The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2a. 

The materials are grouped around topics/themes to grow students’ knowledge over the course of the school year. The sequence of texts around these topics/themes helps students to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently. Texts within units are connected and arranged by topics around an essential question.

Texts are connected by a grade-appropriate cohesive topic/theme/line of inquiry. Texts build knowledge and the ability to read and comprehend complex texts across a school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Generations, the Essential Question asks, “What can one generation learn from another?”  This unit begins with a nonfiction narrative called Grounded by Elfrieda Hiebert, Ph.D., which also acts as the writing model for the Performance-Based assessment. Throughout Unit 1, students continue by comparing and contrasting texts which follow the same theme. First, they read a news blog called “A Simple Act” by Tyler Jackson which is followed by an excerpt from the memoir An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski. Later in the unit, students read another memoir, poetry, and watch a video called Learning to Love My Mother by Maya Angelou. In addition to writing to compare/contrast, students also write a narrative poem.

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, the Essential Question asks, “What can cause a sudden change in someone’s life?” This unit opens with a Launch Text that models this Unit’s Performance-Based Assessment, an Explanatory Essay. After reading the Launch text, students compare and contrast two versions of the text based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The first piece they read is a drama called A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley by Israel Horovitz. Then they watch a film called Scrooge, directed by Henry Edwards. Once finished, they write a comparison piece and an explanatory piece. Further, into the unit, they read the memoir An American Childhood by Annie Dillard. At the end of the Unit, students write and present an explanatory essay based on the text and the Essential Question for the Unit.

• In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, students read a series of texts connected to the Essential Question, “How do we overcome obstacles?” The Launch Text “provides students with a common starting point to address the unit topic,” and due to the lower complexity, it is easy for students to understand so the focus can be on the discussion of the topic. As Unit 5 progresses, students perform a Complex reading by comparing/contrasting a video with a novel excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Following Whole-Class Learning, students begin writing an Informative Essay. By the end of the Unit, students read another Complex text, The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, and complete the informative essay by presenting it to peers.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2b. 

The materials include high-quality questions and tasks in which students analyze key ideas, details, craft, and structure within individual texts as well as across multiple texts. The materials are organized in a consistent pattern across all units with multiple after-reading activities. Each unit is divided into five main parts: The Introduction, Whole-Class Learning, Small-Group Learning, Independent Learning, and the End Of Unit (Assessment, Reflection, and Test). Before beginning each reading, the students engage in a First Read, which requires them to note what they notice, annotate the key vocabulary and passages, connect0 ideas with other selections, and respond by writing a brief summary. The Close Read notes in the Teacher’s Edition help support student analysis of key ideas, details, craft, and structure as the students read. After reading, the students work through activities to ensure their understanding of the key ideas in the reading. The Comprehension Check, Close Read of the Text, Analyze the Text, and Analyze Craft and Structure questions require students to revisit the text and use specific text evidence in their answers. In the Teacher’s Edition, the sample answers also include the depth of knowledge levels for some questions; most are at DOK 2 or 3. For some texts, the questions lead to the subsequent Writing or Speaking and Listening activities. These questions also build toward the various Performance Tasks embedded after Whole-Class Learning, Small-Group Learning, and at the End of the Unit. Throughout each unit, students keep an Evidence Log and notebook to record responses and help them prepare for the culminating tasks. 

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, A Starry Home, Whole-Class Learning, students read “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed” by Ray Bradbury. In the Analyze the Text section, students identify key ideas and details to address several components of a fictional text. First, they “mark things that are being compared” and answer the question, “What is unusual about these comparisons?” They are also asked, “What mood or overall impression has Bradbury created with these comparisons?” Next, students mark details that “reveal how Harry feels about being on Mars.” Students are asked “what a reader can infer from these details and are asked why they think the author used these details at this point in the story. Students also identify details that “describe Bittering’s inner thoughts” and answer the question, “Why are these thoughts expressed in incomplete sentences, with a lot of repetition?” 

• In Unit 4, The People and the Planet, Whole-Class Learning, students read from Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Under the section called Close Read the Text, students identify “details the author uses to describe the rich environment of the town” and respond to the questions, “Why might the author have used such vivid, descriptive details to describe the town?” and “What can you conclude about the town from these details?” Students then “mark text in paragraph three that shows how Carson introduces the change” and are asked to “consider what this text might tell them about Carson’s intention in this part of the excerpt.”  In the section called “Analyze the Text, students interpret what the phrase ‘heart of America’ suggests?” and “speculate why Carson use[s] this phrase in the first paragraph?”  

• In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, Small-Group Learning, students read “A Work in Progress” by Aimee Mullins. During the First Read, the Teacher’s Edition provides guidance to help the students notice details and specific word choices that add humor to the selection. The teacher also helps the students locate vocabulary and key passages to annotate. Students are encouraged to make connections between the text and their own experiences. Finally, students finish the Comprehension check at the end of the selection and write a brief summary. As they read, they are instructed to annotate words and phrases that are examples of hyperbole or using exaggerations for comic effect. The five Comprehension questions prompt students to recall key details from the story, such as:

  • Why does the author, Aimee Mullins, have difficulty walking across the marble floor of the library?

  • What happened between Mullins and her father that caused her to be grounded?

  • What does Mullins do to become more involved with the quality of her limbs?

  • According to the author, what is the source of the “greatest creative power”? 

For most texts, students analyze craft and structure (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, A Starry Home, Small-Group Learning, students read “The Last Dog” by Katherine Paterson. In the Analyze Craft and Structure section, students analyze the external and internal conflict. Students use a worksheet to answer questions about the conflict found in the story, such as, “What is one external conflict in ‘The Last Dog?’” and “How are the conflicts in ‘The Last Dog’ resolved?” Students use a graphic organizer to facilitate this work. They are asked, “How are the external conflicts and the internal conflicts related?” and “Did the resolution settle the conflicts in the story?” 

• In Unit 4, The People and the Planet, Small-Group Learning, students read a poetry collection that includes “Turtle Watchers” by Linda Hogan, “Nature” by Emily Dickinson, and “The Sparrow” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. In the Analyze Craft and Structure section, students focus on the voice of the speaker of the poems. Specifically, they review lyric poetry. Students use a graphic organizer to identify various details in each poem that help them identify the subject and the speaker’s attitude. They also answer the questions, “What vivid words and descriptions are used?” and “What feeling, observation, or insight is conveyed by the speaker?”

• In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, Small-Group Learning, students read “A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill, Electrifying a Nation” by Sarah Childress and then analyze elements of biographical writing. Students use a chart to document the location of the text that represents an element of biographical writing and then analyze how that evidence contributes to the development of ideas in biographical writing. For example, students might conclude that relevant facts are necessary for biographical writing and then determine that the definition of “energy poverty” might determine the creation of a windmill. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2c. 

The materials include multiple opportunities for students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within individual texts and across multiple texts. The tasks are sequenced in a way that is appropriate for the grade level and include text-specific and/or text-dependent questions and tasks. The materials provide related questions as students comprehend and analyze texts and complete culminating tasks. Most sets of questions and tasks require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across the unit to build knowledge around a topic/theme and the essential question. In some instances, the materials pair two or more texts, and students practice the same skills across all texts. Multiple texts connect to the essential question in preparation for the end-of-unit assessment. In this assessment, students synthesize ideas based on various text-dependent prompts that align with grade-level standards. 

Most sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, A Starry Home, Small-Group Learning, students read “Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Future of U.S. Space Exploration After Curiosity” by Keith Wagstaff. In the section for Effective Expression, the students conduct research and write a short informational report on one of the following topics: the life and work of Neil deGrasse Tyson, the planet Mars, the robotic rover Curiosity. Students tie their new learning together with the information they learned from the reading and present their research findings with the class. 

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, Whole-Class Learning, students read A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, Act l, by Israel Horovitz. In the Close Read section, students follow a process to analyze the text. They respond to four questions: “What does it say? What does it mean? How is it said? Why does it matter?” The questions tap comprehension, identify evidence, consider the author’s technique, and allow students to “think deeply about the issues that affect their lives.” 

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Whole-Class Learning, students read “Nobel Acceptance Speech” by Al Gore. Before reading, teachers “engage them in a discussion about global warming and what they already know about it.” Then students reread paragraphs three through five and answer the questions, “What vision is Gore talking about? Why is he calling it ‘precious and painful’? How and why is Gore comparing himself with Alfred Nobel?” Finally, students answer the questions, “What effects do people have on the environment? What have you learned about the effects people have on the environment by reading this selection?” They are required to add evidence from the texts to support their answers.

Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Generations, Whole-Class Learning, students read an excerpt from An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski and read a news blog, “A Simple Act” by Maurice Mazyck. In the Effective Expression section of lessons, students consider the following: “How did the friendship start and grow? Why did the friendship last so long?”  Students then “write an explanatory essay in which [they] analyze ways in which the authors of the two pieces present information about the same topic: the friendship between Laura and Maurice.” Students are asked the following questions: “What descriptive details do the two texts provide? What quotations, if any, are used? Does the text focus on a series of events or more on the quality of the friendship?”  

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, Whole-Class Learning, students read A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley by Israel Horovitz and view an excerpt from Scrooge directed by Henry Edwards. In the Effective Expression section, students “write a compare-and-contrast essay in which [they] analyze the similarities and differences between the two versions of Charles Dickens’s famous novel.” Students respond to the following questions: “Which medium, written drama or film, gives the audience’s imagination more room to fill in the details? Which version of this story is more effective?”        

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Whole-Class Learning, students read “Nobel Speech” by Al Gore and view the video “Nobel Speech” by Al Gore. Students write an argument in which they state a claim as to which medium more persuasively conveys Gore’s argument. They analyze the texts and answer the following questions: Does the text reveal aspects of the argument that the video does not? Explain. Does the video communicate the author’s tone in a way the text does not? Explain. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2d. 

The materials include three culminating tasks that require students to show their knowledge and understanding of a topic through integrated literacy skills. Each unit across the grade level includes an essential question connecting to a topic/theme. The units include Whole-Class Learning, Small-Group Learning, and Independent Learning opportunities. Students build knowledge on the topic/theme by reading texts or watching videos. They complete writing tasks and engage in speaking and listening with peers. The Whole-Group Learning Performance Tasks assess writing, and the Small-Group Learning Performance Tasks assess speaking and listening skills. Throughout the unit, brief writing tasks follow each reading and provide practice opportunities for multiple skills. Teachers provide feedback during writing exercises to move students toward mastery by the end of the unit. The Teacher Resources includes an Assessment section that provides culminating online and PDF versions of selection tests, extension selection tests, unit tests, and extension unit tests. Each culminating exam includes multiple choice and short answer questions testing various standards.

Culminating tasks are evident and varied across the year and they are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards (reading, writing, speaking, listening) at the appropriate grade level and comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics through integrated skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Teacher’s Edition, each Introduction for the unit includes information about the Unit Goals, including goals related to Reading, Writing, Research, Language, and Speaking and Listening. The Teacher’s Edition states, “These unit goals were backward designed from the Performance-Based Assessment at the end of the unit and the Whole-Class and Small Group Performance Tasks. Students will practice and become proficient in many more standards over the course of this unit.”

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, Small-Group Learning, Performance Task: Speaking and Listening Focus, students present an explanatory essay “in the form of a multimedia presentation in response to the following prompt: How are the turning points in the selection similar to and different from each other?” In preparation for this task, the group reviews the reading from this section of the unit and takes notes that will assist them in developing their thinking. After taking time to discuss this information, the group works collaboratively to narrow their focus. Students use their research skills to identify “details and information about the turning point” selected by the group, and they work together to create a presentation. Once finished, students present their work to the class, asking questions and providing comments.

• In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, Whole-Class Learning, students complete an informative writing performance task. Students write an informative essay answering the prompt, “How did the individuals in the selections cope with the obstacles they faced?” Students use examples and details from the texts to support their ideas. Students spend three instructional days drafting, organizing, writing, editing, revising, and evaluating before they post their final essay. Students are given a checklist to evaluate their editorial that includes focus in the area of focus and organization, evidence and elaboration, and conventions. To show proficiency, students need to show mastery of the informative writing standards connected to the task.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2f. 

The materials provide multiple opportunities for students to engage in research. Short text-specific research opportunities connect to each text through Research to Clarify and Research to Explore tasks. Throughout each unit, there are opportunities for students to conduct brief research to build knowledge about the topic of the text and/or unit, including, but not limited to, Cross-Curricular tasks and Challenge tasks. Materials provide for longer research tasks that require students to synthesize and analyze tasks connected to the unit topics. Materials include teaching around research standards such as avoiding plagiarism and correctly citing sources. Research tasks build mastery over the school year and connect to research standards. 

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills according to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, A Starry Home, Whole-Class Learning, students read “Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!” by Maggie Koerth-Baker. Students are asked to find a detail from the article and research additional information to decide if that research helps to “shed light on an aspect of the article.” In addition, students create a written blog post in which they state a position on the “topic of combating astronauts’ boredom while traveling to Mars.” They are asked to identify a claim for this post and research information that will contribute to their post. Students are reminded to use “accurate, credible sources” to support their claims. 

  • In Unit 3, Turning Points, Small-Group Learning, students read “Urban Farming Is Growing a Green Future” by Hillary Schwei. They create a digital multimedia presentation on one of four projects. Students find credible sources, for example, “What relevant, reliable print, digital, and multimedia sources can you use in your research?” 

  • In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, Small-Group Learning, students read “A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill, Electrifying a Nation” by Sarah Childress. Students conduct research to find information to write a how-to essay. This research project requires students to develop key research skills. For example, the directions state that students should “Consult multiple print and digital sources, and evaluate the credibility of each source you use. Take notes on each source so that you can cite your sources accurately in a Works-Cited list, or bibliography, at the end of your essay.”

Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects of a topic via provided resources. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Teacher Resources, a Plagiarism Checker is provided for teachers to access via Safe Assign, which offers guidance for implementation, including Video Tutorials: “SafeAssign is effective as both a deterrent and an educational tool. Use SafeAssign to review assignment submissions for originality and create opportunities to help students identify how to properly attribute sources rather than paraphrase.” The tool will assist educators when assigning research projects.

• The materials offer Research Minilessons and a Writing and Research Center with a Research Writing PowerPoint Presentation that introduces research writing and provides prewriting tips to assist students in formulating a research question and making a Research Plan, such as “Once you have written your major research question, you are ready to make a research plan. As part of your plan, you will create a timeline for finishing your report. You also will find and evaluate sources of information.” The PowerPoint Presentation includes guidance relating to how to organize a research report and revise and edit the draft. A grammar minilesson follows, and student instructions for publishing the piece state: “When you’ve finished your final draft, publish it. Use this chart to identify a way to publish your informational research report for the appropriate audience.” The Teacher’s Edition: End Matter, Tool Kit: Research includes detailed guidance for Conducting Research, Reviewing Research Findings, and Incorporating Research Into Writing.

Materials provide many opportunities for students to synthesize and analyze content tied to the texts under study as a part of the research process. 

• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Generations, Whole-Class Learning, students read “Two Kinds” from The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and research a question to better comprehend the text. In the text, the narrator references the composer Schumann. Students “research the German composer Robert Schumann, and write a brief biography of the man, outlining his professional career, including the creation of Scenes from Childhood.” Students generate new questions in reference to the research, such as, “What do the names of the pieces in Scenes from Childhood tell us about Schumann?”

  • In Unit 3, Turning Points, Small-Group Learning, students read “Urban Farming Is Growing a Green Future” by Hillary Schwei. Students conduct a short research project on hydroponics. For example, “Have students research ‘exploring hydroponics’ on the Internet. Have them select from the many options available for raising plants without any soil at all, and decide which option would be best for your own classroom.” Students continue their research and try growing plants at home. 

  • In Unit 4, People and the Planet, students craft a multimedia presentation for one of three topics, the importance and impact of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, the struggle to ban Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), or the historic DDT impact and the current environmental danger to bees. Students use credible online or print resources to gather evidence and visual elements.

• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Generations, Small-Group Learning, students read from Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou and “Learning to Love My Mother” by Maya Angelou and Michael Maher. They write an essay expressing similarities and differences between texts. Students draw evidence from these texts, analyzing and reflecting on the similarities and differences in the information. 

  • In Unit 2, A Starry Home, Performance Task, students create a multimedia presentation to answer the question. “Should space exploration be a priority for our country?” Students use a note catcher to analyze each text from the unit for the benefits and drawbacks presented. Then students conduct additional research that includes more recent NASA programs.

  • In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Performance Task, students prepare and present a multimedia presentation. Students work with a group to analyze the text for information about people’s impact on the environment. They use their notes from this analysis to choose a claim. Then using information from these multiple texts, they gather additional media elements, such as photographs, videos, and illustrations, to support their claim and evidence. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2g. 

The materials spend instructional time on content that falls within grade-level aligned instruction, practice, and assessments. Over the course of each unit, the majority of questions, tasks, and assessments are aligned to grade-level standards, with opportunities for explicit instruction. By the end of the academic year, every standard is addressed, and there are multiple opportunities for students to revisit standards to promote mastery. Some standards are repeatedly addressed within and across units to ensure students master the full intent of the standard. Students have opportunities in each grade-level standard to build skills in a logical sequence over the course of the year. 

Over the course of each unit, the majority of instruction is aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In each unit, the Unit at a Glance section lists the standards for each student activity in one of three columns: Analyze Craft and Structure, Conventions/Author’s Style, and Composition/Research/Speaking and Listening. The Teacher’s Edition: End Matter PDF includes an Index of Skills where page number references are provided. In the Teacher’s Edition, Table of Contents, and Frontmatter PDF, the materials provide the Standards Correlation document with page numbers: “The following correlation shows points at which focused standards instruction is provided in the Student Edition. The Teacher’s Edition provides further opportunity to address standards through Personalize for Learning notes and additional resources available only in the Teacher’s Edition.” 

• In Unit 1, Generations, Whole-Class Learning, students read “A Simple Act” by Tyler Jackson. They complete the close read of the text and answer the questions from the Analyze the Text section, which aligns with grade-level standards. For example, 

  • Analyze: (a) How does Maurice surprise Laura when he explains in paragraph 6 what he likes most about visiting Laura’s sister? (b) Infer What do readers learn about Maurice’s values? 

  • Draw Conclusions: How do both Laura and Maurice benefit from their relationship?

  • Evaluate: In paragraph seven, the author mentions that a book about Laura and Maurice’s friendship became a best-seller. Why do you think people became so interested in this friendship? 

  • Essential Question: What have you learned about how people from different generations learn from each other?“

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Small-Group Learning, students read “Hey—, Come On Ou—t!” by Shinichi Hoshi, translated by Stanleigh Jones. Students complete the close read of the text to answer questions that align with grade-level standards. For example, 

  • “Review and Clarify: Review the short story with your group. Why do you think the author includes so many details about what people put into the hole? What effect do these details have on the reader?”

  • Present and Discuss: Now, work with your group to share the passages from the text that you found especially important. Take turns presenting your passages.

  • Essential Question: What has this story taught you about the effects that people have on the environment? Discuss with your group. Students should use textual evidence to support their answers.”

Over the course of each unit, the majority of questions and tasks are aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In each unit, a Whole-Class Learning Performance Task with a writing focus and a Small-Group Learning Performance Task with a speaking and listening focus is included consistently across the school year. Shorter tasks follow the reading of text selections. The questions throughout the Whole-Class Learning and Small-Group Learning connect to the Essential Question of each unit and help prepare students for the successful completion of the performance tasks.

• In Unit 1, Generations, Small-Group Learning, students read “Tutors Teach Seniors New High-Tech Tricks” by Jennifer Ludden. They respond to questions that are aligned with grade-level standards. For example, students read the text and respond to convention questions after the text, which is aligned with the standard, “Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.”

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, Small-Group Learning, students read "Thank You, M’am" by Langston Hughes. They respond to tasks aligned with standards. For example, students complete the task of writing a journal entry, which is aligned with the writing standard, “Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequence.”

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Small-Group Learning, students read “Eagle Tracking at Follensby Pond” by The Nature Conservancy. Students complete the majority of the close reading of the text to answer questions that align with grade-level standards. They answer questions like, “How do the captions add meaning to the photographs? Would the photographs be less effective without the captions? Why or why not?” and “Do you think the photo gallery effectively conveys information about the eagle restoration project at Follensby Pond?” 

Over the course of each unit, the majority of assessment questions are aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In each unit, a Performance-Based Assessment is included, and the unit activities are backward-designed to the Performance-Based Assessment. The materials offer Selection Tests, Extension Selections Tests, Unit Tests, Beginning-, Middle-, and End-of-Year Tests, Next Generation Practice Tests, Next Generation Performance Tasks, and Customizable Test Prep Banks. In the online Teacher’s Materials under Assessment, there is an Interpretation Guide for each Unit Test and an Answer Key for each Selection Test, which indicates the standard that is assessed for each question. All questions on all tests are aligned to one or more standards.

• In Unit 2, A Starry Home, students complete Performance-Based Assessment by writing an Argument that answers the following question: “Should we spend valuable resources on space exploration?” This aligns with Standard W.7.1: “Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.” The rubric for this assessment measures Focus and Organization, Evidence and Elaboration, and Language Conventions. 

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, students complete a Performance-Based Assessment by writing another argument that answers the following question: “Are the needs of people ever more important than the needs of animals and the planet?” This also aligns with Standard W.7.1. The rubric for this assessment measures Focus and Organization, Evidence and Elaboration, and Language Conventions. 

By the end of the academic year, standards are repeatedly addressed within and across units to ensure students master the full intent of the standard. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In each unit, the Teacher’s Edition Table of Contents and Frontmatter PDF are available. The Standards Correlation document provides the Standard in the first column, and where those standards appear in the Print and Interactive Editions in the second column with corresponding page numbers. The materials address standards multiple times across a school year to ensure students can reach mastery. For example, standard L.7.6 is thoroughly addressed across most of the units. The Standards Correlation document lists the following texts and page numbers for this standard: “Unit Goals, Unit 1: 4, Unit 2: 118, Unit 3: 226, Unit 4: 354, Unit 5: 444; Learning to Love My Mother, 80, 83; Mother-Daughter Drawings, 86, 92–93; Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed (radio play), 146; Ellen Ochoa: Director, Johnson Space Center, 200; Scrooge, 298, 301; Urban Farming Is Growing a Greener Future, 332; Eagle Tracking at Follensby Pond,” 412, 418; Surviving the Dust Bowl,” 455; The Grape of Wrath, 464; How Helen Keller Learned to Talk, 512, 515.”

• The Frontmatter document in the Teacher Edition online explains that each unit is backward aligned to the Performance-Based Assessments. This helps to ensure that instructional and academic tasks are standards-aligned and repeated in support of this performance task. In addition, at the end of the Frontmatter document, there is a list of the standards assessed in each text and task under the section Standards Correlation. For example, in Grade 7, there is a heavy emphasis on analyzing evidence and arguments as well as composing arguments. The standards that mostly align with this focus, RI.7.1, RI.7.5, W.7.2, and SL.7.1, are repeatedly assessed through multiple tasks and activities, as shown in the Standards Correlation chart. Additionally, many of these supporting standards, such as standards RI.7.1 and RI.7.5, are repeated in each unit for different purposes utilizing different text types.

• In Units 2 and 4, students focus on gaining mastery of W.7.7: “Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation,” is repeatedly addressed in the Grade 7 materials. In Unit 2, A Starry Home, students read “Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!” by Maggie Koerth-Baker and write a Blog Post that they research and present. They also read “Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Future of U.S. Space Exploration After Curiosity” by Keith Wagstaff and complete an Informational Report on a selected topic. In Unit 4, People and the Planet, students review “Eagle Tracking at Follensby Pond” by The Nature Conservancy and write a research paper on the topic. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 2h. 

The materials are organized into five units, and the culminating task for each unit is a Performance-Based Assessment. The pacing for the units is generally reasonable. Implementation and pacing for each unit can be found in the introduction and also in the Unit at a Glance. In the introduction of each unit, a pacing plan is provided for the whole group text–-breaking implementation of the material day by day with assigned texts or tasks to be completed. The pacing plan for implementation of Small Group and Independent Reading texts is broken out day by day, text by text, leading into the Performance Based Assessment. The Unit at a Glance resource provides a table view breakout with text, pacing/# of days, along with other key information. The pacing guide is built on a 40- to 50-minute daily class. Trade book integration provides alternative implementations, which can be found in the Teacher Edition Table of Contents and Front Matter for each unit. 

Suggested implementation schedules and alternative implementation schedules align to core learning and objectives. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Generations, the pacing guide covers 36 total days and includes whole-class, small-group, and independent learning. Alternative trade book options are available that include Stand Tall by Joan Bauer, Fair Weather by Richard Peck, and Ribbons by Laurence Yep. The Teacher’s Edition provides a pacing guide for reading the trade books either in lieu of lessons included in the unit or in addition to the lessons. Teachers are advised: “However you choose to integrate trade books, the Pacing Guide below offers suggestions for aligning the trade books with this unit.” Trade book lesson plans are available in the program supplement called myPerspectives+. In addition to trade books, Unit 1 includes Hook and Inspire activities that would extend the unit introduction. This unit includes materials that supplement Two Kinds and include additional videos, articles, and image galleries that can be reviewed to help build background knowledge and provide interest.

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, the pacing guide covers 36 total days and includes whole-class, small-group, and independent learning. Alternative trade book options are available, including The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Hush by Jacqueline Woodson, and The Cay by Theodore Taylor. The Teacher’s Edition provides a pacing guide for reading the trade books either in lieu of lessons included in the unit or in addition to the lessons. Teachers are advised: “However you choose to integrate trade books, the Pacing Guide below offers suggestions for aligning the trade books with this unit.” Trade book lesson plans are available in the program supplement called myPerspectives+. In addition to trade books, Unit 3 includes Hook and Inspire activities that would extend the unit introduction. This unit includes materials that supplement A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley and include additional videos, articles, and image galleries that can be reviewed to help build background knowledge and provide interest.

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Small-Group Learning, students read “Eagle Tracking at Follensby Pond” by The Nature Conservancy. Students gain an understanding of how the reintroduction of animals works and are better able to respond to the essential question, “What effects do people have on the environment?” The text and tasks require students to apply seventh-grade  reading for information, language, speaking and listening, and writing standards that align with core learning and objectives. For example, students apply the speaking and listening standard of analyzing the main ideas presented in diverse media and formats as students work with their group to form a research question on one of three options relating to eagles. 

Suggested implementation schedules can be reasonably completed in the time allotted. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• There is a Grade 7 Unit Planning Guide in the Program resources that is available in Microsoft Word format, which reviews each unit’s topic, essential question, unit overview, unit goals, selections and media listed by Whole-Class Learning, Small-Group Learning, and Independent Learning. It also reviews the Performance-Based Assessment and Unit Reflection. Lastly, it provides a day-to-day plan that reviews each day’s focus, referenced pages in the Student Edition, Unit Goals, Academic Vocabulary, Home Connection Letters, Standards, Tasks, Text Selection Titles, and ELL Supports. This unit guide implies teachers will be following the lessons exactly, which contradicts what is embedded in the Teacher Edition, suggesting leaving time for reteaching, enrichment, and use of trade books and optional tasks.

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, the pacing guide introduces the unit over two days, provides 13 days for whole-class learning activities, 12 days for small-group learning, two days for independent learning activities, and seven days dispersed intermittently throughout the unit for performance tasks. The pacing guide alone is reasonable, but it does not leave room for supplemental learning or remediated instruction.

• In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, Performance Based Assessment, students are allotted two days to complete the tasks. Students begin by engaging in Assessment Prep, where they discuss the prompt, review their evidence, evaluate their evidence, and then students write an informative essay. Then using the final essay as their foundation, they craft a multimedia presentation and present it. Then students complete a unit reflection. Even with the knowledge that their evidence would already be collected throughout the unit, two days is adequate time to complete an essay, craft a presentation, and deliver the presentation.

Optional tasks do not distract from core learning. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Generations, optional pacing for supplemental trade books is provided. Direction for the incorporation of the trade books includes using them as supplemental texts, substitution for unit text, and a way to extend independent learning. Teacher instructions note that if they are used as substitute text to review the standards that are taught with those selections and no other information is provided. Three trade books are suggested, Stand Tall by Joan Bauer, Fair Weather by Richard Peck, and Ribbons by Laurence Yep. Each trade book has a suggested pacing calendar that correlates with the core curriculum. For example, Stand Tall chapters 1-16 are read along lessons 3-15, chapters 17-27 are read along lessons 19-29, and chapters 28-31 are read during lessons 33 and 34. Each trade book has the Lexile, summary, and connection to the unit’s essential question. 

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, teacher materials suggest finding additional materials that are more current such as the news article “How Hurricane Katrina Led One Teen to Howard University and Beyond” from Essence magazine, which tells  “How one teenager’s experiences after Hurricane Katrina shaped her future..” Additionally, there is a video, “High-Tech, Low-Cost Robotic Hand Changes Girl’s Life,” from CBS about Faith Lennox, a seven-year-old girl, receiving a 3D-printed prosthetic hand that costs about $50.” 

• In Unit 4, “People and the Planet,” Whole-Class Learning, after students complete their analysis and related tasks following a close reading of Al Gore’s “Nobel Speech,” teachers can assign a “Challenge” available in the Personalize for Learning box that states, “Extend: Ask students to write a paragraph describing what they think could happen if the problems of global warming and climate change are not addressed. Remind them there is no one answer, but their responses should be based on what they’ve read. Ask volunteers to share their responses with the class.” This challenge could easily fit into the unit and would not require a substantial amount of time.

Optional tasks are meaningful and enhance core instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, the trade books all relate to the overarching topic of the unit: Generations. As stated in the Teacher’s Edition: “These titles provide students with another perspective on the topic of generations, touching upon many of the ideas found within the unit selections.” The Essential Question for this unit is the following: “What can one generation learn from another?” The trade book Ribbons by Laurence Yep involves a main character who “grows to appreciate her family’s culture through learning about her grandmother’s experiences,” which reveals “a powerful answer to the Essential Question.”

• In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, teachers are provided with Hook & Inspire lessons that correlate to the topics and text of the unit. These are provided to enhance the curriculum. The Hook & Inspire for Unit 5 is The Circuit by Francisco Jimenéz. These lessons include “Hooks” that provide multiple avenues for students to explore, including texts, videos, and images that connect to migrant issues such as the Bracero program. For example, there is a link to a poem about a farm-working family titled “Tenantry” by Geopre Scarbrough. Then there are Teaching Inspiration resources, including passage studies, extension activities, and book talk titles. For example, there is an extension activity description for students to design a dust jacket for the book.  

• In the myPerspectives, optional resources, teachers have access to Listenwise Currents Events, which provide audio features on topics connected to the topics of each unit. For example, there is an audio recording of “Debate: Can Tolerance Be Taught?” from NPR that relates to the topics in Unit 3, Turning Points. 

• In the myPerspectives optional resources, teachers have access to additional skill-based resources, including the Grammar Center, Writing and Research Center, Collaboration Center, Speaking and Listening Center, and Vocabulary Center. These “Centers” contain lessons, worksheets, videos, and other resources to support students. For example, in the Collaboration Center, there is a video for students to “Build Consensus.”  In the “Vocabulary Center,” there are worksheets for word study, including but not limited to prefixes, suffixes, and homophones.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3a. 

The materials provide comprehensive guidance that will assist the teacher in presenting the materials. The Teacher Resources provide a Unit at a Glance for each unit, providing information on implementing the materials and an expected pacing guide. Unit Goals and Academic vocabulary are listed at the beginning of each unit. The teacher wrap provides learning goals for each unit, suggestions to implement and model parts of the curriculum, and possible student responses. The Getting Started section provides overviews on the program’s structure for the teacher in either video or PDF format.

Materials provide comprehensive guidance that will assist teachers in presenting the student and ancillary materials. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Teacher Resources section contains a section titled Unit at a Glance. This resource includes a list of texts used for whole group, small group, and independent learning, with Lexile and genres. The pacing for each component in the unit and the performance task are included. 

• The Getting Started section includes a Program Overview section. This resource includes videos and documents that provide a program overview and information on the student-centered unit structure, program components, digital resources, and program assessments.

• The Teacher’s Edition Table of Contents and Frontmatter provide teacher details on all the unit components and how to use the materials. 

• The Introduction page of each unit provides a Pacing Plan to show how many days to focus on whole group texts, small group learning, and performance tasks. 

Materials include sufficient and useful annotations and suggestions that are presented within the context of the specific learning objectives. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Teacher’s Edition lists Unit Goals in the Introduction section of each unit. Reading Goals, Writing and Research Goals, Language Goals, and Speaking and Listening Goals are listed. 

• The Teacher’s Edition lists academic vocabulary at the beginning of each unit. Directions on how to incorporate the vocabulary, as well as possible student responses, are provided. 

• In Unit 1, Generations, Launch Text, the materials provide information in the teacher wrap to help students write a nonfiction narrative after reading “Grounded” by Marc Domingo: “Explain to students that after they have finished reading the selections, they will write a nonfiction narrative about the influence someone from a different generation has had on them or someone they know. To help them prepare, encourage students to think about the topic as they progress through the selections and as they participate in the Whole-Class Learning experience.”

• In Unit 1, Generations, Whole-Class Learning, students read an excerpt from An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresnioski. In the Teacher’s Edition, Reading Support, Decide and Plan, Strategic Support, the following suggestion is provided: “As students read, check that they are understanding the sequence of a narrative. If students have trouble determining whether quotations are spoken in the past (paragraphs 2 and 15) or the present, have them look for clues in the surrounding sentences. Then have them reread the quotations.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3b. 

The materials provide adult-level explanations and examples for the teacher. The Planning section before each text gives rationales for text quality and connections to the Essential Question and the culminating Performance Tasks. The Professional Development Center online includes videos on various topics. The Teacher’s Edition provides notes in the margins that explain grade level and outside grade level concepts and strategies. Support materials are found in the digital platform and in the Front and End Matter of the Teacher’s Edition that  provide information subjects such as English Language Learning, grammar terms, and close reading steps. 

Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of more complex grade/course-level concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Professional Development Center provides teacher support videos on topics such as assessment, differentiation, engagement, text complexity, and vocabulary. Within each topic there are a variety of videos. For example, under Engagement, a teacher support video discusses Multiliteracies and Multicultural Education. 

• The Unit Introduction for each unit includes academic vocabulary from the unit with an explanation for use: “Complete pronunciations, parts of speech, and definitions are provided for you. Students are only expected to provide the definition.” The word, part of speech, pronunciation, meaning, and related words are all listed in the margin.

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, Whole-Class Learning, Anchor Text students read Act 1 of A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley by Israel Horovitz. The Teacher’s Edition provides a Connection to the Unit Performance-Based Assessment: “Marley’s ghost gives Scrooge evidence that Scrooge’s life will lead to the same kind of torment that Marley finds himself in. Seeing that the path you’re on leads somewhere you don’t want to go can motivate you to change.”

Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Digital Resources in the online platform contain a range of support to deepen teacher knowledge, such as: Teacher Support Videos, English Language Support Lessons, and English Language Learning literacy strategies.

• The Teacher’s Edition Endmatter contains a Tool Kit and a Glossary. Teachers can use the Toolkit for guidance on how to teach skills like close-reading writing, research, etc. The Glossary contains the definitions of Academic Vocabulary words. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3c. 

The materials provide correlation information for the ELA standards throughout the units. The Teacher’s Edition Frontmatter contains a correlation chart for each grade that lists the standards for literature, informational text, writing, speaking and listening, and language and where the standards are addressed in each unit. Standards are labeled throughout the Teacher’s Edition in multiple places. The Unit at a Glance shows the standards addressed throughout each unit. The Planning and Personalize for Learning pages preceding each text list standards for each lesson and suggest scaffolds and extensions. The Standards Support Through Teaching and Learning Cycle lists instructional standards addressed with each text and a flow chart on how to teach and assess the standards. The editable Unit Planning Guide displays standards day by day. Standards are included without numbers in the Student Edition, with each text and activity at the bottom of the page.

Correlation information is present for the ELA standards addressed throughout the grade level/series. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Frontmatter, a correlation chart lists the standards for literature, informational text, writing, speaking and listening, and language. Standards are listed by number and written out. The location of where those standards are addressed in the print and online editions is stated on the chart. 

• In the Standards Support Through Teaching and Learning Cycle, the standards are included for each text, along with an explanation of how to support students in reaching the standards. The chart provides information on how to decide and plan, teach, analyze and revise, and identify needs. The chart also shows the standards addressed for the current grade level and how to help students with a “catching up” section and a “looking forward” section. 

• In the Unit at a Glance, standards are addressed throughout the sections of the unit. For example, Whole-Class Learning shows Vocabulary/Word Study, Analyze Craft and Structure, Conventions/Author’s Style, and Composition/Research/Speaking and Listening. The materials list the standards for each component on the chart. 

Explanations of the role of the specific grade-level/course-level ELA standards are present in the context of the series. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Unit Planning Guide, Getting Started, a downloadable Word document is available online that lays out lessons and activities in a grid format, day by day for the entire year, with standards for each day listed. These tags match the Teacher’s Edition correlations.

• In the Planning: Lesson Resources, the list of texts includes the associated standards for each lesson (Making Meaning, Language Development, and/or Effective Expression). 

• In the Program Level Resources, the First Read Guide: Generic and the Close-Read Guide state: “Anchor Reading Standard 10: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.” These guides are meant for student use. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3e. 

The materials include explanations of the instructional approaches and include and reference research-based strategies. The Getting Started section provides information regarding research-based strategies and practices. The Professional Development Center provides videos and White Papers with experts discussing the importance of various components of the program and research-based practices. The videos include assessment, differentiations, engagement, text complexity, and vocabulary. The Student Resource section includes many research-based practices, such as worksheets or graphic organizers.

Materials explain the instructional approaches of the program. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Teacher’s Edition, Table of Contents and Frontmatter, Welcome!, page T3, teachers are presented with the instructional approaches that will connect various texts throughout units: “myPerspectives is a student-centered English Language Arts program that embraces culturally responsive learning through the diverse representation of literature, authors, characters, cultures, and themes.” Students are encouraged, based on the approach of the “polyvocal classroom” to “[b]ring knowledge from their different backgrounds and cultures to enrich critical literacy in the classroom” and “[p]erform research in response to a prompt or task of their choosing and complete project-based tasks in a format of their choosing.” 

• In the Getting Started, Student-Centered Unit Structure, Collins and O’Brien are referenced as experts: “When student-centered learning opportunities are implemented properly, students experience a multitude of positive outcomes including increased motivation, deeper retention of knowledge, greater understanding, and improved attitudes towards the subject being taught.”

Materials include and reference research-based strategies. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Professional Development Center, Differentiation, White Papers, “Differentiation in Middle School: Teaching English to Diverse Learners” by Jim Cummins and “Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction: The Central Role of Literacy Engagement” by Jim Cummins. Cummins includes several research-based strategies in both of these white papers with an extensive list of references. In addition, there are white papers in Vocabulary, Writing, and Text Complexity written by experts in the field about research-based strategies in each of the three areas, with references listed at the end of each. 

• In the Teacher’s Edition, Table of Contents and Frontmatter, Welcome!, Experts’ Perspective, research-based strategies are introduced: “myPerspectives is informed by a team of respected experts…[o]ur authors bring new ideas, innovations, and strategies that transform teaching.” For example, expert Jim Cummins, Ph.D., is quoted: “Research focuses on literacy development in school contexts characterized by cultural and linguistic diversity.”

• Throughout the Teacher’s Edition, sidebars and text boxes contain notes from the authors of the program. The Author’s Perspective provides context and support for student activities.

  • In Unit 3, Turning Points, Whole-Class Learning, students read A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, Act I by Israel Horovitz. To help the teacher Personalize For Learning: Strategic Support, the Teacher’s Edition provides an explanation to help students decipher Stage Directions. The text box provides an explanation that stage directions “are notes included in a play to describe how the work is meant to be performed or staged. They might describe sets, costumes, lighting, or sound effects, as well as the appearance and physical actions of characters. Stage directions can be used to reveal things about a character that the dialogue doesn’t. For example, a character whose feelings are hurt might look like he is about to cry, then walk off the stage without saying a word.” The teacher reminds students to “pay as much attention to the stage directions as they do to the dialogue.” 

  • In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, students complete a Performance Task: Writing Focus. The Author’s Perspective note suggests, “Working in Pairs: There is an important sense in which the development of academic experts on the part of English learners is a process of socialization rather than simply instruction. As a result, English writing development will be enhanced when students can work in pairs to create texts to share with others.”

• In the online materials, the Getting Started section leads to training materials on MySavvasTraining.com. Video tutorials and printable handouts are organized into the sections Getting Started, Ready for Instruction, Assessments and Reporting, and Additional Resources. 

• The Getting Started, Student-Centered Unit Structure describes the Word Network routine to launch each unit: “With Word Networks, students learn a generative approach to vocabulary. A Word Network is a collection of words related to a topic. As students read the selections in each unit, they will identify words related to the Unit Concept and add them to their Word Networks.”

• The Getting Started, Writing for the Purpose of Learning section explains the program’s approach to aspects of writing, such as Writing to Learn, Writing to Sources, Writing Modes, Writing Process, and Writing for Assessment. For example, Writing to Learn strategies include “QuickWrites, Evidence Log, Research to Clarify and Research to Explore [and] First Read prompts. These activities encourage students to jot down ideas and evidence. Students write to confirm what they know and uncover what they don’t know.”

• The Ready for Instruction Small-Group Learning Strategies section prepares teachers for this second part of each unit. The training states, “The teacher’s role during Small-Group Learning is to serve as a facilitator as opposed to lecturer and let students learn in a collaborative way from each other. This approach allows them to take ownership of their own learning.” It goes on to preview some of the specific strategies, such as Accountable Talk: “Remind students that groups should communicate politely. You can post these Accountable Talk suggestions and encourage students to add their own. Students should remember to: Ask clarifying questions. Explain your thinking. Build on the ideas of others.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3f. 

The materials provide a list of supplemental resources to accompany each text needed to support instruction. The Planning: Lesson Resources page in the Teacher’s Edition before each text lists related Student Resources and Teacher Resources, including optional extra support, extension, or accommodations for the lessons. These same resources are listed in the context in the margins of the Teacher’s Edition and online. Symbols are next to each resource to specify if they are an audio resource, video, document, annotation highlight, or online assessment. 

Materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Teacher’s Edition and Student Edition, Lesson Resources are listed at the beginning of each lesson, which includes both Student Resources and Teacher Resources. Examples of Student Resources include selection audio, word network, and evidence log, which are “available online in the interactive Student Edition or Unit Resources.” Examples of Teacher Resources include Selection Resources, Reteach/Practice, Assessment, My Resources, annotation highlights, accessible leveled text, concept vocabulary, and word study, which are “available online in the Interactive Teacher’s Edition or Unit Resources.” 

• In the Teacher’s Edition Frontmatter, suggested trade books are listed. The title and author of the text are listed. Trade book lesson plans are available online at myPerspectives+. 

• In the Teacher’s Edition, Current Perspectives, news stories, and interesting media are listed. The materials list the name of the media and where it can be found. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3i. 

The materials identify the standards addressed with each assessment. Assessments are listed throughout the materials in multiple locations. Performance-based tasks and assessments, with their related standards, are listed in the Teacher’s Edition and Student Edition, Unit At A Glance. Standards for activities, tasks, and assessments in each unit correlate directly to the Performance Task as well as the End Of Unit Performance Based Assessment and Unit Test. The online materials include an Assessment tab, which lists all the assessments used throughout the materials. The reading test associated with each text includes an answer key that includes the objective and standard for each question. In the unit tests, the student view shows the assessed skills with each question.

Materials consistently identify the standards and practices assessed for formal assessments. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the online Assessment tab, the standards for the Beginning-, Middle-, and End-of-Year Tests are listed. The standards, listed on the top of the page, are hyperlinked so that a separate text box opens when clicked on. This text box lists the standards addressed in the standards. 

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Performance Task: Writing Focus, students read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. The text was written to raise awareness by exposing the negative effects that certain human activities have on the world around them. Students write an argument in which they take a position on the following question: “What is the most significant effect that people have on the environment?” The assessed standards include: “Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.” A scoring rubric is included in the Student Edition. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3j. 

The materials provide multiple assessment opportunities to determine students’ learning. Teachers can monitor learning and interpret student performance with various assessments as they work toward the culminating tasks, such as unit tests, selection tests, performance-based tasks, and writing tasks. Support materials include rubrics, answer keys, comprehension questions, graphic organizers, and class discussions. Opportunities for teachers to provide feedback, both formal and informal, are available throughout units, such as discussion, research based on self-selected texts, and evidence logs. Each unit test contains an interpretation guide that lists the standards, depth of knowledge, and remediation options. Skills practice pages and standard support are included. The Common Core Companion Workbook provides extra practice based on Common Core State Standards. Sufficient guidance and suggestions are included to help teachers follow up with students.

Assessment system provides multiple opportunities to determine students’ learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each Unit from the Table of Contents is complete with an Answer Key for the texts and assignments. The Unit Answer Key provides answers with key details that are related to the texts, possible responses students might provide during discussions, and Comprehension Checks. 

• In the Table of Contents, Assessments include Selection Tests, Extension Selection Tests, Unit Tests, Beginning-, Middle-, and End-of-Year Tests, and Extension Beginning-, Middle-, and End-of-Year Tests. Teachers can locate the Answer Keys for each test, along with short response answers that state the important information for students to include in their writing.

• In the Table of Contents, myPerspectives+, teachers have access to graphic organizers and writing rubrics to support student success. Both the Graphic Organizers and the Rubrics are provided in DOC and PDF formats. Organizers include, but are not limited to, Comic Strip Organizers, Inference Maps, and a Vocabulary Square. Rubrics include, but are not limited to, Generic (Holistic) Writing, Multimedia Reports, Poems, Informative/Explanatory Writing, and Narrative Evaluation Charts. 

• In each unit, Quickwrite activities provide opportunities to assess writing skills and student understanding in response to a prompt.

• In each unit, Analyze the Text activities offer opportunities for students to demonstrate overall text comprehension. The tasks require students to cite textual evidence as they respond to specific text-based questions.

Assessment system provides multiple opportunities to determine students’ learning and suggestions to teachers for following up with students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each unit offers a pre- and post-informal assessment of student improvement as students revisit their goals toward the end of the unit. 

• In each unit, students answer Comprehension Check questions that show students' understanding of the texts and complete Research to Clarify activities to learn more about a specific detail from the text and respond. Students complete Prepare to Share activities where they share ideas with peers about their self-selected text as part of the Independent Learning task.

• In each Unit Test, the Interpretation Guide provides information on remediation resources: “As warranted by student results on this assessment, you may wish to assign the remediation resources indicated in the chart. Resources include skills practice and extended standards support, and you can choose to use whichever resource is appropriate for your students.” The Interpretation Guide includes the objective instructional standards, depth of knowledge, skills practice pages, and standard support.

• The Common Core Companion Workbook provides explanations, examples, and academic vocabulary, related to the Common Core Standards. Practice worksheets are included in the Workbook.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3k. 

The materials have assessments that include a variety of modalities and types across the year. The assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the grade-level reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language standards. Within a unit, students complete formative comprehension and skill checks, synthesize their learning through writing and speaking performance tasks, revising, editing, and presenting their work. 

Assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level/course-level standards and shifts across the series. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Beginning-of-Year and Mid-Year benchmark tests are used to assess most grade-level reading and language standards.

• Formative Assessments include Evidence Logs, Selection Tests, Comprehension Checks, and Unit Reflections. 

• According to the Standards Correlation chart in the Teacher’s Edition Frontmatter, Writing, and Speaking and Listening standards are formally assessed through a Performance Task or Performance-Based Assessments.

• Students complete a Performance Task: Writing Focus after reading all Whole-Class Learning texts. After all the texts in a unit are read, students complete a final two-part Writing, and Speaking and Listening Performance-Based Assessment.

• Following the Performance-Based Assessment, teachers are instructed to administer the Unit Test, Selected Response, and Performance Task “to apply standards and skills taught in the unit to a fresh, cold-read passage.” 

• At the end of each unit, students take the Unit Test. In the test’s Selected and Short Response part, students answer multiple-choice questions about new passages and perform a writing task. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3m. 

The materials include strategies, supports, and resources for diverse learners to work with grade-level content and to meet or exceed grade-level expectations. Program-level resources explain best practices for scaffolding and differentiating access to literacy learning. Text-specific suggestions provide educators with support for addressing needs before, during, and after reading the text. Throughout the Teacher’s Edition, Personalize for Learning boxes are found in the margins. At the beginning of each unit, the Personalize for Learning section provides the text complexity rubric and a Decide and Plan flowchart. The flowchart includes Strategic Support that offers strategies for all students, including special populations. The materials also provide support guidance according to students’ performance on formative assessments. This may include other resources provided in the Interactive Teacher’s Edition or Unit Resources.

Materials regularly provide strategies, supports, and resources for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in grade-level literacy work. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Generations, Small-Group Learning, students read “Tutors Teach Seniors New High-Tech Tricks” by Jennifer Luden. To help students organize events sequentially, the Teacher’s Edition suggests “hav[ing] pairs of students work together. One student can interview the other, asking about a few important facts in this nonfiction narrative. For example, they might ask what happened first, next, and so on. The interviewer should take notes. Then using these notes, students can build a timeline containing the narrative's basic information, organizing the events sequentially.”

• In Unit 3, Modern Technology, Whole-Class Learning, Anchor Text, the students read “Feathered Friend” by Arthur C. Clarke. The Personalize for Learning page, Standards Support Through Teaching and Learning Cycle section advises teachers to use previous assessment results to prepare scaffolds for various learners. The Catching Up column suggests providing an “Analyze Craft and Structure: Autobiographical Writing (RP) worksheet to help students understand the tenets of autobiography.” This worksheet helps students connect to the text and supports Reading Standard, RI.6. To support Language Standard L.1a; the text suggests providing a “Conventions: Types of Dependent Clauses (RP) worksheet to help students understand adverb, relative and noun-dependent clauses.” 

• In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, Small-Group Learning, Strategic Support offers: “As students read, and as they listen, ask them to make notes of the main ideas. If students have trouble finding the main ideas, ask them to read or listen more than once and ask questions to direct them to the main ideas.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3n. 

The materials regularly provide opportunities to extend and deepen learning for students who read, write, speak, and/or listen above grade level. In the Teacher’s Edition, at the beginning of each text, the Personalize for Learning section contains a text-complexity chart and a Decide and Plan flowchart. Throughout the materials and in the flowchart, ideas to challenge students are provided that relate to reading, writing, and research and take the form of discussions, written work, or brief presentations. These suggestions are usually balanced by other modifications for language learners or students who need more support rather than extra work for early finishers.

Materials provide multiple opportunities for advanced students to investigate the grade-level content at a higher level of complexity. Materials are free of instances of advanced students doing more assignments than their classmates. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, A Starry Home, Whole-Class Learning, students read “Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed” by Ray Bradbury. In the Personalize for Learning, Standards Support Through Teaching and Learning Cycle, teachers determine which students can engage with standards in greater depth: “If students have done well on the Beginning-of-Year Assessment, then challenge them to keep progressing and learning by giving them opportunities to practice the skills in depth.” The Looking Forward column gives ideas for extension tasks: “Encourage students to find the metaphors and similes in the selection and discuss the impact that they have on the text” and “Challenge students to use more and varied adjectives and adverbs in their writing.”

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Whole-Class Learning, Anchor Text, students read “Nobel Acceptance Speech” by Al Gore. In the Personalize for Learning section, Decide and Plan flowchart, the Challenge section provides ideas relating to text analysis and written response. The Challenge section provides ideas relating to text analysis and written responses. The text analysis idea states: “Pair students. Have them each take a paragraph and retell it to their partner, using their own descriptions without reading from the text. Encourage them to include details and descriptive language. They may refer to the text as needed to remember details, but should use their own words.” The written response idea states: “In paragraph 42, Gore says “We must understand the connections between the climate crisis and the afflictions of poverty, hunger, HIV-AIDS, and other pandemics.” Challenge students to choose one of these issues and research the connection between it and climate change. Then ask students to write a short essay about their findings and share their research with the class.”

• In Unit 5, Facing Adversity, Small-Group Learning, students read the excerpt from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. In the Teacher’s Edition, there are text boxes in the margins that provide options for differentiating assignments. On page 508, the Challenge box provides the following suggestion: The text box in this reading suggests that the teacher “Research: Why did Annie Sullivan write into Helen’s hand? Did she invent this method, or did she learn it? Was she writing out alphabet letters as we know them? Did Sullivan and Helen Keller change the way people like Helen are educated? Have students look for the answers to one or more of these questions as they research methods for teaching people with profound vision and hearing loss. Suggest that they present their information chronologically to show how methods have changed over time. Ask students to share their findings with the class.” This Challenge activity appears below the whole-class activity “Research to Explore: Choose something from this task that interests you. For example, you might want to learn more about how blind people learn to read. How does this information deepen your understanding of the text? Share your findings with your group” task so it is not extra work.

The materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for Indicator 3q. 

The materials provide strategies and support for English Language Learners as they work with grade-level content. In the Teacher’s Edition, general accommodations, strategies, and suggestions are provided to assist teachers with each text. Personalize for Learning suggestions are before and during many reading, writing, vocabulary, language, as well as speaking and listening activities. Before each text, a Decide and Plan flow chart on the Personalize for Learning page provides strategies for teachers to use with English Language Learners. 

Materials consistently provide strategies and supports for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to meet or exceed grade-level standards through regular and active participation in grade-level literacy work. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, A Starry Home, Whole-Class Learning, students read “Danger! This Mission to Mars Could Bore You To Death!” by Maggie Koerth-Baker. The Teacher’s Edition, Personalize for Learning, Decide and Plan flow chart, includes the English Language Support box to support Knowledge Demands: “Explain that NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. If necessary, explain that NASA is responsible for our space program and research about space. Tell students that the article is about the way people’s brains react to being in space. Have students list unfamiliar words about the brain and the research described in the article.”

• In Unit 3, Turning Points, Whole-Class Learning, students read A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley Act II by Israel Horovitz. In the Writing to Compare section, students revisit language for making comparisons. In the Teacher’s Edition, Personalize for Learning, the English Language Support box includes support for understanding Comparison. All levels of ELLs are to complete the same task: “Help students better understand how to compare two things by reviewing the uses and meanings of appropriate words and phrases: better, more, less, not as good as, didn’t do as good a job, more effective, less effective, much better, much less effective, superior,  inferior..”

• In Unit 4, People and the Planet, Small-Group Learning, students review the photo gallery “Eagle Tracking at Follensby Pond” produced by The Nature Conservancy. The Teacher’s Edition, Planning section states that there are audio summaries available in English and Spanish. The summaries can be found in the Interactive Teacher’s Edition or in the Unit Resources and “may help students build additional background knowledge and set a context for their first read.”