10th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

Texts consider a range of topics that are high-interest and age-appropriate for Grade 10. Topics include the will to survive against all odds, whether following the rules is always the right thing, the price of technology, and interactions affect characters. Many of the core texts are CCSS exemplar texts, written by award-winning authors, and contain rich vocabulary, both academic and content-specific. Texts are worthy of careful reading. Examples of these texts include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, students read the following texts that are worthy of especially careful reading:
  • Students read the empowering poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley. The students study the element of anaphora and the connotation and denotation of words in this short, but powerful, poem.
  • Students read Macbeth by Shakespeare, a CCSS text exemplar. Students are tasked with analyzing complex language while studying one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
  • Students read Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, which explains what happened to a young man, Chris McCandless. The structure of this text, connecting events to imagined motivations, may challenge students, while the content may engage them as it is about a young man who just finished college.

• In Unit 2, students read the following texts that are worthy of especially careful reading:
  • Students read Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention,” a CCSS text exemplar. Students read this famous Revolutionary speech which is filled with longer sentences and academic vocabulary.
  • Students read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a CCSS text exemplar. This novel is set in a future dystopian society with themes surrounding freedom and choice.
  • Students read Antigone by Sophocles, a Greek tragedy. Students can relate to the main character, a young woman rebelling against the rules of her uncle. Students also note the elements of Greek drama and are challenged with difficult language.

• In Unit 3, students read the following texts that are worthy of especially careful reading:
  • Students read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This text contains rich sensory details and descriptions of the setting and the monster. Students may be familiar with the story as it has been interpreted in many different ways, such as film, comics, and graphic novels.
  • Students read Ronald Reagan’s speech,“Address to Students at Moscow State University, a CCSS exemplar text. Students read about social, political and economic ideas and events of the 1980’s, and additional background knowledge may be needed. The speech spreads a message of peace.
  • Students read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This excerpt is about the sixteen-year-old Rebecca Skloot and her research into “immortal” cells. Students can relate to age of the author when she made her discovery and how age does not affect a person’s ability to succeed.

• In Unit 4, students read the following texts that are worthy of especially careful reading:
  • Students read Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. Shakespeare is a timeless classic and contains rich language and important and relevant themes, such as the powerful effect betrayal may have on an individual.
  • Students read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, a CCSS exemplar text. Students are presented with an unusual narrative structure and rich figurative language as they read the story of a young woman who is an orphan living in Nazi Germany.
  • Students read Night by the Nobel Peace Prize winning author, Elie Wiesel. Wiesel describes his experience as a teenager in a Nazi concentration camp.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

The instructional materials for Grade 10 meet the criteria for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for the grade. Most texts fall within either the Current Lexile Band or the Stretch Lexile Band for grades 9-10. Texts range from 550L to 1550L; most texts are appropriate for Grade 10 according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task. Some texts do exceed these bands but the tasks are designed to make them accessible. Examples of texts that have the appropriate level of complexity for Grade 10 include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, all but one of the texts falls within the grade band. The Iraq War Blog has a Lexile of 810, which is below the band; however, the entries require prior knowledge of Iraqi history that begins in 2003. Students are also completing the higher level skill of analyzing the entries to find the author’s purpose and point of view. Into Thin Air, Lexile 1180, is also in Unit 1 and falls within the Current Grade Level Band. Students read to understand rhetoric, author’s purpose and point of view.
• In Unit 2, students read “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry with a Lexile of 950. Although this is below the grade band, the speech demands a level of historical knowledge, and students are asked to write a speech that uses similar techniques to Henry’s.
• In Unit 3, students read Albert Einstein’s ”Letter to the President.” The Lexile level is 1550 which exceeds the Current Lexile Band; however, as this is a formal letter, it clearly shows Einstein’s point of view and concerns.
• In Unit 4, students read The Book Thief, which has Lexile far below the grade band, 580. This lower readability allows students to grapple with the complex qualitative features, including an unusual narrative structure. In addition, this text is included in the CCSS text exemplars.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for 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 provide a variety of texts appropriate for the grade band. These texts increase in complexity as the units progress, and while some texts fall at the high end of the grade level, students are also provided more reachable texts as they learn how to analyze texts. Along with increasing text complexity, the students’ writing also increases in complexity.

In order to increase students’ literacy skills, each text has students complete a First Read lesson, Skill lesson(s), a Close Read lesson which includes a constructed response for each text.

• The First Read has specific protocols for students to follow in order to develop the reading skills necessary to read that type of text as well as to gain a basic understanding of what the text states and how it is conveying that information.
• The Skill lessons contain specific skills activities that will help students read deeper into the text. These lessons include videos that allow students to see models of other students practicing that skill. The students are then lead through the process of applying that skill to the reading selection through both a model and a practice session. The Skill lessons that students are exposed to throughout the year get increasingly more in-depth as appropriate to the literature. Students may practice the same skill multiple times; however, they are practicing those skills with different reading materials and the skills change slightly according to the material and the skill level of the students. This also offers students the opportunity to go back to previous skill videos to see how they used the skill in the past compared to how they are being asked to use it in the current unit. There may be only one skill per lesson or there may be several depending on the complexity of the text and what skills that text specifically offers practice in for the students.
• The Close Read lessons provide students with an opportunity and the structure to read the selection for a second time. There are guided reading practices for the teacher to walk the students through and specific questions for the students to answer in order to increase their reading skills. Students are expected to go deeper into the text during these readings to look at what the reading means and what that reading causes students to think. The questions and activities accompanying these close reads support students in doing this. After the close read, students complete a constructed response which “asks students to synthesize their work in First Read, Skill, and Close Read lessons by providing textual evidence to support analysis of the text.”

To ensure student success and support literacy growth, each type of lesson contains four Access Paths in which teachers can find resources scaffolded for English Language Learners as well as differentiated for different levels of learners. Access 1 are the emerging learners; Access 2 are the immediate learners; Access 3 are the advanced learners, and Access 4 are the approaching learners. These Access Paths provide handouts that offer support for handling text complexity in the areas of purpose, genre, organization, connection of ideas, sentence structure, specific vocabulary, and prior knowledge. The lower level Access Paths also supply Sentence Frames for the Think Questions in the First Read, Guided Reading prompts for the Skill lessons, and a detailed planning outline for the constructed response after the Close Read.

There are multiple assessment opportunities throughout the year for teachers to assess student learning and performance in order to adjust instructional strategies as needed. Teachers use the Placement and Diagnostic Assessments at the beginning of the year. According to the StudySync Core Program Guide, “The placement and diagnostic assessments associated with the program help you decide on an appropriate instructional level for the student; help determine a student’s knowledge of a skill and/or a literacy level.” In addition, there are summative assessments that will help teachers track students progress. “The expectation is for students to score 75% or higher on each summative assessment, with the same benchmark expected for the skill focus areas - Comprehension, Vocabulary, and so on. For students who are below these benchmark levels, refer to Modifying Instruction IF/THEN charts that are part of the Assessment documents specific to each grade level.” The formative assessments vary “in type and duration . . . [and] help teachers adjust instructional strategies, measuring individual student progress at strategic points over regular intervals.”

Each unit focuses on the use of textual evidence to support student analysis. This literacy skill helps students evaluate information within texts, organize ideas, make inferences, create claims, and use evidence within their own writing. By the end of the year, students are using textual evidence in independent writing assignments such as argumentative essays.

Examples of increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year include but are not limited to:

• The First Read lessons focus on comprehension and vocabulary. In the First Read lesson for Fahrenheit 451 in Unit 2, students begin by accessing their prior knowledge of “people and groups who have stood up against repressive regimes or societies in dystopian fiction they have read.” The Access Path offers more direction as students complete the Dystopian Fiction Chart that has them brainstorm characteristics of dystopian fiction and dystopian protagonists. The Access Path has students paired with more proficient readers and has them do additional practice with each vocabulary word and provides a Text Glossary chart on the handout that allows students to note the definition of the bold words as well as any other unfamiliar words or idioms they find in the text. Before students read the text, they are taught a comprehension strategy. In this particular lesson, students learn visualizing, which is creating a mental picture of what is read. Teachers model this strategy with a Think Aloud of the first paragraph by saying such things as, “When I read the opening paragraph, I can easily visualize a man both exerting himself and enjoying it at the same time. Bradbury describes the hose as a "great python" spitting "venomous kerosene" on the world. I know that a python is an extremely large snake, and this description helps me to picture a giant writhing hose, pulsing in someone's hands and almost out of control.” After modeling, students read independently and annotate the excerpt. Core students are given general instructions like, “ask questions about passages of the text that may be unclear or unresolved.” Access Path students are provided more support. They listen to the audio of the text and follow the detailed Annotation Guide on the Access handout, which contains instructions like, “Highlight at least two sentences or passages that you have questions about. Enter your questions as annotations.” After reading, students talk in a small group or in a partner discussion about their questions, their answers and the text evidence they found to support their answers. Finally, students answer the “Think” questions. Core students answer the questions and use a rubric to complete two peer reviews. Access Path students are given “Sentence Frames” on the handouts, “Fahrenheit 451 is set in the ___________. Evidence of this includes the fact the ‘brass_____________________’ on Montag’s hose spits ‘venomous_____________’ rather than water. Firemen are responsible for burning _______ rather than putting out ______.” (First Read Fahrenheit 451 Access 1). Approaching students on the Access Path are provided a “Find the Evidence” chart that gives them specific tips for how to answer the “Think” questions, “Look for evidence of the time period in paragraph 2 and in paragraphs 25–27. How does Clarisse's description of the role of firemen "a long time ago" fit with what firemen do in the story? What does this evidence tell you about when the story takes place?”
• The “Skill” lessons in the Grade 10 curriculum get increasingly more in depth. Informational text elements is a skill learned and practiced in Units 2 and 3. In Unit 2, the lesson objectives are that students will learn the different types of organizational structures that writers use and practice concrete strategies for identifying these structures. After reading the Model text, students are asked how the Model begins to identify the passage’s organizational structure; which strategy does the model use to identify the organizational structure; what type of evidence is used to say that Creon was somewhat justified, and what type of evidence supports Antigone’s position. The Unit 3 lesson objectives are to learn the definitions of informational elements - details, events, people, and ideas - and practice analyzing these elements. This lesson asks students to identify development of events and then analyze how that organization connects different ideas.
• The Close Read lessons have students looking deeper into the text at what it means and makes the reader think as well as synthesize their learning from the First Read and Skill lessons. In the Close Read lesson for Into the Wild in Unit 1, students begin by comparing their prediction of the bold vocabulary words with the precise meaning. Then, the teacher models a close reading of the first paragraph by modeling annotation strategies that ties the text to the focus skill and shows students what they looking for while they read. Students are then to read and annotate the rest of the text after reading the “Skills Focus” questions, which ask the students to not only find the skill focus but also explain it. For example, “At the end of the selection, the author uses rhetoric that hints at his opinion of Chris McCandless’s actions. What specific phrases does the author use? What do they tell you about the author’s opinion of McCandless? Highlight your evidence and annotate to explain your ideas.” Access Path students are given a “Complete the Sentences” exercise on the handout to aid them in this process. For example, “In paragraph 1, the author illustrates an important belief of Chris’s, which is that ______. Then, in the third paragraph, Chris tells his parents that____.” After reading and annotating, teachers lead a whole class discussion about the Skills Focus questions. Access Path students work in small groups or pairs to share and discuss their annotations. The final element to the “Close Read” lesson is the constructed response, which has students synthesize their learning from the “First Read,” “Skill: Textual Evidence,”and “Skill: Rhetoric” lessons. For Into the Wild, students answer the following: “How does the author use rhetoric to convey his ideas and attitudes in Into the Wild? What are those ideas and attitudes? Use your understanding of rhetoric and of author’s purpose and point of view to help you infer the answers. Be sure to include plentiful evidence from the text to support your inferences.” Students brainstorm about the use of rhetoric as a whole class or in small groups, and then begin planning their essays. Access Path students complete the prewriting activity on the handout that helps them shape the response with sentence starters and labels to make sure all requirements are met. After planning, students read through the rubric and write their final response.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

Most texts include instructional notes and text notes. These are all found in the ELA Grade Level Overview booklet. At the beginning of each unit, there is an overall explanation of the unit. This includes the balance of literary to informational texts, the essential question, and an analysis of the text complexity of particular texts. In response to texts that are above the recommended Lexile band, the publisher provides scaffolds to assist all students in accessing the text. After this report, each text in the unit gets detailed instructional notes that include information on the author, qualitative features, quantitative features, and reader and tasks. The Author section includes the name, gender, nationality and, if needed, translator. The Qualitative Features component contains the publication date, genre, Scaffold Instruction to Access Complex Text (ACT), which is a short summary of the text, and ACT features, which is broken down into three subjects that vary depending on the text, but includes such things as organization, prior knowledge, specific vocabulary, sentence structure and purpose. The Quantitative Features provides the Excerpt Lexile, Full-text Lexile, and Word Count. The Reader and Tasks lists the skill lessons for that text, the close read prompt and the writing form.

Examples of texts being accompanied by text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement include but are not limited to:

• In the text complexity analysis for Unit 2, one of the texts it discusses is Animal Farm. For this text, students use textual evidence to identify and explain literary elements like theme, symbolism and allegory. The full text Lexile is 1170. The Grade 10 ELA Grade Level Overview states, “The recommended full-text read for this unit is Animal Farm, a dystopian novel by George Orwell and also a stinging critique of the history and rhetoric of the Russian Revolution. While the quantitative dimensions of this excerpt are somewhat lower than others in the unit, this selection serves as an accessible, familiar introduction to the concepts of power and its limits that are the focus for the rest of the unit. The Skill lesson on Theme that accompanies Animal Farm addresses the development of class tyranny and the human tendency to maintain and re-establish class structures and rules even in societies that allegedly stand for total equality. This task demand, combined with using textual evidence to support analysis and the identification of literary elements such as symbolism and allegory, makes this an important, challenging selection for students.”
• “Shading the Earth” by Robert Kunzig is an article studied in Unit 3. Within the ACT Features field, teachers are given information on organization, specific vocabulary, and sentence structure. For “Organization,” teachers are told, “For most of the article, Kunzig presents both sides of the geoengineering debate, presenting claims and counterclaims with clear attribution. However, students may be challenged in a few places, such as the last paragraph, where it is unclear whether Kunzig is stating his own claim or someone else’s.’” Information in “Specific Vocabulary” points out words that may be challenging for readers, “Some students may be challenged by the numerous technical terms in the article, such as silicon nitride, fossil fuels, recession, carbon dioxide, emissions, and ozone layer.” “Sentence Structure” includes “Some students may be challenged by some of the longer and more complex sentences and by the author’s liberal use of em dashes and semicolons to break up these sentences."

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the expectations for the anchor and supporting texts to provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of texts to achieve grade level reading.

Each unit exposes students to high-quality texts that cover a variety of genres, time periods, and cultures with a balance of literary and informational texts. Reading is done independently, as a whole class, aloud, and silently. All of the anchor texts and supporting materials revolve around a central theme and essential question for each unit. Reading materials increase in complexity as the year progresses, and teacher supports are gradually released in order to enable the students to achieve grade-level reading independently.

In 10th grade students read a variety of genres and authors from the classics to modern texts. Students read fiction (short stories and novels), poetry, and non-fiction (essays, articles, autobiographical excerpts, speeches). The authors are drawn from a worldly pool including authors from the United States, Iraq, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Diverse authors are included within materials.

Examples of students engaging in reading a range of texts include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, students begin the first week’s first lesson by reading the Blast background and materials included in several research links. The next day the students participate in the First Read of The Sports Gene, in which they read and annotate the text. Day three includes the skill lesson on central or main idea, in which students read both the definition and model sections associated with the skill. Students then complete a Close Read of The Sports Gene, including a detailed reading and annotation of the selection. On the final day, students complete a Blast that explores different aspects of performance-enhancing drugs.

• In Unit 2, over the course of five weeks, students complete a full-text study of Animal Farm and read seven other partial texts, five of which are informational. The texts are all related to the unit title of “Taking a Stand.” Informational texts include Founding Documents of the United States of America, The Communist Manifesto, Ten Days That Shook the World, Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, Stalin: An Appraisal of the Man and His Influence, The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin’s Russia, Stalin’s Folly: The Tragic First Ten Days of World War II, The Tehran Conference, November 28-December 1, Why I Write,and The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood. Fiction texts include “The Internationale,” and The Book of Exodus. Students have opportunities to interact with these texts through whole class read-alouds, individual silent reading, First Reads, and Close Reads.

• In Unit 3, students complete a First Read and a Close Read of “Shading the Earth” by Robert Kunzig. Students also complete one skill lesson on arguments and claims then complete a Close Read of the article to practice the skills. Students also complete a Blast in which they read information to make them think about what responsibility we have over what we create. In Unit 3, there is one full text study: Frankenstein. Throughout Unit 3, students read additional texts including “Prometheus: The Friend of Man,” “Worship the Spirit of Criticism: Address at the Pasteur Institute, The Immortal LIfe of Henrietta Lacks, Silent Spring, A Civil Action, “Einstein’s Letter to the President,” “Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger,” “Address to Students at Moscow State University,” and “De-Extinction: The Science and Ethics of Bringing Lost Species Back to Life.”

• In Unit 4, students complete a First Read and a Close Read of “Catch the Moon.” Students also complete a skill lesson on character, and then complete a Close Read of the poem to practice the skills. Students also complete a Blast in which they read information about the the impact of family. In Unit 4 there is a full text study on Night.. Throughout Unit 4, students read additional texts, including Plutarch’s Lives, Julius Caesar, “Civil Peace,” The Book Thief, Hotel Rwanda, “Dover Beach,” An American Childhood, and “Those Winter Sundays.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text; this may include work with mentor texts as well).

The materials provide a consistent format for students to engage with text-dependent questions and/or tasks. Questions, tasks, and assignments are evident in each of the unit’s three sections: First Read, Skill, and Close Read. Within the units, each text begins with a First Read in which the teacher is modeling reading and thinking aloud using comprehension text-dependent questions. Then students do the first read using text dependent provided either individually or in a small group. Then the teacher completes the Skill lesson using text-dependent questions. Finally, during the Close Read, the teacher models how to do a close read of the text using text-dependent questions that are focused on the skills taught and require students to analyze the text at a deeper level. Some of the text-dependent questions are to be completed verbally and some are intended to be answered in the student’s journal. Each unit is designed in this manner to provide a scaffold-approach to text-dependent and text-specific questioning. Students are required to provide support from the text in most of the work they complete within the unit.

Examples of questions, tasks, and assignments that meet the criteria for this indicator include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1 during the first read of the excerpt The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, the following text-dependent questions are found in the teacher lesson plan:
  • “What similar patterns emerged in the groups of musicians—both violinists and pianists—that psychologist K. Anders Ericsson and his colleagues studied? Use several examples of evidence from the text to support your.”
  • “What did neurologist Daniel Levitin discover after examining many different studies of expertise? Support your answer with evidence from the text.”
  • “Aside from discovering how many hours of practice it takes to achieve true mastery in a field of endeavor, what other striking thing did Ericsson's study uncover? Support your answer with evidence from the text.”

• In Unit 2 during the “Skill” lesson of “The Ballad of Birmingham,”, the focus is on “Connotation and Denotation.” Within this section, teachers use the following questions to direct students to look for examples of textual evidence:
  • “In the first stanza, which group of words has a more positive connotation, "out to play" or "march the streets"? Why?”
  • “How does the phrase Freedom March have both a positive and negative connotation in the model excerpt?”

• Further text-dependent questions can be found in the “Student Preview” of the “Close Read.” Under the “Read” tab, students find “Skills Questions.” The following are examples from Unit 3’s “Shading the Earth” by Robert Kunzig:
  • “What reasons from supporters of geoengineering does Kunzig present in the second paragraph? What counterclaim, reasons, and evidence from critics of geoengineering does he present afterward? On what point are both sides united, according to Kunzig? How does paragraph 2 alert you to Kunzig's purpose in writing this article?”
  • “What claim does Kunzig present in the opening of the third paragraph? What evidence does he supply to support this claim? What evidence does he provide to support the claim he presents later that the sunshade would work? How might this evidence be considered fallacious?”
  • “Select one technical word or phrase from the fourth paragraph and one from the fifth paragraph of "Shading the Earth." Identify the terms' meanings, using context clues and, as necessary, reference materials. What effect do such technical words have on the tone and impact of the article?”
• In Unit 4, after reading “Dover Beach”by Matthew Arnold, students are asked the following questions:
  • Explore the metaphorical significance of the ocean tides in the first two stanzas of the poem. For what are the waves a metaphor? How do words with strong connotations help develop the metaphor?
  • How do the speaker's religious beliefs—or lack of them—influence the way he looks upon and reacts to the scene on Dover Beach? How does the speaker view the human condition?
  • Describe the denotations and connotations of the words in the final stanza. Tell how they are used to develop the overall theme of the poem.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for having sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

Materials include both text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that help prepare students for each unit’s Extended Writing Task. These culminating tasks integrate writing, speaking, or both. There are questions that prompt thinking, speaking, and writing tasks that focus on the central ideas and key details of the text. Reading and writing (and speaking and listening) are taught as integrated skills. The Extended Writing Tasks ask students to explore the theme and essential question of the unit in more depth as they reconsider what they have learned through analyzing texts, conducting research, and contemplating their own life experiences. Each unit has a different mode of writing so that over the course of the year, students demonstrate proficiency in constructing long-form argumentative, argumentative literary analysis, informative/explanatory, and narrative works. Once submitted, these writing assignments can be adapted and delivered as oral presentations. Examples of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks that build to a culminating task include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, the Extended Writing Project focuses on literary analysis and addresses the following prompt: “What the rules are, why they matter, how they are broken, and why some people feel they must break them are central concerns in many texts from this unit, which seeks to answer the essential question, When is it appropriate to challenge the rules? Write a literary analysis of two selections you have read during the unit, examining how the authors explore the issue of when it is appropriate to challenge the rules.” The students must draw upon what they learned about breaking the rules throughout the unit to make a claim about when it is right to do the “wrong” thing. Tasks throughout the reading help students build to the culminating task. While completing the Close Read of Antigone, students are asked, “Why does Antigone believe she is right to challenge Creon’s rule? Highlight textual evidence that points out the causes of their cultural clash, and then write annotations to explain your ideas.” This directly relates to the essential question of the unit and has the students thinking and finding evidence that will ultimately support their literary analysis essay at the end of the unit.

• In Unit 3, the Extended Writing Project focuses on the informative/explanatory form of writing. Students probe the unit’s central question, “What responsibility do we have for what we create?” by writing an informative/ explanatory essay using evidence from the texts in the unit and at least three other credible sources. In one of the skill lessons for the excerpt from Silent Spring, students are provided with a modeled discussion among students where they break down the informational text structure to help students apply text structure to their understanding of the text. In the Close Read for that text, students are asked, “What does the language in the third paragraph suggest has caused the changes that are taking place in the town? Why do you think Carson uses this kind of language here, and how does it still resemble a fable? Why might Carson have chosen not to identify the specific cause of the blight in the opening chapter of the book, except to say in the second-to-last paragraph that “the people brought it on themselves?” This relates to the essential question of the unit and will aid students in having textual evidence for their informational essay.

• In Unit 4, the Extended Writing Project focuses on the narrative form. Students write a narrative about an “unusual interaction that takes place between a character and someone or something else.. In the Extended Writing Project skill lesson, Narrative Techniques and Sequencing, students, either individually or as a class, read the Define section of the lesson. In small groups or as a class, they use these questions to spark discussion with classmates about narrative techniques. One example of a question provided is, “The definition explains that writers manipulate the pacing of a narrative to slow down or speed up the action at certain parts of a story. What does that mean? How can a writer change the speed of written words?” This will assist students in writing their own narratives for the culminating task. During the Close Read of The Book Thief, students analyze the interactions between Death and survivors, “How do Death’s interactions with survivors affect him? How might his interactions with the Book Thief define and shape him as the story progresses? Highlight textual evidence and make annotations to explain your ideas.” Before students have to write their own narrative about interactions, they are asked to analyze how unusual interactions affect characters in a model text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 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.

Each unit provides frequent and varied opportunities for students to engage in whole class, small group, and peer-to-peer discussion that reference the text under study and incorporate the understanding and use of academic vocabulary and syntax. A Speaking and Listening Handbook provides teachers with explicit instructions on teaching and modeling collegial discussions, and strategies and handouts to guide students as they practice and assess evidence-based discussions. Checklists and graphic organizers are offered to students to use in preparation for the discussions and rubrics are provided for peers and teachers to assess the academic conversations. Examples of how materials meet the criteria of this indicator include but are not limited to:

• Teachers are provided with language, structures, protocols, graphic organizers, and clear connections to the CCSS in The Speaking and Listening Handbook. This is found as a link that appears on each grade level under the heading Additional Resources. The handbook provides aid for teachers as they support students’ speaking and listening skills. The tool provides videos of model discussions and opportunities for students to practice different discussion skills.
  • In Unit 1, during the study of The Outliers: The Story of Success, the students will watch the SyncTV video on The Outliers in a whole group setting. Teachers will distribute the Collaborative Discussion Strategies handout, then the teacher will pause the video at key moments to reflect on how the students in the video demonstrate collaborative discussion strategies. Then teachers as students to explain the reason for selecting each strategy. For example, at 01:03 “After Nicole focuses the discussion by reading the prompt, Brandon quotes from the text to show that Gladwell believes innate talent exists. What two strategies does this mainly demonstrate?”
  • In the 10th grade version of the handbook, students are encouraged to analyze and evaluate the purpose of both establishing the rules in order to establish a truly collaborative discussion environment in which students are speaking and listening in order to increase understanding and not to “argue”. An example of this is: “Remind students that collaborating isn’t only about sharing their own ideas. It is just as important to listen to others’ ideas. This give and take allows the group to enhance its understanding and construct meaning together. To accomplish a discussion where everyone’s ideas are heard, it is important to set up and maintain an open and respectful environment. Have students brainstorm a list of rules for the discussion. Ask students to explain why each rule can help establish a respectful and productive discussion. Then agree on which rules to keep. Rules can be posted in a prominent location for all students to refer to. Rules can be updated as needed.”

• The First Read lesson in each unit provides teachers with opportunities for students to conduct numerous discussions either in small groups, as a whole group, or with a partner. This happens continuously through the process of preparing to read through the first read. Students are given numerous opportunities to explore the ideas and the texts through speaking and listening with their peers and the model discussions provided. An example of this can be found in Unit 2, Fahrenheit 451. The teacher is guided through a process of having students work in small groups in order to access prior knowledge about dystopian literature. An example of this is: “Find out what your students already know about people and groups who have stood up against repressive regimes or societies in dystopian fiction they have read.” After students have read the text, the teacher is directed to have them work in pairs to discuss the questions and inferences they developed during their reading and to answer some guided questions together.

• Throughout the skill sections of each lesson, students are provided with at least two or more opportunities to discuss how the skills they are learning can be applied to the text. They either apply it to a discussion around the skill itself, or they apply it to a discussion of how the skill is applied to the model text. In Unit 3, during the Skill: Informational Text Structure lesson of Silent Spring, students apply their understanding of the skill with reasons and evidence in small or whole group discussion. An example of a discussion that focuses on the skill is the following: “After watching the Concept Definition video, have students read the definition of informational text structure. Either in small groups or as a whole class, use these questions to engage students in a discussion about informational text structure... What clues can readers use to identify a text’s structure...” An example of a whole group discussion that focuses on the modeled text is: “As students read the Model, use these questions to guide their understanding of how to analyze the author’s use of text structure to convey a message...What sentence does the Model identify as one that signals a change...”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

Students are given frequent and varied opportunities to engage in speaking, listening, and presenting activities surrounding their study of texts and the associated reading, writing, and research tasks. The opportunities for speaking, listening, and presenting can be found throughout the unit in the Blasts, First Reads, Skills, and Close Reads.

Speaking and listening are also important aspects of the Research Project students complete in each unit. After sharing and discussing the results of individual members’ research findings, each group plans and then delivers a formal presentation in either the narrative, argumentative, or informative mode using multimedia elements such as videos, graphics, photos, and recordings to reinforce its main ideas.

The Speaking & Listening Handbook is utilized during the Research project by students, who will be required to respond critically and constructively to the work of their peers. This handbook also provides teacher support in the form of lesson plans, handouts, checklists, rubrics, and formative assessments that help them teach and assess the Speaking and Listening standards.

In addition to those, the Extended Writing Project at the end of each unit contains various opportunities for whole group, small group and/or peer to peer discussions throughout the different lessons: Extended Writing Project, lessons that cover the writing process (prewrite, plan, draft, revise, edit, proofread and publish); Skill/Skills, lessons that incorporate elements students will need to include within their project; and Blasts, lessons that have a driving question focused on a technique.

Examples of speaking and listening tasks, relevant follow-up questions, and supports include but are not not limited to:

• The First Read lesson for each text contains an introduction to the text prior to the First Read. Students are asked to participate in different types of discussion, sometimes small group, sometimes whole group, sometimes peer to peer, in order to help them activate prior knowledge that will best support them in accessing the text being read and analyzed in that particular set of lessons. This changes throughout but always includes a discussion element. An example of this is found in Unit 2, Fahrenheit 451. The teacher is directed to separate students into small groups and ask them to consider the following questions: “Ask each group to generate a list of features that are common to dystopian fiction. What kinds of repressive measures do these societies often implement?” and “Then discuss the protagonists in these novels, such as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games, or Jonas in Lois Lowry's The Giver. Compare and contrast their motivations, desires, and the way they go about solving the problems that confront them.”

• After the first reading in the First Read section of the lesson, students are then asked, again to work in some group arrangement that will require them to verbally process through what they have just read and to pinpoint some specific information that is imperative to understanding the text more deeply. An example of this is found in Unit 3, Silent Spring. The teacher lesson plan directs the teacher to discuss students’ questions and inferences they made while reading. Under the heading “Discuss,” teachers are provided with the following suggestion: “In small groups or pairs, have students discuss the questions they asked and inferences they made while reading. To help facilitate discussions, refer to Collaborative Discussions in the Speaking & Listening Handbook.”

• During the Skill lesson for each text, students are introduced to a new skill they will practice with the text. There is a video explanation of the skills, a written explanation that supports the video, and a model discussion of a group of students discussing how that skill is applied to the text they are studying. Students are asked to participate in different types of discussion, sometimes small group, sometimes whole group, sometimes peer to peer, in order to think about different aspects of the skill. An example of this is found in Unit 2, during the Skill: Character lesson for Antigone. Teachers are directed to facilitate a whole-group discussion that helps students understand how to infer and analyze the cultural context of the passage with questions such as: “What clues does the Model use to determine that the play is set long ago?” and “What clues about the power structure of the culture are clear from the dialogue?”

• Students then engage in a Close Read of the text being studied. The text offers extensive support for the teacher to model how to apply the skill to the text being read and follow up questions are provided in the lesson plans. Students are offered the opportunity to work in different types of collaborative situations in order to discuss their close read of the text and to delve deeper into their findings. This is seen in the Unit 4 Close Read for Hotel Rwanda. Teachers are told to use the sample responses to the Skills Focus questions at the bottom of the lesson to discuss the reading and begin identifying story structure in a selection. Questions like: “A very general rule in filmmaking is that a page in the screenplay should equal about a minute of screen time. Make a print out of the screenplay excerpt on your computer. How many pages is it? Then reread the excerpt and determine how many scenes and locations it contains. How much real time does the excerpt cover in the story, and how long would it actually last in screen time?” and “In what way does the radio broadcast that Paul and Benedict listen to at the end of the excerpt reinforce what Mr. Tillens had told Paul earlier?”

• The Blasts lessons contain short informational passages, research links to deepen content knowledge and a driving question that students respond to in one hundred and forty characters or less. Students discuss the driving question and context in different collaborative situations: large group, small group and/or peer to peer. An example of this is found in Unit 1, The Sports Gene. Teachers are instructed to lead a whole class discussion about the title and the driving question for the Blast, “What are the effects of performance-enhancing drugs?” After students draft their initial responses to the driving question, they are separated into pairs and given questions like the following to discuss: “Why do many athletes turn to performance-enhancing drugs?” and “What are some of the risks associated with performance-enhancing drugs?”. Then students look at the “Number Crunch” section of the Blast. The teacher breaks them into pairs and has them make predictions about “what they think the number is related to.” After they click on the number, the students discuss in a large group “if they are surprised by the revealed information.”

• Further opportunities for speaking and listening are also found in the Research Tab within each unit. In Unit 4 of Grade 10, research how our interactions define us. As students research they determine if they want to present their research as an informative or argumentative presentation. Depending on their choice, students are directed to resources from the Speaking and Listening Handbook. As students consider and plan their research, the teacher reviews the Big Idea Blast and Unit Trailer, and leads a large group discussion about the subject of the research in relation to the unit texts with questions like: “What is the most interesting or surprising lesson this unit has taught you about interaction?” and “How have elements such as an emphasis on specific details or the physical or verbal interaction of the characters been used to communicate the ways that interaction defines characters and key players in the texts?” Once students have reviewed and discussed the subject, they are separated into small groups and are either assigned or self-select a topic. While researching, students are given the opportunity to review and discuss their sources and research in order to amalgamate their information into one presentation.

• In Unit 3, the Extended Writing Project is Informative Writing. In the Skill: Research and Note-Taking lesson, there is a whole class or small group discussion about the elements of note-taking with questions such as, “Why is outside research important?” and “Why is note-taking an essential component of research?”. During the Extended Writing Project: Draft lesson, the teacher is instructed to lead a whole class discussion that reviews the prompt, directions and peer review criteria. In the Extended Writing Project: Edit, Proofread, and Publish lesson, teachers pass out the StudySync handout on parallel construction; then, they lead a class discussion that examines the second paragraph of the Student Model with questions like: “Why is parallel construction important?” and “How could the parallelism be corrected?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing and short, focused projects. Each unit of study asks student to engage in both on-demand writing and process writing in a variety of forms, including full-length essays, short constructed responses, peer reviews and Blasts.

Students engage in on-demand writing via Blasts, constructed response questions that accompany the Close Read lesson of each text, as well as in the ELA Assessment PDF that is part of each grade level. The Blasts are 140 character writing responses to modern media connections to the literature and themes students are studying. The constructed response questions demonstrate students’ understanding of the reading and language skills and additional experience with the featured mode of writing. Within the ELA Assessment PDF, teachers are provided with multiple on demand writing opportunities that students can complete in correlation with each unit in the year. These assessments include all three modes of writing (explanatory, narrative and argumentative) in a format that mimics the on-demand writing expectations of the state required tests.

Process writing is found in the Extended Writing Project at the end of each unit. Each of the four units covers one of these essential writing forms: narrative, informative/explanatory, literary analysis, and argumentative writing. These Extended Writing Projects take students through the writing process including the following: prewriting, planning, drafting, revising, and editing/proofreading/publishing. Students explore different aspects of the writing process and are given a variety of writing practice opportunities to hone their skills and enhance their understanding of each unit’s particular writing form.

Examples of on-demand and process writing include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, during the study of “The Ballad of Birmingham,” students complete an on-demand writing task via Blast: The Price of Justice. Students are given some information in regards to the blast to think about and discuss as a class or in small groups; then they are asked to use that discussion information to draft their initial response to the driving question, “What are the costs of challenging the rules?”. After further research and discussion, students are to write their own blast using the draft they wrote in their notebook. They will revise or rewrite it based on the research and discussion that has happened throughout the lesson.The Blast is 140 characters or less linking it to modern media.

• In Unit 3 of the ELA Assessment PDF, students complete an Explanatory Performance Task: “Task You have been learning about explanatory writing in class. Explanatory, or informative, writing tells a central idea about a subject and supports the information with details. For this task, you will be writing an explanatory essay related to the topic of technology and its effects. Before you write your essay, you will review two sources on technology topics. After you have reviewed these sources, you will answer some questions about them. Briefly scan the sources and the three questions that follow. Then, go back and read the sources carefully to gain the information you will need to answer the questions and write an essay. In Part 2, you will write an explanatory essay on a topic related to the sources.”

• In Unit 4, the Extended Writing Project focuses on narrative writing. Students probe the unit’s essential question, “How do our interactions with those around us and with the larger world make us who we are?,” as they write a fiction or nonfiction narrative about an unusual interaction between a character and something or someone that reveals something about the character or affects the character in an important way. Other lessons on the Extended Writing Prompt include skills lessons on organization, introductions, narrative techniques and sequencing, dialogue, conclusions, and body paragraphs and transitions. Short constructed responses that accompany all Close Read lessons in the unit help students demonstrate understanding of the specific reading and language skills developed in conjunction with the texts, such as explaining how transformations enhanced the development of characters and themes in Julius Caesar, Some examples include, and explaining how a character develops through his interactions with other characters in “Catch the Moon.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

The materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing. The materials provide for a variety of writing tasks across the school year that vary in length and depth, tie to classroom texts and Big Ideas, and represent equally narrative, informative/explanatory, literary analysis, and argumentative writing.

Students engage in writing activities throughout each unit. Students write short constructed responses as part of each Close Read lesson for each text in the unit. This informal writing allows students to demonstrate understanding of the specific text while practicing the featured type of writing. Students engage in informal writing through the annotations that students create as they closely read the various units in the text.

In addition to these shorter, less formal writing opportunities, each of the four units of study contains an Extended Writing Task that takes place at the end of the unit. These writing prompts are linked to the unit texts; throughout the units, students are given opportunities across the school year to learn, practice, and apply writing types addressed in the standards. StudySync also provides guidance and support from peers and adults to develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. Students are given opportunities to use digital sources for research and presentation. Examples of opportunities to address different text types include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, in the Extended Writing Project, students write an argumentative essay that “... probe[s] the unit’s central question—How much of what happens in our lives do we actually control?—and then choose two selections from the unit in order to write an argumentative essay in which they state a claim, identifying the text that most convincingly answers this question. In order to find information and provide validity for their argument, students are asked to present text evidence from both sources to support their claim.” A rubric is provided to help monitor student progress.

• In Unit 3, in the Extended Writing Project, students write an informative essay that “... probe[s] the unit’s central question—What responsibility do we have for what we create?—as they write an informative/explanatory essay that considers both the positive and the negative outcomes that may result from new technology. While it can help people and the world around us, it can also have detrimental effects on communities and their natural surroundings. In response to the EWP prompt, students will examine closely how the unit selections relate to the unit theme—Technical Difficulties—and reflect on reasons why technological advancements sometimes create moral dilemmas. The selections in this unit, which explore both the positive and the negative effects of technological progress throughout history from a variety of perspectives, through fiction, nonfiction narratives, articles, speeches, letters, and poetry, provide a context for students as they select the subjects of their work and begin their informative/explanatory writing.”

• In Unit 4, the Extended Writing Project focuses on narrative writing. Students write a narrative in response to the prompt, “How do our interactions define us?—as they write a fictional narrative about an unusual interaction that takes place between a character and someone or something else (such as another person, animal, object, entity, or environment) that reveals the character’s true nature or affects the character in a meaningful way. In response to the EWP prompt, students will imagine an interaction or encounter that enables them to relate to the unit theme—The Human Connection—and to reflect on reasons why such interactions can be meaningful. The unit’s fiction and nonfiction selections about characters and real people that explore the struggle for connection, and how meaningful interactions can change people’s lives for better or worse, provide a context for students as they begin their narratives.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

The materials provide students with writing activities that vary in length and purpose in response to a variety of texts. The First Read lesson for each text requires students to complete short answer questions that are text-dependent. The Close Read lessons at the end of each text include an extended writing prompt that requires students to synthesize all of the close reading and skills work that they have done with the text. At the conclusion of each Full-Text Unit, there are two opportunities for long-form writing responses that are connected to an anchor text. One of these is always analytical in nature and requires an argumentative or informative/explanatory response to the whole text. Lastly, the Extended Writing Project requires students to return to the texts they have read over the course of a thematic unit in order to draw evidence from and analyze these mentor texts. Examples of evidence-based writing to support careful, well-defended analyses include but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, in the First Read of “Outliers,” students are asked a short answer question that will require them to access the text in order to answer the question: “Aside from discovering how many hours of practice it takes to achieve true mastery in a field of endeavor, what other striking thing did Ericsson’s study uncover? Support your answer with evidence from the text.” The question requires them to go back into specific areas of the text and apply that information to an analysis question that cannot be directly found in the text, but which builds on discussions had throughout the first read of the text.

• In Unit 2, in the Close Read of Texas vs Johnson, students are asked whether they agree or disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling: “To decide, think about which justice made the stronger argument about whether or not flag burning is an “expressive conduct” protected by freedom of speech under the First Amendment? Do you agree with Justice Brennan, who delivered the Supreme Court ruling and overturned Mr. Johnson’s conviction? Or do you agree with Chief Justice Rehnquist, who wrote the minority, or dissenting, opinion upholding Johnson’s conviction for flag burning? Write an argumentative essay about which judge’s argument you found more convincing. State your claim clearly and support it with arguments, using strong reasons and evidence from the text. Be sure to state the claim and counterclaim of the two justices. ”

• In Unit 3, in the Full Text Study of Frankenstein, at the conclusion of reading the text, students are assigned to watch a theatrical version of Frankenstein and compare and contrast it with the novel. “What similarities and differences between the book and the film can you find? In what ways does the adaptation work with the same themes and how are these themes developed to fit a new form, time, or genre? Pretend you are Mary Shelley attending the premiere of the film. Write a letter as Shelley to the director of the film that reacts to the adaptation, noting favorite scenes, specific moments that differ from the text, and the impact the film’s revisions have on the original work.”

• In Unit 4, in the Close Read of “Catch the Moon,” students respond to a prompt asking them to examine how a character develops. The prompt states, “How does Luis develop over the course of the story through his interaction with other characters? What do these interactions reveal about the theme of the story? Write a response to these questions. Cite evidence from the text to support your response.”

• The Extended Writing Project in Unit 3 requires students to access the texts within the unit by having students write an informative essay. “Mankind has always sought to advance its knowledge of the world and to make life easier and better for its citizens. However, some scientific breakthroughs have led to unintended consequences. Consider both the positive and the negative outcomes that may result from new technology. Recall the selections you have read in this unit and how they explore moral dilemmas posed by technological advancements or possibilities. Choose two selections from the unit and write an informative essay that answers this question: What responsibility do people have when developing new technology? Along with information from the unit selections, include research from at least three other credible print and/or digital sources to support your ideas."

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials including explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context.

The materials include a student edition and an annotated teacher edition of the Grammar, Language, and Composition Guide. The guide is separated into two parts: Grammar and Language Workbook and the Grammar and Composition Handbook. The Grammar and Language Workbook offers lessons to provide additional instruction and practice of specific grammar or language needs and can be used by the teacher for whole class, small group, or individual practice depending upon students’ needs. The lessons can be used for pre-teaching or reteaching. The Grammar and Composition Handbook focuses specifically on grammar and usage, with each chapter focusing on a specific grammar or usage skill. The lessons provide instructions, practice, and review, and the lessons and tasks build in complexity.

Grammar and usage instruction and practice is also embedded in each of the units of study. Under the Overview tab, there is a section called Key Grammar Skills which lists all of the in-context grammar lessons contained in each text in the unit and where they can be found. Not only can students practice specific grammar/language convention skills, they have opportunities to apply them in context in both reading (First Read) and in writing (Extended Writing Project).

The teaching of grammar, usage, and mechanics happens throughout the Core Program and is designed to help students develop a complex understanding of language that they can use to enhance their comprehension of texts. The grammar strand is structured around instruction, practice exercises, and student application. After receiving direct instruction and completing a practice handout on the lesson’s grammar, usage, or mechanics concept, students are prompted to analyze the use of this concept in a given text and answer questions about the purpose and effect of the concept. They may also be prompted to practice the skill through short revision tasks. Core concepts are revisited with opportunities for application throughout a grade level. Language instruction is also provided strategically throughout a unit’s Extended Writing Project, which gives students the immediate opportunity to apply grammar, usage, and mechanics concepts to their own writing, by revising their drafts to incorporate the concept and editing their drafts to apply it correctly. Examples of explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards include but are not limited to:

• The Grade 10 StudySync Grammar and Language Workbook is divided into five parts: grammar, usage, mechanics, vocabulary and spelling and composition. Each part has units that cover specific skills. For example, in Part 1 Grammar, Unit 3 focuses on phrases and includes five lessons that cover prepositional, appositive, participial, gerund and infinitive phrases. Part 5, Composition, “contains lessons on basic writing skills such as writing effective sentences, building paragraphs, and paragraph ordering, areas some students may benefit from additional instruction as they develop their writing” (StudySync Core Program Overview 6-12. 59)

• The Grade 10 StudySync Grammar and Composition Handbook is divided into four parts: ready reference, grammar, usage and mechanics, composition, and resources. Each part has chapters that are “targeted to a specific grammar or usage skill. The chapter begins with a pretest, is followed by instruction and practice, then ends with a post test” (StudySync Core Program Overview 6-12 59). For example, in Part 2, Grammar, Usage and Mechanics, Chapter 12 focuses on “Sentence Combining” and contains five lessons on tips for sentence combining, combining by inserting words, combining by inserting phrases, combining by using coordination, and combining by using subordination. Students are given a pretest and told to “combine the sentences in the way that seems best to you.” Then the students go through the five lessons practicing each skill. After the lessons, students take the posttest that has them again “combine the sentences in the way that seems best to you” with 20 new sentences.

• The Key Grammar Skills under the Overview tab for Unit 2 shows that grammar lessons appear in the First Read lessons of Candide, Fahrenheit 451, and “Remarks to the Senate, and in the Extended Writing Project lessons Draft, Revise and Publish. The First Read of Candide by Voltaire has students complete a lesson on semicolons and colons and then has them analyze “the use of semicolons and colons in Candide." The Revise lesson in the Extended Writing Project focuses on commas in introductory phrases, adverb clauses and antithetical phrases. Students learn about them and then analyze their usage in the student model essay. Then, students reread their own essays “to make sure that clauses and phrases have been properly punctuated.”