The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests. The texts capture a wide range of student interests using detailed illustrations and rich language that includes the unit academic vocabulary. Texts support student learning and build knowledge of the unit theme. 

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students read Grandma and the Great Gourd retold by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. This is a Bengali folktale, written by an award-winning author and poet from India. This text tells the story of a hero’s peril-riddled journey through a forest. 
• In Unit 2, Week 4, students read Welcome Back, Wolves! and Wolves Don’t Belong in Yellowstone by Pooja Makhijani and Frances Ruffin. Both texts provide real photos, and the vocabulary aligns with the theme from the unit. The texts are engaging and high interest.
• In Unit 3, Week 5, students read the poems, “Firefighter Face” by Mary E. Cronin, “Miss Stone” by Nikki Grimes, “The Race” by Jennifer Trujillo, “In Daddy’s Arms” by Folami Abiade, and “The Wright Brothers” by Charles R. Smith, Jr. Each provide poetic elements, rich vocabulary, and vibrant illustrations that meet the theme of the unit.
• In Unit 4, Week 4, students read Green City by Allen Drummond. The text is narrative nonfiction with rich vocabulary. The illustrations add to the understanding of the text and are engaging for the reader. This text is age-appropriate and enriching for students.
• In Unit 5, Week 4, students read Nora’s Ark by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock. This is a historical fiction text containing rich dialogue and vocabulary. The illustrations in the text are colorful and engaging in addition to aiding in student comprehension. The text is age-appropriate and engaging for the grade level. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level. Students have multiple opportunities to read a variety of informational and literary texts. Genres include fables, myths, folktales, poems, and informational texts. 

The following are examples of literature found within the instructional materials:

• In Unit 1, Below Deck: A Titanic Story by Tony Bradman 
• In Unit 2, Wolf Island by Celia Godkin 
• In Unit 3, In Daddy’s Arms by Folami Abiade
• In Unit 4, Grace and Grandma by Rich Lo
• In Unit 5, Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ulman

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

• In Unit 1, “Living in Different Environments” by Yanina Ibarra 
• In Unit 2, Nature’s Patchwork Quilt: Understanding Habitats by Mary Miché
• In Unit 4, The House that Jane Built by Tanya Lee Stone
• In Unit 5, Do Tornadoes Really Twist? By Melvin and Gilda Berger
• In Unit 5, Weather Myths, Busted! By Carol Hand

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task. Most texts reviewed are aligned to the complexity requirements outlined in the Common Core State Standards. 

Examples of anchor texts placed at the appropriate grade level include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 2, students read Why the Sky Is Far Away retold by Mary-Joan Gerson, 810L. The themes of not wasting and treating nature respectfully are implicit and must be inferred by students. This narrative folktale written in the third-person is chronological and has a supernatural explanation of a natural phenomenon. Illustrations assist in interpreting the text.
• In Unit 2, Week 5, students read Wolves Don’t Belong in Yellowstone By Frances Ruffin, 630L. Using a persuasive text structure, the author’s purpose is clearly stated in the title. A short history of the controversy over wolves in Yellowstone is stated before detailing the problems wolves cause. A counterclaim is introduced and rebutted in paragraph 12. The photographs supplement the text. 
• In Unit 3, Week 1, students read Below Deck: A Titanic Story By Tony Bradman, 760L. The text has interwoven story lines of Grace going off on her own to a new place and the historical event of the Titanic sinking. The text includes mixed themes of loss, class, immigration, and courage in crisis as characters consider their choices. The third-person narrative is chronological and focused on the main character, Grace, as her life intersects with the story of the Titanic. A subplot begins when two boys steal cake and leads to a surprising alliance between Grace and another girl, and a moral choice the girl’s father must make. 
• In Unit 4, Week 3, students read excerpt from Milton Hershey: Chocolate King, Town Builder by Charnan Simon, 840L. This biography tells the story of a significant historical figure featuring his greatest accomplishments. Themes related to persistence include hard work and success from failure. The structure is mostly chronological, although a lengthy six-paragraph introductory section gives an overview of Hershey’s accomplishments before the text circles back to his childhood. Different types of graphic and text features add details not found in the main text and enhance readers’ understanding of the content.
• In Unit 5, Week 4, students read Nora’s Ark By Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, 630L. The text includes multiple story lines of Grandpa building a house for Grandma and the effects of the historical Vermont Flood of 1927. Themes of family, contentment, and community are framed by the devastating flood. The first-person story is chronological and focused on the main character, Wren, who witnesses and narrates the flooding and its effect on her family and neighbors. A subplot in which Grandpa goes into the flood and is delayed in returning adds to the tension and suspense of the story, while the house full of animals adds humor.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level. 

The Getting Started section contains a detailed text complexity analysis and rationale for each anchor texts in all units. Under the Table of Contents for each unit, a Text Complexity Charts tab is accessible and includes information on recommended placement, quantitative measures, complexity levels, qualitative measures, and reader and task considerations for each weekly shared reading text. Less detailed information for supporting Book Club texts and Leveled Readers can also be found in the unit Table of Contents by clicking on the appropriate tab. All anchor texts include a quantitative and qualitative analysis complete with Reader and Task Considerations to enable planning for diverse student needs including English Language Learners, intervention, and on-level/advanced students. There are Visual Charts for complexity levels in the areas of meaning/purpose, text structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands that rate each on a colored grid from “simple” to “very complex” in tandem with a clear and explicit qualitative rationale for each. The Teacher's Edition lists descriptions for leveled readers and how they connect to the theme and essential question. A drop-down link for the leveled readers contains a PDF guide complete with the title and author, Lexile level, guided reading level, DRA level, and instructional notes. The leveled readers are leveled for differentiation and not anchored to grade level instruction. Guidance is provided for the teacher using teaching points and ELL supports. The Program Overview in the digital materials has a link titled Text Rationale and Diversity. In this link, the publisher provides a general rationale that states, “Texts were chosen based on criteria such as literary merit, author’s craft, themed, gender, and cultural representations/experiences, insight, readability and diversity.” Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Grandma and the Great Gourd: A Bengali Folktale by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, a traditional folktale with a Lexile level of 680. The quantitative measures place this text in the Grade 2-3 complexity band. The qualitative measures suggest that students might need additional support with Language: Figurative language and Meaning: Identifying the meaning or message of a story. Before reading the selection, the teacher is directed to use the Reader and Task Considerations to plan how to address various student populations. qualitative measures rationales include:
• Levels of Meaning/Purpose: The text’s themes of having courage and taking risks, using cleverness to overcome problems, and the importance of family are implicit and are revealed over the entirety of the text.
• Text Structure: The third-person narrative is chronological, has many characteristics of traditional tales, includes a forest of wild animals, and a pattern of events occurring in threes. Some plot events may be difficult to predict.
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: There are a variety of sentence structures in this text, including complex constructions. The vocabulary includes unfamiliar words including names of unfamiliar foods and sound effects. Students may need support interpreting figurative language such as dizzy as a dervish, as thick as a mattress, and like the stones inside a rattle.
• Knowledge Demands: The story includes themes of varying levels of complexity. Cultural references such as names and descriptions of foods may need explanation. Students may be unfamiliar with references to gardening such as fish-bone fertilizer and picking gourds.
• In Unit 2, Week 5, Nature’s Patchwork Quilt: Understanding Habitats by Mary Miche’, an informational text with a Lexile level of 840. The quantitative measures suggest that this text is at the upper level of readability for Grade 3, therefore the teacher is directed to use the qualitative features to inform and support instruction. The qualitative measures suggest that the students might need additional support with structure: including understanding extended metaphor and language: learning new academic and domain-specific terms from context. Additionally, the teacher is directed to use the reader and task considerations before reading to plan how to address various student populations. Qualitative measures include: 
• Levels of Meaning/Purpose: The text’s purpose is implied but easy to identify based on context. The subtitle, "Understanding Habitats,” suggests a dry or academic approach, but the text’s main message is clearly about the beauty of Earth’s biodiversity and the importance of protecting it. This message is implicit and developed over the entire text.
• Text Structure: This informational text uses the extended metaphor of nature as a patchwork quilt to give a loose structure to the content. The first part of the text adheres closely to this metaphor, but the sections exploring the harm caused by people do not connect as explicitly to the metaphor. The illustrations are detailed and support understanding the text. 
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: Many sentences are complex, and even sentences with simpler constructions tend to be lengthy, often made up of long lists. The vocabulary includes many unfamiliar academic and domain-specific terms such as interdependent, policy-makers, preserving, generations, and species. Students will need support learning the meanings of these words from context.
• In Unit 3, The Hidden Treasure by Glen Downey. Guided Reading Level N, DRA Level 30, 690L, Word Count 1,806. This text provides the text features and text structures to develop the reader’s comprehension of the genre of mystery relating to the theme, Heroes. The Teacher's Edition provides the teacher with the information needed to support the learners in their development as a reader.
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Earthquakes, Eruptions, and Other Events that Change Earth by Natalie Hyde, an informational text, 730L. The quantitative measures place this text in the Grade 2-3 complexity band. The qualitative measures suggest that students might need additional support with Language: Definitions of science terms and Knowledge Demands: Accessing prior knowledge of rocks, earthquakes, and volcanoes. Before reading the selection, the teacher should use the Reader and Task Considerations to plan how to address various student populations. Qualitative measures include:
• Levels of Meaning/Purpose: The author’s overall purpose is concrete and narrowly focused on how and why various processes change Earth, as the title makes clear. Students should have little difficulty determining the author's purpose for this informational text.
• Text Structure: The informational text has an organizational structure that is made evident by the use of headings. Connections between some ideas are implicit; for example, readers must infer why the layers section is important to understanding the text as a whole. Graphic features, such as diagrams and maps, enhance the text.
• Language Conventionality and Clarity: The language is easy to understand, and sentences are mainly simple and compound. The vocabulary can be content-specific, but academic and domain-specific terms are mostly defined in very simple, familiar language (erupts = shoots out).
• Knowledge Demands: The subject matter relies on some discipline-specific content knowledge such as information about rock, lava, and the features of Earth’s landscape. Students may benefit from reviewing or recalling other texts they have read about rocks, earthquakes, or volcanoes.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a broad range of text types and disciplines as well as a volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.

The materials provide multiple opportunities each week for students to engage in a volume of reading on grade level. Each week, students hear a Read Aloud text and a Shared Text to anchor instructional activities. Small group lessons are included with Leveled Reader selections that range within the grade level band with additional titles available through the online resource provided. Students also engage in independent reading during Book Club time which offers multiple texts from which students can choose and read. Students participate in Reading Workshop for ten to 20 minutes daily and Small Group Independent time for 20-30 minutes daily for a daily total up to 50 minutes. During Week 6, students complete a research project with articles provided for students to read supporting the research task. Throughout the program, students read a wide variety of text types across multiple disciplines. Examples of texts students read include, but are not limited to: 

• In Unit 1, students read seven Leveled Readers: The Letter, Living in Different Environments, Pine Is Special, All-Weather Friends, Inuit Life, Welcome to Tonle Snap, The Greatest Adventure.
• In Unit 2, Week 5, Reading Workshop, Shared and Close Read, students read the informational text, Nature’s Patchwork Quilt: Understanding Habitats by Mary Miché.
• In Unit 3, Week 5: Poetry Collection, students read Firefighter Face by Mary E. Cronin, Miss Stone by Nikki Grimes, The Race by Jennifer Trujillo, In Daddy’s Arms by Folami Abiade, The Wright Brothers by Charles R. Smith Jr. 
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Read aloud, students read The Bridges that Ruby Built; a Shared Read: The House that Jane Built; Leveled Readers: Abandoned Cities (Level M), Daniel Boone (Level N), Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. (Level O) with additional leveled readers available from PearsonRealize.com if the provided ones do not meet the needs of students. Book Club suggestions include Sonia Sotomayor by Barbara Kramer, Frederick’s Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass by Doreen Rappaport, Nelson Madela: Long Walk to Freedom by Chris Van Wick, Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson, Little Melba and her big Trombone by Kathryn Russell Brown, Thurgood Marshall by David Adler, Friends for Freedom by Suzanne Slade.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, students hear the Read Aloud, Conducting a School Fire Drill; the Shared Read, A Safety Plan: In Case of Emergency;  and read the Leveled Readers, The Letter (Level L), Inuit Life (Level M), How to be a Hero (Level M), Climbing Mountains (Level N), Pollution (Level N), Keeping Our Water Clean (Level N) and additional leveled readers available from PearsonRealize.com if the provided ones do not meet their needs. Book Club readers include Do Tornadoes Really Twist?  By Gilda and Melvin Berger,  Little Book of Fables retold by Veronica Uribe, Two Bear Cubs by Robert San Souci, Built Below Seal Level: New Orleans by Laura Leyton Strom, How Volcanoes Shape the Earth by Megan Cuthbert and Jared Siemans, Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman, Weather Myths, Busted! by Carol Hand.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). 

The materials include questions, tasks, and extension activities that support literacy growth for students over the course of the school year. Throughout all units, particularly the Reading Workshop sections, students are exposed to various genres and multiple readings including a first read, close read, and reflect and share in each lesson. There are three components to each reading lesson under Reading Workshop. All three components during Reading Workshop include questions, tasks, and assignments that are text-dependent/specific. During the first read, students preview vocabulary from the text, preview the text itself, read the text, develop vocabulary, and check for understanding. During the close read, using an informational text, students analyze specific concepts such as craft, structure, plot, setting, predictions, and use context clues within the sentence to determine the meaning of vocabulary words. Students also reflect and share during the Reading Workshop. Students are asked to answer a variety of questions related to the texts being read and the discussion supports students drawing on textual evidence to support their learning of literal and inferential information. Students produce evidence from texts to support their opinions or statements when writing and speaking. In addition, there are supports within the materials to assist the student or group of students in order to demonstrate their thinking about the theme or essential question for the week. Examples include, but are not limited:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Reading Workshop, Grandma and the Great Gourd retold by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni illustrated by Susy Pilgrim Waters, Check for Understanding, students answer, “How can the reader tell that Grandma and the Great Gourd is a traditional tale?”
• In Unit 1, Week 2, Reading Workshop, when reading the book, Weird Friends by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, students “Underline the details in paragraph 2 that help you recognize the clown fish’s problem and the solution to its problem.”
• Unit 1, Week 2, Reading Workshop, after reading, Why the Sky is Far Away, students answer, “What are three details from the text that help you identify this story as a folktale?”
• In Unit 2, Week 1, during Reading Workshop after the First Read of Patterns in Nature, students answer the following questions: “How do you know that Patterns in Nature is informational text? Why do the authors compare a butterfly’s wings to a snowflake in paragraphs 27-29? By the end of the text, what can the reader conclude about pattern rules? How are a sequence and pattern related? Cite text evidence in your analysis.”
• In Unit 2, Week 5, Reading Workshop, when reading the book, Nature’s Patchwork Quilt by Mary Miche, students “Underline the details that describe the similarity between quilts and habitats in paragraphs 6 and 7.”
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Reading Workshop, after reading Below Deck: A Titanic Story, students answer, “What effect do Catherine’s comments in paragraphs 27 and 32 have on events?”
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Reading Workshop, when reading the biography, The House that Jane Built: A Story about Jane Adams by Tanya Lee Stone, students answer, “How are events from Jane Adams’ youth related to her later decision to build Hull House? Cite text evidence.”
• In Unit 4, Week 4, Reading Workshop, using multiple texts, students answer, “In this Unit, you have read about people who helped improve the lives of their community or society. Based on these texts, which person was most successful in improving the lives of other people? Write your opinion and include evidence to support it.”
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Reading Workshop, after reading A Safety Plan: In Case of Emergency, students answer, “What effect do Catherine’s comments in paragraphs 27 and 32 have on events?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for having sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

The Readers Workshop, Readers Writers Workshop Bridge, and the Writing Workshop provide teacher modeling for sequences of text-dependent questions that allow students to observe, practice, and revise skills independently, with peers, and in groups. Through presentation and discussion of content, students demonstrate their knowledge by completing tasks that include application of learned reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. In Week 6, there is a Project-Based Inquiry task that bridges what was learned in both the Reading and Writing Workshops. The grading rubrics are formatted to assess a student on the final project that includes applying what was learned in Weeks 1-5, as well as presenting on the material. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 5, Writing Workshop, Publish, Celebrate and Assess, the teacher and students assess the personal narratives that students drafted in an earlier unit. A rubric is used to evaluate the final draft of the personal narrative. The teacher may also elect to distribute an alternative assessment or use the student’s personal narrative to evaluate their learning.
• In Unit 3, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry, using the theme, Heroes, students connect what was learned in Weeks 1-5 by creating a brochure. In this Project-Based Inquiry, students compare texts from Weeks 1-5, apply the academic vocabulary connected to the theme, and utilize the opinion style of writing speeches while connecting the evidence from the article, “I’m a Volunteer.” The students also have an opportunity to refine the draft of their opinion speech based on what they learn about paraphrasing and quoting, and integrating media during this project. The students edit prior to submitting the final draft and presenting to the class. The grading rubric for this project has one criterion for students to cite research.
• In Unit 4, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry, the Explore and Plan section states, “Use the informational text, ‘Yankee Stadium: Then and Now’ and the Plan your Research chart to help students recognize the characteristics and structure of Informational texts.”  The Teacher's Edition then states, “Have student pairs use the Plan your Research activity on page 411 of the Student Interactive to help them identify and define a topic for their posters and brainstorm facts, details, and images they might use to support their topics.”
• Weeks 1-4 of the unit provide lessons on writing poetry and practice for students on elements of poetry. In Unit 5, Week 5, Writing Workshop, Publish, Celebrate and Assess, Revise for Coherence and Clarity, students revise their poem and address coherence and clarity. The students conference with the teacher to address additional edits needed. The students also reference a poem as a guide in completing the edits.
  

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

Practice for academic vocabulary and syntax are present for each unit in the Turn and Talk and Collaborate sections. Students practice using academic and social language while engaging in evidence-based discussions about the material in smaller groups and within the larger class. Students engage in paired, small group, and whole group discussions at various points in the units. The materials include guidance for teachers in establishing protocols for student discussions throughout the units. Development of discussion techniques and practices are ongoing throughout the units with guiding questions provided to help students develop discussion practices. Suggestions for discussion structure are also provided. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the “Grade 3 Small Group Guide”, the steps for providing support for individual, small group, and whole group speaking and listening protocols are clearly defined for the teacher. In addition, the document is broken into different sections covering multiple parts pertaining to support, directions, and guidelines for the teacher while using the materials throughout the year.
• In Unit 1, Week 6 of Compare across Texts, the Turn and Talk directions state, “In this unit, you learned many new words to talk about Environments. With a partner, go back into each text to find and write a sentence from the text that best illustrates the academic vocabulary word.”
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Reading Workshop, the Turn and Talk section asks the students to discuss different purposes for reading the excerpts from Little House on the Prairie and By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder with a partner. Next, students set a purpose for reading.
• In Unit 4, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry: Collaborate and Discuss, students collaborate, use academic language acquired on the rainforest from Weeks 1-5, and apply the learning to discussions and development of the scrapbook project. The Teacher's Edition provides teaching points, reminders, questioning to further assist the development of conversations among peers while using the academic language.
• In Unit 5, Week 4 of the Reading Workshop, the Turn and Talk asks, “With a partner, discuss how this firsthand account of the Dust Bowl helps you better understand how people cope with a disaster. Listen actively to your partner, and take notes on your discussion.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports. 

The materials provide a variety of opportunities for students to ask questions and hold discussions with peers and teachers about research, strategies, and ideas throughout each unit. Several opportunities for speaking and listening are in each unit that include both whole group and small group discussions, including partner work and peer reviews. 

Students engage in discussion throughout the materials. In addition to the labeled discussions in the text, there are multiple questions for each text that the teacher poses to the class which lead to class discussions. There is an audio option for students to listen to the text being read to them. Additionally, students engage in Book Clubs that involve reading a text and discussing the text with a peer group. Students regularly have discussions about their writing and the writing process. Each unit also provides an Inquiry project that involves collaboration with a group in creating the project and then presenting the project to either a small group or the whole class. There is a Listening Comprehension guide in the Teacher’ Edition of each Unit. The materials provide the teacher with support in the planning, providing graphic organizers or other supports for learning the skills and content, but not specifically for listening, speaking, or presenting with evidence. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Listening Comprehension, students listen as the teacher reads Feeling the Cold. Students are told to listen actively and that they should pay careful attention to the characters in the story. The teacher is told to prompt students asking them relevant questions to clarify information and make pertinent comments. 
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Writing Club, students share their work in Writing Club group. Students are provided conversation starters to help with follow-up questions in their discussions.
• In Unit 2, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry, Celebrate and Reflect: “Before final publication, have student pairs present their scrapbook pages orally.” Prior to the presentations, students practice in small groups with a focus on speaking coherently at a reasonable rate using a good volume and making eye contact. Students write down suggestions for peers and then engage in a discussion based on their observations.
• In Unit 3, Week 4, Teacher Led Options, students reread pages 36-37, the teacher uses the teaching support online at PearsonRealize.com to engage students in a conversation that demonstrates how the texts they have read this week support their understanding of why people need heroes and encourages them to use academic vocabulary words.
• In Unit 4, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry, students present posters that they created. During the presentation, students present the text and the images on their posters. After the presentation, students engage in a discussion where they “converse politely, listen actively, ask relevant questions to clarify information, and maker pertinent comments.”
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Respond and Analyze, students discuss which event that changes Earth was most interesting and why based on the text, Earthquakes, Eruptions, and Other Events that Change Earth.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g. multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate. 

The materials include a balanced variety of on-demand and process writing throughout all lessons. Each unit has a theme for process writing that focuses on developing a specific form of writing that is written and revised over the course of the first five weeks of the unit. Students engage in multiple methods of writing to develop their writing skills including note-taking, checklists, response notebooks, graphic organizers, short answer, and longer essay construction. Students participate in planning, composing, revising, and publishing throughout the unit with individual work, peer conferencing, and teacher conferencing. Each unit contains multiple on-demand writings which are varied in the type of writing and length of writing. Students complete a Process Inquiry Project in Week 6 of each unit that contains a short, focused project that calls for research, writing, revising, and publishing much of which is done on a digital platform. Students respond to text during Readers Workshop their digital notebooks. The Writing Workshop provides longer writing activities that include drafting and editing while the Project-Based Inquiry provides opportunities for students to apply the learned writing skills in a culminating activity. Student writing develops over the course of the year. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• In  Unit 1, Week 1, students plan their personal narrative using freewriting and a graphic organizer. In Week 2, students develop the literary elements of personal narrative writing. In Week 3, students develop the structure of personal narratives. In Week 4, students apply writer’s craft and conventions of language to develop and write their personal narratives. In Week 5, students publish, celebrate, and assess their personal narrative writing. 
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Reading Workshop, First Read, Check for Understanding, students answer questions in their notebook related to the text, Weird Friends: Unlikely Allies in the Animal Kingdom by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, such as “What can the reader conclude about the relationship between zebras and ostriches? How would you prove that a pair of animal friends can help each other survive?  Use text evidence in your response.”
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Reading Workshop, Reflect and Share, students write an opinion based on multiple texts where they compare and contrast themes, settings, and plots. Students read excerpts from Little House on the Prairie and By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder and compare how the characters respond to challenges, using examples from the text to support their responses.
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Writing Workshop, students use the writing process to focus on Point of View and Reasons. During Independent Writing, the Teacher's Edition directs, “For students who have decided on their essay’s topic and point of view, ask them to research reasons that support their point of view. For students who have a topic, but not a point of view, have them research facts and information for their topic that can help students develop an opinion and a point of view.”
• In Unit 4, Week 4, Reading Writing Bridge: Develop Author’s Craft, students “Write a few sentences describing how a flower grows from a seed using some of the time-order words you listed. Explain how using time-order structure contributes to your purpose for writing.”
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Reading Workshop, Reflect and Share, Write to Sources, students consider the informational sources that they have read in the unit and write an opinion paragraph explaining which situations would be the easiest to plan for. Students use text evidence to support their ideas.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. 

The materials provide frequent and multiple narrative, informational, and opinion writing opportunities across the school year. Students learn how to develop writing skills through exposure, practice, and application, requiring the use of evidence gathered from the analysis of materials and claims developed from reading and working with a myriad of sources. Materials provide opportunities that build students' writing skills through the use of checklists, models, and rubrics. Students are given opportunities for instruction and practice in a variety of genres addressed in the standards over the course of the school year. Direction and guidance from the teacher provide the support needed for student development as an effective writer. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Writing Workshop, students use figurative language, including similes, in their stories from Writers Workshop. During student conferences, teachers support student writing by identifying opportunities to meaningfully include figurative language, including similes, into their writing. 
• In Unit 2, Week 5, Writing Workshop, My Turn, students are asked to “Write a draft of your how-to article on a separate sheet of paper. Start with an introduction that gives your article purpose and focus. End with a conclusion that ties everything together.”
• In Unit 3, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry, students write an argumentative letter to their principal explaining why their school needs an accessible playground.
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Writing Workshop, My Turn, the directions state, “Compose the introduction of your opinion essay in your writing notebook. Use this checklist as a guide for focusing your introduction.”
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Writing Workshop, Compose like a Poet, students explore and apply what they have learned about poetry by using imagery as they are writing poems. The teacher models the expectations and the students then apply what is learned in their independent practice by composing a poem about an object.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

The materials provide tasks that support integrated reading and writing throughout the year. Each unit includes varied opportunities for students to engage, respond, revise, and build upon their learning using texts they read. Writing opportunities are embedded within daily instruction and throughout student activities. Students have several occasions to analyze the text, define their claims, and support their writing with evidence from one or multiple texts. Students use their recall of information to formulate ideas and often use close reading of the text to support those ideas with evidence from the texts. In Weeks 1-5, a Weekly Question is tied to the shared text students read. In the Reflect and Share component of the Reading Workshop, students respond to this question in writing, citing evidence from the text to defend their claim or provide the information requested in the prompt. In Week 6 of each unit, students complete a culminating research inquiry project in which they write in response to text, cite reasons to support their claims, and apply their understanding of the unit theme and Essential Question. Teachers support students by modeling how to analyze and respond effectively to build knowledge through evidence-based writing. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry, students write an opinion speech about why it is important to take advantage of heroic opportunities.  As students write their speech, they use research evidence to support their claim and persuade their audience.  
• In Unit 4, Week 5, Interact with Sources, students respond to the prompt, “How do people support each other in difficult times?”, after reading Thank you for Understanding and Wanted a Friend. Students use text evidence to support their answer to the prompt.
• In Unit 5, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry, students explore and plan argumentative writing. Students read and analyze the research article, "The City I Love." Students identify and analyze “the author’s claim, reasons that support the claim, facts and details to support the reason, and the audience the author wants to persuade.” Students work in pairs to plan their own research and check their topic, claims, and reasons against the definitions and examples.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials including explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context. 

Each unit has lessons that incorporate the grammar and conventions standards for Grade 3. Grammar and conventions lessons are primarily addressed during the Reading-Writing Bridge lessons, Writing Workshop, Week 6 lessons, and via digital worksheets. The grammar and convention lessons are structured with teacher modeling, then students practice the target skill. In addition, there are teacher resources that provide the teacher with additional lessons, including lessons for English Language Learners, students needing intervention, and small group practice opportunities for students who show mastery of grade level concepts. 

Examples of explicit instruction of the grade level grammar and conventions standards in increasingly sophisticated contexts and student opportunities for application both in and out of context include, but are not limited to:

Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.

• In Unit 1, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Comparative and Superlative Adjectives, p. T299, the teacher explains an adjective describes nouns, then further explains that comparative adjectives compare two nouns as well as superlative adjectives compare three or more nouns. The teacher models with examples of describing characteristics of two or more people, places, or things using adjectives. The teacher and students read together from the stack and, with help, students identify comparative and superlative adjectives then verbally explain its function. In the Student Interactive, p. 170, students demonstrate their understanding of using adjectives in a paragraph practice. Students describe the use of descriptive adjectives.    
• In Unit 1, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Pronouns and Adverbs, pp. 300-301, the teacher explains in the two Minilessons the purpose and use of pronouns and adverbs. The teacher reads a passage or sentence aloud and helps students identify pronouns and adverbs. In the Student Interactive, pp. 171-172, students practice pronouns and adverbs by reading and completing sentences with the appropriate pronoun and adverb.  
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 4, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Write for a Readers, Use Precise Verbs, p. T136, the teacher reminds students to use verbs to make their writing more accurate and engaging. The teacher models an example of writing with precise verbs for a specific purpose. Students practice during Writing Workshop with a how-to writing piece.  
• In Unit 2, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Edit for Nouns, p. 282, the teacher explains nouns are a person, place, or thing as well as explains singular and plural nouns. The teacher models using nouns correctly as common, proper, singular, and plural. In the Student Interactive, p. 373, students read an article and identify nouns as well as edit a paragraph to have the correct form of nouns.   
• In Unit 3, Week 5, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Lessons 3 and 4, p. 345, the teacher explains a pronoun can substitute any noun. The teacher displays practice sentences, and students help substitute pronouns for different types of nouns as well as identify the different types of pronouns. In the Student Interactive, Lesson 4, p. 190, students edit a paragraph replacing underlined nouns with pronouns.

Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.

• In Unit 2, Week 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Irregular Plural Nouns, Lessons 3 and 4, p. T141, the teacher reminds the students that some nouns change their spelling as they become plural and some do not. Together, the teacher and students practice looking at an example sentence with the teacher and notice that some of the nouns that are plural changed spelling and some did not. Students practice with a partner, writing their own sentences with irregular plural nouns as well as give the singular form of the noun.  
• In the Language Awareness Handbook, Noun Activities, Singular and Plural Nouns, p. 126, the teacher explains singular and plural nouns as naming one thing or more than one thing. The teacher models adding -s, -es, or -ies to show more than one and the spelling depends on the noun ending. Students practice by creating three columns (-s, -es, -ies) then cutting pictures from a magazine that fit the noun endings for each plural form.

Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).

• In Unit 5, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Edit for Nouns, p. T288, the teacher explains that abstract nouns refer to ideas or concepts as well as explaining singular, plural, and common nouns. The teacher models and students practice by looking at a text to find examples of different types of nouns. In the Student Interactive, p. 575, students highlight the abstract nouns and edit the nouns with errors.  

Form and use regular and irregular verbs.

• In Unit 1, Week 5, Writing Workshop, Edit for Verbs, p. 367, the teacher explains using verbs in writing should be consistent (specifically in narrative ) with the present, past, and future tense. The teacher models and students practice looking at verb endings in a personal narrative and ensure they are in past tense ending in -d or -ed. The teacher writes a few verbs on the board and the students help to conjugate to the past tense. In the Student Interactive, p. 206, students practice replacing the verbs that are bolded to the correct tense.  
• In Unit 3, Week 4, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Irregular Verbs, Lessons 3 and 4, p. T281, the teacher reminds students that irregular verbs do not follow usual spelling rules and irregular verbs can change into another word in their past tense form. For the model and practice, the teacher writes a sentence, and the students change the sentence so that the verb is in past tense. In the Student Interactive, p. 158, Lesson 4, students edit a paragraph to the correct form of the irregular verbs. 

Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.

• In the Grade 3, Language Awareness Handbook, p. 131-136 there are 12 lessons that are related to verbs and usage, including present tense, past tense, future tense, irregular verbs, parts of regular verbs, parts of irregular verbs, helping verbs, linking verbs, troublesome verbs, contraction verbs, and negative verbs. The lessons include teacher modeling and student practice.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Simple Verb Tenses, Lessons 3 and 4, p. 214-215, the teacher explains simple verb tenses are the ones used most frequently past, present, and future providing examples of each verb tense. The teacher models and displays sentences for students and asks students to create their own sentences using the past, present, and future tense with the verbs of their choice. In the Student Interactive, p. 124, Lesson 4, students practice reading a paragraph and correcting the verb tenses.

Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Subject-Verb Agreement, Lessons 3 and 4, p. 81, the teacher explains that subject-verb agreement occurs when a singular or plural verb agrees with the singular or plural noun or pronoun in the subject. The teacher displays a sentence while students help identify the subject and verb, decide if they agree, and make the needed edits. In the Student Interactive, p. 54, Lesson 4, students review subject-verb agreement and then edit a paragraph checking for errors in the subject-verb agreement in simple sentences.  
• In Unit 5, Week 4, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement, Lessons 3 and 4, p. 281, the teacher asks the students how they know which noun a pronoun is referring to. The teacher reminds the students that the noun is called the antecedent and the pronoun has to have the same qualities (which can be number, gender, or person). The teacher displays sentences for the students to identify the pronouns and the antecedents as well as make corrections to the sentences. In the Student Interactive, Lesson 4, p. 572, students practice correcting the pronouns to ensure that they agree with the antecedent.  

Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

• In Unit 1, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Comparative and Superlative Adjectives, Minilesson, p. T-299, the teacher provides explicit instruction in the use of comparative and superlative adjectives by stating their definitions and common suffixes (e.g., -er, and -est). The teacher reads examples from passages. The students orally identify the adjectives and state the type and function of the comparative and superlative adjective. The students complete a worksheet on p. 170 of the Student Interactive editing sentences using the correct form of an adjective by choosing the comparative or superlative adjective that fits the sentence. 
• In Unit 5, Week 5, Writing Workshop, Edit for Adjectives and Adverbs, Minilesson, p. T355, the teacher provides explicit instruction in the use of comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs by stating their definitions, common suffixes (-er, -est), and occurrences in poems. As the teacher reads poems aloud, the teacher underlines the adjectives and adverbs and states how comparative adjectives and adverbs are used to compare words in the poem. The students complete a worksheet on p. 610 on the Student Interactive where they edit sentences by replacing incorrect words with either comparative or superlative adjectives or adverbs. Students have an opportunity to edit their own written work to correct for use of comparative or superlative adjectives or adverbs.

Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

• In Unit 1, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Coordinating Conjunctions, Minilesson, p. T298, the teacher provides explicit instruction in the use of coordinating conjunctions by defining the concept and noting common words that represent the concept such as and, or, and but. The teacher explains why authors use coordinating conjunctions to make it easier to read, to vary the complexity of sentences and to develop the rhythm of the passage. Students listen to passages read by the teacher, then identify the coordinating conjunctions in the passage. Students talk about why the author might have used the coordinating conjunctions in the sentences. Finally, students complete a worksheet on p. 169 in the Student Interactive where they edit a passage by including coordinating conjunctions.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 4, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Complex Sentences, p. T207, the students complete a worksheet on p. 530 of the Student Interactive where they edit a paragraph by combining clauses using subordinating conjunctions.

Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 1, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language and Conventions, Simple Sentences, p. T80, the teacher reviews the definition of a simple sentence. The teacher writes a simple sentence on the board, then talks about how the sentence has one subject and one predicate. Students orally generate the noun and the verb in the sentence. Students generate in writing a simple sentence and share the sentence with a student partner.
• In Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 1, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Compound Subjects and Predicates, p. T292, the teacher reviews the definition of a compound sentence. The teacher writes two simple sentences on the board, then asks the students how to make them into a compound sentence.  A student is called upon to orally generate a compound sentence created from the two simple sentences. Students discuss what word the volunteer student used to make the two sentences into a compound sentence.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Complex Sentences, p. T207, the teacher provides explicit instruction in the use of writing complex sentences that contain both an independent clause and a dependent clause. The teacher writes a sentence on the board containing an independent clause. A student is called upon to orally generate a dependent clause to add to the sentence to make it complex.

Capitalize appropriate words in titles.

• In Unit 3, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Edit for Capitalization, Minilesson, p. T286, the teacher provides explicit instruction in the use of capitalization for holidays, titles of people, and for geographic locations. The teacher states that writers are careful to capitalize words in this category. The teacher selects texts for students to locate and discuss words that are capitalized. Students tell the teacher why certain words are capitalized. In the Student Interactive, p. 159, students complete a digital worksheet to correct capitalization errors in a passage.
• In Unit 4, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Edit for Capitalization, Minilesson, p. T290, the teacher provides explicit instruction in the use of capitalization for holidays, titles of people and for geographic locations. The teacher selects the book red during the Reading Workshop. Students locate and discuss words that are capitalized. Students tell the teacher why certain words are capitalized. In the Student Interactive, p. 367, students complete a digital worksheet to correct capitalization errors in a passage.

Use commas in addresses.

• In Unit 5, Week 4, Edit for Punctuation Marks, p. T290, the teacher explains the use of writing commas in addresses, compound sentences, items in a series, and in dates. In the Student Interactive, p. 577, students correct an address that is missing a comma.

Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Writing Workshop, Develop Dialogue, Minilesson, p. T224, the teacher explains the purpose of dialogue. The teacher directs students to p. 127 on the Student Interactive where the punctuation rules for dialogue are listed. The teacher orally reviews the rules listed with the students. Students write dialogue using quotation marks and commas. Students share their dialogue passage with a student partner. The partners edit each other's written dialogue.

Form and use possessives.

• In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Plural Possessive Nouns, p. T275, the teacher reminds the students that plural possessive nouns show that "two or more people own or share something." The teacher writes a sentence on the board and talks about the plural possessive word in the sentence. Students generate a similar sentence using a plural possessive noun. The teacher explicitly states how an apostrophe is used in forming some plural possessive nouns. Students work in student pairs to compose sentences using plural possessive nouns including some with an apostrophe.
• In Unit 5, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Edit for Punctuation Marks, Minilesson, p. T290, the teacher reviews the rules for using apostrophes in words to show possession and shows example words on the board. Students look in the reader used in Reading Workshop to locate example possessive words. Students orally explain why the possessive punctuation is used.

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness). 

• In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Spelling, Spell Words with Suffixes -ful, -y, -ness, p. T212, the teacher explains that words with added suffixes, -ful, -y, -ness, may change a final -y to -i or double final consonants when adding -y and provide examples. The teacher writes words on the board, and says each word aloud emphasizing the added suffix. Students point out the base word and any spelling change. In the Student Interactive, p. 123, students spell words with suffixes, -ful, -y, -ness.

Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Spelling, Syllable Pattern VC/CV, p. T78, the teacher explains that students can use their knowledge of syllable patterns to spell multisyllabic words with the VC/CV pattern by knowing how to divide a word with this pattern and that a syllable that ends in a consonant sound is closed, it can help learn to correctly spell the word. The teacher says two syllable words and guides students to use VC/CV syllable division to spell them. Students complete the activity on p. 51 of the Student Interactive.
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Singular and Plural Nouns, p. T72, the teacher explains plural nouns name more than one person, place, thing, or idea, and that most plural nouns are formed by adding -s to the singular noun. The teacher describes that when a noun ends in sh, ch, tch, x, s, or ss, add -er and if a noun ends in a consonant plus y, change the y to an i before adding -es. The teacher explains that some irregular plural nouns are formed in an unusual way and must be memorized. The teacher writes singular nouns on the board. Volunteers tell what the plurals are for each word and spells the words as the teacher writes them. Students work in pairs, taking turns saying three singular nouns with their partner saying the plural of each noun.  
• In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Spelling Spell Vowel Teams oo, ew, ue,  ui, eu, p. T278, the teacher explains vowel teams are letters that work together to form one sound. The vowel teams, oo, ew, ue, ui, eu, work together to make the sounds heard in the words tool and cue. The teacher displays words and volunteers the letters that form the vowel team in each word. Students orally spell each word. In the Student Interactive, p. 157, students spell words with vowel teams, oo, ew, ue,  ui, eu.

Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

• In Unit 4, Week 5, Writing Workshop, Edit for Spelling, p. T357, teacher reviews steps for editing the correct spelling of words by using orthographic rules and patterns and looking up the word in a print or online dictionary to confirm or correct the spelling. The teacher models how to use a dictionary to confirm or correct spelling. Students complete the My Turn activity on p. 402 of the Student Interactive. 

Choose words and phrases for effect.

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Writing Workshop, Develop Dialogue, p. T225, the teacher explains that even though they are writing about themselves, they can use dialogue in their narratives and explains dialogue. Pairs of students choose a book that contains dialogue. After reviewing the rules of dialogue on p. 127 of the Student Interactive, students write the dialogue and share with their partner and compare how the dialogue can affect actions and reveal qualities of a character.  
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Writing Workshop, Composing Like a Poet, p. T146, the teacher explains that poetic language includes vivid imagery, musical qualities, and unusual comparisons. The teacher reads a poem aloud and asks questions during a second read. Students read the instructions and poem on p. 487 in the Student Interactive together. The teacher points out that many poems are about ordinary objects and the poet’s words make the object special.

Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English.

• In Unit 1, Week 6, Project-Based Inquiry, Celebrate and Reflect, Celebrate!, p. T390,  student pairs present their letters orally. The teacher use the Student Model on p. 219 of the Student Interactive to model how to present a written letter orally and identifies traits of effective speech before beginning. The teacher asks students to observe the differences between spoken and written English. After completing their presentations, students work with their partner to write their classmate’s reactions to their presentation on p. 226 of the Student Interactive. Students work independently or with a partner to evaluate the argumentative letter they wrote. Students identify the strengths of their writing as well as ways their letters could be improved.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills by providing explicit instruction and assessment in phonics and word recognition that demonstrate a research-based progression. 

Over the course of a year, students receive phonics and word recognition instruction aligned to grade-level CCSS for foundational skills. Lessons within each theme include a five-day focus with systematic and explicit teacher instruction, as well as multiple assessment opportunities the teacher can employ. Students are engaged in a variety of activities to practice introduced phonics skills. Assessment types for phonics and word recognition include Baseline, Middle-of-Year, and End-of-Year Tests; Unit Tests; and Progress Check-Ups.

Examples of materials, questions and tasks that address and provide progression of grade-level CCSS for foundational skills through explicit instruction and assessment in phonics and word recognition include but are not limited to the following:

Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.  

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Lessons 1 and 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Word Study, Base Words and Endings, p. 208, Lesson 1 and 2, the teacher explains the base word is the simplest form of a word, then explains that endings like -ed and -ing can be added to a base word to have a related but different meaning. The teacher explains -er and -est can be added as an ending to compare. The teacher displays 12 words for the students to practice reading and discusses how the meaning of the base word changed. In Lesson 2, Student Interactive, p. 120, the students read sentences, identify the word with a suffix added, and write the base word.
• In Unit 3, Week 2, Lesson 4, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Word Study, Abbreviations, Spiral Review: Prefixes, pre-, dis-, in-, im -, non-, p. T139, the teacher reviews with students how to form words that contain prefixes. The teacher writes five words with common prefixes on the board. The students identify the prefix in each word. For each word, the teacher reviews the meanings of both the prefix and the word. The students identify words with the same prefixes in a reader they previously read. After they identify a word, each student writes the word, underlines the prefix, and circles the remaining part of the word (i.e., base word).
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Work Study Latin Suffixes More Practice, p. T203, the teacher reviews with students how some Latin suffixes, such as -able, -ible, and -ation, change the part of speech of the base word. The teacher writes three words with the common Latin suffixes on the board. The students identify both the suffix and form of each word (e.g., desirable is an adjective and preparation is a noun). The students complete a digital worksheet (i.e., Word Study, page 135) where they sort words with the aforementioned suffixes into orthographic categories based on the suffixes. The students change the form of base words into words containing the targeted suffix.

Decode words with common Latin suffixes. 

• In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Teach Latin Suffixes, p. T202, the teacher explicitly states to students how Latin words influence how English words are spelled. The teacher explains how suffixes, such as -able, -ible, and -ation change the part of speech of base words. The teacher writes three words with the common Latin suffixes on the board. The students orally read the words, then identify both the suffix and form of each word. The students orally identify the spelling of each word with the chosen suffix.
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Shared Reading, the text, Milton Hershey, provides three opportunities on p. 169, 173, 181, with Possible Teaching Points. On p. T169, the teacher explains that the word determination has a suffix -ation as the student identifies this word and the base word and then uses the word determine and determination in a sentence. On p. T181, the teacher asks the students to identify words that have the suffix -able and -ible and explains that the suffix changes the word from a verb to an adjective.

Decode multisyllable words. 

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Reading Workshop, Assess and Differentiate, Matching Texts to Learning, Level L, All-Weather Friends, p. T-170, the leveled reader contains multisyllabic words the students read, including singing, sprinkler, finally, exchange, and apartment.
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Word Study, Vowel Patterns au, aw, al, augh, ough, p. T68, the teacher reminds students about the vowel patterns. The teacher shows multisyllabic words with the sound-spelling patterns. Students decode the words, naughty, awful, author, thoughtful, talking. Students complete Word Study p. 177 from the Resource Download Center.

Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

• In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Word Study, Irregular Plural Nouns, p. T336, students read sentences with irregular plural nouns then write sentences with irregular plural nouns.
• In Unit 5, Week 4, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Word Study, Schwa, Lessons 1 and 2, p. 272, the teacher explains that in multisyllabic words the reader can emphasize one or more syllables, along with explaining that the vowel may be either long or short. When the student is aware of the schwa (makes /uh/ sound) it helps with spelling words that do not have the long or short vowel sound. The teacher writes three words (telephone, soda, alone) on the board and guides the students to identify the unstressed syllable in each word, then the student practice pronouncing with focusing on the /uh/ sound. Students decode two words independently. In Lesson 2, Student Interactive, p. 568, students read multi-syllable words, divide them into syllables, and underline the schwa sound.

All tasks and questions are sequenced to application of grade-level work (e.g., application of prefixes at the end of the unit/year, decoding multi-syllable words). For example:

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Work Study, Syllable Patterns, students read VC/V and V/CV words and sort the words into syllables patterns.
• In Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Work Study, Final Stable Syllables, -le, -ture, -ive, -ize, students read sentences and underline the words with final stable syllables. Sentences include: "You cannot survive for very long without water. I need to apologize to my friend. My mom prefers little dogs."
• In the myFocus Teacher Intervention Guide, Part 1: Foundational Skills, Phonics, Morphology, and Spelling, Lesson 1, Prefixes and Suffixes, pp. T33-T36 the teacher explains the parts of the word as the prefix at the beginning of a word and suffix at the end of the word, and that the prefix/suffix gives the word a new meaning. The teacher models with a short passage identifying the words with prefixes and suffixes along with discussing word meaning. The teacher models reading and spelling the words. This lesson is followed by three additional practice lessons with explicit instruction with the student practicing.
• In Practice 1, the student reads sentences, underlining the word with a prefix, circling the prefix, and then sorting the words into prefix categories for -re, -un, -dis, -pre.
• In Practice 2, the focus is on suffix, the student reads sentences, underlines the word with a suffix, circles the suffix, and then sorting the words into suffix categories for -ly, -ful, -less.
• In Practice 3, the student reads words with prefixes and suffixes and identifies the meaning of the word, then the student fills in the appropriate prefix/suffix into the word for each sentence. 

Multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year to inform instructional adjustments of phonics and word recognition to help students make progress toward mastery. For example:

• In the Table of Contents, Assessments & Practice, Summative Assessments Teacher’s Manual and Answer Key, p. T4, the Grade 3 Baseline Test is designed to help determine students’ instructional needs and establish a “starting point” for each student. Baseline Test Features include: a group-administered Phonics Test, a group-administered Vocabulary Test, a group-administered Reading Comprehension Test, an individually administered Phonemic Awareness Test, and an optional Fluency Test.
• In the Table of Contents, Assessments & Practice, Summative Assessments Teacher’s Manual and Answer Key, pp. T32-T33, Grade 3, Unit 1 Test Item Analysis Chart shows the test is broken into four sections: reading comprehension, word study, conventions, and writing. There are item numbers for each section, item focus/skill, DOK Level, and Common Core State Standard correlation. A suggested remediation lesson is provided for each item number.
• The Middle-of-Year Test, pp. 46-49, Word Study, contains several questions prompt students to employ phonics and word recognition skills including VC/CV syllable patterns, plural forms of words, prefixes, and identifying words with target vowel sounds/patterns.
• In the Table of Contents, Assessments & Practice, Summative Assessments Teacher’s Manual and Answer Key, pp. 86-88, Grade 3, End-of-Year Test, Word Work section contains questions 16-30 identifying words with the same vowel sounds, suffixes, homographs, homophones, compound words, and word with the schwa sound.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials, lessons, and questions providing instruction in and practice of word analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

In myView, phonics and word analysis skills are addressed during teacher Minilessons and are practiced multiple times over the course of the five units. Teacher modeling, guided practice, and questioning provide students with the opportunity to practice and master word recognition skills in connected text. Student activities include regular opportunities to practice oral reading with a focus on applying word recognition and analysis skills in leveled readers across diverse genres. Assessments to measure students’ word analysis skills are found throughout all five of the unit assessments with a section on Word Study. The Baseline, Middle-of-the-Year and End-of-the-Year Assessments include a phonics section. Weekly progress monitoring checks include questions to assess word analysis.

Examples of explicit instruction and student practice of word analysis skills in connected text and tasks include but are not limited to the following:

Multiple and varied opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis skills in connected texts and tasks. 

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Study, Prefixes, the teacher uses the Word Study lesson to teach students how to figure out new words. The teacher writes impossible on the board. Students uses the prefix and base word to explain the meaning. The teacher explains the rescue by Catherine’s family made the resolution and happy outcome possible.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Study, Words with Suffix -en, the teacher points students to the last sentence of paragraph 17. The teacher asks students to identify the word that would change its meaning with the suffix -en (forget). Students rewrite the sentence. 
• In Unit 5, Leveled Readers, Climbing Mountains, Word Study: Suffix -ion, p. 4, the teacher reminds the students that applying knowledge of suffixes helps readers decode and understand the meaning of unknown words. Students identify the base word and suffixes in words the teacher displays on the board. The students then practice reading the text with a focus on reading accurately. The students reread the text to improve accuracy on successive readings.
• In Table of Contents, Leveled Readers, Guided Reading Level L: Leveled Readers, After the Fire, Teacher Resources, Language Development:  Consonant -le, p. 2, students segment the word vehicle into syllables. The teacher points out the last syllable and notes how the sound is spelled. The teacher explains that if a word ends in consonant -le, those letters usually make up the last syllable in that word, so we know to read those sounds together. Students find other words ending in consonant -le in the text.

Materials include word analysis assessment to monitor student learning of word analysis skills.

• In Assessments & Practice, Progress Check-Ups, Unit 1, Week 1-5, Week Unit 1, Week 1, Progress Check-Up, Word Study,  p. 2, questions six through 10 assess the VC/CV syllabication pattern.
• In Unit 2 Unit Test, p. 24, questions assess students’ phonics skills including syllable division, r-controlled vowel sounds, compound words and long vowel sounds.
• In Unit 4, Week 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Word Study, VCCCV Pattern, Lesson 5, Assess Understanding, p. 133, students are given four words to decode and divide into syllables.
• In Assessments & Practice, Summative Assessments, Teacher’s Manual with Student Reproducibles, Unit 5 Test, p. T42, shows item numbers 11 through 18 assess word study including vowel patterns au, aw, ai, augh, and ough, vowel patterns ei and eigh, words with suffix -en, and schwa.
• In Assessments & Practice, Baseline, Middle-of-Year, and End-of-Year Tests, Middle-of-the-Year Test, pp. 46-49 assess word study including VC/CV syllable pattern, correctly forming plurals, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, compound words, long vowel sounds, prefixes, suffixes, and contractions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and achieve reading fluency in oral and silent reading, that is, to read on-level prose and poetry with accuracy, rate appropriate to the text, and expression.

Over the course of the school year, students are provided weekly opportunities to practice oral reading fluency and silent reading with a focus on developing grade-level reading rate, accuracy, and expression. Students practice oral reading with the teacher as the model during whole group instruction, with student partners, and in small group instruction. In Reading Workshop instruction, within Shared Readings, students read orally in pairs, as a class, and independently with multiple opportunities to reread the same text in first read and close read lessons. Each unit contains 75 informal assessments for measuring individual student skill in oral reading fluency. From the results, three levels of proficiency can be assigned. The teacher is provided guidance about how to utilize the fluency test results. 

Examples of of opportunities for students to practice and achieve reading fluency in oral and silent reading, through on-level prose and poetry with accuracy, rate appropriate to the text, and expression include, but are not limited to the following:

Multiple opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate sufficient accuracy and fluency in oral and silent reading. Students have opportunities to read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

• In Unit 2, Leveled Readers, Arctic Plants and Animals, students whisper read the story, as the teacher listens and provides instructional support when a student reads incorrectly or does not comprehend the text accurately. The teacher reminds the students how pictures and maps help readers understand information the author is presenting. For this lesson, the teacher has several instructional options, including story discussion with teacher prompts, collaborative conversation activities, word study (e.g., variations of words), and activities where student pairs practice orally reading text with accuracy. The teacher reminds the students that if students focus on comprehending the passage, they will have increased reading accuracy.
• In Unit 3, Week 2, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, p. T106, students may read independently, in pairs, or as a class. The students read Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box.  
• In Unit 4, Leveled Readers, Have You Heard about Nome, the students silently read the story and write notes on a graphic organizer. For this lesson, the teacher has several instructional options, including story discussion with teacher prompts, collaborative study with students using sentence stems to engage each other in conversation about the book, student oral responses using evidence from the text, word study including identifying a suffix and its root word, and activities where students practice reading, then rereading a page, in the text with a focus on accuracy and reading it "like talking". 

Materials support reading of prose and poetry with attention to rate, accuracy, and expression, as well as direction for students to apply reading skills when productive struggle is necessary. Students have opportunities to read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Realistic Fiction, Student Interactive, pp. 308-309, students practice reading dialogue in a text focusing on both accuracy and reading with expression.
• In Unit 3, Week 5, Reading Workshop, Listening Comprehension, Poetry, p. T-298, the teacher models reading fluency by orally reading a poem to students. The students talk with a partner, comparing and contrasting poetry and historical fiction using an anchor chart. Students talk about how fluent readers read with rate, accuracy, and expression.
• In Unit 4, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Teacher-Led Options, Fluency, Prosody,  p. T326, students choose a short passage from the text of a leveled reader that includes dialogue. The teacher tells students that dialogue must be read orally in such a way that listeners can hear it and visualize the back-and-forth conversation and the intonation, the tone of the reader’s voice, must go up and down to show expression and emotion. Students read the passage three times with appropriate expression. If needed, the teacher will model reading aloud with expression.

Materials support students’ fluency development of reading skills (e.g., self-correction of word recognition and/or for understanding, focus on rereading) over the course of the year (to get to the end of the grade-level band). Students have opportunities to use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

• In Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Shared Read, Close Read, Vocabulary in Context, p. T256, the teacher reminds students that if they find an unfamiliar word or phrase in a text, they can use context clues to determine the meaning. Students reread the caption on p. 148 and identify the phrase, ships of the desert. The teacher directs students to scan the caption and paragraph 13 to identify and underline the context clues that help determine the meaning of the phrase.
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Biography, Minilesson, Fluency, the teacher models oral fluent reading by reading a passage from the lesson text, “George Washington Carver,” making mistakes, then self-correcting. The teacher rereads sentences to demonstrate that readers must reread sometimes to understand the meaning of the text. The teacher engages the students in an echo-read, where the students read orally with the teacher. The teacher makes errors, then self-corrects with the students. The students reread the text with a partner with a focus on accuracy.

Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information of students’ current fluency skills and provide teachers with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery of fluency. 

• For each unit, there are three cold reads per week for each of the following levels: developing, on level, and advanced. The passages include short stories, nonfiction, myths, and poems.
• In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Teacher-Led Options, p. 250, the teacher assess two to four students at a time with a persuasive text or leveled reader. Each student will read with appropriate rate and if needed, the teacher can model appropriate rate. The teacher uses pp. 49-54 in Unit 2, Week 4, Cold Reads to assess students. The teacher uses Fluency Progress Chart to track students.
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Teacher-Led Options, p. T52, the teacher assesses two to four students at a time with a short passage from the text or a leveled reader. Each student reads the text three times with a focus on smoothness and expression. The teacher uses pp. 121-126 in Unit 5, Week 1, Cold Reads to assess students. The teacher uses Fluency Progress Chart to track students.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The teacher materials include guidance on establishing protocols, detailed information on presenting materials to students, and annotations on what to do if students need further assistance in understanding material.

• In the Teacher's Edition for each unit, the Program Overview provides the teacher with the outline in the resources, their purpose, and guides in using them. In addition, for each lesson within the unit, there are guides on how to implement the lesson and provide support to the students. In the Getting Started section, each grade level provides additional resources to support both the teacher and student.
• In Unit 1, Week 2, Weekly Launch, Interact with Sources, the teacher is provided with guidance in presenting material found in ancillary materials: “Direct students’ attention to the illustration on pages 58-59 in the Student Interactive. Explain that this illustration attempts to show some of the ideas presented in the poem. Have students look over the illustration and discuss how the artist used visual images to represent ideas from the poem.”
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Reading Workshop, Listening Comprehension, the teacher is provided guidance in providing fluency instruction: “After completing the Read-Aloud Routine, display ‘Everyday Superheroes.’ Model reading aloud a short section of the story, asking students to pay attention to your prosody, or expression, and to how you read the punctuation as well as the words. Explain that fluency is about reading for meaning, not speed. Invite partners to practice expressive reading using their favorite sentences from the story.”
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Assess & Differentiate, Teacher-Led Options, Strategy Group, the teacher is provided guidance for leading a small group instruction: “Recall that a biography is a type of narrative nonfiction that often has a theme. Biographies are written from the point of view of another person. The author’s point of view will help explain the author’s purpose for writing the biography. Review the anchor chart on page 295 in the Student Interactive. Ask students to identify some of the elements of ‘George Washington Carver.’”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The materials contain a Professional Development Center with videos and white papers that contain advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject. Professional Learning videos are provided to give teachers the research behind the series and enhance teaching practices. These materials are authored by the authors and researchers of the program.

Professional Learning videos are provided to give teachers the research behind the series and enhance teaching practices. The myView Literacy authors provide teachers with best practices. The Professional Development Tab contains full adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary. Categories provided include Assessment, Book Club, Comprehension & Assessment, Differentiation, Dual Language, Engagement, Foundational Skills, Inquiry, Reading, Small Group, and Vocabulary. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Reading, there are four video offerings: Isolated vs. Integrated Skills Instruction in Texts to Improve Comprehension, Organizing the Literacy Block and the Reading Workshop Part 1, Organizing the Literacy Block and the Reading Workshop Part 2, What is Integrated Skills Instruction? The White Papers include: Text Complexity Systems: A Teacher’s Toolkit and The Reading Workshop.
• In Vocabulary, there are two video offerings: How to Start Teaching a Generative Vocabulary Approach and What is a Generative Approach to Vocabulary Instruction? These videos are both authored by Elfrieda “Freddy” Hiebert, Ph.D.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain an explanation of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

The materials include multiple explanations of instructional approaches. The small group guide provides explanations of how the curriculum uses small groups to meet student needs and support for teachers in how to implement the groups. In the Getting Started section, there are explanations of the instructional approaches. The Assessment Guide provides further explanations of the approaches implemented in the curriculum. 

In Getting Started, there is a document titled Teacher's Edition Lesson Walkthrough that provides an outline to what to teach, how to teach, and why. The explanations are brief in why a lesson is conducted to support student learning. Also the document, ELL Support, outlines what a teacher should do to support ELL students at Emerging, Developing, Expanding, and Bridging throughout the curriculum. This is a brief overview of how a teacher can support this group(s) of students.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

The materials contain formative assessments that are integrated into daily routines and provide informal opportunities to measure student understanding through Quick Checks, Observational Assessments, Conferring Checklists, Rubrics, and Assess Understanding sections of the lessons. Progress Check-ups are available and designed to measure student progress of the standards. Summative assessments also occur throughout the year. Students are given a baseline at the beginning of the year, which is followed up with mid-year and end-of year assessments. Unit tests to assess the standards taught in each unit in reading comprehension and writing are provided for each unit. 

The Small Group Guide lists options and the purpose for each assessment. For example:

• “Progress Check-ups: Assess skills taught that week. Monitors progress to intervene as needed.”
• “Weekly Standards Practice: Given at the end of a lesson as an ‘exit ticket’ to check students’ knowledge of specific literary skills.”
• “Unit Tests: Assess the key skills from each week’s instruction in the unit.”
• “End of Year Test: Gives a summative view of a student’s progress for the year.”

Through Examview, teachers can create Cold Reads, Progress Check-ups, and Unit Tests using questions from a bank or creating their own. Teachers can also choose from multiple choice, multiple response, and essays, or include all three. The program offers both English and Spanish. Additionally, teachers can monitor and track student progress within Examview.

The Assessment Guide states: “Once you have collected the data, it is time for action. Set aside some time to organize your observational notes by student. Review them and think about what they tell you about individual students. Ask yourself questions like these: Is this student making progress in this small group? Do I need to assign this student to a different group? Do I need to change the way I am instructing this student? Do I need to change the texts this student is reading?” The Guide also indicates, “...the myView Writer’s Workshop format is that it includes teacher modeling, responsive feedback, and time for reteaching. This structure encourages constant feedback, reteaching, and improvement.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

There are several forms of formative, summative, and unit assessments within the materials. The Summative Assessments Guide includes a standards correlation chart for the baseline, middle-of-year, and end-of-year assessments, as well as for all unit tests. The guide provides item analysis information for the teacher, including the item focus/skill, DOK level, and which standard it measures.

The Assessment Guide states, “Pearson Realize allows teachers to view each student’s results of assessments taken online, and for assessments aligned to standards, they can see scores by question and by standard. Use the DATA tab of Pearson Realize to view results. Click or tap a bar in the Mastery bar chart to show details of that assessment. Choose the Item Analysis tab to see question level scores. Choose Mastery Analysis tab to see scores by standard.” 

In Assessment Guide, Teacher Form, the Weekly Standards Practice details the “slides” to be presented to students that have formative assessments that are used as a measure of vocabulary, phonics, language and conventions. Alignment of standards is presented at bottom of each slide.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

The materials provide sufficient guidance for teachers to interpret student performance and plan suggested follow-up activities. Other resources include Assessment Guides, Summative Guides, Professional Development videos, educational articles and information within the Teacher's Edition. 

Within the Teacher’s Guide are Quick Checks for Assess and Differentiate, which provide data to determine small group instruction, which then includes Strategy Groups, Intervention Activity, On-Level, and Advanced lessons. These occur within every Reading Workshop.

• The Summative Assessment Guide offers follow up suggestions. For example, “You may wish to use the following guidelines to help determine how best to help improve students’ areas of need and build upon students’ areas of strength. Students who score below 60% on the Baseline Test might benefit from: • regular instruction during whole-class time • intervention activities during small-group time, more scaffolding, more practice with critical skills, and more opportunities to respond • myFocus Readers to practice word-reading skills.”
• The Assessment Guide provides a section titled, “How can I use assessment and data to drive instruction?" It explains the types of assessments in the materials, including diagnostic, formative, and summative. It further details an overview of the assessments, including Baseline, Cold Reads, Progress Check-ups Unit Tests, Middle of the Year, End of Year, and Project-Based Inquiries.
• The Assessment Guide includes a section called, “What is reporting and how do I use it to inform instruction?” It presents a table with the data collection tool, what it looks like, and how it works. It also includes information on Data Based Decision Making, which details four stages of data based decision making: Collect Data, Document Data, Evaluate Data, and Instruct from Data.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

The Teacher’s Guide provides routines to monitor student progress and are embedded throughout the lessons in each unit. Several formative assessments included within daily routines check for understanding using checklists, conferencing, observation, and rubrics. Progress Check-ups monitor student progress and skills being taught each week, including comprehension, vocabulary, word study, and writing. Cold Reads track student progress each week for comprehension and fluency, and Project-Based Inquiry monitors and tracks student progress through student work centered on the unit theme. A Summative Assessment Guide provides information on interpreting test results, informing instruction, and analyzing results to understand student strengths and weaknesses. The Small Group Guide provides guidance to teachers on how assessment informs instruction, collecting and using information to determine students who need additional skill support, students who have mastered skills being taught, and how to extend the learning for students who are ready to practice and apply skills being taught.

• “Circulate to discover if students can determine how the elements of a fictional story are similar to and different from the elements of an informational text.”
• “Quick Check: Notice and Assess: Can students identify the plot and setting in the story to determine the type of fiction? Decide if students struggle, revisit instruction about fiction in small group. If students show understanding, have them continue practicing strategies for reading fiction using the Independent Reading or Literacy Activities in small group.”
• “Use texts at a student’s independent reading level to practice new strategies. When those strategies become automatic, move on to more challenging and complex texts.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The Teacher’s Guide provides many strategies for meeting the needs of all learners, including English Language Learners, students who may require accommodations and/or modifications to the lessons and/or learning, as well as a multi-tiered system for students who need re-teaching, review, or enhanced instruction. Each lesson in every unit provides teachers with opportunities to assess and differentiate for the students. Teacher-led options include “strategy groups”, “intervention activities”, and “quick checks” that allow for differentiation where needed to ensure students are meeting the standards. 

•  In Strategy Groups, “Students practice, with scaffolded support, using their independent level or familiar text. Students might each have a different text to use. The students are “trying on the strategy” to see if they understand the process or steps.
• In On-Level Groups, “You may choose to use text that is at the students’ instructional level. The guided support of the teacher allows for the use of more complex text. All students in the group may use the same text to make sharing the reading easier.”
• In Intervention Groups, “The goal is to have all students master the grade-level expectations. When working with students who are struggling with a skill, identify the related sub-skills they have mastered and build from there. From time to time, any student in the class may need intervention. While working on the same skills as other students, you may need to adjust the amount of support and scaffolding based on needs.”
• In Enrichment/Advanced Groups, “Every learner can learn a skill at a deeper, more complex level. For example, the skill of identifying a character’s emotions can be made more complex when reading text that forces the reader to infer the emotions, rather than reading direct statements in the text. Rather than focusing on more advanced skills, help students become masters of the skills using a variety of more complex texts.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade-level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

Each lesson has components to assess and differentiate learning for students, with suggestions for re-teaching, reviewing, extending, and scaffolding for multi-tiers, including ELL students. There are English and Spanish leveled readers. Strategy Groups and ELL guides for scaffolded instruction within the lessons present grade-level content with opportunities for reteaching, review, accommodations, modifications, and additional strategies to check for understanding, while offering targeted support where needed. Each scaffold provides suggestions for emerging/developing/expanding skills. The materials also contain a MyFocus Intervention Guide, which contains scaffolded lessons and “checkpoint assessments” for the skills being taught.

• “ELL Targeted Support, Visual Support: Read aloud the caption for each image in the infographic. Tell students to listen for the description of each adaptation.”
• “Quick Check, Notice and Assess: Can students identify key features in an informational text? Decide: If students struggle, revisit instruction about informational text in small group. If students show understanding, have them continue practicing the strategies for reading informational text using the Independent Reading Library and Literacy Activities in small group.” 
• “Use the ELL Observational Assessment Checklist to monitor student progress for this unit.”
• “Differentiated Support Option 2, Extend: If students show understanding, have them sort questions into two groups: those they think will be easy to answer and those they think will be more difficult. Ask students to develop a plan for finding answers to the questions in the second category.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

In the Daily Plan, during Small Group Instruction, several options are available: Guided Reading, Strategy Groups, Intervention, On-Level and Advanced Activities, ELL Targeted Support, Conferring, and Fluency. The activities found in this section are geared toward both On-Level and Advanced students, with the bulk of the differentiation accounted for in the use of more complex texts with advanced readers.  

There is a page in the Small Group Guide titled, “What modifications should I make for students who need enrichment of advanced work?”  Extension Activities are available in the Resource Download Center. 

• The Small Group Guide states, “Every learner can learn a skill at a deeper, more complex level. For example, the skill of identifying a character’s emotions can be made more complex when reading text that forces the reader to infer the emotions, rather than reading direct statements in the text. Rather than focusing on more advanced skills, help students become masters of the skills using a variety of more complex texts.”
• In Unit 1, Week 1, On-Level and Advanced during Teacher-Led Options Assess and Differentiate: “Have students review the map on Student Interactive pages 14-15 to develop questions about how people travel in different environments. Invite them to do research during the week to answer the questions.” 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

There are a variety of grouping strategies provided in the instructional materials. There are Teacher-Led Options, Independent/Collaborative options, Turn Talk and Share, and Whole Group opportunities. There are times for students to work with a partner and Small Group times. During Shared Reading time, students may read independently, in pairs, or as a whole group. 

• In Unit 1, Week 1, during Teacher-Led Options, there is Independent Reading where “Students read a self-selected trade book.”  
• In the Small Group Guide, Chapter 1, Small Groups in myView, Chapter 2 is Forming and Organizing Groups, Chapter 3 is Managing Small Groups, Chapter 4 is Small Groups in Action, and Chapter 5 is Independent and Collaborative Work in Action. 
• In the Small Group Guide, Chapter 5, “The following should be used as a checklist when planning for small groups and collaborative work: • Everyone understands what they are responsible for working on or completing. • Students are able to work independently if the teacher needs to focus on small groups. • Activities are of equal duration so all students feel sufficiently occupied. • There is a good balance between quiet activities and activities that require social interaction. “
• In the Small Group Guide, Chapter 5, “Having students know that they are accountable for their work when working independently will help them stay on task. Self-monitoring is a skill to be practiced and reinforced.”