1st Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria for anchor texts (including read aloud texts in K-2 and shared reading texts in Grade 2 used to build knowledge and vocabulary) are of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading/listening and consider a range of student interests.

Throughout the Grade 1 materials, the anchor texts included are all published or of publishable quality.  Each module contains three weeks of instruction focused around a text set, which consists of about eight texts centered around the module topic. Anchor texts are of various genres. They contain colorful photographs and/or vibrant illustrations, which match the words in the texts. The texts contain rich academic vocabulary and help students analyze language and author’s craft. Texts are engaging and often relatable in content. All the texts are appropriate for Grade 1 students. 

Examples of anchor texts that are of publishable quality, worthy of careful reading and listening, and consider a range of student interests include: 

• In Module 1, students listen to You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown, which is a published fantasy text and a New York Times bestseller. It has rich illustrations and speech bubbles with mixed-media artwork. It follows a chronological order and sends the message about the importance of setting goals and overcoming difficulties.
• In Module 4, students listen to A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems, which is a published text that is vibrant with funny illustrations. It contains silly characters, an abundance of dialogue, and a relatable story with a problem and solution. 
• In Module 5, students listen to Blackout by John Rocco, which is a published realistic fiction text told in a graphic novel format that was named a 2012 Caldecott Honor Book. The plot has several layers of meaning, though the text and pictures support students in using evidence to make inferences about the meaning of the text. 
• In Module 8, students listen to My Name is Gabriela by Monica Brown, which is a published biography about Gabriela Mistral, who is the first Latino Nobel Prize winner. 
• In Module 11, students listen to Pele, King of Soccer by Monica Brown which is a published biography about a famous soccer player. Text features are present and are used to call attention to important events in his life. It also includes different types of text including curved text, italicized text, and colored text to support the meaning of vocabulary words. It also contains vibrant, powerful illustrations that support students understanding.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

Throughout the Grade 1 materials, there is a mix of informational and literary texts throughout each module. While literary and informational texts are present in each module with the exception of Module 11, which is all informational texts and Module 12, which is all literary texts, each of the other nine modules lean heavily towards literary or information. Modules 1, 6, 8, and 9 include primarily literary texts, and Modules 2, 3, 5, and 7 include primarily informational. Module 4 has an equal distribution of text types. Genre types include art, biographies, drama, fables, fairy tales, folktales, opinion pieces, poetry, social studies text, procedural text, narrative nonfiction, songs, videos, fantasy, and realistic fiction. 

Specific examples of literary texts in the program include:

• Module 1: Students listen to Big Dilly’s Tale by Gail Carson Levine, which is a fairytale version of "The Ugly Duckling".
• Module 2: Students listen to Dan Had a Plan by Wong Herbert Yee, which is a fictional text about communities. 
• Module 3:  Students listen to Blue Bird and Coyote by James Bruchac, which is a folktale about gratitude and patience. 
• Module 4: Students listen to A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems, which is a fictional story about how one character is upset when another character takes her ball. This book emphasizes the importance of solving problems in a timely manner. 
• Module 5: Students listen to Blackout by John Rocco, which is a realistic fiction graphic novel about a family that comes to appreciate spending time together during a blackout. 
• Module 6: Students listen to Monument City by Jerdine Nolen, which is a drama about national holidays, monuments, and symbols. 
• Module 7: Students listen to Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, which is a fantasy about buried treasure. 
• Module 8: Students listen to Red Knit Cap Girl and the Reading Tree by Naoko Stoop, which is a fantasy about a girl and animal who learn an important lesson. 
• Module 9: Students listen toThe Talking Vegetables by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert, which is a folktale about a spider who learns lessons about the community. 
• Module 10: Students listen to Young Frank Architect by Frank Viva, which is a realistic fiction text about thinking in new ways. 

Specific examples of informational texts in the program include:

• Module 1: Students listen to A Kid's Guide to Friends by Trey Amico, which is an informational text that teaches students about how to be a good friend. 
• Module 2: Students read On the Map! by Lisa Fleming, which is an informational text about communities. 
• Module 3:  Students listen to Animal Q & A (no author), which is an informational text about animal body functions. 
• Module 4: Students listen to Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius, which is an informational text about a group of multicultural boys and girls who work on their baseball skills during practice. 
• Module 5: Students listen to The Best Season by Nina Crews, which is an opinion piece where two girls share their opinion about the best season and the reasons for their choices. 
• Module 6: Students listen to The Statue of Liberty by Tyler Monroe, which is an informational text about monuments and symbols. 
• Module 7: Students listen to Handmade by Guadalupe Rodriguez, which is a procedural text about recycling. 
• Module 9: Students listen to So You Want to Grow a Taco? by Bridget Heos, which is a procedural text about the ingredients needed to make tacos, how to grow corn, and how to make tortillas. 
• Module 10: Students listen to I am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer, which is a biography teaching students about the different ways Amelia Earhart's thoughts compared to others. 
• In Module 11, students listen to Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray, which is a narrative nonfiction text about birds. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria that texts (including read-aloud texts and some shared reading texts used to build knowledge and vocabulary) have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade level according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and a relationship to their associated student task. Read-aloud texts at K-2 are above the complexity levels of what most students can read independently. 

The texts within the Grade 1 materials are appropriate for students based on their quantitative measure, qualitative measure, and reader and task. While the majority of the texts are read-alouds in Grade 1, these texts are above what students can read independently, which is appropriate for read-alouds at this level. Shared reading texts have a lower Lexile and lower qualitative features.  All texts are within the appropriate range for their purpose and the qualitative measures range from slightly complex to very complex. 

Examples of appropriately complex texts in the Grade 1 materials include:

• In Module 3, Lesson 2, students listen to the Big Book, Best Foot Forward by Ingo Arndt which has a Lexile of 920. This informational text includes rich photographs that enhance the content and text features such as captions and tables.
• In Module 3, Lesson 12, students listen to Step-by-Step Advice from the Animal Kingdom by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, which has a Lexile of 480 and is considered moderately complex. This shared read, which is a procedural text, describes the tactics animals use to survive in their habitats. The text follows a clear sequential order and contains complex sentences with content-area vocabulary.
• In Module 6, Lesson 3, students listen to Monument City by Jerdine Nolen, which is considered moderately complex and no Lexile is available because it is a drama. It has illustrations and engaging, familiar topics, but due to the structure of the drama, it may be slightly challenging for students.
• In Module 8, Lesson 1, students listen to Follow the Story Path (no author), which has a Lexile of 490 and is considered moderately complex. It uses familiar language and graphic features to convey the content in this visual, engaging presentation of story structure. 
• In Module 9, Lesson 6, students listen to The Curious Garden by Peter Brown which has a Lexile of AD840L. The text includes illustrations that support the story's meaning, as well as a clear problem and resolution. The text includes academic vocabulary related to the module topic, Grow, Plants, Grow! such as gardener and blossomed. 
• In Module 11, Lesson 11, students hear I am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer, which has a Lexile of 580 and is considered very complex. It is first read aloud in Module 10, Lesson 11, and during this second read-aloud, students analyze genre features of a biography.  They examine the title to learn the subject of the biography.  They learn about Amelia's life, important events in her life, and events that made Amelia decide she wanted to fly.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ literacy skills (comprehension) over the course of the school year through increasingly complex text to develop independence of grade-level skills (leveled readers and series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels). 

Throughout the year students are exposed to increasingly complex texts that help them achieve grade-level independence. Students listen to and read Big Books, Read Aloud books, and myBooks to achieve grade-level independence. Read Aloud books are more complex and sophisticated texts that build children’s knowledge, academic vocabulary, and comprehension skills and strategies. Big Books help to build knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension, while also supporting print concepts. The myBooks are used for shared reading and independent reading. 

In the beginning of the year, the myBook texts are 66% slightly complex and 33% moderately complex, while at the end of the year, the texts are 20% slightly complex, 50% moderately complex, and 30% very complex. In addition, Lexile levels at the beginning of the year range from 60L-480L and at the end of the year, the Lexile levels range from 300L-580L. 

Reading skills also increase in complexity while the text levels increase in complexity throughout the year. Examples include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 3, students listen to Try This! by Pam Munoz Ryan and ask questions while reading, starting with who, what, where, when, why, and how. At the end of the year, students continue asking those questions, but also practice retelling, monitoring, clarifying, and evaluating. In Module 9, Lesson 13, after listening to Yum! MmMm! Que Rico! by Pat Mora, students identify words that help them create a mental image of what is being described and then use that to make an inference about the author’s reason for including those words. Asking and answering questions about what students read and listen to are also taught throughout the program and increase in complexity.
• In Module 2, Lesson 3, students listen to Dan Had a Plan by Wong Hebert Yee and retell the story in their own words. Then, in the middle of the year, during Module 6, students listen to Arbor Day (no author) and write about the events in the story by giving detailed explanations of the problem and solution in the story. At the end of the year, in Module 10, students listen to Max’s Music (no author) and discuss and write a retelling of the events and then add their own ending to the story that makes sense with the events from the story. 
  

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria that anchor texts (including read-aloud texts in K-2) and the series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis.

The publisher provides a text complexity analysis for the Grade 1 materials that includes quantitative information, qualitative information, and reader and task considerations. The text analysis for all of the anchor texts are found in the Preview Lesson Texts section of each module. 

Examples of information provided in this text complexity analysis include:

• In Module 2, Week 1, students engage with Dan Had a Plan by Wong Herbert during Lessons 3 & 4. The publisher states that the Lexile is 250 and the overall rating is Slightly Complex. This text was selected because, “Dan’s older sister thinks he’s too little to help with her fundraising project, but Dan has a plan! He helps sell all the bug and bat snacks his sister made to raise money for the library. Children will learn that no one is too young to be helpful.” Students use this text to identify features of realistic fiction and retell story events in sequence.
• In Module 7, Week 2, students hear Deserts by Quinn M. Arnold in Lesson 7 and 8 because “in this informational text, children will learn what deserts look like and how plants and animals adapt to their hot, dry climate.” The text complexity is a Lexile of 300 and slightly complex. The text uses contemporary and familiar vocabulary that has a concrete purpose.
• In Module 10, Lessons 12 and 13, students hear Joaquin’s Zoo by Pablo Bernasconi, which has a text complexity of 580L. The text is considered very complex due to the fact it uses familiar language but contains an implicit theme that is revealed over the entirety of the text. This text was selected to help students connect a text with a personal experience, society, and other texts, as well as to use details in the text and illustrations to identify and describe story characters and the reasons for their actions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria that support materials for the core text(s) provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to support their reading at grade level by the end of the school year. 

Grade 1 materials include a range and volume of opportunities throughout the day for students to engage with texts. Students engage with a variety of books during whole group read alouds, small group instruction, and independent reading. In Grade 1, materials include Big Books, Read Aloud Trade Books, Leveled Readers, independent choice books, a student reader, Start Right Readers (decodables), and foundational skills practice books. Students engage with texts in whole-group instruction, small group and guided reading instruction, and independent work. Texts are also read during Writing Workshop as a mentor text. Students and teachers often read books multiple times for different purposes including getting a gist about the text, practice a reading skill, having an academic discussion, or taking notes and writing about the text. 

Specific examples of how the range of text types as well as volume of reading help students to achieve grade-level reading proficiency include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 3, students listen toTry This! by Pam Munoz Ryan. In this week, students listen to one realistic fiction, one fantasy, and one narrative nonfiction centered around the essential question of, “How can making new friends and learning new things help us?”. During the week, students interact with books by reading with a partner to practice fluency, annotating a text to practice the reading strategy, and using a response journal to draw or write about what they read.
• In Module 3, Week 2, students listen to and read one informational text, one folktale, and one narrative nonfiction centered around the topic of amazing animals. The informational text is read aloud, while the other two books can be accessed in myBook, giving students an opportunity to read on their own. In Lesson 9, the teacher explains what good readers do when they read to clarify and understand. Students practice this strategy in their myBook when reading, Have you Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray. During small group time, students may work with the teacher in guided reading or English Language Development. Students can also read the Start Right Reader or independently read. 
• In Module 7, Week 1, students listen to an informational text and read in their myBook an opinion piece and a fantasy, all centered around the topic of the big outdoors. In Lesson 2, the teacher shows students how the text Rainy, Sunny, Blowy, Snowy by Jane Brocket is organized around description and how that helps with comprehension. Students work with the teacher to identify specific sensory words. Students then apply that reading strategy to appropriate just-right books that they are reading independently. There are opportunities for small group instruction with teacher selected books from the Rigby Leveled Library, using a decodable text from the Start Right Reader, or independently selecting a book from the library. 
• In Module 8, Lesson 8 students listen to Little Red Riding Hood by Lisa Campbell Ernst, which is a drama. In Week 2 of this module, students read one fantasy, one drama, and one fable centered around the topic of lessons from stories. The fantasy text is read aloud to students, but the other two texts are in the myBook, which enable students to practice reading independently. Week 2 also uses the Rigby Leveled Library, four Start Right Readers (decodable texts), and access to the student choice library.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-based, 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).

Throughout the year, students answer text-dependent questions after listening to a variety of texts. Questions include both explicit and implicit questions that require students to engage directly with the text. Questions about the text are asked during and after the read-alouds as well as during small group instruction with decodable texts. In addition, students are often asked to underline, circle, and otherwise annotate the text in their myBook to find the answers to the questions for different types of texts.

Specific examples of text-based questions students are asked throughout the program include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 7, after listening to My School Trip by Aly G. Mays, students are asked, “How does Nan get a butterfly?" and  "What evidence lets you know that Nan feels happy about getting a butterfly?”
• In Module 4, Lesson 2, after listening to Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius, students are asked, "How do the children work together during baseball hour?”
• In Module 7, Lesson 6, after hearing On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole, students are asked, “What time of year is it?"  and "How do you know?” They are also asked, “How do you know that some time has passed since the beginning of the story?”
• In Module 8, Lesson 4, students listen to Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein and after, students are asked, “How does Papa feel when the little chicken keeps interrupting?” Students annotate the text by underlining how specific words help them know how Papa feels.  
• In Module 10, Lesson 11, after listening to I am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer, students are asked, “What did Amelia do after she realizes she had to fly?”
• In Module 11, Lesson 9, after a small group lesson with the text My Big Bike Race by Jia Lee, students discuss what the narrator does before the races and why she does that.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

Throughout the Grade 1 materials there are ample opportunities for students to engage in evidence-based discussions following a variety of protocols. Protocols include Turn-and-Talks between two students and Think-Pair-Shares for both small group and whole group instruction. There are also protocols for Author's Chair for Writing Workshop in which students share their writing, sometimes about what they are reading. Teachers also use the PEER acronym for Dialogic Reading with Read-Alouds. Teachers are encouraged to use a gradual release model and support discussions by encouraging students to use evidence from the text. 

In the Guiding Principles and Strategies book, there is a section on how to engage students in a discussion. Subtopics include aspects of a conversation, focusing on listening and speaking skills, and best practices for facilitating discussions. Teachers are also directed to use one of the discussion routines in the Teacher’s Guide in order to facilitate conversations about the texts. Part of these routines includes how to initiate a conversation, add details in a conversation, respond in a complete sentence, and how to stay on topic. 

In the Guiding Principles and Strategy book, Dialogic Reading with Read Alouds is discussed at-length and teachers are taught to use the PEER acronym for discussions. This stands for:

• Prompt children to say something about the book.
• Evaluate the response.
• Expand on the response by rephrasing and adding to it.
• Repeat the prompt to check understanding and give children additional opportunities for using language.

In the Guiding Principles and Strategies book, best practices are included for Shared Reading, which outline not just how the teacher should read the text, but how to support students in their discussion of the text. This includes:

• Ask students to support their answers with evidence from the text.
• Prompt children to listen and respond to each other. 

In the Guiding Principles and Strategies book, the Turn-and-Talk protocol includes the following steps:

1. Turn toward your partner.
2. Look your partner in the eye.
3. One partner talks while the other listens.
4. Switch.

In the Guiding Principles and Strategies book, the Think-Pair-Share protocol includes the following steps:

1. Think (children think about the question)
2. Pair (share ideas with a partner)
3. Share (share with the whole group)

In the Guiding Principles and Strategies book, Share Chair protocols include the following steps:

1. Present your work. 
2. Listen to your classmates. 
3. Teachers provide sentence starters to help children discuss their peer’s writing.

For Collaborative Conversations, the Teacher's Guide provides an Anchor Chart to refer to for expectations. The rules include:

1. Listen with care.
2. Stick to the topic.
3. Answer questions with more than one word.
4. Use complete sentences.
5. Be respectful.

Some specific examples of students engaging in evidence-based discussions using the above protocols include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 5, students learn Collaborative Conversation rules. Then students meet in small groups to discuss new things children do in the book, Try This! by Pam Munoz Ryan, following the rules of discussion. 
• In Module 4, Lesson 3, students read, Goal! by Jane Medina and then use the Turn and Talk routine to answer questions such as, “Which details in Goal! are important for helping you understand why Colette likes soccer?” and “How do Colette and her team feel when she sets a goal? Why?”.
• In Module 7, Lesson 3, students listen to the story Sam and Dave Dig A Hole by Mac Barnett and after listening to the story, students use the Turn and Talk routine to answer questions such as, “How can you tell that the boys are good friends?” and “What makes the boys’ adventure spectacular?”. Sentence starters are also provided to support speaking. The teacher tells students that when it is their turn, they should add to their partner’s idea by stating, “My idea is...”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading (or read aloud) and researching (shared projects) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

There are many opportunities throughout the Grade 1 materials for students to answer questions and ask follow-up questions. The Interactive Read Aloud sessions incorporate numerous opportunities for students to listen to their teacher read the text, listen to their peers answer questions, and speak about what they are thinking and have learned about the text.

Specific examples of opportunities for students to listen to and speak about what they are hearing through read-alouds with relevant follow-up questions include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 2, students listen to Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes by Eric Litwin and afterwards, draw a picture of one of the things Pete does in his school shoes. Then they complete the sentence frame, “I’m ________ in my school shoes.” Students then meet with a partner to discuss how their responses are similar or different. 
• In Module 2, Lesson 3, students listen to Dan Had a Plan by Wong Herbert Yee, and the teacher asks questions while reading such as, “What is Kim doing?" and  "What evidence helps you know?” 
• In Module 3, Lesson 11, students listen to Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein and then discuss why the author organizes the story the way he did. They then identify the problem, main events, and resolution.
• In Module 4, Lesson 3, students listen to Goal! by Jane Medina, and students Turn-and-Talk to discuss how Collette and her team feel when she gets a goal and why. Students are reminded to take turns and to express their ideas clearly. 
• In Module 5, Lesson 15, in the Module Wrap-Up, students demonstrate what they have learned about the topic from reading the variety of texts in this module. One option is to write a poem that includes information they read about light and dark, day and night and the seasons. Students draw a picture to accompany it and share the poem with the class. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 3, after reading Monument City by Jerdine Nolen, students engage in a Turn-and-Talk with a partner to answer questions such as, “Why is Washington, D.C. an important place?” and “Tell about predictions you made using the characteristics of drama, such as setting. What were you right about?”.
• In Module 7, Lesson 11, students listen to Do You Really Want to Visit a Wetland? by Bridget Heos, and then students discuss the answers to questions such as, “What is the topic of the book?” and “What does the author want you to learn about the Everglades and other wetlands?”.
• In Module 8, Lesson 3, students listen to Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein and talk with a partner about what pictures they create in their mind when they listened to Interrupting Chicken and which words help them create those pictures.
• In Module 9, Lesson 9, students listen to The Talking Vegetables by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert, and after listening to the story, students Turn-and-Talk to answer questions such as, “What will Spider do the next time neighbors ask for help?”.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing grade-appropriate writing (e.g. grade-appropriate revision and editing) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

Within the Grade 1 materials, there is a Writing Workshop section for each module that begins with a mentor text. During this time, students receive skill based mini-lessons and spend time daily with process writing, including all of the steps from prewriting to publishing and sharing. In addition, the Grade 1 myBook and Teaching Pal offer many opportunities for students to produce on-demand, short writing tasks in response to reading. The materials cover a year’s worth of writing instruction. 

Students participate in process writing in each module throughout the year in Writing Workshop. Students take several weeks to complete one piece. Examples include:

• In Module 2, students learn how to write a descriptive essay about what makes their world wonderful. Students learn how to draft and revise, as well as edit for specific items, such as proper nouns. Students are provided with an editing checklist. Students publish their essays, create cover art, and bind their essays, before a whole-class share. 
• In Module 3, students write an all-about book about their favorite animal. They spend fifteen lessons analyzing text features of the mentor text, researching a topic, drafting their book, revising, editing, publishing, and then sharing their writing.
• In Module 7, students write a poem about things they like in nature. Students use a mentor text prior to brainstorming and then draft, revise for word choice, confer with a peer, edit using an editing checklist, and publish. At the end, students participate in a poetry museum to share their work. 
• In Module 8, students learn to write a personal narrative. Students write a story about someone who helped them solve a problem. Students complete a Star Organizer before drafting, and then add dialogue. Students spend time editing and revising their story, including working with a partner to receive feedback. 
• In Module 11, students listen to I Will Not Read This Book by Cece Meng and then spend time writing a letter to the boy in the story suggesting that he read a recommended book. Students draft the letter by considering audience, revise for details and dates, edit for capitalization, punctuation, and subject-verb agreement, and then publish. 
• In Module 12, students write an opinion essay about the best thing they learned in first grade. Students begin by reading a mentor text and then brainstorm topics before developing an opinion planning map. Students then draft with a strong conclusion, revise and edit, and then publish. The stories become a class book that is bound for next year’s first graders. 

Throughout the year on-demand writing is found in the myBook and the Teaching Pal, which gives students an opportunity to respond to the read-aloud via drawing and writing. Examples of this include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 13, after reading Big Dilly’s Tale by Gail Carson Levine, students write a response to, “What is Dilly like in Big Dilly’s Tale? Use ideas from the words and pictures in the story to help you describe Dilly.”
• In Module 2, Lesson 8, students respond to the text On the Map! by Lisa Fleming by choosing a map from the text and writing the directions on how one would get from one place to another. 
• In Module 3, Lesson 8, students read Bluebird and Coyote by James Bruchac and The Nut no author and write about things that Coyote does differently in each story.  Then respond on why they think he does different things.
• In Module 4, Lesson 2, after reading Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius, students draw a picture and write sentences that tell how the players used teamwork to improve their skills. 
• In Module 5, Lesson 13, after hearing Waiting Is Not Easy! by Mo Willems, students choose either Gerald or Piggie and write clues to describe the character. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 8, students write their opinion about which American symbol from The Contest by Libby Martinez they like the best by including details from the text to support their opinion. 
• In Module 7, Lesson 4 students hear Ron and Tron (no author) and write in response to the prompt, “How can you tell that Ron and Tron are friends?” 
• In Module 8, Lesson 8, after listening to Keep Trying (no author), students write a response to the prompt, “How does June learn a lesson in Keep Trying? Use examples from the drama to explain your answer.”
• In Module 9, Lesson 10, students listen to The Talking Vegetables by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert and then respond to the prompt, “Imagine that Spider tells his neighbors about the lesson he learns. What will he say? What will the neighbor say? Write a dialogue to add to The Talking Vegetables.” 
• In Module 10, Lesson 4, after reading Max’s Music (no author), students add to the story by writing what they think would happen next. 
• In Module 11, Lesson 4, after listening to , Do you Really Want to Visit a Wetland by Bridget Heos, students respond to the prompt, “Use information from the book to write a paragraph describing one thing about the Everglades that the boy could use in his report."
• In Module 12, Lesson 4, after rereading Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds, students write a first person paragraph that Marison might write to tell about her dream. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing (year long) that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

Instructional materials provide frequent opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply what they have learned about narrative, opinion, and informational writing. Each module includes writing lessons about the text that they read. In addition, students are taught about the Narrative, Informational, and Opinion Writing  in Writing Workshop, where they engage in longer pieces of writing over the course of three weeks. 

Narrative writing prompts are found in myBook after reading a text, as well as, in Writing Workshop Modules 1, 5, 6, and 8. In Module 7, poetry is also taught. Specific examples include:

• In Module 1, students write a story about a moment in their lives. Students use the text, Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon, as an exemplar. 
• In Module 5, students write a folktale about how something in nature came to be. Students learn how to brainstorm, select a topic, develop stories with sequential events, find a problem, and a solution.
• In Module 6, students learn to write a personal narrative. After listening to, The Thanksgiving Door by Debby Atwell, they discuss the structure of a narrative. Students then write a story about their favorite holiday memory. 
• In Module 7, students write a poem about things they like in nature, after listening to the story, Ask Me by Bernard Waber. 
• In Module 8 of Writing Workshop, students learn to write a personal narrative. Students write a story about someone who has helped them solve a problem. 

Informational writing is found in myBook after each text as well as in Writing Workshop Modules 2, 3, 4, 9, and 10. Examples include:

• In Module 2, Writing Workshop, students learn how to write a descriptive essay. Students write a short description of what makes their world wonderful. 
• In Module 3, Writing Workshop, students write an all-about book about their favorite animal after listening to the mentor text, Giraffes by Kate Riggs. 
• In Module 4, Lesson 2, after listening to Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius, students draw a picture and write sentences that tell how the players used teamwork to improve the skills. 
• In Module 9, Writing Workshop, students write an essay telling what they learned from doing a science experiment. Students select an experiment to observe, ask questions, and take notes on their observations before beginning their essay. 
• In Module 10, Writing Workshop, students write a biographical essay about someone who inspires them.  Students draft their essays using details about the person’s life and experience the revision process before each student shares his or her report. 

Opinion writing is found in myBook, as well as in, Writing Workshop Modules 11 and 12. Specific examples include:

• In Module 2, Lesson 13, students review the text, Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? By George Shannon, then use myBook to write a thank you note to a worker from the story and tell why they think the person is helpful. 
• In Module 4, Lesson 8, students review the text, Get Up and Go! by Rozanne Lanczak Williams and write an opinion in their myBook about which type of exercise they think is best using reasons to support their opinion.  
• In Module 6, Lesson 8, after listening to The Contest by Libby Martinez, students respond to the prompt, “Which American symbol from The Contest do you like the best? Why? Use details from the text and your own ideas to explain.”
• In Module 10, Writing Workshop, students listen to Sky Color by Peter H Reynolds, then write in their myBook to a prompt “Write a TV commercial for the paint called Sky Color. Tell your opinion of it and explain ways to use it. Give reasons why people need it.”  Students are asked to use the text for details to include in their writing. 
• In Module 11, Writing Workshop, students listen to I Will Not Read this Book by Cece Meng and write a letter to the boy in the story telling him that he should read a book that the students have chosen for him.
• In Module 12, students write an opinion essay about the best thing they have learned how to do in first grade.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria for materials including regular opportunities for evidence-based writing to support recall of information, opinions with reasons, and relevant information appropriate for the grade level.

Each Module in the Grade 1 materials provides multiple opportunities for students to write about what they are listening to and reading. Students write in their myBooks regularly in response to the various texts read throughout the year. Materials provide opportunities for students to recall information from text by drawing pictures, dictating their understanding of the text, and writing their own sentences. The program begins with a close reading. After the close reading, students respond to questions in writing.   

Specific examples of evidence-based writing include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 6, after reading My School Trip by Aly G. Mays, students make a list about all of the things the girl in the story likes about her trip.
• In Module 3, Lesson 8, students listen to Blue Bird and Coyote by James Bruchac and "The Nut" and then write about how Coyote behaves differently in the two stories and the reason(s) why he does different things. 
• In Module 4, Lesson 2, after listening to Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius, students draw a picture and write sentences that tell how the players used teamwork to improve their skills. 
• In Module 5, Lesson 10, after listening to The Best Season by Nina Crews, students write their opinions about which person they agree within the story by using details from the text to explain why. Students also write about how the book, The Great Down, is similar to The Best Season. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 8, after listening to The Contest by Libby Martinez, students write about which American symbol from The Contest they like best and include details from the text to explain.
• In Module 7, Lesson 8, students listen to Desserts by Quinn M. Arnold and then describe in writing the land or a living thing from the story for someone who has never seen it. 
• At the end of Module 8, after reading various fables throughout the module, students make a badge with a picture on it that shows a lesson they learned from one of the stories. They are required to write a sentence about how to earn the badge. 
• In Module 9, Lesson 8, students write a description comparing and contrasting two vegetables from the text, Which Part do We Eat? by Katherine Ayres. 
• In Module 10, Lesson 2, after listening to What Can You Do? by Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly, students write sentences that tell about one of the activities that one of the children in the book is skilled. Students use details from the story to support their responses. 
• In Module 11, Lesson 4, after rereading Do You Really Want to Visit a Wetland by Bridget Heos, students write a paragraph describing one thing about the Everglades that the boy could use in this report. 
• In Module 12, Lesson 3, after rereading Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, one of the three options students have is to write a paragraph that describes the city's appearance at the end of the story.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 Into Reading meet the criteria for materials including explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context. 

Grammar and conventions are primarily addressed during Writing Workshop in grammar mini-lessons. All grammar and conventions standards are covered over the course of the year, and most standards are revisited throughout the year in increasing complexity. Lessons are included in the modules and use an I Do, We Do, You Do format.  The teacher models and provides examples, students practice with teacher support, students practice with a worksheet and are then prompted to return to their writing pieces and identify and edit for the given grammar or conventions concept. Teachers are provided with resources such as Display and Engage projectables and printables, grammar mini-lessons, printable grammar pages, and sentence examples to use during lessons. Lessons incorporate the language of the standards to allow teachers and students to become familiar with that specific language. Students have opportunities to practice skills in isolation during whole group instruction with Display and Engage projectables and sentence prompts that students and teachers work on together, independently in context during the lesson with printables provided, and then practice applying the skills as they edit their writing drafts throughout the year. Reading lessons mention and support students’ use of grammar and conventions standards. Each grammar and conventions lesson throughout grades Kindergarten through Grade 2 is similarly structured with color coding, teacher modeling, partner share, graphic organizer/chart, and oral language practice. 

Materials include explicit instruction of all grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. For example:

Students have opportunities to print all uppercase and lowercase letters.

• In Module 1, Lesson 11, page T180, the teacher reminds students they have learned how to write lowercase a and d. The teacher models how to write lowercase i.  Students describe what they notice about the letters i, l, and t.  The students use the Write and Reveal routine to practice writing words that include lowercase i and t.
• In Module 2, Lesson 11, page T428, the teacher explicitly models how to write letter u, “Start at the middle of the line. Pull down, around, up to the middle line, and down.” The same process is followed for letter q. Students discuss what they notice about both letters, and the teacher models writing one or more of the spelling words. The students then practice using the Write and Reveal routine to practice writing words with q and u. 

Students have opportunities to use common, proper, and possessive nouns.

• In Module 1, Lesson 12, page W13, the teacher reviews nouns with students and then introduces proper nouns. The teacher gives examples and uses the Display and Engage 1.6 chart. The chart provides a definition for proper nouns, “This kind of noun names a specific person, animal, place or thing. Proper nouns begin with capital letters.” 
• In Module 6, Lesson 3, pages T308-309, the teacher tells the students they will read words with special endings.  After practicing the letter sound /s/, the teacher displays Picture Cards for bird and nest. The teacher writes birds and bird’s and explains that s can be added to mean more than one and then explains, “When a special mark called an apostrophe is added before the s, it shows that the noun owns something.” The teacher explains that the bird owns the nest and writes “the bird’s nest." The students use the Sound by Sound Blending routine to sound out words with apostrophe s. The students complete phrases with possessive nouns for independent practice.
• In Module 10, Lesson 9, page T398, the teacher models determining each type of noun and reads examples aloud.  Students brainstorm a list of places and things and move words under the appropriate heading, place or thing. Students are given words and are asked to select a word to illustrate. Students exchange with a partner and state whether the word names a place or thing.  

Students have opportunities to use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop).

• In Module 5, Lesson 9, page T150, the teacher explains that nouns and verbs need to agree in sentences and models examples. The teacher continues with examples of present tense verbs with the inflection -s.  The teacher writes verbs on the board and students read the words aloud. Students select a verb and say one sentence that uses the verb with an inflection -s and one sentence that uses the verb without the ending.     
• In Module 11, Lesson 13, page W174, the teacher reviews correct subject verb agreement. The teacher tells students, “A subject is a person, place, or thing the sentence is about. The verb is what the subject of the sentence does. If there is one subject, the verb must be singular. If the subject is about two or more people, places, or things, the verb must be plural.” The teacher shows students Display and Engage 11.4 to show examples of correct subject verb agreement. Students then edit a piece of their own writing to ensure correct subject-verb agreement. 

Students have opportunities to use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their, anyone, everything).

• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 2.8.4,  page W279, the teacher reviews possessive pronouns with students. The teacher also discusses example sentences with students such as, “This is my dog. The dog is mine.” Students complete Display and Engage 2.8.4b whole group to choose the correct possessive pronoun to complete a sentence. For example, in the following sentence, students must choose the correct possessive pronoun: She follows me to (you, yours) house.  Students complete a printable grammar page and edit a piece of their writing for possessive pronouns. 
• In Module 7, Lesson 4, page T76, students learn about third person and first person. The teacher uses Anchor Chart 21: Point of View to teach the lesson. Under First Person the chart reads, “A person who is in the book is telling it. Look for the words I, me or we.” 
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 2.9.1, page W281, the teacher displays sentence pairs provided and discusses with the students about how pronouns take the place of exact and specific nouns. The teacher then projects Display and Engage: Grammar 2.9.1a to introduce indefinite pronouns explaining they stand for people or things that are not named and not for exact or specific nouns. The teacher uses Think Aloud with an example sentence, “Is anyone ready for a picnic?” Students practice using indefinite pronouns. Then, they edit a writing draft correctly using indefinite pronouns. 

Students have opportunities to use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).

• In Module 1, Lesson 9, page T146, the teacher explains -ed is added to the end of a verb to mean the action has happened in the past,  using wished as an example. The teacher models determining the meaning of the word jumped by asking about the base word and ending.  Several other examples are discussed. The teacher writes walk, cook, learn, and talk on the board and uses the words in a sentence.  Students volunteer to add -ed to the end of the word. Students practice independently by completing a Know It, Show It page or by choosing an index card with words written on it and adding ed to the ending with a partner.  
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 3.2.1, page W291, students learn about using present and past tense verbs. The teacher uses Display and Engage Grammar 3.2.1a to provide an explanation and examples for present and past tense verbs. Students practice identifying verbs in past and present tense sentences on Display and Engage; Grammar 3.2.1b.  An example is provided:  “The children clapped their hands.” Students complete a grammar printable and edit a piece of their writing to ensure correct verb tense. 
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 3.4.4, page W304, the teacher reviews how to create future tense verbs with words will and going to. The teacher then completes Display and Engage: Grammar 3.4.4b with the students and is to, “Review that verbs can tell what is happening now, in the past, or in the future.” The teacher charts sentences provided to model sentences with will and going to. Students then complete Printable: Grammar 3.4.2 and add additional sentences to the chart. Students then work on editing writing drafts using present tense verbs.

Students have opportunities to use frequently occurring adjectives.

• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson4.3.1, page W316, the teacher explains that some words describe people, animals, places or things, and these describing words are called adjectives. Adjectives describe how things taste, smell, sound, or feel. The teacher discusses an example sentence and explains how the adjective is used. The teacher presents four example sentences and models writing sentences with adjectives. Students practice writing sentences that include adjectives. Students complete a printable grammar review sheet for practice with adjectives that tell how something tastes, smells, sounds, or feels.

 Students have opportunities to use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because). 

• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 1.7.3, page W228, students learn about compound sentences and statements. Display and Engage: Grammar 1.7.3a provides the following explanation, “A compound question ends with a question mark. A compound statement ends with a period. Remember to use a comma before and, but or or.” Examples of each type of sentence are provided for students on the chart. Students practice as a class, using Display and Engage: Grammar 1.7.3b, combining two sentences or questions to make a compound statement or question. An example is listed:  “Where is the story? How do I get there?” students combine these questions to form, “Where is the story, and how do I get there?” Students then work independently on a printable grammar page and edit a piece of their writing to include compound sentences and questions. 
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 1.9.5, page W240 the teacher reminds students that using a variety of sentences can make their writing more interesting. The teacher projects Display and Engage: Grammar 1.9.5 and discusses examples. The teacher then writes sentences provided on the board, and students identify the sentences and convert them into compound sentences adding words and a conjunction. Students complete Printable:Grammar 1.9.5. Then, students return to a piece of their writing and look for two simple sentences they can turn into a compound sentence. The teacher reminds the students to use a comma and conjunctions such as and, but, or.

Students have opportunities to use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives).

• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 4.1.3, page  W308, the teacher provides students with a definition and explanation for using articles. The class  practices identifying articles and stating whether or not they are specific. An example of a sentences provided for identifying articles is, “Runners pass a baton.” The teacher projects Display and Engage: Grammar 4.1.3a and 4.1.3b and tells students and, a, and the are special adjectives called articles and explains the specific circumstances when each article is used. The teacher projects Display and Engage:Grammar 4.1.3c and completes it with the students and writes example sentences provided with a, an and the on the board. The students then complete Printable: Grammar 4.1.3 for practice and edit a writing draft using the appropriate article for the sentence.
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson , Lesson 1.8.3, page W235, the teacher writes sentences provided on the board, and students use descriptive adjectives that, this, those and these to make exclamations more specific. For example, “The dog is very large. That dog is huge!”

Students have opportunities to use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward).

• In Module 3, Lesson 9, page T150, students learn about time and position words. The teaching chart provides a definition for position words, “Position words tell where something or someone is.” Several example sentences are provided such as, “I stand between Sid and Mei.” 
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 4.6.2, page W332, the teacher reviews the definition of a prepositional phrase and gives examples of prepositional phrases that tell where.  The teacher presents and discusses an example sentence and models identifying prepositions that tell where. The teacher projects four example sentences and helps students identify the preposition. Students use the preposition in new oral sentences and complete a grammar review sheet for practice with prepositions and prepositional phrases that tell where. Students edit a writing draft using prepositions that tell where.  

Students have opportunities to produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts.

• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 1.9.4, page W239, the teacher reviews different kinds of sentences and discusses the provided examples. The teacher writes sentences on the board. Students identify how to change each sentence so that it is correct while also identifying whether the sentence is a declarative, question, command, or exclamation. The teacher writes samples on the board, and students add words to complete compound sentences. Students complete a grammar review sheet for independent practice with different kinds of sentences and edit a writing draft using different kinds of sentences.  
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 1.6.3, page W223 while learning about writing questions, students are given the following sentence starters to expand on, “Can we ___; What is____; Why do___; Is he ___.” 
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 1.8.2, W232 while learning about using exclamations, students practice finishing the following sentences, “I loved ___! That was a great ____!” 

Students have opportunities to capitalize dates and names of people.

• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 2.5.4,  page W264, the teacher uses Display and Engage: Grammar 2.5.4a to review capitalizing months, days, and holidays. Students practice capitalizing months, days, and holidays. To continue their practice, students complete a printable grammar page and edit their work to ensure correct capitalization of months, days, and holidays. 

Students have opportunities to use end punctuation for sentences.

• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 1.3.3, page W208, the teacher uses Display and Engage: Grammar 1.3.3a to review with students that, “A sentence that tells something is called a statement. A statement begins with a capital letter and ends with a period.” Students then practice completing statements such as, “____ went to the baseball game.” Students are also given statements that are written incorrectly and must identify what needs to be changed. For example, students are given the example, “we make music” Students need to identify that the statement is missing a capital letter and needs to end with a period. Students continue their practice with a printable grammar page and by editing a piece of their writing. 
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 1.8.4, page W234 the teacher projects Display and Engage: Grammar 1.8.4 and is to, “Discuss that exclamations begin with a capital letter and end with an exclamation point.” Students complete Printable: Grammar 1.8.4 independently for practice using exclamations and edit a writing draft using exclamations correctly.

Students have opportunities to use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series.

• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 2.5.3, page W263, the teacher explains that when writing a date, use a comma between the number of the day and the year.  The teacher reviews example sentences to model how to write commas in dates and how to capitalize months of the year, days, and holidays. Students complete a printable grammar review and edit a writing draft to ensure they wrote any dates correctly with proper capitalization and comma use.

Students have opportunities to  use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.

• In Module 4, Lesson 13, page T473, after completing a blending review lesson, during the You Do It segment of the lesson, one of the activities the teacher can choose to have students complete is, “Option 1 Write ill and in and list these consonant combinations: st,sp, sk, sh, th. Challenge children to add the consonants to form real words. Have children share their lists and confirm their spellings. (still, spill, skill; spin, skin, shin, thin).” 
• In Writing Workshop Grammar Minilesson, Lesson 6.1.1, page W341, the teacher reviews the CVC and CVCe spelling patterns with students. The class practices sorting words into either a CVC or CVCe column. The teacher is provided with sample words to use such as bone, tip, ripe and tape. Students select the correct word to fill in sentences on Display and Engage: Grammar 6.1.1c, for example, “3. We (mad, made) paper birds.” 

Students have opportunities to spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.

• In Module 2, Lesson 6, page T352, students take a short o pretest. The words on the pretest are: log, not, top, hot, hop, and on. This lesson includes an orange Teacher Tip circle which states, “What’s the pattern? Help children identify the spelling patterns. Explain that if they know how to spell not, they can also spell cot, dot, got, hot, jot, lot, pot, rot, and tot. Repeat for the following sets of words: log:bog, cog, dog, fog, hog, jog top: bop, cop, hop, mop, top on: Don, Lon, Ron. Point out that it doesn’t always help to think of rhymes, but it may be a helpful clue.” 
• In Module 5, Lesson 11, page T184, the teacher dictates the spelling words, and students spell them. The teacher explains to students that the m and p sounds blend together at the end of the word jump, and the Basic Spelling words contain blends at the end of the words. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 Into Reading meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks directly teach foundational skills to build reading acquisition by providing systematic and explicit instruction in the alphabetic principle, letter-sound relationships, phonemic awareness, and phonological awareness (K-1), and phonics (K-2) that demonstrate a transparent and research-based progression for application both in and out of context.

Lessons follow the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model of I Do, We Do, You Do. This lesson format provides students with explicit opportunities to learn and practice phonological awareness and phonics with each applicable foundational skills standards. Independent practice materials include Know It, Show It! pages, and online practice. The Foundational Skills Scope and Sequence provides an overview of the progression of skills. Foundational skills instruction is cohesive and builds in difficulty as the year progresses. 

Students have frequent opportunities to learn and understand phonemes (e.g. distinguish long and short vowels, blend sounds, pronounce vowels in single-syllable words, and segment single-syllable words). For example:

Students have opportunities to distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words:

• In Module 6, Lesson 1, page T280, students learn about long e, i and o sounds. As part of the Spotlight on Sounds lesson, the teacher tells students, “Now I will say two words, and you say which word has a long vowel sound. Let’s try it: bite/bit. Which word has the long vowel? What is it?” The teacher continues this activity with the following word pairs: on/own, fin/fine, met/meet, like/lick, note/not and ten/teen. 

Students have opportunities to orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends:

• In Module 7, Lesson 2, page T45, the teacher tells students they can blend sounds to say words. The teacher says the sounds, and students blend sounds to say words. Words include flute, thigh, blaze, shamrock, toothpaste, greatness.  

Students have opportunities to isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words: 

• In Module 3, Lesson 13, page T210, students first sort Picture Cards by beginning sounds. Next, students sort the Picture Cards by final sounds, and then by medial sounds. Finally, the teacher has the students segment the Picture Card names into phonemes, ”Model: Now I will say a picture name, and you will say all the sounds in the word. Listen to me first: vine. The sounds in vine are /v/ /ī/ /n/. Now you try it: pot (/p/ /ŏ/ /t/), can (/k/ /ă/ /n/), knot (/n/ /ŏ/ /t/), hive (/h/ /ī/ /v/), kite (/k/ /ī/ /t/), knife (/n/ /ī/ /f/), pan (/p/ /ă/ /n/).”

Students have opportunities to segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes):

• In Module 5, Lesson 8, page T134, students practice segmenting and counting phonemes. “I will say a word, and you will say each sound in the word. Hold up one finger for each sound. Listen: lip. The sounds in lip are /l/, /ĭ/, and /p/.” The teacher helps students segment and count sounds in the following words: flip, bet, best, stack, sack, hut, hunt, frog and fog. 

Lessons and activities provide students opportunities to learn grade-level phonics skills while decoding words (e.g. spelling-sound correspondences of digraphs, decode one-syllable words, know final-e and long vowels, syllable and vowel relationship). For example:

Students have opportunities to know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs:

• In Module 4, Lesson 1, pages T280-T281, students learn about the consonant digraph /ch/. They practice with beginning sounds of words, then ending sounds with ch and sh. The teacher introduces the /ch/ Sound/Spelling card and then students practice blending ch words such as chip, chop, and much. 

Students have opportunities to decode regularly spelled one-syllable words:

• In Module 2, Lesson 1, page T277, students learn about the /g/ and /k/ sounds. In the I Do It portion of the lesson, the teacher displays the Sound/Spelling Cards for g and k. The teacher writes the word gap and sounds each letter out and blends the word reviewing the short vowel CVC rule. In We Do It, the students decode gas using the Sound-by-Sound Blending routine of saying the first sound and then sliding to read the additional letters. Sound-By-Sound Blending is repeated with the examples of kid and gab. In the You Do It portion of the lesson, the students have independent practice reading words the teacher has written using the Sound-By-Sound Blending technique. 

Students have opportunities to know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds:

• In Module 6, Lesson 6, page T356, the teacher reminds students that long vowel sounds match the letter names and explains that they will be reading words with long /a/. The teacher says a word, and students name the vowel sound. The teacher displays the sound/spelling card for long /a/, acorn, names the picture and says the vowel sound. The teacher points to the spelling a__e and tells students that long /a/ has different spellings. The teacher writes the word tape on the board, points to the a___e spelling. The teacher then covers the e, says tap and tells students to listen for the vowel sound. This process repeats for same and plane.

Students have opportunities to use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word:

• In Module 9, Lesson 3, p. T60, the teacher uses the Syllabication VCCV Pattern routine which includes, “Point to the word armor. Every syllable must have one vowel sound, so first I look for the vowel spellings. I see two vowel spellings, ar and o, and so this word has two syllables. Write V under each vowel letter.” 

Students have opportunities to decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables:

• In Module 8, Lesson 13, page T460, students practice reading two syllable words. The teacher states, “Listen as I say and hold up a finger for each syllable in this word: magnet. I hear two syllables in magnet, mag-net.” Students practice with the teacher counting the number of syllables in the following words: cactus, insect, biggest, fantastic, patch, pillow, basketball and puppet. 

Students have opportunities to read words with inflectional endings:

• In Module 1, Lesson 13, p. T208, students practice reading words with the -s ending and identifying the sound s makes at the end of words. The teacher tells students, “I am going to say two words. You will say the words and the sound you hear at the end of each one. I will do the first one. Listen: cat, cats...I hear these ending sounds: cat, /t/; cats, /s/.” Students practice the activity with the teacher using the following words: hat/hats, web/webs, car/cars, rock/rocks, dog/dogs. 

Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonemic awareness instruction to build toward application. For example:

• Over the course of 12 modules, students practice phonemic awareness skills within each lesson:
• In Module 1, students blend onset/rime, segment syllables and onset/rime, alliteration, isolate phonemes, and blend phonemes.
• In Module 2, students blend onset/rime, blend phonemes, segment onset/rime, segment phonemes, alliteration, isolate phonemes, and identify vowel sounds.
• In Module 3, students blend phonemes, isolate phonemes, segment phonemes, identify and produce rhymes, isolate phonemes: identify vowel sounds, and identify alliteration:digraphs.
• In Module 4, students identify alliteration: digraphs, blend phonemes, segment phonemes, manipulate phonemes: change, segment/count phonemes, and manipulate phonemes: add and change.
• In Module 5, students blend phonemes, manipulate phonemes: add, segment/count phonemes, manipulate phonemes: delete, manipulate phonemes: add, and manipulate phonemes: change.
• In Module 6, students blend phonemes, isolate phonemes: identify vowel, segment phonemes, identify/produce rhymes, and manipulate phonemes; delete.
• In Module 7, students blend phonemes, manipulate phonemes; change, segment phonemes, and identify/produce rhymes.
• In Module 8, students blend phonemes, isolate phonemes: identify vowel, segment phonemes, manipulate phonemes: add, manipulate phonemes: delete, manipulate phonemes: change, and segment/count phonemes.
• In Module 9, students segment/count syllables, segment/count phonemes, blend phonemes, blend syllables, add syllables, and delete syllables.
• In Module 10, students segment/count syllables, blend syllables, blend phonemes, and segment phonemes.
• In Module 11, students blend phonemes, manipulate phonemes: add/change, segment phonemes, manipulate phonemes: add, and manipulate phonemes: change.
• In Module 12, students blend syllables, segment syllables, and add/delete syllables.

Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonics instruction to build toward application. For example:

• Phonics instruction follows a logical progression to build towards application. Sounds and spelling patterns are taught alongside each other in lessons. In Module 6, Week 2, students are learning about the long a pattern spelled VCe. In Module 7, Week 3, students are learning about the long a pattern spelled ai and ay. 
• Over the course of 12 modules, students practice phonics instruction each day within the foundational skills portion of the lesson.  
• Module 1: 
• Week 1, students practice consonants m, s, t, b; short a.
• Week 2, students practice consonants n, d, p, c /k/, short a.
• Week 3, students practice consonants r, f, s /z/; short i; inflection -s.
• Module 2:
• Week 1, students practice consonants g, k; review short a, i.
• Week 2, students practice consonants l, h; short o.
• Week 3, students practice consonants w, j, y, v; short u; review short i, o, u.
• Module 3:
• Week 1, students practice consonants qu, x, z; short e; review short e, i, o, u.
• Week 2, students practice double final consonants; consonants ck /k/.
• Week 3, students practice consonant digraph sh; review s, sh.
• Module 4:
• Week 1, students practice consonant digraph ch; review ch, sh.
• Week 2, students practice consonant digraph th, wh; trigraph tch, 
• Week 3, students practice initial blends with s; review sh, th, st.
• Module 5:
• Week 1, students practice initial blends with l; review st, sl, fl, cl.
• Week 2, students practice initial blends with r; compound words.
• Week 3, students practice final blends; inflection -ed.
• Module 6:
• Week 1, students practice long e, i, o (CV); possessives with ‘s.
• Week 2, students practice long a (VCe); soft c.
• Week 3, students practice long i, o (VCe); silent letters kn, wr.
• Module 7:
• Week 1, students practice long u, e (VCe); soft g (g, dge).
• Week 2, students practice long e (ee, ea); short e (ea).
• Week 3, students practice long a (ai, ay); contractions with ‘m, ‘s, n’t, ‘ll.
• Module 8:
• Week 1, students practice long o (oa, ow); long o, i (oe, ie).
• Week 2, students practice long i (igh, y); long i, o.
• Week 3, students practice r-controlled vowel ar; two syllable words: VCCV pattern.
• Module 9:
• Week 1, students practice r-controlled vowels or, ore; two syllable words: r-controlled vowels, VCCV pattern.
• Week 2, students practice r controlled vowels er, ir, ur; two syllable words: r-controlled vowels, VCCV pattern.
• Module 10:
• Week 1, students practice contractions with ‘ve, ‘re; suffixes -er, -est.
• Week 2, students practice vowel pattern oo; consonant +le.
• Week 3, students practice vowel patterns: /oo/ (oo, ou, ew); vowel patterns /oo/ ue, u.
• Module 11:
• Week 1, students practice dipthongs ow, ou; dipthongs oy, oi.
• Week 2, students practice vowel patterns /o/; inflections: spelling changes.
• Week 3, students practice inflections: spelling changes; long e (ie, y, ey).
• Module 12:
• Week 1,students practice suffixes - ful, -less, -y; prefixes un-, re-.
• Week 2, students practice two syllable words: CV, CVC; syllable division.
• Week 3, students practice suffixes -er, est: spelling changes; inflections: spelling changes.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 Into Reading meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks provide explicit instruction and regular practice to address the acquisition of print concepts, including alphabetic knowledge, and directionality (K-1), structures and features of text (1-2).

Print concepts are frequently taught during small group instruction with decodable texts. Teacher modeling, guided practice, and questioning provide students with the opportunity to practice and master print concepts. Shared reading lessons provide mini-lessons to address skills such as text structure in the context of a text. 

Examples of materials that include frequent, adequate lessons and tasks/questions about the organization of print concepts (e.g. recognize features of a sentence) include but are not limited to the following:

• Students have opportunities to recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation):
• In Module 4, Lesson 3, page T316, Small Group Instruction, students use a finger to point to the first word and final punctuation of a sentence. The teacher periodically prompts the students as they read their text for practice stating, “What is the first word in this sentence? What end punctuation is this? Run your finger under the entire sentence.” 
• In Module 7, Lesson 2, page T51, the teacher is instructed to, “As you read, demonstrate how to find a sentence, identify the first word and its capital letter, and find the end mark.” Students find the first word, the capital letter of a word, and the end mark as they read Rainy, Sunny, Blowy, Snowy by Jane Brocket. 

Examples of materials that include frequent and adequate opportunities to identify text structures (e.g. main idea and details, sequence of events, problem and solution, compare and contrast, cause and effect) include but are not limited to the following:

• In Module 1, Lesson 1, page T36, the teacher explains during Shared Reading that students usually do things in a certain order and provides examples. After displaying Anchor Chart 18: Story Structure, the teacher points out that things in stories happen in order. The teacher shares that things happening are called events, and the order they are told in is called sequence. The teacher talks about identifying and describing the most important events from beginning, middle, and end and using words like first, next, and last. Students practice identifying and describing important events when they read My First Day no author. 
• In Module 3, Lesson 13, page T216, the teacher reminds students that authors organize their writing to fit the topic and their purpose for writing.  The teacher displays Anchor Chart 34: Text Organization and tells students that one common type of text organization, or structure, is chronological order.  The teacher tells students that a text organized in chronological order tells about events in order, or sequence. The teacher points out that procedural texts, or texts about how to make or do something, are told in chronological order because the text structure helps readers to understand the steps you do first, next, and last while also showing how steps are connected.  The teacher points out that clue words such as first, next, and last, as well as graphic features like numbers, can help a reader know that a text might be organized in chronological order. The teacher tells students that they will reread parts of Step-by-Step Advice from the Animal Kingdom  by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page to practice analyzing text organization.  

Examples of materials that include frequent and adequate lessons and activities about text features (e.g. title, byline, headings, table of contents, glossary, pictures, illustrations) include but are not limited to the following:

• In Module 2, Lesson 8, page T384 the teacher projects Anchor Chart 22: Text Features. The teacher tells students that authors of informational texts use different kinds of text features to help explain or locate information. The teacher points to parts of the anchor chart, explaining each text feature (bold text, labels, maps, and symbols). The teacher tells students they will reread parts of On the Map!  by Lisa Fleming to practice using text features to locate information.
• In Module 3, Lesson 2, page T50, the teacher reviews Anchor Chart 24: Text Features. The teacher is instructed to, “Explain that different text and graphic features have different purposes. Point out that authors choose the types of features that will best help readers understand the information they want to communicate.” The teacher explains how text color and size can be used and also reviews photos and captions. Later in the lesson, when reading the text, Best Foot Forward, the teacher tells students, “Today we will read an informational text, it has facts, photos, and captions that will help you learn about a topic.” 
• In Module 4, Lesson 8, page T388, the teacher reminds students that authors of informational texts often use different kinds of text features to help explain an idea or to help readers locate information.  The teacher explains that text features have different purposes, so authors choose the ones that will best help readers understand the information they want them to know. The teacher projects Anchor Chart 25: Text Features and explains that charts show information in a way that readers can easily understand and see. The teacher explains that headings tell readers that a text is structured into different parts and tell what each part is about. The teacher tells students that headings help readers easily and quickly find the information they want to know.  Finally, the teacher tells students the author may use special text, such as text in different colors and sizes, to call attention to a certain part of the text. The teacher tells students they will reread parts of Get Up and Go! by Rozanne Lanczak Williams to practice identifying and using text features to locate and gain information.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 Into Reading meet the criteria for instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and gain decoding automaticity and sight-based recognition of high-frequency words. This includes reading fluency in oral reading beginning in mid Grade 1 and through Grade 2.

Students have opportunities over the course of the school year to read high-frequency words and develop decoding automaticity.  High-frequency words are introduced following a consistent routine that provides students with the opportunity to see the word, say the word, spell the word orally, and write the word. High-frequency words are frequently reviewed using games. During Phonics and Word Work mini-lessons included in weekly lessons, students have the opportunity to write and read words aligned to the phonics focus and high-frequency word focus. Reading strategies are frequently referenced and taught throughout the sequence, and students have the opportunity to apply taught strategies to grade-level texts. The materials provide students with decoding and fluency practice to build toward mastery. 

Multiple opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to purposefully read on-level text include but are not limited to the following:

• In Module 4, Lesson 7, page T374, the teacher reminds students they can synthesize information by putting together what they have learned from different parts of the text to see the author’s ideas in new ways. After projecting the Synthesize anchor chart, the teacher explains that when a reader synthesizes, he or she explains the most important ideas in a text. Students should ask themselves what does this all mean to me. Students practice synthesizing ideas when they read Get Up and Go!
• In Module 6, Lesson 3, Teaching Pal, is the companion to the Teacher's Guide which provides point of use instructional notes for students as they read the student texts in myBook. The teacher sets a purpose for reading before students read the text, Monument City, by stating the following: “Make a good guess, or prediction about what will happen. Use the characteristics of drama, such as characters and settings, to help you. Read to see it you are right. If not, make a new prediction.” 

Multiple opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate sufficient accuracy, rate, and expression in oral reading with on-level text and decodable words. Through successive readings students gain accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. For example: 

• In Module 2, Lesson 3, page T303, the teacher explains that good readers make their reading flow and sound like they are speaking to someone. The teacher explains to students that expression is when they can use their voices to show how characters feel at different points in a story. While the teacher reads a portion of text aloud, students close their eyes and listen. Students engage in the Echo Reading routine to model reading with expression. For independent practice, the students work in small groups to Partner Read a text with appropriate expression.  
• In Module 3, Lesson 8, page T135, the teacher models reading with expression and reading in a monotone voice and discusses the differences between the two readings with students. Students practice echo reading with expression from the text, Job, Job, Jobs!.  Students Partner Read to continue their practice of reading with expression. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 13, page T459, the teacher reminds the students during the I Do It segment of the lesson that good readers read with expression. As the teacher uses a Start Right Reader, Phil Can Help, he or she will follow these instructions:  “Tell them to close their eyes and listen as you read the first three lines. Read the lines aloud in a monotone. Then reread them using appropriate expression. Discuss the differences with children. Point out the question mark. Guide children to understand that the expression in your voice in the second reading shows that Phil is proud of his drawing when he asks to show it to Miss Rose.” In the We Do It portion of the lesson, students Choral Read as they follow the teacher reading the text with the appropriate expression. The teacher points out an exclamation point as well and tells the students to show those feelings in their voices.
• In Module 8, Lesson 3, Fluency, page T307, the teacher tells students that good readers read at a smooth, steady rate -not too fast or too slow. The teacher points out that reading aloud at an appropriate rate sounds as if someone is talking and helps both the reader and listener understand what is being read. The teacher tells students they can adjust their rate to help them understand the text. The teacher asks students to follow along and pay attention to the rate as the teacher rereads Start Right Reader page 109 at an appropriate rate. The teacher points out that if students do not read at a smooth, steady rate at first, he or she can go back after the student figures out all the words to speed up the rate as he or she reads it again. The teacher uses the choral reading routine to have students reread the page with the teacher. The teacher asks students to follow along as he or she reads a page aloud at an appropriate rate.  The teacher uses the partner reading routine to have partners reread the page to each other. The teacher circulates and listens to students, coaching students to read smoothly from one word to another. Students practice repeated readings. The teacher reminds students to pause at the end of each sentence and read at a rate that a listener can understand easily.  

Materials support reading of texts with attention to reading strategies such as rereading, self-correction, and the use of context clues include but are not limited to the following:

• In Module 1, Lesson 3, page T59, the teacher explains that readers think about what they are reading and whether the words make sense. Students should ask themselves if what was read makes sense and sounds right. Students follow along while the teacher reads aloud, paying attention to whether the words make sense. The teacher models misreading the first sentence and then reading it correctly, pointing out that the sentence now makes more sense. The teacher reads aloud and asks students to restate the process the teacher used when a word did not make sense. Students use the partner read routine to take turns reading, using context to confirm or self correct word recognition.  
• In Module 3, Lesson 9, page T152, the teacher uses an anchor chart to teach students about the Monitor and Clarify strategies by saying the following: “Pay attention as you read. If something doesn’t make sense, try these things to help you understand.” The four strategies that are presented on the chart are as follows: reread, use background knowledge, use visual clues, and ask questions. Students practice these strategies with the text, Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?. 
• In Module 7, Lesson 13, page T211, the teacher reminds students to ask themselves questions such as, “Does that sound right? What makes sense here?” The teacher reads a word in a sentence incorrectly and asks the students if it sounds correct. The teacher then re-reads the sentence correctly. In We Do It, the teacher models reading incorrectly with a sentence in another paragraph. The teacher asks a volunteer what a good reader does when a sentence does not make sense. During partner read time, the teacher circulates around the room and will “coach children to use context and visuals to confirm or self-correct their word reading.” In You Do It, students partner read a Start Right Reader or pages from a myBook story. The teacher reminds students rereading and self-correction are processes that good readers do.

Students have opportunities to practice and read irregularly spelled words include but are not limited to the following:

• In Module 2, Lesson 12, page T440, the teacher utilizes the High-Frequency Word routine with the week’s words:  how, eat, make, out, put, takes, who along with the decodable high-frequency words:  but, cut, on, run, up, us. Using the Printable Word List 6, students play What Am I Thinking?. The teacher selects one of the words and gives the students clues such as, “This word has three letters. One of the letters is t. This word rhymes with shout. What word am I thinking of? (out).”  The students write numbers 1-7 on a paper and write the appropriate word by the number, and the teacher repeats the process seven times.  At the end of the game, the students chorally read the list of words.
• In Module 4, Lesson 3, page T306, the teacher reviews the week’s high-frequency words with students and then has students play an act-it-out game with the words. The words are: be, here, me, play, started, today, use, very, much and such. Students work with partners to write 2-3 sentences using the week’s high-frequency words. The partners act out what they have written for the class to try to guess which high-frequency words were used. 
• In Module 1, Lesson 1, page T30, the teacher introduces the new high-frequency words for the week. For this week, the words are: go, is, like, see, the, this, to, and we. During the lesson, students have numerous practice opportunities with each word. They  see the word, say the word aloud, spell the word orally, and write the word. Students write each word on an index card to go on a Word Ring that will hold all of their high-frequency words throughout the year.

The materials reviewed for Into Reading Grade 1 meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks providing systematic and explicit instruction in and practice of word recognition and analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

Systematic and explicit instruction in and practice of word recognition and analysis skills in connected text and tasks are part of the weekly routine. Decodable readers and shared reading provide opportunities to read high-frequency words in connected texts. Students are provided with writing tasks related to the texts, providing opportunities for students to apply phonics and high-frequency skills to their writing.

Materials support students’ development to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills (e.g. spelling-sound correspondences of digraphs, decode one-syllable words, syllable and vowel relationship, decode two-syllable words, read words with inflectional endings)​ ​in connected text and tasks. For example:

• In Module 2, Lesson 4, page T324, before reading the decodable text Big Pat, which contains many short a and short i words, students blend and read four lines of words and two sentences. In one line of text students practice the words: pig, rig, big, bag and rag. 
• In Module 5, Lesson 13, page T212, the lesson follows the standard phonics lesson format of I Do It, We Do It, You Do It. The teacher introduces the lesson by telling the students they will be reading words that have an ending that sometimes adds an extra syllable to the word. The teacher goes on to explain the past tense of verbs using -ed,-t, and -d sounds at the end of certain words. In We Do It, letter cards are used with the Sound-By-Sound Blending routine. A card is presented then the card slides over for each sound that is read. During You Do It, the students engage in independent blending word/reading practice with words with -ed, first without the -ed, then with the -ed. In the Link to Small Group Instruction, the story, Crafts in Class Six, is to be used for reinforce blending and decoding -ed words. 

Materials provide frequent opportunities to read irregularly spelled words in connected text and tasks. For example:

• In Module 3, Lesson 6, pages T116-T117, the Options for Differentiation integrate the lessons taught throughout the module using the Start Right Reader, Big, Big Bus. The decodable reader is used to reinforce phonics and spelling lessons using double final consonants, e.g., will, fill, hill, miss, bell, buzz and the high-frequency words, four and her that were introduced in the Word Work Warm-up for the week.  
• In Module 5, Lesson 12, page T206, students read the decodable text, Frogs in Class Six. The text contains high-frequency words students are currently working on mastering: long, more, think, and any. These words are highlighted in yellow the first time they are used in the text. 

Lessons and activities provide students many opportunities to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills while encoding (writing) in context and decoding words (reading)​ ​in connected text and tasks. For example,

• In Module 2, Lesson 7, page T374, after reading the decodable text, A Map, students go on a rhyme hunt. Students are given clues such as, “This word rhymes with sob. It names a boy.” Students search through the story to find and write down the answer. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 7, pages T370-T131, the teacher reminds students that the letter name of the vowel are the long sounds of those vowels and begins practice with both short and long vowel sounds. The lesson follows the sequence of I Do It, We Do It, You Do It.  In I Do It, the teacher shows the Sound Spell Card for a and states “The sounds for vowels can have different spellings. One spelling for the long a sound is the vowel a followed by a consonant and silent e (VCe pattern).” In the We Do It phase of the lesson, the teacher uses the Sound-By-Sound Blending routine with the word cane (display the Sound Spell Card and slides it over as the word is read). In You Do It, the students have independent reading/blending word practice with words the teacher has written, or students complete Know It, Show It page 162. There is a small group instruction activity suggested in which students read the decodable text, A Swan at Crane Lake, to reinforce blending and decoding words with long a.

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 Into Reading meet the criteria for materials support ongoing and frequent assessment to determine student mastery and inform meaningful differentiation of foundational skills, including a clear and specific protocol as to how students performing below standard on these assessments will be supported.

Assessment opportunities are provided frequently and consistently to monitor student progress and determine specific areas where extra support and practice is needed. Assessment types include the following: beginning of the year screening assessments, module assessments, module inventories, weekly assessments, selection quizzes, leveled reader quizzes, and benchmark book assessments. Additional progress monitoring assessments are available to be used as needed. Answer keys are provided for all assessments. Foundational skills lessons include correct and redirect suggestions for teachers to work with students not mastering the lesson content. Additionally, foundational skills lessons include small group instruction information for teachers to observe students practicing the skills. If students need additional support, a page with an additional lesson is included. If the student has mastered the targeted skill, an extension lesson is given. Intervention assessment materials provide Administering and Scoring Guides to provide specific goals for assessments throughout the year with advice for teachers on how to proceed if students are not meeting the goals. 

Multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of foundational skills. For example:

• In the Module 3 Assessment, students read a passage. The assessment addresses reading comprehension, foundational skills, writing, and grammar and conventions skills. Students respond to 10 foundational questions to assess their current level of foundational skills proficiency. In foundational skills questions 1-7, the teacher reads a word aloud, and students mark the given word from four choices. For questions 8-10, students are given words with two missing letters, and they identify the missing letters.  
• The grade one Module Inventories introduction states, “The Module Inventories are a tool to monitor progress of select children for whom a closer eye on their developing foundational skills is warranted.”
• Intervention Assessments are provided to determine students’ mastery of foundational skills. Within the Intervention Assessments are beginning-of-year and mid-year foundational skills screening, diagnostic assessments, biweekly progress monitoring assessments, weekly module assessments to include taught foundational skills, one-on-one module inventories, and benchmark assessments that determine students’ performance of skills in context.  Each provided assessment includes a clear and specific protocol to guide support based on students’ foundational skills acquisition level.

Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information on students’ current skill/level of understanding. For example:

• In HMH Into Reading Overview, Growth Measures, page Txix, the types of assessments and progress monitoring are defined. Three types of assessments are included:  adaptive measure and guided reading benchmarks (administered 3 times per year), module assessments (administered 12 times per year), and ongoing feedback from daily classroom activities including formative assessments (weekly assessments, performance tasks, independent reading, skills practice, usage data, teacher observation, running records, and inquiry and research projects).  
• At the beginning of the school year, the teacher administers screening assessments for Letter Identification, Phoneme Segmentation, Nonsense-Word Reading, and Word Identification. At the mid-year of first grade students take an Oral Reading Fluency screening assessment. (Intervention Assessments, T5) 
• The Administering the Assessment Guide Interpretation provides teachers with guidelines for students’ scores. For example, for First Grade Phoneme Segmentation, a chart is provided that shows at the beginning of the year students should have a goal of getting six out of ten words correct, and by the middle of the year, this goal should be eight out of ten words correct. Teachers are directed to an additional assessment to determine how to support students who struggle.
• Under the Data and Reports tab for Reading and Language Arts various reports are available to the teacher for Grade 1 online assessments taken by students throughout the year (Weekly and Module assessments). Assessment Reports are provided which contain student data on assessment proficiencies, assessment averages, and individual student test scores. The Standard Report itemizes questions and responses by standard, student, and domain. This report provides the number of test items along with student averages and a link to available resources throughout the modules for the specific standard. There is a Student Growth Report which monitors students’ online assessment growth throughout the year. 

Materials support teachers with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery in foundational skills. For example:

• In Module 8, Lesson 13, page T460, teachers are given directions for a foundational skills lesson on two-syllable words. If a student has difficulty identifying the syllables in a blend and read word, the teacher is to ask how many vowel spellings the student sees and where the word could be broken. Materials include small group instruction utilizing the text, Farms to review or reinforce blending and decoding words with r-controlled ar and two-syllable words.
• Recommendations for Data Driven Instruction located in the Intervention Assessments Guide provide teachers with specific steps to help students who are struggling. Each targeted skill provides four steps: 1. Identify student needs, 2. Teach to the need, 3. Scaffold the core, and 4. Monitor progress. For example, if a student is struggling with Phoneme Segmentation, step 2 states “TEACH TO THE NEED Administer the corresponding lessons in Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio, choosing from sessions 32-55.” (T38, Intervention Assessments) 
• If a student is struggling with Oral Reading Fluency (Mid-Year only), the teacher is provided with four clear steps to take: 1. Identify student needs, 2. Teach to the need, 3. Scaffold the core, and 4. Monitor progress. Step 3 states, “SCAFFOLD THE CORE Provide scaffolded support, which may include small-group work and/or strategic intervention, to help students access core instruction.” 

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 Into Reading meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks providing high-quality lessons and activities that allow for differentiation of foundational skills, so all students achieve mastery of foundational skills.  

A variety of differentiation opportunities are presented throughout the materials. Teachers are provided with suggestions to address the needs of English Language Learners, students who may need additional support, or students who may need an extension of the concept. Differentiation suggestions are incorporated both as in the moment ideas that the teacher could use with the whole class and as ideas that would involve pulling a small group of students later to revisit a concept. Tabletop Mini-lessons are included to support students in need of additional instruction on specific topics. Students below level receive small group instruction options for differentiation in targeted skill practice for foundational skills and Correct and Redirect prompts in daily lessons. Students at or above grade level materials are provided independent practice during small group instruction times in Literacy Centers to reinforce and extend concepts learned through direct instruction. Guided reading groups monitored by running record data with Rigby Leveled Readers provide opportunities for differentiation. Students have multiple practice opportunities within each cycle to master grade-level foundational skills throughout the modules including text practice with Start Right decodable readers.

Materials provide high-quality learning lessons and activities for every student to reach mastery of foundational skills. For example: 

• In addition to the Foundational Skills block of 15-30 minutes, options for differentiation are provided during the daily 45-60 minute block for Small Group Instruction. The options for small groups include guided reading groups, foundational skills development, skills and strategy instruction, and English learner support. Teacher observation and online data-driven grouping in reading provides instructional recommendations appropriate for all learners through lessons provided in the Online Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio.  
• In Module 3, Lesson 2, page T46, students are learning about the consonants qu, x, z and the short vowel e. For the I Do portion of the lesson, the teacher models blending sounds to form the following words: quit, fix, zip, and bed. For the We Do portion of the lesson, the class practices blending and reading words with the sounds being taught. The teacher is then provided with two different options for activities to use for the You Do It portion of the lesson. One activity is a Know it, Show it page and the other activity has students using letter cards to spell different words. 
• In Module 5, Lesson 13, page T212, teachers are given directions for a foundational skills lesson focused on the inflectional ending -ed.  A Correct and Redirect section is included to provide guidance to teachers in supporting students who are struggling.  Additionally, a Small Group Instruction section is included with suggestions provided for students who struggle with this topic.    
• In Module 8, Lesson 6, page T356, the teacher is to first administer a Spelling pretest with a list of long i pattern words provided. Depending on how well the students perform, the teacher is to “assign the Basic and Review words as needed for practice this week. If children do well on the pretest, assign the Challenge words.”
• In Module 9, Lesson 2, page T47, there is a challenge section on r-controlled vowels which states, “Have children who are ready for a challenge read the two-syllable words with /ôr/ in Line 4 and tell how they figured them out.” In the Correct and Redirect portion, there is specific remediation instruction if a student mispronounces words in line 1 or 2, or uses the short vowel sound in place of the long vowel sounds in line 3.

Materials provide guidance to teachers for scaffolding and adapting lessons and activities to support each student’s needs. For example:

• In Module 2, Lesson 2, pages T290-T291, students use printable letter cards in the I Do It segment to form the words sag, bag, big, and kid.  As one student spells the word aloud, the other students check their own work. In Correct and Redirect, specific remediation instruction is given if a student misreads final sounds. There is a Link to Small Group Instruction to reinforce foundational skills using the Start Right Reader, Go, Big Cab! to reinforce blending and decoding with g and k for students needing additional support or to assign it as an independent work.
• In Module 3, Lesson 1, page T34, the English Learner Support tip that is provided states, “Some English learners may need support pronouncing the vowel sound /ĕ/. Say the following pairs of words as children listen: pen/pan, men/man, ten/tan. Repeat the word pairs, one word at a time. Ask children to raise a hand when they hear a word with /ĕ/ and say the word.” 
• In Module 5, Lesson 1, page T32, students are working on initial blends with l and the following Teacher Tip is provided: “Switch it up! Soon children will be introduced to the more efficient continuous blending routine. If you feel that your children are ready to make the switch from Sound-by-Sound Blending to Continuous Blending, you can do so at any time.” 

Students have multiple practice opportunities with each grade level foundational skill component in order to reach mastery.  For example:

• In Module 6, Lesson 8, page T384 the Correct and Redirect section provides ideas for students who are struggling with soft c. English Language Support to facilitate language connections is included. 
• In Module 8, Week 1 when learning about long o, students have multiple practice opportunities: 
• In Module 8, Lesson 1, page T280, the teacher reviews long o spelling patterns with students. Students have the opportunity to practice reading and blending words with long o. 
• In Module 8, Lesson 1, page T282, students take a spelling pretest. All 10 basic words have long o spellings. In this same lesson, students complete a long o word sort. One column represents words with long o spelling ow and the other column represents words with long o spelled oa. 
• In Module 8, Lesson 1, page T289, during small group instruction, students build long and short o words using letter cards.
• In Module 10, Week 1, Week at a Glance documents opportunities to practice weekly high-frequency words using various Word Work activities such as using the High-Frequency Words routine, playing I-Spy with the Word List 28, Chant and Cheer, Word Hop, and Children’s Choice. 
• In Module 12, Lesson 1, pages T140-T141, Phonics Suffixes -ful, -less, -ly, -y, the lesson provides the standard format of I Do It, We Do It, You Do It to explicitly teach the lesson. There is a Link to Small Group Instruction: Reinforce Foundational Skills to have students practice suffixes either in a small group setting or independently utilizing the Start Right Reader decodable book, Why Rabbits Have Short Tails. Start Right Readers are incorporated throughout the materials and allow students the opportunity to practice and apply the foundational skills taught throughout the week/modules in context.