7th Grade - Gateway 3

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. 

The Grade 7 curriculum is comprised of six units. The pacing guide at the beginning of each unit suggests that the instructional duration will be 30 lessons for each unit. Materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. Within each unit instruction is divided into Analyze & Apply, Collaborate & Compare, Independent Reading, and End of Unit tasks and assessments. Guidance for teachers in explaining Notice & Note Signposts are integrated into each unit.

• In Unit 1, Taking Action, the Teacher Edition includes the suggested pacing guide at the beginning of the unit. The pacing spans 30 days, with each segment broken down in time to be spent on each text, including independent reading. 
• In Unit 5, More Than A Game, each text is supported with Comprehension Questions, Analyze the Text questions, a short research section, and two project-based assessments that include reading, writing, speaking, and listening. 
• In Unit 4, The Terror and Wonder of Space, a unit Instructional Overview and Resources section is found at the beginning of each unit. The unit overview explains the Instructional Focus, Online Ed Resources, English Learner Support, Differentiated Instruction and Online Ed Assessments of the unit, lists reading, speaking and listening, writing, language conventions, and vocabulary components with an at-a-glance planning chart. For example, the Unit 4 Instructional Overview is found on pages 262A and 262B.
• In Unit 6, Change Agents, there is guidance for the teacher in how to explain the Notice & Note Signposts that will be the focus of Unit 6: Extreme or Absolute Language, Quoted Words, and Big Questions. Within the lessons for each text, there is guidance for the teacher to remind students to use the Notice & Note Signpost. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

The materials include a suggested pacing guide for each unit, including the number of days required to complete the reading and activities for the various texts. The pacing allows for maximum student understanding.The suggested amount of time and expectations for teachers and students of the materials are viable for one school year as written and would not require significant modifications.  There are six units in Grade 7 and suggested pacing is 30 days for each unit.

• In Unit 1, Taking Action, the Instructional Overview and Resources includes a Suggested Pacing of 30 Days with the Unit Introduction taking place on Day 1, five days to read and complete the activities relating to the short story “Rogue Wave”, four days should be allotted for “The Flight of Icarus,” three days for “Icarus’s Flight,” five days is suggested for “Women in Aviation,” eight days to complete the Collaborate & Compare section, two days for the independent reading selections, and three days to complete the culminating End of Unit tasks. 
• In Unit 2, Reality Check, the Instructional Overview and Resources includes a Suggested Pacing of 30 days which includes 1 day for the introduction, 3 days for completing the reading and tasks for the text “Two Legs or One?” and 8 days to Collaborate and Compare the play The Governess with the production images. 
• In Unit 3, Inspired by Nature, the Instructional Overview and Resources includes a Suggested Pacing of 30 days. The Unit Introduction will take place on Day 1, the argument “Never Retreat” from Eyes Wide Open takes place over five days, an excerpt from Mississippi Solo over four days, four days is allotted for “The Drought,” four days for the short story “Allied with Green,” eight days to complete both of the Collaborate and Compare texts and activities, two days for the independent reading selections, and three days to complete the End of Unit tasks. 
• In Unit 4, The Terror and Wonder of Space, the Instructional Overview and Resources includes a Suggested Pacing of 30 days which includes four days for reading and completing the tasks for “Martian Metropolis”,  two days for Independent Reading, and three days to complete the culminating Writing Task.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (eg. visuals, maps, etc.)

 Materials include but are not limited to graphic organizers, response logs, text dependent questions, Notice & Note Signposts, Check Your Understanding, Analyze the Text questions, unit assessments, supporting excerpts or texts, close read guides, Research Tips, essay rubrics, Language Conventions, model writings, Quick Start entrance and exit tickets, Critical Vocabulary word list and definitions in the margins of the text, and writing prompts. Student instructions are clear with models and examples to support students. There is ample practice for students to support mastery. Resources are clearly labeled.

• In Unit 1, Taking Action, students complete an end of unit task of writing an informational essay. There is an essay planning table, a graphic organizer to help students organize their ideas, a mentor text with explicit author’s craft moves to notice and imitate, revision questions to ask, tips to improve writing, and techniques of what to add to writing, with a rubric for students to evaluate their essays in pairs.
• In Unit 3, Inspired By Nature, students are provided numerous opportunities throughout each text to practice a variety of skills in the Notice & Note signposts as they annotate the text, Check Your Understanding Questions, and Analyze the Text questions.
• In Unit 4, The Terror and Wonder of Space, textual features and resources such as photos are clearly labeled and described in captions within the text “Martian Metropolis” by Meg Thacher. 
• In Unit 5, More Than a Game, after reading “It’s Not Just a Game!” by Lori Calabrese, students Write a Poem about their favorite sport. Instructions for what to include in the poem are detailed and clear: “Include characteristics of the sport. Focus on the main idea or feeling you want to convey. Decide whether to use rhyme or rhythm in your poem or have your poem flow in an unstructured way.”  There is additional online support in Writing is a Process in the Writing Studio.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The instructional materials include embedded and ongoing Professional Learning modules. The materials include Notice & Note strategies for close reading, classroom videos, and on-demand Professional Learning modules. A Professional Learning Guide and on demand access to program experts with conferencing and digital demonstrations support implementation. Teachers have the flexibility to customize and teach by theme, instructional purpose, standard, and genre.There are also interactive supports called Studios that can support teachers and/or students in specific standards and skills. Throughout the online and print materials, teachers are guided to more support through margin notes that are easily accessed. 

• In Unit 3, Inspired by Nature, Notice & Note Reading Model strategies are available prior to reading “Rogue Wave.” The signposts Memory Moment, Again and Again, and Aha Moment are introduced. Teaching notes include “Explain that Notice & Note Signposts are significant moments in the text that help readers understand and analyze words of fiction or nonfiction. Use the instructions on these pages to introduce students to the signposts...Then use the selection that follows to have students apply the signposts to the text.” There is an online Reading Studio that is available and displayed in the margin to access more information on these and other signposts.
• The Teacher Edition has a section at the beginning of the text that explains each key component of the lessons, including, but not limited to, program assessments, Into Literacy Studios, and Notice & Notes. As students move through the curriculum, the Teacher Edition prompts teachers with instructional guidance including additional features for struggling students. For example, in Unit 2, Reality Check, as students read “Heartbeat,” they are asked to “...mark the sentence that shows a contrast between what Sarah believes and Dave knows to be true.” The Teacher Edition gives teachers this information, “Explain to students that this signpost is often used when a character behaves in a way that contradicts past behavior or in a way the reader wouldn’t expect. By contrasting what Dave believes...the author is revealing important information about Dave’s character development.”There are specific directions for small group structures and protocols, and semi-scripted to scripted scaffolds and supports for students who are struggling. 
• Links are available in each lesson to access the appropriate studio via the Online Ed resources and a consistent symbol is used to flag these when appropriate. The following studios are available to access: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Grammar, and Vocabulary.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. the criteria that the visual design (whether in print or digital) is not distracting or chaotic, but supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject.

Students will read and write across genres, utilizing the Notice & Note Reading Model. Studios are available to address grade level standards including Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Grammar, and Vocabulary. Key Learning Objectives are available for each unit that connect to the grade level standards. The instructional materials include an online option allowing teachers to select a standard set to discover matching resources. In the ancillary materials, there is a CCSS Correlation chart that connects each standard to a lesson or lessons that address that standard. 

• In Unit 2, Reality Check, while reading “The Camera Does Lie,” students are focused on the learning objective of, but not limited to, author’s purpose and using a dictionary to determine meaning. These two standards correlate to grade 7 CCSS RL.7.6 and L.7.4c.
• In Unit 4, The Terror and Wonder of Space, while reading “Dark They Were, And Golden-Eyed,” students are focused on the learning objective of, but not limited to, mood and identifying and analyzing elements in science fiction. These two learning objective correlate with the grade 7 CCSS of RL.7.1 and RL.7.3. 
• In Unit 5, More Than a Game, students practice skills including but not limited to: analyze point of view and analyze organizational patterns. The learning objectives correlate to the CCSS for the grade level, such as RI.7.6 and RL.7.5.
• In Unit 6, Change Agents, while watching an excerpt from the documentary It Takes a Child, students are focused on, but not limited to, analyzing a documentary film, and analyzing sound and film footage. These two learning targets correlate with grade 7 CCSS Rl.7.1 and RI.7.3.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

The Research Foundations Evidence Base preface to the modules includes how materials address the needs of today’s evolving classrooms. There are five main pillars in the Program Overview: 1. Maximizes growth through data-driven differentiation and targeted scaffolds. 2. Develops learners with positive habits of reading, writing, and thinking behavior to foster agency. 3. Fosters a learning culture with a focus on collaboration, peer interaction, and articulation of views. 4. Unburdens teachers to focus energy on the delivery of powerful instruction through simple, intuitive program design. 5. Empowers and supports teachers to be developers of high-impact learning experiences through embedded and ongoing professional learning. The Research Foundations Evidence Base provides research, explains how the materials deliver the desired outcomes of independence, agency, and metacognition, and explains how the materials integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language strands through lessons, assessments, engagement strategies, and differentiation.

• Research Foundations: Evidence Base includes a detailed discourse regarding the research-based practices that are integrated into the curriculum, such as student-centered learning, integration of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and Language.
• Separate research-based categories have detail woven in from specific research studies that were conducted to support their findings, such as data-driven growth in assessments. 
• Research Foundations includes a references section where references are provided to all studies referenced within the curriculum materials. 
• The Research Foundations: Evidence Base names components of student-centered learning: agency, independence, growth mindset, social and emotional learning, digital literacy, metacognition, differentiation, collaboration, grouping. Then it lists research and conclusions on those aspects of learning. This is followed by How Into Literature Delivers. It shows how the materials are designed to meet that need.
• The Research Foundations: Evidence Base shows how the materials meet the need of Grouping. The program architecture moves students through phases of instruction following the gradual release model and varied grouping structures. These include: Analyze & Apply: Whole-class direct instruction, Collaborate & Compare: Cooperative small-group work, and Independent Reading/ Independent Practice.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

Materials provide regular and systematic opportunities for assessment, including diagnostic assessments, interim assessments, selection and unit assessments, and end-of-unit assessments. Throughout the units are multiple measures of formative assessments for grade level CCSS including, but not limited to, multiple choice, short answer, and longer writing tasks. The online feature also allows for the customized building of assessments. Materials genuinely measure student progress and provide information to inform instructional decisions. The Grade 7 materials include a comprehensive balanced assessment approach that includes baseline, and growth assessments, unit assessments based in standards, and ongoing formative assessments. The Growth Assessment is an adaptive assessment that is given three times a year to measure growth and provide data through an online Student Growth Report that teachers can use to differentiate instruction. Students that are particularly low can take a Reading Comprehension Diagnostic Assessment. 

• The instructional materials include diagnostic assessments as online resources, such as the Literary Criticism Diagnostic Assessment. This particular screening test addresses a variety of standards that are listed by test item. The diagnostic assessment determines the student’s prior knowledge on the topic and provides data for the teacher to guide instructional decisions.
• In the Grade 7 online features, teachers can assign and build assessments for students based on a standard(s) or a text. For example, some options for an assessment include, but are not limited to, Literary Criticism Diagnostic, Grade 7 Module Pretest: The Sentence, Level Up Rhyme Practice, and a Holes Book Test.
• In Unit 4, The Terror and Wonder of Space, students read “Seven Minutes of Terror” by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the online resources provide an opportunity to complete a selection test to assess skills practiced during the specific selection. There are seven standards listed prior to completion of the test. Selection tests are available consistently for each unit and text.
• In Unit 6, Change Agents, the Unit Task asks students to Write a Research Report, Participate in a Panel Discussion, and Reflect on the Unit. A scoring guide is available to evaluate the argument. Online resources include a Change Agents Unit Test which identifies how students performed on key skills and standards practiced throughout the unit. The Unit 6 test includes 21 standards that are listed prior to completion of the test. There are six opportunities per year for students to complete a unit assessment.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

The Common Core State Standards Correlation booklet denotes which standards are being assessed in both formative and summative assessments. Additionally, in the Online Ed Assessment digital Teacher Edition.

• In the accompanying Assessment Guide and in the Assessment section of the Research Foundations: Evidence Base, there are images of sample reports on standards proficiency for individual students. Standards are noted on the Assessment Report.
• Selection Tests for each text are available within the units. Standards are noted in the Online Ed Teacher Edition. In Unit 4, The Terror and Wonder of Space, students read the poem “What if We Were Alone?” and are assessed over seven standards. 
• The Common Core State Standards Correlation booklet lists each page within the curriculum where a standard is addressed. 
• Each assessment that is taken, whether diagnostic, selection tests, or reading comprehension, has standards assigned to each item.
• Standards view by class is available to show which standards have been covered by which assessments and to what degree of accuracy.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

The materials provide teachers with the opportunity to view student proficiency for any standard at any time. The materials include quality rubrics and scoring guides for end of unit tasks and can be used to assess the Standards to their full intent. Digital platform provides grouping suggestions, resources for follow up, and suggested lessons for teachers to utilize with struggling students. Quality guidance for the teacher to interpret assessment data is provided, including Self-Guided Lessons to allow for Remediation, Support, and Extension.

Culminating assessments include easy-to-use rubrics with built in feedback. 

• Culminating writing tasks include detailed rubrics with multiple sections and clear skills so that students and teachers can see exactly what skills they need to improve on for follow up.
• Assessments show student proficiency by standard with multiple different views available on the digital platform. Educators can view standard success by student, by class, by assessment, or even choose a student view that shows one student’s mastery of all standards covered at any point in time. 
• In Unit 3, Inspired by Nature, after reading “Never Retreat” from Eyes Wide Open by Paul Fleischman, students identify claims, supporting evidence, and counterargument in Fleischman’s argument. The Teacher Edition, When Students Struggle…, has suggestions for guiding students to identify the claim, evidence, and counterargument in paragraph 8. It outlines the process for additional practice and a gradual release. For additional support, the Teacher Edition also suggests teachers use the Reading Studio and the Level Up Tutorial: Analyzing Arguments.
• In Unit 5, More Than a Game, students complete the Language Conventions: Complex Sentences and Subject-Verb Agreement following “It’s Not Just a Game” by Lori Calabrese. The Teacher Edition has suggestions for students to visit  the Grammar Studio for more information.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

In the Teacher edition, there are prompts and reminders when there are opportunities to monitor student progress, assess their skills, and provide feedback throughout the process. These include, but are not limited to: assessing an English learner’s comprehension and speaking skills, checking for understanding following the reading of a text, and assessing students’ comprehension skills with an ability to Notice & Note signposts when reading independently.  A pacing guide is available to begin each unit with reminders of the selection tests available online to assign or print. 

• In Unit 1, Taking Action, the Teacher Edition includes guidance about the desired response from students regarding reading, speaking, listening, language, and writing tasks. This guidance often includes additional strategies for students who might struggle.  For example, as students read “Women in History” by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, the Teacher Edition provides a section titled When Students Struggle… that includes a teacher prompt, “Have students use a chart to evaluate details and draw conclusions.” 
• In Unit 2, Reality Check, students compare two poems, “The Song of Wandering Aengus” by W.B. Yeats and “Eldorado” by Edgar Allan Poe. English Learner Support is available in the Teacher Edition, which includes questions for an oral assessment of students’ comprehension and speaking skills. For example, “1. Does the poem tell about a journey? (yes) What is another word for journey? (trip, quest) Who goes on the journey? (the knight) What is the knight looking for? (Eldorado; the city of gold)”.
• In Unit 5, More Than a Game, for the Independent Reading part of the Unit, teachers are provided guidance on matching students and texts. Then teachers are instructed to “assess how well students read the selections, circulate throughout the room and listen to their conversations. Encourage students to be focused and specific in their comments.”
• In Unit 6, Hidden Truths, students check off the text or texts that they decide to read independently. A Collaborate and Share activity takes place with a partner. Students discuss what they learned from at least one of the independent readings. Teacher guidance is available in the Teacher Edition: “To assess how well students read the selections, walk around the room and listen to their conversations. Encourage students to be focused and specific in their comments.” 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

Consistently throughout the six units, teacher supports are in place in the Teacher Edition to assist English learners  The support is provided via Text X-Ray, which provides light, moderate, and substantial support for English Learners. The materials provide guidance when texts and/or tasks might be challenging or frustrating to students. Teachers are capable of extending the learning with an option available following each text selection and online resources provide the ability to differentiate by creating homogenous and heterogenous groups of students. Foundational support is also provided throughout, such as reading fluency practice, and there are interactive videos, such as the Reading Studio, that can be accessed to provide support for students.  

• In Unit 2, Taking Action, there are ongoing supports for English Language Learners throughout the unit. For example, at the beginning of each text is two pages titled “Text X-Ray: English Learner Support” that includes substantial, moderate, and light support in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. An example of substantial support for reading “Heartbeat” by David Yoo is to “Remind students that what a character does can explain why they do things (motivation). Ask: Why does Dave wear so many shirts at the same time?” Later in the text embedded in the margin of the Teacher’s Edition, is another English Language support for idioms. “Explain to the students that an idiom is an expression or saying that has a figurative meaning instead of a literal one. Read paragraph 3 aloud and point out the idiom the magic words….”
• In Unit 3, Inspired by Nature, teacher guidance is available within the Teach section for the Notice & Note Reading Model. The Teacher Edition includes notes to support struggling students: “Discuss Big Questions Model applying signposts. Display text from the article that asks a big question about fossil fuels, e.g., ‘Can we run this film in reverse? Only once have we replaced an energy source so central to our economy and lifestyle: when slave labor was abolished, a change so jarring that its threat brought on war.’ Clarify the sentence as necessary, then model a think aloud...” An example is available for teachers to model the think aloud. 
• In Unit 5, More Than a Game, students compare theme with a novel excerpt from The Crossover by Kwame Alexander and a poem “Doubles Doubles” by J. Patrick Lewis. Following the reading, students complete a mini-research task. To Extend: “With a partner, discuss the reference to ‘beaded stars’ (line 5). How does it seem to apply to the sisters’ careers? How does it add to the mental image created in lines 4-5 of the poem?”
• In Unit 6, Change Agents, in the Teacher Edition, there are ongoing supports for students that struggle. For example, while reading “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long” by Nikki Giovanni, there is a section titled “When Students Struggle…” that give the teacher additional strategies for struggling students in the area of “Analyzing Poetic Elements”. For the different text, “Frances Perkins and the Triangle Factory Fire” by David Brooks,  there is a section to improve reading fluency and a reminder that the online Reading Studio, which is an online interactive tool, can also be used.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards. All students engage in the same complex text. Scaffolds and supports are provided in the Text X-Ray, so that all students can access the complex texts and meet or exceed grade level standards. Resources are provided on Reading Studio to meet the needs of students who are below grade level or an English Language Learner with opportunities to learn at their own pace on literacy skills. Materials provide support for ELL students or other populations in the When Students Struggle...sections of the Teacher Edition. In the teacher notes, general statements about EL students and suggested strategies located at the beginning of chapters are implemented in the materials throughout the curriculum. 

• Text X-Ray sections prior to the reading of each text offer specific directions to teachers on how to make the text and specific ideas, strategies, or concepts accessible to students who need English Learner Support. An introduction to the selection is provided, a rundown on cultural references, and then specific sentence stems as well as directions are provided for Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing support for students at varying proficiency levels as they move through the text.  In Unit 2, The Thrill of Horror, “The Hollow” by Kelly Deschler, the Text X-Ray suggests that teachers Introduce the Selection by doing a close read and noticing the details related to the five senses. Then the Teacher Edition notes Culture References that may be unfamiliar to students, such as: hollow, legends, sleep, little town, harvest moon, ridge, thicket, and horseman. There are substantial, moderate, and light instructional supports for Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. 
• Each text includes English Learner Support strategies for teachers to utilize in the form of questions, alternate explanations, other grouping options, and sentence stems. 
• When Students Struggle support is offered throughout texts in areas where misconceptions might arise or where materials are particularly difficult. These supports offer teachers insight on another avenue that might help students reach their goal.
• The digital integrated system allows teachers to differentiate instruction. Strategic grouping, Studios in Ed, an online teaching and learning system, and additional practice are delivered via the proficiency reports.
• Resources are provided in Reading Studio to meet the needs of students who are below grade level or an English Language Learner with opportunities to learn at their own pace on literacy skills.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies. Numerous strategies are presented at varying times throughout the curriculum that encourage students and teachers to engage with each other in partnerships, small groups, and other ensembles and promote class-wide learning and accessibility of materials.

• In Unit 1, Taking Action, at the beginning of each text, at least two small grouping strategies are provided to the teacher as an option for how to group students for reading. For example, before reading “Thank You, Ma’am,” a short story by Langston Hughes, the Teacher Edition offers a pinwheel discussion or a three minute review pairing for students to discuss the text. These grouping options vary with each text.
• In Unit 3, Inspired By Nature, student tasks throughout units encourage students at varying times to work in partners, small groups, and other units in order to accomplish tasks. For example, after reading an excerpt titled “Never Retreat” from Eyes Wide Open by Paul Fleischman, students discuss with a small group how their school or community “promotes sustainability of the environment.” Other guiding questions and a checklist are provided to ensure productive discourse. 
• In Unit 5, More Than A Game, Alternate grouping options are provided for students who may struggle, such as English Language Learners, as a way for them to access more difficult materials and ideas through working with a group instead of independently. For example, when reading “Get in the Zone: The Psychology of Video Game Design” by Aaron Millar, the Teacher Edition instructs educators to work with these learners and “Read paragraph 1 to students, stopping after each sentence to see if they need any clarification of words or phrases. Ask yes-or-no questions to help them identify the first person point of view.” There are additional question stems given. 
• In Unit 4, The Terror and Wonder of Space, the Analyze & Apply task is whole class direct instruction. After reading “Dark They Were, And Golden-Eyed” students "Analyze: What words would you use to describe the overall mood of the story? Cite examples of Bradbury’s use of language. Interpret: Why is it significant that the settlers are using the old Martian names of local landmarks and changing their own names? Compare: Why might Cora be more accepting of life on Mars than her husband Harry? What practical matters might affect her behavior?"