5th Grade - Gateway 2

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for Indicator 2b.

The materials include opportunities for students to respond to high-quality questions and tasks in writing or discussion. Many questions and tasks focus on main idea and details, as well as word choice and structure of the text. In each lesson, text-dependent questions are sequenced to increase an in-depth knowledge base of the key ideas and themes presented in texts. The majority of the text-dependent question sequences occur in the Engaging with the Text sections in each lesson. All of the texts, questions, and associated tasks build student knowledge to answer the Essential Questions that guide each unit.

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details according to grade-level standards. For example:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 18, students read a section of Kids of Kabul and answer Key Questions about ideas and details: “Why does Afghanistan have high rates of illiteracy? Why is it worse for women? Why is teacher training a priority for many organizations helping to rebuild Afghanistan? Based on what you know, why is this important?” 

• In Social Studies and Science Unit 2, Lesson 3, after reading La Causa: The Migrant Farmworkers’ Story, students answer Key Questions about key ideas and details: “Compare and contrast Dolores’s life with the life of the farm workers. What impact did the man have on Dolores? Compare and contrast Dolores’ childhood with Cesar Chavez’s.”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 1, after reading The Mighty Mars Rover: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity, students describe the gadgets on the rovers and then explain why each gadget was important. 

• In Literature Unit 6, Lesson 5, students answer a series of questions: “How does Calvin feel when he is at the Murry house? Why? Calvin pushes Meg to process lots of difficult realities. How does Meg respond? How does Calvin respond to her responses?” 

For most texts, students analyze craft and structure (according to the grade-level standards). For example:

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 3, students describe the significance of the last sentence the author writes and explain why it is important for the main character. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 13, the Target Task states: “How does Claudette’s account of what happened on March 2, 1955, differ from the account in the police report? Why does the author include both versions? Which account do you think is more reliable? Why?” Prior to this task students answer questions: “Why does the author include the police report on page 35? Why does the author end with the quote from Reverend Johnson?”

• In Social Studies and Science Unit 4, Lesson 12, students prepare to write about the accomplishments of the Mars rovers. Prior to that, students analyze the craft and structure of the text and answer questions: “Why does the author include the image on p. 38? How does it help a reader better understand how a mini-TES works?”

• In Literature Unit 6, students read A Wrinkle in Time and a graphic novel version of the text. Students have multiple opportunities to analyze and compare both texts. In Lesson 8, students answer the writing prompt, “Pick an event that was represented in both the novel and the graphic novel. Compare and contrast the two representations of the event. Which features contribute most to the meaning, tone, or beauty of the text?” To prepare students for the prompt, teachers ask students sequenced questions while reading the novel and graphic novel: “How does Madeleine L’Engle use sentence structure to help the reader better understand what it is like to tesser? How does the illustrator use genre features to help the reader better understand what it is like to tesser? What features contribute most to the meaning, tone, or beauty of the text?” 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for Indicator 2c.

The materials contain questions and tasks that require students to analyze individual and multiple texts. In both Literature and Science and Social Studies units, lessons include a set of Key Questions to build knowledge around the unit topic. As the units progress, questions build to support various tasks and, by the end of most units, students compare the unit texts. The majority of questions are text-dependent or text-specific. Furthermore, tasks enhance the students’ knowledge base of the unit topic through questions, discussions, writing prompts, and at times, research. Within most units, there are multiple texts that offer varying perspectives and viewpoints while continuing to build knowledge of the unit topic or theme. Most questions are aligned to the standards, and the majority of units provide opportunities for students to gather information and analyze across multiple texts. 

Most sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 10, students answer the prompt, “What strategies does the author recommend to help reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean? What are the pros and cons of the strategies? What impact do the strategies have?” Before answering this question, students answer questions, such as “What are decomposers? Why are they an important part of an ecosystem? What does it mean to biodegrade?”

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 22, after reading I am Malala: How one Girl Stood up for Education And Changed the World by Malala Yousafai and Patricia McCormick, students answer the questions, “According to Malala, what does terrorism feel like? Why? Compare and contrast Malala’s point of view with Parvana’s and the kids from Kids of Kabul.” Students answer several questions before answering the writing prompt including, “How did Radio Mullah change society? What is Malala’s point of view on the Taliban bombing schools? Why?” 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 1, after reading some of The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity by Elizabeth Rusch, students answer the question, “What was the goal of the Mars exploration rover mission? Why was the goal important?” Questions leading up to this task include: “Look at the image of pp. 2-3. Based on this image, what do you think the surface of Mars is like? Why does the author start by asking questions? What questions does the author ask?” 

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 6, students read the website, ”Ten-Point Platform” by PBS.org and answer the writing prompt, “Based on the Ten-Point Platform, summarize what the Black Panthers believed.” Before this writing prompt, students are split into groups and each group summarizes the key ideas of each platform and explains the importance of the platform. 

Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts. For example:

• In Literature Unit 2, students explore the Taliban’s influence on the Middle East. In Lesson 27, students read the texts, Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely through a Never-Ending War by Deborah Ellis, I am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick, and The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellisdebate. After reading, students analyze the essential questions from the unit including, “How did the Taliban regime impact life for residents in Kabul? What can be done to improve women’s rights and equality in both Afghanistan and Pakistan?” In Lesson 28, students write a paragraph to answer one of the essential questions. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 6, students watch the video, “Chicago! Struggle in the Fields”, and read the article, “Bitter Harvest: LIFE with America’s Migrant Workers, 1959” by Ben Cosgove. Students answer the prompt, “Using details from the video and pictures, describe the conditions for farm workers in California.” After watching the video, students answer, “What did the farm workers demand? Why?” After reading the article, students answer, “What do the pictures show about the conditions for farm workers in California?”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 30, the writing task requires that students synthesize across multiple texts: Witnesses to Freedom: Young People who Fought for Civil Rights by Belinda Rochelle. Selma, Lord, Selma: Girlhood Memories of the Civil Rights Days by Frank Sikora and Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, which all describe the events of Bloody Sunday and the march from Selma to Montgomery. Students answer questions: “What similarities and differences exist in the points of view they represent? Why? How does the point of view of each affect what a reader knows about Bloody Sunday and the march? What perspectives are missing from the three accounts?” 

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 18, students “compare and contrast the narrator’s views and understanding of the revolution with Delphine and her sisters” after reading poems in the book, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Students answer questions to help them answer this question after each poem. For example, after reading the poem, “Each World” students answer, “What message is the narrator trying to convey in the poem?” Similarly, in the poem “Revolution” students answer, “What does the narrator think of when she hears the word ‘revolution’?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for Indicator 2d.

The materials include culminating tasks at the end of each unit that requires students to demonstrate knowledge of the unit topic and mastery of the unit skills. To prepare students for the culminating task, similar tasks or questions are provided throughout the unit. Culminating tasks are varied across the school year. While the majority of culminating tasks include a writing component, they also give students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic and understanding of multiple standards through integrated skills including reading, researching, speaking, and listening. Most, but not all, culminating tasks require students to utilize information from unit texts or sources across the unit for completion. Some culminating tasks ask students to write about their own experience or beliefs, though students study literature and character development and use that knowledge to complete the culminating task. 

Culminating tasks are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards (reading, writing, speaking, listening) at the appropriate grade level, and comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics through integrated skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). For example:

• In Social Studies and Science Unit 1, students study the effects of plastic pollution. In Lesson 15, the culminating task prompts students to write and create a visual aid to educate other schools and convince them to take part in reducing the use of plastic in classrooms. The task incorporates speaking, listening, reading, and writing. 

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 27, students write a magazine article that teaches others around the world about the theme of the unit. Students must include details and reasons from at least two of the unit texts.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 24, students research a topic related to the unit such as Filipino workers and Larry Itilong or Chicago art and the role of murals in the movement and write an informational text to inform others of their topic. The task incorporates reading and writing. 

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 30, after reading One Crazy Summer, students complete a culminating task where they write a story describing what will happen the next time the girls see Cecile as a continuation of the text. The task incorporates reading and writing. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for Indicator 2e.

The materials in both Literature and Science and Social Studies units provide opportunities to help students achieve grade-level proficiency in writing by the end of the year. The Teacher Tools includes instructional strategies for teachers to utilize when providing explicit instruction and facilitating student practice throughout each stage of the writing process; however, opportunities for students to participate in the writing process is limited to periodic skill activities and focused writing at the end of each unit for approximately four to five days. Writing lessons incorporate a myriad of instructional strategies outlined in the Teacher Tools document. In each unit, the demands increase exponentially. At the onset of the academic year, the units focus on quality sentences and paragraph writing and gradually build throughout the year toward proficiency with essays. The use of evidence also evolves from students using direct quotations to citing and paraphrasing evidence. The Enhanced Lesson Plans ensure that students receive explicit and sequenced instruction to aid in developing grade-level writing techniques followed by ample time for practice. 

Materials include writing instruction that aligns to the standards for the grade level and supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year. For example:

• In the Literature Units, writing instruction aligns to the standards for Grade 5. All Literature Units include W.5.1 and W.5.3 as core writing standards as students regularly receive opinion and narrative writing instruction and complete tasks. Opinion writing is also included as a core writing standard in Science and Social Studies Units 1 and 2.  Science and Social Studies Units 2-5 feature W.5.2 and W.5.7 as core writing standards as students focus on research in order to effectively write an informative piece. Students engage in on-demand writing throughout the unit in response to their reading that prepares them for the final writing task for the unit. All writing standards are covered over the course of the year.

• In Literature Unit 1, Seedfolks, the main writing focus of the unit is on brainstorming and drafting strong single paragraphs and lessons build over the course of the unit. In Lesson 6 students review how to brainstorm evidence, draft topic sentences, and then create a single paragraph outline. In Lesson 10, students learn how to revise their initial theories based on additional evidence from the text and they continue to work on drafting topic sentences and picking the right evidence to support a topic sentence. In Lesson 14, students participate in a 3-day writing task that builds on the work they did in Lesson 6 and Lesson 10. On Day One, students gather additional evidence from the text and revise their topic sentences from earlier in the unit, on Day Two students learn how to use conjunctions to expand on the details they put in their outlines, and on Day Three students edit their writing for complete sentences and spelling. There are 5 days of process writing in this unit, 2 within the unit and 3 at the end. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 12, students use all unit texts to write a paragraph describing the characteristics of an influential leader. Over two days, students complete an outline; write a draft using elaboration strategies; and revise and edit the final paragraph for complete sentences, correct spelling, and appropriate verb tenses. After several other writing tasks like this, students complete the unit by selecting a topic from the list and using the recommended sources to gather information in Lesson 24. Students then use a Two Paragraph Outline to write their informative essay, revise, edit, and publish over a period of five days.

• In Literature Unit 3, the Unit Focus Key Writing and Language Standards provides guidance for teachers to focus instruction on stating an opinion, providing reasons and details to support an opinion including transition words and phrases, and providing a concluding statement. Teacher guidance also includes information on how the current unit connects to previous units and that this is the second opinion piece written by students as well as where teachers can build upon previously taught skills. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, the Unit Focus Key Writing and Language Standards provides guidance for teachers including specific sentence level, paragraph level, and Informational writing focus areas. At this point in the curriculum, there are no new sentence focus areas, and, instead, instruction focuses on outlining and drafting multiple paragraph essays, organizing ideas into paragraphs, and using direct quotations. This shows a growth from the beginning of the year since Units 1 and 2 require one paragraph; this is the first unit where students begin writing multiple paragraphs. 

• In Literature Unit 4, the Key Writing Standards indicate that the teacher will review the sentence-level and paragraph-level writing skills and focus on narrative writing with a focus on brainstorming a logical sequence of events, orienting the reader by introducing characters and setting, and providing a logical conclusion. In addition, students have 16 opportunities to respond to the text in writing, though no direct instruction is provided. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, students continue to work on drafting strong paragraphs and writing informational texts with a focus on revision. In multiple lessons, students write an answer to a Target Task and then revise their answer in the next lesson using information from another text. For example, in Lesson 6 students write an answer to the Target Task, and then in Lesson 7, students learn how to revise and add additional details based on watching a video and reading an additional text. Students repeat a similar process in lessons 11 & 12 and lessons 20 & 21. In Lesson 17, students spend two days writing and revising essays to answer the unit essential questions. In Lesson 29, students return to the writing they did about the essential questions, revise, rewrite, and then edit across two days. In Lesson 31, students spend 5 days writing an informational piece, using what they reviewed about how to construct strong essays during the unit. There are 12 days dedicated to process-based writing across the unit. 

Materials include a variety of well-designed guidance, protocols, models, and supports for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. For example:

• The ELA Teacher Tools includes a link to a variety of guidance and support for teachers to implement writing in Grade 4. These include: 

  • Monitoring Student Writing Progress provides guidance on determining what skills should be taught by looking at previous lessons and student data. Teacher guidance includes maintaining a tracking system of student progress in writing throughout the year from assignment to assignment.

  • Writing Structures and Frameworks provides teacher guidance and protocols for teaching specific writing structures and frameworks including brainstorming and note-taking organizers, such as a Narrative Writing Brainstorm Template,  a Single Paragraph Outline, and Multiple Paragraph Outline. In addition, this section outlines that sentence level instruction is based off of The Writing Revolution by Judith C. Hochman and Natalie Wexler. 

  • Instructional Strategies for Writing Lessons provides multiple instructional strategies that teachers can use in implementing writing lessons. These strategies include Think Aloud, Teacher Model Writing, Analysis of an Exemplar, Analysis of a Non-Exemplar, Group Practice, Quick Practice, Analysis of Student Work, and Independent Practice.

  • Giving Writing Feedback provides information on how feedback should be given to students in each lesson including conferences, whole-class feedback, and peer feedback. There are also guides for how teachers can respond to common challenges at the sentence level, the paragraph level, for narrative writing, and informational writing.

  • Writing Rubrics provides rubrics for teacher use for each type of writing.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for Indicator 2f.

The materials include opportunities for students to analyze topics, through research by using reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language skills throughout the academic year. The majority of short and extended research tasks occur in the Science and Social Studies units. A few lessons in the Literature units require students to analyze informational texts or multimedia sources to learn more about topics addressed in the texts. Students perform research tasks based on single and multiple texts and are encouraged to take notes or utilize graphic organizers. Students use the research to write, debate, discuss, or illustrate their learning. 

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills that build to mastery of the grade-level standards. For example: 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 9, students write two paragraphs educating other classrooms around the school about why there is a plastic problem and how it is impacting the ocean. Students begin by collecting evidence from multiple sources. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 24, students conduct research on a topic of their choice related to the unit topic of the migrant worker’s movement. Teachers provide students a list of topics related to migrant farm workers and activists. This project is designed to build student research skills with teacher support. Students create a research question, gather details from a variety of sources, and write an informational text. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 33, students pick an event from the Civil Rights Movement to research. The lesson begins with a review of finding reliable sources online, categorizing information, outlining and drafting multiple paragraphs, and including text features. 

Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects of a topic. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 9, students spend two days reading Chapters 1-2 of “A Union in the Community” by Cesar Chavez in order to describe three or four strategies that Cesar Chavez or Dolores Huerta used to organize a strong movement and union. 

• In Literature Unit 5, students read One Crazy Summer. In Lesson 6, students build knowledge of the Black Panthers by researching the website, “The Ten-Point Platform” by PBS.org. After researching various ideas, students write to the prompt, “Based on The Ten Point Platform, summarize what the Black Panthers believed.”

Materials provide opportunities for students to conduct research projects that synthesize and analyze content tied to the topics under study as a part of the research process. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 9, in small groups, students read multiple sections of the text, A Union in the Community. The teacher opens the lesson by discussing how to use primary sources and model gathering key details. Then, students research sections of the text, gather key details, and write how Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta used specific strategies to create a strong union and movement.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 12, students use an excerpt from the core text, The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity, and the website, “Spacecraft: Surface Operations: Instruments”, to gather more information on the Mars rovers. In pairs, students answer a series of questions as they are researching and select two instruments shown on the website to explain their uses and benefits. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 1, students begin the unit with a small group research activity to build background knowledge of events that led up to the Civil Rights Movement. Each group reads an article and then creates a mini-poster presentation for the class. The activity guides students to create a timeline of events leading up to the movement. 

• In Social Studies and Science Unit 3, Lesson 33, students spend five days on a research project. On Day 1, they “pick another event from the Civil Rights Movement to research” and create a report to teach others about the event. The report includes multiple paragraph essays that explains the key aspects of the event, concrete facts, details, and quotations, and text features and graphic elements to help aid comprehension. After researching from unit texts and other potential sources, students write a rough draft, revise their work, and add graphic elements. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for Indicator 2g.

The materials include instructional activities, student activities, assessments, and questions that are focused on grade level standards. Instructional activities encompass grade level standards and are the focus for the majority of instructional time. Students are engaged daily in discussions, text analysis, writing about texts or unit topics, or mid- and end-of-unit assessments, all of which align to Grade 3 standards. At the bottom of each lesson, it lists the core standards and the supporting or spiral standards. In addition, the lesson map lists the core standard. Every question on assessments indicates alignment to the appropriate standard. Materials also include a Standards Map that indicates when standards are addressed and spiraled in. 

Over the course of each unit, the majority of instruction is aligned to grade-level standards. For example:

• In Literature Unit 1, the majority of instruction is aligned to grade-level standards. RL.5.2, RL.5.3, RL.5.5, and RL.5.6 are the focus reading standards. Writing instruction is aligned to W.5.1 and W.5.3. Speaking and listening standards are also a focus in this unit, including SL.5.1 and SL.5.5. Students also focus on language standards in this unit, including L.5.1 and L.5.2. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, the majority of instruction is aligned to grade-level standards. Reading instruction focuses on RI.5.2, RI.5.3, RI.5.5, RI.5.8, and RI.5.9. Students also focus on the writing standards W.5.2, W.5.7, W.5.8, and W.5.9. 

Over the course of each unit, the majority of questions and tasks are aligned to grade-level standards. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 12, while reading the article, “Ten ‘Stealth Microplastics’ to Avoid if you Want to Save the Oceans”, the teacher leads students in a group discussion on Key Questions about the text, such as “What are microplastics? What microplastics are we using daily? How does each microplastic impact the environment? What voluntary actions could people take to stop the use of microplastics? What education is needed? What policy changes are needed?” These questions align to standard RI.5.3. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 14, students read about Claudette Colvin. The writing prompt is text-specific and states, “Read the quotation from page 61. ‘If they were branded ‘uncontrollable’ or ‘emotional’ or even ‘profane,’ so be it. Claudette and now Mary Louise Smith had shown through their courage that at least some young people were ready to act.’ Why does the author put the words ‘uncontrollable,’ ‘emotional,’ and ‘profane’ in italics? What does this quote reveal about the author’s point of view of Claudette? How does the author support this message throughout the entire chapter?” These questions align to standards RI.5.6 and RI.5.8. 

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 9, students summarize the reading and “compare and contrast the way Miyax from Julie of the Wolves and Sophie from ‘Endangered’ approached survival”. These questions and tasks align to  standards RL.5.2 and RL.5.9.

• In Literature Unit 6, Lesson 6, students read an excerpt from A Wrinkle in Time to complete a Target Task writing prompt that states, “Describe what it was like to tesser. What details does the author include to help the reader visualize what it was like to tesser?” To build knowledge for the prompt, students answer, “What does it mean to tesser? What details does the author include to show what it was like to tesser? Where did Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin tesser to? Describe the new setting. How do the events of the chapter deepen the readers' understanding of Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit? Support your answer with two to three specific examples”. These questions and tasks are aligned to standards RL.5.3. 

Over the course of each unit, the majority of assessment questions are aligned to grade-level standards. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Cold Read Assessment, students answer several questions including, “How were African Americans treated right after the end of the Civil War? Include at least two to three examples from the text” which is aligned to RI.5.3. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Content Assessment, a student task includes: “Pick one key event from the civil rights movement. Describe what happened and why.” This writing prompt aligns to RI.5.2, RI.5.6, RI.5.8, RI.5.9, and L.5.6. 

• In Literature Unit 4, Cold Read Assessment, questions include: “How do paragraphs 9-10 of the excerpt contribute to the development of the plot?” which is aligned to RL.5.5. 

• In Literature Unit 5, Content Assessment, students pick a character from A Wrinkle in Time and analyze “how faith, trust, courage, or love helped the character overcome multiple challenges.” This assessment question is aligned to RL.5.2, RL.5.3, W.5.1, L.5.1, L.5.2, and L.5.6. 

By the end of the academic year,  standards are repeatedly addressed within and across units to ensure students master the full intent of the standard. For example:

• RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.3, RL.5.4, RL.5.5, and RL.5.6 are covered as either core standards or supporting standards in almost all six Literature units. RL.5.2, RL.5.3, RL.5.5, and RL.5.6 are found in the majority of Literature units. 

• RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.3, RI.5.4, and RI.5.9 are covered in almost every Science and Social Studies unit. RI.5.1, RI.5.3, RI.5.6, RI.5.7, and RI.5.9 are also core standards in various Literature units. 

• W.4.1 is a core standard in all Literature units and one Science and Social Studies unit.. W.4.2 is in every Science and Social Studies unit and W.4.3 is in all but one Literature unit. W.4.10 is a spiraled standard in every unit.  

• Speaking and listening standards are addressed in every unit, especially SL.5.1 which is covered in every Literature and Science and Social Studies unit. 

• Language standards are core and supporting standards across the year. L.5.1, L.5.2, and L.5.4 are in every unit. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for Indicator 2h.

The materials include an implementation schedule that allows sufficient time to complete all components of the lessons and every unit in a given year. A schedule with time suggestions for each lesson is provided in the unit pacing guide. The plans explicitly state that there is time allowed for teachers to adjust lessons to meet the needs of their individual classrooms. Moreover, the total number of lessons can be completed in a traditional school year. Optional activities are present in the form of additional support to build knowledge, and enrichment activities align to the standards and enhance the daily objective. 

Suggested implementation schedules and alternative implementation schedules align to core learning and objectives. For example:

• The materials include an article with a sample daily schedule from 8:00-3:00 that includes the literature block, a math block, a specials block, a science and social studies block, another block for science or enrichment, independent reading, and time for a morning meeting and closing circle. Writing instruction is embedded within all Literature and Science and Social Studies units. 

• The Literature and Social Studies and Science lessons have three parts. According to the materials, the Building Knowledge and Skills section takes about 5 minutes, the Engage with the Text section takes about 30 minutes, and the Build Deeper Meaning section takes about 25 minutes. 

• The materials recommend that students participate in a 45 minute independent reading block each day. 

Suggested implementation schedules can be reasonably completed in the time allotted. For example:

• In Literature, there are 149 lessons with 164 instructional days. 

• In Social Studies, there are 105 lessons with 134 instructional days. 

• The materials specifically state, “we intentionally did not account for all 180 school days to allow teachers to fit in additional review or extension, teacher-created assessments, and school-based events.” 

Optional tasks do not distract from core learning. Optional tasks are for either remediation or enrichment and can be integrated into the existing lesson plan. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 9, students are studying the Mars rover, Opportunity. The lesson includes an Opportunities for Enrichment section: “Display some of the photos Opportunity took when landing on Mars. Have students analyze the photos the way scientists did in this section of text.”

• In Literature Unit 6, Lesson 5, students read A Wrinkle in Time and write a paragraph explaining what happened to the character, Murray. The Additional Supports section states, “If there is time after students have written an answer to the Target Task question, have students close read the last paragraph on page 63... How does the sentence structure add to a reader’s understanding of characters and events? Why does Madeleine L’Engle end the chapter with this sentence?”

Optional tasks are meaningful and enhance core instruction. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 10, the objective is to “explain what strategies the author recommends to help reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean and the pros and cons of the strategies”. There are several optional tasks including the use of sentence stems, unpacking specific sentences from the text that contain figurative language, and using a graphic organizer to keep track of the problems and solutions. 

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 2, students read an excerpt from Julie and the Wolves. The Language Supports section provides recommendations to increase student understanding of the text including four complex sentences that students may need help unpacking in order to understand the reading. The lesson plan also provides the article, “Why You Shouldn’t Say Eskimo”, from NPR to help build background knowledge.