3rd Grade - Gateway 3

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for being well-designed and utilize effective lesson structure and pacing. Daily lessons include structures and resources for both whole group and small group literacy instruction.

The year is divided into four Modules of Study, each lasting 8-9 weeks and divided into three units. Each Module is two hours, one hour for Module lesson and one hour for Additional Language and Literacy (ALL) Block. For additional flexibility, a flex day is built into every two weeks of instruction. In Module 2, there is an optional Life Science Module which lasts approximately eight weeks.

• The ALL Block is comprised of five separate components: independent reading, additional work with complex text, reading and speaking fluency/GUM (grammar, usage, and mechanics), writing practice, and word study/vocabulary. Rotation pacing for ALL Block is as follows: 20 minutes - accountable independent reading (heterogeneous groups), 20 minutes - independent work in an ALL Block component (heterogeneous groups), and 20 minutes - teacher-guided work in an ALL Block (homogenous groups). During each two-week cycle, students have two sessions of teacher-led instruction and two independent sessions in each of the ALL Block components (except for Accountable Independent Reading, which happens every day).
• Each 60 minute Module lesson follows the structure of Opening, Work Time, Closing and Assessment, with time allotments provided for each. During each of the four Modules, lessons are listed with CCSS, Daily Learning Targets, Anchor Charts & Protocols and an agenda for the lesson.
• Each Teacher Guide contains two 20-minute blocks of teacher-guided instruction for a component, which are differentiated for students working at different levels, including English Language Learners (ELLs).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for the teacher and student reasonably being able to complete the content within a regular school year with the pacing allowing for maximum student understanding.

The program allows flexibility for teachers to rely on professional judgment to modify pacing. There are four Modules spanning approximately nine weeks of instruction each, which are each broken into three units. Each unit contains 10 to 12 lessons. There are approximately 120 to 130 lessons in the Grade 3 materials. Lessons are set up for 60 minutes each and contains opportunities for direct instruction, work time, and closing/assessment. These sections have time frames attached to support pacing.

• In addition to the Module Units, there is an additional 60 minutes of instruction in the ALL Block. The ALL Block has three units parallel to the three units of the Module lessons. There is one flex day built in every week that the teacher has the flexibility to meet the specific needs of students. For example, this flex day may be utilized to provide additional time for work started in Module lessons, practicing literacy skills, informally assessing reading skills, or offering additional time for ELLs. The ALL Block contains 3 units to be taught alongside the Module units; however, the Units in the ALL Block last for only 2 weeks, so there is flexibility in the pacing of the ALL Block based on teacher and student need. There is an optional one hour Life Science Unit that would make a 3rd hour of instruction to accompany Module 2. Each Life Science Module is designed to last 8 weeks with about 3 hours of science instruction per week, giving flexibility to pacing.
• In the Curriculum Companion, each Module is structured for students to complete specific activities throughout the Units. In Unit 1, students read, discuss, dramatize, draw, and write. Then in Unit 2, students do more research and are involved in discussions. In Unit 3, students complete a performance task. The ALL Block and the Module Lessons are complementary, working together to accelerate the achievement of students. “[W]e have responded to feedback from teachers and leaders and added additional components that give you the opportunity to teach a curriculum that is comprehensive. In addition to explicitly teaching and formally assessing all of the standards, the curriculum also offers time to reinforce and give students additional practice with important skills, time for creativity and play, and time to help them be leaders of their own learning by developing strong habits of characters” (p. 65).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.)

Teacher materials include the explanation of the “why” behind the student resources and work. Materials provided include trade books, text collections, scaffolded strategy activities, performance tasks, a Life Science Module, homework that includes additional strategies for family support and practice, and the ALL Block that contains Modules for study and practice in independent reading, fluency, grammar/usage/mechanics, writing practice, word study/vocabulary, and additional practice with complex text. Each of these resources include ample opportunity to review and practice, clear directions and correct labeling. ALL Block Modules include teacher-guided activities that are differentiated based on student need, and teaching notes explaining the purpose of the lesson. Examples of useful annotations and suggestions include, but are not limited to:

• In Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 3, the Teacher Guide states that “This lesson is the first in a series of three that include built-out instruction for the use of Goal 1 Conversation Cues. Conversation Cues are questions teachers can ask students to promote productive and equitable conversation... Goal 1 Conversation Cues encourage all students to talk and be understood. As the Modules progress, Goal 2, 3, and 4 Conversation Cues are gradually introduced. Refer to the Module 1 Appendix for the complete set of cues. Consider providing students with a thinking journal or scrap paper. Examples of the Goal 1 Conversation Cues you will see in the next two units are (with expected responses)” (p. 58).
• In ALL Block Module 1, Week 1, Day 1, the following directions are given for differentiation and support: “For students who require additional support, consider building independent reading stamina at a slower rate by requiring them to read for a shorter amount of time. Because much of this lesson is discussion-based, consider providing sentence stems for students to refer to during discussions, such as: ‘I think that this component of the ALL Block is … because …’ For students who struggle to verbalize their thoughts, invite them to sketch. Point to the sketch and verbalize for them, inviting them to confirm and then repeat what you say.”
• In Unit 3 in the Teacher Guide, the directions for Lesson “work time” clearly state, “Tell students they will now complete the Reading for Gist and Recounting the Story note-catcher, and they will use this text to help them better understand the challenges described in More Than Anything Else as they work” (p. 359). Students use the Reading for Gist Graphic Organizer (pg. 73 in Student Edition) and break down the character, setting, motivation, and challenges within the text.
• In the Teacher Guide on pg. 119, Levels of Support, for “Lighter Support” teachers are given scaffolding suggestions, such as “Before explaining the parts of the sentences students write in Work Time A, invite them to analyze the good example of a student response and identify the parts (i.e., a subject and a predicate).” Students use this scaffold to respond to questions from the text.
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 6, in the teacher’s notes for levels of support (lighter), it directs teachers to “provide sentence frames or additional modeling, observe student interaction and allow students to grapple. Provide supportive frames and demonstrations only after students have grappled with the task. Observe the areas in which they struggle to target appropriate support. Invite more proficient students to model the close read interview process and consider using this modeling as a basis for sentence frames for students who may need heavier support.”
• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 10, in the teacher’s notes for the opening of the lesson, the teacher is given the following directions: “Guide students through the routine from Lesson 9 to sort and color-code the parts of Proof Paragraph 1: -In pairs, invite students to refer to the Painted Essay® template to remember where Proof Paragraph 1 fits in the structure of an essay. – Ask pairs to read and organize the strips, putting them in the correct order. Circulate to support them as they work. – Invite students to check their work against the Model Book Review: Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. – After 10 minutes, refocus whole group and invite students to help you record the parts of Proof Paragraph 1 on the Book Review anchor chart. Refer to the Book Review anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.”
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 7, the teacher directions during the Work Time of the lesson state, “Distribute Determining the Main Ideas Note-catcher: Pages 20–21 of One Well and use the same routine from the Closing of Lesson 6 to guide students through determining the main idea(s) and supporting details of the text: Invite students to think about the big idea(s) the author wants them to understand from reading these pages of the text. Remind them that there may be more than one main idea. Invite students to look in the text for details to support their main idea(s). If they can’t find supporting details for their main idea(s), remind them to revise their main idea(s). Circulate to support students as they identify the main ideas and supporting details."
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 10, the teacher directions direct teachers to guide students through understanding the learning targets for the lesson, stating: “Direct students’ attention to the posted learning targets and read them aloud: 'I can connect my opinion to the reasons in the proof paragraphs of my essay with linking words and phrases. I can write Proof Paragraph 2 of my opinion essay using evidence from my research to support one reason for my opinion.' Tell students that today they will continue drafting their opinion essays, writing their second proof paragraph.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for including publisher-produced aligned documentation of the standards addressed in questions, tasks, and assessment items. Daily lessons, tasks, and assessments specifically denote the standards to which the lessons and tasks are aligned. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Alignment to the CCSS is documented for Grade 3 in the Module At-A-Glance, Unit, and Assessment Rubric. For example, publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards is provided in the writing rubric for opinion writing. The Module At-A-Glance provides alignment of standards for each Unit and how those standards are assessed. Each Unit details how the standards and assessment for each lesson are addressed. In Module 2, Unit 1, and Lesson 2, the standards are written as "I can" statements, setting the expectation for students: “I can refer explicitly to the text when answering questions about the text (RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.4, RF.3.4, L.3.1a, L.3.4a).”
• In Grade 3, Module 1, the end of the Unit 2 Assessment asks students to reread a passage and write an informative paragraph describing a challenge and overcoming the challenge using specific details from the text. The assessment centers around CCSS RI.3.1, RI.3.2, W.3.2a, W.3.2b, W.3.2d, W.3.4, and W.3.8.
• In the Grade 3 Module 1 Overview, the Assessments and Performance Task has a Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Collaborative Discussions about Independent Reading Books (SL.3.1, SL.3.3, and SL.3.6) and End of Unit 1 Assessment: Answering Questions about a Literary Text (RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4, RL.3.10, and L.3.4).
• In Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 11, Week at a Glance there is a Performance Task: Planning a Reading Strategies Bookmark with standards W.3.4, W.3.5.
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 10, in Work Time A, students closely read parts of Chapter 9 to answer text-dependent questions focused on character traits, point of view, and character actions. The lesson has students work through questions relating to the standards Rl.3.1, RL.3.3, and RL.3.6.
• In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 9, students write the introductory paragraph for their book reviews (W.3.1a). In Work Time B, students are introduced to the Opinion Writing Checklist (W.3.1).
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time A, students use the vocabulary strategies on the “Close Readers Do These Things” anchor chart to complete a glossary for pages 16–19 of One Well RI.3.4, L.3.4. During the Closing of the lesson, students determine the main idea of pages 16–19. This is a similar process to the one in Lessons 2–5; however, rather than determining the main idea and supporting details from a text read aloud, this time students read the text themselves RI.3.1, RI.3.2.
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 8, students write the introductory paragraph for their essays. Students first analyze the introduction of the model essay and compare it to the introductions for the book reviews written in Module 3. They then use their planning from Lesson 7 to draft their own introductions RI.3.1, W.3.1a.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Guide with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

Suggestions on how to present the content are contained in the Week at a Glance in each Overview including Lessons, CCSS, Agenda, Daily Learning Targets, Ongoing Assessments, and Anchor Charts and Protocols. There are also Teaching Notes for each unit that provide teacher guidance and suggestions on how to present the content. Each module lesson also contains a “Technology and Multimedia” section that offers guidance on using technology that is directly accessible through a link to support student learning in anticipated areas requiring additional student support or to offer extensions for additional enhancements to the content. Examples of useful annotations and suggestions include, but are not limited to:

• In the Grade 3 Module Overview, there is a section titled “Technology & Multimedia.” This section provides teachers with a technology and multimedia chart for the unit. The chart lists digital tools, the purpose of the tool in the module, how the tool should be used within the module and a website URL to access the tool.
• Within each lesson, there are more specific technology and multimedia suggestions that connect a section of the lesson with a piece of technology. For example, in Unit 2, Lesson 1, teachers are advised that during “Work Time” if there are students that would benefit from “hearing the text read aloud to consider using a text-to-speech tool such as Natural Reader.” The Grade 3, Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, “Technology & Multimedia” section indicates that during the Work Time B portion of the lesson, students may “use speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or use an app or software like Dragon Dictation to write their short constructed responses.” The section provides a direct link to the Dragon Dictation application.
• In the unit overview “Week-at-a-Glance” for each Lesson, teachers are provided with the CCSS standards that are the focus of the lesson, daily learning targets, assessments, anchor chart suggestions, and protocols for instruction.
• The unit overview includes a section for supporting English Language Learners. In this section, teachers are provided with information on how to prioritize lessons in the unit for ELL students. Teachers are given teaching strategies, such as “Language Dives” and ways to add diversity and inclusion to the lessons.
• A section titled "Preparation Overview" is included with each unit. This section gives a list of prep work that teachers need to complete in order to teach the lessons.
• Every lesson within a Unit follows a similar routine: Opening, Work Time, Closing & Assessment, and Homework. Within each section, teachers are given time frames and teaching notes all directly labeled with CCSS. Within each section, teachers are provided guiding questions to ask (written in red) and actions to take within the lesson. For example, in Unit 2, Lesson 1, the following guidance is provided: “Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group to the question, How do you feel about books? How do you feel about reading?”
• In the Grade 3, Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, “Teaching Notes” for the lesson “Opening,” teachers are instructed to provide independent reading journals, with an explanation for establishing the use of independent reading journals that states: “This journal provides a space where students will begin responding to prompts concerning their independent reading book. Students will use these journals both throughout the module and the school year.”
• Teachers are given suggestions on how to meet students’ needs throughout the lesson. For example, teachers receive scaffolded instructions on how to reteach the lesson or parts of the lesson for students in need of additional support. The Teacher Guide provides guidance for levels of support. In “Lighter Support,” the Teacher Guide recommends the teacher have students generate their own sentence frames to use as they reflect on their reading, compared to “Heavier Support,” which recommends providing students with a filled-in copy of “Reading for Gist.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Guide that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The materials also include Your Curriculum Companion that provides specific research, rationales, and explanations that will help teachers build knowledge of the content. The materials provide a K-5 Text Analysis tool that includes “an analysis of every central text used in the EL Education K-5 Language Arts Curriculum, focusing on four specific qualitative aspects of complexity: meaning, structure, language features, and knowledge demands” that provides teachers examples of advanced literary concepts. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The Grade 3 Text Analysis for the central text, Rain School, explains that the text structure is moderately complex because while the text structure is “clear, chronological, and organized in atypical narrative structure, the events at the beginning and end of the story are surprising and difficult to predict.”
• In the Your Curriculum Companion, on pages 141-145, teachers are provided Module lesson planning task cards. Each task card has guiding questions and provides specific information to teachers to help build their knowledge in order to plan for each part of the Module.
• Chapter 5, section 5A of the Your Curriculum Companion provides teachers with guidance on text complexity. Teachers are given information on what makes a text complex, how to determine text complexity, and the rationale behind the importance of text complexity (pages 260-262).
• Chapter 6 of the Your Curriculum Companion provides teachers with information on writing. Specifically evidence-based writing, the writing cycle, and strengthening student writing. It provides charts that correlate the reading and writing CCSS standards, student examples, and evidence-based instructional strategies.
• Each chapter in the Your Curriculum Companion provides a frequently asked questions section, which builds teacher knowledge by providing information on the standards, how the program addresses the standards, and best practices for implementation. The Your Curriculum Companion includes notes that give adult-level explanations and examples.
• The “Engaging Students with Protocols” section of Chapter 3 in Your Curriculum Companion states that “[p]rotocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways we know to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Guide that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The Teacher Guide for each module lesson contains a “Teaching Notes” section that provides the purpose of the lesson and standards alignment and explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. For example, in the Grade 3, Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 7, “Teaching Notes” section, teachers are provided the following explanation of the standard alignment in the lesson: “Students begin to analyze an informative paragraph about Kenya. Students will analyze this model to study the introduction sentence and focus statement and use those observations to plan their own informative paragraph (W.3.2a, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.8).”
• In the Your Curriculum Companion on p. 9, it states “We believe the standards invite us to build in our students critical skills for life--for career success and civic contribution. What is important is not just what the standards say, but how they are used.” On pages 25-27, it explains how the curriculum addresses each CCSS shift in the aspect of reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening. The Your Curriculum Companion provides more specific details in pages 29-35 by explaining how the backwards design approach to the curriculum connects to each CCSS shift.
• In the Module Overview in the Teacher Guide for each Unit, all standards covered in the entire module are listed, separated into Reading-Literature, Reading-Informational Text, Foundational Skills, Speaking and Listening, Language, and Writing. It further provides information regarding which standards are assessed per unit, the instructional focus for each unit, and the assessments and performance tasks for each unit. An explanation is provided for the emphasis on reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening standards.
• In the Module 1 Teacher Guide on p. 18, a CCSS correlation chart is provided. The chart shows all 4 CCSS areas (Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking and Listening) and correlates the shift with EL’s curriculum.
• In the Module 1 Teacher Guide on p. 24, there is a curriculum plan for grades 3-5, which explains the focus standards of each module for each grade within the categories of writing tasks and required trade books.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the expectations for materials containing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identifying research-based strategies. A rationale of the research that impacted the design of the curriculum, including explanations of the instructional approaches of the program, is provided. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Chapter 1B of Your Curriculum Companion explains how research impacted the design of the curriculum. On page 19, Your Curriculum Companion provides an analysis of the research on the literacy achievement gap and, on page 20, it uses charts to explain what is already known about the literacy achievement gap and how the EL curriculum addresses it. The Your Curriculum Companion continues to provide this for the research behind knowledge building, syntax, fluency, and decoding making the connection to the EL curriculum. It provides information regarding the five elements of literacy instruction most critical for addressing the literacy achievement gap: vocabulary, knowledge-building, syntax, fluency, and decoding. This is based on the presentation by David Liben, Student Achievement Partners, July 2015.
• Page 27 of Your Curriculum Companion states that the design of the curriculum uses the guiding principles of backward design, which required curriculum designers to consider three questions: “1. At end of a sequence of instruction, what will students know and be able to do? 2. What will proficiency look and sound like? 3. How will we know when students are proficient?”
• Pages 83-85 of Your Curriculum Companion explain how the parts of the ALL Block promote proficiency and growth in students. In these explanations, the Your Curriculum Companion cites research to support the curriculum, such as the following explanation: “Research tells us that readers in intermediate grades benefit from a more contextualized approach to teaching phonics and word recognition” (pg. 85).
• The “Research Behind EL Education Language Arts Curriculum and Professional Services Guide” provides a “high level summary of the research that informed the Language Arts curriculum design (e.g., content-based literacy, phonics, supports for ELLs) and our professional development (e.g., focus on leadership, coaching, common implementation challenges).”
• The “Language Dives in the K-5 Language Arts Curriculum” Overview contains an explanation of the language dive and the research behind this instructional technique. The guide “describes what a language dive is, criteria for a good language dive sentence, when students do language dives, what the benefits of language dives are, and the principles and research base that underlie language dives.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

Materials for Grade 3 include multiple formative assessments, pre-assessments, performance-based assessments, a mid-unit assessment and end-of-unit assessments. Opportunities are provided during daily lessons for monitoring student progress in reading and writing, as well as opportunities are provided to assess oral reading fluency. Teachers are provided with tracking process forms, checklists, rubrics, note-catchers, protocols, and exit slips for formatively measuring student progress. The teacher guide provides an assessment overview, which outlines the following for each unit: final performance task, mid-unit assessment, and end of unit assessment.

• In Module 1, Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1: Teacher Guide for ALL Block students practice a fluency passage: “Kenya” from My Librarian Is a Camel (from Unit 2, Lesson 1 module lesson; one per student)
• In Module 1, the End of Unit Assessment is Answering Questions about a Literary Text. The format is selected response and short constructed response. The CCSS are RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4, RL.3.10, L.3.4.
• In Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 7, the Mid-Unit Assessment is Narrative Writing: Revising a Scene from Peter Pan. The Format is selected response and on-demand narrative. The CCSS are W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.6, W.3.10, L.3.2a, L.3.2c, L.3.2d, L.3.3a.
• Performance-Based Assessment tasks are included with each module. Students complete a task that requires analysis and demonstrating their knowledge in writing. For example in Module 1, the performance-based assessment requires students to “create a bookmark to remind me of strategies to overcome my reading challenges (W.3.4, W.3.5)”
• The Teacher Guides include pre-assessments, for example, in Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 2, teachers assess student writing by giving a baseline assessment for writing. “Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Reading Fluency Checklist to gather baseline reading fluency data from students’ reading of the poem in Opening A.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

The standards are clearly labeled in the Assessment Overview of each module. Standards are clearly labeled in the daily lessons and are also found on the performance-based assessments for each unit. For each module, the standards formally assessed are indicated with a check mark on a chart containing all ELA standards. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Teacher Guide, Grade 3, Module 1, pgs. 11-13, it is clearly noted which standards are being emphasized for each assessment. For example, for the final performance task, it states, “In this performance task, students synthesize their thinking about their reading challenges and possible strategies to overcome those challenges by creating an eye-catching bookmark listing the strategies described in their End of Unit 3 Assessment reading contracts. The strategies are written in bullet points so students can access them quickly when reading. This task centers on CCSS ELA W.3.4 and W.3.5.“
• In Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 10, the End of Unit Assessment is an Informative Essay: Revising and Editing a Description of My Freaky Frog. The Teacher Guide instructs for teachers to “Explain that students are going to finish revising their drafts to create a final draft of their informative essay. Tell them they will use the teacher feedback on their Mid-Unit 3 Assessment and the mini lesson on sentences to guide their revisions.” This assessment centers on CCSS W.3.2c, W.3.2d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.6, W.3.10, L.3.1h, L.3.1i, and L.3.6.
• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 7, the Mid-Unit Assessment is Comparing Two Peter Pan Stories. Students read Chapter 6 of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and answer selected response and short-constructed response questions. This Assessment centers on CCSS RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.4, RL.3.9, L.3.1f, L.3.4.
• The Mid and End of Unit Assessments specifically note the standards that are addressed. For example, students complete the Mid-Unit Assessment, in which they hear pages 8–9 of One Well read aloud and determine the main idea(s) and supporting details. They then read the pages themselves to answer text-dependent questions (RI.3.1, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, SL.3.2, L.3.1a, L.3.4).

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

Grade 3 instructional materials provide teachers with guidance for administering assessments, ways to scaffold assessments, areas of focus, connections to learning building towards the assessment, and suggestions for lessons in the future. Each assessment is broken down into sections to help support teacher understanding. The first section is titled “Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards.” The EL curriculum refers to assessments as an additional lesson, so in this section it explains which standards the assessment aligns to, the purpose behind the assessment, and information about tracking progress. The second section is titled “How it builds on previous work.” In this section, the EL curriculum explains how the unit and lessons build upon each other in order to bring students to this place of learning. The third section is titled “Areas where students might need additional support.” This section anticipates barriers that students may face and offers suggestions to teachers on how to move students past the barriers. The fourth section is titled “Assessment guidance.” In this section, the assessment is broken down for teachers, typically by standard and explains how the assessment addresses each standard. There is also additional information regarding feedback for students. The last section is titled “Down the Road.” In this section the EL curriculum explains how the knowledge students have now will be used as they move forward in the curriculum.

In Your Curriculum Companion, pgs. 396-397, there are examples of student work and how they should be graded using the rubric found in the Teacher Guide. Further guidance is provided on the following:

• Choosing evidence for analysis, pg. 401
• Organizing the evidence, pg.403
• Identifying the patterns and trends that can inform instruction, pg. 403
• Creating an action plan based on the data (next steps), pg. 404

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

Grade 3 instructional materials provide informal checklists to help collect evidence of progress as teachers observe students working. Progress monitoring formative assessments are integrated within every module by using mid and end unit assessments, performance tasks, ongoing assessment suggestions within each lesson, and scaffolded instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Your Curriculum Companion, on pgs. 393-395, there is an overview of how the curriculum supports ongoing progress monitoring. For example, on pg. 393 a description of how each lesson within the module includes formative assessments that align with the learning targets.
• In the Your Curriculum Companion on pg. 394, it describes the use of informal checklists. The informal checklist is a tool that provides teachers with a way of tracking student progress while making observations. In Grade 3, informal checklists include reading fluency, writing process, collaborative discussions, presentation of knowledge and ideas, and speaking and listening comprehension.
• The EL Curriculum also uses text-dependent questions as an ongoing progress monitoring tool. This takes place by having students answer the questions independently while reading additional text.
• Writing routines are also built with ongoing formative assessments. The EL Curriculum uses exit tickets, note-catchers, and graphic organizers to assess student learning. These activities are used in conjunction with text pieces and provide a formative assessment more frequently when students are reading a lengthy text.
• On pg. 394 in Your Curriculum Companion, it states that writing routines are repeated and appear frequently throughout the modules. Exit tickets, note-catchers, and graphic organizers are repeated multiple times in a unit.
• In Your Curriculum Companion, p. 395, there is an explanation on Tracking Progress Forms. It states, “students review their assessments for evidence of mastery of standards and add sticky notes to their work to point to this evidence. After students track their progress, the teacher then reviews and adds to the form.”
• In the Teacher Guide, Grade 3, Module 1, pg.35, Assessment Guidance directs the teacher to listen to students as they read their quote to determine if they need additional support.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

In the Module Blocks in each lesson, there is a section called Universal Design for Learning. It is divided into three different parts: Multiple Means of Representation (MMR), Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE), and Multiple Means of Engagement (MME). The Teacher Guide for each module anticipates areas where students might need additional support and provides a section geared toward supporting English Language Learners that includes various scaffolds and levels of support recommendations. Each lesson includes a section on Universal Design for Learning, an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences that promotes the use of flexible learning environments in order to accommodate individual learning differences. For example, in Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 13, the Teacher Guide suggests using multiple means of representation below its “Universal Design for Learning” section, instructing teachers to provide multiple models for students to see what a final product looks like for the reading strategies bookmark, verbally explain expectations, and to facilitate a discussion around elements of the model bookmarks that make them aesthetically pleasing, easy to read, and understand.

Within every lesson, the EL curriculum provides information under the title “Meeting Student’s Needs.” In this section, the curriculum provides specific scaffolding strategies to support learners at different levels. For example, in Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 6, the curriculum provides teachers with strategies to help support student stamina, “Since this is a long assessment, consider offering built-in breaks, during which students can choose an activity such as getting water or stretching.” The curriculum gives suggestions regarding fine motor skills and how teachers can accommodate students that struggle in this area: “For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Consider providing tools to support their writing (e.g., pencil grips, slanted desk, or word processor).”

In the Teacher’s Notes section of the lesson, there is a section titled “Areas in which students may need additional support.” In this section, teachers are given suggestions of how to support the needs of learners who may struggle.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

The Teacher Guide for each module provides a section geared toward supporting English Language Learners that includes various scaffolds and levels of support recommendations which often include allowing students to grapple with complex texts and tasks before providing necessary adjustments based on targeted observation. The materials also contain a section on “Meeting Students’ Needs” in each unit lesson with suggestions for adjusting the delivery of content or task to meet learners’ needs without changing the content itself. In the Module Blocks, levels of support are provided at the beginning of each lesson in the Supporting English Language Learners section. Lesson-specific ELL supports also are added to the “Meeting Students’ Needs” section. There are protocols for Conversation Clues and Language Dives that scaffold ELL students and students who may need additional support in that specific skill to meet or exceed the grade-level standard.

In the Teacher Guide, symbols are embedded based on the four levels - below level (square), on level (circle), above level (diamond), and ELL (triangle). These symbols prompt teachers to differentiate instruction based on the needs of each level. ELL students’ Additional Work with Complex Text involves the Language Dive (work on the words used in sentences and how sentences are constructed). During certain activities, students working below level are combined with ELL students because they need the same support.

Language Dives are included in the EL curriculum. The purpose of the Language Dive to provide students with strategies to analyze, understand, and use the language. During a Language Dive, teachers and students slow down the reading of a text to deeply analyze the meaning, purpose, and structure of a specific part of the text. The Language Dive supports ELL students acquire language and help the to deconstruct complex text (Your Curriculum Companion pgs. 99-100). Language Dives follow the routine of Deconstruct-Reconstruct-Practice. In the Deconstruct phase, teachers guide students to deconstruct a sentence for meaning and purpose. Students are guided into chunking the sentence to analyze the importance and purpose of the words used in the sentence. In the Reconstruct phase, students put the sentence back together and discuss possible variations of the sentence that could be formed and then analyze how the meaning and purpose changes with the varied sentences. In the Practice phase, students practice using different language structures.

Within each lesson, there is a section titled “Meeting Students’ Needs.” This section provides specific ELL strategies that are directly tied to that particular lesson. For example, in Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 3, it is recommended that “For ELLs and students who may need additional support with memory: allow students an additional 30 seconds to review pages 18–19 before turning to their partners.”

In the lessons, there is a Teacher’s Notes section. This section provides specific ELL information for the teacher. It first begins with a lesson breakdown, identifying all the important points in the lesson. This draws the teacher’s attention to an objective within the lesson to set as a priority for ELL students. Then, the section differentiates into levels of support- Lighter and Heavier. Depending on the needs of the ELL students, this differentiated support enables teachers to scaffold even further.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The teaching guide for each module provides lesson structures and tasks that allow teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies depending on the task at hand. Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use both homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping strategies. Students participate in partner and small group Think/Pair/Share, Whole Class Discussion, Small Group Discussion, Read Alouds, Shared Reading, Independent Reading, and Language Dives for both Informational and Literary texts. Teachers are encouraged to use information gained from the ongoing assessments in the lessons to help determine where students need additional supports or extensions during small groups. In the Modules, a variety of grouping strategies are encouraged where students work in pairs or triads and are strategically paired in advance to create productive and supportive work time. In the ALL Block, student groupings are dependent on activities that are differentiated based on student need.

The EL curriculum provides teachers with different groupings to help students engage in and discuss text. The suggested strategies include; Think-Pair-Share, Back to back and Face to Face, and Pinky Partners. Think-Pair-Share promotes productive and equitable conversations, giving all students the opportunity to share and consider the views of others. Back to Back and Face to Face is designed to give students the opportunity to hear several different perspectives on a topic and/or to engage in critical thinking about a topic.

In the Your Curriculum Companion, pg. 113, a chart is provided that explains all the grouping strategies for each component of the curriculum. In the module lessons, teachers are given suggestions to group students based on similar needs. Ongoing assessments throughout the module lessons are used to make grouping decisions about who should be grouped together. In the Language Block, students are grouped in either below grade level, on grade level, above grade level or English Language Learner groups. These groups are formed for a two-week period using the data from the module lessons. Students rotate through the activities and are provided the necessary scaffolds or enrichment depending on the group.

In the ALL Block, students rotate through three components: Accountable Independent Reading, Independent Activity in heterogeneous groups with a task card to guide their work, and teacher-guided activities in homogeneous groups (differentiated based on student need). In addition, these groups are flexible because a student may be below grade level in one area, but on grade level in another area.