The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

The texts provide content that is relevant and interesting to students. The literary texts portray fascinating stories through vivid illustrations that would be of interest to students. The texts cover a variety a cultures and concepts including science.

Anchor texts in the majority of chapters/units and across the yearlong curriculum are of publishable quality. Anchor texts consider a range of student interests and are well-crafted and content rich, engaging students at their grade level. Examples include:

• Module 1:
  • My Librarian is a Camel by Margriet Ruurs shares stories from around the world of how books are delivered to children. This story is engaging, has clear photos that support the text, and has academic vocabulary that is appropriate for students in Grade 3.
  • Nasreen's Secret School by Jeanette Winter contains illustrations with acrylic, framed paintings that portray simplicity and drama. The text has purposeful adverbs such as “luckily,” “quickly,” and “lightly.”
• Module 2:
  • Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle by Deborah Dennard has active verbs such as “zigzags,” “emerges,” and “struggles,” as well as descriptive adjectives such as “bulging,” “unsuspecting,” and “sticky.” The two-page illustration spreads include zoomed in images of nature and frogs.
• Module 3:
  • Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie is a retelling and contains descriptive adjectives and verbs such as “newfangled,” “dramatic,” “dilly-dallied,” and “ablaze.” The dialogue between characters is engaging as characters shout and huff at one other.
• Module 4:
  • Water Dance by Thomas Locker contains beautiful illustrations and creative adjectives to depict the path that a raindrop takes through the mountains, into the ocean, and back into the clouds. It is a creative narrative to teach the water cycle. Students will enjoy the realistic painted illustrations throughout this book.
  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer has a two-page spread of detailed illustrations that emphasize foreground and background. The text contains powerful descriptions such as “Malawi began to starve” and “like spirits along the roads.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

Grade 3 students have the opportunity to read a mix of informational and literary texts. Genres include poetry, classic literature, informational articles, and myths. There are no opportunities for students to read drama or plays.

The following are examples of informational texts included within the materials:

• Module 1: My Librarian is a Camel by Margriet Ruurs
• Module 2: Everything You Need to Know about Frogs and Other Slippery Creatures by DK Publishing
• Module 3: “Peter Pan: The Author and Historical Context”
• Module 4: “Dry Days in Australia” by Ann Well

The following are examples of literary texts included within the materials:

• Module 1: Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
• Module 2: “Why the Frog Has a Long Tongue”
• Module 3: Peter Pan (Classic Starts) by J.M. Barrie
• Module 4: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

Most texts reviewed at Grade 3 have Lexile scores above the Grade 2-3 band; however, the texts have qualitative features such as pictures or illustrations to help support student comprehension. Texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to their associated student task. Anchor texts are placed at the appropriate grade level. Examples include:

• Module 1:
  
  • Rain School by James Rumford falls in the 2-3 complexity band and has a Lexile of 420. According to the publisher materials, meaning and purpose, text structure, and knowledge demands are moderately complex, while language features are slightly complex. The basic storyline, chronological structure, and simple language used in this text make it an appropriate text early in the Grade 3 year of introducing abstract content and skills central to the module.The language is straightforward and easy to understand. The text is written mainly in simple sentences and most words used are familiar.
  • My Librarian is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World by Margriet Ruurs has a Lexile of 980. Meaning, purpose, and text structure are slightly complex. The purpose is explicitly stated in the title, and the text is divided into 13 two-page spreads. The language features and knowledge demands are moderately complex. The text includes many academic vocabulary words and focuses on geographic areas that are different from most students'.
• Module 2:
  • Lizards, Frogs, and Polliwogs by Douglas Florian is poetry. The meaning is moderately complex with poems that contain concrete visual descriptions. The text structure is moderately complex with 9-12 lines in a poem. There is predictable rhyming and rhythm. The language features are moderately complex with familiar and contemporary words, although there are some nonsense words with “-sicle” and a few unfamiliar words. The knowledge demands are slightly complex since the content is about science concepts.
  • Everything You Need to Know about Frogs and Other Slippery Creatures by DK Publishing has a Lexile of 1040. The text structure is moderately complex. Captioned photographs, diagrams, key words, and phrases printed in bold, and italics are used in the text. The language features of the text are very complex, but students can use the glossary, context clues or word parts to understand academic vocabulary used throughout the text. The knowledge demands of the text are moderately complex, and students need some background knowledge about animals and their habitats to understand the text. The meaning and purpose of the text are moderately complex. Students can use headings, subheadings, context and visuals throughout the text to understand the purpose.

• Module 3:
  • Peter Pan retold from the J.M. Barrie Original by Tania Zamorsky does not have a Lexile provided. The meaning and purpose are very complex since the text contains multiple levels of meaning that are difficult to identify. The text structure is very complex because there are subplots and time shifts. The language features are moderately complex with conversational dialogue that expresses abstract, imaginative ideas. The knowledge demands are slightly complex since the text is imaginative.
• Module 4:
  • One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss has a Lexile of 960. The meaning and purpose of the text are moderately complex as the purpose is implied but easy to identify based on content. The main idea that water around the globe is interconnected, runs through all sections of the book. The text structure is very complex as the first half of the text describes the water cycle, and the second half builds on the scientific understanding to explain problems with access to enough safe water around the globe and suggests actions we can take to help solve those problems. The language features are moderately complex with language that is largely explicit and easy to understand but offers some occasions for more complex meaning. The vocabulary is mostly familiar but includes some academic and domain specific words that may be new to students. The knowledge demands are moderately complex since the text primarily uses a mix of simple and more complicated, abstract ideas.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)

As the year progresses, questions and tasks build literacy skills and student independence. Lessons contain scaffolding and Universal Design for Learning to support students’ increasing literacy skills. Throughout the modules, the teacher reads aloud each of the complex texts. Students reread sections of the texts. There are few opportunities for students to read the grade level complex texts in the Modules independently without a prior teacher read aloud.

• In Module 1, Unit 1, students are read aloud and reread literary texts for the following skills: gist, answering text-dependent questions, and writing short constructed responses. While reading in Unit 2, students focus on the learning targets of determining main idea, referring explicitly to the text to ask and answer questions, and determining meaning of unknown words. Students use their knowledge from Unit 1 to analyze how people in different parts of the world overcome challenges. In Unit 3, students hear and reread a text titled, More than Anything Else, learning about Booker T. Washington. No context about the text is provided. Instead context is provided as students complete the Recounting the Story note-catcher with another short text to help students understand the text. Students analyze the text for theme and how someone overcomes challenges. Students are asked “What challenge did Booker face? How was the challenge overcome? What did Booker do in More Than Anything Else to be an effective learner?”
• In Module 2, Unit 1, students hear Lizards, Frogs and Polliwogs and then students are guided by the teacher through a Close Read for poems from the text. In Unit 2, students read the informational text, Everything You Need to Know about Frogs and Other Slippery Creatures. This text is a higher grade band and is more complex due to the language features being highly complex because there are many academic and domain specific vocabulary words and phrases throughout the text. During close reading instruction, students are provided support for the language features and use of the text as an informational resource for their research project about frogs. For assessment, students independently read a section of Everything You Need to Know about Frogs and Slippery Creatures and answer text-dependent questions to determine the meaning of unknown words, to read for details, and to use the text features.
• In Module 3, the focus is on close reading and comparing two literary works on the same topic, Peter Pan. Unit 1 starts with students hearing the literary text, Peter Pan, read aloud by the teacher. Students are guided through analyzing the character development of Peter Pan. In Unit 2, students hear an additional text with the topic of Peter Pan, titled, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. This text is within the grade band and has a highly complex meaning and purpose. However, with the moderate to slight complexity in other areas and teacher support, students can access this text to compare and contrast the two texts comparing chapters of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens with Peter Pan and answering questions such as, “What is the central message of a story?”
• In Module 4, students hear the informational text, One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, Access to Freshwater. Students work on determining the main idea and supporting details and developing domain-specific vocabulary with teacher support. Students develop an understanding of the issues using the graphics in the book and make connections between human actions and the consequences of those actions, thinking about the author’s point of view related to challenges people face with water (connecting back to Module 1), and comparing it to their own point of view.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a broad range of text types and disciplines as well as a volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.

In the Grade 3 materials, students access a variety and volume of texts that support students’ ability to read at grade level. There is a Required Trade Book Procurement List and a Recommended Texts and Other Resources List. These lists contain a range and volume of informational and literary texts that students reading during Module lessons. Opportunities include close reading strategies to support student learning. During the Module lessons, students can participate in Accountable Independent Reading as part of homework and during ALL Block, students participate in a rotation of Independent Reading for 20 minutes. There are Independent Reading Sample Plans found in Module 1 Appendix.

Instructional materials identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading a variety of texts to become independent readers and/or comprehenders and a volume of reading as students grow toward reading independence at the grade level. Examples include:

• In Module lessons, students participate in Close Reading, which provides students with the opportunity to read complex texts. For example:
  • In Module 2, students practice their close reading skills by reading frog poems that focus on vocabulary and structure of poetry.
  • In Module 3, students complete a close read (teacher guided and independent) of most chapters in Peter Pan in order to analyze the characters’ traits, motivations, actions, and points of view.
• During the ALL Block, students read 20 minutes. The purpose of their reading alternates each week with one week being focused on research reading and the following week being focused on reading for pleasure.
• In Module 1, students learn about Accountable Independent Reading. Students are taught the structures of Accountable Independent Reading. Independent Reading is assigned for homework most nights. Teachers and students work together to set an independent reading goal. The teacher will check in once or twice a week to see how the student is progressing with their goal.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text).

Each module includes a set of trade books that students use throughout the lessons. Materials for the lessons and ALL Block provide graphic organizers and support tasks for students to engage with the text and to collect textual evidence, building toward a performance task. Students are directed to make connections not only across texts, but also across units and lessons. Texts are used significantly during lessons focused primarily on writing. While most questions, tasks, and assignments draw the reader back into the text and support students’ literacy growth over the course of the school year, there are some questions, tasks, and assignments can be accomplished without use of the text.

The materials include graphic organizers that assist students in Close Reads of their text and citing evidence for specific questions or tasks they are asked to complete. Tasks for various lessons within each unit include teacher-led close reading of content-based text and text-dependent questions along with a focus question to drive a series of sessions on a complex text. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 4, the teaching notes set the purpose that students are going to read Rain School. Students use or refer to texts as a tool for analysis and take what they discover to apply to their own writing. During the Opening portion of the lesson, students read Rain School and answer questions, such as “What do you notice about the size of Chad in relation to the rest of the continent?” As students read, they look for evidence for the central message or lesson. During the Work Time portion of the lesson, students revisit Rain School to complete the “Reading for Gist and Recounting the Story” graphic organizer. Students work with peers to reread the text.
• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 10, students write a constructed response identifying the central message or lesson of a text titled Nasreen’s Secret School. In the Opening portion of the lesson, the teacher directs students to refer back the “Reading for Gist” graphic organizer previously completed for Nasreen’s Secret School to use as an additional resource. During the lesson, the teacher asks questions, such as “In Nasreen’s Secret School, what is the central message or lesson and how is it conveyed through details in the text?”
• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 3 Close Reading of the text, “The Poison-Dart Frogs,” students answer text-dependent questions, such as “What is unique about the appearance of poison-dart frogs? Why are poison-dart frogs called ‘Masters of Fine Art’?” For each question, students must refer back to the text to support their response.
• In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 4, students fill out the graphic organizer “Finding the Gist” and Unfamiliar Vocabulary Note-catcher: “The Glass Frog” on pp.32-34. Students are given specific text and respond to what the gist is of the passage, any unfamiliar words in the passage, and the meaning of the words.
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, students read “Peter Pan: The Author and Historical Context.” The purpose of the reading and the lesson is for students to understand the historical context in which Peter Pan was written. The teacher poses the following questions: “This book was written a long time ago and is set in different country. What differences do you notice between how things are in this country now and how things were in that country then? What can we learn from reading literary classics?” Students are directed to read the text in a triad, focusing on the gist of the text and determining unfamiliar vocabulary. After reading, the teacher asks, “Having read about the time Peter Pan was written in, what do you think we might learn from reading this literary classic?” Students share out responses and discuss.
• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 5, students find the similarities and differences between two texts, Peter Pan and Chapter 5 of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. As students read, the teacher asks, “Based on what you know from reading the chapter, what do you think will happen next and why?” The teacher works with students to complete the Analyzing Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens anchor chart. In the “Closing and Assessment” portion of the lesson, students are provided with the “Comparing Chapter 5 of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens with Peter Pan” graphic organizer and complete it using the reference materials (glossary) and anchor charts.
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 2, students are introduced to the anchor text One Well: The Story of Water on Earth. Students listen as pages 4–5 are read aloud. The purpose of the read-aloud is for students to practice finding the main idea and supporting details of a text read aloud. The teacher does this by posing questions, such as: “What is the main idea of a text? What are the supporting details? The main ideas are the big points the author wants you to understand from reading. You might not understand all of the words you heard, but having listened once, what do you think the main ideas of pages 4–5 are?” Students are provided a main idea note-catcher to complete. First, students work on completing the main idea section. Then, they re-read the text with a purpose of locating details that would support the main idea. Students are asked, “Did you find details to support the main idea(s) you recorded in the first box?”
• In Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 1, the lesson directly connects to the summative task that students are required to complete, creating a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about water. Students are asked, “What are you going to be doing for this performance task?” Students watch and analyze a model PSA in order to generate an effective criteria for creating a PSA. Students are asked, “What is this PSA about? What is the purpose of this PSA? What do you like about this PSA? What makes you want to watch it?” Students are provided the Video PSA Presentation Process note-catcher to start generating the steps and criteria needed to create an effective PSA.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for having sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

Materials contain sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent questions and activities that build to a culminating task which integrates skills to demonstrate understanding. Culminating tasks require students to gather details or information using text-dependent questions, anchor charts, and graphic organizers to write a specific genre of writing at the end of each module. Each Module has a final Performance Task. Performance Tasks are designed to help students synthesize and apply their learning from the unit in an engaging and authentic way. Culminating tasks are rich and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do using speaking and writing. Examples include:

• The Module 1 Performance Task requires students to utilize their newfound knowledge regarding reading challenges and strategies to overcome those reading challenges to create an eye-catching bookmark that lists the strategies. This culminating task includes supporting visuals. Lessons throughout the Module prepare students to complete the culminating task. In Unit 1, students read and analyze the themes for three literary texts: Waiting for the Biblioburro, Rain School, and Nasreen’s Secret School. In addition to determining theme within each text, students examine the challenges that occur and how the challenges are overcome. The teacher guides students through this analysis by giving targets such as, “I can determine the gist of Waiting for the Biblioburro. I can identify the central message, lesson, or moral of Waiting for the Biblioburro.” In Unit 3, students closely read an excerpt from More Than Anything Else to identify the text’s message along with how the author utilized details within the text to convey the message. In Unit 3, Lesson 11, students consider what would make a bookmark “eye-catching” and begin to draft sketches of their bookmark design.
• The Module 2 Performance Task requires students to create a writing piece that will be added to a “Freaky Frog Book” to be shared with students in Grades 2 and 3. This culminating task includes a Pourquoi narrative regarding the characteristics of frogs, informational writing, and a trading card which highlights information and integrates visuals. Lessons throughout the Module prepare students to complete the culminating task. In Unit 3, Lesson 2, students learn about the features of narrative texts, complete a close read of example texts, and answer text-dependent questions. Students complete a Close Reading of The Polliwogs and a shared reading of Why the Frog Has a Long Tongue. Students answer text-dependent questions such as, “What makes ‘Why the Frog Has a Long Tongue’ a Pourquoi tale?” In Unit 1 mid-unit assessment, students apply what they have learned about reading poems and folktales to read a new poem and Pourquoi tale about frogs and demonstrate their ability to identify key ideas and details as well as analyze the story’s structure.
• In Module 3, during the first half of Unit 3, students write a revised scene of Peter Pan. Students apply what they learned and independently write a new, revised scene. Throughout the second half of the unit, students prepare a presentation to read aloud the revised scene and provide the rationale behind their revisions. In Lesson 8, students are asked, “Why and how have you revised your scene of Peter Pan?” as they begin to plan for their presentations for the performance task. First, students analyze the structure of a model presentation. Then, students focus on planning the structural outline of their own presentations. In Lesson 9, students add key points to their prompt cards for their presentations. Unit 1 begins with students reading the literary text Peter Pan. Students analyze the character development of Peter Pan and answer questions such as, “What connections can you make between the first chapter of Peter Pan and what you read about the context in the previous Lesson? What are some of your own character traits, both positive and negative?” In Unit 2, students read an additional text, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Students compare and contrast the two texts using a graphic organizer. Students then write a book review recommending or not recommending the text to peers.
• In Module 4, students study the impact of water on the lives of individuals around the world. In Unit 1, students read informational texts about the importance of water and human interaction with water, such as One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, Access to Freshwater, and Population Growth. While reading, students determine the main idea and supporting details through answering questions such as, “What is freshwater? What did you learn about water from the book? Remember that the central message is a big idea the author wants you to understand and take away from reading this book. What do you think the central message of the book is?” This understanding of human interaction with water builds the background knowledge for Unit 2, where students read a new text to determine the gist, think about the author’s point of view related to challenges people face with water, and compare it to their own point of view through answering questions such as, “What are the authors trying to tell the reader about water? What is the purpose of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind? What are William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer trying to answer, explain, or describe? How does our discussion add to your understanding of the authors’ point of view?” Students then write an opinion piece about water pollution. In the Unit 2 end of unit assessment, students use information gathered from multiple sources, including Real Lives: Angola, Africa, to draft an opinion essay regarding human involvement in water conservation. Within the essay, students will apply their knowledge about linking words, along with forming and using regular and irregular plural nouns to revise and edit the essay.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

The materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols throughout modules and within lesson components for evidence-based discussions such as Turn-and-Talk, Think-Pair-Share and text-based discussions such as Socratic Seminars and Collaborative Discussions that support academic vocabulary and syntax. In the supporting materials, graphic organizers such as Academic Vocabulary Form and Domain-Specific Vocabulary Form and an Affix List are provided for students to use in their writing and speaking activities. Units include practices that encourage the building and application of academic vocabulary and syntax including total participation routines and Think-Pair-Share. Teacher materials support implementation of these standards in a clear and direct manner. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 4, students turn their attention to the Overcoming Learning Challenges chart and engage in a Turn-and-Talk routine regarding the following questions: “What challenge did Thomas face? How was the challenge overcome?” Students share with the class and the teacher uses the Goal 1 Conversation Cue to encourage students to clarify the conversation about the message and the details that convey it, using academic vocabulary.
• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 1, the teacher uses a total participation technique for students to answer the following questions: “How do you feel about books? How do you feel about reading? Are books and reading important? Why or why not?” Later in the lesson, in reference to My Librarian is a Camel, students Turn-and-Talk to discuss “What is one interesting photograph or idea you saw in the text?” The teacher asks for students to share out responses. In the closing portion of the lesson, the teacher directs class discussion through a Think-Pair-Share technique, in order to discuss “What is one thing you have learned about some libraries in Kenya after reading this excerpt?”
• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students analyze the anchor poem, “The Poison-Dart Frog,” during the Language Dive. The Teacher Guide states these conversations allow students to “develop the habits of mind and character they need to approach other complex texts and to develop their own academic writing skills. In addition, students have the opportunity to test their oral language skills, confirming their successful communication or ‘repairing’ communication that is not understood by other students. These oral processing sessions are critical for language development.”
• In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 2, students follow the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol. They find a partner and stand back-to-back with him or her. They are instructed, “When you say, ‘Face-to-Face,’ they should turn around and show their partner a ‘freeze frame’ of their frog’s adaptation. The partner should try to guess the adaptation based on the ‘freeze frame.’ Then they will switch roles.”
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lessons 1-3, the lessons include direct instruction for the use of Goal 4 Conversation Cues. The purpose of Goal 4 Conversation Cues is to encourage productive and equitable conversation within the class. Conversation Cues are questions that teachers can ask students to help achieve four goals: (Goal 1) Encourage all students to talk and be understood; (Goal 2) Listen carefully to one another and seek to understand; (Goal 3) Deepen thinking; and (Goal 4) Think with others to expand the conversation. In Lesson 1, the teacher uses the conversation cue that prompts students to compare in order for students to compare inferences: “How is what _____said the same as/different from what _____ said?” In Lesson 2, the Goal 4 Conversation Cue is used to encourage students to explain others' ideas: “Who can explain why your classmate came up with that response? I’ll give you time to think and write.” In Lesson 3, the Goal 4 Conversation Cue is used to encourage students to agree or disagree and explain why: “Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate said? Why?”
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, students practice recounting a text, specifically in this lesson, Chapter 1 of Peter Pan. Students recount the text in triads following the protocol – Partner C goes first and has 45 seconds to recount the chapter, then Partner B goes second and has 30 seconds to recount, and, finally, Partner A goes third and has 15 seconds to recount.
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Posterwalk Protocol, students participate in a posterwalk to find details in the images that tell them something about each of the challenges relating to water. Students use the posterwalk protocol to discuss the following questions: “Which challenge related to having clean water can be seen in this image/text? What issues related to water have we been learning about so far in this module? What does demand mean? What does pollution mean? What does access mean?”
• In Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 3, students participate in a peer critique of their PSA Script. Students find a partner and label themselves A and B. The teacher and students review the Criteria for an Effective Video PSA anchor chart with the understanding that they are looking for this criteria in their partner’s work. As the students critique, they capture the feedback on sticky notes to be reviewed later as a whole group.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

The individual lessons throughout the module units support students’ speaking and listening about what they are reading and researching. Each module overview outlines the Speaking and Listening standards that will be targeted throughout the unit, and each lesson contains techniques or protocols to engage students in speaking and listening. Unit lessons require students to share out their reflections and engage in follow-up questioning. Collaborative routines are included in the daily lessons along with protocol explanations and discussion structures described in the lesson section titled Teaching Notes. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2 of the Teacher Guide, students choose independent research books and discuss why they chose a particular book in small groups, targeting Speaking and Listening Standards 3.1 and 3.6.
• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 7, students use the materials from My Librarian is a Camel and Close Read Note-catcher: Expert Group My Librarian is a Camel to plan their informative paragraphs. Students are “to work as a group to reread their group’s excerpt aloud, for example with each student reading a different paragraph or chorally reading the excerpt. Direct students’ attention to the research question and the words “focus statement” at the top of the note-catcher. Invite students to turn and talk in their expert groups, then select volunteers to share with the whole group: “Think of a way to answer the research question: ‘What are the challenges people face when learning, and how are they overcome?’”
• In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 1, students conduct a Poster Walk, use the Poster Walk protocol, and engage in a follow-up discussion in response to the following question: “What patterns or themes did you notice in all of the Poster Walk posters?” Students explain what they should be thinking about, what they notice, and what they wonder about what other have written on their posters.
• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 1, students participate in the “Infer the Topic” protocol to familiarize themselves with the module topic. Students review information from the texts that they will read throughout the module to infer what the topic of the module will be. “What do you think you will be learning about in this module?” Students use the “I wonder/I notice” note-catcher to capture the information they observe in the texts and pictures. Students work in triads to share what they wrote on their note-catcher. The teacher brings the triads back together as a whole group and poses the following question: “Now that you have looked at some resources, what do you think this module might be about? Can you say more about that?”
• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 13, students participate in a text-based discussion about whether or not they would recommend Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens to a friend. The teacher reminds students of the discussion norms and that the purpose of the discussion is for them to talk to each other and learn more about the opinions that each of them has about the story and why. Students receive a copy of the discussion notes handout and are directed to complete the top box with any questions that they have as the discussion occurs. Students are divided into groups and groups are paired off. Each group is labeled A or B. The B groups have their discussion first while sitting in a circle, and the A groups sit around the outside and observe the discussion. Students have sticky notes for examples of discussion norms occurring. The group is able to discuss for approximately 8 minutes. After this discussion, students give a “star and step” (positive and negative) regarding the discussion. Then, the groups switch and the process is repeated. After both groups have discussed the topic, students are asked to silently reflect on their role and work within the discussion and make a goal for themselves for the next discussion.
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 12, students participate in peer critique with a focus on using linking words and phrases and forming and using plural nouns. The teacher and students review the Regular Plural Nouns and Irregular Plural Nouns anchor charts and the opinion writing checklist. Students use this information to review the opinion essay of a peer. Students do this by marking the text in color and writing feedback on sticky notes. Students share with each the critique following the protocol for peer critique and the opinion writing checklist.
• In Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 1, students analyze a model of a PSA and what about the PSA makes it effective. Students create their own PSA using the information gathered on the water issues note-catcher. Students “Think-Pair-Share” in order to answer the following questions: “What makes this model an effective PSA? How does it encourage people to do something or to change the way they do something to help a cause?” During Closing and Assessment, students choose one issue from their water issue note-catcher that they want to create a PSA around. Students find a partner or small group that has a shared interest and form a group to create the PSA. The group discusses the issue and ideas for the PSA.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g., multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

There are opportunities for on-demand writing, process writing, and short, focused projects through a variety of instructional tasks. Students develop drafts for each individual paragraph or portion of a writing product over the course of several lessons. Students also spend time on self-revisions, targeted peer-critiques, and publishing of their work using digital resources and technology. The teacher provides direct instruction to guide students through the writing process, requiring them to analyze good writing models from the text sets they read. The writing lessons included in each module are based on text(s).

On-demand writing occurs each day when students write to what they have read in various formats. Intentional instruction (focus statement, checklist, etc.) is included to support students in writing to meet the criteria. Materials include both short and longer writing tasks and projects and are aligned to the grade-level standards being reviewed. Examples of writing include note-catchers, graphic organizers, short constructed response, and paragraph construction.

Examples of writing include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, students review the parts of a sentence and participate in a mini-lesson about writing short constructed responses. During the mini lesson, they write a short constructed response to answer the question “In Rain School, what was the lesson and how was it conveyed through details in the text?” based on their close read in the previous lesson. In Lesson 10, students again practice writing a short constructed response identifying the central message or lesson in Nasreen’s Secret School and explaining how it is conveyed through details in the text. The mini-lesson and writing practice help prepare students for the End of Unit 1 assessment, in which they will answer short constructed response questions about a new text.
• In Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 12, students participate in mini lessons about linking words and phrases and will use this knowledge in a peer review. Students then complete “Part II of the End of Unit 3 Assessment, where they revise their reading contracts based on peer and teacher feedback.” Students reflect on their learning using the Tracking Progress: Informative Writing recording form. Students then will “revise their reading contract to write a final draft incorporating teacher feedback and what they learned about linking words and phrases, and spelling, punctuation, and capitalization during the peer review.”
• In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 2, students chose a frog to write about from the text, “Freaky Frog." Students then used a note-catcher to research facts and information about the frog they have chosen. In Lesson 4, students take the research from the note-catcher and begin to draft their informational essays by writing the introduction paragraph. Students review the introduction of the Poison Dart Frog Model. In Lesson 5, students begin drafting their paragraphs referring to the model writing and the informative writing checklist. Lesson 6 is the mid-assessment, with the first part asking students to write short constructed responses to what they have read and the second part asking students to write a second paragraph about the unique abilities of the frog for their frog essay. For Lesson 7, students write a conclusion for their informative essay about a “freaky” frog. Then they generate a contents page for their Freaky Frog book based on their writing. Finally, in Lesson 8, students work in pairs to revise their informative essay to add linking words and phrases, domain-specific and academic vocabulary, and correct capitalization, spelling, and punctuation.
• In Module 3, the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment, students are asked to apply the narrative writing skills throughout the unit to complete an on-demand narrative writing by revising a scene from Peter Pan, using a complete Narrative Planning graphic organizer. The objective of the assessment is to write a draft of the scene with a focus on purpose, organization, elaboration, and evidence. The assessment is not focused on conventions.
• In Module 3, In Unit 2, Lessons 8-12 students complete a process writing opinion piece. In Lesson 8, students are taught the format and purpose of a “Painted Essay.” The “Painted Essay” guides students to code each section of their essay a different color to understand each part, the purpose of each part, and how the different parts connect. Students will use this understanding moving forward to complete their own writing of each part of the essay. In Lesson 9, students write the introductory paragraph for their opinion essay. Students work on this paragraph as a group since the information within the paragraph will be similar for most students. In Lesson 10 and 11, students write the proof paragraphs of their opinion book reviews using evidence and details from the text resources. In Lesson 12, students write the concluding paragraph for the opinion book review. In the conclusion, students are restating the facts, evidence, and opinion.
• In Module 4, in the End of Unit 1 Assessment, students read a new informational text and compare the main ideas and key details with pages 24–25 of the text, “One Well,” that students have previously read. Students answer short constructed response questions.
• In Module 4, in Part I of the the End of Unit 2 Assessment, students use information gathered from multiple resources to write an opinion essay explaining “why we should get involved in water conservation.” In Part II, students apply their knowledge about linking words and using regular and irregular plural nouns to revise and edit the opinion essay they just drafted. In the third optional part, students answer selected response questions about forming and using regular and irregular plural nouns.
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lessons 7-11, students complete a process writing piece. It begins in Lesson 7, with students planning their opinion essays about why it is important to conserve water. The teacher first models and gives students an opportunity to practice as a class by analyzing the Model Opinion Essay: Access to Water and using color-coding on the research Note-catcher: Access to Water. Students then repeat this process on their own by color-coding their Research Note-catcher: Water Pollution. In Lesson 8, students write the introductory paragraph for their essays. Students first analyze the introduction of the model essay. They then use their planning from Lesson 7 to draft their own introductions. In Lesson 9, students write the first proof paragraph for their essay. Students begin by analyzing the model opinion essay, looking at both proof paragraphs and comparing them. Students then use their planning from Lesson 7 to draft their Proof Paragraph 1. Students write the second proof paragraph in Lesson 10, again comparing and analyzing the proof paragraphs from the model and putting more of a focus on the linking words and phrases. In Lesson 11, students write the concluding paragraph of their essay. They review and analyze the model essay and summarize the information and evidence used in the proof paragraphs.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

Materials provide frequent opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply writing using evidence. Each module includes writing lessons, and students engage with multiple genres and modes of writing. Throughout the modules, students learn, practice, and apply writing using evidence. Throughout the modules, there are lessons that focus on developing the skills for producing a particular text type of writing, as well as experiences in writing across different genres with narrative and informative writing, as well as opinion writing. Opportunities to address text types of writing that reflect the distribution by the standards, include but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time A, students review the components of a sentence and participate in a mini-lesson about writing short constructed responses, during which they write a short constructed response to answer a question about Rain School, based on the close read. In Lesson 10, Work Time A, students write a short constructed response identifying the central message or lesson in Nasreen’s Secret School and explaining how it is conveyed through details in the text.
• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 2, Main Idea handout, the handout provides instructions on how to determine the main idea of a passage. On the bottom of the Close Read Note-catcher, students write the main idea of the text, My Librarian is a Camel.
• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lessons 7-9, Work Time B, students plan an informative paragraph. In Lesson 8, students draft an informative paragraph. In Lesson 9, during the Closing and Assessment, students annotate draft writing for revisions. The instruction in this sequence of lessons focuses on the structure of informative writing—an introduction to give background information and a focus statement telling the focus of the writing; facts, and details to support and explain the topic; and a conclusion that restates the focus. In Lesson 9, students write feedback on sticky notes on informational writing.
• The Module 2, Unit 1, Lessons 2-6 provide students opportunities to address writing narrative texts.
• In Module 2, Unit 1, Week 2, in the ALL Block, students write a narrative poem about a frog.
• In the Module 2 Performance Task, students generate writing to include in a Freaky Frog book. The book will contain a Pourquoi narrative written in Unit 1.
• In the Module 2 Performance Task, students generate writing to include in a Freaky Frog book. The book will contain: an informational writing from Unit 2, end of Unit 2 assessment writing, an informational essay from Unit 3 and a Freaky Frog trading card from Unit 3 that contains basic facts about the frog collected through research. In Module 3, Unit 2, Lessons 8-12, students write an opinion book review, discussing whether they would or would not recommend others read Peter Pan. In Lesson 8, students analyze a model of a book review for the text they read during Lesson 7, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Students are asked to consider the following questions: “Would the author of this text recommend it to a friend? Why would he/she recommend the story?” In Lesson 9, students begin drafting the introduction paragraph for their book review, during Work Time A they draft their opinion use sentence starters such as “Would recommend, Would recommend with some cautions, Would not recommend,” and in Work Time B, they are introduced to the Opinion Writing Checklist. Since this is the first time students are working with the Opinion Writing Checklist, they are only working on four criteria. In Lessons 10 and 11, students draft the body paragraphs of the book review with an emphasis on stating evidence and reasons to support the opinion.
• In Module 3, Unit 3, Lessons 1-7, students revise a narrative excerpt of Peter Pan. Students use a narrative planning graphic organizer to draft a revised scene.
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lessons 5-14, students plan and compose an opinion essay about becoming involved in water conservation. The lessons include instruction on the following components: an introductory paragraph, a focus statement of two points, the body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraphs.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

Writing opportunities are focused around students’ analyses and claims developed from reading closely and working with sources. Materials provide opportunities that build students' writing skills over the course of the school year. Examples include:

• In Module 1, Unit 1. Lesson 4, the teaching notes set the purpose that students are going to be reading from the text, Rain School. During the Opening part of the lesson, students are engaged in reading Rain School and are asked questions such as: “What do you notice about the size of Chad in relation to the rest of the continent?” As students read, they are looking for evidence for the central message or lesson.
• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 10, students are asked to focus on the following question, “In Nasreen’s Secret School, what is the central message or lesson and how is it conveyed through details in the text?” Teachers direct the students to use the Short Constructed Response: Lesson/Message in Nasreen’s Secret School graphic organizer to help them write their responses.
• In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 8, students reread excerpts of “Everything You Need to Know about Frogs and Other Slippery Creatures” that were read closely earlier in this unit. Students analyze the connections between sentences and paragraphs in the same excerpt. They then use the texts to answer a questions: “How does where a frog lives affect how it looks and/or acts?”
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lessons 1-12, students read Peter Pan and write short constructed responses to text-dependent questions for each chapter, focusing on character traits and citing evidence from the core text to support their responses. For example, in Lesson 5, students read Chapter 4 of Peter Pan, answer selected response questions, and write short constructed responses to answer questions about the text. They will cite evidence from the text to answer the short constructed responses.
• In Module 3, the Mid-unit 2 Assessment, students recall and recount the plot of Peter Pan by identifying events from the story and placing them in the order in which they occurred. Students then compare the two Peter Pan stories they have read by completing a chart. Finally, students show their understanding of the central message of each text by answering selected response questions.
• Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students answer text-dependent questions on pages 4-5 of One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, citing claims and appropriate, well-defended evidence.
• Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 12, students must compare and contrast the main ideas and supporting details on pages 24-25 of One Well with Water Pollution, stating claims and citing evidence.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials including explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context.

Opportunities to learn language standards are in the Module Lessons including Language Dives and lessons in the ALL Block. Materials include instruction of all grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. Examples of each language standard include:

• L.3.1a
  • In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students explain the function of nouns through the Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks and the Language Dive Note-catcher: One Well: Nouns. Homework practice is available in Lesson 6.
  • In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 4, students explain the function of pronouns through the Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks and the Language Dive Note-catcher: One Well: Pronouns.
  • In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 6, students explain the function of adjectives through the Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks and the Language Dive Note-catcher: One Well: Adjectives. Homework practice is available in Lesson 9.
  • In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 7, students explain the function of verbs through the Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks and the Language Dive Note-catcher: One Well: Verbs. Homework practice is available in Lesson 10.
  • In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 9, students explain the function of adverbs through the Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks and the Language Dive Note-catcher: One Well: Adverbs. Homework practice is available in Lesson 11.
• L.3.1b
  • In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 5, in Work Time B, students analyze the noun people in a sentence. In Lesson 8, there is direct instruction on different types of plural nouns using the Regular Plural Nouns Anchor Chart. In Lesson 11, there is instruction about irregular plural nouns.
• L.3.1c
  • In Module 4, Unit 3, Lessons 5-7, students use abstract nouns. Students learn that pride and excitement are abstract nouns because they are names of emotions that cannot be physically touched.
• L.3.1d
  • In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Work Time B, students learn about verb tense. Students analyze how regular verbs change from past, present, and future. In Lesson 6, Work Time B, students learn how to form and use have and be.
• L.3.1e
  • In Module 2, Unit 3, Lessons 2 and 6, students form verb tenses. In Lesson 2, students analyze sentences for verb tense. In Lesson 4, students play a game to practice forming and using verbs in different tenses.
• L.3.1f
  • In Module 1, Lesson 9, ALL Block, Week 2, Day 4, the teacher guides students through the use of Subject/Predicate sentence strips.
• L.3.1g
  • In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 11, students learn comparative and superlative adjectives. The teacher uses the Comparative and Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs handout.
  • In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 12, students learn comparative and superlative adverbs. The teacher asks, “So if you were using the adverb fast to describe the speed of the frog with the arrow is hopping compared to the other, what comparative adverb might you use? The frog with the arrow is hopping ___.”
• L.3.1h
  • In Module 2, Unit 3, ALL Block, Week 1, Days 2 and 4, small group instruction includes work with conjunctions.
  • In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 10, students review compound and complex sentences for coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.
• L.3.1i
  • In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 10, Work Time A, students use different-colored markers to color code sentence as simple, compound, or complex.
• L.3.2a
  • In Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 3, Work Time B, the students focus on the title Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, and the teacher asks “What do you notice?” The teacher shares the Capitalizing Appropriate Words in Titles handout to read the criteria
• L.3.2b
  • In Module 4, Unit 3, Letter 5, the teacher and students analyze a model of the address on an effective invitational letter. Students learn to put a comma after the city and before the state.
• L.3.2c
  • In Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 5, Work Time B, students view a model dialogue sentence from the anchor text: “Why, that is a fine nightgown you are wearing there, young Peter,” he said admiringly. Students discuss what they notice about the punctuation.
• L.3.2d
  • In Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 4, there is a Language Dive about Possessives. Students study the following sentence: “Then, with a wrinkled brow he studied Soloman’s feathers thoughtfully, before looking back down at his nightgown again.”
• L.3.2e
  • In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 14, students are to focus on “L.3.2: My spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are correct.” Explicit directions to students as to how to use conventional spellings are not clear.
• L.3.2f
  • In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 14, students are to focus on “L.3.2: My spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are correct.” Explicit directions to students as to how to use spelling patterns and generalizations.
• L.3.2g
  • In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 10, students learn about strategies to check their spelling which includes using a dictionary.
• L.3.3a
  • In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 10, students learn to use temporal words and phrases. Students learn to use time words and phrases in their narrative.
• L.3.3b
  • In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 13, students participate in a text-based discussion about the differences between written and spoken English. The teacher distributes Spoken Compared to Written English.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 four Modules of Study, each lasting 8-9 weeks and divided into three units. Each Module is two hours, one hour for Module lesson and one hour for Additional Language and Literacy (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 eight 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 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 (homogenous 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 3 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. There are four Modules spanning approximately nine weeks of instruction each, which are each broken into three units. Each unit contains 10 to 12 lessons. There are approximately 120 to 130 lessons in the Grade 3 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 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 flex day 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 3 units to be taught alongside the Module units; however, the Units in the ALL Block last for only 2 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 3rd hour of instruction to accompany Module 2. Each Life Science Module is designed to last 8 weeks with about 3 hours of science instruction per week, giving flexibility to pacing.

• In the 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. “[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” (p. 65).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 the 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, clear directions and correct labeling. ALL Block Modules include teacher-guided activities that are differentiated based on student need, and 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 Teacher Guide states that “This lesson is the first in a series of three that include built-out instruction for the use of Goal 1 Conversation Cues. Conversation Cues are questions teachers can ask students to promote productive and equitable conversation... Goal 1 Conversation Cues encourage all students to talk and be understood. As the Modules progress, Goal 2, 3, and 4 Conversation Cues are gradually introduced. Refer to the Module 1 Appendix for the complete set of cues. Consider providing students with a thinking journal or scrap paper. Examples of the Goal 1 Conversation Cues you will see in the next two units are (with expected responses)” (p. 58).
• In ALL Block Module 1, Week 1, Day 1, the following directions are given for differentiation and support: “For students who require additional support, consider building independent reading stamina at a slower rate by requiring them to read for a shorter amount of time. Because much of this lesson is discussion-based, consider providing sentence stems for students to refer to during discussions, such as: ‘I think that this component of the ALL Block is … because …’ For students who struggle to verbalize their thoughts, invite them to sketch. Point to the sketch and verbalize for them, inviting them to confirm and then repeat what you say.”
• In Unit 3 in the Teacher Guide, the directions for Lesson “work time” clearly state, “Tell students they will now complete the Reading for Gist and Recounting the Story note-catcher, and they will use this text to help them better understand the challenges described in More Than Anything Else as they work” (p. 359). Students use the Reading for Gist Graphic Organizer (pg. 73 in Student Edition) and break down the character, setting, motivation, and challenges within the text.
• In the Teacher Guide on pg. 119, Levels of Support, for “Lighter Support” teachers are given scaffolding suggestions, such as “Before explaining the parts of the sentences students write in Work Time A, invite them to analyze the good example of a student response and identify the parts (i.e., a subject and a predicate).” Students use this scaffold to respond to questions from the text.
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 6, in the teacher’s notes for levels of support (lighter), it directs teachers to “provide sentence frames or additional modeling, observe student interaction and allow students to grapple. Provide supportive frames and demonstrations only after students have grappled with the task. Observe the areas in which they struggle to target appropriate support. Invite more proficient students to model the close read interview process and consider using this modeling as a basis for sentence frames for students who may need heavier support.”
• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 10, in the teacher’s notes for the opening of the lesson, the teacher is given the following directions: “Guide students through the routine from Lesson 9 to sort and color-code the parts of Proof Paragraph 1: -In pairs, invite students to refer to the Painted Essay® template to remember where Proof Paragraph 1 fits in the structure of an essay. – Ask pairs to read and organize the strips, putting them in the correct order. Circulate to support them as they work. – Invite students to check their work against the Model Book Review: Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. – After 10 minutes, refocus whole group and invite students to help you record the parts of Proof Paragraph 1 on the Book Review anchor chart. Refer to the Book Review anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.”
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 7, the teacher directions during the Work Time of the lesson state, “Distribute Determining the Main Ideas Note-catcher: Pages 20–21 of One Well and use the same routine from the Closing of Lesson 6 to guide students through determining the main idea(s) and supporting details of the text: Invite students to think about the big idea(s) the author wants them to understand from reading these pages of the text. Remind them that there may be more than one main idea. Invite students to look in the text for details to support their main idea(s). If they can’t find supporting details for their main idea(s), remind them to revise their main idea(s). Circulate to support students as they identify the main ideas and supporting details."
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 10, the teacher directions direct teachers to guide students through understanding the learning targets for the lesson, stating: “Direct students’ attention to the posted learning targets and read them aloud: 'I can connect my opinion to the reasons in the proof paragraphs of my essay with linking words and phrases. I can write Proof Paragraph 2 of my opinion essay using evidence from my research to support one reason for my opinion.' Tell students that today they will continue drafting their opinion essays, writing their second proof paragraph.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 for Grade 3 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 2, the standards are written as "I can" statements, setting the expectation for students: “I can refer explicitly to the text when answering questions about the text (RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.4, RF.3.4, L.3.1a, L.3.4a).”
• In Grade 3, Module 1, the end of the Unit 2 Assessment asks students to reread a passage and write an informative paragraph describing a challenge and overcoming the challenge using specific details from the text. The assessment centers around CCSS RI.3.1, RI.3.2, W.3.2a, W.3.2b, W.3.2d, W.3.4, and W.3.8.
• In the Grade 3 Module 1 Overview, the Assessments and Performance Task has a Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Collaborative Discussions about Independent Reading Books (SL.3.1, SL.3.3, and SL.3.6) and End of Unit 1 Assessment: Answering Questions about a Literary Text (RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4, RL.3.10, and L.3.4).
• In Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 11, Week at a Glance there is a Performance Task: Planning a Reading Strategies Bookmark with standards W.3.4, W.3.5.
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 10, in Work Time A, students closely read parts of Chapter 9 to answer text-dependent questions focused on character traits, point of view, and character actions. The lesson has students work through questions relating to the standards Rl.3.1, RL.3.3, and RL.3.6.
• In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 9, students write the introductory paragraph for their book reviews (W.3.1a). In Work Time B, students are introduced to the Opinion Writing Checklist (W.3.1).
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time A, students use the vocabulary strategies on the “Close Readers Do These Things” anchor chart to complete a glossary for pages 16–19 of One Well RI.3.4, L.3.4. During the Closing of the lesson, students determine the main idea of pages 16–19. This is a similar process to the one in Lessons 2–5; however, rather than determining the main idea and supporting details from a text read aloud, this time students read the text themselves RI.3.1, RI.3.2.
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 8, students write the introductory paragraph for their essays. Students first analyze the introduction of the model essay and compare it to the introductions for the book reviews written in Module 3. They then use their planning from Lesson 7 to draft their own introductions RI.3.1, W.3.1a.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 3 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 2, Lesson 1, teachers are advised 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.” The Grade 3, Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, “Technology & Multimedia” section indicates that during the Work Time B portion of the lesson, students may “use speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or use an app or software like Dragon Dictation to write their short constructed responses.” The section provides a direct link to the Dragon Dictation application.
• 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 with information on how to prioritize lessons in the unit for ELL students. Teachers are given teaching strategies, such as “Language Dives” and ways to add diversity and inclusion to the lessons.
• A section titled "Preparation Overview" is included with each unit. This section gives a list of prep work that teachers 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 1, the following guidance is provided: “Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group to the question, How do you feel about books? How do you feel about reading?”
• In the Grade 3, Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, “Teaching Notes” for the lesson “Opening,” teachers are instructed to provide independent reading journals, with an explanation for establishing the use of independent reading journals that states: “This journal provides a space where students will begin responding to prompts concerning their independent reading book. Students will use these journals both throughout the module and the school year.”
• 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. The Teacher Guide provides guidance for levels of support. In “Lighter Support,” the Teacher Guide recommends the teacher have students generate their own sentence frames to use as they reflect on their reading, compared to “Heavier Support,” which recommends providing students with a filled-in copy of “Reading for Gist.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 Your Curriculum Companion that provides specific research, rationales, 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” that provides teachers examples of advanced literary concepts. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The Grade 3 Text Analysis for the central text, Rain School, explains that the text structure is moderately complex because while the text structure is “clear, chronological, and organized in atypical narrative structure, the events at the beginning and end of the story are surprising and difficult to predict.”
• 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.
• The “Engaging Students with Protocols” section of Chapter 3 in Your Curriculum Companion 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 3 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 Grade 3, Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 7, “Teaching Notes” section, teachers are provided the following explanation of the standard alignment in the lesson: “Students begin to analyze an informative paragraph about Kenya. Students will analyze this model to study the introduction sentence and focus statement and use those observations to plan their own informative paragraph (W.3.2a, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.8).”
• In the Your Curriculum Companion on p. 9, 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 by explaining 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.
• In the Module 1 Teacher Guide on p. 18, 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.
• In the Module 1 Teacher Guide on p. 24, 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 3 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 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, it 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 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

Materials for Grade 3 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.

• In Module 1, Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1: Teacher Guide for ALL Block students practice a fluency passage: “Kenya” from My Librarian Is a Camel (from Unit 2, Lesson 1 module lesson; one per student)
• In Module 1, the End of Unit Assessment is Answering Questions about a Literary Text. The format is selected response and short constructed response. The CCSS are RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4, RL.3.10, L.3.4.
• In Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 7, the Mid-Unit Assessment is Narrative Writing: Revising a Scene from Peter Pan. The Format is selected response and on-demand narrative. The CCSS are W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.6, W.3.10, L.3.2a, L.3.2c, L.3.2d, L.3.3a.
• 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 “create a bookmark to remind me of strategies to overcome my reading challenges (W.3.4, W.3.5)”
• The Teacher Guides include pre-assessments, for example, in Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 2, teachers assess student writing by giving a baseline assessment for writing. “Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Reading Fluency Checklist to gather baseline reading fluency data from students’ reading of the poem in Opening A.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that assessments 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 3, Module 1, pgs. 11-13, it is clearly noted which standards are being emphasized for each assessment. For example, for the final performance task, it states, “In this performance task, students synthesize their thinking about their reading challenges and possible strategies to overcome those challenges by creating an eye-catching bookmark listing the strategies described in their End of Unit 3 Assessment reading contracts. The strategies are written in bullet points so students can access them quickly when reading. This task centers on CCSS ELA W.3.4 and W.3.5.“
• In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 10, the End of Unit Assessment is an Informative Essay: Revising and Editing a Description of My Freaky Frog. The Teacher Guide instructs for teachers to “Explain that students are going to finish revising their drafts to create a final draft of their informative essay. Tell them they will use the teacher feedback on their Mid-Unit 3 Assessment and the mini lesson on sentences to guide their revisions.” This assessment centers on CCSS W.3.2c, W.3.2d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.6, W.3.10, L.3.1h, L.3.1i, and L.3.6.
• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 7, the Mid-Unit Assessment is Comparing Two Peter Pan Stories. Students read Chapter 6 of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and answer selected response and short-constructed response questions. This Assessment centers on CCSS RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.4, RL.3.9, L.3.1f, L.3.4.
• 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 hear pages 8–9 of One Well read aloud and determine the main idea(s) and supporting details. They then read the pages themselves to answer text-dependent questions (RI.3.1, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, SL.3.2, L.3.1a, L.3.4).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

Grade 3 instructional 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 3 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

Grade 3 instructional materials provide informal checklists to help collect evidence of progress as teachers observe students working. Progress monitoring formative assessments are integrated within every module by using mid and end 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, on pg. 393 a 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. In Grade 3, informal checklists include reading fluency, writing process, collaborative discussions, 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.
• On pg. 394 in Your Curriculum Companion, it states that 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. It states, “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, Grade 3, Module 1, pg.35, Assessment Guidance directs the teacher to listen to students as they read their quote to determine if they need additional support.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 1, Unit 3, Lesson 13, the Teacher Guide suggests using multiple means of representation below its “Universal Design for Learning” section, instructing teachers to provide multiple models for students to see what a final product looks like for the reading strategies bookmark, verbally explain expectations, and to facilitate a discussion around elements of the model bookmarks that make them aesthetically pleasing, easy to read, and understand.

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 6, the curriculum provides teachers with strategies to help support student stamina, “Since this is a long assessment, consider offering built-in breaks, during which students can choose an activity such as getting water or stretching.” The curriculum gives suggestions regarding fine motor skills and how teachers can accommodate students that struggle in this area: “For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Consider providing tools to support their writing (e.g., pencil grips, slanted desk, or word processor).”

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 3 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 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 acquire language and help the 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 3, it is recommended that “For ELLs and students who may need additional support with memory: allow students an additional 30 seconds to review pages 18–19 before turning to their partners.”

In the lessons, there is a Teacher’s Notes section. This section provides specific ELL information for the teacher. It first begins with a lesson breakdown, identifying all the important points in the lesson. This draws the teacher’s attention to an objective within the lesson to set as a priority for ELL students. Then, the section differentiates into levels of support- Lighter and Heavier. Depending on the needs of the ELL students, this differentiated support enables teachers to scaffold even further.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The teaching 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 EL 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 Language 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.