The materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1g. 

Materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions; however, those are not consistently referenced or available in lessons. Students practice speaking and listening skills with Discussion Questions in each lesson, which are “open-ended questions designed to prompt student reflection on the day’s reading and to make connections between the text, larger social issues, and their own lives. Discussion questions often come at the end of lessons and are an opportunity to bring students together to speak and listen to one another.” Each unit also includes a full day of Socratic Seminar discussion. The protocols provided in the Academic Discourse section support students’ developing speaking and listening skills for a variety of discussions, including different formats of whole class, small group, and partner discussions.

Materials provide teachers with many options for including discourse in the classroom and the freedom to choose which protocols are appropriate for their students; however, teachers do not always have specific guidance relating to which Academic Discourse protocol to use in each situation. The Academic Discourse section in the Teacher Tools includes varied protocols for whole group, small group, and partner discussions; however, some individual lessons do not indicate specific protocols to use when students answer Discussion Questions. The materials provide some guidance for use of protocols with formal discussions such as Socratic Seminar, but it is not consistent in all lessons or units. Instructional supports and resources that help with engaging students in discourse, creating a classroom culture that supports conversation, and monitoring student growth are available for teachers consistently in the Teacher Tools and with additional Notes in some lessons. The Academic Discourse section provides teachers with four different resources for guiding and supporting students in developing speaking and listening skills. These resources are referenced and linked for Socratic Seminars across the units but not for informal discussion opportunities.

Materials provide varied protocols to support students’ developing speaking and listening skills across the whole year’s scope of instructional materials; however, protocols are not always readily available for teachers. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Teacher Tools, Academic Discourse section, different types of protocols are provided. One option is Think-Pair-Share-Revise: 

  • “Teacher or student poses a question worthy of discussion. 

  • Teachers give students time to think about how they will answer.

  • Students pair up.

  • Students take turns sharing their answers.

  • Students revise their original theories or ideas.”

• In each unit, a Socratic Seminar is provided as a formal discussion, and students use one teacher-chosen, an open-ended question from the multiple Discussion Questions provided in the lesson. The same directions are provided for the teacher in the Notes section of each Socratic Seminar lesson: “Decide which Type of Academic Discourse you want to use in this lesson. We recommend a table-group discussion, fishbowl, or whole-class discussion. Then, choose which of this lesson’s Discussion Questions you are going to have students answer. Consider how much discussion time will be devoted to each question.”

• In Unit 2, Fighting Injustice: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Lesson 13, students answer a Discussion Question based on Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix: “Share your opinion: Do you agree with the idea that ‘you can’t expect to change the world in a few short months and that small gains should be celebrated? Do you agree more closely with Rahel’s feelings about the end of the strike or Yetta’s?” There is no recommended protocol to use in the lesson plan.

• In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lesson 14, students participate in a Socratic Seminar about the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros:  Seven open-ended Discussion Questions are provided in the lesson, and teachers choose one question, such as: “How and why does Esperanza change over the course of the text? What is the difference between a house and a home? What do these things symbolize for Esperanza? How does Esperanza’s Latinx identity (and her identity as a second-generation immigrant to the United States) shape her experience of the world and her understanding of her place in it?” There are no teacher directions on whether all the questions are discussed in small group or partner discussions prior to the Socratic Seminar. Teachers can choose a protocol by accessing the Academic Discourse section in Teacher Tools; they are not included in the lesson. 

• In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 15, students participate in a Socratic Seminar after reading The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater. Seven open-ended Discussion Questions are provided in the lesson and teachers choose one question. There are no teacher directions on whether all the questions are discussed in small group or partner discussions prior to the Socratic Seminar. Teachers can choose a protocol by accessing the Academic Discourse section in Teacher Tools; they are not included in the lesson. 

Speaking and listening instruction includes facilitation, monitoring, and instructional supports for teachers. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Teacher Tools, Academic Discourse tab, the Overview states: “During effective academic discourse, students are engaging in high-quality, productive, and authentic conversations with each other (not just the teacher) in order to build or clarify understanding of a topic. To ensure that academic discourse is effective, teachers need to establish a classroom culture and routines that foster productive discourse.” Suggestions for Establishing a Strong Discourse Culture include creating shared norms in the classroom, modeling what a successful conversation looks like, and providing specific feedback to students. Following this statement, materials provide teachers with an overview of the linked resources: Preparing for Academic Discourse, Types of Academic Discourse, Tiers of Academic Discourse, and Monitoring and Supporting Academic Discourse. In the Types of Academic Discourse resource, materials provide teachers with specific protocols and directions to facilitate Whole Class Discussion, Small Group Discussion, and Partner Conversation. 

• In the Teacher Tools, the Monitoring and Supporting Academic Discourse document outlines ways that teachers can “progress monitor and support students’ development of key conversation and discourse strategies.” The document includes other suggestions for support, such as:

  • “Provide sentence frames for students to use. Sentence frames should help students articulate their thoughts. Include sentence frames that use a variety of sentence structures to ensure that students have multiple options.

  • Provide scaffolding questions. If students are unable to initially answer the original question, provide scaffolding questions that build students to the deeper understandings.”  

• In the Teacher Tools, the Tiers of Academic Discourse resource provides an explanation of each tier. Tier 1 describes how students clarify and share their thoughts. Materials provide information on three elements of instruction: Key Student Discourse Strategies, Key Teacher Talk Moves, and Sentence Frames. In Tier 2, students engage with the thinking of others; as with Tier 1, materials provide information on the three elements of instruction. In Tier 3, students critique and analyze the reasoning of others; as found in Tiers 1 and 2, materials provide information on the three elements of instruction. 

• In the Teacher Tools, the Monitoring and Supporting Academic Discourse resource includes an Overview statement: “The goal is that by the end of the year, students will be able to participate in academic discourse using strategies from all three components, allowing them to show a deeper and more nuanced understanding of key content. Based on data from progress monitoring, students may need additional support in order to effectively orally communicate key ideas. Use the suggested supports below to decide which support to add for the whole class or for subsets of students.” Materials provide teachers with the following downloadable tools to use in the classroom: Academic Discourse Rubric, Discussion Self Assessment, Discussion Peer Assessment, Socratic Seminar Recording Form, and End-of-Discussion Assessment. 

• In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 20, the Types of Academic Discourse and Tiers of Academic Discourse resources are linked within the lesson. The Types of Academic Discourse document provides teachers with a set of discussion types (e.g., whole class discussion, small group discussion, and partner conversations) with specific discussion strategies (e.g., Rally Coach, Fishbowl, and Take a Stand) and instructions on each. 

• In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lesson 14, materials include Teacher Tools for guidance when deciding which Type of Academic Discourse to utilize in the classroom (table-group discussion, fishbowl, or whole-class discussion). Teachers can select which of the lesson’s Discussion Questions students will answer. Other Teacher Tools include guidance for Supporting Students with Academic Discourse, such as ensuring the transfer of knowledge: “Provide students with sentence frames. Provide students with sentence frames that reflect how their opinion or understanding may have changed. 

  • At first I thought, _____________________. Based on the discussion, I now think ____________________. 

  • Prior to the discussion I thought ____________________. My classmates ideas confirmed my ideas because _____________________.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1i. 

Materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing; however, materials do not provide ample time and tasks to build students’ literacy development in writing. The guidance is minimal for specific skills. Students complete on-demand prompts that connect to the discussions and activities for each lesson, and each unit includes process writing that spans more than one lesson. Specifically, students write longer essays to prompts that connect to the core and supplemental texts using the steps of the writing process. In some units, students use digital resources to conduct research and create digital materials for presentations. The Teacher Tools include multiple resources with further details on how to provide guidance on both process and on-demand writing, including planning and executing writing lessons and strategies for giving feedback. Within each lesson and student-facing materials, opportunities to edit and revise are present; however, instruction and practice of those skills do not exist beyond mentioning it as an objective. 

Materials include on-demand writing opportunities that cover a year’s worth of instruction; however, opportunities for students to revise and edit are minimal. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Fighting Injustice: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Lesson 15, students reflect on the quotation from Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix where Jane tells Bella and Yetta, “Everything I have was bought with blood.” Then, students answer the Writing Prompt, providing evidence: “What does she mean by this figurative language? How does this show that Jane’s perspective of her own life has changed? What caused this change in her perspective?”

• In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 10, students read the poem, “Say My Name” by Idris Goodwin. After reading, they complete a Writing Prompt where they write an analytical paragraph discussing how the speaker of the poem feels about his name. Students must “Include a topic sentence, evidence from the text, analysis, and a conclusion in your argument.”

• In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 14, students read The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater and answer the Writing Prompt; “What central idea does Slater develop on the topic of binaries? How does she use both Sasha and Richard’s stories to develop this central idea? Carefully explain your thinking.” 

Materials include process writing opportunities that cover a year’s worth of instruction; however, opportunities for students to revise and edit are minimal. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 21, one Objective states: “Compose a complete narrative and revise for transitions, mechanics, and organization.” There is no guidance in the lesson for when or how teachers help students revise their narratives. Teachers would need to access the Giving Writing Feedback document in the Teacher Tools section that gives suggestions for Individual or Group feedback to assist with editing. The Narrative Writing Feedback and Support—Middle School document help teachers direct students on what and how to edit when students are struggling with organizing an event sequence, such as “Review how to use paragraphs to manage the sequence of events.” 

• In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lessons 21–23, students write an  essay: “Write a five-paragraph literary analysis about how one main character from A Raisin in the Sun changes from the beginning to the end of the play.” Over three lessons, students write a thesis, draft introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs and then revise the essay for clarity, mechanics, and organization. In Lesson 23, as homework, students check their work for the requirements using the Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Essay Rubric. The rubric provides criteria for the introduction, three body paragraphs, and conclusion. There are also criteria available relating to Form and Style and Language and Mechanics. Teacher guidance includes, “Students who finish early may benefit from working as a peer-editor.” Teachers could access the Giving Writing Feedback document in the Teacher Tools for guidance.

• In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lessons 16–19, students complete a research project: “In this writing project, you will research the life, work, and accomplishments of a member of the LGBTQ+ community to be celebrated on a postage stamp. Nominate this leader through a letter to the United States Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which honors ‘extraordinary and enduring contributions to American society, history, culture or environment.’ Support your argument with evidence from the research to support your thesis. Include a strong introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion in your letter.” The three lessons focus on different parts of writing the letter, including an opportunity to “revise for clarity, mechanics, and organization” in Lesson 19. There is no guidance in the lesson or the materials for when or how teachers help students revise.

Materials include digital resources where appropriate. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 14, students work in groups to collect research from diverse sources as they begin creating an informational poster about DACA and the DREAMers. Students receive digital sources to consult, including a website, a video, and an article.

• In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 10, students begin work on an informational essay to discuss “how racism has impacted the lives of young Asian Americans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Students begin to research, looking specifically for examples, statistics, and quotes from experts. Materials include four web articles from which to gather data.

• In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lessons 16–19, students research a person from the LGBTQ+ community who should have a commemorative stamp and write a letter to the “Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee'' to argue for that person to have a stamp. Students use digital resources to research.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1j. 

Materials include opportunities for students to practice and apply different types of writing; however, the distribution does not reflect the requirements of the standards. Students write argumentative, informative, and narrative assignments, though the percentage of informative and narrative lessons is less than the percentage of argumentative lessons, reflecting a 50/17/33 split. All writing assignments are text-specific or text-dependent and are connected to a unit theme and/or yearlong theme. Materials include explicit instruction in the different types of writing, though the instruction is not directly included in the teacher's plans for each lesson. The resources are found in the Teacher Tools, Instructional Strategies for Writing Lessons (6–8) section. In addition, materials offer teacher support for planning instruction and guiding student thinking with example answers in each lesson and Notes that highlight areas where students might struggle. These Notes include suggestions for teaching and links to sources of support within and outside of the materials.

Materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply different genres/modes/types of writing; however, opportunities do not reflect the distribution required by the standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Materials include uneven distribution of writing types with the following percentages for the different modes of writing: 50% argumentative, 17% informative, and 33% narrative. The number of writing opportunities in each mode is six argumentative, two informative, and four narrative.

  • Percentage or number of opportunities for argumentative writing: Three units address argumentative writing. Approximately 50% of writing opportunities over six units are argumentative.

    • Unit 1: 0

    • Unit 2: 1

    • Unit 3: 2 

    • Unit 4: 1

    • Unit 5: 0

    • Unit 6: 2

  • Percentage or number of opportunities for informative/explanatory writing: Two units address informative writing. Approximately 17% of writing opportunities over six units are informative.

    • Unit 1: 0

    • Unit 2: 0

    • Unit 3: 0

    • Unit 4: 0

    • Unit 5: 1

    • Unit 6: 1

  • Percentage or number of opportunities for narrative writing: Three units address narrative writing skills. Approximately 33% of writing opportunities over six units are narrative.

    • Unit 1: 2

    • Unit 2: 0

    • Unit 3: 0

    • Unit 4: 1

    • Unit 5: 1

    • Unit 6: 0

• Explicit instruction in argumentative writing: Materials include Teacher Tools to provide Persuasive/Argumentative Writing Feedback and Support. For example, if students are struggling to create topic sentences that flow from the thesis statement, one “strategy is to work backward through specific evidence to build the main claim and the topic sentences. This can also be modeled by:

  • selecting a particularly persuasive line of evidence from the research

  • building next to a topic sentence that would flow from that evidence

  • finally crafting a thesis statement that would include the sub claim from the topic sentence as part of the comprehensive argument”

• Explicit instruction in informative/explanatory writing: Materials include Teacher Tools to provide Informational Writing Feedback and Support. One example includes if students are struggling to use transitional words, phrases, or clauses to manage the sequence of events, teachers can “Review and model how to use transitional phrases to manage the sequence of events.

  • Transitional words or phrases can be used to show there is a transition in time. (The next day, after a while, before long, late that afternoon, the next thing I knew, etc.)”

  • Transitional words and phrases can be used to show there is a transition in setting or location. (In our backyard, when we went upstairs, at the post office, behind the trees, etc.)

  • Transitional words and phrases can be used to show a sequence of events or to show the connection between events. (At the beginning, as a result, it started when, as soon as, in the end, etc.)”

• Explicit instruction in narrative writing: The Teacher Tools include guidance to provide Narrative Writing Feedback and Support. For example, if students are struggling to develop a point of view or establish a context, teachers can prompt students to think about the following questions when brainstorming setting:

  • What is the main location?

  • Are there any features of the main location that make it unique and should be highlighted?

  • Are there activities or occupations that are unique and/or important to the setting?

  • Does the setting influence the mood?

  • How does the setting influence the character’s actions?

Different genres/modes/types of writing are distributed throughout the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Students have opportunities to engage in argumentative writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 21, students write a five-paragraph literary analysis and must support their argument with evidence from the play to support the thesis. Students must analyze how one main character from A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry changes from the beginning to the end of the play.

  • Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 21, students use the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry to include evidence that supports their claim. 

  • Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 17, students study a mentor text for homework that is applicable to their current writing assignment. While reading, students are instructed to annotate the mentor text, paying specific attention onthe following pieces of the body paragraphs: 

      • “Topic sentence (with sub-claim)”

      • “Introduce the words/ideas from research (the citation)”

      • “Strong, relevant proof/evidence”

      • “Explanation (connecting the topic sentence and the thesis to the evidence)”

      • “Transitions (between ideas or paragraphs)”

  • Establish and maintain a formal style. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 23, students check their works for the requirements utilizing the Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Essay Rubric. Students practice establishing and maintaining a formal style as a supporting standard during the lesson.

  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 9, students answer a Writing Prompt question regarding the effect of a second-person narrator in the text The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater. Students are reminded to include multiple pieces of an argumentative response, including a conclusion.

• Students have opportunities to engage in informative/explanatory writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 10, students “Write an informational essay in which you explain how racism has impacted the lives of young Asian Americans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Students are required to “clearly introduce the topic” and “state at least three effects or impacts of racial harassment and violence.” 

• Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 16, after researching the life and accomplishments of an individual in the LGBTQ+ community, students write a letter to the United States Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to explain why this individual should have a postage stamp. To support the thesis statement, students share details from their researched information about this person’s life and accomplishments.

• Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 10, students“Write an informational essay in which you explain how racism has impacted the lives of young Asian Americans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Students are required to “Include at least three linking words that clarify the relationship between ideas.”

• Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 16, after researching the life and accomplishments of an individual in the LGBTQ+ community, students write a letter to the United States Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to explain why this individual should have a postage stamp. To do so, students must consider that, in order to earn a postage stamp, individuals must make “extraordinary and enduring contributions to American society, history, culture or environment.” Therefore, students must connect their research to one or more of these ideas.

• Establish and maintain a formal style. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 18, after researching the life and accomplishments of an individual in the LGBTQ+ community, students write a letter to the United States Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to explain why this individual should have a postage stamp. In this lesson, students learn about sentence types that they can use to write in a formal style.

• Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 12, students “Write an informational essay in which you explain how racism has impacted the lives of young Asian Americans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Students are asked to “Elaborate arguments into an introduction and conclusion.”

• Students have opportunities to engage in narrative writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

  • Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lesson 6, the lesson objective includes establishing a narrator’s point of view and introducing at least one character to the student’s vignette. The task requires students, “Establish a clear narrator’s voice.”

  • Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lesson 6, students continue to work on their vignettes. Students practice the skill of using narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters as a supporting standard in the lesson.

  • Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 7, students write a prose poem that explores their experience of America. Students practice the skill of using a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another as a supporting standard in the lesson.

  • Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 7, students construct their own prose poems about what it means to be an American. The directions state that while prose poems are short, they still include descriptive details such as similes and metaphors as well as other language choices.

  • Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lesson 5, students work on their “My Name” vignette, and the task specifies that students must “Provide a strong conclusion.” A Sample Response is available for guidance, and a similar vignette is available in the text The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

Where appropriate, writing opportunities are connected to texts and/or text sets (either as prompts, models, anchors, or supports). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Fighting Injustice: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Lesson 30, students read multiple articles relating to current workplace conditions at Amazon and then take a stance on the question, “Does our country need to take steps to protect the health and safety of workers at Amazon?” The task connects to the two core texts, Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix and Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin.

• In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lessons 5–6, students write their own “My Name” vignette, modeling how Sandra Cisneros introduces her narrator in The House on Mango Street.

• In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 10, students gather appropriate evidence, including facts, quotes, and statistics, to develop their informational essays. The writing task connects to articles from the unit, “The recent rise in Asian American hate crimes could have impacts beyond the pandemic” by Candice Wang and “Anti-Asian Hate Has Surged During the Coronavirus Pandemic, Reports Find” by Sara Li.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1k. 

Although materials include opportunities for students to participate in writing tasks requiring analysis of and evidence from texts and other credible sources, explicit evidence-based writing instruction in the student lessons is limited to teacher guidance such as a sample writing response. Students engage in close reading tasks, develop claims for an intended audience, and support their position with evidence. Evidence used throughout the units comes primarily from texts included in the materials and independent research at times. Writing opportunities connect purposefully to the texts students are reading, and the tasks provide a means for building knowledge and writing skills across the school year. Students practice utilizing claims and support consistently, and rarely is writing done simply based on opinion. 

Materials provide opportunities across the school year for students to practice and apply writing using evidence; however, materials provide limited opportunities across the school year for students to learn about writing using evidence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 10, students read the essay, “Hello, My Name Is ______” by Jason Kim, and answer the Writing Prompt: “By the end of the essay, the writer describes his feelings about being of Korean descent: ‘it makes me happy and deeply proud.’ How did Jason Kim transition from hating his Asian identity to feeling proud of it? Support your answer with two pieces of specific evidence from the text.” Materials provide a Sample Response for reference. The teacher does not provide students with explicit evidence-based writing instruction and materials do not offer any other teacher guidance for the writing prompt in the lesson.

• In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 3, students listen to a radio story, “The Scarlet E, Part ii: 40 Acres,” and answer the Writing Prompt: “What claim does the radio story make about the differences between Black Americans’ and white Americans’ access to the American dream between 07:40–13:19? What evidence does the story provide to support this idea? Is the evidence provided relevant and sufficient?” Materials provide a Sample Response for reference. The teacher does not provide students with explicit evidence-based writing instruction and materials do not offer any other teacher guidance for the writing prompt in the lesson.

• In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 6, students answer a Discussion & Writing Prompt about the text, The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater: “Select three chapters from the section titled “Richard” that you think are most useful in helping you understand who Richard is as a person. Explain what you learned from these three chapters and why they helped to develop your understanding of his life and character. Provide at least one piece of quoted evidence from each chapter to support your answer.” Materials provide a Sample Response for reference. The teacher does not provide students with explicit evidence-based writing instruction and materials do not offer any other teacher guidance for the writing prompt in the lesson.

Writing opportunities are focused on students’ careful analysis and claims developed from reading closely and working with evidence from texts and sources. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Fighting Injustice: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Lesson 30, students write an argument to support a thesis with clear reasons and relevant evidence. The writing task provides an opportunity for students to draw evidence from informational texts, such as “‘I'm not a robot’: Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse” by Michael Sainato. The task connects to the topic of unsafe working conditions they have studied in the core text Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin. Students answer the question, “Does our country need to take steps to protect the health and safety of workers at Amazon?” 

• In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lesson 9, students answer the Writing Prompt: “How is Marin’s perspective of Geraldo different from how others see him? How does Cisneros develop this difference in perspective?” The instructions direct students to pull evidence from a specific vignette from the text, “Geraldo No Last Name,” from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. 

• In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 11, students answer the Writing Prompt: “Gene Luen Yang explores the dangerous power of stereotypes and bias in the lives of his characters. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in racial harassment and violence toward Asian Americans.” Students use the four informational texts in the unit to “explain how racism has impacted the lives of young Asian Americans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Students develop a precise thesis statement and provide “examples, facts/statistics, and quotations from experts” to support the thesis.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1l. 

Materials include limited explicit instruction for the grade-level grammar and usage standards, and based on the information provided in the lessons, students do not explicitly apply them in their writing. The grammar standards are listed as core standards in the Standards Map, are referred to in some lesson objectives, and are named in writing rubrics; however, the guidance for educators is minimal and not lesson-specific. Explicit instruction in the lessons is insufficient to ensure students meet all the grade-level grammar and usage standards with the necessary support for application in context. Within writing lessons, students have opportunities to notice how authors use language and its conventions; however, there are no specific lessons, protocols, or practice opportunities for students to learn and apply the skills. In Teacher Support, the Writing section addresses grammar in the Approach to Language and Grammar Instruction: “Fishtank ELA units teach grammar and language in context by integrating grammar and mechanics with craft and analysis. Students see how grammar and language help authors communicate specific ideas, and then learn how to use the same techniques in their Before writing.” This section also provides tips and a blank graphic organizer for students to use to create an Editing Checklist; however, this is not called out in the individual lessons within the units. The Teacher Tools encourage educators to provide opportunities for progress monitoring, including thinking about questions from Mechanically Inclined, such as “What have I done to teach this grammar of mechanics pattern?” The Teacher Tools are general, connecting to all grade levels and units. 

Materials include very limited explicit instruction of the grade-level grammar and usage standards and few include authentic opportunities for students to demonstrate the application of skills in context, including applying grammar and convention skills to writing.

• Students have minimal opportunities to explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 18, the  objective states that students will “differentiate between phrases and clauses.” Students complete a narrative Writing Prompt, but the Lesson Materials do not mention phrases or clauses.

  • In Unit 2, Fighting Injustice: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Lesson 32, the objective states that students will “incorporate simple, compound, and complex sentences into writing.” At the end of the lesson, the standards identify that students should be working on L.7.1.a and that they should “explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences.” Materials do not include any other guidance for teaching or reinforcing this skill.

  • In Unit 6, Claiming Our Place: LGBTQ+ Experiences in the United States, Lesson 18, the objective states that students will “Incorporate simple, compound, and complex sentences into their own writing.” However, the lesson does not explain the function of phrases and clauses. The Notes section provides teachers with assistance: “The supplemental language lessons for this unit also support student writing and would fit well as additional writing support for sentence variety and style during the drafting and editing/revising process.”

• Students have minimal opportunities to choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Fighting Injustice: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Lesson 32, the objective states that students will “incorporate simple, compound, and complex sentences into writing.” At the end of the lesson, the standards identify that students should be working on L.7.1.b and that they should be able to “choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.” Materials do not provide any other guidance for teaching or reinforcing this skill.

  • In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lesson 16, the objective states that students will “gather evidence and develop a claim on the impact of a specific symbol in The House on Mango Street.” and “Differentiate between simple, compound, and complex sentences.” At the end of the lesson, the standards identify that students should be working on L.7.1.b and that they should be able to “choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.” In Lesson 17, the Objective states that students will “combine simple sentences into compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.” Materials do not include any other guidance for teaching or reinforcing this skill. 

• Students have minimal opportunities to place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 22, the objective states that students should “construct a strong thesis statement and compose effective body paragraphs.” At the end of the lesson, the standards identify that students should be working on L.7.1.c and that they should be able to “place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.” Materials do not provide any other guidance for teaching or reinforcing this skill.

• Students have opportunities to use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore an old [,] green shirt). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • No evidence found

• Students have minimal opportunities to spell correctly. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Fighting Injustice: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Lesson 33, standard L.7.2.b is a supporting standard. The lesson does not address this standard.

  • In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 23, students check their literary analysis essays for “Appropriate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.” This is one of the requirements in the Argumentative Writing: Literary Analysis Essay Rubric. Materials do not provide any other guidance for teaching or reinforcing this skill.

• Students have minimal opportunities to choose the language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 4, Finding Home: The House on Mango Street, Lesson 18, standard L.7.3.a is a supporting standard. The lesson does not address this standard.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1m. 

Materials include a rationale for how vocabulary should be taught and how the publisher views vocabulary as part of a lesson; however, there is no explicit instruction on the vocabulary that is essential to understanding the text within lessons. Although vocabulary words and definitions are listed in each lesson, the words are not addressed during the lesson. Vocabulary is not part of questions and activities. Students have multiple opportunities to engage with domain-specific vocabulary words across units but do not have the same opportunity for text-based vocabulary in lessons. There is no mechanism that teachers can use to assess student learning around text-based vocabulary. Some guidance is provided for how vocabulary is structured in the units, how to teach vocabulary, and how to support a range of learners during vocabulary instruction. The Teacher Tools share a brief overview: “Within units, students build their academic vocabulary by learning and interacting with Tier II and Tier III vocabulary words that are essential for unlocking the meaning of the text, task, or topic.” Students interact with vocabulary words through reading, writing, speaking, and listening tasks. Teacher Tools include routines such as Explicit Instruction of Vocabulary and Implicit Instruction of Vocabulary. However, the lessons do not include sufficient guidance or reminders for teachers to ensure the routines support students in their vocabulary development and meet grade-level standards.

Materials provide some teacher guidance outlining a cohesive year-long vocabulary development component. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In each unit and lesson, vocabulary words are introduced before reading texts as necessary to understand the texts or the context surrounding them. 

• Within the units, vocabulary words are intentionally included in many ways, so students become familiar with them through repetition, such as the words being present in questions, used during discussions, and heard in teacher-provided sentence stems. Some words are revisited from previous lessons, and students are asked to use them to indicate authentic learning of the words. More often, once the lesson where the word is taught is passed, the word is not revisited. 

• The Teacher Tools include Vocabulary guidance to share the two types of words in the materials: words to teach quickly and drop-in and words to study in-depth. The guidance includes instructions for teachers to “decide if the words are inferrable or not inferrable” and encourage learning vocabulary “indirectly and unconsciously through daily reading, writing, listening, and speaking routines” rather than through explicit instruction. 

• The Vocabulary Teacher Tool shares the ways that students interact with vocabulary words within a lesson and across the unit, such as “Close reading moments are included within lessons to analyze the use of words in context” or “When applicable, vocabulary words are used in later units in key questions or as part of word banks and sentence frames.” 

• Materials include Explicit Instruction of Vocabulary guidance, which includes routines to introduce and review priority vocabulary. There is not sufficient guidance or reminders in the lessons to assist teachers.

Vocabulary is sometimes repeated in contexts (before texts, in texts) and across multiple texts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Domain-specific vocabulary is taught across multiple units. For example:

  • Across multiple units, students learn about and analyze theme which is defined as “the author’s message in the text about the way the world works or what it means to be human. Generally applied to literary texts (fiction, poetry, dramatic works).” 

    • In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 3,  students read the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus to consider the theme and the evidence that supports that message. 

    • In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 4, students read the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes to identify the theme and find supporting evidence for that message. 

    • In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 12, students read a selection from American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang to identify a specific theme of self-acceptance and provide evidence to support that claim.

  • Across multiple units, students learn about and analyze structure. 

    • In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 13, students explain how the structural choices help to develop meaning in the poem “Where You From?” by Gina Valdez. Students complete a Writing Prompt by answering the following question: “In this poem, the poet writes in both English and Spanish. How does this structural choice develop the meaning of the poem?” 

    • In Unit 2, Fighting Injustice: Uprising & Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Lesson 6 students review structure when they explain how the text Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix is structured: “What is unique about the way this book is structured? Why do you think Haddix chose this structure? What are the benefits of structuring the book this way?” 

    • In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 4, students explain how Gene Luen Yang uses both text, images, and structures to develop meaning in the text American Born Chinese. Students complete the following Writing Prompt: “Reread pages 30 and 36. What is similar and different about these pages? What impact does this structural choice have on the reader’s understanding of the plot and characters?”

• Academic vocabulary words found in texts are introduced in units, but not always taught across multiple texts and lessons. For example:

  • In Unit 1, Defining America: Poems, Essays, and Short Stories, Lesson 1, the vocabulary word assimilate is introduced. In Lesson 16, the word is repeated in the Knowledge section of the lesson. The word is not explicitly used in other parts of the lesson presented to students, but it is listed as part of the knowledge that students should understand upon finishing the lesson. 

  • In Unit 3, Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun, Lesson 3, the word languish is introduced in the list of vocabulary words. It is used in the radio segment, “The Scarlet E, Part II: 40 Acres.” It is not used in the Writing Prompt, Close Read Questions, or Discussion Questions, nor is it listed in the information in the Key Understandings. In lesson 7, languish appears when students answer the question, “Which character in A Raisin in the Sun would most likely say that they are ‘languishing’ in their life? Explain your thinking.” These are the only two mentions of the vocabulary word in the unit. In addition, bitter is listed as a vocabulary word for this unit on the Unit Summary page; however, the word does not appear in any of the lessons in the unit. 

  • In Unit 5, Exploring Identity: American Born Chinese, Lesson 3, students are reintroduced to the word stereotype. In the first lesson, they watch a video and read an article that focuses on stereotypes as a concept. In Lesson 4, stereotype is used in the Sample Response for the Writing Prompt. In Lesson 5, students read the article, “That’s Not Who I Am: Calling Out and Challenging Stereotypes of Asian Americans.” The concept is repeated several times throughout this lesson. In Lesson 10, students answer the Writing Prompt about the stereotypes that the author of American Born Chinese explores and then use the novel and information from the Anti-Defamation League to write an informational essay in which they explain how racism has impacted the lives of young Asian Americans since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Attention is sometimes paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and to high-value academic words (e.g., words that might appear in other contexts/content areas). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Materials include a complete Vocabulary Glossary for each grade that notes the Part of Speech and Definition. The teacher can search for vocabulary words in the list, create a comprehensive list of all vocabulary words when “Select a Unit” appears, and create a list for each individual unit by selecting a specific unit. The Tier II and Tier III vocabulary words are broken down into the following categories: text-based, root/affix, and academic. For example, in Unit 1, the text-based vocabulary words are assimilate, asset, contentious, disdain, perplexing, polarize, profound, quota, and undaunted. The academic vocabulary words are connotation, enjambment, figurative language, literary device, metaphor, personification, point of view/perspective, simile, structure, symbol, theme, and tone. Even though the words are introduced, none of the lessons include explicit instruction for how to teach the vocabulary, and no specific words are identified as more critical than the others. Rarely are the words referenced or explicitly used again in the unit after they are initially taught, so, even though students use the words repeatedly during the lesson in which they are taught, they are not using them routinely over the course of the unit.