1st Grade - Gateway 2

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 2b.

Materials provide opportunities to analyze sequences of questions and tasks within and across multiple literary and informational texts. Questions are sequenced in ways that prepare students with background knowledge in order to deepen content knowledge, draw conclusions, and support their opinions. With prompting and support, questions require students to recall information, compare and contrast, retell story events, identify key details, formulate opinions, and make inferences. 

For most texts (read-aloud texts K–1 and anchor texts Grade 2), students analyze key ideas and details (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 13, students answer questions about key details in the text, Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, during a class read-aloud. Students examine a few sentences from the text and identify the lesson the main characters, Chloe and Maya, learn. 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 2, students recall key details to understand all the events that led Marisol to feel she did not match while listening to the text, Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown. Afterward, students write a letter explaining what they learned about Marisol.

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 4, students listen to the read-aloud, The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz. Students identify the central lesson that Pig One and Pig Two learn and use the words impatient and persistent in their answers. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, students listen to the Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley. Students use the text and illustrations to describe how a red-eyed tree frog gets its food. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 2, after listening to She Was the First! The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm by Katheryn Russell-Brown, students analyze and explain why Shirley Chisholm was a trailblazer using key details from the text. 

For most texts, students analyze craft and structure (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 19, students listen to Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy and respond to the question, “Martina reached for the coffee with a ‘heavy heart.’ What does that mean?” 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 7, using the text Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson, students pay attention to words that help identify feelings as they analyze the points of view of Gia and her mother towards the arrival of a new baby.

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 8, while listening to Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant, students respond to the question, “Why does the author use the words ‘dark and dangerous’ to describe Louis’ new life?” 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 11, after listening to the book, Explore Asia by Bobbie Kalmanstudents, students describe what text features the author included to help the reader better understand what they would see in the desert. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 14, students listen to Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page and respond to the question, “Why does the author use the caption ‘I’m having my family for dinner…’ to describe black widow spiders?”

In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 6, students learn about the word activist as they listen to Someday is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-ins by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. Students respond to the following question, “Based on what we read today, in what ways is Clara an activist? What social change is she working for?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 2c.

Materials support students’ development of the analysis of knowledge and ideas. Text-based questions and tasks integrate knowledge and ideas over the course of the year using single and multiple texts. Students use information from read-alouds, class discussions, and illustrations to answer questions and complete tasks. Sequential questions and tasks support the growth of ideas and knowledge and prepare students for the completion of the culminating task. 

Most sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 18, students listen to Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale by Mary-Joan Gerson. Students answer the question, “What was life like at the time when the sky was very close to the earth?” The teacher prompts students to describe what they see in the illustration on pages 4–5 to answer the question. Teacher guidance states, “Push students to understand that this illustration shows how happy people are. They have tons of time to do the things they want to do.” 

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 2, students listen to The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear. Students use the text and illustrations to describe how the book brought joy to the boy’s life while responding to questions such as, “How does the boy feel when he is reading the Good Little Book? How do you know?”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 2, students finish the read-aloud, Explore North America by Bobbie Kalman. When responding to the Target Task, students use details from the text to write about two examples of different ecosystems in North America. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 7, students listen to Living Color by Steve Jenkins. Students draw upon details from the text to describe how different animals use their colors to survive. Questions include; “How do the monarch butterfly and the viceroy butterfly use their colors to survive? How does the deep-sea dragonfish use its color to survive? Pick two animals that are pink. Describe how they use their color to survive.” 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 21, students listen to The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson. Afterwards, students explain what message Nokomis and the Mother Earth Walkers were trying to spread and what we can learn from them using details from the text.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 15, after studying various pictures of Egyptian art, students discuss what they can learn about Ancient Egypt by studying pieces of art: “Look closely at the piece of art. Record anything that you notice. Record anything you wonder. Share with your team.” Students write about “one or two things that they learned from analyzing the art.”

Most sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, Lessons 2–5, students read four different stories about Anansi the Spider by Eric A. Kimmel and answer questions about various characters, the characters’ actions, and the characters’ traits. Examples include “Why does Hippo change his mind about the melon?”; “Describe Little Bush Deer. How does she trick Anansi?”; “How do the neighbors feel about Anansi and his magic stick? Give two specific examples.”; and “Why does Anansi want to do the cooking? Is Anansi changing?”

• In Literature Unit 5, Lessons 11–18, students read six stories about people who faced challenges learning to read. Examples of questions include “What clues does the author give that the children are determined to get to school?”; “What does Booker want more than anything else? What is stopping him from getting what he wants?”; “What evidence does the author include to show that Virgie is determined to go to school?”; and “What barriers have people faced when trying to learn to read? How do they overcome them? Give specific examples from the books you’ve read.”  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 1, Lesson 20, students read Explore North America and Explore Antarctica by Bobbie Kalman and answer the Target Task question: “Your friend tells you that Antarctica and North America are very similar. Do you agree or disagree? Support your answer with two to three specific details.”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 9, students read National Geographic Readers: Pyramids by Laura Marsh. During their partner reading, students jot down facts that are new or different from those they already learned about Egypt and pyramids. Afterwards, the teacher leads students in a discussion comparing this text to Mummies and Pyramids: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne. Discussion questions include: “Which text gave you more information? What text features did each author use? Why? Which text did you like better? Why?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 2d.

Materials provide several culminating tasks that integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and allow students to demonstrate acquired knowledge of the unit topic. Units contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that lead to the culminating tasks. Students gain knowledge from the unit to create artifacts of their learning, such as detailed illustrations, posters, opinion writing, and acting out different story versions. Teachers monitor student learning throughout the year using Writing Rubrics. The culminating tasks are used as formative assessments before the Unit Summative Assessment. 

Culminating tasks are evident and varied across the year and they are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards (reading, writing, speaking, listening) at the appropriate grade level, and comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics through integrated skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 14, students write their opinion about what makes a good friend using the texts from the unit. Students discuss two to three characteristics of a good friend using specific examples from the unit texts and engage in Shared Writing with the whole class. Afterward, students write their own text with detailed illustrations. 

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 22, after listening to Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart by Pat Mora, students orally retell to partners the events of the story and explain what they know about  Doña Flor. Next, the class discusses the story and what lesson the author is trying to teach. Students independently write about the lesson the author is trying to teach and how they can use the lesson in their own lives. 

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 18, after listening to six books about overcoming barriers, the teacher models a Think Aloud about barriers people in the books faced when learning to read and how they overcame the barriers. Students brainstorm and discuss additional barriers the characters faced using specific examples from the unit texts. Students independently write about one character, the barrier the character faced, and how the character moved through the barrier. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 11, after listening to four texts about camouflaging, students review all Anchor Charts and writing they have done and brainstorm whether they believe camouflage is the most effective way for animals to survive using reasons to support their opinion. Students independently write their opinions and reasons to support their opinions.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 20, students create a poster to educate the school community about the disability rights movement using specific facts learned from the texts in the unit. Students brainstorm with a partner and review facts about the disability movement as a class. Students use the Single Paragraph outline to create key ideas to include in their posters. Students create their own poster with two to three facts about the disability rights movement and share them with the class. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, after reading two texts about Ancient Egypt, students participate in a class discussion about the steps needed to make a mummy. Students use both texts to fill out a graphic organizer about each stage of making a mummy and explain the stages to a partner. Students write about one or two stages independently.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 2e.

Over the course of the year, students have eight narrative projects, instruction that focuses on opinion writing, with a combination of longer tasks and shorter writing assignments, and instruction that focus on informational writing, with a combination of longer and shorter tasks. The writing focus areas build over the course of the year as students learn different components of the standard and build proficiency in the genre. Instructional materials are aligned to research-based writing strategies, as noted in the Writing Teacher Tool and the enhanced Lesson Plans ensure that students receive explicit and sequenced instruction to aid in developing grade-level writing techniques.

Materials include writing instruction aligned to the standards for the grade level and supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Materials include 17 lessons on opinion writing, nine lessons on informative writing, and five lessons on narrative writing.  

• In Literature Unit 2, students write their own Anansi narrative with a focus on organization. Additionally, students write an opinion statement with two to three reasons to support their opinion. The focus of the unit is on producing complete sentences, writing a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end and including details about what happened with each event.  

• In Literature Unit 4, students work on narrative writing by writing their own version of The Three Little Pigs.  The focus of the unit is on writing complete sentences, including details that describe “who”, “what,” “where,” “when,”, and “why.” Students also work on writing narrative with a beginning, middle, and end and including details about wha happened with each event and using temporal words to signal event order.  

• In Literature Unit 5, students write opinion pieces to “build a deeper understanding of unit content and texts.”  The focus of the unit is on stating an opinion, including two to three reasons to support the opinion and providing some sense of closure.  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, the focus of writing instruction is on writing complete sentences, different types of sentences and using question words when writing questions.  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, students begin to work on writing paragraphs,  The focus of instruction is on writing simplel and complex sentences and writing a single paragraph.  

Instructional materials include some well-designed lesson plans, models, and protocols for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 24, teacher guidance includes the Objective, Target Task, and Sample Response. The teacher brainstorms with students, models Shared Writing, and students write independently Independent using sentence frames, Sentence-Level Feedback and Support (K–5th Grade), and Paragraph-Level Feedback and Support (K–5th Grade) to monitor progress. Day Two there is Group Practice, and Independent Practice using a pronoun chart, Editing Checklist (K–2), and the Grade 1 Writing Opinion Rubric for support and progress monitoring. 

• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 6, teacher supports include the Brainstorm template, Editing Checklist (K–2), Narrative Writing Brainstorming Template (1st grade), Grade 1 Writing Rubrics (Narrative, Opinion, and Informational), Sentence-Level Feedback and Support, and the Narrative Writing Feedback and Support (K–5th Grade). 

• In Literature Unit 5, lesson plans include Building Background Knowledge, Shared Writing, Independent Writing. Teachers have access to Sentence-Level Feedback and Support (K-5th grade) and the Grade 1 Writing Rubric (Narrative, Opinion, and Informational) to provide feedback and analyze student work. Students use the Editing Checklist (K–2). 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, Lesson 10, the Objective, Target Task, and Sample Response guide the teacher when introducing tasks. The teacher models Shared Writing, and students write independently. Supports include Sentence-Level Feedback and Support (K–5th Grade) for progress monitoring. Editing Checklist (K–2) and the Grade 1 Writing Informational Rubric.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, lesson plans include an Opening, Shared Writing, Model Writing, and Independent Writing. Students use supports such as the Single Paragraph Outline, and the Editing Checklist (K–2). The teacher has access to materials, such as Paragraph-Level Feedback and Support (K-5th Grade) and Sentence-Level Feedback and Support (K-5th Grade), to monitor student progress and support student learning.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 17, Day One of the lesson includes the following components: Objective, Target Task, Sample Response, Group Brainstorming, Teacher Write Aloud, and Independent Practice. Day One content also includes a list of topics for students to write about. Day Two of the lesson includes the following components: Teaching Point, Teacher Write Aloud, Independent Writing, and a writing model. Supports for teacher use to monitor students’ writing and provide feedback include the Sentence-Level Feedback and Support (K–5th Grade), and the Paragraph-Level Feedback and Support (K–5th Grade). Day Three of the lesson includes the following components: Teaching Point, Review, Group Write Aloud, and Independent Writing. Materials also include a list of text features to discuss and the Informational Writing Feedback and Support (K–5th Grade) for teacher use when monitoring student work and providing feedback. Day Four of the lesson includes the Teaching Point and guidance on editing. Provided resources include the Editing Checklist (K–2) and the Grade 1 Writing Rubric(Informational) for progress monitoring and support. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 2f.

Research tasks are embedded within each unit and include a progression of skills, building to mastery of grade level standards.  Students are encouraged to use specific examples in research projects.  Shared research projects are included to help develop students’ research skills. Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge on a topic.

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills that build to mastery of the grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 5, Lesson 10, after learning about different ways people get books, the teacher prepares students to write about their ideas for getting books to people in their community.  Students turn and talk about different ways they read about to get books to people and create a class list. The teacher models selecting one idea and writing about the idea by first explaining that students need to be clear when writing so readers can picture what they are reading.  The teacher models this by adding specific details that describe “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “how,” or “why.” Students begin writing about what they would do to get books to people in their community.  

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, Lesson 7, after reading Explore South America by Bobbie Kalman, the teacher models creating a postcard describing what you saw and where you went if you visited South America.  

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, Lesson 22, after reading Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkey, When Marian Sang: The True Recital by Marian Anderson by Pam Munoz Ryan, Piano Starts Here by, Rock & Roll Highway by, When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana by Michael Mahin, When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill, and Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, the teacher models writing about which musician is their favorite and why. The teacher reviews how to use specific reasons to get others to agree with your opinion.  

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, Lesson 17, the teacher models brainstorming a single paragraph outline about the Nile River by thinking aloud to decide which details to include. Students then decide what details to include about their topic by rereading and looking over charts from the lessons. Students then write their topic sentence.  

Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge on a topic. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 22, additional supports are suggested including assigning specific students to research and having multiple students research the same animal. Opportunities for enrichment include having students research their animals on the Internet and suggest National Geographic Kids as a good source for students to use to “find information about a wide range of animals.” Materials provide a “Creature Feature Template” graphic organizer to help students describe what their creature will look like. Potential brainstorm topics, and model sentences using adjectives are included. The materials suggest providing students with sentence frames or having students write adjectives in different colors, if needed. For students struggling to write complete sentences, materials include a Sentence Level Feedback and Support document to help the teacher provide students with feedback. Progress monitoring supports include an Informational Writing Feedback and Support guidance document, an editing checklist, and a Grade 1 Writing Rubrics.  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 17, additional support suggestions include grouping students who may struggle more with writing together, having them write about the same topic, or allowing students to create their brainstorm together or work with students in a small group. Additional suggestions include providing students with access to the sections of the text that teach the facts they need, having students skim those sections of texts prior to writing, or having students use class anchor charts as a way to remember facts from earlier in the unit. A potential teacher think aloud is included for the teacher to use when modeling how to take a brainstorm topic and turn it into a paragraph.  Language supports include a Sentence Level Feedback and Support document  and a Paragraph Level Feedback and Support document to provide students with feedback. Progress monitoring supports include an editing checklist and Grade 1 Writing Rubrics.  

Materials include shared research projects to help develop students’ research skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature Unit 2, after reading five stories about Anansi the Spider, students write an opinion on whether Anansi is a good friend. Students explain what Anansi does that makes him a good or bad friend. 

• In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 17, after reading Little Red Riding Hood by Paul Galdone, Little Red Riding Hood by Jerry Pinkney, Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya, Lon Po Po by Ed Young, Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz, What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood: The Wolf’s Story by Toby Forward,, students work with a partner to create a claim about wolves and pick two to three facts to support their answers. Once students are ready, they engage in a class discussion about whether wolves deserve their evil stereotype in literature. After the discussion, students independently write their responses.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 20, after reading two books about frogs and lizards, students compare and contrast frogs and lizards. Students generalize their findings of how frogs and lizards are the same and different in comparison to other animals. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 5, students explain how the world would be different if the women they investigated through various texts read in Lessons 1–4 did not fight for women’s rights. Students engage in a class discussion about how the three women they have gathered information on supported women’s rights. The teacher and students complete a Shared Writing piece that entails developing a topic sentence on how the world would be different if Elizabeth Cady Stanton had not stood up for women’s rights, creating a topic sentence with two to three details, and writing a conclusion statement. Students work in pairs and use the Single Paragraph Outline to write a paragraph about a woman leader.  

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 17, students participate in a Shared Writing activity in which they write a class book about Ancient Egypt. After reading several texts on Ancient Egypt, students select a specific topic related to Ancient Egypt to find details about, write paragraphs, add text features, and revise and edit their writing. All student writing is assembled into a class book.  

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria of Indicator 2g.

Instruction, tasks, and assessment questions are aligned to grade-level standards. Materials employ teacher modeling during instruction. Students often respond to and complete standards-aligned questions and task. Students have opportunities in each lesson to use a partner Turn and Talk and engage in open whole group discussions that involve the diverse views of all students. The materials provide ample questions for teachers to ask students and students to answer. Many standards are repeated throughout multiple units across the year. Assessments leverage knowledge from the unit. 

Over the course of each unit, instruction is aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Literature Unit 1, Lesson 12, students retell Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. Teacher guidance notes, “Because they are going to read this book twice, they are just going to focus on retelling key story events when they read the story today. That means they need to notice and think about what happens in the beginning, middle, and end.” The teacher asks questions about what is happening while reading the text. 

•  In Literature Unit 4, Lesson 9, students retell Little Red Riding Hood by Paul Galdone. The teacher asks questions about the key events while reading the story. The teacher prompts students to use prepositions that tell where and when, a reference to learning from Lesson 8, to help them retell the story. The teacher provides sequence words, “first, in the beginning, next, then, last,” to assist students with their retelling. Teacher guidance states, “If students are struggling to retell, give them copies of the illustrations in the book. Have them use the illustrations to guide their retells.”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 2, Lesson 4, to prepare students for a read-aloud of What Color Is Camouflage? by Carolyn B. Otto, materials provide guidance aligned to RI.1.7. Teacher guidance includes,“In this text, we get just as much information from the illustrations as we do from the text. Therefore, we need to make sure that we ‘read’ the illustrations. We will practice this together as we read the book, but let us start by looking at the illustration on the cover. What do you notice when you look at this illustration? What do you wonder?” Additional Supports suggest, “If needed, model how to notice something from an illustration on pp. 4–5. Students should notice specific things that are connected to the information that they are reading.”

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Lesson 2, students answer questions about key details and participate in collaborative discussions, which aligns two  supporting standards, RI.1.1 and SL.1.1. 

Over the course of each unit, the majority of questions and tasks are aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Literature Unit 2, Lesson 1, students “retell what happened in A Story, A Story: An African Tale by Gail E. Haley. Students share details from the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 5, Lesson 5, while listening to a read aloud of DK FindOut! Ancient Egypt by Dr. Angela McDonald, students answer questions aligned to RI.1.3: Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Questions include, but are not limited to; “How was the way animals were viewed similar to or different from the way animals are viewed now?”; “How is the food ancient Egyptians ate similar to or different from the food we eat now?”; “What did poor people in ancient Egypt eat? Give two or three examples.”; and “What did rich people in ancient Egypt eat? Give two to three examples.” 

Over the course of each unit, assessment questions are aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Literature Unit 3, Content Assessment, during Part One - Vocabulary, students respond to questions and prompts for the words discouraged, eager, and content; however, the assessment does not include a passage or poem for students to read. As a result, students do not identify words and phrases in stories or poems, as required in RL.1.4. The five questions in this section do align to the other standards listed, L.1.5d and L.1.6. 

• In Literature Unit 5, Content Assessment, during the Content Knowledge portion of the assessment, students respond to a writing prompt: “People face many barriers when trying to learn how to read. Describe one barrier you learned about in the unit.” The assessment item lists RL.1.2, RL.1.3, RL.1.7, L.1.1, L.1.2, L.1.6, and W.1.1 as standards assessed. 

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, Content Assessment, during Part Two - Writing about Reading, students recall key details to respond to a writing prompt: “Pick one movement you learned about. Explain why the movement was important. In your answer include: What the movement was fighting for; Details about 1–2 people who helped fight as part of the movement.” The assessment item lists RI.1.1, RI.1.2, RI.1.3, RI.1.8, L.1.1, L.1.2, and W.1.2 as standards assessed. 

By the end of the academic year,  standards are repeatedly addressed within and across units to ensure students master the full intent of the standard. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Literature Unit 1, students retell the key events of the beginning, middle, and end of a story. In Literature Unit 2, students retell the key events of the beginning, middle, and end of a folktale. In Literature Unit 3, students identify the lesson the author is trying to teach. In Literature Unit 4, students retell different versions of the Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood to compare and contrast them. This content aligns to RL.1.2.

• In Science and Social Studies Unit 3, after listening to Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkey, students identify reasons an author gives to support the idea that Duke Ellington is a genius. In Science and Social Studies Unit 4, after listening to the read aloud Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone, students identify the reasons an author gives to support the idea that “Elizabeth wasn’t interested in easy.” In Science and Social studies Unit 5, students identify reasons why the Egyptian civilization started near the Nile River after listening to a reading of Mummies and Pyramids: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne. This content aligns to RI.1.8.