1st Grade - Gateway 1

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 1a.

Instructional materials include content-rich texts encompassing diverse topics and student interests by award-winning authors. Texts have engaging illustrations with a variety of relatable characters including a blend of ethnicities, ages, genders, and cultures. Each unit contains texts based on literary themes and science and social studies topics that are age-appropriate and appealing to students. Texts are often read multiple times for different purposes. Texts contain academic vocabulary and varied complex sentence structures including verse and prose. Multi-dimensional text features to support student learning and task completion. 

Anchor texts are of high quality and consider a range of student interests, are well-crafted, content-rich, and engage students at their grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 1, Teach Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson is an award-winning realistic fiction text with a strong theme of friendship. This text includes rich language and academic vocabulary. 

• In Literature Unit  2, The Paper Crane by Molly Bang is a Japanese folktale with complex sentence structure and detailed illustrations. 

• In Literature Unit  3, Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard is an award-winning text containing rich language, eye-catching illustrations, and a culturally relevant topic.

• In Literature Unit  4, Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young is an award-winning fairytale with complex sentence structure and academic vocabulary. 

• In Literature Unit  5, Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora is an award-winning bilingual English-Spanish text that supports the theme, the power of reading, and contains colorful illustrations.  

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 1, Explore North America by Bobbie Kalman is an Illustrative Guide including academic vocabulary, photographs, and graphic features. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 2, Who Eats What? by Patricia Lauber is a thought-provoking text with vibrant illustrations. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 3, Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews is an award-winning autobiography with academic vocabulary and colorful illustrations.  

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 4, She Was the First! The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm by Katheryn Russell-Brown is an inspirational story about overcoming poverty and adversity.   

In Science/Social Studies Unit 5, National Geographic Readers: Pyramids by Laura Marsh contains academic vocabulary, text features, supportive illustrations and simple sentences.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 1b.

Instructional materials include a variety of literary and informational texts. The anchor texts in each Literature and Science/Social Studies unit include a variety of genres including but not limited to, realistic and historical fiction, fantasy, biography, autobiography, folktale, poetry, illustrative guide, and fairytale. The yearlong balance of informational and literary texts is 46% informational and 54% literary.

Materials reflect the distribution of text types/genres required by the grade level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 1, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  • The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson (realistic fiction)

  • Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen by Howard Binkow (fiction)

• In Literature Unit 2, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  •  It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach (folktale)

  • The Lion and the Mouse by Bernadette Watts (fable)

• In Literature Unit 3, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  • Nan Akua Goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker (realistic fiction)

  • Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o (fantasy)

• In Literature Unit 4, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  •  Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton (fairytale)

  • Wolves by Laura Marsh (informational)

• In Literature Unit 5, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  • Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges (realistic fiction)

  • The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear (fantasy)

  • Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul (biography)

  • Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story From Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter (informational)

  • The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (informational)

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 1, there is one genre: 

  • Explore Africa by Bobbie Kalman (illustrative guide) 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 2, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  • Living Color by Steve Jenkins (informational) 

  • Red Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley (narrative informational)

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 3, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  • When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Munoz Ryan (biography) 

  • Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews (autobiography) 

  • Misty Copeland (You Should Meet Series) by Laurie Calkhoven (biography) 

  • Firebird by Misty Copeland (poetry)

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 4, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  • Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock by Aslan Tudor, Kelly Tudor, and Jason Eaglespeaker (biography)

  • !Si, Se, Puede!/ Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A. by Diana Cohn (realistic fiction)

  • A Boy and A Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz (autobiography)

  • Stonewall: A Building, An Uprising, A Revolution by Rob Sanders (informational)

  • Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson (informational) 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 5, examples of genres include, but are not limited to:

  • DK Find Out! Ancient Egypt by Dr. Angela McDonald (informational)

  • More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby (historical fiction)

Materials reflect a 50/50 balance of informational and literary texts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The yearlong balance of informational and literary texts is 46% informational and 54% literary.

• The balance of informational and literary texts within each unit is as follows:

  • Literature Unit 1 contains 12 core texts and Science/Social Studies Unit 1 contains seven core texts. Of the 19 core texts included in these units, 37% are informational and 63% are literary. The Science/Social Studies Unit contains all of the informational texts and the Literature Unit contains all of the literary texts. 

  • Literature Unit 2 contains 16 core texts and Science/Social Studies Unit 2 contains nine core texts. Of the 25 core texts included in these units, 36% are informational and 64% are literary. The Science/Social Studies Unit contains all of the informational texts and the Literature Unit contains all of the literary texts.

  • Literature Unit 3 contains 23 core texts and Science/Social Studies Unit 3 contains 17 core texts. Of the 40 core texts included in these units, 43% are informational and 58% are literary. The Science/Social Studies Unit contains 16 informational texts and one literary text, and the Literature Unit contains one informational text and 22 literary texts. 

  • Literature Unit 4 contains 13 core texts and Science/Social Studies Unit 4 contains 17 core texts. Of the 30 core texts included in these units, 57% are informational and 43% are literary. The Science/Social Studies Unit contains 16 informational texts and one literary text, and the Literature Unit contains one informational text and 12 literary texts.

  • Literature Unit 5 contains 18 core texts and Science/Social Studies Unit 5 contains four core texts. Of the 22 core texts included in these units, 55% are informational and 45% are literary. The Science/Social Studies Unit contains four informational texts and zero literary texts, and the Literature Unit contains eight informational texts and 10 literary texts. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 1c.

Anchor texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade and gradually increase in quantitative complexity over the course of the year. Quantitative, qualitative, and associated tasks have an overall complexity of accessible and moderate.The Lexile level range is from 440L to 1050L. Associated tasks scaffold to become more complex throughout the year and several texts are used for multiple lessons and tasks involving inference, discussion and writing. Some texts that may be at a lower Lexile are more complex in qualitative measures making them appropriate for the grade level. The Text Selection Rationale for each unit includes a justification for the texts selected for the program and their educational placement in the grade, as well as a detailed analysis of the texts’ qualitative features.

Texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to their associated student task. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, the Read-Aloud text It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach has a quantitative rating of 590L. The qualitative rating is high due to the dialogue, academic vocabulary, and complex sentence structure. The associated task is accessible. Students must use the words unfortunate and peaceful to explain what lesson the man learns and how the rabbi helps. 

• In Literature Unit 4, the Read-Aloud text Wolves by National Geographic Readers has a quantitative rating of 570L. The qualitative measure is moderate due to academic vocabulary. The associated task is challenging. Students defend whether wolves deserve the stereotype of being evil animals.

• In Literature Unit 5, the Read-Aloud text The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard has a quantitative rating of 830L. The qualitative rating is medium due to the background knowledge needed to understand why Mary Walker did not learn to read when she was young. The associated task is rated medium. Students discuss and write about the lessons they can learn from Mary. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 1, the Read-Aloud text Explore Europe by Bobbie Kalman has a quantitative rating of 690L. The qualitative rating is high due to graphic features and academic vocabulary. The associated task is accessible. Student partners discuss landforms and ecosystems and how they influence ways people live. Students write two or three sentences describing how different landforms and ecosystems influence the lives of people living in Europe. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 3, the Read-Aloud text When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana by Michael Mahin has a quantitative rating of 610L. The qualitative level is medium due to academic vocabulary, the use of Spanish words and phrases, and colorful illustrations. The associated task is medium. Students use this text in two lessons, discussing how Santana’s past influenced his music and why the author chose the title. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 5, the Read-Aloud text National Geographic Readers: Pyramids by Laura Marsh has a quantitative rating of 560L. The qualitative level is moderate due to the text having simpler sentences, academic vocabulary, and text features. The associated task is rated as accessible. Students discuss facts they learned about pyramids from the text. 

Anchor/core texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by an accurate text complexity analysis and a rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level at times. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Text Selection Rationale for each unit includes quantitative and qualitative complexity information for some texts. Some of the text complexity information is a summary of the unit texts rather than text-specific information, making it difficult to verify the accuracy of the provided qualitative information. Materials do not provide associated task complexity information. The accuracy of the provided quantitative measures was verified using MetaMetrics on The Lexile Framework for Reading site.

• In Literature Unit 2, the Text Selection Rationale includes the Lexile range, as well as qualitative information. The Read-Aloud text, The Empty Pot by Demi, is a folktale. According to the Text Selection Rationale, texts for this unit were chosen because of the higher Lexile levels, text demands, mildly complex messages, text structures, illustrations, and vocabulary.

• In Literature Unit 5, the Text Selection Rationale includes the Lexile range, as well as qualitative information. The Read-Aloud text, Little Libraries Big Heroes by Miranda Paul, is a biography. According to the Text Selection Rationale, texts in this unit were selected  because they are between the Grade 2 and Grade 3 level band, have strong characters, nuanced themes with multiple meanings, and high cultural knowledge demands.

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 1, the Text Selection Rationale provides Lexile range as well as qualitative information. The Read-Aloud text, Explore Africa by Bobbie Kalman, is an illustrative guide. According to the Text Selection Rationale, texts were selected because they are within the grade level band, and have text features, context clues, academic vocabulary, and a broad overview of the continents.

In Science/Social Studies Unit 5, the Text Selection Rationale includes the Lexile range and qualitative information for the texts. The Read-Aloud text, Tut's Mummy...Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly, is a nonfiction text. According to the Text Selection Rationale, texts in this unit were chosen because of their high Lexile levels, advanced text structures, and knowledge demands.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 1d.

Instructional materials include both Literature units and Science/Social Studies units which increase in complexity throughout the year to support student literacy growth. Texts range in complexity from 440L to 1050L. Texts become more complex with appropriate teacher guidance and scaffolds included. Materials break student tasks into smaller steps and allow students additional time for their completion. Supporting teacher resources include suggestions to build background knowledge, graphic organizers, and discussion prompts. Texts represent a diverse range of perspectives, feelings, and experiences. Texts often span multiple lessons, appear in multiple associated tasks, and are grouped with other selections to build content knowledge. 

The complexity of anchor texts students read provides an opportunity for students’ literacy skills to increase across the year, encompassing an entire year’s worth of growth. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, texts range in quantitative complexity from 470L to 860L. In Lesson 5, the teacher reads the book, Anansi Goes Fishing (510L) by Eric A. Kimmel, stopping to ask questions about key details. Students discuss the character story lesson with a partner and share it with the class. After the discussion, students write two to three sentences about what the main character learned, and if they would be friends with the main character. 

• In Literature Unit 5, texts range in quantitative complexity from 440L to 920L. In Lesson 14, the teacher reads aloud The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard (AD 830L), stopping throughout to ask questions about the setting, main character, and moral of the story. After reading, students discuss the lessons they learned from the main character, why the lessons are important, and how they can apply the lessons to their own life. Students also write their responses about their discussion. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 1, texts range in quantitative complexity from 610L to 720L. During Lessons 1–4, students recall specific details from the text Explore North America by Bobbie Kalman (720L). Students spend four days with the text and write three specific facts from the text. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 3, texts range in quantitative complexity from 610L to 1050L. During Lessons 2–3, the teacher reads aloud A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant (610L). Students use a graphic organizer to recall details of the artist’s life.

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 5, texts range in quantitative complexity from 540L to 920L. During Lessons 12–14, students read and listen to different chapters of the text Tut's Mummy Lost...and Found by Judy Donnelly (540L). In Lesson 12, students engage in independent reading, shared reading, or a read-aloud depending on their reading levels and answer main idea questions. After reading or listening to the text, students decide if they agree or disagree with the statement, “Preparing a king for the Land of the Dead was a quick and sad process,” using details from the text to support their answers. Students share their answers during a discussion and in writing. 

As texts become more complex, appropriate scaffolds and/or materials are provided in Teacher Edition (i.e., spending more time on texts, more questions, repeated readings). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 5, while listening to Anansi Goes Fishing by Eric A. Kimmel, materials support students with understanding the central lesson in the text by providing scaffolded questioning and language supports, as well as the opportunities to build background, engage in partner discussion through turn and talk, and engage in whole group peer discussions. 

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 7, the teacher supports students during a class discussion in which students identify the moral of The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone. 

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 14, while listening to The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, student supports include partner discussions, scaffolded questioning, building background knowledge, and a YouTube video on the life of the main character. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 1, while listening to What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? By Steve Jenkins, student supports include scaffolded questioning, peer discussion, prompting, and building background knowledge. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 5, the teacher reads aloud Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh. The teacher introduces students to words from the glossary and students recall specific details learned from the text.

In Science/Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 12, students spend multiple days listening to Tut’s Mummy Lost...and Found by Judy Donnelly. Supports include building background knowledge, peer discussions, teacher prompts, sentence stems, and graphic organizers.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 1e.

Materials include a large volume of literary and informational texts that range in variety. The Text and Materials tab includes a link to a suggested text list for Independent Reading. Guidance in the Teacher Tools section recommends allotting an additional 15–30 minutes a day for independent reading.  The Teacher Tools section includes independent reading supports, such as independent reading guidelines, an independent reading log, sample lesson plans, and a parent letter. 

Instructional materials clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading a variety of texts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 12, students listen to the folktale, The Paper Crane by Molly Bang. Afterwards, students discuss and write in response to the following prompt: “How did the stranger’s gift change the man’s life? What lesson is the author trying to teach?” 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lessons 3–4, students listen to the realistic fiction text, In Our Mother’s House by Patricia Polacco. Students “[d]escribe how the family shows that they love and care for one another,” and “[e]xplain why the house is important to the family.”   

• In Literature Unit 5, Lessons 8–9, students listen to the biography, Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant. Students discuss and write about “the challenges Louis faces when he tries to find books and how it makes him feel,” as well as how Louis “helped all kids get access to books and why this was important.”  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lessons 1–4, students listen to the illustrative guide Explore North America by Bobbie Kalman. Students complete different tasks each day, such as identifying different things they might see in North America and creating a postcard of what they saw on their imagined trip to North America.    

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 14, students listen to the historical fiction text, Stonewall: A Building, An Uprising, A Revolution by Rob Sanders and “[e]xplain why the Stonewall Inn is an important part of the LGBTQ+ movement.”  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 9, students listen to the informational text, National Geographic Readers: Pyramids by Laura Marsh and “[i]dentify new or different information about pyramids.” 

Instructional materials clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in a volume of reading. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 1, there are a total of 15 lessons. Students listen to 11 texts, and the Recommended Texts for Independent Reading list contains 11 fiction text suggestions with themes and topics that align to the unit theme, “Being a Good Friend.” In Lessons 1–5 and Lessons 8–11, students listen to a different anchor text each day. Students listen to The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi in Lessons 6–7 and Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson in Lessons 12–13. Students draw upon their learning from all of the unit texts to “[w]rite an opinion piece about what makes a good friend,” in Lesson 14.  

• In Literature Unit 4, there are a total of 18 lessons. Students listen to 12 texts, and the Recommended Texts for Independent Reading list contains 15 fiction and nonfiction text suggestions with themes and topics that align to the unit theme, “Making Old Stories New.” Students listen to a different anchor text each day in Lessons 1–6 and apply their learning in Lesson 7, as they determine the moral of The Three Little Pigs stories and explain how that moral can be used in their own life. After writing their own version of The Three Little Pigs in Lesson 8, students listen to two versions of  Little Red Riding Hood by Paul Galdone and Jerry Picnkney respectively, in Lessons 9–11. Students listen to a different anchor text each day in Lessons 12–15 and complete a writing task about the moral of the Little Red Riding Hood stories and how the moral can be used in their own life. In Lesson 16, students listen to the informational text National Geographic Readers: Wolves by Laura Marsh.  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, there are a total of 22 lessons. Students listen to eight texts, and the Recommended Texts for Independent Reading list contains 12 nonfiction text suggestions by author Steve Jenkins with themes and topics that align to the unit theme, “Amazing Animals.” In Lessons 1–2, students listen to What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins. After working on ending punctuation in Lesson 3, students listen to What Color is Camouflage? by Carolyn B. Otto in Lesson 4. Students listen to Living Color by Steve Jenkins in Lessons 5–7 and Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley in Lessons 8–9. After listening to What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You? by Steve Jenkins in Lesson 10, students use their learning from the texts they listened to to debate whether “camouflage is the most effective way for animals to protect themselves” in Lesson 11. Students listen to Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page in Lessons 12–14 and participate in a discussion and writing activity in Lesson 15. Students listen to Lizards by Laura Marsh in Lessons 16–17 and  Frogs by Elizabeth Carney in Lessons 18–19 before finishing out the unit with a discussion and writing task and an informational report writing task.   

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, there are a total of 25 lessons. Students listen to 17 texts, and the Recommended Texts for Independent Reading list contains 31 nonfiction text suggestions with themes and topics that align to the unit theme, “Inspiring Artists and Musicians.” After viewing a variety of paintings by different artists in Lesson 1, students listen to A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant in Lessons 2–3, Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan in Lesson 4, and Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh in Lessons 5–6. In Lessons 7–9, students listen to a different anchor text each day and complete an opinion writing piece on their favorite artist in Lesson 10. After listening to and describing music by various artists in Lesson 11, students listen to Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkey in Lesson 12. In Lessons 13–14, students listen to When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Munoz Ryan, Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum by Robert Andrew Parker in Lesson 15, and Rock & Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story by Sebastian Robertson in Lessons 16–17. Students listen to When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana by Michael Mahin in Lessons 18–19, When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick in Lesson 20, and Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews in Lesson 21, before writing an opinion piece about their favorite musician in Lesson 22. 

There is teacher guidance to foster independence for all readers.(e.g., proposed schedule, tracking system for independent reading, independent reading procedures are included in the lessons.) Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Teacher Tools, the Reading Structures and Routines section outlines several ways to incorporate independent reading into daily lessons. 

• In Teacher Tools, Independent Reading (K–5), guidelines for independent reading note the following: tasks should be relevant to students; students should experience a wide range of materials, genres, and text types; students should have choice in both books they read and how they respond to reading; students should have opportunities to share their reading with peers; and students need sustained independent reading time. Guidance encourages teachers to provide books that align with the unit themes and topic for student choice during independent reading.

• In Teacher Tools, Independent Reading (K–5), the Monitoring Student Comprehension section includes independent reading routines for teacher use to monitor students as they read independently. Independent reading routines include Discussion/Book Groups, Book Talks, Book Reviews, and Conferences. Book Review guidance states, “Students can have one reading log/journal for a variety of purposes, or a separate log/journal for different purposes,” and references the sample Student Independent Reading Log, Student Independent Reading Journal (Writing Prompt), and Student Independent Reading Journal (Summary) templates provided.  

• In Teacher Tools, Independent Reading (K–5), the Planning for Independent Reading section includes questions for teachers to consider as they prepare their classroom for independent reading. This teacher support also contains independent reading weekly planning templates, examples of how teachers can successfully begin and sustain independent reading, and examples of parent letters that address independent reading.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 1f.

Materials contain text-specific and text-dependent questions and tasks that support students as they explore key details and academic language, make inferences and examine the structure of texts. Questions and tasks provide opportunities for students to engage with the text and build content knowledge. Students use pictures and information from texts to support their speaking and writing responses. Materials provide guidance for teachers to plan and implement text-specific questions and tasks. Each lesson includes sample responses to questions and tasks, as well as Language Supports and Additional Supports for discussion questions. The Unit Launch contains the Essential Questions and guidance for teachers to customize the unit for their students. The Teacher Tools section titled Academic Discourse provides guidance for teachers during class discussions.  

Text-specific and text-dependent questions and tasks support students in making meaning of the core understandings of the text being studied. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 9, after listening to Enemy Pie by Derek Munson, students respond to text-specific questions such as, “Why is the narrator’s summer not starting out as a perfect summer? How does it make him feel?”; “What does the narrator think about enemy pie? How do his feelings change?”; “What does the narrator have to do for the day? Why? How does it make the narrator feel?”; “How has the narrator changed? What caused the narrator to change? Give two specific examples.”; “Why does the narrator feel relieved?”; and “Do you think enemy pie really exists?”

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 18, during the read-aloud Grandmother’s Visit by Betty Quan, students respond to the following text-specific questions: “How do Grace and her grandmother show that they love and care for each other? Give multiple examples.”; “How is Grandma changing?”; “How is Grace feeling? How do you know?”; “What happens to Grace’s grandmother? How do you know?”; and “Why does the family turn on all of their outside lights?” After reading, students discuss and write in response to the Target Task, “How do things change in Grace’s family? How does she respond?”

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 6, while listening to Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built by Angela Burke Kunkel, students respond to Key Questions such as, “Describe the two Josés. Give two to three details about each.”  

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 1, during the read-aloud What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins, students respond to the following text-specific questions: “How do humans use their noses for survival? How do you think these different animals might use their noses for survival?”; “How do platypuses and elephants use their noses for survival?”; “How do humans use their ears for survival? How do you think these different animals might use their ears for survival?”; “How do jackrabbits, bats, and hippopotamuses use their ears to survive?”; “How might animals use their tails to survive?”; and “How do the skunk, scorpion, or lizard use their tails to survive?” After the reading, students write in response to the following prompt, “Pick one animal and explain how it uses its nose, ears, or tail to survive.”

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 5, during the read-aloud, Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh, and close reading, Calaveras by Jose Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada, students respond to text-specific questions such as, “What are calaveras? Give an example of when you might see a calavera.”; “What was Lupe passionate about as a child?”; “Why did Lupe move to León? What happened once he moved there?”; “What are ‘broadsides?’ How did creating broadsides help Don Lupe’s career?”; “Don Lupe made literary calaveras, what were they? How did they help his career?”; and “How does etching work? Why did Don Lupe switch to etching?”

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 1, after listening to Mummies and Pyramids: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne, students write in response to the Target Task, “Why did the Egyptian civilization start near the Nile River? Give multiple reasons.” 

Teacher materials provide support for the planning and implementation of text-based questions and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 5, after reading The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio, students respond to the following text-specific questions: “What do the two girls learn about friendship? How do they learn it?” Materials provide a sample response for teacher use: “The two girls learn that even if someone is a little bit different from you, that is okay, you can still be friends! They learned this lesson when they insulted each other about their lunches and argued. When they were calm, they tried each other's lunches and realized they were pretty good! They became friends again and will never insult each other. Instead, they might ask one another to explain things they do not understand!”

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 18, materials include additional questions for the teacher used to support students with responding to the Target Task for the text Grandmother’s Visit by Betty Quan. “Once students have a strong understanding of the Target Task, prompt students to think about how Grace’s family showed that they loved and cared for one another. If needed, prompt with the following questions: How did Grace’s family support one another? How did they show they loved and cared about each other? What can we learn from her family?”

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 19, after reading Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges, students write in response to the following Target Task: “What was Ruby’s wish?  How did she make it come true?” To support the teacher with implementing these text-specific questions, materials include Language Supports and guidance for their use: “Encourage students to use the words ‘insist’ and ‘unusual’ when answering the Target Task question. If needed, provide students the following frames: Ruby insisted ___, so ___.  Ruby insisted ___, but ___.  It was unusual for girls to go to university, but ___.  It was unusual for girls to go to university, so ___.” 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 14, after reading Explore Europe by Bobbie Kalman, students respond to text-specific questions such as, “What types of water are found in Europe? Identify two to three.” Materials include the following sample response: “There are lots of different seas in Europe. There are many different rivers. The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe. Lake Ladoga is the largest lake in Europe. It is in Russia.” The provided Additional Support states, “Before reading, have students review the potential types of water they might see: oceans, seas, lakes, rivers.”

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 4, materials include sample student responses for the Target Task for the book Action Jackson by Jan Greenburg and Sandra Jordan and the painting One: Number 31 by Jackson Pollock. The Target Task prompt is: “The author says that, ‘Jackson Pollock is doing something original, painting in a way that no one has ever seen before.’ In what ways is Jackson’s work original?” Sample responses include, “Jackson’s work is original because he did not paint recognizable objects; instead, he made abstract images.” and “Jackson’s work is original, but not everyone liked the work he was doing.” 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 5, before listening to DK FindOut! Ancient Egypt by Dr. Angela McDonald, “[s]tudents Turn and Talk to share one to two ways life in ancient Egypt is similar to their lives now and one to two ways it is different.” In the Additional Supports section, materials include a sample graphic organizer for teachers to use to track students’ responses. 

• In the Teacher Tools, Types of Formative Assessments, materials provide a table that includes teacher guidance on how to utilize the Key Questions as checks for understanding during the daily lesson, as well as how to use the Target Tasks to monitor student comprehension, content knowledge, writing, or oral language development. This section also includes Target Task Rubrics for reading responses.

• In the Teacher Tools, Components of an ELA Lesson, materials include definitions for each part of an ELA lesson. In the Internalizing a Lesson section, teacher guidance supports teachers with determining which Key Questions are critical to students understanding the text and Target Task, and brainstorming what support students might need to answer the key questions.

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

Materials include a number of formal protocols and informal structures in the Teacher Tools section to support students’ developing speaking and listening skills across the year. The Academic Discourse section in the Teacher Tools includes varied protocols for whole group, small group, and partner discussions. Materials include teacher guidance to support the facilitation and monitoring of students’ evidence-based discussions. 

Materials provide varied protocols to support students’ developing speaking and listening skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Teacher Tools, the Types of Academic Discourse section of Academic Discourse lists the program’s speaking and listening protocols for each tier. Materials provide two whole group, four small group, and five partner discussion protocols. 

  • Whole Class Discussion Protocols: Take a Stand and Fishbowl

  • Group Discussion Protocols: Simultaneous Round Table, Rally Coach, Talking Chips, and Numbered Heads Together

  • Partner Conversation Protocols: Think-Pair-Share, Write-Pair-Share, Timed-Pair-Share, Think-Pair-Share-Revise, and Partner A/B

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

• The Teacher Tools contains a section titled Academic Discourse. The Overview page of this section includes links to additional guidance: Preparing for Academic Discourse, Types of Academic Discourse, Tiers of Academic Discourse, and Monitoring and Supporting Academic Discourse. These supports, which are introduced and reinforced throughout units and linked in lessons, allow teachers to leverage their expertise and select the protocol that best meets the needs of their students and the lesson content.

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 6, students participate in a Turn and Talk about whether Anansi is a good friend. Guidance for the teacher-led discussion includes, “Push students to give specific examples to support why Anansi is or is not a good friend. Chart student ideas.” The Suggested Supports inset includes sentence frames for students as Language Supports and references using the Discussion Recording Form (K–2) for the teacher “to assess and track student participation” and the Academic Discourse Rubric (K–2) for students to self-assess their participation.   

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 21, while listening to Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Peña, students respond to the following Key Question: “Based on what we know about Nana so far, what words can be used to describe her?” The response exemplars describe Nana as positive and accepting. The Suggested Supports inset includes the following Language Supports: “Teach students the words ‘positive’’ and ‘accepting.’ In what ways is Nana positive? Nana is positive because _______. In what ways is Nana accepting? Nana is accepting because ______. “

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 2, students listen to The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear. During the read-aloud, the teacher asks the Key Question, “How does the little boy feel?  How do you know?” Materials include the following prompts in Additional Supports for students who may struggle to respond: “What do you notice about the little boy’s facial expressions? What do you notice about the way he is sitting? “What does it mean if something dazzles you? How are you feeling if you laugh and gasp?”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 9, while listening to Explore Africa by Bobbie Kalman, students respond to the Key Question, “What might you see in the Saharan desert?” The Suggested Supports inset includes this Additional Support: “Make sure you are pushing students to describe what they might see. If a student says, ‘You will see sand dunes.’ Encourage them to tell you more by adding more details.” 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 1, the teacher and students analyze a painting. Materials include nine questions that “move from describing the painting to analyzing and interpreting it” to support this activity. Lesson guidance directs the teacher to divide students into five groups and “Use a gallery walk protocol to have students observe the paintings by each artist.” Materials include a list of four students to discuss as they spend three minutes analyzing each painting.  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 8, while listening to Sit In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, students respond to this Key Question: “What words can be used to describe the students? Explain.” The embedded Suggested Supports includes the following Additional Support: “If students are struggling to determine traits for the students, prompt with the following questions: What do the students do? How do they behave? What does this show about them? What word can we use to describe someone who acts that way?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 1h.

Materials connect speaking and listening skills to the texts students are reading throughout the year. Support for teachers on how to provide instruction and support with Speaking and Listening can be found in the Academic Discourse Teacher Tool. This tool provides support structures for varied discussions and time for students to develop skills in collaborative, reciprocal conversations that build and develop ideas or the ideas of others through careful listening and responding. The majority of discussions pertain to the unit texts or topics and the Teacher Tools also provide guidance for developing and implementing student discussion protocols across the curriculum and include ways to monitor student discussions. Lessons provide sentence stems for students and recommendations for ways that teachers can model speaking and listening skills. 

Students have multiple opportunities over the school year to demonstrate what they are reading. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 8, the Suggested Supports inset includes an Additional Support in which the teacher reviews discussion norms introduced so far this year. The norms include, look at the speaker, put your hand down when someone else is speaking, do not interrupt others, use a loud voice so that everyone can hear you, and use body language to show listening. It is unclear if this support is optional or mandatory and the lesson does not require students to use the norms during discussions. 

• Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 30, if students finish writing the beginning and middle of their stories, they add illustrations to their work. Students include additional details in their illustrations to show exactly what happened at the end of their stories.

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 1, students discuss the read aloud Fiesta by Pat Mora. Afterwards, “students Turn and Talk about the following questions: Where is your favorite place to read? Where do you get the books that you read? What is your favorite book? How do you get to school?” Students then write answers to the questions and the teacher “[encourages] students to draw an illustration to match that shows what they look like when they are reading and enjoying a book.” 

Speaking and listening work sometimes requires students to utilize, apply, and incorporate evidence from texts and/or sources. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 1, Students are introduced to the focus area of building on talk in conversations. The teacher models how to build on, specifically when agreeing or disagreeing. Students are given the following sentence stems:

    • I agree with _____ because ______.

    • I disagree with ____ becaus ______.

    • I want to add on to _____. I would also say _____.

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 7, Discussion focuses of building on through multiple exchanges are introduced. The teacher models what it looks like and gives students potential sentence stems to use. 

• Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 5, students think of additional questions they have about Don Lupe based on what they have read so far on pages 1–18 of, Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh. Students review how to use different question words and how to craft questions if needed. 

• Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 6, while listening to The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, students respond to Key Questions about the text individually, with a partner, during a class discussion, or as a Stop and Jot. Students do not have an opportunity to ask questions. 

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 3, students listen to The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Howell. While reading, students retell what happened to each javelina. Students do not ask questions about key details in the text. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 5, before the teacher reads aloud Living Color by Steve Jenkins, students “Turn and Talk about the different ways that animals use camouflage to survive.” Students also “share any questions they may have about camouflage.”  

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 5, after listening to a read aloud of Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh, students participate in a Turn and Talk with partners to discuss what they learned about Don Lupe. Students respond to the following questions: “What was the main topic of this text? What are two specific facts that the author wanted us to learn?” Students also “think of additional questions they have about Don Lupe based on what they have read so far.” The teacher reviews “how to use different question words and how to craft questions” with students. 

• Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 19, after listening to a read aloud of I Love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada, the teacher leads the class in a discussion about what makes both sets of grandparents similar and different. The teacher reminds students “that they should be building onto their peers’ answers and asking questions if they need clarification.” Materials provide sentence stems for student use during the discussion.

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 17, after students share their research with the class, students ask questions in order to clarify what the speaker is saying. Students “share one thing they liked and one question they have.” Materials provide sentence stems for student use. 

• Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In LIterature Unit 1, Lesson 6, after listening to The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, students Turn and Talk with a partner about what the main character was worried about and why she was so worried. Students use specific details to support their answers. 

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 3, students listen to The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Howell. Students describe what trick the coyote tries in the story and what happens.

  • In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 1, students listen to Fiesta by Pat Mora. Students explain the phrase, “fly away in their books” from the text.

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 2, the class creates a timeline about Horace Pippen and his paintings in order to organize facts about his childhood and early life. The teacher provides students with background information to guide their partner discussions. Students discuss what they think are the most important things they learned about Horace Pippin. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 3, students listen to Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice by Nikki Grimes. Students explain how life changed for Kamala when she moved to Berkeley and how the changes made her feel. 

In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 5, students listen to DK Find Out! Ancient Egypt by Dr. Angela MacDonald. Students explain how medicine is different today than in ancient Egypt.

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

Materials include explicit writing instruction lessons and the writing that students are expected to produce grows throughout the year. Lessons and the Teacher Tools contain sentence frames, teacher modeling, teacher feedback, writing exemplars, and a writing rubric. The teacher models shared writing and students practice independent writing, constructing detailed sentences and engaging in the full writing process, including editing, revising, and sharing the final draft. Students write in response to texts individually and with partners, complete research-based writing, and develop their writing as a form of personal expression to convey information to others. Students learn to self-assess their writing using editing checklists. Materials include some digital resources, such as Google and Youtube videos.

Materials include on-demand writing opportunities that cover a year’s worth of instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 7, students finish listening to The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi and write one thing they learned from Unhei about what it means to be a good friend. 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 16, after listening to A Tale of Two Seders by Mindy Avra Portnoy, students write about how “the narrator’s parents show they love and care for her even though they are no longer married,” using multiple examples from the text in their response. 

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 12, after listening to More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby, students write about what Booker T. Washington wanted more than anything else and how he made his dream come true. After the teacher provides additional information, students revise and add to their short answer responses. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 4, students draw upon their learning from the text Explore North America by Bobbie Kalman to create a postcard about their imaginary visit to North America. On the front, they draw a picture of what they saw and on the back, they write a few sentences describing what they did when they visited North America. Students who need support can use a sentence frame. Students share their postcards with a partner. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 19, students listen to a reading of the text When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill and the song Let Me Clear My Throat by DJ Kool. After participating in a class discussion, students write about one of the key features of Hip Hop. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 12, after listening to the first chapter of Tut’s Mummy: Lost…and Found by Judy Donnelly, students use three to four details to support their opinion of the following statement: “Preparing a king for the Land of the Dead was a quick and sad process.” After engaging in a class discussion, students “write their final opinion about if preparing a King for the Land of the Dead was a quick and sad process.” 

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

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 9, after listening to various stories about Anansi the Spider in previous lessons, students write a narrative story about “another trick Anansi plays on his friends.” The story must contain a beginning, middle, and end; feature Anansi as the main character, and describe what Anansi does with a ball when playing a trick on another character. Students edit their writing individually or with a partner to ensure they print all uppercase and lowercase letters correctly, use learned spelling patterns to spell words correctly, and use word wall lists to spell irregular words. 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 6, after exploring texts about various types of families, students “write about their own families and what makes their families special.” Students’ writing must include two exclamations, two to three details about who is in their family, and one to two examples of how they show love to one another using examples of traditions. Students edit their writing for use of possessive pronouns and possessive apostrophes.  

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 25, after learning “about a range of barriers people have faced when trying to learn how to read,” students write a thank-you note to someone who has helped them get books, get to school, or learn how to read. Students’ thank-you notes must include a clear reason for why they are thankful for the person; two to three examples of how the person helped them; one to two vocabulary words learned in the unit; and a statement, question, and exclamation sentence. Students edit and revise their work as a class, in small groups, or individually to make sure their thank-you notes include complete sentences and the three required sentence types, specific details, correct spelling using known sound-spelling patterns, and correct capitalization. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 22, students write a Creature Feature Report about a specific animal. The informational report must include four to five key details about the animal, two questions students have about the animal, and a picture of the animal. On Day 4, students edit their reports, focusing on the use of capital letters at the beginning of sentences and proper nouns, correct punctuation usage, and the correct spelling of words with frequently occurring spelling patterns. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 10, after exploring paintings and texts from various artists and authors in Lessons 1–9, students brainstorm which artist is their favorite in order to convince others of their opinion. Students share their reasons with a partner who has chosen the same artist and revise their original work. On the second day of instruction, the teacher uses one piece of student writing as an exemplar, and students revise their writing to ensure they include specific details; capitalize proper nouns; and use conjunctions, different sentence types, and possessive nouns and pronouns.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 17, students create a class book about ancient Egypt over the course of four days. After brainstorming a list of things about ancient Egypt to write about, the teacher assigns students different things to write about for the class book. Students work on drafting a topic sentence and key details for their paragraphs. Students also add illustrations and three text features to add to their writing. On the final day, students edit their writing to ensure the use of correct ending punctuation, verb tense, capitalization, possessives, and spelling of words that use previously learned sound-spelling patterns. Students use the editing checklist (K–2) to assess their own writing.

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

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 13, one of the Suggested Supports insets includes an Opportunity for Enrichment. Students may watch a YouTube video in which Rukhsana Kahn, the author of Big Red Lollipop, narrates her story. Students compare and contrast both versions of the story afterward. 

• In Science/Social Studies Unit 1, materials include the following enrichment opportunity option as a Suggested Support: “If time allows, use Google Earth to have students explore different parts of North America.”

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

Materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice and apply different types of writing required by the standards. Students often write about personal ideas and opinions in reaction to ideas within the text. Writing instruction often begins with a task-related discussion followed by teacher modeling and shared writing or a practice activity before students independently craft their own products. Teacher instruction attends to the different demands required of opinion, informational, and narrative writing, equipping students with the skills and knowledge to identify qualities of each type. Supports include sentence frames and prompting questions. Materials ground most writing tasks in the texts students listen to, with texts serving as the basis for prompts or models. 

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

• Percentage or number of opportunities for opinion writing:

  • Students have 17 out of 31 (55%) opportunities to learn, practice, and apply opinion writing across the school year.

  • In Literature Unit 1, there is one opportunity for opinion writing. This is the sole writing opportunity for this unit.  

  • In Literature Unit 2, there is one opportunity for opinion writing. One of three writing opportunities for this unit is opinion in nature. 

  • In Literature Unit 3, there is one opportunity for opinion writing. One of three writing opportunities for this unit is opinion in nature.  

  • In Literature Unit 4, there are two opportunities for opinion writing. Two of three writing opportunities for this unit are opinion in nature. 

  • In Literature Unit 5, there are two opportunities for opinion writing. All writing opportunities for this unit are opinion in nature.  

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, there is one opportunity for opinion writing. One of six writing opportunities for this unit is opinion in nature. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, there are no opportunities for opinion writing. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, there are two opportunities for opinion writing. Two of four writing opportunities for this unit are opinion in nature. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, there are six opportunities for opinion writing. All writing opportunities for this unit are opinion in nature.

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, there is one opportunity for opinion writing. One of two writing opportunities for this unit is opinion in nature. 

• Percentage or number of opportunities for informative/explanatory writing:

  • Students have nine out of 31(29%)  opportunities to learn, practice, and apply informative/explanatory writing across the school year.

  • In Literature Units 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5,  there are no opportunities for informative/explanatory writing. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, there are five opportunities for informative/explanatory writing. Five of six writing opportunities for this unit are informative/explanatory in nature. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, there is one opportunity for informative/explanatory writing. This is the sole writing opportunity for this unit. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, there are two opportunities for informative/explanatory writing. Two of four writing opportunities for this unit are informative/explanatory in nature. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, there are no opportunities for informative/explanatory writing.

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, there is one opportunity for informative/explanatory writing. One of two writing opportunities for this unit is informative/explanatory in nature. 

• Percentage or number of opportunities for narrative writing:

  • Students have five out of 31(16%) opportunities to learn, practice, and apply narrative writing across the school year.

  • In Literature Unit 1, there are no opportunities for narrative writing. 

  • In Literature Unit 2, there are two opportunities for narrative writing. Two of three writing opportunities for this unit are narrative in nature. 

  • In Literature Unit 3, there are two opportunities for narrative writing. Two of three writing opportunities for this unit are narrative in nature. 

  • In Literature Unit 4, there is one opportunity for narrative writing. One of three writing opportunities for this unit is narrative in nature. 

  • In Literature Unit 5, there are no opportunities for narrative writing. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, there are no opportunities for narrative writing. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, there are no opportunities for narrative writing. 

  • In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, there are no opportunities for narrative writing. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, there are no opportunities for narrative writing.

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, there are no opportunities for narrative writing.

• Explicit instruction in opinion writing: 

  • In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 24, on Day 1, the teacher leads a discussion about the lessons they have learned from various folktales. Next, the teacher explains what opinion writing should include and models how to write an opinion paragraph using the Mastery Response. On Day 2, the teacher explains and models how to use pronouns to edit sentences.

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 5, on Day 1, the teacher leads a review discussion of women’s rights. The teacher explains the task and provides the Single Paragraph Outline explaining the parts of a paragraph. The teacher models outlining a topic sentence, three details, and a closing sentence. On Day 2, the teacher models using the Single Paragraph Outline to write a paragraph.

• Explicit instruction in informative/explanatory writing:

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 22, on Day 1, the teacher provides research materials on animals and explains the task. On Day 2, the teacher provides a Creature Feature Template for students to use to describe their animal. The teacher explains how to use adjectives to describe their animal and models adding adjectives to example sentences. On Day 3, the teacher models writing cause and effect sentences. On Day 4, the teacher models editing sentences for capitals, punctuation, and spelling. 

• Explicit instruction in narrative writing: 

  • In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 7, the teacher charts student story ideas about Anansi finding a talking ball. Next, the teacher uses the Narrative Writing Brainstorm Template (1st Grade) to model brainstorming a story. The teacher models completing the beginning, middle, and end sections of the template and adds a specific drawing to match. In Lesson 9, the teacher models how to turn the brainstorm into a story using details. The teacher circulates around the room as students are writing ensuring students are using specific details. 

Different genres/modes/types of writing are distributed throughout the school year. For example: 

• Students have opportunities to engage in opinion writing. 

  • Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.

    • In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 24, students write an opinion paragraph in response to the following prompt: ”Your friend told you folktales are just silly stories that do not connect to our lives. Do you agree or disagree? Explain why using examples and lessons from different stories.” After discussing lessons learned from previously read books, including “how that particular lesson does or does not connect to their lives,” students participate in a shared writing activity with the teacher. After completing the model writing activity with the teacher, “students share what they noticed.” Students then independently write their own opinion paragraph. The teacher selects one or two paragraphs to display and students “share what they notice their classmate did well.” Language supports include the following sentence frames: “I disagree/agree that folktales are just silly stories.”; “In ___ we learn ___.”; and “This connects to our classroom because ___.”

    • In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 5, on Day 1, “students decide if they want to write about Shirley Chisholm or Kamala Harris” and work in pairs based on their decision. Students “orally discuss how the world would be different if the person had not stood up for women’s rights,” before completing their Single Paragraph Outline. Language supports for crafting a topic sentence include sentence frames, such as “If Kamala Harris had not fought for women’s rights, ___.” On Day 2, students independently turn their completed Single Paragraph Outline into a paragraph. Afterwards, students “add an illustration to their writing,” and share their work with a partner who wrote about someone different if time allows.

• Students have opportunities to engage in informative/explanatory writing. For example: 

  • Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

    • In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 17, students create a class book about ancient Egypt. Students select a topic to write about. Then, students use the Single Paragraph Outline as a pre-write and draft their paragraphs. Afterwards, students add different types of text features to their writing, and edit and revise their writing before submitting a final draft for the class book.

• Students have opportunities to engage in narrative writing. For example: 

  • Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.

    • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 8, on Day 1, students write their own version of the Three Little Pigs. After working with the teacher to brainstorm things that were different in each version, students complete a brainstorm graphic organizer to help them determine the characters included in their story, the types of materials the houses will be built from, and what events will happen in the beginning, middle, and end of their story. After sharing their ideas with a partner and the class, students draw their ideas onto the graphic organizer. On Day 2, students draft their narratives using their completed brainstorm graphic organizer. Students may also begin their drafts in the Book Template. Once the written portion is complete, students “add details to the illustrations to help readers visualize what is happening.” On Day 3, students revisit their writing and select a few sentences “in which they can add ‘when,’ ‘where,’ details.” Students share their revisions with a partner. Students may use and expand two sentence frames as language supports when writing their stories. On Day 4, students edit and assess their writing using the Editing Checklist (K–2) and create final drafts of their stories using the Book Template. Afterwards, students share their stories with a partner.

Where appropriate, writing opportunities are connected to texts and/or text sets (either as prompts, models, anchors, or supports). For example: 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 20, students read the book, I Love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada, and write how the narrator’s abuelitos and grandparents are similar following a class discussion. Materials include sentence frames for student use as a support.

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 25, after reading the book Grandfather Counts by Deborah J. Short, students write in response to the prompt, “Explain how the train helps bring Helen and Gong Gong together and what lessons we can learn from them.”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 3, students read the book Explore North America by Bobbie Kalman and discuss what they would see in North America with a partner. After the discussion, students write two to three sentences about what they might see in North America.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 4, students engage in a read aloud and class discussion around the book Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. After the class discussion, students analyze the One: Number 31 painting and explain how Jackson Pollock’s work was original using the “Because, But, So” writing strategy.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 5, students write about women’s rights. Students write about one woman and detail her fight for women’s rights using texts they studied in the unit. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 12, students read chapter 1of Tut’s Mummy Lost...and Found by Judy Donnelly, and decide if they think preparing a King for the Land of the Dead was a quick and sad process. Students choose a position, find three to four details to support their opinion, and engage in a class discussion. After the discussion, students write their final opinion about the process.

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

Materials provide explicit instruction, practice, and application for evidence-based writing opportunities across the school year. Although writing lessons do not occur daily, materials provide writing lessons in every unit. Writing opportunities integrate speaking, listening, and reading and connect to the texts students listen to. Students use details from the readings in their illustrations and labels. The teacher leads discussions, models the writing process, and provides sentence frames prior to students engaging in independent writing. 

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

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 24, the teacher leads a brainstorm of stories from the unit, what lessons the stories taught, and if the stories connect to the students’ lives. Then the teacher provides sentence frames “I agree/disagree because___.” The teacher models writing an opinion by focusing on having a clear opinion, using a few details, and answering the prompt.

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 18, students explain barriers people face when learning to read and explain how they have overcome barriers using specific examples from texts they have read. The teacher displays the question and models thinking out loud about a potential barrier that children have faced and how they have overcome this barrier. Students brainstorm additional barriers each character from the unit faced, and how that character broke the barrier. Students share in a class discussion. The teacher charts student answers as they share and prompts students to build on each other’s ideas. After the discussion students chose one barrier to write about providing specific examples from a text and explaining how the character overcomes the barrier. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 16, students write a travel poster highlighting what students would see or do in Europe. Students brainstorm with partners the places they can visit or sightsee while in Europe recalling facts from the readings in the unit, as well as different text features they can use. The teacher models writing a travel poster including text features using the Master Response. The curriculum provides examples of questions and answers teachers can utilize if they are unfamiliar with the strategy. Students write their travel posters while the teacher circulates around the room to ensure they are meeting the criteria. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 20, students explain how animals of the same kind are similar or different. The teacher explains the task and uses a Think Aloud to model how lizards and frogs are the same and different.  Next, the teacher leads a class discussion of other animals and the teacher provides sentence frames, “I think___ because ___.” and “I think __. An example is ___.” The teacher prompts students to generalize specific examples for all animals and provides new sentence frames, “Animals of the same kind can be similar because ___. For example, ___.” and “Animals of the same kind can be different because ___. For example, ___.” The Grade 1 Reading Response Rubric is used for grading however, this lesson is not considered a writing lesson.

• In Science and Social Studies and Science Unit 3, Lesson 23, students engage in a class discussion about the essential question selected by the teacher. Students brainstorm orally with a partner gathering two to three specific details to support their thinking. The teacher leads a class discussion asking students to use their notes from brainstorming. After the discussion students write an answer to the Essential Question using details from their brainstorming and the classroom discussion. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 20, students create a poster to educate people about the disability rights movement. The teacher leads a class discussion to review key ideas from the unit and what students think people should know. Next, the teacher gives the students a Single Paragraph Outline graphic organizer. The teacher models by drawing a poster and using the outline to include the information on the poster.   

Writing opportunities are focused on students’ recall of information to develop opinions from reading closely and working with evidence from texts and sources. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 14, students write about what makes a good friend using details from the unit texts to support their opinions. With a partner, students brainstorm two or three characteristics of a good friend. As students share their responses, the teacher charts their answers. Students write their own opinion pieces while the teacher circulates ensuring students meet the writing criteria listed in the curriculum. Students illustrate their opinions. 

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 6, students write about whether Anansi the Spider is a good friend and explain why or why not. Students also write about how Anansi could be a better friend. Students include an introductory opinion statement, then add reasons to explain their opinion, including specific events in the unit stories. Students create illustrations to match their opinions.

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 10, students write advice they would give to a friend who is going to have a new sibling. Students brainstorm with a partner and think of examples from the books they read as a class and on their own in the unit. The teacher engages students in a lesson around writing questions, and then models writing advice using different types of sentences including a question. Students then write their advice using different sentence types. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 22, students write an opinion piece on which continent they would like to visit and support their opinion with two to three reasons. Students brainstorm with a partner using the Boxes and Bullets graphic organizer. The teacher models how to write their opinion using a topic sentence and details that would convince others to visit the same place. The teacher leads a discussion on noticing specific details. Students then write their own opinions as the teacher circulates to monitor students’ work.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 11, students write an opinion piece on whether camouflage is the most effective way for animals to protect themselves. Students must include two to three specific examples from the unit texts. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 5, students write about one of the women’s rights activists from the unit and how the world would be different if the activist did not stand up for women’s rights. Students must include a topic sentence that answers the prompt question and states their opinion, three details from the texts that support their opinion, and a closing sentence.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 10, students write about whether they would like to live in ancient Egypt and support their opinion with details and facts. On Day 1, students brainstorm with a partner and then engage in a class discussion as the teacher charts student responses. The teacher models writing an outline using the Think Aloud strategy. Students create an outline while the teacher circulates to ensure student outlines follow the criteria. On Day 2, the teacher models how to use the brainstorming to write a complete paragraph and adds details and facts using the Write Aloud strategy. Students turn and talk about what they notice about the paragraph. Students use their outlines to write a paragraph and elaborate with details and facts. As students write, the teacher circulates to ensure student paragraphs meet the criteria listed for the task.

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

Materials include a sufficient focus on the grammar and usage standards. Both the Literature and Science and Social Studies units include explicit instruction of grammar and usage standards and provide opportunities for students to practice and authentically apply their learning. 

Materials include explicit instruction of the grade-level grammar and usage standards. Materials include authentic opportunities for students to demonstrate application of skills in context, including applying grammar and convention skills to writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students have opportunities to print all upper- and lowercase letters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 9, after students have finished writing, the teacher models the process for editing to ensure all upper and lower case letters are printed correctly. 

• In Literature Unit 4, students use an editing checklist to edit for capitalization and complete sentences. 

• Students have opportunities to use common, proper, and possessive nouns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 6, the teacher explains possessive apostrophes. The teacher discusses an example paragraph with possessive nouns. Students complete sentence frames that start with possessive nouns. Students independently write a few sentences using possessive nouns. Guidance directs the teacher to reinforce this skill throughout the unit when students are writing. 

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 8, students write their own stories about the three little pigs, using common, proper and possessive nouns.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 4, the teacher explains that common and proper nouns can help the reader understand exactly what they saw in North America. Next, the teacher reviews what nouns are, noting that proper nouns are capitalized because they are names of a specific thing, person or place. The teacher displays a mentor paragraph. As a class, the students and the teacher chart different nouns and proper nouns used in the writing. The teacher models how to write the rest of the letter on the back of the postcard. 

• Students have opportunities to use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 30, the teacher explains that the noun and verb in a sentence need to match. The teacher discusses example sentences and students create their own sentences. Students add to their writing, ensuring that the nouns and verbs they use match. Students edit their previous writing for matching nouns and verbs. 

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 8, students write their own version of the Three Little Pigs. The teacher reviews that sentences must be complete with a subject and verb and that verbs tell us what something or someone does. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 25, the teacher demonstrates writing past, present, and future verb tenses and points out the patterns in the spellings. The teacher leads guided practice of changing verb tenses in sentences. Students practice changing previously written sentences to past tense. Students independently write six to nine sentences with different verb tenses using their research on Misty Copeland. 

• Students have opportunities to use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their, anyone, everything). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 24, the teacher explains that pronouns are substitutes for nouns. The teacher displays a chart of commonly used pronouns. The teacher displays a mentor paragraph and asks the students questions to help students identify the pronouns in the paragraph. During the group practice, students practice using pronouns in sentences. Students then go back to their writing to look for places to use pronouns. 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 6, the teacher defines possessive pronouns as words that take the place of a noun used to show belonging. The teacher lists possessive pronouns and discusses example sentences. Students complete sentence frames that start with possessive pronouns. Students independently write a few sentences about their families using possessive pronouns and add possessive pronouns to the previous day’s writing. 

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 25, students use personal possessive pronouns such as I, my, and they to write thank you letters to someone who has helped them to read or get books.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 5, the teacher explains pronouns take the place of a noun. The teacher models revising a sentence using a pronoun, and as a class, the students and the teacher write two more sentences with pronouns. Students write independently and the teacher circulates to see if they are using pronouns correctly.

• In Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 10, students write an opinion essay in first person, to answer whether they would like to live in Ancient Egypt and why.

• Students have opportunities to use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 8, the teacher explains that verbs are used to show action as well as time—past, present and future. The teacher provides students with examples of sentences and students identify verbs that are past, present and future tenses. Then the teacher gives students three verbs and students write the verbs in their past, present, and future tenses.

  • In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 10, students write an action plan for helping their community get access to books. Students use the provided “I will…” sentence frame and support their actions using “who, what, where, when details.”

• Students have opportunities to use frequently occurring adjectives. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lessons 5–7, students work with partners and use the adjectives  persistent, resourceful, or intelligent to describe the three little pigs. Students collect adjectives to describe the wolf. Then the class works together to collect adjectives that describe each pig.

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 11, the teacher explains that adjectives help readers better understand and visualize what is happening in the story. Students find adjectives used in the story and if needed, the teacher reviews simple adjectives.

  • In Literature Unit 5, lesson 11, students use the adjectives determined and eager to complete sentence strands. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 22, the teacher displays the Creature Feature Template and explains that students will describe what their creature looks like. The teacher displays three sentences and asks students if the sentences describe what the red-eyed tree frog looks like. The teacher explains that adjectives help readers visualize. As a class, the teacher and students brainstorm a list of adjectives that describe the red-eyed tree frog. The teacher then models adding adjectives from the brainstormed list to the original sentences that were displayed earlier. As a class, the teacher and students work together to add adjectives to a list of three new sentences. Next, students write three sentences using adjectives to describe the animal they picked. 

• Students have opportunities to use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 5, student pairs work together to craft three sentences using because, but, or so to describe the three little pigs. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lessons 1–3, the Common Core Standards list includes L.1.6, but there is no evidence of the teacher or students doing work related to this standard. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 10, students independently write in response to the Target Task question. If needed, the teacher provides students with sentence frames to use when writing to ensure they use the conjunctions when, if, or so.

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 10, the teacher models writing sentences that include the conjunction because and discusses the reason for using the word. Students write independently as they respond to the Target Task, and the teacher circulates to ensure students use conjunctions to describe key details. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 10, the teacher models adding a conjunction to a sentence. Then the teacher provides examples of sentences with because, but, and so. Students  write independently while responding to the Target Task, and the teacher circulates to see if students include conjunctions in their writing. 

• Students have opportunities to use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 10, the teacher provides two phrases: “a new baby” and “the baby”. The teacher explains “a” is used when talking about any baby and “the” is used when talking about a specific baby. The teacher provides additional examples but students do not engage in guided practice. Students independently write in response to the Target Task, and the teacher and other students check to see if they are using articles correctly. 

• Students have opportunities to use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 8, the teacher tells students to use prepositions when they describe where and when something happened. The teacher  displays the following list of prepositions that describes where—above, below, inside, over, under, between, near and by—and a list of prepositions that describes when—by, from, on, to, until, after, and during. Students use the lists of prepositions to expand provided sentences during guided practice and during their independent writing.

  • In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 10, students use specific details that describe “who, what, when, where, why, or how.” The teacher encourages students to use the preposition lists from Unit 4 in their writing.

• Students have opportunities to produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 8, the teacher orally models how to determine sentence types by asking specific questions, “Does this tell us who? Does this tell us what they did? How can we make this a complete sentence?” During shared writing, partners turn fragments into complete sentences by using the questioning strategy. Students complete a few sentences orally, then finish the rest by writing. During independent writing, students turn three fragments into sentences. 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 6, the teacher explains the four types of sentences, statements, questions, exclamations, and commands. The teacher provides examples and students decide the type of each. Students work with partners to create statements and exclamations. Students independently write about their families and have to include two exclamatory sentences. 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 15, the teacher reviews statements, exclamations, and questions, and defines command sentences. The teacher provides examples of commands and displays a story exemplar using different types of sentences. Students name the types of sentences included. Students independently write when responding to the Target Task and must include at least one of each type of sentence in their response. 

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 8, when writing their own version of the Three Little Pigs, students expand sentences to help the reader understand what is happening by using more descriptive words and prepositions to provide “when” and “where” details.

• In Literature Unit 5,  Lesson 10, when writing about ways to take action and get books into their community, students use imperative sentences to tell others what they will do to distribute books and where this will take place. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 10, the teacher explains the importance of writing in complete sentences. The teacher orally shares fragments and prompts students to explain who, or what or what the fragments do/who they are. Students work together to orally create complete sentences out of all of the fragments. In partners, students practice creating sentences out of more fragments orally or in writing. If done in writing, the teacher ensures students add a capital letter and period. The teacher models writing the Mastery Response, ensuring it is a complete sentence. As students independently write in response to the Target Task,  students write three to four sentences making sure they have included both parts of the sentence to make them complete. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 3, the teacher explains the four different types of sentences: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory. During two practice sets, students orally distinguish between the four types, giving a strong reason for their answer. Next, the teacher and students work together as a class to craft a few of each sentence type. Then, sStudents work with a partner to write different types of sentences using guidance from the two practice sets. The teacher circulates as students work to ensure students are able to produce each of the four types of sentences with the correct punctuation. During independent writing, the students write in response to the Target Task questions: Write a question using the word “survive.” Write a statement using the word “prey.” Write an exclamation using the word “tail.” Write a command using the word “watch.”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 16, the teacher reviews the types of sentences using a piece of student writing as a model. Students write independently, responding to the prompt: You are on a walk with a friend and you see a LGBTQ+ flag on a neighbor's house. Your friend wonders what the flag means. Explain to your friend what the flag represents and why it is important.

• In Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 7, students use the word because to expand their explanations of why each step in making a mummy was important. Students respond to the prompt: How were mummies made? Describe each step using details from both texts.

• Students have opportunities to capitalize dates and names of people. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 6, after the class discusses why Hyena is a good friend, the teacher asks students, “How does the author use capitalization? Why?” The teacher guides students to notice that names of people and specific things are capitalized because they are proper nouns. During independent writing, the teacher circulates to ensure students are capitalizing proper nouns. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 5, after reading, students turn and talk about what they see in South America with a partner. The teacher reminds students to use specific nouns, such as the Andes Mountains instead of just mountains. The teacher models how to use specific names of places and explains that it is important to capitalize proper nouns. During independent writing, the teacher circulates to make sure students capitalize the names of all proper nouns. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 2, the teacher reviews that students need to capitalize proper nouns such as specific names and specific dates. The teacher circulates to ensure students are capitalizing proper nouns correctly. The Language Supports box includes additional practice sentences for capitalizing proper nouns. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 13, the teacher models writing dates with capital letters. Guidance states students need to write the date on their classwork every day for practice.

• Students have opportunities to use end punctuation for sentences. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 22, students write an opinion paragraph, making sure to include a period at the end of their complete sentences. 

  • In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 5, as students independently write in response to the Target Task, the teacher circulates to ensure they are using the correct punctuation for each of the four types of sentences. 

• Students have opportunities to use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 22, students write letters using commas as needed within the letter writing format—for dates, for greeting, within the body of the letter, and in the closing.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 4, the teacher models how to write a letter on the back of a postcard using the Mastery Response, making sure to point out that there is a comma after the greeting and a comma after the closing.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 22, the teacher displays a paragraph exemplar containing words in a series separated by commas. The class discusses where they notice commas and the purpose of the commas. Students create sentences using words in a series separated by commas. Students then independently write about their favorite musician from the unit but students do not have to include words in a series separated by commas in their writing. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 13, the teacher models writing dates with commas. Students write the date on their classwork. Guidance directs the teacher to have students write the date on their classwork every day for practice. 

• In Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 7, the teacher provides students with a sequence chart as a guide for using the words first, next, then, and last and for using commas after sequence sentences. Students reference the chart when describing the steps used to create a mummy in their writing.

• Students have opportunities to use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 9, after students finish writing, the teacher models the process for editing using the spelling patterns from prior learning and the word wall lists to spell irregular words correctly. The teacher displays a piece of writing that contains words with familiar spelling patterns that are misspelled. As a class, the teacher and students edit the writing together. The teacher reviews how to use the resources in the room to spell words correctly. Students finish editing their writing individually or with a partner, if needed. 

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 8, teachers model how to edit writing for spelling patterns, high frequency words, as well as any frequently misspelled words that students should check for in their final drafts.

• Students have opportunities to spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 8, students use phonetic understandings to write words. The teacher does not provide explicit instruction on spelling unknown words phonetically; however, the teacher models using previously learned spelling patterns to edit work.