2nd Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectation that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students' knowledge and vocabulary which will over time support and help grow students’ ability to comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

In Grade 2, each module is centered around a topic or a theme that relates to Kindergarten and Grade 1 topics.  Modules include both science and social studies topics that help build knowledge.  

Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• In Module 1, students study the social studies topic of “Citizenship.” Texts in this module include: Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Being a Good Citizen by Rachelle Kreisman, and Picture Day Perfection by Deborah Diesen. 
• In Module 3, the theme is “Meet in the Middle,” where students learn how people can work out disagreements. Texts in this module include: Pepita and the Bully by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman, Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, and Gingerbread for Liberty by Mara Rockliff.
• In Module 5, the social studies topic is “Leadership.” Students learn about the qualities of a good leader. Texts include: Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds, Wilma Rudolph: Against All Odds by Stephanie E. Macceca, and Who Are Government Leaders? by Jennifer Boothroyd. 
• In Model 6, the science topic is “Weather Wise,” which is about how weather affects us. Texts in this module include: Wild Weather by Thomas Kingsley Troupe, Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld, and Rain Cloud in a Jar by Sci-Tech Discovery Center. 
• In Module 8, students read all about plants. Texts in this module include: From Seed to Pine Tree: Following the Life Cycle by Suzanne Slade, The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola, and Jack and the Beanstalk by Helen Lester. 
• In Module 10, the topic is “Many Cultures, One World,” which focuses on learning from different people and cultures. Texts in this module include: Where on Earth Is My Bagel? by Frances Park and Ginger Park, Goal! by Sean Taylor, and What’s for Lunch around the World (no author). 
  

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectation that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

Throughout the Grade 2 materials, students are asked a series of coherently sequence questions and tasks to integrate knowledge and ideas across both individual texts and multiple texts. Students compare and contrast information from a text and make connections between texts. The Start Right Readers also give students opportunities to analyze multiple texts. 

Throughout the program, students are asked to integrate knowledge across individual texts. Examples include:

• In Module 2, Lessons 3 and 4, students read Many Kinds of Matter by Jennifer Boothroyd. Students turn and talk with a partner about matter. Students compare the three kinds of matter, and they give examples of those types of matter both from the text and from their own experience. Then students independently write how a snowman changes as it melts using details from the text to explain their answer. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 3, students engage in a shared reading of Wild Weather by Thomas Kingsley Troupe and compare and contrast information found in the text. Students are asked, “In what ways is a hurricane like a tornado?" and "How are they different?” Students are also asked, “Why is a meteorologist’s job important?” 
• In Module 7, Lesson 6, students listen to The Camping Trip that Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Our National Parks by Barb Rosenstock and are asked questions such as, “How were Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir alike?" "How were they different?” and “What effect did the camping trip have on Teedie?” 
• In Module 8, Lessons 11 and 12, students listen to Don’t Touch Me! by Elizabeth Preston and are asked how plants protect themselves. Then students write about which plant they think has the most extreme defenses. 
• In Module 10, Lessons 9 and 10, students read Goal! by Sean Taylor and are asked a series of questions to build knowledge. Students are asked, “Why do you think that soccer is loved all around the world?” prior to writing about what it takes to be a great soccer player. 

Throughout the program, there are multiple opportunities for students to integrate knowledge and ideas across multiple texts. Examples include:

• In Module 4, Lessons 12 and 13, students use details from If the Shoe Fits: Two Cinderella Stories by Pleasant DeSpain to discuss how the two fairy tales are alike and what are the most important differences between them. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 10, students read the Start Right Readers Rocky and The Big Day and make connections between the texts. Students are asked, “What main event connects the two stories?” and “How does the author make the reader want to read Rocky after reading the Big Day?”
• In Module 8, Lessons 11 and 12, students listen to Don’t Touch Me! by Elizabeth Preston and Experiment with What a Plant Needs to Grow by Nadia Higgins.  Students are asked how the texts are alike and what is the most important differences between them. 
• In Module 11, Lessons 4 and 5, students read Missing Mama and Papa Tells His Side by Sara Ford in the Start Right Readers. Students read Pop’s version of the story and then they read Papa’s version of the story. Students then engage in a Think-Pair-Share to answer questions such as, “Why is Pop’s story about Papa funny?” and “Why does Papa tell the story differently than Pop tells it?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectation that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g. combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Throughout the Grade 2 materials, students are presented with opportunities to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate knowledge of a topic or theme through integrated skills. Each module is built around an essential question, which is discussed prior to completing a culminating task or a performance-based task. The performance-based tasks are typically more rigorous and require more writing. However, all end-of-module tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of what they read and learned throughout the three week module.  Throughout each module, students engage in tasks that require a combination of literacy skills by participating in close reads, Collaborative Conversations, and speaking and writing tasks, that relate to the texts in which they read or listen. 

Examples of opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge of a topic or theme by completing culminating tasks that require them to integrate skills include:

• In Module 1, students learn about citizenship and discuss the question “How can being a good citizen make a difference to others?” while completing a variety of tasks after hearing and reading literary and nonfiction texts. At the end of the module, students demonstrate their knowledge by completing one of several culminating tasks including writing a letter to themselves explaining how they plan to be a good citizen this year.  This task requires the integration of reading, writing, and listening. 
• In Module 2, students learn about how exploring helps us understand the world around us. Prior to completing the end-of- module tasks, students discuss what they have learned from the texts. Students then choose to complete a culminating task or performance-based task to demonstrate their understanding and knowledge from the module. An example is students can write five tips to help someone explore or make discoveries using the module texts for ideas which requires them to integrate writing and reading. Students share this task with a partner, which integrates the skill of speaking. 
• In Module 5, students learn about leadership and discuss the qualities of a good leader throughout the three week module. After listening to and reading several literary and nonfiction texts about leadership, students complete an end-of-module task which integrates reading, writing, listening and speaking. One of these tasks requires students to choose two people from the module and write a short report that tells some of their important accomplishments. Students are required to use multiple texts from the module to complete this task. 
• In Module 6, students learn about weather and how it affects us. Students end the module by discussing information they learned from the module texts and then complete either a culminating task or the performance-based task. One example is students can choose to write their opinion about their favorite kind of weather using details from the text and include an explanation and a picture. This task requires students to integrate reading, writing, and listening since many of the texts are read-alouds. 
• In Module 9, students learn about animal habitats and discuss how living things in a habitat depend on each other through various read alouds and independent reading books. At the end of the module, students are given the option of choosing one animal that they learned about in the module and write a report that tells how this animal's habitat helps the animals live.  They also tell why this habitat is important to their survival.  This task requires students to integrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking to demonstrate their knowledge. 
• In Module 10, students learn about world cultures and focus on what we can learn from different people and cultures. At the end of the module, students discuss what they have learned from the various texts in the module. Then they choose to complete one of the culminating tasks or performance-based task. The performance-based task requires students to write a couple of paragraphs explaining what they learned about different people and different cultures from the various text selections. This requires reading, listening, and writing skills. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectation that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. 

In the Grade 2 materials, students are taught academic vocabulary words including Big Idea Words for the module and Power Words for each anchor text. Each module has three main topic words, and each anchor text has another set of vocabulary words for students to learn. There are vocabulary procedures for learning both types of words. Each module also ends with a cumulative review of academic vocabulary. Students practice the vocabulary words through discussion questions and some myBook tasks. According to the Guiding Principles and Strategies book, vocabulary instruction includes oral language practice when listening to Big Books and read-aloud books. Generative Vocabulary lessons provide weekly opportunities to use known words as springboards to learn new, unknown words with morphological or semantic relationships. In addition, Vocabulary Strategy lessons and cumulative vocabulary lessons are included in the modules. 

Big Idea Words are taught in the beginning of each module and relate to the topic; however, they are not included in most of the texts or questions, but rather relate to the module topic or theme. The routine to learn the words include the teacher saying the word, and the students repeating them. Then the teacher explains the meaning in a student-friendly manner and talk about examples. Some examples include:

• In Module 1, the Big Idea Words are citizen, difference, and kind. The students engage in the vocabulary routine and then watch the video “Super Citizen.”  Students then write their knowledge of each word including synonyms and antonyms and draw a picture of each word. In Lesson 15, during the Let’s Wrap Up activity, one option is for students to  write a letter to themselves to explain how they can be a good citizen, and students use the word difference in the letter. 
• In Module 2, the Big Idea Words are examine, identify, and record.  After watching the Get Curious Video, “Mystery Animal Hunt,” the teacher uses the Vocabulary Routine and the Vocabulary Cards to teach words. Students also learn about suffixes -er and -est, as well as, the vocabulary strategy of synonyms.
• In Module 6, the topic is weather. Students learn the words climate, precipitation, and temperature. The word temperature is found in the text, Wild Weather by Thomas Kingsley Troupe. Students complete a worksheet in their myBook where they draw a box around the temperature on the thermometer. In Lesson 6, students learn about homophones and use the text to identify and discuss different homophones. In the Let’s Wrap Up activity at the end of the module, students write a weather report using the word precipitation. 
• In Module 10, students learn about world cultures. The Big Idea Words are culture, harmony, and heritage. In Lesson 15, there is a cumulative vocabulary review of these vocabulary words and the academic vocabulary words. Students can either do a word sort or use the vocabulary words in writing. 

Power Words are specific to usually only one text in the module and are included in questions and tasks about that text. The process to teach these words is a three-step process. First, the teacher introduces the word on a Vocabulary Card and shows a picture. The teacher also gives examples of the word by acting it out and making connections. Then the teacher helps the students make connections by using question prompts. Finally, students work with partners to draw, discuss, and role-play the words. Examples include:

• In Module 2, Week 1, students learn the words amount, easily, example, forms, hollow, material, petals, planet, sail, space, splashes, tasty, tender, and ticklish.  
• In Module 3, Lesson 12, during a shared reading of Pepita and the Bully by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman, students engage in the Vocabulary Routine to learn the meaning of the words: wrinkled, frown, yanked, dragged, mumbled, nearby, excuses, and hesitant. Some of the activity options include drawing a picture of a person who has a wrinkled face or explaining how one might feel if you wrinkle your face. 
• In Module 4, Week 3, students learn the words: streaming, clue, disturb, rattled, and tackle after listening to How to Read a Story by Kate Messner. 
• In Module 5, Lesson 9, students review the word honored in the book Wilma Rudolph: Against All Odds by Stephanie E. Macceca. Then the teacher explains the prefix dis- and how it changes the meaning of the word honored. Students then use words believe, connect, and honest and decide the meaning if the prefix is added. 
• In Module 6, Week 2, students learn the words advantages, average, depends, develop, flash, gusts, hovers, impressed, joined, layer, articles, supplies, and visible. 
• In Module 7, Lesson 12, during a shared reading of "Drum Dream Girl" by Margarita Engle, students learn the word towering in the story. 
• In Module 9, Lesson 7, before listening to Sea Otter Pups by Ruth Owen, the teacher uses the Vocabulary Routine and Vocabulary Cards to teach the words: surface, wraps, attached, crack, sheltered, weary, hide, and wit. Students then work in partners to engage with the words such as, telling each other how someone wraps a present or drawing a weary hiker resting in a sheltered  tent. 
• In Module 10, Week 3, students learn the words adventures, breathless, clamber, festival, fitting, leave, mound, nimble, public, relatives, shuffled, stacked, and suburb. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectation that materials contain a year-long, cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts.

The Grade 2 materials include writing instruction that spans the whole year and aligns to the standards. Writing instruction supports students’ growth throughout the year. The writing tasks place emphasis on using details and text evidence. Students practice writing in all genres. The materials include well-designed lesson plans covering a variety of genres, both process and on-demand writing, and include teacher and student protocols. Students receive explicit instruction that guides them through the writing process in Writing Workshop lessons. Lessons also include mentor texts that provide students with opportunities to examine the text features of a specific genre and the styles and techniques of authors. The materials also include writing rubrics. 

In the beginning of the year, the Grade 2 expectations are to write various genres with less support than the Grade 1 expectations. Students are expected to use texts for writing and write a complete story. Examples include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 8, students write their opinion about which character in Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal has the most important job. Students can write or draw reasons why they chose that character. 
• In Module 1 of Writing Workshop, students write personal narratives about something they have done to make the world a better place. Students select an idea for their personal narratives, identify and draft events, revise with peers for word choice, and then publish to share with the group.
• In Module 2, Lesson 8, after listening to “Bear Up There” (no author), students write what happens next when the characters Billie and Honeysuckle get home. 
• In Module 3, Lesson 8, after reading Working with Others by Robin Nelson, students write an explanation about how to solve a conflict. Students include details from the text to explain their answer. 
• In Module 3 of Writing Workshop, students think about an issue in which they have heard people disagree. Then they describe the issue, state  their point of view, and provide evidence about why others should support their point of view. 
• In Module 4, Lesson 10, after hearing Hollywood Chicken by Lisa Fleming, students write a persuasive essay to make others want to see the imaginary movie, Crossing the Road: The Other Side. 
• In Module 4 of Writing Workshop, students write an imaginary story about a friend or a place. Students are taught that a good story has three key parts (a beginning, middle, and end) to keep the reader interested. The teacher reviews the elements of a narrative story and the writing process. Students are also taught the revision skill of capitalizing proper nouns. 

In the middle of the year, the expectations are to write various genres with more details. The focus is on text evidence to compare and contrast two stories. Examples include:

• In Module 5, Lesson 10, students listen to “Kids for President!” (no author) and then write their opinion about whether they believe kids would be good presidents using details from the text.
• In Module 5 of Writing Workshop, students write a personal essay about what makes them different from others. Students draw and label pictures of themselves, thinking about what makes them unique during brainstorming. During revision, students add figurative language and transitions. 
• In Module 6, Lesson 5, students listen to “Captain Cat Keeps her Cool” (no author) and write about whether Captain Cat is a good leader using details to support their answer.
• In Module 7 of Writing Workshop, students write an imaginative story about characters that they create and their adventures. During the fifteen lessons, students brainstorm the characters and words to use to describe the characters, use elements of a narrative to develop a draft, use character traits to solve a problem, integrate dialogue, and edit and revise, before publishing and sharing with their classmates. 
• In Module 8, Lesson 10, students read “The Prince and the Tasty Pea” and “The Princess and the Pea” (no author), and then they compare and contrast the two stories in writing.
• In Module 8 of Writing Workshop, students write a procedural text in which they describe the steps needed to complete an activity.

In the end of the year, Grade 2 students are expected to write extended responses to on-demand prompts using details from texts and pictures and to compare and contrast characters, settings, and events, as well as write various genres. Examples include:

• In Module 9, Lesson 8, students write a description of a mother sea otter and her pup in their habitat using details from the text Sea Otter Pups by Ruth Owen.
• In Module 9 of Writing Workshop, students write a research report about animals that have a special relationship with others. Students write research questions and select goals for writing their research reports. Then students conduct the research, add facts to their drafts, revise for compound sentences, and publish and share with the group. 
• In Module 10, Lesson 4, after listening to "Where on Earth is my Bagel?" by Frances Park and Ginger Park, students rewrite the story from the perspective of the pigeon, using details from the text to help them complete the writing task. 
• In Module 11 of Writing Workshop, students write about an experience doing something new that they did not want to do. Over the course of the fifteen lessons, students take a poll about scary and exciting activities, brainstorm topics, choose a topic, develop a draft with conflict and resolution, revise by adding details, edit for run-on sentences, write a final copy, and then share with the class.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectation that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

The Grade 2 materials include research projects across the year. Each module has an Inquiry and Research Project related to the module topic. The projects are three weeks long. They develop students’ knowledge on the topic, as well as, teach students research skills. They also integrate all skills including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Research-Based Projects often include a creative aspect and involve group work. Often some digital element is included such as online research. There is also one rubric for all of the projects. The Inquiry and Research Project Rubric measures students on collaboration, research and text evidence, content, and presentation. The routine for research is the same throughout the year. In Week 1, students learn about the project and brainstorm ideas. In Week 2, students research and complete their research project. In Week 3, students reflect on their project, share, and celebrate. 

Specific examples of Research-Based Projects in Grade 2 include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, students read and write about citizenship. The research project requires students to create a mural that shows community or school helpers. 
• In Module 2, students create a group book modeled after the anchor text, The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown. In Week 1, students work in groups to research different types of matter using books and websites. In Week 2, students work in groups to draw and write about the things they choose. This involves reading various texts and using digital tools for research. In Week 3, students share. 
• In Module 3, students write a script and record a public service announcement about good ways to resolve conflicts. During Week 1, students brainstorm research questions about working out disagreements. In Week 2, students decide on a message and a title for their public service announcement, develop the script, and prepare cue cards. In Week 3, students record their public service announcement and show it to the class. 
• In Module 5, students launch a campaign for a story character who they feel will be a good leader. This connects to the module essential question “What are the qualities of a good leader?”
• In Module 6, students create a safety brochure about extreme weather. In Week 1, students work in Think-Pair-Share groups to research different types of extreme weather, and using books and websites, they research safety measures to take in these types of weather. In Week 2, students work in groups to make the brochures. In Week 3, they share their brochures.
• In Module 7, students write an autobiography which supports the essential question, “How do our experiences shape our lives?” In Week 1, students brainstorm important events in their own lives, reflect on experiences by interviewing family members, and browsing through family keepsakes. In Week 2, students make a list of memorable events, organize them into a timeline, and write an autobiography with a final draft including photographs, drawings, or pictures from magazines. In Week 3, students present. 
• In Module 9, students study how living things in a habitat depend on each other. The three-week inquiry project requires students to research an animal’s habitat and create a diorama to share what they have learned with the class. 
• In Module 10, students create a class book about each student’s heritage and its traditions. Each student writes one page about their heritage tradition for the book. In Week 1, students work in Think-Pair-Share groups to brainstorm questions for their families and research their families’ heritage, including the country and the traditions, using books and websites. In Week 2, students create their page for the book, including illustrations or photographs. In Week 3, students share their book pages. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the expectation that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

Grade 2 materials include multiple supports to foster independent reading. The Guiding Principles and Strategies book contains sections for Building Reading Independence and Family and Community, which explain how to help students become independent readers in and out of the classroom. There is a daily reading block which includes 45 to 60 minutes for small-group reading and independent reading with literary centers, decodable texts, skill practice, and Inquiry and Research projects. At the beginning of the year, students should read five to ten minutes before taking a break, and throughout the year, this time should increase. Each lesson within the module has an “Options for Independent and Collaborative Work” section. There are also tracking sheets such as reading logs included to help keep students accountable. There are also activities for home learning including printables and electronic tools, as well as, family letters. It should be noted though that the home activities appear to be optional. While students are given a reading log, there is no specific guidance for ways to hold students accountable and the time students should spend reading each night. 

In the Guiding Principles and Strategies book for Grade 2, there is a section titled “Building Reading Independence.” In this section, there is guidance on organizing the classroom library, self-selecting books, setting goals, and responding to texts. Materials include a printable reading log to track independent reading books. Teachers are encouraged to create response journals for reading as well. 

In the Guiding Principles and Strategies book for Grade 2, there is a section called “Learning Beyond the Classroom.” This section gives guidance on the messaging that should be sent home. In this section, teachers can find printables, such as eBooks, and iRead, which is a foundational skills online program. In addition, teachers can find printable resources such as Printable Resource Worksheets, Word Lists, and Start Right Readers. Teachers are told to explain the importance of the volume of reading to families. The Family Letter for each module reminds families of the importance of reading with children each day and skills to work on at home. The three sections of the letter are Big Idea Words, Let’s Read Together, and Word Play. The skills include the Big Idea Words, games and activities while reading, and foundational reading skills. For example, in Module 7, an activity is to discuss events and experiences that are important to the characters in the story. At the end of each module, students are also encouraged to take home their myBook so they can read and share the text with family members. 

In each module, there is also guidance for a reading corner. This section describes the reading log for tracking and gives suggestions for students to partner read, annotate the text, and do a response journal. In each module, there are also options for Independent and Collaborate Work. For example, in Module 2, it is suggested that children practice reading using the Student Choice Library and Rigby Leveled Library. Students also practice reading in literacy centers and independent reading with Start Right Readers. It is encouraged that students also set goals. In the Reading Workshop section, it suggests that teachers have conversations about strengths and areas for growth during reading conferences. Teachers are prompted to help students set realistic goals and give strategies for achieving goals.