7th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the expectations for anchor texts are of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

The materials provide students with a variety of high-quality texts. The majority of anchor texts in the units are engaging, well-written, content-rich published works and feature many award-winning authors. The text supports the topic units and the skills presented in each lesson and considers a range of student interests such as: making choices, using social media, and accessing an education.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, students read an excerpt from the autobiography, Bad Boy, by Walter Dean Myers. This award-winning author explores an engaging and language-rich event from his childhood that led to personal growth. This excerpt serves as a model for the use of the writer’s craft of language.
• In Unit 2, students read the article, “The Joy of Instagram” by Megan Garber. This high-interest article argues how taking pictures of special life events enhances those experiences. Since most students can relate to media platforms such as Instagram, students will be engaged in reading this text while also being exposed to the rich academic vocabulary that is present in the article.
• In Unit 2, students read the speech, “Nobel Lecture” by Malala Yousafzai. In this well-known speech, the youngest Nobel laureate, Malala Yousafzai discusses the importance of access to education in all communities. Students will be interested and engaged in the text because it is written by an age-appropriate figure, and the text contains rich academic vocabulary.
• In Unit 3, students read the novel, Tangerine, by Edward Bloor. This thought-provoking novel provides an introduction to the unit’s theme: Choices and Consequences. The novel follows a middle school student, Paul, through a series of events where Paul and his fellow classmates ultimately suffer the consequences of their various choices.
• In Unit 4, students read the poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost. This poem includes an illustration of the appearance of Robert Frost. This is a popular poem that many have previously heard. If students are not familiar with it, the activities help students unpack the text. Then students have an opportunity to practice rate, volume, pitch, and inflection with a poem that is familiar to them by that point.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the expectations that materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

The materials represent a mix of informational and literary texts. While some units are not as balanced, the overall program has approximately a 60% literary to 40% informational ratio. For example, Unit 2 is entirely informational text focused, and Unit 1 and Unit 4 are mostly literary focused. Genres include, but are not limited to the following: speeches, articles, essays, short stories, novels, myths, and dramas.

The following are examples of literature found within the instructional materials:

• Unit 1: “Arachne” by Olivia E. Coolidge (Greek myth)
• Unit 3: Invictus by Clint Eastwood (film)
• Unit 4: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes (poem)
• Unit 4: “Study Tips” by Mary Hall Surface (monologue)

The following are examples of informational text found within the instructional materials:

• Unit 1: “Decision Making Made Easy” (infographic)
• Unit 2: “Ain’t I a Woman” by Sojourner Truth (speech)
• Unit 3: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (autobiography)
• Unit 4: “William Shakespeare” by The Shakespeare Globe Trust (informational text)

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the expectation that texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

The texts in the materials are appropriate for Grade 7 according to quantitative and qualitative analysis, and in relation to the associated student task. Some of the Grade 7 materials fall within the 6-8 grade level band (925L–1185L) in terms of quantitative measures and are within the appropriate rigor range in terms of qualitative measures. Other texts fall below the 6–8 grade level in terms of quantitative and qualitative measures, including the main novel students read in Grade 7. The range of Lexile levels in the Grade 7 materials is 590–1490L. Seven of the texts fall below the band, ten texts within the band, and ten texts above stretch band. Thus, 63% of the texts fall outside of the band for Grades 6–8. Additionally, some texts are quantitatively well-below grade level, but the accompanying student tasks are moderately difficult. Substantial scaffolding is often provided.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, the overall quantitative levels are 590L–1250L. In this unit, students read personal narratives, myths, and folklore. In addition, students also analyze sensory details and figurative language in personal narratives, and explore plot structure and symbols while reading myths and folklore. Out of the ten texts included in the “Text Complexity Grade 7” document, five fall within the Lexile band; one is above the band; and four fall below the band. With those four that fall below the band, three of them are ranked as “low difficulty” qualitatively with the task demand being “Accessible-Understand.”
• Activity 1.5: Text: Excerpt from Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers. Lexile: 930L. Qualitative: Low Difficulty. Task Demand: Moderate-Analyze.
• Activity 1.8: Text: “Why Couldn’t I Have Been Named Ashley?” by Imma Achilike. Lexile: 850L. Qualitative: Low Difficulty. Task: Accessible-Understand.
• Activity 1.15: Text: “Mbombo” from Voices of the Ancestors: African Myth by Tony Allan, Fergus Fleming, and Charles Phillips. Lexile: 1120L. Qualitative: Low Difficulty. Task Demand: Accessible-Understand.
• Activity Activity 1.15: Text: “From In The Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World” by Virginia Hamilton. Lexile: 1010L. Qualitative: Low Difficulty. Task Demand: Accessible-Understand.
• In Unit 2, the overall quantitative levels are 750L–1250L. Students read informational texts, news articles, and speeches, which are qualitatively and quantitatively accessible for students to navigate working across texts. Most texts fall in the appropriate Lexile band for Grade 7; the texts that fall below include qualitative and/or associated task measures that justify the texts being appropriate for the grade level. Students use the text to explore topics, build knowledge, analyze, and synthesize text.
• Activity 2.2: Text: “How Kids Can Resist Advertising and Be Smart Consumers” by Caroline Knorr. Lexile: 1090L. Qualitative: Low Difficulty. Task Demand: Accessible-Understand.
• Activity 2.15: Text: “Should We Live Life, Or Capture It?” by Marcelo Gleiser. Lexile: 940L. Qualitative: Low Difficulty. Task: Moderate- Analyze.
• Activity 2.14: Text “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth. Lexile 750L. Qualitative: Moderate Difficulty. Task: Challenging- Evaluate
• Activity 2.14: Text: “Nobel Lecture” by Malala Yousafzai. Lexile 830L. Qualitative: Moderate Difficulty. Task: Challenging- Evaluate.
• In Unit 3, the overall quantitative levels are 680L–1490L. Students read a novel, poems, informational texts, and a song. Some texts are quantitatively and qualitatively accessible for students. However, no Lexile measures are provided for the novel and poetry which make up a great deal of the instructional sequence for the unit. Students spend time completing several moderate tasks with the novel, but without listing the qualitative measures and task demand for the text, it is difficult to determine if the relationship between text and student tasks creates a balanced level of complexity for students.
• Activities 3.2–3.11: Text: Tangerine by Edward Bloor. Lexile: Not provided, Internet search shows 680L. Qualitative: Not provided. Task Demand: Not provided.
• Activity 3.14: Biography: “The Nobel Peace Prize 1993, Biography of Nelson Mandela” from Nobel Lectures. Lexile: 1490L. Qualitative: Medium. Task Demand: Accessible-Understand.
• In Unit 4, the overall quantitative levels are 680L–1320L. Students read informational texts, poetry, monologues, and a drama. While some texts are qualitatively and quantitatively complex for students, quantitative and qualitative measures for other texts fall below grade level. Tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Through these tasks, students synthesize skills and knowledge learned over the course of the school year.
• Activity 4.7: Text: “The Highwaymen of Hounslow Heath.” No author listed. Lexile: 1320L. Qualitative: Moderate. Task Demand: Accessible-Understand.
• Activity 4.11: Text: “William Shakespeare” by The Shakespeare Global Trust. Lexile: 680L. Qualitative: Low. Task Demand: Accessible-Comprehend.

Activities 4.11–4.15: Text: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Lexile: NA Drama. Qualitative: Not provided. Task Demand: Not provided.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the expectation that materials support students’ literacy skills (understanding and comprehension) over the course of the school year through increasingly complex text to develop independence of grade level skills (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels).

The materials provide an opportunity for students to read a variety of texts at various levels of complexity. Each unit consists of an assortment of increasingly complex texts and focuses on the development of student literacy strategies for reading complex texts independently. Units include texts with a range of complexity levels within the grade level stretch band, and the levels of most texts are located in a complexity chart in the Teacher Wrap section of the materials. Texts are scaffolded through multiple reading groupings such as in pairs, small groups, read alouds, and independently. Literacy skills are also supported through the use of graphic organizers and instruction on various strategies, such as close reading, marking the text, and guided reading. The complexity of anchor texts and literacy skills taught throughout the school year support students’ proficiency in reading independently at grade level at the end of the school year.

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.5, the students complete a first read of an excerpt from Bad Boy, a memoir by Walter Dean Myers. The complexity level of this text quantitatively is a 930 Lexile (complex text) and qualitatively a “low difficult” text. The teacher is instructed to conduct a shared reading of the text for the first read. Students then return to the text and answer text-dependent questions independently.
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.2, students complete a first read of the first four pages of the novel, Tangerine by Edward Bloor. Although not listed in the Teacher Wrap, the novel has a Lexile of 680 according to The Lexile Framework website. The Teacher Wrap instructs the teacher to complete a shared reading, and then have a discussion of the setting, characters, and initial events in the novel. Then students continue reading “Part 1” and complete double-entry journals and questions independently.
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.14, students independently complete a first read of an excerpt from Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. The Teacher Wrap suggests that the teacher leads a class discussion using the Knowledge Quest questions. Students will share any details they learned about the speaker. Then students work independently to reread the text and respond to the text dependent questions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

The Text Complexity Grade 7 document includes an analysis of the quantitative, qualitative, and reader/task measures of each text. The publisher-provided document includes a clear rationale for the purpose and placement of the texts chosen, as well as detailed Task Considerations and Reader Considerations. Further analytical considerations about texts can be found in the Teacher Wrap section. Such considerations include specific instructional applications for teachers, including how to support student analysis of the text with appropriate grouping and reading routines such as paired reading and whole-group read alouds. The materials also include specific sections in which the texts are woven together for a particular educational purpose. For example, the Knowledge Quest sections that are embedded throughout each of the units provide a collection of texts around a specific topic to allow students to integrate information about a topic from multiple sources.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.8, students read the personal narrative “Why Couldn’t I Have Been Named Ashley” by Imma Achilike. The Lexile level is 850L, which is below for Grade 7. As indicated in the materials the information provided is as follows: “...the qualitative measures indicate a low difficulty level, due to the intuitive structure and accessible vocabulary.” The task demands are accessible and focus on “...analyzing the use of figurative language, and descriptive details in this personal narrative.” The overall text complexity rating for this text is accessible.

• In Unit 2, Activity 2.14, students read the speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth, to analyze how the author uses rhetorical devices to develop her argument. The Lexile Level is 750L, which is below the Lexile Band for Grade 7. The qualitative measure is moderate due to its unconventional structure. The students also need to make inferences. The task is challenging and requires students to evaluate. Also, in this activity is a Knowledge Quest section that includes another speech that students will compare to Truth’s speech. Students explore how the authors develop arguments in each speech. The overall text complexity rating for this text is complex.

• In Unit 3, Activity 3.14, students read an excerpt from the autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. The Lexile level is 1250L, which is above the Lexile Band for Grade 7. Other information provided is as follows: “...the qualitative measures indicate a medium difficulty level due to its complex levels of meaning and figurative language.” The task demands are accessible and focus on “..build[ing] students’ knowledge of Nelson Mandela...analyz[ing] two texts of different genres about the same topic, citing evidence to support their analysis.” The overall text complexity analysis for this text is complex.

• In Unit 4, Activity 4.11, students read an information text, “William Shakespeare” by The Shakespeare Globe Trust. The Lexile level is 680L, which is below the Lexile Band for Grade 7. The purpose of including this text is to provide foundational information about William Shakespeare’s life to the readers before they begin reading his work. Other information provided is as follows: “...the qualitative measures indicate a low difficulty level, due to the conversational language and clear structure.” The task demands are accessible and the focus “..provides students with background knowledge about Shakespeare…”. The overall text complexity rating on this text is accessible.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the expectations for anchor and supporting texts that provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of texts to achieve grade level reading.

The materials consist of multiple complex texts and scaffolded instruction to help students develop the skills and strategies necessary to achieve grade level proficiency in reading. Students engage in reading complex texts aloud as a class, independently, in pairs, and small groups. Texts are organized in units with texts that support the unit’s theme. Genres include, but are not limited to film clips, novels, poetry, and informational texts. Each unit contains a variety of texts and activities that require students to think deeply, monitor their understanding, and apply the knowledge they learn through meaningful tasks and assessments. In the Teacher Wrap, the teacher is provided with opportunities to monitor student progress through formative and summative assessment data both anecdotally and through formal assessments. Students are also prompted throughout the activities and after assessments to reflect on their own learning.

Instructional materials clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading a variety and volume of texts to become independent readers at the grade level.

Materials include a mechanism for teachers and/or students to monitor progress toward grade level independence. Some examples include:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.3, teachers read the poems, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “Choices” by Nikki Giovanni, aloud to students. Students respond to text-dependent questions in a whole class discussion and return to the poem to provide evidence for their responses. In Activity 1.4, students read the personal narrative, “The Scholarship Jacket” by Marta Salinas, in small groups. Students reread the text in small groups while responding to text-dependent questions. In the Teacher Wrap, the teacher is urged to “move from group to group and listen in as students answer the text-dependent questions. If the students have difficulty, the teacher scaffolds the questions by rephrasing them or breaking them down into smaller parts. See the Scaffolding the Text-Dependent Questions boxes for suggestions.” In Activity 1.5, students do a shared reading of an excerpt of the memoir, Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers. Students reread the memoir independently to respond to text-dependent questions.
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.2, students read an informational text, titled “How Kids Can Resist Advertising and Be Smart Consumers” by Caroline Knorr. The teacher conducts a shared reading of the text. Then students reread the text in small groups and respond to the text-dependent questions. In the Teacher Wrap, teachers are directed to “Move from group to group and listen in as students answer the text-dependent questions. If students have difficulty, scaffold the questions by rephrasing them or breaking them down into smaller parts.” In Unit 2, Activity 2.3, students read an informational text, titled “Mobile Kids” by Nielsen. Students read the text in small groups using annotation for statistics and text features. Students reread the text with a partner and answer text-dependent questions. In Activity 2.4, students examine a variety of ads - print, online, and television - provided by the teacher. Students examine the ads and engage in activities to analyze the ads for the effectiveness of different persuasive techniques. In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 1, the students complete an assessment to write an essay that “explains the role of advertising in the lives of youths.” After the assessment, students are asked to reflect on their progress. The teacher uses a rubric to score the assessment.
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.2, the teacher introduces the novel, Tangerine, to students. As students read through the first few pages of the novel, they utilize the “question the text” strategy. In Activity 3.3, students complete a double-entry journal to keep track of the word choice the author uses to develop the tone of the novel. Students also complete a graphic organizer to track the evidence from the text that helps them write a literary analysis paragraph later in the unit. In Activity 3.4, students participate in a close reading activity in which they analyze the impact of flashback and foreshadowing on the text. In the Teacher Wrap, the teacher is directed to “Have students work with partners or small groups to skim/scan to find examples of foreshadowing in Tangerine and to note these on the chart. If students need help locating examples, focus them on a specific day, such as August 18 or August 30.” Students also begin drafting their literary analysis paragraph.
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.6, students independently read the poem, “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” by Roald Dahl. Then, students analyze the use of sensory language, poetic devices, syntax, dialogue, and diction within the poem. In addition, they compare and contrast the poem to the narrative story and identify the ways that Dahl includes comedy within the piece, helping teachers identify the students’ level of comprehension. In Activity 4.7, students independently read the informational text, “The Highwaymen of Hounslow Heath” (no author included). After reading, students summarize the poem and make inferences regarding the use of the word gentlemen, after being provided a historical context of the word. Based on the student responses to these questions, teachers can determine if students understand the gist of the text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text).

The Grade 7 SpringBoard materials are divided into four units of study, with a variety of texts and activities that provide students ample opportunities to engage directly with the texts when completing tasks. “Returning to the Text” and “Working with the Text” are two sections in the materials that require students to return to the text to complete text-dependent questions and activities. Also, most writing tasks and assessments include instructions to provide text evidence to support the students' thinking. In the Teacher Wrap section, teachers are given guidance, instructions, and suggestions for the planning and implementation of text-dependent questions to utilize with the reading in class.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Activity, 1.12, “Returning to the Text,” after students read “Phaethon” by Bernard Evslin, they return to the text to answer text-dependent questions. For example, Question 2: "Look at paragraphs 22–23. How does the argument between the friends set the plot in motion? Cite details from the story to support your answers.”
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.2, “Teacher Wrap,” teachers are provided with guidance in planning and implementing text-dependent questions and activities. For example, with the text, “How Kids Can Resist Advertising and Be Smart Consumers” by Caroline Knorr, the teacher guidance states, “Remind them to use evidence in their responses,” and “If students have difficulty, scaffold the questions by rephrasing them or breaking them down into smaller parts.” A scaffolded text-dependent question provided is as follows: “In the first paragraph, the author states that many of today's ads don't look like ads. Why does the author think this is a problem? Use text evidence in your response. Skim the first paragraph. What do the ads look like if they don't look like ads? Why is that unfair? How would you feel if you learned that something's real purpose was deliberately hidden from you?”
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.3, “Returning to the Text,” after reading “Mobile Kids” from Nielsen, students are instructed: “Return to the text as you respond to the following questions. Use text evidence to support your responses.” Students respond to questions such as: “What was the goal of Nielsen's ‘Mobile Kids’ survey? Explain using details from the article. Based on paragraph 2, what inference can you make about the intended audience? What details in the article support your inference?”
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.10, “Working with the Text,” while reading “To An Athlete Dying Young” by A.E. Housman, students answer the following text-dependent question: Question 7: “Remember that the tone of a text describes its ‘feel,’ or the overall attitude it communicates to the reader. What is the tone of the poem? And what effect do meter and rhyme scheme have on the poem? Use text evidence to support your answer.”
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.13, “Working from the Text,” students work in groups to perform a dialogue from William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Act 1, Scenes 4 and 5. After the delivery of the presentation, students complete an activity entitled, Writing to Sources: Informational Text. In this activity, students complete the following: “Explain how you made choices about vocal and visual delivery to interpret your character in a performance. Be sure to: identify specific character traits that your character possesses; provide textual evidence of characterization: dialogue, thoughts, appearance, emotions, and actions; explain how you portrayed the character in your performance.”
• In Unit 4, National ELA Grade 7 Unit 4 Part 2 Summary Assessment, students are required to answer the following text-dependent question on the assessment: “Based on the informative text “At The Theater,” which choice most likely describes what the actors would have looked like on a stage in Shakespeare’s time?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for having sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

The Grade 7 SpringBoard materials provide students with quality tasks that integrate skills including writing and speaking tasks required by the standards. Text-dependent questions and speaking opportunities are coherently sequenced to build to a culminating task. Some examples of culminating tasks that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate an understanding of their learning through writing, speaking, or a combination of both include the Embedded Assessments in each unit. Opportunities include completing graphic organizers, text-dependent questions, class discussions, and performances/presentations.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 1, students write an informational essay and participate in a collaborative discussion. Students respond to the following prompt: “Your assignment is to write an informational essay that explains the role of advertising in the lives of youth and then to exchange ideas in a collaborative discussion.” Students gather evidence from texts read in class by answering a series of text-dependent questions in Activities 2.2-2.9. For example, in Activity 2.2 and 2.3, students read texts about advertising and respond to the following question: “How do advertising and technology affect young people? Use evidence from both texts in your response. What steps would you recommend kids like you take to reduce the influence advertising has on your choices?”
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.9, after reading Tangerine by Edward Bloor, answering questions about the text, completing a graphic organizer on conflict in the text, and evaluating a presentation’s effectiveness given by their teacher, students first write a literary analysis paragraph that describes the conflict contained within the subplot and how that relates to the main conflict. Then, they present that paragraph to a small group, ensuring that they maintain eye contact, use good volume, and follow the conventions of the English language. This activity helps prepare students for Embedded Assessment 1, Writing a Literary Analysis Essay and Embedded Assessment 2, Creating a Biographical Presentation.
• In Unit 4, after several oral performances, students consider how writers and speakers use language for effect and to communicate meaning to an audience in Activity 4.8. This helps to prepare them to analyze Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare and perform a dramatic dialogue in Activity 4.11. In Activity 4.11, students engage in a choral reading of the monologue. In Embedded Assessment 2, students “work collaboratively with a partner to plan, rehearse, and perform a dialogue from William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the expectations that materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

The Grade 7 SpringBoard materials provide multiple opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions that help support the growth of students’ speaking and listening skills over the course of the grade. The tasks encourage and/or require the discussion to incorporate the vocabulary, text, or topics of the unit. Some of the discussion protocols include, but are not limited to, debate, group discussions, and Fishbowl. Teacher guidance is located in the Teacher Wrap for providing support and scaffolding for evidence-based discussions, including modeling and the use of academic vocabulary and syntax. All the tasks are appropriate and connect to the standards required for Grade 7.

Materials provide multiple opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions across the whole year’s scope of instructional materials, including support for teachers to identify students struggling with these skills. Support for evidence-based discussions encourages modeling and a focus on using academic vocabulary and syntax. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.3, students respond to text-dependent questions after reading the paired poems “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “Choices” by Nikki Giovanni. In the Teacher Wrap, teachers “facilitate student discussion of the text-dependent questions: “Returning to the Text: Guide students to return to the poems to respond to the text-dependent questions in a whole class discussion. Remind them to use evidence in their responses.”
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.5, students engage in a Fishbowl discussion where they consider specific advertisements and explain why they would buy certain brands over others. In the Teacher Wrap, teachers help students consider the roles of marketing and advertising in those decisions and then share the outer circle’s observations before having students switch circles. For teachers who are new to the Fishbowl discussion strategy, additional information to support teachers is found in the Resources area.
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.15, after reading “Should We Live Life or Capture It?” by Marcelo Gleiser, students prepare an evidence-based argument to present in a debate with a group. Students are expected to use academic vocabulary that they have learned from the text. In the Teacher Wrap, teachers “urge students to use the collaborative discussion skills they have learned.” Also teachers are encouraged to have students use their listening skills by completing the following task: “During the debate, teachers have students record each speaker's argument, claims, reasoning, and evidence.”
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.2, teachers review the vocabulary contained in Word Connections. Teachers give students several new vocabulary words and guide them to determine their meanings. In the Teacher Wrap, teachers are given suggestions to assess student’s knowledge, one of them being sharing their question to the text in their double-entry journal with partners, small groups, or the whole group. Students include textual evidence (summaries, paraphrases, and/or quotations) when answering. If students need more scaffolding, teachers can conduct a guided reading and model what students should do in their responses.
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.3, students participate in a discussion around their understanding of the terms and concepts around Comedic Anecdote. After students watch a clip from the comic Jerry Seinfield, students record ideas about the intended audience and purpose, and as a class, craft the ideas into one central class statement about the audience and purpose. In the Teacher Wrap, teachers are provided with suggestions on ways to group students, encourage students to analyze and evaluate their assigned area on the Scoring Guide, and to utilize language of the Scoring Guide.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the expectation that materials support students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

The Grade 7 SpringBoard materials provide students with various opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills throughout the year. Students engage in a multitude of discussions and listening tasks which increase with difficulty over the course of the school year. Students demonstrate learning by completing such tasks that include, but are not limited to, discussions, oral presentations, and writing groups. In the Teacher Wrap, teachers are provided with guidance on modeling and monitoring of the tasks. They are also provided with scaffolds and extensions so teachers can support struggling and accelerated students. The tasks encourage and/or require students to cite evidence from the texts and sources from the activity.

Students have multiple opportunities over the school year to demonstrate what they are reading and researching through varied speaking and listening opportunities. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.6, students participate in Writing Groups to get feedback on their writing. The goal of this activity is to “....work collaboratively to respond to one another’s writing and to help each other through the revision process by asking clarifying questions.” In the groups, they have a role, guidelines, and response starters. The teacher discusses the “Rules for Discussion,” including but not limited to “Listen attentively,” “Respond thoughtfully,” and “Keep comments and discussion focused on the writing drafts.” In the Teacher Wrap, teachers are prompted to circulate, monitor, and if needed, “Model how to build on others’ comments to facilitate discussion.”
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.8, students gather evidence from a news article and discuss their thinking with a partner. Students answer and discuss the Working from the Text and Returning to the text questions. Examples include: “What are some of the factors that make it attractive for companies to market to children? Cite text evidence that helps you answer the question.” and “What is meant by the phrase “tip the scale”? Use context to clarify the meaning.” Teachers move from pair to pair to check student understanding and support student growth in speaking and listening skills.
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.15, students “orally present claims, relevant facts, and details.” Students are instructed, “Share your findings with your research partner or group. Prepare a brief summary of your findings to present to a larger group. When you present, be sure to: Present your claim and the evidence from your research in an organized way, including facts, details, and examples. Use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, clear pronunciation, and appropriate register.”
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.11, students analyze and present a choral reading of a monologue from Shakespear’s Twelfth Night. To prepare students for the presentation, teachers facilitate several activities to help build and monitor students’ speaking and listening skills, such as participating in class discussion and listening to and analyzing an audio recording of the monologue.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the expectations that materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g., multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

The Grade 7 SpringBoard materials provide a mix of on-demand and process writing, which include short and longer writing tasks and projects, throughout the school year. Writing tasks include short on-demand writing, such as Quickwrites, and other short writing tasks, such as Independent Reading Link, Independent Reading Checkpoints, and Writing to Sources activities. Students also have opportunities to return to previous writing in order to revise and edit their original drafts. Finally, most units have two Embedded Assessments that require longer process writing including prewriting, revising, and editing the drafts. Some Embedded Assessments can be completed as on-demand writing tasks at the discretion of the teacher. Additionally, students conduct research using digital resources.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Activities 1.6, students complete a timed writing to draft a narrative about a situation where they made a choice and the consequences of their actions for Embedded Assessment 1. They are instructed to do some prewriting and revising in this activity. In Activity 1.7, students revise the beginning by focusing on the lead. In Activity 1.8, students revise the middle of their story through a set of grammar activities and the looping strategy. In Activity 1.9, students revise the end of the story by examining the ending of three texts from the unit. Students revise independently and then ask their writing group for feedback.
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.6, Writing to Sources, students complete the following: “Using information from one of your searches, write a paragraph summarizing the information you found about marketing to young people. Be sure to: use precise and formal language to present information, use transitions that create coherence, and include a concluding statement that explains why the source is credible, and if the source is also reliable.”
• In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 2: Writing an Argumentative Essay, students “write an argumentative essay that states and supports a claim about an issue of importance to you.” Planning, prewriting, drafting, evaluating and revising, and checking and editing for publication are included in this writing task.
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.14, Quickwrite, students complete the following activity: “Both suspense and foreshadowing affect the plot of a story. With your group, discuss how these techniques help the reader think about the conflict. Then write a quickwrite to capture your ideas and those of your group about how suspense and foreshadowing affect plot.”
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.15, students conduct research on Nelson Mandela using relevant digital sources. Students learn about evaluating Internet resources and annotated bibliographies. In the Independent Reading Link, students are given the following directions: “Apply what you have learned about bibliography annotations by writing an annotation of the text you are reading independently. After the annotation, include a statement about whether you would recommend the source for use in a research presentation. Explain why you think the source is reliable, credible, and a good choice for research on the topic. Draw upon specific details and information from your Independent Reading Log and Reader/Writer Notebook.”
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.15, Independent Reading Checkpoint, students complete a short, on-demand writing, responding to the following prompt: “Throughout the second half of this unit, you have selected plays and monologues to read independently. Select a character from your independent reading and describe how the playwright developed the character through dialogue and staging.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

The Grade 7 SpringBoard materials provide opportunities for students to engage in multiple genres of writing, including, but not limited to narrative, argumentative, and informative/explanatory. For each mode of writing, students learn about the mode through both reading texts and writing tasks throughout the unit. In the SpringBoard materials, each unit focuses on a mode of writing. Unit 1 focuses on narrative, Unit 2 focuses on informative and argumentative, Unit 3 focuses on informative, and Unit 4 includes narrative. These writing tasks include on-going writing activities and cumulative embedded writing assessments. The small on-going writing tasks, such as Quickwrites, Writing to Sources, or Writing Prompts provide scaffolding of the focused writing process included in the Embedded Assessment. The materials provide opportunities for teachers and students to monitor students’ progress in writing and also give students opportunities to practice the focused type of writing prior to assessments. The majority of writing opportunities are connected to texts and/or text sets within the unit, as they serve as model texts for the type of writing students are expected to create. Scoring Guides are provided for writing assessments for both students and teachers prior to writing.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.6, students engage in a timed writing for a multi-paragraph autobiographical narrative. Before writing, students work on a plan for the time they should spend on each part of the writing process as they work to craft the narrative. Specifically, they need to include the incident, the response, and their reflection about the choice made in the narrative. These requirements mirror the text, “The Scholarship Jacket” by Marta Salinas, which students read during Activity 1.4.
• In Unit 1, Embedded Assessment 2: Creating an Illustrated Myth, students work with a partner to “create an original myth that explains a belief, custom, or natural phenomenon through the actions of gods or heroes. Be sure your myth teaches a lesson or a moral and includes illustrations that complement the myth as it unfolds.”
• In Unit 2, Activities 2.1-2.9, students learn about the informative mode and read example informational pieces, such as “Mobile Kids” from Nielson, to illustrate the elements of effective informative writing. In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 1, students engage in informative writing by responding to the following prompt: “Your assignment is to write an informational essay that explains the role of advertising in the lives of youth and then to exchange ideas in a collaborative discussion. For your essay, you may use as sources the articles in this unit and at least one additional informational text that you have researched.”
• In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 2, students write an argumentative essay that states and supports a claim about an issue of importance to them. They experience the writing process of planning, prewriting, drafting, evaluating, revising, checking, editing, and publishing.
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.5, Writing to Sources: Informational Text, students complete the following task while reading, Tangerine by Sharon Creech: “write a literary analysis paragraph about one of the sibling relationships (Costello or Fisher brothers).” This task is done with a group to prepare for the Embedded Assessment which is a literary analysis essay.
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.3, Narrative Writing Prompt, students complete the following task: “Draft an original monologue about a real or imagined comic holiday experience.” Additional instructions include to “Use specific language to communicate a humorous tone. Use narrative techniques and craft to tell the story and create interest.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria for materials include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

The Grade 7 SpringBoard materials provide frequent opportunities for students to learn, practice, and apply writing using textual evidence. Most writing opportunities are focused around students’ analyses and claims developed from reading text closely and working with sources. Students have short informal writing tasks, such as Writing to Sources and Narrative Writing Prompt, as well as longer writing tasks, such as Embedded Assessments, where they must provide reasons and cite evidence to support their claims. Over the course of the units, students engage in informative, argumentative, and narrative writing in which they analyze texts and support their claims with text evidence. These writing tasks help build students' writing skills over the course of the school year.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Activity 1.12, Narrative Writing Prompt, students write a paragraph about either Phaethon or Apollo, making a claim about their characteristics and how those aspects of their personalities affect the plot. They are required to include at least two examples from the text to support their claim.
• In Unit 2, Activity 2.8, Writing to Sources: Information Text, after watching The Myth of Choice and reading the article, “More Companies Market Directly to Kids” by Michelle Norris, ABC News, students complete the following task: “Using evidence from the film and article, write a paragraph in which you compare and contrast information in both sources.”
• In Unit 2, Embedded Assessment 2, students write an argumentative essay in which they assert their own claim about an issue of importance to them. Students gather information from sources to provide evidence to support their position.
• In Unit 3, Embedded Assessment 2, students work collaboratively to create a multimedia presentation on a leader whose decisions have positively affected society. Students conduct their own research and determine how the information about the person’s character, actions, and/or speeches justifies the person as a great leader. Students use this evidence to support their ideas.
• In Unit 4, Activity 4.5, Writing to Sources: Informational Text, students analyze text and provide evidence to support their claim when responding to the following prompt: “Based on your analysis of the poem, write a paragraph that explains the purpose and effect of ‘The Raven.’”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials include explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for the grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context.

The Grade 7 SpringBoard materials provide three types of grammar and conventions lessons: Language Checkpoints, Grammar and Usage, Language, and Author’s Craft. Language Checkpoint lessons are isolated lessons in which students complete tasks in which they work with models and return to their own reading and writing to examine a specific area of grammar or conventions. Grammar and Usage lessons and Language and Author’s Craft lessons are embedded within the materials, incorporate the texts within the units, and progress to more sophisticated contexts throughout the school year. Grammar and convention lessons are identified by a green symbol in the Planning a Unit section and the Teacher Wrap section, so teachers can easily identify the location of these standards in the materials.

Materials include explicit instruction of grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students have opportunities to explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. Students have opportunities to choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.
• In Unit 1, Activity 1.8, Grammar and Usage, students complete three grammar exercises located before, during, and after reading “Why Couldn’t I Have Been Named Ashely?” by Imma Achilike. The first exercise focuses on compound-complex sentences. Student-facing materials provide an example of a compound-complex sentence from the text. Students answer questions regarding how the example conveys differing relationships among ideas. The next two exercises focus on the function of commas to set off phrases and clauses. The materials provide definitions and examples of independent and dependent clauses. Students then revise their narrative drafts, looking for clauses and using commas to correctly offset them.
• In Unit 3, Activity 3.3, Language and Writer’s Craft, after the students learn about subordinating clauses in a detailed lesson, students practice their learning during the following task: “Find and highlight at least one subordinate clause in the sample literary analysis paragraph from earlier in this activity. Determine whether or not the subordinate clause is also a subordinate adverbial clause. Then review the literary analysis paragraph you wrote and revise it in your Reader/Writer Notebook, making sure it includes at least one subordinate clause. Experiment with different subordinating conjunctions to see how they change the meaning of your sentence.”
• Students have opportunities to place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.
• In Unit 2, Activity LC 2.16, Language Checkpoint, students learn about placing modifiers, practice identifying modifiers, and then revise sentences with misplaced and dangling modifiers. Students revise several sentences and then read an example personal narrative, in which they identify the dangling and misplaced modifiers. Then they rewrite the sentences to correct the modifiers. Lastly, students practice writing sentences with modifiers by responding to the prompts such as: “Write a sentence about what happened when you got home from school yesterday. Begin your sentence with the word when.”
• In Unit 4, Activity, 4.3, Grammar and Usage, students complete a lesson on dangling and misplaced modifiers. In the lesson, the concept is explained with examples and the materials also present ways to correct errors. Then students return to their monologue to “revise sentences that contain misplaced or dangling modifiers.”
• Students have opportunities to use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore and old [,] green shirt).
• In Unit 1, Activity 1.8, Grammar & Usage, students receive the following information on commas: “Writers use commas to separate or set off different parts of a sentence. For example, commas are used to separate items in a series and independent clauses joined by a conjunction. They are also used to set off a quotation or an introductory word, phrase, or clause from the rest of a sentence. Additionally, they often separate two or more adjectives that describe the same thing. Commas are visual signals that tell readers to pause. Study the author's use of commas in paragraphs 5 and 6. Notice how each pause helps slow the pace of reading, allowing readers to understand how the different parts of a sentence work together to create an idea.” An example is provided in paragraph 6 in the following sentence: “You know, the ones they sell in the stores along with name-embossed sharpeners, rulers and pencil pouches.”
• Students have opportunities to spell correctly.
• In Unit 1, Embedded Assessment 1, students write a personal narrative revisiting notes created in early unit activities. In the Checking and Editing for Publication Stage of Writing, students must “Confirm that your final draft is ready for publication” by answering the following question: “How will you check for correct spelling and grammatical accuracy?” Spelling correctly is also included in the Scoring Guide for this assignment. The expectation is that students create narratives that “contain few or no errors in spelling, punctuation, or capitalization..”