7th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. While materials do contain text-dependent questions, questions are focused on literacy skills rather than knowledge building. In addition, there is no clear explanation of how integration of skills or knowledge 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.

Evidence includes, but is not limited to:

• In Unit 1, students read “Rikki-tikki-tavi”. While reading students answer the following question: “Reread line 111-125. Which details of Nagaina’s attack on Rikki-tikki create tension?” In Unit 7 students read “The Noble Experiment” and are asked the following question while reading: “Reread line 96-103. Notice that Robinson uses first-person pronouns such as I and we. To whom does the we refer?” The questions, which are meant for the end of the school year, still tell students exactly where to look for their answers.These questions support an understanding of the text but do not build knowledge beyond the text.
• In Unit 4, students read “A Day’s Wait” by Ernest Hemingway. Some of the questions they are asked include:
• Is it brave to suffer in silence?
• Style:Do the words Hemingway uses to describe the setting convey a positive or negative atmosphere? Explain.
• How does this painting convey the passage of time?
• Infer: What do you learn about the narrator’s character from his attitude toward hunting?
• Connect: Do you sometimes avoid talking about something that frightens you? Why or why not?
• Why does the boy cry so much?

These questions build students’ comprehension and recall of the text itself, but do not grow students’ understanding of the topics and themes introduced in this piece.

Questions that integrate knowledge from multiple texts are limited to some integration of the skills in the section titled Reading Comprehension check at the end of the each unit.

• In Unit 6 students read “Two Ways to Count to Ten” and “The Race Between Toad and Donkey”. Students are asked to write about the following prompt: “While the fables “Tw Ways to Count to Ten” and ‘The Race Between Toad and Donkey” communicate the same recurring theme, they express this theme in different ways. In four or five paragraphs, compare and contrast the ways in which the fables convey their message. Cite details from the fables to support your response.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Although each unit includes a variety of Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary words, the units and texts do not work in unison or in coherence in order to build the academic vocabulary of students. Even though the texts that are used are of good quality and provide students with a variety of vocabulary to study, there is no coherence between the texts to ensure that students are seeing and engaging with the same words multiple times either in or across texts. There is no year-long guidance for teachers regarding vocabulary development. Evidence of this includes, but is not limited to:

• Approximately 5 academic vocabulary words are provided at the beginning of each unit. The teacher guide also provides definitions for these words under the Differentiated Instruction heading. The materials direct teachers to use additional materials found in the Resource Manager, including worksheets to help students develop fluency with these terms.
• According to the teacher guide, www.thinkcentral.com also includes video and PowerNotes, audio support, ThinkAloud models and WordSharp vocabulary tutorials as well as interactive review and remediation.
• Within each text, key vocabulary words are noted, with definitions for students to reference. Teacher suggestions for working with these words include, “have pairs of students define these words using context clues and a dictionary. Have them pronounce each word out loud several times.
• Each lesson also includes a Vocabulary In Context exercise. For the text, “The Story of Ceres and Proserpina (Unit 6),” students fill in the blanks with vocabulary words to complete sentences that create vivid setting for the myth. For this story, it is suggested that the teacher pre teach vocabulary before having students complete an accompanying worksheet independently.
• Throughout the materials, students are regularly encouraged to “Own the Word.” To facilitate this learning, the teacher is given guidance about key aspects of each word, as well as affixes, synonyms, etc.
• Unit 3, has Academic Vocabulary for English Language Learners, including vocabulary synonyms. Students complete a Venn Diagram (p.321). Vocabulary in Context in which students restate sentences using different words. Grammar in context p.328 and multiple meaning words p.329. Students complete after reading questions that includes sections for vocabulary in context and language.
• Unit 8: Information, Argument, and Persuasion, at the beginning of the unit the Academic Vocabulary is explained and shared. For example, the text says, “Tell students they will preview the workshop…” In the section titled, “Vocabulary in Context” the teacher’s guides provides activities to increase use of academic vocabulary with in the directions under, “Academic Vocabulary in Writing”.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria that materials support students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year. While the writing materials are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, they are limited to the Writing Workshop at the end of each unit.The writing workshop consists of a writing task, idea starters, essential information, planning/prewriting with examples, drafting, revising, analyzing a student's draft, editing, and publishing. There are few protocols,and the skills do not increase over the school year. Also, students only practice the writing type once during the school year and the units do not build writing skills before the final writing workshop. There are few tools for teachers and students to track growth, and no detailed structure on modeling and teaching writing. Evidence of this includes, but is not limited to:

• In Unit 2, students complete a Comparison-Contrast Essay during the Writing Workshop. The writing task states, “Write a comparison-contrast essay for a specific audience in which you identify the similarities and differences between two literary texts.” While there are resources provided to the student and teacher in this section of the text, it is not adequate to cover the whole course of the unit.
• At the end of Unit 6 students write a “How-To” Explanation during Writing Workshop. Students are given the following writing task, “Write a “how-to” explanation in which you use relevant details and precise language to explain to an audience how to do or make something.” Writing practice throughout the unit includes, but is not limited to,:
  • Students read “Phaethon, Son of Apollo” and respond to the prompt, “Which of the two myths was better at making you see and feel the terrible descent from the sky? Write two or three paragraphs evaluating the description in each myth. Then explain which description was more effective and why.”
  • Students read “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and respond to the prompt, “Why do you think Gawain accepted the Green knight’s challenge? Write a one-paragraph explanation of his motivation.”
  • Students read reviews of Crispin: The Cross of Lead and write a summary of each of the reviews. They then respond to the prompt, “Now that you have written a summary of each reviewer’s opinions, you can evaluate your own or a classmate’s summary by comparing it to the original text.”
  • Students read “Two Ways to Count to Ten” and “The Race Between Toad and Donkey” and respond to the prompt, “In four or five paragraphs, compare and contrast the ways in which the fable convey their message. Cite details from the fables to support your response.”
  • While there are opportunities for students to write throughout the unit, they are typically just on demand writing tasks and they do not prepare the students to complete the writing workshop at the end of the unit.

• At the end of Unit 8 students are given the writing task “Write a persuasive essay that asserts a strong claim on an issue. Support your claim with reasons and evidence that will convince your audience to act or think a certain way.” While the prompt mentions making a claim and backing it up with evidence, the materials should be asking the students to complete argumentative writing instead of persuasive writing.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 partially meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials. Opportunities for research are limited, and focused mainly in the final unit. There is no clear and cohesive progression through the course of the year.

In Unit 9: The Power of Research, students participate in a “Reading Strategies Workshop: Research paper then followed by a Writing Workshop: Research Paper. Student complete one several writing tasks throughout the units prior to the final unit but do not provide the necessary increase in skills to accomplish the last unit Research project. The unit includes, but is not limited to, the following goals:

• Plan research
• Develop relevant research questions
• Use library and media center resources
• Evaluate information and sources, including nonfiction books, periodicals, and Web sites
• Collect your own data
• Write a research report
• Create a Wiki

While these goals are addressed in the unit, this is the end of the year and gives the students very little opportunity for practice throughout the year.

Most units include at least one quick research task. They are typically included under the title “Extension and Challenge”. They include, but are not limited to,:

• Unit 3, after reading “Amigo Brothers” students complete the task, “Find out about the early life of a Golden Gloves champion who later became a professional boxer, such as Oscar de la Hoya or Muhammad Ali. How was the person you researched like Felix and Antonio? Present your findings to the class.” Teacher directions state “Student presentations should include information about a particular Golden Gloves champion and compare the person to the characters in the story. They might focus on the person’s background, character or personality, and fighting style.
• In Unit 4, students read “Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed.” Students are asked to “Find out more about Mars by visiting the library in your school or neighborhood. What do we now know about the planet? What plans are scientists making to study it further? Focus your research on what interests you the most. Report your findings.” There are suggestions for what the teacher needs to look for, but no rubric nor further direction to support students' demonstration of synthesizing information into coherent presentation.