5th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 ELA meet expectations for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading. Anchor texts are found in the student edition of the Literature Anthology as the main texts for each week. Texts are of publishable quality and address several topics of interest which are engaging for Grade 5 students while expanding big ideas and broadening students’ knowledge base and personal perspectives. Anchor texts include a variety of interesting topics that include, but are not limited to realistic fiction, narrative nonfiction, poetry, biographies, and expository texts.

Multiple texts are authentic, published, well-written texts from a variety of text types and genres. These anchor texts contain rich language and engaging characters or content. Some examples of quality anchor texts are:

• Unit 1, One Hen by Katie Smith Milway - This encouraging text will engage readers. It has colorful illustrations which support and help extend students’ understanding of one child’s dream.
• Unit 2, The Boy Who Drew Birds, by Jacqueline Davies - This picture book about perseverance acquaints readers with the study of birds. It contains beautiful illustrations resembling watercolor paintings.
• Unit 3, Weslandia, by Paul Fleischman - This uplifting story about being unique is well-crafted with small, yet important details in the illustrations.
• Unit 3, Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again, by Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff - This true story contains a fascinating main character, a dolphin. Photographs of the dolphin’s journey through rehabilitation hook young readers.
• Unit 4, Rosa, by Nikki Giovanni - This narrative nonfiction contains well-written details and sophisticated vocabulary, which enhances the collage like illustrations.
• Unit 5, Global Warming, by Seymour Simon - This nonfiction text contains facts and information about earth’s changes in child-friendly language, while still introducing readers to scientific vocabulary. The vibrant photos are intriguing.
• Unit 6, Planting the Trees of Kenya, by Claire A. Nivola - This inspiring story displays many redeeming character qualities such as hard work and determination. This engaging story about being an environmental steward helps student build knowledge about ecology.

Some anchor texts, are of high quality, include only an excerpt of the original text such as Bud, Not Buddy and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, which may impede students’ full understanding of the text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations for reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards. Texts which all students access include a balanced mix of literature and informational text. Text genres represented include but are not limited to expository texts, narrative nonfiction, articles, biographies, folktales, historical fiction, poetry, realistic fiction, and drama.

Anchor text selections include 15 literary texts and 15 informational texts.

• Literature examples include Second Day, First Impression, by Michelle Knudsen, Blancaflor, by Alma Flor Ada, They Don’t Mean It! by Lensey Namioka, Davy Crockett Saves the World, by Rosalyn Schanzer, Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis, and The Friend Who Changed my Life by Pam Muñoz Ryan.
• Informational examples include: The Boy Who Invented TV, by Kathleen Krull, Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution, by Candice Ransom, “Machu Picchu: Ancient City,” One Well, by Rochelle Strauss, When is a Planet Not a Planet? by Elaine Scott, and Survival at 40 Below, by Debbie S. Miller.

Paired text selections include 12 literature texts and 18 informational texts.

• Literature examples include Lost in the Museum Wings, The Princess and the Pea, “A Story of How a Wall Stands,” New Moon, and Why the Evergreen Trees Never Lose Their Leaves.
• Informational examples include A Walk with Teddy; From Tale to Table; Plants with a Purpose; Our Voices, Our Votes; When Volcanoes Erupt; and The Park Project.*

Weekly differentiated texts and complex extended texts are also a mix of text types and genres.

*Texts listed without an identified author usually indicate that they were written by the authors of the series.

Materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectation that texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to their associated student task. The majority of texts are at the appropriate quantitative level and qualitative level.

Examples of texts that are of the appropriate complexity are:

Unit 1, Week 3: Camping with the President

• Quantitative: Lexile 760; TextEvaluator 37
• Qualitative: This text has a clear, sequential structure with illustrations that enhance the text. Sentence structure is complex with many sentences containing clauses. Opportunities to learn academic vocabulary are prolific. The text contains moderate levels of discipline-specific language about conservation.
• Reader and Task: Prior to reading this text, there is a lesson on narrative nonfiction (page T120). This lesson introduces students to the characteristics of narrative nonfiction. The teacher models identifying characteristics of the genre. Prior to reading Camping with the President, there are lessons about the reading strategies (cause and effect, ask and answer questions). As students read Camping with the President, they take notes in a cause and effect graphic organizer. In “Access Complex Text,” the Teacher Edition contains information about Theodore Roosevelt to fill in students’ background knowledge. To conclude their understanding, students summarize what they learned about President Roosevelt’s trip to Yosemite.

Unit 2, Week 4: Blancaflor

• Quantitative: Lexile 870; TextEvaluator 42
• Qualitative: With multiple levels of meaning and portrayed experiences that are uncommon to most readers, the meaning and knowledge demands have a high level of complexity; however, the clearly organized text structure and moderately complex language features keep the qualitative features of this text at a level appropriate for Grade 5 readers.
• Reader and Task: Throughout the close reading of the text, students are instructed to take notes in their graphic organizers, focusing on the effects of the characters’ actions and dialogue. During the close reading, the teacher poses questions about the author’s craft, the theme, making predictions, illustrations, and the folktale genre. The “Access Complex Text” notes guide teachers to help students with elements of the genre, text features, specific vocabulary, and implicit meaning/theme. These tasks are appropriate for most Grade 5 students.

Unit 3, Week 5: Machu Picchu

• Quantitative: Lexile 990; TextEvaluator 40
• Qualitative: This persuasive article is organized around main ideas and details of each argument. The photos and captions enhance the content of the article. The language features of the text are very complex to moderately complex with some unfamiliar vocabulary and many sentences with clauses. The purpose of the text moderately complex. The subject matter knowledge is complex with a moderate level of discipline-specific content.
• Reader and Task: In order to access the genre of this article, there is a 10-minute mini lesson on author’s point-of-view. Furthermore, there is a 10-minute mini lesson about persuasive article characteristics. To access this text, teachers are directed to use a map or globe to show Machu Picchu’s location. As students read the article, there are suggested stopping points for students to pause and check understanding. On page 257, students stop to summarize. On page 258, students respond to the text by summarizing, writing about the author’s details, and make text-to-world connections.

Unit 4, Week 3: Rosa

• Quantitative: Lexile 860; TextEvaluator 51
• Qualitative: This narrative nonfiction text is organized sequentially. The illustrations enhance the content of the text. The conventionality and vocabulary are very complex, such as “The needle and thread flew through her hands like the gold spinning from Rumpelstiltskin’s loom” (page 299). The sentence structure is complex and contains clauses. The purpose of the text is implied but easy to identify. The knowledge demands are moderately complex for Grade 5 students.
• Reader and Task: Prior to reading the text, background knowledge is built through a 10-minute mini-lesson about people working for change. There is a 10-minute mini-lesson about reading a biography. In “Access Complex Text” the teacher is to remind students that biographies do not necessarily have to start with a person’s birth. In another “Access to Complex Text,” the teacher is to inform students about the end of slavery. Students are to take notes in a graphic organizer about details and author’s point-of-view. At the end of the text, students summarize Rosa.

Unit 5, Week 2: Bud, Not Buddy

• Quantitative: Lexile 950; TextEvaluator 44
• Qualitative: This excerpt of a chapter book has a clear and organized structure. The illustrations support the text, but are not essential to understanding text’s meaning. Language features are moderately complex with some dialect that may be unfamiliar to Grade 5 readers. In most places, certain dialectical terms are defined for the reader, as the terms are also unfamiliar to the main character. Meaning and knowledge demands are of a slightly higher complexity. The theme is subtle, and the story is set in the Depression era, with an orphaned boy as the main character and uniquely named adult band members as the supporting characters.
• Reader and Task: Throughout the close reading of the text, students are instructed to take notes in their graphic organizer, comparing the response of multiple characters to particular events. During the close reading, the teacher poses questions on dialect, making predictions, vocabulary, the genre, author’s craft, and making inferences. The “Access Complex Text” notes guide teachers to help students with prior knowledge of the Great Depression, connecting ideas in the story, understanding character relationships, understanding specific vocabulary, and understanding slang. These tasks are appropriate for most Grade 5 students.

Unit 5, Week 3: Global Warming

• Quantitative: Lexile 980; TextEvaluator 46
• Qualitative: The text structure is moderately complex with mostly explicit, but some implicit connections between ideas. Graphics and text features are simple and not essential for the reader to understand the text. Language features have a higher level of complexity with many subject-specific and unfamiliar terms. While some of these terms are defined for the reader, others, such as carbon dioxide, energy economy, and incandescent, are not. Because of undefined scientific terms like these, knowledge demands are high. Additionally, percentages are used throughout the text without further explanation, as in this example: “There is 30 percent more carbon dioxide in the air than there was 150 years ago” (Student Edition, page 388). Clear understanding of percentages will be necessary for full comprehension.
• Reader and Task: Throughout the close reading of the text, students are instructed to take notes using a Venn diagram, comparing and contrasting various aspects of global warming. During the close reading, the teacher poses questions on text features, author’s craft, asking and answering questions, making inferences, author’s purpose, and context clues. The “Access Complex Text” notes guide teachers to help students with text organization, connection of ideas, and specific vocabulary. Independently, these tasks may difficult for students, but with adequate guidance from the teacher, the tasks are appropriate.

Unit 6, Week 2: The Friend Who Changed my Life

• Quantitative: Lexile 860; TextEvaluator 56
• Qualitative: The structure of this text is sequential and easy to predict. The illustrations are slightly complex and not essential to understanding the text. The conventionality is very complex with figurative language such as “I wore my vulnerability like a brand-new pair of milk-white sneakers--all too ready to be scuffed” (page 451). There are many unfamiliar vocabulary words such as atrocity, wallop, corralled, ceremoniously, and fraught. The theme of the text is implied and is revealed throughout the text. The subject matter is only slightly complex since most Grade 5 students experience schooling daily.
• Reader and Task: During “Interactive Read Aloud” students learn about getting along with others, which sets up students with appropriate background knowledge for the Companion Text and for The Friend Who Saved my Life. The “Access Complex Text (ACT)” directions in the Teacher Edition provides guidance to the teacher about helping students find the meaning of difficult words. During the reading of the text, students fill in a theme graphic organizer with details about what the character does and says and how the character is influenced. Students use the graphic organizer to summarize what happened to the characters.

Two texts are significantly below the quantitative stretch grade band, but the texts are appropropriate when qualitative measures and reader and task are considered:

• Unit 1, Week 4: A Crash Course in Forces and Motion with Max Axiom, Super Scientist, by Emily Sohn: This text is below the stretch grade band with a 630 Lexile. The qualitative features of this text help bolster it to an appropriate level. The text is a graphic novel. It has speech bubbles, which are not necessarily in order from left to right. The vocabulary is subject-specific to physical science. There are references to scientific topics such as friction in space and Isaac Newton. These references are supported with separate text boxes containing definitions.
• Unit 3, Week 2: Aguinaldo, by Lulu Delacre: This text is below the stretch grade band with a 650, but the Text Evaluator places the text above the grade level with a 54. The qualitative features of this text are complex. It contains difficult vocabulary such as coquettishly and caressed. Some Spanish terms such as besito de coco are not directly defined when the word is used. The theme of the story is revealed over the entirety of the text.

One text has the appropriate quantitative measures for the grade band, but contains exceedingly complex language features and knowledge demands.

Unit 2, Week 1: Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution?

• Quantitative: Lexile 760; TextEvaluator 38
• Qualitative: This excerpt has a slightly complex text structure with mostly chronological organization and simple text features and graphics. Although the sentence structures are moderately complex, much of the vocabulary is subject-specific and will likely be unfamiliar for Grade 5 readers. With this, the knowledge demands are very complex, and although the text does explain most of the new information, the excessive volume of new names, places, conventions, committees, and abstract governmental concepts will present most Grade 5 students with difficulty in fully comprehending the text. Some, but not all, of these names and concepts from just the first seven pages include the following: Revolutionary War, Articles of Confederation, Edmund Randolph, taxes, France, Netherlands, rebels, Northampton, Worcester, Shay’s Rebellion, delegates, Confederation Congress, James Madison, Virginia Plan, legislature, House of Representatives, Senate, federal, legislative, executive, judicial, Congress, one-vote-for-one-state system, proportional representation, plantations, William Paterson, New Jersey Plan, Supreme Court, amendments, and national government coming from people, not the states.
• Reader and Task: Throughout the close reading, students are instructed to complete a graphic organizer with a focus on problem and solution. Students may have difficulty completing this independently, but with guidance from the teacher, they will have a better understanding of the text. During the close reading, the teacher poses questions about author’s purpose, text features, context clues, inferences, and author’s craft. The “Access Complex Text” notes guide teachers to help students with prior knowledge they may be lacking along with subject-specific vocabulary. With such a high quantity of prior knowledge and vocabulary needs, however, many students may struggle to fully comprehend the text in the one day allocated for it in the Suggested Lesson.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectation that anchor texts and the series of texts connected to them being accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade.

The Differentiate to Accelerate Chart in the Teacher Edition explains the text complexity attributes of each whole class text, the Lexile and TextEvaluator levels of the texts, and the places within the lesson that will help the teacher determine if the text is appropriate in terms of reader and task.

The following example is from Unit 1, Week 2 page T72:

"Whitewater Adventure" - 760L TE 39

• Qualitative: What Makes the Text Complex?
  • Organization
  • Connection of Ideas: Characters T85
• See Scaffolded Instruction in the Teacher Edition pages T81 and T85.
• Reader and Task: The Introduce the Concept lesson on pages T74-T75 will help determine the reader’s knowledge and engagement in the weekly concept. See pages T80–T89 and T102–T103 for questions and tasks for this text.

Second Day, First Impressions - 800L TE 46

• Qualitative: What Makes the Text Complex?
  • Specific Vocabulary: Context
  • Genre: Realistic Fiction T89C
  • Connection of Ideas: Clues T89C, Inferences T89G, Characters T89I, T89O
  • Sentence Structure: T89F
  • Prior Knowledge: Football T89G
• See Scaffolded Instruction in the Teacher Edition pages T89A–T89R.
• Reader and Task: The Introduce the Concept lesson on pages T74–T75 will help determine the reader’s knowledge and engagement in the weekly concept. See pages T89A–T89P and T102–T103 for questions and tasks for this text.

The Teacher Edition also contains the Instructional Path at the beginning of each week. This path lists all texts read, why students are reading each text, the educational focus, and how the texts connect to one another during the week.

Unit 1, Week 3 Instructional Path T131-T132

1. Talk about seeing for yourself: Guide students in collaborative conversations. Discuss the essential question: How can experiencing nature change the way you think about it? Develop academic language and domain-specific vocabulary on nature. Listen to “Capturing the Natural World” to summarize how an individual views nature.
2. Read “A Life in the Woods”: Model close reading with a short complex text. Read “A Life in the Woods” to learn how experiencing nature changed the way Thoreau thought about it, citing text evidence to answer text-dependent questions. Reread “A Life in the Woods” to analyze text, craft, and structure, citing text evidence.
3. Write About “A Life in the Woods”: Model writing to a source. Analyze a short response student model. Use text evidence from close reading to write to a source.
4. Read and write about seeing for yourself: Practice and apply close reading of the anchor text. Read Camping with the President to learn how President Roosevelt's trip to Yosemite changed his view of the land. Reread Camping with the President and use text evidence to understand how the author presents information about President Roosevelt’s experience. Write a short response about Camping with the President. Integrate information about Roosevelt's camping trip to Yosemite and his trip to England. Write to two sources, citing text evidence to compare Camping with the President and “A Walk with Teddy.”
5. Independent Partner Work: Gradual release of support to independent work. Tasks include text-dependent questions, scaffolded partner work, talking with a partner, citing text evidence, completing a sentence frame, and guided text annotation.
6. Integrate Knowledge and Ideas: Connect texts, text-to-text. Discuss how each of the texts answers the question "How can experiencing nature change the way you think about it?" Text to photography: Compare information about seeing nature in the texts read with the photograph of the eagle. Conduct a short research project to create a promotional map of a national park.

The instructional materials for Grade 5 meet expectations that materials provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading. There are supports to build students’ comprehension of grade-level texts in oral and silent reading.

Texts available daily to students include close reading texts, the literature anthology, paired texts, interactive work text, differentiated texts, and extended complex texts.

Weekly routines include opportunities for students to practice choral reading, partner reading, repeated reading, timed reading, echo reading, oral reading modeling, and independent reading of a variety of texts.

For example, in Unit 3, Week 3 students participate in an interactive read aloud introducing the following essential question: “Where can you find patterns in nature?” This leads to students participating in a shared reading and rereading of “Patterns of Change,” then a close reading and rereading from the Literature Anthology of The Story of Snow. Students also read a paired text, “Fibonacci’s Amazing Find,” and then a small group reading where students are working with a differentiated text and are either being read to, echo reading, or reading with the support of a partner. Extended complex texts are also available for students to read. Students are given a purpose for reading with each reread and complete graphic organizers or answer questions to support comprehension.

In Unit 5, Week 4, students participate in an interactive read aloud introducing the following essential question: “How can scientific knowledge change over time?” A shared reading and rereading of “Changing Views of Earth” is followed by a close reading and rereading from the Literature Anthology of When Is a Planet Not a Planet? Students read a paired text of “New Moon” and participate in small group reading where students are working with a differentiated text and are either being read to, echo reading, or reading with the support of a partner. Extended complex texts are also available to read. Students are given a purpose for reading with each reread and complete graphic organizers or answer questions to support comprehension.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations for text-dependent questions, tasks, and assignments requiring students to engage directly with the text and to draw on textual evidence to support what is explicit as well as make valid inferences.

During each whole-group selection, students are asked to answer a variety of literal, inferential, and evaluative questions. During whole-group reading of primary texts, students are asked to re-read to find answers to text-dependent questions. Question sets are included with each page of text. Many teacher-directed tasks support students in making connections between the text and illustrations. Questions and activities engage students in text-dependent writing and speaking opportunities.

Examples of text-dependent questions found throughout the units:

• “After you read the first paragraph of ‘A Life in the Woods’ on page 51, you might ask yourself: Why did Thoreau have to find a place of his own? Reread the paragraph to find the answer.” (Unit 1, T147)
• “Is the feeling the queen has in her heart correct? How do you know?” (Unit 2, T217D)
• “How does the first paragraph on page 205 relate to what Wesley learned in school?” (Unit 3, T96G)
• “On page 3, which clues in the sidebar explain the meaning of sediment?” (Unit 4, On Level Small Group T281C)
• “Reread the last four paragraphs on page 375. Turn to a partner and say a name you predict the band might give Bud. Look for details in the story that may help you.” (Unit 5, T89L)
• “Have students point to the two parenthetical sentences. Why does the author set these references in parentheses?” (Unit 6, T89C)

Examples of text-dependent tasks and assignments found throughout the units:

• “Remind the students to take notes as they read. Have them fill in the graphic organizer on page 22 of the Your Turn Practice Book. Ask them to record the cause-and-effect relationships in each section. They can also note words they don’t understand and questions they have.” (Unit 1, T153B)
• “Reread Chapter 4. Look for clue words that signal the sequence of events in Norman Borlaug’s life. Paraphrase the events.” (Unit 2, T177, on-level small group)
• “What are the key details on pages 220-221? What do the key details on these pages have in common? Add the main idea and details to your organizer.” (Unit 3, T153E)
• “Prompt students to apply the strategy in a Think Aloud. Have them turn to a partner and paraphrase the things Rosa is tired of. Then have them provide a brief summary.” (Unit 4, T153G)
• “Have partners figure out the meanings of the idioms 'the cat’s pajamas' (page 325), and 'like there was no tomorrow' (page 327). Encourage students to use context clues in the surrounding sentences to help them determine each idiom’s meaning.” (Unit 5, T88)
• “Reread page 481. Generate a question and share it with a partner. Look for the answer, then paraphrase the text for your partner. ” (Unit 6, T153M)

The Close Reading Companion, the Student Literature Anthology, and Reading/Writing Workshop include text-dependent questions, writing prompts, and discussion prompts that require students to engage in the text directly. The Respond to the Text questions at the end of the main literature anthology selections include summarization, writing, and making connection questions. The "make connection" questions ask students to provide evidence from the texts in the unit to answer the connection questions. Write to Source Lessons included in each weekly lesson routine include writing tasks that require student to provide evidence from the Literature Anthology texts in their writing. The Practice Book also provides questions/tasks that are tied directly to text unless the practice is a very specific skill (such as decoding).

Teacher modeling for text-dependent tasks is provided throughout instruction.

There are also “Text to Self” questions that are not text-dependent but relate to the theme of the text being read such as, “How have others helped you achieve a goal? Explain how you all worked together to meet the challenge.” (Unit 3, Week 4, TE page T209) and “When have you followed a plan in order to accomplish a task? Briefly describe the steps of the plan.” (Unit 2, Week 4, TE page 209).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectation for containing sequences of text dependent questions and activities that building to a culminating task integrating skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination). Students are provided with a Unit Big Idea and a weekly Essential Question. Students discuss the questions, make connections, and usually create a graphic organizer to be used at the end of the unit. There is repetition of this process built into the culminating tasks over the course of the school year.

Each week, an Essential Question is addressed throughout the texts and tasks. This Essential Question is revisited at the end of each text with a Make Connections Question. At the end of the week, students Integrate Ideas through Text Connections to revisit the Essential Question and create a graphic organizer using notes from the weekly read. At the end of the Unit, students Wrap Up the Unit: The Big Idea. Students use their weekly graphic organizers and notes to participate in a collaborative conversation about the Unit Big Idea. Students present their ideas and create a top five most important list as a class and are encouraged to continue building knowledge through research and discussions.

Unit 1 Big Idea:

• Where can an idea begin?

Unit 1, Week 3 Essential Question:

• How can experiencing nature change the way you think about it?

Questions at the end of the week’s texts:

• Talk about how Thoreau’s experiences at Walden Pond changed his view of nature.
• Talk about how the camping trip changed the President's view of nature.
• Talk about how Roosevelt's experience in England changed the way he thought about birds.

End of Week Integrate Ideas: Text Connections:

• Students create a four-door foldable to record comparisons about the week’s texts. Students are to compare the information they have learned about seeing things for oneself.

End of Unit: Wrap Up the Unit: The Big Idea:

• The teacher writes “Where can an idea begin?” on the board. In small groups, students will compare the information they have learned throughout the unit in order to answer the Big Idea Question. Students use an accordion foldable to record comparisons of texts. Students present their ideas and list ideas on the board. If there are more than five things, students vote to narrow down the list to the top five most important things. Students are encouraged to continue building knowledge about the Unit Big Idea.

Unit 5 Big Idea:

• In what ways can things change?

Unit 5, Week 3 Essential Question:

• What changes in the environment can affect living things?

Questions/tasks at the end of the week’s texts:

• Talk about how how wildfires change the environment for plants.
• How has a change in climate affected wildlife in different locations?
• Talk about ways that a volcano affects living things.

End of Week Integrate Ideas: Text Connections:

• Students create a shutter foldable to record comparisons about the week’s texts. Students are to compare the information they have learned about the changing Earth.

End of Unit: Wrap Up the Unit: The Big Idea:

• The teacher writes “In what ways can things change?” on the board. In small groups, students will compare the information they have learned during the course of the unit in order to answer the Big Idea Question. Students use an accordion foldable to record comparisons of texts. Students present their ideas and list ideas on the board. If there are more than five things, students vote to narrow down the list to the top five most important things. Students are encouraged to continue building knowledge about the Unit Big Idea.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for frequently providing opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax (small group and whole class). Each week, unfamiliar words are introduced and taught through a variety of activities and strategies that include discussions, writing, word morphology, and a define/example/ask routine. Each page identifies academic language that can be found in the text on that page.

Protocols and routines are presented in “Start Smart” pages at the beginning of Unit 1. Teachers are instructed to teach these procedures and routines to students in the first days of the school year. These procedures and routines will be used throughout the school year.

• “Build Background” (pages S5-S6 and pages S19-S20): introduces the concept of the weekly Essential Question. Protocol is introduced for using concept words related to the big idea, academic language, and domain-specific words in partner discussions.
• “Collaborative Conversations”: Teachers are instructed to have students watch a video outlining procedures for partner and small group conversations, then share discussion guidelines revolving around turn-taking, careful listening, adding new ideas, preparing for discussions, asking and answering questions, taking on discussion roles, and being open to all ideas.
• “Comprehension: Theme” (pages S11-S12): Teachers are guided to teach students how to answer a question by paraphrasing part of the text.
• “Genre: Literature” (pages S13-S14): Teachers are guided to teach students about close reading to analyze and evaluate what they read and to use direct quotes to cite text evidence.
• “Comprehension: Author’s Point of View” (pages S23-S24): Teachers are guided to teach students about citing text evidence when making an inference.
• “Genre: Informational Text” (pages S25-S26): Teachers are guided to teach students about using facts, details, graphs, charts, and diagrams as text evidence.

During weekly lessons, multiple collaborative opportunities are presented daily, with modeling and explicit directions provided to facilitate evidence-based discussions with a focus on academic vocabulary and syntax.

• Academic language is highlighted in the margins of the Teacher Edition, providing ease of reference and use.
• Routines and procedures are provided as periodic reminders for collaborative conversations and peer conferences.
• The vocabulary routine attends to speaking and listening skills associated with evidence-based discussions, academic vocabulary, and syntax. Students utilize a wide variety of graphic organizers and sentence frames throughout the school year.
• In Unit 3, week 5 students discuss during the first read of Machu Picchu: Ancient City: “What is the meaning of the word dwellings in paragraph four? Which words in the sentence helped you determine the meaning?”
• In Unit 5. week 5, students collaborate to identify important details in “New Arrivals Welcome” and write them in their graphic organizer. Students then work together to identify the author’s point of view. Modeled directions are provided for students about author’s point of view.

Lessons include frequent opportunities for the teacher to frame and guide discussion during Collaborative Conversations.

• In Unit 2, Week 3 during a Build Background mini-lesson students are advised to be open to all ideas. As students engage in partner, small group and whole-class discussions, encourage them to share and listen openly in their conversations. The teacher is directed to remind students that all ideas, questions, or comments are important and should be heard, so they should respect others’ opinions. Students are also told to not be afraid to ask a question if something is unclear or to offer opinions, even if they are different from others’ viewpoints.
• In Unit 2, Week 3 during a Build Background mini-lesson students are advised to listen carefully. The Teacher Edition states, “ As students engage in partner, small group, and whole-class discussions, encourage students to follow discussion rules by listening carefully to speakers. Remind students to always look at the person who is speaking, respect others by not interrupting them, and to repeat peers’ ideas to check understanding.“

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet expectations for supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and evidence.

Protocols and routines for speaking and listening are presented in “Start Smart” pages at the beginning of Unit 1. Teachers are instructed to teach these procedures and routines to students in the first days of the school year. These procedures and routines will be used throughout the school year.

• In Unit 1, Week 2 students reread the section “Whitewater Adventure” and list three details that show the story is realistic fiction. Students, while working in a collaborative group, also identify ways the author builds suspense.
• In Unit 4, Week 3 students work with a partner to discuss and complete a graphic organizer that records key details, descriptions, reasons, and evidence about Frederick's life and use the to determine the author’s point of view. The class discusses each section as teams complete them.

Students are provided speaking and listening opportunities about the target vocabulary in the Reading/Writing Workshop throughout the year. In the Smart Start instructions to teachers in Unit 1, there are specific instructions about listening comprehension such as to take turns talking, listen carefully, add new ideas, use text evidence, prepare for discussions, ask and answer questions, take on discussion roles, and be open to all ideas.

There are also speaking and listening checklists in the online teacher resources and in the description of assessments in week 6 of each unit that instruct students as they engage in partner, small group, and whole class discussions.

There are varied weekly projects (i.e., class website, oral presentations, research displays, interviews, timelines, speeches) in which students work in pairs or small groups. Then, students work in small groups to present a project through the culminating unit project.

Listening comprehension lessons are included in each weekly Interactive Read Aloud. Students are prompted to think about the genre and the strategy prior to listening to the read aloud by the teacher.

A presentation checklist is provided in the materials for students to evaluate student presentations.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet expectations for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

Writing projects, tasks, and presentations aligned to standards and allow students to learn, practice, develop, and apply writing skills across the course of the school year. Writing projects, tasks, and presentations are associated with texts of various genres, topics, or themes. Writing tasks are embedded throughout lessons and provide students opportunities for short and extended writings. For example, students write to sources, answer text-dependent questions, take notes, complete graphic organizers, and complete research projects and presentations. Students write informative, opinion, and narrative pieces focusing on topics such as ideas, voice, word choice, organization, and sentence fluency. Students are provided opportunities to work through the various stages of the writing process during which they revise their writings and conference with their peers and teacher. There are also anchor papers in the Assessment Handbook.

Each unit includes on-demand writing prompts.

• Respond to the Text: Students respond immediately to a text that has been read. For example, in Unit 2, Week 2 students write to respond to the prompt, “How does Grace Lin show that the king and the male lion both give up something important to them?”
• Write to Sources: This is a 5-day routine of evidence-based writing that repeats each week. For example, in Unit 5, Week 3 students write to respond to the prompt, “How do the photographs in this selection help you understand how living things are affected by climate change?”
• After Reading the Differentiated Texts: For example, in Unit 3, Week 3 students reading the On Level text are prompted to identify the main idea about weather in Chapter 3 using details that support the main idea.
• Research and Inquiry and Inquiry Space: writing, including evidence from researched texts. For example, in Unit 4, Week 4 students write and outline to begin a draft about the explorers Lewis and Clark. Students can collaborate digitally working with teams online through the online portal.

Each unit includes two Genre Writing process writing lessons that include 3-week process writing lessons. Students are provided with an expert model in Week 1; prewrite in Week 2; draft the writing in Week 3; and proofread, edit, publish, and evaluate during Week 3. Students can complete one or both of the lessons.

The following are examples of the writing lessons:

Unit 1: Narrative Writing

• Autobiographical Sketch, T344–T349, Week 1 - expert model, prewrite; Week 2 - draft, revise; Week 3 - proofread/edit, publish, and evaluate.
• Personal Narrative, T350–T355, Week 4 -expert model, prewrite; Week 5 - draft, revise; Week 6 -proofread/edit, publish, and evaluate.

Unit 3: Opinion Writing

• Book Review, T344–T349, Week 1 - expert model, prewrite; week 2 - draft, revise; week 3 -proofread/edit, publish, and evaluate.
• Book Review, T350–T355, Week 4 - expert model, prewrite; week 5 - draft, revise; week 6 -proofread/edit, publish, and evaluate.

Unit 5: Informative/Explanatory Writing

• Informational Article, T344–T349, Week 1 - expert model, prewrite; Week 2 - draft, revise; Week 3 -proofread/edit, publish, and evaluate.
• Book Review, T350–T355, Week 4 - expert model, prewrite; Week 5 - draft, revise; Week 6 -proofread/edit, publish, and evaluate.

Writer’s Workspace includes graphic organizers, tools, templates, model writing and organizers, scoring rubrics, writing traits mini-lessons, and editing checklists for informative, opinion and narrative writing.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations for providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. The writing prompts are balanced between informative and narrative.

Process writing prompts include opportunities for students to address different types of writing:

• Unit 1 - Narrative Text - Autobiographical Sketch and Personal Narrative
• Unit 2 - Informative Text - Invitation with Directions and Explanatory Essay
• Unit 3 - Opinion Writing - Book Review and Opinion Essay
• Unit 4 - Narrative Text/Poetry - Fictional Narrative and Poetry
• Unit 5 - Informative Text - Informational Article and Research Report
• Unit 6 - Opinion Writing - Book Review and Opinion Essay

On demand prompts and quick writes include opportunities for students to address different types of writing:

• In Unit 2, Week 2 students add an event to the story. “What did the Prince do and say in the beginning of his show, Dancing with the Prince?”
• In Unit 5, Week 4 students write to answer the prompt, “Explain the meaning of Joseph Allen’s quote on page 355. Use text evidence to support your answer.”
• In Unit 6, Week 4 students write to answer the prompt, “In your opinion, should all pesticides be banned? Use text evidence.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectation for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information. The materials include weekly opportunities for students to respond to one or two texts in a variety of writing modes including informative, opinion, and narrative analysis.

Examples of opportunities for evidence-based writing are:

• Unit 1, Week 3, students answer the prompt, “What effect did living in the woods have on Thoreau? Use text evidence to support your answer.”
• Unit 2 , Week 4, students answer the prompt, “Add another event to the story. Describe a new obstacle Ping must overcome before he crosses the ocean.”
• Unit 3, Week 2, students answer the prompt, “In your opinion, which friend was most helpful in surviving Survivaland? Provide reasons for your response.”
• Unit 4, Week 3 students answer the prompt, “How did the events in Frederick Douglass’s early life shape his adult life? Use text evidence.”
• Unit 5, Week 1 students answer the prompt, “In your opinion, were Ida B and Ravi justified in feeling upset about the changes in their lives? Use details from Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World and 'A Dusty Ride' in your writing.”
• Unit 6, Week 4 the Teacher Edition states, “Explain that students will compare Planting the Trees of Kenya and 'The Park Project.' Provide students with the following prompt: In your opinion, what was the biggest effect that the actions of Wangari Maathai and the students from 'The Park Project' had on others?”

The Write to Sources weekly lesson objectives are to have students write in response to the texts of the week. Students write to the Reading/Writing Workshop text by writing in response to a prompt. Most prompts require text evidence to answer. Some prompts do not require text evidence.

• Day 1: Writing Fluency – Students respond to a text-dependent question.
• Day 2: Write to Reading/Writing Workshop Text – An evidence-based expert model is provided and discussed, students analyze their prompt, take notes with evidence, then write.
• Day 3: Write to Literature Anthology Text – The teacher guides students in analyzing the prompt, identifying and collecting evidence, students write, then the teacher conferences with students (guidance is provided for conferencing).
• Days 4 and 5: Write to Two Sources – The teacher guides students in identifying and collecting evidence, students write, then students conference with peers. Guiding questions are provided for peer conferences.
• Throughout the week, the Teacher Edition and supplemental online materials provide instructional supports for analyzing models, analyzing prompts, collecting evidence, using graphic organizers, structuring responses, and conferencing.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the expectations for materials, questions, and tasks addressing grade-level CCSS by providing instruction in phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, morphology, and reading fluency in a research-based and transparent progression.

Each week of each unit addresses foundational skills for phonics through instruction, application, and assessment. Whole group phonics/fluency instruction is provided as part of every weekly lesson.

• One 20-minute mini-lesson is taught each week. Each mini-lesson targets two primary skills. For example, in Unit 1, week 1 short vowels are taught, although these are below Grade 5 level foundational skills.
• Each mini-lesson also includes a focus on reading multi-syllabic words and on a particular fluency skill, such as reading rate or accuracy.

Differentiation of phonics and fluency instruction is supported in the small group instruction lessons. Students are provided multiple opportunities to practice the strategies for learning foundational skills during these teacher-led lessons and when completing the Your Turn practice pages that correspond to the foundational reading skills lessons.

Phonics is also addressed through the spelling. Phonics through spelling in Unit 1 and Unit 2 are review phonics from prior grade levels, such as in Unit 1, Week 1, short vowels are taught. In Unit 2, Week 2, plurals are taught. By Unit 4, prefixes such as un- and re- are taught in the spelling.

• Some of the skills are reinforced in the weekly spelling list, but none of the skills are applied in reading instruction, writing instruction, weekly/unit assessments, or culminating tasks.

Other routines for phonics and spelling are described in the “Instructional Routine Handbook” on pages R18 and R50. Phonics and spelling are assessed with dictated sentences the students must write and through phonics passages in which students read words with the phonics spelling patterns presented for the week.

Aside from the Phonics/Fluency lessons, fluency is also addressed through partner reading, choral reading, echo reading, and timed reading. Progress monitoring of fluency and recommendations and lessons for interventions are provided in the curriculum.

Vocabulary is taught in each unit through lessons called Build Vocabulary. These include a 5-day plan for students to learn categories of words such as synonyms, idioms, metaphors, suffixes, and root words.

• Day 1: “Connect to Words” in which students are asked a series of questions that can only be answered with an understanding of the vocabulary word.
• Day 2: “Expand Vocabulary” in which students are taken through a series of activities that generate different forms of the word such as adding or deleting suffixes or inflectional endings.
• Day 3: “Reinforce the Words” in which students complete sentence stems with words related to the weekly vocabulary.
• Day 4: “Connect to Writing” in which students write sentences in their notebooks using the vocabulary words.
• Day 5: “Word Squares” in which students create word squares for each vocabulary words (Frayer model- define, illustrate, example, non-example).

Morphology is taught through “Build Vocabulary” and in some Vocabulary Strategy lessons.

• In Unit 1, Week 4, students learn eight vocabulary words and study the morphological changes that occur when adding, changing, or removing inflectional endings. Students learn that a root is a basic part of a word that gives the word its meaning. The teacher models breaking down democracy into dem- and -cracy. Students work in pairs to figure out the meaning of biography, astronomy, and phone while reading the companion text, “Fantasy Becomes Fact.”
• In Unit 4, Week 3, students learn prefixes and suffixes. The teacher is directed to let students know a prefix is added to the beginning of words, while suffixes are added to the ends of words. Students learn un-, in-, and non- for prefixes. Students learn -ly, -er, and -or. As students read the companion text, “Frederick Douglass: Freedom’s Voice,” they are to determine the meaning of unexpected, hesitantly, and Liberator.
• In Unit 5, Week 5, students learn that a root word is the basic word part that gives the word its main meaning. The teacher models how to determine the meaning of invasive by pointing out invade is in invasive. Vas and vad come from a Latin word meaning “to go.” With a partner, students determine the meaning of nonnative and avian.

Materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet expectations for materials, questions, and tasks guiding students to read with purpose and understanding and to make frequent connections between acquisition of foundation skills and making meaning from reading.

Materials provide explicit instruction of new vocabulary along with multiple routine activities for students to work with new and unfamiliar words and figurative language. The Instructional Routine Handbook also describes routines for teaching new vocabulary words beginning on page R40. The materials do include activities for making meaning from unfamiliar words read in context during close reading of text sets each week.

• In Unit 1, Week 3 page T153I, “Homographs, such as posts on page 55, are words that have the same spelling but different meanings. Used as a noun, posts means ‘pieces of wood fixed firmly in the ground.’ It can also mean ‘military bases.’ Used as a verb, to post mean ‘to mail or publish.’ You can use context clues to help you figure out the meaning of homographs. What does posts mean as it is used on page 55?”
• In Unit 2, Week 3 page T159E, “Use context clues and word parts to help you determine the meaning of though and wouldst.”
• In Unit 3, Week 1 page T25K, “Cause-and-effect clues can help you find a word’s meaning. What cause-and-effect clue helps you find the meaning of blurted on page 193?”
• In Unit 4, Week 1 page T25K, “What is the meaning of the word hurled on page 272? Use the antonym grabbed and other context clues to help you figure out the definition.”
• In Unit 5, Week 2 page T89K, “Point out that the author uses musical terms that give the story a more authentic feel. Explain the meaning of each musical term. Point to the recorder in the illustration on page 374. Say: 'Show me how you would play a recorder.'”
• In Unit 6, Week 2 page T89C, “Point out the word convoluted on page 452. What context clues help you figure out what convoluted means? What is the meaning of convoluted?”

Opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of the application of word analysis skills to grade level text occur during weekly assessments. The materials include two weekly assessments, and both are referred to as the "Weekly Assessment." There is also a selection test for each week.

• In the Unit Assessment, there are vocabulary questions where students are required to identify the meaning of a vocabulary term.
  • Unit 1, “The precaution I had taken of fully charging it had done no good. The prefix pre- means “before.” What does the word precaution mean?”
• In Weekly Assessment, there are vocabulary questions where students are required to use context clues to define a vocabulary term.
  • Unit 3, Week 2, “They became adept at protecting and herding sheep and other animals whereas their ancestors would have made a meal of them. This ability made dogs very useful. What does the word adept mean in the sentence?"
• In the Selection Test, the first eight questions ask students to identify definitions for each of the week's vocabulary words with no context provided.
  • “What does the word inquisitive mean?” (Unit 4, Week 2)

Each week, “Vocabulary: Words in Context” and “Vocabulary Strategy” are introduced prior to reading texts.

• For “Vocabulary: Words in Context”, the week's vocabulary words and definitions are introduced through a 10-minute mini-lesson using the Reading/Writing Workshop text prior to the shared read and the close read. The text provides an example of the word used in an isolated sentence, along with a representative picture and a question for partners to discuss. The week's vocabulary words are highlighted in the shared read and the close read; however, there is no instruction for teachers to revisit the words or their meanings in context.
• For "Vocabulary Strategy," the week's vocabulary strategy is introduced through a 10-minute mini-lesson using the Reading/Writing Workshop text. Students are instructed to practice applying the skill with one or two words in the shared read (in the Reading/Writing Workshop text).

The Teacher Edition usually provides one opportunity for teachers to direct students in applying the vocabulary strategy skill during the close read.

• Close Read - "Build Vocabulary"
  • Throughout the close read (in the Literature Anthology), "Build Vocabulary" words are called out in the margins of the Teacher Edition. These words are not related to the "Words in Context" or the "Vocabulary Strategy." Instructions are not provided with the words, but definitions are.
• Close Read - "Access Complex Text: Specific Vocabulary"
  • At one or two points during the close read, a vocabulary word or word part is called out in the Teacher Edition for teachers to discuss with students.
• "Build More Vocabulary" - Each day, an additional vocabulary skill is introduced or reviewed. These skills include, but are not limited to, homographs, homophones, academic vocabulary, context clues, related words, prefixes, and suffixes.
• With the exception of the "Context Clues" activities, most practice activities involve students creating isolated sentences with the words, discussing examples, creating charts, and composing/decomposing words with word parts.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet expectations for providing students frequent opportunities to practice and achieve reading fluency in oral and silent reading, as well as to read on-level prose and poetry with accuracy, rate appropriate to the text, and expression.

Fluency routines are described in the Instructional Routine Handbook on page R36A. Routines included are partner reading, choral reading, echo reading, and timed reading. For example:

• "Phonics/Fluency" - At the end of a 20-minute phonics lesson, the "Fluency" box directs teachers to model a fluency skill (expression, accuracy, or rate). Students then practice with echo reading, choral reading, or partner reading.
• Small Group - At each reading level, after completing the leveled reader, the teacher models reading one page, then students practice (together as a group, with a partner).
• Reader's Theater - At the end of each Unit, during week 6, students practice their parts for Reader's Theater every day.
• Reading Workstation cards include a fluency card and reader's theater card to be used in workstations for week 6.

Weekly sets of lessons focus on one aspect of fluency as listed below along with some sample activities. Most of this fluency instruction occurs in differentiated small group instruction. Each unit focuses specific fluency skills such as expression, rate, phrasing, accuracy, and intonation. For example:

• In Unit 1, Week 4 and Unit 2, Week 3, the teacher models reading with expression and appropriate phrasing. Students chorally read the same passage the teacher modeled. Students can also practice fluency using the Your Turn Practice Book passages.
• In Unit 2, Week 1, the teacher models reading with appropriate rate and accuracy. Students choral read the same passage as the teacher modeled. The teacher listens for rate and accuracy.
• In Unit 3, Week 1, the teacher models reading with intonation. Students read in partners alternating paragraphs and using intonation like the teacher modeled.
• In Unit 4, Week 1, the teacher models reading with expression. Students take turns partner-reading paragraphs while practicing reading with expression.
• In Unit 5, Week 4, the teacher models reading with accuracy. Students take turns reading page 353. As one student reads, the partner follows along, checking for accuracy. Students review skipped or mispronounced words.
• In Unit 6, Weeks 4 and 5, the teacher models reading with expression and appropriate phrasing. In Week 5, the teacher models how to read with expression and appropriate phrasing while reading a poem. With a partner, students take turns reading the poem using expression and appropriate phrasing.

Opportunities to demonstrate oral fluency are provided through the Your Turn practice book.

• Each week, two out of ten activities focus on fluency and comprehension. Students read a passage aloud with a partner and answer comprehension questions. Partners track each other’s words correct per minute on the first read and second read.
• Lexile levels for the reading passages are not provided in the student handbook or the teacher's annotated version. Without Lexile levels, the data for words per minute cannot be compared as students progress through the school year.

Students have the opportunity to practice fluency with poetry by reading and rereading poetry selections. Students read “A Simple Plan,” “Stage Fright,” “Catching Quiet,” and “Foul Shot” in Unit 2. In Unit 4, students practice reading fluency with poetry by reading and rereading “How I Hold the Summer?,” “Catching a Fly,” When I Dance,” “Words as Free as Confetti,” “Dreams,” and “A Story of How a Wall Stands.” In Unit 6, students read “To Travel,” “Wild Blossoms,” “You are my Music,” “You and I,” and “Time to Talk.”

Fluency assessments are included in the instructional materials. A beginning of the year diagnostic assessment is provided to determine students’ needs in foundational reading skills. The series includes blackline masters for fluency benchmarking and ongoing fluency assessment.

• Thirty assessments are provided for the entire school year.
• In the introductory section of the handbook, teachers are instructed to use at least two selections every two to three weeks for most students.
• In each unit, the first passage is set at a Lexile level below the grade-level band, the next two are within the grade-level band, and the last two are at the high end or beyond the grade-level band.