The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for texts that are organized around a topic/topics or themes to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend and analyze complex texts proficiently.

The materials for Grade 10 are organized into four topic-based units of study. Each unit is centered around a topic or text genre, and students build knowledge through inquiry via a variety of literary genres and different types of informational text. Units are designed for students to utilize the texts to comprehend complex texts/topics. Activities within each unit develop students’ knowledge through structured learning activities that provide scaffolding of content leading students towards independent and proficient comprehension. Students also read independently and complete tasks in response to their independent reading texts to build their knowledge about topics/themes within complex texts.

The opening page of each unit features a visual prompt and a quote aligned to the topic to initiate a classroom conversation. The first activity of each unit is a preview of the unit that includes Essential Questions linked to the topic of the unit. Additionally, the units contain connected sub-topics that build upon one another as the instructional year progresses. The design of the materials supports students’ comprehension of complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently due to scaffolding, gradual release, and increasingly demanding texts and tasks as the units progress.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1: The Power of Argument, students read a variety of argumentative texts such as op-eds, speeches, essays, and editorials with a focus on social issues. Students analyze the arguments and counterarguments focusing on the significance of words and strategies authors use to persuade readers, as they answer the three Essential Questions for the unit: “How should we interact with the world around us? To what extent are we responsible for our fellow humans? How do we use evidence to create a persuasive argument?” For example, in Activity 1.5, Analyzing an Argument, students read and analyze Sherry Turkle’s op-ed, “The Flight from Conversation”. Then the students write an original essay explaining how Turkle builds her argument in the text. After analyzing more than ten argumentative texts, students write their own argumentative essay. The end of the unit exposes students to articles and a film regarding video game usage in order to prepare students for a class debate.
• In Unit 2: Persuasion in Literature, instruction builds on the topic from Unit 1 and focuses on novels and short stories. The unit is organized around the Essential Questions “What can a character’s use of persuasion reveal to a reader? How can a work of literature reflect a cultural perspective? What is the value of making connections between characters from different texts, time periods, or cultures?” Students focus on language and writer’s craft while they read the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. After writing a literary analysis essay for the first Embedded Assessment, students read and analyze literary elements in several cultural-based short stories in order to write a short story of their own.
• In Unit 3: Voice in Synthesis, students read a variety of texts to support them in “synthesizing a wide range of views from a variety of sources and find[ing] their own voice among the crowd.” Essential Questions for the unit include “What is the relationship between individual freedom and social responsibility? What does it mean to have a voice? How does one enter into an ongoing discussion about a subject?” Some of the types of texts include but are not limited to research reports, editorials, Supreme Court documents, films, and political cartoons. In Activity 3.5: Exploring Opinions about Vaccines, students read a judicial opinion, ”Jacobson v. Massachusetts,” and write a letter to the editor persuading readers of their perspective on the issue. This topic spans several lessons. In Activity 3.7: Two Opinions on Measle Vaccines, students “read two texts about vaccinations and then synthesize the information to participate in a parlor conversation using the texts from this unit. The unit supports students through a research project in which they present a solution to an environmental issue. After creating an annotated bibliography for the first assessment, students analyze several research reports on environmental issues as they gather their own research for the final essay and presentation.
• In Unit 4: Praise, Mock, Mourn, instruction shifts back to a literary focus using poetry and drama to help students understand how an author’s use of language shapes readers’ perceptions. The unit is organized around several Essential Questions including “Why are humans inclined to respond to people, objects, or events with praise, mockery, or mourning? How can authors use language to create an effect on their readers? How can a performer communicate a character’s perspective through oral and visual interpretation?” The first half of the unit takes readers through a variety of poetry including works by William Shakespeare, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, and Jonathan Swift. Students also read a scene from the play Antigone. After analyzing other poetry including peer works, students craft their own poem for the first Embedded Assessment. Students then complete reading Antigone and present an interpretive scene from the play for the second Embedded Assessment.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher-order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

Across the four instructional units, there is a common pattern to activities within and across lessons. The lessons are organized into recurrent sections that require students to draw on texts directly multiple times over the course of a lesson and unit: Making Observations, Focus on the Sentence, Returning to the Text, and Working from the Text. Students work from initial thoughts about key details in a text, to focusing on specific sentences in the text. Then, students answer a series of text-dependent/specific questions about the text. The majority of these tasks almost always include an analysis of the key ideas, structure, craft, and language, and require students to seek evidence from the text to support their thinking. The Teacher Edition also includes multiple text boxes per lesson titled Scaffolding the Text-dependent Questions which provides a sequence of questions teachers can ask during the reading.

For most texts, students analyze language and/or author’s word choice (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address language and/or word choice.
• In Unit 2, Persuasion in Literature, Activity 2.3, students analyze Ibo and African proverbs and folktales found within the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Students analyze the Ibo proverb “Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten” and must “Explain what you think this proverb means. How does the proverb help the reader’s understanding.” Students read and discuss other proverbs from the novel and explain each one’s meaning in the provided graphic organizer. Then, students explore folktales discussed in class using another graphic organizer. “Check Your Understanding” questions such as “How and why might an author use proverbs and folktales in a novel?” prepare students for an informational writing prompt, during which they “Explain how the proverbs and folktales you analyzed in this activity provide insight into the values of the cultures from which they come.”

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details, structure, and craft (according to grade-level standards). Some examples are as follows:

• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address key ideas and details.
• In Unit 1, The Power of Argument, Activity 1.9, students read the Proclamation “Declaration of the Rights of the Child” by the United Nations. After reading, students answer “Knowledge Quest” questions such as “What fundamental rights did you learn about?” Next, they answer a series of text-dependent questions in the “Returning to the Text” section, such as “Reread the statements at the beginning of the proclamation starting with ‘Whereas.’ How do these statements serve to set up the principles that follow?’ and “What does the word welfare mean in paragraph 4? Use a dictionary and the word's context to help you decide. Then use the declaration's principles to help you infer what the General Assembly believes are possible threats to a child's welfare.” In the next section of the lesson, then look at a pie chart from the World Health Organization with statistics of the number of hungry people in the world and answer questions that synthesizing both sources in the “Working from the Text” section, such as “Look back at the ‘Declaration of the Rights of the Child,’ Principle 4. Considering the World Health Organization data, how is the world upholding the promises of the declaration?”
• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address structure.
• In Unit 4, Praise, Mock, Mourn, Activity 4.8, students read the poem “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop. After reading, students make observations about the text then write an analysis of the poem using the TP-CASTT strategy (Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude, Shifts, Theme, Title). They compare and contrast their evidence with a partner and use the information to formulate a written analysis of the poem in essay form.
• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address craft.
• In Unit 3, Voice in Synthesis, Activity 3.6, students synthesize information from multiple texts and analyze characteristics of multimedia texts.While watching a video, students analyze the text to determine the metaphor illustrated in the video. Then students read an opinion piece “from ‘On Immunity: An Inoculation’” by Eula Biss, underlining rhetorical strategies used throughout the text. “Working from the Text” questions require students to dig into the extended metaphor Biss used in her work as they reread the text, “Circle each word or phrase related to banking,” and think-pair-share with a partner to answer “What role does Biss’s banking metaphor play in her opinion piece?” Later during the activity, students analyze James Gillray’s illustration “Smallpox-The Speckled Monster,” noting their observations about the text. After reading the informational article paired with the illustration, students respond to the following “Returning to the Text” questions: “How does Gillray’s use of irony contrast the illustration’s image with its title? How does Gillray use exaggeration to make his point?” As students work with both the illustration and the informational article, students work in pairs to “identify which methods of satire Gillray employs.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

The materials provide sequences of texts and accompanying text-dependent tasks that promote the building of knowledge and integration of ideas within texts and across texts. The Shared Instructional Vision of the materials is rooted in four principles that are designed to promote this type of learning: close observation and analysis, evidence-based writing, higher-order questioning, and academic conversations. Each unit follows a similar pattern to build student knowledge through close attention to a series of texts that when synthesized help students address the unit Essential Questions.

Within each unit activity there are sequences of text-specific and text-dependent questions designed to continuously bring students back to a deeper engagement with the texts. The sequence of questions first appear in the Working from the Text section. Additional sections such as Returning to the Text, Focus on Sentences, Writing Prompt, and Check Your Understanding also include text-specific questions and writing prompts that deepen students’ understanding of individual texts and genres. Certain features of the text encourage the integration of knowledge within and across texts such as the Knowledge Quest section that requires students to read a collection of texts on a specific topic, build knowledge and vocabulary on the topic and develop new understandings and considerations as they progress through the reading selections. Essential Questions at the beginning of each unit also provide students the opportunity to integrate and develop ideas across texts as they return to these questions throughout the unit and examine how their thinking has changed. Tasks throughout the unit require students to demonstrate this evolving understanding across texts. The tasks also prepare students for the two Embedded Assessments in each unit.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, The Power of Argument, during Activity 1.6 students read an excerpt from an argument essay by Celeste Hedlee titled “We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter” and analyze the evidence the author uses to support her argument. After reading, students answer a series of text-specific questions: “What does the author suggest caused the tragedy of Air Florida Flight 90? How does she come to this conclusion?” and “What is the key idea of this passage, and how does Headlee support it?”, as well as “The author writes, ‘In my private life, I’ve lost contact with family members and I’ve seen friendships die in silence when I failed to say what was really on my mind.’ What is the author’s purpose for including this reflection?” Next, students return to the text to locate examples of evidence and identify whether they are empirical, logical, or anecdotal. Following that, they learn about logical fallacies and apply that learning to identify instances of logical fallacies in the reading selection. Next, they respond to a Check Your Understanding prompt: “What other fallacies are commonly used in arguments? With a partner, discuss the ways in which anecdotal evidence could be an example of false or fallacious reasoning.” Lastly, they analyze the author’s argument in a writing assignment: “Evaluate the claim Celeste Headlee makes about the importance of communication. Then assess the evidence she cites to support the claim and identify any logical fallacies or faulty reasoning she uses in her argument.”
• In Unit 2, Persuasion In Literature, students read pieces of world literature to analyze how themes are developed and persuasion is used in literature. Activity 2.22: Poetic Connections focuses on Chapter 22 of the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and two poems, “Prayer to the Masks” by Leopold Sedar Senghor and “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats. Students complete a Knowledge Quest (KQ) to answer “In what ways might a cultural conflict begin?” in conjunction with the three texts. Returning to the Text contains KQ identified questions after each poem. Examples include: “How does the speaker's use of the words they and we add an adversarial tone to the poem? Who is ‘they’? Who is ‘we’?” and “What do Leopold Sedar Senghor and William Butler Yeats say comes out of a cultural conflict? In both poems, what causes the conflict?”
• In Unit 4: Praise, Mock, Mourn, students explore the impact of an author’s use of language on a text. In Activity 4.2, students read three odes about food. After reading "Vegetable Love in Texas" by Carol Coffee Reposa, students respond to these questions: “How does the speaker compare and contrast summer with the tomato she picks” and “What words does Resposa use to describe tomatoes? What connotations do these words have?” Then students read "Mutton" by Jonathan Swift and answer the following questions: “Identify any half rhymes in the poem. What effect do these have on the poem?” and “What do you think Swift was trying to convey in this poem? Cite evidence in the text to support your answer.” After students read "Ode to Kool-Aid" by Marcus Jackson, questions include “What does the narrator compare Kool-Aid to in lines 20 -24? What is the effect of this contrast?” and “What is the impact of the image in the final two lines of the poem?” In the Working from the Text section, students then answer, “As you reread each of the poems aloud, make notes of the images you see in your mind. In what ways do the poet’s choice of words and phrases, figurative language, and rhyme and meter help you create these mental images?” Finally in Examining Author’s Craft, students dig deeper into the language choices that reveal tone, mood, and voice through questions such as “In the poem, ‘Vegetable Love in Texas,’ what tone does the speaker use to describe the color of the tomatoes? What words help reveal the tone to the reader?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Each grade level contains four units of study that have two Embedded Assessments each. These assessments serve as culminating tasks for a skill set driving the unit instruction. The Embedded Assessments require students to demonstrate learning through interpretation of readings, synthesis of research, and analysis of various types of texts. Students may be prompted to present their work through a variety of ways: dramatic interpretation, creative writing, analysis essays, arguments, media presentations, or debates. The unit tasks and texts build student knowledge and capacity to complete the assessments which include reading, writing, research, speaking, presenting, and listening over the course of the year. The assessments and daily tasks within the unit include collaborative group projects along with independent work. To prepare for the assessments, students answer constructive response questions, annotate texts, complete graphic organizers, and write both short and longer essay responses.

Within units, students also complete Knowledge Quests in which they read collections of texts to build their knowledge around a topic and its related vocabulary. Each Knowledge Quest begins with a central question and supporting questions that focus on student learning. After reading the collection of texts, students return to the knowledge question in order to synthesize what they learned through the readings and associated tasks, thus demonstrating their accumulated knowledge on the topic. This is accomplished through a writing prompt or academic discussion. Both the Embedded Assessments and the Knowledge Quests provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they learned through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Persuasion in Literature, students read the central text Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and several supporting texts to study how culture and conflict are conveyed in literature. In Activity 2.15, students complete a Knowledge Quest in response to this Knowledge Question: “In what ways might a cultural conflict begin?” Students read two poems “Prayer to the Masks” by Léopold Sédar Senghor and “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats. As students read the poems, they consider their answer to the knowledge question and participate in a class discussion of text-dependent questions about the readings. Lastly, they discuss their thoughts on the knowledge question with a partner before completing a culminating task on the set of texts: “After reading ‘Prayer to the Masks’ and ‘The Second Coming,’ reflect on the ways cultural conflicts can begin. Also, think about how we tend to describe conflicts. With a partner, make a T-chart with the headers ‘Positive’ and ‘Negative.’ Then brainstorm lists of positive and negative words that relate to the idea of conflict. After you have completed your chart, observe which column contains more words and think about why. Discuss: Why might someone view conflict as a negative thing? When might conflict yield a positive result?” Tasks like these build students’ capacity for writing a literary analysis of Things Fall Apart during Embedded Assessment 1. Students then continue their practice with literary elements. In Activity 2.22, students read a novel excerpt to determine how the author develops characters through setting and then write a narrative developing a complex character. Similar tasks lead students to Embedded Assessment 2 in which they craft an original narrative: “Write an original short story that conveys a specific cultural perspective or historical moment. Conduct research into the time period and setting that you choose in order to convey the setting accurately.”
• In Unit 3, Voice in Synthesis, students read multiple texts on environmental issues and synthesize their learning across the texts. In Activity 2.8, students practice synthesis: “Ever since Jenner experimented with the smallpox vaccine in 1796, mandatory vaccination has been a controversial issue. In an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources you examined in activities 3.5–3.7, develop a position about how much control you think the government should exercise over an individual’s right to make personal decisions regarding vaccination.” Students also build an annotated bibliography for the first Embedded Assessment that will provide the research for the next assessment. In Activity 3.15, students read a research report and answer questions such as “Identify two of the author’s proposed solutions to curb the negative impact of plastics in the environment,” and “Who is the author’s intended audience? What evidence directs you to this conclusion?” in the Returning to the Text section. In the Working from the Text section, students “Complete the graphic organizer to show how the report synthesizes evidence to present a claim,” and then “Use the graphic organizer to plan your own report.” After much research practice, students complete Embedded Assessment 2, in which they deliver a group presentation to share a solution to the environmental conflict the group has researched throughout the unit. The group is tasked with not only presenting the circumstances surrounding the conflict but justifying their approach to resolving it. Students are encouraged to use multimedia delivery per the scoring rubric.
• In Unit 4, Praise, Mock, Mourn, students use their analyses of the poems, short stories, and scenes from Antigone by Sophocles as models to craft an original creative writing piece which praises, mocks, or mourns a subject during Activity 4.11. Students follow the writing process from brainstorming to a final draft. For Embedded Assessment 1, students write “an analysis of your own creative writing piece, or of another text from the unit.” Students analyze the author’s choices to achieve the purpose of the praise, mockery, or mourning. The assessment ends with a reflection on the students’ understanding of how works to praise, mock or mourn cross time and culture and how writing their work impacted their understanding of how these themes are conveyed. Students then complete reading Antigone and focus on presenting dramatic presentations. In Activity 4.18, materials prompt students: “Look back at the text. Where can you find elements of praise, mockery, and mourning? How might you convey these in a performance?” Then students “Work collaboratively in a small group to plan and perform the scene you just read among Creon, Haemon, and the Chorus Leader by marking the text for pauses, emphasis, volume, and tone to convey the words, thoughts, and actions of the characters. Be sure to think about how each character could adapt his or her speech to reflect or enhance the meaning of the action taking place in the scene.” This task prepares students for the final assessment: “Your assignment is to choose a scene from Antigone with your group, mark the text for visual and vocal delivery, and then perform it in front of the class.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, consistent approach for students to regularly interact with word relationships and build academic vocabulary/language in context.

In the opening pages of the text, the publisher explains the year-long, embedded approach to vocabulary incorporated in all grade levels. It explains, “Students are given ample opportunities to read and hear new words, explore their meanings, origins, and connotations, and use them in written and oral responses.” Students practice their vocabulary learning throughout lessons, activities, and assessments across the school year. Students not only learn the meanings of new vocabulary, they learn origins and connotations, and they apply their new knowledge through written and oral applications. The materials call out literary and academic vocabulary in boxes, and difficult vocabulary terms found in reading selections are glossed. Word Connections boxes also provide information for a “word with multiple meanings and nuances, an interesting etymology, a telling root or affix, a helpful Spanish cognate, a relationship to another word, or a connection to another content area.” At the beginning of each unit, there is a list of the literary and academic vocabulary for students, and the Teacher Wrap includes detailed information about vocabulary development including the importance of learning new vocabulary, what types of vocabulary students will encounter, and suggestions and resources for instruction. The Resources section at the conclusion of each grade level also contains a few strategies for working with vocabulary—Guided Reading, Question Heard Teach (QHT), Cloze Reading, Cognate Bridge, and Visual Prompts—as well as Graphic Organizers for working with vocabulary—Definition and Reflection, Verbal & Visual Word Association, and Word Maps.

Attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and to analyzing the purpose of word choices. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 3, Voice in Synthesis, students build on their knowledge to read and understand excerpts from Tinker v. Des Moines during Activity 3.4. In the activity, students define “multi-meaning” words in context. In the Teacher Wrap, teacher guidance states that students’ definitions of words can serve as formative assessments and opportunities for feedback.
• In Unit 4, Praise, Mock, Mourn, students read a section of Antigone by Sophocles (lines 427 - 712) during Activity 4.16. In a Word Connections box, students learn and work with a multiple-meaning word: “The word passionate has several meanings related to one idea: having or showing strong emotions. Can you figure out the variations in tone or meaning of this word? Which meaning is most accurate for the context used in line 538?”

Opportunities are present for students to learn, practice, apply, and utilize vocabulary in multiple contexts. Some examples include:

• In Unit 1, The Power of Argument, a vocabulary box in Activity 1.4 explains the definition of the literary term diction, connecting to direct instruction on how to analyze an author’s diction. Students learn the word’s meaning, then apply it to the current text. Later in the activity, a vocabulary box explains the etymology of the word oxymoron before the word is applied in the text-dependent questions.
• In Unit 2, Persuasion in Literature, during Activity 2.2 students use their understanding of persuasion to analyze a short story called “Marriage is a Private Affair” by Chinua Achebe, and write a possible ending. Students “circle unknown words and phrases and to determine the meaning of the words by using context clues, word parts, or a dictionary.”
• In Unit 4, Powerful Openings, during Activity 4.6, students sort text specific words “into categories based on the words' meanings and relationships. Consult print and digital resources, such as a dictionary, a thesaurus, or an encyclopedia, to help you create categories.” This activity prepares students for the novel introduced in Activity 4.7, All the Light We Cannot See by Athony Doerr. Students complete an Opening Writing Prompt “taking special notice of the words you sorted in the previous activity. Then answer the following question. Does anything about Doerr's use of these words in the passage surprise you? Explain your answer.” The Teacher Wrap provides support and direction. For example, “Point out that these paragraphs contain six words that students sorted in the previous activity: leaflets, ramparts, cartwheels, flutter, artillery, and mortars. Then have students respond to the prompt. Invite students to share their reactions to reading the words leaflets, ramparts, cartwheels, flutter, artillery, and mortars in context.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to support students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year.

The materials provide year-long comprehensive writing instruction throughout the four units of study via formative practice, frequent writing prompts, performance-based assessments, language checks, research tasks, and optional Writing Workshops. Writing tasks range from formal to informal, on-demand to multi-draft, and expressive to analytical. This includes short and full-length research tasks that require finding, analyzing, and synthesizing sources for evidence. Writing activities are incorporated daily for students to respond to texts for a variety of purposes such as making observations, analyzing content and author’s intent, and preparing for discussion or group work. Language and Writer’s Craft and Language Checkpoints give students practice in utilizing language and conventions in writing.

Each unit contains multiple writing prompts that build to the two Embedded Assessments in which students have the opportunity to write across multiple genres. Guided instruction, modeling, opportunities for practice, protocols, and rubrics help students build the skills necessary to complete tasks of increasing difficulty and for teachers and students alike to monitor growth. Supplemental materials include ten additional Writing Workshops that provide a closer look and additional practice of various writing genres. However, it is important to note that these are not a part of the core materials and will require additional time and teacher planning.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, The Power of Argument, students take an in-depth look at how authors build arguments through a variety of text genres and media. For example, in Activity 1.5, students use what they have learned about the structure of an argumentative piece of writing to construct an essay explaining the structure of Sherry Turkle’s argument in her op-ed “The Flight from Conversation.” The teacher breaks down the assignment into a series of steps under the headings of Examining a Multiple-Meaning Word, Developing the Claim, Gather Ideas, Write a Thesis, Craft the Introduction, Compose Body Paragraphs and Incorporate Quotations, Write the Conclusion, Self-Review and Peer Feedback, and Finalize Your Essay and Reflect. Students complete multiple scaffolded tasks for analyzing argumentative pieces on social issues to prepare for writing their own argumentative essay for Embedded Assessment 1.
• In Unit 2, Persuasion in Literature, students build on what they learned from analyzing the structure of arguments and apply it to an analysis of how characters use argument in works of literature through their reading of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. For example, Activity 2.7 prompts students to “look back at the scene where Ezedu tries to persuade Okonkwo not to participate in the killing of Ikemefuna. How does Ezedu build his case? What does Okonkwo's response reveal about his character? Write a literary analysis explaining your answer.” Similar tasks throughout the first part of the unit prepare students to write a literary analysis essay for Embedded Assessment 1. Students continue to study literary elements in the second half and use what they have learned to compose an original narrative for Embedded Assessment 2.
• In Unit 3, Voice in Synthesis, students refine and expand their understanding of the craft of argument. This time students read a variety of informational texts such as legal documents, research reports, films, infographics, and articles on social issues to practice synthesizing information from multiple sources to write arguments. For example, in Activity 3.8, students “reexamine the sources from previous activities in this unit to synthesize a response to a prompt about vaccinations.” Students will also plan, write, and revise an argument stating their opinion. The materials include a graphic organizer for students to narrow their ideas into three supporting ideas with evidence. After students complete their first draft, they complete the Bare Bones test with a partner for revisions and editing. Tasks in the unit lead students through a research project for a solution to an environmental issue. For Embedded Assessment 1, students create an annotated bibliography of their research and complete an essay presenting their solution the second Embedded Assessment.
• In Unit 4, Praise, Mock, Mourn, students continue to practice literary analysis and forms of creative writing as they study various poems, play excerpts, and short stories. For example, in Activity 4.5, students read Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare and respond to a literary analysis prompt asking them to “write a paragraph that analyzes Shakespeare’s use of satire in achieving the sonnet’s purpose.” In Activity 4.10, students “write a short scene in which a character mourns something or someone.” Activity 4.11 prepares students for the first assessment task. The Writing Prompt tells students to think back on how the texts in this unit have conveyed praise, mockery, or mourning. “Choose one of these three purposes and create a literary text that illustrates this purpose.” For Embedded Assessment 1, students “write an analysis of their creative writing piece or another text from this unit. Their analysis should examine the choices made that serve the purpose of praise, mockery, or mourning.” Students utilize a graphic organizer to plan their analysis. They also write a reflection explaining the steps they took when completing the task.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop and synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

The materials provide ample opportunities for students to practice evaluating sources, gathering relevant evidence, and citing and reporting findings accurately through shorter, focused, research tasks as well as more in-depth research projects. Throughout the year, students work collaboratively and independently to build their research skills. The Teacher Wrap provides suggestions for resources for teachers to bring to the classroom for students to explore and also provides students with choice in pursuing research avenues. Students analyze embedded selections and outside research brought to the classroom conversation. The units provide students shorter practice tasks that build their capacity to complete more extensive research projects generally through one or both of the Embedded Assessment.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, The Power of Argument, during Activity 1.6, students read the argumentative text “We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter” by Celeste Headlee, then analyze the evidence used in the text that supports the author’s claim(s) in order to prepare for Embedded Assessment 1. Students demonstrate skills and knowledge of genre characteristics for an argumentative essay as they complete tasks such as rereading the text in order to “locate examples of evidence” and “identify whether they are empirical, logical, or anecdotal.” The following guidance is provided: “With your group, discuss the impact of the evidence on the text and the reader, using examples from the text to support your answers.” Students practice these short research skills across multiple texts on current social issues to prepare for Embedded Assessment 1, which requires students to plan, draft, revise, and edit an argumentative essay based on the topic of their choice. Students must include a clear, debatable claim, various types of research-based evidence, counterclaims, and evidence to disprove them.
• In Unit 2, Persuasion in Literature, students read the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe as well as additional cultural short stories. After completing a literary analysis on the novel for Embedded Assessment 1, students analyze and discuss literary and cultural elements in the short stories. This prepares them for their own research-based creative writing piece. In Activity 2.23, students begin their research: “Consult print or digital resources to locate the answers to your questions. Record what you learn in the following graphic organizer, and then think about how the answers might impact your story.” After collecting research and planning their story, students complete Embedded Assessment 2. This task involves both writing and research: “Write an original short story that conveys a specific cultural perspective or historical moment. Conduct research into the time period and setting that you choose in order to convey the setting accurately.”
• In Unit 4, Praise, Mock, Mourn, students read the poem “Funeral Blues” by W.H. Auden during Activity 4.6. In the Gaining Perspectives section, students conduct on-the-spot research: “In ‘Funeral Blues,’ the narrator grieves as he shares personal feelings about the loss of a loved one. While grieving is natural after a loss, for some people grief can lead to depression. Depression is a common disorder with various symptoms, such as chronic sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, irritability, and/or apathy (lack of interest in things that used to bring pleasure). People experiencing depression should speak to a trusted friend or family member, a counselor, or a nurse or doctor about such symptoms. Think about how you might learn more about the difference between grief and depression. With a partner, research and discuss where you could find expert advice on how to help a friend who recently lost someone and who may be suffering from depression. Then write a summary of your discussion in your Reader/Writer Notebook.” Similar tasks build student capacity for writing their own creative piece that emulates praising, mocking, or mourning.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

Each unit begins with a Planning the Unit section for teachers that includes a text list called Suggestions for Independent Reading which relate to topics, themes, and genres featured in the unit. The lists include a list for literary and nonfiction/informational texts, each with author, title, and Lexile level where applicable. Spanish selections are also provided. These lists can also be found in the Resources section along with a student independent reading log. Throughout the year, materials include frequent opportunities for students to engage in independent reading through lessons and self-selected materials. The beginning of each unit features a preview of the unit’s focus and guiding questions connected to the topic to support students in selecting the most appropriate independent reading texts and developing a reading plan. Twice per unit, the materials include Independent Reading Checkpoints that require students to complete an informal discussion or writing assignment. Students also respond to Independent Reading Links that require them to articulate connections between their independent reading and the skills/concepts they are learning about in the classroom, which also holds them accountable for completing their independent reading books and required reading logs. The Teacher Wrap also includes additional guidance for teachers to foster independence for all readers. When students read and analyze longer texts across the Activities, the materials suggest scaffolding strategies to support students along the way, gradually leading to their reading independence across the year. Additional readings can be found in the digital resource Zinc Reading Labs.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, The Power of Argument, the Previewing the Unit section of Activity 1.1 invites students to explore the big ideas and tasks of the unit and make plans for their own independent reading. Students record their daily reading pace in their Independent Reading Log and write a brief daily report in their log responding to what they have read. Students must also include questions or predictions about what they have read. Some suggestions for independent reading include Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and Chain of Fire by Beverly Naidoo (fiction); Daughter of Destiny: An Autobiography by Benazir Bhutto, The Whole Shebang by Timothy Ferris, and Reality Is Broken by Jane McGonigal (nonfiction).
• In Unit 2, Persuasion in Literature, students analyze how a character uses persuasion in a short story and how an author creates complex characters and uses diction to express their relationship during Activity 2.2. In the activity, students complete an Independent Reading Link that requires them to consider the use of persuasion in their independent reading and choose a persuasive passage and mark it for a claim, evidence, counterarguments, and rhetorical strategies. Students discuss their marked passage with a partner and address whether or not they are convinced of the argument and why. Then, they must allow their partner to do the same with his/her passage and consider the similarities and differences between the two passages.
• In Unit 3, Voice in Synthesis, during Activity 3.9, students examine how to develop a research plan for a research report. Students also complete an Independent Reading Link that prompts them to take the time to study the ways in which authors use research. For their Independent Reading, students choose a fiction or nonfiction text that requires extensive research by the author. The materials provide students with examples such as a court decision, an investigative report, or a work of historical fiction. As they read, students identify the types of sources the author likely used and what his/her research process might have been. Students also create an Independent Reading Plan with personal reading goals in their Reader/Writer Notebook.
• In Unit 4, Praise, Mock, Mourn, Activity, students write and revise a literary text that praises, mocks, or mourns a person, object, or event during Activity 4.11. The Planning for Independent Reading section requires students to review their independent reading text and analyze how the author uses literary devices such as imagery, irony, sarcasm, and satire to shape the reader's perception of a person, character, event, or idea. Students must consider whether the author's intent was to praise, mock, or mourn or to do something else. Then, students write a literary analysis of the text that includes a thesis statement about the author's purpose for writing and support it with examples from the text that show how the author used literary devices to steer the reader's thinking and communicate the theme of his or her work. Students also use their notes from the unit's Independent Reading Links to help them complete the task.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher's edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The materials for each grade level provide an ELA Standards Correlation document and incorporate introductory content, including a Table of Contents and an introduction to the scope of the materials. The introduction explains the materials’ design, approach, and vision. Also included is a breakdown of the available components of the Teacher Edition: Planning the Unit, Instructional Guidance, Differentiation, Integrated Assessments, and Workshops (Language, Close Reading, and Writing). The introduction also explains the additional tools—SpringBoard Digital, Zinc Reading Labs, and Turnitin Revision Assistant—for users who have digital access.

Instructional materials include systematic annotations and suggestions on presentation of the content starting in the opening pages and continuing through the ancillary materials. The start of each unit includes “Planning the Unit” to give teachers an overview and point out areas where teachers may want to use ancillary materials to enrich or scaffold the unit. This section includes: context, suggested materials, instructional sequence, connections to Advanced Place ment (AP)/Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Unpack Embedded Instructions, Cognate Directory for English Language Learners (ELL) whose original language is Spanish, Activities at a Glance chart, Unit Resources, Independent Reading suggestions, Instructional Pathways for embedding ancillary materials in language and foundational skills, and Flexible Pathways for adding writing and close reading units within the unit.

In each activity, the Teacher Wrap sidebar provides the addressed standards, pacing recommendations, step by step teaching guidance, scaffolding for text-based questions, suggestions for leveled differentiated instruction, assessment guidance and ways to adapt the assessment. Additional call-out boxes provide “teacher-to-teacher” advice for some activities, text complexity information, and additional writing and language standards being taught in the unit. Additionally, teacher materials include a resources section at the back of each grade level, including documents for organizing independent reading, a breakdown of learning strategies, a variety of graphic organizers, an English-Spanish glossary, an index of skills, and an index of authors and titles.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher's edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The Teacher Edition integrates directions, procedures and additional information designed to extend teacher knowledge of instructional content and pedagogy. The opening pages for each unit provide rationales for skills taught throughout units. The closing pages for each grade level provide the definition and purpose of the Learning Strategies used across the year. The Teacher Wrap sidebar, present throughout units and activities, provides professional support such as Teacher to Teacher recommendations and Leveled Differentiated Instruction that suggests implementation moves to adjust and extend lessons. The Teacher Wrap also provides explicit directions and explanations for implementing activities as well as recommended answers and additional explanations for literary concepts and tasks.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. The criteria that the visual design (whether in print or digital) is not distracting or chaotic, but supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject.

The materials are consistently aligned to the College and Career Readiness Standards along with Advanced Placement coursework. The materials are “Based on the Understanding by Design model” and teach “students the skills and knowledge that matter most to meet AP and college and career readiness standards.” The English Language Arts Pathway contains “student-centered activities that gradually develop the skills and knowledge needed for the Embedded Assessments and are aligned to grade-level standards.” Each activity begins with standards-aligned learning targets and provides the lesson focus standards. Materials also include standards-aligned unit assessments for each half unit. Lessons occasionally make connections to social studies and and/or health education through the Gaining Perspectives sections. The Planning the Unit section at the beginning of each unit lists the AP and SAT connections that will be made in the upcoming unit. The materials also include an ELA Standards Correlation chart that outlines each standard addressed in the curriculum and where in the curriculum the standard is addressed. The digital version provides links to standards built into lessons and a standards correlation document that links standards to specific activities.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

The introductory pages for each grade level describe the instructional design of the materials and the authors’ approach to the different components of instruction. The materials are based on the Understanding by Design Model, a widely known approach to learning by Wiggins and McTighe that focuses on understanding the assessment at the end of instruction to see how the learning students need to be successful on the assessment should build. The program is also designed through a “Shared Instructional Vision” between Springboard and AP. This model emphasises close observation and analysis, higher-order questioning, evidence-based writing, and academic conversations. Springboard also aligned the materials with the knowledge and skills needed for the evidence-based reading and writing sections of the SAT assessments.

The materials are research-based, classroom tested, and created by classroom practitioners. The introductory pages includes the following statement: “SpringBoard’s lesson design also takes into account the work of the American Institutes for Research in its focus on students moving through multiple levels of cognitive engagement: progressing fluidly from comprehension and understanding, to analysis, and ultimately to synthesis and the creation of new content. Each lesson is designed to allow for the type of facilitation and flexibility referenced by Charlotte Danielson in her work on teacher instruction. We have also integrated the research of Marzano and Pickering by building students’ background knowledge in the area of academic vocabulary development. Finally, SpringBoard is directly informed by Robyn Jackson’s work on rigorous instruction. As Jackson suggests, our content requires students to be ‘active, not passive,’ and our units feature activities that stress ‘implicit meaning, ambiguity, layers, and complexity.’

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

Assessment is a key part of the design of Springboard’s curriculum. The materials offer frequent opportunities for formative and summative measurements of student performance. Each unit includes two Embedded Assessments, which summatively measure students’ performance on key concepts. These assessments include scoring guides and student examples for teachers and students alike to use during the process. Each unit also includes many types of formative checkpoints that allow students to practice what they are learning, and for teachers to assess student progress. These tasks include Making Observations questions, Returning to the Text Questions, Check Your Understanding Tasks, Focus on the Sentence Tasks, Graphic Organizers, Writing Prompts, and Reflection Questions. The digital version of the materials also includes multiple-choice quizzes for each activity and unit assessments that are aligned to the standards in each half-unit.

The units are designed around the same format: plan, teach, assess, and adapt. Materials offer teacher guidance for assessment. In the Teacher Wrap, the assess section explains the opportunities for assessment in the unit. Materials also provide the connection between the formative assessments and the two Embedded Assessments and the overview of the skills being assessed.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are emphasized.

The materials include an ELA Standards Correlation document that lists individual standards and their corresponding tasks, questions, and assessments in the units. The document contains links to these specific locations in the online version of the materials. The digital materials contain icons with drop down boxes that indicate the standards for the activities. For the print materials, the Common Core College and Career Readiness Standards that correspond to the Embedded Assessments are listed at the bottom of the page for each assessment. The standards mentioned in Scaffolding the Text-Dependent Questions boxes are linked to formative assessments.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

The materials are organized into four units of study that are broken down into a systematic series of activities—lessons built around specific texts or tasks. Each activity follows a similar structure and routine including read the learning targets, follow the directions for annotations in the As You Read section, complete the first read, Make Observations about the text, Return to the Text to answer text-dependent questions, and Work from the Text by analyzing certain aspects of the text. Follow-up tasks also include Focusing on the Sentence, Language and Writer’s Craft, and/or a final Checking your Understanding. The Teacher Wrap directions follow a Plan, Teach, Assess, and Adapt format and provide teachers with suggestions for how to monitor student comprehension and progress toward the Embedded Assessments.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The Planning the Unit section at the beginning of each unit provides information on differentiation so that teachers can personalize instruction through customizable pathways such as the English Language Arts Pathway, Language Development Pathway, and a Flexible Pathway. This allows teachers to plan the unit in the best way in response to a range of learners including English Language Learners, struggling or below grade level readers, and above grade level readers. This section also includes Unit Resources at a Glance, which offers English language development support, and foundational language skills support. Throughout the Activities and lessons, teachers encounter Leveled Differentiated Instruction features that provide scaffolding for challenging tasks. The differentiation model includes six levels, and the first four—Beginning, Developing, Expanding, and Bridging—correspond to World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) level descriptors. The next level is listed as Support and is recommended for students who may not be English language learners but still need support to perform at grade level. The last category is Extend and provides opportunities for students to further challenge themselves. Teacher-to-Teacher boxes also provide suggestions from veteran classroom teachers on how to enhance, support, differentiate, and extend lessons and activities. The Resources section at each grade level also contains a variety of graphic organizers teachers can use to supplement and scaffold instruction.

The following serves as an example of support found across all four units.

• In Unit 2, Persuasion in Literature, the unit begins with a Leveled Differentiated Instruction Directory so that teachers may easily locate tasks and activities “for English language learners at various levels of language proficiency.” In Activity 2.4, students read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Chapters 1-4). The Leveled Differentiated Instruction located in the Teacher Wrap contains accommodations for students who are performing below grade level or who are progressing toward grade level;
• Developing: “In pairs or groups of three, assign students either the character of Okonkwo or his father. Provide each student with two copies of the Character Map graphic organizer.”
• Supporting: “Have students pretend that they are casting directors. Have them write casting call character descriptions.” This includes students who may need more challenging tasks.
• Expanding: “Provide two copies of the Character Map graphic organizer-one for Okonkwo's character and one for his father's. Encourage students to pause after each paragraph or section and record details.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

The Planning the Unit section includes a Spanish cognate dictionary to encourage students to notice the connections between their primary language and English to help them develop academic vocabulary more quickly. For English language learners whose primary language is not Spanish, teachers are encouraged to “ consider using an online translator or dictionary to support comprehension of vocabulary terms.” The Activities at a Glance feature also provides teachers with guidance to determine which activity includes ELL support with the use of icons. Throughout the activities in each unit, teachers encounter Leveled Differentiated Instruction features that provide scaffolding for challenging tasks. There are six levels to this differentiation model, and the first four—Beginning, Developing, Expanding, and Bridging—correspond to World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) level descriptors. The next level is listed as Support and is recommended for students who may not be English language learners but still need support to perform at grade level. The suggested texts for independent reading include Spanish titles. The Glossary at the end of each grade level includes Spanish entries alongside the English ones. Because teachers have the flexibility to create different pathways through the unit that relate to students’ needs, those who are learning the English Language or who need additional support in meeting grade-level standards have many opportunities to practice their skills through Language Workshops and Foundational Skills Workshops.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

Each unit includes an overview of a “flexible pathway” to allow teachers to make choices from the supplementary materials to meet the learning needs of students. Suggestions for Leveled Differentiated Instruction are built into the Teacher Wrap within each unit. One of the support levels is Extend and is designed to provide ways “to stretch students who are ready for a challenge.” The teaching model provided in the Teacher Wrap follows a Plan, Teach, Assess, and Adapt structure, and often in the Adapt portion, there are suggestions for ways in which teachers can engage their students in a greater challenge. The Flexible novel units also allow for extension opportunities.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Persuasion in Literature, the Extend recommendation for Activity 2.7 is for students who are working above grade level while preparing for a Socratic Seminar: “Have students think of useful expressions for academic discussion that are not included in the Discourse Starters graphic organizer. Have them post the expressions in the classroom.”
• In Unit 3, Voice in Synthesis, the materials recommend tasks for students that are ready to engage in more rigorous work during Activity 3.13. The Teacher Wrap directs instructors to “challenge students to trade annotated citations with another group or individual. Have students critique the annotated citations for missing or unclear information, and then give recommendations on how to modify it.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The materials provide frequent opportunities for students to learn, practice, and perform in a variety of grouping configurations, and teachers likewise use these groups to accentuate their instruction. Students often work in pairs and small groups and take part in whole-class activities as well. These groupings are often used in sequence as a strategy for enhancing learning. When students conduct a first read of a text, they do it in a variety of groupings. The materials provide teachers with speaking and listening strategies that encourage collaboration including but not limited to the definition and purpose of debates, role-playing, literature circles, and Socratic seminars. In the Teach step of the Plan, Teach, Assess, Adapt teaching model, teachers learn how to effectively use grouping strategies. The supplemental Close Reading Workshops are also useful in a variety of student groupings; however, it is important to note that these workshops are not a part of the core curriculum and require additional time and planning.

The following are examples of groupings that occur frequently across all four units:

• In Unit 1, The Power of Argument, students read the text “A Flight from Conversation” by Sherry Tuckle during Activity 1.4. After answering text-based questions individually and in groups, students then prepare for a Socratic Seminar. The materials provide teachers and students with a detailed explanation of the process. The Teacher Wrap gives additional steps and guidelines to help students during and after discussion. The materials state, “Conduct a Socratic Seminar by arranging the classroom in a fishbowl formation (concentric circles).” After giving guidelines for how to transition students between circles, the materials give additional support for discussion: “There are several possibilities regarding the tasks for students sitting in the outer circle. You may direct them to silently listen, take notes, prepare feedback for an assigned member of the inner circle, live-blog the discussion’s key points, or serve as a kind of ‘phone a friend’ if someone in the inner circle wishes to consult.”
• In Unit 3, Voice in Synthesis, students read the Supreme Court Opinion Tinker v. Des Moines (Excerpt 3) during Activity 3.4. For the First Read, students read the text independently. They then participate in a whole class discussion of the Making Observations questions. For the Returning to the Text activity, students work in pairs to reread portions of the text, answer questions, and apply the SOAPSTone strategy to analyze the current and previous text. The pairs then return to a whole class discussion of the contrast between Excerpts 2 and 3.