Lesson 2 are;

• “Support: If students have difficulty doing this, show Image Card 1 (Great Plains) and review the landscape.”
• “Challenge: Ask students to think of other examples of animals or people being agile.”
• “Emerging—Ask students simple yes/ no questions (e.g., “Are buffalo agile?”). Expanding—Provide students with a specific sentence frame (e.g., “I was agile when . . .”). Bridging—Encourage students to use content-related words in complete sentences (e.g., “I was agile when I jumped over the mud puddle to avoid getting my shoes wet.”).

Universal Access instruction can be found in the Advance Preparation section of each lesson. For example, in Knowledge Domain Unit 2, Lesson 3, the Universal Access recommendation states, “Show three common classroom items that are different in shape and weight. Have students close their eyes as you put those items into separate boxes, and have students shake the boxes and guess which item is in each box.”

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for regularly providing all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards. All students engage with grade-level text. Side bar supports are provided to ensure that students are supported during lessons. The Universal Access for each lesson provides additional supports for students who read, write, speak or listen below grade level. Lessons also include Pausing Points which provide additional instruction on new skills at the end of each unit for small group work, reteaching, and differentiated instruction. Assessment and Remediation Guide/Encoding and Decoding Supplements can be used for additional lessons that support students who need extra practice or remediation on foundational skills and comprehension.

Materials include a Language Studio resource that provides lessons that focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary, and grammar to advance English Language Learner proficiency levels. The activities in Language Studio help teachers guide students in constructing meaning through interaction with the text and with each other. Such instruction supports ELs of all proficiency levels by helping them access grade-level content knowledge, make meaning, and develop academic English and effective expression across the disciplines.

Instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for regularly including extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level. Materials provide multiple opportunities for challenge and enrichment, including:

Challenge sidebars throughout the lesson provide stretching questions and activities. For example, Knowledge Domain 11, Lesson 3 states, “Ask students to try to list some natural resources based on the knowledge that natural resources are things you can find in nature.” And a Domain 7, Lesson 4 Challenge states, “Ask students to identify some words that rhyme in the read aloud. (Cole/soul/bowl, he/three, and rare/compare)” Challenges are also in the Skills Strand, as seen in Unit 3, Lesson 12: “For students who seem to be able to easily blend two or three sounds to form a word, challenge them by giving them a word with four sounds to blend.”

Pausing Point days include additional activities that can extend and enhance student learning. A Knowledge Domain 6, Pausing Point states, “You should pause here and spend one day reviewing, reinforcing, or extending the material taught thus far. You may have students do any combination of the activities listed below, but it is highly recommended that you use the Mid-Domain Assessment to assess students’ knowledge of the five senses. The other activities may be done in any order. You may also choose to do an activity with the whole class or with a small group of students who would benefit from the particular activity.”

Instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for providing opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies. Students are grouped in partners, small groups, and as a whole class. Every lesson contains a “Lesson at a Glance” which states the grouping size for each activity and provides for differing partner opportunities based on need or structure of the lesson.

The lessons also provide opportunities for students to collaborate and communicate about the topic and tasks at hand. The Program Guide states, “The wide range of whole-class tasks, but also the multiple opportunities for small group and partner work, are designed to help students become productive collaborators.”

There are also opportunities for peers to work together and assist in their learning, often using Think-Pair-Shares. The Program Guide states, “Peer-review activities involve students asking each other questions and providing feedback to each other that strengthens their knowledge. Peer review is conducted in one-on-one, small group, or full class discussions.”