The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic(s) or themes to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend complex texts proficiently. The materials are structured to build on to Literacy Skills and Academic Habits which provide students practice in learning to read closely a variety of high-quality and challenging literary and informational texts over the course of a school year. This cycle begins with close reading for details, transitions into using this skill to analyze supporting details for research essays, and culminates into reading for details to support opposing sides of an argument in the final unit. The texts are chosen to specifically address the skills and each unit organizes anchor texts around a topical focus.

The materials provide five units with a different topical focus and appropriately aligned texts for each. Within each unit, students work toward independence in their work and using texts to complete increasingly complex tasks. Evidence that the materials meet the criteria are as follows:

• In the Unit 1 Overview, the materials include information in the teacher’s edition relating to Topic and Texts. The Grade 10 materials in Unit 1 specifically include a series of texts for students to read closely for textual details relating to World War I. The series of texts includes “a range of texts including personal narratives, history websites, and poems. Students also read speeches by American President Woodrow Wilson and British Prime Minister Lloyd George” (2). In Unit 1, Part 1, Activity 3, students read closely for details utilizing guiding questions included in the Questioning Path Tool for textual details with the text, Kings, Queens and Pawns: An American Woman at the Front, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. The tool includes both text-dependent and text-specific questions as well as an opportunity to pose their own questions, such as “What was Rinehart’s overall impression of the war?” (18). The materials and texts scaffold students to reading more complex texts independently.

• Unit 2, Part 3, Activity 1 provides a compare and contrast between the two anchor texts read and analyzed in the unit. The texts are Nobel Peace Prize recipient speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Barack Obama. The materials explicitly state that the speeches touch on similar themes addressed with different styles and perspectives. Dr. King addresses the theme of peace by discussing the Civil Rights Movement and nonviolence. President Obama addresses the theme of peace by referencing American history and supporting the “necessity of war.”

• The topical focus for Unit 4 is the impact of technology on society. The materials provide text sets to be used as Common Source Sets for teachers to model the inquiry-based research process. The material’s use of Common Source Sets provides students and teachers appropriate guidance when moving into independent research tasks. Teachers and students can peer- and self-assess more accurately if common sources are being evaluated. The materials also state that other texts can be incorporated into the unit and provides a vetting process through the Assessing Sources Tool and Potential Sources Tool to maintain consistency with the topical focus.

• The Unit 5 Overview includes information in the teacher’s edition relating to Topic and Texts. The Grade 10 materials in Unit 5 include text sets that “focus on the governance of upholding the Fourth Amendment and more specifically on the issues and controversies."

The materials reviewed for Grade 10 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. The materials recursively use inquiry-based tools and habits to analyze texts, outline writing tasks, and self- and peer-assess writing. Questions and tasks are consistently presented in a way to inform the next step of the process to culminate in a final essay for each unit. For example, students continue to utilize similar questioning techniques introduced in Unit 2 to incorporate into the research process on which Unit 4 focuses. The questions help students increase and clarify their understanding of concepts within and between texts. In the evidence documented, students applied the inquiry process during multiple activities to analyze and understand language, ideas, and the details informing such concepts. Inquiry was also used for students to plan and understand the expectations of craft and structure for their individual culminating writing task.

By the end of Grade 10, most items are embedded in students’ work rather than taught directly, increasing student independence. Finally, the questions and tasks will assist students to make meaning and build an understanding of texts and topics. Evidence that supports this rationale:

• In Unit 1, Part 1, Activity 3, students read closely for details relating to Text 2, Kings, Queens, and Pawns: An American Woman at the Front, by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Text-dependent questions are included to assist students in analyzing key ideas and details, such as the following:
  • How are key ideas, events, places, or characters described?
  • What do the author’s words and phrases cause me to see, feel, or think?
  • What details or words suggest the author’s perspective?
  • What seems to be the author’s (narrator’s) attitude or point of view? (18).

• In Unit 2, Part 3, Activity 1, students independently utilize the close reading skills modeled and practiced in preceding activities with the guidance of the Questioning Path Tool. Students independently close read a portion of the second anchor text and respond to the questions about ideas, perspective and then consider the language choices. Questions are designed to move student analysis from concrete details to more deeply embedded ideas. The question responses are also intended to provide evidence to fulfill the demands of follow-up tasks in this activity and future units. This is evident in the questions that contain multiple parts. For example, question 8 contains four sub-questions sequenced with the intention for students to analyze President Obama’s claims and make a comparison to the previously analyzed text. By the end of this activity, students demonstrate their understanding by using their analysis of language, ideas, and perspective to record connections between the evidence and claims presented in the speech.

• In Unit 3, Part 3, Activity 1, students read lines 1-47 independently in Robert Frost’s “Home Burial” and analyze both the language and the poem’s structure using the Questioning Path Tool. Examples of questions to assist students in analysis are as follows:
  • How does context define or change the meaning of key words in the text? [L]
  • What words and phrases are used to represent something else such as an idea or character?
  • What do I notice about how the poem’s lines are organized and developed? [S]
  • What is the poem’s meter?
  • How does the poem’s rhythm and meter affect how it is read?
  • How does the structure bring out or stress specific language?

In addition, students have the opportunity to develop an initial EBC independently before moving into a comparison of those EBCs with partners during Activity 2 and modeling by the teacher during Activity 3 (290-291).

• In Unit 4, Part 5, Activity 2, students develop a “multipage reflective research narrative” utilizing evidence and work from their research portfolios. Over the course of the unit, students are “recording not only what they find but also what they did to find it” to inform their narrative. At this point, students are analyzing and crafting the structure of their writing with guidance from the activity. The materials include explicit expectations to be addressed in the writing and a series of questions to guide students in organization and development. The questions begin by addressing the impression of the topic and the sequence taken by students to study it. The questions conclude by addressing whether or not the students’ perspective changed and students reflect on the research process, including points of struggle and success. The materials intend for the responses to the questions to culminate into a draft basis for their essay. This sequence of inquiry allows students to clarify understanding of their topic and build understanding of the expectations for the culminating research product.

• In Unit 5, Part 2, Activity 5, students delineate and compare arguments utilizing Texts 4.2 and 4.3. Text 4.2 is a Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder by Representative James Sensenbrenner. Text Notes suggest, “As a part of their reading, students might compare the authors’ backgrounds and relationship to the issue prior to or while reading these texts. Either or both can provide an interesting text for students to use in analyzing and comparing perspectives” (537). The Questioning Path Tool will assist students to deepen their understanding of the text by posting the following questions:
  • "According to Sensenbrenner, what are the 'implications' of the government’s interpretation of Section 215?
  • How does Sensenbrenner’s use of the word apparently in the last sentence of paragraph 4 help you understand his position?
  • How does Sensenbrenner use logic to come to his opinion?"

Students are also presented with the opportunity to extend and pose their own questions. An example of one such question is the following: "What evidence does this text provide that builds my understanding or perspective of the issue of government surveillance and personal privacy?" (539).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 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 materials are designed with a formulaic, inquiry-based approach centered around the included texts and this can be applied to texts not included in the materials. Every task begins with a question or set of questions to guide reflective thinking and discussion about a topic that is connected to the texts. Questions move from general, broad sharing to text-centered to text-specific in order to guide students’ thinking and develop extended written essays to demonstrate understanding. The inquiry process is guided by multiple handouts and documents included in the Literacy Toolbox. Although the basis for each remains consistent throughout each unit: the Questioning Path Tool is used in every unit. Tools are adjusted to meet the increase in complexity of tasks and texts: the Evidence-based Claims Tool is adjusted for students to format their original EBCs through writing. In addition, the materials provide guidance to teachers in supporting students’ literacy skills. By the end of Grade 10, integrated knowledge and ideas are embedded in students’ work. Finally, the questions and tasks included in the instructional materials provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts. Evidence that supports this rationale:

• In Unit 1, Part 1, Activity 2, students approach Images of World War I by focusing on ideas and supporting details; students utilize a Questioning Path Tool to allow students the opportunity to investigate the text and guide students’ analysis, such as the following text-dependent questions:
  • "What details stand out to me as I examine this collection of images?
  • What do I think these images are mainly about?
  • How do specific details help me understand what is begin depicted in the images?" (14).

Instructional Notes are provided to assist teachers in supporting students’ literacy skills. Teachers are asked to “Lead a discussion on what the groups noticed about the images and the questions they had. Introduce them to text-specific questions for each image set...Discuss how these questions are text specific and do the following: Emerge from looking closely at the image; Prompt a reader to look for more details; Lead to a greater understanding of the image” (15). Examples of text-specific questions the teachers will introduce are as follows: "What do I notice about the conditions of the men and their surroundings? What sort of men do they appear to be?" (14).

• Unit 2, Part 5, Activity 1 begins a culminating task of students reviewing both texts analyzed over the course of this unit to inform a class discussion. The unit focuses on texts that model the development of a global EBC. Students draw from the now completed previous tasks of analyzing the two texts using guidance documents from the Literary Tools. To lead the discussion, the materials direct students to reread two excerpts from the speeches and use this analysis as a comparative “backdrop” to setup discussion. The materials encourage sharing to start with open-ended, broad observations to allow the integration of multiple perspectives and then become more text-centered with the question, “What evidence can you point to in the text(s) that is the basis for and supports your observation?” Follow-up questions intentionally provide the opportunity for students to compare and analyze literary elements present between the two texts. The questions are very explicit in this goal; one such question (“How does the author’s perspective and presentation of the text compare to the other?”) requires students to incorporate details from both texts and some elaboration beyond a single sentence response.

• In Unit 3, the Making Evidence-Based Claims About Literary Technique, the Unit Overview section in the Teacher’s Edition shares the following: “This unit extends students’ abilities to make evidence-based claims into the realm of literary analysis. The unit explicitly focuses on teaching students to attend to the ways authors use literary techniques to shape textual meaning and reader experience” (256). The questions and task included in each activity of Unit 3 build to the culminating task included in the Literacy Toolbox; students will develop and write an EBC and write a final multi-paragraph Global Evidence-Based Claims Essay relating to the reading they have completed. The notes provided circle back to the goals introduced at the beginning of the unit, explaining, “In this unit, you have been developing your skills as a reader who can make text-based claims about literary techniques and prove them with evidence from the text” (335) The specific skills students have practiced throughout the unit are included and the instructional materials share that the final writing assignments will require students “to use all of these related skills and to demonstrate your proficiency and growth in making evidence-based claims about literary technique” (335).

• In Unit 4, Part 3, Activity 3, students use their original Inquiry Questions to analyze research sources. This activity incorporates skills developed in the previous units and adjusts each for research work. In order to appropriately sequence the research process, the materials provide common source texts to model thinking and inquiry associated with research analysis. The Literacy Tools provided in the materials are flexible for students to incorporate with other sources and remain text-centered. This process is guided by the Forming Evidence-Based Claims Research Tool. It is designed to be driven by an overarching Inquiry Question, developed after students explore topics and the provided source sets in previous activities, and guided by the text-centered Questioning Path Tool and Guiding Questions first introduced in Unit 1. The Tool provides guidance for analyzing resources by looking for key details based on words or phrases, then interrelated ideas or concepts between the sources, and summarizes the work by tasking students to develop a “conclusion” or “claim” that can be supported by evidence from the texts.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 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).

The instructional materials are designed from grade-to-grade with the same goals and intended outcomes based on standards for college-and-career readiness addressed at the onset of each unit. The materials state that the units do not necessarily require a linear following, but the skills between units do build upon each other and lead to culminating tasks within the unit and across the overall curriculum. For example, Unit 1 is focused on the development of students’ abilities to close read for details. This Academic Skill is honed further in each succeeding unit to accomplish specific culminating tasks. In Unit 3, students close read for evidence-based claims (EBCs) and imitate it in their own writing. In Unit 5, students add another final layer by close reading for EBCs and then incorporating this as support for an argument. Speaking and listening is also prevalent in each unit as a way for students to demonstrate knowledge of the topics in the materials. It is frequently used for class discussions about the findings from close readings and is an essential stage in the collaborative writing process fostered by the materials.

Questions and tasks provide the teacher with usable information about the students’ readiness to complete the culminating tasks. The culminating tasks are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards at Grade 10; in addition, these culminating tasks provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of a topic through integrated skills and throughout the course of each unit. Evidence to support that the materials meet the criteria include:

• In Unit 1, Part 5, the Summative Assessment Opportunities section focuses on explanation and discussion-based culminating tasks. In Unit 1, Part 5, Activity 3, the main culminating task is a student-led, text-centered discussion. Unit 1, Part 4 includes prerequisite Activities leading up to this task including the development of a final multi-paragraph explanation of a text. The essays are used to guide the text-centered discussion during the culminating task and provide an opportunity for students to self- and peer-assess writing and ideas. This culminating task is designed for students to develop and demonstrate close reading, analysis, and inquiry Academic Habits and Skills that will build upon each other in later units. The Academic Habits and Skills promoted by the materials are sequenced in separate Parts of the Unit. Unit 1, Part 1 models close reading with the guidance of the Questioning Path Tool and this is further developed in succeeding Parts. In Unit 1, Part 2, students develop inquiry skills and work independently with the Questioning Path Tool. In Unit 1, Part 3, the Activities incorporate more discussion and task students to “work in pairs to discuss, annotate new information” with new, increasingly complex texts.

• In Unit 2, the Making Evidence-Based Claims Developing Core Proficiencies Literacy Toolbox asks students to demonstrate skills they have been practicing throughout the unit “to make text-based claims and prove them with evidence from the text” (237). The final culminating tasks require students to complete the following: 1) Developing and Writing an EBC and 2) Writing and Revising a Global or Comparative EBC Essay. The skills students are expected to demonstrate include the following:
  • Attend to Details
  • Interpret Language
  • Identify Relationships
  • Recognize Perspective
  • Make Inferences
  • Form a Claim
  • Use Evidence
  • Present Details
  • Organize Ideas
  • Use Language
  • Use Conventions
  • Publish

Finally, teachers can provide an opportunity for students “to reflect on how well you have used and developed the following habits of text-centered discussion when you worked with others to understand the texts and improve your writing” (239). The learning sequence of Unit 2 moves from “teacher modeling to guided practice to independent application. The Literacy Skills that are targeted and the Academic Habits that are developed are assumed to be in early stages of development for many students, and thus extensive scaffolding is provided” (149). Students are provided with guiding questions in the Questioning Path Tool to assist in deepening understanding regarding the texts, and teachers can use the Deepening questions for class discussion to ensure student understanding of the text. For example, students read President Barack Obama’s Nobel Lecture and answer text-specific questions, such as the following:

• • “What claim about ‘our actions’ does Obama make in paragraph 2, and how might you paraphrase that claim?
  • How does the additional claim that precedes this statement—about ‘all the cruelty and hardships of the world’ and ‘fate’—relate to Obama’s claim about our actions?
  • What details and examples from history does Obama include in paragraphs 4-6 to elaborate and support his opening claims?” (182).

The questions and tasks students complete throughout Unit 2 allow them to practice skills that will be required when completing the final culminating task. Teachers can utilize the questions, instructional notes, and organizers provided to ensure students are progressing in their skills to produce an EBC.

• Unit 3 builds students’ skills in reading and writing EBCs about literary technique. The culminating tasks for the unit include the development of an evidence-based essay and follow-up class discussion about literary techniques analyzed in the anchor texts. Leading up to these culminating tasks, students use similar approaches to reading, writing, and discussion as in previous units. The materials sequence modelings and tasks for skills to build on to the next with the intention of incorporating the entire skill set in the culminating task. In Unit 3, Part 1, Activity 2, students close read with the guidance of the now familiar Questioning Path Tool. The Questioning Path Tool is now focused on close reading through an inquiry-based approach for EBCs about literary techniques. This provides the opportunity for students to develop and demonstrate a knowledge of EBCs through independent reading and focusing on the first five questions or first three levels of inquiry within the Questioning Path Tool. Unit 3, Part 1, Activity 3 integrates speaking and listening expectations as students and the teacher share their responses to increasingly complex questions in the Deepening section of the Questioning Path Tool. In Unit 3, Part 5, the Summative Assessment integrates the completed evidence-based written essay and a class discussion into a cumulative assessment.

• Unit 4 states, “the instructional focus of this unit is on building student proficiency in a process for conducting research, developing and refining Inquiry Questions; finding, assessing, analyzing, and synthesizing multiple sources to answer those questions; and organizing and using evidence from those sources to explain understanding in ways that avoid plagiarism” (360). As the culminating task, students create a research portfolio to demonstrate skills practiced throughout the unit and aligned with CCSS for ELA and Literacy. For example, W.9-10.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question...; W.9-10.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively…; W.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (360). Throughout Unit 4, students are provided with guiding questions and tasks to assist them in practicing skills to be successful with the culminating task. For example, in Unit 4, Part 2, Activity 2, guiding questions are provided for the teachers to frame the discussion relating to Source 2:
  • "What ideas stand out to me as significant or interesting?
  • How do the text’s main ideas relate to what I already know, think, or have read?
  • What more have we learned about the topic that might move us forward in our research?
  • What have we learned about using questions to frame our independent reading of possible sources?
  • How does the type of question we consider influence how we read and what we find in a source?" (374)

• Unit 5’s culminating assessment is a final written argumentative essay. The materials integrate speaking and listening as a phase in the writing process and incorporate this phase as an Academic Habit starting in Unit 5, Part 5, Activity 1 and continuing through to the end of the unit. The discussion phase, referred to as a multistage collaborative review and revision process, sequences the assessment of various requirements for the final essay. Activity 2 focuses on the ideas and information contained in written drafts. Activity 3 focuses on Organization. Activity 4 focuses on the use of textual evidence as support for a student’s argument.

The materials reviewed for Grade 10 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 text-centered and evidence-based writing and speaking and listening from sources. The mode of writing they practice, the process they use, and the independence 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 evidence-based, 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 freewrite, experiment, draft, revise, and edit their writings. Students engage in discussions surrounding their writings and ask and answer questions about their writing choices, including the textual evidence used to support a claim. 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, organization, evidence, connecting ideas, expression, final editing, and publication.

In Grade 10 the yearlong plan of writing instruction builds from Unit 1 where students are writing a text-based explanation focused on the topic of World War I to Unit 3 where students write an evidence-based claims essay based on Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” and Robert Frost’s “Home Burial.” Unit 5 ends the year with an evidence-based argumentative essay focused on the governance of upholding the Fourth Amendment.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 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.

Students are provided multiple opportunities to recursively use elements necessary to conduct research and synthesize information in speaking and listening activities and writing. For example, students close read and evaluate sources to the purpose of a task and identify details that will support a summative writing task in each unit. Each step is facilitated by the Literacy Tools resources used repeatedly in each unit. The processes are intentionally designed for students to also incorporate texts not included in the instructional materials. At points, the included texts are intended only for modeling purposes and the materials provide the opportunity for students to independently use the Habits in outside texts.

Teacher guidance is provided to assist in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects around a topic. Students are provided opportunities to apply reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills to synthesize and analyze multiple texts and source materials about a topic. The instructional materials provide resources for student research to aid instruction, and projects are varied throughout the course of the year.

In Unit 1, Part 3, Activity 3, students work in groups to compare multiple texts and to independently synthesize their understanding into an explanatory essay. The materials provide guidance documents for students to individually analyze separate texts in previous units’ activities. Students use these completed notes to discuss the two texts guided by text-specific, comparative questions from the material’s Questioning Path Tool. The materials provide the Analyzing Details Tool at this point for students to record their responses during discussion and prepare to write. The materials outline expectations for the students’ writing using the following paraphrased framework:

• an introduction sentence addressing a comparative question, an analysis of the first text,
• an analysis of the second text,
• and an analysis of a connection made between the two texts.

The comparative question can be taken from the provided Questioning Path Tool or a student-generated, text-specific question. The materials note that responses should also include textual evidence to support explanations. The writing follows up with an additional opportunity for students to engage in listening and speaking by having students read and receive feedback for their writing in small groups.

In Unit 2, Making Evidence-Based Claims: “An Audacious Faith in the Future of Mankind,” students read two texts, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1964 acceptance speech, and President Barack Obama’s 2009 Nobel Lecture. Throughout the unit, students are provided an opportunity to write EBCs after modeling by the teacher and engage in a class discussion relating to their final EBC essays. The Instructional Notes and the Questioning Path Tool provide guidance to consider the speaker’s use of language and how those words can reveal the purpose and perspective.

In Unit 3, Part 5, Activity 4, students independently draft their summative essays to demonstrate their proficiency of the targeted Literacy Skills for this unit. These skills include Using Evidence, Presenting Details, and Organizing Ideas, elements necessary for synthesizing information into research and writing work. At this point, students will have analyzed an author’s literary techniques and developed an EBC. This summative assessment is intended to “demonstrate an accurate reading...of the text” and the materials refer to previously completed Writing EBCs Handout for support during the independent writing phase. There is also the Student Making EBC Literacy Skills Checklist provided as an additional resource to guide students’ writing. The work is synthesized using the Organizing EBCs Tool while students draft their final essay.

In Unit 4, Researching to Deepen Understanding: “Computer Technology: What is Its Impact on Society?”, students choose a topical area of interest to research, conduct a research process, compile a Research Portfolio, and communicate a researched perspective. In the Unit Overview, information is provided relating to Terms and Definitions Used in This Unit and include the following:

• Topic
• Area of Investigation
• Inquiry Questions
• Inquiry Path
• Research Frame
• Research Plan
• Research Portfolio

In Activity 2, Instructional Notes are provided to assist students in progressing in their research skills, such as introducing inquiry questions, and then utilizing those inquiry questions when conducting pre-searches in Activity 3. Students are provided an opportunity to explore a topic independently and further guidance is provided to vet areas of investigation and review student progress. For example, in Unit 4, Part 1, Activity 4, “Schedule an in-class conference with each student individually...Begin each conference by introducing the Area Evaluation Checklist. Show students how this tool will guide the conversation. Explain the different criteria. Work through the checklist with the student, probing and discussing the area based on the criteria” (385).

In Unit 5, Part 1, Activity 2, students develop an understanding of an issue by close-reading a series of texts providing “multiple entry points” that the students will synthesize into a textual evidence-based argumentative essay. The materials provide three texts total, and the teacher models the close reading process with one and directs students to jigsaw the remaining. However, the materials also state that “all students should not be required to read all texts.” For this activity, the provided texts serve as a model and the teacher or students may substitute texts with “similar background” for independent analysis. After close reading, students practice speaking and listening skills by discussing each text’s “relationship to the unit’s problem-based question” to facilitate synthesis that builds to writing claims. Student writing in this activity provides the opportunity to synthesize their understanding of the issue after analyzing multiple perspectives and develop an original claim “that explains something they have learned about the issue.” It is noted that this is intended to be an explanatory claim and specifically not evaluative or argumentative. The development of this claim did require students to actively seek out and research additional texts from what was provided. Their evaluated sources are kept in a Student Portfolio and will be used later in the unit when independently writing their argumentative essay.

The materials reviewed for Grade 10 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

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. 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 10 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 10 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 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 Paths. 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. The first text is a series of six images of World War I. Each image is printed with a label on the right to identify the correct image for the students, such as the first image labeled “Department of National Defense, Library and Archives, Canada.” Additionally, there are four Extended Reading opportunities including the following:

1. Willy-Nicky Telegrams, Telegrams between the German Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Russian Tsar Nicholas II
2. “The Sentry” by Wilfred Owen, 1917
3. "High Adventure: A Narrative of Air Fighting in France" by Captain James Norman Hall
4. “Soldier’s Home” from In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway.

• In Unit 4, Additional Resources in the Topic Area are included in the Student Edition prior to the Literacy Toolbox. Some guidance is provided for students to access these resources. For example, “Why I Take Good Care of My Macintosh,” by Gary Snyder, is listed without a specific website; however, a search based on the title and author does produce the poem which is available on multiple sites. The other four additional resources do include a specific website for students to access.

• 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 10 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 10 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 are 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 entitled “Media Supports” which specifically addresses multimedia to support teaching and learning. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Part 4, Activity 2, the Instructional Notes explain each text contained within the text set included in the unit. They also offer ways teachers can extend the text with additional pieces of literature.
• In Unit 2, Part 1, Activity 2, two of the core literacy skills are to form claims and use evidence. The Instructional Notes point teachers to the use of the Approaching Texts Tool and the Questioning Path Tool, both included in the student edition.
• In Unit 5, the Teacher Research Unit Guide at the beginning shows the curriculum layout for the five parts of the unit, the specific skill sets students will be utilizing, and the materials included in the student edition.

The materials reviewed for Grade 10 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 10 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 10. 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 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 10 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies. The Grade 10 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 10 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 in other fields, such as scientists, detectives. The materials also suggest for teachers to 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 10 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, with 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 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 10 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 10 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 1, Part 5, Activity 3, students work in jigsaw groups to share expertise about a selected text from the provided text set.
• In Unit 2, Part 4, Activity 2, students work in “Review Teams” to reread a section of text to develop and then present a text-based response to a Guiding Question provided by the materials.
• In Unit 3, Part 2, Activity 3, students work in pairs to cite textual evidence from poetry with the support of the Supporting Evidence-Based Claims Tool from the Literacy Toolbox.