7th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials for Grade 7 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics (or, for grades 6-8, topics and/or themes) to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

Grade 7 units and corresponding text sets are developed around “Choices” as the thematic focus of the year. Texts within this anthology require students to focus on variations around the theme of "choices." Interrelated texts, film, and independent reading assignments focus on different aspects of this shared theme. There are opportunities for students to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently as they build knowledge.

Guidance for struggling students is incorporated into the curriculum. Each anchor and supporting text includes a Second Read activity, which asks students to look closely at selected excerpts and passages to answer text dependent questions. The Independent Reading lists also include specific suggested informational and literary texts corresponding to the theme.

Reading, questions, writing tasks, and speaking and listening activities all revolve around the study of choices made and how they impact society while growing knowledge about subtopics within each unit. Students have ample opportunity during collaborative discussions to share connections between concepts taught in class and their independent reading, and are provided opportunities to demonstrate new knowledge and stances on the themes and topics in culminating activities. There is teacher support embedded in Teacher Wrap to redirect or reteach should students misunderstand core work or need comprehension .The online Close Reading Workshops include strategies to support students in determining what each text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from what it does not say explicitly. Students have ample opportunity during collaborative discussions to share connections between concepts taught in class and their independent reading, and are provided opportunities to demonstrate new knowledge and stances on the themes and topics in culminating activities.

• Unit 1: “The Choices We Make” - Students “encounter contemporary and classic stories about choices and consequences.” Students study the writer’s craft as they analyze such selections as “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “Choices” by Nikki Giovanni.
• Unit 2: “What Influences My Choices?” - Students work on research, argumentative writing, and developing explanatory texts. Many of the reading selections are also centered around the topic of marketing to children including articles and reports.
• Unit 3: “Choices and Consequences” - “Students analyze the choices made by the characters in the novel, Tangerine”. Students learn from Nelson Mandela's autobiography his choice to fight for desegregation in South Africa.
• Unit 4: “How We Choose to Act” - Students study poems, monologues, and dialogues to learn how writers use language for effect. Students perform selected scenes from The Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.

The materials for Grade 7 meet the criteria for materials containing sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

In most texts, students are provided opportunities to analyze language and author's word choice as they read, through sidebar word meaning and word connection lessons and questions that prompt them to interact with text to find examples of figurative, sensory and vivid language, as well as roots and affixes and other components of language. Lessons and questions require them to interact with the text to find examples of figurative, sensory and vivid language, as well as roots and affixes, etc. The tasks throughout each unit, as well as culminating activities, set expectations and purpose for analyzing structure and craft through activities and questions for each Anchor and Supporting text. In addition, support is given for struggling students in the Teacher Wrap, which gives strategies such as chunking, scaffolding, and rephrasing questions. English Learners are supported through specially designed lessons in each unit that go along with Anchor Texts, but are specifically structured to help students comprehend the text through Close Reading, Academic Vocabulary and Collaborative Discussions lessons, that provide scaffolded vocabulary instruction, and guided close reading opportunities.

The Planning the Unit section at beginning of each unit gives suggestions for Graphic Organizers that will assist English Learners in that unit. Leveled Differentiated Instruction activities are found in each unit, offering the instructor suggestions for scaffolding challenging tasks that lead to the culminating assessments. These suggestions model differentiation techniques that can be used to adapt tasks throughout each unit. In each Unit Opener, there is a one page summary of differentiation strategies that can be found in the unit. Each text contains a Second Read component and questions are specifically labeled as Key Ideas and Details, and Craft and Structure, The Teacher Wrap in print and digital edition provides teachers with a host of options to help differentiate instruction. A representative example of this is shown in Unit 1, Activity 1.11, after reading “Phaethon” by Bernard Evslin, students are provided a short series of questions:

• Key Ideas and Details: In chunk 2, how does Phaethon respond to Epaphus’s taunting? What might this tell you about his character?
• Key Ideas and Details: 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. The argument makes Phaethon determined to find Apollo, so he sets off toward the east, “where he saw the sun start each morning.”
• Key Ideas and Details: Read paragraph 27. How does Apollo feel about his son, Phaethon? What dialogue shows his attitude toward his son?
• Craft and Structure: In paragraph 41, what is a synonym for the word “courteous”? Why do you think the author chose this word?
• Key Ideas and Details: Reread chunk 6. Why does Apollo want Phaethon to change his request? How do you know?
• Craft and Structure: At the end of paragraph 58, Apollo asks, “Do you heed me?” Based on
• Key Ideas and Details: Reread chunk 7. What portions of the text reveal Phaethon’s character through his thoughts? Cite evidence to support your ideas.
• Key Ideas and Details: Reread paragraph 63. How does this section set up the climax of the story? Which lines in the following paragraphs describe the story’s climax?
• Craft and Structure: At the end of chunk 8, what is the likely meaning of “bewildered” based on context?

After answering these text-dependent questions, students participate in a class discussion focusing on the “Incident, Response, Reflection” narrative structure. They complete a graphic organizer as the discussion takes place. In Teacher Wrap, there is a section titled “Scaffolding the Text Dependent Questions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials 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.

Grade 7 materials provide opportunities for students to engage in writing tasks, projects, and presentations over the course of the school year that are aligned to the standards for Grade 7. There is substantial support for students to learn, practice, develop, and apply writing skills. Teacher materials include comprehensive supports. Materials provide guidance for time spent in and out of class practicing, planning, and creating. Writing assignments are scaffolded throughout each unit, ending in culminating tasks in the middle and end of each unit. Materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g., multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating the Online Writing Workshops which provides scaffolding and specific instruction to support students in process writing.

Students are expected to keep writing portfolios to revise and reflect on their growth as writers over the course of the school year. Instructional materials include well-designed lesson plans, models, and protocols for teachers to implement and monitor students' writing development. The teacher's edition forward, under Writing with Purpose, states that the program provides "Multiple opportunities...for realistic, task based writing. Formal and informal writing tasks develop students' understanding of tailoring writing to purpose and audience." This statement is supported throughout the Grade 7 materials to build students' writing skills through short, extended, and assessment writing.

Instruction in writing is addressed in two integrated ways: through project-based, scaffolded writing assessments and through Online Writing Workshops, which offer teachers and students practice at mastery of specific writing modes. Workshops are designed to offer additional direct writing instruction to support and extend mastery of the writing process and commonly assessed written products. After students view a model text, the workshop guides them through the writing of three separate texts in the specific mode being taught: one that is constructed as a class with direct guidance from the teacher; one that is peer-constructed with teacher support; and one that is written independently. Ten different writing workshops that cover the writing process are available. Each writing workshop contains teacher/student pages, scoring guides, and additional writing prompts.

Specific examples include:

In Unit 1,

• Students create their portfolios and begin the process to reflect upon their skills during each unit of instruction.
• Students engage in a narrative free write to practice incorporating narrative elements in their writing. They draft a personal narrative about choice. They learn how to prepare for a timed writing task by unpacking a writing prompt, planning their time, and using a writing strategy to generate ideas.
• After responding to a prompt, students revise using transitions for coherence. They learn how to create a revision plan based on Writing Group feedback.
• Next, students focus on revision techniques and use their own draft to put them into practice. In one of the culminating activities for Unit 1, students work collaboratively through the writing process to create an original myth.

In Unit 2,

• Students develop expository writing skills by drafting paragraphs and revising for coherence and clarity. In the next lesson, students strengthen expository writing skills by revising for precise language, formal style, and sentence variety and use rubric criteria to write the introduction and conclusion.
• In preparation for writing an argumentative essay, students create an argumentative essay with peers, research to gather evidence, and write body paragraphs, strengthening writing through revision processes. They revise the class essay, incorporating a counterclaim.
• One of the culminating activities for Unit 2 asks students to independently write an argument by generating a new research question, forming a claim, gathering information, and taking their ideas through the writing process.

In Unit 3,

• Writer's Craft and Language mini-lessons are threaded throughout the unit to provide ongoing practice in revising drafts for varying sentence structure.
• Students write a comparative analysis essay in small groups to practice generating ideas.
• One culminating activity for Unit 3 has students work through the stages of the writing process to create a literary analysis essay.
• During the second half of Unit 3, students learn the role of research, generate questions, conduct research, and create an annotated bibliography.

In Unit 4,

• Students analyze poetry to help develop writing skills, particularly the ability to make connections between written and spoken word. They are exposed to a variety of comedic and dramatic monologues to learn how writers use language for different effect.
• Leading up to one culminating activity, students will have drafted multiple monologues that represent diverse topics, perspectives, and effects.
• In preparation for the Shakespeare performance at the end of Unit 4, students will write responses to process their learning, comparing and contrasting content and delivery, evaluating effectiveness of delivery choices made, and explain their choices for delivery.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

Grade 7 materials contain research projects that are sequenced across the school year to include a progression of research-related skills. Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge on a topic via multiple resources. Materials provide many opportunities for students to apply reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills to synthesize and analyze per their grade level readings. Materials provide opportunities for both short and extended projects across the school year, and students have the opportunity to develop research skills throughout the school year.

Steps of the research process are taught throughout the materials so students get support on the whole process. Students choose research topics by brainstorming ideas with a partner, writing down ideas of interest, and conducting preliminary research. Teachers guide students to read information and encourage their outside of class reading for the unit to connect to a topic of research. An example follows:

• In Unit 2, students work towards writing an argumentative essay after gathering information on a variety of sources. Students generate two additional research questions for their topic, after analyzing informational texts. Activities guide students to practice identifying primary and secondary sources, as well as how to best develop and use criteria for evaluation of online sources' credibility. Graphic organizers are provided in student and teacher editions for this activity to support students' researching for effective and reliable websites. After these activities, students conduct research for a class-constructed argument.
• The Argumentative Essay Research Log is provided as a frame for students to cite sources and evaluate their credibility in an organized manner. The teacher edition includes support for teachers to model note taking and how to use steps in research process.
• Students use previously taught research strategies, available in resource section of the student edition, to guide their research and evaluate sources while they incorporate new skills. They take notes by summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, responding, and recording bibliographic information as per grade level standard demands. They use a Research Log graphic organizer to record research and sources. Teachers can utilize Online Writing Workshop 1: The Writing Process to describe the roles of members of a writing group.
• In the Online Writer's Workshop section: Research, there are additional writing prompts, teacher and student pages, and scoring guides. Students are given the opportunity to write three additional research papers, one guided by the teacher, one that is peer-guided, and one they write independently.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading inside or outside of class.

Grade 7 materials include close reading and independent reading prompts and questions for students to engage out of class time as they read their self-selected texts. Throughout the units there are prompts connecting the class reading with students' independent reading, marked as Independent Reading Links.

The Planning the Unit section at beginning of each unit contains a suggested reading list that corresponds to the unit theme. This list is categorized by literary and nonfiction texts, and gives the Lexile level to accommodate students’ varying abilities and interests. The first activity in Unit 1 sets up a mechanism for students to self-monitor their reading progress, comprehension, and fluency. The grade-level-specific Close Reading Workshops are designed to help teachers guide students as they develop the skills necessary for close reading of a broad range of high-quality texts of increasing complexity. These models can be used to support or extend the instruction already in the materials and serve as models for differentiation.

Examples of how Close Reading Workshop activities support independent reading include:

• Activity 1 provides guided reading instruction that emphasizes multiple readings, vocabulary development, and close-reading strategies with a complex text.
• Activity 2 gradually releases students from teacher-guided instruction and modeling to a collaborative analysis of a visual text to which students apply the skills and strategies of close reading.
• Activity 3 releases student to closely read texts independently to respond to analysis of question and to make connections to previous texts.
• Activity 4 requires students to respond to synthesis writing, presentation, or discussion prompts to demonstrate their mastery of the close-reading skills they have practiced in the workshop.

Text and author suggestions are included for teachers to support students seeking independent reading choices. Each unit outlines specific independent reading suggestions that correlate to unit objective and include, in the teacher edition, a list of suggested texts for independent reading, as well as possible formative assessment questions. Support for building independent reading is included, such as guidance around setting deadlines and methods to keep track of reading, as well as suggestions around length of texts for students to engage with at different times (e.g. during research-heavy sections of the unit, shorter texts might be a better option for independent reading).

Post-reading prompts for students to assess their texts are included, such as, "Consider the change(s) the character(s) from your independent reading book experienced. What was significant about the change? How did the change leave an impact on the character or those around him or her?" Reader/Writer Notebooks include organizers and suggestions for engaging with their independent reading. Questions are built in to support growing independent reading habits.

Literature Circles reinforce communication and collaboration, and in addition, support the independent reading process as well, as students are held accountable to their groups in that process.