6th to 8th Grade - Gateway 2

The text quality and volume of reading in Lenses on Literature materials meet expectations for indicator 2a. The program offers a balanced selection of literary and informational texts, aligned with grade-level standards (approximately 55 informational and 45 literary), encompassing a range of subgenres, including poetry, short stories, essays, articles, speeches, infographics, drama, and multimedia texts. The program features only short-form works, comprising a mix of full texts and excerpts, all carefully selected for their literary quality, thematic relevance, and potential for analysis. However, the complete absence of long-form works—such as full novels or book-length nonfiction texts—limits students’ sustained reading experiences and opportunities to build stamina, comprehension, and deep analytical skills essential for college and career readiness. Texts are content-rich, well-crafted, and developmentally appropriate, featuring varied voices and engaging topics such as identity, community, justice, and relationships. The program supports independent reading through structured resources, including an Independent Reading Guide, Independent Reading Log, and Individualized Teacher/Student Conferences materials, which help teachers monitor progress and foster student reflection. These tools encourage autonomy, goal setting, and comprehension through flexible scheduling, reading conferences, and connections between independent reading and unit themes. 

• Materials include core/anchor texts that are well-crafted, content-rich, and engaging for students at their grade level. 

  • The Lenses on Literature curriculum for Grades 6-8 includes well-crafted, content-rich texts that provide a mix of literary and informational works across various subgenres. Literary texts include short stories, poetry, dramas, and novel excerpts, while informational texts encompass articles, essays, speeches, and infographics with a focus on the arts, history, science, and social studies. The program features works by widely respected authors and presents age-appropriate themes that engage students at each grade level. Texts are selected for their connections to each unit’s Driving Task Prompt, cultural representation, connection to unit themes, strong themes, connection to the unit’s genre focus, and noteworthy elements of author’s craft, such as rich sensory language, use of symbolism, layered multi-dimensional characters, and organizational structure. These factors make texts worthy of student study, enhancing students’ comprehension and analytical skills.

    • Grade 6 materials include texts on emotions, family, relationships, community, and nature, which will engage 6th-grade students. 

    • Grade 7 materials include texts on humor, coming of age, society, change, education, justice, and self-perception, which will engage 7th-grade students. 

    • Grade 8 materials include texts on identity, community, agency, voice, and societal impact, which will engage 8th-grade students. 

  • Throughout the materials, texts are content-rich, well-crafted, and worthy of student analysis. 

    • In Grade 6, Unit 2, students read “The Medicine Bag” by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, which contains rich figurative language, a variety of sentence structures, and several major shifts in time to develop the story’s theme. 

Note: As part of this review, the publisher submitted documentation detailing text characteristics, including genre and subgenre classifications and counts of full texts, excerpts, long-form texts, and short-form texts. The information below is presented as contextual evidence only and is not factored into the overall score or rating.

• Materials reflect the balance of informational and literary texts required by the grade-level standards (55/45 in 6-8), including various subgenres. Materials include a range of full texts and excerpts, depending on their stated purpose. The materials do not include both long and short form texts. (The information below is presented as contextual evidence only and is not factored into the overall score or rating.)

  • In Grade 6, materials reflect a balance of 54/43, informational to literary texts, which reflects the 55/45 balance required by the grade-level standards. 

    • The materials include 41 core texts, 22 of which are informational texts and 19 of which are literary texts. A piece of audio and two videos are also used as additional “texts.” 

    • Texts include the following subgenres: poetry, short story, novel excerpt, article, essay, infographic, and audio. 

    • In Grade 6, materials include 36 full texts and five excerpts. 

    • In Grade 6, materials include 41 short-form texts and zero long-form texts.

  • In Grade 7, materials reflect a balance of 59/41, informational to literary texts, which generally reflects the 55/45 balance required by the grade-level standards. 

    • The materials include 47 core texts, 28 of which are informational texts and 19 of which are literary texts. A painting, an audio clip, and a video are used as additional “texts.” 

    • Texts include the following subgenres: article, drama, poetry, short story, speech, memoir, book, and painting. 

    • In Grade 7, materials include 31 full texts and 16 excerpts. 

    • In Grade 7, materials include 47 short-form texts and zero long-form texts.

  • In Grade 8, materials reflect a balance of 50/50, informational to literary texts, which generally reflects the 55/45 balance required by the grade-level standards. 

    • The materials include 48 core texts, 24 of which are informational texts and 24 of which are literary texts. Two videos are used as additional “texts.” 

    • Texts include the following subgenres: essay, short story, article, poetry, speech, and video. 

    • In Grade 8, materials include 43 full texts and five excerpts. 

    • In Grade 8, materials include 48 short-form texts and zero long-form texts.

  • The publisher provides a clear rationale for why each excerpted text was selected for each unit; however, there is no clear explanation for why each text was excerpted instead of taught in its entirety.

  • Note: As part of this review, the publisher submitted documentation outlining text characteristics, including genre and subgenre designations and counts of full texts, excerpts, long-form texts, and short-form texts.

The text complexity analysis in the Lenses on Literature materials meets expectations for indicator 2b. The materials include comprehensive text complexity analyses and rationales for all core and anchor texts, as well as Text Info Sheets located in the Teacher Resources section of the Carnegie Learning portal. These sheets provide bibliographic information, quantitative and qualitative measures, text summaries, instructional rationales, and content considerations. Quantitative data include Lexile levels and word counts, while qualitative analyses address levels of meaning or purpose, text structure, language clarity, and knowledge demands. The difficulty and ease factors of each text are outlined to help teachers anticipate potential challenges for students. The analyses confirm that texts are appropriately complex for their respective grade levels, considering both the text itself and the associated tasks. Additionally, Context Companion documents for each unit offer teachers relevant literary, historical, and cultural background to support student comprehension. Across grades 6–8, most texts fall within or near the recommended Lexile range for the grade band, with the majority classified as moderately complex. Very few texts are labeled very complex, and none are exceedingly complex. Overall, the materials provide clear, research-based rationales for text selection and placement, ensuring that each text’s complexity and purpose align with instructional goals.

• Accurate text complexity analysis and a rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level accompany core/Anchor texts and a series of texts connected to them.

  • The materials include Text Info Sheets in the Teacher Resources section of the Carnegie Learning portal, specifically in the Text and Media Selection section, for all core and anchor texts in the program. This guidance includes bibliographic details, text type, genre, quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, a text summary, an instructional rationale, and content information on considerations relevant to the text. The quantitative measures include Lexile and word count. The qualitative measures include a summary of the levels of meaning/purpose, text structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands. The document also explains the difficulty and ease factors that students may encounter when accessing each text, based on its qualitative complexity. 

• According to quantitative and qualitative analysis and their relationship to the associated student task, core/anchor texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade.

  • Anchor texts have the appropriate level of complexity based on their text complexity analysis and the associated reader and task. For each core/anchor text in the program, Text Info Sheets present the quantitative complexity and summarize the qualitative complexity of each text, as well as the unique difficulty factors and ease factors for each core and anchor text. The document also explains the difficulty and ease factors that students may encounter when accessing each text, based on its qualitative complexity. For each unit, the materials include a Context Companion, which can be located on the Carnegie Learning portal under Unit Overview, Teacher Planning Tools for each unit. These documents include “literary, philosophical, historical, cultural, or other information related to the unit topics. This guide provides additional background not found in the lesson plans or Text Information Selection Sheets.” Teachers are to use this resource to prepare to support students with the unit’s reading. Throughout the program, tasks are appropriate for each grade level. 

  • Note: For this review and norming to other reviews, the publisher submitted qualitative information on levels of meaning/purpose, text structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands for each text. 

    • Grade 6

      • Quantitatively: Texts range from 630L-1270L

        • Ten texts are below the Lexile range for the grade band

        • 15 texts are in the Lexile range for the grade band

        • Four texts are above the Lexile range for the grade band

        • 12 texts are Non-Prose (NP) or do not have a Lexile, given their format

      • Qualitatively: Five texts are slightly complex, 35 texts are moderately complex, one text is very complex, and zero texts are exceedingly complex. 

    • Grade 7

      • Quantitatively: Texts range from 560L-1380L

        • 11 texts are below the Lexile range for the grade band

        • 14 texts are in the Lexile range for the grade band

        • 11 texts are above the Lexile range for the grade band

        • 11  texts are Non-Prose (NP) or do not have a Lexile, given their format

      • Qualitatively: Two texts are slightly complex, 44 texts are moderately complex, one text is very complex, and zero texts are exceedingly complex. 

    • Grade 8

      • Quantitatively: Texts range from 410L-1560L 

        • 12 texts are below the Lexile range for the grade band

        • 17 texts are in the Lexile range for the grade band

        • Eight texts are above the Lexile range for the grade band

        • 11 texts are Non-Prose (NP) or do not have a Lexile, given their format

      • Qualitatively: 11 texts are slightly complex, 36 texts are moderately complex, one text is very complex, and zero texts are exceedingly complex. 

The scaffolding in Lenses on Literature materials meets expectations for indicator 2c. The materials provide scaffolds that align with the qualitative complexity of texts, supporting students before, during, and after reading. Teachers can assign one of four levels of support—Core (baseline), Light, Moderate, or Intensive Multilingual—which offer increasing layers of assistance, such as vocabulary aids, sentence starters, annotation cues, and simplified instructions. These scaffolds are automatically embedded within digital assignments once support levels are set at the start of each unit. Before reading, supports include front-loading activities such as text summaries and vocabulary previews. During reading, students have access to tools like audio options, glossed terms, and guided annotation questions. After reading, they engage with structured graphic organizers, sentence frames, and comprehension activities to consolidate their understanding. Teacher guidance for implementing these supports is provided in the How to Support Varied Learning Needs with Lenses on Literature document, which outlines how to use both internal data (e.g., formative and summative assessments) and external data (e.g., IEPs, state or district assessments) to determine appropriate support levels. Additional guidance is provided in each the Teacher Edition on each Lesson at a Glance page. The system ensures that scaffolds align with students’ current performance and linguistic needs, providing access to complex texts without diminishing cognitive rigor.

• Scaffolds align with the qualitative complexity of the program’s texts to support students in making meaning of each text. Materials include scaffolds for before, during, and after engaging with a complex text.

  • The Lenses on Literature Carnegie Learning portal provides scaffolds for texts and tasks based on student needs. Supports are intended for use by both MLL and non-MLL students. Teachers can set student scaffolds at four different levels of support at the beginning of each unit:

    • Core/Multilingual: “Provides universal supports such as accessibility tools and vocabulary aids in English and multiple languages.” This is the baseline default support set for all students. 

    • Light/Multilingual: “Adds occasional prompts to enhance comprehension and task completion.” 

    • Moderate/Multilingual: “Provides multiple, layered supports to increase access to content.” 

    • Intensive/Multilingual: “Offers modifications to the content to streamline student thinking and prioritize focus skills.” 

    Supports within these levels include:

    • Before Reading: Frontloading: text summaries and text summaries in students ' home language 

    • During Reading: Accessibility Measures: audio support for all texts

    • During Reading: Text Support: embedded annotation cues and leveled versions of informational texts (in the Building Knowledge Section of units), where possible

    • During Reading: Vocabulary Support: additional glossed terms, synonyms, translated definitions, and cognates in the home language 

    • After Reading: Graphic Organizer Support and Constructed Response Support: editable sentence frames and partial response included

    • After Reading: Activity instruction support: rephrased/simplified instructions, additional substeps, comprehension support activities 

      • In Grade 7, Unit 3, Section 2: Comprehension, students read “Lincoln’s Call to Service—and Ours” by Stanley McChrystal. This text serves as the anchor text of the unit, which students read several times throughout the unit’s “journey tracker.” This text’s quantitative complexity places it above the grade band’s Lexile range, and it is qualitatively moderately complex. The Text Info sheet available to teachers on the portal states that the difficulty factors for students reading this text may be: “This text presents many challenges for 7th-grade students. The first is likely unfamiliarity with the topic. Public service is not explicitly defined within the text, so students will have to make inferences about what the term does and does not encompass. They will also have to infer the author’s position, as it is not explicitly stated until the sixth paragraph. The author’s choice of vocabulary may also present a challenge for 7th-grade students, who are most likely unfamiliar with terms like niche, squander, and buoyant.” 

        • Before reading: Students complete a vocabulary activity in which they use context clues to determine the meanings of the following words found in the text: gravity, complacent, mandatory, obligatory, and squandered. Students complete a graphic organizer, which includes additional scaffolds tailored to each student’s set level of support on the portal. For example, at the Moderate-Multilingual level, students receive a partially completed graphic organizer for the word "exhorted," providing them with a model to help them begin the task. In contrast, at the Intensive-Multilingual level, the same organizer is provided, but it is fully completed, offering students a clearer example to guide their understanding. Before reading, teachers also review the concept of “argument” with students to prepare them for the task they will complete during reading. 

        • During reading: Students annotate the text “marking and responding to what the author is proposing as well as the details of his proposal” in order to make sense of the text. They may also listen to the text read aloud. 

          • At the Core-Multilingual Level: 29 words and phrases are included as glossed terms, including the words niche, squander, and buoyant. 

          • At the Light-Multilingual Level: Additional words and phrases are included as glossed terms, and there are stopping points after every one to two paragraphs with questions to guide student annotations—these questions narrow students’ focus to help them make meaning of the text. After paragraph 6, for example, the question is “Highlight evidence that reveals the author’s proposal. Explain his ideas in your own words.” This question supports students who have a difficulty factor identified in the Text Info Sheet, as it requires them to infer the author’s perspective. Students may also listen to these questions read aloud. 

          • At the Moderate-Multilingual and Intensive-Multilingual Levels: Additional words and phrases are included as glossed terms, and there are stopping points after every paragraph with questions to guide student annotations—these questions narrow students’ focus to help them make meaning of the text. After paragraph 6, for example, the question is “Highlight evidence that reveals the author’s proposal. Explain his ideas in your own words.” This question supports students who have a difficulty factor identified in the Text Info Sheet, as it requires them to infer the author’s perspective. Students may also listen to these questions read aloud.

        • After reading: Students complete several activities, including determining the main claim of the text. For this activity, students first discuss the questions: 

          • “What reasons does the author provide to support his argument?

          • How are McChrystal's reasons related?

          • What reasons seem the most compelling or interesting to you?”

        Then, they complete a graphic organizer identifying the central claim of the text and analyzing the strength of the reasons, evidence, and reasoning provided by the author. The discussion questions and graphic organizer include additional scaffolds tailored to each student’s set level of support on the portal. For example, at the Intensive-Multilingual Level, students are provided with sentence starters for each discussion question. For the graphic organizer, students are provided with sentence starters to help them evaluate the strength of the author’s reasons, evidence, and reasoning. 

• Materials include teacher guidance on how to enact each scaffold based on student needs.

  • In the Teacher Edition, each Lesson Plan includes a Planning for Varied Learning Needs section on the Lesson at a Glance page. This section provides general guidance for modifying the lesson for Multilingual Learners, Learners Needing Targeted Support, and occasionally Learners Needing Extension. 

    • In Grade 8, Unit 6, Section 4: Genre Study, students read “Thirteen and a Half” by Rachel Vail. The Lesson at a Glance page includes the following information for modifying the lesson for Multilingual Learners or Learners Needing Targeted Support.

      • “If students are unable to read independently, break the text into small sections for them to organize and comprehend the content in those sections. If you cannot find obvious sections in the text, start by breaking it in half or into a beginning, middle, and end.

      • MLL Language Goal: Select model sentences that illustrate character development in the text, such as the following sentences about the narrator:

        • Simple: My house is just regular. (paragraph 17)

        • Compound: We didn’t have a lot to talk about on the way, but she didn’t seem to mind. (paragraph 2)

        • Complex: I ate the rest of my Mallomar and tried not to look at the dead bird or Ashley and her mom, who seemed to be having some private time, just with me happening to be standing three feet away. (paragraph 32)” 

  • The How to Support Varied Learning Needs with Lenses on Literature found in the Teacher Resources, Using the Lenses Program section of the platform, explains how teachers implement the support levels available on the platform for students. Levels must be set to student profiles before a unit starts. If a student progresses, the teacher can change the level of support before they start assignments on the next unit. Teachers cannot change the level of support during a unit. The document also explains the levels of support available and provides teacher guidance on how to use student data to determine each student’s current level. Teachers should use data to determine program supports by interpreting both internal and external data sources.

    • Internal Data:

      • Teachers use formative and summative assessments—such as SCALE rubric tasks, Skills Checks, Comprehension Checks, and End-of-Unit Writing Products—to monitor progress toward grade-level expectations. A provided chart helps teachers match assessment results to levels of support and instructional strategies:

        • Emerging: Intensive/MLL support focused on foundational skills and structured scaffolds.

        • Approaches Expectations: Moderate/MLL support with targeted scaffolds (e.g., annotation cues, graphic organizers).

        • Meets Expectations: Core/MLL support to sustain performance through ongoing feedback.

        • Exceeds Expectations: Core/MLL support with enrichment and leadership opportunities.

    • External Data:

      • Teachers also use IEPs, state assessments, and district data to set supports aligned to learner profiles. The guidance matches learner needs to support levels:

        • Learners Needing Targeted Support → Intensive/MLL

        • Learners Needing Extension → Core/MLL

        • Entering or Emerging Multilingual Learners → Intensive/MLL

        • Developing Multilingual Learners → Moderate/MLL

        • Expanding Multilingual Learners → Light/MLL

    It should be noted that the portal provides scaffolding for independent work in each unit, once teachers have set each student’s support level. Teachers do not need to enact scaffolds for individual lessons of texts. 

 The text set organization in Lenses on Literature materials meets expectations for indicator 2d. Each unit in Lenses on Literature is organized around a clear, grade-appropriate topic or theme, supported by essential questions and a Driving Task Prompt that guide instruction and assessment. Text sets within each unit are intentionally curated to build knowledge and deepen understanding of the unit’s theme through literary analysis, contextual inquiry, and writing tasks. Units follow one of two structures—Analytical Units, which emphasize interpretation and explanatory or argumentative writing, and Creative Units, which focus on studying mentor texts and author craft to produce narrative or argumentative pieces. Texts are organized into four purposeful categories: Launch Texts to spark curiosity, Anchor Texts to drive central learning, Knowledge Building Texts to expand context, and Genre Study Texts to explore structure and craft. Text sets are organized in a logical way that builds student knowledge. Throughout each unit’s “journey tracker,” students engage in interconnected tasks that move from comprehension to analysis, synthesis, and writing, enabling them to explore complex themes across multiple genres and formats. This cohesive organization ensures that reading, discussion, and writing activities reinforce one another, allowing students to develop conceptual understanding and apply literacy skills in meaningful and authentic ways.

• Text sets are organized around a grade-appropriate, tightly-connected topic or theme. 

  • Each Lenses on Literature unit is organized by a grade-appropriate topic or theme. Throughout each unit, students engage in practices such as literary analysis, rhetorical and discourse analysis, historical and contextual inquiry, comparative and genre-based studies, and mentor text study. The materials include two unit structures—Analytical Units and Creative Units—that offer different pathways to literary thinking. Analytical Units focus on interpreting and analyzing multiple texts, culminating in informational, explanatory, or argumentative writing. Creative Units focus on mentor texts and author craft, culminating in narrative or argumentative writing. Each Lenses on Literature unit is structured to provide students with opportunities to engage with key disciplinary practices of literary study—formulating questions, building arguments, analyzing author craft, and expressing ideas. These practices vary by unit, with some emphasizing interpretation and others focusing on argument, narrative, or multimodal expression. In every case, students are encouraged to think critically, use evidence to support their reasoning, and develop academic skills that transfer beyond the classroom. Throughout the program, students’ disciplinary thinking is guided by each unit’s Driving Task Prompt. Lastly, each unit is also driven by essential question(s) that narrow the unit’s thematic or topical focus. 

    • Grade 6: 

      • Unit 1 Focus: Poetry of Place

        • Essential Question(s): Why do people have emotional connections to places? What makes a place special? 

        • Driving Task Prompt: After researching how authors craft poetry about special places, write a mini poetry collection in which you use sensory and figurative language to create a strong sense of place. Include at least one poem that uses a specific poetic form.

      • Unit 2 Focus: The Function of Family

        • Essential Question(s): What makes a family? What is the purpose of a family?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading “The Medicine Bag,” write a literary analysis in which you explain how a theme is developed through the interactions of family members in the story. In your response, discuss how specific sentences and paragraphs convey Martin’s relationship with his family. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.

      • Unit 3 Focus: Peers: Perks and Problems

        • Essential Question: Why are relationships with peers so important? Why are they challenging?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading “The Party” and “The Outsize Influence of Your Middle-School Friends,” write a comparative analysis in which you compare and contrast how the two texts explore the benefits and challenges of friendship. In your comparison, focus on how key ideas are introduced and developed in each text. Support your analysis with evidence from both texts.

      • Unit 4 Focus: Community Campaigns

        • Essential Question(s): What should communities do for their members? How can individuals make communities stronger? 

        • Driving Task Prompt: After evaluating arguments on community issues, research an issue important to your community and write a proposal in which you identify the issue and propose a solution. Support your position with evidence from your research. Include multimedia elements in your proposal.

      • Unit 5 Focus: Wonders of the Wild

        • Essential Question(s): What does it mean to have a relationship with nature? Why do humans seek relationships with nature?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading “Firefly” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, write a literary analysis in which you analyze how the author uses figurative and connotative language to convey her perspective on the human relationship with nature. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.

      • Unit 6 Focus: Crafting Character

        • Essential Question(s): How do relationships shape us?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After researching techniques writers use to develop characters, write a short story in which key plot episodes convey complex relationships between characters and lead to a change in the main character. Use characterization techniques to make your characters as dynamic and lifelike as possible.

    • Grade 7: 

      • Unit 1 Focus: Innocence to Experience

        • Essential Question(s): How does comedy help us make sense of the world? Who gets to make what jokes? Why?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After researching how authors structure plays, write a scene script in which you use structural elements of a play to convey a humorous experience. Use reflection and analysis of your writing to refine your scene script.

      • Unit 2 Focus: Rites of Passage

        • Essential Question(s): What does it mean to be an adult? How do different cultures and individuals define what it means to be an adult?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading “Ordinary Pain” by Michael Lowenthal, write a literary analysis in which you analyze how Larry changes through his rite of passage experience. Your analysis should explore how plot, setting, and character interact to illuminate Larry’s change. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.

      • Unit 3 Focus: Rights and Responsibilities

        • Essential Question(s): What role should public service play in a society? How do universal policies affect different groups of people?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading “Lincoln’s Call to Service—And Ours” by Stanley McChrystal, write an evaluation in which you state and delineate McChrystal’s claims about universal national service and evaluate his use of reasoning and evidence to support those claims. Support your evaluation with evidence from multiple texts. Present counterclaims in your response.

      • Unit 4 Focus: Mourning Change

        • Essential Question(s): Why is change so painful? How can loss lead to growth?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After researching how authors develop and contrast points of view, write a short story about the impact of a life change or loss on one or more characters. Include multiple character or narrator perspectives in your story.

      • Unit 5 Focus: Speaking Up for Justice

        • Essential Question(s): How is access to education a matter of justice? What happens when we dismiss issues as “in the past”?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading Malala Yousafzai’s “Address to the United Nations,” write a rhetorical analysis in which you argue how Yousafzai uses rhetorical appeals to develop and distinguish her perspective on education. Support your position with evidence from the text.

      • Unit 6 Focus: The Power of Labels

        • Essential Question(s): How do labels influence our self-perception? When are labels helpful? When are they harmful?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading texts on neurodiversity, choose a focused research question on the topic and write a multimodal research report in which you explain your research findings. Support your response with evidence from multiple sources.

    • Grade 8: 

      • Unit 1 Focus: Finding Your Voice

        • Essential Question(s): How do people define themselves? How do the parts of a person’s identity interact? 

        • Driving Task Prompt: After analyzing how identity is shaped and expressed in “Where I’m From” by Misa Sugiura and other texts, write a first-person narrative in which you explore conflicting aspects of the narrator’s personality or identity. Use anecdotes, sensory details, and figurative language to vividly convey the narrator’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Write as yourself or create a fictional narrator. 

      • Unit 2 Focus: Choices and Consequences

        • Essential Question(s): How do our choices inform our identity? What is the impact of our actions as a result of our choices?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier and analyzing narrative and informational texts on decision making, write a literary analysis in which you examine how pivotal moments in “Marigolds” reveal the causes and consequences of Lizabeth’s decisions about her identity. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.

      • Unit 3 Focus: Community Connections

        • Essential Question(s): How does community define us? What is my relationship to my community? 

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading “The War of the Wall” by Toni Cade Bambara and evaluating texts on intergenerational relationships, social support, and mental health, write an argumentative essay in which you argue who benefits from multi-generational community spaces and why. Support your position with evidence from the unit texts.

      • Unit 4 Focus: The Power of Myth

        • Essential Question(s): What is agency? How do we cope with a lack of agency? How do stories help us understand our agency? 

        • Driving Task Prompt: After researching “The Iraqi Nights” by Dunya Mikhail and related texts, write a literary analysis in which you explain how Mikhail uses rich language and allusions to mythology, folklore, or history to develop a central theme. Support your analysis with evidence from the poem and your research into the stories, figures, or ideas her allusions refer to.

      • Unit 5 Focus: Literature as Social Critique

        • Essential Question(s): How do writers use language to critique the world? How can I use my voice to raise questions and initiate change?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After reading “The Great Silence” by Ted Chiang and studying how authors use varied perspectives to question society, select one literary text and write a multimodal explainer in which you analyze how that text’s author uses differences in perspective to develop a social critique. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.

      • Unit 6 Focus: Using Your Voice for Change

        • Essential Question(s): How can individuals shape the world? What can I do to shape the world?

        • Driving Task Prompt: After studying a range of texts that address social issues—including calls to action such as op-eds, speeches, and satirical poems—research a social issue and write a call to action in which you identify a problem and propose potential solutions. Support your position with evidence from your research. Strengthen your appeal by incorporating rhetorical strategies and multimodal elements.

• Text set organization provides opportunities for students to address facets of the same topic or theme over an extended period (e.g., a unit, module), enabling the development of deeper knowledge. Text sets cohesively build knowledge across various topics in social studies (including history), science, the arts, and literature, exposing students to academic vocabulary, content knowledge, and complex syntax.

  • Texts in the Lenses on Literature program were intentionally selected to engage students with varied, contemporary voices and to support their development as analytical and reflective readers and writers. Each unit’s text set is chosen to align with the Driving Task Prompt and to promote skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. Texts are organized into four categories: Launch Texts (to spark curiosity), Anchor Texts (central to the unit’s purpose and culminating task), Knowledge Building Texts (to deepen context and understanding), and Genre Study Texts (to explore structure and craft). This text organization is logical, allowing students to read for different purposes and build knowledge throughout the unit. 

    • In Grade 6, Unit 3, students study the unit Peers: Perks and Problems with the essential questions, “Why are relationships with peers so important? Why are they challenging?” Throughout this unit, student learning supports them in completing a response to the Driving Task Prompt: “After reading ‘The Party’ and ‘The Outsize Influence of Your Middle-School Friends,’ write a comparative analysis in which you compare and contrast how the two texts explore the benefits and challenges of friendship. In your comparison, focus on how key ideas are introduced and developed in each text. Support your analysis with evidence from both texts.” Throughout each section of the unit’s “journey tracker,” students learn more about the unit’s theme, which deepens their understanding. 

      • In Section 1: Unit Launch, students are introduced to the main ideas they will study throughout the unit. In this section, students read the Anchor Texts, “The Party” by Pam Muñoz Ryan and “The Outsize Influence of Your Middle-School Friends” by Lydia Denworth, for the first time. This initial reading helps students grasp the overall meaning of the texts and reflect on their personal reactions. Although they revisit the Anchor Texts multiple times for different purposes later in the unit, this first encounter emphasizes understanding the general ideas. At the end of the section, students examine the Driving Task Prompt, which will guide their learning and work through Section 2 and the remainder of the unit.

      • In Section 2: Comprehension, students strengthen their understanding of the literary Anchor Text, “The Party” by Pam Muñoz Ryan, and the informational Anchor Text, “The Outsize Influence of Your Middle-School Friends” by Lydia Denworth. Students identify key plot events in the short story and practice summarizing major points before applying those summarization skills to the informational text to confirm their comprehension. By the end of the section, they analyze and compare the central ideas from both texts. Additionally, students explore how understanding a word’s morphology—its individual parts—can help them determine its meaning in context. They study the morphology of the following vocabulary words: disappointment, diffuser, uncomfortable, predictable, antithesis, dissolve, interactions, kindness, likable, preteens, unfolding, instability, disruptive, undue, intersection, perceived, friendlessness, psychologist, neuroscientist, navigate, and attachment. 

      • In Section 3: Building Knowledge, students learn about research-based ideas explaining the importance of friendships during adolescence. Students read an informational text that explores how social interactions influence both mental and physical health. They apply what they learn to make inferences about how these ideas relate to peer relationships. In this section, students practice using context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words from the texts. Throughout the section, students analyze how the author presents and develops a key idea using different forms of evidence. By the end, they will have gained a deeper understanding of the advantages and challenges that come with peer relationships. 

      • In Section 4: Genre Study, students examine how authors develop central ideas in both literary and informational texts. Students read an excerpt from Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson, analyzing how the author introduces, illustrates, and elaborates on a key idea through narrative techniques. They then read “Having a Best Friend in Your Teenage Years Could Benefit You for Life” by Angus Chen to apply these same analytical skills to an informational text. In this section, students practice using context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words from the text. By the end of the section, students participate in a discussion comparing how different authors employ genre-specific techniques to explore similar themes.

      • In Section 5, Synthesis, students bring together the ideas they have developed across their readings. They apply the knowledge and skills gained in earlier sections to conduct a final analysis of “The Party” and “The Outsize Influence of Your Middle-School Friends.” The insights and notes from this reading help guide their thinking as they prepare to draft their comparative analysis. At the end of the section, students participate in a critical discussion about the techniques authors use when writing in different genres, considering both the strengths and limitations of each. This conversation allows students to deepen their understanding by reflecting on their own interpretations and learning from their peers’ analyses.

      • In Section 6: Writing Process, students go through the stages of composing a comparative analysis. They start by reviewing the rubric and a model essay to plan and structure their own work. Students then learn how to develop a thesis statement, craft an introduction, organize body paragraphs, and write a conclusion. At the end of the unit, they share their analyses with peers, exchange feedback, and use that input to revise and strengthen their writing. As the last step of the unit, students complete a Read the World Reflection where they reflect on the unit’s essential questions. 

The instructional pathway outlined in Lenses on Literature materials meets expectations for indicator 2f. The materials clearly define and explain the program’s core instructional pathway through a consistent six-part unit structure—Unit Launch, Reading for Comprehension, Building Knowledge, Genre Study, Synthesis, and Writing Process—detailed in the Teacher Edition and supported by unit-level documents such as the Unit Overview, Unit at a Glance, Sequence of Instruction, and Lesson Overviews. These resources outline the progression of learning, focus skills, texts, and lesson expectations, aligning with research-based literacy practices. Teachers also receive planning protocols to prepare for units and analyze student work. Supplemental resources (Adapt & Extend activities, Grammar & Language Toolkits, Independent Reading, and Novel Studies) are accompanied by explicit instructions describing when, why, and how to use them. However, many require additional instructional time and may necessitate reducing core lessons. The program provides pacing guidance indicating 174–180 instructional days per grade level. but leaves little room for interruption. Although the full six-unit sequence leaves limited flexibility for interruptions, the program clearly identifies a four-unit core instructional pathway that guarantees standards coverage, allowing districts to select four-, five-, or six-unit implementation models based on local scheduling needs. The Lenses Three-Phase Work Plan offers broad planning questions (e.g., how many units to teach, when they will be completed, and whether to implement Novel Studies), while the Guidance for Planning a Coherent Year of ELA Instruction with Lenses on Literature document includes more in depth guidance on how districts and schools should make implementation decisions. Overall, the materials present a clear, coherent, and research-aligned pathway toward grade-level proficiency within a school year.

• Materials clearly outline the essential elements for the core instructional pathway. Materials clearly explain how to use and implement the core instructional pathway, which does not deviate from currently accepted research. 

  • The front matter of the Teacher Edition details the program's unit “journey tracker.” Each unit follows the same six-section structure: Unit Launch, Reading for Comprehension, Building Knowledge, Genre Study, Synthesis, and Writing Process. The front matter of the Teacher Edition includes an explanation of each section. 

    • Unit Launch: Students are introduced to the unit’s purpose, the Driving Task Prompt, and the Anchor Text(s). They break down the skills needed for the final task, preview the unit topic, and begin building context. Students also complete an initial “cold read” of the Anchor Text(s) to form first impressions and personal responses.

    • Comprehension: Students revisit the Anchor Text(s) for a deeper, more literal understanding. Through structured reading, discussion, and short writing tasks, students strengthen their comprehension and practice vocabulary strategies that can be applied across different texts and contexts.

    • Building Knowledge: Students read a collection of texts that provide essential background information—such as historical, cultural, and conceptual context—to help them better understand the Anchor Text(s) and unit theme. Teachers explicitly teach the unit’s Focus Skills and standards, using these texts to help students develop transferable reading and analysis strategies.

    • Genre Study: Students receive direct instruction and guided practice related to the unit’s Focus Reading Skills and genre standards. By analyzing Genre Study Texts in whole-group, small-group, and individual settings, students learn about the genre’s purpose, structures, and features. This prepares them to apply genre knowledge when analyzing Anchor Text(s) or producing their own work in the same genre.

    • Synthesis: Students integrate their learning from earlier sections. During a final read of the Anchor Text(s), they pull together their knowledge, deepen their understanding, and sharpen the skills needed to answer the Driving Task Prompt. They participate in structured discussions—such as seminars—to explore ideas, refine interpretations, and prepare for the writing task ahead.

    • Writing Process: Students move through each stage of writing, including planning, drafting, revising, and sharing their final product. Before writing, they study model texts to understand the expectations of the writing task. Teachers support them through each step as they craft a polished final response to the Driving Task Prompt.

  • The Teacher Edition provides several unit-level documents that illustrate the learning of each unit. 

    • A Unit Overview for every unit outlines the unit’s theme, genre focus, writing product, essential question(s), and Driving Task prompt. It also lists all unit texts, indicating which ones serve as Anchor Texts and which appear in the Knowledge Building or Genre Study sections.

    • A Unit at a Glance outlines information found on the Unit Overview page. Additionally, this document provides the unit’s focus skills and unit description summary. 

    • A Sequence of Instruction document lists out every activity in each unit by lesson. 

    • A Lessons Overview document which includes the prompt, artifact of learning, text(s), and activity focus skills used in each activity in each lesson. 

  • Each Lesson at a Glance page includes the lesson focus skills, a list of lesson activities, a materials and classroom preparation section, and content considerations.

  • Overall, most of the Lenses on Literature program components align with current research, and the program follows an integrated instructional approach across all literacy components.

  • On the Carnegie Learning portal, teachers can find Teacher Planning Protocols, located under Implementation Resources. Materials include several step-by-step general protocols that guide teachers in preparing to teach and provide guidance on which resources and materials to reference. These protocols include: a Unit Internalization Protocol, an Analyzing Unit Texts Protocol, and a Preparing to Teach Protocol. Other protocols available to teachers for after teaching include: a Learning from Student Work Protocol: Formative, a Learning from Student Work Protocol: Summative, and an End-of-Unit Teacher Reflection Protocol. 

• When present, supplemental materials are designed to work coherently with the core instructional pathway. Materials provide detailed explanations of when and how to use supplemental materials so that all students can access grade-level materials.

  • Supplemental Resources can be found on the platform located under the section titled Supplemental Resources. The materials include several different types of supplemental resources, including:

    • Adapt & Extend activities 

    • Grammar & Language Toolkits

    • Independent Reading 

    • Novel Studies 

  • Each Supplemental Resources section includes guidance for its use. 

    • Adapt & Extend activities (available for each unit): The Adapt & Extend Handbook includes guidance on why, how, and when to use these resources. This guidance recommends using Adapt & Extend when educators want to deepen engagement, respond to formative assessment, honor student strengths, or extend learning beyond the core curriculum. These activities can be used at various points across a unit—before, during, after, or in parallel with core lessons. The handbook outlines when particular ideas are most effective. The activities are also appropriate during moments of interrupted schedules or when students benefit from additional autonomy or creative expression. Overall, Adapt & Extend is designed to enhance—not replace—core instruction, providing teachers with flexible tools to meet diverse learner needs, extend unit themes, and reinforce standards-aligned skills.

    • Grammar & Language Toolkits (available for each grade level): The Grammar and Language Toolkits Overview provides guidance on how and when to use the grade-level toolkit. Teachers can use these 60 lessons at several points during a unit: after students complete embedded grammar activities, as a follow-up to mid-unit writing tasks to reinforce conventions, during the writing process (especially for revising after a first draft), in response to formative data or student questions about grammar and language use, and in small-group or targeted settings to address specific needs. The toolkits enable teachers to adjust instruction in real-time based on students' understanding. Each lesson includes multiple exercises and an answer key. It should be noted that non-integrated grammar and language practice is not aligned with research-based best practices. 

    • Independent Reading: The Independent Reading Guide states that the program “offers teachers' flexibility to incorporate daily independent reading into their schedules. Each lesson is comprised of individual activities that teachers may schedule across class periods in order to accommodate daily routines and school calendars. This adaptability also creates space for intentional independent reading time.” The guidance provides sample schedules based on a 45-minute and 90-minute block. These schedules require teachers to adjust activities in lessons for the following days, which, given the number of instructional days in the curriculum, could potentially result in reducing the number of lessons and units. 

    • Novel Studies: The Novel Studies Handbook states that “Each Novel Study is designed to last two to three weeks as a supplement to enrich [the] core curriculum. As shown in the sample calendar [provided], each Novel Study requires only a few days of devoted class time for active discussion and writing. This allows [teachers] to incorporate a Novel Study flexibly to connect to themes and topics in your core curriculum.” The schedule teachers and schools use, should they choose to incorporate Novel Studies, would depend on the amount of allotted instructional time for ELA. If schools only have 40 to 50 minutes of ELA instructional time, they would need to adjust the core curriculum to reduce the number of lessons and units. 

  • While materials include guidance for all supplemental resources, most of these resources require additional time to be added to the daily or annual schedule to complete the core curriculum in its entirety. Districts, schools, and teachers would have to make decisions about what to remove from the core curriculum to make space for supplemental resources. The Guidance for Planning a Coherent Year of ELA Instruction with Lenses on Literature document, which schools and districts who purchase the program can access, includes some guidance on making these decisions. 

• Materials provide implementation schedules, including lesson-specific guidance, that are well paced, and can be completed in the school year, allowing students to dive deeply into content. 

  • The Teacher Edition includes a Sequence of Instruction for each unit, listing every activity in each unit by lesson. This document states that each lesson is designed for a 40- to 55-minute class period. The Lessons Overview document for each unit also provides this timing guidance. Additionally, each lesson’s Lesson at a Glance page provides timing guidance for each activity. In the lesson plan, timing guidance for each activity is found at the top right-hand corner. Timing guidance for each step in the activity is not provided. 

    • Grade 6 materials include instruction for 179 instructional days

    • Grade 7 materials include instruction for 180 instructional days

    • Grade 8 materials include instruction for 174 instructional days

Although the total number of instructional days does not exceed those in a typical school year, it leaves little flexibility for common interruptions. However, the implementation guidance clarifies that only four of the program’s six units constitute the core instructional pathway. This structure allows schools and districts to make strategic implementation decisions so the program can be reasonably completed within a single school year.

• In the Teacher Resources section of the platform, located under Implementation Resources, teachers, school leaders, and district administrators can find the Lenses Three-Phase Work Plan. This document includes a planning structure to “Set the Conditions for Implementation Success.” In Step 2, the guidance states to decide on the following based on the implementation focus identified in Step 1: 

  • “Unit Strategy

    • How many Lenses units will teachers implement this year?

    • By what date will each unit be complete? A unit is complete when students turn in their final writing products.

    • Who will determine which units will be implemented?

  • Novel Study Strategy

    • Will the teachers use Lenses Novel Studies?

    • How many Novel Studies will be implemented?

    • When will Novel Studies be implemented?

    • Who will determine which Novel Studies will be implemented?”

• Those who purchase the Lenses on Literature program also have access to the Guidance for Planning a Coherent Year of ELA Instruction with Lenses on Literature document. This document includes information explaining how schools and districts can plan a coherent, standards-aligned year of instruction using the program. It outlines the program’s core instructional pathway, explains implementation options (4-, 5-, and 6-unit models), and provides guidance for pacing, unit order, and supplemental resources.

  • At the core of the program is a four-unit core instructional pathway for each grade level. These approximately six-week units integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, research, and assessment into complete instructional arcs. When implemented as designed, the document claims that the four-unit model includes full coverage of grade-level standards. The program also includes two additional units per grade that expand genre exposure and disciplinary practice. These added units broaden students’ experiences without altering the standards progression ensured by the four-unit core. The core units required for each grade level are identified in this document. In addition to the four unit model, the document identifies two additional models to accommodate different school contexts. 

    • The four-unit model represents the core program and is best suited for typical or interrupted school years, as it ensures standards coverage while allowing space for supplemental experiences. 

    • The five-unit model builds on the core by adding one additional instructional arc, increasing opportunities for distributed practice across genres and writing types while maintaining flexibility in the calendar. 

    • The six-unit model offers maximum disciplinary breadth and is intended for schools with stable schedules and protected instructional time. While it provides the widest range of genres and repeated application of priority standards, it requires a highly predictable school year to maintain pacing without disruption.

  • In addition to determining the number of units, schools must decide the order in which units are taught. Units are intentionally sequenced to reflect increasing cognitive demand across the year. Units 1–3 generally focus on building and reinforcing core disciplinary skills, while Units 4–6 require more independent, sustained, and complex application of those skills. Schools may reorder units within these two bands to align with local writing priorities or interdisciplinary connections, but the overall cognitive progression should remain intact. The document also provides a grade-level chart showing anchor text genres and writing products across units, supporting thoughtful year-long planning while preserving coherence.

  • The document also provides sample pacing guides and district examples that illustrate how schools can schedule units across a year while accommodating testing windows, extended text studies, benchmark assessments, and other local constraints.

The questions, tasks, and assignments in Lenses on Literature materials meet expectations for indicator 2g. The materials provide consistent opportunities for students to make meaning of texts through structured, text-based questions and tasks that require varied responses such as speaking, writing, annotating, and discussion. Each unit includes activities like Read to Comprehend, Annotate Key Details, Read to Contextualize, Read to Analyze, and Synthesis, which guide students in closely reading and re-reading anchor texts. Students first engage with texts to build comprehension and later revisit them in synthesis activities that deepen analysis by focusing on literary and structural elements. This repeated interaction with texts, supported by guiding questions, ensures that students develop comprehension and critical analysis skills through multiple engagement formats.

• Materials provide opportunities to support students in making meaning of the texts being studied through text-based questions and tasks that require students to answer in varying formats (e.g., speaking, writing, etc.). 

  • Throughout the Lenses on Literature program, students engage in several activities before and after reading to make meaning of the texts under study. These activities include: Read to Comprehend, Annotate Key Details, Read to Contextualize, and Read to Analyze. 

    • In Grade 6, Unit 2, Section 2: Comprehension, students read “The Medicine Bag” by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve. As they read, students answer the following guiding questions to help them make sense of the text: 

      • “What kind of person is the narrator, and how do you know?

      • What kind of person is the grandfather, and how do you know?

      • Are these characters similar to anyone you know in real life?”

    • In Grade 7, Unit 1, Section 3: Building Knowledge, students read “Save the Cat! Beat Sheet” by Jessica Brody. During reading, students annotate, highlighting sections of the text in yellow and using the comment feature to “write notes for key details.”

  • Students complete various tasks throughout each unit that require answering questions about the texts under study in multiple formats. These tasks focus on different parts of literacy components, such as vocabulary, reading, writing, speaking, and listening (including seminars). 

• Materials include text-based questions and tasks that require students to closely read and/or re-read complex parts of texts to deepen their analysis and understanding. 

  • Throughout the Lenses on Literature program, students have opportunities to read and re-read the texts under study closely to deepen their understanding. Each unit is structured so that students read the anchor text several times. First, students read the anchor text(s) in the Reading for Comprehension section of the unit. During this initial read, students read for comprehension, often further analyzing parts of the text. Later in the unit, students re-read the anchor text or parts of the anchor text(s) in the Synthesis section of the unit. In this part of the unit, students apply what they have learned about the genre in the Genre Study section and the unit topic or theme in the Building Knowledge section to further deepen their analysis and understanding. 

    • In Grade 8, Unit 4, Section 5: Synthesis, students re-read “The Iraqi Nights” by Dunya Mikhail. As they read, students annotate for the following:

      • “Diction throughout the poem

      • Structural elements that stand out

      • Allusions and other kinds of figurative language” 

      Students are also presented with the following guiding questions during this close reading 

      • “What kind of language stands out? How is diction used to convey emotion and develop the theme?

      • How is each poem structured? How does the structure (e.g., stanza, rhyme scheme) relate to the theme?

      • What allusions (e.g., to an idea, person, place, text) are present? How do these develop the theme?”

        Later, students analyze the poem further, focusing on poetic elements as they consider the questions: 

      • “What figurative language and words with strong connotations does the poet use? How does the author’s diction impact the meaning of the text? 

      • How does the poet use white space, line breaks, and other structural elements? How do these structural elements impact the text?”

The analysis opportunities in Lenses on Literature materials meet expectations for indicator 2h. The program provides structured opportunities for students to analyze key ideas and details, craft and structure, and the integration of knowledge and ideas within and across texts. Activities such as Read to Comprehend and Read to Contextualize support students in identifying central ideas and details while drawing connections across texts and to their own experiences. In the Genre Study section, students examine craft and structure, including character development, perspective, figurative language, and word choice. In the Building Knowledge section, students have opportunities to make interdisciplinary connections. In the Synthesis and Writing Process sections, students integrate knowledge and ideas across multiple texts by comparing themes, perspectives, and genres and engaging in extended discussions and written analyses. This progression ensures students develop increasingly sophisticated analytical skills aligned to grade-level standards.

• Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze key ideas and details (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in making meaning.

  • In each unit, students have opportunities to analyze key ideas and details within and across texts through Read to Comprehend and Read to Contextualize activities. These activities occur in Section 2: Comprehension and Section 3: Building Knowledge of each unit’s “journey tracker.”

    • In Grade 6, Unit 5, Section 2: Comprehension, students re-read “Firefly” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. As they read, they complete a Read to Comprehend activity, using the highlighting tool and notes feature to “mark and identify key ideas and details that support their comprehension of each paragraph.” As they read each paragraph, students must consider “What is this paragraph mostly about?” 

    • In Grade 8, Unit 2, Section 3: Building Knowledge, students read “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier. As they read, they complete a Read to Contextualize activity, where they draw connections between this unit’s anchor text (“Marigolds”) and the other texts they read in the Build Knowledge section of the unit (Section 3). Students also draw connections to their “own lives and to the world outside the text.”

• Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze craft and structure (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in making meaning.

  • In each unit, students have opportunities to analyze craft and structure within and across texts through Read to Analyze activities and other activities in Section 4: Genre Study of each unit’s “journey tracker.” 

    • In Grade 7, Unit 6, Section 4: Genre Study, students read “Blue” by Francesca Lia Block and “Funeral” by Ralph Fletcher. As they read “Blue,” students “annotate for details that develop the protagonist’s character and perspective,” and later, “the different perspectives” in the short story. As they read “Funeral,” students “annotate for details that develop the narrator’s perspective,” and  later, “the different perspectives and how they are conveyed.” Later in this section of the unit, students analyze the impact of figurative language, word choice, and dialogue in both short stories. 

• Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in deepening their understanding on a topic.

  • In each unit, students have opportunities to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within and across texts through activities in Section 5: Synthesis and Section 6: Writing Process of each unit’s “journey tracker.” Students also have the opportunity to make interdisciplinary connections, drawing on knowledge from history, science, or other areas, as outlined in Section 3: Building Knowledge, for each unit’s “journey tracker.”

    • In Grade 6, Unit 3, Section 5: Synthesis, students prepare for a Seminar about “the benefits and challenges of friendship and how those ideas are introduced and developed in the unit texts.” As they prepare, students answer the following questions, focusing their responses on the unit’s texts: 

      • “What common ideas about friendship have we encountered over the course of the unit?

      • What different ideas about friendship have we encountered over the unit?

      • What are the major benefits and the major challenges of friendships in adolescence?

      • What can literature do that informational texts can’t do? What can informational text do that literature can’t do? Why is it worth reading both?” 

The discussion protocols and teacher guidance in Lenses on Literature materials meet expectations for indicator 2i. The program incorporates structured discussion protocols to support student participation across partner, small group, and whole-class formats, using Anchor Strategies such as Chalk Talk, Debate, Fishbowl, Seminar, and Pair Up–Square Up, all of which are outlined step-by-step in the Anchor Strategy Library. Lessons clearly identify the discussion format and include preparation tools (e.g., note-catchers), discussion norms, reflection components, scoring guides, and Responsive Teacher Moves to guide facilitation and feedback. Seminar discussions, in particular, emphasize respectful, evidence-based dialogue, goal setting, and post-discussion reflection, with prompts that encourage students to build on ideas, use textual evidence, and ask clarifying questions. Teachers are provided with facilitation steps, monitoring guidance, scoring criteria, and access to Sample Student Responses and sentence frames to scaffold discourse. For smaller discussions throughout units, the Teacher Edition includes guidance on chunking the thinking process that happens before discourse, so that students are better prepared for fruitful discussions. However, guidance for monitoring the depth and quality of academic content during discussions is sometimes general, and Responsive Teacher Moves sometimes focus more on participation and compliance than on advancing disciplinary thinking. 

• Materials include structured protocols that support students in participating in various types of discussions. 

  • The Lenses on Literature program includes protocols that support students in engaging in various types of discussions throughout the course. These discussions prompt students to draw on textual evidence, prior knowledge, and personal ideas to extend and deepen their thinking. The program incorporates the following discussion formats:

    • Partner (including Turn-and-Talk)

    • Small Group

    • Whole Class

    These formats are used across various types of “Anchor Strategies,” including: 

    • Chalk Talk

    • Debate

    • Discussion Moves

    • Fishbowl

    • Pair Up-Square Up

    • Seminar

    The documents for these “Discussion Anchor Strategies” can be found on the Carnegie Learning Platform in the Supplemental Resources section under the Anchor Strategy Library. Each document includes the steps for each strategy. 

  • The Teacher Edition includes a Lesson at a Glance for every lesson, which provides high-level guidance on the type of discussion students will engage in within the lesson: Partner, Small Group, or Whole Class. 

  • An example of the type of discussion opportunities in the program is: 

    • In Grade 6, Unit 3, Section 4: Genre Study, students engage in a Fishbowl discussion activity where they “compare and contrast peer relationships that are presented in Piercing Me Together by Renee Watson, “Having a Bestfriend in Your Teenage Years Could Benefit You for Life” by Angus Chen, and other texts in the unit. Students use the Fishbowl Notecatcher to prepare for the discussion, take turns being in the inner and outer circle, and reflect after completing the activity. Before the discussion, the teacher reviews the discussion strategy with students, explaining the purpose and steps. During the discussion, the teacher moves around the room and monitors. 

• Speaking and listening instruction includes facilitation, monitoring, and feedback guidance for teachers.

  • The How to Foster Student Connections Across Contexts and Communities with Lenses on Literature document, located in the Teacher Resources section of the platform, provides high-level information on facilitating “Respectful, Evidence-Based Discussion.” The document states: “Lenses provides multiple structured discussion protocols to help students examine differing ideas without reducing them to stereotypes. The Seminar in the Synthesis section of each unit models sustained, respectful dialogue about complex ideas, with students setting and reflecting on personal discourse goals. These discussion protocols emphasize:

    • Listening for and building on evidence

    • Exploring how context shapes interpretation 

    • Asking clarifying and probing questions

    This ensures that differences in perspectives are understood in relation to context and evidence, not reduced to ‘agree/disagree’ positions.”

  • The Teacher Edition includes Teaching Steps and Responsive Teacher Moves for each lesson, illustrating the steps teachers should take to facilitate each activity and respond to student needs, including discussions. While these notes on facilitating and monitoring discussions are present, the materials do not always include specific student sample responses that teachers should listen for during each discussion. Additionally, while the Responsive Teacher Move notes are present for discussions, they sometimes focus on monitoring for compliance, rather than supporting teachers in facilitating the specific academic content of the discussion. For some activities, the program provides Sample Student Responses. These responses can be found on the Carnegie Learning platform under Teacher Resources > Sample Student Responses. Teachers can reference these documents to orient themselves to the types of answers students might share in discussions. For Seminar discussions, this document includes guidance on how teachers should prepare students before the discussion, facilitate the discussion, and provide feedback after the discussion. When paired with the lesson plans, this guidance helps teachers manage both the structure and the content of the discussion. 

    • In Grade 7, Unit 2, Section 5: Synthesis, students engage in a Seminar where they discuss questions about rites of passage and the unit texts. After the discussion, students reflect on their participation and the ideas that were shared. Before the discussion, teachers explain the purpose of the seminar and review the seminar norms, which include:

      • “Listening respectfully, even when disagreeing, 

      • Not interrupting

      • Critiquing ideas, rather than peers

      • Allowing others time to speak

      • Being mindful of body language and eye contact

      • Staying on topic.”

    The Teacher Edition includes the steps to the discussion activity and three Responsive Teacher Moves notes. The note for during the discussion states,

    • “If students are not following directions, review and model the expectations and discussion norms. If needed, pose the following questions to move the discussion forward:

      • How do you connect to any of the characters’ experiences from the unit texts?

      • What new information about adulthood did you learn from the characters and unit texts? What are these ideas different across cultures?

      • Are there certain characteristics or actions you would use to describe being an adult? How did the unit texts reflect these ideas?”

    For the self-reflection step, the note states, 

    • “Pose the following question(s) to help students who need support to write their reflection:

      • If you met your goal, is there something else you can do during the next discussion to improve?

      • Do you feel like your participation in this discussion was adequate? Did you allow other students to speak equally?

      • Is there a discussion norm that is difficult for you to follow? How can you improve on demonstrating it?”

    For the reflection on ideas step, the note states, 

    • “Use the following questions to help students who need support to reflect on the ideas in the seminar:

      • How were your peers’ ideas similar to and/or different from your own?

      • Did you make new connections to any of the unit ideas or texts? 

      • How did you initially define what it means to be an adult? What do you think now?

      • Are there any ideas from the discussion you still have questions about?

      • Did any of the ideas in the discussion confuse you?”

      The Teacher Edition provides a scoring guide that teachers can use to give each student feedback on their participation in the seminar. Responsive Teacher Moves are available for teachers to use based on the potential needs of students. This guide includes questions like, “Did the student: 

      • Appropriately exchange ideas?

      • Logically elaborate on ideas in response to others?

      • Accurately demonstrate understanding of others’ ideas?

      • Use language and conventions appropriate to the context?

      • Appropriately rephrase writing or speech in a different register?” 

      The Sample Student Responses document includes sample student responses and textual evidence for all the questions in the activity. Additionally, the document includes sample student discussion goals, sentence starters, and additional teacher facilitation guidance. For during the seminar, the guidance reminds teachers to “use prompts sparingly but when needed, including: 

      • Where do you see that in the text? 

      • Does anyone want to challenge or build on that?

      • How do you know?

      • Why is this important?”

      These prompts remind teachers to ensure students are using evidence in their discussions, responding to the content of each other’s ideas, and providing a full analysis of their ideas. 

    • In Grade 8, Unit 4, Section 4: Genre Study, students engage in a Group discussion on “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost and “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins. Before discussing, students plan for the discussion by analyzing poetic elements and allusions in a note-catcher. The Teacher Edition includes teacher guidance on supporting students to complete these activities, which prepare them for a more fruitful discussion. After preparing, students discuss in groups, sharing what they learned about “how the poet uses diction, structure, allusion, and other figurative language, and theme in the texts.” As they discuss, students annotate the poems and ask each other clarifying and probing questions. Probing questions are provided in the Teacher Edition. Additionally, the Teacher Edition includes the steps to the discussion activity and a Responsive Teacher Moves note, which provides two teacher moves teachers can use: 

      • 1) “If students have difficulty demonstrating understanding of each other’s ideas, encourage them to take notes during discussions and refer to them while they formulate a response. If students need support to build on the ideas of others, provide sentence frames such as:

        • I heard you say _____, which reminds me of ______.

        • I think you said _______, but have you considered _________.

        • You said ________, and I would like to add ________. 

      • 2) If students are reluctant to speak with their partners, provide the following sentence stems to scaffold their response:

        • In the text, an example of how the poet uses diction in line _____.

        • An example of how the poet uses structure is _____.

        • Example of allusion and other figurative language are ____.” 

      The Teacher Edition provides a scoring guide that teachers can use to give each student feedback on their participation in the discussion. Responsive Teacher Moves are available for teachers to use based on the potential needs of students. This guide includes questions like, “Did the student: 

      • Provide a reasonable explanation of how a literary text uses and adapts themes, patterns, or details from myths, traditional stories, or religious works?

      • Explain how specific references contribute to meaning in the text?

      • Provide a reasonable explanation of how specific aspects of the text’s structure contribute to its meaning or style?

      • Appropriately prepare for discussion by reading or researching relevant material?”

The evidence-based discussion opportunities in the Lenses on Literature materials meet expectations for indicator 2j. The program provides frequent opportunities for students to engage in collaborative, text-based discussions in partner, small group, and whole-class formats, particularly throughout Sections 2–5 of each unit. Students regularly discuss texts using structured prompts that require them to reference specific details, make inferences, and respond to peers’ ideas using textual evidence. Each unit culminates in a Section 5 Seminar in which students synthesize ideas across multiple texts, drawing on textual examples and prior learning to support their responses. Students prepare in advance by setting goals and planning evidence-based responses, actively engage by listening, taking notes, and elaborating on classmates’ ideas, and reflect afterward on both their thinking and participation. These structured conversations consistently require students to incorporate evidence from texts while considering multiple perspectives and engaging in intellectual discourse.

• Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in collaborative conversations about the text being read, which require them to utilize, apply, and incorporate evidence from texts and/or sources.

  • Throughout the Lenses on Literature units, students have many opportunities to engage in collaborative conversations about the texts being read. In each unit, students engage in partner, small group, and whole group discussions, primarily throughout sections 2 through 5 of each unit’s “journey tracker.” Every Section 5 of each unit on the “journey tracker” culminates in a Seminar activity where students discuss all the big concepts of the unit, while referring back to the unit’s texts. 

    • In Grade 6, Unit 1, Section 2: Comprehension, students read and discuss “Our House” by Sophie Cabot Black as they practice making inferences while reading the poem. In their discussion, students answer the following literal comprehension questions in small groups:

      • “Who is in the poem?

      • What places are in the poem?

      • What is happening in the poem?

      • How are the people and places connected in the poem?”

As they discuss, the teacher encourages students to direct “back to their peers’ statements.” After this initial discussion, students locate specific words and phrases that “spark a personal reaction or connection” in their graphic organizers under the “The text says” column. Later, they use this evidence from the poem to make inferences in another column on their graphic organizer. 

• Materials provide opportunities for students to consider others’ perspectives and engage in intellectual discourse about texts and topics they are reading.

  • In each unit, students engage in a Seminar where they discuss all the texts they have read throughout the unit. Before each Seminar, students engage in a Prepare for Seminar activity where they set individual goals and plan their initial responses. In their initial planning students are to “use ideas and examples from the unit texts and your own life to respond.” During the Seminar, students share their ideas with their classmates, take notes, respond to each other’s responses, and ask each other questions. After the Seminar, students reflect on their individual goals and the ideas that surfaced in the class discussion.

    • In Grade 8, Unit 5, Section 5: Synthesis, students engage in a Seminar where they discuss the following questions:

      • “How do writers use language to critique the world?

      • How can I use my voice to raise questions and initiate change?

      • What ideas do the authors from the literary unit texts seem to be critiquing?

      • How do the concepts from Section 3—human impact on the environment and hubris—help illuminate potential meanings in the literary texts from the unit?

      • What role do narrators play in developing critiques?”

      As they discuss, students take notes on their peers’ thoughts and are expected to respond and elaborate on others’ ideas. 

The instruction on independent word-learning strategies and key vocabulary words in Lenses on Literature materials meets expectations for indicator 2k. The program incorporates structured and explicit vocabulary instruction throughout all units, with a focus on essential words for comprehension and content-specific terms. Vocabulary instruction is primarily concentrated in Sections 2: Comprehension and 3: Building Knowledge, where many activities occur before, during, and/or after reading, with opportunities to revisit words in later sections. Section 4: Genre Study emphasizes content-specific and academic vocabulary. Lesson plans in the Teacher Edition provide teaching steps, scripting, and Responsive Teaching Moves to support instruction, including independent word learning strategies. Students also encounter multiple exposures to vocabulary within and across texts, supported by glossed terms on the digital platform. While teachers explicitly introduce content-specific vocabulary, students develop independence by identifying additional words through word-learning strategies embedded in activities. 

• Materials include structured and explicit practices for introducing key vocabulary words and independent word-learning strategies within the context of the texts (analyzing morphemes, etymology, word maps, and discussion of word relationships/shades of meaning, dictionary skills, context clues). Attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and high-utility academic words. Materials provide multiple exposures to key vocabulary within (i.e., before, during, after reading) and across texts.

  • Vocabulary instruction is embedded in each unit throughout the Lenses on Literature program. Teachers can use the Teacher Edition’s Sequence of Instruction page to identify which activities throughout the unit will require vocabulary instruction. The program includes repetitive strategies that students use to learn and practice vocabulary activities, such as the Affix Generator, List-Group-Label, Vocabulary Mapping, Word Intensity Chart, and Word Solving Tool. Vocabulary instruction primarily occurs in Sections 2 and 3 of each unit’s “journey tracker.” In Section 2: Comprehension and Section 3: Building Knowledge, vocabulary activities are present before and after reading each text. For some unit activities, students revisit words they encountered in previous vocabulary exercises. In Section 4: Genre Study, the vocabulary presented through activities focuses more on content-specific and academic terms. Each lesson plan in the Teacher Edition includes Teaching Steps and Responsive Teaching Moves for each vocabulary activity. Although some vocabulary activities target words essential for text comprehension, the program also emphasizes content-specific vocabulary development.

    • In Grade 6, Unit 6, Section 2: Comprehension, students engage in a vocabulary activity before reading “Secret Samantha” by Tim Federle. In this activity, students preview high-frequency vocabulary in the text, including various, common, producer, edge, entire, and instead. The Teacher Edition includes a lesson plan with teaching steps, which include reviewing the vocabulary strategy, reviewing key terms and concepts, selecting key words, and examining the word. For each step, the lesson plan includes guidance for teachers. For this activity, students must use context clues to determine the meaning of the word. The select key word step guidance states, “Prompt students to choose three words from the word bank of high frequency words: point out that these words all appear in ‘Secret Samantha.’ Direct them to enter each word in the Word box(es) in the Word Solving Tool(s).” The lesson plan provides a Responsive Teaching Move, which includes scripting around how teachers can support students in using the strategy of context clues to complete the activity. Later, students see the words previewed in this activity as they read the text. 

    • In Grade 7, Unit 2, Section 3: Building Knowledge, students engage in several activities where they learn about and practice vocabulary work using the concepts of connotation and denotation. First, students review the academic terms: connotation and denotation, and practice distinguishing between them. Then, students read “First They Came” by Martin Niemöller, “Archive Film Material” by Ruth Fainlight, and “The Butterfly” by Pavel Friedman. They mark and respond to the specific word choices where the connotation is different than the denotation of the words in each poem. Later, students analyze the denotation and connotation of words from these texts. The Teacher Edition includes a lesson plan with detailed teaching steps for each activity, as well as content consideration notes. The content consideration note for introducing connotation and denotation to students defines each academic term and provides guidance on another way to describe denotation to students who may still be struggling. The teaching steps for each activity provide teachers with guidance and general scripting for completing each step. 

  • On the digital platform, students have access to “glossed terms” within each text they read. These words include tier 2 and tier 3 words. Students may click on these words shown in blue during reading to find the part of speech and definition. 

  • While the materials prompt teachers to introduce content-specific vocabulary explicitly, other words are not taught directly; instead, students identify them independently as they apply word-learning strategies.

  • The materials include lists of Academic Vocabulary used throughout their course. These can be found in the Additional Resources section of each unit overview on the platform. The list for grades 6 through 8 is the same for the grade band. 

The on-demand and process writing opportunities in Lenses on Literature meet expectations for indicator 2o. The program includes a balance of on-demand and process-based writing opportunities that are appropriately aligned to each unit’s purpose, genre, and topic of study. Students engage in various short, on-demand writing tasks, such as free writes, summaries, paragraph responses, mini literary analyses, and Read the World reflections, that help them develop and demonstrate understanding of texts and themes. Each unit also culminates in a process-based writing task during Step 6 of the “journey tracker,” where students plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish an extended piece of writing aligned with the unit’s Driving Task Prompt. These longer assignments mirror or analyze the genre of the Anchor Text(s) and maintain a clear connection to the unit’s reading and thematic focus. Writing distributions in grades 6 and 7 align with standard expectations for persuasive, explanatory, and narrative writing, though grade 8 shows a slight imbalance. Overall, the program offers a balanced mix of short, on-demand writing experiences and extended, process-based compositions that reinforce students’ engagement with and understanding of the unit texts, while also developing their reading, analysis, and writing skills.

• Materials include a mix of grade-appropriate on-demand and process writing.

  • The program offers various opportunities for students to engage in on-demand writing activities. These activities include free writes, summaries, mini-essays, paragraph responses, and Read the World reflections.

    • In Grade 6, Unit 2, Section 3: Building Knowledge, students read an excerpt from “Family Dynamics Can Lift You Up (Or Drag You Down)” by Shonna Waters. After reading, they complete a five-minute free-write in response to the prompt, “Write about your family dynamic and what that means for you and your family.” 

    • In Grade 7, Unit 2, Section 2: Comprehension, students read “Ordinary Plan” by Michael Lowenthal. Then, they write a paragraph summary about “how Larry changes throughout ‘Ordinary Pain.’”

    • In Grade 8, Unit 5, Section 4: Genre Study, students read “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Then, they complete a mini-literary analysis to the prompt, “Analyze how Jackson uses differences in perspective between the narrator (or central character) and the reader to develop social critique in ‘The Lottery.’”

    • Throughout each unit, students complete Read the World activities. For each of these activities, students write down their reflections. 

  • Step 6 of the program’s “journey tracker” requires students to engage in process-based writing. Students have opportunities to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish longer pieces of writing in this part of each unit. 

    • In Grade 6, Unit 3, Section 6: Writing Process, students plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish a comparative analysis to the prompt “After reading ‘The Party’ and ‘The Outsize Influence of Your Middle-School Friends,’ write a comparative analysis in which you compare and contrast how the two texts explore the benefits and challenges of friendship. In your comparison, focus on how key ideas are introduced and developed in each text. Support your analysis with evidence from both texts.”

    • In Grade 8, Unit 2, Section 6: Writing Process, students plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish a literary analysis to the prompt “After reading ‘Marigolds’ by Eugenia W. Collier and analyzing narrative and informational texts on decision making, write a literary analysis in which you examine how pivotal moments in ‘Marigolds’ reveal the causes and consequences of Lizabeth's decisions about her identity. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.”

• Materials mostly reflect the distribution indicated by the standards for process writing (6-8 35/35/30 persuade/explain/convey experience). (The information below is presented as contextual evidence only and is not factored into the overall score or rating.)

  • The process writing distribution in the Lenses on Literature program is as follows:

    • Grade 6: 33.3/33.3/33.3 persuade/explain/convey experience

    • Grade 7: 33.3/33.3/33.3 persuade/explain/convey experience

    • Grade 8: 33.3/50/16.7 persuade/explain/convey experience

  • Lenses on Literature materials meet the distribution indicated by the standards across process writing opportunities in grades 6 and 7, but not in grade 8. 

• Writing opportunities are appropriately aligned to the purpose, genre, and/or topic of the unit’s reading. 

  • Each unit’s extended writing assignment aligns directly with the unit’s purpose, genre, and/or topic of study. These process-based writing tasks are guided by the program’s Driving Task Prompts, which students are introduced to in Section 1 of each unit’s “journey tracker.” Presenting the prompt early allows students to keep the final writing product in focus as they progress through the unit’s learning activities. The genre of the extended writing tasks either directly mirrors the genre of the Anchor Text(s) of each unit or requires students to draft a genre-appropriate analysis of the Anchor Text(s). 

    • In Grade 6, Unit 1, the Anchor Texts are poems. The Driving Task prompt of the unit requires students to write a mini-poetry collection that directly mirrors the genre of the Anchor Texts. The prompt states, “After researching how authors craft poetry about special places, write a mini poetry collection in which you use sensory and figurative language to create a strong sense of place. Include at least one poem that uses a specific poetic form.”

    • In Grade 7, Unit 5, the Anchor Text is a speech. The Driving Task prompt of the unit requires students to write a rhetorical analysis of this speech. The prompt states, “After reading Malala Yousafzai’s ‘Address to the United Nations,’ write a rhetorical analysis in which you argue how Yousafzai uses rhetorical appeals to develop and distinguish her perspective on education. Support your position with evidence from the text.” 

    • In Grade 8, Unit 4, the Anchor Text is a poem. The Driving Task prompt of the unit requires students to write a literary analysis of this poem. The prompt states, “After researching ‘The Iraqi Nights’ by Dunya Mikhail and related texts, write a literary analysis in which you explain how Mikhail uses rich language and allusions to mythology, folklore, or history to develop a central theme. Support your analysis with evidence from the poem and your research into the stories, figures, or ideas her allusions refer to.”

The explicit instruction in varied writing processes in Lenses on Literature meets expectations for indicator 2p. The program includes explicit instruction in the writing process, which is embedded in the content students study throughout each unit. Writing tasks are closely tied to unit readings, and the Teacher Edition provides structured lesson plans that detail instructional steps, facilitation guidance, and Responsive Teacher Moves to support students at different stages of writing. Students practice writing for a range of purposes through scaffolded activities, such as summarizing, analyzing, and composing multi-paragraph essays, culminating in a process-based extended writing task in Section 6 of each unit’s “journey tracker.” Lesson plans provide teachers with guidance on activities such as summarizing and paragraph development, and students analyze mentor texts that illustrate genre expectations before drafting their own work. Teachers are supported with analytic rubrics developed with Stanford’s SCALE, which clarify performance expectations and guide targeted feedback and reflection. Additional resources, such as Formative Assessment scorecards, Using Analytic Rubrics in Lenses on Literature, and Learning from Student Work: End of Unit documents, outline processes for scoring after students complete assignments, providing feedback, and using student work to inform instruction. However, while assessment tools are strong, lesson plans often provide only general guidance—such as “circulate and monitor student progress”—without specifying what teachers should look for or how to deliver effective feedback during instruction.

• Materials include explicit instruction in writing processes (paragraph and multi-paragraph construction for varying purposes), embedded in what students are studying throughout the unit. 

  • Throughout the program, students have opportunities to practice writing for different purposes. Writing assignments are directly integrated with the reading students complete throughout each unit. Teacher guidance for these assignments is provided in the lesson plans located in the Teacher Edition. Each lesson plan provides the steps for each writing activity, guidance on how teachers should facilitate, and Responsive Teacher Moves that teachers can use if students struggle. 

    • In Grade 7, Unit 1, Section 2: Comprehension, students read Scenes 1 and 2 of Novio Boy by Gary Soto. Then, they summarize these scenes. The Teacher Guide includes a lesson plan that presents the instructional steps of this activity. In the first step, “Review Key Terms,” the guidance provided instructs teachers to remind students of the definition of a summary. The following definition is provided for teachers to use: “A summary is a short statement of the main points of a text, put into your own words. Summaries should not include opinions. They are short, but accurate reports of the main ideas or events in your own words.” In the next step, “Review the Comprehension Strategy,” the guidance instructs teachers to remind students of the escalating summary strategy, which is what they will use to complete this activity. In the third step, “Summarize Parts,” the guidance instructs teachers to prompt students to complete each part of the escalating summary and provides reminders that teachers should give students such as “Remind students that in each row, they are summarizing the entirety of what they have read, not just the next section, so they will need to incorporate previous ideas into their new summaries.” In the final step, “Summarize the Whole Section,” teachers prompt students to use their completed escalating summary organizer to draft a one- to two-sentence summary of scenes one and two. This lesson plan includes Responsive Teacher Moves notes for this step, which teachers can use with students who struggle with the material. One note states, “To help students summarize the plot of the play, provide students with transition words that can be used to convey a sequence of events. Consider using these words:

      • First, _____.

      • As a result, _______.

      • At the same time, _______.

      • Next, _______.” 

  • In each unit, students complete an extended writing assignment in section 6 of the program’s “journey tracker.” Across the curriculum, these tasks vary in their genre and purpose. The Teacher Edition includes guidance for facilitating each part of the writing process. Each lesson plan provides the steps for each activity, guidance on how teachers should facilitate, and Responsive Teacher Moves that teachers can use if students struggle. 

    • In Grade 8, Unit 3, Section 6: Writing Process, students write an argumentative essay to the Driving Task prompt “After reading ‘The War of the Wall’ by Toni Cade Bambara and evaluating texts on intergenerational relationships, social support, and mental health, write an argumentative essay in which you argue who benefits from multi-generational community spaces and why. Support your position with evidence from the unit texts.” The Teacher Edition includes nine lesson plans that teachers use to support students in completing this task. In the fourth lesson in this section, students draft their body paragraphs. The lesson plan for this activity includes three steps. In Step 1, “Review Argumentative Planner,” the guidance prompts teachers to explain the purpose of this activity and ensure that students have all the necessary materials to be successful. In the next step, “Draft body paragraphs,” the guidance prompts teachers to direct students to follow part 2 of their Argumentative Essay Planner to draft their body paragraphs and monitor students’ progress. This step includes a Responsive Teacher Move note, which states, “If students use short or repetitive sentences when writing, encourage them to take multiple shorter sentences and combine them for the purpose of eliminating repetition and building style.” In the final step of this lesson plan, “Identify transitions,” the guidance states that teachers should instruct students to “identify places in the body of the essay where transitions would improve the clarity and flow of their writing [and] have them use transitional words and phrases when necessary.” This step includes Responsive Teacher Move notes. One note states, “If students need support to recall transitions, provide them with a few words to get started, such as similarly, in contrast, however, yet, but, also, and so on.” 

• Materials provide teachers with mentor texts and/or student exemplars to support students in examining how the genre works. 

  • The program includes an “Analyze the [Work Product]” activity at the start of Section 6 in each unit. In this activity, the teacher guides students through analyzing a sample piece of writing that is in the same genre as the extended piece of writing they will produce. Each sample writing piece is based on a text students encountered earlier in the unit, but it differs from the text they use for their own final writing task. This analysis supports students in understanding how the genre functions and how the work product’s components fit together. As part of this analysis, students consider the purpose and audience of the work product.

    •  In Grade 6, Unit 2, Section 6: Writing Process, students draft a literary analysis to the Driving Task prompt “After reading ‘The Medicine Bag,’ write a literary analysis in which you explain how a theme is developed through the interactions of family members in the story. In your response, discuss how specific sentences and paragraphs convey Martin’s relationship with his family. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.” Before writing, students analyze a literary analysis, considering its purpose, audience, and features, in the Analyze a Literary Analysis activity. The lesson plan for this activity includes five steps. In step 1, “Read the sample response,” teachers prompt students to read the sample response and annotate for details that provide information about the text’s purpose and audience. In the next step, “Determine the purpose and audience,” teachers direct students to engage in paired-up discussions about the purpose and audience of a literary analysis. The lesson plan states that teachers should “move around the room and monitor the discussion.” In the third step, “Determine key features,” the teacher instructs students to work in pairs to “determine three key features of a literary analysis.” The lesson plan states that teachers should “move around the room to monitor student progress.” In step four, “Determine what a literary analysis is not,” teachers instruct students to discuss with a partner what they believe a literary analysis is not and record their notes in their graphic organizer. The lesson plan states that teachers should “continue to move around the room to monitor student progress.” In the final step, “Ask questions,” teachers tell students to “record any questions they have about the sample response or literary analysis essays at the bottom of the chart. While the lesson plan provides general guidance for teachers on chunking the task for students, it does not offer examples of what teachers should look for or listen for in student work and discourse. The lesson plan includes formative assessment guidance for the teacher at the end. This guidance includes a scoring guide to use to assess student performance and a Responsive Teacher Move note. Guidance states, “Formatively assess each student’s Artifact of Learning using this scoring guide. Did the student: Reasonably analyze the task?” The Responsive Teaching Move note states, “If students need support to meet expectations, provide opportunities to model this skill.” A sample model is not provided. 

• Materials provide guidance and instruction to teachers on how to provide timely and constructive feedback on student writing.

  • As students complete the final work product in each unit, lesson plans include guidance for teachers to facilitate each step of the writing process. 

  • Many of the activities in Section 6 of each unit’s journey tracker include formative assessment guidance for the teacher. This guidance includes a Scoring Guide, which teachers use as a quick tool to assess how well students are meeting the activity’s focus skills and standards. The guide supports teachers in interpreting formative data to plan next instructional steps, such as reteaching, scaffolding, or enrichment. Additional digital tools for recording observations and feedback are available on the Carnegie Learning platform. Responsive Teacher Move Notes are provided for each activity that includes formative assessment guidance. 

    • In Grade 7, Unit 5, Section 6: Writing Process, students draft a rhetorical analysis to the Driving Task prompt “After reading Malala Yousafzai’s 'Address to the United Nations,' write a rhetorical analysis in which you argue how Yousafzai uses rhetorical appeals to develop and distinguish her perspective on education. Support your position with evidence from the text.” In one activity, students draft their thesis statements. The lesson plan includes guidance on formative assessment.  This guidance includes a scoring guide to use to assess student performance and a Responsive Teacher Move note. Guidance states, “Formatively assess each student’s Artifact of Learning using this scoring guide. Did the student: 

      • Provide a reasonable explanation of how the author uses evidence, reasoning, and/or rhetoric to distinguish their position from that of others?

      • Appropriately use domain-specific vocabulary?”

      • MLL Language Goal: “Did the student introduce and define the topic of their Driving Task by using evaluation language?”

      Guidance includes two Responsive Teacher Move Notes. The first states, 

      • “If students need support to draft the thesis statement, invite them to write down words or phrases that describe Yousafzai’s point of view and rhetorical approach. Then, assist students in using the templates provided to draft thesis statements.”

      The second note states, 

      • “If students need support to meet their language goal, provide students with an opportunity to share their ideas in smaller groups using similar sentence frames.”

  • Each work product that students complete in Section 6 of each unit’s “journey tracker” includes a specific rubric that teachers and students should use to evaluate student work. These rubrics differ based on the genre of each writing assignment and the grade level. 

  • On the Carnegie Platform, teachers can find the “Using Analytic Rubrics in Lenses of Literature” document in the Teacher Resources section. The document explains how teachers can use analytic rubrics as instructional and assessment tools to evaluate student progress in reading and writing. Developed in collaboration with Stanford’s SCALE, these rubrics break complex literacy skills into clear, standards-based criteria across a four-point developmental scale, from Emerging to Exceeds Expectations. The guide outlines how to interpret and apply rubric rows to both formative and summative tasks, emphasizing their use for giving targeted feedback, promoting student growth, and aligning instruction with standards. Teachers are encouraged to use rubric language in feedback, conduct writing conferences (if time allows) to help students set goals, and engage in collaborative scoring to calibrate expectations and plan next steps. The document highlights that analytic rubrics are not designed for assigning grades but for supporting consistent, evidence-based evaluation and instructional decision-making across classrooms.

  • On the Carnegie Learning platform, teachers can find the Learning From Student Work: End of Unit document at the end of each unit’s activities and under Teacher Planning Tools in the Teacher Resources section. The document is a teacher-facing guide that outlines a five-step process for analyzing student writing at the end of a unit in the Lenses on Literature program. Teachers begin by reviewing the unit’s Driving Task Prompt and focus skills or standards to clarify what the assignment asks students to think about and demonstrate. Then, they analyze the unit rubric, examining how expectations progress across scoring levels and identifying rubric language that connects to unit standards. Next, teachers score student work using the rubric, discuss scoring decisions with colleagues, and compare results to ensure consistency. In later steps, teachers analyze patterns in student performance and use these insights to determine instructional next steps. The process concludes with a reflection on the effectiveness of instruction, alignment to standards, and plans for improving teaching and assessment in the next unit. 

  • While the steps for this process are clear, the guidance is generalized and not specific to each rubric. For step 3, score student work using the rubric, the guidance states, “Individually score a student work sample. Discuss with your team how you scored the student work, making sure to explicitly connect the student work to the specific criteria outlined in the rubric. If you have time, consider these options:

    • Repeat with additional student work samples and look for patterns.

    • Swap one of your scored student work samples with a colleague. Have them score the paper as well. Then, compare your scores to see your similarities and differences.” 

  • Although the formative assessment Scoring Guides and SCALE rubrics offer clear criteria for assessing student writing and providing timely feedback, the lesson plans often include general directions such as “circulate and monitor student progress.” These directions lack specific guidance on what teachers should observe or the types of feedback they should provide while students are working.

The opportunities for students to practice the writing processes using evidence-based strategies in Lenses on Literature meet expectations for indicator 2q. The program offers multiple opportunities for students to engage in all stages of the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing, utilizing a variety of supports and tools. For each final writing product in Section 6 of a unit’s “journey tracker,” students use structured graphic organizers to plan their ideas, such as story planners for narrative writing and analysis planners for literary essays. Students then draft their work in stages, using their organizers to develop thesis statements, body paragraphs, introductions, and conclusions. Revision and editing are emphasized through targeted strategies, such as varying sentence structure and maintaining a consistent tone and register. Students participate in peer feedback and use an editing checklist that covers sentence structure, style, conventions, and formatting to polish their work. The program also integrates technology throughout the writing process: students draft, revise, and submit their work digitally and, in some cases, prepare and present their writing using multimedia tools. These repeated, scaffolded opportunities help students develop independence and fluency across all phases of the writing process.

• Materials include multiple opportunities for students to plan writing (e.g., with graphic organizers).

  • Students have opportunities to plan their writing for each final writing product that they complete in Section 6  of each unit’s “journey tracker.” 

    • In Grade 6, Unit 6, Section 6: Writing Process, students write a short story. As part of the writing process, they plan their writing. First, they plan for the characters in their story by completing parts 1, 2, and 3 of the Short Story Planner graphic organizer. As they plan their characters, they consider their names, relationships to each other, and characteristics. Next, they plan the plot of their story by completing part 4 of the Short Story Planner. As they plan the plot, they consider the plot pyramid, including the exposition, inciting event, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. 

• Materials include multiple opportunities for students to draft their writing. 

  • Students have opportunities to draft their writing for each final writing product that they complete in Section 6  of each unit’s “journey tracker.” 

    • In Grade 7, Unit 2, Section 6: Writing Process, students write a literary analysis. After planning, students draft their writing. First, they use their Literary Analysis Planner graphic organizer to draft a thesis statement. Then, they use their organizer to draft their body paragraphs. Next, they use their planner to draft an introduction. Last, they use their organizer to draft a conclusion paragraph. 

• Materials include multiple opportunities for students to revise and edit their writing with grade-appropriate strategies and tools.

  • Students have opportunities to revise and edit their writing for each final writing product that they complete in Section 6 of each unit’s “journey tracker.” For each unit, students have a specific revision focus based on the skills taught during the unit. As part of the revision and editing process, students engage in peer feedback. Before submitting their writing products, students proofread and polish using an editing checklist. The checklist includes the following elements: 

    • Sentence Variety and Structure

    • Word Choice

    • Style and Tone

    • Capitalization, Spelling, and Formatting 

    Students are encouraged to use the checklist for one to two specific elements at a time, repeatedly proofreading their writing until they’ve gone through all the elements. This checklist is generic and used in each unit. 

• In Grade 8, Unit 6, Section 6, Writing Process, students write a call to action. After planning and drafting, students revise and edit their writing. First, they revise their writing to incorporate rhetorical appeals, ensuring they employ various types of rhetorical strategies. Then, they edit for sentence patterns, ensuring they include all sentence types in their writing, including simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences. Next, students revise and edit their writing to ensure that it contains a consistent and appropriate register. Last, they proofread and polish their call to action. 

• Materials include multiple opportunities for students to use technology to produce and publish writing. 

  • Students have opportunities to use technology to produce and publish their writing for each final writing product they complete in Section 6 of each unit’s “journey tracker.” Students use the digital platform to complete the entire writing process, from planning to submission. For some assignments, students use technology to create presentations and present their writing. 

    • In Grade 8, Unit 6, Section 6, Writing Process, students write a call to action. After planning, drafting, revising, editing, and polishing, students plan a presentation to share their call to action with their peers. After drafting their presentations, students rehearse and later present to their classmates.

The formative assessments and teacher guidance on formative assessments in Lenses on Literature meet expectations for indicator 2u. The program includes a variety of formative assessments that help teachers monitor student understanding and adjust instruction accordingly. Each unit integrates quick writes, discussions, and other short tasks designed to gauge progress toward mastery of focus skills and standards. The How to Use Lesson Plans section in the Teacher Edition explains two primary types of formative assessments—those with a Scoring Guide and those with a Rubric—and outlines how teachers can use them to collect data and plan next steps. Scoring guides provide quick checks for understanding and include reflective questions and Responsive Teacher Moves that suggest reteaching, scaffolding, or enrichment strategies. Rubric-based assessments utilize a developmental progression aligned with standards, enabling teachers to identify where students fall on a continuum from Emerging to Exceeding Expectations and make informed instructional adjustments to support growth. Rubrics also include Responsive Teaching Notes offering specific strategies, such as modeling, guided practice, or interactive approaches to reinforce key skills. Teacher Planning Tools include The Learning From Student Work: Formative guide, which outlines a structured, six-step process teachers can use to analyze student work in order to inform responsive instruction. Digital tools on the Carnegie Learning platform provide additional support for data tracking and feedback. Overall, the program offers structured, actionable guidance that enables teachers to interpret formative data and tailor instruction to enhance student progress toward grade-level proficiency.

• Materials include formative assessments and support for the teacher in determining students’ current skills/level of understanding. Materials include guidance that supports the teacher in making instructional adjustments to increase student progress.

  • Each unit in the Lenses on Literature program includes various formative assessments across multiple types of skills. Formative assessments include quick writes, discussions, and other tasks. The "How to Use Lesson Plans" section in the front matter of each Teacher Edition provides an explanation of how formative assessments function within the program. The section highlights two types of formative assessments—those with a Scoring Guide and those with a Rubric—and how teachers can use them to monitor student progress and inform instruction. In the Teacher Resources section of the Carnegie Learning portal, under Teacher Planning Tools, teachers can find the"Learning from Student Work: Formative Assessment document. 

    • The Learning From Student Work: Formative Guide outlines a structured, six-step process that teachers can use to analyze student work and inform responsive instruction. The process begins with examining the activity prompt and focus skills to clarify what students are being asked to think about and do. Teachers then study the activity’s rubric or scoring guide to understand how skills are assessed and how expectations progress across proficiency levels. Next, teachers score one or two samples of student work by identifying evidence that aligns with rubric criteria, and then score a partner’s samples using the same process. Afterward, partners discuss patterns they notice in student thinking, areas of strength, and where students struggled. Finally, teachers identify the next instructional steps by reflecting on whether prerequisite skills were explicitly taught, how evidence of grade-level standards is reflected in student work, and how their findings should inform upcoming instruction and assessment. The guide focuses on using this process to make evidence-based decisions and directs teachers to additional support materials on using analytic rubrics.

    • Formative Assessment with a Scoring Guide: Teachers use the scoring guide as a quick tool to assess how well students are meeting the activity's focus skills and standards. The guide supports teachers in interpreting formative data to plan next instructional steps, such as reteaching, scaffolding, or enrichment. Additional digital tools for recording observations and feedback are available on the Carnegie Learning platform.

      • In Grade 6, Unit 4, Section 2: Comprehension, students complete a vocabulary activity where they determine the meaning of words in “Our Campaign to Ban Plastic Bags in Bali” by Melati Wijsen and Isabel Wijsen using context clues. This activity serves as a formative assessment within the program. The Teacher Edition provides teachers with guidance, including questions to consider as they score student work, an MLL language goal question, and three Responsive Teacher Move notes. Guidance for scoring states, “Did the student:

        • Use context clues to accurately determine or clarify word meaning?

        • Use reference materials to accurately determine or verify word meaning?”

        • MLL Language Goal: “Did the student define vocabulary in the text by using context clues?”

        The three Responsive Teacher Notes state,

        • “If students need support to meet expectations, reteach using context clues and reference materials to determine and verify word meaning with an alternate text.

        • If students desire an opportunity to enhance their understanding of new words, have them create a vocabulary map for the word that includes the following: dictionary definition, a synonym, an antonym, and an illustration or image.

        • If students need support to meet their language goal, provide them with an opportunity to practice with the List-Group-Label Anchor Strategy using the text’s glossary.”

    • Formative Assessment with a Rubric: This version utilizes a developmental progression rubric that aligns with grade-level standards, with performance levels ranging from Emerging to Exceeding Expectations. Teachers use the bolded language in each rubric row to determine where a student’s work falls on the continuum and what supports are needed for growth. Level 3 represents the benchmark for end-of-year proficiency, enabling teachers to plan instruction that moves students toward mastery.

      • In Grade 8, Unit 5, Section 4: Genre Study, students determine and analyze the development of the theme of “Cooking Time” by Anita Roy. This activity serves as a formative assessment within the program. The Teacher Edition provides teachers with guidance, including a rubric to use to assess each student’s work and a Responsive Teacher Move note. The rubric is for “Analyze the Development of Theme” and includes four different scores on the scale, including Emergent, Approaches Expectations, Meets Expectations, and Exceeds Expectations. Each score states:

        • “1- Emergent: 

          • Identifies a theme or central idea with minimal reference to specific textual details 

          • Connection between textual details and identified theme or central idea is unclear or implied

        • 2- Approaches Expectations:

          • Identifies some specific details in the text that are related to an identified theme or central idea

          • Makes an explicit connection between these details (about characters, setting, and/or plot) and a theme or idea in one section of the text

        • 3- Meets Expectations:

          • Identifies specific details from across the text that contribute to the development of a theme or central idea

          • Accurately demonstrates how those details (about characters, setting, and/or plot) contribute to the development of a theme or central idea over the course of the text

        • 4- Exceeds Expectations: 

          • Identifies key details from across the text that contribute to the development of a theme or central idea Accurately and thoroughly demonstrates how those details (about characters, setting, and/or plot) develop a theme or central idea over the course of the text.”

        The Responsive Teaching Note states, “If students have difficulty analyzing the theme of a text, guide them to physically act out major events from the text and then discuss how each event helps develop the theme.” 

The culminating/summative assessments in Lenses on Literature meet expectations for indicator 2v. Each unit in the Lenses on Literature program concludes with a culminating task in Section 6 of the “journey tracker,” serving as the unit’s summative assessment. These tasks require students to integrate multiple literacy skills—reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language—developed throughout the unit, with unit Seminars helping students synthesize ideas in preparation for writing. Units are backward-designed so the final product reflects the focus standards and skills taught, whether students are analyzing texts in Analysis Units or creating original pieces in Creative Units. Instruction leading up to the task is scaffolded through practice activities, mentor text analysis, and step-by-step guidance through the writing process. Teachers receive support for evaluating student work through genre- and grade-specific SCALE rubrics and the End-of-Unit Learning From Student Work Protocol, which outlines how to analyze student performance, calibrate scoring, and determine next instructional steps for student growth. 

• Culminating tasks/summative assessments are evident in each unit/module and align to the unit’s/module’s topic or theme. Culminating tasks/summative assessments provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the unit/module while integrating multiple literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening).

  • In the Lenses on Literature program, the final writing product that students complete in Section 6 of each unit’s “journey tracker” serves as each unit’s culminating task. Before each unit starts, students preview the prompt for this task, which is considered each unit’s Driving Task Prompt. In Section 5 of each unit, students complete a Seminar activity in which they discuss some of the larger questions of the unit. This activity supports priming students for their written task in Section 6. In this sense, each unit’s Seminar serves as an additional, smaller culminating task throughout the program. Each unit is backward designed so that the Driving Task Prompt encompasses the focus standards that students learn and practice throughout the unit. During the completion of this task, students utilize various skills, including reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening. The finished product enables students to demonstrate the reading and writing skills they’ve acquired throughout the unit and the school year. Two unit types in the program dictate how the final writing product addresses reading and writing standards: Analysis Units and Creative Units. In Analysis Units, students must demonstrate their ability to interpret and analyze texts, apply evidence, and utilize their writing skills. In Creative Units, students focus on applying what they’ve learned to their own original writing products. As such, this final task is designed to allow students to practice and demonstrate their mastery of the focus skills and standards for each unit. 

    • In Grade 7, Unit 3, Section 6: Writing Process, students write an evaluation to the Driving Task prompt “After reading 'Lincoln’s Call to Service--And Ours’ [Anchor Text] by Stanley McChrystal, write an evaluation in which you state and delineate McChrystal’s claims about universal national service and evaluate his use of reasoning and evidence to support those claims. Support your evaluation with evidence from multiple texts. Present counterclaims in your response.” While completing this task, students utilize their reading and writing skills during the drafting, revising, and editing phases of the process. During the editing phase, students must exchange peer feedback and practice their speaking and listening skills. In the final task, students apply the knowledge and reading skills they have developed throughout the unit, drawing on multiple readings of the Anchor Text and other unit texts to deepen their understanding, while also demonstrating their writing skills.

• Materials provide opportunities to support students in gaining the knowledge and skills needed to complete the culminating tasks/summative assessments.

  • Students gain the knowledge and skills throughout each unit to complete culminating tasks. Throughout each unit, students practice the skills necessary to complete the final writing assignment. Additionally, the Seminar students engage in during Section 5 of each unit prompts them to discuss the unit’s essential questions. This discussion primes student thinking for a successful writing product. 

    • The materials break down the Section 6 assignment into parts for each writing product, providing instruction and guidance on completing each component. Each writing product completed in Section 6 of each unit’s journey tracker is broken down into parts comprised of the writing process: planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Before students plan, they analyze a mentor text and the rubric on which their work will be evaluated.  For each component, materials include some instruction and guidance. To complete these longer assignments, students must utilize the information they have learned throughout the unit’s readings and apply the skills they’ve gained throughout the unit's assignments. 

      • In Grade 6, Unit 4, Section 6: Writing Process, students write a proposal to the Driving Task prompt “After evaluating arguments on community issues, research an issue important to your community and write a proposal in which you identify the issue and propose a solution. Support your position with evidence from your research. Include multimedia elements in your proposal.” The task is broken down into parts. After analyzing the rubric, students plan their thesis statements, introductions, and bodies. Then, they draft their proposals. Next, students revise to incorporate media and check for transition words. Then, they plan their conclusions. Next, students revise for comparative and superlative adjectives. Then, they participate in peer feedback. Afterward, students proofread their proposals. Lastly, they rehearse their proposal presentations and submit them for publication. To complete this assignment, students must consider all the learning about communities and different community campaigns they read and learned about throughout the unit. Students must also use the research they compiled in Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the unit’s “journey tracker.” 

• Materials include guidance that supports the teacher in determining and evaluating student performance on the culminating tasks/summative assessments in the program. 

  • On the Carnegie Platform, teachers can find the Using Analytic Rubrics in Lenses of Literature document in the Teacher Resources section. The document explains how teachers can use analytic rubrics as instructional and assessment tools to evaluate student progress in reading and writing. Developed in collaboration with Stanford’s SCALE, these rubrics break complex literacy skills into clear, standards-based criteria across a four-point developmental scale, Emerging to Exceeds Expectations. The guide outlines how to interpret and apply rubric rows to both formative and summative tasks, emphasizing their use for giving targeted feedback, promoting student growth, and aligning instruction with standards. Teachers are encouraged to use rubric language in feedback, conduct writing conferences (if time allows) to help students set goals, and engage in collaborative scoring to calibrate expectations and plan next steps. The document highlights that analytic rubrics are not designed for assigning grades but for supporting consistent, evidence-based evaluation and instructional decision-making across classrooms.

  • Each unit’s final writing product includes a grade-level and genre-specific rubric that teachers should use to evaluate student performance. Rubrics for these tasks are designed as SCALE rubrics. These rubrics are analytic, developmental, and instructionally aligned. 

    • Analytical: “Each skill or standard is scored individually, making it easy to see where students are meeting expectations and where they need more support.” Developmental: “Each rubric row shows how a skill or standard progresses over time, giving [teachers] and [their] students a roadmap to progress.”

    • Instructionally Aligned: “[Teachers] will use the rubric rows throughout the unit—from quick writes to final products—so assessment becomes an ongoing part of instruction.” 

      • In Grade 8, Unit 2, Section 6: Writing Process, students write a literary analysis to the Driving Task prompt “After reading ‘Marigolds’ by Eugenia W. Collier and analyzing narrative and informational texts on decision making, write a literary analysis in which you examine how pivotal moments in ‘Marigolds’ reveal the causes and consequences of Lizabeth's decisions about her identity. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.” The Carnegie Learning portal provides a rubric that teachers should use to score students' final products. The rubric includes five rubric rows: Analyze Interaction of Story Elements, Introduce a Controlling Idea & Maintain Focus, Supply Evidence, Organize Ideas, and Use Appropriate Language, Style, and Tone. Each rubric row is scored on a scale of 1 to 4, where 1 means emerging, 2 means approaches expectations, 3 means meets expectations, and 4 means exceeds expectations. 

  • At the end of each unit, and under Teacher Planning Tools in the Teacher Resources section of the Carnegie Learning portal, teachers can find the End-of-Unit Learning from Student Work Protocol. The document is a teacher-facing guide that outlines a five-step process for analyzing student writing at the end of a unit in the Lenses on Literature program. Teachers begin by reviewing the unit’s Driving Task Prompt and focus skills or standards to clarify what the assignment asks students to think about and demonstrate. Then, they analyze the unit rubric, examining how expectations progress across scoring levels and identifying rubric language that connects to unit standards. Next, teachers score student work using the rubric, discuss scoring decisions with colleagues, and compare results to ensure consistency. In later steps, teachers analyze patterns in student performance and use these insights to determine instructional next steps. The process concludes with a reflection on the effectiveness of instruction, alignment to standards, and plans for improving teaching and assessment in the next unit. 

    • While the steps for this process are clear, the guidance is generalized and not specific to each rubric. For step 3, score student work using the rubric, the guidance states, “Individually score a student work sample. Discuss with your team how you scored the student work, making sure to explicitly connect the student work to the specific criteria outlined in the rubric. If you have time, consider these options:

      • Repeat with additional student work samples and look for patterns.

      • Swap one of your scored student work samples with a colleague. Have them score the paper as well. Then, compare your scores to see your similarities and differences.”