7th Grade - Gateway 2

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.