The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics or themes to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend and analyze complex texts proficiently.

Texts are organized into modules. There are four modules that explore a particular literary element or idea. Students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts is supported by engaging in analysis, participating in evidence-based discussions, and writing to inform in the first two modules. In the third module, students learn the principles of research. In the last module, students study argumentation techniques to write their own arguments. Repeated reading for different purposes and to develop vocabulary with increasingly complex texts continues throughout the year.

Each module is divided into units. Each unit is entitled with a quotation from a text included as student reading. The quotation serves as the theme that build students’ knowledge while enhancing their ability to read and comprehend complex texts proficiently. The texts are connected by cohesive topics throughout the modules. The units within the module focus on a theme that can be supported in the various texts and demonstrated in the tasks and activities. Students are given numerous opportunities to independently practice with the texts and to build understanding.

• In Module 1, students study the topic of how authors develop and relate elements of a text. Throughout the textbook, students read “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning in Unit 1, Hamlet by William Shakespeare in Unit 2, and an excerpt from "A Room of One’s Own" by Virginia Woolf in Unit 3. These texts allow students to build their skills and knowledge on the topic through close reading for textual details, evaluating and organizing evidence to support analyses, and questioning for deeper meaning and understanding.
• In Module 2, students must consider how authors use figurative language or rhetoric to advance a point of view or purpose. The texts for this unit are cohesively structured. For instance, this unit begins with “Our Spiritual Things” by W.E.B. Dubois and moves to “Atlanta Compromise Speech” by Booker T. Washington.
• In Module 3, students practice researching multiple perspectives to develop a position. In Unit 1 students read “Hope, Despair, and Memory” by Elie Wiesel as a springboard or seed text for conducting research. In Unit 2, students further explore researching from multiple perspective in order to write argumentatively using the following model texts: “When the U.N. Fails, We All Do” by Fareed Zakaria, “Why Genocide?” by Fred Edwords, “After Rwanda’s Genocide” by the New York Times Editorial Board, “Bodies Count: A Definition of Genocide That Makes Sense in History” by Aaron Rothstein, “The Only Way to Prevent Genocide” by Tod Lindberg, “Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide” by William A. Schabas, et al. Students build their knowledge and deeper understanding of researching to include multiple perspectives based on the multiple texts with differentiating perspectives covered throughout.
• In Module 4, “Using Narrative Techniques to Craft Fiction Writing,” the End-of-Unit task requires students to consider points of view in each text read in the unit and discuss in writing how what is directly stated differs from the literal meaning. Within this particular module, student are to choose a specific part of the text “On the Rainy River” and work independently to respond to the following questions; “Choose a specific part of the text and analyze how it contributes to the overall meaning and structure of the text.” Students will then meet with other students to discuss their responses to further solidify knowledge built and strengthen comprehension.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

In each lesson, text-based questions build from comprehension to deeper analysis questions exploring how the text works and what the text means. Students explore author’s craft, as well as key details. Students examine the effectiveness and impact of an author’s purpose, word choice, and use of figurative language, in order to derive meaning from texts. Key ideas, craft and structure are present within each question set. Question set build upon one another to push students to higher order thinking. For example:

• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 5, students read lines 149-157 from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Students are asked a series of prompts and questions including:
  • Which words does Hamlet use to describe the length of time between his father’s death and his mother’s marriage?
  • What do these words suggest about Hamlet’s attitude toward the time of his mother’s remarriage?
  • What is the meaning of the phrase ‘frailty, thy name is woman!’ (line 150)?
  • To whom is Hamlet referring in this line?
  • Describe Hamlet’s tone toward his mother in line 150?
  • Cite specific evidence to support your response.
  • Explain the comparison Hamlet makes in lines 154-155 when he says, "O God, a beast that wants the discourse of reason/Would have mourned longer!"What is the impact of this comparison on Hamlet’s tone?
• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 22, Students read paragraph eight of Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise Speech.” Students are asked a series of prompts and questions including:
  • How does the first sentence of paragraph 8 contribute to Washington’s purpose?
  • What does "the path" (par. 8) to which Washington refers represent?
  • What does this image suggest about his point of view?
  • What is the rhetorical effect of the figurative language that Washington uses to describe "the path"?
  • How does Washington describe "constant help" (par. 8) and its impact on the progress of African Americans?
  • How does Washington advance the purpose of his speech in paragraph 8?
• In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 11 students read and annotate the text, “On the Rainy River.” Students answer questions, such as:
  • What structural technique does O’Brien use in this portion of the text?
  • How does the structural techniques in “On the Rainy River” sequence events to create a coherent whole?
  • How do structural techniques in the text contribute to tone and outcome?

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

Materials contain text-dependent questions that support student analysis across the text. The questions provided are scaffolded and offer opportunities to raise the level of rigor in the classroom through deeper analysis and textual evidence to justify students’ responses. The texts are organized in a manner that poses thought-provoking questions to students from the beginning to the end of the lesson. The questions also provide opportunities for each student to demonstrate these skills using one text or multiple texts. Module 3 focuses on research-based questions that extend beyond the classroom.

In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 13, students build their analytical skills using questions to build knowledge across the individual text, Hamlet, through text-dependent and text-specific questions:

• How does Hamlet’s tone relate to what has just occurred in lines 102-104?
• What might be the cause of his tone here? Reread lines 113-115.
• Besides “chaste,” what else can the word honest mean? Besides “beautiful,” what else can the word fair mean?
• What reasons might Ophelia have for lying or being unfair?
• Paraphrase and explain Hamlet’s statement in lines 117-118.
• How does Ophelia relate chastity and beauty in her response (lines 119-120)? Why might Hamlet be discussing chastity and beauty here?
• How do these ideas relate to lines 99-105? (Module 1 Teacher Guide, pp. 210-211)

In Module 2, Unit 2, Lesson 6, students are placed in small groups are instructed to consider the following questions:

• What is the influence of wives and mothers according to paragraphs 11-12?
• What does Cady Stanton mean when she describes women as "slaves"?
• How does the notion of women as “slave” in paragraph 11 interact with other ideas from previous paragraphs?
• What is the effect on the nation if women are “slaves”?
• How does Cady Stanton support her claim about “wise mother[s]” in the last sentence?

Then in the Writing Instruction section for Module 2, Unit 2, students discuss the following questions: “What are the elements that contribute to an effective conclusion or concluding statement? What is restated and summarized in conclusion? How does the conclusion offer a new way of thinking about key information?” Students are then instructed to respond to the following in the Quick Write Revision section: “Expand and develop your 11.2.2 Lesson 5 Quick Write response by refining your evidence selection or adding more significant and relevant evidence form paragraphs 11-12 and providing a concluding statement.”

In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 5, students answer questions presented based on Wiesel’s text that build knowledge across the individual text through text-dependent and text-specific questions:

• How did the victims heed the historian’s words?
• What does Wiesel imply about the survivors when he states, “We reassured ourselves” (par. 19)?
• What is the indifference to which Wiesel refers?
• What was the purpose of trying to find “the propitious moment” in paragraph 19?
• Underline each time Wiesel uses the phrase “it would be enough” in paragraph 19.
• What is the “it” he is referring to in this phrase?
• What is the impact of Wiesel’s use of repetition in paragraph 19?
• How does Wiesel use imagery in paragraph 20, and what is the effect of this imagery?
• What is the effect of Wiesel’s use of parallel structure in paragraph 20?

In Module 4, students examine contemporary and canonical American literature, focusing on how author’s structure texts, establish point of view, and develop complex characters. Students read, discuss, and analyze two short stories: “On the Rainy River" by Tim O’Brien and “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, and the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g. combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Each module includes a Module Performance Assessment that serves as a culminating task in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills. The lessons and activities that are completed within the units of study lead to preparing students for the Performance Assessment. Supporting lessons contain text-dependent and text-specific questions, tasks, and assignments. Thinking, speaking, writing, and listening skills are the focus of key ideas and details in the modules. Writing and reading are integrated throughout the tasks. Text-dependent questions scaffold throughout the modules to help students become equipped to respond to the culminating tasks. Students demonstrate understanding through written expression, oral discussions, and presentations within groups. Each unit also includes both a Mid-Unit Assessment and an End-of Unit Assessment that connect to the Module Performance Assessment. These unit assessments give teachers feedback as students work towards the Module Performance Assessment.

In Module 1, students consider the role that point of view plays in literature and literary nonfiction and how authorial choice contributes to character development, setting, meaning, and aesthetic impact. Each unit culminates with an assessment that provides scaffolding for the Module Performance Assessment, in which students compose a multi-paragraph response to examine a central idea shared by all three module texts. As students work through the units, the Mid- and End-of-Unit Assessments provide feedback. For example,

• In the Unit 1 End-of-Unit Assessment, "Students draft a one-paragraph response to the following prompt, citing evidence from the text: How does the revelation in lines 45-47 affect the development of the Duke’s character over the course of the poem?”
• In the Unit 2 Mid-Unit Assessment, ”Students draft a multi-paragraph response to the following prompt, citing evidence from the text: Select one of Hamlet’s first three soliloquies. In this soliloquy, how does Shakespeare develop the character of Hamlet in relation to other characters in the play?
• In the Unit 3 End-of-Unit Assessment, students complete the following: “In this lesson assessment, students discuss and then draft a multi-paragraph response to the following prompt, citing evidence from texts: Analyze the relationship between Woolf’s text and the character of Ophelia.”

In Module 3, students research multiple perspectives to develop a position. The Module Performance Assessment has students build on the analysis they did for their research-based argument paper by producing a 3-5 minute video presentation. Students distill and reorganize their research for a specific audience and offer essential points of the research in an engaging video presentation that demonstrates their command of content and uses formal spoken English. Students’ presentations should make strategic use of the video format to enhance and add interest to their research findings. As students work through the units, the Mid- and End-of-Unit Assessments provide feedback. For example,

• In the Unit 1 End-of-Unit Assessment, “Students complete a two-part writing assessment in response to the following prompts: Part 1: How do two or more central ideas interact and build on one another over the course of the text? Part 2: Articulate two to three distinct areas of investigation and where they emerge from the text.”
• In the Unit 2 End-of-Unit Assessment, “Students submit a completed research portfolio with four organized sections including: 1. Defining an Area of Investigation, 2. Gathering and Analyzing Information, 3. Drawing Conclusions, and 4. Discarded Material. The research journal is also located in the research portfolio.”
• In the Unit 3 End-of-Unit Assessment, “Students are assessed on the alignment of the final draft to the criteria of a research-based argument paper. The final draft should present the precise claim that is supported by relevant and sufficient evidence and valid reasoning.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a yearlong, cohesive plan of writing instruction and practice which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts.

Module 1 introduces expository/informational writing in a series of lessons intended to develop close reading habits paired with evidence-based writing. Modules 2 and 3 extend and deepen the expository/informational writing skills and habits. Module 4 is dedicated exclusively to argument writing. Most lessons end with a Quick Write, on-demand assessment, which provides the opportunity to respond to text, often following a text-based discussion in class. Quick Write activities in all instances act as major process writing assignments. Mid-unit and end-of-unit writing assignments allow extended writing. In Module 3 students research to support exploration of topics. Specific examples include:

In Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 2, students response to the following Quick Write prompt: “How does Woolf’s comparison of Shakespeare to his sister further develop and build on a central idea in the text?” This task requires students to use the lesson’s vocabulary in the response. Likewise in Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 2, students incorporate the lesson’s vocabulary into their response for the following prompt: “How do specific word choices in Claudius’s monologue impact the development of Hamlet’s character?”

In Module 2, Unit 1, the instructor directs students to individually read the standards being assessed on their own and discuss what the standards mean with their partner in relation to what they are studying. After a brief discussion, students must then review their notes and add examples if necessary of rhetoric and figurative language. Teachers must then instruct the following:

• “Explain to students that because the Mid-Unit Assessment is a formal writing task, they should include an introductory statement and develop their responses thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant evidence, including extended definitions, concrete details, and quotations. Instruct to practice developing and organizing their responses in a style that is appropriate to their specific task and audience.”
  • Teachers are then asked to remind students about using transitional terms, providing clear conclusion statements, and using proper grammar.
  • Students are then asked to “Identify a central idea in ‘Of Spiritual Strivings’ and analyze how DuBois uses figurative language or rhetoric to develop this central idea.”

In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 3, students use the “Assessing Sources” handout to guide their response to the following prompt regarding their research topics: “Why are the three categories discussed in the Assessing Sources handout (credibility, accessibility, and relevance) important to consider when examining potential sources?”

In Module 4, the same Assessment patterns from Module 3 are used; however, Module 4 only focuses on narrative writings. Writing is evident in various spots over the course of the module. Most of these writings are smaller and require a one to two paragraph response. The writings usually address whether or not the narrative techniques discussed in the module were effectively used.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop and synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

Module 3 is dedicated to conducting a sustained research project. Students practice the skills and concepts of research throughout all modules via extension questions with each text. Students are presented with questions regarding historical figures in specific texts, etc. Module 3 offers students the opportunity to synthesize their findings through a major process writing: a written argument.

Students examine mentor texts and determine qualities of well-researched, evidence-based writing. Students also develop their own line of inquiry and present their findings in a culminating task. Students also practice the research process through Accountable Independent Reading (AIR), which pushes students to discuss the text and relate it to what they are doing within their personal lives; students must go outside of their regular assigned tasks to meet with a school librarian to identify a text that peeks their interest(s). Students synthesize knowledge gained through AIR with current assignments and projects.

Students are presented with graphic organizers that provide students a method of recording information, and rubrics make expectations for quality quite explicit. The use of rubrics encourages synthesis of knowledge and understanding of said topic(s). Overall, students will research an area of investigation by generating inquiry-based questions, evaluating sources (self-selected texts), analyzing the claims of authors, and developing their own claims and counterclaims throughout.

In Module 3, Unit 2, Lessons 1-15, students continue with the inquiry-based research process that begins in Module 3, Unit 1, wherein they completed a Pre-Search Tool to identify sources for a potential area of investigation stemming from their reading of “Hope, Despair and Memory” by Elie Wiesel. Students are presented a model area of investigation (preventing genocide) as an introduction to the inquiry process. Students are asked to evaluate the strength of an area of investigation, to identify key components of effective inquiry questions, and to evaluate potential sources for “credibility, accessibility, and relevance.” Students learn how to read and annotate sources and identify an author’s compelling arguments. Students develop a frame for their area of investigation using the Research Frame Tool before conducting independent research in earnest. Students continue with making claims in connection to the inquiry questions posed earlier in the process through an analysis and synthesis of sources. Students are asked to develop claims and counterclaims using the Organizing Evidence-Based Claims Tool and the Forming Counterclaims Tool, respectively, and to peer review each other’s claims/counterclaims. Students work both in groups and independently throughout Module 3, Unit 2. Students present their research findings and “write an evidence-based perspective that synthesizes the evidence collection and research work completed in this unit.” Within Module 3, Unit 3, Lessons 1-12, students are asked to go through the writing processes - drafting, outlining (a counterclaim for their central claim), and citing in MLA format (Modern Language Association). Students synthesize their findings in an argumentative essay.

In Module 4, Unit 2, students complete a performance assessment (after having studied, in previous lessons) techniques for writing narratives, including crafting introductions, developing characters, sequencing events, crafting conclusions, and making revisions for sake of coherence, precise language, and sensory language. Students respond to the following prompt: “Write an original narrative piece that assumes a specific point of view based on the setting of ‘On Rainy River,’ ‘The Red Convertible,’ and The Awakening. Choose two narrative writing substandards (W.11-12.3a-e) and develop the criteria of both substandards in your narrative writing piece.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

Students read independently and regularly for homework. Students’ independent reading is often completed as assigned homework. Students do have some opportunities to read independently in class. The reading assignments, in and outside of class, often require that students annotate the lesson’s text. The assignments extend the day’s lesson or prepare students for the following day. This includes finding new words and using context clues to draw meaning. There is a Homework Accountability activity in the next day’s lesson following the assignment.

Additionally, students are assigned to read their Accountable Independent Reading (AIR) text several nights a week. AIR is a frequent daily expectation for homework, and through protocols built into the lessons, students engage in accountable talk in pairs and with their teacher about their independent reading texts. In the Teacher Resource Book, teachers are instructed to use the school librarian or media specialist to help students locate quality high-interest texts. The accountability for independent reading can be seen in the follow-up activities which usually require students to share with a classroom or group what they have read.

In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 11, for homework students are asked to “preview paragraph 10 of 'Of Our Spiritual Strivings' and star each time you note the word prejudice." Students are also asked to place a box around unfamiliar terms and define them.

In Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 9, for homework students are “instructed to review Chapters I-XIX of The Awakening and review and expand their annotations in preparation for the Mid-Unit Assessment in the next lesson.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing.

The materials are designed in a consistent manner throughout each of the four modules. The four modules make up one year of instruction. Each module is arranged into units comprising one or more texts. The texts in each module share common elements in relation to genre, author’s craft, text structure, or central ideas. Each unit in a module builds on the skills and knowledge students develop in preceding unit(s). The number of lessons in a unit varies based on the length of the text(s). Each lesson is designed to span one class period. Within the units, each lesson is constructed in a similar manner, including lesson introduction, homework accountability, reading and discussion, quick write assessment, homework, and closing.

The curriculum provides a full year of modules and units, including the following:

• Curriculum Map
• Module Overview
• Unit Overview
• Formative and Summative Assessments, including a Module Performance Assessment
• Lesson Plans
• Instructional Notes and Differentiation Considerations
• Tools and Handouts
• Rubrics and Checklists

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the expectations that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

Each module makes up a year of instruction. Each lesson suggests the proportion of a class period to spend on specific activities. However, teachers are reminded to move at the pace they think is best given their students’ needs and the literacy skills demanded by the standards.

The module overview, the curriculum map, and module-at-a-glance calendar provide an exact number of lessons per module, the standards associated with each lesson in the unit, and the year end task associated with each module.

The program suggests that when students are engaged in substantive, evidence-based discourse and are making meaning of the text, it is not necessary to push forward to the next question or task. Teachers are directed to make decisions regarding what is most appropriate for their students as the students grow in their understanding and capacity for independent work.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet expectations that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.).

Materials include but are not limited to graphic organizers, text-dependent questions, reference charts, anchor charts, unit assessments, supporting excerpts or texts, close read guides, jigsaw question strips, essay rubrics, reference aids, model writings, entrance and exit tickets, vocabulary words list and definitions, and writing prompts.

In Module 11.2, Unit 1, Lesson 17, teachers are asked to distribute copies of the 11.2.1 Mid-Unit Analysis Rubric and Checklists. Students are then asked to form pairs and Turn and Talk about how the new standard W.11-12.4 relates to the familiar substandards W.11-12.2.b and W.11-12.2.c. The focus of this activity is to focus on developing and organizing a response and writing in a style that is appropriate for a specific audience, task, or purpose. This activity is also to help the student focus on producing clear and coherent writing.

In Module 11.2, Unit 1, Lesson 19, on p. 224, students are asked to explain what an allegory is after two example pieces. They are then directed to write the definition on their Rhetorical Impact Tracking Tools. Students will then discuss their responses as a whole group and later record the rhetoric discussed on the tracking tool.

Activities that are completed with teacher guidance have directions included in the teacher lesson plan notes. Resources that are completed independently or in small groups without direct teacher guidance include clear directions and explanations so that the task can be completed.

Reference aids, such as handouts, are clearly and correctly labeled as such at the top and in the teacher’s materials.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the expectations that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

Alignment to the CCSS-ELA is documented in multiple places in the curriculum. CCSS standards are documented on the 9-12 Grade Curriculum Map, at the module level, at the unit level, and in the teacher's notes for each lesson. Alignment for all assessments are also provided in the curriculum Overview.

The grade-level curriculum map lists all assessments and which standards are being assessed. This map also includes a chart that illustrates which standards are being assessed in each module.

At the beginning of each module, there is a Unit-at-a-Glance chart that provides teachers with an overview of standards taught and assessed in each lesson. At the beginning of each module there is a module overview which includes a description of assessments which include the performance task, Mid-Unit Assessments, and End-of-Unit Assessments. This overview includes standards being assessed in each assessment. The performance task, Mid-Unit Assessment, and End-of-Unit Assessment for each module include alignment documentation of the standards addressed.

Grade 11, Module 3, p. XXVII contains the curriculum map for Module 3. This includes the standards being assessed in this module and the mid- and end-of-unit performance tasks that will assess these standards.

Grade 11, Module 3, p. XLIII contains the standards map. Assessed standards are standards that are assessed in Unit and Module Performance Assessments. Addressed standards are standards that are incorporated into the curriculum but are not assessed. Standards marked with an asterisk (*) are year-long standards included in each module.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s 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.

Materials contain a Teacher Guide and Teacher Resource Book for each module. The Teacher Guide includes a curriculum map for each module that includes:

• Number of Lesson in the Unit
• Literacy Skills and Habits
• Assessed and Addressed CCSS
• Assessments

At the beginning of each Module, there is an overview with that list the texts, number of lesson in Module, Introduction, Literacy Skills and Habits, English Language Arts Outcomes, including Year-Long Target Standards, Module-Specified Assessed Standards, Addressed Standards, Module Performance Assessment, List of Texts, and Module-at-a-Glance Calendar.

Each lesson begins with an Introduction that provides the teacher with an objective and rationale. An overview of the selection is given, as well as the assignments that will be completed by students. Each Assessment, whether question or task, comes with answers. There is also a “High Performance Response” which tells students what students who excel at the assessment or task should have in their work. The teacher guide also provides vocabulary words with part of speech and definition. Step by step instructions are given for each activity with colored font that indicates instructional notes for the teacher.

The Teacher Resource Book contains copies of the texts studied in each lesson. Any rubrics or checklist that are used in the lesson are also included. Additionally, the Teacher Resource Book contains the mid-unit assessment and the end-of-unit assessment with necessary rubrics to grade the assignments.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher 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.

Materials include a Teacher Guide that has a section for each lesson labeled Instructional Notes that provide easy to follow recommendations with scaffolding ideas, differentiated assignments with possible responses, and reading activities with answers that students may give.

The Teacher Guide uses Learning Sequence symbols to assist teachers with interpreting how to read the material. The symbols and codes are explained so that teachers will know the following:

• Percentage of time the lesson should take
• Plain text to indicate teacher’s actions
• Bold text to indicate the questions teachers should asks students
• Italicize text to indicate a vocabulary word
• An arrow pointing right to indicate teacher action
• Two arrows in the form of a circle to indicate possible student response to teacher
• The letter “i” lowercase in a circle to indicate the instructional notes for the teacher which are in orange font

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum.

The series in Grades 9-12 follow the same format in providing a teacher’s edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. This information is repeated in the materials in several locations.

First, there is a Curriculum Map across Grades 9-12 that addresses the four modules in each grade by listing each unit, along with the addressed standards and the assessed standards.

Secondly, the Year-Long Target Standards are listed in each grade after the first module. Teachers are made aware that the standards will be “strong focus in every English Language Arts module and unit in grades 9–12.”

Finally, the standards are listed next to activities within each lesson. Some of these activities even require that students explain how their work for a particular lesson addresses a specific standards.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

In Grades 9-12, the instructional approaches of the series follow the Universal Design for Learning. Each unit of instruction contains the following principles:

• Provide multiple means of representation
• Provide multiple means of action and expression
• Provide multiple means of engagement

In the preface under Structure of the Module for Grades 9-12, the publisher adds, “Each module comprises up to three units and provides approximately eight weeks of instruction. Each unit includes a set of sequenced learning experiences that scaffold knowledge and understanding of the concepts and skills demanded by the CCSS. Module 1 at each grade level establishes the foundation of instructional routines used throughout the year. Paths to College and Career reflects the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to support:

• English Language Learners (ELL)
• Students with disabilities (SWD)
• Accelerated learners
• Students performing below grade level

Lessons are not scripts but rather illustrations of how instruction might be sequenced. Each module is adaptable and allows for teacher preference and flexibility to meet both students’ needs and the requirements of the instructional shifts and the standards.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

Students have multiple and varied opportunities to demonstrate understanding in each module. Students prepare for culminating task in multiple ways that integrate skills such as close reading, annotating, reading independently and in small groups, hosting whole class and small group discussions in multiple formats, and asking and answering questions.

Every lesson culminates in a Quick Write assessment task. This assessment provides information about students understanding of the lesson objectives and texts. Teachers are provided with high performance response criteria. Lessons contain sets of high quality text-dependent/specific questions that build to the culminating task.

Each unit also includes a Mid-Unit Assessment and an End-of-Unit Assessment that connect to the Module Performance Assessment. These unit assessments give teachers feedback as students work towards the Module Performance Assessment.

Each module includes a Module Performance Assessment that serves as a culminating task. The lessons and activities that are completed within the units of study lead to preparing students for the Performance Assessment. Supporting lessons contain text-dependent and text-specific questions, tasks, and assignments. Thinking, speaking, writing, and listening skills are the focus of key ideas and details in the modules. Writing and reading are integrated throughout the tasks. Text-dependent questions scaffold throughout the modules to help students become equipped to respond to the culminating tasks. Students demonstrate understanding through written expression, oral discussions, and presentations within groups.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

Each unit includes a Mid-Unit Assessment and an End-of-Unit Assessment that connect to the Module Performance Assessment. These unit assessments denote the standards being emphasized.

Each module includes a Module Performance Assessment that states the standards. The lessons and activities that are completed within the units of study that lead to preparing students for the Performance Assessment also include standards. For example,

• In Module 2, Unit 1, Lesson 26, the teacher begins the lesson by reviewing the following assessed standards: CCRA.R.9, RI.11-12.6, L.11-12.1, L.11-12.2, and W.11-12.2.a-f. The End-of-Unit Assessment requires students to analyze rhetoric in W.E.B. DuBois’s “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” from The Souls of Black Folk and Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise Speech” (Module 2 Teacher Guide, pg. 296).
• In Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 11, teachers review the lesson agenda and standards RI.11-12.2, W.11-12.2.a-f, W.11-12.9.b, L11-12.1,and L11-12.2. To meet these standards, students write a multi-paragraph response regarding central ideas found in Elie Wiesel’s “Hope, Despair, and Memory.” In addition, students analyze two to three areas of investigation that emerged as they read the Wiesel text (Module 3 Teacher Guide, pg. 133).
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 16, students are informed of the following standard for Part 2 of the End-of-Unit Assessment: W.11-12.3.a-b. Students respond to the following prompt as a final draft of their narratives: Consider another character’s point of view in either “On the Rainy River” or “The Red Convertible” and retell a key scene from either text through that character’s point of view (Module 4 Teacher Guide, pg. 155).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

High performance indicators and exemplar responses are provided throughout materials, including End-of-Unit Assessments, Module Performance Assessments, and other assessment tools. These indicators provide some guidance for teachers for interpreting student performance. For example,

• In Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 14, students complete a Quick Write (How does Shakespeare develop Ophelia’s character through her interactions with Laertes and Hamlet?) that serves as the assessment for this lesson. High Performance Response indicators with examples provide some “look fors” for teachers as they assess student learning: Describe how Ophelia interacts with Laertes and how their interactions develops her character (e.g., Ophelia’s interactions with Laertes shows her to be a confident, witty woman. When Laertes gives Ophelia advice about how and why she should not “lose [her] heart or [her] chaste treasure open” to Hamlet’s affections (Act 1, Scene 3, line 35), Ophelia reminds Laertes not to be a hypocrite: “Do not . . ./Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,/Whiles . . ./[you] . . . reck [] not [your] own rede” (Act 1, Scene 3, lines 51-55). With this response, Ophelia demonstrates her wit and self-confidence in her relationship with her brother -- she does not merely accept his advice but gives it back to him (Module 1 Teacher Guide, p. 216-217).
• At the end of Module 2, students complete the Module Performance Assessment. Teachers are provided High Performance Response indicators with specific examples upon which to gauge student learning: Present a claim about how Alexie’s poem relates to the central ideas and/or points of view developed in at least two other module texts (e.g., Alexie’s poem “How to Write the Great American Indian Novel” relates to the idea of double consciousness that DuBois develops in “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” and the idea of dual identity that Lorde develops in “From the House of Yemanja”). Teachers are also provided with an explanation of the standard-specific demands of the performance assessment as further guidance (Module 2 Teacher Guide, pg. 448-450).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

Throughout lessons, Instructional Notes offer recommendations, background information, optional or differentiated activities, or optional reading and discussion questions for teachers to consider. Some Instructional Notes provide specific Differentiation Considerations, which suggest visuals, tools, practices, models, or adaptations for students who may need extra support to achieve lesson goals. The Teacher Resource Books also include supporting materials that might be required for lessons such as reproducible tools, handouts, rubrics, and checklists. For example,

• In Module 3, Unit 2, Lesson 12, the following guidance is offered: “Remind students that although counterclaims require students to approach the issue from an opposite or divergent perspective, the process for writing a claim and a counterclaim is the same. Using relevant and sufficient evidence is as important in writing a counterclaim as it is in writing a claim; To support students’ understanding, consider additional modeling on how to choose the most effective evidence for the type of counterclaim they formulated; Circulate around the room to monitor student progress” (Module 3 Teacher Guide, pg. 258-259).
• In Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 15, teachers are given the following guidance as students work closely with the Narrative Writing Rubric and Checklist and the Peer Accountability Tools: “This collaborative feedback and discussion provides students with a crucial opportunity for oral processing of their ideas and supports their engagement with standard SL.11-12.1, which addresses the clear, persuasive expression and exchange of ideas; Consider checking in with students on an individual basis during the review and revision process to formatively assess their application of narrative writing techniques, and offer targeted feedback for revision“ (Module 4 Teacher Guide, pg. 150).