4th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

The texts in both Literature and Science and Social Studies are of publishable quality, many are written by well-known authors, and many are also part of well-known series. The texts are culturally diverse and contain strong academic vocabulary. The texts contain engaging pictures, and the content is written in a manner that is engaging for students.

Examples in Literature include:

• In Unit 1, students read Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor; it is a Newberry Award recipient and a heartwarming tale.
• In Unit 2, students read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, which is an engaging and thought-provoking story with vibrant illustrations and rich, figurative language.
• In Unit 3, students read The Wild Book by Margarita Engle and, despite the Lexile being in the 5-6 grade band, the text structure is simple and the theme is clear, making is appropriate and worthy of reading in Grade 4.
• In Unit 4, students read Greek Myths by Geraldine McCaughrean and Greek Myth Plays by Carol Pugliano-Martin. These are well-known, but adapted, Greek Myths and are worthy of reading.
• In Unit 5, students read Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos, which is a National Book Award Finalist, making it an appropriate text for students in Grade 4.
• In Unit 6, students read the Newberry Award winning text, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. The historical context and rich language make this novel worthy of careful reading.

Examples in Science and Social Studies include:

• In Unit 1, numerous texts are included in the unit including Earthquakes by Seymour Simon, which includes strong academic content and vocabulary.
• In Unit 2, students read Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began by Lucille Recht Penner, which contains strong academic content and vocabulary, and it is engaging for students as it contains vibrant illustrations.
• In Unit 3, students read Kids’ Guide to Government: National Government and Kids Guide to Government: State Government by Ernestine Giesecke, which have strong academic content and vocabulary, are engaging, and are age appropriate.
• In Unit 4, students read Forms of Energy by Anna Claybourne, which is of publishable quality due to its content and strong vocabulary.
• In Unit 5, students read the award winning book Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson, which contains vibrant illustrations, engaging and relevant content, and strong vocabulary.
• In Unit 6, students read A True Book: The Circulatory System and A True Book: The Respiratory System by Christine Taylor Butler, which contains strong vocabulary, along with captivating facts and details.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level. Texts include a mix of informational and literary texts. There is a wide array of informational and literary text integrated throughout every unit. Additional supplementary texts are included, resulting in a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by the standards, including articles, historical fiction, mythology, folktales, poetry, audio interviews, and songs. The majority of the literary texts are found in the Literature curriculum, and the majority of the informational texts are found in the Science and Social Studies curriculum.

The following are representative examples of literary texts found within the instructional materials:

• Literature, Unit 1: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Literature, Unit 2: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
• Literature, Unit 3: Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
• Literature, Unit 4: Greek Myths by Geraldine McCaughrean
• Literature, Unit 5: Joey Pigza Swallowed by Key by Jack Gantos
• Literature, Unit 6: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

The following are representative examples of informational texts found within the instructional materials:

• Science and Social Studies, Unit 1: How Mountains Are Made by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 2: Let it Begin Here: Lexington and Concord by Dennis Brindell Fradin
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 3: Kids’ Guide to Government, National Government by Ernestine Giesecke
• Literature, Unit 3: “The Facts about Dyslexia”
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 4: Forms of Energy by Anna Claybourne
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 5: If You Lived when there was Slavery in America by Anne Kamma
• Literature, Unit 5: “About ADHD”
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 6: A Tree Book, The Circulatory System by Christine Taylor Butler
• Literature, Unit 6: Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task. The majority of the texts in Grade 4 are the appropriate quantitative measure for Grade 4 students. Texts that fall outside of the 4-5 Lexile band have qualitative features and/or tasks that bring it to the appropriate level for students to access the text.

Some representative examples of texts that fall within the appropriate level of complexity (using quantitative and qualitative measures) include the following:

• In Literature, Unit 2, students read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, which has a Lexile of 810. The qualitative measures, particularly the text structure and vocabulary, make the text moderately complex and appropriate for placement in Grade 4.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, students read Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began by Lucille Recht Penner which has a Lexile of 780. The qualitative measures, particularly the illustrations, graphics, page layout, and knowledge demands, support the placement of the text in this unit.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, students read Kids’ Guide to Government: National Government and Kids’ Guide to Government: State Government have Lexiles of 970 and 940, respectively, which fall within the stretch grade level band for Grade 4. However, the writing includes simplistic and easy to follow text structure and text features, which will enable students in Grade 4 to access these texts.
• In Literature, Unit 4, students read Greek Myths by Geraldine McCaughrean, which has a Lexile of 670. The myths follow a conventional plot sequence and use literal, straightforward language.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, students read Forms of Energy by Anna Claybourne which has a Lexile of 900. The quantitative analysis, specifically the complex knowledge demands and text structure, support the placement of the core text in this unit.
• In Literature, Unit 6, students read Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, which has a Lexile of 950. The qualitative measures match the task demands of the unit, especially given the placement as the final text for the course. The vocabulary and content knowledge of the text, particularly the setting and specific details about life during the Great Depression and the figurative language used to describe events, makes the knowledge demands of the text moderately complex. There are specific lessons focusing on building background knowledge and unpacking figurative language, making the text more accessible.

One text falls below the appropriate quantitative measure band but has an appropriate qualitative measure and reader and task:

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, students read How Mountains are Made by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, which has a Lexile of 620. The text is used to build background knowledge for students. Because the text is simple in structure and presentation, it allows students to become familiar with more complex subject matter.

Some representative examples of texts that are above the quantitative measure but do have appropriate qualitative measures and reader and task include:

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, students read Earthquakes by Seymour Simon which has a Lexile of 1010. The author introduces readers to earthquakes through engaging descriptions and stunning full-color photographs, making the new content accessible.
• In Literature, Unit 3, students read The Wild Book by Margarita Engle, which has a Lexile of 1050. The qualitative measures, particularly the levels of meaning and text structure, support the placement of the text in this course. The themes of the text are clearly developed over the course of the text, simplifying the levels of meaning. The themes and plot are developed in chronological and a linear manner, making the storyline easier to track and comprehend. The simple levels of meaning and text structure make this text accessible in Grade 4.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, students read Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney, which has a Lexile of 1000. It is written as narrative nonfiction and requires the students to understand the genre features of a biography. The texts require varying levels of knowledge demands, but the lessons support students’ in building their background knowledge.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, students read Heart and Soul: The Story of American and African Americans by Kadir Nelson, which has a Lexile of 1050. The text structure and sentence structure help to make the text more accessible, despite the complex knowledge demands. The texts describes a period of history, but does not go in depth, making it more accessible to students.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)

Texts are at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band. Skills build upon one another within units and across the year. Texts require deeper analysis throughout the year, and themes become more complex in the texts. Questions increase within the depth of knowledge: requiring inferences, analysis, and synthesis throughout the year. Examples include:

• In Literature, Unit 1, students look for text-based evidence when they read. Unlike in 3rd grade where they start by citing evidence, here they are asked right away to gather, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate. They make predictions about the texts and consider important themes by finding evidence. For example, in Lesson 20, students analyze why the author decided to write Shiloh in both first person and present tense and how it affects what the narrator knows and what the reader knows.
• In Literature, Unit 3, students read The Wild Book by Margarita Engle, which has a Lexile above grade level at 1050. The rationale for the text states that the “text does have complex knowledge demands and genre demands; however, the simple levels of meaning and text structure make the text accessible to readers at this level.” Additional support texts in this set are at various Lexiles from 500 to 700. This specific unit builds on previous units in which students have learned about the features of poetry; however, in this unit, “students begin to see poetry as not just stand-alone poems, but as an art form where a poet can express himself or herself freely.” This unit requires students to discuss and write about poetry and to analyze how the author develops theme within individual poems and across a longer work. For example, in Lesson 11 students analyze the figurative language that the author uses to enrich the text.
• In Literature, Unit 6, students read Bud, Not Buddy, which is supported by Children of the Great Depression, a nonfiction text by Russell Freedman. The majority of this unit focuses on spiraling strategies, and students summarize key events, analyze characters and setting, and figure out the meaning of unknown words. The culminating task requires the students to analyze the themes of the book and how the author develops the themes over the course of the novel.

In addition, informational writing focus correction areas are identified in the Science and Social Studies and Literature unit overviews and show a clear progression and an increase in demand for student performance. For example:

• In Unit 1, students make correct claims that connect to the topic and refer to one text-based detail from the text.
• In Unit 2, students use strong paragraph structure.
• In Unit 3, students select the most relevant text-based details, refer to more than one text-based detail, and write 2-3 sentences about each text-based reason. They also write introductions and conclusions.
• In Unit 4, students elaborate on text-based details, make sure all paragraphs are relevant to the claim, and order the paragraphs in a logical structure.
• In Units 5 and 6, all focus correction areas have been taught. Individual and small group instruction is provided to students who have not mastered specific skills.

Writing projects from the units, specifically in Science and Social Studies, also show an increase in demands of students throughout the year. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, students write an essay that describes why volcanoes are dangerous, what causes them to erupt, and what devastation follows.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, students analyze the role of black heroes in the American Revolution and why they were important by reading, synthesizing, and explaining concepts.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, students provide multiple details from the entire unit to support the claim, which requires students to use information from all the texts.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, students describe what the world’s energy future will look like if renewable sources of energy are not found. Students use information from multiple texts, synthesize information, and draw conclusions based on textual evidence.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, students explain how courageous individuals create and drive change and how the actions of others inspire us to make and fight for change by stating a claim and supporting it with details from multiple texts.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 6, students defend if the respiratory system is the same in all animals, which requires students to gather information, compare information from texts, make a claim, and support the claim.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

The program materials in each unit in Literature and Science and Social Studies contain a text complexity analysis that includes quantitative measure, qualitative measure, and a rationale for including the text. The text complexity analysis is accessible from the Unit Overview.

Literature contains a text complexity rationale for each unit and explains why the text is appropriate for Grade 4 and the placement within the program, such as:

• In Unit 1, students read Shiloh, which has a Lexile of 890. The qualitative analysis states that the simple levels of meaning and simple text structure support the placement of the text within this unit.
• In Unit 2, the core text, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, has a Lexile of 810. The qualitative measures, particularly the text structure and vocabulary, make the text moderately complex, yet appropriate according to the program.
• In Unit 3, the text, The Wild Book, which has a Lexile in the 5th to 6th grade band of 1050, has themes that are relatively obvious and are clear over the course of the text, making the levels of meaning not very complex according to the program.
• In Unit 4, the texts throughout this unit are appropriate. For example, the core text, Greek Myths with a Lexile of 670, follows a conventional plot sequence and uses literal, straightforward language.
• In Unit 5, the core text, Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key, has a Lexile of 940. The program states that the text is told through the eyes of Joey, so there are multiple, subtle layers of meaning that require a deep analysis of the text and an understanding of ADHD. However, the simple text structure and content knowledge, paired with the complex meaning and language makes the text appropriate.
• In Unit 6, the core text, Bud, Not Buddy, has a Lexile of 950, but with qualitative measures match the reader and task and make it appropriate for Grade 4.

Science and Social Studies units contain a text complexity rationale. Examples include:

• In Unit 1, there are multiple texts, such as How Mountaineers are Made, which has a Lexile of 620 and Earthquakes, which has a lexile of 1010. The program states that the texts in this unit were chosen because of the wide variety of text features, content, and accessibility.
• In Unit 2, the core text, Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began, has a Lexile of 780. The program states that the qualitative measures, particularly the illustrations, graphics, and page layout, and the knowledge demands, support the placement of the text in this unit.
• In Unit 3, Lexile scores and rationale for the texts are not provided.
• In Unit 4, the texts have a Lexile range of 770 to 940. The qualitative measures, particularly the text structure and subject matter, support the placement of the text within this unit according to the program.
• In Unit 5, the text, The Story of America and African Americans, Heart and Soul: The Story of American and African Americans, has a Lexile of 1050 but no rationale is given.
• In Unit 6, the core text is unleveled, but the qualitative analysis, specifically the text structure and knowledge demands, suggest that the text is appropriate in the 3rd to 4th grade level. The core text, according to the program, is written as expository nonfiction and uses a variety of organizing structures to describe the differing world religions and how they were created.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text).

Materials contain questions and tasks that require students to engage with the text directly and to draw on textual evidence to support answers. Each unit includes questions or activities in the Target Task and Key Questions section that require students to interact with the text. Questions asked include those which require both explicit answers and inferences from the text. The unit summaries that are provided include focus on the progression of learning to use evidence to answer questions and write in response to the text. Every lesson has text-based questions for the teacher to engage with the students in discussion. The questions are specific to analyze the unit text. There are also writing tasks that are embedded throughout each unit with Target Tasks that include writing prompts in response to the text.

In the Grade 4 Literature examples of questions and tasks that require the students to use evidence from the text are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 8, after reading Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, students are asked to read the sentence and answer from page 53: “'Judd is sure studying me hard. So is dad.' Why are they both studying him hard? Read the sentence from page 44. 'Law never told me before what I could do with my dogs, won’t be tellin’ me now.' What does this sentence show/confirm about Judd?"
• In Unit 2, Lesson 16, after students read The Mountain meets the Moon by Grace Lin, students are asked: "What description does the author include to help a reader visualize the lions? How do the lions respond to the Dragon? What information does Dragon learn from them? Summarize what happened in the short story, 'A String of Destiny.' How are the events of this story connected to the rest of the chapter."
• In Unit 3, Lesson 9, after reading The Wild Book by Margarita Engle, students are asked to answer: "Daily Music: What is the significance of the title? How does the narrator feel? Dance-Smart: What is the significance of the tite? How do the narrator's feelings about dancing at the end of the poem compare with her feelings about reading aloud? Why? Still Struggling: What is the significance of the title? Read the last seven lines of this poem. What do they show about the narrator?"
• In Unit 5, Lesson 4, after students read Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos, students are asked to "Read the quotation from page 18, 'I know I'm not perfect,but I didn't think it was fair that they told me one thing and wrote down another.' Why do Joey and the adults have different points of view? Close read paragraph 2 on page 19. What description does the include to show how Joey feels during the day? Why does the author include this description? Why does Joey not understand Mrs. Maxy's rules? Is he not following them on purpose?"
• In Unit 6, Lesson 20, after students read Bud, not Buddy by Paul Curtis students are asked: "Compare Bud's experience with the Sleet family with Bud's time in Hooverville. Explain why Christopher Paul Curtis would include both scenes? What do both scenes teach us about the Great Depression?"

Similarly, students are asked to use the text to answer questions and complete tasks in the Grade 4 Science and Social Studies. Examples include:

• In Unit 2, Lesson 17, after reading If you Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore, the student is asked: "Summarize how Loyalist families were treated after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Was this treatment just? Summarize how you could tell that Someone was a Patriot. How did Patriot families support the war? How did Loyalist families support the war? what roles did women and children play in the Revolutionary War?"
• In Unit 4, Lesson 3, after reading Forms of Energy by Anna Claybourne, students are asked "Are heat and temperature the same thing? Explain."
• In Unit 6, Lesson 22, after reading Parasites, students are asked "What is the section 'They came for Blood' mostly about? What evidence does the author include to support the main idea?"

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for having sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

The units have sets of high quality sequences of text-dependent questions that build to a culminating task. In many of the Literature units, students write as a part of the culminating project and some tasks include writing, or rewriting, scenes or parts of the literature from that unit. In Science and Social Studies, projects involve more in-depth research of topics that they learned throughout the units. There is a unit assessment included after each unit.

Examples of culminating tasks throughout Literature and Science and Social Studies include:

• In Literature, Unit 1, students write the next chapter of Shiloh based on what they know about the characters. Questions throughout the unit support this culminating tasks such as in Lesson 7, students have to describe Marty by using specific details to describe a character, the setting, or an event in detail.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, students research a hero of the American Revolution and create an informational children’s book that describes his or her influence during the war. Another option for the culminating task is to write an informational children’s book about the war and the events that led up to the Revolution.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, students are told they are hired by the president to advise on proposed reforms to school lunch. Students share strengths and areas of improvement and recommendations for change. Students also include ways to convince other stakeholders and members of Congress. Students complete this task to show they understand how government works, and they focus on the different branches of government throughout the unit.
• In Literature, Unit 4, students create an additional version of Hercules using the genre structures and points of views learned in the unit.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, students are given several choices for a research project including researching one of the key figures in the fight to free slaves. Students research, write, and present on their topic.
• In Literature, Unit 6, students compare and contrast the development of theme in Bud, Not Buddy with other novels from the course. This task occurs on Lesson 34, the theme is discussed throughout the unit, such as in Lesson 4, where students use evidence from Chapters 3 and 4 to explain how the theme is shown through the characters’ actions and thoughts.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

Throughout the curriculum there are opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions. Each unit and lesson includes evidence-based Key Questions and Target Tasks that require teachers to use one of the evidence-based discussions. These questions and the opportunity to choose the protocol provides opportunities for students to take a closer look at the author’s craft, vocabulary, and syntax. There are Match Minis that are videos for teachers that demonstrate how to implement these protocols. It is important to note that because there are lesson frames, and not step-by-step scripts for each lessons, the teachers have to use their own discretion for when to introduce and use the various protocols.

In the Publisher’s Support Documents for teachers, there is an explanation of the strategies and structures in a step-by-step fashion. Some lessons refer explicitly to these strategies and structures as an option, and other times, teachers can utilize them when they see fit. Some of the instructional strategies discussed include:

• Turn and Talk: Low-risk oral language strategy that provides scaffolded opportunities for all students to formulate and build upon each other’s ideas.
• Stop and Jot: Gives students a chance to process individually and make sense of information before participating in a turn and talk, class discussion, or moving on with a lesson. (A sample lesson plan for teaching stop and jot is provided.)
• Discussion: Rigorous discussion explicitly fosters habits that increase student thinking by challenging them to test out their own ideas, build on those of their peers, and ultimately lead a persuasive discussion. The length and format of a rigorous discussion can and should vary.

There is a detailed document that provides steps and guidelines for preparing, leading, and following up a discussion. To prepare for a discussion teachers determine the content goal, anticipate student misconceptions, and articulate a question or problem. To lead a discussion, teachers should start by explicitly naming the habits of the discussion skill that will be practiced, pause discussion and provide think time when needed, and track data from the discussion. After a discussion, teachers should use data to inform future classes. A rubric is included to evaluate the student discussions. Various text consumption strategies are provided, such as read aloud, shared reading, partner reading, and small group reading.

Match Mini Protocols that illustrate various protocols include:

• Part 1: In-class discussion
• Part 2: Protocols for classroom discussions which assists the teacher with evidence-based discussing using the text-based questions and vocabulary.

Examples from the lesson frameworks include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature, Unit 2, Lesson 29, teachers are provided with a discussion preparedness protocol after reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. Students are taught how to show active listening by tracking the speaking, using nonverbal signals, and building on what other scholars have shared. Students have their papers to help them make points as well as take notes, and the teacher is the moderator.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, Lesson 6, the Criteria for Success states that “scholars debate essential questions. Scholars should answer the question and respond to one another-building on, agreeing and/or disagreeing.”
• In Literature, Unit 4, Lesson 16, students discuss why the author included the chorus after reading “Echo and Narcissus.”
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, Lesson 4, teachers pick an activity that reinforces the ideas and concepts from the previous day and challenges the students to use targeted vocabulary to explain what is happening.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, students hear a text as a read aloud as opposed to small group or individual reading, with close reading utilized to help the students understand the context.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

Materials support speaking and listening about the text through group learning activities and class discussions. There are examples of opportunities for speaking and listening in the lesson frames and teaching notes, where the word "discussion" is explicitly used to indicate to the teacher that a discussion should be taking place in class. There are notes in the individual lessons, explanations in the unit summaries, and an explanation in the year-long progression from discussion and debate to discussion and writing. Lessons that provide a sample lesson plan give teachers the most support in providing students with the lesson structure and pacing of a discussion within the text. There are also Key Questions that teachers can choose to use for discussions. Several of the Target Tasks are labeled Discussion and Writing. Questions and tasks require students to return to the text to participate in speaking and listening activities. In addition, Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, deals with a very complex text that is meant to be done as a read aloud for text consumption, which requires students to use their listening skills. The Intellectual Prep for each unit specifies that discussions will be included throughout the lessons.

In the Intellectual Prep section of the Unit Prep, teachers are instructed to first determine a discussion focus for the unit based on priority speaking and listening standards. Then, teachers plan how to introduce the discussion. Teachers reinforce the habit over the course of the unit.

In Literature, there are many opportunities for students to practice their speaking and listening skills about what they are reading and researching. Examples include:

• In Unit 2, Lesson 4, after reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, students engage in a discussion on how Grace Lin uses a technique of switching perspectives. They review specific quotes and answer questions, such as:
• What do the underlined phrases mean?
• Why would the author include them? How do they help a reader better understand Mini?
• How would the sentence be different if the author didn’t include them?
• In Unit 4, Lesson 6, students discuss as a group how the point of view influences how events are described from the different readings of the Greek Myths.
• In Unit 6, Lesson 20, students engage in a debate where they compare and contrast Bud’s time with the Sleet family and in Hooserville in the text, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Students have the option to debate the statement that Bud could have felt at home anywhere people were nice to him.

In Science and Social Studies there are many opportunities for students to practice their speaking and listening skills about what they are reading and researching. Examples include:

• In Unit 1, the summary states that students will be frequently challenged to debate questions from the text, and therefore, strong habits of discussion are introduced over the course of the unit, such as in Lesson 8 where the Target Task asks students to agree or disagree with a statement about different mountain types, which is used to introduce debate-focused target tasks. In this lesson, students take a stand and use evidence to support their answer. Students are exposed to the expectations of debates. To prepare for the debate, students use the cause and effect brainstorm structure for each mountain type.
• In Unit 3, Lesson 1, students got the main idea of each paragraph and then as a class, they discuss the main idea of each section. Teachers need to make sure students pull supporting details from the paragraphs and the illustrations. They do the section titled “What is Government” together, and then “The Constitution” independently.
• In Unit 5, Lesson 6, the test is read aloud and students prepare to discuss the information that they learned. Students synthesize the information to describe slavery and articulate how slaves were treated differently than other Americans.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g. multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

In the materials, the majority of lessons include on-demand writing, such as a Target Task that requires students to respond in writing to the text covered in the lesson. These tasks vary in type and require students to respond to print and video materials. The writing prompts in Science and Social Studies help students process the concepts that they have learned in the informational text. The Publisher’s Documents have guides for informational writing, narrative writing, and literary analysis. Guides provide writing protocols for teachers to use in instruction, along with explanations on implementing the structure within the lesson frames. Guides provide guidance on supporting students throughout the writing process while allowing for maximum response to student needs in individual classrooms. The Unit Overviews identify skills that should be focused on writing, and the Publisher’s Documents help teachers to plan for addressing these skills in the lessons. The information for routines, procedures, and expectations is included in the Writing Focus Areas under Unit Prep, though not specified in each lesson.

Guidance for writing can be found in the Publisher’s Documents for each type of writing. Examples of guidance include the following:

• Guide to Informational Writing establishes the rationale for informational writing, which is that informational writing anchors lessons that are in Science and Social Studies. The informational writing is completed in response to a text, or a series of texts, in order to build and deepen students’ understanding of content. This guide includes protocols for process writing. The teacher uses the protocols within this document to provide practice in process writing throughout the year. Each step in the process is defined and explained in the document to provide support for the teacher.
• Guide to Narrative Writing explains that the anchor lessons will not be mastered in one lesson, and teachers will assess student writing and adjust lessons based on what they observe. The lessons should be customized based on the needs of the students, and teachers provide individualized feedback to students during the lessons.
• Guide to Literary Analysis includes common misconceptions and mistakes in literary analysis, such as excessive reliance on emotional understandings or mistaken beliefs.
• Implementing Daily writing practices is included in the Publisher’s Documents. This guide states that the lessons can be either one day or multiple day lessons depending on the teaching point.

On-demand writing is found in most Literature and Science and Social Studies lessons. In Literature, on-demand writing activities include retellings and evidence-based responses about characters, setting, and plot. In Science and Social studies, the writing assignments help students process what they have learned regarding the concepts in the informational text by sequencing, making connections, and summarizing. For example:

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, Lesson 15, students write an essay that describes how earthquakes happen, why they are dangerous, and potential solutions for minimizing them, within one class period.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, Lesson 23, students take one day to write an informational children's book about a hero of the American Revolution.
• In Literature, Unit 3, Lesson 6, students write an essay that explains how the theme of the poem is shown throughout the speaker. This essay is completed in one day.
• In Literature, Unit 5, Lesson 15, students choose one of two different on-demand writing prompts, such as choosing an event from the story and writing it from a different perspective.

Students have opportunities to engage in the writing process in several units. Teachers use the Publisher’s Documents as a guide to help plan the lessons. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature, Unit 2, Lesson 35, students write a narrative story that contains a few similar events or characters from Where the Mountains Meet the Moon. On Day 1, students brainstorm, on Days 2 and 3, students draft, and on Days 4 and 5, students revise, edit, and publish.
• In Literature, Unit 4, Lesson 25, students begin a 4-day writing task to create an additional version of Hercules using the genre structures and points of views taught in the lesson. Students brainstorm, draft, edit/revise, and share.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, Lesson 19 and 20, students describe what the world’s energy future will look like if renewable sources of energy are not found. On the following day, students create a presentation that states a claim and provide evidence to support the increase and decrease of energy sources utilized by their communities.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 6, Lesson 26, students spend 4 days researching and participating in end of unit projects on constructing an argument that animals and plants have internal and external structures that support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

In the materials, there is equal distribution of text types for writing instruction and prompts according to the standards. Students engage with narrative, informational, and opinion writing prompts, including literary analysis.

Some examples of narrative writing lessons and prompts include:

• In Literature, Unit 1, Lesson 26, students write the next chapter of Shiloh using what they know about Marty and Shiloh.
• In Literature, Unit 2, Lesson 8, students write a first-person narrative journal entry and retell a version of an event from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
• In Literature, Unit 4, Lesson 7, students rewrite the myth Pandora from another character's point of view.
• In Literature, Unit 5, Lesson 7, students pick a small moment from their own life and rewrite it in a way that “explodes” the moment. Students use Jack Gantos as a mentor author. Criteria for success includes that the moment should be small but should have a huge amount of detail.
• In Literature, Unit 6, Lesson 28, students rewrite a scene from Bud, Not Buddy told from the perspective of Mr. Calloway. Students must include dialogue from the text in their narrative.

Informational writing is throughout the curriculum materials and includes literary analysis. Examples in both Literature and Science and Social Studies are:

• In Literature, Unit 1, Lesson 18, students have to describe the interaction between Judd Travers and Marty’s family in Shiloh.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students write to describe minerals, rocks, and soil.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, Lesson 15, the writing prompt includes many questions about the American Revolution including what significant ideas and values are at the heart of the American Revolution. Students first discuss the questions before writing.
• In Literature Unit 3, Lesson 13, students write an essay that explains how the theme of the poem is shown through the speaker in the text, The Wild Book.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, Lesson 8, students describe the similarities and differences between the Senate and House of Representatives. They need to explain how the author uses evidence and reasons to show the difference between the two.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, Lesson 13, students summarize how fossil fuels work. They explain the pros and cons surrounding the use of fossil fuels as well.
• In Literature, Unit 5, Lesson 5, students have to pick a character from Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key and analyze how Joey’s relationship with the character influences the way he feels about himself.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, Lesson 22, students explain the ways in which women participated in the fight for equality and the challenges they faced.

Opinion writing is found in both Literature and Science and Social Studies and includes:

• In Literature, Unit 1, Lesson 9, students explain why they think the author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor of Shiloh uses both first-person and present tense in the text. They write how it affects what the narrator knows and what the reader knows.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, Lesson 7, students write who they think will most likely win the American Revolutionary War and explain why.
• In Literature, Unit 3, Lesson 16, students first compare and contrast the ways in which the different authors develop the topic of learning disabilities and then explains how having a learning disability may impact the way people sees themselves and the way others see them.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, Lesson 19, students explain what the world’s energy future will look like if renewable sources of energy are not found.
• In Literature, Unit 5, Lesson 9, students explain how a chapter in Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key might have been different if it was told from Mrs. Maxy’s point of view.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, Lesson 10, students explain how courageous individuals create and drive change and how the actions of others inspire people to make and fight for change in lives. Students use Harriet Tubman to help answer these questions.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 6, Lesson 6, students have to agree or disagree with the statement, "Cells are an important internal structure in both plants and animals that support survival, growth, and behavior."

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 4 meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

Material includes frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing. Some assignments require students to close-read a particular piece of text and use detailed evidence to support their responses to writing prompts. While other writing assignments require students to compare two pieces of text and draw evidence from both to support claims. The Literary Analysis Rubric used to grade all of the writing supports the use of evidence-based writing. Explicit references to the text in the student’s writing yields more points on the rubric.

Examples of evidence-based writing in Literature include:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 13, the writing prompt is for students to describe Marty from Shiloh. Included in the notes section of the lesson frame are specific instruction for how to guide students in the use of text evidence. For example, it suggests that the teacher reviews with students that character descriptions should always be based on evidence.
• In Unit 3, Lesson 6, students write an essay that explains how the theme of the poem in The Wild Book is shown through the speaker. They have to include specific details from multiple poems to support their essay.
• In Unit 4, Lesson 4, the target task writing prompt is “What connections can be made between the original story, the story told in first-person point of view, the poem, and the video? What parts of the text are emphasized in each version? Why?”. Students answer this question using the “Myth of Pandora’s Box.”
• In Unit 6, Lesson 6, the students write an essay that describes how Christopher Paul Curtis uses figurative language in Bud, Not Buddy, and how the figurative language affect a reader’s understanding of different characters.

Examples of evidence-based writing in Science and Social Studies include:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 9, students pick one type of mountain and describe how it is formed. They need to include important details, vocabulary, and visuals to support their answer. This is the second writing day of the unit. The purpose of the lesson is to teach students how to turn a cause and effect brainstorm into a well-structured paragraph.
• In Unit 3, Lesson 4, students write an essay that describes why the government has different branches and the reasons for each. They have to use examples from two articles that they read.
• In Unit 4, Lesson 9, the target task writing prompt is “The author starts by saying that ‘electricity is the most useful of all forms of energy.’ How does electricity work and why is it the most useful form?”
• In Unit 6, Lesson 7, students have to agree or disagree with the statement, “It would be easy to survive and grow without a nervous system because our body has lots of other systems” and defend why.