2nd Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 do not meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students knowledge and vocabulary which will over time support and help grow students’ ability to comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

Each unit is organized around a central theme with a theme introduction entitled Build Theme Connections provided at the beginning rather than around topics. This section introduces the big idea or theme, and includes a poem and brief discussion. Unit themes are broad and do not focus on specific vocabulary or knowledge across daily lessons. Students are not supported in accessing texts and build conceptual knowledge throughout the five-week theme. The series of texts in each lesson are sometimes cohesive and related to the central theme, but there are limited opportunities embedded for students to build expertise on specific topics so that they can increase their knowledge and vocabulary.

Materials do not provide teachers with guidance to help connect the texts to broader concepts. Sufficient time is not always allotted for students to refine their knowledge in order to access and comprehend future complex texts proficiently.

Each Teacher’s Edition is divided into Themes, such as “Count on Me,” “Doing Your Best,” “Changing Times,” “Dream Big,” “Better Together,” and “Seek and Find.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 do not meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced 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.

exts contain some questions requiring students to analyze key ideas and details, but do not provide students with frequent opportunity to study craft, structure and language. Students are asked questions during whole group instruction as the teacher monitors comprehension. Throughout the materials, students independently and as a whole group complete questions and tasks that require analysis of individual texts. Grade 2 comprehension skills and strategies include, but are not limited to, cause and effect, story structure, using graphic organizers, problems and solutions, drawing conclusions, and making inferences. Though the questions are presented that ask students about language, key ideas, details, craft and structure, questions are not presented in a coherent sequence that would require students to analzye to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

• In Theme 1, Lesson 4, page T296, students supply a main idea and details for the text that they have read. For independent practice, students find the main idea of another passage.
• In Theme 2, Lesson 7, page T132, students make predictions as a class in teacher led discussion. During independent practice, the students predict what will happen and add their predictions to the chart.
• In Theme 3, Lesson 11, page T34, students identify the author’s purpose. The teacher helps students to provide reasons to support their answers. Students read the passage on page 325 and identify the type of writing. During independent practice, students determine the author’s purpose for writing the passage.
• In Theme 4, Lesson 20, page T438, the class brainstorms a list of topics, words, and places that students would like to learn more about. The class uses the sources to find information to answer their questions. During independent practice, partners work together to find information for other ideas from the list.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 do not meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

Although text based questions do appear in the materials throughout the themes and lessons, there is lack of evidence that supports text-dependent questions systematically guiding students in extracting key meanings or ideas in the texts. The sequence of questions is sporadic and does not build towards a more coherent understanding and analysis.

Questions do not require the students to interact with the text supporting the student’s analysis of knowledge and ideas. Materials do not consistently guide teachers to support students’ literacy skills through complex text and building knowledge. There is a lack of text dependent questions as the questions require generalizations, predictions, and checks for comprehension.

The following questions do not require an analysis of ideas to complete:

• In Theme 1, Lesson 3, Comprehension, Day 1, p. T216, the teacher is directed to “Guide children to identify the main idea and supporting details of “Frog and Toad All Year.”
• In Theme 3, Lesson 12, Comprehension, Day 2, p. T152, the teacher is directed to “Guide children to use the graphic organizer to summarize the selection.”
• In Theme 4, Lesson 17, Page T167, the teacher displays “The Drum” on page 31 and asks students to recall what they remember about it.
• In Theme 6, Lesson 26, Page T29, the teacher and students discuss the story answer the question, “Why is the sweater Elva’s favorite sweater?”
• In Theme 1, Lesson 2, Page T154, the teacher asks students to name the main characters in “Frog and Toad All Year.” The teacher displays the completed Transparency GOl. The teacher helps students to use the character chart to describe Frog and Toad and tell what they did in the story. The cards for “Frog and Toad All Year” can be used for retelling or as an aid for completing the graphic organizer.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 do not meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g. combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Each Theme has a big idea that aims to tie the unit together. Texts and discussions, directly or loosely, connect to the big idea. Each Theme also includes a Theme Project. Theme Projects do not consistently integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening, nor do they require close reading and comprehension of the texts read. Question sets that accompany texts within the Theme do not support students in integrating skills required for the Theme Project. For example:

• In Theme 6, Teacher’s Edition, Page T457, Theme Wrap Up and Review, students complete a journey board game to demonstrate what they have learned in a creative way for a theme project presentation.
• In Theme 4, Teacher’s Edition, Page T446, Theme Wrap Up and Review, students use questions through “Discuss the Literature” to guide them in making connections across the texts in the theme.
• In Theme 3, Theme Wrap-up and Review, Page T434, students reflect on and write about what they have learned about growing and changing for the response option. As it relates to the self-assessment, students reflect on their progress by using the My Reading Log copying master on Teacher Resource Book page 64. In regards to literature critique circles, students meet in small groups to discuss and reflect on the literature in this theme. The teacher encourages students to share their likes and dislikes about the following: genres, subjects and topics, and illustrations or photographs. Students support their opinions with examples found in the selections. Additionally, students may use this time to provide book recommendations to classmates from their independent reading. Students may list titles for future reading.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 do not meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts.

Some vocabulary is repeated in various contexts (before texts, in texts, etc.) and across multiple texts. Some attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and to high value academic words, but the teacher will need to rework some lessons to assure this happening over the school year. Materials do not provide teacher guidance outlining a cohesive, year-long vocabulary development component. Some examples of vocabulary work in the materials include:

• In Theme 2, Lesson 7, Page T129: Support word meaning with picture cards and other photos (example – playground).
• In Theme 2, Lesson 7, Page T 193: Build Robust Vocabulary cumulative review; reinforce word meanings.
• In Theme 4, Lesson 16, Page T145, the Robust Vocabulary Challenge provides directions to use vocabulary while talking to others.
• In Theme 3, Lesson 11, Page T59, Build Robust Vocabulary, Words About the Selection, Teach/Model, Introduce Robust Vocabulary, the teacher uses routine card 3 to introduce the words. The teacher then puts the word in selection context, displays transparency R56, and reads the word along with the Student-Friendly Explanation. Students say the word with the teacher. The teacher uses the word in other contexts, and the students interact with the word’s meaning. The teacher removes the transparency, repeats the Student-Friendly Explanation, and asks students to name the word that goes with it. Examples include:
  • Select Context: Jamaica was renowned for her art.
  • Interact with Word Meaning: Would someone be renowned for doing something good, bad, or either? Explain.
  • Selection Context: Jamaica and her kin spend their evenings together.
  • Interact with Word Meaning: Would you be more likely to spend holidays with kin or with neighbors? Explain.
  • Selection Context: Jamaica created original drawings every day.
  • Interact with Word Meaning: Is something you write in class original or copied? Why?
  • Selection Context: Jamaica decided to adorn the subway station with art.
  • Interact with Word Meaning: Would you adorn your room with grass or with pictures?
• In Theme 3, Lesson 12, Page T133, Build Robust Vocabulary, Words from the Read-Aloud, Teach/Model, Introduce Robust Vocabulary, the teacher uses Routine Card 3 to introduce the words. Examples include:
  • Selection Context: The cardboard box was recently added to a list of great toys.
  • Interact with Word Meaning: I finished a book recently. Would you recently have learned to fly a plane or learned to ride a bike?
  • Selection Context: The toy collection is housed at a museum.
  • Interact with Word Meaning: Paintings are housed at an art museum. What is housed at a zoo, a tiger or a horse?
  • Selection Context: The museum official thinks the cardboard box is a great toy.
  • Interact with Word Meaning: Who do you think is a school official, a crossing guard or the principal?
  • Selection Context: People can nominate their favorite toys online.
  • Interact with Word Meaning: Who would you nominate for class president, your best friend or a teacher?

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 do not 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.

Opportunities for independent reading exist, but they are minimal and do not build students’ reading abilities or their knowledge base and vocabulary. Throughout the lessons, there is evidence of students reading with recordings and reading and responding in literacy centers. Students are expected to develop fluency by listening to familiar stories and reading them aloud. Documentation of student reading is not evident.

• Theme 3, p. T3 lists two titles for self-selected reading.
• There is no plan for accountability for students’ independent reading.
• Each theme contains suggested titles for additional related reading by “Easy, Average, Challenge”; however, teachers are not given suggestions on how to set up the classroom library or how to help students select an independent reading book in the teacher edition.
• Each anchor text has “Options for Reading” suggesting that below-level students read in small group, on-level students read in whole group or with a partner, and advanced students read independently.