9th Grade - Gateway 1

The StudySync materials reviewed for Grade 9 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, Divided We Fall, the essay “Why I Lied to Everyone in High School About Knowing Karate” by Jabeen Akhtar details the pressures of high achievement that the children of immigrants often face from their parents. The author documented an instance when she is caught in a lie about her extracurricular activities. The text is age-appropriate and many students will be able to identify with the author’s struggles.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, the poem “The Journey” by Mary Oliver focuses on the need to leave behind what is wrong and harmful, and the importance of starting out on a new path. The idea of transformation permeates throughout the theme and the author challenges readers to step out fearlessly.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read a portion of text taken from “The Lost Letters of Frederick Douglass” by Evie Shockley. This poem is age-appropriate and offers an opportunity to read across genres. A video introduction includes vivid imagery connecting to the content.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, an excerpt from “Eulogy for Mahatma Gandhi” by Jawaharlal Nehru provides an informational text presenting multiple purposes for the reader, requiring students to dig deep and reread. The language is challenging, with various levels of depth and meaning. Students will gain information about Gandhi, the man and the symbol of India.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, “The Loneliness of Lost Love in Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’” by Ursula Villarreal-Moura is one of the featured texts. Juxtaposing the piece assists students to navigate and deepen their understanding of “The Raven.” The materials provide textual enhancement of essential vocabulary, and the font and white space provide balance to assist students in chunking information and visually understanding the literary structure.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students read a short story, “The Girl Who Can” by Ama Ata Aidoo, with a first-person point of view. The text addresses the struggles of a seven-year-old in a matriarchal society in Ghana. Students make inferences throughout the text in order to understand the more prominent ideas present in the work. The perspective of the narrator is engaging and relatable.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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 9. 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 9 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, Divided We Fall, “The Necklace,” by Guy de Maupassant
• Quantitative: 930L
• Qualitative: This short story includes many sentences that are long and contain multiple phrases or clauses. Students can identify the main clauses and then note the additional information provided by the accompanying phrases. Much of the vocabulary, such as changeful or paste, is formal or archaic and may challenge some students. Remind students to use context clues while reading, and also to use a dictionary to define unfamiliar words.
• Reader and Task: At the end of this short story, readers discover, along with Madame Loisel, that she has labored for ten years, lost her beauty, and declined into poverty to replace, what she learns later, is a fake diamond necklace. What does this ironic ending, as well as other plot evidence, suggest about the story’s themes? Students write a thoughtful response supported by textual evidence and original commentary.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, “Volar” by Judith Ortiz Cofer
• Quantitative: 1010L
• Qualitative: Students would benefit from a complete understanding of the story’s setting, which plays an important role in developing the theme. The setting of the story is a U.S. neighborhood, or barrio in Spanish, mostly composed of Latino immigrants who left their countries for better opportunities and who now live in poor, urban areas, isolated from their families back home. The title of the story is Volar which means “to fly” in Spanish. In order to understand the story’s theme, students must understand the role that flight plays. As they read, have students annotate all references to flying in the text.
• Reader and Task: Students compare and contrast how the author characterizes the narrator and her mother and explain how these characterizations work together to develop the story’s theme.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil
• Quantitative: 1350L
• Qualitative: The author’s purpose is to explain the Singularity and its impact on humankind. Students may struggle with this concept because they may take for granted the rapid pace of technological advancements they have experienced as Millenials. Students discuss the effects of rapid technological advances during their lifetimes, and the impact this has had on them. This text uses vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to readers without experience in computer science. Some challenging vocabulary to discuss before or during reading include dystopia, utopia, singularity, black hole, law of accelerating return, and exponential growth. Remind students to use context clues and electronic resources to define words they do not know.
• Reader and Task: Students write down their thoughts about the question “What might be the consequences—both positive and negative—of what the author calls ‘the Singularity?’” based on the reading of the text and personal knowledge and experience, and explain their reasoning.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, “The Pose” by Anwar Khan
• Quantitative: 1000L
• Qualitative: Students may struggle to determine the message of this short story. Guide students to identify and examine the positive and negative emotions that the main character experiences as she pretends to be a mannequin and subjects herself to the gaze of others. Point out that readers may assume that the story is set in India for several reasons: India is the author’s homeland. The main character wears a sari, the traditional dress of South Asian women. The main character also imagines that her brother would “drop dead” if he saw the “family’s ‘honor’” on public display in a storefront window.
• Reader and Task: To prepare for the class discussion, students write down their thoughts about this question: “How can seizing control over your image be empowering?” Students consider the impact of style, word choice, and tone on the audience; details that create strong mental images; and other textual evidence in “The Pose” and “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird” byToni Cade Bambara and explain their reasoning.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, “Catch the Moon” by Judith Ortiz Cofer
• Quantitative: 930L
• Qualitative: Students may not grasp the references to Shakespeare’s classic play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, as well as the references to Arthur Laurents’ twentieth-century musical version of the play, West Side Story. Call student’s attention to references to the West Side Story Puerto Rican gang known as the Sharks, as well as the re-creation of the famous balcony scene in Luis’s presentation of the hubcap to Naomi. Readers may not immediately understand the complexities of the relationship between Luis and his father. Students may need additional support to connect the details of Luis’s father’s life in Puerto Rico and his move to the American barrio to understand how these cultural differences affect their relationship.
• Reader and Task: Students compare and contrast how gift-giving shapes the characters, plots, and themes in “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry and “Catch the Moon.” As part of their analysis, students will consider the nature of the gifts.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Quantitative: Excerpt 910L, Full Text 1010L
• Qualitative: Students may benefit from some sensitive background information about why Angelou stopped speaking for a period in her childhood. Explain that earlier in the autobiography, Angelou describes her sexual abuse, testimony in court, the outcome for her abuser, and how she stopped speaking as a result of fearing that she had killed a man.
• Reader and Task: Students write a literary analysis based on Angelou’s characterization of Mrs. Flowers, her home, and the “lessons in living” she conducts there. “What impact did Mrs. Flowers have on Angelou’s life, both in the short and long term, and how does this impact connect to Angelou’s purpose and message in this excerpt?” Students explain using textual evidence and original commentary.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for 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 include:

• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students read both informational and fictional texts that connect to the Essential Question “Why do we feel the need to belong?” Students read the poem “Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question” by Diane Burns alongside excerpts from the memoir Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. Both texts allow students to read across genres while exploring what occurs when others define individuals’ identities in simplistic, stereotypical terms. The memoir excerpt is within the Grade 9–10 Lexile Range and the qualitative features of the paired selections make the texts more complex as students “compare and contrast how individuals’ identities are defined by others in simplistic, often stereotypical terms.” Students write a short response demonstrating their understanding of the poem’s language and structure. Later, after reading Angela’s Ashes, students analyze “how the author’s language, style, and audience contributes to the style and cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.”
• In Unit 2, The Call To Adventure, the general focus is informational text but the unit also offers a variety of literature to address the Essential Question “What will you learn on your journey?” The three poems, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, “12 (from ‘Gitanjali’)” by Rabindranath Tagore, and “The Journey” by Mary Oliver do not have Lexile levels; however, qualitative complexity is evident in their text set grouping The poems contain complex metaphors that require students to practice the skills necessary to understand the poetic elements and structure of the poems and to explore the theme of journeys. Students compare and contrast poetic structures and devices to investigate the theme.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read literary and argumentative texts while exploring the Essential Question “How do you define intelligence?” Through reading the essay “Georgia O'Keeffe” by Joan Didion, whose 1170L quantitative measure places it within the Lexile Range for Grades 9–10, students consider “...how O’Keeffe’s determination, self-assurance, and work ethic eventually led to her recognition as a genius with a unique style and perspective.” The qualitative features of the text increase the level of difficulty due to the structure and the author’s purpose. The ELA Grade Level Overview shares support: “The author’s purpose is not directly stated but must be inferred based on text details about Georgia O’Keeffe’s unique approach to art and her defiance of norms, which Didion admires. Have students look for clues in Didion’s language that shows how she feels about O’Keeffe.”
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, the general focus is drama but the unit includes other literature and nonfiction selections to address the Essential Question “How do we perform for different audiences?” The materials pair the short story “The Pose” by Anwar Khan and the poem “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird” by Toni Cade Bambara to support students’ exploration of the Essential Question. While reading “The Pose,” students witness the main character performing as a mannequin in a shop window. Students must interpret the main character’s actions and determine the effects of the performance. The qualitative complexity of this text involves students analyzing descriptive language and imagery to understand it. “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird” contains complex qualitative features through the use of dialect and character connections. Both texts help students connect to the Essential Question as they contemplate how control of self-image can be empowering.
• In Unit 5, The Dance Of Romance, students focus on poetry as a genre, short stories, and an informational article “Masters of Love” by Emily Esfahani Smith while considering the Essential Question,“When is love worth the fall?” The informational article falls inside the Grade 9–10 Lexile Range and affords students the opportunity to “consider how important kindness and generosity are to forming and maintaining happy long-term relationships.” The level of complexity increases due to the sentence structure and text type or genre. The ELA Grade Level Overview for Grade 9 includes the following guidance to support students: “Many of Smith’s sentences are dense with information and complex in structure. Encourage students to break down long sentences into shorter chunks and list relevant information in their notes or annotations.”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, the general focus is fiction but the unit also includes arguments, poetry, and biographical texts that help students answer the Essential Question “How can you help others achieve their goals?” A text in this unit that addresses the idea of standing together to reach one’s goals is “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson. This is the last text of the unit and the associated task requires students to annotate the text to gather background information and utilize the skill lesson on Poetic Elements and Structure to understand how the meter and rhyme contribute to its meaning. Students also have the opportunity to analyze the differences between songs and poems.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for 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 800L–1420L. 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, Divided We Fall, students read a variety of literature and nonfiction texts that help them explore the Essential Question “Why do we feel the need to belong?” The short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier is complex, and students spend a more significant amount of time with this text than any other one in the unit. Multiple Skill Lessons on Annotation, Context Clues, and Textual Evidence help to offset the text’s complexities. The unit includes other short stories such as “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant and “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” by Karen Russell an excerpt from the epic poem Metamorphoses by Ovid (translated by A.S. Kline), and Sara Abou Rashed’s poem “Welcome to America.” These literary pieces often pair with non-fiction texts like Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, the self-help–book excerpt Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown and the personal essay “Why I Lied to Everyone in High School About Knowing Karate” by Jabeen Akhtar. Throughout the unit, students engage in the readings independently, in small groups, or in a 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 Call to Adventure, students read a variety of literary and informational texts, such as an autobiography, memoir, poetry, and a short story. The autobiography Highest Duty: My Search For What Really Matters by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, NASA’s “Apollo 13: Mission Highlights,” and the memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed serve as examples of the genre focus. Selections such as the poems “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost and “The Journey” by Mary Oliver as well as the short story “Volar” by Judith Ortiz Cofer allow students to read across genres. Opportunities for independent reading include both classic and contemporary texts, such as “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost and an excerpt from The Art of Choosing by Sheena lyengar. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after The Art of Choosing which includes questions such as “Which of the following inferences best explains why Simpson was able to survive after Yates cut the rope?”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read a variety of literature and nonfiction texts that help them explore the unit’s Essential Question “How do you define intelligence?” Students begin the unit by pairing two poems, “The Lost Letters of Frederick Douglass'' by Evie Shockley and “Señora X No More,” by Pat Morak with the letter, “An Indian Father’s Plea” by Robert Lake-Thom (Medicine Grizzlybear), The texts allow students to read across genres while considering issues around marginalization and definitions of intelligence. Nonfiction texts include the essay “Georgia O'Keeffe” by Joan Didionm, “The Origin of Intelligence” by Point/Counterpoint, which presents a point/counterpoint structure, and an excerpt from “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell, These texts challenge students with nonlinear structure, conceptual word choices, and complex arguments. Many of the texts include multiple Skills Lessons that help students analyze context clues, author’s purpose, point of view, logical fallacies, and more. Throughout the unit, students engage the readings independently, in small groups, or in whole group read alouds. 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, The Art of Disguise, students read both literary and nonfiction texts, such as drama, poetry, eulogy, and argumentative texts. The unit includes both classic and contemporary texts. Students experience independent reading opportunities, such as A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen and “Eulogy for Mahatma Gandhi” by Jawaharlal Nehru. Other literature in the unit includes, “Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” and the play West Side Story by Arthur Laurents, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask” and Margaret Chase Smith’s speech “Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience.” Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after “Eulogy for Mahatma Gandhi” which includes questions such as “What does the speaker of the eulogy mostly ask of the people listening?”
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read a wide variety of literature focused on the Essential Question “When is love worth the fall?” while exploring the genre focus, poetry. This unit contains two fictional short stories, three argumentative informational texts, and five poetry selections that support the genre focus of this unit. Students read three poems, ranging in complexity, format, and cultural reference, for comparative analysis. The last two texts, the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe and the literary analysis “The Loneliness of Lost Love in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” by Ursula Villarreal-Mouram provide a depth of knowledge and allow students to come back to both the genre and Essential Question’s focus of the unit. Throughout the unit, students engage in the readings independently, in small groups, or during whole group read alouds. 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, Human Potential, students read both literary and nonfiction texts, such as poetry, an excerpt from a novel, autobiography, and epistolary arguments. The epistolary arguments “Letter to My Younger Self” and Letters to a Young Poet by David Robinson, demonstrate how a mentor (even if that mentor is an older version of oneself) can provide helpful guidance to someone in a moment of crisis. The graphic novel memoir Maus by Art Spiegelman, shows that writers can use the comic medium for important, serious purposes, such as to give voice to our elders and record grave historical injustices. The excerpt from the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, shows how literary nonfiction can bring an author’s past to life in ways that are deeply meaningful to readers in the present. Political fiction or poetry, such as the excerpts from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Ghanadian writer Ama Ata Aidoo’s short story “The Girl Who Can,” Megan Falley and Olivia Gatwood’s spoken-word poem “Ode to the Selfie,” and James Weldon Johnson’s poem-turned-song “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” show that authors can create powerful social messages to enact change. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after “Mark Twain’s Advice to Little Girls” which includes the following question: “Which of the following options best explains Twain’s use of formal and exaggerated language?”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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, Divided We Fall, students read the short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant and answer a text-specific question during which students write a literary analysis addressing plot and theme. The students’ response needs to be supported by textual evidence and original commentary. The Teacher Lesson Plan provides detailed step-by-step support to help students prepare for the written response. For example, in Step 2: Read of the lesson, guidance for the teacher includes scaffolding questions to ask the students that are struggling in responding to the prompt. After students read the short story “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell alongside an excerpt from Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging by Brené Brown and the Courage to Stand Alone, they write a response to the following prompt: “Both texts tell a story about the harsh consequences of not fitting into a community or group. Compare and contrast the ways in which the community in each story enhances the conflict faced by the main character and influences the themes.”
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students read and annotate the article “Leon Bridges on Overcoming Childhood Isolation and Finding His Voice: ‘You Can’t Teach Soul’” by Jeff Weiss. After reading, students write in response to the following prompt: “What is the article’s implied thesis about Leon Bridges and his music, and how well is this idea supported through relevant details and evidence? Write an argumentative essay that evaluates the article’s effectiveness according to these criteria. Provide specific textual evidence to support your points.” After reading “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy River” by Robert Frost, students answer questions such as “Which of the following inferences about the speaker’s journey is best supported by the poem?”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students finish the unit by reading a graphic novel version of The Odyssey alongside an excerpt from Homer’s original text. After reading, students write a short response to the following prompt: “Ulysses is often identified as an archetypal warrior hero—a god-like hero who, in stories from cultures throughout history, faces physical challenges and external enemies. But what do you think? Is Ulysses a true hero? Write an argumentative text that answers this question by synthesizing information provided about Ulysses's character in Homer's text and in the graphic novel. Aggregate evidence provided through literary devices and techniques, such as dialogue, narration, images, and descriptive details about Ulysses's thoughts, actions, interactions with other characters, and motivations.”
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students independently read the short story “The Pose” by Anwar Khan. After reading, students write a short response to the following prompt: “How do the main character’s thoughts, actions, and interactions serve as clues about her motivations and about the effects of her unusual experiment? Then, use your answers to identify what theme or message the author might ultimately seek to send about performance and self-image. Identify evidence from the text to support your response.”
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read the short story “Catch the Moon” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. They answer questions about the text and support their responses with evidence: “What feelings do you think Luis expresses when he stands on top of the hubcaps and yells, ‘Someday, son, all this will be yours?’ Use examples from the text and your own inferences to support your answer.” Students write a literary analysis during the Extended Writing Project. Before completing this writing task, students read and analyze a model literary analysis. The Teacher Edition provides guiding questions that relate to rubric criteria. For example, one question relates to “focus” on the rubric and asks students to identify the claim in the model and then provides the answer for the teacher in the Teacher Edition.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, 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 “Based on the way she is presented to us in this poem, what can we infer about the poet’s stepdaughter?” when reading the poem “Loud Music” by Stephen Dobyns. Students read an excerpt from Maya Angelou’s autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. They answer questions about the text and support their responses with evidence: “How does Angelou’s use of figurative language impact her purpose and message in this excerpt? Explain, using textual evidence and original commentary.”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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, Divided We Fall, students explore the question “Why do we feel the need to belong?” Students complete various readings and answer questions building toward the Extended Writing Project when students write a narrative addressing the following: “How does belonging or not belonging in a group affect our sense of self?” Before writing the narrative, students read an excerpt from Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown and “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell. Students consider questions, such as “What is the price we pay for trying to fit in? Is fitting in worth the pain it can cause?” Students complete a writing task following both readings, as they “Compare and contrast the ways in which the community in each story enhances the conflict faced by the main character and influences the theme.” Students write a personal letter after reading “The Future in My Arms” by Edwidge Danticat. Students use ideas in “The Future in My Arms” as they develop their personal or invented narratives about belonging, focusing on the question, “How do relationships within our extended families help build a sense of community and belonging?”
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students write an informative essay for their Extended Writing Project. Text-dependent tasks and questions are used throughout the unit to prepare students for the culminating writing task. For example, after a first read of the short story “Volar” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, students answer a series of Think questions that require them to support their answers with evidence from the text, including “Based on the narrator’s dream, what can you infer about the landlord? Use evidence from the text to support your inferences” and “The narrator stays in bed so that her parents can have time in the morning alone together. What does this show about the narrator? Use evidence from the text to support your answers.”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students explore the question “How do you define intelligence?” Students complete various readings and answer evidence-based questions building toward the Extended Writing Project, during which students write an argumentative essay addressing the following: “How should intelligence be assessed?” Before writing the argumentative essay, students read an excerpt from Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell and the point/counterpoint essay “The Origin of Intelligence” (authors not cited). Students consider questions, such as “Does the text’s argument that success may be more dependent on practice than on natural ability correspond to what you have read, seen, experienced, or believe to be true? In what way is your own perspective on the topic similar or different?” and “Can a child with a low or average IQ become a genius with just the right set of influences and choices?” Students respond to an argumentative writing prompt following both readings: “Which argument—Point or Counterpoint—do you find more convincing? Write an argumentative essay that includes a claim about which text makes a better case about intelligence. Support your position by acknowledging evidence, counterarguments, graphic features, and logical weaknesses in the arguments (such as false claims or fallacious reasoning), and use logical, emotional, and ethical appeals to convince your readers that your claim is correct.”
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students read about several famous figures, including Dale Carnegie, Margaret Chase Smith, William Shakespeare, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Henrik Ibsen, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mahatma Gandhi, then use this knowledge to write an informative research paper driven by the question “How can a life become a legend?” As the unit progresses students engage in text-dependent questions and tasks that help them learn more about individuals’ lives and journeys. For example, quiz questions follow the first read of Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s “Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience.” Examples of questions include: “What is most likely the speaker’s reason for including the fifth paragraph in her speech?” and “In which of the following ways does the speaker most add to the development of her central idea with this seventh paragraph?” After students closely read Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” an excerpt from Henrik Isben’s novel A Doll’s House, and Alice Dunbar-Nelson’s “A Story of Vengeance,” they compare within and across genres as they reflect and respond to the question “How do we perform for different audiences?” Then they complete a culminating task during which they respond to a compare/contrast prompt centered on character motivation.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students explore the question “When is love worth the fall?” Students complete various readings and answer questions building toward the Extended Writing Project, during which students write a literary analysis addressing the following: “Is love more of a blessing, or more of a curse?” Before writing the literary analysis, students read an informational text “Masters of Love” by Emily Esfahani Smith and the poem “Redbird Love” by Joy Harjo. Students consider questions such as “After reading the article, do you agree that kindness and generosity are the key factors in determining a lasting relationship? What other factors might be as important in maintaining a stable, healthy relationship?” Students discuss these questions in a group and provide a written response. Students respond to a writing prompt following both readings: “Several of the poems in this unit, including ‘Redbird Love,’ feature animals whose interactions serve to teach humans important lessons about love. Think of an animal relationship you have observed, read about, or are aware of—between mates, between a parent and baby, between siblings, or between friends. Write a poem in a structure of your choice that reflects on the nature of this relationship. Use symbolism and consider the insight that humans might gain from observing the relationship.”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students plan and complete an argumentative oral presentation after diving into the unit’s Essential Question “How can you help others achieve their goals?” The presentation prompt states, “Prepare an argumentative oral presentation about a time when someone helped you develop a new skill... As part of your presentation, compare or contrast your experience with those of characters or individuals in unit texts.” To prepare for this culminating task, students read several fiction and nonfiction texts and complete text-dependent tasks that help them deepen their understanding. For example after independently reading Megan Falley and Olivia Gatwood’s poem “Ode to the Selfie,” students answer questions such as, “Based on the passage below (lines 29–31), with which of the following statements would the speaker most likely agree?” and “Which lines from the poem most strongly support the answer to Question 3?” They also write a literary analysis in response to the question “What attitude toward and messages about the selfie does the poet seek to convey that renders the selfie worthy of the honor?”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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, Divided We Fall, students read “The Necklace'' by Guy de Maupassant and have opportunities to apply speaking and listening skills. For example, after watching the preview video, students work in pairs to activate prior knowledge and connections to the text, using two guiding questions. In an optional activity used to develop background knowledge and cultural awareness, students raise their hands, agreeing, or disagreeing with a statement about possessions. Based on their positions, students move to their corners to explain their point of view. Students also participate in a Collaborative Conversation after a Skill Model and after reviewing a Checklist for Collaborative Conversations. The checklist includes: come to discussions prepared, having read or researched the material under discussion; pose questions that relate the current discussion to broader larger ideas and engage others to join the discussion; summarize points of agreement and disagreement.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students read an excerpt from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (Act II, Scene II) by William Shakespeare. After engaging in a close read, teachers group students for a Collaborative Conversation. 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, Human Potential, students engage in a close read of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson. During a Skill Lesson on poetic elements and structure, students participate in a Turn and Talk in response to a discussion prompt. The teacher places students in pairs or small groups and students discuss the prompt with their partner or small group before sharing their answers with the class. The materials provide teachers with scaffolds and guidance on how to group and support different students.

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 1, Divided We Fall, students participate in a Skill Lesson on academic vocabulary introduced under Big Idea. Students may play a game where students award points if their partner used academic vocabulary correctly while speaking. Students engage in Collaborative Conversation after a Skill Model. The lesson incorporates academic vocabulary such as adjust, claim, collaboration, reflect, and textual evidence.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students complete a Skill Lesson on academic vocabulary introduced under Big Idea. Students pair and split up the academic vocabulary such as reveal and explicit and practice integrating the words into a conversation between them. An Extended Oral Project provides students with practice listening to another presentation, and the materials include guidance to give feedback, including but not limited to: State the unique characteristics of one type of learner; Use academic vocabulary words; Include a variety of connecting words to join phrases and sentences. Academic vocabulary terms include characteristic, example, research, and strategy.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students review their academic vocabulary in a Skill Lesson. The unit’s list includes fourteen terms, including allocate, subsidy, incentive, and more. Teachers break students into small groups for a Collaborative Conversation. Students respond to the following prompt: “In this unit, you have studied how people achieve goals and mentor others. Imagine that you have been given funding to open up a business. What kind of business would you open? Use as many vocabulary words in your discussion as you can.” The materials guide teachers in helping students start the conversations and grouping students.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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, Divided We Fall, students read the short story “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell and an excerpt from Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown together. After a close read, students prepare for a writing assignment by participating in a Collaborative Conversation. Teachers break students into groups, and students use their Skills Focus annotations to respond to the following prompt: “Compare and contrast the ways in which the community in each story enhances the conflict faced by the main character and influences the theme.” Teacher-facing materials provide support on grouping students and scaffolding the conversations.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students read “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost; students engage in the Collaborative Conversation task of breaking down a literary analysis prompt followed by discussing ideas about the text and textual evidence. Teacher instructions include facilitating the task by posting the prompt, directing students to break down the prompt, and then guiding them to share ideas and evidence.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read the poem “from ‘The Lost Letters of Frederick Douglass’” by Evie Shockley. To prepare for their writing assignment, students break into small groups and participate in a Collaborative Conversation. They respond to the following prompt: “What view does Shockley have of Frederick Douglass? Is this fair? Why or why not?” The Lesson Plan gives teachers insight on how to support different levels of learners, as well as insight into grouping students and possible scaffolds. Students also read “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids” by Carol S. Dweck. Students engage in Collaborative Conversation to break down the writing prompt, “Analyze how Dweck, an expert in her field, uses empirical, anecdotal, and statistical evidence to support her claim about the secret to raising smart kids. In your analysis, identify an example of each type of evidence from the article.” Students will discuss relevant ideas using text evidence in small groups.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students read “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Students engage in the Collaborative Conversation task of breaking down a literary analysis prompt followed by discussing ideas about the text and textual evidence. The materials include guidance for the teacher on how to facilitate the discussion, including scaffolding and differentiation instructions for beginning through advanced ELL students.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read the short story “Catch the Moon” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. As they engage in a close read, students work in groups to discuss and analyze the following Skills Focus prompt: “Highlight a flashback about Luis’s most recent crime. Explain what insight this flashback provides about his character and the author's point of view.” Teacher-facing materials provide question prompts and scaffolds to support the discussion. Students also read “Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare and engage in Collaborative Conversations to break down the writing prompt. “‘Sonnet 116’ claims that ‘Love is an ever-fixed mark.’ But, of course, there are many ways to define love. Write a poem in a structure of your choosing that substitutes your own definition of love for Shakespeare’s. Like Shakespeare, consider beginning with a statement about what love is not, followed by a statement of what it is. Include poetic devices such as figurative language and imagery to make your writing more vivid.”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students write and prepare an Extended Oral Project, which requires them to make use of digital materials to add interest to their presentation. In the Connect to Mentor Texts, students reread the essay “Pride and Perseverance” by Mekeisha Madden Toby to select evidence for their oral presentation. The teacher asks questions such as “How can you tell whether the sources are credible and reliable?” during this process. Students present an argumentative oral presentation in response to a prompt. 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/hear? Are there any ideas that could be improved? How so?” Assessment of the final presentation aligns with speaking and listening standards, such as the following: “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 9 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 include:

• Students participate in on-demand writing.
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students read the short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. After a close read, students participate in an on-demand writing task. The prompt explains the story’s twist ending then states, “What does this plot twist, as well as other plot details, suggest about the story’s theme? Write a thoughtful response supported by textual evidence and original commentary.” After completing their responses, students participate in two peer reviews and reflect on the feedback.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students reread “Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience” by Margaret Chase Smith to write a rhetorical analysis focused on how the writer uses language to affect the point of view or purpose. In this part of the lesson, students focus on the academic vocabulary word domain and they are encouraged to use the word in their written response.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students complete an End-of-Unit Assessment, which includes students writing “an oral presentation that addresses the following theme: This is the best way to help others achieve their goals. Use examples from the unit texts in your presentation.”
• Students participate in process writing.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students complete an Extended Writing Project in which they plan, draft, revise, edit and publish an informative essay in response to a prompt. Guidance during planning includes “Use the questions in the bulleted list to write a one-paragraph summary. Your summary should describe what you will write about in your essay, like the one above. Don’t worry about including all of the details now; focus only on the most essential and important elements. You will refer back to this short summary as you continue through the steps of the writing process.”
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students complete an Extended Writing Project in which they plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish an informative research essay: “As you gather ideas and information from the texts in the unit, be sure to: use evidence from multiple sources; and avoid overly relying on one source.”
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students engage in an Extended Writing Project in which they use evidence from multiple sources, and the materials ask students to “avoid overly relying on one source.” Students answer a prompt for their literary analysis: “Is love more of a blessing, or more of a curse? Consider the readings in this unit and reflect on how romantic love impacts those who experience it. Choose three of the unit texts that explore the influence of love in different ways. In a literary analysis essay, synthesize the ideas in these texts to arrive at your own argument about love’s ultimate effect and explain how that effect is demonstrated in each of the selections. Cite evidence from the texts you have selected to support your position.”

Opportunities for students to revise and/or edit are provided. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students develop their drafts by adding relevant and necessary supporting details in the Extended Writing Project: “Use the questions in the checklist to revise the supporting details in your informational essay. When you have finished revising, type your essay in the box below.”
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students edit during the Extended Writing Project. They use a style guide, as appropriate, to improve their command of standard English conventions. Questions for consideration include but are not limited to: “Have I followed the conventions for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and formatting according to the style guide? Does each in-text citation conform to the style guide?”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students read “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, and write a short response to demonstrate understanding of conflict and resolution in the poem’s theme. The students respond to the prompt involving describing the conflict between the speaker’s desire and outside pressures while explaining how resolution and conflict relate to the theme. After students submit their work, they engage in a Peer Review and Reflect where students provide feedback following a set of instructions and revise their writing based on peer review.

Materials include digital resources where appropriate. Some examples are as follows:

• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students read “The Journey” by Mary Oliver and complete the Skill Lesson: Poetic Elements and Structure. This lesson includes digital resources such as a Concept Definition Video, a drag and drop vocabulary chart, an annotation guide, and a checklist and student skill model. In a different lesson utilizing the same poem, students use the digital resource StudySyncTV as a model to write an argumentative response comparing and contrasting journeys in three poems.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read an excerpt from the memoir Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed. After a Close Read, they watch a StudySync TV episode to deepen their analysis of the text. While watching, they pause to answer questions about the conversation taking place in the video. ”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students complete Blast: Growing Paynes. 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.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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 include:

• Students have opportunities to engage in argumentative writing.
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students closely read the speech “I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and then write an argumentative response. Students gather evidence to support King’s claim that specific U.S documents have not kept their promises regarding people of color. Students receive support in writing through Skill Focus Lessons and small group discussion, along with StudySync TV which guides students through key details in the speech.
• In Unit 4, The Dance of Romance, students watch a Royal Shakespeare Company video and read excerpts of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (Act II, Scene II) and the novel Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper. After analyzing the texts, students write an argumentative essay in response to the following prompt: “How do the Royal Shakespeare Company video and the chat room conversation from Romiette and Julio use the characters, plot, and dramatic conventions of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet as a springboard for envisioning the story in a new way? To what extent does each version enhance readers’ understanding and experience of the original story?” Students must include evidence from all three texts in their essays.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read the story, “The Gift of the Magi,” written by O. Henry, and in response, write an argumentative essay focused on the last paragraph of the story. The prompt is detailed and extensive, requiring students to consider multiple questions when writing the essay. Students use a graphic organizer chart to state their argument and add three rationale points supported by evidence. Students participate in Collaborative Conversation to help access the complex prompt and then share relevant ideas and evidence, as found in the Teacher Edition Instruction.
• Students have opportunities to engage in informative/explanatory writing.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students independently read the nonfiction text “Bessie Coleman: Woman who ‘dared to dream’ made aviation history.” by U.S. Air Force. Students answer questions after reading then engage in a Collaborative Conversation in response to the following prompt: “ How does the evidence in the article support the fact that Coleman overcame both racial and personal barriers in order to achieve success?” Following the discussion, students write an informative essay supported by textual evidence in response to the same prompt.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read an argumentative letter “An Indian Father’s Plea” written by Robert Lake-Thom (Medicine Grizzlybear) and analyze the structure of the letter, goals to be accomplished, and whether Lake-Thom supports his claim. Students complete a Skills Focus to better understand the author’s argument. Afterwards, students respond to an informative writing prompt. Students use the planning tool graphic organizer to identify key text structure to support their writing.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read the story “Catch the Moon” written by Judith Ortiz Cofer and “The Gift of the Magi” written by O.Henry and then write a compare and contrast response. Students have the complex task of analyzing similarities and differences between characters, plot, and themes between both texts. Teacher instruction guides students through the prompt and rubric before they begin drafting.
• Students have opportunities to engage in narrative writing.
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students apply their learning about story elements to their narrative writing during an Extended Writing Project. In preparation for the narrative writing task, students read a variety of literature, including but not limited to “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell, and “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier. Students answer the following writing prompt: “How does belonging or not belonging in a group affect our sense of self?” Students use what they have learned in the unit to create a real or imagined narrative that shows how belonging or not belonging in a group affects a person at an important life moment.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read Malcolm Gladwell’s argumentative text, Outliers: The Story of Success, and then write a personal response. Students must determine if success is dependent on practice or natural ability. Students use what they have read, along with their perspective and personal experiences to respond. Students begin the task with teacher instruction that navigates them through viewing a video to activate prior knowledge about high achievers. Students work together in small groups to identify the author’s thesis.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students independently read Ama Ata Aidoo’s short story “The Girl Who Can.” After analyzing the text and engaging in a Collaborative Conversation, students write a short narrative in response to the following prompt: “Based on inferences made from details in the text, what do you think Maami would say? How would she advocate for her daughter? Write an alternative conversation between Maami and Nana in which Maami is permitted a full voice to argue for her daughter’s welfare.” After writing, students engage in a peer review to get feedback on their narratives.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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 include:

• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students read “Welcome to America” by Sara Abou Rashed and “I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. Students complete a first read of “I Have a Dream” and identify and restate the key ideas and details of the text. They complete a Skill: Primary and Secondary Sources Lesson to analyze the speech. Then, they complete a Skill: Arguments and Claims Lesson in which they delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text. Next, students complete a Skill: Rhetoric Lesson in which they analyze the rhetorical devices in the speech. Finally, students complete a close reading of the speech and analyze the characteristics and structure of the speech. Students answer an argumentative writing prompt: “What evidence, appeals, and rhetorical techniques does King utilize to support and enhance his claim that the promises made in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation have not been kept with regard to people of color?” Students write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students closely read two informational texts, “Restless Genes” by David Dobbs and The Art of Choosing by Sheena Lyengar, in order to compare and contrast text structure and claims. Students provide analysis and relevant evidence in their writing to support their responses, as they compare and evaluate specific claims in each text. After reading “Overcoming Childhood Isolation and Finding His Voice: ‘You Can’t Teach Soul’” by Leon Bridges, students engage in close reading and discussion. Students write a short argumentative essay that evaluates the author’s effectiveness in using relevant details and evidence to convey the article’s central idea.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read a point/counterpoint essay called “The Origin of Intelligence” (authors not cited). Following a Close Read, students write about which argument they found to be the most persuasive. The prompt states, “Write an argumentative essay that includes a claim about which text makes a better case about intelligence. Support your position by acknowledging evidence, counterarguments, graphic features, and logical weaknesses in the arguments (such as false claims or fallacious reasoning), and use logical, emotional, and ethical appeals to convince your readers that your claim is correct.” After writing, students give peer feedback and reflect on the process.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students read an excerpt from the novel, Romiette and Julio, by Sharon M. Draper to demonstrate knowledge of setting and medium. Students write a personal response about a friendship or important relationship. Their written response includes personal experiences as well as evidence from the text. Students explain how setting and medium affect interaction between new people. Students read “Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience” by Margaret Chase Smith. After rereading and discussing a model of close reading, students will be able to identify and examine textual evidence to support the analysis of both explicit ideas and inferences about the text.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students independently read the poem “Dusting” by Rita Dove. After reading, students answer a series of Think questions with short written responses, many of which require them to support their ideas with evidence from the text. For example, “What does the poet mean when she says, ‘Under her hand scrolls and crests gleam darker still?’ Use evidence from the text to support your interpretation.”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students closely read the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson in order to research to find answers to several questions. Students analyze the interpretations and performances of the text and conduct research based on how these versions responded to American society at the time. Students gather information and organize writing with task, purpose, and audience in mind.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 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. Some examples include:

• Students have opportunities to use parallel structure.
• The materials include opportunities for teachers to search for specific Skills Assignments that align to Grade 9. 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, Clauses—Parallel Structure includes the vocabulary terms not parallel structure and parallel structure, a Model with a Rule, and Not Parallel and Parallel examples. Students may practice the skill as a Your Turn assignment: “Group the sentences based on whether or not they have parallel structure.”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, during the editing and publishing step of the Extended Writing Project, students engage in a Grammar Skill: Clauses—Parallel Structure lesson. Teachers provide instruction on the vocabulary terms not parallel and parallel structure. The Model section provides examples of both of the vocabulary terms. Example text from the unit is used to demonstrate parallelism and explain why the text represents parallelism. Students then practice this new knowledge by dragging and dropping not parallel and parallel examples into the correct column. Students also rewrite sentences to include parallel structures..
• Students have opportunities to use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students complete an Extended Writing Project, which includes practicing using colons, adverb clauses, and adjective clauses correctly. Within the Edit and Publish step of the Extended Writing Project, students complete a Grammar Skill: Adjective Clauses and Adverb Clauses lesson. After learning about adjective and adverb clauses and seeing how they are used in text examples, students practice using adjective and adverb clauses correctly. The instruction follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn sections, which use a gradual release approach to support student understanding and practice. The End-of-Unit Assessment includes several questions to assess the proficiency of the standards students practice. For example, Question 30: “What change, if any, is necessary in the underlined portion in the following passage? Because he was born in Scotland in 1838, John Muir had a significant impact on modern American wilderness.”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, during the Extended Writing Project, students complete a Grammar Skill: Clauses—Noun Clauses lesson. Students learn about the many functions of clauses and then apply this knowledge in the Your Turn section as they identify whether the bolded noun phrase in the sentence is the subject, direct object, predicate noun, or object of a preposition.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, within the Edit and Publish portion of the Extended Writing project, students work on absolute phrases. After receiving instruction and seeing how the phrases are used in text examples, students practice using absolute phrases correctly. Teacher-provided instruction of the skill follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn sections, which use gradual release to support student understanding and practice.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, during the editing and publishing step of the Extended Writing Project, students complete a Grammar Skill: Verbals—Participles and Participle Phrases lesson, during which students identify the term, form, meaning, and image of a participle phrase, and past and present participles. Students view text and explanation examples as they learn more about participles. In the Your Turn application of the skill, students identify the correct participle example to complete a sentence accurately.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students complete an Extended Oral Project, which includes practicing using noun, verb, adjectival, and adverbial phrases correctly. The End-of-Unit Assessment includes several questions to assess the proficiency of the standards students practice. For example, Question 35: “What change, if any, is necessary with the underlined portion of the following sentence? She founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and served as its first 23-year-long president.”
• Students have opportunities to use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, during the editing and publishing step of the Extended Writing Project, students engage in a Grammar Skill: Colons and Semicolons—Semicolons lesson, during which they begin by reviewing the definitions for independent clause and semicolon. The materials provide students with correct and incorrect examples of semicolons within a text and then rules for application. Students apply this knowledge in the Your Turn section as they choose which punctuation goes in the blank for each sentence example as they choose between semicolon, comma, or neither.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students work on conjunctive adverbs during the Edit and Publish step of the Extended Writing Project. After learning about conjunctive adverbs and seeing them in examples from the text, students practice using conjunctive adverbs correctly. Teacher-provided instruction follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn sections, which uses gradual release to support student understanding and practice. Questions in the Your Turn section include “1. Which word should fill the blank in this sentence? The pastry chef started by blending butter and sugar into paste; _____, she added cream and flour in small increments.”
• Students have opportunities to use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.
• The materials include opportunities for teachers to search for specific Skills Assignments that align to Grade 9. Teachers can use the search for new Skills Sssignments or to add existing assignments to the unit using the "Add to Unit" feature. For example, Colons and Semicolons—Colons, introduces the vocabulary term colon, includes a Model with a Rule and Text example, and then concludes with an opportunity to practice the skill during Your Turn: “Decide where the colon should be placed. Then choose the correct answer. 3. Vernon had several chores to complete clean the bathroom, sweep the back porch, and cut the grass.”
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students work on colons during the Edit and Publish portion of the Extended Writing Project. Students complete a Skill Lesson on colons, which introduces the term and models its various uses. Students discuss the correct and incorrect ways to use a colon. Then, they complete tasks denoting where colons should be placed, changing sentences to include colons, and rewriting sentences to include colons. The instruction students receive follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn sections, which uses gradual release to support student understanding and practice.
• Students have opportunities to spell correctly.
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, the Extended Writing Project and Grammar section address instruction in grammar and conventions standards as students write a personal informative response relating to goals and self-development. Students complete a Grammar Skill: Basic Spelling Rules I to practice spelling correctly during the editing and publishing stage of the project. Students learn rules relating to ie and ei, prefixes and double letters, suffixes and silent e and y, and unstressed vowels. Students apply their knowledge in the Your Turn component of the lesson, where they select the correctly spelled word that accurately completes the sentence.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students complete an Extended Writing Project. The materials include a sample student essay with examples of editing, such as correcting a spelling error. The Rubric for Informative Writing Process—Edit and Publish includes the following 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 3, Declaring Your Genius, students complete Grammar Skill: Basic Spelling Rules II in order to learn about spelling rules relating to compound words, double consonants, and -cede, -ceed, and -sede. To apply their spelling skills, students see questions such as modern + -ness and then need to drag the correct and incorrect spelled word into the correct column.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students complete a Grammar Skill: Spelling—Commonly Misspelled Words during the editing and publishing step of the Extended Writing Project. Students use the Say It, See It, Write It, and Check It strategy as they learn to spell words. Students then sort sentences into Correct or Incorrect columns based on the spelling of the bolded word in the example sentences.