1st Grade - Gateway 1
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Focus & Coherence
Gateway 1 - Meets Expectations | 85% |
|---|---|
Criterion 1.1: Focus | 2 / 2 |
Criterion 1.2: Coherence | 4 / 4 |
Criterion 1.3: Coherence | 6 / 8 |
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations for focus on major work and coherence. The instructional materials meet the expectations for focus through their assessments and design concerning class time spent on major work. The instructional materials partially meet the expectations for coherence, and they show strengths in having an amount of content that is viable for one school year and fostering coherence through connections within the grade.
Criterion 1.1: Focus
The instructional materials reviewed meet the expectation for not assessing topics before the grade-level in which the topic should be introduced. Overall, there are no assessment items that align to topics beyond Grade 1.
Indicator 1a
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectation for assessing grade-level content. There are no above grade-level assessment questions, and the assessments include material that is appropriate for Grade 1. Probability, statistical distributions, similarity, transformations and congruence do not appear in the assessments.
In the teacher’s edition, assessments for each unit are listed including portfolio opportunities recommending which student work would be appropriate. Assessments are found in the Assessment Sourcebook.
Examples of quality assessments include:
- On Unit 2 Session 2.4 Assessment Sourcebook page A16, Quiz 2 assesses students on being able to distinguish between defining and non-defining attributes of shapes (1.G.1). Problem 1 asks students to select the triangle out of 4 choices. One of the incorrect choices is a three-sided figure that is not closed, and another incorrect choice is a three-sided figure that is closed with one slightly-curved side.
- On Unit 7 Session 1.8 Assessment Sourcebook pages A50-51, Quiz 1 assesses students on being able to recognize how many tens are in a number that is a multiple of 10 (1.NBT.2c) and subtracting multiples of 10 from a multiple of 10 (1.NBT.6). The quiz has items that involve almost all multiples of 10 between 10 and 90, and for items aligned to 1.NBT.6, the quiz contains pictures of base-10 blocks so that students can use them when subtracting.
Criterion 1.2: Coherence
Students and teachers using the materials as designed devote the large majority of class time in each grade K-8 to the major work of the grade.
The instructional materials reviewed meet the expectation for students and teachers devoting the large majority of class time to the major work of the grade when the materials are used as designed. Overall, the materials spend at least 65% of class time on the major work of Grade 1.
Indicator 1b
Instructional material spends the majority of class time on the major cluster of each grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations for spending the majority of class time on the major clusters of the grade. Approximately 74 percent of class time is spent on major work of the grade.
The instructional materials are separated into eight units. Each unit is composed of one, two, three, or four investigations, and each investigation is divided into sessions. The Implementing Investigations guide states in Part 4 (Classroom Routines) within the Overview that each session includes a Classroom Routine activity that is “introduced as a session activity and are then used outside of math time (e.g., during morning meeting, just before or after lunch or recess, or at the beginning or end of the day) or integrated into the math lesson as the first 10 minutes of a 70-minute math block.” The Classroom Routine activity requires 10-15 minutes which provides daily practice and review of previously learned skills. Each session requires sixty minutes. Three perspectives were used when calculating major work of the grade: number of units, number of investigations, and number of sessions.
- Approximately 5 of the 8 units focus on major work of the grade. This represents approximately 63 percent of the units.
- Approximately 15 of the 20 investigations focus on major work of the grade. This represents approximately 75 percent of the investigations.
- Approximately 103 of 140 sessions focus on or support the major work of the grade. This represents approximately 74 percent of the sessions.
The third perspective, number of sessions, is the most reflective of the instructional materials because it is based on the sessions which includes the instructional activities, review, and practice. As a result, approximately 74 percent of the materials focus on major work of the grade.
Criterion 1.3: Coherence
Coherence: Each grade's instructional materials are coherent and consistent with the Standards.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 partially meet the expectations for being coherent and consistent with the Standards. The instructional materials show strength in having an amount of content that is viable for one school year, but due to not always identifying work that is off grade-level, the materials are not always consistent with the progressions in the Standards. The materials do foster coherence through connections within the grade, but few of those connections are between major work of the grade and supporting work.
Indicator 1c
Supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 partially meet expectations that supporting content enhances focus and coherence simultaneously by engaging students in the major work of the grade. Throughout the instructional materials, major work of the grade is sometimes supported by non-major work. However, there are some missed natural connections, and the supporting standards occasionally appear in lessons with few connections to the major work of the grade.
Although some attempts to connect supporting work to major work are made, students can often complete problems aligned to supporting work without engaging in the major work of the grade.
- In Unit 2 none of the sessions in Investigation 1 or 2 connect the supporting content of comparing and combining shapes (1.G.2) to the major work of the grade. There are some activities within the sessions that contain major work, but these are taught as a classroom routine and not as anything connected to the Geometry standards.
- In Unit 6 Sessions 1.1, 1.2, and 2.1 address supporting work of the grade using data to create representations (1.MD.4). It is a missed opportunity to connect measurement and data to major work with adding and subtracting in Grade 1.
- In Unit 6 Sessions 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 address data displays and representations (1.MD.4) and provide students with one opportunity to incorporate major work. This is a missed opportunity to connect measurement and data to major work with adding and subtracting in Grade 1.
Occasionally supporting standards are used to support the major work of the grade.
- In Unit 6 Session 1.3 students are organizing data (1.MD.4) by counting left-handed and right-handed classmates, counting on by 5’s (1.OA.5). Students organize data for an "Eagle or Whale?" assignment and write addition equations with data.
- In Unit 6 Session 1.8 students organize data (1.MD.4) with a "Slide or Swings?" activity and include a subtraction equation (1.OA.8).
Indicator 1d
The amount of content designated for one grade level is viable for one school year in order to foster coherence between grades.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations for the amount of content being viable for one school year.
- The instructional materials are divided into 8 units that have a total of 140 sessions.
- Assessments are done during sessions and are not counted as extra days.
- Each session is designed to be completed in 60-70 minutes with the majority of the sessions being 70 minutes. Each session is accompanied by a Ten-Minute Math activity that is designed to be completed in 10 minutes outside of math time.
- Each unit takes between 2 to 5.5 weeks to complete according to the “Grade 1 Curriculum Units and Pacing Chart” on page 9 of the Implementing Investigations in Grade 1 guide. Each unit includes an additional day beyond the days required to finish the sessions. This day could be used to complete the Intervention, Practice, and/or Extension activities that are included at the end of each investigation.
- The pacing chart on page 9 of the Implementing Investigations In Grade 1 guide suggests a total of approximately 28.5-32.5 weeks or 140-165 days.
Indicator 1e
Materials are consistent with the progressions in the Standards i. Materials develop according to the grade-by-grade progressions in the Standards. If there is content from prior or future grades, that content is clearly identified and related to grade-level work ii. Materials give all students extensive work with grade-level problems iii. Materials relate grade level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.
The materials reviewed for Grade 1 partially meet the expectations for being consistent with the progressions in the Standards. In general, the materials develop according to the grade-by-grade progressions in the Standards, but content from future grades is not clearly identified. The materials provide extensive work with grade-level problems for most standards, but the materials do not relate grade-level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades.
The materials develop according to the grade-by-grade progressions in the Standards, but content from future grades is not clearly identified. Examples of unclear identification include:
- In Unit 4 Session 1.3, students measure partial units (3.MD.4).
- In Unit 7 Sessions 1.1 and 1.2, students skip count by 5’s (2.NBT.2).
- In Unit 7 Session 1.8, Resource masters S100 and S101 ask students to add and subtract multiples of 100 with numbers larger than 100 (2.NBT.8).
- In Unit 3 Session 4.1 students sort data by the different number of tiles in a footprint. This activity sorts the data into as many categories as needed for each students footprint length. The example for this activity shows six categories which is above grade-level (3.MD.3).
Some of the above grade-level content is identified as above grade-level.
- Unit 7 says that the unit lays the foundation for work in Grade 2 with number and operations and place value.
- Unit 8 says that in Grade 2 students continue to develop and refine many of the ideas and concepts from this unit. Students expand their understanding of 2-D shapes by considering not only the number of sides as a defining attribute, but also the number and type of angles with a specific focus on quadrilaterals and rectangles.
The materials often give all students extensive work with grade-level problems.
- Recommendations for differentiation allow students to primarily work with grade-level tasks.
- The standards are addressed throughout the entire series, and no standards were completely omitted. Overall, the materials were on grade-level, and students had a variety of opportunities to engage in grade-level problems.
- The materials give students extensive work with most domains. However, 1.MD.1 is found in Unit 4 in three sessions. These sessions may not allow all students to develop an understanding of ordering three objects by length or comparing the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
- Standard 1.NBT.6 is found in Unit 7 in 5 sessions. This may not provide enough explicit instruction or extensive practice with subtraction for all students.
The materials do not consistently relate grade-level concepts explicitly to prior knowledge from earlier grades. The scope and sequence found in the Implementing Investigations book gives some limited information relating to knowledge from earlier and future grades by listing major topics and which units in prior and future grades address those topics. Each unit has a “Connections: Looking Back” section at the beginning of the unit. Several units specifically refer to work from prior grades without providing explicit connections to specific standards.
- Unit 1 describes the unit building on work students did in the Kindergarten Number and Operations units.
- Unit 4 states that the unit builds on the work students did in Kindergarten describing measurable attributes of objects, directly comparing the length of two or more objects, describing them as longer or shorter than, and developing strategies for measuring.
Indicator 1f
Materials foster coherence through connections at a single grade, where appropriate and required by the Standards i. Materials include learning objectives that are visibly shaped by CCSSM cluster headings. ii. Materials include problems and activities that serve to connect two or more clusters in a domain, or two or more domains in a grade, in cases where these connections are natural and important.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meets the expectations for fostering coherence through connections at a single grade, where appropriate and required by the Standards.
The materials begin each investigation with a planner that lists objectives for each session, and in the session materials, Math Focus points are listed at the beginning of each session. The instructional materials include objectives and Math Focus points that are visibly shaped by the CCSSM cluster headings for Grade 1.
- In Unit 1 Session 2.1 the Math Focus Point is “Relating adding 1 or 2 to counting on”. This is visibly shaped by cluster 1.OA.C, Add and subtract within 20.
- In Unit 5 Session 3.5 the Math Focus Points are “Solving story problems about unknown change" and "Using standard notation (+, -, =) to represent situations with unknown change." These are visibly shaped by cluster 1.OA.A, Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
- During Unit 7 Session 3.5, in Math Workshop students play a game that involves representing two 2-digit number with cubes, bundling 10 cubes as a ten, and then finding the total of the two numbers (1.NBT.B and 1.NBT.C).
The instructional materials include problems and activities that connect two or more clusters in a domain or two or more domains.
- In Unit 2, Sessions 2.1, 2.2, and 2.4 connect 1.G.A and 1.MD.C as students observe and describe defining attributes of 2-D shapes, use those attributes to build, compare, and sort 2-D shapes, and compose and decompose 2-D shapes. It includes activities and routines that develop concepts mainly from the Geometry Domain; however, some connections are made to the Measurement and Data Domain.
- In Unit 4, Sessions 1.5 through 1.8 connect 1.OA.A, 1.OA.B, 1.OA.C, 1.OA.D, and 1.MD.A as students measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units and use their measuring skills to solve problems that involve adding and subtracting while writing equations and using the properties of operations to solve.