4th Grade - Gateway 3

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for being well-designed and utilize effective lesson structure and pacing. Daily lessons include structures and resources for both whole group and small group literacy instruction. The year is divided into three Modules of Study, with Modules lasting 8-9 weeks. Each Module is divided into three units. Each Module is two hours (one hour for Module lesson and one hour for Additional Language and Literacy block [ALL Block]). For additional flexibility, a flex day is built into every two weeks of instruction. In Module 2, there is an optional Life Science Module which lasts approximately 8 weeks.

• The ALL Block is comprised of five separate components: independent reading, additional work with complex text, reading and speaking fluency/GUM (grammar, usage, and mechanics), writing practice, and word study/vocabulary. Rotation pacing for the ALL Block is as follows: 20 minutes - accountable independent reading (heterogeneous groups), 20 minutes - independent work in an ALL Block component (heterogeneous groups), and 20 minutes - teacher-guided work in an ALL Block (homogeneous groups). During each two-week cycle, students have two sessions of teacher-led instruction and two independent sessions in each of the ALL Block components (except for Accountable Independent Reading, which happens every day).
• Each 60 minute Module lesson follows the structure of Opening, Work time, Closing and Assessment, with time allotments provided for each. During each of the four Modules, lessons are listed with CCSS, Daily Learning Targets, Anchor Charts & Protocols and an agenda for the lesson.
• Each Teacher Guide contains two 20-minute blocks of teacher-guided instruction for a component, which are differentiated for students working at different levels, including English Language Learners (ELLs).

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for the teacher and student reasonably being able to complete the content within a regular school year with the pacing allowing for maximum student understanding. The program allows flexibility for teachers to rely on professional judgment to modify pacing. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• There are four Modules spanning approximately 9 weeks of instruction, which are each broken into three units. Each unit contains 10 to 12 lessons. There are approximately 120 to 130 lessons in the Grade 4 materials. Lessons are set up for 60 minutes each and contains opportunities for direct instruction, work time, and closing/assessment. These sections have time frames attached to support pacing.

• In addition to the Module units, there is an additional 60 minutes of instruction in the ALL Block. The 60-minute ALL Block has three units parallel to the three units of the Module lessons. There is one flex day built in every week that the teacher has the flexibility to meet the specific needs of students. For example, this time may be utilized to provide additional time for work started in Module lessons, practicing literacy skills, informally assessing reading skills, or offering additional time for ELLs. The ALL Block contains three units to be taught alongside the Module units; however, the Units in the ALL Block last for only two weeks, so there is flexibility in the pacing of the ALL Block based on teacher and student need. There is an optional one hour Life Science Unit that would make a third hour of instruction to accompany Module 2. Each Life Science Module is designed to last 8 weeks with about three hours of science instruction per week, giving flexibility to pacing.

• As noted on page 65 of the Your Curriculum Companion, each Module is structured for students to complete specific activities throughout the units. In Unit 1, students read, discuss, dramatize, draw, and write. Then in Unit 2, students do more research and are involved in discussions. In Unit 3, students complete a performance task. The ALL Block and the Module Lessons are complementary, working together to accelerate the achievement of students (p.65). “[W]e have responded to feedback from teachers and leaders and added additional components that give you the opportunity to teach a curriculum that is comprehensive. In addition to explicitly teaching and formally assessing all of the standards, the curriculum also offers time to reinforce and give students additional practice with important skills, time for creativity and play, and time to help them be leaders of their own learning by developing strong habits of characters.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.)

Teacher materials include the explanation of the “why” behind the student resources and work. Materials provided include trade books, text collections, scaffolded strategy activities, performance tasks, a Life Science Module, homework that includes additional strategies for family support and practice, and an ALL Block that contains Modules for study and practice in independent reading, fluency/grammar/usage/mechanics, writing practice, word study/vocabulary, and additional practice with complex text. Each of these resources include ample opportunity to review and practice with clear directions and correct labeling. ALL Block Modules include teacher-guided activities that are differentiated based on student need with teaching notes explaining the purpose of the lesson. Examples of useful annotations and suggestions include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 3, the following guidance is provided: “This lesson is the first in a series of two that include built-out instruction for strategic use of the Think-Pair-Share protocol to promote productive and equitable conversation.”
• In the ALL Block Module 1, Week 1, Day 3, directions are given for “Differentiation: — For students who may need additional support with participating in conversations, post sentence stems. (Examples: ‘We read independently because _____.’ ‘I notice _____.’ ‘I wonder _____.’ ‘I observed that _____.’) For students who may need additional support with verbalizing their thoughts, invite them to sketch. Point to the sketch and verbalize for them, inviting them to confirm and then repeat what you say.”
• On pg. 139 of the Teacher Guide, teachers are directed to “Focus students on the ‘Theme’ box at the bottom of the I Notice/I Wonder Note-catcher: ‘The Pasture.’ Remind students of what a theme is and how it differs from a subject.” Students then complete the graphic organizer on page 18 of the student edition.
• On pg. 281 of the Teacher Guide, Levels of Support, for “Lighter Support” teachers are given the following scaffolding suggestions: “During the Language Dive, challenge students to generate questions about the sentence before asking the prepared questions.” Students use this scaffold to respond to questions from the text and complete the Language Dive.
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 7, the teacher’s notes state, “During Work Time B, students participate in a Language Dive that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from “An Incomplete Revolution” using the same format as Lesson 5. The focus of this Language Dive is identifying and fixing run-on sentences (L.4.1f ). Students then apply their understanding of the meaning and structure of this sentence as they discuss the reasons for the Revolutionary War, particularly focusing on the perspective of an African American slave.”
• In Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 1, the teacher’s notes for ELL support states, “ELLs may find it challenging to determine the opinion, and reasons and evidence for the opinion, in William’s letter. Model and think aloud the process for students as needed and assure them that they will have more opportunities to practice this work in future lessons."
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, teacher’s notes for levels of support. For the heavier support notes, it states: “Consider reading aloud Chapter 8 of The Hope Chest to students before the lesson to help them comprehend this complex text. Additionally, consider allowing students to practice reading a section of the chapter in advance that they can then be responsible for reading aloud when working in their triads during the lesson.Consider enlarging the model summary (see Unit 1, Lesson 6) and displaying it for students to refer to during Work Time A."
• In Module 4, Unit 3, lesson 8 the teacher directions for the Opening of the lesson state: “Distribute Organizing the Model: Introductory Paragraph strips. Tell students that each pair has been given only one part of the introduction, and they will find the other parts to create a complete introduction. Invite pairs to find pairs with the other parts of the introduction and put them together in the right order. Model an example as necessary. Display the model PSA and tell students that when they have finished, they will check their work against it. Invite students to begin and circulate to support them in reading and sorting the strips of the introduction. After 5 minutes, refocus whole group.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for including publisher-produced aligned documentation of the standards addressed in questions, tasks, and assessment items. Daily lessons, tasks, and assessments specifically denote the standards to which the lessons and tasks are aligned. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Alignment to the CCSS is documented in the Module At-A-Glance, Unit, and Assessment Rubric. For example, publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards is provided in the writing rubric for opinion writing. The Module At-A-Glance provides alignment of standards for each Unit and how those standards are assessed. Each Unit details how the standards and assessment for each lesson are addressed. In Module 2, Unit 1, and Lesson 3, the standards are written as “I can” statements, setting the expectation for students as “I can determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details (RI.4.1, RI.4.2).”
• In the Module 1 Unit 3 Mid-Assessment, students are asked to revise a poem that they have written to include stronger words and phrases and to convey ideas more accurately. Students have to explain why they made the changes and how those changes improve the effect of the poem. This assessment focuses on CCSS W.4.2a; W.4.5; L.4.1f; and L.4.2b.
• In the Curriculum Guide for Module 1, a writing task asks students to revise a Literary Essay (W.4.2a, W.4.5, L.4.1f, and L.4.2b) and a Poetry Presentation (SL.4.4 and SL.4.5).
• In Module 1, Unit 2 Overview, there are assessments and a performance task: Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Answering Questions and Identifying the Main Idea of an Informational Text (RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.4, RI.3.10, and L.3.4) and End of Unit 2 Assessment: Informative Paragraph: The Challenge of Accessing Books (RI.3.1, RI.3.2, W.3.2, W.3.4, W.3.8, and W.3.10).
• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 5, students closely read an excerpt of the Declaration of Independence to prepare for a text-based discussion about what characters from Divided Loyalties would think of it (RL.4.1, RL.4.3, RI.4.1, RI.4.4, SL.4.1, L.4.4).
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 10, in Work Time A, students complete the end of unit assessment, in which they read a firsthand account of an event to compare and contrast it with the secondhand account they read in the previous lesson (RI.4.1, RI.4.4, RI.4.6, L.4.4.)
• In Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 5, the Daily Learning Targets state, “I can discuss with my peers issues in our community and decide on an issue to take action on and improve. (SL.4.1); I can develop an action plan with my peers outlining how we will address an issue in our community. (SL.4.1)”

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Guide 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.

Suggestions on how to present the content are contained in the Week at a Glance in each Overview including Lessons, CCSS, Agenda, Daily Learning Targets, Ongoing Assessments, and Anchor Charts and Protocols. There are also Teaching Notes for each unit that provide teacher guidance and suggestions on how to present the content. Each module lesson also contains a Technology and Multimedia section that offers guidance on using technology that is directly accessible through a link to support student learning in anticipated areas requiring additional student support or to offer extensions for additional enhancements to the content. Examples of useful annotations and suggestions include, but are not limited to:

• In the Grade 4 Module Overview, there is a section titled “Technology & Multimedia.” This section provides teachers with a technology and multimedia chart for the unit. The chart lists digital tools, the purpose of the tool in the module, how the tool should be used within the module and a website URL to access the tool.
• Within each lesson, there are more specific technology and multimedia suggestions that connect a section of the lesson with a piece of technology. For example, in Unit 1, Lesson 3, teachers are given the suggestion that during Work Time if there are students that would benefit from “hearing the text read aloud to consider using a text-to-speech tool such as Natural Reader.” In the Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 13, Technology and Multimedia section, teachers are advised that during Work Times A and C, if students are “creating their writing on a shared doc such as a Google Doc, ask them to color code the revisions they make in red text or highlight revisions in red.”
• In the Unit overview Week-at-a-Glance for each Lesson, teachers are provided with the CCSS standards that are the focus of the lesson, daily learning targets, assessments, anchor chart suggestions, and protocols for instruction.
• The unit overview includes a section for supporting English Language Learners. In this section, teachers are provided information on how to prioritize lessons in the unit for ELL students. Teachers are also given teaching strategies, such as Language Dives and ways to add diversity and inclusion to the lessons.
• Each unit contains a Preparation Overview section that gives a list of prep work teachers will need to complete in order to teach the lessons.
• Every lesson within a unit follows a similar routine: Opening, Work Time, Closing & Assessment, and Homework. Within each section teachers are given time frames and teaching notes all directly labeled with CCSS. Within each section teachers are provided guiding questions to ask (written in red) and actions to take within the lesson. For example, in Unit 2, Lesson 9, the following guidance is provided: “Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group to the question 'What does structure mean?'”
• Teachers are given suggestions on how to meet students’ needs throughout the lesson. For example, teachers receive scaffolded instructions on how to reteach the lesson or parts of the lesson for students in need of additional support. For example, in Grade 4, Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 7,Teaching Notes, teachers are advised that students that need additional support “may have the defense mechanisms for the proof paragraphs determined for them,” and those that require extensions may “plan an additional paragraph for their informative piece, using their Informational Writing Planning graphic organizer, extension research question developed in the first half of the unit, and their research notes.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Guide that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The materials also include the Your Curriculum Companion that provides specific research, rationale, and explanations that will help teachers build knowledge of the content. The materials provide a K-5 Text Analysis tool that includes “an analysis of every central text used in the EL Education K-5 Language Arts Curriculum, focusing on four specific qualitative aspects of complexity: meaning, structure, language features, and knowledge demands.” The tool provides teachers examples of advanced literary concepts. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• The Text Analysis for the central text, “Love That Dog,” provides an adult-level explanation of the unusual structure and embedded integration of classic poems. The text analysis explains that the embedded poetry makes this text, “an excellent vehicle for learning about the structural elements of poems (R.L.4.5) and determining theme (RL.4.2).” The analysis also explains that “because the text is told entirely from the first person point of view, the main character, Jack, offers a concrete and accessible introduction to analysis based on the character’s words, actions, and thoughts (RL.4.3 and RL. 4.1)."
• In the Your Curriculum Companion, on pages 141-145, teachers are provided Module lesson planning task cards. Each task card has guiding questions and provides specific information to teachers to help build their knowledge in order to plan for each part of the Module.
• Chapter 5, section 5A of the Your Curriculum Companion provides teachers with guidance on text complexity. Teachers are given information on what makes a text complex, how to determine text complexity, and the rationale behind the importance of text complexity (pages 260-262).
• Chapter 6 of the Your Curriculum Companion provides teachers with information on writing, specifically evidence-based writing, the writing cycle, and strengthening student writing. It provides charts that correlate the reading and writing CCSS standards, student examples, and evidence-based instructional strategies.
• Each chapter in the Your Curriculum Companion provides a Frequently Asked Questions section, which builds teacher knowledge by providing information on the standards, how the program addresses the standards, and best practices for implementation. The Your Curriculum Companion includes notes that give adult-level explanations and examples. Examples include, but are not limited to:
  • The Engaging Students with Protocols section of Chapter 3 states that “[p]rotocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways we know to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Guide that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The Teacher Guide for each module lesson contains a Teaching Notes section that provides the purpose of the lesson and standards alignment and explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. For example, in the Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 9 Teaching Notes, teachers are provided the following explanation of the standard alignment in the lesson outlining how the specific literacy standard is addressed: “In this lesson, students listen to new pages of 'Venom' read aloud. The class works together to identify the main idea and the supporting details before orally paraphrasing and writing a written summary of the text. They then apply this whole group practice to write a summary of the 'Fight to Survive!' text (RI.4.2).”
• On page 9 of the Your Curriculum Companion, it states “We believe the standards invite us to build in our students critical skills for life--for career success and civic contribution. What is important is not just what the standards say, but how they are used.” On pages 25-27, it explains how the curriculum addresses each CCSS shift in the aspect of reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening. The Your Curriculum Companion provides more specific details in pages 29-35 that explain how the backwards design approach to the curriculum connects to each CCSS shift.
• In the Module Overview in the Teacher Guide for each Unit, all standards covered in the entire module are listed, separated into Reading-Literature, Reading-Informational Text, Foundational Skills, Speaking and Listening, Language, and Writing. It further provides information regarding which standards are assessed per unit, the instructional focus for each unit, and the assessments and performance tasks for each unit. An explanation is provided for the emphasis on reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening standards.
• On page 18 of the Module 1 Teacher Guide, a CCSS correlation chart is provided. The chart shows all 4 CCSS areas (Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking and Listening) and correlates the shift with EL’s curriculum.
• On page 24 of the Module 1 Teacher Guide, there is a curriculum plan for Grades 3-5, which explains the focus standards of each module for each grade within the categories of writing tasks and required trade books.

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the expectations for materials containing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identifying research-based strategies. A rationale of the research that impacted the design of the curriculum, including explanations of the instructional approaches of the program, is provided. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Chapter 1B of the Your Curriculum Companion explains how research impacted the design of the curriculum. On page 19, Your Curriculum Companion provides an analysis of the research on the literacy achievement gap and, on page 20, uses charts to explain what is already known about the literacy achievement gap and how the EL curriculum addresses it. The Your Curriculum Companion continues to provide this for the research behind knowledge building, syntax, fluency, and decoding making the connection to the EL curriculum. It provides information regarding the five elements of literacy instruction most critical for addressing the literacy achievement gap: vocabulary, knowledge-building, syntax, fluency, and decoding. This is based on the presentation by David Liben, Student Achievement Partners, July 2015.
• Page 27 of Your Curriculum Companion states that the design of the curriculum uses the guiding principles of backward design, which required curriculum designers to consider three questions: “1. At end of a sequence of instruction, what will students know and be able to do? 2. What will proficiency look and sound like? 3. How will we know when students are proficient?”
• Pages 83-85 of Your Curriculum Companion explain how the parts of the ALL Block promote proficiency and growth in students. In these explanations, the Your Curriculum Companion cites research to support the curriculum, such as the following explanation: “Research tells us that readers in intermediate grades benefit from a more contextualized approach to teaching phonics and word recognition” (pg. 85).
• The Research Behind EL Education Language Arts Curriculum and Professional Services Guide provides a “high level summary of the research that informed the Language Arts curriculum design (e.g., content-based literacy, phonics, supports for ELLs) and our professional development (e.g., focus on leadership, coaching, common implementation challenges).”
• The Language Dives in the K-5 Language Arts Curriculum Overview contains an explanation of the Language Dive and the research behind this instructional technique. The guide “describes what a language dive is, criteria for a good language dive sentence, when students do language dives, what the benefits of language dives are, and the principles and research base that underlie language dives.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

Materials include multiple formative assessments, pre-assessments, performance-based assessments, a mid-unit assessment and end-of-unit assessments. Opportunities are provided during daily lessons for monitoring student progress in reading and writing, as well as opportunities are provided to assess oral reading fluency. Teachers are provided with tracking process forms, checklists, rubrics, note-catchers, protocols, and exit slips for formatively measuring student progress. The teacher guide provides an assessment overview, which outlines the following for each unit: final performance task, mid-unit assessment, and end of unit assessment. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Writing an Informational Paragraph about What Inspires Jack.
  • “Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and remind them of perseverance, as they will be working independently on their mid-unit assessment, which may be challenging.”
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1: Teacher Guide for ALL Block, students read the poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” from the back of their copy of Love That Dog for fluency. This is the same text students utilize in a close read during the Unit 1, Lesson 4, Module Lesson.
• In Module 2, the End of Unit Assessment is answering questions and writing a choose-your-own-adventure story featuring another animal defense mechanism. The format is selected response and short constructed response. The CCSS are RI.4.9, W.4.3b, W.4.3c, W.4.3d, W.4.3e, W.4.4, W.4.9b, W.4.10, L.4.1d, L.4.2a, L.4.2b, L.4.2d and L.4.3a, L.4.3b, L.4.3c, and L.4.6.
• Performance-Based Assessment tasks are included with each module. Students complete a task that requires analysis and demonstrating their knowledge in writing. For example, in Module 1, the performance-based assessment requires students to practice their poetry presentations. Students will read their poem aloud and rehearse their presentations with the visuals (SL.4.4, SL.4.5). Teacher assessment includes rotating throughout students to assess their presentation to peers.
• Teacher Guides include mid-assessments, for example, in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 6, students “read pages of the informational text Divided Loyalties and answer selected response questions for the mid-unit assessment. They also use the text to research in order to write an informational paragraph to answer a question (RI.4.1, RI.4.3, W.4.7, W.4.8, W.4.9b, L.4.2b).

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

The assessment materials clearly denote which standards are being emphasized. The standards are clearly labeled in the Assessment Overview of each module. Standards are clearly labeled in the daily lessons and are also found on the performance based assessments for each unit. For each module, the standards formally assessed are indicated with a check mark on a chart containing all ELA standards. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Teacher Guide, Grade 4, Module 1, pgs. 11-13, it is clearly noted which standards are being emphasized for each assessment. For example, the final performance task states, “In this performance task, students synthesize their learning about what inspires poets to write poetry by presenting their own original poems inspired by something meaningful, along with a speech, including supporting visuals, about what inspired their poem and where you can see evidence of this in their poem. Their speech answers the question: What inspired you to write poetry, and where can you see evidence of this in your poem? This task centers on CCSS ELA SL.4.4 and SL.4.5.”
• The mid- and end of unit assessments specifically note the standards that are addressed. For example, students complete the mid-unit assessment, in which they are tracking progress toward anchor standard R.1. Students must read closely to determine what the text says, make inferences, cite specific textual evidence, in addition to R.10: read and comprehend literary and informational texts.
• In Module 2, End of Unit 3 Assessment: Narrative Writing: Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Conclusion, assesses the following standards: CCSS ELA RI.4.9, W.4.3b, W.4.3c, W.4.3d, W.4.3e, W.4.4, W.4.9b, W.4.10, L.4.1d, L.4.2a, L.4.2b, L.4.2d and L.4.3a, L.4.3b, L.4.3c, and L.4.6.
• In Module 3, the Mid Unit 1 Assessment: Researching Perspectives of the American Revolution: Patriots, assesses the following standards: CCSS ELA RI.4.1, RI.4.3, RI.4.10, W.4.7, W.4.8, W.4.9b, and L.4.2b.
• In Module 4, the End of Unit 1 Assessment: Comparing Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts of the Same Event, assesses the following standards: CCSS ELA RI.4.1, RI.4.4, RI.4.6, and L.4.4.

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

The materials provide teachers with guidance for administering assessments, ways to scaffold assessments, areas of focus, connections to learning building towards the assessment, and suggestions for lessons in the future. Each assessment is broken down into sections to help support teacher understanding. The first section is titled “Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards.” The EL curriculum refers to assessments as an additional lesson, so in this section it explains which standards the assessment aligns to, the purpose behind the assessment, and information about tracking progress. The second section is titled “How it builds on previous work.” In this section, the EL curriculum explains how the unit and lessons build upon each other in order to bring students to this place of learning. The third section is titled “Areas where students might need additional support.” This section anticipates barriers that students may face and offers suggestions to teachers on how to move students past the barriers. The fourth section is titled “Assessment guidance.” In this section, the assessment is broken down for teachers, typically by standard and explains how the assessment addresses each standard. There is also additional information regarding feedback for students. The last section is titled “Down the road.” In this section the EL Curriculum explains how the knowledge students have now will be used as they move forward in the curriculum.

In Your Curriculum Companion, pgs. 396-397, there are examples of student work and how they should be graded using the rubric found in the Teacher Guide. Further guidance is provided on the following:

• Choosing evidence for analysis, pg. 401
• Organizing the evidence, pg.403
• Identifying the patterns and trends that can inform instruction, pg. 403
• Creating an action plan based on the data (next steps), pg. 404

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

The instructional materials provide routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress. There are informal checklists to help collect evidence of progress as you observe students working. Progress monitoring formative assessments are integrated within every module by using mid- and end of unit assessments, performance tasks, ongoing assessment suggestions within each lesson, and scaffolded instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Your Curriculum Companion, on pgs. 393-395, there is an overview of how the curriculum supports ongoing progress monitoring. For example, pg. 393 has description of how each lesson within the module includes formative assessments that align with the learning targets.
• In the Your Curriculum Companion, on pg. 394, it describes the use of informal checklists. The informal checklist is a tool that provides teachers with a way of tracking student progress while making observations. Some of the informal checklists are as follows: reading fluency, writing process, collaborative discussion, presentation of knowledge and ideas, and speaking and listening comprehension.
• The EL Curriculum also uses text-dependent questions as an ongoing progress monitoring tool. This takes place by having students answer the questions independently while reading additional text.
• Writing routines are also built with ongoing formative assessments. The EL Curriculum uses exit tickets, note-catchers, and graphic organizers to assess student learning. These activities are used in conjunction with text pieces and provide a formative assessment more frequently when students are reading a lengthy text.
• In Your Curriculum Companion, p. 394, writing routines are repeated and appear frequently throughout the modules. Exit tickets, note-catchers, and graphic organizers are repeated multiple times in a unit.
• In Your Curriculum Companion, p. 395, there is an explanation on Tracking Progress Forms: “Students review their assessments for evidence of mastery of standards and add sticky notes to their work to point to this evidence. After students track their progress, the teacher then reviews and adds to the form.”
• In the Teacher Guide, p. xxi, it notes that students should engage in daily goal-setting and reflection. “Teachers help students check back in with their progress during the lesson."
• In the Student Workbook, Module 1, pg. 20, there is a Tracking Progress form for students to track their own progress.

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

In the Module Blocks in each lesson, there is a section called Universal Design for Learning. It is divided into three different parts: Multiple Means of Representation (MMR), Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE), and Multiple Means of Engagement (MME). The Teacher Guide for each module anticipates areas where students might need additional support and provides a section geared toward supporting English Language Learners that includes various scaffolds and levels of support recommendations. Each lesson includes a section on Universal Design for Learning, an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences that promotes the use of flexible learning environments in order to accommodate individual learning differences. For example, in Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 10, the Teacher Guide suggests using multiple means of representation through a variety of visual anchor to cue students’ thinking and to continue to support students by creating additional or individual anchor charts for reference and charting student responses during whole class discussions to aid with comprehension. In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 8, the Universal Design for Learning - Multiple Means of Engagement (MME) instructs teachers to “Practice finding and writing focus statements by providing students who may need additional support with writing the chance to meet in a small group to look at sample introductions. Ask students to highlight the focus statement in each introduction and discuss what the focus question may have been. Remind students that their focus statement will be answering the question ‘How do _____ use their bodies and behavior to help them survive?’”

Within every lesson, the EL curriculum provides information under the title Meeting Student’s Needs. In this section, the curriculum provides specific scaffolding strategies to support learners at different levels. For example, in Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 1, it points out to teachers that some students may not feel comfortable sharing their learning targets publicly and to help students feel more comfortable the teacher should provide a confidential method, such as a recording form.

In the Teacher’s Notes section of the lesson, there is a section titled “Areas in which students may need additional support.” In this section, teachers are given suggestions of how to support the needs of learners who may struggle.

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 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.

The Teacher Guide for each module provides a section geared toward supporting English Language Learners that includes various scaffolds and levels of support recommendations which often include allowing students to grapple with complex texts and tasks before providing necessary adjustments based on targeted observation. The materials also contain a section on Meeting Students’ Needs in each unit lesson with suggestions for adjusting the delivery of content or task to meet learners’ needs without changing the content itself. In the Module Blocks, levels of support are provided at the beginning of each lesson in the Supporting English Language Learners section. Lesson-specific ELL supports also are added to the Meeting Students’ Needs section. There are protocols for Conversation Clues and Language Dives that scaffold ELL students and students who may need additional support in that specific skill to meet or exceed the grade-level standard.

In the Teacher Guide, symbols are embedded based on the four levels - below level (square), on level (circle), above level (diamond), and ELL (triangle). These symbols prompt teachers to differentiate instruction based on the needs of each level. ELL students’ Additional Work with Complex Text involves the Language Dive (work on the words used in sentences and how sentences are constructed). During certain activities, students working below level are combined with ELL students because they need the same support.

Language Dives are included in the EL curriculum. The purpose of the Language Dive is to provide students with strategies to analyze, understand, and use the language. During a Language Dive, teachers and students slow down the reading of a text to deeply analyze the meaning, purpose, and structure of a specific part of the text. The Language Dive supports ELL students to acquire language and help them to deconstruct complex text (Your Curriculum Companion pgs. 99-100). Language Dives follow the routine of Deconstruct-Reconstruct-Practice. In the Deconstruct phase, teachers guide students to deconstruct a sentence for meaning and purpose. Students are guided into chunking the sentence to analyze the importance and purpose of the words used in the sentence. In the Reconstruct phase, students put the sentence back together and discuss possible variations of the sentence that could be formed and then analyze how the meaning and purpose changes with the varied sentences. In the Practice phase, students practice using different language structures.

Within each lesson, there is a section titled Meeting Students’ Needs. This section provides specific ELL strategies that are directly tied to that particular lesson. For example, in Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 10, teachers are advised to “Review the learning targets introduced in Opening A. Ask students to give specific examples of how they worked toward achieving them in this lesson.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The Teacher Guide for each module provides lesson structures and tasks that allow teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies depending on the task at hand. Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use both homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping strategies. Students participate in partner and small group Think/Pair/Share, Whole Class Discussion, Small Group Discussion, Read Alouds, Shared Reading, Independent Reading, and Language Dives for both informational and literary texts. Teachers are encouraged to use information gained from the ongoing assessments in the lessons to help determine where students need additional supports or extensions during small groups. In the Modules, a variety of grouping strategies are encouraged where students work in pairs or triads and are strategically paired in advance to create productive and supportive work time. In the ALL Block, student groupings are dependent on activities that are differentiated based on student need.

The curriculum provides teachers with different groupings to help students engage in and discuss text. The suggested strategies include Think-Pair-Share, Back to Back and Face to Face, and Pinky Partners. Think-Pair-Share promotes productive and equitable conversations, giving all students the opportunity to share and consider the views of others. Back to Back and Face to Face is designed to give students the opportunity to hear several different perspectives on a topic and/or to engage in critical thinking about a topic.

In the Your Curriculum Companion, pg. 113, a chart is provided that explains all the grouping strategies for each component of the curriculum. In the module lessons, teachers are given suggestions to group students based on similar needs. Ongoing assessments throughout the module lessons are used to make grouping decisions about who should be grouped together. In the ALL Block, students are grouped in either below grade level, on grade level, above grade level or English Language Learner groups. These groups are formed for a two week period using the data from the module lessons. Students rotate through the activities and are provided the necessary scaffolds or enrichment depending on the group.

In the ALL Block, students rotate through three components: Accountable Independent Reading, Independent Activity in heterogeneous groups with a task card to guide their work, and teacher-guided activities in homogeneous groups (differentiated based on student need). In addition, these groups are flexible because a student may be below grade level in one area, but on grade level in another area.