The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1b. 

The Grade 3 materials include Interactive Read-Aloud and Shared Reading that function as anchor texts, and these do not reflect a 50/50 balance of literary to informational texts. The Interactive Read-Aloud texts are disproportionately literary and the Shared Reading are predominately informational. When considered together, they do not reflect a balance between informational and literary texts required by the standards

Materials partially reflect the distribution of text types/genres required by the grade level standards. Examples include:

• Interactive Read-Aloud, Text Set: Poetry, Splish Splash by Joan Bransfield Graham

• Interactive Read-Aloud, Text Set: Fables, The Grasshopper & the Ants by Jerry Pinkney 

• Interactive Read-Alouds, Text Set: Fractured Fairy Tales, Earthquack! by Margie Palatini

• Shared Reading, A Meerkat Day, no author, informational text

Anchor texts do not fully reflect a 50/50 balance of informational and literary texts. Examples include:

• Interactive Read-Aloud: 70% literary, 30% information - 83 literary and 34 informational. Five texts are considered both literary and informational. 

• Shared Reading: 13% literary, 87% informational - one literary and seven informational. 

• Total: 67% literary, 33% informational

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1e.

The Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage in a variety and volume of reading; however, teacher guidance and protocols to foster independence are limited. There is no provision to ensure that students are regularly engaged in reading grade-level text. While students do have access to a wide range and volume of texts, structures to establish and foster independence are not evident throughout the materials. Students listen to texts, read aloud together in groups, and read independently throughout the program. Students listen to texts in the Interactive Read-Alouds and Reading Minilessons. Students read independently in the Independent Reading program and Book Clubs. 

Accountability and tracking is limited to a downloadable reading log listing the title and author of the book and a check box to indicate completion of the text. No other method of accountability is present. Texts are not organized with built-in supports/scaffolds to foster independence because students and teachers can choose what to read within their assessed level at any time.

Instructional materials provide opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading a variety of text types and genres to become independent readers at the grade level. Examples include: 

• Interactive Read-Alouds: In the System Guide, Suggested Time Frame for Literacy Opportunities, directions state that teachers read aloud to students each day from an Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set. The Interactive Read-Aloud text sets include four to six texts that are read aloud to the students. There are 25 text sets for Grade 3 for a total of 120 books, including both fiction and nonfiction genres.

• Guided Reading: In the System Guide, Suggested Time Frames for Literacy Opportunities, directions state that the teacher meets with three to four Guided Reading groups each day. Each Guided Reading group is composed of students reading at approximately the same level. There are 200 guided reading titles available for Grade 3 spanning F&P Levels I-S. 

• In Book Clubs, each student has read or listened to the same book prior to taking part in literature circle conversations about the book. Teacher guidance suggests that most students will be able to read the books independently, but that some students may need to have it facilitated by audio recording or another student reading it aloud. Book Clubs are suggested to be held once a month for 20-30 minute.

Instructional materials identify some opportunities and supports for students to engage in a volume of reading. Examples include:

• The Interactive Read-Aloud Session lasts approximately 15 minutes at the start of the literacy block. There are 120 texts included that comprise 25 Interactive Read-Aloud Text Sets,

• The Reading Minilessons last approximately 5-15 minutes. 

• During the next 60-minute block of instructional time, students are engaged in one or more of the following:

  • Teacher-led Guided Reading Groups (20-25 minutes each). There are 200 Guided Reading Text titles included in the program. 

  • Book Clubs (20-25 minutes each) include 32 text titles organized into eight text sets. 

  • Individual conferences (3-5 minutes each). 

  • Students not involved in these groups take part in independent reading or write in a Reader’s Notebook. The lesson ends with a five minute Group Share.

• The proposed schedule of independent reading is 45 minutes daily while the teacher conferences with students using Conferring Cards. There is not a set number of texts a student will read during independent reading due to the flexible nature of how leveled texts are assigned to students. There are no recommendations regarding the suggested number of texts students should be reading across each unit or the year as a whole. 

Teacher guidance is limited to foster independence for all readers (e.g., independent reading procedures, proposed schedule, tracking system for independent reading). Examples include:

• In the System Guide, a general plan is provided for how to implement independent reading, but not a specific lesson plan. Directions suggest that teachers introduce students to independent reading through book talks, listen while individual students read a portion of a book, observe student’s control over their reading, and confer individually with students. The directions do not state how often these should take place. 

• In Reading Minilesson 2, LA.U1.RML2, Share, directions state how independent reading is woven into lessons: “following independent reading time, gather students together in the meeting area to talk about their reading.”

• In the Reading Minilessons, Management Umbrella 3, Getting Started with Independent Reading, the following lessons are included: 

  • MGT.U3.RML1 focuses on how to work during independent reading time where students are provided guidance on how they will mostly read silently during silent reading time with some time spent conferencing and some spent writing. Writing about what they read is an optional activity. Suggestions are provided for students on how they might take notes on their thoughts as they read.

  • MGT.U3.RML2 focuses on different approaches students might use to choose a book to read.

  • MGT.U3.RML3 focuses on how students can determine if a book is on an appropriate level for them to read.

  • MGT.U3.RML4 focuses on reasons students may have for abandoning a book and when it is appropriate to do so.

  • MGT.U3.RML5 focuses on helping students understand how to keep their independent reading books and materials organized. 

• Each Independent Reading book has a Conferring Card on different genres of fiction texts. They provide a brief introduction of the book, a summary for teachers who may not have read the book, and key characteristics of the book that the teacher may wish to focus on, general prompts that can be used with fiction texts, and academic vocabulary for teachers to begin using in conferring with students to build student experience with the academic language. Suggestions are provided in the System Guide to extend thinking beyond the book with a notation that it is optional and can be modified: "Occasionally you may want to encourage students to expand their thinking about the book through writing or drawing. Choose or modify a Writing About Reading prompt that would best support and extend a student's understanding of the text." 

• In the System Guide, directions are provided for individual conferences and state that the teacher can have “brief conversations, between a young reader and an expert reader, [that] help you expand a student’s thinking about what makes a ‘good’ book.” Teachers use Conferring Cards during the conferences.

• In the System Guide, directions state that when students discover a book they like, “point them to similar books in your classroom or school library to encourage more independent reading.” It also states that students should be allowed to choose books by topic of interest, not reading level: “Students read books of their choosing. Minilessons, brief conferences, and opportunities to share ideas support students’ learning.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1f. 

The Grade 3 materials provide questions that are text-specific and text-dependent; however, the questions do not require students to return to the text to answer them, nor are the students required to provide text evidence to support their responses. The materials provide inconsistent support for students in making meaning of the topics being studied through teacher supports accompanying the Interactive Read Alouds. There are some general pieces of instruction for teachers but not specific directions to assist students. Some questions that serve as writing prompts provide sample student answers but do not include any specificity in what students should be providing in their answers. In the Interactive Read Alouds, teachers are provided with some support for planning and implementation of text-based questions and tasks through the inquiry task cards and the lesson folder.

Text-specific and text-dependent questions and tasks provide some support for students in making meaning of the core understandings of the texts being studied; however, students are not consistently required to return to the texts to provide support for their responses. Examples include:

• In the Interactive Read Aloud, Text Set: Genre Study: Biography, students listen to Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein by Don Brown and verbally answer: “How would you describe Albert? Why do you think Albert’s teacher says he would ‘never get anywhere in life?’ Did Albert stick to his work so closely so he could win a big prize and make money or because he loved it? What’s the difference?” Students are not directed to return to the text to support their responses.

• In Book Clubs, Text Set 3: Exploring Memory Stories, students read Here We All Are by Tomie dePaola and verbally answer: “Tomie finds out on page 9 that he is going to be a big brother. I wonder what he feels about that. What do you think? Tomie really stays busy while waiting for the new baby to come. Talk about some of the activities that Tomie enjoys. Who has an example? On page 64, Tomie says ‘Nana, I’ll be a good boy. Let’s be friends!’ Why do you think his feelings changed about Nana Fall-River?”

• In Reading Minilesson LA.U8.RML2, students verbally answer teacher-directed questions: “Is this book fiction or nonfiction? How do you know? What did you learn about from this book?” Students can answer these questions without having to depend on the text nor provide text evidence. Students also complete an optional assignment where they discuss the specific ways that authors convey and organize information in informational texts. Since this is an optional assignment, the teacher may choose not to have students complete it. 

• In Reading Minilesson LA.U14.RML1, students verbally answer teacher-directed questions: “How does the author feel about guinea pigs? What is his opinion? How do you know?” Students are not directed to return to the text to support their responses.

• In Reading Minilesson LA.U19.RML7, students listen to Conejito by Margaret Read MacDonald and verbally answer teacher-directed questions: “How did Conejito and Tia Monica solve the problem? How is cleverness rewarded at the end of the story?” Students are not directed to return to the text to support their responses.

Teacher materials provide limited support for planning and implementation of text-based questions, tasks, and assignments. Examples include:

• In the Interactive Read Aloud, students listen to Grandma’s Records, then complete a Discuss the Text task. Students verbally answer teacher-directed questions: “Why is music so important to Grandma? Let’s look for some examples of words and illustrations that help show that.” Teacher instructions then tell the teacher to go through the book and invite students to suggest examples. 

• In the Interactive Read Aloud, teacher instructions on the inquiry task cards state: “Think about the essential question and big ideas on the previous page in order to formulate some questions that will help guide students in identifying projects for further exploration of the essential question.” In the lesson folders, the teacher instructions state: “Invite students to share their thinking about the book.”

• In the Interactive Read Aloud, teacher instructions before reading A Friend from Lakota states: “Invite thinking and a brief conversation. Students may turn and talk in pairs.” These are suggested courses of action. No additional information is provided on the focus of the thinking or brief conversation. 

• In Book Clubs, teacher instructions are provided for discussions. In Prepare for Discussion subheading, the teacher instructions state: “Tell children when you will be meeting. To prepare for the book club, read or listen to the book and think about what you want to say about it. Use a sticky note to make one or two pages that you want to talk about.” In the Discuss the Book subheading, teacher instructions state: “Invite children to talk about the book, building on each other’s ideas and providing a variety of perspectives. Remind them to demonstrate respectful listening behavior.” No support for what this should look or sound like is provided.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1g. 

The Grade 3 materials provide some opportunities and behavioral protocols for students to engage in speaking and listening activities; however, materials do not provide strong protocols for a variety of evidence-based speaking and listening opportunities across the whole year’s scope of instructional materials. Speaking and listening instruction may not be applied frequently over the course of the school year. It does not include facilitation, monitoring, or instructional supports for teachers. The development of speaking and listening skills are not prioritized and teacher guidance on how these discussions are to be structured are not apparent throughout the materials. 

The Reading Minilessons provide nine lessons on setting up Book Clubs that include establishing protocols for speaking and listening in these activities; this is the only instruction on speaking and listening in the program. Teacher guidance also indicates that the Minilessons can be omitted at the teacher’s discretion. 

Materials provide limited protocols to support students’ developing speaking and listening skills across the whole year’s scope of instructional materials. Examples include:

• In Reading Minilesson LA.U1.RML2, teachers create a chart to help students remember the guidelines for Turn and Talk conversations:

  • Turn your body toward your partner.

  • Look at your partner.

  • Use a soft indoor voice.

  • Take turns telling your thinking.

  • Be silent and listen carefully while your partner speaks.

  • Say whether you agree or disagree with your partner or add on to what he said.

  • Give reasons for your thinking.

• In Reading Minilesson LA.U5.RML1, materials provide tips for students during Book Clubs:

  • Give a book talk about a book you have read and liked.

  • Include the title.

  • Include the author.

  • Keep it short.

  • Tell just a little about the book.

  • Don’t tell too much.

  • Talk about why others should read it.

  • Sound excited.

• In the Reading Minilessons, the recommended teaching schedule for Umbrella 4: Getting Started with Book Clubs may be taught in Month 2. The nine lessons that teach speaking and listening protocols are scattered in the Minilessons. Examples include:

  • In Reading Minilesson LA.U3.RML2, teachers provide an inquiry-based lesson to help students understand possible ways to begin and end Book Club discussions.

  • In Reading Minilesson LA.U3.RML4, teachers provide an interactive lesson on ways that students can prepare for and give a good book talk during Book Clubs.

  • In Reading Minilesson LA.U4.RML3, students are instructed to turn and talk with a partner about their Book Club discussion ideas but no guidance or protocols are provided.

  • In Reading Minilesson LA.U4.RML4, students engage in a fishbowl discussion and then discuss their observations on respectful behaviors during a discussion. The students and teacher work together to create a chart together that shows their observations and establishes protocols for respectful book club discussions.  No teacher instruction or protocol is provided for how to implement a fishbowl discussion or lead the post-fishbowl conversation.

  • In Reading Minilessons LA.U4.RML5, LA.U4.RML6, and LA.U4.RML7, students continue conversations and reflections to develop guidelines for Book Clubs and how to hold conversations.

• In Interactive Read-Alouds, Independent Reading, and Book Clubs, protocols for speaking and listening are not varied across the academic school year. The same directions are provided to teachers for the protocols in each section:

  • In Interactive Read-Alouds, all lesson folders tell teachers to “invite students to share their thinking about the books. Stop a few times to invite thinking and a brief conversation. Students may turn and talk in pairs or threes. Some stopping points and quick comments are suggested below.”

  • In Independent Reading, all conferring prompts suggest that teachers “may want to select from the prompts below to check in on the student’s enjoyment and understanding of the book, and to answer any questions. Sample and support the student’s oral reading and discuss writing in the Reader’s Notebook.”

  • In Book Clubs, all Conferring Cards tell teachers to “invite students to talk about the book. Remind them to take the group to places in the book they have marked and want to talk about. Facilitate the discussion by guiding students to think about the big ideas in the text.”

Speaking and listening instruction includes limited facilitation, monitoring, and instructional supports for teachers. This includes discussions during Interactive Read-Alouds, Independent Reading, and Book Clubs. Specific speaking and listening support provided is for students who are English Language Learners (ELLs).

• In the Interactive Reading Text Set: Honoring Traditions, teacher instructions state: “Invite people from within students’ families, or the school community or larger community, to share with the class traditions or customs from their culture. Visitors might want to share traditional stories, clothing, music, or food, or demonstrate a traditional skill or practice. Invite students to prepare questions ahead of time, and after each presentation, talk as a class about any new ideas or personal connections students made as a result of the presentation. Students can write short thank-you notes to each presenter.”

• In the Word Study Lessons Book, Group Share (Reading), teachers are provided guidance that “[n]ot every student needs to share something every day. Also, you can have students share with a partner or in threes.” There is no specific guidance on how students should share or what form the conversations should take. 

• In Book Clubs, Discuss the Book, teacher guidance states: “Invite children to talk about the book, building on each other’s ideas and providing a variety of perspectives. Remind them to use evidence to support statements about the text. If needed, select from the following prompts to support thinking and talking.” There is no specific evidence on how to teach students to build on each other’s ideas or how to use evidence.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1h. 

The Grade 3 materials include opportunities for students to engage in speaking and listening work to demonstrate what they are reading, however, the majority of the opportunities are a partnered turn-and-talk or large group discussion. Many questions require students to utilize, apply, and incorporate evidence from texts and/or sources. However, due to the structure of the lesson plans, speaking and listening opportunities are nearly always presented as suggestions. Student discussions are incorporated in the Book Clubs and Interactive Read-Alouds; however, these can be modified or not completed if the teacher chooses. 

Students have multiple opportunities over the school year to demonstrate what they are reading, however there is little variation in the speaking and listening opportunities. The speaking and listening opportunities presented do not align to grade-level standards. Examples include:

• In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Nonfiction/Expository, students participate in a whole class discussion. They listen to A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and verbally answer teacher-directed questions: “After page 20, turn and talk with a partner about some things you are finding interesting about seeds. Has anything surprised you?”

• In Reading Minilessons, LA.U12.RML3, students participate in a turn and talk. Materials state: “Look at this biography, Wangari Maathai by Franck Prévot. Turn and talk about what you notice about who wrote the book and who the book is about.”

• In Reading Minilesson LA.U6.RML1, students turn and talk with a partner about a fiction book they have read recently and decide where it fits onto a genre chart of different types of fiction. 

Speaking and listening work requires students to utilize, apply, and incorporate evidence from texts and/or sources. Examples include:

• In the Interactive Read-Alouds, Discuss the Text section, students listen to a text and the teacher asks text-based questions about the texts. Teacher-directed questions include:

  • In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Exploring Memory Stories, students listen to My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother and verbally answer teacher-directed questions: “At the beginning of the story, Tricia hates her older brother. She says he does terrible things to her. She wishes on a star that she could do one thing better than him. What happens? How is her wish answered? Is the problem solved in the way she thought it would be?”

  • In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Animal Journeys, students listen to Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog and verbally answer teacher-directed questions: “Hachiko is not the only one in the book to show loyalty. Who else in the story is loyal? How does Kentaro show his loyalty?”

• In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Author Illustrator Study: Janell Cannon, students listen to Stellaluna and verbally answer teacher-directed questions: “Mama Bird gets really angry when her babies try to hang like a bat. Why do you think that is? Why does she make Stellaluna promise to follow the rules of the nest?”

• In the Book Clubs: Discuss the Book section section, teacher guidance states: “Invite children to talk about the book, building on each others’ ideas and providing a variety of perspectives. Remind them to use evidence to support statements about the text. If needed, select from the following prompts to support thinking and talking.” Prompts include:

• In the Book Club Text Set 2: Sharing Our World: Animals, students read Dog Finds Lost Dolphins! and verbally answer: “Why is Cloud, a Labrador retriever, a good type of dog for finding dolphins? Could other types of dogs be trained to find dolphins too?”

• In the Book Club Text Set 5: Exploring Expository Nonfiction, students read Crocodile Encounters! and verbally answer: “In the third story, ‘Draining the Lake,’ did you have an idea about where Brady and Juan would find the missing crocodiles? Which part gave you a clue about where the crocodiles might be hiding?”

• In the Book Club Text Set 1: Caring for Each Other: Family, students read Friend or Fiend? with the Pain and the Great One and verbally answer: “Did you think it was funny when Jake used the word ‘fiend’ instead of the word ‘friend’ in his story? How do you think Jake felt when his classmates laughed at him?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1j.

The Grade 3 materials include many opportunities for students to complete a variety of writing tasks that reflect the distribution required by the standards; however, the genres are not evenly distributed nor offered throughout the school year, nor is explicit instruction offered in any of the required genres. Each umbrella includes writing tasks in the culminating lesson, but the tasks do not represent an even distribution across the genres. Optional writing tasks are listed on many of the Interactive Read-Aloud cards; however, the writing opportunity is a recommendation and is not required. Typically, three other tasks are offered on each card that are not related to writing, such as an art project, a math connection, a geography connection, or another discipline. Book Club cards also feature writing prompts; however, since the Book Club texts are optional, there is no guarantee which genres of writing a student may experience. While students do have the option to complete opinion, informative, explanatory, and narrative writing, there are fewer informative and narrative writing task options available throughout the program. 

Materials do not provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply different genres/modes/types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. There is no explicit instruction of the writing modes called for in the standards. Students have the option to respond to reading with writing, but are not required to do so and do not receive any instruction on the writing mode.

Different genres/modes/types of writing are not evenly distributed throughout the school year. Nearly all writing tasks are connected to a text that has been read to students; however, the writing tasks are frequently presented as one of a few options, therefore students may not choose to engage with these tasks. 

• Examples of optional informative/explanatory writing tasks include but are not limited to:

  • In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Nonfiction/Narrative, students listen to A Friend for Lakota. One possible Respond to the Text activity is a shared writing assignment. Teacher directions state: “Ask students to recall their conversation about wolf and human behavior. You may wish to reread parts of the book as a reminder of the wolves’ behavior. Tell students you will work together to write a paragraph that answers the questions: How are wolves the same as people? On chart paper, record students’ ideas and examples from the book. Then have them dictate a paragraph answering the question.”

  • In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Meteor!, one possible Respond to the Text activity is for students to write a short news story where they imagine they are a reporter for a local newspaper telling about the meteor falling to the Earth at Gaw Farm. The teacher tells students that a good news story gives basic facts that answer the questions who, what, where, how, and when.

  • In Book Clubs, Text Set: Exploring Expository Nonfiction, students read Spies. The Extend the Discussion: Further Response activity is for students to “write about one of the gadgets in a spy’s toolkit using details from the book. Write about how you would create your own gadget to use as a spy.”

• Examples of optional narrative writing tasks include but are not limited to:

  • In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Exploring Memory Stories, students listen to Saturdays and Teacakes. One possible Respond to the Text activity is to think about a special time that they remember and write a story of what happened using repetition, sound words, and/or dialogue to help readers hear the setting.

  • In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: The Importance of Determination, teachers listen to The Paperboy. One possible Respond to the Text activity is an independent writing assignment. Teacher directions state: “Discuss how Dav Pilkey’s words and paintings in The Paperboy created a feeling of peace and happiness. Look back through the book with students, rereading a few pages and discussing the illustrations. Ask students to imagine themselves as the paperboy. What do you see? What do you feel? What is it like to be a paperboy? Then have students write about what it would be like to deliver papers early in the morning. Have students record their paragraphs in the reader’s notebook.”

• Examples of optional opinion writing tasks include but are not limited to:

  • In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Author/Illustrator Study: Patricia Polacco, students listen to The Bee Tree. One possible Respond to the Text activity is to write a letter to the author telling which of her books they liked best and why.

  • In the Interactive Read-Aloud Text Set: Honoring Traditions, students listen to Crane Boy. One possible Respond to the Text activity is an independent writing assignment. Teacher directions state: “Ask students what they liked about the story Crane Boy. What did you like about the story? What, if anything, did you dislike? Is there anything you didn’t understand or want to know more about? Then have students write simple reviews of the book and recommend whether or not they think others should read it. Have them write their reviews in the reader’s notebook.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the expectations of Indicator 1l.

The materials include limited explicit instruction in grammar standards. There was no evidence for the explicit instruction in teacher materials for multiple standards such as, explain the function of verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, form and use regular and irregular verbs, and identify abstract nouns. Materials include opportunities for students to demonstrate the application of some skills in context. However, materials do not have authentic opportunities for students to apply newly learned skills to their writing. Students apply skills in the “Apply,” “Read,” and “Interactive and Independent Writing” sections of student activities. The materials include optional activities for students to engage in the application of skills in their writing found at the end of the guided reading books. 

Materials include limited explicit instruction of some grammar and usage standards for the grade level. Evidence includes but is not limited to the following:

• Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Letter-Sound Relationships, Card 17, students find words that are capitalized and discuss which words should be capitalized, such as the first word in a sentence, words that are specific person, place, or thing, and the pronoun I. The word “pronoun” is the only speech part that is specifically mentioned.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure Lesson 20, Online Resources, the teacher writes words on chart paper and asks students to identify what they notice. The manual states that some students might notice they are nouns. The teacher then explains to students that when a word ends in e, you add an r to create the name of a person or thing that does something. 

• Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Card 14, the teacher writes the following words on a chart: dress, bush, box, wrench, and buzz. Then the teacher adds -es to the words to make them plurals.

  • In Fountas &Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Lesson 15, the teacher writes the words city, cities, trophy, trophies, party, and parties on chart paper. The teacher asks students what they notice. Then the teacher has students notice that the words on the left end in y.

• Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).

  • No evidence was found.

• Form and use regular and irregular verbs.

  • No evidence was found.

• Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Card 12, using a pocket chart, the teacher displays three columns for the ending sounds for -ed (/d/, /ed/, and /t/). The teacher displays the words turned, painted, and asked. The teacher asks students to identify what they notice about the words. The teacher has students identify that sometimes -ed makes different sounds and sometimes it makes a syllable. 

• Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

  • No evidence was found.

• Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Card 19, the teacher models adding suffixes -er and -est to words to form comparatives and superlatives, such as tall, taller, tallest thin, thinner, and thinnest.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure 19, the teacher states the principle “Add -er to the end of a word when comparing two things. Add -est to the end of a word when comparing three or more things.” The rest of the lesson is focused on teaching how to spell words when adding the suffixes -er and -est. The teacher gives the students the words to use during the practice activity. There are suggestions provided on page 417 for practicing reading or writing of comparatives and superlatives in shared reading, guided reading, shared writing, and independent writing. 

• Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

  • No evidence was found.

• Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Meaning/Vocabulary, Lesson 15, students pick homophone word cards. They write and illustrate sentences with the words on the word cards. 

• Capitalize appropriate words in titles.

  • No evidence found

• Use commas in addresses.

  • No evidence found

• Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

  • No evidence found

• Form and use possessives.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Lesson 14, Online Resources, the teacher writes a word list on chart paper, such as dress, bush, and box. The teacher then asks students how they would make the word plural. 

• Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Card 5, under Considerations, it states that students should know affixes (inflectional suffixes -ing and -ed.)

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Meaning/Vocabulary, Lesson 22, the teacher writes words with the -ful ending on chart paper. The teacher then explains that a suffix changes the noun color to an adjective. The teacher explains to students that the suffix may help them determine the meaning of the word. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Card 5, the teacher guides students to understand the principle that when the letter before y is a consonant, change the y to i and add -es. Students are to write the singular and plural of words that fit this pattern. Students use words given to them by the teacher. 

• Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Card 6, using magnetic letters, the teacher makes the word unfair. The students figure the word out using syllable patterns.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Lesson 21, during shared writing, the teacher encourages students to talk about how the prefix re- is used in writing. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Contents-Spelling Patterns, page v, there are 16 lessons on recognizing and using various phonogram patterns to read and write words. 

• Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Solving Actions, Card 9, the teacher introduces dictionary use, and then students explore dictionaries.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Meaning/Vocabulary, Lesson 20, in the “Apply” section, the manual states that students may need to consult a dictionary to find example phrases and sentences that students might find helpful when completing the literal/figurative language work. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word-Solving Actions, Card 9, the focus of this lesson is to look up words in a dictionary, understand the information presented in the entry (i.e., pronunciation and number of syllables), and write definitions of chosen words. 

• Choose words and phrases for effect.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Meaning Vocabulary, Card 21, the teacher gives examples of literal and figurative language.

• Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English.

  • No evidence found

Materials include limited opportunities for students to demonstrate application of skills in context, including applying grammar and convention skills to writing. Evidence includes but is not limited to the following:

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Lesson 22, during independent writing, while conferring with the students, the teacher draws the students’ attention to words with prefixes un-, in-, dis-, and non- in them.

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Lesson 12, Online Resources, students say and sort word cards into a three-way sort between different -ed words. The students read the words to their partners as they write them. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary, Word Structure, Lesson 20, in the “Apply” section, the manual states that the teacher should prompt students to refer to the student dictionary to confirm spellings. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell, The Reading Minilessons Book, Writing About Reading, Umbrella 3, RML 5, pages 520-521, the teacher shows a sample letter and demonstrates how to reread the first paragraph to check for grammar and convention errors. Students practice with a partner to reread and correct the rest of the letter. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell, The Reading Minilessons Book, Write about Reading, Umbrella 3, RML 2, pages 514-515, the teacher explains that students are to write a letter each week about their reading for that week.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1m. 

The Grade 3 materials include some teacher guidance outlining a cohesive year-long vocabulary development component. There is limited attention paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and to high-value academic words. The materials provide suggested activities with vocabulary instruction, but there is no explicit instruction of academic vocabulary and its usage after being introduced. Vocabulary instruction is included in the Word Study program and selected vocabulary is included in the lesson goals for Interactive Read-Alouds, Book Club selections, and Reading Minilessons. In Reading Minilessons, words are identified as being academic vocabulary that students need to understand, but there is no protocol or guidance for how to teach the words nor are definitions included for the words that students encounter in texts. In Book Clubs and Interactive Read-Alouds, vocabulary words are not identified prior to the lesson but are included in teacher-led discussion questions to understand the text. Tier 2 and Tier 3 words are not identified. 

Materials provide some teacher guidance outlining a cohesive year-long vocabulary development component. Examples include:

• In the Comprehensive Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Guide, a plan for word meaning/vocabulary is included for grades PreK-8 that includes lessons related to figurative language, concept words, combined, and created words. These lessons do not provide support for growing students’ knowledge and application of academic vocabulary. 

• In the Word Study Lessons: Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Book, teacher guidance states: “Lessons should be conversational. In most lessons, it is appropriate for students to derive the principle through inquiry and example, and you can state it at the end of the lesson and again at the end of the share time. Be sure to say the principle the same way each time. Your tone will be that of I’m going to show you something interesting about how words work or What do you notice about these words? Invite students to make connections to their names and words they know. Invite them to contribute further examples, and recognize their thinking even if the examples don’t quite fit.” 

Vocabulary is not repeated in contexts (before texts, in texts) and across multiple texts. Examples include:

• In the Classroom System Guide, Phonics and Word Study, the teacher guidance states: “Students learn to solve words ‘on the run’ while reading for meaning and writing to communicate. As teachers work alongside readers and writers, they demonstrate effective behaviors, draw attention to important information, and prompt students to use their knowledge.” Teacher guidance recommends balancing explicit teaching of vocabulary and implicit teaching embedded in the processes of reading and writing. There is no specific information given in this guidance on how to teach effective behaviors or how students use their knowledge.

• In Reading Minilessons, some academic vocabulary is repeated in multiple lessons, such as author, illustrator, craft, and style. There is no context provided for these words nor a protocol for teaching the vocabulary to students.

Limited attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and to high-value academic words (e.g., words that might appear in other contexts/content areas). Examples include:

• The Classroom System Guide does not include a plan for the instruction of Tier 2 and Tier 3 academic vocabulary words in context during reading and associated activities to help students build their knowledge in this area. 

• In the Reading Minilessons, while specific academic language and/or important vocabulary is identified for teachers, there is no specific protocol provided for introducing these words to students nor any support for students who may struggle to understand the words. 

• In the Interactive Read-Aloud, Text Set: Humorous Texts, students listen to Big Bad Bubble by Adam Rubin. Teacher directions state: “Reread page 16. Encourage students to use the context to figure out what the word delicate means. If necessary, explain that delicate means ‘easily broken or damaged’.” 

• In the Interactive Read-Aloud, Text Set: Sharing Our World: Animals, students listen to Moon Bear by Brenda Z. Guiberson, and answer the following questions related to the vocabulary in the selection: “Reread page 6. The word shoots on this page has nothing to do with shooting a basket. What do you think a bamboo shoot is? What words in the sentence give you clues?” Teacher directions state: “Reread page 21. Gorging means eating in a particular way. Have students use prior knowledge and the word gulps on the page to derive the meaning of gorging. Because Moon Bear is a short text with some challenging vocabulary, consider rereading the text on pages 1-28 and encouraging students to ask questions to clarify the words they do not understand.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1n.

The materials provide lessons on plurals, superlative and comparative suffixes, suffixes to form nouns, the suffixes -ful, -less and -ly, and the prefixes re-, mis-, pre-, dis-, im- non-, and un-. There are limited lessons provided about decoding words with common Latin suffixes. No evidence was found for students to read irregularly spelled words. All tasks and questions are not sequenced to the application of grade-level work. Several optional assessments are provided in the BAS2 Kit, including assessments that evaluate students’ overall progress in phonics and word analysis, along with assessments for books at Levels L-Z. There is no guidance concerning how to determine which assessments to use or when to use them. In addition, running records are suggested at the end of each guided reading lesson, but there is no guidance about how often running records should be completed. 

Materials contain limited explicit instruction of phonics, word recognition, and word analysis consistently over the course of the year. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Word Meaning/Vocabulary Lesson 22, page 334, the teacher writes a list of words with the suffixes -ful, -less, -ly, and -ment. The teacher asks students what they notice about the words, and students read the words out loud with the teacher. The teacher points out to students that each word ends in -ful in the first column. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Recognize and Use the Prefix re-, Meaning “again”, page 423, the teacher uses the re- cards and base word cards to make the words remake, refill, and repack in the pocket chart. The teacher explains that a prefix changes the meaning of the words. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Word Meaning Vocabulary, Card 22, the teacher writes the following words with derivational suffixes on a chart: colorful, hopeless, nicely, excitement. The teacher leads a class discussion about the meaning of the suffixes and adds other words to the chart.

• Decode words with common Latin suffixes.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Word Meaning/Vocabulary, Lesson 22, page 334, the teacher writes a list of words with the suffix -ment. The teacher asks students what they notice about the word. Students clap the syllables, and the teacher reminds students that it is easier to read words when you break them apart.

• Decode multisyllable words.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Word-Solving Actions 5, page 450, the teacher tells students that when they see words with more than one syllable, they should take them apart to read the word. The teacher then writes multisyllable words with spaces between the syllables and asks students what they notice or recognize about the parts of the words to be able to read it. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Word Solving Action, Card 5, the teacher starts the lesson by writing kind, unkind, and unkindly on a whiteboard. The students help to break the words into syllables. Then they break apart more multisyllabic words such as cantaloupe.

• Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

  • No evidence was found.

Assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year; however, assessments do not clearly inform instructional adjustments of phonics and word recognition to help students progress toward mastery, and many assessments are optional. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Fountas & Pinnell, Online Resources, BAS2, 3rd Edition, Optional Assessments, there are several optional assessments provided in Fluency and Phrasing, Phonics and Word Analysis, Vocabulary, and Vocabulary in Context. There is only one assessment specifically geared toward Grade 3, The Grade 3 Word Features Test. The test assesses phonics and word analysis. Students read a list of 30 words. The teacher is advised to record which words students read correctly and notice the word features students can and cannot read correctly. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell, Online Resources, BAS2, 3rd Edition, Recording Forms, an assessment form is provided for each of two books beginning at Level L and continuing until Level Z. There is one fiction and one nonfiction book at each level. The recording form includes oral reading, fluency, comprehension questions, and an optional writing prompt. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell, Online Resources, Guided Reading Collection Guide, page 20, on the back of the guided reading lesson plans, there is an assessment section that suggests that teachers refer to the corresponding level in the Literacy Continuum and make notes of the behaviors and understandings the readers in the group control or need to control. The teacher should note what students have learned to control or what they need to learn how to control. In addition, this section also advises teachers to use the Recording Form to take a running record. After coding the reading, teachers are to select an immediate teaching point. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Spelling Patterns, Lesson 3, page 163, in the “Assess” section, the teacher reads the text and prompts students to notice how efficiently they solve the reading pattern VCe in text. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Letter-Sound Assessment B, Identifying and Writing Ending Consonant Clusters in Words, the materials instruct the teacher to notice whether students can hear and accurately represent the sounds of consonant clusters at the ends of words. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Word Structure Assessment F, the materials state that the assessment is designed to see if students understand that a suffix changes the meaning of a word. There are three things mentioned that a teacher should notice: the number of suffixes that children can read, the speed at which they read them, and particular words and suffixes that students know. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Letter-Sound Relationships, Lesson 1, in the “Assess” portion of the lesson, the teacher has students write 10 to 12 words with consonant clusters that they have been taught. The teacher is to observe students’ progress.

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Word Structure, Lesson 4, in the “Assess” portion of the lesson, the teacher dictates four to six words with double consonants in the middle. The teacher instructs students to write the words and draw a line in the middle to divide between syllables. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Lessons, Grade 3, Word Structure, Lesson 21, the manual suggests that the teacher may want to use Word Structure Assessment G or M. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell, The Reading Minilessons Book, Section 2, Umbrella 2, Assessments, teachers observe students as they talk and write about their reading after teaching mini lessons in this umbrella. There are questions to guide teachers in these observations. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell, BAS 2, Online Resources, Optional Assessments, Phonics and Word Analysis, there are optional assessments in which students read words with prefixes, suffixes, and compound words.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1n.i.

Materials have lessons that provide the teachers with instruction and repeated modeling of grade-level phonics standards. The teacher models listening, speaking, writing, and reading phonics skills. The teacher uses magnetic letters during the whole group teaching for students to get systematic and repeated modeling of the skills. However, foundational skills lessons are recommended for 10 minutes a day, which may not provide sufficient time for students to receive daily explicit instruction to work towards mastery of foundational skills. 

Foundational skills lessons are recommended for 10 minutes a day.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Materials contain explicit instructions for systematic and repeated teacher modeling of all grade-level phonics standards. However, materials recommend that foundational skills lessons occur for 10 minutes each day, which may not provide sufficient time for students to receive explicit instruction to work towards mastery of newly learned foundational skills. 

• Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, Letter-Sound Relationships Lesson 8, page 108, the teacher uses a pocket chart to display the words class and wave. The teacher asks students to identify what they notice and what is different about the words. The teacher might need to prompt students about the difference in vowel sounds. 

• Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, online resources, Letter-Sound Relationships Lesson 18, page 148, the teacher has long /a/, /e/, and /o/ words displayed in the pocket chart. The teacher asks students what they notice about the words wait, keep, and road. The teacher states that the letters a and i together stand for the long /a/ sound. 

• Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

  • Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, Word Structure 4, pages 324-325, the teacher shows a list of words such as toothbrush, haircut, and railroad. The teacher states, “If you don’t know what compound words mean, sometimes you can find hints in the meaning of the smaller words. What is the first smaller word in this compound word?” 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, Word Structure 26, page 412, the teacher displays two-syllable words such as baby, motor, tiny, open, and secret. The teacher writes each word that shows each syllable. Students say baby and clap the two syllables. The teacher helps students to recognize that the first syllable in each word ends with a vowel letter. The teacher states, “When a syllable ends with a single vowel, the vowel sound is usually long.”

• Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 2, page 391, the teacher tells students to listen as they break apart the word inside. The teacher tells students to use word parts to help them read words they don’t know. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, Word Structure 21, page 392, the teacher uses magnetic letters to form the words play, plays, played, cry, cries, and cried on the magnetic word board. The teacher reads the words and students listen to the list. 

• Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, Word Structure 13, page 360, the teacher builds words with -ed on the magnetic whiteboard. The teacher has students read the words and asks them about what they notice about the ending sounds. The teacher guides students to recognize that -ed sounds like /d/ /ed/ and /t/ depending on the word.

Lessons provide teachers with systematic and repeated instruction for students to hear, say, encode, and read each newly taught grade-level phonics pattern.

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, online resources, Letter-Sound Relationships Lesson 9, page 112, the students sort letter y words in columns of words that make the long /e/ or long /i/ sound. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, online resources, Letter-Sound Relationships Lesson 18, page 149, students put /ai/ and /ay/ words in columns, and then they read the list of words to a partner. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling and Word Study Lessons, Grade 2, Word Structure 28, page 420, the teacher shows happy in magnetic letters. The teacher adds the prefix un- to happy. The teacher engages students in a discussion about how un- changes the meaning of the word.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for Indicator 1p.

Materials include six reading minilessons focused on maintaining fluency, though there are no lessons that include successive readings. Additionally, the minilessons lack explicit instruction in accuracy, rate, and expression. While some Guided Reading lessons include fluency, there is no guarantee that all students will have an opportunity to receive these lessons since they are not a part of core instruction. There is a fluency rubric teachers can use when students are reading; however, materials do not include guidance for how often teachers should use this rubric. In addition, when using the BAS2, it states to assess fluency. Neither the rubric nor the BAS2 assessment provides teachers with instructional adjustments to help students progress toward mastery of fluency. There is no evidence of students receiving instruction on using self-correction while reading. 

Limited opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate sufficient accuracy and fluency in oral and silent reading. Evidence includes but is not limited to the following:

• Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell, Shared Reading, Grade 3, Far Above Earth, one of the goals for this lesson is to help students understand they read with the integration of fluency, including pausing, phrasing, and word stress. 

Materials provide limited support for reading of prose and poetry with attention to rate, accuracy, and expression, as well as direction for students to apply reading skills when productive struggle is necessary. Evidence includes but is not limited to the following:

• Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell, Shared Reading, Grade 3, in the interactive read-aloud text Flicker Flash, students are prompted to be guided by the rhythm of the language as they read. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell, The Reading Minilessons Book, Section 3, Umbrella 3, RML 3, pages 464-465, the teacher reads a page from a book, reading so that the sentences are fluent and sound like natural speech. The teacher talks about the principles of reading fluently and adds students’ ideas about what the principles mean. Students read the sentences on a displayed page with a partner and are reminded to put their words together to sound like they are talking. 

  • In Fountas & Pinnell, The Reading Minilessons Book, Section 3, Umbrella 3, RML 4, pages 466-467, the teacher reads a page from a book, emphasizing stress and intonation so that students notice louder and softer voice, as well as rising and falling on certain words. The teacher invites students to reread the same page the same way the teacher read it. Students read a page and practice making their reading sound interesting with a partner. 

Materials do not support students’ fluency development of reading skills (e.g., self-correction of word recognition and/or for understanding, focus on rereading) over the course of the year (to get to the end of the grade-level band). Evidence includes but is not limited to the following:

• Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

  • In Fountas & Pinnell, The Reading Minilessons Book, Section 3, Umbrella 1, RML 1, pages 428-429, the teacher covers words in a book that could potentially have a couple of meaningful options. The teacher reads a page and pauses at the covered word. Students predict what the word to be and justify their choice. The teacher uncovers the word and, if students predicted a different word, reminds students to check to make sure the word makes sense, sounds right, and looks right while reading. 

Assessment materials provide teachers and students with limited information of students’ current fluency skills and provide teachers with limited instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery of fluency. Evidence includes but is not limited to the following:

• In Fountas & Pinnell, Online Resources, BAS2, Optional Assessments, Assessing Fluency and Phrasing, a Six Dimensions Fluency Rubric is provided for teachers to assess students as they read a Benchmark Assessment book or another appropriate book. Teachers score the students on phrasing, pausing, stress, intonation, rate, and integration on a four-point scale for each to determine how much if any, teaching on fluency is necessary. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell, Online Resources, BAS2, The New Girl, Recording Sheet, page 4, after taking a running record of a section of this book, the teacher calculates the accuracy rate, records the number of self-corrections, and rates the student’s fluency on a four-point scale. There is a section for calculating the reading rate, though this is marked as optional. 

• In Fountas & Pinnell, Benchmark Assessment System 2, Levels L-Z, allows teachers to give a running record to determine students’ fluency, including rate and accuracy, and what level they are reading.