2nd Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently. The text sets within each unit that the whole class hears during read alouds build students’ knowledge in the units. The same topic is addressed in small group reading and in the Learning Stations.

The eight units contain topics about science or social studies content. Over the course of four weeks per unit, students participate in listening, reading, writing, and discussion around a science or social studies topic and a Big Question.

Examples of units that are organized around a topic include:

• In Unit 1, students read about neighborhoods and community, with the Big Question, "What is a community?" Over the four weeks, students read social studies articles, photo essays, a poem, and realistic fiction to address the Big Question. Examples of texts include Quinito’s Neighborhood by Ina Cumplano, Jobs Around the World by Christina Vila, Serving the Community by Talla Reed, and Mr. Soto’s Second Grade Class.
• In Unit 3, students learn where water comes from. Over the four weeks, students read science and magazine articles, a tale, a profile, and a science experiment. Examples of texts include Lila and the Secret of Rain by David Conway, Make Rain by Mimi Mortezal, PlayPumps: Turning Work into Play by Catherine Clarke Fox, and Rivers Matter by Sandra L. Postel.
• In Unit 5, students study the social studies topic of why people work together. Over the course of four weeks, students read folktales, plays, song lyrics, a human interest feature, and photo - essays. Examples of texts include The Brother Who Gave Rice by Dorl Jones Yang, Stone Soup by John Forster, The Mangrove Tree by Susan L. Roth, and Mi Barrio by George Ancona.
• In Unit 7, students read about the science topic of how living things depend on each other. Over the course of four weeks, students read folktales, science articles, a profile, and a persuasive article. Examples of texts include Go to Sleep, Gecko retold by Margaret Read MacDonald, Enric Sala; Marine Ecologist by Kristin Cozort, Animal Partnerships by Amanda Gebhardt, and Why Bees Are Our Friends by Michelle Brown.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced 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.

Throughout the program, students are asked a series of questions to help them analyze the details,  key ideas, and structure of individual texts. The materials include some questions asking students to analyze craft and language. Students analyze text features and make inferences throughout the program. They are asked to analyze problems and solutions, cause and effect, and characters.

Examples of a series of coherently sequenced questions and tasks include:

• In Unit 1, Week 2, students read the decodable text, Orcas Island. Students are asked a series of questions about identifying details, asking questions, and making connections: "What is the main idea? What are things you can do on Orcas Island? Why is fog a problem for people on a boat near Orcas Island? What would you like to do on Orcas Island?"
• In Unit 2, Week 3, students are asked a series of questions about comparing and contrasting after listening to a science fact book. They are asked how giraffes and goats are alike and what features both lionfishes have in a picture.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, students hear Rivers Matter. There is an extensive series of comprehension questions beginning with questions connecting the previously read text, The Mighty Colorado, to the current text. Students are also asked about the author’s reasons, analyzing the problem and solution, and identifying cause and effect.
• In Unit 4, Week 2, students read The Good Deeds Day and answer questions focused on analyzing key details from the text. Students are asked, "What would happen if the school did not have a custodian? What does page 7 tell you about helper dogs?"
• In Unit 6, Week 1, students hear a short folktale and answer analysis of detail questions: "Where do you think the story takes place? What kind of person do you think Older Brother is? What type of person do you think Younger Brother is?"
• In Unit 8, Week 4, students hear the song lyrics for “This Land is Your Land.” Questions during the first read focus on text features and analyzing elements of poetry and song lyrics that are related to poetry. The second read continues to analyze elements of poetry and poetic language and also visualizing and making inferences.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

Throughout the year, students read a variety of texts that help them build science and social studies knowledge. With these texts, students are asked a series of text-dependent questions that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

Examples include:

• In Unit 2, Week 2, students read science articles, "Hide and Seek" and Twilight Hunt. Both of these texts introduce the idea of camouflage. Before reading "Hide and Seek," students review Twilight Hunt and discuss how certain animals can disappear when they are hiding from an owl. After reading Hide and Seek, students answer questions: "How is the mantis in the photograph hiding? Why is the goby fish in the photo hard to see? What happens when the animal and its habitat are the same?" The next day, students read another text, The Best Trick, where they read and discuss more animals who camouflage in their habitats.
• In Unit 4, students read a variety of texts about problems others face in the world. Students hear How You Can Save Water after hearing Iraqi Children get Wheelchairs and Big Smiles. Students complete a writing activity about other problems in the world that people can help solve.
• In Unit 5, Week 2, students read a science article about the earth and weather. On Day 2, students compare the author’s purpose of When the Wind Stops and Day and Night. The teacher guides the students through a series of questions and activities to compare the purpose of the article and changes in nature. The students create comparison charts to review the two texts and then use the chart to write a statement about one of the author’s purposes.
• In Unit 8, students read many texts on the topic of America. In Week 2, they share an interactive read-aloud of a poem, “What American Means to Me,” in which one boy tells how he feels about America. This is contrasted with the previous text they heard, America: A Weaving, which contains many cultures and traditions in America. There are a series of questions during the reading to build comprehension and knowledge.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts.

The materials have a daily emphasis on vocabulary. Activities involve learning the word and applying the word, and some activities focus and aid in the comprehension and building of knowledge.

There are three vocabulary routines listed in the Best Practices section in the Teacher’s Edition:

In the Introduce Word routine, students begin by repeating the word and rating the word using a thumb up or thumb down. The teacher defines the word for the students and then together they work on elaborating. The teacher often has students talk about the word, give examples and non examples, and connecting it across content areas. Examples of the implementation of this routine include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 2, students are introduced to the Key Words for the week, building, home, library, park, school. Routine 1 is carried out and the words are found within the texts for the week.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, students are introduced to the Key Words for the week, draws, inventions, machine, pipes, pump, wells. Routine 1 is carried out and questions include the Key Words or the answers require the Key Words. Students then talk about where water comes from and use the Key Words.

The second routine is Expand Word Knowledge where students work in pairs using a graphic organizer, which is often four corners: word, picture, word in context, and definition. Students are then assigned keywords for the graphic organizer. Examples of the implementation of this routine include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 4, Week 1, students work in pairs to become experts on the ten words for the week. They study one word at a time and create a “Fold Up Tab” that contains the word, a picture, a definition, and a context sentence.
• In Unit 8, Week 1, students make portrait graphics for the words where they write the word, draw a picture, and write a definition and sentence. Students then do a picture walk of the text they are about to read using the Key Words to tell why the illustrator might have included each picture.

The final vocabulary routine is the Share Word Knowledge where pairs are formed and they share their filled-in graphic organizer from the second routine. Then they discuss and write sentences in their journals with the words. This reinforces the academic vocabulary learned throughout the unit. Examples of this implementation of this routine include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 1, students take turns presenting their four corner posters to a partner. Each pair then conducts a Three - Step Interview where they ask and answer questions about how the picture and sentence show the meaning of the Key Word.
• In Unit 6, Week 3, students engage in a Jigsaw protocol to share how their pictures from the previous day show the meaning of the Key Words.

Additional support is provided for students with vocabulary acquisition. One support is Review, Extend, and Reteach which is where the teacher remodels the graphic organizer activities. Another support is Text-Talk Read Aloud where the teacher discusses the vocabulary after the text has  been read aloud by walking through the first few steps of the Vocabulary Routine 1. A final support is reteaching vocabulary for students who need additional instruction or review. The first routine is used, but in smaller groups.

• In Unit 4, Week 3, students learn new words, but for students who need help with the words, additional work is provided where students name examples of the Key Words.
• In Unit 6, Week 2, students learn how prefixes help them with vocabulary words. The teacher checks the understanding by asking what the prefix is in the word impure and then students define the word impure. For students who do not know the word, additional questions are asked such as would a glass of cloudy water be impure to help them understand the word.

In addition to learning new vocabulary words, students also learn vocabulary strategies. The strategies help them learn a series of new vocabulary words. These lessons occur on Weeks 2 and 4 of the unit. Examples include:

• In Unit 2, Week 2, students learn that a dictionary can tell the meaning of a word, how to spell it, and what part of speech it is. Students then practice using a picture to find the definitions, spelling, and part of speech. Additional activities are throughout the week to help them practice this skill.
• In Unit 4, Week 4, students learn what a synonym is. Then they read a passage and identify synonyms for words.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

Over the course of the year, students have some opportunities to learn different components of research skills such as researching about our national bird and geckos; most of these opportunities occur as options during Learning Stations. Materials include opportunities for students to begin developing their research concepts as they grow knowledge and literacy skills. There are some points of practice within the materials for students to demonstrate individual research components with texts that build knowledge. There are some opportunities for students to complete a shared research or writing project by using a variety of texts and/or other source materials.

Examples include:

• In Unit 1, Week 2, students write questions to ask for an interview and practice interviewing each other using the Three-Step interview.
• In Unit 3, Week 2, students learn how to sequence events. They draw a picture and write one or two sentences about their step from the Anthology. Students then work to assemble in the correct order.
• In Unit 5, Week 2, students summarize steps in a process for an experiment.
• In Unit 7, students research and then write a report about a partnership in nature. Over the course of the five days, students choose a topic and then write questions to know what they want to find out. They then find their answers in books on the internet. Students use a main idea and details chart to help them organize their information and then write their draft. Students write the main idea in a paragraph with facts and details. They also learn about generalizations and how to use information from a text to form generalizations.
• In Unit 7, Week 4, students write about what America means using the texts, "This Land is Your Land", Exploring Two U.S. National Parks, Celebrating Our Country’s Flag, and Exploring National Symbols. They choose one author whose work they read to write about what America means to that author and are prompted to use evidence from the text to support their writing.