6th Grade - Gateway 3

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. 

The Grade 6 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 3, Surviving the Unthinkable, the Teacher's Edition includes suggested pacing of 30 days and specifies the number of days to spend on the lessons for each text, including independent reading, within the unit.
• In Unit 4, Discovering Your Voice, 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 244A and 244B.
• In Unit 5, Never Give Up, 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 6, Hidden Truths, there is guidance for the teacher in how to explain the Notice & Note Signposts that will be the focus of Unit 6: Big Questions, Word Gaps, and Quoted Words. 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 6 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 6 and suggested pacing is 30 days for each unit.

• In Unit 1, Finding Courage, 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 novel excerpt from The Breadwinner, three days should be allotted for “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me,” five days is suggested for “Fears and Phobias,” two days for “Wired for Fear,” nine 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 3, Surviving the Unthinkable, the Instructional Overview and Resources includes a Suggested Pacing of 30 days. The Unit Introduction will take place on Day 1, the excerpt from A Long Walk to Water takes place over six days, Salva’s Story over two days, seven days is allotted for “Into the Lifeboat” from Titanic Survivor, nine days to complete the Collaborate and Compare section, two days for the independent reading selections, and three days to complete the End of Unit tasks.
• In Unit 5, Never Give Up, the Instructional Overview and Resources includes a Suggested Pacing of 30 days. The Unit Introduction takes place in one day, which is consistent with other units. Students read “A Schoolgirl’s Diary” from I Am Malala over seven days, six days is allotted for “The First Day of School,” two days is required for “Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress-Toward,” nine days to complete the Collaborate & Compare section, two days for independent reading selections, and three days to complete the culminating End of Unit tasks. 
• In Unit 6, Hidden Truths, the Instructional Overview and Resources includes a  Suggested Pacing of 30 days total, with six days to complete the lessons around The Prince and the Pauper, and 5 days to compare and contrast the two poems, “Archetype” and “Fairy Tale Logic.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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, Finding Courage, after reading “The Ravine” by Graham Salisbury, students respond to the Essential Question “How do you find courage in the face of fear?” They review their notes from the story they read and add to their response log. 
• In Unit 2, Through an Animal’s Eyes, after reading “Animal Wisdom” by Nancy Wood and “The Last Wolf” by Mary Tallmountain, students create theme statements and compare and contrast themes. A graphic organizer is provided to support students in the process. 
• In Unit 4, Discovering Your Voice, students are assigned two Create and Present tasks after reading an excerpt from Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.  Both activities have clear directions with optional digital support lessons as well as checklists that give direct instruction and reminders to students about what to include in their work and how to accomplish the task. 
• In Unit 6, Hidden Truths, each text is supported with a selection test that can be administered. If students show weakness on a specific standard, resources for that standard including digital lessons and practice are suggested.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher's 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 1, Finding Courage, Notice & Note Reading Model strategies are available prior to reading the novel excerpt from The Breadwinner. The signposts Words of the Wiser, Aha Moment, and Contrasts and Contradictions 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.
• Professional Learning modules are available online including a Getting Started: Welcome module, Introduction module, Exploration module, Reflection module, and Application module. These modules cover topics such as Learning Outcomes and Module Navigation.
• 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 6 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher's Edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum.

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 1, Finding Courage, students practice skills, including but not limited to: Analyze character and plot and Cite evidence. The learning objectives correlate to the CCSS for the grade level, such as RL.6.1 and RL.6.3.
• In Unit 2, Through an Animal’s Eye, while reading “Zoo,” students are focused on the learning objective of, but not limited to, theme, point-of-view, and determining word meanings using Greek roots. Those standards correlate with grade 6 CCSS RL6.2, RL6.6, and L6.4b.
• In Unit 3, Surviving the Unthinkable, students practice skills including but not limited to: Explain author’s purpose and Describe the use of figurative language. The learning objectives correlate to the CCSS, such as RI.6.6 and RI.6.4.
• In Unit 4, Discovering Your Voice, as students are reading an excerpt from Brown Girl Dreaming, students are focusing on the learning objectives of, but not limited to, how text structure contributes to the author’s purpose and writing their own biographical poem. These two learning objectives correlate with Grade 6 CCSS RL.6.5 and W.6.3.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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, etc.
• 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 section where references are provided to all studies utilized within the curriculum materials. 
• In the Research Foundations: Evidence Base, Scaffolded Writing, it states the research to support the practices used throughout the materials. They cite research by Biancarosa & Snow, 2004 that Reading and writing have a reciprocal relationship. Annotating and explicitly discussing features of different texts shows more evidence of critical thinking and improved composition.
• The materials are designed to build teacher capacity. Classroom Videos provide authentic modeling showing teachers and students putting the Notice & Note strategies into action and showing the impact of the routines on students’ interactions with text. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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 6 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 Grade 6 Grammar Studio Diagnostic Screening Test Part 1. This particular screening test addresses standard CCSS L.6.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. The diagnostic assessment determines the student’s knowledge of grammar and usage rules and provides data for the teacher to create a personalized path toward mastery throughout the school year.
• In the Grade 6 online features, teachers can assign and build assessments for students that can be 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 6 Module Pretest: The Sentence, Level Up Spelling Practice, and a Hatchet Book Test.
• In Unit 3, Surviving the Unthinkable, students are assessed on CCSS in a variety of measures. For example, during the reading of an excerpt from Into the Lifeboat by Violet Jessop, students are asked to annotate for “...the author’s word choice in paragraph 11 that creates mental images. How do these images help develop the scene and show the author's feeling about the situation?” At the end of the text, they answer three multiple choice questions including “The author wrote this text to…” and then a short answer to “Consider the  author’s purpose in paragraph 22…”
• In Unit 4, Discovering Your Voice, students read an excerpt from Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson and the online resources provide an opportunity to complete a selection test to assess skills practiced during the specific selection. There are eight standards listed prior to completion of the test. Selection tests are available consistently for each unit and text.
• In Unit 6, Hidden Truths, the Unit Task asks students to Write a Short Story and Reflect on the Unit. A scoring guide is available to evaluate the short story or folktale. Online resources include a Hidden Truths Unit Test which identifies how students performed on key skills and standards practiced throughout the unit. The Unit 6 test includes 20 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 6 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's Edition, the standards for each assessment are clearly denoted. 

• 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's Edition. In Unit 1, Finding Courage, after watching the “Wired for Fear” video by The California Science Center, students are assessed on the following six standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.6, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.10, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.4. (digital Assessment section).
• 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 6 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. The 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 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 2, Through an Animal’s Eyes, the End-Of-Unit Task is an argument essay. There is a Scoring Guide Rubric to ensure the Standards are assessed to their full intent. The Scoring Guide Rubric assesses students on a scale of one to four with three bullet point descriptors for each of the following: Organization/Progression, Development of Ideas, and Use of Language and Conventions.
• In Unit 4, Discovering Your Voice, after reading an excerpt from Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, students answer the three Check Your Understanding multiple-choice questions. The Teacher's Edition says that if any students answer incorrectly, have them reread the text to confirm their understanding before proceeding to Analyze the Text on page 274.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

In the Teacher's 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 2, Through An Animal’s Eyes, students compare two poems “Animal Wisdom” by Nancy Wood and “The Last Wolf” by Mary TallMountain. English Learner Support is available in the Teacher's Edition, which includes questions for an oral assessment of students’ comprehension and speaking skills. For example, “2. What is a line in this poem that helps you imagine what the wolf looks like when he moves? (The line ‘in the mystery of his wild loping gait’ helps you imagine what the wolf looks like as he moves.)"
• In Unit 4, Discovering Your Voice, students read an excerpt from Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson and the Teacher's Edition includes a prompt to ask students to answer questions independently to Check Your Understanding. Guidance is available, which provides teachers with a key and additional notes: “If they answer any questions incorrectly, have them reread the text to confirm their understanding. Then they may proceed to Analyze the Text on page 274.” 
• In Unit 5, Never Give Up, 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, Change Agents, 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's 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 task asks students to Notice & Note signposts during their reading; teachers can assess students’ ability to identify those when reading independently.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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's 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 1, Finding Courage, the materials include a Text X-Ray: English Learner Support for “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” by Maya Angelou. As part of the planning process, teachers “facilitate comprehension by reading the poem aloud. Then read it a second time, pausing to ask students what ideas are brought out in each stanza. Supply the following sentence frames: Just like the speaker, I am not afraid of _____. Unlike the speaker, I am afraid of _____.” The Text X-Ray and the supports and scaffolds throughout the unit guide students at different proficiency levels. 
• In Unit 4, Discovering Your Voice, in the “Instruction Overview and Resources” there is a column for “Differentiated Instruction” which list nine “When Students Struggle…” lessons and three “To Challenge Students…” sections. An example of To Challenge Students is found in Brown Girl Dreaming. Students are given the task to “Analyze a Social Issue.” “...Ask students to consider what the author’s amazement at finding someone that looked like her in a book tells them about the prevalence of diverse characters at the time she was in school. Have partners work together to determine how the prevalence has changed, which may include interviewing the school media specialist or librarian.” 
• In Unit 5, Never Give Up, students read an excerpt from the biography The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman. Following the reading, students complete a mini-research task. To Extend: “The selection mentions the work of German flight pioneer Otto Lilienthal. Research Lilienthal's life and achievements to find out how his work inspired others to make advances in flight.”
• In Unit 6, Hidden Truths, in the Teacher's Edition, there are ongoing supports for students that struggle. For example, while reading “The Mouse Bride” retold by Heather Forest, there is a section titled “When Students Struggle…” that give the teacher additional strategies for struggling students in the area of “Time Phrases and Transitions.” For the same text, 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 6 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 6 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's 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.  For example, in Unit 1, Finding Courage, “Embarrassed? Blame Your Brain” by Jennifer Connor-Smith, the Text X-Ray tells teachers to provide examples of embarrassment and rejection when introducing the selection. The Text X-Ray also points out Cultural References that may be unfamiliar to students. These include: fitting in, tackle a challenge, hurt feelings, broken hearted, and potty break. 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 6 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 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, Finding Courage, at the beginning of the text “Fears and Phobias” by kidshealth.org, two small grouping strategies are provided to the teacher as an option for how to group students for reading: reading in a jigsaw and then regrouping to share out, and a think-pair-share grouping where students can share reading responses. These grouping options vary with each text. 
• In Unit 3, Surviving the Unthinkable, student tasks throughout the unit encourage students at varying times to work with partners or small groups in order to accomplish tasks. For example, after viewing Salva’s Story, a documentary by POVRoseMedia, students Analyze and Evaluate the video by working with a small group to complete a checklist examining “the effectiveness of the features in Salva’s Story.” 
• In Unit 5, Never Give Up, 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, after reading the excerpt “A Schoolgirl’s Diary” from I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, the Teacher's Edition prompts teachers to assist English Learners by stating “Read the discussion prompt aloud and clarify any confusion that students have about the question. Allow students to work with partners to share personal experiences and brainstorm ideas to answer the question.” 
• Before each text selection, there are Small-Group Options, with various methods for grouping students. In Unit 3, Surviving the Unthinkable, from “After the Hurricane” by Rita Williams-Garcia, students work in small groups to discuss the free verse poem. The Teacher's Edition has two options for small groups: Pinwheel Discussion and Double-Entry Journal. Explicit instructions are provided on the two grouping options.