The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet expectations for organization of texts around topics for building students’ knowledge. All student reading materials and read-alouds are related by topic in each unit with supportive academic and core vocabulary words identified and emphasized throughout.

Examples of how Units are organized around topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Unit 3: All of the texts in this unit focus on understanding how the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems of the human body work. Students are exposed to learning about the various body parts and organs associated with each system. Students will also learn about the difficulties that arise when vision and/or hearing are impaired and how individuals learn to deal with these challenges.

Unit 4: All of the texts in this unit are centered on the topic of the Ancient Roman Civilization. Texts include non-fiction selections describing the historical events and culture of the Ancient Roman civilization, a legend about Romulus and Remus, myths about Roman gods and goddesses, a nonfiction report which is included as part of a fiction piece, a play about Androcles, and image cards showing what Rome looked like.

Unit 5: The nonfiction reader, Adventures in Light and Sound, consists of selections describing the science behind light and sound. Students will read about light sources, shadows, mirrors, reflection, refraction, lenses, and color. They will also learn about the human voice. Students will also read biographies about Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.

Unit 10 centers around Colonial America and contains 16 lessons. The lessons are made up of historical fiction and informational texts. There is also a script for a “Guest Speaker” from this historical era, as well as poetry.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet expectations for containing sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. Similarly structured lessons consistently present core and academic vocabulary words that are analyzed and revisited throughout each unit. Read alouds paired with image cards and independent readings assist students in developing a deeper understanding of key ideas. Language lessons provide opportunities for students to explore word choices and text structure.

Examples from the program that demonstrate this include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Students are introduced to the title of the chapter, the image and caption, the definition of personification, and are asked to give examples of personification. (TG, Unit 1, p.354)
• During read aloud text, students are asked to identify the main idea and supporting details. (TG, Unit 4, p.13)
• After reading, students are asked to make an inference with the question, “The author uses a simile to describe Mercury. Why do you think the author uses fast as a flash to describe Mercury?” (TG, Unit 4, p.88)
• Students work on character descriptions: students share new information learned about their character, make predictions about the actions of their chosen character, and write a description of that character. (TG, Unit 6, p.85)
• Students will describe characters in “Etu, the Hunter” and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. (TG, Unit 8, p.19)
• Students compare sentences to develop an understanding of sentence structure and variety. “Ask students to vote for the more interesting sentence.” (TG, Unit 9, p.182)
• “Students will determine the main idea of “Plantation Life”; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.” (TG, Unit 10, p 99)
• “Ask students to summarize “Food Chains. Apply: Ask students to identify three terms they have learned (sapling, protect, defense, predator, etc.) and write about one example not mentioned in the text for each of the terms. Extend: Ask students to create a brand new food chain using examples different from the ones in the text.” (TG, Unit 11, p36)

Instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet requirements for coherently sequenced sets of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. Questions and tasks frequently require students to reference the text being studied, and promote students' integrating knowledge and ideas across individual or multiple texts. As evident in the examples below, many questions and tasks focus on recall of specific information. Some questions/tasks ask students to reflect and think more deeply, and some of those offer follow-up questions/activities that require students to cite evidence or justify and defend their thinking.

Examples of text-dependent questions and activities include:

Unit 1

• In “Check for Understanding” the teacher gives students two evaluative questions in the form of “think-pair-share.” The teacher is told that “Answers may vary, but may include the following: Mole and Rat wearing clothes…” The teacher is not given suggestions or direction on how to build on student responses or what key points students should include in their responses. The question addresses an individual text. (TG, Unit 1, p. 34)
• The teacher is given a set of questions to ask in the “Discussing the Read Aloud.” However, it is up to the teacher to evaluate the students’ analysis of the text during this discussion. The opportunity for every student to contribute to the discussion may be limited to time allocated in class.

Unit 2

• There are many examples in Unit 2 of text dependent questions that require students to analyze information. Because the unit centers around “Animal Classification” the text does circle back to previous lessons to build upon the understanding of how animals are classified. For example:
  • “Remind students that in the previous lesson they learned about vertebrates and invertebrates. Ask students what they recall about the lesson” (TG, Unit 2, p. 76)
  • “Review with students the section on Activity Page 3.2 that has been filled in during previous lessons, discussing the characteristics of each vertebrate group. If any spaces in the foldable are still empty, discuss with students what information can be filled in” (TG, Unit 2, p. 288)
• Much of the review takes place through discussion and does not necessarily require students to use their skills and resources to integrate the topic. The Activity book asks students to find main idea and provide supporting details from a reading passage “Choose one paragraph from the reading and complete the diagram.” (AB, Unit 2, p. 49)
• There are suggestions in the activity book to connect the learning, but it is suggested to be done at home and is optional. “Below are some suggestions for activities that you may do at home to reinforce what your child is learning about the classification of animals” (AB, Unit 2, p. 129)

Unit 3

• Each unit contains two “Pausing Points” lessons. During these lessons students are asked to complete one or more tasks that have them reflect and synthesize information that has been learned in several lessons. These lessons are a way for teachers to spend a day “reviewing, reinforcing, or extending the material taught thus far.” An example from Unit 3: “Tell students to look at the ‘W’ section and pick out one or two items they find the most interesting. Then have students write letters to Dr. Welbody and/or Ricardo, asking her/him for information or advice on their chosen items from the ‘W’ section. Students may also share with Dr. Welbody or Ricardo a fact or two they think is interesting about the human body.” (TG, Unit 3, p.162)
• After the read aloud students have to think, pair, share the prompt “Compare and contrast human lungs to fish gills.” (TG, Unit 3, p.21)
• After reading in the student reader, students have to answer the question “What are vertebrae and what do they protect?” (TG, Unit 3, p.53)

Unit 4

• In the student activity book students are asked text dependent questions and after each question students are required to provide the page number of where they found the answer. An example is “How long ago did Rome start growing? Page _____” (AB, Unit 4, p.3).
• After reading, students are asked to answer, “What key ideas did you learn about Roman life and the ancient Romans’ beliefs? What details in the story help support what you learned?” (AB, Unit 4, p.27)

Unit 5

• An optional “Pausing Point” activity for Unit 5 is “Give students a key domain concept or vocabulary such as energy. Have them brainstorm everything that comes to mind when they hear the words, such as physical power, needed by living things to exist, not unlimited, etc. Students will record their response in both words and pictures on the chart paper. Have students do a gallery walk of other groups’ charts.” (TG, Unit 5, p.171).
• In the student activity book students are asked text dependent questions and after each question students are required to provide the page number of where they found the answer. An example is “What determines whether or not you see light waves? Page _____” (AB, Unit 5, p.11).

Unit 6

• Students are given questions to answer in the Activity Book based on selected text. With “Sif’s Golden Hair,” students are asked basic questions (these questions do not support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas) such as “Who are the main characters in this chapter?” and “Where does this chapter take place?”. The challenging questions include “Why does Odin blame himself for the problems with Loki?” and the students are given a compare/contrast chart to complete. (TG, Unit 6, p. 27)
• Students are given text dependent questions for “Loki’s Punishment.”Examples include “Why did the gods vow to hunt Loki down and punish him?” and “Describe the setting where the gods took Loki to punish him and tell why that setting is important to the chapter.” (TG, Unit 6, p. 91)

Unit 7

• Students are asked to complete a choice board. The choice board includes prompts such as “create a graphic organizer and compare and contrast two ideas in the text.”; “Describe how one of the images in the chapter helps you to understand the text.”; “Write a sentence describing the author’s purpose.”; “Write three new things you learned from the text.” The choice board activity does not provide a rubric. (AB, Unit 7, p. 162, TG, Unit 7, p. 303)
• The teacher is prompted to “Tell students they may use the notes they were taking on Activity Page 2.2 to help answer the questions.” Examples of these types of questions include “What is our solar system?”; “Which four planets form a group closest to the sun?”; “What characteristics do they share?” The teacher is given sample answers, and how the students respond is up to the teacher, whether in a group discussion, on paper or with partners. Student understanding of the text is dependent upon the delivery of the questions. (TG, Unit 7, p. 53)

Unit 8

• “Think-Pair-Share activities engage students in discussion that requires some analysis of the text being read. “Discuss the 5Ws, Who is the explorer in this reading? (Columbus), What is he looking for? (the East Indies), Where did he land? (on one of the islands in the Bahamas, off the coast of North America), When? (in 1492), Why? (to find gold and spices)” (TG, Unit 9, p.42).

• Reading selections are followed by a series of questions that encourage students to analyze the texts. Questions focus on individual texts.
  • “COMP. Inferential. What do you learn about Alemeda on these first pages? How would you describe her external and internal traits?” (TG, Unit 8, p.129)
  • “COMP Inferential. How would you describe Alemeda now? Use words and/or sentences from the text to support your answer.” (TG, Unit 8, p.130)
  • “VOC Evaluative. Why does the author include information about the village? What makes it noteworthy?” (TG, Unit 8, p.130)

Unit 9

• Some writing activities require referencing and analyzing the text. “Opinion Writing: Life as a Sailor- Assignment: Pretend to be a sailor on board John Cabot’s ship. Write a paragraph giving your opinion of whether or not the hardships you face are worth the adventure or glory. Use the examples from the passage that you recorded on Activity Page 9.1A.” (AB, Unit 9, p.96)
• Numerous activities require that students cite examples from an individual text.
  • “Tell students that as they read this chapter, they should record five facts about ‘El Castillo de San Marcos.’” (TG, Unit 9, p.97).
  • “...Ask students to find details from the text describing a Spanish mission in North America from the late 1500s to the 1700s.” (TG, Unit 9, p.176)
  • “Ask students to work together and use the text to write facts about John Cabot and/or Christopher Columbus that could go under the ‘Both’ and/or ‘John Cabot’ headings of the graphic organizer.” (TG, Unit 9, p.202).

Unit 10

• The Unit 10 activity book asks questions directly related to the text and they are required to write the page number of where they found the evidence (AB, Unit 10, p. 27) In many sections in Unit 10 students are also required to list the main idea and find supporting details and examples in the passages (AB, Unit 10, p. 59), (AB, Unit 10, p. 151)
• Many questions are asked during class discussion. Although they are text dependent, they do not consistently require students to cite their evidence. Examples include:
  • “Ask students to read pages 10 and 11 to themselves to find out why the Queen of England and Sir Walter Raleigh wanted the English people to go to the New World” (TG, Unit 10, p. 34)
  • “Have students read pages 26–31 to themselves to find the answer to the question: “What crop did John Rolfe introduce to the colony and why was it important?”(TG, Unit 10, p. 51)

Unit 11

• Unit 11 features an anticipation guide that asks for students to identify true or false statements and then record the page numbers when they research the answers in text; “Anticipation Guide for Living Things and Their Habitats” (AB, Unit 11, p. 1) and one for “Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers” (AB, Unit 11, p. 37)
• There are examples of text dependent questioning happening in the class, but it is unclear if the work is recorded, written or simply discussed in group. It falls under the heading of “Reading Discussion.”
  • “Ask students to read pages 18–19 to themselves to find out the definition of a food chain. (a relationship of living things as food sources for other living things” (TG, Unit 11, p. 35)
  • “What do all living things need to survive? Find the text evidence for this answer” (TG, Unit 11, p. 36)

Instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet expectations for questions and tasks that support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening). Questions within lessons consistently align with or support culminating tasks. Most writing tasks do provide an opportunity for students to integrate thinking and learning from primary texts. Student presentation opportunities are offered, if planning time allows.

Examples of culminating activities include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The culminating task in Unit 2 requires students to write an informational paragraph based upon all of the information they have learned and gathered on Animal Classification. Students complete “animal” webs throughout each lesson and culminates into a written activity at the end of the unit. “Tell students that they have collected a lot of information that is now available to help them with this informational paragraph. Point out the many helpful sources of information: The Animal Classification Foldable (Activity Page 3.2), Brainstorming webs, and Field Journal responses.” (TG, Unit 2, p. 276) In addition to the webs they’ve completed there are other activities throughout the lessons that allow for information to be gathered and ready to use for the culminating paper. “Have students gather their animal papers: animal foldable, animal webs, field journal, and Activity Page 13.3. • Remind students that they have completed the planning and drafting step of the writing process and that today they are going to complete the revising step” (TG, Unit 2, p. 296) “If time permits, have students present their informative writing pieces” (TG, Unit 2, p. 297)
• In Unit 3, a unit assessment serves as a culminating activity. The unit assessment consists of a reading skills assessment where “students will complete an assessment by reading two selections during one sitting and answering comprehension, grammar, morphology, and spelling questions that follow each selection. Students will not read out of their Reader, but rather from Activity Page 14.1, where the selections have been printed.”(TG, Unit 3, p.310) It also includes a fluency assessment and a writing assessment where students “will have an opportunity to reflect on a chapter and system they read about in their book.” (TG, Unit 3, p.314) With this reflection students will be completing Activity Page 14.3 where they have to provide the chapter title, “a description of this system”, “how this system works with other systems”, “a drawing of the system”, and “My star rating-the chapter was…”(AB, Unit 3, p.121-122). Finally, the assessment contains a language portion where “students have to decide what form of the verb is needed and write the correct spelling on their assessment.” (TG, Unit 3, p.314)
• In Unit 4, students must use what they have read throughout the unit to complete the culminating activity. In the culminating activity “students will use their Roman history knowledge to crack the cases listed in this lesson. Students will write extended responses to a prompt that asks them to write opinions about whether architecture or Latin was Rome’s greatest lasting contribution, and will support the opinion with reasons.” (TG, Unit 4, p.314) With this activity the teacher can choose an option to have students complete. In option A “students discuss the passage” with questions like “What is the author’s opinion about the greatest contribution of the Roman Empire? How can you tell?” (TG, Unit 4, p.315) and in option B “students complete a graphic organizer” using activity page 14.3 (TG, Unit 4, p.315).
• For the culminating activity in Unit 5, students write “newspaper articles on either the invention of the telephone or the invention of the incandescent light bulb.” (TG, Unit 5, p.319) To complete this task, students conduct research and use information from their Student Readers, which they have been reading throughout the unit. Additionally, “students will present their newspaper articles in a group setting, speaking clearly and at an appropriate pace, and then answer questions from group members.” (TG, Unit 5, p.324)
• The culminating activity in Unit 10 is writing a narrative story using dialogue. “Explain that to develop characters in a story, writers focus on a description of the characters, their actions, dialogue, and how they interact with other characters.
  • On the board, write the word Description. Explain that descriptions of the character(s) focus on their external characteristics: their outside looks.
  • On the board, write the word Action. Explain that writers explain what characters are doing through their actions. Are they walking to their friend’s house, reading, skiing, or jumping? These are all actions.
  • On the board, write the word 'Interact'. Explain that writers will include multiple characters in a story. The writer can describe a character by writing about how the character acts when with other characters. • Next, write the word dialogue on the board. Explain that we will learn about including dialogue in later writing lesson.
  • Say: ‘Today we are going to focus on description and action.’
  • With a partner, have students work on developing their characters by adding additional information to their description and to the action in the story” (TG, Unit 10, p. 25)
• There is no static culminating task in Unit 11 that brings together all the learning in the lessons, rather instead there are lessons that present a culminating task over several days’ worth of learning: “In this unit, students will create Ecology journals with a partner to summarize, respond to, and apply the knowledge they learn from the readers for the first seven days of the unit. For the last five days, students will work in groups, using information from their journals, to create a presentation on solutions to problems in the environment” (TG, Unit 11, p. 10) “Each journal entry will have three components: ◦ Summarize: Students will be asked to summarize the chapter. You may want to review writing a summary with students. ◦ Apply: Students will be asked to apply concept(s) from the reading to examples from their lives or research” (TG, Unit 11, p. 21)

Instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet expectations for a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. A rationale for “maximizing vocabulary acquisition through contextualized, content-based, and constant exposure” is provided in the Program Guide and some recurring strategies supporting vocabulary development are provided throughout the program. While the selected vocabulary words appear to be of value to build knowledge, information about the process and rationale for the selection academic vocabulary words is not provided.

From the Program Guide:

• “In 3rd–5th grade the teacher remains central to vocabulary acquisition—fostering structured and informal discussions and helping students become accustomed to using complex vocabulary in a scaffolded and supported context. These conversations are combined with increasingly independent exposure to complex text. This combination allows students to build up an internal web of vocabulary which has both a common foundation and is unique to the individual. We continue learning words throughout our lives by linking to vocabulary we already understand. The coherent and systematic sequence of knowledge domains gives student a mental encyclopedia of vocabulary and understanding they can access and build upon throughout their lives." (Grades 3-5 Program Guide, p.26)

The words for each unit are unique to that unit’s topic. For example, words in unit 3 are all related to the body and include words such as circulate, appendages, and membrane. The words in unit 4 are all related to ancient Rome and include words such as boisterous, mercenary, and feud, while the words in unit 5 are all centered around the topics of light and sound and include words such as opaque, ultraviolet, and incandescent. The majority of the words on these lists are tier 3 words. They are content and domain specific and critical to understanding the texts. However, one unit does not consistently build upon the next.

Recurring vocabulary instruction information/support:

Each unit begins with a list of “academic and core” vocabulary words (TG, All Units). Throughout the lessons, there are vocabulary charts that point out the tier 2 and tier 3 words with columns for vocab, multiple meanings, and sayings/phrases: (TG, Unit 2, p. 102), (TG, Unit 10, p. 55), (TG, Unit 11, p. 13)

Each lesson introducing vocabulary words provides a brief explanation such as: “The following are core vocabulary words used in this lesson. Preview the words with the students before the lesson. Students are not expected to be able to use these words immediately, but with repeated exposure throughout the lessons they will acquire a good understanding of most of the words. Students may also keep a ‘domain dictionary’ notebook along with definitions, sentences, and/or other writing exercises using these vocabulary words.” (TG, Unit 8, pp.11, 37, 171, 227) While the instructions outline the program goals, no details are provided for the teacher about how to “preview” the words. Some lessons introduce vocabulary with only a list of the words with their definitions. (TG, Unit 9, pp.36, 72, 140, 195, 238, 300)

Excerpt from the Teacher Guide:

• “In this unit, students will focus on two academic vocabulary terms: decide and recommend. By academic vocabulary, we mean words that support reading comprehension and may appear across a variety of materials in language arts and in content areas. These words can be found in textbooks, assignment directions, and assessments. Understanding academic vocabulary may contribute to improved performance on assignments and assessments, as these words appear often in directions to students. These words may appear on end-of-year assessments that third graders may take. Where applicable, we use the words throughout the unit, not just as they might refer to reading selections but also with regard to spelling, grammar, morphology, and comprehension. They may also appear in directions, assessments, spelling lists, and discussion questions, among other places” (TG, Unit 11, p. 4)

While the directions and intent indicate a structure for students to learn, there is little support to implement and support any misconceptions and track growth.

Instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet expectations for supporting students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year. Most units focus on a specific type of writing and do provide opportunities to incorporate writing skills from previous units. Some opportunities for students to integrate skills through writing are provided through optional activities (Pausing Points). With the exception of rubrics provided for formal written pieces, it is not always clear how teachers are supported to monitor and assess students' writing skill development. While there are many opportunities for students to informally share written responses during lessons, including small-group and partner sharing. Some multi-lesson written projects do provide students with resources and tools for gathering information and rubrics for ensuring that all the key elements of effective writing are addressed.

Examples of writing activities include:

• In Unit 1, students are asked to write an alternative ending to a story from the text. Probing questions to give the students ideas are provided; “…what they think would have happened if it had been summer instead of winter. Would Mole and Rat have gotten lost?” The teacher is told to divide the students into groups and to make sure that each group has a scribe; and the option of having the student include illustrations. The teacher is not instructed to model the expectations. If a student who lacks writing experience is in this class, the student would have misconceptions. (TG, Unit 1, p. 105)

• In Unit 3, lessons build so that by the end of the unit students are able to complete an independent formal writing piece. Specific writing instruction is taught in lessons 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11. The unit culminates when students are asked to write a short informative/explanatory reflection piece about a chapter “they read in this unit that described the systems of the body” (TG, Unit 3, p.314). With this piece students have to include a “title, description of this system, how this system words with other systems, a drawing, and my star rating” (AB, Unit 3, p.121-122).

• Unit 5 contains specific writing instruction in lessons 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Each of these lessons reinforces a writing skill that was taught in a previous unit. For example, students “will be writing a letter to their partner explaining what they learned in the chapter and what they still need help understanding” (TG, Unit 5, p.132). This activity provides students with additional practice in writing informative/explanatory texts. The formal writing assignment in this unit consists of students creating a “newspaper article on the invention of the telephone or the incandescent light bulb” (TG, Unit 5, p.282). This activity is scaffolded so that students first learn about the parts of a newspaper, then plan for their article, and finally write their article.

• In Unit 6, students begin the drafting stage of a short narrative piece. The teacher is instructed to “ask students to describe the main elements of the paragraph…” The teacher then is instructed to have the students to begin their draft.” The teacher is asked to “Remind them that a paragraph includes a topic sentence, details to support the topic sentence, and a concluding sentence.” No instructions are provided for the teacher for addressing students who do not have an understanding of topic and concluding sentences. (TG, Unit 6, p. 118)

Instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet expectations for including a progression of research activities that support the Grade 3 standards. The structure of units focusing on one topic each does support enhanced student understanding and knowledge development around the unit materials. Text materials, however, are typically only those provided as read-alouds, provided in the student reader, and provided in the student activity book. Other materials are sometimes referenced, but it is typically left to the teacher to procure those resources. There is inconsistent guidance for teachers to identify where and how students may struggle and support for what they can do next, although the component practices students engage in over the year meet the expectations of research for Grade 3. Pausing Point lessons frequently provide additional activities including research elements, but those activities are optional.

Examples of activities involving aspects of research include (but are not limited to) the following:

“The formal writing piece for the Animal Classification unit is a short, informational writing piece that focuses on organizing and communicating characteristics and classification of one specific vertebrate. Students learn to introduce a topic, group related information together, and provide supporting ideas, facts, and details. The project can be done with or without the use of technology, but having students use computers to research, write, and publish their projects is highly recommended” (TG, Unit 2, p. 3)

“For the ‘W’ section, you may choose to allow students to conduct research to answer some of the questions they have about the human body that have not been answered. Refer to the list of recommended resources provided in the Introduction” (TG, Unit 3, p.161).

At the end of the unit, students are writing opinion essays and they can support “the opinion with reason and facts gathered from reading and/or research during the unit” (TG, Unit 4, p.324).

Students are reading their student reader and “conducting research and recording information in their Activity Page 7.1 Lab Notes like real scientists do” (TG, Unit 5, p.142). This research practice comes from their student reader, not from outside source materials.

“If possible, students should spend at least one class session in a computer lab to find information for their research writing project…If you cannot secure computer time, students may find information in Adventures in Light and Sound and in additional classroom resources and materials you gathered from your school library” (TG, Unit 5, p.298)

Students are sometimes asked to consider multiple sources, but sources are typically only those provided in the program materials, such as in the following example: “Tell students that they will be creating an expedition log to help them remember important information they learn in this domain. Tell students that page 1 of the journal will be about Christopher Columbus and his voyages. Have students use the information heard in the first two read-alouds and the images from the read-aloud to help them remember details about Christopher Columbus and answer the questions on Activity Page 3.1 independently.” (TG, Unit 9, p.71)

Optional Pausing Point activities provide more structure, practice, and application of research skills. Some examples include:

“Give students the opportunity to research how they can take care of their bodies. They may research what a well-balanced diet should consist of, and the types of exercises they can do on their own. Allow students the time to share their findings within a group or to the class. Refer to the recommended resources in the introduction” (TG, Unit 3, p.307).

“Remind students that they heard that the Native American people in the southwest had to find ways to grow crops in an arid climate. Using a globe or map, ask students to identify other regions or countries in the world where farmers also have to irrigate their crops in order to grow them. Have students use an encyclopedia, textbook, or computer with Internet access to research and write a paragraph about how people in that region or country find ways to overcome the shortage of water. Students may also be asked to draw a map of the region or country they choose to write about.” (TG, Unit 8, p.160)

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 guide clearly instructs the teacher throughout each lesson on its implementation before, during, and after the readings and activities. There is clearly defined tiered vocabulary for each section as well as recommendations for scaffolded support throughout.

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 Unit 3 Lesson 5 the Lesson at a Glance shows that the Speaking and Listening section will take 40 minutes and is further broken down into specific activities that include previewing vocabulary for 5 minutes, introducing the read aloud for 10 minutes, presenting the read aloud for 15 minutes, discussing the read aloud for 5 minutes, and word-work for 5 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. Included as a unit is also a “Core Quest” designed to immerse students in an expository topic.

• The program guide states, “The sequence is designed to build upon earlier content so that students become generally knowledgeable in the early grades, and are able to rely on a robust web of prior knowledge when encountering new complex texts and material later in elementary.
• The program guide states, “Core Quests are immersive, narrative driven units that form close reading adventures. There is one Quest each in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.” The Quest for Grade three is on Vikings; “Using historical data on Viking travel, students take the roles of Vikings who have set sail with Leif Erikson to create the first Norse settlement in North America.”

Out of the 11 Domains (units) in grade three, 5 are based in science, 5 social studies, and one literature (The Wind in the Willows). While the materials appear to be heavily expository based, the social studies domains include historical fiction, and the science domains may be presented by narrative fictional character.

• The introduction to Grade 3, Unit 10 states, “The Reader for Unit 10, Living in Colonial America, is a collection of stories and informational texts about different colonies in early America. The story selections are historical fiction and each is told from a child’s point of view.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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, writing prompts and journals.

• In Unit 2, Lesson 1, the teacher guide states, “On sticky notes, write the following text features: table of contents, heading, bold print, photo/captions, map, diagram, glossary, and chart. Make sure you have one sticky note for each student and a variety of text features.”
  • “Review each text feature and definition in the table below:”
  • “Point out the caption on page 7. • Ask students to read pages 6–7 to find out what is different about the water in the two images of habitats.
• IN Unit 11, Lesson 9, the teacher guide states, “Prepare copies of Presentation Preparation Checklist for student groups” Hand out the Checklist for Preparing Presentation to students. • Tell students they can use visual aids during their presentations. • Tell students to create and submit a Presentation Outline in notebooks.”

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’, and ‘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.

• In Unit 5, Lesson 4 states, “Write the following sentences on the board and cover them or write them on sentence strips to be displayed during the grammar lesson or prepare digital Projection DP.U5.L4.1.”

• In Unit 1, Lesson 14, “Tell students they are going to use an Editing Checklist to help them to know if any further corrections are needed.”

• Another example from Unit 1 is lesson 13 where it states, “Ask students to turn to the Table of Contents, locate the chapter, and then turn to the first page of the chapter.”

• An example of ‘Check for Understanding’ in Unit 2, Lesson 7 states, “As groups are presenting their Graffiti Walls, ensure that students have the key information listed about tree frogs. If not, review Frog Scavenger Hunt Cards for key information on tree frogs.”

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;

• Activity Page instructions (Unit 1, take home 8.4) states, “Circle true or false and write the page number where you found the answer.”
• In Unit 5, Lesson 8 states, “Have students take out their Student Readers, Lab Notes from the unit, and Activity Page 8.1”
• A formative assessment in Unit 2, Lesson 8, states, “Activity Page 8.2 Field Journal Write about being a herpetologist. [W.3.8]”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 3-5 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 introduction in Unit 1 states, “Formative assessments are provided to help keep track of students’ progress toward objectives and standards. These can be found in the Student Activity Book, and are referenced in every lesson.”
• In the Unit Assessment of Lesson 14 (Unit 3) for writing it states, “Students will write a short reflection passage. [W.3.8; ELD.PI.3.9] and in the area of Language, “Students will be able to identify and spell regular and plural nouns where the ‘f’ changes to ‘v’ and –es is added. [L.3.1b; ELD.PIII.3]”
• The formative assessment for Unit 11, Lesson 6 comes in the form of an “Anticipation Guide” activity page. “Human Changes to the Environment. Make predictions and find information in the text. [Rl.3.1, ELD PI.3.6]”
• In Unit 5, lesson 7, an example of standards being addressed in the sidebar for scaffolding states, “Reading/Viewing Closely [ELD.PI.3.6] Emerging—Read the chapter aloud to students, pausing at key points and asking students if they can find key words to record. Expanding—Have students read and record notes with a partner. Bridging—Have students read independently and share notes with a partner

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials containing a teacher’s edition 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 activates at the end of lessons that provide assessment and remediation in 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 Grade 3 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 3-5 contains explicit instruction on the role of the standards in the overall curriculum. It details the qualitative and quantitative text complexity of each unit, language demands from literal to complex language including tiered vocabulary, the structure of text and breakdown of literature, informational and nonfiction text, as well as close reading and use of text dependent questions including literal, inferential and evaluative questions.

An explanation of the Quantitative Text Complexity is explained on page 56 of the Program Guide, “By 3rd grade students are increasingly reading grade level complex text independently. They also continue to be exposed to above-grade Read-Alouds. In 4th and 5th grade, students are exclusively reading grade-level complex text that increases in challenge from the beginning to the end of the grade.”

An explanation of the Qualitative Text Complexity is explained on page 56 of the Program Guide, “Qualitative Text Complexity requires a range of judgments, some of which are by necessity subjective (Which is more complex, Anna Karenina or War and Peace? Descartes or Aristotle?). In 3rd–5th grade students are exposed to texts that are increasingly open to multiple interpretations and have many layers of meaning.”

The Program Guide details the language conventions in each grade on page 56; “In third grade, students are still exposed to texts that are mostly literal, and clear in their language. The form of writing is generally contemporary. In 3rd grade, students show a marked increase in academic and domain-specific vocabulary from K–2, but students are helped in absorbing that language through the continued use of Read-Alouds.”

The Program Guide page 60 details the types of text dependent questions that are addressed in every lesson.

• “Literal questions assess students’ recall of key details from the text. These are text- dependent questions that require students to paraphrase and/or refer back to the portion of the text where the specific answer is provided. Literal questions generally address Reading Standards for Literature n1 RL.4.1) and/or Reading Standards for Informational Text 1 (RI.X.1).”

• Inferential questions ask students to infer information from the text and to think critically. These are also text dependent, but require students to summarize and/or refer back to the portions of the text that lead to and support the inference they are making. These questions generally address Reading Standards for Literature 2–5 (RL.X.2– RL.X.5) and/or Reading Standards for Informational Text 2–5 (RI.X.2–RI.X.5).”

• Evaluative questions ask students to build on what they have learned from the text using analytical and application skills, often to form an opinion or make a judgment. These questions are also text-dependent, but require students to paraphrase and/or refer back to the portion(s) of the text that substantiate the argument they are making or the opinion they are offering. Evaluative questions might ask students to: Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, addressing Reading Standards for Literature 6 (RL.X.6)”

In Grade 3, the breakdown of genre within the 11 domains are as follows; 5 are based in science, 5 social studies, and one literature (The Wind in the Willows). While the materials appear to be heavily expository based, it can be noted that the social studies domains include historical fiction and the science domains may be presented by narrative fictional character.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials containing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies. 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 instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials regularly and systematically offering assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress. Assessments include Daily Checks for Understanding, Daily Formative Assessments, Content and Mid Unit Assessments, and Unit Placement and Assessments Benchmark Tests.

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 differentiate instruction.

There is ongoing tracking of student progress:

• Student Progress Record. This form may be used against a large range of student activities to track how students are progressing over time and compared with others in the class.
• Mid-and end-of-unit assessments

There are a range of formal assessment opportunities that are are accompanied by directions and support for analysis of performance. They are also accompanied by assessment charts to record student progress. These assessment opportunities include, but not limited to:

• Spelling Assessments
• Grammar and Morphology Assessments
• Reading Comprehension Assessments
• Writing Assessments

There are three benchmark assessments: Beginning of Year, Middle of Year, and End of Year. Students are offered additional support and remediation depending on their performance on benchmark assessments.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 assessment, 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 Unit 2, Lesson 1 where it states that using Activity Page 1.2 (Animal Webcam Observations) student will, “Record animal observations and characteristics. [W.3.8] Activity Page 1.4 Text Feature Project Hunt Identify text features in the Reader. [RI.3.5]”
• In Unit 5, Lesson 7, using Activity Pages 7.4-7.7 (suffixes) students will, “Add –ous and –ly to words to change the meaning of words. [L.3.4b]
• In Unit 8, Lesson 4, using Activity Page 4.2 and the ‘Mound Guide’, students will, “Identify the key details about mounds. [W.3.8]

Unit Assessment in Unit 8 Lesson 13 provides the primary focus of the lesson in the following examples:

• “Students will demonstrate comprehension of stories they read independently. [RL.3.10]”
• “Students will use information learned in the unit to compare and contrast Native American groups. [RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.9

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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.
• Writing feedback to provide immediate feedback and suggestions during the writing process.
• 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.

• Rubrics
• Portfolios
• Editing Checklists

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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.

• In Unit 9, Lesson 4, the formative assessments listed are an Expedition Log where students write down information they have learned about Ponce de Leon and an activity page titled, “El Castillo de San Marcos” where students list five facts from the text.

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 Unit 5, Lesson 1, the Check for Understanding is a “Think-Pair-Share: ‘What does light have to do with wavelengths?’ Teacher should circulate while students share briefly. Answers will vary but should include light can be measured in wavelengths, wavelengths can be different sizes, some wavelengths are visible and some are not, depending on the size. Students can use both the text and the illustrations to explain their answer.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials providing teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of 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 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 include:

• In Unit 5, Lesson 1
  • Emerging- Ask students simple yes/no questions (i.e., “Is light important for plants?”).
  • Expanding- Provide students a speci c sentence frame (i.e., “Light is important because without it would/would not.”)
  • Bridging- Encourage students to use content- speci c words in complete sentences (i.e., “Light is important for plants because plants use the energy from the sun to produce food.”)
  • Support- If students have dif culty writing the response, have them reread pages 2–11 and and key words and phrases.
  • Challenge -Have students write a paragraph summarizing the information on Activity Page 1.2.

• In the Advance Preparation section at the beginning of each lesson there are Universal Access instructions. For example in Grade 3, Unit 4, Lesson 1,“In this lesson, students will read and listen to “The Legend of Romulus and Remus.” Prepare students to engage with the content by doing/setting up the following: Meet the characters: Use images from the Reader to introduce students to the main characters in this legend.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 providing stretching questions and activities.
  • In Unit 5, Lesson 6, students “Make a list of transparent substances and rank them in order of their density, from least dense to most dense.”
• Pausing Point days include additional activities and more complex text for excelling students.
  • In Grade 3, Unit 3, Pausing Point 1 states, “It is highly recommended that you pause here and spend a day reviewing, reinforcing, or extending the material taught thus far. You may have students do any combination of the activities listed below. The 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.” A specific activity states, “Find a recording of the song “Dry Bones.” Have students listen to the song once or twice, and encourage them to point to the various body parts mentioned in the song. After listening to the song, have students discuss the more technical names for the bones they learned about in the read-alouds; e.g., the “head bone” as the skull or cranium; the “back bone” and “neck bone” as the spine or spinal column; the “thigh bone” as the femur; the “knee bone” as a hinge joint.”
• Independent Reading. There are a large number of “above level” books that are available for students through CKLA Independent Reading. These allow students to expand their knowledge with more challenging material.

There are also daily opportunities to allow students go deeper into the topic. Lessons in the Knowledge Strand offer opportunities for independent and small group research that can be extended by asking for alternative sources or deeper analysis.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for providing opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies. Students are grouped in partners, small groups, and whole class. Teachers are provided with guidance on how to group students such as an page 54 of the Program Guide, “Teachers should use a range of strategies—sometimes employing students of the same comprehension level into the same group, and at other times mixing those with a higher comprehension with those that are struggling. Extension activities within the Pausing Points provide a large range of additional collaborative learning opportunities. These include large group activities such as rehearsing and performing Read-Alouds, plays, and other literary works in front of an audience.”

Examples of how grouping strategies are used in materials include:

• Partner discussion: Partner discussions are used in all units. Students host informal discussions and rules-based formal discussions.
• Think-Pair-Shares: Students discuss a topic, build on the remarks of others, and link their comments to evidence in the text.
• Small group discussion: Multiple opportunities for small group instruction and expression are present.
• Whole class discussion: Whole class discussion takes place daily. These provide ample opportunities for students to model and practice Effective Expression.