2nd Grade - Gateway 2

The materials provide a well-defined teacher resource for content presentation, including a Table of Contents sectioned by Unit, Lesson, and Appendix. There are three teacher guides provided for the HD Wordmaterials. The Introductory and Appendix sections are well organized to display the content for easy navigation. In addition, each unit begins with a Unit Planner that outlines the parts of the lesson, time limits, instructional resources, and more. The Introduction, Appendix, and Lesson materials provide detailed information and instructional routines that help teachers implement all foundational skills content effectively. The online materials in the Supply Room contain additional resources and instructional materials for teachers to utilize.

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

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, each unit has a planner in the beginning. The Planner outlines each section of the lesson plan, which skills will be evaluated, and the amount of time that a teacher should spend on each section. 

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1, Introduction, the Unit Structure of HD Word resource provides the structure for the units, which is 33 Units with five daily lessons. There is guidance for the amount of time the lessons will take and the structure of the daily lessons. The resource also explains the lesson design, which includes concepts, materials, objectives, what you need to know, HD Word online, teacher notes, I Do, We Do, You Do, unit planner guidance, and student workbooks. 

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1, Introduction, the Items in the Supply Room of HD Word Online resource lists the sections and resources found in the Supply Room with the online resource. The supply room has teacher resources, instructional resources, Reading Playground, EL Resources, Vocabulary, and Heart Word Magic.  

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

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 2, Lesson 1 introduces the oral reading procedures. The section of the lesson called What You Need to Know details the purpose of oral reading lessons, an overview of the procedure, data tracking resources, error marking, and information about the oral reading passages.  

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 3, Lesson 1, the teacher reviews the Oral Reading procedure with students. The teacher says, “in the previous unit, we learned about the Oral Reading procedure we will complete in every unit. In our Oral Reading procedure, three Readers will read text aloud while the rest of the class acts as Checkers to record the readers’ errors, or ‘misreads.’ This will help the Readers read more accurately. We also learned how the Checkers will mark the Reader’s misreads as he or she reads. Today, we will complete the Oral Reading procedure for all three Readers. We will also learn how the Readers will calculate their Words Correct per Minute (WCPM) and Accuracy Percentages and how they will record those scores on their Tracking Charts.”

• In HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 4, Lesson 3, in the activity Reading Two-Syllable Words with Closed Syllables, What You Need to Know, the teacher guidance provides information for the teacher on syllables including types of syllables, rules for closed syllables, and how to read multisyllabic words.

The materials contain detailed, adult-level explanations of foundational skills concepts. The HD Word materials provide detailed examples of the foundational skill concepts for the teacher within the Teacher Guide lesson plans, Appendices, and Supply Room resources.

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

• In the HD Teacher Guide, Appendix, there is a definition for diphthong, which explains it has two parts and the position of the mouth changes as a diphthong is articulated. Materials explain they are also called “glides”  or “gliding vowels” because the mouth glides from one part of the vowel sound directly into another. 

• In the HD Teacher Guide, Appendix, a short vowel is defined as a vowel sound produced with a little tension in the vocal cords, also called “lax.” It also explains the five short vowels in English: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/. 

• In the HD Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 4, Lesson 3, What You Need to Know, there is an explanation of syllables, which includes, “A syllable is a unit of spoken language organized around a vowel phoneme. Every syllable has a vowel sound. Most syllables have one or more consonant phonemes, but this is not necessary. There are six syllable types: closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, vowel team, r-controlled vowel, and consonant-le.”

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

• In the HD Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 2, Lesson 3, materials explain consonant blends for the teacher with examples. It includes, “Bl and nd in the word blend are 2-sound consonant blends” and “Scr in scrap and -mpt in the word prompt are 3-sound consonant blends.”

• In the HD Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 5, Lesson 3, What You Need to Know, there is a definition of open syllables and examples provided. It includes, “An open syllable is a syllable that ends in a single vowel letter. Some examples are me, pilot, and open.” 

• In the HD Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 8, Lesson 3, in What You Need to Know, there are reminders about schwa, including, “The most common sound for schwa is /uh/ as in zebra. The vowel phoneme in the second syllable in zebra has less energy than a typical vowel sound and is articulated similarly to the short u phoneme. The sound is /ih/ as in bonnet. The vowel phoneme in the second syllable in bonnet has less energy than a typical vowel sound and is articulated similarly to the short i phoneme.”

The materials include a research-based lesson plan design that provides whole group and small group instructional minutes that support practice to mastery. Lesson pacing is designed to be completed within a year. The lesson plan design consistently follows an I Do, We Do, You Do lesson structure. The planner for each unit follows a structured weekly routine and indicates the amount of time for explicit instruction, practice to mastery, small group instruction, and independent practice.

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

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, the “Really Great Reading Instructional Block” document states that it is based on a 90-minute reading block that was influenced by research with the National Research Council (1998). 

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, the “Really Great Reading Instructional Block” document states that the instructional block should integrate principles from Gough and Tunmer’s Simple View of Reading model (1986) and Scarborough’s Reading Rope (2001), while also incorporating the National Reading Panel (2000). 

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, Research and Timing for Blast Instruction, it indicates a portion of the reading block design stems from Shanahan (2019) and Reading Rockets’ recommendation to enhance comprehension through building vocabulary and practicing writing.

• In the HD Word Online, Teacher Supply Room, Research, the Notes on Scope and Sequence indicates that the design for early literacy is based on an English word-level statistical analysis to determine the most teachable and predictable patterns in the English Code.

• In the HD Word Online, Teacher Supply Room, Research, the Notes on Scope and Sequence explains that 97% of teachable and predictable patterns are taught by the end of second grade. 

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Introduction, pg. viii, there is a section on high-frequency words that states Heart Words are taken from the Dolch 220 list developed by Edward William Doch, Ph.D, published in the 1948 book, Problems in Reading.

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

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, Unit 6, Day 1 begins with 15-20 minutes of whole group instruction, five-10 minutes of whole group practice to mastery, and 10-20 minutes of small group instruction. 

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 3, Lesson 3, the teacher spends 15-20 minutes teaching the phonics concept to the whole group. Support is provided for students for 10-20 minutes of small group time as students work on a cold read with the decodable passage, “Lunch at the Mall.” Then, students use the Unit 3, Spell It! template for five-10 minutes of practice.

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 2, the Unit 14 Planner allocates 15-20 minutes to direct instruction for oral reading, phonemic awareness, phonics concepts, and student practice in a whole group and 10-20 minutes daily for small group instruction.

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

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, Research and Timing for HD Word Instruction, provides a sample lesson plan using Unit 5, Lesson 1, which includes:

  • 1 minute review Oral Reading procedure

  • 12 minutes complete Oral Reading procedure

  • 4 minutes investigate the text

  • 5 minutes Heart Word instruction

  • 5-10 minutes Practice to Mastery whole group

  • 20-30 minutes small group instruction

  • 30-40 minutes independent practice over the course of the week 

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 2, Unit 18, Planner for the Lesson 1-5 lesson plan includes 15-20 minutes of daily instruction, five-10 minutes of pratice to mastery daily, 10-20 minutes of small group instruction, and 30-40 minutes of independent practice over the course of the week. 

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 3, Unit 28, Planner Lesson 1-5, the lesson plan includes 15-20 minutes of daily instruction, 5-10 minutes of pratice to mastery daily, 10-20 minutes of small group instruction, and 30-40 minutes of independent practice over the course of the week. 

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

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, the Introduction states HD Word can be completed in 33 weeks, and there are 33 units. 

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1 states students are immersed in 75-100 weekly minutes of explicit teacher-led foundational skills instruction.

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1 states that completion of all 33 HD Word units enables students to read decodable and grade-level text fluently. Each unit provides 15-20 daily direct instruction and 10-20 teacher-led small group instruction.

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

• The HD Word Teacher Guides include 33 Units, with five lessons for each unit, for a total of 165 days of instruction.

The materials provide an alignment document for formative and summative assessments and an extensive alignment document for all foundational skills tasks. The Beginning, Middle, and End of Year Program Assessment document outlines the standards alignment to baseline and summative assessment items. Game Mapping provides alignment of formative assessments in Reading Playground to skills aligned to the grade-level standards, as well as the practice and review activities. Foundational Skills lessons and review activities are noted in the Program Assessment document. 

Materials include denotations of the foundational skills standards being assessed in the formative assessments. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, HD Game Word Mapping, Unit 2, in Games 1 and 2 they assess digraphs and blends through Reading Playground Games Digraph or two sound blends, and Digraph Blend vs. two-sound blends which align to standard RF.2.3.

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, HD Game Word Mapping, Unit 11, Game 1 assesses identifying graphemes and vowel spellings with the Reading Playground Games Segmenting Sounds, which aligns with standard RF.2.3.

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, Benchmark Score Document, students are assessed on single-syllable closed syllable words with digraph blends with Games 1 and 2, which align to standards RF 2.3, 3.3, 4.3, and 5.3.

Materials include denotations of foundational skills standards being assessed in the summative assessments. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, Summative Assessment Content and Standards Alignment, Game 9, students are assessed on multisyllabic words with closed and open syllables, which is aligned to standards RF.2.3, RF.2.3.a, RF.3.3, RF.4.3, and RF.5.3.

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, Beginning, Middle, and End of Year Program Assessments, Mid Interval Assessment Content and Standards Alignment, indicates Game 11 assesses understanding of syllable types and standards alignment indicates RF.2.3, RF.2.3.a, RF.3.3, RF.4.3, and RF.5.3.

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, Summative Assessment Content and Standards Alignment, Game 15, students are assessed on two- and three-syllable words with r-controlled and other vowels. The skills are aligned to standards RF.2.3 and RF.2.3c. 

Alignment documentation is provided for all tasks, questions, and assessment items. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Materials include various alignment documentation for all tasks, questions, and assessment items. For example: 

  • The HD Game Mapping document provides alignment information for tasks and questions. In Unit 14, Game 1, students work on vowel sort /or/, /ar/, and /er/. The document states that the tasks are aligned with standards RF.2.3, RF.3.3, RF.4.3, and RF.5.3.

  • The HD Word Formative Assessment Guide provides alignment to assessment items. Unit 1, Game 1 indicates alignment with RF.2.3, RF.3.3.c, RF.4.3.a, and RF.5.3.a.

Alignment documentation contains specific foundational skills standards correlated to specific lessons. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the HD Online, Supply Room, Unit 10, Lesson 3, students read two-, three-, and four syllable words with additional vowel team spellings for long e and review previously learned concepts such as closed syllables with short vowel sounds, open syllables and VCe words with long vowel sounds. The Standards Alignment for this lesson indicates it is aligned to standards RF.2.3 and RF.2.3c.

• In the HD Online, Supply Room, Reading Playground Formative Assessments, Unit 22, Lesson 3, students read two-syllable words with consonant -le. The Standards Alignment for this lesson indicates it is aligned to standards RF.2.3.f, RF.3.3c, RF.4.3a, and RF.5.3a.

The materials provide opportunities for small group instruction daily in a 25-30 minute small group block. The materials provide guidance to the teacher for scaffolding and adapting lessons found in the Supply Room and in the Teacher Guides, with supports embedded within the lessons or in the margins. The Teacher Guide contains a Differentiation Option that includes information for scaffolding and adapting lessons to support students who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level.

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

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1, Unit 4, the following guidance is found in the small group instruction area on the Unit Planner: 

  • Day 1 - Review decodable passage from previous unit, additional high-frequency word practice as necessary using Heart Word Magic activities

  • Day 2 - Use additional examples from the Teacher Guide with your small group

  • Day 3 - Unit 4 decodable passage “Basketball Contest” cold read, Unit 4 Spelling Words practice using the Spell It! Template

  • Day 4 - Unit 4 decodable passage “Basketball Contest” practice read, Unit 4 spelling words practice, Unit 4 challenge words practice using Syllaboards

  • Day 5 - Unit 4 decodable passage “Basketball Contest” warm read, Unit 4 spelling words practice and (optional) test, Unit 4 dictation sentences

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 2, Unit 14, the following guidance is found in the small group instruction area on the Unit Planner: 

  • Day 1 - Review Unit 13 decodable passage, additional high-frequency word practice as necessary using Heart Word Magic activities 

  • Day 2 - Use additional examples from the Teacher Guide with your small group

  • Day 3 - Unit 14 decodable passage “Earth Day” cold read, Unit 14 Spelling Words practice using the Spell It! Template

  • Day 4 - Unit 14 decodable passage “Earth Day” practice read, Unit 14 spelling words practice, Unit 14 challenge words practice using Syllaboards

  • Day 5 - Unit 14 decodable passage “Earth Day” warm read, Unit 14 spelling words practice, and (optional) test, Unit 14 dictation sentences  

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

• In HD Word Online, Supply Room, Differentiation Resources, the teacher is prompted to use alternative finger-stretching procedures to support students based on their abilities. 

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 2, Unit 20, Lesson 2, in the margin of the book, there is a box that states, “Remember to review and use motions for each of the ‘other’ vowel phonemes. The motions are detailed in Lesson 2 of Units 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. These motions are recommended for all students, particularly for those at the Foundations level.”

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 2, Unit 16, Lesson 2, in the margin of the book, there is a box that states, “Three different challenge levels are provided for this activity. Students should practice at the highest level at which they are capable. Levels increase in difficulty as students are given less information about the phoneme they are asked to substitute. The Challenging level gives students the name of the phoneme and the sound itself (as in, change the long o, /ō/, to other vowel /oi/). The More Challenging level gives students the name of the phoneme without the actual sound (as in, change the long a to /oi/). Students must first determine the long a sound and then substitute /oi/ for long a. The Most Challenging level takes it one step further, asking students to change the vowel sound to a new sound without being told the original sound (as in, change the vowel sound to /oi/).

• In the HD Word Teacher Guide, Book 1, Appendix B, Differentiation Strategies, this resource provides strategies for students who are struggling to: 

  • Spell the consonant sounds correctly during Build a Word

  • Spell the vowel sounds correctly during Build a Word

  • Blend the sounds to pronounce the word during Build a Word 

  • Read the High-Frequency words automatically and accurately

  • Substitute or delete phonemes accurately in the phoneme manipulation activities

• In the HD Word Online Resources, Supply Room, Differentiation Resources, there are resources that support students who read, write, speak, and listen below grade level. The following resources are available: 

  • Really Great Reading for Students with Dyslexia

  • HD Word for Students with Special Needs

  • Really Great Reading for English Language Learners

  • Phonics Suite Small Group Instruction