The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

The materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that provide students with multiple opportunities to analyze language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts to build understanding within each thematically-based unit. The Cold Read activity for each text encourages students to refer to pre-defined vocabulary and contains higher order thinking questions in the form of both text-dependent and text-specific questions. This type of activity is designed to help students make meaning of what they are reading as they prepare for the Close Read’s Extended Writing Prompt. This prompt asks students to closely analyze the text using evidence. Examples of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the Close Read for Dragonwings, students analyze language when they respond to the prompt: “How do the word choices the author makes have an impact on the reader’s understanding of Moon Shadow and his world? What do they reveal about Moon Shadow’s point of view? Use your understanding of connotation and denotation to explain Moon Shadow’s thoughts and feelings. Support your writing with evidence from the text.”
• In Unit 2, in the Close Read of “The Negative Confession,” students reread confessions 11 through 42. Students are then asked to “analyze the details, choosing eight confessions, with details that together suggest a similar central idea. Summarize the central idea in your own words, and use textual evidence that supports your thinking.”
• In Unit 3, students compare and contrast different media versions of “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”. They note how the change in medium creates changes in plot, character, or setting. Students also compare and contrast how the authors of “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” and A Wrinkle in Time approach the theme of characters confronting a possible monster from another planet or outer space. To make either of these comparisons, students have to identify and analyze relevant details and make inferences.
• In Unit 4, in the Close Read of “In the Education of George Washington: How a Forgotten Book Shaped the Character of a Hero,” students respond to the following prompts: “How effectively does the author, Austin Washington, convey his point of view regarding the events at Valley Forge and the role of Baron Von Steuben in the American war effort? How do the presentation of facts and details, as well as the use of language, support the author’s point of view? Do you find the author’s point of view convincing? Why or why not? CIte evidence to support your answer."

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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.

The materials provided students multiple opportunities, through questions and tasks, to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. Each unit contains texts that are represented in more than one format, several texts that explore/represent one theme, and several argumentative prompts that give students the opportunity to state and claim and use evidence from the various texts to support their claim.

Throughout the year, students thoroughly read, write about, and discuss numerous reading selections. Each unit includes prompts for informational, argument, and literary analysis writing tasks that require students to cite evidence from multiple texts. Each unit also includes a Research Project.

Instruction begins with a First Read Lesson, designed to emphasize meaning making and content comprehension. First Read lessons include StudySyncTV, which models critical thinking with collaborative passages that students are reading, and end with a series of short answer text-dependent questions. Students are then introduced to Skill Lessons and Close Read Lessons to support knowledge building, and culminate with a short constructed response that synthesizes their work. Each unit also contains a Full Text Study which comes with companion texts. This text set becomes the resource for the final activity for the Full Text Study, where students are asked to complete sustained writing tasks in response to prompts that require them to compare and contrast two or more of the texts in the set. Examples of 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 include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, students compare the written version of “The Road Not Taken” with an audio version of the poem. To further knowledge building, in the Write section, students are asked, "How does Robert Frost’s use of poetic structure and poetic elements in 'The Road Not Taken' support the poem’s meaning in both the print and audio versions of the poem? Explain what you believe the poem means, and how the poem’s meaning is shaped by at least one aspect of poetic structure and at least one poetic element. Examine whether or not you experience these differently when you listen to the audio version, and whether hearing the poem read aloud changes your understanding of its meaning. Introduce your response with a thesis statement, and support your ideas with clearly organized details and quotations from the text."
• In Unit 2, in the close read of Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus, students respond to a writing prompt comparing this text to “Perseus.” The prompt is as follows: “Compare and contrast how the shared plot events in the poem 'Perseus' and the myth Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus affect the character of Perseus, as well as how he changes as a result. In your response, analyze what Perseus learns about himself in each text, along with how that realization impacts the resolution shared with readers. Remember to support your writing with evidence from the text.” Students use both texts to analyze a character and use text evidence to support their answer. In this example, students work with questions to understand not only character, but the text knowledge as well.
• In Unit 3, students are provided with one of the the Full Text Studies is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. After reading the main text, students read a portion of Nelson Mandela’s “Statement at the Rivonia Trial, 1964.” Students write an essay according to these directions: “In an essay of at least 400 words, compare Mandela’s descriptions of apartheid to Taylor’s descriptions of Jim Crow segregation in Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry. What do the two systems have in common and to what extent do Mandela’s critiques of apartheid apply to segregation as it is depicted in Taylor’s novel?”
• In Unit 4, in the Close Read of “The Story Behind the Bus,” students are asked to analyze the purpose and point of view of writers on two related, but different, texts. Students respond to the following prompt: “Rosa Parks: My Story and 'The Story Behind the Bus' both tell about Rosa Parks’s famous refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. However, each author writes for a different purpose and from a different point of view. How are the two presentations of the same event similar and different? Use your understanding of the content as well as purpose, style, and point of view to compare and contrast the two texts.” A Build Background component is included at the beginning of this lesson to supplement to provide context and more support for students to assure comprehension and meaning of texts.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the 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).. Students are consistently presented with culminating tasks and projects to showcase their skills learning.

Most culminating tasks support knowledge building. Examples of tasks that have students demonstrate building knowledge through integrated standards-based skills include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, in the Skill: Compare and Contrast section of Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus, students compare the poem 'Perseus' to the text Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus. This task provides teachers with information on what background knowledge students need before completing the culminating task. One of the prompts in the culminating task asks, “How might two versions of the same story teach different lessons to present-day readers? Select a Greek myth of particular interest and compare and contrast it with a text, audio, video, or animated version of the same story.”
• In Unit 3, the Extended Writing Project focuses on the narrative form. Students answer the question, “When should we stand up for others and ourselves?” as they write a fictional narrative about someone who takes a stand to help another person or to make a positive change. In preparation for the culminating writing activity, students practice skills necessary for narrative writing. For example, in Referring to the Student Model text, “Take One Shot,” students answer the following prompt: “Write one paragraph of rising action for your narrative. Use your paragraph to develop an event that leads to your story’s climax. Include elements such as dialogue, sensory language, and specific details. Be sure that the text structure of your paragraph is clear, and that transitions clarify any changes in time or setting. When you are finished, trade with a partner and offer each other feedback. Remember that comments are most helpful when they are constructive.”
• In Unit 4, students study the qualities and actions of real-life heroes, both ordinary people and historical figures, through stories of their courage and strength. The Extended Writing Project requires students to write an argumentative essay that defines the qualities of a hero and defends the hero from one of the texts in the unit as exemplifying these qualities. Throughout the unit, students utilize the opportunity to think about, write about, and discuss the qualities and actions of heroes, including the following prompt from the Close Read section of Rosa Parks: My Story: “The excerpt you read from Rosa Parks: My Story is part of Parks’s autobiography, a nonfiction narrative she wrote to tell about her life. In the excerpt, Rosa introduces and elaborates on a time when she behaved in a very courageous way. Using the excerpt as a model, write a real-life story, or personal narrative, about a time when you responded to a conflict or problem in a brave, kind, or generous way.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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. Students do have year long engagement with vocabulary.

Grade 6 materials include a list at the beginning of each unit with academic and literary terms that are tied to instruction of the unit is provided for teachers in Unit Overview and provide teachers with guidance for incorporating vocabulary and its ongoing relevance in the Teacher Wrap of the Unit Overview. The Tier 2 Academic vocabulary is given less support than the literary terms. Vocabulary is repeated in various contexts with largely literary terms and Tier 2 Academic Vocabulary is repeated and applied across texts. Vocabulary essential to the understanding of a text is given attention through point of use definitions and pronunciation and students are supported to accelerate their vocabulary through reading, speaking, and writing tasks including the supplementary support of three Academic and Social Language Preview activities per unit.

Students are also provided with a Vocabulary Handbook that includes lessons in each unit. The Vocabulary Handbook includes lesson on topics such as synonyms, context clues, base words, and prefixes. Instructional presentation, practice activities, and assessments are also included for each unit. Examples of opportunities for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the First Read of Dragonwings, key vocabulary are printed in boldface, so that students take notice of them as they conduct a first read. After reading, students answer questions related to the boldface words. For example, students answer the question, “Use context to determine the meaning of the word 'lynched' as it is used in Dragonwings. Write your definition of 'lynched' here and tell how you got it.” Later, in the Close Read of Dragonwings, students are provided with the vocabulary words and the definitions. Students then write about the word choice used in this selection.

• In Unit 3, in the Close Read of Red Scarf Girl, students work on the vocabulary presented in the text. After going over the vocabulary, students complete a fill-in-the-blank activity to check their understanding of each word. Students then have a discussion about the connotation and denotation of words. The lesson plan tells the teacher, “Make sure that students have acquired and accurately use academic-specific words and phrases related to the skill, and demonstrate a command of formal English appropriate to the discussion.” In this example, the teacher may need to add or supplement more information or lessons to assure students are fully growing their vocabulary in service of broader literacy skills.

• In Unit 4, Lessons 9 and 10 focus on building Academic Vocabulary. Ten words are defined and modeled in sample sentences. Students then complete a drag and drop exercise where they place the related word part for each word in the correct column. Students explain how the word part can help them remember the meaning of the word. Students are asked to use the definition of the word part in their explanation. This exercise promotes the practice of working with words, but the teacher may need to do further work to ensure that these exercises are also in service of comprehension and knowledge building.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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.

The materials supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year. To achieve this goal, instructional materials include well-designed lesson plans, models, and protocols for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. Direct instruction on the writing process builds as the year progresses. Within the unit, students write in response to driving questions in Blasts, comprehension questions in First Reads, and discussion questions in Close Reads. These informal writing opportunities prepare students to write more formally as part of each unit’s Extended Writing Project and Research assignments. For Research, students discuss, plan, research, write, and deliver presentations. In the Extended Writing Project, students complete a writing project in one of the three primary modes of writing with the help of a student model, graphic organizers, rubrics, and extensive scaffolding of writing skills. Students engage in all phases of the writing process. Examples of materials supporting students’ increasing writing skills over the school year include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, the Extended Writing Project is an informative piece. It provides a Student Model that contains the essential features of the informative/explanatory form and offers an example of a structured academic grade-level response to the prompt. The Student Model is used to help students better understand how informative elements work together to create an effective essay. Students analyze how the model employs specific skills to capture and retain readers’ interest, examine the process the writer used to develop the essay through graphic organizers and road maps, and identify how the model might benefit from revision. Direct instruction is provided in the areas of organization, body paragraphs and transitions, and sources and citations.

• In Unit 2, in the Skill: Informational Text Elements for Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself, students analyze “informational text elements...within an informational text is essential for readers to reach an in-depth understanding of how a particular element is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated.” In the Skill: Central or Main Idea for Book of the Dead, students determine “the central or main idea of an informational text requiring students to synthesize details by making inferences and comprehending explicit statements.” Students master these skills in the first part of the unit, progressing to analyzing argument and claim, before moving onto lessons which focus on literary elements. Though its qualitative and quantitative dimensions are similar to other texts in the unit, the task demands associated with the final informational text, an excerpt from The Hero Schilemann: The Dreamer Who Dug for Troy, are more challenging. Students are required to analyze the author’s point of view and use of figurative language and how these elements support the author's ideas.

• In Unit 3, the Extended Writing Project focuses on narrative writing. Analysis of plot and story structure are key task demands. Students are provided ample scaffolds as the components become more sophisticated. The recommended full-text read for this unit, Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, is also one of this unit’s Common Core Appendix B exemplar texts, which emphasizes analysis of story structure. By the time students have reached the final literary selections in the unit, they are prepared to address the more complex ideas of theme and tone, and begin to incorporate these elements into their own writing.

• In Unit 4, the Extended Writing Project focuses on argumentative writing. Instruction builds on what students previously learned about this form when they crafted a literary analysis in Unit 2. The Extended Writing Project provides a Student Model that contains the essential features of the argumentative form. An example of a structured academic grade-level response to the prompt is provided. The Student Model is used to help students better understand how argumentative elements work together to create an effective argument. Students examine how the ideas and and information in the model were developed through research. They also analyze how the model exemplifies specific skills that enhance the argument’s persuasive power. Students then identify how the model may benefit from revision. Direct instruction is provided on research and note-taking, body paragraphs and transitions, and sources and citations.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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.

Each of the four units in the Grade 6 materials include multiple opportunities for students to engage in research activities and present their findings. Each unit begins with a Big Idea Blast that gives students an opportunity to draft a response to the driving question of the unit. The Blast includes multi-media research links related to the theme. As students interact with the research links in the Blasts, they formulate a broader understanding of the theme and texts within the unit. The First Read of each selection includes a Build Background activity that asks students to work collaboratively on a small scale research inquiry that complements the text they are reading.

Each unit also includes an extensive, multi-step Research Project related to the unit’s theme. This is a culmination of skills and knowledge students have gained over the course of the unit. After sharing and discussing results of individual members’ research findings, each group plans and delivers a formal presentation in either narrative, argumentative, or informative mode. Each group uses multimedia elements such as videos, graphics, photos, and recordings to reinforce the main ideas.

If the purpose is to inform, students present evidence to develop the subject matter. If the purpose is to present an argument that supports a claim, students use evidence that both supports their opinion and addresses counterarguments. The Speaking & Listening Handbook is utilized during this phase of the Research Project both for speakers and for listeners, who respond critically and constructively to the work of their peers. Each unit provides suggested topics for each research project. Examples of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, the Research section gives students a variety of topics to help answer the following question: “What happens when life changes directions?” Students research examples of turning points and their effects. The research project serves as a resource for the Extended Writing Project, which is an informative/explanatory essay. Multiple texts such as the novels Hatchet and Island of the Blue Dolphins, and the poem, “The Road Not Taken” develop knowledge on the topic. Students plan a presentation and present their research.

• In Unit 2, the essential question for the Research Project is, “How does history inform and inspire us?” Students research examples of different ways history impacts individuals, groups of people, and even nations. Myths and fables from other times and cultures are used to teach lessons. Texts in this unit include “Aesops Fables” and the Greek myth, “Perseus.” Students read stories of history, including Philip Isaacson’s critique on the Egyptian pyramids to learn about monumental structures that were built long ago. This knowledge allows students to confront and analyze different aspects of the topic. The research project serves as a resource for writing the Literary Analysis, which is the Extended Writing that students produce at the unit’s close.

• In Unit 3, the essential question for the Research project is “When should we stand up for others and ourselves?” Students research instances when individuals have confronted choices about defending themselves, their family, or their community. Texts include A Wrinkle in Time, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, Red Scarf Girl and I Am an American: A True Story of Japanese Internment. Additional texts related to the theme are available from the StudySync library. Teachers may choose to include some of these texts in addition to texts from the unit to broaden available source materials, creating a customized course of instruction for students.

• In Unit 4, the essential question for the Research project is, “What does it mean to be a hero?” Students research ideas about heroism and examples of heroes from fiction and real life. There are five informational texts in this unit including “Sullivan Ballou Letter”, a speech by Sojourner Truth, and one work of fiction, The Red Badge of Courage. Lessons learned from stories of heroism serve as models for individual behavior and inspire courageous and creative responses to modern issues. The Extended Writing Project provides an opportunity for students to write an informative text about the effects the Civil War on Americans and their views of freedom. Multiple texts and source materials provide resources for students to develop knowledge on the topic.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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.

The Core Program Overview includes a structured guide titled “Building an Independent Reading Program.” This section provides an overview of why independent reading is important, and gives details on how to set up a program in the classroom. A five-step plan provides choice for students to select texts and read independently at home and at school. This includes referring students to the StudySync Library where they can explore other titles in the library that share the same themes addressed by the units.

The Core Program Guide states, “In addition to the time you spend reading in class, it’s important to set clear expectations for independent reading outside of the classroom. Students should read outside of class for a set amount of time each day. As students become stronger readers, the time spent reading outside of class should also increase.”

Suggestions for accountability include reading logs, notebooks, online reflections, and informal conversations. Students can be asked to complete end-of reading activities such as filling out a Google Form, pitching books, producing movie trailers, writing reviews on GoodReads, designing movie posters, and participating in a book club style chat. Examples of opportunities for students to regularly engage in a volume of independent while being held accountable include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, the Program Guide encourages students to explore the StudySync Library and find texts related to the theme, Turning Points. For example, students might independently read other books in the Hatchet series. Students can "test drive" a portion of a text to see if they would like to read the full text.

• In Unit 2, the StudySync Library includes several additional texts related to the theme Ancient Realms. Additional texts include Cosmos by Carl Sagan, Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome: Heracules by E.M. Berens, The Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende, and The Histories of Herodotus translated by George Rawlinson.

• In Unit 3, the theme is Facing Challenges. Students are expected to read independently both in school and at home. Teachers are encouraged to request parent signatures on a reading log or ask students to keep an ongoing log of their reading in their notebooks or online where they reflect on their reading each week. Questions should be provided to direct student reflections. The Core Program Guide stresses that it is important for a teachers to decide on an amount of time appropriate for independent home reading for their student population, then communicate that expectation clearly to both students and parents.

• In Unit 4, students are encouraged to read texts on the theme, Our Heroes, during independent reading. The pacing guide gives suggestions for further and independent reading including texts such as The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Story of an Eyewitness: The San Francisco Earthquake by Jack London, and A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. The Core Program Guide states, “Your independent reading program should be ongoing, so it’s important to set up a system for recording what students are reading. This can be easily done using a Google Form to create an online reading log. As students finish each book, they should complete a form providing basic information about their book, a rating and a written review.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing.

Each lesson is designed for a fifty-minute period. The year-long instruction is broken into four units. Each unit is broken into forty-five lessons, totalling 180 days of instruction. Each unit follows a similar structure, and a Full Text Study is provided for each unit. Most lessons begin with a First Read, then a Skill lesson, followed by a Close Reading activity. Each lesson includes detailed lesson plans for the teacher, as well as online materials for students. Each lesson plan has clear guidelines for a core path as well as an access path that may include categories for beginner, approaching, intermediate, and advanced. Units 1 and 3 contain an alternative pacing guide that incorporates core instructional units with English language development lessons.

Each unit also includes a Pacing Guide that helps teachers utilize the resources offered in each StudySync Core ELA and English Learner unit. The pacing guide weaves lessons from every segment of this Core ELA unit: the Instructional Path, Extended Writing Project, Research Project, and Full-Text Study. An additional column helps the teacher align Core ELA unit content with lessons from its companion English Learner unit.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

The pacing guide for each unit divides the unit into forty-five days in order to be able to complete the curriculum in an 180-day school year. Instructional days often contain more than a single task. Pacing is based on fifty-minute instructional days, but teachers may need to modify the suggested pacing to fit their scheduling needs. This can easily be accomplished by selecting ten to twelve of the texts available in each unit. Examples of pacing that allows for maximum student understanding and the ability to complete the content within a regular school year include but are not limited to:

• A Shortcuts section, which highlights areas where teachers can trim the unit to ensure they cover the most important sections.

• Suggestions for for shortening a unit include the following: “replacing the Research Project with a Crowdsourcing Activity: Instead of a 12 day research project, you can make the research component of this unit an informal exploration using a crowdsourcing activity, and eliminate Repeated Author’s Purpose and Point of View skill lessons. Each unit focuses on developing specific skills. Some of these skills are repeated throughout the unit to ensure students have plenty of practice with those skills. If you are in a rush and looking to cut some of the content in a unit, you can eliminate one or two of these skill lessons and feel confident your students will still be exposed to the information they need about author’s purpose and point of view.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (eg. visuals, maps, etc.)

The materials, through an integrated approach that combines reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and presenting, along with instructional routines that are predictable and easily understandable, provide students with activities and opportunities to practice what they are learning.

Unit components offer clear explanations and directions, teacher and student models, and a variety of instructional routines and opportunities to practice and apply skills. Student writing and text annotations can be saved to an electronic binder where students can receive peer and teacher feedback. With more than 40 short, constructed responses over the course of a grade level, the materials provide frequent opportunities for on-demand writing practice.

Lessons are clear and detailed. For example, in Unit 1, students study the skill of Central or Main Idea while reading Guts: True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books. As an introduction to the skill, students are provided with a definition of the skill, both in written form and through an informational video. Next, students dive deeper by observing the application of the skill through further explanation and a model. During this model section, students have the option of using an annotation tool and/or listening to the audio version of the text. Students have the opportunity to practice what they learned through the “Your Turn” section. Here, students read a short passage, analyze the text, and answer two multiple-choice questions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

The materials offer resources that connect the Common Core State Standards to the elements of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The Scope and Sequence document provides a grid that shows where all of the informational and literature standards are covered within each unit; specifically where they are introduced as practice/application only or instruction along with practice and application. There is information at the bottom of the page that connects the task to the Common Core Standard being addressed every assignment that students complete. Each lesson comes with a detailed lesson plan that outlines the objectives and lists the Common Core Standards addressed in the lesson. Each step of the lesson plan is detailed, and mentions the relevant connections to the CCSS.

All sections and handouts in the Speaking and Listening Handbook include references to the Common Core State Standards being addressed. For example, in Unit 2, in the First Read of Book of the Dead, students answer Think questions that are aligned to Common Core State Standards. For example, students answer the following question: “Using textual evidence, explain why this text is called “The Negative Confession.” This question aligns to CCSS.RI.6.1. In the Close Read of Book of the Dead, students answer the following writing prompt: “Reread confessions 11 to 42 of “The Negative Confession.” Analyze the details, choosing eight confessions, with details that together suggest a similar central idea. Summarize the central idea in your own words, and use textual evidence that supports your thinking.” This prompt aligns to L.6.2.B, RI.6.1, RI.6.2, W.6.10, W.6.4, W.6.5, and W.6.6.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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 ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

Detailed lesson plans are provided for each text within the units. Access Paths, Blasts, First Reads, Close Reads, and Skill Lessons are provided along with detailed instructions, activities, and answer keys for each task suggested in the lesson plans. Embedded technology includes Tech Infusions, which are extension activities that incorporate technology such as Padlet, Diigo, PollEverywhere, etc. Another technological feature is Blast activities. This feature allows students to participate in a classroom version of social media, beginning with a driving question and a shared reading of background on a topics. Students then response to the driving question in a public forum. They participate in a poll, and review live research links to learn more about the Blast’s topic. Blast responses go live in real time, providing an opportunity for students to give each other feedback, select favorite responses, and reflect on the driving question again in response to ideas shared by their peers. Examples include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the Skill Lesson: Poetic Structure for “The Road Not Taken,” teachers are provided the following detailed instructions in the lesson plan: “After watching the Concept Definition video, have students read the definition of poetic structure. Either in small groups or as a whole class, use these questions to engage students in a discussion about poetic structure. Make sure students follow the rules for collegial discussions. What types of poetic structures are you familiar with? Do all poems have structure? Why or why not? What other poems have you read that have interesting structures?”

• In Unit 2, in the First Read of The Lightning Thief, an embedded Tech Fusion assignment is included as follows: “Compare and Contrast. Have students use Popplet to create visual aids that compare and contrast the two visions of Percy's father as presented in the excerpt. Have students consider the following: What positive qualities are presented? What negative qualities are presented? How have both the presence and the absence of this man affected the lives of both Percy and his mother? Have students present their work to the class for discussion.”
• In Unit 3, in the Close Read of Red Scarf Girl, the teacher is provided with the following embedded Tech Infusion activity: “Have students create an interior monologue in Ji-Li's first-person voice, describing what she thinks during her 'study session.' Remind students to use their memory of their first reading of Red Scarf Girl to provide text elements, such as dialogue and descriptive details, for Ji-Li's monologue. Invite students to post their monologues on a class blog such as Pen.io, Blogger, or Edublogs.”

• In Unit 4, in the Close Read for “The Story Behind the Bus,” the teacher is provided with guiding questions for a classroom discussion: “In small, heterogeneous groups or pairs, ask students to share and discuss their annotations with a focus on how the authors of both texts present a similar topic in the selections. In what ways were Rosa Parks's actions heroic given the social, political, and historical contexts of the time? Cite specific textual evidence to support your answer.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 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.

In each lesson plan, teachers are provided full explanations and examples of the more advanced literary concepts in the following sections of the Teacher’s Edition section entitled, “Instructional Path.” The Access to Complex Text section includes information to access the complex text by providing actual literary concepts and examples found in the featured text. The Overview section provides a summary of the text, and identifies the literary concepts included in the featured text. Answer Keys are provided with all activities, along with Access to Complex Text features for each text. This assists the teacher is scaffolding instruction for the students, so that they all may access the complex text. A Teacher’s Glossary is included in each unit which includes linguistic, grammatical, comprehension, and literary terms. Examples of explanations and examples include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the First Read of Hatchet, the teacher is provided with the following information in the lesson plan to help students access complex text: “To help students understand the main character of Brian, and the internal and external conflicts he faces, provide scaffolded instruction for a close reading of the more complex features of this text. For example, let students know that the limited-third person narrator focuses on Brian and his situation and does not visit other characters as this voice relays Brian's thoughts, words, and actions. This narrative choice causes readers to sympathize with Brian as they, too, do not know whether a rescue mission is in progress.”

• In Unit 2, in the Close Read of Book of Exodus, the teacher is provided with information to help students access complex text. The lesson plan provides the following background information: “The Book of Exodus chronicles the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt. It tells of their difficult passage through the wilderness to the land of Canaan. Moses led his people on this journey. Once his people were safe, Moses climbed Mount Sinai, where God spoke to him from the heavens. The two established a covenant. The two stone tablets that Moses brought down from the mountain were inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The commandments went on to become the basis for Judaic law.”

• In Unit 3, in the Grade 6 ELA Overview, the teacher is provided with the following prior knowledge to help students access complex text, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: “Students may not know about the racial and economic inequalities of sharecropping or the grave effects of the Great Depression on African American small landowners and sharecroppers. This may make it difficult for students to understand the significance of Thurston Wallace’s power over the characters in the story.”

• In Unit 4, in the Grade 6 ELA Overview, the teacher is provided with information to help students identify claims and evaluate each author’s arguments in “Celebrities as Heroes.” For example, teachers are given the following information on the author’s purpose: “Students may be challenged by the fact that the writers have cross-purposes; though each author writes for the purpose of persuading the reader to accept his or her point of view as more convincing, they take contradictory positions.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum.

StudySync’s Program Overview states, “The core program was built from the ground up to fully align with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. The program’s instruction targets requirements of these standards.” The program offers a variety of high-quality texts. The selections presented in each unit and grade offer a balance of literary and informational texts. These texts offer complex themes and ideas as well as compelling characters and language. Alignment is evident in the Scope and Sequence. In this chart, texts are listed in order by unit. For each text, the materials identify which standards are being practiced and which ones are being taught and practiced. This is indicated by an “o” and an “x” respectively. At a glance, teachers can tell which Reading Literature, Reading Informational Text, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language standards are being addressed by each text.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

The materials provide a document in the Core Program Guide entitled, “Research-Based Alignments.” In this document, the publisher provides an overview of the research upon which the instruction in StudySync was built. The document provides a summary of key research findings and recommendations for best practices of instruction in English Language Arts, focused on Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language, Media and Technology. The document summarizes key research findings and research-based recommendations related to effective reading instruction from several key sources. Some of the key sources are as follows:

• Reading Next-A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy: A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York 2nd Edition (Biancarosa & Snow, 2006). Written in conjunction with staff from the Alliance for Excellent Education, this document describes 15 key elements of effective adolescent literacy programs. Designed to improve adolescent achievement in middle and high schools, the elements are subdivided into instructional improvements and infrastructural improvements.

• Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices: A Practice Guide (Kamil, Borman, Dole, Kral, Salinger, & Torgesen, 2008). This report provides clear and evidence-based recommendations for enhancing literacy skills in the upper elementary, middle, and secondary levels. An analysis of the quality of the evidence supporting each claim is provided.

• Reading for Understanding: Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension (2002). This review of the research on reading comprehension instruction was conducted by the Reading Study Group for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Education Research and Improvement.

• Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading. A Report from the Carnegie Corporation of New York (Graham & Herbert, 2010). This document provides a meta-analysis of research on the effects of specific types of writing interventions found to enhance students’ reading skills.

• Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools. A Report from the Carnegie Corporation of New York (Graham & Perin, 2007). This report provides a review of research-based techniques designed to enhance the writing skills of students in grades 4-12. Additionally, specific findings have been incorporated from other recent, reputable related research.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

The materials contain formative and summative assessments that can be used to measure student progress. There is a placement test that can be given at the beginning of the unit. Each unit has a summative assessment that tests comprehension, skills, vocabulary, and writing. Teachers use the responses in the First Read, the Skills lessons, Close Reads, Blasts, and Extended Writing Projects to conduct ongoing formative assessments. These formative assessments contain a variety of assessment types including multiple choice, short answer, discussion, and extended response. Formative assessments are found throughout the unit, and the End of Unit summative assessments are found in the Core ELA Assessment materials.

The materials provide Placement and Diagnostic Assessments, which are typically given at the beginning of the school year. These assessments focus on fluency and spelling, including an upper-level spelling inventory. The materials also provide oral reading and maze fluency assessments.

In the final portion of a Skills lesson, students respond to two short questions about a different passage of text from the First Read. These assessments provide teachers with immediate feedback on student performance, and the program contains guidance to teachers on how to alter instruction based on that performance.

Throughout each unit, students are assessed on their understanding of key instructional content along with their ability to write to sources. The results of these summative assessments provide teachers with data to track year-long progress and inform instructional decisions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

Formative assessments are built into each unit through Blasts, First Reads, Close Reads, and Skills Activities. Each formative assessment includes notations of the standards that are being addressed. The Teacher Introduction portion of the Core ELA Assessments document describes each assessment's key areas of focus. The answer key at the end of each downloadable paper copy of the assessments provides item-specific information such as content focus/skill, Common Core State Standard, and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level. The online version of the assessments offers the same metadata for each item along with tech-enhanced item functionality.

For example, in Unit 1, in the First Read of Island of the Blue Dolphins, students answer the following questions: “Why does Karana, the narrator, decide not to shoot the wounded dog? Cite textual evidence to support your answer.” and “Use context to determine the meaning of the word fortunate as it is used in Island of the Blue Dolphins. Write your definition of 'fortunate' here and tell how you got it. How might the word 'fortunate' be related to the word 'fortune'?” These questions serve as a summative assessment and support teachers to identify mastery of the Common Core State Standards RL.6.1, L.6.4.A, and L.6.5.B.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

At the culmination of each unit, students are assessed on key instructional concepts and their ability to write to prompts. The information that these assessments reveal informs the teacher about grouping, future instruction, and the need for remediation and/or reteaching. End-of-unit assessments also generate reports for students and parents on strengths, deficiencies, standard and skill proficiency levels, and across-unit growth. End-of-year assessments also indicate students' readiness for state testing.

• After the Unit 1 end-of-unit assessment, the materials guide the teacher in how to modify instruction based on outcomes such as, “If students score less than 75% on the comprehension items in unit assessment...then reteach the following skill lessons as needed using the Access 4 Handout and the Approaching instructional scaffolds in the Access Path: Point of View, Connotation and Denotation, Textual Evidence, Story Structure, Central or Main Idea, and Informational Text Structure.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

The StudySync materials provide for ongoing review, practice, and feedback. The Core Program Guide explains that assessments available in StudySync ELA allow for monitoring student progress, diagnosing possible issues, and measuring student achievement in relation to their understanding of previously taught skills. Assessments included within the program help teachers gather data to address students’ instructional needs. They also measure the critical components of reading. Assessment options are grounded in research. Each unit has a Research and an Extended Writing Project, which include routines and guidelines that help teachers monitor student progress in writing. Routines and guidance include but are not limited to:

• Placement and diagnostic assessments to support decision-making about appropriate instructional levels for students. The assessments serve as a baseline and help teachers to monitor student progress throughout the school year.
• Each Unit provides teachers with lesson plans that “point teachers toward minute-to-minute formative assessment opportunities.” First Reads, Skills, Close Reads, and Extended Writing Projects offer “medium cycle assessment opportunities for students and teachers to chart progress toward key learning outcomes. End of unit assessments and performance tasks test key skills and measure progress summatively.”
• Each chapter of the Language and Composition Handbook focuses on a specific grammar or usage skill. Each chapter begins with a pretest, followed by instruction and practice, and ends with a post test.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies to meet the needs of range of learners so content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.

Throughout each instructional Unit, differentiated lessons are provided for teachers to use. This Access Path provides differentiated lessons classified as emerging, intermediate, advanced, and approaching. The lesson plans include a column of suggestions to help teachers adequately differentiate the lesson. Student grouping is suggested in many lessons. Differentiated worksheets are provided. ELL students may be provided with additional sentence frames while receiving access to the same materials.

Each lesson includes a full set of Access Handouts. Access Handouts are differentiated through the use of sentence frames, graphic organizers, glossaries, and many other activities. Access handouts provide students with support to complete core assignments alongside their on-grade level classmates.

Teachers can create multiple online classes and custom learning groups. This allows teachers to assign texts and the weekly Blast based on Lexile levels. Teacher can customize the directions and requirements for entire classes, smaller groups, or individual students. Teachers can “modify prompts, turn on audio readings, and extend due dates” to help students meet learning goals.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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.

Students read grade-level texts through the support of teacher modeling and scaffolded instruction. Students work as individuals, in small groups, and as a whole class. Student Models are provided via multimedia introductions. These show students how to interact with the text. Reading skills are supported by explicit grammar and vocabulary instruction. The instructional materials include ways teachers can adapt instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.

For each Unit, teachers may choose the Core unit or EL Unit. The EL Unit includes materials and assessments for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. All lessons contain a Core Path and an Access Path for teachers along with Access handouts for students to support instruction in the Access Path. The program provides instructional materials that may be used for pre-teaching, reteaching, remediation, and small group instruction. Documents include the following: Grammar, Language, and Composition Workbook, Vocabulary Workbook, Spelling Workbook, Standard English Learners Handbook, and Foundational Skills.

The materials provide supports for reading texts, such as Audio Options, Audio Text Highlight Tool, Audio Speed controls, Video Content with Closed Captioning, Text Enlargement, and Keyboarding. The materials include supports for English language learners and for students learning Standard English, with tools such as Contrastive Analysis Drills, Translative Drills, and Discrimination Drills.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

There are activities specific to students reading beyond grade level in the Access path for each unit. These activities aim to guide high ability students further into the core path content should they complete the activity before other students. Along with scaffolds that differentiate instruction for English learners in the access path, suggestions are provided that stretch learners' thinking. For example, students may have additional opportunities for collaborative and creative engagement. Core path questions support the use of reading comprehension strategies, inference techniques, and the application of textual evidence. The beyond-level activity may, for example, ask students to brainstorm how two characters might talk their way out of trouble. Technology may also be leveraged to support these students.

For example, in Unit 1, the Access Path’s Beyond section for Hatchet offers students a Tech Infusion. Advanced students are asked to work in pairs and “brainstorm how Brian might use each item he has with him to improve his chances for survival.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Throughout each instructional unit, students are encouraged to learn in groups. Students participate in collaborative conversations about texts, and receive instruction in whole group, small group, and one-on-one settings. Students also watch StudySyncTV group discussions, which serve as models,

Throughout every instructional unit, the lesson plans include a column with suggestions for the teacher to differentiate the lesson. Differentiated worksheets are included. Grouping suggestions are provided in many lesson plans. ELL students may utilize additional sentence frames and still receive access to the same materials. Examples of scaffolds and differentiation include:

• In the Close Reads for each text, students express their ideas in collaborative conversation groups before planning and writing a short constructed response.

• The Access Path guides teachers to leverage technology tools, such as Closed Captioning and Audio Text Highlight to engage and instruct learners. Additionally, the Access Path guides provide suggestions for alternating between whole group, small group, and one-on-one instruction.

• At each grade level, the Speaking and Listening handbook is divided into four sections: Collaborative Discussions, Critical Listening, Research Using Various Media, and Presentation Skills. Each section is comprised of a comprehension lesson plan, including student handouts, checklists, and rubrics. Each section contains formative assessments that can be used and repeated for the following activities: engaging in small or large-group discussions, listening critically and responding to information and ideas shared by others, conducting research and assembling findings, and presenting in the narrative, informative, and argumentative modes using multimedia elements.