3rd Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

Anchor texts in the majority of lessons and across the year-long curriculum are of publishable quality. Anchor texts are well-crafted, content rich, often award winning titles, and include a range of student interests, engaging students at the grade level for which they are placed. However, many texts include excerpts that may be missing information needed for students to understand the text. In some texts, much background knowledge is needed for students to engage with the materials. For example:

• In Theme 1, Lesson 1, students read “Ruby the Copycat” by Peggy Rothmann. This award winning realistic fiction text is an engaging, age/grade appropriate text, which contains strong academic vocabulary, is worthy of multiple reads, and includes vibrant illustrations.
• In Theme 2, Lesson 7, students read “Aero and Officer Mike: Police Partners” by John Plummer Russel. This award winning nonfiction text is an engaging, age/grade appropriate text, which is worthy of multiple reads and includes vibrant illustrations.
• In Theme 3, Lesson 13, students read “A Tree is Growing” by Arthur Dorros. This award winning nonfiction text is an engaging, age/grade appropriate text, which includes strong content and academic vocabulary and modern, informative graphics.
• In Theme 4, Lesson 18, students read “Me and Uncle Romie” by Claire Hartfield. This award winning historical fiction text is an engaging, age/grade appropriate text, which contains strong academic vocabulary, and cultural, vibrant illustrations.
• In Theme 5, Lesson 24, students read an excerpt from “Ramona Quimby, Age 8” by Beverly Cleary. This award winning realistic fiction text is a classic, age/grade appropriate text, which is worthy of multiple reads.
• In Theme 6, Lesson 26, students read an excerpt from “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. This award winning fantasy text is a timeless, age/grade appropriate text, which contains strong academic vocabulary and is worthy of multiple reads.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)

The instructional materials reviewed partially meet the expectation of supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. As the year progresses, students read texts at a variety of complexity levels. For each text, the routine for reading and analyzing the text is similar and does not change based on text complexity. Scaffolding remains the same with no gradual release of responsibility and very little increase in expectations. Culminating tasks do not require an increase of skills across the year and do not lead to proficiency in reading independently at grade level at the end of the school year.

While there is a variety of text complexities across the year, and most texts increase in difficulty throughout the year quantitatively, scaffolding remains the same with no gradual release of responsibility and very little increase in expectations.

There are very few opportunities for independent practice with the text and no gradual release of responsibility provided students through the course of the year. While the rigor increases quantitatively, the task considerations remain consistent, with most being teacher directed. For example, in the middle of the year, in Theme 5, students are taught Cause and Effect in Lesson 23, Day 1 with the teacher introducing the skill explaining that good readers look for cause-and-effect relationships, and doing a Think Aloud, “As I read, I ask myself, ‘Why did that happen? What did that cause?’” Students are provided a graphic organizer during guided practice to record cause and effect relationships found in their reading. The skill is re-taught, reinforced, or extended during small-group instruction in Lessons 23 and 24, and reviewed daily throughout these two lessons with the teacher providing the same instruction with no gradual release of responsibility. By Theme 6, Lesson 28, Day 4, the skill is reinforced with the teacher reminding students that a cause is what makes something happen and an effect is what happens. Students are directed to return to the text and respond to three questions, “What is I.C. Cube worried about in the first email? Why is I.C. Cube melting? What clue word for cause and effect is used in Dr. Fix-It’s response to I.C. Cube’s first email?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a broad range of text types and disciplines as well as a volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.

There are opportunities for students to read a range and volume of texts. The materials provide some experiences with independent reading. Teacher materials lack explicit directions to help students build their skills to read on grade level independently by the end of the year, and weekly lessons have minimal time dedicated to students reading independently.

In each lesson, students interact with a getting started story, a read-aloud, a whole-group vocabulary selection, anchor text, paired text read, and a self-selected text read during center work. Leveled readers are provided for small-group, differentiated work. Resources are provided to offer students a variety of texts of different lengths and genres. There are longer main selections, which often are excerpts from complete literary or informational books for children. There are paired selections, shorter in length, provided as a companion text, so students can compare and contrast characters, genre elements, text features, content, and other aspects of the texts.

A Reading Adventure: Student Magazine is used for supplemental lessons to extend the Common Core. Additional texts related to the themes are provided as leveled reading selections. These selections are suggested in the Resources section of the Teacher Edition on pg. R9.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

The curriculum provides opportunities for students to engage in evidence-based discussions but not all are rich and rigorous. The opportunities offer limited protocols to support vocabulary and syntax throughout each unit or within lessons. Materials include practices to build robust vocabulary and application of content words, but not academic vocabulary and syntax. Themes provide limited information on how teachers can provide support and scaffolds with collaborative conversations. Most discussions are whole group with limited opportunities for small group or peer-to-peer discussion.

Each Theme has a Speaking and Listening page that provides minimal scaffolding of instruction for students to prepare and share their writing. Although speaking and listening tasks are included in various spots throughout the year, there is limited instruction to support students’ mastering of listening and speaking skills. The opportunities do not adequately address the mastery of grade-level speaking and listening standards. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In each lesson, the Warm-Up Routines include objectives such as “listen attentively and respond appropriately to oral communication" and to write and speak in complete sentences. There are some basic directions about communicating with words and without words. Two discussion questions are included after each warm-up read aloud.
• At the beginning of each Theme, there is a Theme Project. For example, in Theme 6, students work in groups to develop a report about a modern-day explorer. Students are provided with tips for Listening and Speaking, such as “Make sure there is never more than one person talking at a time.”
• While reading the anchor text for each lesson, the teacher is monitoring comprehension through questioning the whole-group. While the expectation is that students are reading and responding to the whole-class discussion, no supports are provided to model and encourage the use of academic vocabulary. On Day 4 of each lesson, there is a Speaking and Listening mini-lesson. For example, in Theme 4, Lesson 19, Day 4, students are asked to tell a folktale they know or the one they are writing. Students are provided with some Speaking and Listening Strategies.
• In Theme 2, Lesson 10, Day 5, students are provided with presentation strategies and a Performance Checklist. There is a Presentations rubric available in the Teacher Resource Book.
• In Theme 6, Lesson 28, students are asked to respond to literature through discussion or writing. There are no protocols provided to support discussions.
• Evidence-based discussions do not encourage the development of academic vocabulary. In the supplementary Teacher Support Book, Theme 6, Speaking and Listening, pg. 66, the teacher provides students tips for Reporting on a Topic, referring to pg. R2 in the Teacher Support Book, Instructional Routines - Discussions and Presentations. The teacher reviews the following rules for discussion: "Speak one at a time, Speak loudly and clearly so that everyone can hear, Use correct English and speak in complete sentences, Listen carefully when others are speaking, If you have something to add to the discussion, signal that you wish to speak, or wait for a pause to add your comment." Students are also reminded to use formal, correct English and to listen quietly and attentively. While these protocols are provided, they do not adequately support students in mastering speaking and listening standards.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g. multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

Within each lesson, students read paired texts. Following these readings, a writing prompt requires students to use their knowledge of the texts to complete an on-demand writing task. As part of the daily, small group instruction, students have a short writing assignment aligned with the whole-class writing activity for that lesson. In each lesson, students are asked to work through the writing process to produce a short piece of writing. Day 1: Introduce, Day 2: Pre-write, Day 3: Draft, Day 4: Revise/Edit, and on Day 5: Revise/Share.

Each Theme includes a Reading-Writing Connection that spans the entire five week Theme incorporating the stages of the writing process: prewrite, draft, revise, proofread, and publish. Materials include both on-demand and process writing with opportunities for students to edit and publish pieces. Each process writing is completed within one week. While there are many opportunities for writing, there is little evidence to suggest students write routinely over an extended time frame as required by the writing standard, W.3.10.

Writing opportunities exist for on-demand writing at the end of each selection with a timed writing. Writing prompts include some guidance for students but lack pacing guidance. Students writing opportunities frequently do not require textual evidence. There is no provision for utilizing digital resources in writing. On-demand writing opportunities include prompts, such as the following:

• Each lesson includes a Think Critically writing prompt. There is a text-dependent on-demand writing task included with the question set following each main reading selection. For example, in Theme 1, Lesson 1, following Ruby the Copycat, question 5 asks “In what ways are Ruby and Angela the same? In what ways are they different? Use details from the story to explain your answer.”
• In Theme 1, Lesson 2, Day 3, page T167, after reading “The Day Eddie Met the Author” by Louise Borden and “Surprise” by Beverly McLoughland, students complete the following on-demand writing task: "Plan a narrative about a day something happy and exciting happens at school. Make sure to describe the characters well and include a clear setting. Describe the events that make the day exciting." The Student Edition includes a writing checklist and a graphic organizer to support students’ planning.
• In Theme 3, Lesson 13, page S36, on-level and advanced students compose an on-demand paragraph that explains. On-level students meet in small groups to discuss the following questions, using the ideas generated to write their paragraph: What are school assemblies? Why does the school have assemblies? How should students act when they are in the assembly? Advanced students think of their favorite sport, hobby, or other activity, then partner with a student who does not know about their topic. Students then write a paragraph of explanation for that person about their topic.
• Once during each Theme, students are asked to complete one 45-minute on-demand piece of writing in response to a prompt. Students prewrite, organize ideas using a graphic organizer, draft, revise and proofread.

Writing opportunities also exist for process writing during each five week Theme. Writing prompts include guidance for students but lack pacing guidance. Literary selections are utilized as mentor texts but writings do not require textual evidence. There is no provision for utilizing digital resources in process writing. Process writing opportunities include prompts, such as the following:

• In Theme 3, the focus traits are Voice and Sentence Fluency. A literature model is provided, and students self-select their topic within the form being taught. For example, in Theme 3, students write a friendly letter to a person of their choice. Students plan, draft, revise for specific craft elements, edit, and publish. Pacing or time allocations for this process piece is not clear.
• In Theme 4, the process writing tasks include: personal narrative, response to literature, friendly letter, story, explanation essay, and research report.
• In Theme 5, Lesson 22, Day 1, page T135, students are introduced to writing a summary. On Day 1, students begin by writing an animal fact in a sentence. On Day 2, students make a list of as many connective words as they can in their notebooks. On Day 3, students use prewriting ideas gathered on Day 2 to write a first draft. On Day 4, students revise and edit their summaries, and on Day 5, students proofread their work. A rubric is provided in the Teacher Edition on page R8 that teachers can provide students.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

The Reading-Writing Connection ties a process writing task to the anchor text in Lesson 1 of each theme. The writing genres for each of the six Reading-Writing Connections are: Personal Narrative, Response to Literature, Friendly Letter, Story, Explanation, and Research Report. Weekly lessons partially support students’ skill development to complete the Reading-Writing Connection. Genres for the weekly lessons include: descriptive paragraph, interview, biography, paragraph that compares, explanation paragraph, cause/effect paragraph, fantasy, character sketch, summary, how-to paragraph, play scene, and directions. The writing prompts are balanced between informative and narrative with few opportunities for opinion writing. There are limited monitoring and modeling sections that will help guide students with their independent writing time. While materials provide sufficient opportunities for a year’s worth of writing, materials lack the rigor to support students in meeting the standards for writing.

Materials lack instructional writing support for students and teachers. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Theme 4, Lesson 16, Day 3, students are drafting a character sketch. One teacher monitoring technique is suggested under the heading “Confer with Students": “If students are having trouble, help them brainstorm a list of descriptive words or phrases that tell how their characters look, sound, and act." The directions do not provide specific scaffolding instructions for students to monitor their work and then make necessary changes rather it has the teacher “helping."
• In Theme 6, Lesson 29, Day 5, students are proofreading their paragraph in efforts to monitor their writing. However, there are limited teacher directions to support this task. Directions state, “After students have proofread their paragraphs have them read each other's work. Tell students to use the characteristic of a paragraph that contrasts as a checklist." The directions provided lack the information to properly monitor students' own work or their partners' work.
• In Theme 4, Lesson 16-20, a teacher information page is provided on how to “monitor progress.” This page has 3 sections: Monitor Progress, Theme 4 Tested Skills, and Online Assessment. In the section Monitor Progress, the support refers to only literacy skills. For example, under the heading “Below-Level: Reteach such points are to use intensive intervention program."

There does exist a balance of types of writing, but writing tasks do not build in rigor throughout the year. Examples include:

• Theme 1 – Reading Writing Connection: Personal Narrative; On Demand Writing – personal narrative – saving for an item
• Theme 2 – Reading Writing Connection: Response to Literature; On Demand Writing – Response to Literature
• Theme 3 – Reading Writing Connection: Friendly Letter; On Demand Writing – write about an experience
• Theme 4 – Reading Writing Connection: Narrative Story; On Demand Writing – story about a 5th grader who becomes famous
• Theme 5 – Reading Writing Connection: Explanation; On Demand Writing – essay on helping out at home
• Theme 6 – Reading Writing Connection: Research Report; On Demand Writing – an important person in history

The materials reviewed for Story Town Grade 3 partially meet the criteria that materials, questions, and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills by providing explicit instruction and assessment in phonics and word recognition that demonstrate a research-based progression.

Teacher Edition materials provide a five-day instructional sequence that focuses on phonics. The students are introduced to the phonics skill on Day 1. In subsequent days, the students use knowledge of the phonics skill to determine word meaning and to spell words. Instructional materials provide explicit instruction in phonics and word recognition and grow in complexity throughout the year. Weekly tests include the assessment of the phonics skill from the lesson. There is also a Theme Test for each of the six themes which includes phonics. However, instructional materials include instruction from previous grades and provide limited instruction in irregularly spelled words and decoding multisyllabic words.

Materials contain explicit instruction of phonics and word recognition consistently over the course of the year. For example:

• Students have limited opportunities to identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes. For example:
  • In Theme 4, Lesson 18, the teacher introduces suffixes by reading the chart containing the suffixes -er, -est, -ly, -ful. The teacher reads the word and thinks aloud to identify the -er suffix and the words meaning. Students read the article on page 85 and discuss the word biggest. Students then copy the chart and fill in using words from the article.
• Students have limited opportunities to decode words with common Latin suffixes. For example:
  • In Theme 6, Lesson 28, there are five daily phonics lessons that teach students -able, -ible, -less, -ous during word work and spelling. The teacher reminds students that a suffix is added to the end of a word and helps readers pronounce and understand words. Students divide words into its root word and suffix defining the word. Students write the remaining underlined words and defines them.
• Students have opportunities to decode multisyllable words. For example:
  • In Theme 1, Lesson 1, phonics is taught daily with a focus short vowel sounds. On Day 4, students read the VCCV pattern. The teacher models how to read napkin explaining that the word is easier to read if the reader splits the word into syllables.
  • In Theme 2, Lesson 6, phonics is taught daily with a focus on compound words. On Day 1, the teacher writes flagpole, cornfield, toothbrush, and raincoat on the board. Volunteers circle the words that make up the compound word and read them. On Day 3, the teacher displays Transparency R40, and students build as many real compound words as possible.
  • In Theme 3, Lesson 14, phonics is with a focus on v/cv and vc/v syllable patterns. On Day 1, the teacher writes tiger, begin, lady, robot, and tulip on the board. The teacher guides students to recognize the first vowel is a long vowel sound. The teacher reads begin, lady, seven, and river working with students to divide the syllables and identify the vowel-consonant-vowel pattern.
  • In Theme 5, Lesson 24, during Word Word, the teacher writes alone, silent, stencil, reason, until on the board and pronounces the words. Students learn that different vowels can stand for the same sound. In words with two or more syllables, the unaccented syllable is often a schwa sound.
  • In Theme 6, Lesson 27, during Word Work on page T134, students are reminded that words are made of syllables. The teacher displays Transparency R182 reading lion and point. Students repeat the words and clap for each syllable. The teacher states that two vowels together usually stand for a long vowel sound, but some words are divided into syllables between the vowels.
• Students have limited opportunities to read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. Instruction on irregularly spelled words includes prompts for teachers to help students memorize words. For example:
  • In Extending the Common Core State Standards, page R5 in Resources, the routine to guide students in using different strategies to spell high frequency words is provided. For each unit, there are five words that may be useful in the writing assignment of each theme. The teacher writes the word, says it slowly and spells it aloud letter by letter followed by a sentence for each word. The teacher helps students memorize each word.

• All tasks and questions are sequenced to application of grade-level work (e.g., application of prefixes at the end of the unit/year; decoding multi-syllable words). For example:
  • In Theme 5, Lesson 23, the phonics skill focuses on prefixes: pre-, mis-, in-. On Day 1, students are introduced to the prefix pre- to determine word meaning and to spell words. On Day 2, students review prefixes as syllables. On Day 3, students use knowledge of the prefix mis- to determine meaning and to spell words. On Day 4, students use knowledge of the prefix in- to determine meaning and to spell words. On Day 5, students use the knowledge of all three prefixes to decode words, determine meaning, and to spell words.

• Multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year to inform instructional adjustments of phonics and word recognition to help students make progress toward mastery. For example:
  • In Theme 1, pages A2 through A5, materials include Using Assessment to Inform Instruction pages for Lessons 1 through 5. Assessment pages include the tested skills for the lesson. Materials also include Reteach pages each of the Phonics skills that were tested.
  • In Theme 1, page S2, students participate in Small-Group Instruction: Lesson 1. In this lesson students practice and apply knowledge of short vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/ and /u/, which was the phonics focus for Lesson 1 of this theme. After the students participate in the lesson, the teacher is instructed to determine if the students are able to identify and sound out words with the short vowels and if they are able to recognize the CVC and VCCV patterns. If the students are not able to do this, the teacher is instructed to see the Strategic intervention Resource Kit for additional support.
  • In Theme 5, Lesson 23, Day 5, students participate in a posttest to assess the students’ use of prefixes: pre-, mis-, in- to spell words.

• Materials contain explicit instruction of word solving strategies (graphophonic and syntactic) to decode unfamiliar words. For example:
  • In Theme 1, Day 2, Lesson 5, students participate in a phonics and spelling lesson. Students are reminded that words are easier to read if they are broken into word parts. Students pronounce words and identify the root word and ending (sanded, gliding, mopped).
  • In Theme 3, Lesson 11, Day 5, students participate in a phonics lesson to read words with a final -le. The teacher writes the words pebble, tumble, and gentle on the board. The teacher reviews that the words are divided into syllables so that a consonant and -le form the final syllables. The teacher reminds students that when there are two consonants before the letters -le, the vowel sound in the first syllable is short.

The materials reviewed for Story Town Grade 3 partially meet the criteria that materials, lessons, and questions provide instruction in and practice of word analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

Core materials include Leveled Readers and a reading selection for each lesson. The Leveled Readers are provided on three levels: Below-Level, On-Level and Advanced and include the Robust Vocabulary words from the lesson. Opportunities are missed for students to practice or apply word analysis skills in connected text. In addition, there is limited evidence in the core materials that students are assessed in their ability to use word analysis in context.

Limited opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis skills in connected texts and tasks. For example:

• In Theme 1, Lesson 4, page T356, Leveled Readers are provided for students on three levels: Below-Level, On-Level and Advanced. Leveled Readers include the Robust Vocabulary words from the lesson: talented, apply, research, invention, hinder, and disappointed.
• In Theme 1, Lesson 1, students learn how to recognize and blend short vowel sounds. On Day 2, the teacher writes sentences on the board with short vowel sounds. On Day 3, students read sentences on Transparency R6 and write sentences with spelling words. On Day 4, students read Transparency R8 using the CVC and VCCV pattern.
• In Theme 2, Lesson 6, students read The Babe and I, which contains sixteen compound words. The phonics lesson includes decoding multisyllabic words, compound words.
• In Theme 5, Lesson 23, page T280, Leveled Readers are provided for students on three levels: Below-Level, On-Level and Advanced. Leveled Readers include the Robust Vocabulary words from the lesson: fondness, emotion, ridiculous, disgraceful, decent, inherit.

Materials include few word analysis assessment to monitor student learning of word analysis skills.

• The Benchmark Assessments contain three tests (Beginning-of-Year, Mid-Year, and End-of-Year), which contain word analysis assessments. For example:
  • In the Beginning-of-Year Assessment, students answer the following question about the same vowel sound as the underlined letters and completes the sentence:
    • Disobey The feather feels ______. Gentle, instead, weightless, friendly