The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 partially 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.

56% of the anchor texts in Volumes 1 and 2 have the appropriate level of complexity for 12th grade according to the quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationships to the associated student task. The appropriate grade level lexile bank for grades 11 and 12 is 1185L to 1385L. Units 1, 2, and 3 are more appropriately placed with associated tasks, while Units 4, 5 and 6 had many anchor texts not appropriately placed. Many selections are too easy for 12th graders with a simplistic task associated with the text.

Examples include, but are not limited to,

Each unit is divided into 3 to 4 parts. Each part has either one or two anchor texts.

• Unit 1: There are 4 parts, with one anchor text per part.
  • “The Seafarer” Anonymous. The Anglo-Saxon content, long sentence structure and complex vocabulary make this a very complex text to start off the unit. The related student task has an appropriate complexity.
  • From “Beowulf” Anonymous. This Anglo-Saxon poem with long complex sentence structure has a qualitative measure of average complexity. The related student task has an appropriate complexity.
  • “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Chaucer. This epic poem has a qualitative measure of average complexity with archaic language and syntax. The associate student task is is very complex which balances well with the average complexity of the reading selection.
  • From Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. Lexile 1270, qualitative measure is moderately complex based on historical and cultural knowledge demands as well as archaic diction and long sentences. The related student task has an appropriate complexity.
• Unit 2: There are 3 parts, with one anchor text per part.
  • “Sonnet 1” by Edmund Spencer. The qualitative measure is complex based on the content, archaic diction and syntax. The related reading tasks are also quite complex.The associated student task is difficult and, combined with the difficulty of the sonnet, makes this an appropriately complex task for 12th grade.
  • “Speech Before her Troops” by Queen Elizabeth I. The qualitative measures are low based on accessible content, language, structure, and level of meaning. The purpose of reading the speech does not really connect to the associated writing task, and neither the research project nor the text are overly complex .
  • Macbeth by Shakespeare. The qualitative measures of archaic language and structure make this complex. Macbeth is an exemplar text for the grades 9-10 band in Appendix B of the CCSS. The student task is relatively easy for 12th grade students, but balances with the complexity of Macbeth.
• Unit 3: There are four parts, with one anchor text per part.
  • “Song” by John Donne. The qualitative measures are average for content, structure and language, but more complex in concepts of love and death. This text is also found in Appendix B of the CCSS as an exemplar for grades 9-10. The student task is not at all related to the poems. Students would not have to have read any of the poems to complete this task and the complexity is not very difficult.
  • From “The Divine Comedy: Inferno” by Dante. Lexile 1270. The qualitative measure includes biblical references requiring students to have background knowledge to understand the allusions. Even with those allusions, the content, language and structure is more accessible, yet appropriate for 12th grade. The associated tasks are complex.
  • From Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. Lexile 1480. The qualitative measures include satirical fantasy and historical background knowledge. The long sentences and concepts of politics, royalty and religious disputes also make this a complex text. The associated student task is more accessible.
  • “Aims of the Spectator” by Joseph Addison. Lexile 1470. The qualitative measures include content of enlightenment, with historical and cultural references, along with the lengthy sentences and high-level vocabulary making the essay challenging. Because the topic is the news, it makes it more accessible. The student task is relatively easy for 12th grade, combined with a more accessible text makes this a lower-level text/task.
• Unit 5: This unit consists of four parts with two poems serving as anchor texts in each part. Below are some examples of the texts and their associated tasks.
  • Part 3: “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold and “Recessional” by Rudyard Kipling. Both poems are considered accessible and slightly to moderately complex. However, their task is more complex. Students write an argumentative essay, supporting or refuting the idea that poems during this time were characterized by “widespread doubt about the nature of man, society, and the universe”. They must use evidence to support their claim.
  • Part 4: “ God’s Grandeur” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. This poem is more accessible to students. After students read poems by Hopkins, they are to write a business letter to a British publishing company recommending that the publisher issue a collected edition of the poetry of Hopkins. This task is simplistic for the second semester of grade 12.
• Unit 6: There are
  • Part 1: “Sailing to Byzantium” by William Butler Yeats
  • Part 2: “The Rocking - Horse Winner” (650) by DH Lawrence. Lexile 650, and “A Shocking Accident” by Graham Greene. Lexile 980. “The Rocking Horse Winner” is below grade level in Lexile. The context and knowledge demands are moderate in complexity. The structure and language is accessible as well. “A Shocking Accident” is also fairly easy for 12th graders in the end of the year. The task that accompanies these two texts is to have students write a script for a scene for a film, using one of the texts of their choice. They are to incorporate film terminology as well. This tasks seems fairly easy for 12th graders at the end of the year. So the texts and task are below grade level, fourth quarter, senior year.
  • Part 3: “ The Train from Rhodesia” (870) by Nadine Gordimer. Lexile 870, and B. Wordsworth by V.S. Naipaul. Lexile 600. Both of these are below the 12th grade Lexile level. The task associated with these two texts is to write a biographical sketch of a remarkable person they have met, using themselves as a first person narrative.
  • Part 4: “A Devoted Son” by Anita Desai. Lexile 1440

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 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.)

The complexity of anchor texts do not provide an opportunity for student’s literacy skills to increase across the year. In fact, texts decrease in qualitative and quantitative measures as the year increases. Series of texts include a low level of texts towards the end of 12th grade. None of the anchor texts support students proficiency in reading independently at grade level at the end of the school year between qualitative and quantitative measures.

• In Unit 3, the last two anchor texts, Gulliver’s Travels and “The Aims of the Spectator,” are both over the Lexile grade band at 1480L and 1470L, respectively. If the level of complexity is maintained, students may become proficient at reading their grade level independently.
• In Unit 5, most of the texts are poetry so there are no quantitative measures. An excerpt from Jane Eyre has a 930 Lexile level. The qualitative measures of the selections in this unit are mostly in the 2-3 range. This complexity is too low for the end of grade 12.
• In Unit 6 text selections, both anchor and supporting, range primarily in level 2 and 3 for complexity in the qualitative measures. There are no texts with a level 5 in this unit. The quantitative measures range from a 650 Lexile level to 1440.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 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.

There is a “Text Complexity: At a Glance” section at the beginning of each Part. It provides a general text complexity rating for the selections in this part of the unit to help guide instruction. It states the title of the text and provides a label of either more complex or more accessible. Within each Part, a Text Complexity Rubric is provided that is more specific, however it is still not specific enough to provide appropriate and strategic scaffolding. The Text Complexity Rubric for qualitative measures is divided into three parts, all with a scale of 1-5 (1 being the lowest): Context/Knowledge Demands, Structure/Language Conventionality and Clarity, Levels of Meaning/Purpose/Concepts. Then there is a quantitative measures section which includes Lexile and text length. Lastly, a Reader and Task Suggestions section exist for each text. Each unit is divided into parts. Each part in the unit is a set of connected texts featuring one or more Anchor Texts, and works of particular significance. At the beginning of each part there is a “Selection Planning Guide” that tells why the texts are in that part. However, the rationale for educational purposes and placement are limited.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, the introduction page has the following explanation for the “Part-Level Text Sets: Each Part of the Unit is a set of connected texts featuring one or more Anchor Texts, works of particular significance.” The explanation of the Extended Studies states: “Students explore in depth the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, presented with links to contemporary culture, a Critical Commentary, and a Comparing Literary Works feature.” The explanation of the Primary Sources states: “Students engage the documents that recorded history as it was made.”Finally, the explanation of the Informational Texts states: “Students learn to use and evaluate various types of information texts.” These explanations could serve as general rationale for educational purpose of the texts, but there is no mention why the texts were placed at 12th grade.
• In Unit 1, Part 1, the anchor text is “The Seafarer” and the accompanying texts are “The Wanderer” and “The Wife’s Lament.” The text complexity rubric is found on the first page of “The Seafarer” and includes the other two poems. There is a brief mention in the teacher edition on the first page of the Preteach section of Part 1 called “Preparing to Read Complex Texts” that tells the teacher: “Point out that “The Seafarer” is an Anchor Text. From a close reading and rereading of it, students can gain important insights about living in exile, away from one’s home.” This could be seen as the purpose for choosing the texts. On the “Teach” page of the Part, which is also the first page of the poem, an “About the Selection” feature in the teacher edition provides a summary of the poem. This feature is the first one for each text in the curriculum.
• In Unit 1, Part 2, the anchor text is Beowulf. The text complexity rubric is found on the first page of the poem. The accompanying texts are informational text and a graphic novel. None of the texts have accompanying text complexity rubrics. A feature in the teacher edition on the introduction page of Part 2 is called “Selection Planning Guide.” In this paragraph, there is a general explanation that could be seen purpose for the texts: “The selections in this text set reveal the development of an English national identity. The excerpts from medieval history (listed) describes events of the early Middle Ages. The excerpts from The Canterbury Tales reveal much about the structure of fourteenth-century society and also show the development of a national language.” This feature and the text complexity rubrics are also found in Parts 3 and 4. This pattern is found in the rest of the curriculum.

• In Unit 4, Part 3, the selections in the text set are described as “highlights of the societal problems that arose during the Industrial Revolution”. There are two main texts in this part, one is described as more accessible and one is more complex. “On Making an Agreeable Marriage” is at a 1900 Lexile level with long sentences and informal diction. From A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a 1730 Lexile level with long sentences and formal diction. Both of these texts fall outside of the recommended Lexile band for 12th grade. There is no rationale, as to why these texts were placed here except for the fact they address societal problems that arose during the Industrial Revolution.

• In Unit 5, Part 2, the selections in the text are described as texts that “reveal how nineteeth-century novelist expressed their views about society and its problems in their works of fiction”. In Hard Times, the Lexile is 1050, however the concept in the text is challenging with information on education and reform. Jane Eyre is at a 930 Lexile level with accessible components. This is a lower level text, lower than the 9th-10th grade band, found towards the end of 12th grade in Unit 5. There is no rationale as to why this was place in this grade.

• In Unit 6, Part 2, the selections introduce students to modern experience as expressed through fiction. Modernist ideas concerning the loneliness and isolation of the self and reflect the subjectivity of the self and objectivity of the surrounding world. “The Lady in the Looking Glass” is at a 1220 Lexile level with complex structure and challenging information. From Mrs. Dalloway is a 780 Lexile level with challenging structure. “Shakespeare’s Sister” is at a 1110 Lexile with archaic language. “The Rocking Horse Winner” is a 650 Lexile and “A Shocking Accident” is 980.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 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.

The majority of the text types in Volume One and Two are poems. This does not provide a variety of text types and disciplines to support students in becoming independent readers at the grade level. There are other texts that provide some opportunities for students to read different genres, but they are few compared to the poetry. Many of the texts that are not poetry are informational texts that are very short in length. There are opportunities for students to engage in a volume of reading, if they read everything in the text. There are beginning, mid, and end-of-year assessments for teachers to monitor student progress. There are various lengths of time suggested for students to examine texts to build reading stamina.

• In Unit 1, there are 20 informational texts, mostly one page in length, 9 poems in various lengths, and 3 prose texts which are all excerpts from larger pieces. The poetry is 62% of the unit. This pattern follows in the rest of Volume one.
• In Unit 4, there are 29 poems read by students. Unit 4 also offers 5 essays, a transcript, a biography, an expository text, a functional text, 2 letters, 2 parliamentary debates, and a special commentary.
• In Unit 6, there are 32 poems read by students. In addition there are several instructional essays, 2 biographies, 5 essays, a blog, a speech, a memorandum, a technical article and a press release.
• Various lengths of time are suggested for students to engage with texts. For example, in Unit 1, Part 1 there are three texts, equally eight pages long. The recommended reading time is one day. In Part 2 of Unit 1, students read from Beowulf, which is twenty-two pages long. The recommended reading time is two days. In Part 3, students read from A History of the English Church and People, six pages. The time recommended for reading is 1 day.
• In Unit 6, Part 4, students have the opportunity to read 18 texts, some shorter in length, some longer, in a proposed nine days for completing reading.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 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 ProfessionalDevelopment Guidebook. Examples of materials partially meeting this indicator include, but are not limited to:

• At the end of each unit there are Speaking and Listening lessons.
  • Unit 1: Evaluate a Persuasive Speech
  • Unit 2: Deliver a Persuasive Speech
  • Unit 3: Oral Interpretation of a Literary Works
  • Unit 4: Analyze a Non-Print Political Advertisement
  • Unit 5: Analyze and Evaluate Media
  • Unit 6: Compare Media Coverage of Same Event
  • All of these lessons have a page on “how to” complete the skill and then a page on implementing the skill.

• At the beginning of each unit there is a Speaking and Listening skill, found on the “Common Core/Multiple Perspectives on the Era” page, which includes questions for an evidence based discussion. This is the only time this is found in the material. For example, In Unit four, students are asked to work with a group and stage a press conference in which Wordsworth, his sister, Dorothy; and Coleridge answer questions about their Romantic beliefs. Students need to have read the texts leading up to this activity in order to successfully complete the task. Next to the Speaking and Listening: Press Conference activity, there is an Essential Question Vocabulary box which includes words in three categories, Literature and Place (exotic, secular, residential), Literature and Society (privileged, institution, industrial), and The Writer and Tradition (conventional, routine, foibles). The directions state, “Use these words in your responses.”

• Another type of speaking and listening can be found at the end of each text set under the “Close Reading Activity”. It is called “Writing and Speaking Conventions” where students practice a grammar/language skill and are asked to write and then present their practice to the class. For example, in Unit Four,students write a sentence beginning with a phrase or clause provided (during his lifetime, working as an engraver, to support himself). Then students are asked to write and present to the class a paragraph contrasting The Lamb and The Tiger, using at least four phrases or clauses to begin sentences.

• In Unit 1, students evaluate a persuasive speech. They read on the types of propositions of persuasive speeches then identify the persuasive speech techniques to appeal to audiences. Next, students participate in an activity of evaluating a persuasive speech. The directions ask them to work with a classmate and find a persuasive speech in a play or on the internet. Then they describe the proposition and evaluate the use of specific persuasive techniques. Students then identify logical fallacies in three different speeches and discuss why the speakers might have resorted to using fallacies. Directions and support for the teacher on how to implement is found in the teacher’s edition next to the lesson in the margins. The support provides guiding questions the teacher may ask students and what to review with them. It also provides examples the teacher can use with the students to help them understand. For example it states, “ Give an example of parallelism, such as: Scientists note that average temperatures are rising and greenhouse gas concentrations are increasing.” Also, “Tell students that the expression red herring originated when it was suggested that someone drag a fish across the trail during a foxhunt to disguise the fox’s scent and confuse the dogs.”

• In Unit 2, the teacher edition provides many opportunities for text-based, whole class discussions. These are teacher-led since the questions are only found in the teacher edition. Examples include: “Have students reread lines 5-12 (of “Sonnet 116” by Shakespeare). Then, ask students what is the main idea of each of the quatrains.” Another example is while reading a non-fiction text, “The Mystery of the Sonnets,” the teacher is provided a “Connect to the Literature” question: “Does knowing the story told by the sonnets make reading individual sonnets more interesting? Why or why not?”

• In Unit 3, students participate in an Oral Interpretation of a Literary Work. On the first page, they read how to analyze a literary work. Then they write their own analysis. Then they rehearse with speaking strategies. Next, students are directed to present their interpretations. Lastly, students are asked to work with a small group, listening to a variety of interpretations of the same work. The teacher support suggest teachers “Divide the class into pairs of students and allow partners to deliver their oral interpretations to each other. As each student shares his or her performance, have the partner fill out an evaluation form like the one shown on the student page. ….”

• In Unit 3, “Speaking and Listening: Collaboration Media Evaluation, the following directions are provided: 1. Review the assignment with students. 2. Have students examine the picture. They should formulate media evaluations that take into account the questions provided. They may discuss forums for discussion and exchange analogous to eighteenth-century coffee-houses that exist in today’s society. 3. After students complete their media evaluations of the picture, have them present their analysis to the class. To help conduct the discussion, use the Discussion Guide in the Professional Development Guidebook, page 65”.

• In Unit 6, Part 4, there is a Literary History page that includes a “Speaking and LIstening: Research” box. However, the directions within that box are to compile an annotated bibliography. The listening and speaking part is, “Briefly explain your choices.” The teacher directions state to, “Have each student share the contents of his or her bibliography with a partner. Students should discuss what they have learned about each book and why they think it looks interesting.”

• In Unit 6, Part 4, there are few opportunities to engage in discussions. At the beginning of “That’s All” the teacher directions state, “Have students compare their responses to the prompt, completed before reading the plays, with their thoughts afterward. Have them work individually or in groups, writing or discussing their thoughts, to formulate new responses. Then, lead a class discussion, probing for what students have learned that confirms or invalidates their initial thoughts.” In Unit 6, Part 4, the second opportunity to discuss is found at “Prayer”. Under Activating Prior Knowledge in the TE is states, “Lead a discussion about what qualities we take from our parents or guardians, and what qualities originate from ourselves."

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 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, formal presentations, and engaging in small and large group discussions.

Speaking and listening opportunities are not frequent over the course of the school year. It happens once at the beginning of the unit in the “Snapshot of the Periods” and once at the end of the unit. Instruction and speaking and listening opportunities throughout the unit lessons is rare. End of unit activities do increase in complexity. Speaking and listening is often presented as a stand alone task. 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. Practice in speaking and listening is not varied over the school year.

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:

• In Unit 1, “Burton Raffel refers to the conflict between ‘Anglo-Saxon ‘natives’’ and Viking or Danish ‘immigrants.’ Suppose you were a council of Viking leaders planning to invade England. Hold a small group discussion about the map of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms below, answering these questions as you make your military plans: Which region or regions might aid you in your fight? Why? Which regions might oppose your invasion most strongly? Why? Would it be easier to sail your war ships down the Ouse River or the Thames? Explain.”
• In Unit 2, “Play the role of a docent, or tour guide, at the new Globe, and prepare a multimedia ‘welcome’ talk for visitors. Your talk should include a brief history of the original Globe theater, as well as a description of the resources at the modern Globe. Make sure to address alternative views of the theater’s history and construction. To accompany your talk, prepare a brief slide presentation that includes photographs or diagrams of the theater. Select images that will lend interest or that will help your audience understand your points.”
• In Unit 2, students, “choose a topic you are passionate about”. Students are instructed to: A. Rehearse your speech in front of friends. Then, deliver it to your class. Afterward, discuss your speech with the class. Respond thoughtfully to classmates’ comments and questions. Then, have your audience fill out an evaluation form like the one shown below. B. Review classmates’ comments, synthesizing them by noting where they overlap. Conduct any research needed to answer the concerns raised, and then develop and present an impromptu speech offering a rebuttal, or answer to your audience’s critique of your argument.”
• Unit 3, Task 6, students are to “Deliver a visual presentation in which you analyze the impact of words choice on tone in a literary work from this unit. State which work you chose and summarize its key elements - setting, characters, events and themes. Describe the tone of the work. Cite at least three specific word choices - especially those with rich connotations or multiple meanings - that contribute to this tone. Present your ideas clearly and logically, using formal English and academic vocabulary.”
• the Unit 6, Speaking and Listening, Activity: Compare Print Coverage of Same Event, students “Select a news event and examine its coverage in three different newspapers or magazines. Look for similarities and differences in the ways each publication approaches its coverage, and examine how the coverage emphasizes different elements, including facts. Conduct a group discussion in which members exchange and discuss what they have learned and what ideas they have developed in their own media examinations.” This task is not supported by the reading selections found in the text.

Every unit contains a Speaking and Listening lesson at the end of the unit. The lessons include:

• Unit 1: Evaluate a Persuasive Speech
• Unit 2: Deliver a Persuasive Speech
• Unit 3: Oral Interpretation of a Literary Works
• Unit 4: Analyze a Non-Print Political Advertisement
• Unit 5: Analyze and Evaluate Media
• Unit 6: Compare Media Coverage of Same Event

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.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 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 include sufficient writing opportunities for a whole year’s use. Materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to practice and apply different genres/modes of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. However, learning opportunities are limited. There is a Writing Workshop at the end of each unit which teaches a writing lesson. However, students are asked to practice and apply genres/modes throughout the entire unit, including at the beginning before instruction on those genres and modes has been provided. Materials provide few opportunities for students/teachers to monitor progress in writing skills. Rubrics and checklists are found in the Writing Workshops at the end of each unit (6 times total). The “Writing to Sources” tasks say to use rubrics which are in the Professional Development Guidebook. Also, in the teacher’s edition, it says to guide students to writing a specific text using the Support for Writing page, available online. The writing tasks found in the Common Core Assessment Workshop provide a rubric and a checklist for tasks.

None of the six Writing Workshops require students to connect to text or text sets, however at the end of every unit there is a Text Set Workshop where students explore the fundamental connections among the texts through a writing task. In the Writing to Sources activities students have to connect to the text in order to complete the activity.

• Writing Workshops found at the end of each unit that teach a lesson on writing to students.
  • Unit 1, Autobiographical Narrative
  • Unit 2, Argumentative Essay
  • Unit 3, Reflective Essay
  • Unit 4, Multimedia Presentation of an Argument
  • Unit 5, Historical Investigation Report

• In Unit 1, after reading two historical nonfiction texts, the “Close Reading Activities: Writing to Sources” task is classified as argument and asks students to write a business memo “convincing people to invest in an enterprise Britain or Ireland. Explain your plan clearly and persuasively, citing passages from the selection to support your points.” The teacher edition suggests that teachers provide students 5 minutes to prewrite, 10 minutes to draft, and ten minutes to revise and edit.

• In Unit 1, students’ first three writing opportunities are to write an editorial, write a job application, then complete a timed write where they write an analytical essay. There are limited directions on how to do this. In the Time and Resource Manager (the pacing guide) for the teacher, it is suggested that the editorial be used as an assessment in one period or as an homework assignment. The same suggestion is made for the job application.

• In Unit 2, Part 4, in the “Writing Workshop” at the end of the unit, students write an argumentative essay. After publishing the essay, students are instructed to reflect on their writing: “Jot down your thoughts on the experience of writing an argumentative essay. Begin by answering this question: How did the rhetorical devices help you make your points?” After answering the question, they are instructed to evaluate their essay using a rubric that connects to the standards of purpose/focus, organization, development of ideas/elaboration, language, conventions. These reflections are at the end of each Writing Workshop.

• In Unit 3, Part 1, in the “Writing” section of the “Close Reading Activities”, students are asked to write an argumentative text: “Use the carpe diem theme in a PSA that calls on people to do something beneficial, such as exercise to maintain health.” The carpe diem theme was used in all the readings of this part of the unit. None of the texts to read were PSAs, not do the instruction to students explain what a PSA is. The teacher instructions only state to “Discuss different ways in which students might apply the carpe diem theme to a public service announcement.”

• In Unit 3, Part 2, after reading an excerpt from The Pilgrim’s Progress, in the “Close Reading Activities Writing to Sources” activity, students are instructed to write an informative text: Imagine that a film is being made of The Pilgrim’s Progress and your job is to cast the parts. Write a casting memo suggesting actors who might play the roles in this selection….Cite details from the selection to justify your ideas. Use a standard memo format, including headings indicating To, From, Subject, and Date.” In the teacher edition, there are instructions to use the rubrics for a business letter in the Professional Development Guidebook.

• In Unit Four, students write three different types of arguments, seven different types of explanatory writings, and two narratives. In Unit Four, students write an essay comparing the Albatross in the The Rime of the Ancient Mariner with Poe’s Raven as poetic symbols. This demonstrates multiple opportunities to practice a variety of genres.

• In Unit 4, during the Writing Workshop the teaching tips are well thought out and direct for teachers. There is a “Think Aloud” for teachers to use with students. In the teacher’s edition there is also a place where it encourages students to do keyword searches with a search engine to get an idea of the kinds of materials that are available online.The Teacher’s edition also lists six teaching resources to assist students with writing: Online Skills Support, Common Core Companion, Professional Development Guidebook, Online Graphic Organizers, Online EssayScorer, and Interactive Whiteboard Activities. Reviewers did not have access to all of these resources at the time of review.

• In the Unit 4 Common Core Assessment Workshop, there is a rubric for teachers and students to evaluate their performance. This is the “Performance Task Rubric. “Standards Mastery, Critical Thinking, Focus, Support/Elaboration, Insight, and Expression of Idea” are included in the rubric. Also, the tasks have check-list: Cite specific details from the literary work under discussion to support your analysis, Use appropriate and varied transitions to clarify the relationships among your ideas.”

• In Unit 4, Part 2, after students read the Poetry of John Keats, they need to write an essay analyzing how an author uses imagery, personification, figurative speech, etc in his writing. The model for students to use for their writing is titled, “Model: Annotating Notes”. Words or Passages… “looked at each other with a wild surmise - /Silent, upon a peak in Darien.” Comment, that students should make, “Dramatic image: men stunned into silence by what they see.” The directions say that, “Taking specific notes will help your writing flow more easily.” The teacher’s edition directs students to the Support for Writing Page (available online), tells the teacher to explain to students that they will write an analyses of Keat’s use of drama in his poetry, remind students to cite examples of dramatic images, and use the Response to Literature rubric in the Professional Development Guidebook. This is a challenging task with brief instructions given for teachers to monitor and direct students on this writing tasks.

• In the Unit Five Writing Workshop, there is a student model of a research report which is annotated analyzing how the writer incorporated elements of a research report. It highlights a portion of the students writing and says, “Notice how Nicole creates a transition between Gates and previous “visionaries”: “In contrast to Babbage and Da Vinci…” Such a transition makes the report more coherent.” Limited teaching and modeling for students.

• In Unit 6, in a Writing to Sources tasks after student read three texts (“The Lady in the Looking Glass”, Mrs. Dalloway, “Shakespeare’s Sister”), they are to write an informative text choosing a passage from the text “The Lady in the Looking Glass” or Mrs. Dalloway that they think is a good representation of the stream-of-consciousness technique. They have to translate the passage to show it converts the traditional omniscient narrator. Before this tasks there is a Building Knowledge and Insight page that teaches students about omniscient third person of view. There are also text dependent questions in the text asking about omniscient point of view in the text.

• Where appropriate, writing opportunities are connected to texts and/or text sets
  • In Unit Four, in the Text Set Workshop, one of the tasks has students write an argumentative essay where they have to use the “Introduction to Frankenstein” as well as other works in Part 1 of Unit Four, and develop and defend a claim that explores how the authors incorporate fantasy and reality in their work.

• In Unit 5, in Writing to Source after students read “Dover Beach”, “Recessional”, “The Widow at Windsor” they have to write an essay to support or refute a general observation that there is ‘widespread doubt about the nature of man, society, and the universe’”. They are to review the poems and gather evidence for the essay on the themes presented in the poems.

• In Unit Six, students write a script for a scene from one of the short stories they just read, “A Shocking Accident” or “The Rocking-Horse Winner”. They must include descriptions of the scenery and dialogue from the story.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 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 not explicitly taught or monitored and 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 (GL) 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.

There are six Writing Workshops, one at the end of every unit. None of these Writing Workshops require using evidence from texts. However, the Writing to Sources task found in the Close Reading activities do require evidence. In the Close Reading Activities students are given the prompt, the prewriting directions, drafting, revising, conventions and style. One issue is the Writer’s Workshops are found at the end of the unit. So, if students are to learn from these then practice and apply, they should be placed at the beginning of the unit.

• In the Introductory In Unit of the text 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, that they should 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 a student could use to explore both sides of an issue when making an argument. Later in the textbook, students will write six argumentative essays as part of the “Text Set Workshop”. Another argumentative essay is found in the Writing Workshop of In Unit 2.
• In In Unit 1, Part 3, students are given a Timed Writing activity that is labeled an argumentative essay, but the directions are really a literary analysis explanatory essay. The prompt asks students to “compare and contrast the theme of ‘Federigo’s Falcon’ with the theme of ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’ or ‘The Pardoner’s Tale’. After giving students three questions to help them explore the topic, they are told to “support your ideas with accurate and detailed references to the texts.” That does not call for evidence from the texts since “references” does not mean the students need to provide supporting evidence, just ideas. However, students would have to work closely with all the texts to be able to develop themes and then reference the ideas in the two texts to compare or contrast the themes.
• In In Unit 2, Part 4, in the Constructed Response section of the Assessment Workshop at the end of the unit, students are given three different writing tasks that their teacher may choose to assign. Each task is a literary analysis essay where they must develop a claim that is directly related to the works of the unit. Two of the essays are connected to the dramatic Shakespearean texts (Hamlet, Macbeth, or Oedipus), while the third essay is connected to literary nonfiction texts from the unit. Each set of instructions to students under the prompt reminds students to identify specific examples or details from the texts to support their reasoning. Only one of the prompts tells students: “Cite specific examples from the play to support your ideas. Quote precisely and accurately.
• In In Unit 3, Part 4, the Text Set Workshop tells students: “You have studied each part of In Unit 3 as a set of connected texts.” The texts that students will work with are demanding fiction and nonfiction texts. Students have two writing prompts related to the texts that challenge their writing skills by integrating and synthesizing ideas from multiple texts, and supporting ideas with evidence from those multiple sources. For example, the second task refers to Part 2 of the unit and is a Writing to Sources task. The assignment is to “Develop an essay that focuses on the journeys presented in The Divine Comedy and the other texts in Part 2. Craft a thesis that synthesizes your ideas about the texts you discuss. Include quotations from the poems to bolster your argument, but make sure the connections between the evidence and your ideas are clear.”
• In In Unit 4, during the Timed Writing, students write an Explanatory Text: Essay where they choose two poems by different authors that have vivid descriptions of nature. Then they write an essay in which they compare and contrast the two poems by addressing the following questions. “What is the theme or central insight expressed in each poem? What images does each speaker use to describe nature? What feelings does the description of nature evoke? Use evidence from the poems that relate to the questions.”
• In In Unit 5, after reading from Jane Eyre, students write a school conduct report that might have been written by the teacher. From the selection, infer the teacher’s feelings about Helen. Students are not asked to make a claim or use evidence from the text.
• In In Unit 6, after reading A Devoted Son, students write an essay evaluating whether or not the story as a whole effectively illustrates the original concept. Students must defend their opinion by citing details from the story.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 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 include instruction of all grammar and conventions standards for the grade level found two times per unit in the Close Reading Activities and during the Language Study Workshops. Materials include limited opportunities for students to demonstrate application of skills both in and out of context. Materials promote and build students’ ability to apply conventions and other aspects of language within their own writing. Over the course of the year’s worth of materials, grammar/convention instruction remains consistent throughout the texts and does not show increasingly sophisticated application in contexts. As a resource, there is a Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Handbook that includes Parts of Speech, Sentence Structure, Paragraph Structure, Phrases, and Clauses, Usage, Agreement, Using Modifiers, Using Modifiers, Using Pronouns, Commonly Confused Words, and Editing for English Language Conventions.

• In Unit 1, the textbook offers opportunities for students to demonstrate skills in the context of a story and as stand-alone activities. For example, in the “Reading of Information” section, a question is asked in the Close Reading Activity after reading the texts. Students will “explain how the Latin words, manus, and scribere contribute to the meaning of the words manuscript. Determine the meaning of these other words derived from the Latin word manus: manacle, manicure, manipulate, manual, and manage. Use a dictionary to verify the meanings you determined.” This activity is a stand-alone activity, though it is loosely connected to the reading of a manuscript in the section. Later in the unit embedded language acquisition questions are available while reading “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.” Students are asked a question on the side of the page: “What is the meaning of anguish in line 229? Identify the context clues that helped you to determine the meaning.” After reading the story, students complete a Vocabulary Acquisition and Use activity with some instruction on how to use context clues, then followed by three questions about finding the meaning of words in context of a sentence.

• In the “Extend” section of each unit is a Language Study section which is modeled after the SAT. These include explanation and practice in determining meaning of words, explanation and practice in vocabulary acquisition and use in multiple choice questions.

• In the Assessment Workshop sections at the end of each unit is a reading test with questions that ask students to determine the meaning of words using context clues from the reading passage. A second section is a grammar section related to editing writing in context. This is modeled after the SAT with sections of text underlined and multiple choice questions asking how to best edit the sentence.

• In the Extend section of each unit, in the Close Reading Activities section, is a Conventions and Style section where students learn a type of convention, practice it and then apply it in writing and speaking activities. For example, in Unit 3, the convention is comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs. Students are given examples of the forms of the adjectives and adverbs with a brief description. Then they have 10 practice sentences to choose the best form. An example of the types of questions: “The mature John Donne was _____ than his younger counterpart, Jack. (religious)” Next students apply the information in a Writing activity: “For each adjective or adverb below, write one sentence using the comparative form and one using the superlative form. (Followed by a list of words) Then, consult a dictionary of English usage to ensure that you have correctly formed comparatives and superlatives.” Next, students complete a speaking activity: “As Death, write and present a response to Donne’s argument in Holy Sonnet 10. Correctly use at least one comparative form and one superlative form. Consult a dictionary of English usage to check your formation of comparatives and superlatives.”
• There are some “Sentence Modeling” examples where students see a grammar standard used in writing, and then they practice. For example, In Unit 6, in the Close Reading Activities, after “Shooting an Elephant” and “No Witchcraft for Sale”, there is Conventions and Style lesson on Variety in Sentence Beginnings. Then there are three samples from the two texts that show a variety of sentence beginnings. Students are asked to notice, then imitate and write. Also, students are asked to write 5 sentences beginning with five different words or phrases so they can practice a variety of sentence beginnings. Then they have a speaking opportunity to use at least three different kinds of sentence beginnings and one sentence with inverted order.
• Many skills are practiced in isolation rather than in context. For example, in Unit 4, in the Close Reading Activity after Poetry of William Wordsworth, there is a Vocabulary Acquisition and Use activity. Students read about the word form of anatomize. Then they explain how the use of the root changes and has a different function or meaning (atom, anatomy, anatomical, atomizer). Also, in Unit 6, in the Close Reading Activity after Virginia Woolf’s texts, there is a Vocabulary Acquisition and Use activity. Students read about the latin root -trans. Then they use the meaning of -trans to define six phrases that include the root (transnational corporation, business transaction, transatlantic communication, transparent proceedings, transfer station, transformational experience).