The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics or themes to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend complex texts proficiently. Grade 11 materials are grouped around topics such as Unit 1’s focus on the Civil War, Unit 4’s focus on how food affects our world, and Unit 5’s focus on the United States’ justice system. This intense focus builds not only literacy skills but students’ content knowledge. Texts become more varied and complex throughout the instructional materials, as do the skills students are expect to execute. Since the texts are appropriately complex, these texts help increase students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts.

Evidence that the materials meet the criteria is as follows:

• The texts in Unit 1 all relate to the Civil War. Different types of texts are provided to increase engagement and address a variety of learning styles. Unit 1 texts include, but are not limited to:
  • Civil War Photos - Photography
  • "The Civil War: Gettysburg” - Video
  • Excerpt from “American Civilization” - Essay
  • Sullivan Ballou letter to Sarah Ballou - Letter
  • Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Personal Narrative
  • “The Wound Dresser” - Poem Excerpt
  • “The Bonnie Blue Flag” - Song
  • Emancipation Proclamation - Government Document

• Unit 2 is developed around students’ abilities to make EBCs through activities based on a close reading of the first chapter of W.E.B. DuBois’s The Souls of Black Folk. Students will learn to make text-based claims by moving from literal understanding of the text’s details to simple conclusions or inferences to claims that arise from and are supported by close examination of textual evidence.

• Unit 3 is based on two anchor texts: Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” and Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River.” Both texts are first-person fictional narratives. Students use these texts to focus on how authors develop literary techniques such as character, setting, and plot.

• The texts in Unit 5 all relate to the topic, “Let the punishment fit the crime.” Different types of texts are provided to increase engagement and address a variety of learning styles. Unit 1 texts include, but are not limited to:
  • Crime and Punishment in America, Chs. 1 and 2 - Book Chapters
  • “The High Budgetary Cost of Incarceration” - Report
  • “Guillotine Justice” - Political Cartoon
  • “Lessons from death row inmates” - TED Talk
  • Miller v. Alabama - Syllabus and Dissenting Opinion
  • “Help Thy Neighbor and Go Straight to Prison” - NY Times Article

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

Throughout the Grade 11 instructional materials, higher order thinking questions are consistently provided in the form of both text-dependent and text-specific questions. These questions are embedded into Questioning Path Tools that are used by students as guides when analyzing texts. These questions help students make meaning of what they are reading and build understanding of multiple, related texts as they prepare for each unit’s culminating task. The use of the plethora of tools, questions, and tasks not only provides evidence of student understanding of definitions and concepts, but also helps students make meaning and build understanding of texts.

Evidence that supports this rationale include:

• The Grade 11 Curriculum overview describes “A Question-Based Approach to Reading: Questioning Paths.” The instructional sequence for reading which forms the “iterative questioning process:
  • approaching a text and considering reading purpose and text information
  • initial questioning of the text using more literal Guiding Questions
  • further analyzing the text with more interpretive Guiding Questions
  • deepening understanding by attending to the text-specific questions
  • extending reading through additional questioning , reading, or research” (xxii).

• The overview also explains that “The text-centered framework aligns directly with the CCSS and national assessments so that as students learn to use and develop text-based questions, they also become strategic responders to text questions in domains such as main ideas and supporting details, language use, author’s or narrator’s perspective, text structure, and so on” (xxiii).

• In Unit 1, Part 1, Activity 4, the instructional materials provide questions that require students to analyze key ideas, details, and structure of "The Civil War: Gettysburg.” The following questions help students analyze the video and gain knowledge of the unit’s topic, The Civil War:
  • "How does learning about the Battle of Gettysburg from this video influence my reading and thinking about Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address? What connections can I make?
  • What do the early details of the video suggest about how the Gettysburg Battle started and how unexpectedly gruesome it was?
  • What do I notice about how the text (video) is organized or sequenced?" (23).

• Unit 2’s focus is to develop students’ abilities to make EBCs using the first chapter of W. E. B. DuBois’s The Souls of Black Folks. In Part I, Activity 3, students follow along as they listen to the teacher read the first paragraph of the chapter. Using the Questioning Path Tool, students are to “deepen their understanding of the text” (139). Some of the questions on the Questioning Path Tool are “What details or words suggest the author’s perspective?” and “How might I summarize the main ideas of the text and the key supporting details?” (138). Later, in Unit 2, Part 3, Activity 6, students are to consider the final five paragraphs of DuBois’s piece and “are expected to develop and use their own Questioning Paths, selecting relevant Guiding Questions and framing one or more text-specific question after their first, guiding reading” (165).

• In Unit 3, Part 3, Activity 1, the instructional materials provide questions that require students to analyze language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of “The Red Convertible.” Questions include:
  • "Why might Erdrich have chosen the words and images Lyman uses to describe Henry in paragraph 49: 'His face was totally white and hard. Then it broke, like stones break all of a sudden when water boils up inside of them?'
  • What claim might a reader make about Henry’s state of mind in his last moments, based on evidence drawn from this and previous descriptions?
  • Where does the narrative end - with what details, events, or thoughts?" (261).

• Unit 4 focuses on the explorative proficiency, researching to deepen understanding, and uses a common source set focusing on the area of investigation, “Food: How do our decisions about what we eat affect our world?” The Unit 4, Part 1 objective is for students to learn the purposes and processes of using inquiry and research to deepen understanding. In Part 1, Activity 1, as an introduction to the unit, students view a video, “Future of Food: Why Food Matters Now More Than Ever,” and take notes related to the Guiding Questions on which they have selected to focus. In groups of three, students summarize what they have noted as they watched the video, later comparing notes with their small group. In Unit 4, Part 3, Activity 2, students analyze a source’s perspective and focus on:
  • Determining an author’s purpose for writing a text
  • Identifying the author’s relationship to a topic
  • Describing the author’s view of or perspective on the topic
  • Analyzing how that perspective is communicated through ideas, details, and language

• In Unit 5, Part 1, Activity 2, the instructional materials provide questions that require students to analyze language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of “The Punishing Decade: Prison and Jail Estimates at the Millennium.” Questions include:
  • "What unfamiliar words do I need to study or define to better understand the text?
  • This piece mentions the disproportionate impact incarceration has on minorities. What evidence does the text present to support this claim?
  • What do I notice about how the text is organized or sequenced?" (506).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts. The curriculum provides both text-dependent and text-specific questions to support students analysis as they read texts. These questions are provided through Questioning Path Tools and the Guiding Questions Handout. These questions guide teachers as they support student growth in analyzing language, determining main ideas and supporting evidence, identifying author’s purpose and point of view, and analyzing structure of text. Both the student work with individual and multiple texts and teacher materials provide support in growing analytical skills of students.

Evidence that supports this rationale:

• The Grade 11 teacher’s edition overview of A Question-Based Approach to Reading Questioning Paths states, “The key to examining text closely is the strategic use—by teachers and students—of text-dependent questions. Students should learn not only to respond to text-dependent questions posed by others but also to generate and refine their own questions as they dig deeper into a text and expand their comprehension and their independence as close readers” (xxii).

• Unit 1 presents students with a series of texts related to The Civil War. In Part I, Activity 5, students use Guiding Questions to explore a multimedia website independently. The Questioning Path Tool includes both text-dependent questions (“What do I notice about how the website is organized?”) and text-specific questions (“What interesting details, examples, or ideas can I find that relate to the other texts we are studying?”) In Part 3, Activity 1, the Instructional Notes guide teachers through helping students analyze textual details. These notes walk students through questioning, deepening, and analyzing. In the analyzing section, the notes say to “Have students move from thinking about what they notice to what they think about it by recording and considering a Guiding Question, such as “How does the author’s perspective and presentation of the text compare to others?” (50). In Part 4, Activity 4, students write an evidence-based explanation. Using the Analyzing Details Tool they developed in Activity 3, students draft a multi-paragraph explanation using textual evidence that explains the following:
  • A central idea of the text and how it is developed through the ideas and details the text presents.
  • How the central idea is related to the text’s purpose and the author’s perspective on the topic.
  • What they have come to understand about the topic from the text.

• In Unit 3, Part 1, Activity 1, the Questioning Path Tool for “The Red Convertible,” paragraphs 1-25 provides text-dependent and text-specific questions, such as “How does the narrative unfold in time - chronologically or not?” and “Why might Erdrich have chosen to include the incident with the girl and her long hair?” (238). These questions, along with the other questions provided throughout the unit, prepare student for the unit’s final assignment where students use “The Red Convertible” and “On the Rainy River” to write an essay about literary technique.

• Unit 5 focuses on aspects of argumentation involving evidence, reasoning, and logic. It uses a common source set focusing on the United States’ justice system and underlying questions regarding what makes a punishment necessary, effective, and ethical. Part I includes the following activities:
  • Introducing the Unit
  • Exploring the issue - students read and analyze a background text to develop an initial understanding of the issue
  • Deepening Understanding of the Issue - students read and analyze additional background texts to expand and deepen their understanding of the issue
  • Questioning to Refine Understanding - students develop text-dependent questions and use them to refine their analysis
  • Writing an EBC about the nature of the issue - students develop and write multi-part, evidence-based claims about the nature of the issue.

• In Part 2, Activity 3, students delineate arguments by using text-dependent questions to attend to key details related to the argument's position, claims, structure, reasoning, and supporting evidence. The Questioning Path Tool to be used with “Treating youth like youth: why it’s time to raise the age in New York” to assist in delineating this argument includes text-dependent questions, such as “How does the evidence in the text influence my understanding of the issue of punishment and incarceration in the United States? In what ways? (529).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks 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 and tasks are specifically designed to lead up to the culminating task for each unit. A combination of reading, writing, speaking,and listening is woven throughout the units. While reading and writing tend to be the focus of the tasks, speaking and listening are incorporated not only into the culminating tasks but also the activities leading up to them. Students are provided multiple tools, such as the Questioning Path Tool and the Exploring a Topic Tool, which provide guidance as they read texts and begin writing about those texts. These Tools serve as formative assessments that help teachers determine whether or not students have the skills necessary to complete the culminating tasks. The instructional materials support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks both in this grade level, as well as cumulatively over the whole curriculum. Scaffolding is provided when students are introduced to new skills. Also evident is an increase in the rigor and intensity of previously learned skills to ensure that tasks remain grade-/ability-dependent.

Evidence to support that the materials meet the criteria follow:

• Unit 1 introduces a series of texts related to the Civil War. Students read academic essays, letters to friends and loved ones, and personal accounts from authors such as Whitman, Emerson, and Jefferson Davis. As the first unit, it instructs students in the process of close reading and helps students approach, question, and analyze texts, helping them focus on key textual characteristics and ideas. Part 1 activities use the Questioning Path Tools to assist students in reading closely. Parts 2 and 3 continue this process but deepen the analysis with the expectation that students work more independently. Part 4, Activity 1 introduces student to the culminating activities, analyzing one of three related texts and drafting a multi-paragraph explanation, as well as leading and participating in a comparative discussion about the three texts. In Part 5, Activities 1 and 2 prepare students for a text-centered discussion, while in Activity 3, students lead the discussion. The RC Literacy Skills and Discussion Habits Rubric is used by the teacher for evaluating performance and growth, and it includes a 4-point developmental scale from emerging to excelling.

• In Unit 2, the culminating task is to write a global or comparative evidence-based essay. Students begin the unit by independently reading the first paragraph of The Souls of Black Folk; students are provided a Questioning Path Tool to help them deepen their understanding of the text. These Questioning Path Tools are provided throughout the unit as students continue to read DuBois’s text.

• Unit 3 focuses on students making evidence-based claims (EBCs) about literary techniques using two related first-person fictional narratives, Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” and Tim O’ Brien’s “On the Rainy River.” The unit begins with the introduction of EBCs in the realm of literary analysis and how that reading might vary from other readings/approaches students have used previously. Activity 1 gives students guiding questions about the literary techniques in a narrative before introducing the two texts. The Questioning Path Tool is used for support as students begin to read with this focus, and class discussion is used with text-dependent questions that focus on specific passages and narrative techniques. During Part 2, students form EBCs in pairs, and in Part 3, students read independently and form their EBCs independently. Formative assessment opportunities at the end of Part 3 give both students and teachers feedback about students’ progress. Part 4 focuses on developing students’ ability to communicate text-based claims and their supporting evidence through writing. The unit culminates in Part 5 when students develop and express global EBCs. While students independently draft their final EBC essay, Part 5, Activity 5 uses a collaborative, criteria-based process for student revision.
• Unit 5 is a culmination of the grade 11 instructional materials and combines high-level skills of argumentation involving evidence, reason, and logic. It asks that students form an opinion, take a stand, and convince others to agree. Part 1 introduces students to the concept of evidence-based argumentation through introducing the topic of the “United States’ justice system and underlying questions regarding what makes a punishment necessary, effective, and ethical” (498). Students read and write about a variety of informational texts to build an understanding of the topic. In Part 2, students employ close-reading skills and terminology used in delineating argumentation such as “perspective,” “position,” “implications,” “premises,” and ‘”evidence.” They apply these terms to several arguments associated with punishment, incarceration rates and the prison system” (489). Part 3 moves students into evaluation where they synthesize their analyses of other arguments to develop their own positions. In Part 4, they begin to craft their own argument, working on the sequence of claims and their supporting evidence. Finally, in Part 5, students work through a collaborative process to draft, revise, and publish their own argumentative essays.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a yearlong, cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts.

Within every unit, students practice writing and speaking from sources. The mode of writing they practice, the process they use, and the independence they are given varies based on the focus of the unit and where the unit is placed in the year. Students use graphic organizers to develop short sentences and paragraphs that communicate their thinking as they read texts. Students write formal paragraphs and short expository essays. Students then break claims into component premises and develop arguments. By the end of the year, students plan, write, and publish thesis-driven academic arguments, making the case for a position related to texts and their content.

The collaboration workshop is a question-based approach for developing writing. Students work through a process that is collaborative, question-based, and criteria-driven. Students are taught to think of essays as a process rather than a product, and that conversation, contemplation, consideration, and revision are part of the process.

The following learning principles are used to facilitate student writing development:

• Independence: Students are encouraged to be reflective and develop their own writing process rather than following the writing process in a rote and mechanical way.
• Collaboration: Students are encouraged to seek and use constructive feedback from others.
• Clear Criteria: Criteria is provided to describe the essential characteristics of a desired writing product.
• Guiding Questions: Students are expected to use guiding and text-based questions to promote close reading and developing their drafts.
• Evidence: Students use and integrate evidence through references, quotations, or paraphrasing.

Each writing activity includes a teacher demonstration lesson and class time is dedicated for students to free write, experiment, draft, revise, and edit their writings. Students engage in discussions surrounding their writings and ask and answer questions about their writing. Students are also given multiple opportunities to read aloud and share their writings throughout the process to receive feedback. The writing process moves through an increasingly focused sequence of activities, such as getting started, thinking, organizing, gathering evidence, connecting ideas, expressing ideas, final editing, and publishing.

In Grade 11 the yearlong plan of writing instruction builds from Unit 1 where students are writing a text-based explanation focused on the topic of The Civil War to Unit 3 where students write an evidence-based claims essay based on Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” and Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River.” Unit 5 ends the year with an evidence-based argumentative essay focused on the United States’ justice system.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials. Grade 11 provides many research opportunities through the year’s instructional materials that are built into a variety of contexts and culminating tasks. Scaffolded research skills that build independence in students are a particular strength of the instructional materials. Activities are designed to lead up to and support students as they prepare for the culminating tasks. In preparation for these final tasks, students read and write about texts and participate as both speakers and listeners in class discussions. Units 1, 4, and 5 provide multiple texts that give students access to a variety of sources about a topic. There are many resources available for students and teachers as they learn, practice, apply, and transfer skills.

Evidence to support this include:

• Unit 1 works as a skill-building unit for the rest of the Grade 11 instructional materials. It works to “integrate the development of explanatory communication skills into the close reading process” and culminates in text-centered discussions in which students explain and compare their textual analyses with those of their peers. To do so, students work with a series of texts related to The Civil War. Student reading is broken down in the Questioning Path Tool to Approaching, Questioning, Analyzing, Deepening, and Extending. Teachers walk students through this process in Parts 1-3 before giving students more independence in Part 4, where in Activity 3, students question and analyze texts independently and in Activity 4, write a text-based explanation. Finally, the whole unit culminates in Part 5, Activity 3, in which students lead a text-centered discussion.

• Unit 2 is focused on the first chapter of W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folks. The unit’s activities are designed to prepare students for the culminating writing task which is a global, evidence-based essay. In Unit 2, Part 4, Activity 6, students “discuss their new evidence-based claims from Activity 5 and students listen actively to the portions of the text being read or presented.” The teacher is provided with Instructional Notes to help guide students through the lesson. This activity asks students to transfer claims from the Forming EBC Tool to the Organizing EBC to help them organize and refine their evidence in preparation for writing the final essay (176-177).

• Unit 3 uses fictional narratives, Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” and Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River,” to develop students’ abilities to make EBCs about literary techniques. While not traditionally research oriented, this unit exposes students to yet another kind of text and continues to work on the skills of critical reading and thinking, forming and supporting EBCs, organizing evidence and thinking, and communicating EBCs orally, as well as in paragraphs and essays.

• Unit 4 is focused on research and provides a Common Source Set that is centered around the unit’s title, “Food: How do our decisions about what we eat affect our world?”; however, this unit is intentionally designed that the unit can be used regardless of which texts are read (360). In Unit 4, Part 3, Activity 2, student practice analyzing a source’s perspective and relevance. This skill is necessary throughout the unit as students prepare to present a final research project. After the teacher models r close reading and analyzing a source’s perspective, bias, and credibility, student teams practice this close reading and analysis through independent reading and conversations about their annotations and observations.

• Unit 5 culminates in thinking/reading/writing/listening skills by working at the highest level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, focusing on argumentation involving evidence, reasoning, and logic. It begins in Part 1 with “Understanding the Nature of an Issue” where Activity 1 presents an overview of the unit and its societal issue and stresses that students learn and think about a complex societal issue for which there are many explanations, perspectives, and opinions. The rest of Part I is in pursuit of thinking deeply about the issue of the United States’ justice system with regards to what makes a punishment necessary, effective, and ethical. Part 1’s Formative Assessment includes the target skills of forming claims and “Using Evidence.” Part 2’s focus is on Analyzing Arguments, Part II on Evaluating and Developing a Position. Finally, Part 4’s focus is on Organizing an Evidence-Based Argument and includes the skills of identifying supporting evidence (Activity 1) and organizing evidence to support claims (Activity 3), while Part 5 culminates in students drafting and writing their argumentative essays.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. Each unit is divided into five parts, and each part is divided into activities. Not only does each part within a unit build in complexity, the units also become more complex as the year progresses. This intentional design helps students develop necessary skills before advancing to the next activity or unit. Also, by dividing each part into activities, the instructional materials are able to provide a realistic estimated time frame for completion.

In Unit 1, the instructional materials provide an overview of the activities for Part 1:

• Introduction to the Unit
• Attending to Details
• Reading Closely for Details
• Attending to Details in Multimedia
• Independent Reading and Research

This lesson structure moves students from a teacher-direction introduction and guided analysis of text to an independent reading and research activity. The materials suggest that this Unit 1, Part 1 should take three to four days to complete.

In Unit 3, Part 3, the materials outline the following activities:

• Independent Reading and Forming EBCs
• Comparing EBCs
• Model the Organizing of EBCs
• Deepening Understanding
• Organizing EBCs in Pairs
• Class Discussion of Student EBCs
• Independent Development of EBCs

This lesson structure moves students through the process of developing and explaining EBCs by providing opportunities for independent reading with the support of teacher modeling and a cooperative feedback process. Unlike in grades 9 and 10, the instructional materials push students to independently create their own EBCs at this point in the process. Unit 3, Part 3 should take two to three days to complete.

In Unit 5, the materials provide an overview of the activities for Part 3:

• Evaluating Arguments
• Developing a Perspective and Position
• Deepening Understanding
• Using Others’ Arguments to Support a Position
• Responding to Opposing Arguments

This lesson structure is designed to help students through the process of evaluating arguments and synthesizing information to establish their own positions which is a vital step in the research process as students prepare to write an evidence-based argumentative essay. The materials do not provide an estimated time of completion for Unit 5, Part 3.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding. The materials provide effective guidance and flexibility for teachers to address all the content and supplement with local academic goals and curricula. The materials address intertwined essential skills delineated in five units. Each unit focuses on a Core Proficiency for literacy that builds skills applicable beyond the English language arts classroom. The materials are vertically aligned by consistently addressing the same Core Proficiencies in five units in each proceeding grade.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• The materials consist of five units focused on four essential proficiencies that are designed to intertwine the building of knowledge. Each unit delineates standards-aligned Academic Habits into five parts with a varying amount of activities that range from 1 to 3 instructional days as determined by the teachers.
• The materials recursively focus on 20 essential Literacy Skills and 12 Academic Habits applied to text-centered analysis tasks in order to maximize student understanding of skills. Tasks include reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
• The materials bundle multiple standards and literacy skills into four Core Proficiencies. Each unit focuses on a different proficiency for students to master. The Core Proficiencies include: Reading Closely for Textual Details, Making Evidence-Based Claims, Researching to Deepen Understanding, and Building Evidence-Based Arguments.
• The materials provide guidance for structuring yearlong instruction and supplementing with local curricular content based on students’ needs as determined by the teacher.
• The materials are vertically aligned and follow the same formula and address the same Core Proficiencies from grade-to-grade with increasingly complex texts and opportunities for independent work.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (eg. visuals, maps, etc.) Student materials include a variety of tools for students to practice the targeted skills in the instructional materials. The Reading Closely for Textual Details Literacy Toolbox includes, but is not limited to the following handouts: Reading Closely Graphic, Guiding Questions Handout, Attending to Details Handout, and Reading Closely Final Writing and Discussion Task Handout. In addition to the handouts, students are provided with a variety of tools to practice targeted Core Literacy Proficiency Skills, such as the Approaching the Text Tool, Analyzing Details Tool, Questioning Path Tool, and Model Questioning Path Tools. Checklists are provided to support peer- and self-review. Texts are included in the student edition and Additional Resources in the Topic Area are included in the student edition with guidance regarding where to locate online resources. Images are labeled appropriately.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• In Unit 1, nine texts are provided in the student edition as well as four Extended Reading opportunities including the following: 1) “The Wound Dresser” (excerpt) by Walt Whitman, 2) A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union, 3) “The Bonnie Blue Flag” by Harry Macarthy, and, 4) Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. These texts are located prior to Part 1 in the student edition. Text 1 consists of three images, and each image is printed with a label on the right to identify the correct image for the students. For example, the first image is labeled “Library of Congress, 1861-1865”.

• In Unit 4, Additional Resources in the Topic Area are included in the student edition prior to the Literacy Toolbox. Guidance is provided for students to access all these resources. For example, “Our Daily Bread," Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion, is a documentary film about the industrialization and mechanization of food production. The trailer is available on Youtube.com and Ourdailybread.at.Teacher Research Unit Guide”.

• In Unit 5, Part 2, Analyzing Arguments, students are provided with Questioning Path Tools to assist them in approaching the text. Clear instructions are included directly on the Questioning Path Tool, including the following: “I determine my reading purposes and take note of key information about the text. I identify the LIPS domain(s) that will guide my initial reading.” Prompts are provided on the side to remind students to identify Purpose, Key Information, and LIPS domain(s).

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items. The materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of both primary and supporting standards at the following levels: year, unit, and part. Both the Reading Closely: Guiding Questions Handout and the Questioning Path Tools, which are used extensively throughout the instructional materials, are aligned to specific reading and writing standards.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• In the Developing Core Literacy Proficiencies: User Guide, the materials provide an Alignment of Targeted CCSS with OE Skills and Habits chart. This chart provides the CCSS Anchor Standards and the aligned Literacy Skills and Academic Habits.

• For each Unit, the materials provide the CCSS alignment and divide the standards into primary targeted skills and related reading and writing skills from supporting CCSS. In addition, the instructional materials provide the targeted and supporting standards for each part of each unit.

• Throughout the materials, students use the Reading Closely: Guiding Questions Handout. This handout organizes questions into four areas: Language, Ideas, Perspective, and Structure. The language questions address Common Core State Standards R.4, L.3, L.4, and L.5. The ideas questions address Common Core State Standards R.2, W.3, R.8, R.9. The perspective questions address Common Core State Standard R.6. The structure questions address the Common Core State Standard R.5.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain 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. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

Because of the tool-based organization, the teacher’s edition includes ample and useful instructional notes which offer suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Also included is teacher guidance for the places where technology is used to support and enhance student learning.

The teacher’s edition begins with a User Guide for Developing Core Literacy Proficiencies that spells out a proficiency-based approach to developing literacy. It also lays out the Literacy Skills and Academic Habits that will be referred to in the student edition and the language used throughout the program. It specifically refers to the Literacy Toolbox which is made up of three types of materials: handouts, tools, and checklists/rubrics of which the Student Edition is primarily comprised. At the end of the User Guide is a section titled “Media Supports” which specifically addresses multimedia to support teaching and learning.

Unit 1, Part 1, Activity 2 introduces students to the strategy of questioning texts and attending to details. The Instructional Notes direct teachers on how to help students utilize the Questioning Path Tool in the student edition. Within that tool, and the Instructional Notes, are very specific directions on each of the five parts of the Questioning Path Tool--Approaching, Questioning, Analyzing, Deepening, and Extending.

Unit 4, Part 1, Activity 3 connects online texts with another of the tools in the student edition, the Approaching Texts Tool, and gives teachers options on how to use these potential texts.

In Unit 5, Part 3, Activity 4, the teacher’s edition points to the Delineating Arguments Tool within the student edition to help students write a multi-part EBC.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain 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. Teacher editions provide adequate guidance for preparing each unit of study in a yearlong course. The materials provide clear and multiple examples and explanations to support a teacher’s understanding of the texts and literacy skills for effective modeling to occur during class time.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• Teacher editions of rubrics and Academic Habits include guidance to use as classroom formative assessments.
• The Literacy Toolbox includes teacher and student editions. Teacher editions are accompanied with more details and examples for teachers to use during instruction to help them know what to recognize when observing student discussions for formative assessment.
• Each unit includes extensive preparatory details for the teacher to schedule instruction with suggestions for differentiation and optional tasks.
• Units include extensive Text Notes to support teachers to deliver instruction in a coherent and consistent approach. Text Notes include details about the content and examples for the teacher to use when modeling skills or for teachers to observe students.
• Teacher editions include guidance and justification for the text choices of the materials. For example, justifications note why a particular work is an ideal introduction to Core Proficiencies such as Making Evidence-Based Claims and pinpoint text-specific examples for teachers to understand and acknowledge when modeling this skill. In addition, the materials will provide an explanation justifying a companion text choice and why it is appropriately sequenced.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. The teacher’s edition includes a Developing Core Literacy Proficiencies: User Guide which includes a table listing the anchor Common Core State Standards that are targeted throughout Grade 11. The instructional materials also include a Unit Overview for each unit, including an explanation of the learning progression. In addition, a Common Core State Standards Alignment is included in the teacher’s edition in the Unit Overview for each unit and the description is specific to the instructional focus of the unit.

Evidence to support this rationale is as follows:

• The Developing Core Literacy Proficiencies: User Guide includes the following guidance for the teacher: “The following table lists the anchor Common Core State Standards that are targeted within the five Developing Core Literacy Proficiencies units and indicates the Literacy Skills and Academic Habits that are derived from or are components of those standards. This cart can be used to walk backward from the OE [Odell Education] criteria used in assessments and rubrics to the CCSS, especially if students are also trying to track student performance specific to the standards.” Specifically, R.1 - R.10, W.1 - W.9, and SL.1 are included in the table with aligned Literacy Skills and Academic Habits.
• In Unit 2, the Unit Overview includes the Learning Progression for the unit activities which are organized into five parts. The teacher’s edition states, “The sequence of learning activities supports the progressive development of the critical reading and thinking skills involved in making evidence-based claims.”
• In Unit 4, Part 1, the teacher’s edition includes Alignment to CCSS that are targeted standards and supporting standards specific to the instructional focus of the unit. For example, a targeted standard is in relation to “CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question…” and a supporting standard is as follows: “CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9.-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies. The Grade 11 materials contain a clear explanation of the instruction approaches and philosophy of the program and clear identification and focus on research-based strategies.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• Each of the instructional materials begin with Developing Core Literacy Proficiencies User Guide which breaks down the Proficiency-Based Approach to Developing Literacy into five units:
  • Reading Closely for Textual Details
  • Making Evidence-Based Claims
  • Making Evidence-Based Claims about Literary Technique
  • Researching to Deepen Understanding
  • Building Evidence-Based Arguments

Also included are a list of Literacy Skills and Academic Habits, both teacher and student versions. As another component of the User Guide, it is explained that at the heart of the Odell Education approach is an iterative process for questioning which lays out the essentials tools:

• Reading Closely Graphic
• Guiding Questions Handout
• Questioning Path Tool
• Approaching the Text Tool
• Analyzing Details Tool
• Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool

Research based strategies are aligned with CCSS W.7--”Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation,” W.8--”Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism,” and W.9--”Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that digital materials include opportunities for teachers to personalize learning for all students, using adaptive or other technological innovations. Teachers determine whether students need more or less scaffolding and time. Differentiation support is integrated into the scaffolding and design of the instructional materials. At times, teachers are reminded to determine whether students need more or less time to develop a Core Proficiency. Most units include supplemental texts. These can be used by the teacher to give students additional opportunities to develop skills. The supplemental texts are categorized as “Extended Reading.” In addition to this, the materials claim to be designed so schools can use local curricular materials. This flexibility allows for teachers to determine the text complexity appropriate for students.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• Instructional supports for English Language Learners and students reading below grade level are integrated and scaffolded into the explicit instructions for each activity. Each activity follows a progression moving from scaffolding and support to independent application.
• The sequence of instruction and supporting tools are the same for all students. However, the materials note that the tools and activities can be applied to alternative or supplemental texts not included in the materials.
• In order to help students understand the content, the materials will suggest making analogies or allotting more time to tasks. For example, the materials suggest comparing the process of close reading to analytical processes used by experts--scientists, detectives, etc.-- in other fields. The materials also suggest teachers skip the Introductory Analogy if students are sufficiently familiar with the close reading skill.
• “Extended Reading” refers to supplemental, optional texts teachers can incorporate if students need more opportunities to develop literacy skills.
• Text choices are bundled in order to effectively increase in complexity over the course of a unit. In each unit, the first text is a visual and is followed by a text with a Lexile measurement below grade level to allow access for all students. By the end of the unit, students are reading texts at or above grade level independently and in small groups. The small group discussions intend for students to self- and peer-assess understanding.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, extensive opportunities to work with grade-level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards. By design, the materials provide all students with the opportunity to interact with grade-level texts. The materials allow for teachers to determine when to incorporate texts above grade-level. In units where students engage with multiple texts, the materials do not require all students to read every text. The materials provide suggestions for organizing small groups to support English Language Learners and students reading below grade level.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• The materials include a section dedicated to helping teachers understand the support structures integrated in the sequence of activities. This section describes the seven routines designed to support all students, including English Language Learners and below-grade-level readers. Following this progression, according to the materials, provides all students with the opportunity to interact with texts at grade-level complexity. The seven supports are as follows:
  • Intentional Unit Design and Instructional Sequence
  • Short Texts, Focused Reading
  • Read-Alouds and Modeling
  • Guiding Question Framework
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Reading Teams
  • Academic Vocabulary
• The Unit Design and Instructional Sequence includes visual texts for students to practice Core Proficiency skills before transferring the skill to grade-level printed texts.
• When presented with a series of texts or common source sets of multiple texts to analyze, the materials state that students should not be required to read all texts. This allows for the teacher to provide text choices at a student's current reading level. Additionally, the activity includes a small group discussion and suggests students to be grouped by reading level and assigned texts at their current level.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade-level. Materials contain integrated suggestions, Extended Readings, and optional activities to extend learning. The mix of activities offered allow for advanced students to explore texts or more complex texts while practicing the Core Proficiencies skills at greater depth.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• The materials suggest teachers consider the needs and background experiences of students before beginning a unit of study. Specifically, if a student has “advanced skills” or “extensive previous experience,” the teacher can expect the instruction to “move more rapidly.”
• For advanced students, the materials also suggest teachers concentrate time on engaging students with the Extended Reading texts provided in some units and “emphasize more complex topics.”
• The materials are vertically aligned and utilize the same lists, handouts, and rubrics provided in the Literacy Toolbox. For advanced students and students with previous experience, the materials recognize they will rely less on the Literacy Toolbox supports and are encouraged to “use their own, developing strategies” for analyzing texts.
• At times, the materials will present optional assessment opportunities for teachers to collect evidence and for students to demonstrate understanding. In Unit 1, Part 5, the Summative Assessment Opportunities offers an optional collection of evidence through a writing task. Multiple pathways to accomplish the writing are provided by the materials. This is done as a supplement to the summative discussion activity. Due to the intentional vertically aligned design of the materials, this option is presented in every grade level.

The materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies. The materials are designed with collaboration as an essential academic habit. With this in mind, students are provided regular opportunities to work as a class, in pairs, and in small groups. In each variation, students develop literacy skills by completing a Literacy Toolbox resource, analyzing text, and collaborating on writing.

Evidence that supports this rationale is as follows:

• In Unit 3, Part 5, Activity 5, students work in writing groups of 2 to 4 members to complete review and revision cycles focused on providing feedback for first draft essays.
• In Unit 4, Part 1, Activity 5, students work in pairs to draft Inquiry Questions and then discuss their collaboratively developed draft questions with another pair or team of students following what the materials call a “pairs-check format.”
• In Unit 5, Part 3, Activity 2, students work in informal peer-review teams or partners to review and present their revised position statements eliciting evidence from their team members.