About This Report
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Report Overview
Summary of Alignment & Usability: MyPerspectives | ELA
ELA 6-8
MyPerspectives English Language Arts grades 6, 7, and 8 fully meet the expectations of alignment to EdReports.org's Gateways 1, 2, and 3 criteria. Texts with which students engage are appropriately rigorous and rich and are accompanied by cohesive writing and speaking questions and tasks. The materials provide practice and production opportunities for students to grow their literacy skills in multiple areas as they build knowledge as well. There are multiple opportunities for students to synthesize information by working with varied tasks and in growing research and critical thinking abilities. Materials are organized to support comprehensive vocabulary development, writing instruction in multiple modes, and independent reading of complex texts over the course of the year. The materials also include support for educators to implement, plan, and differentiate the standards-based materials, leveraging digital resources when appropriate.
6th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
7th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
8th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
ELA High School
MyPerspectives grades 9-12 fully meet the expectations of the criteria for all three gateways, including alignment and usability. The materials include texts in each grade that are high quality and build knowledge and are accompanied by tasks and questions so students practice building grade-level speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills. The materials consistently provide Across the series, the materials provide cohesive planning and access to vocabulary development and differentiation supports, including digital access.
9th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
10th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
11th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
12th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
Report for 9th Grade
Alignment Summary
MyPerspectives English Language Arts Grade 9 materials fully meet the expectations of alignment. The materials provide students cohesive support and practice as they grow their skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. The materials include texts that reflect the appropriate demand and rigor required by the standards for the grade band.
9th Grade
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Usability (Gateway 3)
Overview of Gateway 1
Text Quality & Complexity and Alignment to Standards Components
The materials for Grade 9 meet the expectations for Gateway 1. The materials include texts that are high quality and engaging, and provide students opportunities to work with texts at the appropriate level of rigor and complexity. Questions and tasks students work with are consistently linked to texts and provide ongoing practice in grade level reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language.
Criterion 1.1: Text Complexity and Quality
Texts include a wide variety of subjects, themes, text types, and complexity levels appropriate for Grade 9 students. Materials support students' advancing toward independent reading. Texts are worthy of students' time and attention: texts are of high quality and are rigorous, meeting the text complexity criteria for each grade.
NOTE: Indicator 1b is non-scored and provides information about text types and genres in the program.
Indicator 1A
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality, worthy of especially careful reading, and consider a range of student interests.
The materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria as the vast majority of anchor texts are widely read works that have been in the public eye for a length of time. The texts vary from seminal works to enduring classics that are worthy of especially careful reading. Additionally, the scope of texts—considering both theme and format—address a range of student interests. All of the anchor texts have been previously published and represent various cultures and histories. A few of the more modern anchor texts are of reputable publications. The qualities of the text, whether classic or modern, provide opportunity to study the careful and intentional use of language, impact on audience, purpose in the wider world, and development of ideas such that they are both timely and timeless.
Examples of publishable and worthy texts that meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
- “A Quilt of a Country” (essay) by Anna Quindlen
- “The Immigrant Contribution” from A Nation of Immigrants (essay) John F. Kennedy
- “American History” (short story) by Judith Ortiz Cofer
- “The Seventh Man” (short story) by Haruki Murakami
- “The Moral Logic of Survival Guilt” (editorial) by Nancy Sherman
- “The Key to Disaster Survival? Friends and Neighbors” (radio broadcast) by Shankar Vedantam
- “I Have a Dream” (speech) by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (letter) by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Remarks on the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” (video) by President John F. Kennedy
- “By the Waters of Babylon” (short story) by Stephen Vincent Benèt
- “There Will Come Soft Rain” (short story) by Ray Bradbury
Indicator 1B
*Indicator 1b is non-scored (in grades 9-12) and provides information about text types and genres in the program.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by standards at each grade level. Source materials across the units include fiction and nonfiction literature, a broad variety of informational texts, digital resources such as audio recordings, and some visual stimulus. Assignments include writing in all of the modes indicated by the Common Core State Standards and media such as digital as well as traditional writing. Throughout the six units of study, students are exposed to a variety of texts that assist students with answering the unit’s Essential Question. This challenges the traditional use of text in specific grades and allows students to be exposed to a variety of subjects and themes. Genres include memoirs, blog posts, essays, short stories, novel excerpts, news articles, poems, and drama. Also, the publisher lists “Suggested Unit-Aligned Trade Books” which can be used as supplemental material.
Examples of the distribution of text types to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 1
- “A Quilt of a Country” (essay) by Anna Quindlen
- “Rules of the Game” from The Joy Luck Club (novel excerpt) by Amy Tan
- From When I was Puerto Rican (memoir excerpt) by Esmeralda Santiago
- Suggested Unit-Aligned Trade Book: My Antonia, by Willa Cather
Unit 2
- “The Key to Disaster Survival? Friends and Neighbors” (radio broadcast) by Shankar Vendantam
- “The Value of a Sherpa Life” (argument) by Grayson Schaffer
- “The Writer” (poetry) by Richard Wilbur
- Suggested Unit-Aligned Trade Book: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Unit 3
- “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (letter) by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Traveling” from Just as I Thought (memoir) by Grace Paley
- Sheyann Webb from Selma, Lord, Selma (narrative nonfiction) as told to Frank Sikora
- Suggested Unit-Aligned Trade Book: Go Tell It On the Mountain, by James Baldwin
Unit 4
- The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (drama) by William Shakespeare
- “Romeo and Juliet Is a Terrible Play and David Leveaux Can’t Change That” (literary criticism) by Alyssa Rosenberg
- “Annabel Lee” (poem) by Edgar Allan Poe
- Suggested Unit-Aligned Trade Book: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
Unit 5
- From The Odyssey, Part 1 and Part 2 (epic poem) by Homer translated by Robert Fitzgerald
- “The Return” (short story) by Ngugi wa Thiong’o
- “Thirteen Epic Animal Migrations That Prove Just How Cool Mother Nature Is” (photo essay) by Brianna Elliott
- Suggested Unit-Aligned Trade Book: The Catcher In the Rye, by J.D Salinger
Unit 6
- "By the Waters of Babylon" (short story) by Stephen Vincent Benét
- "The Myth of the War of the Worlds Panic" (magazine article) by Jefferson Pooley and
- Michael J. Socolow
- “Fire and Ice” (poem) by Robert Frost
- Suggested Unit-Aligned Trade Book: The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
Indicator 1C
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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.
Many units employ a tiered level of text presentation, ranging from high, middle, and low Lexile measures. Texts are accompanied by a qualitative analysis based on knowledge demands, structure, language, and levels of meaning/purpose. Most texts are selected according to the connection of complexity and instructional purpose and tasks associated with whole or small group learning and independent learning. For example, though it may seem that students read texts at a high Lexile level at the beginning of the year, the complexities of texts generally align to the instructional purpose. More complex texts are used for whole group instruction and less complex texts are for small group or independent learning tasks. Materials offer support for text complexity through sections such as Making Meaning and Vocabulary Acquisition. All texts are accompanied by Performance Tasks that consist of essay writing or speaking and listening tasks aligned to the purpose of the text.
Examples of the appropriate level of text complexity that meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 1: “The Immigrant Contribution”
- In this unit, students read “The Immigrant Contribution,” an essay from “A Nation of Immigrants,” by John F. Kennedy. Based on quantitative analysis, the Lexile level stands as 1320 with 1,702 words which is above the recommended Lexile range for ninth grade. While the text seems quantitatively challenging for a freshman reader, publishers recommend the text based on its qualitative complexity: the text “will help students understand the crucial part that immigrants have played historically in the creation, development, and success of America and understand why this country’s future wealth and vitality depend on continuing immigration.” Also, to aid in comprehension of a slightly, more difficult text, students are required to complete a first read and then a close analysis of the text via the Making Meaning section of the student textbook; the task of reading is completed via whole class.
Unit 3: Poetry Collection
- During Small Group Learning, students read two poems: Margaret Walker’s “For My People” and Natasha Trethewey’s “Incident.” While these two poems do not have quantitative Lexile measures, based on the instructor’s edition, the texts are appropriately complex via “Knowledge Demands.” Materials state: “‘For My People,’ about slavery is fairly accessible without background. ‘Incident’ requires specific knowledge of the Klu Klux Klan. References will be unfamiliar without background.” For instructional support, materials call out that both poems are in free verse and have repetitive patterns that aid students in comprehension.
Unit 5: “The Ugly Duckling”
- Students read the short story by Hans Christian Andersen, “The Ugly Duckling,” during Independent Learning. While the Lexile level of 1020 is within the range of student reading ability on the ninth-grade reading level, the length of the text could make reading independently more difficult. The rationale for text complexity is that the story “is a familiar classic fairy tale about identity and fitting in.” The publisher explains further: “The story is linear and contains long paragraphs and dialogue.” To add meaning, the text supports the Essential Question: “What can we learn from a journey?” “At its lowest point, the bird realizes it is no longer ugly. Its view of itself completely changes.”
Indicator 1D
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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.)
Within the Grade 9 textbook, materials support students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year, and series of texts are at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band. Within all units in the textbook, students are supported in their increasing literacy demands by engaging in reading and writing tasks in whole and small groups as well as independently during which they typically have a choice of texts. Students read, write, and discuss for a purpose, which is generally supported by the unit Essential Question, selected texts, Performance Tasks, and Performance-based Assessments. Within each unit, texts vary across a wide range of text complexities, based on quantitative and qualitative measures. To increase students’ literacy skills, the earlier texts tend to be at a higher complexity measure; but these are utilized in whole group instruction with less complex tasks. By the end of the year, more texts fall at the lower end of the recommended Lexile range; however, students engage in these texts in Small Group and Independent Learning with the expectation that they carry more individual responsibility for reading and writing tasks.
Examples that materials support students’ increasing literacy skills across the year to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to the following examples:
Unit 1 “The Immigrant Contribution”
- Lexile: 1320
- Length: 1,702
- Qualitative Analysis:
- Knowledge Demands: 3/5
- Structure: 4/5
- Language Conventionality and Clarity: 4/5
- Levels of Meaning and Purpose: 3/5
- Performance Task: "Think about how the authors of “A Quilt of a Country” and “American History” explore American identity. Consider how the idea of American identity has changed over time. Then, use your own experience, or that of someone you know or have studied, to write a brief narrative that explores this question: How does your generation define what it means to be an American today?"
Unit 1 from "When I was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
- Lexile: 900
- Word count: 3,771
- Qualitative Analysis:
- Knowledge Demands: 3/5
- Structure: 3/5
- Language Conventionality and Clarity: 3/5
- Levels of Meaning and Purpose: 3/5
- Text Questions:
- Distinguish: From whom did Esmeralda receive help along the way from high school to Harvard?
- Assess: Why do you think they helped her?
- Interpret: What does Esmeralda mean when she says, "Same jibaro, different horse,” after her audition?
- Contrast: Describe at least one way in which Esmeralda has changed by the end of the story.
Unit 6 “There will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury
- Lexile: 920
- Word count: 2,102
- Qualitative Analysis
- Knowledge Demands: 2/5
- Structure: 2/5
- Language Conventionality and Clarity: 2/5
- Levels of Meaning and Purpose: 3/5
- Performance Task: "Use your knowledge of 'By the Waters of Babylon' and 'There will Come Soft Rains' as inspiration to write a narrative that answers this question: After the end of the world, how do we begin again?"
- While this text's quantitative level is lower than some texts preceding it, the associated tasks and questions make this text appropriate for building skills comparatively to the tasks assigned earlier in the year.
Indicator 1E
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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.
In the teacher edition, a planning section is provided for the anchor texts and series of connected texts. The planning sections include a summary of the text, insight into why the text was chosen, connection to Essential Question, connection to Performance Tasks, an outline of lesson resources, and a text complexity rubric. The text complexity rubric includes quantitative measures and qualitative measures. Quantitative measures include Lexile score and word count. Qualitative measures are scored and discussed by category: knowledge demands, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and levels of meaning/purpose.
The following is an example of a text complexity analysis and rationale like those that accompany all the texts in the materials:
Unit 1: PLANNING: ‘A Quilt of a Country’ by Anna Quindlen
- Insight: Reading ‘A Quilt of a Country’ will help students begin to reflect on the complicated nature of a nation made up of people from so many other nations, some of whom have fought wars over their cultural and religious differences. The author delivers criticism and praise in almost equal measure as she analyzes the paradox of America as a great nation.
- Instructional Standards: RI.10, RI.5, RI.6, RI.4, L.4.b
- Quantitative Measures:
- Lexile: 1310
- Text Length: 1,082 words
- Qualitative Measures:
- Knowledge Demands (4 out of 5): Numerous historical and literary references may be unfamiliar (names of historians, writers, theorists); many challenging abstract concepts; historical context necessary for selection written just after Sept 1, 2001.
- Structure (4 out of 5): Complex structure and organization with multiple pathways that are not sequential or predictable; shifts between statements of political opinion and historical examples.
- Language Conventionality and Clarity (4 out of 5): Long and complex sentences with multiple clauses and challenging vocabulary; abstract descriptions and metaphorical language.
- Levels of Meaning/Purpose (4 out of 5): Multiple levels of meaning not always explicit; subtle concepts; abstract and theoretical elements.
Indicator 1F
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade-level reading proficiency.
The materials for Grade 9 include anchor and supporting texts that provide students with multiple opportunities to engage with a wide range and volume of readings in achieving grade-level reading proficiency. The six units of study are thematically designed with multiple texts that assist students with answering the unit’s essential question. Across the year, students are exposed to texts in a variety of print and digital media. Each unit begins with anchor texts as the focus of whole-class learning, followed by selected texts for small-group learning, and independent learning choices of text. Volume of reading is achieved through the variety of texts genres and lengths presented and the pace at which students are expected to complete each unit. The cumulative total of texts assigned varies by unit but offers a voluminous amount of reading.
Examples of the range and volume of reading that meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 1: American Voices
Anchor texts:
- “A Quilt of a Country” (essay) by Anna Quindlen
- “The Immigrant Contribution” from A Nation of Immigrants (essay) John F. Kennedy
- “American History” (short story) by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Supporting Texts:
- “Rules of the Game” from The Joy Luck Club (novel excerpt) by Amy Tan
- “The Writing on the Wall” (blog post) by Camille Dungy
Unit 2: Survival
Anchor texts:
- “The Seventh Man” (short story) by Haruki Murakami
- “The Moral Logic of Survival Guilt” (editorial) by Nancy Sherman
- “The Key to Disaster Survival? Friends and Neighbors” (radio broadcast) by Shankar Vedantam
Supporting Texts:
- “The Voyage of James Caird” from The Endurance (narrative nonfiction) by Caroline Alexander
- Excerpt from The Life of Pi (novel) by Yan Martel
- “The Value of a Sherpa Life” (argument) by Grayson Schaffer
Unit 3: The Literature of Civil Rights
Anchor texts:
- “I Have a Dream” (speech) by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (letter) by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Remarks on the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” (video) by President John F. Kennedy
Supporting Texts:
- “For My People” (poetry) by Margaret Walker
- “Incident” (poetry) by Natasha Trethewey
- “Traveling” (memoir) by Grace Paley
Unit 6: World’s End
Anchor texts:
- “By the Waters of Babylon” (short story) by Stephen Vincent Benèt
- “There Will Come Soft Rain” (short story) by Ray Bradbury
Supporting Texts:
- “The Nuclear Tourist” (magazine article) by George Johnson
- “the beginning of the end of the world” (poetry) by Lucille Clifton
- “The Myth of the War of the Worlds Panic” (magazine article) by Jefferson Pooley and Michael Socolow
Criterion 1.2: Alignment to the Standards with Tasks and Questions Grounded in Evidence
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage with complex texts to build content knowledge, strong writing skills, and to engage in meaningful dialogue that supports the acquisition and mastery of academic vocabulary. The text-based questions and tasks set forth in the materials support students as they engage in a wide variety of writing experiences, including targeted instruction of grammar and conventions/language skills.
Indicator 1G
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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; this may include work with mentor texts as well).
The materials provide a consistent format for students to engage with text-dependent questions and/or tasks. Questions, tasks, and assignments are evident in each of the unit’s three sections: Whole-Class Learning, Small-Group Learning, and Independent Learning. Within the units, each module begins with a First Read guide which provides general text-dependent questions. The module also includes Comprehension Checks, Close Reads, and Analyze sections that provide text-specific questions. Each unit is designed in this manner to provide a scaffold-approach to text-dependent and text-specific questioning. Students are required to provide support from the text in most of the work they complete within the unit.
Examples of questions, tasks, and assignments that meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
- In Unit 2, students review previously conceived notions based on evidence from the texts and compare to their opinions “currently.” Based on this exercise, students write a formal argumentative essay, which stands as the Performance-based Assessment. The essay response question is: “Should people in life-or-death situations be held accountable for their actions?” With this question, students use “credible evidence from at least three selections...read and researched in this unit to support [said] claim.”
- In Unit 3, after reading several works by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students are assigned a Comprehension Check where they answer questions using their reading. Following his Letter from Birmingham Jail, students are assigned the following questions:
- “What circumstance or event is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. responding to in this letter?”
- “According to Dr. King, what are the four basic steps that a nonviolent campaign must face?”
- In Unit 5, after reading Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” students use the First-Read and Close-Read Guides to demonstrate their level of engagement with the poem. Under the First-Read, students are required to Notice, Annotate, Connect and Respond as separate steps as a means of examining the poem.
Indicator 1H
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for materials containing sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent and text-specific questions with activities that build to a culminating task which integrates skills to demonstrate understanding.
The materials for Grade 9 contain text-dependent questions and tasks that build to a culminating task integrating a combination of writing skills with speaking and listening skills. Each unit is thematically organized to answer an Essential Question throughout the distribution of texts and assignments in Whole-Class Learning, Small-Group Learning, and Independent Learning.
The text-dependent and text-specific questions are incorporated in activities that culminate in a Performance-based Writing Assessment, backward mapped from all unit activities. These culminating writing tasks are different genres of writing such as argument essay, informative essay, explanatory essay, and nonfiction narrative. Examples of culminating tasks include, but are not limited to:
- In Unit 1, students are asked to create a podcast in a group setting, based on the question, “How do the realities of immigrants’ experiences reflect or fail to reflect American ideals?” This question is directly related to and supports the EQ: “What does it mean to be ‘American’?” Within this specific activity that will further reinforce the narrative writing at the summation of Unit One, students must begin collecting specific evidences based on page twenty-four’s instructions: “Identify specific examples from the selections to support your group’s claims.”
- In Unit 5, students are required to complete an explanatory essay that is a major writing Performance Task. The prompt states, “How are personal strengths and weaknesses magnified during the course of a journey at sea?” This question is considered a culminating, text-dependent task considering students must “refer to ideas from the texts” (the Odyssey, the graphic novel, and the application for a mariner’s license).
- In Unit 6, the Performance-based Assessment is to write a short story in which students develop a theme related to the following question: “Which matters more - the present or the future?” The second part of that assessment is for students to employ speaking and listening skills where they have to record a dramatic reading of their original short story. To prepare for this Performance-based Assessment students do the following:
- Whole-Class Learning: Students read two short stories and then follow through the writing process, highlighting elements of a short story, to write their own original short story for a Performance Task.
- Small-Group Learning; Student groups review the unit’s readings (two magazine articles, two poems, and a radio broadcast) as the foundation for creating a podcast that addresses the question, “What do stories about the future say about the present?”
- Independent Learning: Students review their Evidence Log to see if they have enough evidence to write a narrative. If not, they have to make a plan to do more research, talk to classmates, reread a selection, and/or ask an expert.
Indicator 1I
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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.
The materials for Grade 9 provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax. Each unit is organized to answer an Essential Question (EQ) as each text is read and dissected. All speaking and listening assignments are performance-based for language development and require students to directly reference the text so that all students participate in accountable academic talk. Within each of the learning modules, Whole-Class Learning, Small-Group Learning, and Independent Learning, students are given materials with assignments and tasks to expand skills in academic vocabulary and syntax. During their reading, students see key words highlighted and defined. In ensuing sections, students demonstrate a variety of strategies for learning and using academic vocabulary. Many individual tasks and lessons encourage and prompt peer-to-peer discussions. There are instructions for teachers that include questions to lead whole class discussions.
Examples of opportunities and protocols include, but are not limited to:
- In Unit 1, Rules of the Game, students discuss the selected concept vocabulary words and demonstrate conceptual understanding. For example, “With your group, determine what the words have in common. Write your ideas, and add another word that fits the category.”
- In Unit 3, Traveling, students reflect on whether they learned the noted vocabulary words by using specific types of context clues. For example, “For each concept vocabulary word, determine the meaning. Indicate the strategies that helped you determine meaning.”
- In Unit 3, The Literature of Civil Rights, students engage in Small-Group Learning to develop learning strategies. The materials outline the strategies and actions that are suggested for working in groups. These protocols support students as they have evidence-based discussions. For example, students are asked to come to class “prepared for group work,” “make eye contact to signal” their listening, “use text evidence,” “build off ideas from others,” and “invite others who have not yet spoken to join.” These prompts provide students with the directions necessary to initiate and sustain evidence-based discussions.
- In Unit 4, students are required to respond to the following discussion questions: “Is luck another way to talk about destiny? Or are luck and destiny totally different concepts?” Teachers are encouraged, within the instructions, to reinforce group rules, “Remind groups to let all members share their responses,” and to encourage students to participate in accountable talk, “Would you give me an example?”
Indicator 1J
The materials reviewed for Grade 9 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 evidence as each unit is designed with several intentional, clearly labeled and supported speaking and listening activities, prompts, and presentations. In each unit, the Small-Group Learning texts and tasks provide relevant follow-up questions and supports that direct students to speak with and listen to their peers. The Small-Group Learning sections also provide a speaking- and listening-focused Performance Task. Additionally, speaking and listening is supported through Performance-based Assessments within each unit.
Examples of student opportunities for speaking and listening include, but are not limited to:
- In Unit 1, within the “Small Group Learning” task, students are asked to take a position on a guided question: “Which do you think would be easier, immigrating to America from another country, or emigrating from America to another country?” Previous to this question, students are given a rubric that is to guide them in their small-group discussion that states “Use text evidence when making a point.” This section also has students make a schedule as a group that revolves around the texts, which requires them to “preview the texts and activities with [their] group[s] and make a schedule for completing the tasks.” This activity directly supports students listening about what they are reading. Both rubrics (planning and guiding) support students’ abilities to participate in high-quality discussion.
- In Unit 4, “Star-Crossed Romances,” the “Speaking and Listening Focus” for the Performance Task requires students to follow this process:
- Present an Argument: Students are provided with supports to present an argument as a group. Students will be producing a presentation that includes text, graphics, and sound.
- Plan With Your Group: Students are prompted to discuss “the ways in which the characters react to their tragic circumstances and that Twenty Years On discusses a real-life tragic romance.” Additionally, the teacher is provided with further questions to cultivate discussion and support students as they actively listen.
- Rehearse With Your Group: Teachers are prompted to explain “the different parts of a presentation” and the need for improvement as they “fine tune” their product. Students are supported as they to edit their work as a group and as they practice speaking and listening as a small group to collaboratively identify areas of improvement.
- Present and Evaluate: Teachers are provided with reflection questions that will support students as they listen to their peers and evaluate their presentations.
Indicator 1K
The materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing as there is a variety of opportunities for on-demand and process writing throughout each unit in a variety of styles, formats, and lengths. Each unit contains several Performance Tasks that can be found at the end of each learning module (Whole-Class Learning, Small-Group Learning, and Independent Learning). The materials provide short and long on-demand writing assignments that prepare students for process writing projects.
Brief, on-demand writing assignments occur in relation to a single text or pair of texts and often lead to synthesis across assignments. Examples of on-demand assignments include journal logs for reflection, writing alternative endings, creating encyclopedia entries, and responding to audio texts. Process writing in this series requires analysis and response to multiple texts and often occurs at the end of a unit as the Performance Task. Process writing assignments also support a presentation of the materials within the written assignment.
Examples of on-demand and process writing that meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
- In Unit 2, students are required to review previously conceived notions based on evidence from the texts and compare to their opinions “currently.” Based on this exercise, students write a formal argumentative essay for the Performance-based Assessment. The essay prompt is: “Should people in life-or-death situations be held accountable for their actions?” With this question, students are required to use “credible evidence from at least three selections,...read and researched in this unit to support [said] claim.” What makes this example to be considered process writing is the fact that students have been keeping an evidence log throughout the unit based on the question and on reevaluating their positions: “At the beginning of this unit, you took a position on the following question,” (see above) “Has your position changed?”
- In Unit 3, the Performance Task following the Whole-Class Learning asks students to think about civil rights through their studies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President John F. Kennedy. The assignment requires students to conduct research to write an informative essay. The instruction takes students through the writing process from prewriting/planning and researching sources to drafting and revising. Students are asked to reflect on what they learned while writing the essay. This Performance Task is a practice for the Performance-based Assessment at the end of the unit where students are asked to write an informative essay that is later presented in a three-to-five minute multimedia presentation.
- In Unit 5, students do a QuickWrite, where students present their own response to the prompt, “When does the journey matter more than the destination?” This initial response will help inform their work when they complete the Performance-based Assessment at the end of the unit. Students should make sure they state a clear thesis, develop their topic with supporting details, and use transitions to connect ideas.
Indicator 1L
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing (year long) that reflect the distribution required by the standards and may include “blended” styles.
The materials for Grade 9 provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards as each unit focuses on a different writing style and provides lesson-by-lesson support for teachers and students as they build towards a Performance-based Assessment. Within each unit, all writing tasks are directly related to the text and/or essential questions for the units. In addition to low-stakes, informal writing opportunities, students are provided with writing tasks through the Performance-based Assessments that are varied throughout the units and reflect the distribution required by the standards. Students engage in writing nonfiction narrative, informative, literary criticism, and argumentative pieces across all units as demonstrated in the evidence below.
Examples of different writing types addressed to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
- In Unit 1, students write a nonfiction narrative essay where they are expected to reference prior notes and close reads in response to this prompt: “How is an ‘American’ identity created?”
- In Unit 2, students write an argument in which they state and defend a claim responding to the following question: “Should people in life-or-death situations be held accountable for their actions?”
- In Unit 3, as a part of the unit topic of literature in the Civil Rights Movement, students write an informative essay in response to this prompt: “Explain how words have the power to provoke, calm, or inspire.”
- In Unit 4 for their Performance Task, students write a piece of literary criticism when they explore the texts to explain whether the opinions of others affect our own choices and destinies.
- In Unit 5, students write an explanatory essay to address whether the journey matters more than the destination.
- In Unit 6, for their Performance Task, students write a short story to develop a theme about which matters more, the present or the future.
Indicator 1M
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for research-based and evidence-based writing to support analysis, argument, synthesis and/or evaluation of information, supports, and claims.
The materials reviewed for Grade 9 include frequent opportunities for research-based and evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, arguments, synthesis and/or evaluation of information, supports, and claims. Each unit has multiple opportunities for students to practice research skills that allow them to synthesize and evaluate a wide range of materials in order to enhance the quality of their writing. In each unit, students are prompted to explore a topic to deepen their learning or answer a question to gather evidence all in preparation for a culminating assignment. Some texts are accompanied by tasks which require writing to sources. These may embed short research to enhance the evidence later used to support writing and presentations. In each writing assignment, students are directed to use information from a variety of sources, synthesizing information from reading, research, experience, and other texts.
Examples of research and evidence-based writing that meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
- In Unit 2, after reading The Life of Pi, students choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text to briefly research. Students explain how the information they found supports or clarifies their understanding of the story. NOTE: this is a common construct in the Making Meaning section associated with several texts across the units. Reflections are recorded in the writer’s notebooks.
- In Unit 3, students are assigned to read Remember Civil Rights History, When 'Words Meant Everything.' The newscast refers to a number of important events from the Civil Rights era. They are to chose one, research the event, and then write a report of their findings. Students are assigned to focus on the issues of equality and freedom during the Small-Group Learning. In order to write evidence to support a debate on the topic, they are instructed to research the topics based on example questions: “Is the struggle for equal rights over? Do we now have a society in which all citizens are treated equally?”
- In Unit 6, after reading The Nuclear Tourist, students are assigned to research the Chernobyl disaster and focus on finding out what happened before, during, and after the accident. Students are then directed to write a newspaper article using facts from their research.
- In Unit 6, students are assigned to watch a newscast, entitled “A Visit to the Doomsday Vault,” during Independent Learning. After answering comprehension questions to check for their understanding, they are asked to to research in order to gain more clarity about the topic. The instructions are as follows: “Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the video. Briefly research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect of the newscast?”
Indicator 1N
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for materials including instruction of the grammar and conventions/language standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application context.
Within the Grade 9 textbook, most of the materials include instruction of the grammar and conventions/language standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application. All texts within Whole-Class Learning and Small-Group Learning have a section labeled “Language Development.” The subsections within Language and Development vary based on the selection and may include, but are not limited to: “Concept Vocabulary,” “Word Study,” “Word Network,” “Conventions and Style,” and “Author’s Style.” Under “Conventions and Style,” materials provide instruction and opportunities for application of grammar and conventions/language skills. The holistic approach to grammar and language instruction follows this pattern throughout the textbook.
Examples of instruction of the grammar and conventions/language standards include, but are not limited to:
- Unit 1: “American Voices,” Anchor Text: “The Immigrant Contribution” from, "A Nation of Immigrants" by John F. Kennedy (essay): During whole-class learning, students complete the “Language Development” section after reading Kennedy’s essay. Students analyze “Concept Vocabulary” from within the text: descendants, stock, minority, naturalization, factions, [and] assimilation. Students then complete these tasks: Select two concept vocabulary words other than descendants. How does each word relate to ideas about populations and group identities? Explain.” and “What other words in the selection connect to the concepts of populations and group identities?” and after answering the above questions, students complete a “Practice,” “Word Study,” “Word Network,” “Conventions,” “Read It,” and “Write it” section that supports the language standards that address word change patterns and the various types of phrases and clauses to convey meaning.
- Unit 5: “Journeys of Transformation,” Anchor Text: Page 129 from, Hero’s Adventure by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers (interview): During Small-Group Learning, students read the interview by Campbell and practice “Language Development” within these four task areas: “Concept Vocabulary,” “Word Study,” “Word Network,” and "Conventions.” Specifically focusing on “Word Study,” students analyze the etymology (word origin) of Greek names in these two tasks: “Research the etymology of each of these other words that come from Greek mythology: draconian, herculean, iridescent, lethargic.” and “Share with your group information about the original Greek names, and discuss how words’ origins are reflected in their English meanings.” While this may seem detached from the actual text, this supports students prior to the reading of The Odyssey.
Overview of Gateway 2
Building Knowledge with Texts, Vocabulary, and Tasks
The materials fully meet the expectations of Gateway 2.
Gateway 2
v1.0
Criterion 2.1: Materials build knowledge through integrated reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language.
Indicator 2A
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics or themes to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend complex texts proficiently.
The materials for Grade 9 are organized around topics or themes to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend texts proficiently. Each of the six units has an Essential Question that provides a theme for the unit. All of the readings, including Whole-class Learning, Small-group Learning, and Independent Learning, are centered on that topic to assist students with answering the Essential Question. Within the Whole-class Learning instruction, the anchor texts challenge students to think about the Essential Question. Supporting texts in the Small-group Learning and the Independent Learning sections provide information relative to the essential topic and anchor texts. Many of the texts represent multiple and sometimes conflicting perspectives about the essential topic, and include a variety of styles, genres, and media. The lessons in each of these learning modalities include activities that further student comprehension of progressively difficult text. Students’ knowledge based on the specific topic/lens is deepened after every text is analyzed, based on supporting questions. Assigned to keep an evidence log along with multiple graphic organizers, students can chart their growth as independent readers. Additionally, students display their knowledge in the completion of Performance Tasks or Performance-based Assessments that usually consist of speaking and listening skills or writing tasks.
Examples of organization of texts by topic to build student knowledge to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 3: The Literature of the Civil Rights
- Essential Question: How can words inspire change?
- Whole-class Learning
- “I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Robert F. Kennedy
- Small-group Learning
- “Remembering Civil Rights History, When ‘Words Meant Everything’” by Jeffrey Brown
- Poetry Collection
- “Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Cesar Chavez
- Traveling by Grace Paley
Unit 6 World’s End
- Essential Question: Why do we try to imagine the future?
- Whole-class Learning
- “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet
- “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury
- Small-group Learning
- “The Nuclear Tourist” by George Johnson
- Poetry Collection 1
- From “Radiolab: War of the Worlds”
- “The Myth of the War of the Worlds Panic” by Jefferson Pooley and Michael J. Socolow
- Independent Learning
- “Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse” by Ali S. Khan
- “The Secret Bunker Congress Never Used”
- “The End of the World Might Just Look Like This” by Megan Gambino
- Poetry Collection 2
- “A Visit to the Doomsday Vault” by Scott Pelley
Indicator 2B
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.
The materials for Grade 9 primarily contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics. First-read materials direct students to notice, annotate, connect and respond. Close-read materials provide students with more annotation directions and tools, then direct them to question the text and draw conclusions. Students keep a digital notebook to collect their responses to the text. During Whole-class, Small-group, and Independent Learning, students engage in Making Meaning sections with each text which provides sequenced higher-order thinking questions and tasks for a range of purposes through various subsections. For example,
- Comprehension Check provides questions and tasks concerning the key ideas and details of the text.
- Jump Start: Close Read provides questions and tasks concerning the craft and structure of the text.
- Analyze the Text: provides questions and tasks concerning the key ideas and details
- Analyze Craft and Structure provides questions and tasks concerning the craft and structure of the text.
- Language Development section provides sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks related specifically to language through the Concept Vocabulary, Word Study, Word Network, and Conventions subsections.
Examples of sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 2: Survival
Text: “The Seventh Man” by Haruki Murakami
- Analyze the Text
- What does the wave symbolize, or represent, to the seventh man?
- Paraphrase the seventh man’s comments about fear in the story’s final paragraph. Do you agree or disagree with the seventh man’s comments?
- Although the seventh man did not die, did he truly escape the wave?
- Analyze Craft and Structure
- At what points in “The Seventh Man” does the frame story begin and end? What aspects of the text change to indicate these shifts?
- How does the use of third-person narration in the frame affect readers’ understanding of the seventh man?
Unit 6: World’s End
Text: “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet
- Analyze the Text
- In paragraph 6, what word does John, one of the Hill People, use to describe the Forest People? What does this suggest about how the Hill People view the Forest People?
- What does John compare his knowledge to in paragraph 26? How does this metaphor help you understand how John feels at this point in the story?
- Analyze Craft and Structure
- How does the author introduce the narrative point of view? How might the narrative be different if told by a third-person narrator who is not a character in the story?
- At what point in the story does John’s understanding catch up to the reader’s?
Indicator 2C
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts.
The materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts. This structure begins with an essential question for each unit. Each text is accompanied by Whole-class, Small-group, and Independent Learning sections. Each of these learning constructs contains text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that guide students in building knowledge and integrating ideas across both individual and multiple texts. These sequences of text-dependent questions prepare students to complete the Performance Tasks, Unit Reflections, and Performance-based Assessments that require students to specifically integrate knowledge across multiple texts.
Examples of coherently sequenced, text-dependent questions that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 1: American Voices
Essential Question: What does it mean to be “American”?
- Analyze the Text: After reading “A Quilt of a Country,” students answer the following:
- Generalize: Why is Quindlen reluctant to define “anything remotely resembling a national character?”
- Connect: What qualities does she propose are essentially American?
- Performance Task: Writing Focus: Think about how the authors of “A Quilt of a Country,” “The Immigrant Contribution,” and “American History” explore American identity. Consider how the idea of American identity has changed over time. Use your own experience or that of someone you know or have studied to write a brief narrative that explores this question: How does your generation define what it means to be an American today?
Unit 3: The Literature of the Civil Rights
Essential Question: How can words inspire change?
- Analyze the Text:
- Interpret: What does King mean when he refers to the African American as an “exile in his own land?”
- Summarize: Explain the comparison King makes between the African American struggle for equality and the cashing of a check.
- Performance Task: Writing Focus: Think about how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy choose to address the question of civil rights in the United States, and how their listeners would have responded at the time.
Unit 6: World’s End
Essential Question: Why do we try to imagine the future?
- Analyze the Text: After students read “By The Waters of Babylon,” they answer a series of questions that include the following:
- What does John compare his knowledge to in paragraph 26?
- Interpret: How does this metaphor help you understand how John feels at this point in the story?
- Summarize: In paragraph 51, what does John observe about the “dead god”?
- Analyze: Why do these observations free John from fear?
- Performance Task: Writing Focus: Use your knowledge of “By the Waters of Babylon” and “There Will Come Soft Rains” as inspiration to write a narrative that answers this question: After the end of the world, how do we begin again?
Indicator 2D
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g. combination of reading, writing, speaking, and listening).
The materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrated their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills, including a combination of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Each unit is focused on a topic that is driven by an essential question. Each unit is divided into three learning modalities: Whole-class Learning, Small-group Learning, and Independent Learning. Students engage with multiple texts and tasks during each learning modality. As they progress through the unit, students have the opportunity to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening independently; but the performance tasks for each modality generally require a combination of these skills as students compose synthesis essays, share their own work, hold structures discussions, and perform peer reviews. The Performance-based Assessments for each unit also require that students integrate multiple skills and give oral presentations of their work.
Examples of integrated skills in questions and tasks to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 2: Survival
Essential Question: What does it take to survive?
- Performance Task: Writing Focus: Use your knowledge of “The Seventh Man,” “The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt,” and “The Key to Disaster Survival…” to take and defend a position on the topic… Should the narrator of “The Seventh Man” forgive himself for his failure to save K.?
- Peer review: Exchange papers with a classmate. Use the checklist to evaluate your classmate’s argument and provide supportive feedback.
- Performance-based Assessment: Write a brief argument in which you state and defend a claim responding to the following question: Should people in life-or-death situations be held accountable for their actions? After completing the final draft of your argument, use it as the foundation for a three- to five-minute oral presentation.
Unit 4: Star-Crossed Romances
Essential Question: Do we determine our own destinies?
- Performance Task: Writing Focus: Use your knowledge of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and “Pyramus and Thisbe” to choose and defend a position on the topic of destiny. Based on these two texts, write an argument in the form of literary criticism in response to this question: What had a greater impact on the characters in these texts: destiny or personal choice?
- Performance-based Assessment: Write an argument in the form of a short piece of literary criticism that explores how the selections in this unit address the following question: Should the opinions of others affect our own choices or destinies? After completing the final draft of your literary criticism essay, use it as the foundation for a three- to five-minute multimedia presentation.
Unit 6: World’s End
Essential Question: Why do we try to imagine the future?
- Performance Task: Writing Focus: Use your knowledge of “By the Waters of Babylon” and “There Will Come Soft Rains” as inspiration to write a narrative that answers this question: After the end of the world, how do we begin again?
- Performance-based Assessment: Write a short story in which you develop a theme related to the following question: Which matters more—the present or the future? After completing the final draft of your narrative, record a dramatic reading of your narrative to present to the class.
Indicator 2E
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Materials include a consistent approach for students to regularly interact with word relationships and build academic and figurative language in context.
The materials for Grade 9 include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Most materials include a consistent approach for students to regularly interact with word relationships and build academic vocabulary and figurative language in context. Each text within the Whole-group and Small-group Learning sections include a “Language Development” section with: “Concept Vocabulary,” “Word Study,” “Word Network,” “Conventions and Style,” “Text Features,” etc. All units follow the same expectation that students are interacting and building academic vocabulary per individual text. To complete the Performance-based Assessment at the end of the unit, students demonstrate “Academic Vocabulary” by incorporating their culminating “Word Network” per individual unit. Students are regularly interacting with words and building relationships with the language of the multiple texts as each unit is modeled exactly the same. By the time students have completed all units, students will have mastered formative language in context for individual texts and across texts multiple times. Additionally, the materials include text-specific evidence logs and selection tests that support and assess students as they interact with academic and figurative language in context.
Examples of building key academic vocabulary words in and across texts to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 1: American Voices
Text: “A Quit of a Country” by Anna Quindlen
Language Development
- Concept Vocabulary:
- Vocabulary: disparate, discordant, pluralistic, interwoven, diversity, coalescing
- Which concept vocabulary words contribute to the idea of unity, and which contribute to the idea of fragmentation?
- What other words in the selection connect to the concepts of unity and fragmentation?
- Word Study
- Write another word you know that begins with the prefix dis-. Explain how the prefix helps you understand the meaning of the word.
- Reread paragraph 5 of “A Quilt of a Country.” Mark a word (other than disparate) that begins with the prefix dis-. Write a definition for the word.
- Word Network
- Add interesting words related to American identity from the text to your Word Network.
- Possible words: community, folk-art, tolerance, brotherhood, custom
- Add interesting words related to American identity from the text to your Word Network.
- Author’s Style
- Fiction writers and poets are not the only ones who choose words carefully. Nonfiction writers like Anna Quindlen also use vivid language, or strong, precise words, to bring ideas to life and communicate them forcefully. Strong verbs and precise adjectives make informational writing more interesting and convincing.
- Ordinary adjective: We sailed through the rough water.
- Precise adjective: We sailed through the churning water.
- Ordinary verb: I fell into the hole.
- Strong verb: I tumbled into the hole.
- Read the passages from “A Quilt of a Country” and identify the precise adjectives and strong verbs in each one. Then, rewrite each passage, changing the vivid word choices to ordinary ones. Explain how Quindlen’s original word choices contribute to the accuracy and liveliness of her writing.
- Fiction writers and poets are not the only ones who choose words carefully. Nonfiction writers like Anna Quindlen also use vivid language, or strong, precise words, to bring ideas to life and communicate them forcefully. Strong verbs and precise adjectives make informational writing more interesting and convincing.
- Evidence Log
- Before moving on to a new selection, go to your evidence log and record what you learned from “A Quilt of a Country.”
- Selection Test
- Sample Question: Which is the best example of diversity in a town?
- The town is run by a mayor and a city council.
- The town has gas stations, markets, and office buildings.
- The town has residents from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
- The town has elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools.
- Sample Question: Which is the best example of diversity in a town?
Indicator 2F
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials contain a year-long, cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts.
The materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria as they provide a year-long, cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks. In each unit, writing instruction and tasks are aligned to specific texts. The texts are often used as models for future writing tasks so that students are writing with mentor texts in mind. Writing instruction takes a scaffolded approach to process writing providing students with the opportunity to practice and prepare before writing for performance-tasks or performance-based assessments. This instruction across the six units includes development of various grade-level- appropriate modes of writing to explore and reflect learning relative to the essential question in each unit. The cohesiveness of the writing instruction is also aligned to language standards which support development of increasingly complex writing skills. Text sets in each unit of study provide model/mentor texts such that students can analyze author’s craft demonstrating the language goal relative to writing instruction prior to attempting to demonstrate achievement in a writing task. Across the year, students keep a digital notebook which provides a snapshot of coherence as well as a record of growth across the various tasks.
Examples of a cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 1: American Voices
- Performance Task
- Writing to Sources: The essays by Quindlen and Kennedy share a topic but are very difference in diction and tone. Write an essay in which you consider how diction and tone reflect each author’s purpose, audience, and message.
- Performance Task
- Think about how the authors of “A Quilt of a Country,” “The Immigrant Contribution,” and “American History” explore American identity. Consider how the idea of American identity has changed over time. Then, use your own experience, or that of someone you know or have studied, to write a brief narrative that explores this question: How does your generation define what it means to be an American today?
- Performance-based Assessment
- Write a nonfiction narrative on the following topic: How is an “American” identity created?
Unit 3: The Literature of the Civil Rights
- Performance Task
- Think about how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy choose to address the question of civil rights in the United States, and how their listeners would have responded at the time. Conduct research to write an informative essay on this question: How did the selections in this section affect those who first heard them or read them?
- Performance-based Assessment
- Writing to Sources: Informative Essay: In this unit, you read about various characters, both real and fictional, who are part of the struggle for civil rights. Some used words to inspire others and share their own experiences, while others used words as a call to action.
- Assignment: Write an informative essay on the following: Explain how words have the power to provoke, calm, or inspire. Use evidence from at least three of the selections you read and researched in this unit to express and support your thesis. If time permits, do outside research, using credible sources, to support your ideas with examples, facts, and quotations. Ensure that your ideas are fully supported, that you use a formal, objective tone, and that your organization is logical and coherent.
Unit 5: Journeys of Transformation
- Performance Task
- Use your knowledge of the Odyssey, the graphic novel, and the application for a mariner’s license to inform readers about journeys at sea and explain what they would need to know in order to survive. Write a brief explanatory essay in which you refer to the ideas from the texts and answer this question: How are personal strengths and weaknesses magnified during the course of a journey at sea?
- Performance-based Assessment
- Write an explanatory essay in which you examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, procedures, and information related to the following question: When does the journey matter more than the destination? Use relevant evidence from at least three of the selections you read and researched in this unit to elucidate your ideas. Ensure that you introduce your topic, develop the topic with sufficient facts, details, and quotes, and use appropriate and varied transitions.
Indicator 2G
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.
For the Grade 9 textbook, most materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials. Each unit includes a research goal that students will conduct research projects of various lengths to explore a topic and clarify meaning. Most of these research projects are brief, and students are given an option to explore topics of their own choosing. An included resource toolkit includes a section on research which addresses topics like narrowing a topic, consulting sources, and avoiding plagiarism. While the research directions in the student text are always the same, the teacher edition offers varied suggestions for specific topics in case some students don’t develop one of their own. This instructional approach provides student an opportunity to practice their research skills through mini-inquiry projects. Many questions can be answered by consulting a single source beyond the assigned sources and sharing either the process of finding information or synthesizing with other students.
Examples of focused, shared research and writing projects to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 1: American Voices
- Text: "The Immigrant Contribution” from A Nation of Immigrants by John F. Kennedy
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- Research to Clarify: Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text. Briefly research the detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect of the essay?
- Research to Explore: Choose one of the immigrant industrialists, scientists, or inventors that Kennedy mentions. Conduct research to learn more about this figure.
Unit 3: The Literature of Civil Rights
- Text: “Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Cesar Chavez
- Research Assignment: Write a team report on one of the following topics:
- A strategy analysis that addresses the following questions: Was Chavez’s strategy for asking consumers to boycott grapes morally responsible? Were Chavez and the UFW able to make the plight of farm workers clear and compelling? How likely was it that some consumers feel manipulated or resentful at being told what they could and could not buy? Given what happened in the boycotts, was Chavez’s strategy likely to be successful?
- A public opinion report that addresses the following questions: How did the general public view Chavez’s work during the era of the grape boycott? Did workers in general support Chavez and the UFW? How does the public view Chavez’s legacy today?
- A status report that addresses the following questions: How are farm workers in California and other places treated today? Do they have full rights? Are their wages comparable to workers in other industries? Have working conditions improved since Chavez’s time? Have the problems presented by pesticides been solved?
Unit 5: Journeys of Transformation
- Text: excerpt from the Odyssey, Part 1: The Adventures of Odysseus
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- Research to Clarify: Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text. Briefly research the detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect of the epic?
- Research to Explore: This epic poem may spark your curiosity to learn more. Briefly research one of the locations mentioned in the poem. You may want to share what you discover with the class.
Indicator 2H
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.
Each of the six units within Grade 9 is organized into Whole-class Learning, Small-group Learning, and Independent learning segments. In the Independent Learning section, students are given a list of works to select from as their personal reading. The section begins with Independent Learning Strategies that require students to be accountable for their work. The section states, “Throughout your life, in school, in your community, and in your career, you will need to rely on yourself to learn and work on your own.” Highlighting the purpose behind independent reading while providing guidelines for accountability (create a schedule, practice what you learned, and take notes) allows regular engagement for independent learning in each chapter. There is a student video for them to watch and learn more about what they must do during their Independent Learning days, which are typically Days 27 and 28 of each unit pacing plan.
Accountability for independent reading includes a selection test for each independent title which consists of selected response items addressing comprehension, vocabulary, and analysis. There are clear directions and consistent expectations for recording entries in the student’s digital notebook to connect and extend analysis of the text as well. Students are also consistently expected to share what they learned independently with their group/class.
Another opportunity to increase volume of reading and support or encourage independent reading is with the information for teachers to use trade books in each unit. Titles in each unit provide opportunities for teachers to swap titles within a unit, supplement with additional reading, or direct students for further reading on their own. While the possibility of independent reading in the form of reading and completing a task outside of a group does exist in each unit, accountability within each unit does not require a volume of independent reading.
Below is an example from a single unit of how students regularly engage in a volume of independent reading to meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to:
Unit 2: Survival
- Teaching with Trade Books
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Independent Learning texts
- “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
- “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell
- From Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
- “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster” by Jim Y. Kim
- “Titanic vs. Lusitania: How People Behave in a Disaster” by Jeffrey Kluger
- “Survival Is Your Own Responsibility” by Daryl R. Miller
Unit 2: Sample Independent Reading Tasks
- “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, Making Meaning
- First Read: Students should perform the steps of the first read independently:
- Notice: Students should focus on the basic elements of the text to ensure they understand what is happening.
- Annotate: Students should mark any passages they wish to revisit during their close read.
- Connect: Students should increase their understanding by connecting what they’ve read to other texts or personal experiences.
- Respond: Students will write a summary to demonstrate their understanding.
- Comprehension Check
- What danger threatens the man and his dog?
- What happens during the man’s first attempt to build a fire? How does his second attempt fare in comparison?
- What happens to the man at the end of the story, and why?
- How does the dog’s behavior differ from the man’s behavior, and what is the end result for the dog?
- To confirm your understanding, write a summary of “To Build a Fire.”
- Research
- Research to Clarify: Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text. Briefly research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect of the story?
- Research to Explore: Choose something from the text that interests you and formulate a research question.
- Analyze the Text
- Analyze Cause and Effect: List at least two of the actions taken by the man that lead to later difficulties for him. Which of these actions is most responsible for his death?
- Deduce: What do you think the man could have done differently to ensure his survival?
- Assess: Did having the dog as his companion on the trip help or hinder the man on his journey to the camp?
- Interpret: In paragraph 3, the man is described in terms of his lack of imagination. Describe what you think the author means by “lack of imagination” and what it says about the man and his misfortune.
- First Read: Students should perform the steps of the first read independently:
Overview of Gateway 3
Usability
The materials in My Perspectives: English Language Arts - Grade 9 are well-designed and employ effective lesson structure and pacing so that students can master the content by the end of the course. Alignment to the standards is clearly outlined for each unit. The materials offer teachers resources and tools to collect ongoing, standards-aligned data about student progress to inform placement, remediation and enrichment needs, and achievement, including rubrics and student self-assessments. Strategies and supports for students who need differentiated instruction are included (above and below grade level). Additionally, the materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning. Digital materials are web-based, compatible with multiple Internet browsers, “platform neutral,” follow universal programming style, and allow the use of tablets and mobile devices. The materials can be easily customized for local use.
Criterion 3.1: Use & Design
The materials in My Perspectives: English Language Arts - Grade 9 are well-designed and employ effective lesson structure and pacing so that students can master the content by the end of the course. The student resources include clear directions, a predictable and intentional layout for each unit, and many high- and low-tech review and practice resources. Students and teachers are supported with clear directions and appropriate, well-designed graphics. Alignment to the standards is clearly outlined for each unit.
Indicator 3A
The materials for Grade 9 are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. Each unit is organized into the following sections: Unit Introduction, Whole-class Learning, Small-group Learning, Independent Learning, Performance-based Assessment, and Unit Reflection. Teachers and students are also directed to additional materials such as digital resources, including media selections, modeling videos, and audio recordings.
The curriculum is composed of six, six-week units. Each unit follows the same sequence of instruction focused on the unit essential question.
- Unit Introduction – 1 day
- Whole-class Learning – 12 days followed by 2 days for performance task
- Small-group Learning – 9 days followed by 2 days for performance task
- Independent Learning – 2 days followed by 2 days for performance based assessment
Each section begins with an overview followed by the lesson plan for the text. Each lesson plan includes:
- Summary of text
- Insight into the text itself
- Connection to the essential question
- Connection to the performance task
- Lesson resources including:
- Instructional standards for the lesson
- Student resources found online
- Teacher resources found online in the Interactive Teacher’s Edition
- Selection resources
- Reteach/Practice resources
- Assessment
- Text Complexity Rubric
- Support for ELLs, struggling learners, and gifted
- Teaching and Learning Cycle: Decide and Plan → Teach → Analyze → Revise and Identify Needs → Decide and Plan
Indicator 3B
For Grade 9, the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding. The pacing is such that students can master the content by the end of the course. The pacing guide appears in the TE on the first page of each unit, on the Whole-class Learning overview page, on the Small-group Learning overview page, and on the Independent Learning overview page of each unit.
With 6 units, the curriculum could be covered in a 36 week academic year. Teachers may choose to deliver Whole-class Learning, assign students to groups for Small-group Learning, or assign the Independent Learning lessons to individual students.
Support for block scheduling of the course content for individual lessons in each unit is available. For example, each day in the pacing plan represents a 40-50 minute class period. Teachers are advised to combine days to reflect their class schedule and they are given guidance on revising the pacing for differentiation (integrating lesson components and resources as necessary for students).
Indicator 3C
The student resources for Grade 9 include ample review and practice resources, clear directions and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids. Materials include: evidence log; word network; learning strategies for Whole-class, Small-group and Independent Learning; genre-specific first- and close-read guides; text-dependent questions; App for scanning multi-media; model text for writing; support charts; concept vocabulary; essay rubrics; organization chart for small-group work; choice in many assignments; selection audio; presentation rubrics; and sentence stems.
Student directions are clearly written, and units and assignments follow the same predictable sequence, making it easy for students to complete activities. By beginning the Unit with a Launch Text written in the type of writing students will be practicing throughout the unit, and by having students address the essential question in response to the Launch Text throughout the unit and again in the culminating performance assessment, students continue to interact with the theme through reading, writing, and speaking.
The First-Read Guide is divided into quadrants titled: Notice, Annotate, Connect, and Respond.
- Notice new information or ideas you learn about the topic as you first read this text.
- Annotate by marking vocabulary and key passages you want to revisit.
- Connect ideas within the selection to other knowledge and the selections you have read.
- Respond by writing a brief summary of the selection.
The Close-Read Guide is divided into three sections:
- Close read the text – Revisit sections of the text you marked during your first read. Read these sections closely and annotate what you notice. Ask yourself questions about the text. What can you conclude? Write down your ideas.
- Analyze the text – Think about the author’s choices of patterns, structure, techniques, and ideas included in the text. Select one and record your thoughts about what this choice conveys.
- Quick Write – Pick a paragraph from the text that grabbed your interest. Explain the power of this passage.
Ample review and practice resources are available:
- Evaluating Your Draft checklist:
- Purpose and Organization
- Provides an introduction that establishes a clear context and introduces the characters.
- Presents a clear chronological sequence of events that are linked by a variety of transitions.
- Provides a conclusion that follows from the events and experiences in the narrative.
- Evidence and Elaboration
- Effectively uses narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, and description.
- Uses descriptive details, sensory language, and precise words and phrases.
- Establishes the writer’s voice through word choice, sentence structure, and tone.
- Conventions
- Attends to the norms and conventions of the discipline.
- Purpose and Organization
Directions and explanations are clear and reference materials are correctly labeled:
- Peer Review - Exchange papers with a classmate. Use the checklist to evaluate your classmate’s nonfiction narrative and provide supportive feedback.
Indicator 3D
Materials for Grade 9 include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items. Alignment to the standards is found repeatedly throughout the series.
On pages T48-T59 of the Teacher Edition (TE), the Standards Correlation indicates, by standard, the name of the text or assignment and page number on which it appears. In Lesson Resources prior to each text in the TE, the standards appear in the chart broken down by Reading, Language, Writing, and Speaking and Listening.
In the Student Edition (SE), the standards are found on pp. xx-xxix and noted in the margins throughout each text selection, with the activities and questions following the text, with the performance tasks, and with the culminating Performance-based Assessment.
There is alignment between questions, tasks and assessment items. Examples like the one below can be found throughout the textbook:
- Question
- What was the author’s dream at age 12?
- Task
- Using this chart, cite three of the author’s influences and explain how each influence affected the central idea of the text. Share your responses with your group.
- Assessment Item
- You have read about imaginary characters and settings. Work with your group to develop, plan, and perform a fictional narrative for your class in which you address this question: What might Alice and the Jabberwock discuss if they had met and had a conversation?
Indicator 3E
The visual design for Grade 9 (whether in print or digital) is not distracting or chaotic but supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject.
The visual design is engaging. The colors chosen are not distracting. Also, color coding is used appropriately to allow teachers and students to locate sections of the textbook.
The layout of the text is consistent throughout, with each unit following the same format. Color-coded sections within each unit make them easy to locate quickly. For example, in the TE all lesson sections labeled “Teaching” appear with a green background color, while sections labeled for “Teaching Performance Tasks" appear with an orange background color.
Charts and graphics are easily recognizable from one unit to the next and are free from distraction. Texts are flanked by wide margins to allow for first- and close-reading notes. The font, size, margins, and spacing are consistent and readable.
Selections and their accompanying questions and tasks appear consistently throughout the text, making it easy for students to recognize and follow the order in which the materials are presented.
Criterion 3.2: Teacher Planning
The Materials in My Perspectives: English Language Arts - Grade 9 are well-organized to support teachers in their instruction and in refreshing/acquisition of their own learning of more advanced literacy skills. Clear alignments to the standards are listed throughout the teacher materials. The materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies that are incorporated throughout. Teachers are supported within each text selection to choose and employ research-based strategies to meet the needs of their students. Suggestions for communicating with students and their families to support student learning goals are also located throughout the units.
Indicator 3F
The instructional materials include a Teacher’s Edition with ample and useful annotation and suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.
The series includes an overview for each of the six units that includes a pacing plan with suggested days for Unit Introduction, Whole-class Learning, Small-group Learning, and Independent Learning. After each type of learning there are performance tasks that lead to the performance-based assessment at the end of each unit. To further assist teachers, there is a connection to standards, other lessons, trade books, skills, and vocabulary. The units include notes for cross-curricular perspectives and differentiation of instruction.
Throughout the unit, teacher guidance is provided in the margins on every page. For example, during Close Read the narrative guides teachers through this process by reminding students of what to look for, Annotate gives modeling language, Question models questioning and has the teacher talk through what they are wondering following the narrative, and finally, Conclude is where the teacher makes a conclusion based on the modeled think aloud.
Pearson Realize has online resources supplementing the Teacher Edition (TE) and Student Edition (SE). Digital Perspectives in the TE shows what digital resources are available for each lesson, such as audio, video, document, annotation highlights, EL highlights, and online assessments. Students have an online Evidence Log that is used to record evidence from all selections in a unit to aid in writing the culminating task of the Performance-based Assessment.
Indicator 3G
The instructional materials contain a Teacher’s Edition with full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.
The series begins with “Getting Started with My Perspectives” that offers a program overview, teacher “how-to” information, teacher resources with scope and sequence, student resources, ELD support, and author background information.
Each unit in this series includes labels (Unit Introduction with Goals, Pacing Plan, Current Perspectives, Home Connections, and Unit Reflection) that give teachers an explanation of how to teach the texts and skills. The Personalize for Learning offers English Language Support, as well as Challenges for advanced students. This and other resources are available as a link within the online teacher edition. Additionally, the teacher’s edition allows for a direct link to the student’s edition within the unit for activities and assignments.
Pages are also color-coded: Whole-class Learning is lime green, Performance Tasks and Performance-based Assessments are color-coded in orange, Small-group Learning is turquoise, and Independent Learning is blue. The teacher is given instruction on what to say for each point of the lesson. Both Whole-class Learning and Small-group Learning have Learning Strategies to guide teachers with an outline to execute instruction.
Each selection in the Whole-class Learning and the Small-group Learning contains a “Planning” section that offers teachers the following:
- Summary
- Insight
- Connection to Essential Question
- Connection to Performance Tasks
- Lesson Resources with standards listed
- Student Resources
- Teacher Resources
- Reteach/Practice Suggestions
- Assessment
Background and Author information is given for each section as a means to provide teachers with needed guidance through each reading selection. Within the Teacher’s Edition most selections have an audio-adapted version and a written version of the text.
Indicator 3H
The instructional materials contain a Teacher’s Edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum.
Teachers are provided with a Pacing Plan for each unit that includes the Unit Introduction, Whole-class Learning, Small-group Learning, Independent Learning, Performance-based Assessment, and Unit Reflection. Within each section, there is a recommended number of days allocated for each reading selection and activities, including Performance Tasks and Performance-based Assessment. This gives a great overview of the unit and what to expect, for ease in planning.
Standards are given for each section as a means to provide teachers with needed guidance through each reading selection.
Indicator 3I
The instructional materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.
At the beginning of the Teacher’s Edition, there is a section entitled, “Getting Started with My Perspectives.” In "What is My Perspectives" the publisher explains, “My Perspectives is a print and digitally blended program that promotes students’ ownership of the learning through goal setting, student choice and reflection. Students encounter authors’ perspectives as they read literature from across time periods and cultures. They engage in meaningful activities that inspire thoughtful conversations, discussions, and debates. ”
Pages are also color-coded: Whole-class Learning is lime green, Performance Tasks and Performance-based Assessments are color coded in orange, Small-group Learning is turquoise, and Independent Learning is blue. The teacher is given instruction on what to say for each point of the lesson. Both Whole-class Learning and Small-group Learning have Learning Strategies to guide teachers with an outline to execute instruction.
There is also a Planning section before each text selection showing the Lesson Resources, both student and teacher resources organized by Making Meaning, Language Development, and Effective Expression. Next, is a Personalize For Learning: Reading Support that gives the Text Complexity rubric for that reading selection and a Decide and Plan section which gives teachers additional information for English Language Support, Strategic Support, and Challenge support as well as a Read and Respond teaching scaffold. Decide and Plan also includes CCSS Instructional Standards for the selection with a catching-up suggestion and a looking-forward selection for the various standards covered in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language.
Indicator 3J
The instructional materials contain strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the ELA/literacy program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.
There a section called “Home Connection” that instructs teachers to send home a letter explaining to parents what students will be learning and how they will be assessed. This can be downloaded in English and Spanish from the digital teacher’s edition.
Prior to each unit, students are given an outline page that lists the Essential Question with all the readings from in the Whole-class Learning, Small-group Learning, and Independent Learning. Additionally, the Performance Tasks that follow the three types of learning are listed for students to view. Finally, the Performance-based Assessment is listed with the prompt so students are made aware of what will be expected of them before they start the unit of study.
At the beginning of each unit, there are “Unit Goals” in the Student Edition. The goals are as follows: Reading Goals, Writing and Research Goals, Language Goals, and Speaking and Listening Goals. Students are asked to “Rate how well you meet these goals right now.” Introductory directions say, “These goals will help you succeed on the Unit Performance-based Assessment.” Later in the unit, students are given the opportunity to revisit their rankings as they reflect on individual growth.
Criterion 3.3: Assessment
Materials in My Perspectives: English Language Arts - Grade 9 offer teachers resources and tools to collect ongoing, standards-aligned data about student progress to inform placement, remediation and enrichment needs, and achievement. Rubrics are included for the Performance-based Assessments that accompany each unit. There is also an opportunity for students to complete a self-assessment, rating themselves on how they meet the unit goals.
Students are systematically held accountable for independent reading and are provided with a number of tools to support them and track their reading.
Indicator 3K
Materials for Grade 9 regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress. The series provides for year-long assessments in the form of a Beginning-of-Year Test on all standards taught in the academic year for planning standards focus, a Mid-Year Test for mastery of standards taught the first half of the year and providing opportunities to remediate, and an End-of-Year Test to determine mastery of standards, future class placement, and to capture final assessment data.
Unit-level Assessments include:
- Selection activities formatively used to assess students’ grasp of critical concepts such as analyzing text, analyzing craft and structure, concept vocabulary, word study, and author’s style.
- Notes in the Teacher Edition that offer suggestions for re-teaching.
- Selection tests tracking student progress toward mastering standards taught with the selection.
- Performance tasks including both a writing and a speaking and listening performance task preparing students for success on the end-of-unit Performance-based Assessment.
- Unit tests requiring students to apply standards taught in the unit with new text, providing an opportunity for teachers to remediate.
- Performance-based Assessments where students use their notes, knowledge, and skills learned to complete a project on their own.
Indicator 3L
Indicator 3L.i
Assessments for Grade 9 clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.
In the Teacher Edition (TE), there is a Standards Correlation that notes by standard and title of the text or assignment and the page number on which it appears. In Lesson Resources prior to each text in the TE, the standards appear in the chart by activity and assessment, broken down by Reading, Language, Writing, and Speaking and Listening.
In the Student Edition (SE), standards are noted in the margin next to each text, activity, assessment and performance task.
Indicator 3L.ii
Assessments for Grade 9 provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.
When assessing taught standards, Mid-Year Tests and Unit Tests can be administered online, and remediation is assigned automatically. If not administered online, an interpretation guide can be used to assign remediation resources.
The writing portion of each Performance-based Assessment includes a genre-specific rubric in both the Teacher Edition and Student Edition. The second part of the Performance-based Assessment, speaking and listening, includes a rubric specific to the type of presentation. The wording in these rubrics is taken directly from the standards.
Formative assessment tips and suggestions are included with each activity. A section entitled "Personalize for Learning," located in the bottom margin of the TE throughout each unit, provides support for ELLs, Strategic Support, and Challenge.
Indicator 3M
Materials for Grade 9 include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.
Prior to the introductory Launch Text, students complete a self-assessment, rating themselves on how they meet the unit goals.
The first activity students complete at the end of each text during Whole-group and Small-group Learning is a Comprehension Check, in which students respond to several open-ended questions following the first read of the text and then write a summary of the text. During Small-group Learning, students respond individually, then review and clarify details with group members.
Formative assessment tips and suggestions are included in the Teacher Edition (TE) in the margins with each of the activities students are to complete following a text. If students fail to cite evidence, teachers are instructed to remind them to support their ideas with specific information.
In the lesson plan for each text, found in the Interactive TE or Unit Resources, teachers are provided a list of resources to go with that text lesson. The list includes Reteach/Practice documents and Assessment for the text, if available.
Indicator 3N
Materials for Grade 9 indicate how students are accountable for independent reading based on student choice and interest to build stamina, confidence, and motivation.
- All texts are read independently for the first and close reads.
- Students are provided graphic organizers to record notes for both reads.
- Students keep an evidence guide throughout the unit to collect evidence supporting their understanding of the unit essential question.
- An Independent Learning Strategies video is included in the Teacher Edition (TE) that can be viewed with students prior to the two days of Independent Learning.
- Students are to then complete the Independent Learning Strategy chart with the strategy and action plan they will follow. Strategies include: Create a schedule; Practice what you’ve learned; and Take Notes.
- To help students choose the independent text, they are to:
- Look Back – think about the selections they have already read and decide what more they want to know about the topic.
- Look Ahead – preview the selection by reading the provided descriptions and decide which one is most appealing and interesting.
- Look Inside – scan the text and make another selection if this text they chose doesn’t meet their needs.
- Students complete the First-Read Guide and Close-Read Guide on the independent text.
- There are text questions teachers can assign from the TE.
- Students present to the class what they learned from the independent reading that helped them further understand the unit essential question.
- A trade book alignment is included with each unit for suggestions for integrating longer works within the unit and lesson plans for each title are available.
Criterion 3.4: Differentiation
Materials in My Perspectives: English Language Arts - Grade 9 provide teachers with strategies to reach all learners, including those whose skills may be above or below grade level, or whose English proficiencies may provide additional challenges as they engage with the content. All students have extensive opportunities to read, write, speak, and listen to grade level text and meet or exceed grade level standards. Lessons provide Whole-class, Small-group, and Independent Learning opportunities throughout the school year.
Indicator 3O
Materials for Grade 9 provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners, so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.
Each unit begins with a Launch Text that is a lower Lexile, so that students can read independently and complete the assigned homework. There is also an audio summary for students to build additional background before reading.
There is a Personalize For Learning: Reading Support section that gives the Text Complexity rubric for that reading selection and a Decide and Plan section which gives teachers additional information for:
- English Language Support with suggestions for Knowledge Demands and Language
- Strategic Support with suggestions for Knowledge Demands and Language/Clarity
- Challenge Support with suggestions for Text Analysis and Written Response
As part of supporting the standards throughout the unit’s teaching and learning cycle, under Decide and Plan is the standard being taught.
- Next to the standard under Catching Up, selection scaffolds are provided before the lesson is assigned in the Student Edition (SE) to scaffold learning for students who are below grade level or students who need English Language Support.
- The Looking Forward section provides activities to practice mastered skills in depth for those students exceeding grade level standards.
There are also notes in the Teacher Edition (TE) under the heading Personalize For Learning to provide extra support. There is a Vocabulary Development section that focuses on multiple-meaning words and gives examples for several meanings of a selected word.
Under Lesson Resources in the TE there are Reteach/Practice materials available online for students who may need extra teaching and practice with author’s craft, word study, conventions and writing/discussion. Each selection has the option to listen to the audio online as well as the Word Network graphic organizer and the Evidence Log.
Author’s Perspective gives teachers pertinent information to assist with providing differentiated instruction.
Indicator 3P
Materials for Grade 9 regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade- level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.
All students have extensive opportunities to read, write, speak, and listen to grade-level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards. The students read the same grade-level texts throughout each unit, with the teacher modeling and scaffolding instruction during Whole-group Learning and facilitating during Small-group Learning. The students do have a choice of 4-6 selections during Independent Learning. These selections vary in genre and Lexile, but all are tied to the unit’s Essential Question and have a similar lesson plan and expectations.
There are supports built into the series to help make students who are not at grade level and students who speak a language other than English successful with the grade-level text and grade-level standards. For example, when introducing a unit, there is an Introduction Video as well as a Launch Text that is always a model of the type of writing students will be expected to write at the end of the unit. Audio Summaries are also available in both English and Spanish to help build background knowledge before reading.
Indicator 3Q
Materials for Grade 9 regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.
All students have extensive opportunities to read, write, speak, and listen to grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards. The students read the same grade-level texts throughout each unit, with the teacher modeling and scaffolding instruction during Whole-group Learning and facilitating during Small-group Learning.
Under Personalize For Learning: Reading Support the Decide and Plan section gives teachers additional information for Challenge Support with suggestions for Text Analysis and Written Response.
Under Standards Support Through Teaching and Learning Cycle, the Looking Forward section provides activities to practice mastered skills in depth for those students exceeding grade-level standards. Within the Teacher’s Edition (TE), there is a chart that has the CCSS grade-level standard listed that includes a column called “Looking Forward.” This gives advanced opportunities for students who have mastered the standard to go deeper into the standard. For example:
- In Reading CCSS RL.9-10.5 students analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it, and manipulate time to create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. To go deeper, those students are asked to “rewrite one of the poems using a more straightforward structure to point out the effect of lyrical language.”
The Teacher’s Edition has tips for the teacher throughout the unit under the heading of Personalize For Learning, and one category is Challenge. Suggestions are located here to extend the learning for students who are exceeding grade-level standards. The format is similar for each unit and each grade level.
Indicator 3R
Materials for Grade 9 provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.
Lessons provide Whole-class, Small-group, and Independent Learning opportunities throughout the school year.
Unit 1: American Voices
Whole-class Learning: Students read a selection of texts to explore American voices.
Whole-class Learning Performance Task: Write a narrative nonfiction essay that demonstrates how your generation defines what it means to be an American. Trade papers with a partner to read and revise.
Small-group Learning Performance Task: Develop a podcast that addresses this question: How do the realities of immigrants’ experiences reflect or fail to reflect American ideals? Assign roles for each part of the podcast, note when each segment will begin, and record what the speaker will say.
Independent Learning: After choosing a text from the selections offered as independent readings for this unit, students are asked to share what they have learned with classmates (pairing or small groups). The task is as follows: “Reflect on the text you explored independently and write notes about its connection to the unit. In your notes, consider why this text belongs in the unit.” Under “Learn From Your Classmates,” students are asked to “Share your ideas about the text you explored on your own. As you talk with others in your class, jot down a few ideas that you learned from them.”
Unit 3: The Literature of Civil Rights
Whole-class Learning: After reading and listening to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, students discuss how Dr. King’s delivery contributes to the power and impact of the speech.
Small-group Learning: The Small-group Learning reading presents the experiences of people who were eyewitnesses to civil rights history. After reading, each small group will develop a research presentation about civil rights in the United States.
Personalize for Learning: English Language Development. Students are asked to work in pairs to look for a passage in the selection where the author tells about her mother’s impact on her vocation.
Criterion 3.5: Technology Use
Materials in My Perspectives: English Language Arts - Grade 9 support effective use of technology to enhance student learning. Digital materials are accessible and available in multiple platforms.
Digital materials are web-based, compatible with multiple Internet browsers, “platform neutral,” follow universal programming style, and allow the use of tablets and mobile devices.
Effective use of technology to enhance student learning, drawing attention to evidence and texts as appropriate is supported. There are multiple opportunities for teachers to differentiate instructional materials for multiple student needs, including supports for before, during, and after each selection.
The materials can be easily customized for local use. Digital Perspectives identifies online resources for each lesson.
Indicator 3S
Digital materials for Grade 9 are web-based, compatible with multiple Internet browsers, “platform neutral,” follow universal programming style, and allow the use of tablets and mobile devices.
Students can use the BouncePage app wherever they see “Scan for Multimedia” to access. Additionally, they can access multimedia resources directly from print by using their mobile or tablet device.
Additional digital resources can be found in the Interactive Student Edition and myPerspectives website. Digital resources, including editable worksheets, can be found in the myPerspectives website.
Assessments can be administered in print and/or online. Pearson Realize provides powerful data reporting.
Indicator 3T
Materials for Grade 9 support effective use of technology to enhance student learning, drawing attention to evidence and texts as appropriate.
The Student Edition gives instructions for downloading Pearson’s BouncePages App from the Apple App or Google Play Store. When a student aims their camera at the Student Edition, they can tap the screen to scan the page. When they press “Play,” a video or audio can be listened to of that particular text. Also, students can access digital novels, interactive lessons, and games using this app.
Audio Summaries: Audio summaries are available online in both English and Spanish in the interactive Teacher’s Edition or Unit Resources. Assigning these summaries prior to reading the selection may help students build additional background knowledge and set a context for their first read.
Indicator 3U
Indicator 3U.i
The instructional materials for Grade 9 include digital materials that give opportunities for teachers to personalize learning for all students, using adaptive technological innovations.
There are multiple opportunities for teachers to differentiate instructional materials for multiple student needs, including supports for before, during, and after each selection. Digital Perspectives offers suggestions for using digital resources to strengthen concepts being taught. Pearson Realize gives teachers access to manage and customize units by rearranging content, uploading their own content, adding links to online media, and editing resources and assessments.
Indicator 3U.ii
The instructional materials can be easily customized for local use. Differentiation and extension opportunities available throughout the instructional materials allow many opportunities to personalize learning as appropriate for students. Teachers are also able to add notes to the materials.
Indicator 3V
The instructional materials include technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other.
Digital Perspectives identifies online resources for each lesson. The Student Edition is Interactive with access to online annotations tools for reading selections. Students also have access to embedded, interactive graphic organizers and activities that allow for interaction when students are working with a particular text. Additionally, the Integrated Student Notebook gives students opportunities to share their work.