About This Report
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Report Overview
Summary of Alignment & Usability: Pearson Literature | ELA
ELA High School
Pearson Literature Grades 9-12 include partially-aligned materials for Gateway 1. The texts with which students engage are mostly engaging and are at the right levels of rigor and complexity. The materials partially meet the expectations of text-based questions, writing, speaking and listening activities, and language information. The materials for Grade 10 partially meet the expectations of building knowledge and growing students’ academic vocabulary, with some coherence in instruction needed to address the shifts in the standards and thoroughly support students’ advancing literacy skills. The materials for Grades 9 , 11, and 12 do not meet the overall expectations of building knowledge and vocabulary. They include some materials that integrate standards in service of building knowledge and growing critical literacy skills, but these are inconsistent over the course of the school year.
9th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
10th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
11th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
12th Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.
Usability (Gateway 3)
Report for 10th Grade
Alignment Summary
Pearson Literature 2015 Grade 10 materials partially meet expectations of alignment. Texts are of quality and reflect the distribution of text types and genres. Some texts do not meet the criteria of text complexity. Anchor and supporting texts provide some opportunity for students to engage in a range and volume of reading. Materials partially meet the criteria to provide opportunities for rich and rigorous evidence-based discussions and writing about texts to build strong literacy skills. While the materials provide some opportunity for discussions, there is inconsistent guidance and support for use of protocols. The instructional materials for Grade 10 partially meet the expectations of Gateway 2. Texts are organized around topics/themes consistently. Materials contain few sets of questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual text. The materials partially support building students' knowledge and academic vocabulary.
10th Grade
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Usability (Gateway 3)
Overview of Gateway 1
Text Quality & Complexity and Alignment to Standards Components
Pearson Literature Grade 10 partially meets the criteria for Gateway 1. Texts are of quality and reflect the distribution of text types and genres. Some texts do not meet the criteria of text complexity. Anchor and supporting texts provide some opportunity for students to engage in a range and volume of reading. Materials partially meet the criteria to provide opportunities for rich and rigorous evidence-based discussions and writing about texts to build strong literacy skills. Most questions and tasks are evidence based and build to a culminating task. Materials provide some opportunity for discussions, but lack guidance and protocols. Both on-demand and process evidence based writing is present, however there is limited opportunity for students to practice and receive feedback before assessment. Over the course of the year’s worth of materials, grammar/convention instruction is provided, however it does not increase in sophisticated contexts.
Gateway 1
v1.0
Criterion 1.1: Text Complexity and Quality
Pearson Literature Grade 10 partially meets the criteria for providing quality texts that support students toward advancing toward independent reading. Texts are of quality and reflect the distribution of text types and genres. Materials partially meet the criteria of text complexity. Also, text complexity analysis and rationale provided by the publisher is limited. Anchor and supporting texts provide some opportunity for students to engage in a range and volume of reading but may not succeed in having students achieve grade level proficiency.
NOTE: Indicator 1b is non-scored and provides information about text types and genres in the program.
Indicator 1A
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for anchor/core texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.
The anchor texts in the majority of chapters/units and across the year- long curriculum are of publishable quality. Each text is previously published and some are award winning. Anchor texts are well-crafted, content rich, and include a range of student interests, engaging students at the grade level for which they are placed. Subjects are compelling, content is meaningful, and the style of the texts is varied. Included anchor texts provide an appropriate amount of quality texts to span the school year.
Quality texts found in Grade 10 materials include (but are not limited to) the following high-quality text selections:
- Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket by Jack Finney
- from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by May Angelou
- A Toast to the Oldest Inhabitant: The Weather of New England by Mark Twain
- from "Address to Students at Moscow State University" by Ronald
- “How to React to Familiar Faces” by Umberto Eco
- By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benet
- "All" by Bei Dao
- “A Tree Telling of Orpheus” by Denise Levertov
- The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
- from "Nobel Lecture" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
- Antigone, by Sophocles
- The Once and Future King called Arthur Becomes King of Britain, by T.H. White
- from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Indicator 1B
*Indicator 1b is non-scored (in grades 9-12) and provides information about text types and genres in the program.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.
Materials provide an appropriate balance between literature and informational text. Literature consists of stories, dramas, and poetry. Informational texts consist of argument, exposition, and media. There is an additional non-fiction section called literature in context - reading in content areas. The Range of Reading pages in the front of the book, the “Stories” section of the literature section has stories broken into different genres: adventure and suspense stories, allegories, humorous fiction, myth, folktales and legends, realistic fiction, science fiction and fantasy, and world literature. The same breakdown exists in the poetry section: epics, lyrical poems, narrative and dramatic poems, and sonnets and tanka. The same breakdown exists in the informational text section with Arguments being broken into opinion pieces and speeches; the Exposition section is broken down into content-area essays and articles, science writing, memoirs, and personal essays and articles. Examples of texts include but are not limited to:
- Unit 1 text types include realistic fiction, adventure, world literature, autobiography and speech. Specific examples include but are not limited to:
- “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs
- “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe
- “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket” by Tom Benecke
- From “Swimming to Antarctica” by Lynne Cox
- “Occupation: Conductorette” from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Unit 2 text types include realistic fiction, essay, scientific article, speech, opinion article, and narrative. Specific examples include but are not limited to:
- From Magdalena Looking by Susan Vreeland
- From “Address to Students at Moscow University” Ronald Reagan
- “The Dog that Bit People” by James Thurber
- “How to React to Familiar Faces” by Umberto Eco
- “How to Look at Nothing” from How to Use Your Eyes by James Elkin
- Unit 3 text types include poetry, short stories, speech, memoir, and expository nonfiction. Specific examples include but are not limited to:
- “A Tree Telling of Orpheus” by Denise Levertov
- “By the Waters of Babylon” by Vincent Benet
- “Hold Fast Your Dreams and Trust Your Mistakes” by Billy Joel
- From The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday
- “Understanding Stonehenge: Two Explanations” by DNews
- The Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
- Unit 4 is mostly dramas, consisting of 5 dramas, including The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare and Antigone by Sophocles.
- Excerpt from A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen
- Excerpt from An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen
- Julius Caesar, by Shakespeare
- Antigone, by Sophocles
- "Conscientious Objector," by Edna St. Vincent Millay
- from "Nobel Lecture," by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
- "The Censors," by Luisa Valenzuela
- Unit 5 consists of a mix of fiction and nonfiction selections including mythology and folktales.
- Excerpt from Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achenbe
- "Prometheus and the First People," by Olivia E. Coolidge
- from Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes
- "Morte d'Arthur," by Tennyson
- from "Youth and Chivalry," by Barbara W. Tuchman
- from "A Pilgrim's Search for Relics of the Once and Future King," by Caroline Alexander
Indicator 1C
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 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.
80% of the anchor texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the 10th grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to their associated student task. Anchor texts are placed at the appropriate grade level. The appropriate grade level lexile bank for grades 9 and 10 is 1050L to 1335L.
Examples include, but are not limited to,
- Unit 1: Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket by Tom Benecke. Lexile 1180
- Unit 2: “How to react to Familiar Faces” by Umberto Eco. Lexile 1110
- Unit 3: “A Tree Telling of Orpheus” by Denise Levertov. This does not have a Lexile score because it is poetry, however, the qualitative measures make it moderately complex.
- Unit 4: Antigone by Sophocles. Because this is a drama, there is no Lexile score, however the qualitative measures make it complex.
- Unit 5: Arthur Becomes King of Britain from The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Lexile 790. This is a low level for end of the year anchor texts. The task is to write a literary criticism in which students analyze the humor in the story. Students are to discuss how White combines a modern sensibility with the heroic style of traditional tales.
Indicator 1D
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)
Some of the complexities of the anchor texts provide an opportunity for students’ literacy skills to increase across the year. The “Context and Knowledge Demands” remain steady, not increasing, throughout the year at a level 3 for each anchor texts beyond Unit 1. “Structure and Language Conventionality and Clarity” vary in complexity throughout the year. “Levels of Meaning, Purpose, and Concept Level” increase in complexity according to the scale provided from a 2 in Unit 1, to a 3 in Unit 2, and a 4 in Units 3, 4, and 5. The Lexile levels decrease in the anchor texts from Unit 1 (1180) to Unit 5 (790). However, the series of texts found within the textbook include a variety of complexity levels. Within a given unit, there are different levels of complexity and the teacher could choose which to use at different times to meet student needs. A teacher could choose to read an entire unit since each unit, as a stand alone entity, provides a variety of complexity levels. Instructions in the teacher’s edition offer an Instructional Model for ways to read the text, which provide flexibility in how to teach the units, but the recommendation is to teach the text from front to back with mid-year assessments included to monitor student progress on grade-level skills and standards.
- Anchor texts do not increase in complexity over the course of the school year. Note that the qualitative measure here is the average of the scores on context/knowledge demands, structure/language conventionality, and levels of meaning/purpose/context. Each of these values had a score on a scale of 1 to 5 attached.
- Unit 1: Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket by Tom Benecke. Lexile 1180, Qualitative 2.3
- Unit 2: “How to react to Familiar Faces” by Umberto Eco. Lexile 1110, Qualitative 2.6
- Unit 3: “A Tree Telling of Orpheus” by Denise Levertov. Poetry, Qualitative 3.6
- Unit 4: Antigone by Sophocles. Drama, Qualitative 3.3
- Unit 5: Arthur Becomes King of Britain from The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Lexile 790, Qualitative 3.6
- Series of texts within units include a variety of complexity levels.
- In Unit 1, Part 3, there are six texts within the text set (Perseverance). The average Lexile is 1046. The qualitative measures fall between a 2 and 4.
- In Unit 2, Part 3, there are six texts within the text set (Vision). The average Lexile is 1138. The average qualitative measures between a score of 3 and 4, with some 2’s.
- In Unit 4, Part 3, there are six texts within the text set (Conscientious Objections). The average Lexile is 1325 which increases from Unit 2. All the qualitative measures score at a 3 or 4.
- In Unit 5, Part 3, there are six texts within the text set (The Arthurian Legend). There is a range of Lexiles from 1030 to 1410. The qualitative measures in this text series range from 3-5. This is the only unit where the qualitative measures reach a difficulty of 5, which would be appropriate for the end of the year.
Indicator 1E
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially 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.
All anchor texts are housed in Part 3, Developing Insight, of each of the five units, and a “Big Question” is presented to tie these texts together. The rationale for educational purpose and placement of these texts within the unit is not found in the 9th grade text. The “Text Complexity Rubrics” are vague and offer limited information on what a teacher would need to scaffold in order for students to be successful. This analysis tool is also not totally accurate and clear. It is not thorough or detailed enough to provide what is needed in order to provide correct scaffolded instruction. The rubric includes qualitative measurements broken into three parts: Context/Knowledge Demands, Structure/Language Convention and Clarity, Levels of Meaning/Purpose/Concept Level and each of these parts receives a scaled score from 1 to 5 (1 being low) and a brief statement describing why that score is given for all those components, not specifying which component it is associated with. The rubric also includes quantitative measures which include: a Lexile score, word count, and reader and task suggestions.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Unit 1, Part 3, Perseverance: The readings in this section explore concepts of perseverance or “grit”. Readings are preceded by the following introduction to the theme, “Society generally sees perseverance as a virtue that lets us solve problems and achieve goals. Consider how ideas of perseverance relate to the Big Question for this unit: Can progress be made without conflict?” The following reading selections are found in this unit.
- “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”. Lexile 1180
- From Swimming to Antarctica. Lexile 850 Content Knowledge and demands, structure & language , levels of meaning are all a 2. This selection has a low level qualitative and quantitative score, but we can assume the rationale for its placement in this unit is that it is because it explores the “Big Question”.
- “Occupation: Conductorette” Lexile 1050
- “The Upside of Quitting”. Lexile 850 Content Knowledge and demands, structure & language, and levels of meaning are all a 3. This selection also has a low level qualitative and quantitative score, so we assume the rationale for its placement here is that it explores the “Big Question”.
- The Winning Edge (Lexile 1320)
- Science Fiction and the Future (Lexile 1030) - Content Knowledge and demands, structure & language , levels of meaning all a 4
- Unit 2, Part 3, Vision: The readings in this section raise questions about what we really see when we look at the world. The readings in this unit are introduced with the following instruction, “ Ranging from explanations of physical sight to discussions about maps, media, painting, and sculptures, these texts explore the connections between seeing and interpreting. Think about how vision and perception relate to the Big Question for this unit: What kind of knowledge changes our lives? “ The anchor and supplemental texts all fall within the correct Lexile range for grade 10. .
- Anchor Text: “How to React to Familiar Faces” Lexile 1110
- from “Magdalena Looking” Lexile 1138
- from “The Statue That Didn’t Look Right” Lexile 1040
- from “The Shape of the World” Lexile 1250
- “Seeing Things” Lexile 1130)
- “How to Look at Nothing” Lexile 1160
- In Unit 3, Part 2, on the opening page of the section is a paragraph that explains what students will do during the “guided exploration” part of the unit and includes an attempt at purpose: “Skilled writers use words the way artists use paint - to tell stories, conjure images, engage senses, and stir imaginations. As you read the poems in this section, notice the ways in which the lyrical, artful quality of words enhances the expression of feeling and thought. Then, consider how these texts relate to the Big Question for the unit: Does all communication serve a positive purpose?” This vaguely relates to purpose for students, but there is no direct rationale for text selection given to teachers regarding purpose or placement. This is the same in each unit.
- In Unit 3, Part 3, the anchor text and the accompanying texts have text complexity rubrics with qualitative and quantitative measures. There is a summary of each text on the opening page of the part, but no rationale for purpose or placement. This is the same in each unit.
Indicator 1F
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.
Instructional materials clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading a variety of text types and disciplines to become independent readers at the grade level. There are a variety of text types and disciplines in the materials, including, poems, short stories, nonfiction, drama, novel excerpts . However, it is unclear in the materials how students will build stamina, read for extended periods of time, and other such activities that build students from strong readers in a group setting to strong readers independently. While, instructional materials clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in a volume of reading as they grow toward reading independence at the grade level, there is no clear opportunity for students to independently engage in a volume of text (or a shorter piece of text). There are no clear supports for teachers and/or students to monitor progress toward grade level independence.There are no clear supports to engage students in this independent reading.
- Unit 1, Part 3 includes a short story, a memoir, an autobiography, a radio transcript, a magazine article, a speech, and a photograph to analyze. There are a total of fifteen texts for students to read and interact with in Unit 1. The anchor text, Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket is to be read multiple times over five days. Also, two short stories, “Like the Sun” and “The Open Window” can be read in a single setting and then compared by students.
- In Unit 2, Part 3 there is an expository essay, novel excerpt, two expository non-fiction selections, two science writings, and a painting for students to analyze. There are a total of 18 texts for students to read and interact with in Unit 2. There are four texts that can be read either in a short amount of time or over a longer period. These include, From Longitude, “The Sun Parlor”, “Keep Memory Alive”, and “The American Idea”. The anchor text, “How to React to Familiar Faces” is recommended for five days. The two texts, “A Toast to the Oldest Inhabitant: The Weather of New England” and “The Dog That Bit People” should be read in two days.
- The materials provide a “Flexible Pathway” page to lead students through the text strategically if needed. It suggests that if students struggle with any aspects of the Close Reading Activities in Part 1 (Setting Expectations), then teachers should assign targeted features in Part 2 in order to provide instruction and practice in those areas. If students are successful with the Close Reading Activities in Part 1, then they may move directly to Part 3. There is also a chart on the “Flexible Pathway” page that suggests using the units in their entirety, or creating your own path through the units using the chart as a suggestion.
Criterion 1.2: Alignment to the Standards with Tasks and Questions Grounded in Evidence
Pearson Literature Grade 10 materials partial meet the criteria to provide opportunities for rich and rigorous evidence-based discussions and writing about texts to build strong literacy skills. Most questions and tasks are evidence based and build to a culminating task. Materials provide some opportunity for discussions, but lack guidance and protocols. Both on-demand and process evidence based writing is present, however there is limited opportunity for students to practice and receive feedback before assessment. Over the course of the year’s worth of materials, grammar/convention instruction is provided, however it does not increase in sophisticated contexts.
Indicator 1G
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text; this may include work with mentor texts as well).
Most of the questions, tasks, and assignments provided over the course of a school year in the materials are text-dependent or text-specific. These text-dependent and text-specific questions, tasks, and assignments are consistent throughout the materials, including protocols for multiple reads, teacher-supplied guiding questions, tasks and embedded questions in the text, and close reading activities or critical thinking questions following text. The tasks require students to draw on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text.
Examples of text dependent/specific questions, tasks and assignments include but are not limited to:
- In Unit 1, Part 1 the text selected is “The Leap” and sample questions include: “In the first paragraph, what do you learn about the mother’s past and how it contrasts with her present”,and “Consider the plot up to this point. How does the narrator interpret events from her mother’s life?”. Also in Unit 1, “What effect does Angelou achieve by the rhyming of ‘learned’ and ‘earned’ in the last sentence?”
- In Unit 1, “The Monkey’s Paw”, students have a speaking and listening opportunity where in small groups they conduct an interview between themselves acting as journalist and the characters in the story. They are asked to demonstrate knowledge of the story through their questioning as journalists. Also, students are asked to respond to questions as the main characters, the Whites, would respond. They are encouraged to use direct quotes from the story in their responses.
- In Unit 2, Part 3, students read “Magdalena Looking” by Susan Vreeland. After the text, in “Close Reading Activities” questions are text-dependent and range in difficulty. Questions and tasks include: “What did Magdalena’s father do for a living?”, “What theme does Magdalena’s conflict suggest? Explain.”, and “Write a comparison-and-contrast essay in which you analyze Vreeland’s use of words to create a setting and compare it with a painter’s use of color, line, and perspective to create a canvas.”
- In Unit 3, Part 1, the selected texts are 2 poems, “The Poetic Interpretation of the Twist” and “The Empty Dance Shoes” by Cornelius Eady. Sample questions include, “What idea about the twist does this metaphor convey?”, and “How does the meter reinforce the simile?”
- In Unit 4, Part 3, students write a compare and contrast essay analyzing Antigone and Ismene.They are asked to support their points with details and examples from the text.
- In Unit 5, Part 1, the selected text is “Games at Twilight” by Anita Desai. Sample questions include, “What effect does the children’s wailing have on the mother?”, and “What strong verbs does the author use to help the reader visualize the children’s movement?”.
Indicator 1H
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials containing sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent and text-specific questions with activities that build to a culminating task which integrates skills to demonstrate understanding.
There are culminating tasks throughout the units.
- At the end of every part 2 within each unit there is an Assessment: Skills. Within the Assessment: Skills, under Constructed Response, students have three writing opportunities, two speaking and listening tasks, and one research task which are connected to the texts read in this unit.
- In part 2 & 3 of each unit, there are small culminating tasks after each text. These are found under the Close Reading Activities. Students participate in discussions, writings, literature analysis, and research. The culminating tasks are supported with text-dependent questions and a sequence of building tasks.
- At the end of each unit 3 there is an Assessment: Synthesis, including Speaking and Listening and Writing tasks. Students have group discussions based on the theme of the unit and the texts read within the unit that support that theme. Within this assessment, they have two formal writing prompts focused on the theme and using the texts present in the unit for evidence to support their writing. These tasks build on the themes explored earlier in the unit, most notably the “Big Question” under consideration for the unit. Sequences of text-dependent questions and task throughout the unit prepare students for success on the culminating task. Culminating tasks provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do in speaking and listening and/or writing.
There are culminating tasks throughout the units. Students participate in discussions, writings, literature analysis, research, etc. The culminating tasks are supported with text-dependent questions and a sequence of building tasks. At the end of each unit there is an Assessment: Synthesis. Within the Assessment:Synthesis students have group discussions based on the theme of the unit and the texts read within the unit that support that theme. Within this assessment, they have two formal writing prompts focused on the theme and using the texts present in the unit for evidence to support their writing. The Assessment Synthesis portion of the materials is a series of Speaking and Listening and Writing tasks. These tasks build on the themes explored earlier in the unit, most notably the big question under consideration for the unit.Sequences of text-dependent questions and task throughout the unit prepare students for success on the culminating task.Culminating tasks provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do in speaking and/or writing.
Culminating tasks are varied over the year. In the Assessment: Skills portion found at the end of Part 2 in each unit, under the constructed response, students have three writing opportunities, two speaking and listening tasks, and one research task which are connected to the texts read in this unit. In the Assessment:Skills sections of the units, students read pieces of texts. The questions that follow are text-dependent and require students to return to the text in order to answer them. The second part of the Assessment: Skills is Constructed Responses. Students respond in writing to texts read so far in this unit. Students have to return to the texts read in order to respond.
- In Unit 1: The theme question is asked, “Can progress be made without conflict?” There is an Assessment: Synthesis where students are asked to participate in a group discussion. Students are asked to refer to the texts in the section to support their ideas. Then students are asked to write a narrative about perseverance and conflict. Since the texts they read in this unit were about conflict, this task provides students the opportunity to synthesize and express their understanding through a narrative.
- In Unit 3, Part 2 under a Close Reading Activity after reading four poems, students are asked to write a critical essay analyzing the use of sound devices in one of the four poems. Before this task there is a question that asks students to use a chart with alliteration, consonance, assonance, and onomatopoeia to identify examples of sound devices in two of the poems. Then explain what each example adds to the poem.
- In Unit 5, Part 2, under the Constructed Response in the Assessment: Skills, students are asked to write an essay in which they compare the use of archetypal narrative patterns in two works from Part 2 of this unit. One example of a text -dependent question supporting this prompt is “Identify the archetypal characters in “Cupid and Psyche” and “Ashputtle”. Another question, “Read aloud the bracketed passage. Remind students that a common characteristic of archetypal narratives is a test that a character must pass. Ask the Archetypal Narrative Patterns question: What does Cupid set for Psyche?”
Indicator 1I
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially 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.
At the end of every unit, in the Assessment: Synthesis there is one speaking and listening opportunity where students have a group discussion. In the Close Reading Workshop found in each unit, there is a “Discussions” paragraph, which gives students some directions on how to have discussions. The directions for these end of unit activities ask students to “refer to text in this section, other texts you have read, your personal experience, and research you have conducted to support your ideas.” In some activities, there is a direction to “Present your ideas using academic vocabulary”, however, there is no modeling of academic vocabulary found in the material. There are some opportunities to promote students’ ability to master grade level speaking and listening standards. Within the reading selections, there are questions for teachers to ask in the margins of the teacher’s edition. In some lessons, directions will state “Have students discuss...” There are no discussion protocols provided in the material. The teacher materials provided repeat the students’ directions and remind teachers to prompt their students to read the directions. However, there are some protocols, monitoring tools, accountability rubrics, and guidance for organizing students found in the Professional Development Guidebook. Examples of materials partially meeting this indicator include, but are not limited to:
- Towards the end of the unit there is a speaking and listening lesson that addresses a different topic.
- Unit 1: Delivering an Oral Interpretation of a Literary Work
- Unit 2: Delivering a Persuasive Speech
- Unit 3: Analyzing Media Messages
- Unit 4: Comparing Media Coverage
- Unit 5: Delivering a Multimedia Presentation
- In Unit 1, Part 1 at the beginning of the unit, there is a “Discuss” item as part of the “Setting Expectations” section of the text. The directions remind students to share their own ideas and listen to those of others. They are directed to participate in collaborative discussions, work on having a genuine exchange in which classmates build upon one another’s ideas. They are told to support their points with evidence and ask meaningful questions. Following the instructions is a “Discussion Model” that gives examples of three students building ideas off another student’s shared idea. In the margins of the teacher’s edition, it tells the teacher that throughout the unit, students will be engaging in discussions about the selections they read and to remind students of how to participate effectively in a collaborative discussion. A lesson in Unit 1 encourages the use of academic vocabulary with the following instructions to the teacher, “As students are discussing “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”, encourage them to use the thematic vocabulary presented in introducing the Big Question. You might encourage them with sentence starters like these:...”
- In Unit Two, Part One, after completing the “Independent Practice” of reading Everest from Touch the Top of the World, in the “Close Reading Activities” is a “Discuss” question. The question asks students to “conduct a partner discussion” that connects directly to the text. The second part of the discussion directions are to “summarize your discussion and share your ideas with the class as a whole.” The teacher edition gives possible answers students might provide, but does not refer to discussion protocols.
- In Unit 4, under the Close Reading Activities after from An Enemy of the People students are asked to discuss in a small-group about the two men and their tactics used to argue. There are no supports and/or directions for the teacher to guide this discussion or for students.
In Unit 4, students read The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act I, II, III, IV, & V. The discussion prompts for the entire play state, “As students read, they will explore the big Question through text analysis of the selection. Encourage students to take notes as they read and raise additional questions, using text evidence to support their thoughts. Students should refer to their notes to help them deepen their understanding of the selection through discussion , research, and writing.” This is the only direction, opportunity given during all five acts of the play. At the end of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act I, II, III, IV, & V, students do have the opportunity to work with a partner and give a dramatic reading of Cassius’ discussion with Brutus in lines 132-177 of Act I.
Indicator 1J
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and evidence. Students have multiple opportunities over the school year to demonstrate what they are reading and researching through varied grade-level-appropriate speaking and listening opportunities. Opportunities include speeches, in-formal presentations, and engaging in small and large group discussions.
Instructional support is lacking for speaking and listening instruction. Prompts and presentations are included in final tasks with criteria for success listed, however clear instruction on how to engage in small or large discussions, debates, formal presentations is not included within materials.
The speaking and listening work requires students to marshall evidence from texts and sources and is applied over the course of the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
- Unit 1, within the Close Reading section, directions state, “In a small group, conduct an interview between a skeptical journalist and the Whites after the tragedy. Prepare questions that will allow Mr. and Mrs. White to share their story.”
- Also from Unit 1, direction state, “Discuss the following passage with a small group. Take notes during the discussion. Contribute your own ideas and support them with examples from the text.”.
- In Unit 2: There is a culminating Speaking and Listening Activity. Students prepare to deliver a persuasive speech, Students are asked to, “Choose a topic that has two sides. Organize a presentation in which you take a stand. Practice delivering your speech for a classmate. Based on the feedback you receive, revise your presentation. Then, deliver the speech for the full class. Consider the following questions as you develop your speech: How clear is the position, point of view, or claim? Is the position supported by varied and convincing evidence? Is the evidence logically and clearly organized? Is the line of reasoning easy for listeners to follow?” This is a stand alone activity that does not build from previous text dependent activities.
- In Unit 5, students are to, “Discuss the following passage with a classmate. Listen closely and build on one another’s ideas, supporting them with examples from the text.”
- In Unit 3, students are directed to ,“Prepare and deliver an oral presentation in which you analyze the use of sound devices in a poem from Part 2 of this unit. Select a poem that makes interesting and significant use of sound devices, such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia. Identify the sound device and analyze the effect that they have on the meaning of the poem, as well as how they contribute to the mood of the poem. As you present your analysis, read key passages aloud to demonstrate the effects of the sound devices. Draw conclusions about the role of sound devices in poetry. Present your ideas in a clear and logical way.
- Each unit’s final Assessment has a discussion section that has the following prompt: “Conduct discussions. With a small group of classmates, conduct a discussion about...Refer to the texts in this section, other texts you have read, the research you have conducted and your personal experience and knowledge to support your ideas. Begin your discussion by addressing the following questions….Summarize and present your ideas. After you have fully explored the topic, summarize your discussion and present your findings to the class as whole.”
- At the end of Part 2, students are to “produce a multimedia presentation. Use the steps shown to prepare and deliver a multimedia presentation of a research paper you have already written.”
Towards the end of each unit there is a speaking and listening lesson. The lessons include:
- Unit 1: Delivering an Oral Interpretation of a Literary Work
- Unit 2: Delivering a Persuasive Speech
- Unit 3: Analyzing Media Messages
- Unit 4: Comparing Media Coverage
- Unit 5: Delivering a Multimedia Presentation
While there are ample opportunities for listening and speaking about what is read and researched, the facilitation, monitoring and instruction within the materials is limited.
Indicator 1K
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 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.
Writing tasks appear in the Writing Process, Close Reading Activities, and Assessment sections within the textbook. Within each part there are various writing opportunities, but time limits on the assignments is unclear. On many assignments, teachers and students are not directed to use the writing process. In most cases, it is unclear when students are asked to edit and revise. Questions are provided to guide the process, but teaching and modeling is not present.
The digital resources included are limited and not necessary for students to use in order to support their writing process or product.There are teacher and student resources available on- line. Materials do not always attend to the demands of the writing standards for this indicator. Elements of Writing Standard 10 “Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.” are not fully addressed in the materials. Time frames outside of timed writing, variety of purposes, audiences, etc. are missing from materials.
The materials include a mix of process writing and on-demand writing.
- In the Introductory Unit, a Revising Strategies section provides the steps for revising and its connection to CCSS. The steps include “Revise for conciseness” with a model of how to cross out certain words/phrases and replace with better ones; “Revise to avoid plagiarism” explanation with a reference to another page in the introduction for how to correctly cite references in a Works Cited; “Revise to strengthen coherence” offers a checklist of ways to organize and improve sequencing; “Peer Review” suggests ways to have other students provide feedback. Later in the Introductory Unit, is a “Editing and Proofreading” page with similarly organized tips.
- There are two clear opportunities per unit for students to revise and edit: one in the Assessment: Synthesis writing exercise found at the end of each unit and the other one in the Writing Process lesson found in Part 2 of each unit.
- In Unit One, in the Writing Process lesson, students write an argument. There is a page of Revising Strategies and examples (use specific terms, clarify connections among ideas, cut excess writing, and peer review guidelines). Then there is a paragraph on Editing and Proofreading with a focus on spelling. Also, in Unit Two, at the end in the Assessment: Synthesis writing exercise students are reminded to revise and edit, revising content, review style, paraphrase correctly, and a self-evaluation rubric.In Part I of each unit there is a Close Reading Workshop where students read how to read, discuss, research, and write.
- Students then have a mini practice of reading, discussing, researching, and writing. In Part II of each unit there are Close Reading Activities as a follow-up to a text. Within those activities there is a Writing to Source activity asking students to write either a narrative, argument, or explanatory piece. Teachers are prompted to guide students writing with the “Support for Writing to Sources” page found in the all in one Workbook. Also, at the end of Part II there is a Writing Process lesson for students to reading and practice. There is also a Assessment:Skill section where students are presented with three opportunities to write some sort of literary analysis. All three tasks asks students to write an essay. The pacing guide directs teachers to allow a class period to complete the essay or assign as homework. Then in Part III of each unit, the activities shift from Close Reading Activities to Discuss, Research, Write about the text activities. At the end of every unit there is an Assessment: Synthesis with a writing prompt and process opportunity, these directions tell teachers to have students take their time to consider whether their ideas have changed during the writing experience. Some of the writing in this section has students use the writing process. Lastly, there are two on-demand writings per unit.
- There are two opportunities per unit for students to revise and edit: one in the Assessment: Synthesis writing exercise found at the end of each unit and the other one in the Writing Process lesson found in Part II of each unit.
Indicator 1L
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing (year long) that reflect the distribution required by the standards. May include “blended” styles.
Materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply different genres/modes of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. Materials address five genres/modes in the Writing Process sections in each unit and through some annotated mentor texts. Also, there are Craft and Structure lessons throughout the textbook that link the stories and the Writing to Sources lessons after students read the stories. However, there is less instruction than opportunities to practice and apply skills. There are no exemplars and/or samples in the teacher’s edition for teachers to use to monitor students’ skills. There are limited guidelines and suggestions provided for teachers to monitor students’ writing skills. Where appropriate, writing opportunities are connected to texts and/or text sets (either as prompts, models, anchors, or supports). Writing opportunities exist in each part of each unit so that students will write across a school year. Writing tasks are included in the Close Reading Activities following texts and text sets, in stand-alone workshop tasks in each unit (the Writing Process sections) , and in the assessments after Part 2 (Assessment: Skills) and Part 3 (Assessment:Synthesis) of each unit. Materials provide limited opportunities for students/teachers to monitor progress in writing skills. There are rubrics in the Writing Process lessons, which occur once per unit. Also, rubrics are provided in the Professional Development Workbook. Support for teacher monitoring is not found. The teacher would need to create a larger system for students to track their progress in different modes.
- In each unit there is a Writing Process lesson that provides instruction for students and include an annotated mentor text and student model
- Unit 1, write an Argument: Analytic Response to Literature
- Unit 2, write an Argument: Persuasive Essay
- Unit 3,write an Explanatory Text: Cause - and - Effect Essay
- Unit 4, write a Narration: Autobiographical Narrative
- Unit 5, write an Informative Text: Comparison-and Contrast Essay
- A variety of text types of writing appear throughout the curriculum. For example, in Unit 1, students write a letter to the editor, a response to literature, a narrative, an essay, a sequel, letter, explanatory text, cause and effect essay, a profile/biographical sketch, an autobiographical narrative, and a reflective essay.
- In Unit 2, Part 2, under the Writing to Sources students write a critique. The directions in the teacher’s edition directs teachers to guide students in their writing critiques, give them the Support for Writing to Sources page for this selection in the Student Companion All-in-One Workbook, then to evaluate students’ critiques, using the rubrics for Critique in Professional Development Guidebook.
- In the Close Reading Activities, students have writing tasks, however there are no rubrics to monitor students’ writing skills. In Unit 1, Part 3, students write a cause-and-effect essay. The teacher’s edition does tell teachers to encourage students to review their drafts to ensure they have used transitional words and phrases to effectively express cause and effect. They provide examples for teachers to use with students, therefore, because, or as a result.
- In Unit 2, in the “Keep Memory Alive” text, students have persuasive writing modeled in the Craft and Structure lesson. Next, they answer text-dependent questions about the persuasive writing after the text. Then in the Close Reading Activity under Writing to Source they write an argumentative letter to Wiesel in which they respond to his claim in “Keep Memory Alive” that forgetting makes people accomplices to crimes or atrocities. The only monitoring of skills in the writing lesson is found in the Professional Development Guidebook.
- In Unit 3, at the beginning of Part 1 in the “Close Reading Workshop: Write” section, students are shown a model of writing an Explanatory Essay. The model includes highlights and annotations for successfully completing the requirements of that mode of writing. This connects to a “Writing Process” activity in Part 2 of the unit where students are given directions for how to write an expository: cause-and-effect essay on any topic - not connected to any of the readings. Another connection to the model in Part 1 is in Part 3. In the “Assessment:Synthesis” section at the end of the unit, students complete the “Writing to Sources: Explanatory Text” assignment which asks students to “Write an expository essay in which you explain, describe, and discuss one or more aspects of your chosen question” from a list of choices above the assignment. However, there are no smaller expository writing tasks throughout the unit to build to the assessment essay, nor are any of the questions directly cause-and-effect, which could then connect to the process writing from Part 2. Narrative, argumentative, or informational writing modes are given at the end of each reading. There are research questions at the end of each text in the “Close Reading Activities” that could be used as evidence for some of the essay prompts.
- In Unit 4, after each reading, the “Close Reading Activities” ask students to write a variety of different types of writing: expository essay, editorial, obituary, compare/contrast essay, explanatory essay, autobiographical narrative, writer’s journal (self-reflection), literary analysis essay, reflective essay, position paper, definition essay, and argumentative essay. In Part 2 of this unit, there are fewer writing opportunities at the end of each text because they are longer plays, “Julius Caesar”,and “A Raisin in the Sun”. The larger text is broken into parts, but “Close Reading Activities” only have reading tasks in this unit, unlike other units where there are reading, writing, and speaking/listening tasks. However, in Part 3, the writing activities are included again with each text. This same pattern is followed in all units.
- In Unit 4, Part 3, in the “Close Reading Activities” after completing Antigone, students are asked to write a compare-and-contrast essay in which they analyze Antigone and Ismene. They are to “Explain the values that motivate each sister to act as she does. Then, consider whether Ismene serves as a foil to Antigone and explain [their] position.” However the “Writing Process Workshop” for compare-and-contrast writing comes in Unit 5. The prewriting instruction provided to students suggests they reread the play looking for how the two characters “express different values through their statements and actions.” It also provides two ideas for planning: to create a character trait list and a belief-action-consequences diagram. Later in Part 3, students are asked to write a position paper
- In Unit 5, Part 2, at the end of the “Writing Process” section, students have a “Reflecting on Your Writing” section. This section is in all units. Students are asked to answer a question in their Writer’s Journal: “Jot down your answers to this question: How did comparing and contrasting your subjects help you better understand them?” Underneath the question is a Self-Evaluation Rubric with a rating scale of 1 (not very) to 4 (very) in which they evaluate the effectiveness of their essay on the standards: purpose/focus, organization, development of ideas/elaboration, language, and conventions. Each criteria has an explanation of what that standard looks like in their essay.
- There are limited opportunities for students to monitor their progress. For example in Unit 1, a formative assessment states that if students are struggling with evidence based writing to have them complete the Writing to Source activities and/or Workshop that appear in Part 2. In Part 2, the Writing to Source activity is comparing irony and paradox. Students write a compare and contrast essay on how the authors present the concepts of truth and deception in these stories. No connection to assisting students who are struggling with evidence based writing. There are rubrics in the Writing Process lessons, which occur once per unit. Also, rubrics are provided in the Professional Development Workbook.
Indicator 1M
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for research-based and evidence-based writing to support analysis, argument, synthesis and/or evaluation of information, supports, claims.
Writing opportunities are presented throughout the materials but are not explicitly taught or monitored and are not consistently part of daily and weekly lessons that flow from the instruction and text-dependent questions. The majority of these writing tasks require the use of evidence from texts, however there are writing tasks that do not require evidence and ask for personal experiences and/or opinions and to go beyond the text. Materials do not always meet the grade level demands of the standards listed for this indicator, specifically the standard where students produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to tasks, purpose, and audience. Directions for students and teachers are limited and brief in regards to development, organization, style, purpose, and audience.
Examples of writing tasks found in the units that provide opportunities for students to learn, practice and apply writing using evidence while encouraging close reading of the the texts include:
- In the Introductory In Unit of the text there is a workshop that relates to CCSS 1a, 1b, and 1e called “Composing an Argument”. The workshop gives directions on “Choosing a Topic, Introducing the Claim and Establishing Its Significance, Developing Your Claim with Reasoning and Evidence, and Writing a Concluding Statement or Section.” In the third section on Evidence, students are informed, to always support a claim with evidence, to have three pieces of evidence, what constitutes good evidence, what kind of evidence will make a strong impact on the audience, to make sure evidence comes from a credible source, and to cite sources. Following the instructions is a practice page that gives an example of a chart and sentence stems a student could use to explore both sides of an issue when making an argument. Later in the textbook, students write argumentative essays in various settings.
- In In Unit 1, Part 3, after reading an excerpt from Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox, students are to write an informational text in the “Writing to Sources” task in the Close Reading Activities. The assignment asks students to “write a profile, or biographical sketch, of Lynne Cox. Describe her athletic and emotional attributes and explain how she was able to achieve her goals.” The instructions remind students to follow three steps, one of the steps is to “Cite examples from the memoir that show how these different characteristics contribute to Cox’s achievements.”
- In In Unit 2, Part 3, in the Assessment: Synthesis section, the Writing to Sources task is an argumentative essay. The prompt says, “Write an argumentative essay in which you state and defend a claim about the connections between people’s perceptions, knowledge, and actions. Support your claim by citing information, examples, and details from two or more texts in this section.” The students are instructed through the steps of the writing process to complete the essay.
- In In Unit 3, Part 2, as part of a Close Reading Activities section of the Poetry Collection 3, students complete a critical essay in the Writing to Sources task. The prompt instructs students to write a critical essay in which they “reflect on the language techniques used in the four poems in this collection and discuss those you found most effective.” In the bulleted list of reminders, students are told to “Identify specific words, lines, or sections of the poem that still raise questions in your mind.” They are also reminded to “present your positions clearly and concisely. Then, support each claim with relevant quotations from the poems.”
Examples of writing tasks that do not require students to use evidence from the texts under consideration and do not require close reading of the text, or analysis or claims include, but are not limited to:
- In In Unit 1, “Occupation: Conductorette” it says, “Write an autobiographical narrative in which you describe a goal that you once pursued intensely and which you feel has shaped who you are.” There are three assignments in In Unit 1 that are personal like this, and require not use of evidence from texts.
- In In Unit 4, in the Assessment: Synthesis, students write an autobiographical narrative about their own life, in which they describe how a shared experience shaped their conscience or how an act of conscience gave them a new perspective.
The materials do not meet all the demands of the standards listed for this indicator. For example, in In Unit 1, Part 3 in the Discuss, Research, Write section after students read “from The Winning Edge” they are asked to write a persuasive essay. The directions do say to support your argument with evidence. The directions do not ask students to use a counterclaim. In In Unit 2, Part 2, before reading “Keep Memory Alive” in the Building Knowledge page, there is a mini-lesson on Persuasive Writing and Rhetorical Devices. Persuasive writing is built upon throughout this lesson “Keep Memory Alive”, however they do not require or address the counterclaim. Students are also not required to use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claims and reasons and counterclaims. Students are asked to express their opinion about the role of memory in society. Explaining why they think a society should or should not remember the past, including painful moments or terrible actions.
Indicator 1N
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria for materials including instruction of the grammar and conventions/language standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application context.
Materials do include instruction of all grammar and conventions standards for the grade band, however it is not always explicit. Most convention lessons are found in the Close Reading Activities in Part 2 of the texts. After the convention lesson there is a Writing to Source lesson within the Close Reading Activities. Within the lesson directions, students are asked to apply the grammar lesson just learned, for example “use correct spelling and use parallelism in your writing”. Also, there is an activity called, “Extend the Lesson: Sentence Modeling” for each convention taught. Students look at a model sentence from the text just read, and are asked to notice the grammatical structure. Then they imitate the sentence, matching the grammatical and stylistic feature just discussed. Over the course of the year’s worth of materials, grammar/convention instruction is provided, however it does not increase in sophisticated contexts.
- Unit 1, Part 2, after reading “The Monkey’s Paw”, the convention lesson is on nouns (common nouns, proper nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns). There is also a Sentence Modeling where students “notice” the nouns present and then write their own sentence matching the grammatical and stylistic features.
- In Unit 2, Part 2 in the Writer’s Toolbox there is a mini lesson on how to create parallelism in your writing. The text gives a definition, example, nonparallel sample and parallel sample. Then students are presented with some practice sentences where they add parallel structure.
- In Unit 3, Part 2, in the Close Reading Activities section after each set of poems, there are conventions instruction, practice, and application activities. (These types of conventions activities are found in Part 2 of every unit with all Close Reading Activities). This unit introduces different uses of commas and dashes to create more complex sentences with phrases or clauses. After the explanation, there are two practice activities. One is to “insert dashes or commas where necessary” in practice sentences. The second is to “rewrite the following sentences, correcting any errors with commas or dashes. There are two application activities, one for reading and one for writing. The reading application asks students to “find an example of commas and an example of dashes in one of the poems in Poetry Collection 1. For each example, explain how the punctuation marks are used.” The writing applications is to “write a brief summary of “The Fish.” Use commas and dashes to set off pieces of information where appropriate.”
- In Unit 4, Part 3, in the Close Reading Activities section after reading a portion of Antigone, students are given a Writing to Sources activity. On the side of the page next to the drafting and revising directions is a reminder about conventions that says, “As you compare and contrast characters, use parallelism. Identify similar ideas within a sentence or passage and use the same grammatical patterns to express them.” Instruction or practice on parallelism does not occur in Unit 4, but can be found in three places in Unit 2. Explicit instruction on parallelism is found in a Writer’s Toolbox in an activity called, “Revising to Create Parallelism.” Practice of parallelism is found in a Close Reading Activities section a few pages after the Writer’s Toolbox and after finishing a text. The activity asks students to “identify parts of the sentence that displays parallelism, and the part that does not. Explain how parallelism helps to clarify Eco’s meaning and how the part that is not parallel creates emphasis.”
- In Unit 4, Part 2, in the Language Study section after finishing an act of Julius Caesar, students are given four sentences that contain vocabulary words and asked to replace the words with an antonym. “Then, explain which sentence makes better sense.” This activity is connected to the reading because the words come from that section of Julius Caesar, but it does not necessarily serve an important purpose or use in the reading of the play to build their knowledge of new vocabulary, other than explicitly getting to think of antonyms for words. The next part of the activity is to learn and apply the Latin suffix -ile. This is a stand alone activity, but teaches the use of Latin roots and requires students to explain their thinking upon learning the new root. This type of activity is found after each Act of the play and in other places in the textbook.
- The level of sophistication required of students stays fairly consistent from the beginning to the end of the year in their use of conventions and language. The activities are consistent throughout the textbook. In Part 3 of each unit, the one of the texts, the Close Reading Activities section has a Language Study portion in which students practice vocabulary, structure, and conventions skills with examples and questions taken from the text they finished reading. Activities in the Language Study provide new vocabulary connected to the selection, diction and style analysis that appeared in story, and conventions practice that also appeared in the story. A different aspect of structure and convention is introduced and practiced in each unit. The difficulty of these activities does not necessarily increase over the school year, but stays consistently challenging and requires students to apply the knowledge to the story they just read.
Overview of Gateway 2
Building Knowledge with Texts, Vocabulary, and Tasks
The instructional materials for Grade 10 partially meet the expectations of Gateway 2. Texts are organized around topics/themes consistently. Materials contain few sets of questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. The materials do contain some sets of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. Culminating tasks do not always promote the building of students’ knowledge of the theme/topic. The materials include a year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words across texts throughout the year, however, it is not cohesive and the vocabulary does not connect across texts. Materials include some writing instruction aligned to the standards and shifts for the grade level, although teachers may need to supplement and add more practice to ensure students are mastering standards. The materials include some focused research skills practice. The materials do not meet the expectations for materials providing a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.
Gateway 2
v1.0
Criterion 2.1: Materials build knowledge through integrated reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language.
Indicator 2A
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend complex texts proficiently. Texts are connected by a grade level appropriate topic and/or theme. Each unit begins with an overarching “Big Question” which is introduced to students. This “Big Question” is referred to several times as students work through the unit. There are themes connecting the texts in Parts 2 and 3 in each unit. Texts build knowledge and the ability to read and comprehend complex texts across a school year. Tasks such as close reading activities provided after reading, help support students in building knowledge. Texts scaffold students toward the requirements of reading standards for grade 10.
- Parts 2 and 3 of each unit have an overall theme which ties the reading selections together.
- Unit 1, Part 2 : Characters and Conflict
- Unit 1, Part 3: Perseverance
- Unit 2, Part 2: Seeking Knowledge
- Unit 2, Part 3: Vision
- Unit 3, Part 2: Artful Words
- Unit 3, Part 3: Lost Civilizations
- Unit 4, Part 2: Tragedy and Spectacle
- Unit 4, Part 3: Conscientious Objections
- Unit 5, Part 2: Timeless Voices
- Unit 5, Part 3: The Arthurian Legend
- Part one of each unit is the “setting expectations” section where students are given instruction on close reading, speaking and listening, researching, and writing about different texts. The teacher’s edition has instructions on the page where the Big Question is introduced to students that directs teachers to explain “that they will continue to consider the Big Question as they work through Unit 4.” Students are to “look for details related to the Big Question and take notes” as they read. At the end of each selection, students will answer a Literary Analysis question that is related to the Big Question.. By the end of the unit, students should understand how each selection relates to the Big Question individually and how the selections connect to one another through the Big Question. Tell students that their goal will be to gain a deeper understanding of literature and to develop a more sophisticated way of discussing the Big Question.”
- Part Two of each unit is called “Guided Exploration” with the intention to help students develop their understanding of the topic. Prior to reading each text, the Essential Question is stated again with a reminder for students to “explore the Big Question as you read ‘The Street of the Canon.’ Take notes on the story’s portrayal of the relationship between progress and conflict.” There is some modeling on what it means to “take notes” while reading, especially taking notes on the Big Question. In Unit 2, the Big Question is “What kind of knowledge changes our lives?”. As students read “The Sun Parlor” its asks teachers to emphasize to students that the passage of time allows us to reflect on what we could have done differently. This reflection allows us to change our lives. Then when students finish reading they write a reflective essay on what lesson the author has learned about life.
- In Unit 1 Part 3, the theme is Perseverance. Here are the reading selections in this section: “Contents of a the Dead Man’s Pocket”, from Swimming to Antarctica, “Occupation: Conductorette” from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, from The Upside of Quitting, from The Winning Edge, Science Fiction and the Future, and a picture from the series Empire State (Laying Beams), 1930-31. All of these selections relate to the idea of persevering.
- In Unit 1, Part 3, each text is accompanied by text-dependent questions, helping to build knowledge. After each text there are Close Reading Activities that include comprehension and Literary Analysis questions focused on Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas. Then there are three questions that relate to the theme and big question of Part 3, “Can progress be made without conflict? How does perseverance relate to this question?” Students are provided with some thoughts about conflict and perseverance then asked to reread the selection, and take notes on the conflicts Tom faces. Students then participate in a Group Discussion about perseverance and the text they just read, “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket”. Then they write a cause and effect essay about the story and how Tom’s perseverance both causes his situation and helps him escape it.
Indicator 2B
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially 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.
Most of the questions focus on key ideas & details, structure, and craft. There are few questions that support students in analyzing author’s language and word choice. The questions that do focus on language and structure do not support students to analyze its effect on the text. The text keeps a consistent pattern throughout in regards to students’ work. Items continue to be found at the end of readings, within readings, and in the assessments located at the end of each part. Questions and tasks provide evidence of student understanding of the definitions and concepts of the components identified in each unit.The questions and tasks help students to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.
- In Unit 1, Part 3 students read the anchor text “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”. Throughout the entire text there are key idea and detail, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge and idea text dependent questions for teachers to ask students. At the end of the story, there are Close Reading Activities where more literary analysis is presented, grouped by key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge and ideas. Some sample questions found in this text, “How does the choppy syntax, or structure, of the sentence beginning, ‘It was hard to take the first shuffling sideways step’ reflect Tom’s struggle between his fear and his goal?” “Tom thinks ‘wonderingly’ about his past. What does the word “wonderingly” suggest about Tom’s understanding of his previous choices? Explain. How does the author use repetition to reveal this change? Explain. “
- In Unit 2, Part 2 after students “The Sun Parlor” there is a Language Study activity of five words that were found in the story (lavished, subordinate, rejuvenation, convalesce, cajoling). The words are highlighted in blue for students to locate. In the activity after, students are provided a sentence where they could substitute one of these blue words in and re-write. For example, “I gave in to my brother’s wheedling and lent him my new game.” The new sentence would be, “I gave into her cajoling and let her borrow some money.”
- In Unit 2, Part 3 during “How to React to Familiar Faces”, one question asks, “Direct students to reread the passage and take notes on the words and phrases that make up Eco’s observations. Draw attention to the use of pronoun we and the familiar tone Eco develops.”
- In Unit 3, Part 2, during the poem “Glory” students are asked to identify one figure of speech in the lines of the poem and comment on why the poet may have used this comparison.
- Questions and tasks help students to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics. For example, In Unit 3, Part 3 after reading the article, “Understanding Stonehenge: Two Explanations” there are three comprehension questions that ask, “What are the two main theories about Stonehenge? What discoveries about Stonehenge have researchers made using lasers? What is the ‘almost definitive proof’ that the builders of Stonehenge attempted to align the monument with the solstices?” Then students are to chose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text and briefly research it. Then, explain how the information they learned from the research sheds light on an aspect of the article. Finally, students write an objective summary of the article.
- In Unit 5, Part 1, in the Independent Practice portion, students read “Games at Twilight.” While reading, there are key ideas and detail questions and craft and structure questions in the teacher edition to help students make meaning of the text. Vocabulary words are defined in the margin of the student edition. After reading, in the Close Reading Activities, students have two sections of questions, Comprehension (key ideas and details) and Text Analysis (craft and structure). The comprehension questions build in an appropriate way, from basic comprehension to drawing conclusions, to interpretation. For example: “a) Infer: Why do the other children stop searching for Ravi? b) Draw Conclusions: What do the other children think of Ravi? Give details from the story to support your answer.” and “a) What mistake causes Ravii to lose the game? b) Interpret: What lesson does he learn at the end of the story? Support your answer with details from the text.” Next, the analysis questions on craft and structure are also organized in a sequenced way, requiring more depth of thought in students. For this story there are four questions, one example: “a) Interpret: What archetypal characters or plot patterns, if any, do you find in this story? Explain. b) Analyse: How might the story be different if it were told through Raghu’s eyes? Explain.” Besides giving students the option to say there are not any archetypes of plot patterns (“if any”), the questions build on knowledge of the text and elements of craft and structure.
- In Unit 3, Part 2, after reading the Poetry Collection 2, 3, and 4, students have two tasks for each collection, Writing to Sources and Speaking and Listening. After Collection 2, the writing activity does not require any connection to the meaning of the poems, but one specific structure that was read. It asks students to write own tanka - a japanese form of poetry. In the Building Knowledge section of the unit there is instruction on what a tanka is and the author is meant to express a strong feeling with the concise form. However, after they read two tankas, they did not analyze the tanka in any questions. The speaking and listening task is a poetry reading discussion in which they are asked to listen to a classmate read a poem and then discuss 5 questions. None of the questions are higher order thinking questions, but more evaluating how well the student read or emphasized different parts or if the listening was affected by the different readers.
Indicator 2C
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 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.
Most sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas. Materials provide guidance to teachers in supporting students’ literacy skills.By the end of the year, integrating knowledge and ideas is embedded in students’ work. Also, sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts.
- At the end of the Guided Exploration section, which is Part 2 of each unit, there is a Timed Writing. All five of the timed writings, in all five units, compare and contrast texts in the unit. For example, In Unit 1, Part 2, the timed writing is exploring ideas from two authors in this part, Narayan and Saki, and how they both use irony or paradox to explore ideas. Students are to compare and contrast how the authors present the concepts of truth and deception in these stories. In Unit 3, Part 2, the timed writing is to compare each writer’s insights about success. Consider how each writer’s dictation and choices of details help convey this message.
- At the end of every part two there is an Assessment:Skills which has a constructed response section. These all ask students to analyze multiple texts within the unit. For example, in Unit 1, Part 2, Assessment:Skills under Writing one tasks as students to choose two stories from Part 2 of this unit that each feature characters with conflicting motivations. Write an essay in which you analyze and then compare and contrast the two characters.
- Activities support students’ increasing literacy skills. For example, In Unit 2, Part 3, “How to React to Familiar Faces”, it says to, “First have students read the entire selection on their own. Then apply multi-draft reading protocols as they examine specific “chunks” of text. First reading: Students should read the selection independently and think about its basic meaning. Second reading: Students should analyze the text’s key ideas and details and its craft and structure. Third reading: Students should integrate knowledge and ideas; connect to the Big Question, other texts and the world; and use teacher-led Close Reading discussion questions to examine particularly rich and significant passages.
- Before reading the text there is a Background video online available. Also, in each unit there is a Setting Expectations that scaffolds what students are about to read and analyze.
- By the end of the year, integrating knowledge and ideas is embedded in students’ work. In Unit 5, Part 2 in the Assessment: Skills students are asked to research on the topic of “Can anyone be a hero?” Their directions state, “In Part 2 of this unit, you have read literature about heroes. Now you will conduct a short research project on someone you consider to be a hero. Use the literature you have read in Part 2 of this unit and your research to reflect on and write about this unit’s Big Question (Can anyone be a hero?).”
- In Unit 4, Part 2, at the end of the part are two different groups of activities, Writing to Sources and an Assessment: Skills. These each contain many questions on language and reading. In Unit 4, Part 2, at the end of the part are two different groups of activities, Writing to Sources and an Assessment: Skills. These each contain many questions that integrate ideas from the readings. The reading questions have students compare characters and ideas from the two texts Julius Caesar and A Raisin in the Sun. The questions require critical thinking of students: “What is one difference between Brutus’ goal in joining the conspiracy and Walter’s dream of having a business?” and “ Is Caesar’s notion of dignity more like that of Walter of mama, or is it different from both? Explain.” Also, the Timed Writing task is to compare the ideas of dignity between characters from the two plays.
Indicator 2D
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially 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).
Some culminating tasks are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards at the appropriate grade level and some are not. Some culminating tasks do not provide students opportunities to demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics, specifically, the culminating tasks found at the end of each text throughout the units. The Assessment Synthesis at the end of Part 3 in each unit is the only place to show knowledge. There is no clear opportunity to demonstrate knowledge from Parts 1, 2, or 4 of each unit. Questions and tasks found before the culminating tasks do not give the teacher usable information about the student’s readiness to complete culminating tasks. The questions are text-dependent, however, they function more as stand-alone activities to fulfill a standard.
- Some culminating tasks are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate multiple standards. In Unit 2, Part 3, after students read the anchor text “How to React to Familiar Faces”, students have a culminating tasks where they debate the topic, mass media’s portrayal of reality. Then they write an argument, a persuasive essay on the effects of media on viewers’ perceptions of reality. Then they research the topic to learn what social scientists have to say about the influence of media on people’s perceptions. Lastly, they share their research findings in a multimedia presentation.
- Other culminating tasks may only require reading and writing. For example, In Unit 1, Part 3, students read a picture, “from the series Empire State (Laying Beams), 1930-31”. After they read this picture, they answer two comprehension questions and four critical analysis questions. Then they research the topic about the construction of skyscrapers in the United States beginning in the late 1800s. Then using that information researched, they write a monologue in the voice of a construction worker in this photograph. There are no speaking and listening opportunities in this tasks.
- Some culminating tasks do not provide students with opportunities to demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics through integrated skills. In Unit 3, the topic, or Big Question, is “Does all communication serve a positive purpose?” After reading the anchor text, “A Tree Telling of Orpheus”, the culminating task asks students to write a retelling of the story of Orpheus and the trees from the point of view of Orpheus. Then students research the similarities and differences in myths from a variety of ancient civilizations. The topic of communication is not integrated into this culminating task.
- In Unit 2, Part 3, in the Assessment: Synthesis students are to write an argumentative essay in which they state and defend a claim about the connections between people’s perceptions, knowledge, and actions. After reading, “Seeing Things” students have a research task to conduct research to learn more about the factors that shape what and how we see. They use an online search engine and key words such as “vision”, “perception”, and “interpretation”. This task is before the culminating argumentative essay supporting that task. Also in Unit 2, Part 3, students read “How to Look at Nothing”. After they read, they are to write an argument, position paper, defending a claim about the relationship between people’s perceptions, opinions, and actions. This too supports the Assessment: Synthesis task.
- In Unit 3, Part 3, in the Assessment: Synthesis section students write a narrative in which they tell a fictionalized account of a real historical event. They are asked to incorporate several characters in their narrative and use dialogue to demonstrate the role communication played in the events. The task mentions the topic, but does not provide an opportunity for students to fully demonstrate their knowledge of the topic.
- In Unit 4, Part 3, the Assessment: Synthesis activities include a Writing to Sources: Argumentative Text. The activity is an essay that relates to the readings around the topics of experience, perception, and conscience. Students are to write an essay in which they “state and defend a claim about the relationship between perception, individual conscience, and the good of society.” They are to use information from two or more texts in Part 3 of the unit. The Close Reading Activities after each selection in Part 3 do not ask this type of question to students to help them consider the relationship as they read through each selection. They may be asked to consider each of the three topics individually, but not as a collective like they are asked to do in the culminating writing task. This is a similar pattern in other units.
- In Unit 5, Part 2, the Assessment: Skill activities require students to read literature and informational excerpts and answer questions that are related to skills that are the focus of the unit. For example, there are questions about cultural context, narrative patterns, epic hero, and character traits. There is a timed write on universal theme. The Constructed Response section of the Assessment has Writing, Speaking and Listening and Research activities. Each of them could be considered culminating task for Part 2 since they require students to refer to stories in Part 2. However, they do not necessarily connect directly to the Assessment: Synthesis activities at the end of Part 3, nor do they help students complete those Synthesis activities. For example, there are three writing tasks that connect directly to a skill taught in this part of the unit. They connect to the question on the reading literature assessment: analyze archetypal narrative patterns, analyze theme, and analyze cultural context. Each essay prompt asks students to analyze the literary device or topic in one or two texts from the unit. The two speaking and listening tasks asks students to 1) deliver an oral presentation that compares two heroic characters from works of different genres in the unit, and 2) compare myth, epic, and legend genres and deliver a speech that analyzes the plot of the genres from the unit. The research task relates to the Big Question of the unit: Can anyone be a hero?
Indicator 2E
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria for providing teacher guidance outlining a cohesive, year-long vocabulary development component. Vocabulary is repeated in some areas of the texts, however not across multiple texts. Some attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and to high value academic words. Students are not necessarily supported to accelerate vocabulary learning with vocabulary in their reading, speaking, and writing tasks. They are asked to refer back to lists when speaking and writing, in a blanket statement found throughout the texts. There are opportunities for students to learn and practice new vocabulary words, however these are stand alone tasks that mostly do not require the text. There are limited, opportunities to apply and transfer words into familiar and new contexts.
In Part 2 in each unit, each story has a preview of 4-6 words in blue that are defined in the text. The stories in Part 3 do not have vocabulary prior to text, but have approximately three defined within the text. All the vocabulary activities that deal with those words, either while reading the story or in the Close Reading Activities after the text, are stand-alone activities that have those same three words.
- In Unit 1, Part 2, “The Street of the Canon”, students copy the following words, nonchalantly, imperiously, plausibility, audaciously, disdain, and apprehension. Before reading they also complete a Vocab-o-Gram to help make predictions about the reading. They work with a partner or in a group making the predictions. Throughout the text, the target words can be found in blue text with a definition in the margin. However, there is no reference to have students interact with the blue words or look at their predictions. Mid-way through the text, students complete a word form chart containing the target words, nonchalance, imperiousness, plausibility. The text is not needed nor integrated into this activity. It is a stand alone vocabulary activity that could be completed without the text. At the end of the text, they return to the Vocab-o-Gram to review the words and their predictions. There is a Language Study activity after the reading containing the six words. In this activity students match each statement that follows with a word from the list of six. Again, there is no need for students to read the text in order to complete this activity. No text dependent questions related to vocabulary are present.
- During the “Developing Insights” (Part 3) portion of the units, the vocabulary practice is more limited. The text makes a statement throughout this portion of the unit which tells students, “Academic terms appear in blue on these pages. If these words are not familiar to you, use a dictionary to find their definitions. Then, use them as you speak and write about the text.” There are no opportunities for learning, practicing, applying, or transferring.
- In the Introductory Unit of the textbook, there are five Language Study lessons listed that occur throughout the textbook, one per unit. These include the following lessons: Using a Dictionary and Thesaurus, Word Origins: Etymology, Words With Multiple Meanings, Connotation and Denotation, and Idioms, Jargon, and Technical Terms. These activities are stand-alone activities to build knowledge around particular skills of vocabulary acquisition. Neither the activities nor the vocabulary connect to any readings or tasks later in the textbook, except that students are often asked to look up words in a dictionary and to find synonyms and/or antonyms for words. These activities could be seen as supports to help students accelerate their vocabulary acquisition, but there is never a reference to these Language Study activity that are in Part 2 of each unit later in the unit or textbook. There are no opportunities to intentionally transfer these skills to new or familiar contexts.
- In the back of the book, there are two glossaries that provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 vocabulary. One is a literary handbook which provides English specific literary terms and definitions. The second is a glossary (English and Spanish) of vocabulary. The Big Question vocabulary is in blue type and all other vocabulary from stories is in black type. These vocabulary terms are provided to students in the introduction to a text and then defined during the texts.
- In Part 2 of each unit, the Building Knowledge section before each selection introduces vocabulary that will be “key to understanding the text that follows.” In Unit 3, Part 2, students are told to copy the terms into the notebooks, write down another word that is an antonym. As students read the poems that follow, the words that they wrote in their notebooks appear on the side of the page and are defined. At the end of each text in Part 2 in the Close Reading Activity, a Language Study activity is provided. The same words that were given to students before and during reading the poems are then used in some type of vocabulary activity. In Unit 3, Part 2, in Poetry Collection 4, students are given blue words that appeared before and while reading the poems. Students are to explain if the word pairs are oxymorons. An oxymoron is defined for students and an example is provided. A Word Study section introduces the Latin suffix or and its meaning. In Part A, students are to explain how the suffix “contributes to the meanings of candor, compactor, and competitor. Consult a dictionary if necessary.” In Part B, they are to use the context of the sentence provided to answer and explain two questions: “Would you press an accelerator to make a car go slower?” If these activities are consistently included in lessons after each collection in Part 2, students would be regularly interacting with academic vocabulary and word relationships, however they also could be used as stand alone activities and no connections made to text. No interaction with word relationships and context.
- In Part 3 of each unit, each text has only 3 vocabulary words defined in the margin. The Close Reading Activities after each story has a Language Study section that uses the selection vocabulary in a different way each time. For example, in Unit 4 Part 3 after reading Act 1, Prologue, Scene1-2 of Antigone, (the anchor text), students are asked to “define each boldface word (it was defined for them in the text). Then, use the word in a sentence of your own.” After reading the end of the play, students are to define the 3 terms and “state whether it has positive or negative connotations. Then, provide another word with similar denotation but different connotations. Explain your choice.” The second vocabulary activity in the Language Study is centered on academic vocabulary. The student instructions: “The following words appear in blue in the instructions and questions on the facing page: contradiction, principles, practical. Copy the words into your notebook. For each word, find a related word or words on the same root (e.g. oppose, opposing, opposition).”
Indicator 2F
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria that materials contain a year long, cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts.
The writing instruction is aligned to the standards for 10th grade and includes instruction on the different types of writing (argumentative, informative, narrative). The textbook includes models of different types of writing. Writing activities exist that require students to communicate their understanding of both texts and the Big Questions that are used for each unit. Students write over the course of the school year and many writing activities are offered in different ways, either after each selection, after a collection of texts and at the end of parts of units. Every Unit has a Writing Process lesson in Part 2 with mini-lessons on conventions, sentence fluency, voice, organization, word choice and idea lessons to accompany students writing. Each of these lessons also includes a student model, highlighting areas relevant to student’s writing. The Writing Process includes all components of the writing standards for students to practice and work with, however students are not writing about text They are writing about a personal experience Each unit has a Writing to Sources activity in the Assessment: Synthesis section at the end of Part 3. These activities do not vary over the year. In four of the five units, the process writing type matches with the assessment writing type; however, the specific type of writing is not the same. The writing instruction is not necessarily cohesive and there is no explanation as to why the type of writing activity is used in each unit. Students do not read texts that model how to write that particular type in the unit in which they are writing that type of essay. If a particular text within the unit has the same type of writing as the writing assignment, there are few analysis questions that require students to notice what the published author does in his/her argumentative, informative, or narrative writing.
- The Writing Process lesson in Part 2 of every unit is organized in a similar fashion. Unit 1 is outlined below. The assignment is “Write an Argument” (Analytic Response to Literature).
- Directions for students are to write an analytic response to a favorite piece of literature. Analyze a poem, a play, a story, or a screenplay. There are some elements listed that should be included (for example, an opening that introduces the topic and contains a thesis statement that clearly presents your position on an aspect of the work).
- Next, there is a prewriting/planning strategies page including suggestions for students; hold a group discussion, ask your own questions, consider your audience, go back to the source, consider counterclaims. Drafting Strategies is also included. Directions state, “ write a thesis statement that clearly expresses your claim, organize your response, use information from the text in various ways, address alternate viewpoints.”
- Then a convention mini-lesson on using pronoun-antecedent agreement is presented. Students are to circle the pronouns in two paragraphs of their draft, then draw an arrow to the antecedent for each pronoun. Next students evaluate whether or not the pronoun and antecedent agree and replace an incorrect pronouns.
- Revising Strategies are provided next for students including; how to use specific terms, clarify connections among ideas, cut excess writing, and peer review.
- Then another convention mini-lesson on subject-verb agreement. Students are instructed to practice this in their drafts.
- A student model is provided showing: A clear thesis statement in the introduction, accurate quotes of significant passages from the text, a point-by-point plan of organization focusing first on similarities and then moving onto differences, and the conclusion showing how to restate the thesis and provide an insight that takes the analysis further.
- Finally, there is an editing and proofreading section to guide students. This is followed by a publishing and presenting section, and a reflecting on your writing rubric.
- Subsequent units follow the pattern above, with the following assignments:
- Unit 2 is “Write an Argument” (Persuasive Essay) Mini lessons focus on voice and sentence fluency.
- Unit 3 is “Write an Explanatory Text” (Cause-and-Effect Essay) Mini lessons focus on organization and sentence fluency.
- Unit 4 is “Write a Narrative” (Autobiographical Narrative) Min -lessons focus on finding an effective idea and revising to combine sentences using adverb clauses.
- Unit 5 is “Write an Informative Text” (Comparison -and-Contrast Essay) Mini lesson is choosing strong, effective words, and revising to vary sentence patterns.
- In Unit 5, Part 3 the writing tasks include writing an explanatory text (literary criticism), an informative text (analytical essay), a narrative (fictional narrative), an argument (persuasive essay),and a narrative (reflective essay). The Assessment: Synthesis at the end of Unit 5, Part 3 has students write a fictional narrative and an informative essay. Neither of these two writings match any of the Writing Process lessons students were engaged in throughout the text in Units 1 -5.
- None of the Writing Process essays in any unit are directly connected to the texts or specific topics of the part. For example, the assignment for the cause-and effect essay in Part 2 of Unit 3 is “Write an essay in which you explain a cause-and-effect relationship.” Students are given a suggestion on the side of that page to read an excerpt from Collapse by Jared Diamond in Part 3 of the unit to see how a cause-and-effect essay could be written. Students have not yet read that part of the unit, nor is there any instruction connected to it.
- The process writing and independent writing activities at the ends of Part 2 and 3 in each unit do not build off each other and offer no cohesive instruction. For instance, in the Table of Contents Unit at a Glance pages for Unit 5, the Part 2 Writing Process activity is an Informative Text: Comparison-and Contrast Essay and the Part 3 Assessment Synthesis Writing to Sources activity is an Informative Essay. However, these two essays do not build off each other because they ask different types of questions. The Writing Process assignment is to “Write a comparison-and-contrast essay about two literary characters, two concepts, or two events” and all the related instruction is specific to that type of essay. The Writing to Source activity at the end of Part 3 asks students to “Write an essay in which you analyze the portrayal of heroism in Arthurian legends and consider why the stories have had such enduring power. Make important connections and distinctions suing at least two of the texts you have read.” This is not a cohesive connection between the practicing of this type of essay and the independent writing.
- In the Assessment Synthesis Writing to Sources essay, students would be able to communicate their understanding of the texts associated to the topic. In Unit 5, the prompt would have students show their understanding of heroism in Arthurian legends as they are connected to the texts they read in that part.
Indicator 2G
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 partially meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.
The textbook contains 51 different research activities. Students have the opportunity to conduct many short-term research tasks; these are often found in Close Reading Activities after each selection. Other research opportunities could be considered short or long term, depending on whether the teacher chooses to assign certain tasks that could relate to earlier research in a unit. Students are reminded that they may be able to use the short-term research in an essay at the end of the section. There is no clear progression of research skills. The same types of research projects are presented for different topics. The way students use or present their research varies throughout the textbook. Students may research to find more information or write a research summary or write a report or create a multimedia presentation. Students are encouraged to use multiple sources of research, both print and digital. The teacher edition offers instructions for teacher to provide access to a library with computers to research. Students are directed to use the texts they have read and digital research to answer a research question.
- In the Introductory Unit, Common Core Workshop, there is a section on Conducting Research with 10 pages of instruction including how to conduct short and long term research, followed by a Research Process Workshop. The Workshop takes students step-by-step through the process of writing a research report. In the margin are reading-writing connections to specific texts that appear in the textbook and sample research questions. The process includes prewriting/planning strategies, how to gather evidence, drafting strategies, revising strategies, documenting sources, editing, and proofreading. A student model research paper and Works Cited is included with annotations. A section on citing sources using MLA format is included.
- In Unit 4, Part 1, students complete a Close Reading Activity after reading “An Enemy of the People” which includes an “Integration of Knowledge and Ideas” section. The Discuss, Research, and Write tasks/questions in this section do not connect to one another, and therefore do not offer students an opportunity to synthesize standards or knowledge on a topic. For example, the Discuss question is “Do they ‘fight fair’?”, the research task is to “research spas and their popularity in 1880’s Europe”, and the writing prompt is “Which brother do you think is the real ‘enemy of the people’ of the play’s title?”. The research task serves no purpose for the speaking or writing tasks.
- In Unit 3, Part 3, in the Assessment Synthesis section, students complete a Writing to Sources essay where they explain, describe, and discuss one or more aspects of a question (choose one of 4 questions). In the margin, there is a reminder to students to incorporate research into their essay: “Strengthen your essay by pulling in facts, quotations, and data you gathered while conducting research related to the readings in this section. Make sure to cite your sources correctly.” Because students have a choice of four questions to complete essay task, they could choose a question that would not relate to any of the research that was conducted with the selections in Part 3, and, therefore, not use any research in their writing of a culminating task to synthesize multiple texts and their research.
- In each unit, at the end of each Anchor Text, is a Discuss-Research-Write section. The assumption is that these activities will fit together and require students to synthesize knowledge about a topic. Rather the tasks are all on different topics and stand alone. The research task could be considered more sustained research. In Unit 5, Part 3, Students are asked to conduct research about medieval knighthood. “Consult a variety of sources about the role of knights in the society, the equipment they used, and their portrayals in art and literature. Organize your findings into an illustrated dictionary with quotations of five key terms related to knighthood.” The finished product will be a digital dictionary. Students are gaining knowledge on a topic related to the text they just read, “Arthur Becomes King of Britain.”
Indicator 2H
The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 do not 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.
At the end of each unit there are two pages that address independent reading. The first page provides titles for Extended Reading (both informational text and literature as well as an online text set ). The second page is Preparing to Read Complex Texts, with generic questions to ask yourself while reading independently about key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of ideas. There are a couple of brief notes to guide teachers while they support students in the process of independent reading. In the Time and Resource Manager before Part 3 in each unit, there is a direction to spend 2-3 days on each text provided and to have students read the text independently. There is no monitoring nor accountability system. There are no directions of when these readings should be read, in or outside of class.
Literature Circles are noted in the teacher edition as a method to have students discuss the independent reading. The teacher edition offers guidance for students who need extra support and those who need increased challenge, though they are minimal. There are no other lesson plans for how to break down the independent reading or incorporate it into lessons. There is a page of questions that students can use while reading independently. Overall, the independent reading section of the textbook is more suggestions than instructions or systems.