The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading.

The teacher reads aloud a Literature Big Book for each week of the first three units. These big books include a paired read in the back of the book. All of these big books are of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading. These anchor texts are examined multiple times for multiple purposes and are used to expand topics and essential questions, build vocabulary, and prompt writing. These big books are all engaging and include a mix of informational texts and literature. A Literature Anthology replaces the Literature Big Books for Units 4- 6. These stories are equally as engaging.

Quality literature texts in the materials build academic vocabulary and facilitate access to future texts. Quality informational texts in the materials are engaging and provide students with opportunities to gain and broaden their knowledge base and personal perspective on a variety of topics at various levels of depth/meaning.

Examples of quality Grade 1 texts include but are not limited to:

• A Second is a Hiccup by Hazel Hutchins is an informational picture book which describes the abstract concept of time in child-friendly terms. The text includes appealing watercolor illustrations as well as rhyme.
• Mystery Vine by Catherine Falwell describes gardening to young readers. The text includes collages of full color art illustrations and descriptions of the ripening process.
• Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein is a humorous picture book that students will relate to. The text uses dialogue that will hold the attention of young readers.
• Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre includes dynamic collages and rhyming text that delineates a day in the life of a turkey vulture. The poetic text uses questions that will engage children.
• Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold is a humorous tale that is structured into three chapters and illustrated with engaging cartoon art.
• Fun with Maps is an informational text that teaches about maps. There are clear illustrations that are used to enhance student understanding as well as domain specific vocabulary.
• The Big Yucca Plant by Magaly Morales includes illustrations that are vibrant and bright and help students understand new and unfamiliar vocabulary.
• How Bat Got it’s Wings by Gerald McDermott. The engaging folktale and bright, colorful illustrations of animals will engage Grade 1 students.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations for reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards. Read Aloud Texts, Literature Big Books and Paired Selections include a balanced mix of literary and informational texts. Genres represented in the materials include, but are not limited to, fantasy, realistic fiction, poetry, Informational Texts, expository text, folktales, biographies, legend and narrative Informational Texts.

Example of texts representing the balance of text types and genres include the following Literary Texts:

• Unit 1, This School Year Will Be the Best by Kay Winters (Realistic Fiction)
• Unit 2, “The Three Little Pigs” Read Aloud (Folktale)
• Unit 3, On My Way to School by Wong Herbert Yee (Fantasy)
• Unit 4, “How Bat Got Its Wings” by Gerald McDermott (Folktale)
• Unit 5, Now What’s That Sound? (Realistic Fiction)
• Unit 6, “Abuelita’s Lap” by Pat Mora (Poetry)

Example of texts representing the balance of text types and genres include the following Informational Texts:

• Unit 1, Friends by Nina Crews (Informational Text)
• Unit 2, The Best Spot (Informational Text)
• Unit 3, Mystery Vine, Read Aloud (Informational Text)
• Unit 4, Vulture Views by April Pulley Sayre (Informational Text)
• Unit 5, “Saving Mountain Gorillas” Time for Kids (Informational Text)
• Unit 6, March On! (Informational Text)

The texts read aloud for Grade 1 meet the indicator for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for this grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to their associated student task(s). The text presented for students in this series if of quality that will develop independent readers over the course of the school year. Anthology texts increase in complexity over the course of the school year, as do accompanying student tasks.

Texts that are of the appropriate complexity include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 2, students read a fantasy in the Literature Anthology, Go Pip (pgs. 26-39), by Tomeck Bogacki. This text measures qualitatively as 30 Lexile.The organization is clear and sequential. The language is easy to understand. The sentences are simple and will be easy for students to understand. Students will write about and engage in finding text evidence and describing details (p. T114)
• In Unit 1, Week 3, students are read the Big Book: Cool Dog, School Dog. This text measures qualitatively as 450 Lexile. This text has complex sentence structure and connection of ideas. The untraditional sentences and hyphenated adjectives in the text may cause some children who have difficulty understanding the texts. Students will need to synthesize information from the text and illustrations in order to fully understand what is happening in the story. Students respond to the text and listen to the teacher model retelling and fluency. Students are guided to use text evidence as they respond to the following question, “How does the author use illustrations to help tell the events of the story?”
• In Unit 3, Week 3, students will read a folktale in the Literature Anthology, The Gingerbread Man (pp. 50-65,), by Wiley Blevins. This text measures qualitatively as 320 Lexile.The organization of this text is clear and easy to predict. The illustrations are supportive of the story. The sentence structure and vocabulary are fairly simple. Students will write about and engage in finding and using text evidence to understand how the author uses text, craft, and structure to develop a deeper understanding of the story (p.T159A) Scaffolding is also used to assist teachers to support readers’ needs.
• In Unit 5, Week 5, students will read a nonfiction selection in the Literature Anthology, Building Bridges. This text measures qualitatively as 550 Lexile.This expository text structure is a straightforward definition structure. The captions with the photographs are helpful. Students will use text evidence to understand how the author presents information on different types of bridges (pp. T320-321) Scaffolding is also suggested to support learners needs.
• In Unit 6, Week 3, students read the Literature Anthology, Rain School. This text measures qualitatively as 440 Lexile. This story takes place in the African country of Chad. Children may be unfamiliar with the way of life in Chad. Students are guided to understand that the story takes place in a part of the country of Chad where they do not have construction workers with tools and big machines to build buildings. Students are directed to review the details in the text and illustrations that tell you about how the people are building the school.Teachers are directed to help students understand schooling in Chad by discussing the questions, “What are ways being a student in Chad is different from being a student in the United States? How is it the same?” Students fill in a graphic organizer to determine author’s purpose.The quantitative measures for this series’ was big books dropped off in Lexile levels halfway through the series. The interactive read alouds provide discussion opportunities for students, but are listed as on grade level. For example, in “The Cat’s Bell’, students are instructed to, “turn to a partner and talk about other words that could have been used instead of rumbled,” and “Why is putting the bell on Max considered such a risk?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectation that anchor texts and series of connected texts are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level. For each unit, the Teacher’s Manual includes a text complexity analysis including quantitative, qualitative, and reader and task information. This text complexity information is included for the Literature Big Books, the Reading/Writing Workshop stories, and the leveled readers.

The materials are clear about the level of text complexity and what students will gain from using these texts. For example, in Unit 3, Week 3, teachers are provided with the literature big book Interrupting Chicken which has a Lexile Score of 360. Teachers are provided with qualitative information that indicates that students will be working on organizing and connecting ideas as well as reader and task information which provides teachers with a more detailed description and specific page numbers for teaching the lesson/skill for the week.

The Teacher’s Edition also contains the Instructional Path at the beginning of each week. This path lists all texts read, why students are reading the text, the educational focus, and how the texts connect to one another during the week. There is also a Research Base Alignment in the online resources. Additionally, a page is provided at the beginning of each week’s materials for teachers entitled “Differentiate to Accelerate.” Teachers are instructed on this page, “If the text complexity of a particular section is too difficult for children, then see the references noted in the chart below for scaffolded instruction to help children Access Complex Text.”

The instructional materials for Grade 1 meet the expectations for materials providing opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading, and there are supports to build students’ proficiency of grade level texts. Resources are provided to offer students texts to engage in a range and volume of reading. There are leveled texts, literature big books, and reading/writing workshop books, as well as book suggestions for extending complex texts.

Before each unit on the Differentiate to Accelerate Teacher pages, there is information for teachers titled “Monitor and Differentiate.” This information guides teachers towards lessons they can use to reteach, develop, extend and review material for students. This page also contains additional information for English Language Learners.

Text examples that show specific evidence for range and volume of reading from the Grade 1 materials include:

• In Unit 2, Week 3, students read At a Pond (190L) in the Literature Anthology. The text is also paired with a poem, “Way Down Deep.” The topic is modeled from the Literature Big Book Babies in the Bayou. Students are also engaged in reading “The Best Spot” (160L). The leveled readers range from 170L to 370L. Students practice literacy skills of retelling and citing text evidence. Students integrate new knowledge and reading with partners to gain gradual release to independent work by answering text-dependent questions and using text to text ideas to integrate knowledge and ideas. Teachers use the weekly Data Dashboard to progress monitor students for grouping decisions.
• In Unit 6, Week 4, students read a fiction story in the Literature Anthology, Lissy’s Friends (460L). The paired text is “Making Paper Shapes” (510L). A realistic fiction story, “A Spring Birthday” (380L), is modeled for students. Students also engage in reading the interactive nonfiction Read Aloud Cards, “Let’s Dance.” The leveled readers range from 290L to 440L. Students practice literacy skills of understanding the theme or the central message of the text. Students are tasked with integrating new knowledge and ideas while making text to text and text to photography connections. Students engage in independent partner work to answer text-dependent questions in the Close Reading Companion in order to support the transition to gradual release to independent work. Teachers use the weekly Data Dashboard to progress monitor students for reading growth and grouping.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations of most questions, tasks, and assignments being text-based and requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). Questions support students’ literacy growth over the course of the year.

Questions and tasks are connected to texts are text-based. These questions and tasks support students in drawing on textual evidence to support their learning of explicit information and inferences in a text or text set. Text-based questions and tasks require readers to produce evidence from texts to support opinions or statements when writing and speaking. These questions support students’ literacy growth over the course of the school year.

The teacher materials reviewed provide support for planning and implementation of text-based writing and speaking activities through the Integrate Ideas Section for each week. Materials provide support for planning and implementation. For example, in Unit 3, Week 3, Day 3 of the close reading of The Gingerbread Man teachers are to teach cause and effect using the text: “A cause is what makes a character do something. An effect is what the character does. What did Gram do? (She made a man out of gingerbread.) Why did she do that? (She wanted a grandson.) Let’s add the cause and effect to our chart.”

In Unit 2, Week 1, students read, “Good Job, Ben!”. Text-based questions and tasks include, “Who is doing a job? What job does the woman have? How does she help people? What are the men doing? Why are they getting wet? What jobs do the people on these Pages have? How does Miss Glen help Ben?” Students also engage with the text, The Red Hat. Text-based questions and tasks include, “Who is the main character? Where is she? What event has happened? How do the illustrations help you know what Jen's new job is? Where is she sleeping when the fire bell rings? What do you think will happen? Where is Jen now? What is happening there? What does Jen do? How did the illustrations help you know Jen's job is important? What sentence does the author repeat on these pages? What does this help you know about Jen's job? Where is Jen? Where is Jen now? What event happens? Why does the author show Jen doing a different thing on each page? Why do you think the text says, thank you Jen after Jen gets Rex? Where did Nguyen take the photos? How did the photos help him draw the pictures?”

In Unit 5, Week 5, students read Building Bridges. Text-based questions and tasks include, “How does the author use captions to help us understand the main idea? What is the effect when triangle tubes are used to support a truss Bridge? What have the details in the selection been about? What is a key detail on pages 266 to 267? What is this selection mostly about? Why does the author ask and answer questions in the text? Why did the author include three photographs of the Rolling Bridge instead of just one?” Students also engage with the text, Small Joy. Text-based questions and tasks include, “Is this a good caption for the photo? What key details tell you what tiny houses are like? What other information could the author include in the caption? Why does the author use photographs instead of illustrations? Why is Small Joy a good title for this selection?”

The Close Reading companion also provides more text-based questions for students to work with. For example, after reading The Gingerbread Man students are asked text based questions such as, “ Why do you think the author repeats words in the story? What is different when the Gingerbread Man meets the fox? What happens when the Gingerbread Man meets the duck? What happens when he meets the fox? How do the illustrations help you understand what is happening?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectation for materials culminating tasks that support series of text dependent questions and activities. Students are provided with a Unit Big Idea and a weekly Essential Questions. Students discuss questions, make connections, and create a graphic organizer to be used at the end of the unit. Similar processes are included at the end of most units to build students' ability to engage with the texts.

Each week an Essential Question is addressed throughout the texts and tasks. This Essential Question is revisited at the end of each text with Integrate Ideas activities. At the end of the week, students Integrate Ideas through Text Connections, Research and Inquiry, and Speaking and Listening activities. Students revisit the Essential Question and create a graphic organizer using notes from the weekly read. For Example in Unit 1, Week 4 students complete integrate ideas activities to connect to the week’s texts:

• Connect to the Essential Question: Write the essential question on the board: What do friends do together? Read the essential question aloud. Tell children that they will think about all of the selections they have read and what they have learned about friendship and things children do together. Say: We have read many selections on this topic. We will compare the information from this week’s Leveled Readers and Toss! Kick! Hop!, Reading/Writing Workshop pages 74–83. Evaluate Text Evidence Guide children to review the selections and their completed graphic organizers. Have children work with partners to compare information from all the week’s reads. Children can record notes using a Foldable®. Guide them to record information from the selections that helps them answer the Essential Question.
• Research and Inquiry: “Have children create a checklist and review their posters:
  • Does their poster focus on a single sport or game?
  • Does the poster have all the information that they wanted it to include?
  • Does the image give details and information about the sport or game?
  • Did they write complete sentences to describe the topic?
  • Have they taken notes about what they will say when they present their poster to the class?
  • Guide partners to practice sharing their posters with each other. Children should practice speaking and presenting their information clearly. Guide children to present their work. Prompt children to ask questions to clarify when something is unclear: What do you like best about this sport or game? Do the details on the poster help explain the sport? What did you learn that you didn’t know before? Have children use the Presentation Checklist online.”
• Text to Fine Art: “Read aloud with children the Integrate activity on page 28 of the Close Reading Companion. Have partners share reactions to the painting. Then guide them to discuss how it is similar to the selections they read earlier in the week. Have partners collaborate to complete the Integrate page by following the prompts. Present Ideas and Synthesize Information When children finish their discussions, ask for a volunteer from each pair to share the information from their Foldable® and their Integrate pages. After each pair has presented their ideas, ask: How does learning about what different children do help you answer the Essential Question, What do friends do together? Lead a class discussion asking students to use the information from their charts to answer the Essential Question.”
• Speaking and Listening: “As children work with partners in their Close Reading Companion or on their posters, make sure that they actively participate in the conversation and, when necessary, remind them to use these speaking and listening strategies: Speaking Strategies: Wait their turn to speak and to comment on the topic under discussion. Ask questions and give others a chance to think after they ask their questions. Use gestures and point to their posters or other visuals to communicate ideas and information. Listening Strategies: Listen quietly without interrupting as others speak. Listen to the words and pay attention to visual displays the speaker uses. Write down any questions they want to ask while listening to others.”

At the end of the Unit, during Week 6, 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 the class creates a list. For example in Unit 3, Week 6 students Wrap Up the Unit by addressing the Big Idea: What can happen over time? Students make text connections that connect to the big idea:

• Text to Text: “Write the Unit Big Idea on the board, ‘What can happen over time?’ Remind children that they have been reading selections about how people, animals, and other things can change over time. Divide the class into small groups. Tell children that each group will compare what they learned about what how things change over time to answer the Big Idea question. Model how to compare this information by using examples from the Leveled Readers and what they have read in this unit’s selections.”
• Collaborative Conversations: “Have children review their class notes, writing assignments, and completed graphic organizers before they begin their discussions. Ask children to compare information from the unit’s selections and presentations. Have children work together to take notes. Explain that each group will use an Accordion Foldable® to record their ideas. Model how to use an Accordion Foldable® to record comparisons of texts. Guide children to focus their conversations on what they learned about how things can change over time.”
• Present Ideas and Synthesize Information: “When children finish their discussions ask for volunteers from each group to share their ideas aloud. After each group has presented, ask: What have we learned about how different things can change over time? Lead a class discussion and list children’s ideas on the board.”
• Building Knowledge: “Have children continue to build knowledge about the Unit Big Idea. Display classroom or library sources and have children search for articles, books, and other resources related to the Big Idea. After each group has presented their ideas, ask: What can happen over time? Lead a class discussion asking children to use information from their charts to answer the question.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations for providing frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

Vocabulary routines are provided on Day 1 of each unit, and visual vocabulary cards are provided. A discussion follows the teacher introduction of the words. The vocabulary words are used during the discussion. Students then are instructed to complete the Talk About It activity from the Reading/Writing Workshop book with a partner. A “Collaborative Conversation” chart is included, with different strategies students can focus on each week.

Also on Day 1, students are instructed to retell the story. Students are prompted to retell with a partner using key ideas and details. During this activity, students cite text evidence. Additionally, a grammar rule is taught, and students have time to work in partners to talk and practice the rule. This routine occurs on Days 2, 3, and 4 as well.

The Speaking and Listening Standards addressed are referenced. Oral vocabulary is reviewed on Day 2, and on Day 3 new words are introduced using the same Define/Example/Ask routine. On Day 3, all the words are reviewed.

On every Day 4, students collaborate with partners to peer review and edit each other's’ writing.Students also engage in discussions with partners to complete research projects and culminating projects. Examples of discussion activities are:

• Speaking and Listening: “Engage in collaborative conversation about weather. Retell and discuss Rain School. Present information on how the weather can affect us.”
• Language Development Conventions: “Use special pronouns Vocabulary Acquisition. Develop oral vocabulary predict cycle creative frigid scorching. Acquire and use academic vocabulary country gathers. Use context clues to understand similes.”
• Collaborative Conversation: “Take Turns Talking: As children engage in partner, small-group, and whole-group discussions, encourage them to: take turns talking and not speak over others, raise their hand if they want to speak, and to ask others to share their ideas and opinions.”

In Grade 1, texts are supported with questions and prompts that promote evidence-based discussions. The speaking/questioning prompts are accompanied by a yearlong approach to developing skills over the course of the school year. Materials provide multiple opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions across the whole year’s scope of instructional materials. Support for evidence-based discussions encourages modeling and a focus on using academic vocabulary and syntax. Teacher materials support implementation of these standards to grow students’ skills.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations for supporting students' listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching with relevant follow-up questions and evidence.

In the majority of the lessons, there are opportunities for speaking and listening, whole group discussions, small group discussions, and partner discussions, that correlate to the Common Core Standard S.L.1.1 of engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions. The curriculum includes Collaborative Conversations supports, graphic organizers, Access Complex Text information, Conference Routines, and modeled Think alouds. Students are prompted to refer to the text with each task and modeled think alouds include text evidence.

Instructional time is dedicated to student’s practicing and applying speaking and listening skills daily and often. In First Grade, speaking and listening instruction is applied frequently over the course of the school year and daily. It includes facilitation, monitoring, and instructional supports for teachers. Students have multiple opportunities over the school year to demonstrate what they are reading through Make Connections or Respond to Text (or read aloud) and researching through varied speaking and listening opportunities within the Integrate Ideas on Day 4 and Day 5.

Students are expected to integrate ideas through Day 4 and Day 5 using speaking and listening skills weekly. Through the use of Make Connections and Respond to Text in each week, students talk about things learned and listen to others speak. Speaking and Listening skills are also directly addressed during the Close Read Companion task. For example, in Unit 6, Week 1 teachers are directed to monitor students as they work with partners in their Close Reading Companion or on their posters to make sure that they are actively participating in the conversation, and when necessary, remind children to use these speaking and listening strategies. A list of speaking and listening strategies is provided:

• Speaking Strategies:Have conversations about their work with both peers and adults. Work together with diverse partners in small and large groups. Give directions about what steps need to be done to make the idea happen.
• Listening Strategies: Restate directions about what steps need to be done to make the idea happen, to make sure the directions are understood. Ask questions to get additional information or to clarify something that they might not have understood the first time. Pay attention when having a conversation with someone and look at the person who is speaking.

During Research and Inquiry each week, students complete weekly projects. Each week students are asked to work in pairs or small groups to find out more about the weekly reading topic. Students use what they learn from their reading and discussions as well as other sources to find additional information. There is an option to set up a Shared Research Board to post illustrations and other information that students gather as they do their research.

The instructional materials for Grade 1 meet the expectations for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing and short, focused projects incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

Each week students read and write about text in a mix of on-demand and process writing. On Days 1 and 2, students participate in both a shared and interactive evidence-based on-demand writing using the week’s texts. On Days 3, 4, and 5 students complete an independent process writing in which students analyze a student model, write, find textual evidence, apply a writing trait, revise, edit, and publish a writing. Digital resources are provided each week for additional practice.

In Unit 1, Week 5 the essential question is, “How does your body move?”. During Reading Writing Workshop, students engage with the texts, “Move and Grin!”. Students also read the Literature Anthology Move It! and the Paired Read “Using Diagrams”. During the week students address both on-demand and process writing prompts including but not limited to:

• Shared Writing: Analyze the Prompt: “Tell children you work together to write a response to a question. Read the prompt aloud. How do the kids and animals move? Say: To respond to this prompt, we need to look at the text and photographs in ‘Move and Grin!’”
• Find Text Evidence: “Explain that you reread the text and take notes to help answer the question. Read aloud pages 96 to 97. Say: On page 96, the text tells me that Scott’s frog can hop and jump. I see the frog doing a big jump in the photograph. On page 97, the text tells me that Scott can hop and jump, too. The photograph shows the boy doing a big jump. The text and photographs tell me that a frog and a boy can move in the same ways. We can use details like these to help us respond to the prompt. Let’s write them in our notes.”
• Write to a Prompt: “Reread the prompt to children. How do the kids and the animals move? Say: We can use our notes to remember information to use for our writing. Let’s use our first note to write a sentence about how Scott and his frog move: Scott and his frog can hop and jump. Write the sentence. When I read a note, think of a sentence we can write using the information we recorded. Track the print as you reread the notes. Guide children to dictate complete sentences for you to record. Read the final response as you track the print. If needed, write these sentence frames and model how to complete one using the notes: Fran and her dog can . Stan and his horse can. Skip can and his crab can, too.”
• Independent Writing: “Have children turn to page 93 in the Literature Anthology. Read the prompt: Use the words first, next, then, and last to describe the steps needed to make one of the motions in Move It! Say: First, you choose a motion that one of the children does. Then, you explain how the child makes that motion. You use the words first, next, then, and last to put the motions in order. The next step in responding to the prompt is to find text evidence and make inferences.”
  • Find Text Evidence: Say, “To respond to the prompt, we look for clues in the text and photographs to help us make inferences. Say: Look at page 86. What is the child in the photo doing? (handstand) Did the author choose a picture that shows us the first step or the last step of the handstand? (last) How do we know? (child is upside down; child has hands on the ground) Now let’s think about what else we know about doing handstands. What other steps do you need to do when you do a handstand? What is the first step? (guide children to consider the steps needed to make a handstand) Have children take notes as they look for evidence to respond to the prompt.”
  • Write to the Prompt: “Guide children as they begin their writing.”
    • Prewrite Have children review their notes and plan their writing. Guide them to put the steps of the motion in order by thinking about which step comes first, next, then, and last.
    • Draft: Have children write a response to the prompt. Remind them to use evidence from the text and what they know to make inferences. As children write their drafts, have them focus on the week’s skills: Order of Events. Put the steps needed to make one of the motions in order of first, next, then, and last.
    • Trait: Organization Clues Use evidence from the text or photos. Trait: Ideas Statements Place a period at the end of each statement.
    • Grammar: If needed, write sentence frames and model how to complete one: First, Next, and then, Last,

The materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectation for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support recall of information, opinions with reasons, and clear information appropriate for grade level. 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.

Frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing occur in each week of instruction. For example, in Unit 6, Week 3, the essential question is, “How can weather affect us?” Students write multiple times for multiple purposes to address this question’s topic. Examples of writing opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• Writing Write to Sources- Students draw evidence from fiction text, write informative text and conduct short research on the weather.
• Write About Wrapped in Ice- The teacher models writing to a source. Students analyze a short response student model. Students use text evidence from close reading to write to a source.
• Shared Writing- Students write about Wrapped in Ice.
• Interactive Writing- Students analyze a student model, write about Wrapped in Ice and find text evidence.
• Independent Writing- Students write about Rain School. Teachers are directed to provide scaffolded instruction to meet student needs. Students prewrite, draft, revise, edit, and write a final draft. Students then present, evaluate, and publish their writings.
• Shared Writing- Students write about the Reading/Writing Workshop text.
  • First, students analyze the prompt. The Teacher’s Edition states, “Tell children that today the class will work together to write a response to a prompt. Read the prompt aloud. What happened in Wrapped In Ice? Say: To respond to this prompt, we need to look at the text and illustrations in Wrapped In Ice.”
  • Next students, find text evidence. The Teacher’s Edition states, “Explain that you will reread the text and take notes to help respond to the prompt. Read aloud pages 264–265. Say: The text and the illustrations tell me what happened in the story. For example, Kim heard a strange sound. She looked outside and saw everything coated in ice. In the illustration, I see that the tree branches and roads are covered in ice. Kim asked her mom about the ice storm. These are details that will help us answer the question. Let’s write them down in our notes.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet expectations for explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions/language standards as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of the context. Across the year, students are taught nouns, all types of verbs, adjectives,different types of pronouns, prepositions, different types of sentences, and proper nouns. Additionally, there are many lessons on conventions: commas in a series, capitalization of plays and book titles, commas in dates, capitalization and punctuation, apostrophes, and abbreviations. Grammar lessons also increase in difficulty over the course of the school year as the skills become more advanced. At the beginning of the year students are working on more basic skills such as sentences and statements while at the end of the year students are working on indefinite pronouns and adverbs.

Teacher supports are explicit:

Unit 5, Week 2: Adjectives

1. Model: Tell children that an adjective is a word that describes a noun. Explain that adjectives tell number, color, size or shape. They also tell how things look, sound, feel, smell or taste….
2. Guided Practice/Practice – Display the sentences below and read the aloud. Have partners work together to identify the adjectives.
3. Talk About it – Have partners work together to orally generate sentences that tell about the size and shape of objects on their desks.
4. Link to Writing – Say: Let’s look back at our writing and see if we used adjectives to describe nouns. Did we use them correctly? Review the Shared Writing for the correct use of adjectives.

Unit 6, Week 3: Grammar Special Pronouns

• Explain/Model
  • Explain that some pronouns do not refer to a specific person, place, thing, or number. Explain that anyone means “any person” and everyone means “all people.” Display the following sentences: Does anyone know what time it is? Everyone thought the joke was funny. Explain that anything means “no special thing,” everything means “all things,” and nothing means “no thing.” You can have anything you want for lunch. There is nothing in the mailbox
• Guided Practice/Practice
  • Display the paragraph below and read it aloud. Have children identify the pronouns. Does anyone know what is in the box? Everyone thinks the box is filled with peanuts. “I do not think there is anything to eat in that box,” said Nate. The children looked in. Nothing was in the box! (anyone, everyone, I, anything, nothing)
• Talk About It
  • Have partners orally generate sentences using anyone, everyone, anything, everything, and nothing.
• Link to Writing Say:
  • Let’s look back at our writing and see if we used any special pronouns. Did we use them correctly? If special pronouns are not in the Shared Writing, work with children to add them and reread the response together.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations of this indicator. Materials include explicit instruction for and regular practice of letter-sound relationships, phonemic awareness and phonological awareness (K-1), and phonics (K-2) that demonstrate a transparent and research-based progression.

Start Smart

During the three weeks of Start Smart, the first unit of the year, there are phonemic awareness and phonics lessons, which review Kindergarten standards. Week 1, Day 1 includes instruction in identifying phonemes and relearning the phonics of /m/ m and /s/ s. The teacher uses The Alphabet Poster and students sing the “Alphabet Song.” In Week 2, Day 5, students practice identifying rhyming words such as not and lot. For phonics instruction, students are retaught /b/ b and /l/ l.

A sample week of phonemic awareness and phonics in Grade 1 contains:

• In Unit 6 Week 1
  • Day 1 – Phonemic Awareness – Phoneme identity
  • Phonics – Introduce/Blend Variant Vowel /u/ (oo, u, u_e, ew, ue, ui and ou)
  • Day 2 – Phonemic Awareness – Phoneme segmentation and Phonics – Review variant vowel u (blend and build as well)
  • Day 3 – Phonological Awareness – Identify and generate rhymes and Phonics – Blend with Variant Vowel /u/
  • Day 4 – Phonological Awareness – Syllable deletion, Phonics/Structural Analysis – Build words with variant vowel /u/, Suffixes –ful, -less
  • Day 5 – Phonemic Awareness – Phoneme segmentation and substitution, Phonics/structural analysis – Blend and Build words with variant vowel /u/, and Suffixes –ful, -less

Small group phonics lessons are also provided at the end of each week for students who were approaching grade level, on grade level, and beyond grade level.

Phonological/Phonemic Awareness topics covered in Grade 1 include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students work on identify rhyme, phoneme isolation, blending segmentation.
• In Unit 2, Week 4, students work on phoneme isolation, categorization, blending, segmentation
• In Unit 3, Week 5, students work on phoneme segmentation, blending, deletion
• In Unit 5, Week 3, students work on phoneme categorization, substitution, blending, addition

Phonics lessons provide students with opportunities to learn grade-level phonics skills include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 3, students learn the inflected ending of -ing
• In Unit 3, Week 1, students learn long a with a_e
• In Unit 4, Week 3, students learn long o with o, oa, ow, oe
• In Unit 5, Week 1, students learn r-controlled vowel ar
• In Unit 5, Week 5, students learn diphthongs oi and oy

The instructional materials contain phoneme awareness and phonics which progresses in difficulty over the course of the school year. At the beginning of the year students work on short vowels and ending blends while at the end of the school year, students work on more challenging variant vowel sounds.

The instructional materials for Grade 1 meet the expectation that materials, questions, and tasks provide explicit instruction for and regular practice to address the acquisition of print concepts, including alphabetic knowledge, directionality, and function (K-1), structures and features of text (1-2).

Students are taught print concepts starting in Unit 1. Print concepts from Kindergarten are reviewed. Grade 1 print concepts lessons include:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, during Interactive Writing, the teacher guides students forming complete sentences: Track the print as you reread the notes. Then guide children informing complete sentences as you share the pen with them, using capital letters and periods.
• In Unit 2, Week 3, during Listening Comprehension, the teacher reminds students that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark. The teacher also explains that some pages contain only part of a sentence, and that you must turn the page to read the end of the sentence.
• In Unit 3, Week 4, during Listening Comprehension, the teacher reminds students that some pages contain only part of a sentence and you must turn the page to read the end of the sentence. The teacher also mentions that The Last Train is a poem and each line begins with capital letter.

The materials have opportunities for students to learn text features. For example:

• In Unit 2, Week 5, during Respond to the Text in Day 3, students learn about maps with Connect to Content: Using a Map. Students discuss what they have learned about maps and the teacher is to provide a collection of maps for students to study and then share with the class.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, during Extend the Concept, students learn about the captions. The teacher displays Teaching Poster 18 and reads the captions for the two top photographs and states: These captions give information about the two photographs. The first caption tells about tall buildings. The second tells us what people like to do in parks.
• In Unit 5, Week 5, during Extend the Concept, students learn about directions. The teacher displays Teaching Poster 15 and states: This set of directions tells you how to plant seeds. The child in the photographs is following these directions. The first thing you must do is pack dirt in a pot. The second step is to poke holes in the dirt. You can use your fingers to do this, like the child in the photograph.

In the instructional materials, there are opportunities to identify text structures.

• In Unit 2, Week 5, during Comprehension in Day 2, students learn about the structure of informational text. The teacher reviews characteristics of informational nonfiction. Students then learn about Main Idea and Details as a text structure of nonfiction text. With the teacher, students find evidence in the text to figure out main idea and details.
• During the Extend the Learning, the teacher may remind students about structures of text. For example, in Unit 5, Week 4, the teacher states: Remind children that they have been reading fiction about sounds and how they are made. Tell children they can also use informational selections to find facts and details about sounds.
• In Unit 6 Week 4, on Day 2 – students analyze the genre realistic fiction. This lesson includes modeling and guided practice/practice for identifying elements in a story that are realistic fiction. On Day 4 students also analyze the text feature – directions. This lesson includes an explain, model and guided practice/practice portion as well. Students then use this skill in the next text selection – “Making Paper Shapes.”

The instructional materials for Grade 1 meet the expectations that instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and gain decoding automaticity and sight-based recognition of high frequency words. This includes reading fluency in oral reading beginning in mid-Grade 1 and through Grade 2.

The Grade 1 program works on several areas of fluency: accuracy, building fluency, expression, intonation, phrasing, rate, rereading for understanding of words, tracking print, volume and word automaticity. They also provide several ways to work on the fluency whether in connected text, reading aloud, partner reading, choral reading, modeling fluent reading, echo-reading, and sound/spelling.

In Unit 1 Week 3, fluency is addressed in the following ways:

• Fluency • Appropriate phrasing Decodable Text • Apply foundational skills in connected text RF.1.2b, RF.1.2c, RF.1.2d, RF.1.3, RF.1.3b, RF.1.3g, L.1.1c
• Model Fluency Phrasing Turn to page 27 of Cool Dog, School Dog. Point to the commas and the period on the page.
• Focus on Fluency With partners, have children read A Pig for Cliff. Remind them that they can ask themselves questions to make sure they understand what they are reading.
• Decodable Reader - Have children read “Cliff Has a Plan” (pages 25–30) to practice decoding words in connected text.
• Build Fluency: Word Automaticity Have children read the following sentences together at the same pace. Repeat several times.
• Quick Review Build Fluency: Sound-Spellings Display the Word-Building Cards: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, I, a, ck, b, c, d, f, g,
• Model Fluency Read the sentences one at a time.
• Differentiated Texts Sound/Spellings Fluency Display the following Word-Building Cards: bl, cl, fl,
• Fluency in Connected Text Have children review the Decodable Reader selections.

In Unit 6, Week 3 fluency is addressed in the following ways:

• Fluency • Intonation Decodable Text • Apply foundational skills in connected text RF.1.3, RF.1.3e, RF.1.3g, RF.1.4a, RF.1.4b, RF.1.4c
• Focus on Fluency With partners, have children read Wrapped in Ice. Remind them that they can ask themselves questions to understand what they are reading.
• Build Fluency: Sound-Spellings Display the Word-Building Cards: wr,
• Decodable Reader - Have children read “Miss Wright’s Job” (pages 57–60) and “Know About Snowstorms” (65–68) to practice decoding words.
• Build Fluency: Word Automaticity Have children read the following sentences aloud together at the same pace.
• Word Work/Fluency - Phoneme Segmentation, Phoneme Substitution,
• Word Automaticity Help children practice word automaticity
• Fluency Intonation Review what it means to read with expression when you read aloud and that when you come to a comma, you should pause briefly.
• Differentiated Texts Sound/Spellings Fluency Display the following Word-Building Cards: bl, cl, fl,
• Fluency in Connected Text Have children review the Decodable Reader selections.

The small differentiated reading groups also reference fluency. For students who are approaching grade level, fluency practice is in the lesson plan, and then also listed again for more practice afterward. Building fluency with phonics is also included. For students who are on level, fluency is part of the lesson plan, but not listed for more practice afterward.

In Smart Start, there is practice for decoding automaticity through Build Fluency: Sound Spellings. On Week 1, Day 2, student practice the sounds of a, m, s. On Week 1, Day 4, students practice the sounds of a, m, n, p, r, s, t. On Week 3, Day 1, students practice the sounds a, b, c, ck, d, e, f, h, i , k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t.

In Unit 1 and part of Unit 2, students practice decoding words with short vowels. For example, in Unit 2, Week 2, students relearn to decode the short u. In Unit 3, Week 1, students learn to decode words with long a: a_e. In Unit 5, Week 1, students are taught to decode r-controlled words with ar. As part of guided practice for all those lessons, students participate in guided practice by reading a list of words.

Irregularly spelled words and high frequency words are addressed. During High-Frequency Word lessons, students practice reading, spelling, and writing irregularly spelled and high-frequency words.

• In Unit 1, Week 4, Day 1, students learn: fun, make, they, too
  • The teacher displays High-Frequency Word Cards and uses the Read/Spell/Write routine to teach each word.
  • The teacher points out the irregularities in sound/spelling, such as the long a sounds spelled ey in the word they.
• In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 1, students learn: caught, flew, know, laugh, listen, were
  • After the Read/Spell/Write routine, students participate in guided practice.
• In Unit 6, Week 5, Day 3, students learn: favorite, few, gone, surprise, wonder, young
  • Students participate in guided practice, which includes Visual Vocabulary Cards.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations that materials, questions, and tasks provide systematic and explicit instruction in and practice of word recognition and analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

Each week students were provided with high-frequency words that they would be learning over the course of the week. These words were explicitly taught through whole group lessons that focused on teacher modeling and a read/spell/write routine. These words were also used in context throughout the week and appeared in the reading/writing workshop book and again in small group instruction. The instructional materials has practice of word recognition and analysis skills both in connected text but also in isolated text through practice books or in class work.

During Start Smart, the beginning three-week unit, ten sight words are taught and reviewed each week.

The words are introduced and practiced in isolation, using the Read/Spell/Write routine. Sometimes students practice writing in the air. Kindergarten words are practiced as well. These words are practiced in context in the third week.

In Unit 1, Week 1, four high-frequency words are taught, and students have opportunities to read the high-frequency words in connected text.

• Day 1: The teacher models reading the four new sight words A read/spell/write routine is used to teach the words. Students practice reading sentences containing the new words.
• Day 2: The four words are practiced and added to a word bank. Students review the words they learned during Start Smart.
• Day 3: Students review the four words again using some visual vocabulary cards. They chorally read sentences containing the words. They review current and previous words in the word bank.
• Day 4: Students practice the four words again, and use them orally in sentences.
• Day 5: Students again review the words. Students write sentences with each word.

In the differentiated guided reading groups, the sight words are reviewed again. The words are reviewed after the approaching level and on level lessons.

Much of the phonics instruction is practiced in connected text. In Unit 5, Week 2, students are working on r-controlled vowels.

• Day 1: A sound-spelling card is shown, and the letter/sound connections are made. Students blend letters into words, and then practice reading words and sentences.
• Day 3: Students review the r-controlled vowels again. Students blend words. Students practice decoding words and a few sentences.
• Day 4: Students review and blend words again. Students write dictated words with partners. Students read Decodable Readers.
• Day 5: Students read words and also practice reading them quickly. They don’t read/practice the words in context.

In the differentiated guided reading groups, the sounds are reviewed again, and decodable readers are read again in the approaching and on level groups.

The instructional materials for Grade 1 meet expectations for materials supporting ongoing and frequent assessment to determine student mastery and inform meaningful differentiation of foundational skills. Teachers are provided with a wealth of assessment resources online and in assessment books.

Assessment books are included with the instructional materials: a Placement and Diagnostic Assessment book, a Unit Assessments book, and a Running Record/Benchmark Assessments book.

Grade 1 students are assessed with a placement test during the third week of the school year. Everything needed is included in the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment book. Grade 1 students are to be assessed on either a comprehension test, or phonemic awareness subtests and a letter naming fluency assessment. If students score 80% or higher on the phonemic awareness subtests, and score at or above the appropriate benchmark for letter naming fluency, or 80% correct or higher on the comprehension test, then teachers are instructed to begin lessons with students with the Wonders On Level materials. Similar instructions are given on how to place students in the Wonders Approaching Level materials (pp. 6-7).

There are many other assessments included in the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment book. There is a chart on page 13 outlining a general testing schedule. For example, it is suggested that Grade 1 students be assessed on phonological and phonemic awareness subtests, sight word assessments, and a phonics survey at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Other assessments are to be considered for the middle and end of the year. Since many states use a screener such as DIBELS or the TPRI, alignment information is provided (pp. 16-27). The phonemic awareness assessments, the letter naming fluency assessment, and some of the other assessments appear to be publisher-written. The phonics assessment is called The Quick Phonics Survey and is written by Jan Hasbrouck.

In the Teacher Edition, each week there is a Monitor and Differentiate box. These boxes provided teachers with instructions for a quick check to see if students understand the concept. For example in Unit 1, Week 2, teachers are instructed “Can children apply the strategy visualize?” Based on this question teachers are provided with additional pages they can reference to further support students.

Additionally, in the Teacher Edition, each week there is a page that includes progress monitoring information and a chart with guidelines to help teachers know how to use assessment results. In the back of the Teacher Edition, teachers are also provided with a chart on how to use assessment results.

Examples of informal assessments include:

• Quick Checks: Wonders provides many opportunities for you to observe students independently practice a strategy or skill taught in whole group instruction. • The Quick Check reminds you to observe your students and see if any of them are having difficulty with a skill they have just learned. • You can use this information to decide if this is a skill you need to address in small group instruction.
• Assignments: Every assignment or activity allows you to assess reading behaviors. Assignments do not need to be formally graded, but they should be treated as a potential source of information about what students know, what they still need to learn, and what their misconceptions or difficulties are. • Review assignments, noting both strengths and weaknesses, and present the student with oral or written feedback.
• Classroom Observations: You have opportunities to observe your students at work and at play, working alone, and interacting with other students. Be systematic with the way you do and record the observations.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 1 meet the expectations that materials, questions, and tasks providing high-quality lessons and activities that allow for differentiation of foundational skills. The monitor and differentiate boxes, small group lessons, English Language Learner boxes and corrective feedback boxes provide teachers many opportunities to target the needs of students. Students are given repeated opportunities to practice foundational skills over the course of the week. Phonics skills that are targeted for the week recur again and again throughout weekly lessons. Teachers are constantly checking for students’ understanding of these skills and provide with additional supports to help all students achieve mastery. As evidenced below students were also given many opportunities over the course of the week to work on foundational skills.

For every unit, there are pages titled Differentiate to Accelerate. These pages include the quantitative, qualitative, and reader/task information, as well as an outline for where to find information on how to differentiate for English Language Learners, how to differentiate using the Quick Checks, and also how to differentiate using the leveled readers. (Unit 3, Week 1, T7)

On every Day 1, and throughout the week, there are many scaffolds for English Language Learners. While many of these have to do with comprehension and vocabulary, there are some that have to do with foundational skills. “Phonemic Awareness: Minimal Contrasts: Focus on articulation. Say /a/ and note your mouth position. Have children repeat.” (Unit 3, Week 1, T13)

Periodically, there is Corrective Feedback given. “Sound error: Model the sound that children have missed, then have them repeat the sound.” (Unit 3, Week 1, T13)

Each day, there is a Monitor and Differentiate box. The Quick Check is listed. Some of these have to do with comprehension, but some of them have to do with foundational skills. “Can children read and decode words with long a: a__e? Can children recognize and read high frequency words?” Then, directions are given for small group instruction. The information in this box that referenced foundational skills remained the same throughout the week. (Unit 3, Week 1, T15)

Differentiation is provided within the small differentiated reading groups. The students in Approaching grade level practice skills a lot more than the students in on grade level and beyond grade level groups. In Unit 3, Week 1:

• Approaching: There are 4 short lessons for phonological awareness, 5 for phonics, including 1 for building fluency with phonics, 3 for reviewing and reteaching high frequency words, 2 for structural analysis, and 1 for rereading text for fluency. (14 lessons)
• On: 1 lesson for phonics and 1 lesson for reteaching high frequency words. (2 lessons)
• Beyond: The focus is not foundational skills during that week.