11th Grade - Gateway 1

The StudySync materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading.

StudySync materials provide opportunities to read across genres and levels of complexity, cover a range of diverse topics and student interests, and are age-appropriate for the grade level. Additionally, the textual enhancements often provide historical context and background information on the author and the text itself. With the exception of short stories, poems, letters, and essays, StudySync materials sometimes rely on the use of text excerpts. The StudySync Library includes the following note about text excerpts: “Please note that excerpts in the StudySync® library are intended as touchstones to generate interest in an author's work. StudySync® believes that such passages do not substitute for the reading of entire texts and strongly recommends that students seek out and purchase the whole literary or informational work.”

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” by Louise Erdrich. This poem provides an opportunity to read across genres and examine how place influences one’s identity. The author is one of the leaders of the Native American Renaissance, and it is age-appropriate for Grade 11 students. The video will spark interest and build suspense to learn more about the students in the poem.
• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, the text “On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley is a classic poem that challenges students to think deeply about enslavement, religion, and freedom in America’s past. Students can engage in thoughtful debates around emotions evoked in the poem and the author’s use of language and poetic devices.
• In Unit 2, The Highway, excerpts from the 1937, 1950, and 1954 editions of “The Negro Motorist Green Book” by Victor Green serve as an informational text and a guide for black travelers on how to successfully travel in segregated America. Students will expand their knowledge about historical events and documentation during the Jim Crow Era. The original edition provides more information about the economy and the challenges faced by black travelers.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, “South” by Natasha Trethewey offers students an opportunity to read a poem by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, as she examines “memory and racial legacy in America.” The video before the first independent reading provides high-resolution imagery specific to the setting of the poem and builds suspense. The balance of white space and text present the stanzas in a manner accessible to students.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students read an excerpt from Fences by August Wilson. This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about an African-American Family in Pittsburgh during the 1950s will broaden students’ knowledge base about this period in history and its potential connections to other American experiences. Dialogue encourages analysis of characterization. Unusual sentence structures and language will require rereading of the text for understanding.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students read an excerpt from The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. The somber text is considered a classic and worthy of careful reading. The reading allows students to explore the darker side of the American Dream. The excerpt focuses on two characters’ differing views of success and encourages students to consider their own definitions of the American dream.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, “American Horse” by Louise Erdrich draws upon a familiar theme of Native American literature in general, that of the conflict opposing Native American culture to Western authorities. Here, the conflict materializes through the abduction of a child. Students will analyze the nuances between the two cultures and discuss the differences in their approaches toward conflict.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis.

StudySync materials provide texts that are at the appropriate level of complexity for Grade 11. Texts that fall below the Lexile range are made more complex by their qualitative features and classroom activities that encourage students to delve deeper into the theme, author’s purpose, word choice, and more. Texts that are above the Lexile range are often paired with more accessible texts to aid in overall understanding and have appropriate supports in place to help students grasp the author's purpose and demonstrate comprehension. However, some of the quantitative information indicated in the StudySync materials are often different from other sources, such as The Lexile Framework for Reading website. In some cases the materials provide Lexile levels for the excerpt, rather than the Lexile levels of the published texts.

The ELA Grade Level Overview for Grade 11 provides additional information relating to qualitative features for each text, and guidance is available for teachers to assist students in accessing more complex text around a common topic.

Examples of texts with appropriate text complexity include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
• Quantitative: 960L
• Qualitative: The events of this story take place in the span of an hour, yet decades of the characters’ lives are shown within it. This story is set in late 19th century America, when the majority of women had few freedoms independent of their husbands or fathers.
• Reader and Task: Students respond to the question “How does the author use story elements such as setting, character development, or theme to develop the plot of ‘The Story of an Hour?’” Students will evaluate at least two of the story elements used by the author and how they shape the plot using evidence from the text to support their analysis.
• In Unit 2, The Highway, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Quantitative: Excerpt 950L, Full Text HL720L
• Qualitative: Huckleberry Finn narrates the story in long sentences that have many clauses and digressions. Students should be supported in understanding complicated and unusual sentence structures. Huck’s dialect, imperfect grammar, use of slang, and even the spelling used when Huck speaks, reflect who he is—an uneducated, 13-year-old boy from Missouri in the 1840s. Huck’s vocabulary includes regionalisms and idiomatic language that may need support. In addition to the vocabulary words dismal, commenced, grumble, and considerable, archaic words such as stretchers (lies or exaggerations) and sugar hogshead (sugar barrel) may need defining.
• Reader and Task: Students summarize the main character’s tone towards traditional society, then analyze how Mark Twain’s choices regarding words and syntax help develop the main character’s tone towards traditional society, supporting their response with textual evidence.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, Bartram’s Travels, by William Bartram
• Quantitative: 1420L
• Qualitative: The text alternates between very detailed descriptions of the natural world and less detailed accounts of Bartram’s day-to-day activities. Students may need support to comprehend domain-specific terms such as bluff, branchiostegal, and warblings.
• Reader and Task: Students compose a travelogue with Bartram’s book as their guide. Students record an examination of a natural landscape of their choosing, be it as seemingly unspectacular as an abandoned lot or as revered as the Everglades. Students record the natural world and their reactions to it, using both scientific and figurative language typical of Bartram’s style.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe
• Quantitative: 1430L
• Qualitative: Students may need additional support with the long and complex sentence structures found in the text. Review the rhetorical devices hypotaxis and parataxis with students, supplying examples from the text. Students may need more support with unfamiliar or archaic vocabulary Poe uses throughout the text, such as tremulous, countenance, appellation, importunate, and bethinking.
• Readers and Task: Students discuss “How is the house described in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher?’ What does it symbolize? How does the house itself define the people who live in it? Why are houses that are haunted, dilapidated, or mysterious so common in the horror genre?” Students support their explanation using evidence from the text and original commentary.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
• Quantitative: Excerpt 1120L, Full Text 1270L
• Qualitative: The sequential division of this text (Parts I through V) may lead students to expect the storyline of the text to follow the same sequential order, which it does not. Students may be unfamiliar with societal norms during the post–Civil War era in the Southern U.S.
• Reader and Task: Students conduct a narrative response, rewriting any section of the story from a different point of view: either that of Emily, her father, Tobe, or a character of their own imagination. Students incorporate and modify specific descriptions and dialogue from the text as needed in the alteration of Faulkner’s classic story.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
• Quantitative: Excerpt 990L, Full Text 870L
• Qualitative: The excerpt draws attention to both the particular and broader challenges and problems within American race relations. The violence the narrator commits in the text is brutal, and students may not immediately connect it to the larger purpose of the novel.
• Reader and Task: In small groups, students discuss Invisible Man as a piece of early postmodernism. Students write down at least one element of postmodernism they have identified in the text.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 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.

StudySync materials include an ELA Grade Level Overviews for each grade level, which begin with an Introduction addressing text types, theme, and the unit’s Essential and supporting questions. The ELA Grade Level Overviews address text complexity by explaining the qualitative and quantitative features, as well as the reader and task measure for each text. Additionally, the Grade Level Overview explains the rationale for the purpose and placement of each text. Student materials include a rationale for the use of each text in its introduction, and accompanying tasks deepen students’ understanding of the texts’ connections to unit themes and guiding questions.

Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read a variety of both informational and literary texts as they explore the Essential Question “How does independence define the American spirit?” The unit begins by pairing poems “On Being Brought from Africa to America'' by Phillis Wheatley and “An Address to Ms. Phyllis Wheatley” by Jupiter Hammon. The poems allow students to grapple with historical moments that contradict the independent American spirit referred to in the unit’s guiding question. Qualitative features such as difficult vocabulary, religious allusions, and biblical references add to the texts’ complexity. The Grade Level Overview asks teachers to support students in “identifying Hammon’s intended audience and tone” and to “encourage students to think critically as to why Wheatley may have represented her experience” the way that she did.
• In Unit 2, The Highway, the literary focus is Transcendentalism and Romanticism and the genre focus is informational. The unit also includes poetry and informational texts that help students answer the Essential Question “What does home mean to you?” The first paired texts are a poem and a novel excerpt. The poem, “I never hear the word ‘Escape’” by Emily Dickinson, creates qualitative complexity through the difficulty of interpreting its metaphors. Despite falling below the Grade 9–10 Lexile Range, the dialect from Mark Twain’s novel excerpt challenges readers’ comprehension, as well as their ability to understand the background conceptual information in Huckleberry Finn. Both texts engage readers in understanding the Essential Question about journeys and perspectives. Skill supports on summarizing, language, style and audience, and close reading help students comprehend these texts.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students read literary and nonfiction texts while exploring the Essential Question “How does place shape the individual?” The speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass falls within the appropriate quantitative measures for the grade and “shines a light on the hypocrisy and brutality of America prior to the 13th amendment.” The qualitative features of the text increase the level of difficulty due to its vocabulary and sentence structure. The ELA Grade Level Overview shares the following guidance and support: “Remind students that this is a speech and that Douglass is speaking directly to his audience. Additionally, pay attention to the parallel structure of sentences within a paragraph, which can help students decipher meaning.”
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, the literary focus is The Harlem Renaissance and the genre focus is drama. The unit also includes informational texts and poetry that help students answer the Essential Question “What brings us back to one another?” A selection in this unit that addresses the importance of relationships is the script “Boyhood” written by Richard Linklater. Although the text does not have a Lexile level, its qualitative features, such as the organization of the text, along with various settings with time gaps, will challenge students to reread, read aloud, and visualize conversations to follow the dialogue. The Skill: Media will provide students another medium to better understand the screenplay and the Close Read: Boyhood will help them connect to the script.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students read a variety of both informational and literary texts to explore the Essential Question “What does it mean to win?” Students read excerpts from Roxanne Gay’s memoir Hungry: A Memoir of My Body. Teacher facing materials claim, “This excerpt will help students understand concepts of hardship and courage as the author opens up about feeling trapped in her own body.” Though below the appropriate Lexile level for Grade 11, qualitative features make it more complex. The Grade Level Overview provides support for teachers to aid students in their understanding of the author's purpose. It reminds teachers that “When reading complex text, the student needs to make inferences and synthesize information throughout the text. Students may need support connecting the experiences the author shares from different points in her life.” Skills lessons focusing on word choice and key ideas help students understand the text’s placement in the unit and its connection to the unit’s overall theme.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, the unit theme focuses on justice as expressed in the genre of fiction but also provides poetry and nonfiction for review to help students address the Essential Question “How can we attain justice for all?” Students will explore attitudes, ideas, and experiences relating to justice in an excerpt from a novel, three short stories, two political speeches, a legal document, three poems, and a handful of other texts. The Lexile range for this unit is much broader than for previous units, at 580L–1810L, with most texts falling in the 950L–1400L range. The speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” by Martin Luther King, Jr., the short story “The Night Before Christmas” by Tomás Rivera, and the article “The Last Ride of Cowboy Bob” by Skip Hollandsworth fall below the Grade 11–CCR Lexile Range with quantitative measures of 890L, 780L, and 1170L respectively, yet they are appropriate for use qualitatively as they address the question of achieving justice in the multiple contexts of religion, morality, law, and culture on local, state, and national scales. Students examine illegal acts and civil disobedience and their causes. The unit includes Skill lessons in Central or Main Idea; Rhetoric; and Language, Style, and Audience.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.

StudySync materials provide students with the opportunity to read a variety of texts, including literary and non-fiction selections that cover a variety of topics and range in complexity. Students experience accessible texts that are challenging qualitatively in their language and style, as well as quantitatively complex text that stretch from 940L–1470L. The grade-level materials include both literary and nonfiction texts covering a variety of topics and range of complexities. Independent reading includes classic and contemporary texts, and teachers can select Proficiency Levels for English Learners, including “Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced-High,” as well as “Approaching” for “Below Level” readers. Teachers can adjust the levels as students demonstrate proficiency and assist students by scaffolding up throughout the year to reach grade-level proficiency.

Instructional materials clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading a variety and volume of texts to become independent readers at the grade level. The materials also include a mechanism for teachers and/or students to monitor progress toward grade-level independence. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read a variety of literature and nonfiction texts that help them explore the unit’s Essential Question “How does independence define the American spirit?” Students spend time with the first text, Kate Chopin’s classic short story “The Story of an Hour.” Numerous Skill lessons on Reading Comprehension, Context Clues, and Annotation help students grasp this difficult text and set a foundation for the school year. The poems “On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley and “An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley” by Jupiter Hammon allow students to analyze diction and structure in different poems while comparing and contrasting within the genre. “The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson, “Constitution of the Iroquois Nations” by Dekanawidah (Oral Tradition), and “Point/Counterpoint: Life After High School” by Point/Counterpoint: Life After High School are all high Lexile, informational texts that challenge students to explore point of view, author’s purpose, and rhetoric while reading. The first two also include a Skill: Review Reading lesson that aids the understanding of primary and secondary sources. Louise Erdrich’s poem “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways,” an excerpt from The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” are all read together. Melville’s text includes Skill lessons on Theme, Figurative Language, and Point of View. Throughout the unit, students engage in the readings independently, within small groups, or during the whole group read aloud. Short quizzes, written responses, the Extended Writing Project, and the end-of-the-unit assessment allow teachers to monitor progress toward grade-level independence.
• In Unit 2, The Highway, students read both literary and nonfiction texts such as poetry, informational texts, drama, and an excerpt from a novel. Students also have opportunities to read both classic and contemporary texts. Independent reading includes diverse selections, such as the poem “I never hear the word Escape” by Emily Dickinson and the screenplay Little Miss Sunshine by Michael Arndt. Students also study the genre of fiction while reading excerpts from stories such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor. Nonfiction texts such as Mississippi Solo by Eddy Harris and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson encourage students to consider life-changing journeys as they read across genres. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after Arndt’s screenplay which includes the following question: “What inference is best supported by the passage below?”
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students read a variety of literature and nonfiction texts that help them explore the unit’s Essential Question “How does place shape the individual?” Skill lessons on Connotation and Denotation, Figurative Language, and Reasons and Evidence accompany the essay “My True South: Why I Decided to Return Home” by Jesmyn Ward. The famous speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass, pairs with an excerpt from Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo by Zora Neale Hurston, so students read across genre while exploring the themes, rhetorical devices, and overall messages of the two texts. The short story “Flowering Judas” by Katherine Anne Porter, and excerpts from As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God are all read independently. The texts may challenge students due to the difficult language and multiple perspectives. The poems “South” by Natasha Trethewey, “‘N’em” by Jericho Brown and “Given to Rust” by Vievee Francis push students to analyze how place and past can shape identity. The last poem in the unit, “One Today” by Richard Blanco, includes multiple Skill lessons for students to practice analyzing poetic elements and structure. The nonfiction texts “We Contain Multitudes” by Lauren Grof and Bartram’s Travels by William Bartram explore the same setting through different lenses. Throughout the unit, students engage in the readings independently, within small groups, or during the whole group read aloud. Short quizzes, written responses, the Extended Writing Project, and the end-of-the-unit assessment allow teachers to monitor progress toward grade-level independence.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students read both literary and nonfiction texts, such as poetry, drama, and argumentative texts. Students have opportunities to read both classic and contemporary texts. Independent reading includes diverse selections, such as reading the poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes and the classic drama A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after A Raisin in the Sun which includes questions such as: “What is the most closely a major theme of this excerpt?”
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students read a variety of literature and nonfiction texts that help them explore the unit’s Essential Question “What does it mean to win?” The unit begins with three texts that are read together—the essay “‘These Wild Young People’ by One of Them” by John F. Carter, Jr., the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, and an excerpt from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The texts give students an introduction to American Modernism, the unit’s focus, while allowing them to read across genres. The nonfiction text “The Marshall Plan Speech” by George Marshall is complex but includes multiple Skill lessons on author’s point of view, informational text structure, and word patterns and relationships to support students’ understanding of the text. Excerpts from the plays Othello by William Shakespeare and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller allow a different lens with which to explore the unit’s Essential Question. Students explore similar historical moments by reading two argumentative texts in this unit—“A Plea from the Oppressed” by Lucy Stanton and “Brown v. Board of Education” by U.S. Supreme Court. The latter presents an opportunity for students to focus on reasons and evidence, technical language, and word meaning. To finish the unit, students read two informational articles—“The Immortal Horizon” by Leslie Jamison and “You Gotta Beat the Best to Be the Best” Ali Swenson by —and write short personal responses reflecting on their connections to the texts. Throughout the unit, students engage in the readings independently, within small groups, or during the whole group read aloud. Short quizzes, written responses, the Extended Writing Project, and the end-of-the-unit assessment allow teachers to monitor progress toward grade-level independence.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students read both literary and nonfiction texts such as poetry, an excerpt from a novel, informational texts, and argumentative texts. The unit includes both classic and contemporary texts and independent reading opportunities such as “The Last Ride of Cowboy Bob” by Skip Hollandsworth and “The Color of an Awkward Conversation” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Students focus on the literary period of postmodernism, analyzing Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and “Demeter’s Prayer to Hades” by Rita Dove. Students also study multi-genre literature while reading the short story “American Horse” by Louise Erdrich and the poem “Gaman” by Christine Kitano. Nonfiction texts such as “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” encourage students to think about the attempts of real-life leaders to achieve justice as they read across genres. After an in-depth exploration of a range of texts addressing the issue of justice for all, students have the opportunity to develop an argumentative oral presentation on a change they believe will result in a more just world. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essay which includes the following question: “Which of these inferences about ‘Deniers’ is best supported by the text?”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 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).

StudySync materials provide students the opportunities to develop comprehension strategies. Each unit has multiple Skill lessons that cover comprehension strategies like annotation, context clues, text evidence, arguments and claims, theme, allusion, and more. In the “Your Turn” section of the lesson, students respond to text-dependent/specific multiple-choice questions or writing prompts that require students to support their ideas with evidence. Additionally, every text that students read independently includes five to ten multiple-choice Reading Comprehension questions that are mostly text-dependent/specific. The End-of-Unit assessment requires students to answer text-dependent/specific multiple-choice questions. Lesson plans include guidelines to ensure teachers are helping students center the text in their discussions and writings. These include guiding questions to connect the texts to the Essential Question, Check for Success Questions throughout the lesson, and Collaborative Conversation prompts.

Instructional materials include questions, tasks, and assignments that are text-dependent/specific over the course of a school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read the classic short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville and complete a skill lesson on figurative language. They answer the following multiple-choice questions: “Which of the following sentences from the paragraph contains an example of paradox?” and “How does the use of paradox from Question 1 serve to enhance the reader's understanding of Bartleby's character?” Students engage in questions and tasks that challenge the author’s statements about books, using textual evidence and reasoning in a group discussion while reading “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri. Students gather textual evidence to defend or challenge the author’s claim and participate in a class discussion. Support materials for teachers include a prompt guide that provides scaffolding so struggling students may access the prompt.
• In Unit 2, The Highway, students complete an Independent Read of “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. Students answer questions such as “Which of these inferences about Thoreau is best supported by the text?” After reading “The Negro Motorist Green Book” by Victor Green, students respond to questions and complete tasks that require thinking, speaking, and/or writing; these questions and tasks focus on the central ideas and key details of the text. For Example: “How does the guide gather information according to the 1937 introduction? (See paragraphs 2–3: The guide accepts ideas and suggestions from businesses and tries to contact businesses for this purpose.) What does the guide say about a future when it will no longer be needed? (See paragraph 12: When African Americans have “equal opportunities and privileges,” the guide will no longer be needed, and it will be “a great day” when they can stop publishing the guide.)”
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students compare and contrast two texts after a close read of “The Midnight Zone” by Lauren Grof and Bartram’s Travel by William Bartram. Students respond to the text-dependent prompt: “How does each writer’s descriptions of similar landscapes produce different effects on the reader? Support your response with evidence from the text.” Teachers receive support in the Scaffolding and Differentiation section of the lesson plan; supporting questions include “What is happening in these paragraphs?, as well as connection questions such as “What do you think the narrator is implying?” Students read the poems “Given to Rust” by Vievee Francis, “South” by Natasha Trethewey, and “N’em” by Jericho Brown as a text set. They compare and contrast the three texts and respond to the following prompt: “Analyze how the use of figurative language in ‘Given to Rust’ emphasizes the author’s message regarding this theme. Support your analysis with evidence from the text and original commentary.”
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, after reading “Living the Dream, Boyhood” by Richard Linklater, students respond to questions and complete tasks that require thinking, speaking, and/or writing; these questions and tasks focus on the central ideas and key details of the text. For example: “What does the dad like about the Wilco song that he and Mason listen to in the car? (See lines 4-9: It’s a straight up country song, nothing fancy. He thinks the production quality is good, comparing it to “Abbey Road.” He likes the simplicity of the lyrics and theme.) What do Mason and his dad talk about when they walk along the river? (See lines 12-21: Mason’s mom and her job search).”
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students analyze and evaluate how the author structures an argument in “The Marshall Plan Speech” by George Marshall. In the prewrite process, students look at their annotations of the text to find textual evidence to support their ideas. In the prewrite step, teachers receive the following directions in the teacher-facing materials: “Have students use a Multiple-column Table to begin planning their responses” and “Work directly with students to begin planning their responses. Project the Multiple-column Table onto the board and complete it as a group. Students read an excerpt of Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. After reading, students write in response to the following prompt: “The author uses the metaphor of the cage to describe her experience… Analyze the author’s use of connotative words to illustrate this metaphor throughout the text. Cite evidence from the text to support your analysis.”
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students may self-select a text during a StudySync Blast. The StudySync Library includes the titles students choose to explore for independent reading. Within these opportunities, students answer Think questions, such as “Why does the man not use more money from his pouch to get more food that the family wants or needs?” when reading an excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. An Exemplary Response is available for the teacher.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for materials containing sets of sequences of text-dependent/text-specific questions with activities that build to a culminating task which integrates skills to demonstrate understanding.

Throughout each unit, text-dependent tasks and questions help students prepare for the culminating tasks. Each unit ends with an Extended Writing Project or an Extended Oral Project. The tasks take students through each step of the writing process and require them to use reading and writing skills they have been working on throughout the unit. Tasks include both shorter and extended written and oral projects with different purposes and opportunities to practice various writing modes, such as narrative, argumentative, informative/explanatory, literary analysis, and rhetorical.

Tasks are supported with coherent sequences of text-dependent questions and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students explore the question “How does Independence define the American Spirit?” Students complete various readings and answer questions building toward the Extended Writing Project, during which students write a narrative addressing the following: “How does the desire for independence affect our choices?” Before writing the narrative, students read the “Constitution of the Iroquois Nations” by Dekanawidah (Oral Tradition) and the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, et al. Students write a personal response after reading “Constitution of the Iroquois Nations” to answer the following: “Most historians believe the Constitution of the Iroquois Nations inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution. Whether you are inspired by these same ideals, or by ideals of your own, write a personal response on what you think the laws, ethics, and aspirations of an individual or nation should be.“ Students complete a writing task following both readings, as they compare and contrast the two texts: “‘Constitution of the Iroquois Nation’ and the Declaration of Independence use rhetoric to reveal the author’s purpose and point of view. Write a response in which you compare and contrast each text’s purpose and the rhetoric used to support it.”
• In Unit 2, The Highway, students explore the Essential Question “How do journeys influence perspective?” The unit’s culminating task requires students to write an informative essay in which they “select two or three texts that connect to the idea of being on a journey… [and] describe the road or the route of the journey in each text, who travels it, and what he or she learns, or might learn, along the way.” Several tasks throughout the unit allow students to reflect on characters’ journeys and the details within them. After students read Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” alongside an excerpt from Eddy L. Harris’s memoir Mississippi Solo, they prepare and engage in a discussion of both texts. The prompt states, “Thoreau and Harris each weigh the pros and cons of undergoing a journey versus settling down. Compare and contrast the reason(s) each person decides to leave or stay.” Students use a graphic organizer to prepare their thoughts and to collect evidence that supports their ideas. Students evaluate the central idea of death focusing on text structure as they compare and contrast the story “ A Good Man is Hard to Find'' by Flannery O’Connor and the poem “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson. Students use a StudySyncTV video model to begin a collaborative conversation around the close reading of the prompt and gather relevant information to support the shorter culminating writing task, during which students analyze the texts using textual evidence to support their analyses.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students explore the question “How does place shape the individual?” Students complete various readings and answer questions building toward the Extended Writing Project, during which students write a literary analysis addressing the following: “How does place shape the individual? ” Before writing the literary analysis, students read an excerpt from Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston and “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass. Students respond to a writing prompt following the reading of “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July:” “Douglass delivered this speech in 1852, over a decade before the abolition of slavery. How do you imagine citizens of the times might have reacted to this speech? What reflections or reservations might they have had? As a person of that time, sitting in the audience, write a letter to a family member describing and responding to Douglass’ message.” Then, students read Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” and consider the impact of place on one’s identity. Students practice writing a literary analysis answering the following prompt: “The authors of both ‘What to the Slave is The Fourth of July?’ and Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo’ use writing to shed light as well as offer commentary on the institution of slavery. For each text, summarize what the author wants his or her audience to understand about the inherent brutality of slavery and what content or rhetorical choices the author makes to convey this message.” The questions students answer and tasks they complete better prepare them for the longer Extended Writing Project to write a literary analysis.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts that help them probe the Essential Question “What does home mean to you?” During the Extended Writing Project, students write an informative research paper in response to the following prompt: “Choose one to two artists or writers, not included in this unit, from the Harlem Renaissance whom you would like to research....Research your chosen topic, and formulate a position on how your subjects' work contributed to gaining greater visibility for African-Americans in mainstream culture, how it impacted society, or how their life experiences impacted their work.” Throughout the unit, students complete text-dependent tasks that help students build to this final project. Students read the poem “The Old Cabin” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry together. They discuss and write about the impact that the historical settings, and the experiences that occur as a result of it, have on the texts overall. The prompt states, “In both "The Old Cabin" and A Raisin in the Sun, the historical setting plays an important role in the development of the texts’ themes. Identify the historical setting of each text, then, analyze how the setting of each text impacts each text’s themes.”
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students explore the question “What does it mean to win?” Students complete various readings and answer questions building toward the Extended Writing Project, during which students write an argumentative essay addressing the following: “How do we define success?” Before writing the argumentative essay, students read an excerpt from The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami and the play Othello by William Shakespeare. After reading The Moor’s Account, students discuss the following: “The narrator feels ashamed when the soldiers launch their raid on the village. Why? Examine the root causes of Estebanico’s feelings. What does he have in common with the soldiers? And the villagers? Which group does he feel more a part of and why? Argue your side in a friendly debate with your group. Use examples from the text to support your stance and analysis.” After discussing the topic with peers, students write a response. Students respond to a writing prompt with additional questions following the reading of Othello: “In Othello, the great Moroccan general Othello is brought down by lies. In The Moor’s Account, Estebanico, an enslaved Moroccan man, survives a dangerous trek through the unknown and eventually escapes to freedom. For both, their ability or inability to judge the people and situations around them causes a radical reversal of fortune. Analyze how each author’s word choice helps portray each man’s judgment in order to foreshadow the reversal of fortune.”
• In Unit 6, With Malice Towards None, students explore the Essential Question “How can we attain justice for all?” They delve into several fiction and nonfiction texts and complete text-dependent tasks that help prepare them for the Extended Oral Project. Students prepare, engage in, and reflect on a discussion in response to a prompt that states, “Think of a change, whether in your school or society, that you believe would result in a more just world. Then craft a thesis to argue why this change should be made, how it should be implemented, and why it would be beneficial.” Students must include textual evidence or research to support their ideas as well as visual aids to improve engagement. Several texts throughout the unit allow students to explore societal changes that need to take place, and the injustices that surround them. Students begin the unit reading an excerpt from Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man. Students answer several text-dependent quiz questions such as “Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage below (paragraph 2)? Which of the following ideas most closely reflects the narrator’s commentary in the passage below (paragraph 6)?” Students also read two poems, “Gaman” by Christine Kitano and “Demeter’s Prayer to Hades” by Rita Dove, and analyze how both poems from the same period address the topic of self-knowledge and self-reflection.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols to engage students in speaking and listening activities and discussions (small group, peer-to-peer, whole class) which encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

StudySync provides students opportunities for whole group and small group discussions and Collaborative Conversations. In each Skill Lesson, Turn and Talk and Discuss the Model activities allow students to share ideas and review parts of the lessons. In each Close Read, students engage in a Collaborative Conversation to discuss the text and prepare to complete a writing prompt. There are opportunities for teachers to reinforce academic vocabulary throughout the unit, and students revisit important vocabulary in a Skill Lesson on vocabulary review in each unit.

Materials provide multiple opportunities, protocols, and questions for discussions across the whole year’s scope of instructional materials. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read The Scarlet Letter (Chapter 2), by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which has multiple opportunities for guided discussion. To develop background knowledge, students work in small groups to collate keywords relating to Puritans in colonial America. Later in the same Independent read activity, the same small groups share examples of predictions made based on their annotations. Throughout this lesson, teachers use questions to guide students in their discussions. One example of this is a model prediction, “I think people in Boston will not forgive Hester. The Puritans had strict religious ideas.” The same lesson ends with a small group discussion based on the StudySyncTV video. Students have guided questions with exact times for review and discussion of specific parts of the video.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students read an excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and the materials provide them with multiple opportunities to engage in a guided discussion. The Blast Rag to Riches lesson includes three discussion tasks: Turn and Talk, Text Talk, and (Optional) Jigsaw Research Links. The Turn and Talk protocol requires students to work with a partner and respond to three questions that contain multiple parts. Students continue to work with a partner or small group to discuss the three Text Talk questions. A discussion guide is available for teachers to assist students who may need guidance in this conversation.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students read and analyze the play Fences by August Wilson. After engaging in a close read, students break into groups for a Collaborative Conversation. The StudySyncTV episode on Summarizing serves as a model for the conversation. Students may use their annotations to guide the discussion, as they respond to the prompt provided. The Lesson Plan gives instructors insight on scaffolding and grouping so that students get the most out of the discussion. The Speaking and Listening Handbook includes handouts to guide and support students through each stage of the Collaborative Conversation—Preparing for a Discussion, Determine Goals and Deadlines, and Establish Rules. The Preparing for a Discussion guidance states: “Before a discussion, distribute the Preparing for a Discussion handout and talk to students about the topics below. Allow students enough time to work together to fill out the first page of the handout. Students should fill out the second page on their own, after reading the material under study.” As students transition to the Determine Goals and Deadlines step, teachers “Explain to students that all discussion group members should know and understand the goal or purpose of the discussion” and suggest that students “develop a timetable to ensure that their group will be able to accomplish all discussion goals.” During the final stage, Establish Rules, teachers explain the importance of creating and maintaining an open and respectful environment so the discussion allows everyone’s ideas to be heard. Teachers “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.” The rules should be posted in a central location for all students to reference. Rules may be updated as needed.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Towards None, students read an excerpt from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. The Lesson Plan provides guidance for structuring a textual discussion: “In small groups, discuss Invisible Man as a piece of early postmodernism...To prepare for your discussion, write down at least one element of postmodernism you have identified in the text.” Teacher-facing materials guide teachers on using a prompt guide and rubric to scaffold the discussions.

Materials and supports provide grade level appropriate opportunities for discussions that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, students read Lyndon Johnson’s speech “Remarks at the Signing of the Highway Beautification Act.” After introducing the text, teachers have the option to Revisit Academic and Content Vocabulary with students. The vocabulary list includes acute, allegory, and revive, among others. The lesson plan explains: “Prompt students to use the Academic and Literary Focus vocabulary when discussing a ‘great’ society… Challenge students to use a minimum of five words throughout their discussion.” Teacher-facing materials provide guidance for scaffolding the discussion and grouping students.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students write a literary analysis and pre-writing discussions lead to the modeling of syntax, specifically the Skill Lesson on style. Students discuss literary genres they like, aspects that make this genre interesting, and how style impacts the reader. Students learn new academic vocabulary words such as analogy and converse. Students act out a short scene in pairs or small groups accurately using the academic vocabulary words.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Towards None, students read The Civil Rights Act of 1964 by Lyndon B. Johnson (and U.S. Congress). During the first read of the text, teachers have the option of supporting students in developing background knowledge on the text while also revisiting academic vocabulary. The vocabulary list includes ten terms, such as arbitrary, crucial, integral, and mutual. Teachers “challenge students to use a minimum of five words throughout their discussion” of the Civil Rights Act and its impact on society.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking (and discussions) about what they are reading and researching (shared projects) with relevant follow-up questions and support.

StudySync materials provide students with opportunities to engage in collaborative discussions, deliver presentations, and listen to and provide feedback to peers. Students engage in a variety of tasks throughout each unit that targets their speaking and listening skills. Every text that is accompanied by Skill Lessons includes a Collaborative Conversation during which students participate in a discussion before writing in response to the same prompt. Often, speaking and listening tasks are followed by a written reflection so that students can evaluate the discussion. Students complete all Skills Focus work in pairs or small groups. Tasks require students to support their ideas with evidence from the texts. Lesson Plans provide teachers with question prompts to help struggling students identify useful evidence.

Students have multiple opportunities over the school year to demonstrate what they are reading and researching through varied grade-level-appropriate speaking and listening opportunities.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read an excerpt from the autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African by Olaudah Equiano. Before beginning, teachers review the prompt and a rubric to help guide the discussions. Prompt guides scaffold the conversation, and students write their ideas in a graphic organizer. They respond to the following prompt: “What kind of rhetorical devices and appeals does Equiano use at the end of the last paragraph? How do the descriptions throughout the excerpt lend power to Equiano’s ultimate argument that the cruel and inhumane separation of families ‘adds fresh horrors even to the wretchedness of slavery?’”
• In Unit 2, The Highway, students read Little Miss Sunshine by Michael Arndt, and engage in a Collaborative Conversation with a small group in order to access the prompt. Teacher directions require students to break down the prompt before the students engage in discussion, sharing ideas and textual evidence. Students observe their peers and give an informative presentation in order to provide and receive peer feedback during an Extended Oral Project. The guidance includes: “Make sure your presentation is easy for your audience to understand. Include a beginning, middle, and end. Be sure to use transitions to present a clear description of the person’s journey. Include examples of his or her life during the journey. Explain why the journey is important and how it changed the person’s life.” Students use an Oral Presentation Checklist as they listen to their peers’ presentations.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students read Lauren Groff’s short story “The Midnight Zone” alongside an excerpt from Bartram’s Travels by William Bartram. To prepare for a written analysis of the two texts, students participate in a Collaborative Conversation, responding to the following prompt: “Compare and contrast how each writer’s use of figurative language affects the reader’s impression of Florida’s natural environment. How does each writer’s descriptions of similar landscapes produce different effects on the reader?” Teacher-facing materials provide insight on grouping students and the scaffolds available for each group.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students read the point/counterpoint argumentative text “Dream House” (authors not cited), and then discuss a writing prompt found in the Independent Read lesson. Working with a small group, students first break down the prompt that includes the question “Which of the two essays do you find more convincing and why?” After breaking down the prompt, students share ideas and textual evidence that support the prompt. The materials provide teachers with scaffolding and differentiation instructional support for ELL students, including discussion guides and speaking frames.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students read an excerpt from the novel The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami. After reading, students fill in a graphic organizer in response to the following prompt: “The narrator feels ashamed when the soldiers launch their raid on the village. Why? Examine the root causes of Estebanico’s feelings. What does he have in common with the soldiers? And the villagers? Which group does he feel more a part of and why?” Students argue their side and support it using evidence from the text. Teacher-facing materials provide insight on scaffolds available for each group as well as support for struggling students.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students give an argumentative oral presentation. During the planning phase, students provide substantive feedback to two peers using Peer Review Instructions: “How well does this response answer the prompt? What part of the oral presentation are you most excited to see or hear? Are there any ideas that could be improved on? How so?” Assessment of the final presentation aligns with speaking and listening standards, such as “The presentation introduces strong and specific information, findings, and evidence in a focused and coherent manner. Lines of reasoning are organized and easy to follow, and alternative or opposing perspectives are effectively addressed.”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g., multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

StudySync materials provide multiple opportunities for students to engage in writing tasks and projects. Students complete Skill Lessons and Close Reads that require students to write short responses or answer Think questions. Many texts read independently also require students to answer short response questions. Students practice writing informational, narrative, and argumentative pieces throughout the year. Each unit includes an End-of-Unit Assessment with passages and writing prompts to assess student performance against the key reading, writing, and language standards covered in the unit. Students also complete Extended Writing Projects with a consistent Instructional Path: Plan, Draft, Revise, and Edit and Publish. Additionally, they use digital materials such as recordings, StudySyncTV episodes, and films to deepen their analyses of the texts.

Materials include a mix of BOTH on-demand and process writing that covers a year’s worth of instruction. Some examples are as follows:

• Students participate in on-demand writing.
• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read the poems “On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley and “An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley” by Jupiter Hammon. After a close read of the latter, students write a literary analysis in response to the following prompt: “Citing clear, supporting evidence from both texts, compare and contrast the overall attitude toward religion in each poem. In which ways do the authors agree about religion, and in which ways do they disagree? Then, tell how both poems represent Early American literature.” Students review the prompt and rubric before they begin writing.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students participate in a Timed Writing task. After reviewing a checklist on timed writing, students plan and write a response in a timed writing situation. Reminders include: “clearly state your thesis, provide relevant and specific evidence from the text, and edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling.”
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students participate in on-demand writing through Blast: Molecular Mysteries. Students write a short response on why chemistry is important in the criminal justice system? The task provides students background knowledge for the novel excerpt from Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
• Students participate in process writing.
• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students write a narrative for their Extended Writing Project. Students review the “Narrative Writing Rubric—Grade 11” before they begin writing. The prompt states, “Write about a character, real or imagined, who feels trapped by circumstance and who wishes to become more independent. Using the skills you have learned in this unit, write a narrative in which a character moves from dependence to independence.” Students proceed through each step of the writing process before submitting their narrative. After reading a Student Model peer review of a short constructed response and reviewing a writing checklist, students draft a constructive peer review.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students write an informative research essay in response to this prompt: “What role do art and culture have in bringing awareness to social issues?” Students choose an artist or writer not found in the unit from the Harlem Renaissance for their research essay. Skill Lessons support students throughout each stage of the writing process. For example, in the drafting stage of the writing process, students practice planning research, evaluating resources, and research and notetaking. In the Skill Lesson for research and notetaking, students use a model to better guide them through the process of how to do research and take notes.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students complete an Extended Oral Project during which they create a persuasive oral presentation in response to a prompt. The project follows the Instructional Path: Plan, Draft, Revise, and Edit and Present. During the planning phase, students must include rhetorical devices to persuade the audience.

Opportunities for students to revise and/or edit are provided. Some examples include:

• In Unit 2, The Highway, students develop their drafts by organizing their informative essay effectively in the Extended Writing Project. Questions for consideration include: “What is a brief summary of my topic? How can I organize my ideas so that each new element builds on previous materials? Can I use visual elements such as headings, graphics, or multimedia?”
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students write an informative research essay. Students edit and publish their work as they complete four Skill Lessons. The Skill Lessons help students improve their English conventions, select diction and punctuation that aligns to the style and purpose of the text, understand how dashes and hyphens are used, and provide a Student Model for review before students edit and publish their essay.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students complete a revision of the persuasive oral presentation. The materials include a Revision Guide focusing on Clarity, Development, Organization, Style: Word Choice, and Style: Sentence Fluency.

Materials include digital resources where appropriate. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, The Highway, students engage in a close read of the informative speech, “Remarks at the Signing of the Highway Beautification Act” by Lyndon B. Johnson and use digital resources to write a short, analytical written response. Some of the digital resources used in this lesson include a vocabulary chart, a StudySyncTV model, a rubric, and a graphic organizer. The graphic organizer allows students to record examples of LBJ’s relationship with nature and a thoughts column on how the example supports the writer’s claims.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students complete Blast: Homeward Bound. Students explore background information and research links about a topic and then respond to a question with a 140-character response. The teacher can choose to Jigsaw Research Links by assigning each group a different research link to read and discuss the source’s information.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students read an excerpt from William Shakespeare’s Othello. During a Skill Lesson on Media, students analyze how texts translate across different types of media. They read an exemplar essay from a student who analyzes a film clip from Othello and compares it to an audio recording of the play. Students note similarities and differences between the play and the recording and note how the media impacts interpretations of a source text. Lastly, students answer multiple-choice questions about both mediums.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. (Writing opportunities incorporate digital resources/multimodal literacy materials where appropriate. Opportunities may include blended writing styles that reflect the distribution required by the standards.)

StudySync materials provide students with the opportunity to engage in multiple styles of writing during the Extended Writing Project. These projects incorporate multiple Skill Lessons, take students through each step of the writing process, and result in longer writing assignments. The projects also vary in type, with students writing narratives, informative/explanatory essays, literary analyses, and argumentative responses. Materials provide opportunities for students/teachers to monitor progress in writing skills during short constructed responses, essays, and student responses in the Writer’s Notebook. The Teacher Edition and Lesson Resource offer step by step directions, including answers to questions to help the teacher guide the writer. The student experiences multiple opportunities to monitor the development of their writing through graphic organizers, Skills Lessons, and StudySyncTV.

Materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply different genres/modes of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. Some examples are as follows:

• Students have opportunities to engage in argumentative writing.
• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students closely reread “Point/Counterpoint: Life After High School” (author not cited) in order to write an argumentative response. Students choose the pros or cons of staying home or settling in a new place after high school. Students need to decide which argument is more convincing and support their claim with both textual and graphic evidence. A Concept Web supports students with their planning of the argument, allowing them to gather both textual and graphic information from each author. The Teacher Edition offers instruction to guide the teacher in helping students gather, share, and discuss evidence during the Collaborative Conversation. Students revise their writing using the Peer Review where other students provide feedback on ideas and evidence.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students independently read the argumentative text “Point/Counterpoint: Dream House” (author not cited). After analyzing the text’s point and counterpoint arguments for buying a house, students write a short response to the following prompt: “Which of the two essays do you find more convincing and why? Support your answer with relevant evidence from the text.” After completing their writing, students receive feedback from their classmates.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students write an argumentative essay during the Extended Writing Project. Students refer to the arguments of many of the authors in the unit to define “winning." Students argue the meaning of success, along with the benefits and costs of winning. This process writing task includes support for students and teachers during each step of the writing process, including guidance, a Check for Success, and skill resources to develop needed skills for this writing mode.
• Students have opportunities to engage in informative/explanatory writing.
• In Unit 2, The Highway, students complete an informative writing piece during an Extended Writing Project. The materials include a sample Student Model for analysis, and students plan an informative essay in response to the following prompt: “What do we learn along the way? From non-fiction selections in this unit (including research links in the Blasts), select two or three texts that connect to the idea of being on a journey. Write an informative essay in which you describe the road or the route of the journey in each text, who travels it, and what he or she learns, or might learn, along the way. Be sure to include the personal and cultural importance this journey has and any risks the traveler may have to take.”
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students read both “The Midnight Zone” by Lauren Groff and Bartram’s Travels by William Bartram and write a compare and contrast response, informing the reader about the author’s use of language and its impact on the reader’s impression of the natural environment of Florida. Students note how the writers’ description impacts the reader. Student-facing materials include a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast descriptions in the two texts. The Teacher Edition includes freewriting opportunities to dig deeper into the texts and a Check for Success to monitor students who struggle to understand the prompt.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students closely read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner before writing a compare and contrast response that requires explanation about how the authors’ characters reflect elements of the literary period. Students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the characters from both texts. Materials provide many supports, such as the Writer’s Notebook, StudySyncTV for analyzing characters, and Collaborative Conversations to break down the prompt and share evidence, to guide the teacher and help students monitor their writing progress.
• Students have opportunities to engage in narrative writing.
• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students analyze a sample Student Model and plan a narrative in response to a prompt during an Extended Writing Project. In preparation for the narrative writing task, students read a variety of texts to apply what they have learned about story elements to their narrative projects, including but not limited to “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville, “Verses upon the Burning of Our House” by Anne Bradstreet, and “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” by Louise Erdrich. Students answer a writing prompt, “How does the desire for independence affect our choices?” Students use what they have learned in the unit to “write a narrative in which a character moves from dependence to independence” while focusing on the Essential Question, “How does the desire for independence affect our choices?” The Teacher Edition provides teacher guidance, including a Text Talk that takes students through a student model, the rubric, criteria for the rubric, and answers to the Text Talk questions.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students read the poem “‘N’em” by Jericho Brown and then write a personal narrative response to the poem. They write a creative account in a journal entry integrating use of voice when describing relatives and their daily routines. Prompts remind students to add descriptive details to create vivid ideas and images. Students use a concept web to identify a relative and add descriptive details. The Teacher Edition guides teachers in introducing the text to help students gain perspective about older relatives. Students participate in Peer Review and Reflect to offer feedback and guide the revision of their narratives.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students read the nonfiction text “The Immortal Horizon” by Leslie Jamison. After reading and analyzing, students write in response to the following prompt: “This text details the blunt hardships of a race—win or lose. Think about a significant victory or loss in your own life. Then write a letter to a friend, mentor, or confidante relating what you experienced and how it made you feel.” After writing, students receive feedback from classmates and reflect on their responses.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for materials, including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support sophisticated analysis, argumentation, and synthesis.

StudySync materials provide students the opportunity to engage in short writing responses that connect to texts during the reading lessons. Students write literary analyses, argumentative responses, rhetorical analyses, and more while supporting their ideas with evidence from the texts. Additionally, each unit ends with an Extended Writing Project that requires students to review across texts and genres to write lengthier writing tasks and support their claims and arguments with evidence from the texts. Students write to practice and apply writing standards that require them to write with a task, purpose, and audience in mind, to delineate and evaluate arguments, and to develop a short research response.

Writing opportunities are focused around students’ analyses and claims developed from reading closely and working with texts and sources to provide supporting evidence. Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read “Constitution of the Iroquois Nations” by Dekanawidah (Oral Tradition) and the “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson. Students complete a first read of the “Declaration of Independence” and identify and describe the purpose and key ideas in the text. They complete a Skill: Author’s Purpose and Point of View Lesson. Then, students complete a Skill: Rhetoric Lesson in which they analyze the rhetorical devices in the document. Next, students complete a Skill: Primary and Secondary Sources Lesson after rereading and discussing a model of close reading. Finally, students complete a close reading of the Declaration of Independence and compare and contrast the author’s purpose and point of view and rhetoric in the text to that of “Constitution of the Iroquois Nations.” Students answer a writing prompt: “‘Constitution of the Iroquois Nation’ and the “Declaration of Independence” use rhetoric to reveal the author’s purpose and point of view. Write a response in which you compare and contrast each text’s purpose and the rhetoric used to support it. Then evaluate which text more effectively uses rhetorical devices, using textual evidence and original commentary to support your response.”
• In Unit 2, The Highway, students closely read an informational speech “Remarks at the Signing of the Highway Beautification Act” by Lyndon B. Johnson and analyze how effectively Johnson supports his argument. Students need to determine how the writer’s use of description helps to support his claim. Students use textual evidence in their response to support conclusions. Students apply the writing standard as they analyze the premise, purpose, and argument in a presidential address. Students read “Remarks at the Signing of the Highway Beautification Act” by Lyndon B. Johnson. Students will analyze the effectiveness of Johnson’s personal accounts to support his argument, using textual evidence and original commentary in a short, written response.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students read “We Contain Multitudes” by Lauren Groff independently. Students write an argumentative response and answer a writing prompt: “Groff argues that while the stereotypes about Florida have a ‘grain of truth in them, it’s a grain the size of a speck of sand.’ Think about a stereotype, whether controversial or commonly held, about a group of people. You can think about something mentioned in Groff's essay, or about a stereotype that's closer to home. Then, write a response in which you argue to what extent this stereotype holds true. Support your argument with examples and reasoning from your own knowledge and experience.” The writing task challenges students to clearly argue the extent to which a chosen stereotype holds true, supporting their arguments with relevant examples and reasoning.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students read the poem “The Old Cabin” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and write a literary analysis based on research relating to the Harlem Renaissance. Students write referencing literary characteristics from the text and investigate themes represented in the poem that prefigure poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. Students demonstrate knowledge of foundational American literature in their writing.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students write a rhetorical analysis after reading the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. The prompt they respond to states, “Identify the author’s claim. Then, evaluate how successful the author’s use of reasoning and evidence is in convincing his audience of this claim. Support your response with evidence from the text.”
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students compare two poems “Demeter’s Prayer to Hades” by Rita Dove and “Gaman” by Christine Kitano to analyze how both authors address the subjects of self-knowledge and self-reflection. Students cite evidence from the text relating to the theme, poetic elements, and similarities and differences of the authors’ message.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria for materials including instruction and practice of the grammar and conventions/language standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application in context.

Each grammar lesson introduces skills to students. Then students participate in group work discussing a model of the skills. Finally, they complete independent work that requires them to answer multiple-choice questions and put the grammar/convention skills into practice by writing sentences. Each lesson is concise and follows a routine of Teach/Model and Practice/Apply with suggestions for differentiated practice. The Routines section provides routines for spelling, decoding multisyllabic words, reading "big words," reading decodable text, high-frequency words, and fluency. These routines are used with appropriate lessons throughout the component. Opportunities exist for students to learn from models that provide examples of editing using modeled student writing. Before students submit their writing, they utilize a checklist with grammar/convention guidelines to ensure that they have applied the skills within their writing. During the unit and at the end of each unit, assessments require students to demonstrate proficiency of conventions and other aspects of language.

Materials include instruction of all grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change over time, and is sometimes contested.
• The materials include opportunities for teachers to search for specific Skills Assignments that align to Grade 11. Teachers can use the search for new Skills Assignments or to add existing assignments to the unit using the "Add to Unit" feature. For example, Contested Usage—Diction and Punctuation, introduces the vocabulary terms contested usage, convention, diction, grammar usage, and syntax, includes a Model for students, and then provides an opportunity for students to practice the skill during Your Turn: “Choose the best answer to each question. 2. Is the removal of the series comma in this sentence acceptable? Would you like your eggs scrambled, fried or poached?”
• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, during the editing and publishing step of the Extended Writing Project, students use the Grammar Skill: Consistent Verb Tenses lesson to better understand how usage can change based on convention rules. The rule in this lesson states that the tense of the verb should be consistent. At the same time, there is a rule that states a writer can use more than one tense based on events following one another in time, if the tense resides within a quote, and if the present tense verb expresses a general truth. Students must analyze the content of their writing in order to apply verb tenses in their writing consistently and correctly.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, during the editing and publishing portion of the Extended Writing Project, students complete a Grammar Skill: Misuse of Commas lesson to practice using them correctly. In this skill lesson, students learn that commas can be optional after short introductory prepositional phrases. Students must determine the use of commas based on whether or not the use of a comma provides clarity.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students write an informative research essay for their Extended Writing Projects. As they engage with each step of the writing process, students receive direct instruction in several grammar skills. One focus is on contested usage. Teachers review the definition of the term, project a model unto the board, and put students in groups to “analyze how the model uses authentic texts to explain the rules for contested usage.” They review rules and contested usage of punctuation, diction, and syntax. Finally, they answer multiple-choice questions and rewrite sentences using the different rules they learned.
• Students have opportunities to resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (e.g., Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, Garner's Modern American Usage) as needed.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students complete a Grammar Skill: Contested Usage lesson, which provides students with strategies for use when selecting the form of a contested usage that most appropriately aligns with the style and purpose of a text. After exploring the model, students answer questions in the Your Turn section: “Determine if the statements regarding situations of contested usage are true or false. 3. In fictional dialogue, you should always use whom when appropriate and correct, even when the conversation is casual.” As students enter the Edit and Publish phase of the Extended Writing Project, the materials include the following checklist as guidance for editing: “Have I followed all the rules for hyphens? Have I checked for contested usage and selected the usage that is most appropriate for my purpose? Do I have any sentence fragments or run-on sentences? Have I spelled everything correctly?” During the End-of-Unit Assessment, students apply their learning as they respond to the research report prompt for Student Passage 1.
• Students have opportunities to observe hyphenation conventions.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students complete a Grammar Skill: Hyphens lesson during the editing and publishing portion of the Extended Writing Project. After learning about hyphens and seeing their use in text examples, students practice using hyphens correctly. The instruction follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn format, which uses gradual release to support student understanding and practice. The End-of-Unit Assessment includes several questions to assess proficiency of the standards students practice. For example, Question 31 states: “What change, if any, is necessary with the underlined portion of the following sentence? He had worked hard as the manager of a dry, cleaning business, and this money meant he could finally give it up.”
• Students have opportunities to spell correctly.
• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students use their learning during a Grammar Skill: Basic Spelling Rules lesson to practice spelling correctly. In the Your Turn component of the lesson, students are provided a sample sentence with an error, along with the rules for correcting the sentence. Students must rewrite the sentence correctly. Some of the spelling rules students practice include adding -ly, words with silent e + suffix and prefixes that create a double letter.
• In Unit 2, The Highway, during the editing and publishing phase of the Extended Writing Project, students review edits, such as correcting a spelling mistake, in the provided student sample: “At thirty year old, Harris fears that he is no longer free to go on adventures and that he must give in to mundain mundane responsibilities.” The Rubric for Informative Writing Process—Edit and Publish includes an expectation for Conventions: “The response demonstrates a command of basic conventions. The response may include the following: some minor errors in usage, but no patterns of errors, adequate use of punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation and spelling.”
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students practicing using commonly misspelled words correctly during the Extended Oral Project. After exploring a model, students answer questions in the Your Turn section: “Choose the best answer to each question. 2. How should this sentence be changed? Ideally, the florist for the wedding will be a true conoiseur of color, scent, and space.” During the editing and publishing portion of the Extended Oral Project, students complete the Grammar Skill: Commonly Misspelled Words lesson. After learning about commonly misspelled words and seeing how they are used in text examples, students practice using commonly misspelled words correctly. The instruction follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn structure, which uses gradual release to support student understanding and practice.