9th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 partially meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend complex texts proficiently.

The materials are divided by units with sets of text that focus on a literary element and include a title and subtitles. The subtitle notes which aspect of literacy is being addressed for the text selections. In Units are further divided by genre. Each text set provides “big questions” that address a theme or “big idea”. The big question, text analysis, and reading skill suggestions provide opportunities for students to build knowledge and to read and comprehend texts proficiently. Texts do not build knowledge of a topic or theme.

Examples include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Characterization and Point of View: The unit is titled People Watching and focuses on characterization and point of view. The Big Question is, “How important is status?” The text analysis skill is character motivation and the reading skill is making inferences. Students read the short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant (224), a magazine article “Spending Spree” (237) and a flier “Is Debt Dragging you Down?” (238). Another Big Question in this unit is, “What is a teacher?” The text analysis skill is characterization in an autobiography and the reading skill is analyzing perspectives. Students read an autobiography excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (256) and the poem: “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou (264)
• In Unit 4, Theme and Symbol: The unit is titled Getting the Message and focuses on theme and symbols. The Big Question is, “What if life had a reset button?” The text analysis skill is theme and setting and the reading skill is drawing conclusions. Students read a short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier (442), a newspaper article: “Sowing Change” by Donna Freedman (455) and a book cover: “In Our Hands” (458). Another Big Question in this unit is, “Where do you go to get away from it all?” The text analysis skill is universal theme and the reading skill is reading poetry for theme. Students read the poems “Poem on Returning to Dwell in the Country” by T’ao Ch’ien (502), “My Heart Leaps Up” by William Wordsworth (503) and “The Sun” by Mary Oliver (504).
• In Unit 8, Author’s Style and Voice: The unit is titled A Way with Words and focuses on style and voice. The Big Question is, “Is fear our worst enemy?” The text analysis skill is realism and the reading skill is analyzing sequence. Students read a short story “Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?” by Tim O’Brien (828) a magazine article “The Naked Soldier” by Tim O’Brien (836) and a recruitment Poster “Be a Marine” (840).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 partially meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

The materials offer students opportunities to use evidence pulled directly from the text as well as make inferences while reading in order to help make meaning of the texts provided. Most discussion questions and tasks include analysis of language, key ideas, details and craft and structure. In the margins of the student text there are questions to call out specific details to note in the text. The sequenced questions allow for making meaning and building understanding of texts. Within the Tiered Discussion Prompts, there are questions labeled evaluate or analyze. The materials include a range of text dependent questions and tasks throughout each unit. However, questions are not scaffolded to build knowledge. The rigor of what students are being asked does not increase through the year. Examples include:

Examples of questions and tasks in Unit 1 after reading the text, “The Most Dangerous Game” include:

• Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Rainsford and Zaroff. Start by listing each man’s character traits in the appropriate circle. Then note their similarities where the circles overlap.”
• “Connell makes use of foreshadowing to help readers predict future events in the story. Find at least three examples of foreshadowing in the story. How does this techniques add to the suspense of this story? Cite evidence.”
• “Remind students that tangible refers to real, concrete things that can be touched or felt. The opposite is intangible- concepts or abstracts that do not have substance or form, such as emotions. Have students create a pair of related statements that show how a tangible item can be related to an intangible concept.”
• “In lines 111-128, how does Rainsford demonstrate that he has survival skills?”

Examples of questions and tasks in Unit 3 after reading the text, “The Cask of Amontillado” include:

• “What is the overall mood, or atmosphere, of this story? In your opinion, what contributes most to the mood-- the setting, the rhythm, the tone of the language, or the descriptions of Montresor’s thoughts, feelings, and actions? Provide details form the story to support your opinion.”
• “In lines 56-63, the narrator puts on a mask and wraps himself in a cloak. He also explains that he was able ’to insure’ there would be ‘no attendants at home.’ What do these actions suggest about his plan for revenge?”
• “How does the change in setting contribute to the mood of the story?”
• “Poe uses several words and phrases from other languages in this story. “For example, “in pace requiescat” (line 219) is a Latin phrase meaning “Rest in peace.” Identify the foreign word in line 204 and look up its origin and meaning in a dictionary.”

Examples of questions and tasks in Unit 9 after reading the text, Angela’s Ashes include:

• “Frank develops two friendships in the hospital. What is the basis of each friendship? Give reasons to support your response.”
• “What motivates Sister Rita to forbid Frank to talk to Patricia? Considering Patricia’s fate, were Sister Rita’s actions justified? Cite details to support your response.”
• “Based on their conversation, how do you think Frank feels talking to Patricia?”
• “Sister Rita doesn’t want Patricia and Frank to talk to each other. What do her restrictions reveal about her character?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 partially meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

Anchor texts are accompanied by linked activities and questions before, during, after reading, which are text-dependent and text-specific. The threads of questions connected to anchor texts are coherently sequenced due to a repeated three-part structure: Test Analysis and Reading Skill tasks, which students are directed to complete in their Reader/Writer Notebooks, introduce skills and topics such as reading folk literature, analyzing structure, rhetorical devices, diction, satire, imagery, figurative language. Questions placed alongside the text and after the text prompt students to identify and comment on the effect or meaning of focus text features. However, the level of questions does not increase significantly over the course of the year, and tasks are scaffolded and passages labeled consistently across the year. Students do not become prepared to execute these skills on their own.

There is no clear explanation of how integration of skills builds from unit to unit, with limited guidance available for teachers. While questions may support a general understanding of the texts themselves, they do not support building students’ knowledge about the content or topics/themes introduced by the texts. There are some opportunities for students to build knowledge between multiple texts.

For example, the Unit 2 focus is Characterization and Point of View. Students read the text “Hamadi” by Naomi Shihab Nye and answer questions such as:

• “Think of someone you know who is unusual but admirable. How would you make those traits clear to someone who had never met that person?”
• “How does this description of Hamadi’s outlook on life make him seem remarkable?”

• Reread lines 21-31. “What important character traits of Susan’s does the narrator reveal in this paragraph?”

Students also read the text,“Blind to Failure” by Karl Taro Greenfeld and “A Different Level of Competition” by Anna Stein. At the end of the second text, students will respond to the following prompt integrating ideas across texts:

• Compare and contrast: What do the athletes described in this article (A Different Level of Competition) have in common with Erik Weihenmayer (Blind to Failure)? Are they different from him in any way? Give examples to support your comparison.

While the questions and tasks included support students comparing texts and support a general understanding of the texts themselves, they do not support building students’ knowledge about the content or topics/themes introduced by the texts. The focus of students’ work may need support from the teacher to focus on characterization and point of view which is the stated focus of the unit.

The Unit 6 focus is Argument and Persuasion. Although the questions in Unit 6 refer to the texts, reviewers noted that additional questions could may assist students in close reading to analyze the text. Students read the text, “How Private is Your Private Life?” and answer the following discussion questions:

• Tiered Discussion Prompts: “Use these prompts to help students link surveillance with technology focusing on text in lines 49-59:
  • Where have you seem surveillance devices?
  • How does the author contrast the use of hidden cameras on the corner of 45th street and Fifth Avenue with surveillance cameras used by the police?
  • How does the quotation from John Pike influence your views on the use of surveillance cameras?”

Students also read “Primal Screen” by Ellen Goodman and “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury. The prompt, “Now that you have read each text, it is time to compare and contrast the writer’s messages, or central ideas. Write your observations on a chart.” The questions and task do not support building students’ knowledge about the content or topics/themes introduced by the texts.

The level of questions does not increase significantly over the course of the year, and tasks are scaffolded and passages labeled consistently across the year. Students are frequently directed where to look for evidence when analyzing a text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 partially meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

The questions and tasks partially support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills. The representation of these skills is not diverse. The tasks focus mostly on general analysis, general responses, opinion responses of characters, themes, or setting as well as relying heavily on the strategy of compare/contrast.

The materials provide culminating tasks at the end of sets as well as at the end of units. The end of text or text set culminating tasks are always writing tasks in the form of the “Short Constructed Response” and the “Extended Constructed Response,” which do not always focus on the unit’s topics. The end of unit tasks, however, are standards-driven, with a “Writing Workshop” essay assignment and often a speaking task that is related to the Writing Workshop writing piece. Overall, the culminating activities and tasks illustrate cohesiveness within the materials, yet they fall short of providing diverse opportunities for students to engage with texts at a higher/deeper level of analysis/interpretation, thus only partially meeting the criteria for this indicator.

The following examples represent culminating tasks that show mastery of skills, but not necessarily demonstration of knowledge of a topic:

• Unit 2: People Watching: Characterization and Point of View
  • The final culminating writing activity for the unit is a literary analysis. Students will take their analysis through the writing process. (301)
  • Prompt: Compare how two authors treat the same subject.
  • Write a work of literary criticism in which you evaluate the believability of a specific character from literature. Use relevant evidence from the text to justify your claim.
  • After students have completed their literary analysis, students choose from one of 4 different ways to publish their writing that include speaking and listening opportunities..

• Unit 4:Getting the Message: Theme and Symbol
  • Throughout Unit 4, culminating activities are provided after selections. For example, on page 457, after reading the article, “Sowing Change” and the short story, “Marigolds,” a prompt is provided to culminate understanding:
  • Both “Marigolds” and “Sowing Change” feature gardeners and their work. Write a brief analysis of the benefits of gardens. Use details from the short story and the article to support your ideas.

• Unit 6: Taking Sides: Argument and Persuasion:
  • “I have a Dream,” by Martin Luther King, Jr.,
  • Students are asked to write a constructed response that responds to the following prompt: How would you account for the extraordinary acclaim King’s speech has received, not only when it was first delivered but many years later? Write a three to five paragraph analysis of the effectiveness of King’s address. Consider both the strength of its logic and its emotional power.
  • “The Pedestrian” & “Primal Screen” (708)
  • Extended Constructed Response: Write Dialogue: Imagine you are having a conversation with Ray Bradbury about his views on television. Write one to two pages that reveal what he might think about how television affects people’s lives.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 partially meets the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. While there is a consistent pattern of vocabulary activity across the materials, vocabulary strategies and tasks are often repeated and lack variety in how students engage with vocabulary so students can activate new knowledge in new contexts. Materials lack consistent protocols for presentation as well as opportunities for students to review and reuse previously learned vocabulary. These factors may limit students’ abilities to build academic vocabulary across texts.

Materials attempt a year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Each text is provided with the following vocabulary components located in the Teacher’s Edition:

• Vocabulary Skill: “Vocabulary in Context” and “Vocabulary to Preteach” based on the text.
• Own the Word: As students read, opportunities are provided for the teacher to stop to teach vocabulary words in context.
• Differentiated Vocabulary Support: Vocabulary support is sporadic throughout each unit.
• For English Language Learners: Language Coach: These are tips found in the teacher’s edition that assist in teaching specific vocabulary strategies for words such as roots, affixes, etymology, multiple meanings, word origins, etc… These are designed to use with English Language Learners but can be helpful to all students.
• For Struggling Readers - Additional words from the text are identified as ones that students may need more support.
• For Advanced Learners - Challenge vocabulary suggestions.
• After Reading Vocabulary Assessment: This is found at the end of each text and includes true/false, multiple choice, short answer, and/or fill in the blank questions for students based on the words taught throughout the story.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Unit 9: Text: “Revisiting Sacred Ground” by N. Scott Momaday

An emphasis in this unit asks students to predict meanings of the vocabulary:

• Vocabulary in Context:

“Preteach Vocabulary: Help students predict the meanings for each boldfaced word” (words are provided for students in sentences).(941)

• As students read, opportunities are provided for the teacher to stop to teach words in context. For example, “Own the Word”

• Alienation: Explain that the root of alienation is alien, meaning someone from a foreign country or different world. Have students write sentences that show understanding of alien and alienation.
• Cosmetic: Ask students what cosmetic changes could improve the bus in the story’s appearance?

In this unit, students do have an opportunity to use Academic Vocabulary in Writing however a list of words is provided for students. An example includes:

• “In their migration, the Kiowa Indians went from the high mountains of Montana and Wyoming to the Great Plains. In a paragraph or two, identify at least three or four ways in which that change in environment would have changed their lives. Use at least one Academic Vocabulary word in your response.” (949)

Unit 11: Text: from the “Odyssey” by Homer, Translated by Robert Fitzgerald

• Vocabulary Skill

Vocabulary in Context: Diagnose word knowledge: Have all students complete and check their definitions against the following: (words and definitions listed).

Preteach Vocabulary: Use the copy master to help students predict meanings for each boldfaced word. A protocol is provided:

1. Read item 1 aloud, emphasizing adversity.
2. Point out that “survive” and “so much hardship” give clues to the word’s meaning.
3. Have students try to figure out what the word means.
4. Repeat the procedure for items 2-10.

• Vocabulary Assessment: Academic Vocabulary in Speaking: For example:

“The goddess Athena monitors Odysseus’ journey and attempts to help him return home. With a partner, discuss why Athena undertakes this responsibility. What is her motivation? What does it tell us about the ancient Greeks and their religion? Use at least one Academic Vocabulary word in your discussion.” (1268)

Additional resources such as copy masters, can be found in the Resource Manager. Think Central is an online tool that provides additional vocabulary resources for students to practice and review vocabulary. Directives are provided in the Teacher’s Edition.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 partially meet the criteria that materials contain a year long, cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts.

Writing instruction in the 9th grade curriculum includes activities and tasks that are varied, building on and expanding on the experiences and readings students complete. Skills are pulled out and scaffolded for student development and opportunities to revise/edit help students improve. Due to the varied purposes, lengths, and types of texts students are responding to, students may need extra support or practice should they struggle in a skill area. The materials do not provide increase in student demand of writing instruction over the course of the school year.

Examples of how the program uses writing include but are not limited to:

Unit 2-- People Watching: Characterization and Point of View

Throughout the unit there are frequent writing opportunities for students. Students engage in quickwrites, constructed responses to the texts read, and culminates in students writing a Literary Criticism. All writing tasks are responses to text. Some examples include:

• Extended Constructed Response: Comparison “Referring back to the details in the story, write three to five paragraphs comparing Jill’s and Andy’s attitudes towards their work at the restaurant. Make sure to include examples of Jill’s perfectionism.(221)
• Quickwrite: “Think of different types of strength - physical, emotional, spiritual, and s o forth. Think of people who exemplify each type of strength and put them in categories in a chart like the one shown. Do any of the people belong in more than one category?” (268)
• Cumulative Writing Task: Literary Criticism

Prompt; “In this workshop you will learn how to write a work of literary criticism. You will

evaluate a specific character’s believability and support your claim, or position with evidence. (Students are instructed to complete the workshop activities in their Reader/Writer Notebook). (302) Students are taken through the entire writing process (302-310). A number of additional writing lesson are provided for students as they work on their literary criticism. An example is as follows:

• “Gather evidence in order to craft a convincing argument: you should supply several strong reasons that clearly and directly support your claim. For literary criticism, it's important to closely examine the text for evidence that you can include to back up your reasons. Each of your reasons must be supported by at least one of the following kinds of relevant or related evidence...

Unit 3-- A Sense of Place: Setting Mood and Imagery

Throughout the unit there are frequent writing opportunities for students. Students engage in quickwrites, constructed responses to the texts read, and culminates in students writing a short story.. All writing tasks are responses to text. Some examples include:

• Short Constructed Response: Analysis: “Do you think Jerry’s mother is right to trust him by himself? Consider the risks Jerry takes, as well as his success, and then write a one-or two-paragraph response that explains your answer.” (369)
• Quickwrite: “With a partner, write a “top ten” list of the key qualities you look for in a friend. Then compare your list with those of your classmates. Does everyone list similar qualities? Are physical traits and intellectual or emotional factors equally important? (336)
• Cumulative Writing Task: “Write a short story in which you develop characters, setting, plot events, a conflict, a resolution, and a theme. You can use real world or imagined events, issues, or people to inspire your story.” Idea starters and essential components of a short story are provided for students during the Writing Workshop. The writing workshop takes students through the entire writing process. (412-420)

Unit 8-- A Way with Words: Author’s Style and Voice

Throughout the unit there are frequent writing opportunities for students. Students engage in quickwrites, constructed responses to the texts read, and culminates in students writing an analysis of the author’s style. All writing tasks are responses to text. Some examples include:

• Extended Constructed Response: Opinion: “Oliver makes the case that we do nature a disservice when we label it cute. Can this apply to calling a person, cute as well? Write a three-to-five paragraph response explaining whether or not you think this label can be harmful to humans. Use evidence from the text to support your opinion.” (867)
• Quickwrite: “In a paragraph, describe a situation in which you felt out of place. Include all the details you can remember - even the embarrassing ones! What about the situation made you feel self-conscious? Did you eventually relax and feel better, or were you uncomfortable the whole time?” (852)
• Cumulative Writing Task: Analysis of Author’s Style: “Choose a piece of literature and write an analysis of the author’s style. Your analysis should help the audience understand important elements of the author’s style, such as word choice, sentence structure, tone, figurative language, or imagery. Then, explain the effect, or impact, that those elements of style have on readers.” Idea starters and essential components of a short story are provided for students during the Writing Workshop. The writing workshop takes students through the entire writing process. (890-898)