12th Grade - Gateway 1

The materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading.
Texts range in a variety of topics to engage students.

Examples of texts in the materials include (but are not limited to):

• “Chivalry” by Neil Gaiman. This selection is a short story by Neil Gaiman about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, in particular Sir Galahad, and places them in modern-day London.
• A selection from Inferno: A Doctor’s Ebola Story by Steven Hatch, MD. This excerpt from a memoir contains vocabulary, voice, images, and cultural details, making this narrative rich and engaging, as well as informative. 
• From “The Rape of the Lock” by Alexander Pope. Pope’s satire is a mock-heroic poem that makes much of a small incident. It is worthy of study for its contribution to the genre and its historic context. 
• "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. This satire suggests impoverished Irish families might sell their children as food for the rich, drawing attention to the British treatment of the Irish and of heartless treatment of the poor.
• Great Expectations by Dickens. This novel deals with the idea of family, devotion, and relationships. It has a strong plot that deals with the concepts of loss, love, and expectations, all while understanding the ideas of ambition and loyalty. This novel is considered a “classic” example of Dickens as a mature writer of the narrative technique using different perspectives in time.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet do not meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

The publisher provides the quantitative measure of each print text except poems as a Lexile measure. The Lexile Text Measure is listed in the teacher's edition as part of the instructional overview that prefaces each unit. The publisher explicitly describes the qualitative measures of the text in the “plan” section before each text. Reader and task considerations for each text are explicitly described and include English learner support and suggestions for differentiation when students struggle. These supports are directly related to the content of the text, the qualitative elements.  Each text set is crafted to address an essential question, includes a mentor text for the end of unit writing task, and provides students an opportunity to engage in close reading and analysis of content building toward the final performance task. These elements of the Teacher's Edition illustrate attention to reader and task. 

Examples demonstrating this information:

In the Teacher's Edition, Unit 1: Origin of a Nation

• The text set for the unit includes different forms of poetry (for which there is no quantitative analysis), a romance, a short story, diary entries, and a collection of letters.  Lexile text measures range from 810L to 1130L. 
• The mentor text for the unit is the short story “Chivalry” by Neil Gaiman. The Lexile text measure is 810L (far below the grade band expectation).
• "Ideas presented: much is explicit, but requires some inferential reasoning. Use of irony."  
• "Structures used:  clear, chronological, largely conventional."
• "Language used: mostly explicit, some figurative language, dialect, and archaic language."
• "Knowledge required: situations and subjects mostly familiar. Some historical and literary reference, mostly explained in text." 
• "English learner support includes practice appositives, use content, retell. "
• "Support for differentiation includes contrast realistic and fantastical elements; compare."

In the Teacher's Edition, Unit 4: Emotion and Experimentation

• The text set for this unit includes many poems, a novel excerpt from Frankenstein with a Lexile text measure of 890L, and an essay with a Lexile measure of 1350L. 
• The mentor text for the unit is “Frankenstein: Giving Voice to the Monster” by Langdon Winner. The qualitative measures include
• "Ideas presented:  multiple levels of complex meaning."
• "Structures used:  complex but mostly explicit. Exhibits traits of persuasive argument."
• "Language used: increased academic and domain-specific words."
• "Knowledge required: cultural and literary knowledge essential to understanding."
• "English learner support includes use cognates, acquire new vocabulary, compare quotes, language conventions."
• Support for differentiation includes identify parallel structure; reteaching: monitor comprehension.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet  the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.

The materials reviewed for Grade 12 include mentor and supporting texts that allow for students to engage in a range and volume of texts in order to achieve grade level reading. There are six units that revolve around an essential question for students and provide multiple texts.

Throughout the year, students are exposed to a wide variety of texts in both print and multimedia formats which are identified in the table of contents for each unit. Each unit begins with an Analyze and Apply section that uses one text as a “Notice and Note reading model” along with another text which serves as a mentor text followed by other supporting texts. The next group of texts, Collaborate and Compare, provide a comparative analysis of two different selections, both of which connect to the essential question/topic but which may be different in “genre, craft, or focus”. In addition, there are independent reading selections which can be accessed with the digital edition. Finally, there are suggested texts provided which can give educators even more options for text selection.

• In Teacher's Edition, Unit 2: A Celebration of Human Achievement, the following texts are provided: 
• Mentor Text: “Hamlet’s Dull Revenge” by Rene Girard (literary criticism)
• Supporting texts: 
• The Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare (drama) 
• From Hamlet by BBC Shakespeare (film clip) 
• “Sonnet 30” by Edmund Spenser (poem)
• “Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser (poem) 
• “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne (poem) 
• Collaborate and Compare texts: 
• “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell (poem) 
• “Twenty-One Love Poems (Poem III)” by Adrienne Rich (Poem)
• from “Speech Before the Spanish Armada Invasion” by Queen Elizabeth I (speech) 
• “For Army Infantry’s First Women, Heavy Packs and the Weight of History” by Dave Phillipps (article)
• Independent Reading Texts: 
• “Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare (poem) 
• “Sonnet 29” by William Shakespeare (poem) 
• “Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare (poem) 
• “Elizabeth I: The Reality Behind the Mask” by Brenda Ralph Lewis (article)
• “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” by Christopher Marlowe (poem) 
• “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” by Sir Walter Raleigh (poem) 
• Suggested Drama Connection: Othello by William Shakespeare 

In Teacher's Edition, Unit 5: An Era of Rapid Change the following texts are provided: 

• Mentor Text: “The Victorians Had the Same Concerns About Technology As We Do” by Melissa Dickson (essay)
• Supporting Texts 
• from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (novel) 
• Factory Reform by Timelines.tv (documentary)
• “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (narrative poem) 
• from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
•  Collaborate and Compare texts: 
• “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold (poem)
• “The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy (poem) 
• “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning (poem)
• “Confession” by Linh Dinh (poem) 
• Independent Reading Texts: 
• “Sonnet 43” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (poem) 
• “Remembrance” by Emily Bronte (poem)
• “The Great Exhibition” by Lara Kriegel (article)
• “Christmas Storms and Sunshine” by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (short story)
• “Evidence of Progress” by Thomas Babington Macaulay (essay)
• Suggested Drama Connection: A Doll’s House by Henrick Ibsen

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). 

The instructional materials include questions and tasks that require careful reading over the course of a school year. The majority of questions are text dependent and require students read closely for content and author’s craft, such as word choice. Students are required to reinforce their responses and answers to questions using evidence from specific texts that students are required to read. Questions are structured to support students learning to recognize signposts from Notice & Note strategies such as the significance of contrasts and contradictions. Each unit includes a mentor text with annotation and reflection tasks focused on the primary learning goal of the unit writing task.  Within each of the six units, students experience recurring sections, such as Analyze & Apply and Collaborate & Compare; these sections reinforce concepts, theories, ideas, and critical thinking directly related to each text read. Also, throughout each text, students experience a sidebar on the page that support student annotations to assist in going back to the text for future tasks that require students to re-engage with said text.

Examples of how the materials support text dependent questions include, but are not limited to:

• In Volume 2, Unit 6, students read George Osborne’s speech, “Budget 2016: George Osborne’s Speech,” and they also read the editorial by Chris Hall, “Will the Sugar Tax Stop Childhood Obesity?” At the close of both texts, students complete the Analyze the Text section located within the Collaborate & Compare section, and they must discuss the texts using group discussion questions. For example:
• "1. Analyze: Which elements of the arguments offered by each author are most in conflict? How might the conflict affect readers?"
• "4. Evaluate: Which author’s argument do you find more effective and why?"

Examples of tasks that support students in engaging with the text directly, drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text include:

In Student Edition, Volume One, Unit 4:

• Students are asked to adapt their argument for a debate.
• "After reading a choice of a text, students are asked to collaborate and share with a partner what they have learned in independent reading."
• "Students are asked to focus on writing an argument similar to those found within the unit."
• "Background reading - relate back to the response log and texts within the unit."

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for materials containing sets of sequences of text-dependent/text-specific questions with activities that build to a culminating task which integrates skills to demonstrate understanding.

Each unit is organized around an essential question and a mentor text to guide students’ thinking around a topic. Close reading of the mentor text focuses on topic development and writer’s craft. Within each individual lesson, after every reading assignment, students are presented with various sections to complete to represent their understanding of the text and how their understandings and empathizing connects to the outside, “real” world; these tasks that build up to the cumulative tasks at the end of the unit consist of, but are not limited to, the following: Analyze the Text, Create and Discuss, Analyze Podcasts, Research, Create and Present, and Collaborate & Compare. The lessons include sequences of text-dependent questions that guide their understanding of the selections in the unit and build to the culminating writing task. Lessons leading up to culminating tasks require the demonstration of various skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

• In Student Edition, Unit 2, students are asked to write a literary analysis that will focus on the theme of revenge that is found in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Specifically, students are asked to “write a literary analysis of a scene in Hamlet that shows the hero struggling to overcome an internal or external conflict.”

There are several tasks and questions throughout the unit that support this culminating writing task: 

• After students have read Act II of Hamlet, they are asked to discuss the following prompt with a small group. The prompt asks, “ Hamlet is not quick to act; instead he takes time to think through each decision he makes before moving forward. Why is Hamlet so cautious?” Furthermore, they ask students to 
• gather evidence from the text about Hamlet’s pretending to be mad and his plan to test Claudius’s guilt.
• discuss why Hamlet takes these measures. Consider what might happen if he immediately tried to take revenge.
• After students have read Act III of Hamlet, they are asked analysis questions. One of the questions asks, “Soon after Hamlet decides against killing Claudius while he is praying, he mistakes Polonius for the King and kills him without hesitation. What does this combination of events suggest about revenge?” 
• After students have read Act IV of Hamlet, they are asked questions revolving around the topic of revenge. For example: 
• Which events in Act IV result from Hamlet’s killing of Polonius? How does this sequence of events help explain why Hamlet was slow to take action earlier in the play?
• Does Gertrude seem sincere in Scene 1 when she tells Claudius that Hamlet killed Polonius in a fit of insanity, or is she trying to protect him?
• Reread Hamlet’s soliloquy in Scene 4, lines 48-58. This isn’t the first time that Hamlet has berated himself for not taking revenge. Is he just repeating himself, or do you sense a change in his attitude? Explain.  
• In Student Edition, Unit 3, the culminating tasks are to write a personal narrative about a significant experience and to present a personal narrative adapted from the essay. 
• The unit begins with a study of satire and an exploration of traditional period works. 
• Students read The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope to analyze satire, the heroic couplet, and the mock epic. They then write a rhymed satirical poem. 
• Students read “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift and explore satirical devices and author’s purpose. They discuss the satirical essay then write a satirical essay to address a problem in school or the community. 
• The next reading in the text set is a modern era editorial by Arwa Mahdawi, “Satire Is Dying Because the Internet Is Killing It.”
• Students analyze the development of ideas and tone, then write a satire.
• The rest of the texts in the unit are essays which represent the 18th century and the modern era. 
• The mentor text is from Inferno: A Doctor’s Ebola Story by Steven Hatch, M.D.
• Students analyze the author’s perspective and connect to memoirs.
• Students write to take informal notes, then create an informational poster about the topic. 
• Students build knowledge of the genre across the unit and develop personal experiences and perspectives in several contexts before the culminating task.
• In Student Edition, Unit 5, the culminating tasks for the unit are to write a research report about a modern invention that has changed the social order or the way people live their daily lives and give a multimodal presentation adapted from the report. 
• The text set includes excerpts from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, as well as a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. These traditional texts require students to examine point of view, setting, allegory, mood, plot, and characterization of complex texts. Tasks include writing a comparison, a poem, and a short story. 
• Students also view a documentary about factory reform. They evaluate the genre and write a short story. 
• The mentor text for the unit is an essay by Melissa Dickson, “The Victorians Had the Same Concerns About Technology As We Do.” 
• Students analyze the compare and contrast essay, and evaluate multimodal texts. They write an op-ed and discuss in groups. 
• The unit rounds out with several traditional poems and a modern era poem, providing students the opportunity to prepare and practice oral presentations.
• In Teacher's Edition, Unit 6, students must write an argument: “This unit focuses on modern and contemporary literature. Responding to the devastation of two world wars and the loss of the once-powerful British Empire, British writers struggled to carve out a role for themselves in their new and different world. For this writing task, you will write an argument about a social or political issue in your community, such as school choice or homelessness. You can use both George Osborne’s speech given to the House of Commons and Chris Hall’s editorial as mentor texts to write your own argument. As you write your argument, you can use the notes from your Response Log, which you filled out after reading the texts in this unit.” The writing prompt is: “Write an argument about a social or political issue facing your community and the government’s role in helping to solve this issue.” Students will complete the following sections: Plan, Develop a Draft, Revise, Edit, and Publish. Once students complete the cumulative writing task, they then must debate an issue: “You will now adapt your argument for a debate with your classmates. You also will listen to other debate teams and prepare to critique their presentations.” There are scaffolding steps throughout this section of the cumulative task to ensure student success. 
• Students read Katherine Mansfield’s short story, “A Cup of Tea.” Students then complete the Analyze the Text section, which consists of specific questions that address similar concepts within the cumulative task that follow Bloom’s Taxonomy. They are, but not limited to, the following: 
• “1. Analyze: How does the third-person limited point of view affect your reaction to Rosemary and her plan to help Miss Smith? How might the story have been different if told by an omniscient narrator?”
• “4. Connect: ‘A Cup of Tea’ is set in a time when wealthy women did not have professions and were expected to appear fashionable. How does this context influence your evaluation of Rosemary’s character?”
• In Student Edition, Unit 6, students read “Shooting an Elephant,” an essay by George Orwell. Once students complete the essay reading, they then complete the Create and Discuss section. First, they compose an informational essay: “Write about a social injustice occurring today. Describe the toll that this injustice takes on individuals. Use evidence from research or what you may have witnessed.” Then, students must discuss their essay response: “Use your essay to generate discussion with your peers. Allow each participant time to share an experience as well as its possible outcomes.” 
• Students read two poems: “The Second Coming,” by William Butler Yeats, and “Symbols? I’m Sick of Symbols,” by Fernando Pessoa. Once students complete both readings, they then complete the Collaborate & Compare section. Within this section are multiple sections: Compare Themes, Analyze the Texts, and Collaborate and Present. 
• Within the Compare Themes section, students use a provided chart to “compare how the two authors develop their themes,” and in a small group students must “identify similarities and differences between the two poems.” 
• Within the Analyze the Texts section, students are presented with questions that follow Bloom’s Taxonomy ranging from comparing to critiquing. 
• In the Collaborate and Present section, students must follow these steps: “1. Decide on the most important details. 2. Create theme statements. 3. Compare and contrast themes. 4. Present your ideas to the class.” All steps provide direction and scaffolds to ensure student success.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols to engage students in speaking and listening activities and discussions (small group, peer-to-peer, whole class) which encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax. 

There are frequent opportunities where students are expected to participate in evidence-based discussions. After reading assignments, there are small group or one on one interactions that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax. Specifically, within the online materials, students and instructors are presented with the Speaking & Listening Studio, where additional discussion supports are in place. Also, within the Teacher's Edition, at the beginning of most texts, when instructors are setting up the lesson, instructors are presented with two grouping strategies to support discussion titled Small-Group Options.  These opportunities can also be found in Respond sections after texts, where students are encouraged to work with a panel to discuss what they have learned from the text, as well as modeling the style of the reading assigned. This can also be seen in Critical Vocabulary sections in Respond at the end of a text, allowing students to model the language and syntax, as well as work with a peer. Speaking and listening instruction occurs frequently throughout the year and is supported through teacher resources and materials.

• In Student Edition, Unit 1, “The World on Turtle’s Back,” by Iroquois storytellers, students write a myth with a partner then present the myth orally with that partner, to either a small group or the whole class. 
• "Decide how you will divide your myth for presentation. Will each of you read alternate paragraphs, or will one person read the narration and the other read the dialogue?"
• "Practice reading the myth together before you make your presentation."
• "Be prepared to answer other students’ questions about your myth and its meaning."
• In the Student Edition, Unit 1, "Beowulf is full of action and drama and is best appreciated when read aloud. With a partner, present a passage from the epic poem. 
• Select a passage that features exciting action, rich poetic language, or dialogue between two characters.
• With your partner, decide how  you will divide the passage and who will read each part.
• Practice reading with expression, gestures, and appropriate volume. 
• Present your reading of the epic to your classmates. 
• Participating in Collaborative Discussions: Credits"
• In the Teacher's Edition, Unit 2, students watch a film clip by BBC Shakespeare, from Hamlet. Instructors are presented with the section “Small-Group Options” before the initial lessons, and instructors are presented with two options; one is titled “Send a Problem: After watching the first minute and a half of the film, pose this question: How would you describe Hamlet’s mood? Call on a student to respond. Wait several seconds for a response. If the student has no response, he or she must call on another student by name to answer the same question. Have students continue asking each other for assistance as needed. Monitor responses and ask more questions as appropriate.”
• In Student Edition, Unit 3, “Song of Myself,” written by Walt Whitman. "Use your reading of the selections from 'Song of Myself' to write a three- or four-paragraph argument either supporting or refuting this claim. 
• With a small group of classmates who took your same position in the argument, prepare to defend that position in a class debate. 
• Share your ideas and supporting examples with your group members.
• As a group, select key, well-supported claims that you will present in the debate.
• Anticipate the claims that the opposing side will make, and prepare rebuttal statements.
• Engage your audience by speaking clearly and using appropriate eye contact and volume.
• Always show respect in your interactions with the opposing side."
• In the Student Edition, from "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift, students "write a short satirical essay that addresses a problem in your school or community then discuss the process with a partner.
• Take turns sharing your essays. 
• Evaluate your partner’s use of satirical devices and the strength of the argument. 
• Offer constructive suggestions on ways your partner could polish the essay to make it more effective." 
• In the Student Edition, Unit 5, from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, students "write a comparison of a filmed adaptation of the scene from the novel included in the anthology. Present it to the group. If possible, play segments of the film version to illustrate your points.
• Read your comparison aloud or refer to it as you present your views.
• Encourage your listeners to react to you view and offer their own. Ask your listeners how well they followed your points, and if they can add ideas that might strengthen the comparison."
• In Student Edition, Unit 3, “My Friend Walt Whitman,” written by Mary Oliver, "write an essay about an author whom you admire or whose work you enjoy. Focus on why you think the author’s work is important or influential.
• Discuss the impact of literature on our lives. Use your essay as the basis of your contribution to the discussion. To prepare for the discussion, you may want to think about the following questions:
• What are the different kinds of literature we read and why are they important?
• How do movies sometimes revise or change literature?
• What can we experience by reading various types of literature?"
• Within Teacher's Edition, Unit 5, students must reflect on the unit within the Reflect on the Unit section for Unit 5. In the sidebar of the Teacher's Edition, instructors are presented with a Reflect on the Unit section: “Have students reflect on the questions independently and write some notes in response to each one. Then, have students meet with partners or in small groups to discuss their reflections. Circulate during these discussions to identify the questions that are generating the liveliest conversations. Wrap up with a whole-class discussion focused on these questions.
• In small groups, take turns giving and following the instructions you wrote. Evaluate how well the task was laid out, and give feedback on how to clarify any confusing parts." 

The following evidence supports the rationale that frequent opportunities and protocols to engage students in speaking and listening are provided throughout the year:

• In Student Edition, Unit 1, the class is given opportunities after each reading assignment to work both independently and with a small group. Students are able to model language and syntax in these discussion opportunities. The evidence can be found in some examples below:
• "Practice and apply: Form a small group to identify other words in the poem that have changed their meanings over the years. Share the words and their old and new usages with the class."  
• "Extend: How did warfare in medieval England differ from the way wars are fought today/ Discuss with your partner."
• "Enact the scene: with your partner or group, present your dramatic scene by acting it out in front of the class."
• "After you present your scene, ask your classmates to summarize what happened."
• "Discuss the poems: Have a group discussion on how thoughts and feelings are expressed in medieval literature and in contemporary literature."
• "As a group, draw a conclusion on how each writer feels about loneliness."
• "Write and Discuss: Discuss your completed Word Network with a partner, making sure to talk through all of the boxes until you both understand the word, its synonyms, antonyms, and related forms. Then, fill out a Word Network for the remaining four words. Use a dictionary or online resource to help you complete the activity."

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking (and discussions) about what they are reading and researching (shared projects) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

Materials in the Grade 12 curriculum provide ample opportunities for rich and rigorous evidence-based discussions about texts to build strong literacy skills. All discussions encountered required students to go directly back to the text, reference evidence, or repeated reading and analysis; and in many cases, instructors are presented possible student responses for additional support. Sections where questions and supports are seen within the Student and Teacher's Editions are: Reflect on the Unit, Introduce the Selection and Quick Start, the Revise section within all major cumulative writing tasks, Create & Discuss, Applying Academic Vocabulary, Create and Discuss, and Collaborate and Present.  The Speaking and Listening Studio is a digital resource that provides a quick reference for students to address specific speaking and listening actions. The margin notes remind students to use the Speaking and Listening Studio for more information about the task. The Speaking and Listening Studio also provides an opportunity for targeted instruction and supports teachers to help guide students in speaking and listening areas.

Evidence that supports the rationale is located in: 

• In the Teacher's Edition, Unit 1, students and instructors are presented with the section, Reflect on the Unit. In the sidebar, instructors are presented with the following instruction: “Have students reflect on the questions independently and write some notes in response to each one. Then have students meet with partners or in small groups to discuss their reflections. Circulate during these discussions to identify the questions that are generating the liveliest conversations. Wrap up with a whole-class discussion focused on these questions.” Questions that students must respond to individually and in groups are as follows but not limited to:
• Reflect on the Essential Questions: “How did the heroes you read about in this unit affect other characters?” and “Think about texts in the unit that show a society that is coming apart. How does this social disorder affect people?”
• Reflect on Your Reading: “Which selections were the most interesting or surprising to you?”
• Reflect on the Writing Task: “Which parts of the story were the easiest to write? The hardest to write? Why?”
• In the Student Edition, Unit 4, Poems by William Wordsworth, the sidebar for “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey,” provices possible discussion prompts while reading:
• "Analyze: Why are these feeling important for the speaker? (lines 27-42)"
• "Analyze: How do these images support the speaker’s idea about a force that affects all things? (lines 93-102)"
• "Discuss: Consider the ideas Wordsworth expresses in his poetry about nature and the comfort it can provide. With a partner, discuss any of your own experiences in nature that you’ve found meaningful or helpful in your life. 
• Listen thoughtfully as your partner tells you about his or her experiences.
• Ask questions about any ideas or details that are unclear or need elaboration.
• Brainstorm to come up with ideas as to how you and your partner might seek out additional meaningful experiences in nature."
• In Teacher's Edition, Unit 5, students read “Dover Beach,” by Matthew Arnold and “The Darkling Thrush,” by Thomas Hardy. Once students complete both reads, they must complete the Collaborate and Present section: “Now, with your group, continue exploring the ideas in the poems by identifying and comparing their themes.” Students must follow these steps:
• “1. Decide on the most important details: With your group, review your chart to identify the most important details from each poem. Identify points on which you agree, and resolve disagreements by identifying evidence from the poems that support your ideas.”
• “2. Determine a theme: Based on the word choices, figurative language, sound devices, and feelings evoked from each poem, determine a theme for each. You may use a chart to keep track of the themes your group members suggest.” 
• “3. Compare themes: Compare themes with your group and discuss whether the themes are similar or different. Listen actively to the members of your group and ask them to clarify any points you do not understand.”
• “4. Present to the class: Next, present your ideas to the class. Be sure to include clear statements on the theme for each poem. Discuss whether the themes are similar or different. You may add other visuals or diagrams to help convey information to the class.” 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g. multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

For every text that students read or view, there is a writing task that either clarifies and deepens understanding of the text, explores the essential question, or helps prepare the student for the end of unit writing task. These are both long assignments with multiple drafts, short assignments for in class responses, focused projects, and other short answer responses. These can be found both before and after a reading assignment within each unit.  At the end of every unit, students must complete a cumulative writing task that emulates one of the following: short story, personal narrative, explanatory essay, literary analysis, argumentative essay, and research essay. These process writing tasks have multiple layers for support. On-demand writing assignments, including shorter, more focused writing projects, are found throughout all six units.  

Examples of on-demand writing include, but are not limited to: 

• In the Student Edition, students are given multiple opportunities to write, either individually, on larger projects, or on small, focused assignments where they are asked to incorporate digital resources. 
• Starting on page 351, students are introduced to Civil War Photographs. Within this text there are multiple opportunities to write on demand.
• Make Connections: “Think about what you know about the Civil War or the other texts you have read on the subject. As you view the photographs, make connections between them and what you already know, and think about what they add to your understanding of the topic. You may also have questions if what you see in the photographs relates to or conflicts with what you already know about the Civil War. Write down any questions that occur to you while viewing.

A representative example of how the program supports the writing process is below:

• Write an Argument on page 442
• "Write an argument in which you identify a current barrier to self determination and specify what should be done to remedy it so that self determination is possible for more members of our society.
• Be sure to:
• Make a clear and persuasive claim.
• Ask questions that help develop your claim and research the answers by locating relevant sources and synthesizing the information they provide.
• Develop the claim with valid reasons and relevant evidence.
• Anticipate counterarguments, or opposing claims, and address them with a well supported rebuttal or defense.
• Establish clear, logical relationships among claims, rebuttals, reasons, and evidence.
• Write a satisfying conclusion that effectively summarizes the claim.
• Demonstrate appropriate and precise use of language, maintaining a formal tone through the use of standard English.
• Correctly cite sources you use, even when you summarize or paraphrase."

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. (Writing opportunities incorporate digital resources/multimodal literacy materials where appropriate. Opportunities may include blended writing styles that reflect the distribution required by the standards.)

The text types students must compose that reflect the standards are short story, personal narrative, explanatory essay, literary analysis, argumentative essay, and research essay.  Students write after each reading or viewing experience. Most writing experiences are elements of the writing process and may be completed as a stand-alone product or part of a larger task or learning experience. Digital application is expected and some writing tasks are specifically designed for digital media. A few of the writing tasks are primarily visual, supporting learning about an element of written and spoken presentation: the graphic representation of an idea. Across the entire school year, students write six process essays that reflect deep understanding of the unit’s essential question and of the genre study within each unit.

• In Student Edition, Unit 6, upon reading all of the texts, students are asked to write a formal argument essay. The instructions explain that students will “write an argument about a social or political issue in their community, such as school choice or homelessness.” It also tells students to use two different mentor texts to give students inspiration and structure. Students then begin organizing their ideas with an argument planning chart, develop a draft, revise (both by themselves and with a partner), edit and then publish their work.

End of unit writing tasks reflect the distribution required by the standards:

• Unit 1: Write a short story (W3).
• Unit 2: Write an literary analysis (W1, W2).
• Unit 3: Write a personal narrative (W3).
• Unit 4: Write an explanatory essay (W2).
• Unit 5: Write a research report (W2).
• Unit 6: Write an argument (W1).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support sophisticated analysis, argumentation, and synthesis.

Each unit contains multiple opportunities for students to compose and refine research-based and evidence-based writing. Students are offered opportunities to evaluate and support claims both in formal assignments and informal in-class assignments. This can be seen in the Respond section of readings, where students have opportunities in both Research and Create and Present. In some texts, there are also opportunities to research and analyze in Respond to the Essential Question. This asks students to review annotations and notes to develop support for specific questions. The Teacher's Edition provides a road map of the year which is presented in six units. Each text - or sometimes pair of texts - in the unit is followed by both a brief research prompt and a writing assignment informed by the research. The on-demand writing tasks reflect development of skills necessary to complete the end of unit writing task.

• In the Student Edition, Unit 2, students are asked to read two sonnets: Sonnet 30 and Sonnet 75 by Edmund Spenser. After reading them, students research the literary career of Spenser and answer three questions. 

• In the Student Edition, Unit 3, students read the article “Education Protects Women from Abuse” by Olga Khazan. After reading the text, students research some of the statistics that are present regarding the education of women and girls worldwide. Then, they share those statistics with a small group and discuss whether or not the statistics support Khazan’s claim. 
• In the Teacher's Edition, Unit 5: An Era of Rapid Change, students consider the following questions: "What is a true benefactor? How do you view the world? What brings out cruelty in people? Which invention has had the greatest impact on your life?" The end of unit writing task is a research report about a modern invention that has changed the social order or the way people live their daily lives. Students synthesize information from analysis of texts that portray societal changes across time and the effects on human civilization. They conduct independent research to complete the end of unit task. 
• In the Teacher's Edition, Unit 6: New Ideas, New Voices, students consider the following questions: "What makes people feel insecure? Why is it hard to resist social pressure? What is the power of symbols? When should the government interfere in our decisions?" The end of unit writing task is an argument about a social or political issue facing the student’s community and the government’s role in helping to solve the issue. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for materials including instruction and practice of the grammar and conventions/language standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application in context.

Each (written) text includes a Language Conventions section at the beginning of the reading that provides information about a convention relative to the text, and directions for what to look for while reading. Texts often include prompts in the margin notes to annotate and respond to the convention identified. After reading, students extend the learning with direct instruction of the language convention and practice by applying what they have learned. In the Create and Apply section, there is another heading labeled Language Conventions which provides additional instruction to students in that grammatical category as well as a “practice and apply” formative assessment in which students can demonstrate their understanding in that particular category. The Grammar Studio is a digital resources that provides students with additional information and practice about specific components of the grammar standards. Students explore spelling, punctuation, parts of speech, clauses, and more throughout the Studio. Teachers can assign specific lessons for students to study independently or in small groups. Teachers can also assign module assessments to track student progress with the topic/standard. 

• In Student Edition, Unit 1, students read several selections including: “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer. In the Before reading students are told, "In this lesson, you will learn about inverted sentences where the normal order of a subject followed by a verb is reversed." 
• "While reading: (prompt in margin notes) Annotate: Mark the inverted phrase in lines 217-222. Analyze: How does this inversion help maintain the pattern of the verse?"
• "Apply: Write three inverted sentences about events in 'The Wife of Bath’s Tale.'”
• In Student Edition, Unit 5, students read several selections including: From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. In the Before Reading students are told, "In this lesson, you will learn about gerunds and gerund phrases. A gerund is a verb ending in -ing that is used as a noun. You can add modifiers and complements to a gerund to make it a gerund phrase. Writer use gerunds and gerund phrases to effectively combine short sentences into one." 
• "While reading: (prompt in margin notes) Annotate: Mark the sentence that contains gerunds in paragraph 45. Evaluate: What do these gerunds emphasize about Jane’s character?"
• "Apply: Write your own sentences with gerunds or gerund phrases using the sentences above as a model."