1st Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria 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.

Materials build an understanding of content in science, social studies, and literature. Students acquire an understanding of that content while they work to acquire the grade-level literacy standards of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Within each Module, Unit 1 is designed to ensure students acquire content knowledge. In Unit 2 and Unit 3, teachers use close reading to engage students with complex text that deepens their knowledge of the Module topic. Lessons within the units provide complex text, students response pages, and anchor charts that support students’ ability to comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently in order to complete a culminating task.

The modules are based on topics with required and recommended text to support multiple reads for each topic. The K-2 Labs use of Storytime increases the amount of time that students spend with complex text through read-alouds while connecting to the content taught within the Module lessons. Vocabulary is introduced and reviewed throughout each module. Academic and Domain-Specific vocabulary are addressed through multiple reads of complex text along with the Language Dives. The words that have been selected fall into the categories of lesson specific, text specific, or vocabulary used in writing. The curriculum defines whether a word is newly introduced or is a review word, so the teacher can adjust instruction to meet the needs of the students. Multiple texts are used to build student knowledge and vocabulary, and they support students’ ability to comprehend complex text independently and proficiently.

In Module 1, students engage in a study on the topic of “Tools and Work” as they build their literacy and citizenship skills. In Unit 2, Lesson 2, teachers tell students that they will spend time today to make sure they understand the word “magnificent,” which is important because it is in the title of the book. Students view the Frayer Model with “magnificent” in the center, and the parts of the chart are explained with supporting examples and non-examples. Students learn that “magnificent” means “something that is very beautiful to look at, or spectacular” and record this definition on their sheet. In Unit 2, Lesson 1, students and the teacher work to create an anchor chart listing and defining the Habits of Character. Vocabulary words include: “initiative,” “collaboration,” and “perseverance.”

In Module 2, students build their literacy and science skills as they engage in a study on the topic of “The Sun, Moon and Stars.” In Unit 1, Lesson 3, students participate in a close read aloud of Summer Sun Risin’. Teachers utilize a total participation technique to answer the following questions: “What is the sun doing? How do you know? What do you think the word ‘arisin’ means? What does that word have to do with what the sun is doing?” Teachers display the Summer Sun Risin’ word card for “arisin’” informing students that it means to appear or emerge. In Unit 2, Lesson 2, after reading page 14 of What Makes Day and Night, students participate in a Language Dive. Teachers encourage conversation among students about the meaning of each of the sentence strip chunks, what the academic phrases within each chunk mean, and how they relate to the sentence and the text overall. Teachers monitor and guide conversation with total participation techniques and Conversation Cues.

In Module 3, students build their literacy skills as they engage in a study on the topic of “Birds' Amazing Bodies.” In Unit 1, Lesson 3, students read Birds (Scholastic Discover More). Throughout the reading, students participate in Language Dives using the following protocol for vocabulary: “What do we think this word means? What is the translation of this word? Is there a familiar word or affix in this word? How does that help us understand the unfamiliar word? What are some synonyms of this word? How are they different in meaning?” In Unit 3, Lesson 6, students participate in the Interactive Word Wall Activity using the following the protocol: “Face your group members and label yourselves A, B, and C. Put the word cards and arrow cards in the middle. Partner A chooses one word to connect with another word using an arrow card. Partner A explains the connection by answering the question, ‘Why do the words belong together?’ Steps 2–3 are repeated for partner B and partner C and steps 2–4 are repeated until all words are connected.”

In Module 4, students engage in a study on the topic of “Caring for Birds.” In this Module, students build on their knowledge of birds from Module 3 to deepen their literacy skills and explore the guiding question: “Why should we care about birds?” In Unit 1, Lesson 2, students reread the text on page 22 of The Lion and The Bird. Teachers are instructed to have students determine the meaning of the word “snug.” The teachers state the following, “The first strategy tells me to look for clues in the sentence to help me figure it out.” Then, students reread the first part of the sentence and perform a turn and talk to answer the following question: “What is this part of the sentence saying?” In Unit 1, Lesson 5, while reading Pierre the Penguin, students participate in a Language Dive to determine the meaning of the sentence: “One day aquatic biologist, Pam, observing the penguins, saw one in a jam.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

During every session of the Close Read Aloud, teachers utilize a variety of techniques to engage students in answering text-dependent questions such as Think-Pair-Share and Back to Back-Face to Face. Conversation Cues encourage conversations about the text. Language Dives explore chunks of text to determine author’s meaning. Additionally, students are taught how to use text features to locate information and strategies to determine the meanings of words.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 5, the teacher displays and reads aloud the following chunk: “Can’t see the MAGNIFICENT thing.” The teacher then asks, “What can’t the admirers do?” and point to the illustration on page 15 to ask, “What does she have in her hand? Is it the magnificent thing? and It says they can’t see the magnificent thing. Why?” The teacher concludes by asking, “Why do you think the author wrote MAGNIFICENT in all capital letters?”
• In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 2, students read What Makes Day and Night. The teacher reads aloud the word “daylight” and shows the Sun, Moon, and Stars Word Wall card for “daylight.” The teacher uses a total participation technique to invite responses to the following prompts: “What two words do you see in the word daylight? What does daylight mean?”
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3, the teacher completes a Read Aloud for the text, Birds. As the teacher reads the text, they stop and point out headings and titles and explicitly teach the vocabulary for text features. The teacher asks, “Why is a heading an important text feature?” The teacher releases pairs of students with the text to continue to explore the text, looking for text features. The teacher circulates and asks, “What is the heading on this page? What are the pictures/photographs showing?” After 8-10 minutes, the teacher refocuses the group and asks them about the text features that they located and specifically asks, “How do these text features help readers?”
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 4, the teacher reads aloud pages 13-28 in Pierre the Penguin. The teacher stops on page 13 to ask, “What does the word ‘wetsuit’ mean?” and “How do you know?” Students are expected to be able to use text evidence from the pictures and words to formulate an answer. The teacher continues this practice on page 17 with the word “featherless” by asking, “What might the extra word ‘-less’ mean?” and then further inquiring, “So if we know what the base word ‘feather’ and the extra piece ‘-less’ mean, what does ‘featherless’ mean?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria 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.

Materials contain coherently sequenced text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to rely on the knowledge built over the course of the module. Text-dependent questions and tasks are specifically included in the anchor text and through close reading sessions that occur in lessons. “In each session, students are lifted to greater understanding of the text through purposeful text-dependent questions and activities” (Your Curriculum Companion, page 275).

Unit 1 of each module builds the foundational knowledge for the topic, Unit 2 requires students to analyze and synthesize information, and Unit 3 requires students to apply their learning to complete a culminating task which requires reading, writing, listening and speaking as well as reflecting on the learning that has occurred. Each close read aloud text and questions create an understanding of the text and the module topic. Each module has a topic focus with required and recommended text to support building knowledge on that topic.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, after the read aloud of A Chef's Tools, the teacher uses a document camera to display A Chef’s Tools text and shares with students that they can learn about cooking tools from this book. Then the teacher asks, “What was this book mostly about? Can you teach the class about any other tools your family uses to cook, that we didn’t see in this book?” Finally, the teacher synthesizes the read-aloud by having students Think-Pair-Share to “Name one new cooking tool you learned about today. What job does this tool help to do?” Then in the Unit 1 Assessment, students listen to an excerpt of Tools by Ann Morris. Next, students work with a partner to discuss the text and sort photographs from the excerpt into categories. Then students closely study two photographs and listen to their corresponding captions (each caption describes a specific tool and how that tool makes work easier). After some quick turn and talks, students label the tool being used in the text and write a complete sentence answering the question, “What job does the tool help to do?”
• In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 3, during the Close Read/Read Aloud of Summer Sun Risin’, the teacher tells students as they read the text, and use a chart to keep track of answers. Using a total participation technique, the teacher asks, “What is the boy doing? How do you know?” Then in the Unit 2 Assessment, students engage in a Science Talk to discuss possible answers to the unit guiding question: “What patterns can we observe in the sky?” During the conversation, students use sentence starters to share information they have learned and to add on to and say more about explanations from their peers.
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, after the Read Aloud of the text, Birds, the teacher uses a total participation technique and asks, “What was this book mostly about? (birds) Has anyone ever seen a bird? What did it look like? What was it doing? What is the name for bird in your home language?” In the Unit 1 Assessment, students are provided a copy of the text, Birds, and students follow along as the teacher rereads pages 20 and 21. Then the students respond to several short response questions using the text and illustrations to help them.
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 4, the students participate in a Focused Read Aloud of the text, Pierre the Penguin. The teacher is instructed to use a total participation technique and ask the questions, “What are the penguins doing? Why are the penguins swimming? Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate said? Why?” Then in the Unit 1 Assessment, students use the icons from the Stories of Bird Helpers anchor chart to compare and contrast the texts, Pierre the Penguin and Maggie the One-Eyed Peregrine Falcon. Students use the icons to compare and contrast the experiences from both texts, and they will also use evidence from the texts to write a sentence about the similarities and differences.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts.

Specific tasks are designed to build academic vocabulary within the curriculum during multiple readings of context-based texts, such as unpacking learning targets, interactive word walls, collaborative conversations, use of Frayer models, language dives, writing tasks, and explicit teaching of habits of character language. The Labs also provide opportunities for students to use content-specific and academic vocabulary while applying the speaking and listening skills taught in the module lessons. Additionally, vocabulary is highlighted at the beginning of each lesson with reference to whether it is new or review and whether it is taught within the lesson or with the use of text. Students are given opportunities to learn vocabulary using strategies that target all learning modalities through the use of movement, song, poetry, drawing, and writing.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Unpacking Learning Targets: In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 3, teachers are instructed to focus student attention on the learning target, “I can define what it means for work to be ‘high quality.’ I can analyze models of high-quality work.” The teacher underlines the words "high quality" in the learning target and invites students to turn and talk with an elbow partner, “What does it mean if something is high quality?” The teacher defines high quality as something that is viewed as excellent. Teachers then share a piece of high-quality student writing.
• Interactive Word Walls: In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 3, after rereading Summer Sun Arisin', teachers tell students that the sun is at its highest midday. Teachers provide the definition for “midday,” use it in a sentence with an accompanying gesture, and place the Word Wall card and picture on the Sun, Moon, and Stars Word Wall.
• Collaborative Conversations: In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students read Birds (Scholastic Discover More). Throughout the reading, students participate in collaborative conversations about text vocabulary to answer, what they think the words mean, the translation of the word, a synonym for the word, and any possible other meanings.
• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 5, students place their finger by the sentence from page 15, “Her hard work attracts a few admirers, but they don’t understand. They can’t see the MAGNIFICENT thing that she has in her mind,” and chorally read it aloud with the teacher. Then, students discuss the sentence meaning.
• Use of Frayer Models: In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 2, teachers tell students that they will spend time today to make sure they understand the word “magnificent.” They show students the Frayer Model with “magnificent” in the center and explain the parts of the chart to them. Students record the definition, draw a picture to help remember it, record examples of things that are “magnificent,” and record things that are not.
• Writing: In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 7, students create a shared writing on the importance of leaving Pale Male’s nest up. Students use Unit vocabulary to create the opinion sentence, “Leave the nest up!”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria 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.

In Unit 1 of each Module, background knowledge is built on the specific topic. In Module 2, students are engaged in more reading, writing, and research opportunities around the Module topic. In Module 3, the extended writing is more extensive and scaffolded support is provided for students.

Throughout the Modules, students have multiple opportunities to use text-based evidence to respond to prompts about the text that they are reading in notebooks, journals, and response sheets. Students participate in daily collaborative conversations about texts, and teachers compile the knowledge and information gained from those conversations on Anchor Charts. The smaller writing tasks throughout the Module lead the student to use the compiled information to complete the writing performance task at the end to demonstrate understanding of the topic. Each Unit has a standards-based assessment allowing students to read, write, or speak with increasing independence about the texts that they have read.

Examples from each Module include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, students use their What Do You Know about Tools? Response Sheet to draw or write their responses to meet the learning target, “I can show what I know about tools through drawing and writing.” In Unit 3, Lesson 5, students use their Magnificent Thing Notebook to write one or two sentences about the work that was completed so far on their magnificent thing.
• The Module 1 Performance Task requires students to incorporate their Module learning about tools to create a magnificent thing in a small group that fulfills a need or solves a problem within the classroom. Students independently write a description of what their group created, why they created it, and how they used tools to create it.
• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 2, students use the Unit 1 Guiding Question Response Sheet to answer the following question: “Why do authors write stories about the sun, moon, and stars?” In Unit 2, Lesson 4, students look at a set of sun and moon pictures and write about these pictures using adjectives from the anchor chart in their very own Sky notebook. Students discuss and write the answers to the following prompts: “What adjectives describe the sun? What adjectives describe the moon?”
• The Module 2 Performance Task requires students to incorporate their Module learning about the sun, moon, and stars to use feedback from peers and from the teacher to revise and edit their “What the Sun Sees” poems from the Unit 3 Assessment. Students use the High-Quality Work Anchor Chart and the High-Quality Narrative Poem Checklist to create a quality final piece of writing.
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 5, the teacher uses the texts, Birds and Just Ducks, to compare and contrast different kinds of bird beaks. Both books have been read before, and the teacher returns to them to explore the photographs and captions to learn about different kinds of beaks and why they are the way they are. The teacher refers to text features by asking, “How did we use the captions to help us learn about the different beaks of birds?”
• The Module 3 Performance Task requires students to create two cards to demonstrate their expertise about how a bird uses specific body parts to survive. The Expert Bird Riddle card contains an informational riddle that teaches the reader about a specific bird’s key body parts and how those parts aid in survival. The Expert Bird Scientific Drawing card contains a black-and-white scientific drawing of the expert bird that accurately depicts the bird’s external anatomy.
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 3, students utilize their Pale Male Research Notebook to write about their opinion about Pale Male as to whether his nest should stay up or come down. Students use their notes from previous lessons to provide text evidence for either choice.
• The Module 4 Performance Task requires that students create a piece of artwork and writing that serves an authentic need in their school or local community, a Feathered Friends Saver. Students create a scientific drawing of a local bird, and write an informational paragraph about birds. Students display the Feathered Friends Savers in the school or deliver them to a local organization, so that they can be hung to prevent birds from flying into the window.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria 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.

Materials provide opportunities for focused research and writing projects to support the development of knowledge and understanding of the Module topic during the K-2 Labs, which are designed to extend student learning from the Grade 1 Module Lessons. There are opportunities in the Research Lab for students to engage with materials and increase their skills in order to pursue answers to questions related to the content in the Grade 1 Module lessons. Students expand their understanding and knowledge of the topic through a range of research activities. As stated in the Your Curriculum Companion, page 77, “students study pictures and photographs, watch videos, and conduct original research based on their own questions.” Also, each unit within the modules contain lessons that require students to answer text-based questions and demonstrate knowledge of the topics using total participation techniques, anchor charts, language dives, notebooks, journals, and student response sheets. The artifacts produced during each lesson are compiled throughout the modules to complete a culminating project.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 2, K-2 Labs, the guiding question is, “How can I use research skills to learn and wonder about our sky?” In the Research Lab, students use research skills to learn new information and ask questions about the sky. The Research Lab culminates in a creation of a Sky Riddle Book in which students use the researched notes. Students build upon their knowledge of the sky, sun, moon, and stars as they research new information and ask questions about the sky as they collect facts to create a Sky Riddle Book during the module lessons. Students should connect their learning about the sky with their module learning about the sun, moon, and stars to complete the Module 2 Performance Task by using feedback from peers and from the teacher to revise and edit their “What the Sun Sees” poems from the Unit 3.
• In Module 4, K-2 Labs, the guiding question is, “How can I discover more about the birds near me?” In the Research Lab, students apply their research skills and use a variety of resources (images, texts, and technology) to learn more about local birds. After researching the birds, students create surveys to learn more about how the people in their school community interact with those birds. Students then analyze the data from the local bird surveys. In the module lessons, students research birds in a broad way. Students extend their learning about birds and apply it by studying birds specific to their local context. Students should connect their learning about birds in the Research Lab and Module lessons to complete the Module 4 Performance task which requires students to create a piece of artwork and writing that serves an authentic need to save feathered friends in their school or local community.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the criteria 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.

Materials provide opportunities for the teacher to incorporate 45 minutes of independent reading time during the Skills Block portion of the lesson while other students are completing differentiated tasks or working with the teacher. Materials provide the teacher with a document titled, K-5 Recommended Texts and Other Resources, that lists multiple books per grade level and module that students can utilize during independent reading time. This list provides a variety of texts based on student interest and reading goals.

During the independent reading rotation, students choose books to read independently and complete Reading Response sheets. The focus of this independent reading time is to build stamina, automaticity, and comprehension by reading a large volume of student selected texts, with a specific focus on personal reading goals (page 7, Grades K-2: Reading Foundations Skills Block Resource Manual). Teachers are encouraged to observe and confer with students around their reading goals. AIR is the only time set aside (other than during the Reader’s Toolbox instructional practice) for students to apply all they are learning in both the Skills Block (decoding and fluency skills) and Integrated Block (comprehension and vocabulary skills) while independently reading a wide range of texts of their choice (page 8, Grades K-2: Reading Foundations Skills Block Resource Manual). The reading routine also includes an independent whisper read, followed by an echo or choral read and student responses to comprehension questions and questions about individual words.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Independent Reading: Students choose a text (book, poem, magazine, etc.) and read independently. Students track books, read, connect to their goals, and demonstrate comprehension by filling out a Reading Response Sheet.
• Conferences: Teacher observes students reading and/or goes over reading response sheets with the student. Teacher provides guidance, teaching points, encouragement, or celebrations based on observations and student response sheets.
• Accountable Independent Reading Resources: Teachers create a collection of decodable texts, texts that approximately align to a group’s current phase, required complex texts from integrated Module lessons, and recommended texts on the module topic. Lists to complete these text collections are provided.
• Decodable Student Reader Routine: Students learn to whisper-read the text independently while teacher listens in and notes who might need more support. If the teacher notices that the majority of the group needs more support reading some words or pages with automaticity and fluency, the teacher might choose to echo read the text, choral read as a group, and/or revisit a specific word or group of words in the text and remind students of the spelling pattern and pronunciation of the high-frequency word. Students then respond to basic comprehension questions and respond to questions about individual words in the text.
• Reading Response Sheets: Teachers are given a Reading Response Sheet template to provide for students to complete during their independent reading on page 22-25 in the Grades K-2: Reading Foundations Skills Block Resource Manual.