11th Grade - Gateway 3

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.)

StudySync materials provide students the opportunity to practice and apply the skills they have learned throughout each unit. Student models and opportunities to write constructed responses are available. Instructions and directions for students are clear, and reminders are available to students throughout extended projects. Additional guidance is available for teachers through lesson plans and prompts when necessary. Reference aids are correctly labeled when the materials include these throughout the unit.

The student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.). For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students begin with a SyncStart titled The Story of the Hour. Students explore background information and research links about a topic in the Blast followed by Skill lessons on annotation, context clues, and reading comprehension before beginning the first read of “The Story of the Hour,” by Kate Chopin. Students complete a Skill: Story Elements—Character lesson before applying their learning in response to discussion questions and completing a short written response in the close read of “The Story of the Hour.” Finally, in this section, students complete the following lessons: Skill: Collaborative Conversations, Skill: Short Constructed Responses, and Skill: Peer Reviews.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, the unit begins with the Big idea, which introduces background information and research links about a topic through a Blast. The Blast is followed by a Literary focus on Realism, Naturalism, and Regionalism and two Skill lessons on recognizing genre and academic vocabulary. Students read “My True South: Why I Decided to Return Home,” by Jesmyn Ward, before completing the Skill lesson on figurative language, connotation, and denotation, and reasons and evidence. Then, they use those skills to analyze Ward’s reasons and the way she uses evidence and figurative language to support and strengthen her claims.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students read “The Marshall Plan Speech,” by Secretary of State George Marshall. They examine how the words of history’s heroes have shaped history. After completing the first read, students work on Skill lessons on the author’s purpose and point of view, informational text structure, and word patterns and relationships. They complete the close read by writing a short response that analyzes and evaluates how Marshall structures his argument and uses rhetoric and reasoning to support his point of view.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

StudySync materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items. Teacher-facing materials provide many opportunities for teachers to see connections to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in daily lessons, assessments, and larger culminating tasks. The Scope and Sequence indicates which CCSS students practice during each text. In Teacher Resources: Lesson Plan, under the Learning Objective, standards for the specific lesson are listed at the top of the lesson plan. Standards are also represented in each component of the lesson, including questions, tasks, and assessments. Students can also view the connections to CCSS. In student-facing materials, standards are listed under student tasks. Think questions, short quizzes, Your Turn activities, and short response prompts all have standards visible at the bottom of the page.

Materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, the culminating task focuses on narrative writing. Students construct a meaningful narrative in response to a writing prompt. One Skill lesson in the writing process provides students with time to practice organizing narratives. They complete a chart by dragging and dropping events into the correct narrative sequence. The activity reinforces W.11-12.3, which states, “Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.”
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students independently read Jesmyn Ward’s short autobiographical essay, “My True South: Why I Decided to Return Home.” They complete quiz questions that list the corresponding Common Core standards in the student-facing materials. For example, students answer, “Which inference about the narrator is best supported by the following passage?” This connects to CCRA.R.1, which states, “Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence.”
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students independently read the essay, “'These Wild Young People’ by One of Them,” by John F. Carter Jr. Students complete quiz questions before writing an argumentative essay in response to a writing prompt. The assignment connects to multiple Common Core Standards, including RI.11-12.1, W.11-12.1a, W.11-12.1b, and W.11-12.10.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

StudySync materials provide detailed lesson plans for the teacher that include answer keys, suggestions on presenting the information, and potential scaffolds for differentiation. Embedded technology includes tools for reading and analyzing, such as annotating, highlighting, audio recordings of texts, and numbering lines on paragraphs. Each unit also includes several multimedia components to aid student analysis; for example, StudySyncTV and SkillsTV are often used to start classroom discussions or to introduce student models that help deepen understanding. Each unit begins with a Blast, a feature that starts each unit and mimics social media in the classroom. Students read background information before constructing bite-sized responses. The Blasts go live in real-time, like social media, to generate student discussions that deepen understanding of the units’ concepts and questions.

Materials contain a teacher’s edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students engage in an Extended Writing Project, during which they write a narrative. Teachers have access to StudySync Teaching Labs where high school teachers share how they prepare, deliver, and follow up with this extended two-week project. Teachers can access videos on teaching the writing process using writing Skill lessons. In the writing process lesson video, the teacher talks about starting with the Pacing Guide and the importance of the Plan lesson. The video takes teachers into the classroom about how the teacher guides their reading. Additionally, the teacher suggests closing computers and technology and focusing on a printed rubric. The video provides tips for teachers throughout, such as skipping a step and moving directly into the next activity to allow teachers to make choices that work for them.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, within the Unit Overview, the materials include a section titled “Difficult Concepts” to support teachers with planning. In this unit, the materials identify reasons and evidence, and figurative language as difficult topics for students to understand. This section pinpoints specific texts like the poem “Given to Rust,“ written by Vievee Francis, that teachers may use to help students understand the author’s reason for using figurative language.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students engage in a Skill lesson on the author’s purpose and point of view after reading “The Marshall Plan Speech,” written by George Marshall. During the Model component of the lesson, students watch a SkillsTV episode, and the materials provide guidance on when to stop the video and ask questions to engage students in discussion. For instance, after pausing the video at 0.30, the teacher asks, “What is the difference between an author’s purpose and an author’s message?” Suggestions on how to group students for peer support during the discussion are also available.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

StudySync materials provide a Unit Overview that identifies Difficult Concepts in advance for educators to consider. Explanations are accessible for educators, and sample answers are available in the Lesson Plans, Teacher Edition tab available with each assignment, and the End-of-Unit Assessment when the teacher selects “View as: Teacher when grading.” Within the Integrated Reading and Writing section, a Lesson Plan is available for each task in the Instructional Path, providing options for teachers with instructional moves and guidance for Scaffolding and Differentiation. A grade-level ELA Overview is also available with guidance related to text complexity, including both quantitative and qualitative features, as well as additional information related to the instructional approach to writing using mentor texts.

Materials contain a teacher’s edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 2, The Highway, in the Independent Read of the poem “I never hear the word ‘Escape,’” by Emily Dickinson, the Access Complex Text section provides aspects of vocabulary within the text that may be challenging for students and what the teacher can do to support students. The Specific Vocabulary subsection states students may need support with understanding the figurative use of seemingly easy vocabulary, and the lesson lists examples: “quicker blood” and “flying attitude.” Then, the lesson gives suggestions on how to support: “Remind students to think about multiple meanings and the effect of words as they’re reading.”
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, the End-of-Unit Assessment provides additional guidance for teachers when grading, including an exemplary sample response for a multi-paragraph essay and explanations detailing why specific answers are correct or incorrect for multiple-choice questions. For example, “Incorrect. This sentence focuses on what would be the case if Johnson had, in fact, not been committed to the act. It does not introduce the central ideas of the passage.”
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, within the Independent Read of “The Last Ride of Cowboy Bob,” by Skip Hollandsworth, the Connection of Ideas section discusses aspects of the text that may be challenging for students and what the teacher can do to support students. For example, the materials draw attention to the need for students to make inferences and synthesize information while reading complex text. The recommendation for student support is as follows: “Encourage students to connect information provided about Peggy Jo’s backstory to the information provided about the characteristics of a typical bank robber.”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum.

StudySync materials provide lesson plans that denote the specific standards and skills that are addressed daily. The Pacing Guide breaks down standards alignment in an easy-to-use chart that lists the standards associated with each text and points within the unit for readdressing standards. The Scope and Sequence includes a chart that lists each text, shows the standards that are associated with it, and denotes which standards are taught with direct instruction and reinforced with practice (which are solely practiced).

Materials contain a teacher’s edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• The Grade Level Overview states the following: “Skill lessons on Organizing Narrative Writing and Narrative Techniques teach concepts specifically called out in the Common Core ELA standards.” The Pacing Guide shows that the first text read, “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, covers several standards, including RL.11-12.4, L.11-12.4a, RL.11-12.10, and SL.11-12.1 among others. Lastly, the Scope and Sequence clearly shows that Reading: Informational, Reading: Literature, Language, Writing, and Speaking and Listening standards are addressed throughout the year.
• The Program Guide references the Instructional Path that identifies the standards addressed in StudySync lessons. Teachers have access to sources that help students demonstrate progress toward standard mastery, such as, Reading Quizzes, Skills Mastery Checks, and Extended Writing Projects that include the specific standards addressed in each component of the lesson. For example, in the First Read lesson of the point/counterpoint argumentative text “Life After High School,” the Lesson Plan provides teachers with an answer key to the Reading Quiz, with each question indicating the standard that was assessed. In this case, question one, where students are asked to identify a statement that both authors of the text would most likely support, addresses and assesses RI.11-12.1.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

StudySync materials provide an Additional Resource for educators “Research-Base Alignments: A Summary of Research in Secondary School (Grades 6-12) English Language Arts” to provide a summary of key points in Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking and Listening, and Media and Technology. The research in the documents includes “reports, experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, reviews of research, and opinion pieces written by those considered experts within the field of literacy.” StudySync uses research-based strategies to show that content-specific knowledge is highly correlated with vocabulary, and both contribute to reading comprehension and inferencing skills. The curriculum uses strategies such as repeated reading for fluency, using grammar in context to enhance basic skills, and encouraging readers to engage with a text by activating their schema.

Materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• StudySync uses the research theory, by Shen, in English Language Teaching that suggests there is a reciprocal relationship between knowledge, vocabulary, and reading and writing achievement. Readers engage with a text by activating background knowledge. “Schema is the technical term used by cognitive scientists to describe how people process, organize, and store information in their heads” (Shen, 2008, p. 104).
• Handbook of Writing Research (2015) synthesizes current knowledge on writing development and instruction at all grade levels. Timothy Shanahan provides information relating to relationships between reading and writing development. StudySync incorporates this key point into writing instruction: “Research has long found many connections and correlations between reading and writing” (Shanahan, 2015).
• “Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices” (2008) is a practice guide that presents specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations that educators can use to improve literacy levels among adolescents in upper elementary, middle, and high schools. StudySync includes a key point in Research Recommendations for Vocabulary: “The What Works Clearinghouse Improving Adolescent Literacy guide (Kamil et al., 2008) considers the level of evidence “strong” in their recommendation for explicit vocabulary instruction in the upper elementary, middle, and high school grades.”
• StudySync references the article, “Is fluent, expressive reading important for high school readers?” (2012) from the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy and utilizes research recommendations for instructional fluency methods, such as repeated readings. The article recommends these methods “at the secondary level, especially with students who struggle with fluency and reading comprehension” (Paige, Rasinski, & Magpuri-Lavell, 2012, p. 72).
• “Surface, Deep, and Transfer? Considering the Role of Content Literacy Instructional Strategies” (2017), an article by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, and John Hattie published in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, provides information relating to content literacy instructional practices. StudySync includes a key point in comprehending literary and informational text: “Because each discipline has its own purpose and structure, it necessarily requires different literacy skills and abilities to create, communicate, and evaluate knowledge, and students may require different strategies to deepen their understanding of text as they gain more knowledge about a topic” (Frey, Fisher, Hattie, 2017).
• “When is a verb? Using functional grammar to teach writing” (2007), an article by Fearn and Farnan in the Journal of Basic Writing, focuses on the argument against Identification, Description, Definition (IDD) by arguing that there can be a positive interaction between grammar instruction and writing performance if the grammar is functional and used for writing purposes. “Teaching basic skills, such as grammar within the context of writing—instead of teaching them in isolation—has been shown to enhance writing performance” (Fearn & Farnan, 2007).

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

StudySync materials provide assessment opportunities to measure student progress, such as a Readiness Screener, Reading Comprehension Diagnostic, and Benchmarks for each grade level; ACT, SAT, and State Test Preparations; and EL End-of-Unit assessments that teachers can assign as Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced High. Summative assessments, such as the Extended Writing and Oral Projects at the end of each unit, provide opportunities for students to demonstrate proficiency in skills they practice during instruction. Formative assessments, such as the text questions, quick Checks for Success, and turn-and-talk activities, allow teachers to monitor student progress and provide timely feedback.

Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 2, The Highway, during the Independent Read of Emily Dickinson’s poem “I never hear the word ‘Escape,’” students compare their own ideas of escape to those of the poet in a short, written response. The writing is used to formatively assess their understanding of the unit’s genre focus and/or the standard, which was the focus of the lesson. Before the writing, the lesson features an Academic Vocabulary Focus. The teacher asks students to draw their attention to the academic vocabulary word scenario. The teacher will then call on students to share out the definition of the word in their own words. The teacher then reminds the students of the meaning of the word and explains its use in context. The teacher will be able to assess students’ understanding of the vocabulary word based on how the student uses the word in their writing. The materials provide teachers with an exemplar response to grasp the level of students' understanding and make adjustments where necessary.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, in the close read of “Letter from Chief John Ross,” by Chief John Ross, students complete Think questions which formatively assesses their understanding of the unit’s genre focus and/or the standard which was the focus of the lesson. An example from this lesson includes the Skill: Textual Evidence question: “What makes this letter especially persuasive? Use evidence from the text about the content and the author’s style to support your answer.” The materials provide teachers with an exemplar response to grasp the level of students’ understanding and make adjustments where necessary.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students complete a summative End-of-Unit Assessment to demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and language skills practiced during the unit. For example, the final question asks students to write an argumentative essay to the following prompt: “There are many ways to define a ‘win.’ There are wins in sports, which are defined by the team that scores the most points. Sometimes, though, people take opposite stands on an issue; how do you define a win in this context? Write an essay in which you argue for your personal definition of ‘a win.’ Support your claim in your essay with at least two details from the sources you read in this Assessment.” Teachers provide a score with feedback, and the materials offer an exemplar response in the Teacher Edition.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

The StudySync Student and Teacher Edition include standards listed under tasks within the assessment that, when clicked, provide details about the standard addressed in each task of the formative and summative assessments. StudySync also includes an assess component where teachers can find all the assessments and view the correlated standards assessed. Formative assessments include First Reads, Close Reads, Blasts, and lesson tasks. Summative assessments include Extended Writing Projects, Extended Oral Projects, and End-of-Unit Assessments.

Materials offer ongoing formative and summative assessments. Assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students read a point/counterpoint essay called “Life After High School” (authors not cited). After a Close Read, students write an argumentative essay in response to a prompt. The assessment addresses several standards, including RI.11-12.1, RI.11-12.7, SL.11-12.2, W.11-12.1.A, and W.11-12.1.B, all of which are denoted in both student-and teacher-facing materials.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students write a literary analysis for their Extended Writing Project. The summative assessment walks students through each stage of the writing process through the use of multiple Skill Lessons. The Editing and Publishing stage addresses the following standards, W.11-12.1.A, W.11-12.5, and W.11-12.6, which are denoted in teacher’s Lesson Plans and on student versions of the assignments themselves.
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students read excerpts of Shakespeare’s classic play, Othello, alongside an excerpt from the novel The Moor’s Account, by Laila Lalami. Students then write a literary analysis in response to a prompt. Student and teacher materials show that the summative assessment addresses the following standards: RL.11-12.1, RL.11-12.4, W.11-12.1.A, and W.11-12.1.B.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

StudySync materials provide data tracking tools in StudySync that allow teachers to use information from formative assessments throughout the units. Data-tracking tools like the Gradebook display more than just raw scores for students. They also breakdown student scores against standards and skills. The tool is color-coded so teachers can easily spot student needs according to standards. Green denotes that a student is on track for grade-level mastery or beyond. A yellow box denotes that a student may require scaffolded instruction to get back on track toward grade-level performance. Finally, the color red indicates that an instructor should use diagnostic assessments to determine whether the student requires foundational skill intervention. Teachers may filter assessments in the Assess section where they can also utilize Screening and Diagnostic and Benchmark Assessments. The materials include teacher guidance on student mastery of standards for assessments such as quizzes, skills mastery checks, and Extended Writing Projects. The Grade Level Pacing Guide includes time for review and reteaching, which allows teachers to reteach those concepts that students struggled with earlier in the unit. StudySync provides teachers with Spotlight Skill lessons to reteach and remediate. Every unit culminates with the End-of-Unit-Assessment that provides teachers with the student's current understanding of unit standards and provides reports for students and teachers highlighting skill strengths, skill deficiencies, standard, and skill proficiency levels and across unit growth.

Materials offer ongoing formative and summative assessments. Assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 2, The Highway, teachers have access to the assessments for screening. Teachers may use the Assess tab to find a number of assessments by grade level. When filtering for Grade 11, teachers can access the Grade 11 Readiness Screener. This screener provides information about how well students understand the standards and skills from the previous year. Teachers can use this readiness screener to recognize strengths and to reteach and provide remediation.
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students complete an End-of-Unit-Assessment that entails reading grade-level passages and responding to writing prompts. Students demonstrate an understanding of key standards in reading, writing, and language from the entire unit. Students’ performance on the assessment informs teachers about skills and standards for reteaching and helps teachers with future student groupings. Reports inform teachers, students, and parents about skill strength, skill deficiencies, standard and skill proficiency levels, and student growth in unit standards.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

StudySync materials include a variety of opportunities, such as a Readiness Screener and End-of-Unit assessments, to monitor student progress. Beginning of the year assessments include the Reading Comprehension Diagnostic and Maze Fluency Assessment. The Benchmark Assessment monitors students' progress in standards mastery throughout the school year. The materials include data tracking tools with day-to-day student performance on all standards, which teachers may use to guide instructional decisions.

Materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 2, The Highway, teachers can chart outcomes toward key learning standards when students complete an Extended Writing Project. Students follow a consistent Instructional Path with each unit, including Plan, Draft, Revise, and Edit and Publish. Teachers can track student growth toward proficiency of grade-level reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language standards throughout the informative writing process.
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students read “The Old Cabin,” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, independently. The Teacher Edition offers a Check for Success with guidance, including the following: “Ask small groups to provide examples of how the poem connects to their personal experiences, ideas in other texts, or society. Project exemplar connections onto the board as a model for students as they continue reading.”
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, students make and support inferences about key ideas and details as they read and discuss “Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body,” by Roxane Gay. The lesson plan consists of checks for understanding, such as a Text Talk, Think Questions, and an Optional Peer Review and Reflect lesson designed to make sure the students have the knowledge to complete the objective of the lesson. For example: “Skill: Textual Evidence Question—What does the author mean when she says, ‘I am trapped in a cage’? Cite evidence from the text to support your thinking.”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners, so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

StudySync materials provide teachers with the opportunity to differentiate within each lesson, and guidance is available for teachers for scaffolding, including offering options for instructional routines and questions to prompt thinking. There are instructional options for English learners (ELs): Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, Advanced-High. There are also proficiency levels for Below Level: Approaching and Above Level: Beyond. Teachers can customize lessons when assigning, such as increasing the length limit for Blast responses from 140 characters to 280 characters. Teachers can add and remove standards associated with the Blast assignment, add additional instructions and teacher’s note, show scaffolds to students who need them, and select a Lexile to change the background.

Materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so that they demonstrate independent ability with grade-level standards. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students complete a First Read of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, et al. Students identify and describe the purpose and key ideas in the text as well as make connections to society. When teachers assign the lesson, they can customize it. Options include, but are not limited to the following: Audio On to allow a voiceover for the text intro and the text, Summary On to see the English language reading summary, Scaffolds On to show scaffolds to students who need them, and Venn Diagram.
• In Unit 3, No Strangers Here, students complete a Close Read of “Given to Rust,” by Vievee Francis. The Lesson Plan provides suggestions for grouping students as well as scaffolding and differentiation during vocabulary instruction, reading, and writing. A Check for Success provides teachers with scaffolded questions to prompt students if they struggle to respond to Skills Focus question #1: “1. What does the speaker describe in these lines? 2. What effect did her illness have on her? 3. What does this challenge reveal?”
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students use the annotation tool to annotate an excerpt of “The Last Ride of Cowboy Bob,” by Skip Hollandsworth, during Independent Reading. Student guidance for annotating includes “use context clues to analyze and determine meaning, ask questions, identify key details, events, individuals, and connections, and track descriptive language and imagery.”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

StudySync materials provide teachers the opportunity to differentiate instruction for all learners. Each lesson can be modified to support four levels of English Language Learners (ELLs)—Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced-High. When instructors change the proficiency level of the lessons, the readings, assignments, and scaffolds adjust accordingly. Additionally, all Lesson Plans include suggestions for scaffolding each activity to meet the needs of ELLs and Approaching students.

Scaffolds include visual glossaries, text synopses, Spanish cognates, speaking frames, sentence frames, word banks, and differentiated questions. Each unit includes a folder of 20 ELL Resources lessons. These lessons are more targeted and aimed at helping students develop their language skills. The lessons can be taught alongside the core ELA program, allowing students to practice language skills and strategies while also working on grade-level standards.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

StudySync materials provide advanced opportunities for students during Blasts. Each Blast can be customized. Teachers may select the highest Lexile of the three options to change the background. With regard to quantitative text complexity measures, this option ensures students are in the appropriate stretch Lexile band. Lesson Plans include suggestions for differentiation for Beyond-grade-level students, and the Teacher Edition tab within each Assignment includes a column specific for differentiation with the Beyond suggestions and questions. The activities offered for Beyond-grade-level students are designed to take them further into the content of a lesson should they complete the activity before other students. The Beyond supports challenge students to stretch their thinking and add more opportunities for collaborative, creative engagement.

Materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 1, Breaking Away, students independently read “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways,” by Louise Erdrich. Students demonstrate their understanding of how place influences identity by writing a narrative focused on a setting. As the students engage in Collaborative Conversations to prepare to write, Beyond students make text to world connections. The teacher gives a brief history with some narrative background. “In this poem the speaker relates an account of the forced assimilation and oppression experienced by Native Americans who were coerced into attending boarding schools during this period. ‘All runaways wear dresses, long green ones, the color you would think shame was. We scrub the sidewalks down because it's shameful work.’” Students research primary source accounts—including journals, photographs, reports, or letters—about the forced assimilation of Native American children during this period. Teachers ask students probing questions, such as “What were the experiences of those forced to attend these schools? Why is it important to read primary source documents when researching historic events? How do your research findings impact your understanding of the poem?”
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students complete a close reading of an excerpt from the drama A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry. The Teacher Edition provides suggestions for differentiation with Beyond-grade-level readers. For example, teachers may ask students Multiple Perspectives questions. “Reread paragraph 28. Beneatha says this in reference to Walter: ‘Love him? There is nothing left to love.’ What accounts for the differences in their perspectives? How do these differences contribute to the conflict?”
• In Unit 6, With Malice Toward None, students independently read the poem “Gaman,” by Christine Kitano. The Lesson Plan offers suggestions for differentiation with Beyond-grade-level readers. One suggestion is a Visual Study: “Have students work in a group to find a picture of an internment camp for people of Japanese descent. Once the group has agreed upon a visual, each member should prepare several discussion questions about the picture to use with their group.”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 11 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

StudySync materials provide opportunities for individual, partner, small group, and whole class work. Each teacher lesson includes suggestions for grouping, providing instructional opportunities in a variety of settings. Suggestions for grouping along with available scaffolds for each group are listed next to each activity. Scaffolds include speaking frames, discussion guides, and probing questions.

Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 2, The Highway, students read the poem “I never hear the word ‘Escape,’” by Emily Dickinson. Students participate in a Collaborative Conversation before writing in response to a prompt. The Lesson Plan gives teachers insight into grouping Beginning and Intermediate ELLs. It states, “Work directly with Beginning and Intermediate students as a group. Use the discussion prompts and speaking frames to facilitate the discussion.”
• In Unit 4, Living the Dream, students read the play “A Raisin in the Sun,” by Lorraine Hansberry. During a Skills lesson on theme, students work in groups to read and annotate the Skill Model. The Lesson Plan provides the following guidance for grouping Beginning and Intermediate ELLs: “Group students in mixed-level pairs for peer support as they follow along. Allow students to work together to highlight and annotate the text, in English or in their native language.”
• In Unit 5, The Wars We Wage, under The Big Idea, students explore the Blast: The Wars We Wage. The whole class participates in Number Crunch. Students share their predictions with the class regarding the meaning of the number 7.963,535. Under the scaffolding and differentiation section of the lesson, guidance on grouping strategies is available for teachers. Grouping suggestions for ELL students include a native English speaker, a Beginning or Intermediate ELL, and an Advanced or Advanced-High peer to create support for this task.