1st Grade - Gateway 2

The materials include teacher guidance with ancillary materials and annotations that support teachers in program implementation. The materials include consistent instructional routines for all areas of foundational skills. The materials include ample teacher implementation resources in the form of videos, program guides, and research summaries. Within the lessons, the materials offer teacher guidance in the form of Teacher Tips and thorough lesson scripts. 

Materials provide a well-defined, teacher resource for content presentation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The teacher materials include the following Program Guides to support implementation: Program Overview, Assessment Guide: Technical Summary, Corrective Feedback and Next Steps Guide, Multilingual Learners Guide, Observation Checkpoint Guide, Research Base, and Special Populations Guide. The teacher materials include a Support Articles section that includes How-To implementation videos and print resources including, but not limited to, parent letters, implementation and getting started checklists, student software pathways, and intervention and special education pathways. 

• The teacher materials include an Implementation Essentials section, which features the following modules: Preparing for Impactful Instruction, Delivering an Effective Lesson, Initiating Student-Driven Instruction, and Maximizing Student Learning with Centers. 

• In Lesson 15, objectives and learning strategies are presented on the first page, along with an overview of the parts of the lesson and their relevant learning activities. On each of the following pages, a script is provided for the teacher for each part of the lesson. In addition, specific directions (written in red) are provided. Extension ideas are also included in Part 3, Whole Class Transfer Card. 

• In Lesson 58, objectives and learning strategies are presented on the first page, along with a list of the activities for the lesson. On each of the following pages, a script is provided for the teacher for each part of the lesson. In addition, specific directions (written in red) are provided. Extension ideas are also included in Part 3, Whole Class Transfer Card. 

• In Lesson 100, objectives and learning strategies are presented on the first page, along with a list of the activities for the lesson. On each of the following pages, a script is provided for the teacher for each part of the lesson. In addition, specific directions (written in red) are provided. Extension ideas are also included in Part 3, Whole Class Transfer Card. 

The teacher resource contains detailed information and instructional routines that help the teacher to effectively implement all foundational skills content (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, irregularly spelled words, word analysis, fluency). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Research Base, the materials provide detailed information about the instructional routines in the areas of Print Concepts, Alphabet Knowledge, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Recognition, High-Frequency Words, Word Analysis, and Fluency. The materials provide a detailed summary of current research in each area, then an explanation of how the materials use that research instructionally. For example, in the Fluency section, the materials summarize the research, then state, “. . .students read phrases, sentences, and connected text, preceded by adult modeling and practiced at each level to enhance reading fluency. During whole-group instruction, specific call-outs to accurate reading, reading at an appropriate rate, and reading with expression are explicitly stated in each lesson before students move to practice these skills through repeated readings of a text.”

• In Lesson 36, the lesson begins with Phonemic Awareness Warm Up Activities. Part 2 begins with a review from a previous lesson: word building. Following this, the new lesson is presented. The teacher demonstrates the new phonics skill and marks the words to show how the new skill is applied. Then there is dictation for decoding, where the teacher spells words for the students to write, and dictation for encoding, where students write words said by the teacher. All of the words focus on the skill taught. The Most Common Words Instruction comes next. Finally the Whole Class Transfer Card and Whole Class Decodable Passage are presented for students to practice the skill taught in Part 2. After the lesson, students take the Skills Check, which is used to determine which small group students will be in during Groups and Centers. 

• In Lesson 77, the lesson begins with scripted Phonemic Awareness routines with a focus on substituting initial phonemes and deleting final phonemes. The lesson then moves into scripted Phonics and Spelling instruction with a review of the Phonetic Skill 5, introductions of the Phonetic Skill 5: ie, guided dictation for both decoding and encoding words that have the vowel team ie. The lesson then provides a script for high-frequency word instruction, which focuses on the Most Common Word (MCW): no. Finally, the Whole Class Transfer section guides the teacher to help students practice the skill taught in the Phonics and Spelling section, as well as supporting students in reading a decodable passage that contains the lesson’s phonics focus:  Phonetic Skill 5: ie.

The materials include detailed adult-level explanations of foundational skills concepts. The Research Base document provides clear explanations and definitions, current research concerning best instructional practices, and a detailed explanation of how the curriculum uses the research to design effective instruction. The materials also include a suite of videos that explain the foundational skills, model instructional routines, and offer guided practice opportunities for teachers. 

Complete, detailed adult-level explanations are provided for each foundational skill taught at the grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Research Base, the materials provide detailed information about Print Concepts, Alphabet Knowledge, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Recognition, High-Frequency Words, Word Analysis, and Fluency. The materials provide a detailed summary of current research in each area, and then explain how the materials use that research instructionally. This includes adult-level explanations of each skill. For example,

  • In the Word Recognition section, the materials state, “Word recognition. . . refers to the instant and automatic retrieval of words. Words that are instantly recognized are called sight words. Strong literacy instruction works to provide students with the skills needed for all words encountered to become sight words. The process by which readers store their sight vocabulary for this effortless retrieval is called orthographic mapping.” 

  • Phonemic Awareness is defined as “the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Phonemic awareness serves as the essential foundation upon which fluent reading is built by connecting spoken sounds to the letters or letter combinations that represent them.”

  • In the High-Frequency Words section, the materials state, “These words span across grade levels and include most of the first 300 words from Fry’s Instant Word List. Each RH Discovery lesson (beginning with Letter Group instruction) includes explicit instruction and practice of a Most Common Word. Most Common Words are grouped into three categories: decodable, not yet decodable, and irregular. If the word is decodable, students explain the phoneme/grapheme connection. If the word is irregular or not yet decodable, the teacher must support students with unknown or irregular sounds or spelling patterns.”

Detailed examples of the grade-level foundational skill concepts are provided for the teacher. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Implementation Essentials, Module 7: Building Phonemic Proficiency, the teacher-level video provides an overview of the instructional routines for Phonemic Awareness, then models the Isolating Initial, Medial, and Final  Sounds routines using the word map. The video gives teachers a practice word, pot, to practice the routine along with the video.  

• In Implementation Essentials, Module 10, Dynamic Dictation, Part 1, the teacher-level video provides an overview of how to set students up for success in dictation. The video explains the difference between Dictation for Decoding and Dictation for Encoding, followed by a demonstration of a teacher doing dictation in her classroom. The instructor in the video then demonstrates both Dictation for Decoding and Dictation for Encoding with the viewer.

The materials provide teachers with foundational skills lessons that utilize a research-based design of gradual release and allow for effective pacing. All the lessons contain the following explicit instructional elements: review, instruction, guided practice, correction and feedback, independent practice, and data-based differentiation for small group instruction. The lesson structure effectively uses the gradual release of responsibility model throughout daily lessons. The scope of the program can be reasonably completed within a regular school year with 123 core lessons and 25 review lessons. The daily pacing allows for 45 minutes of whole group instruction and a minimum of 15 minutes for small group instruction. 

Lesson plans utilize effective, research-based lesson plan design for early literacy instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Program Overview, Instructional Design, the materials state, “the instructional design covers the explicit instructional elements of review, instruction, guided practice, correction and feedback, independent practice, and data-based differentiation. The lesson design incorporates a strategic, gradual release of responsibility from the teacher to the student, one of the hallmarks of explicit instruction.

• In the Program Overview, Instructional Design, the materials indicate that the lesson structure uses the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model, with the Focus Lesson as an “I Do” component, the Guided Instruction as a “We Do” component, collaborative work as a “You Do It Together” component, and independent work as a “You Do It Alone” component.

The effective lesson design structure includes both whole group and small group instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Program Overview, the materials provide an overview of the components of Whole Class Lesson Delivery, including the Phonemic Awareness Warm-Up, Phonics and Spelling, and Whole-Class Transfer. The overview indicates that after the whole-group instruction, students take the Skill Check and then move into Groups and Centers. The materials recommend grouping students into three groups: Needs Support, Needs Practice, and Needs Enrichment. The overview lists the recommended center options for the three groups, organized into Teacher-Led Transfer activities, software activities, and independent or partner activities. 

The pacing of each component of daily lesson plans is clear and appropriate. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Program Overview, Lesson Framework, the materials provide the following recommended time frames for lesson components:

  • Part One - Phonemic Awareness: 5 minutes

  • Part Two - Phonics and Spelling: 25-30 minutes

  • Part Three - Whole-Class Transfer: 8 minutes

  • Part Four - Extended Transfer: 15+ minutes

The suggested amount of time and expectations for maximum student understanding of all foundational skills content (i.e., phonological awareness, phonics, irregularly spelled words, word analysis, fluency) can reasonably be completed in one school year and should not require modifications. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Scope and Sequence, the materials include 123 base lessons and 25 Review and Transfer days, for a total of 148 days of instruction. 

For those materials on the borderline (e.g., approximately 130 days on the low end or 200 days on the high end), evidence clearly explains how students would be able to master ALL the grade-level foundational skills standards within one school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Program Guide, Instructional Cycle, the materials indicate that after each lesson, teachers should use assessment and observation data to determine if students are ready for the next lesson. If student data indicates reteaching is necessary, the materials direct teachers to pause and reteach the lesson. The materials provide Lesson Toolkits for reteaching. Thus, the 148 days of core instruction leaves room for days of reteaching using the core lesson material or the Lesson Toolkits.

The materials include a standards alignment chart that provides a broad view of where in the program each foundational skills standard is taught, practiced, and assessed. The materials also include alignment documentation for specific tasks, questions, or assessment items. 

Materials include denotations of the foundational skills standards being assessed in the formative assessments. 

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that Literacy Standard RF.1.1.A, recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation), is formatively assessed during Student Observations. 

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that Literacy Standard RF.1.2.C, isolate and pronounce the initial and medial vowel and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words, is formatively assessed during Student Observations. 

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that Literacy Standard RF.1.3.F, read words with inflectional endings, is formatively assessed during the Skill Checks and student observations. 

Materials include denotations of foundational skills standards being assessed in the summative assessments. 

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that Literacy Standard RF.1.3.A, know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs (two letters that represent one sound), is summatively assessed during Software and Print Multi-Skill Checks and Cumulative Skill Checks.

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that Literacy Standard RF.1.4.B, read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression, is summatively assessed during Print Multi-Skill Checks. 

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that Literacy Standard RF.1.4.C, use context to confirm or self-correct

  word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary, may be summatively assessed during Print Multi-Skill Checks.

Alignment documentation is provided for all tasks, questions, and assessment items. 

• In the Reading Horizons Discovery Assessments to Common Core State Standards (CCSS), materials provide a detailed correlation for all tasks, questions, and assessment items.

Alignment documentation contains specific foundational skills standards correlated to specific lessons.

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that Literacy Standard RF.1.2.A, distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words, is taught and practiced in Lessons 48-79, 106, 107, and 115-120. 

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that for Literacy Standard RF.1.3.E, decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables, instruction occurs during Lessons 58–64 and 70–77 and corresponding Lesson Toolkits. Practice occurs during Lessons 58–64 and 70–77 in the corresponding Lesson Toolkits, Groups and Centers, Software Activity 1, and Review and Transfer Days.

• In the Evidence of Alignment Document, the materials indicate that Literacy Standard RF.1.4.B, read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression, instruction, and practice, occur during the Lessons Part 3: Whole-Class Transfer and corresponding Lesson Toolkits. Practice also occurs during Groups and Centers, and Review and Transfer Days using decodable passages, decodable text, and Decodable Books.

The materials include ample strategies and supports for students in special populations. The lesson structure includes observation checkpoints designed to help teachers decide when whole-group or small-group reteaching is needed. The materials include Lesson Toolkits, Phonemic Awareness Toolkits, and Most Common Word Toolkits that provide resources for reteaching. Scaffolds and supports are also built into the differentiated Groups and Centers and Review and Transfer Routines. Additionally, the instructional software differentiates student practice based on daily Skill Check data. 

Materials provide opportunities for small group reteaching. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Lesson Toolkits Overview, the materials indicate that Lesson Toolkits contain resources for reteaching. The Overview states that teachers should use data from instruction and Groups and Centers to determine if students are ready for the next lesson in the sequence or if reteaching is necessary. The materials indicate that Lesson Toolkit reteaching can occur in whole-group or small-group settings. 

• In Lesson 28, Ready Made Centers, after students complete the Skill Check, students are put into small groups based on their performance. The Needs Support Group is for students who need more opportunities with the skill taught in the Whole Group Lesson. The Needs Practice Group is for students who need more practice with the skill taught in the Whole Group Lesson. 

• In Lesson 75, Ready Made Centers, after students complete the Skill Check, students are put into small groups based on their performance. The Needs Support Group is for students who need more opportunities with the skill taught in the Whole Group Lesson. The Needs Practice Group is for students who need more practice with the skill taught in the Whole Group Lesson. 

Materials provide guidance to the teacher for scaffolding and adapting lessons and activities to support students who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level in extensive opportunities to learn grade-level foundational skills standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Special Populations Guide, Adapting Reading Horizons Discovery Curriculum, the materials provide guidance for scaffolding the curriculum in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics decoding and encoding, and fluency. The materials provide specific guidance in each area for students with reading, writing, listening, and speaking challenges: 

  • Phonemic Awareness: 

    • Students with reading challenges: Elkonin boxes, kinesthetic cues, consistent language and cues

    • Students with writing challenges: lined or tactile paper, alternative writing materials, text-to-speech tools, letter tiles, letter magnets

    • Students with speaking challenges: manipulatives to count sounds in words, additional response time, speech-generating devices, visual support menus, alternate response options

    • Students with listening challenges: increased processing time, visual cues, simplified directions

• Phonics - Decoding

  • Students with reading challenges: visual of the personal Sound-Spelling Wall

  • Students with writing challenges: lined or tactile paper, alternative writing materials, text-to-speech tools, letter tiles, letter magnets

  • Students with speaking challenges: Elkonin boxes for recording letters, additional response time, speech-generating devices, visual support menus, alternate response options

  • Students with listening challenges: increased processing time, visual cues, simplified directions

• Phonics - Encoding

  • Students with reading challenges: visual of the personal Sound-Spelling Wall

  • Students with writing challenges: lined or tactile paper, alternative writing materials, text-to-speech tools, letter tiles, letter magnets, word banks, sentence stems, adapted pencils or grips, keyboarding 

  • Students with speaking challenges: lined or tactile paper, alternative writing materials, text-to-speech tools, letter tiles, letter magnets, word banks, sentence stems, adapted pencils or grips, keyboarding 

  • Students with listening challenges: picture supports, increased processing time, visual cues, simplified directions

• Fluency

  • Students with reading challenges: peer or teacher support, own copy of text, remove time constraints, tools for tracking (line guides, highlighting)

  • Students with speaking challenges: pre-teach vocabulary, student copy of text being modeled fluently, alternative methods for expression, speech-generating device, pictures for key vocabulary that students can hold up interactively while reading, quiet space to record themselves reading, note taking while listening to fluent reading

  • Students with listening challenges: increased processing and response time, options for fluency practice - self-selected text, independent, partner or group reading options, chunk text and designate intentional pauses, opportunities for small tasks - act out what happened, turn and talk, answer questions