9th Grade - Gateway 2

The StudySync materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria for texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend and analyze complex texts proficiently.

StudySync materials include opportunities for both close reading and independent reading and allowing choices for students. The materials have a logical sequence of texts that allow students to read complex texts independently and proficiently by the end of the year. The materials include texts connected by a topic and an Essential Question in each unit. The materials include six topics—Divided We Fall, The Call to Adventure, Declaring Your Genius, The Art of Disguise, The Dance of Romance, and Human Potential.

Texts are connected by cohesive topics, themes, and/or lines of inquiry. For example, some examples include:

• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students focus on fiction as a genre and the Essential Question, “Why do we feel the need to belong?” Ten texts connect to the theme and include opportunities to read across genres/text types, including but not limited to, the short story “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” the poem “Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question,” by Diane Burns, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students explore a variety of literature as they focus on the informational genre. The unit includes selections, such as the poem “The Journey,” by Mary Oliver, the biography “Bessie Coleman: Woman who ‘dared to dream’ made aviation history,” by U.S. Airforce, and an excerpt from the memoir Wild: From Lost To Found On the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed. Students reflect on how the unit’s eleven texts connect to the unit’s Essential Question, “What will you learn on your journey?”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts to explore what intelligence is and how people demonstrate it and focus on the Essential Question, “How do you define intelligence?” Students read an argumentative letter called, “An Indian Father’s Plea,” by Robert Lake-Thom. During the Text Talk assignment, students discuss how acknowledging different forms of intelligence helps them deepen their understanding of the text.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, the short story “The Pose,” by Anwar Khan, focuses on the unit’s driving question “How do we perform for different audiences?” The text demonstrates how a young woman poses in a storefront window in order to gain insight about herself perception and how others see her. Another example of a text connected to the Essential Question includes the eulogy delivered by Jawaharlal Nehru, “Eulogy for Mahatma Gandhi,” where the speaker not only informs the reader of Gandhi’s life but also presents the political impact of this leader’s death.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students focus on poetry as a genre and the Essential Question, “When is love worth the fall?” Eleven texts connect to the theme, including opportunities to read across genres/text types, such as the poem “The Song of Changgan,” by Li Po, the poem “Redbird Love,” by Joy Harjo, the short story “The Gift of the Magi,” by O. Henry, and an informational article “The Loneliness of Love in Edgar Allen [sic] Poe’s ‘The Raven.’”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, the texts focus on how humankind can help one another achieve their goals. The short story, “The Girl Who Can” fits that theme by addressing a human weakness—two thin legs—that turns into a strength—winning races—which is celebrated by the main character’s family. This text challenges the reader to use context clues in order to interpret a seven-year old’s narrated perspective.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

StudySync materials provide students the opportunity to apply their understanding of the skill(s) they have learned in conjunction with the text by participating in the Close Read of each text and using the Skills Focus questions to focus their second reading and annotation of the text. These questions guide students as they analyze and apply the author’s craft purposefully in preparation for their own written and oral projects and responses. Upon completion of the Close Read and Skills Focus Questions, students demonstrate their understanding of the author's purpose and craft by responding to a writing prompt. Students frequently respond to writing prompts throughout the year and track their work in their Writer’s notebook. By the end of the year, most items are embedded in students’ work rather than taught directly, increasing student independence.

For most texts, students are asked to analyze language and/or author’s word choice (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address language and/or word choice. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students read an excerpt from Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt, and “analyze how the author’s language, style, and audience contributes to the study and cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.” Examples include: “How does the author’s word choice in paragraph 48 contribute to the style and tone of the text? How does the author’s specific word choice in paragraph 50 contribute to the style and tone of the text?”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, after rereading “Letters to a Young Poet,” by Rainer Maria Rilke, students identify relationships between words and patterns. Using a Checklist for Word Patterns and Relationships, students identify patterns of word changes. For example, use context clues to make a preliminary determination of the meaning of the word.

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details, structure, and craft (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address key ideas and details. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students read the science article “Restless Genes,” by David Dobbs. After reading, they restate the article’s key ideas and details by responding to the following prompt: “What are ‘restless genes,’ according to the article? Build a description using evidence from the text.” Students also read “Volar,” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. Students identify and describe character traits and setting details and respond to the question, “What does this detail or information reveal or suggest that is not directly stated by the author?”
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read Love in a Headscarf, by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed. Students use context clues to make predictions about the boldfaced vocabulary words and evaluate details in order to determine the key ideas of the text. Teachers may ask the following questions: What details are included? What is the purpose of each detail? How does this detail enhance my understanding of a key idea?
• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address structure. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, after rereading “The Journey” by Mary Oliver, students analyze the effects of structure in poems across a variety of poetic forms. The Skill: Elements of Structure lesson includes elements such as rhyme, rhythm, meter, stanza, and open form to support students’ analysis of the text.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students read “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by James Weldon Johnson. Before reading, they watch a Concept Definition video on poetic elements and structure and discuss it with their peers. Then, students discuss the Skill Model, answering questions about the author’s use of capitalization and the poem’s rhyme scheme. Finally, they answer multiple choice questions about the poem’s structure: “What effect does the author’s use of longer line lengths have in lines 17–18?” “The author chooses to use apostrophes in lines 12 and 18 to—.”
• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address craft. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, after engaging in a close reading and discussion of “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr., students complete a writing prompt explaining how King utilizes evidence, appeals, and rhetoric 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.
• In Unit 3, Declaring your Genius, after engaging in close reading and discussion of “An Indian Father’s Plea,” students analyze the author’s point of view and purpose in writing this open letter. Questions include: “How does the reader use specific details to determine the author’s purpose for writing the letter? How does the reader connect the author’s purpose for writing with the author’s point of view? How will this thinking help the reader analyze other elements of an argumentative text?”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

StudySync materials provide students with the opportunity to deep dive into various reading skills and deepen their analysis of texts through the Skill Lessons. Tasks associated with these lessons include analyzing language, discussing the impact of word choice, identifying key ideas and details, and analyzing structure and craft. Paired texts usually provide opportunities for students to compare and contrast while practicing a reading skill across texts or a genre. Think questions frequently include higher-level questions that students complete independently after practicing skills previously covered in the unit or across the school year. Throughout all the units of study, students engage in a variety of writing activities in response to the reading of texts, including note-taking, annotating, creating short constructed responses, and completing Extended Writing Projects.

Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze within single texts.
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students analyze the classic short story “The Necklace,” by Guy de Maupassant, for character development, theme, and conflict. Resources provide sentence frames that help students analyze the text and Think questions, such as “Why is Madame Loisel so unsatisfied with her life in the beginning of the story?” that require evidence-based responses about the text. The tasks that students complete throughout the unit help them to respond to the final prompt, “What does this plot twist, as well as other plot details, suggest about the story’s themes? Write a thoughtful response supported by textual evidence and original commentary.”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students independently read an excerpt from The Singularity is Near, by Ray Kurzweil. After reading, students answer various questions about the text’s structure, vocabulary, and key details. Students discuss then write in response to the following prompt: “What might be the consequences-both positive and negative-of what the author calls “the Singularity?” Prior to the discussion, write down your thoughts about this question, based on your reading of the text and personal knowledge and experience, and explain your reasoning.” The materials provide a Check for Success to guide students as they read independently.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students read “Ode to the Selfie,” by Megan Falley and Olivia Gatwood, independently and demonstrate an understanding of how the poet’s use of word choice and tone convey their attitude toward and messages about the selfie. Students answer questions before the writing task, such as “Which meaning of descendant most closely matches its meaning in the following passage (lines 6–11)?” Students then complete a literary analysis to a prompt: “...what attitude toward and messages about the selfie does the poet seek to convey that renders the selfie worthy of the honor? Consider the style of the poem, the poet's word choice and tone (such as formal, casual, conversational, ironic, sad, humorous, serious) and the intended audience and purpose.”
• Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• 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. Students compare within and across genres, compare the value and cost of belonging, contrast themes, and explore perspectives. In the compare and contrast example, students use a compare contrast checklist of steps to determine how to compare and contrast a text to its source material along with a series of questions to analyze source material. The Skill model places two different texts side by side, demonstrating the annotations for comparing and contrasting. In the Teacher Edition, under Discuss the Skill Model, the materials provide teachers with guiding questions and possible answers to support and respond to the examples students see in the text. Students also write a literary analysis in 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 theme.”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students compare and contrast “Outliers: The Story of Success,” by Malcolm Gladwell and “The Origin of Intelligence,” by Point/Counterpoint to determine the effectiveness of the research studies used to support the author’s arguments. Students answer multiple-choice questions to assess their understanding of both arguments. Skill Lessons deepen their analysis of the texts. Students write an argumentative essay arguing which text structure and content are the most effective. Teacher guidance is available to help students determine what they feel is the most persuasive argument.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read “The Gift of the Magi,” by O. Henry and “Catch the Moon,” by Judith Ortiz Cofer as they ponder the nature of gift-giving. Both texts have a series of independent questions and tasks as well as a writing task that requires students to compare and contrast the texts as they explore the nature of gifts. The Teacher Edition provides a Check for Success for students struggling to respond to the prompt. Students consider the power of love by reading three poems, “A Song of Changgan,” by Li Po, “The Raven,” by Edgar Allan Poe, and “How Do I Love Thee,” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Students analyze the poetic elements and structures of all three texts before comparing and contrasting them in a literary analysis. Students respond to the following prompt: “What varying themes about the psychological impact of the death or extended absence of a loved one do the three poems in this grouping explore, and how do the poetic elements and structure in each help develop its mood and message? Consider the denotative and connotative meanings of keywords or phrases that convey the psychological state of the speaker in each poem.” The materials provide guiding prompts for teachers to use to jumpstart students’ discussion and writing.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

StudySync materials provide students the opportunity to apply previously practiced skills from the Integrated Reading and Writing lessons during the Extended Writing Project or Extended Oral Project. The lessons incorporate questions for consideration and oral or written tasks that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of a topic or theme. The lessons and Extended Writing or Oral Projects relate to each unit’s Essential Question. Earlier questions and tasks give the teacher usable information about the student's readiness (or whether they are “on track”) to complete culminating tasks. The questions students consider in each lesson, as well as the writing and discussion prompts associated with the texts students read, relate to the Essential Question and the common theme woven throughout each unit. Teachers can determine their students’ readiness during the completion of these tasks and provide support when necessary to help them achieve proficiency with the longer culminating tasks.

Culminating tasks are provided, and they are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards at the appropriate grade level. For example, some examples include:

• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students read a variety of literature as they seek to answer the unit’s Essential Question, “Why do we feel the need to belong?” Students explore the theme of belonging as they explore questions dealing with being excluded and being an outsider. Students read the memoir excerpt Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt along with the poem “Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question,” by Diane Burns. These text selections aid students in understanding the effects of stereotyping. After reading the memoir, students complete a Skill: Language, Style, and Audience lesson to prepare for a small culminating writing task during the Close Read lesson for Angela’s Ashes, as well as the large end-of-unit culminating task, the Extended Writing Project. For the smaller task, students discuss and respond to a literary analysis prompt: “Although it consists mainly of dialogue, this memoir excerpt contains no quotation marks. How does the author’s use of word choice and style enable readers to distinguish between the voices of the characters, give those characters personality, and establish a tone? Use original commentary to support your response.” This task integrates reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills and prepares students for the Extended Writing Project, during which they compose a narrative in response to the prompt, “How does belonging or not belonging in a group affect our sense of self?”
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students investigate the Essential Question, “What will you learn on your journey?” as they read a wide expanse of informational and literary texts. Unit texts build knowledge on the theme “The Call to Adventure,” as students explore questions such as “How do real and imagined journeys help us investigate the world and understand ourselves?” During the Extended Writing Project, students craft an informative essay to answer the question, “What can we learn as we journey through life?” The prompt for this culminating task is as follows: “From texts in this unit, select two or three individuals who embark on a journey. In an essay, describe these journeys and explain how the individuals evolve from beginning to end. As part of your explanation, develop a thesis to focus your thinking and support it with evidence about what the individuals learn and how their thinking changes even before they reach their destinations.” This task integrates reading and writing skills.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students begin the unit by reading a text set that includes two poems and a letter as they explore the concept of intelligence and investigate the Essential Question, “How do you define intelligence?” The unit culminates with an Extended Writing Project, during which students write an argumentative essay in response to the following prompt: “How should intelligence be assessed?” The first Planning assignment for the project requires students to think through a list of questions and use their list to craft a one-paragraph summary of their essay. The questions require students to determine their purpose, audience, how they will introduce their topic, their main claim about the topic, and which texts will support their claims. They must also determine rhetorical appeals, counterclaims, and their conclusion. This task integrates reading and writing skills.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students read a wide variety of literature as they examine the Essential Question, “How do we perform for different audiences?” After engaging in a close read and discussion of “Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience,” by Margaret Chase Smith, students analyze the rhetorical techniques, point of view, and purpose of the document in response to a rhetorical analysis prompt. The Extended Writing Project integrates reading and writing skills as students utilize text from the unit and other sources to research a historical figure and craft a research paper in response to the question, “How can a life become a legend?”
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students read a wide variety of literature as they probe the Essential Question, “When is love worth the fall?” Students consider the unit’s readings as they reflect on “how romantic love impacts those who experience it.” After selecting three unit texts that explore the influence of love in different ways, students write a literary analysis that synthesizes the ideas from the three texts selected, in order to “arrive at [their] own argument about love’s ultimate effect and explain how that effect is demonstrated in each of the selections.” This task integrates reading and writing.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students read a wide range of literature as they explore the Essential Question, “How can you help others achieve their goals?” Early in the unit, students engage in a close read and discussion of “The Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst and explain how the theme of the story is developed through characterization, setting, and symbolism in response to a literary analysis prompt. Skill lessons on word meaning and theme support students’ work. During the Extended Oral Project at the end of the unit, students utilize texts from the unit and compare and contrast their experience with those of characters or individuals in the unit texts as they develop an argumentative oral presentation in response to the question, “How do others influence our development?” This task integrates reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, consistent approach for students to regularly interact with word relationships and build academic vocabulary/language in context.

StudySync materials allow students to revisit certain vocabulary words across multiple texts within each unit or across the school year. The instructional materials include opportunities to practice Academic Vocabulary during Skill lessons at the beginning of the unit and review Academic Vocabulary at the end of the unit. The materials attend to content vocabulary essential to understanding the text and analyzing the purpose of word choices. Vocabulary instruction and practice accompany the core program's selections to build vocabulary knowledge and improve students’ abilities to access complex texts. Opportunities for students to determine the meaning of vocabulary words using context clues consistently are available.

Vocabulary is repeated in various contexts (before texts, in texts, etc.) and across multiple texts. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• Vocabulary is repeated in contexts (before texts, in texts, etc.).
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students complete a Skill: Academic Vocabulary lesson, learning the meanings of ten Academic Vocabulary words and how the Academic Vocabulary words may be used in a variety of contexts. Terms students learn during the lesson include accuracy, draft, edit, enhance, expand, flexible, precise, style, transform, and version. A model is available for students to learn Academic Vocabulary and to help them think about the process of drafting ideas in writing. In the Your Turn section of the lesson, students answer questions: “Determine the correct vocabulary word to complete each sentence. After reading the book, Paulina will ____ a response to the story expressing her first thoughts about it.” After students complete a close read of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” by Karen Russell, they respond to a writing prompt which includes an Academic Vocabulary term from the previous list: “Compare and contrast the ways in which the community in each story enhances the conflict faced by the main character and influences the theme.”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, The Big Idea, which is before students begin to read the text, features the Skill lesson Content Vocabulary—Terms About Intelligence. After learning the meanings of four content vocabulary words, students recognize and use them in a Collaborative Conversation with a peer and independently craft responses incorporating their newfound vocabulary and content knowledge. Academic Vocabulary includes the following words: abstract, display, explicit, ignorance, intelligence, liberal, notion, reveal, symbol, and underlie. One of the prompts for “Señora X No More,” by Pat Mora, uses the word reveal. “What does this detail or information reveal or suggest that is not directly stated by the author?”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students closely read the letter “Letters to a Young Poet,” written by Rainer Maria Rilke, and complete the Skill: Word Patterns and Relationships lesson to better understand unknown vocabulary. Students use two tools to develop their vocabulary skills: the model with student annotations and the skills checklist. To correctly identify and use word patterns to increase and develop vocabulary skills, students consider questions, such as “What is the intended meaning of a word? What prefixes and suffixes do I see?”
• Vocabulary is repeated across multiple texts.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students read the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost and write about how conflict and resolution contribute to a poem’s theme. The Read section of the lesson asks students to make predictions about words within the poem using context clues and to use descriptive language for visualization. Students analyze the author’s use of content vocabulary terms like queer and Academic Vocabulary terms such as conflict during the writing section of the lesson.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students independently read Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell. The materials prompt students to use context clues to make predictions about the boldfaced vocabulary words. Examples of vocabulary words include: innate, purposefully, critical, expertise, and assimilate. During the Reading Quiz, students match each vocabulary word or phrase with its corresponding synonym. When students complete a first read of the point/counterpoint article “The Origin of Intelligence” (author not cited), the materials again prompt students to use context clues to make predictions about the boldfaced vocabulary words. These include innate, extrapolating, malleable, belied, and inundated. Students practice using the same vocabulary words during the close read of “The Origin of Intelligence.” The same term innate appears again during students' independent reading of “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids,” by Carol S. Dweck.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, The Big Idea introduces students to the unit’s Academic Vocabulary—words that relate to running the economy such as network and revenue. The vocabulary relates to society and human potential and will help students discuss, read, and write about economic concepts. These Academic Vocabulary words are introduced at the beginning of the unit and are also addressed in multiple lessons throughout the unit, referencing what students read, talk about, and write. For instance, in the text “Letter to My Younger Self,” written by David Robinson, students revisit Academic Vocabulary and use a minimum of five of the words in their group discussion.

Students are supported to accelerate vocabulary learning with vocabulary in their reading, speaking, and writing tasks. Opportunities are present for students to learn, practice, apply and utilize vocabulary in multiple contexts. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, after rereading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, written by Susan Cain, students identify relationships between words and patterns of word changes. One vocabulary task in this lesson requires students to study Tier 3 vocabulary relating to words and word patterns. Students drag and drop meanings to match terms. Students continue the lesson with a Turn and Talk as they answer questions to accelerate their learning around vocabulary in their reading. One question asks students, “What do you do when you see a word you don’t know in a text?” Students demonstrate their understanding of word patterns and relationships by answering multiple-choice questions at the end of the lesson.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students complete a lesson about Academic Vocabulary—Debating with Others—in which they learn ten words: aware, conflict, cooperate, furthermore, inhibit, initiate, motive, nevertheless, presume, and whereas. A model is available to help students discuss the process of debating. Then, students complete a Your Turn section of the lesson in which they answer questions to demonstrate their understanding of the Academic Vocabulary. While reading “The Gift of the Magi,” by O.Henry, students use context clues to determine the meaning of the word inhibit. At the end of the unit, students complete a Vocabulary Review of the same Academic Vocabulary words. The model provides students with opportunities to try strategies such as “Write a rhyming couplet, or two-line poem, that includes this word at the end of one line. Rhyming can help you recall how to pronounce a word and how to use it in context. (ex. The museum’s strict time limit managed to inhibit viewers who wanted to explore the new exhibit).”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students begin the unit with a list of 10 Academic Vocabulary terms. Students complete various tasks using the words, including answering multiple-choice questions, matching visuals to the words, and writing sentences for each term. As the unit progresses, students participate in multiple discussions and are encouraged to use the Academic Vocabulary in these targeted conversations. At the end of the unit, students try a variety of strategies to demonstrate their comprehension of the terms. For example, they may “create a slide with visuals… to illustrate what a word means,” or “think of one example and non-example of a word and share their ideas with the class.” Finally, they have a discussion about themes from the unit using as many vocabulary terms as possible and write in response to the following prompt: "Reflect on your experience. How many vocabulary words were you able to incorporate? How comfortable did you feel recalling and using these words? What strategies were beneficial in learning these words, and what will you adjust in the future?”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to support students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year.

StudySync materials provide students the opportunity to participate in a wide range of writing tasks, including short-response questions, Think questions, and Extended Writing Projects throughout the year. The tasks vary in length and purpose and help students develop their informational and narrative writing skills. Students must defend their writing and ideas with textual evidence. Extended Writing Projects walk students through each stage of the writing process and allow students to monitor their progress with rubrics, checklists, and graphic organizers. Writing instruction and assignments scale up in difficulty throughout the year.

Writing instruction supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the year. For example, some examples include:

• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students read a variety of texts in this unit from fiction, informational, poetry, and argumentative. In response to those texts, students write responses such as text-dependent, short constructed, personal, and build on narrative components such as organizing, beginnings, sequencing, and description. During the Extended Writing Project, students complete the four process steps of writing by engaging in the Narrative Writing Process. In each of the lessons, students review an exemplar and complete the steps on their own. The steps include: Plan: After learning about genre characteristics and craft, students analyze a sample Student Model and plan a narrative in response to a prompt. Draft: After reading an excerpt from a Student Model draft and reviewing a writing checklist, students draft a narrative in response to a prompt. Revise: After reviewing an example of a revised Student Model, students use a revision guide to revise their narrative for clarity, development, organization, style, diction, and sentence effectiveness. Edit and Publish: After seeing an example of editing in the Student Model and reviewing an editing checklist, students edit and publish the final draft of their narrative.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students write an informative research paper in response to a prompt for an Extended Writing Project. A Model is available for students to read and annotate during the planning stage. Guidance is available as students think about what they have learned about organizing informative research, such as posing questions for consideration about purpose, audience, question, sources, and structure. Students use these questions to write a one-paragraph summary to “describe what you plan to research and inform about in this research paper.” They receive direct instruction on planning research, evaluating sources, note-taking, and more while writing in response to the following prompt: “How can a life become a legend?” Students complete prewriting activities, including evaluating research strategies and developing an organizational structure. They also read a student model and annotate for features of informative research. The essay must include at least three reliable sources.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, during the Extended Writing Project, students complete the four process steps of writing as they respond to a literary analysis prompt. In each of the lessons, students review an exemplar and complete the steps on their own. The steps include: Plan: After learning about genre characteristics and craft, students analyze a sample student model and plan a meaningful literary analysis in response to a prompt. Draft: After reading an excerpt of a Student Model draft and reviewing a writing checklist, students draft a literary analysis in response to a prompt with Skill lessons on reasons and relevant evidence, organizing argumentative writing, and thesis statement. Revise: After reviewing an example from a revised Student Model, students use a revision guide to revise their literary analysis essay for clarity, development, organization, style, diction, and sentence effectiveness to include Skill lessons on conclusions, style, transitions, and introductions. Edit and Publish: After seeing an example of editing in the Student Model and reviewing an editing checklist, students edit and publish the final draft of their literary analysis. Supports include Skill lessons on commonly misspelled words and participles and participial phrases.

Instructional materials include a variety of well-designed guidance, protocols, models, and support for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students read independently “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost, and respond to a writing prompt. The Teacher Edition includes guidance to Check for Success: “If students struggle to respond to the prompt, ask them scaffolded questions, such as: What does the speaker notice in the woods? What words does he use to describe what he sees? What do you think the speaker learns about the woods—and himself—from this experience?”
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, students read “Outliers: The Story of Success,” by Malcolm Gladwell, and then write a personal response analyzing the argument presented by Gladwell. A compare and contrast graphic organizer provides support for students to gather information about the student’s perspective and Gladwell’s perspective on intelligence. Many supports are available throughout the lesson, including small group collaboration around the prompt, text talk, StudysyncTV, collaborative conversation around the prompt, and Peer Review for revision.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, after reading the text “The Loneliness of Lost Love in Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven,’” by Ursula Villarreal-Moura, students write a rhetorical analysis using all the Skill lessons in the unit in order to analyze the writer’s claim and whether it is effective. Students also explain how sound devices support the claim. Materials include a graphic organizer for students to gather thoughts on claim, structure, and sound devices. The same supports are found in Unit 1 and Unit 3.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop and synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

StudySync materials provide opportunities for students to engage in online research and discussion around Blast topics and cite evidence from multiple sources in Extended Writing Projects and Extended Oral Projects. Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects of a topic. The research for each Blast gives students direct links. As students work on culminating tasks that require research, the prompts give them suggestions on figures, topics, or themes to help them begin. Teacher-facing materials provide instructors with guidance on how to help struggling students complete their research, along with scaffolds to build student independence. The Extended Writing Projects and Extended Oral Projects that are at the end of the units require students to go through the entire writing process, and they work together in groups or pairs for editing and revising tasks. They are required to synthesize information from multiple texts in the unit, and must often include outside research as well. The materials provide guidance and support to teachers, including but not limited to, questions to prompt student thinking, graphic organizers to assist students, and an option for teachers to provide various scaffolds for students.

Research projects are varied throughout materials, and students are provided with opportunities for both “short” and “long” projects across the course of a year and grade bands. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• Students have opportunities to engage in “short” projects across grades and grade bands.
• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, students conduct informal research during the Big Idea Blast. After exploring background information, research links provide students access to sources that provide additional insight into the topic. After assigning, teachers have the option to jigsaw the research links; the materials provide guidance. Each group can research a different link and discuss the source’s information, using the following questions as a guide: “What are the source’s key ideas? What evidence from the source is new or interesting to you? How does the source help to answer the driving question?” Examples of links students can explore include but are not limited to: “What it Means to Belong,” by Aimen Ansari and “The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs,” by Walter Isaacson. Then, students write a 140-character response to the question “Why do we feel the need to belong?”
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students begin the unit with a Big Blast. They read an introduction about journeys and the impacts they may have on individuals, then write a short response to the questions posed. The Lesson Plan gives teachers the option to break students into small groups to read research links that tie to the themes presented in the Blast. The links included are “What ‘The Hobbit’ Teaches Us About Finding Our Life Quests,” by Mark McNeilly, “College Student's Secret Life: I Lived in My Car,” by Eliza Murphy, and “Life Is a Journey, Not a Destination,” by Rajan Thapaliya. Each presents an opportunity for students to research ideas about the unit’s theme in a different way. The Lesson Plan encourages teachers to use the following questions as a guide: “What are the source’s key ideas? What evidence from the source is new or interesting to you? How does the source help to answer the driving question?”
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, students begin the unit with a Big Blast. They read an introduction that defines mentorship, then write a short response to the Blast question posed. The Lesson Plan gives teachers the option to break students into small groups to read research links that connect to the themes presented in the Blast. The links include the videos “Adam and the Peer Mentors,” and “Peer Mentoring in Secondary School,” as well as the articles “Why Mentoring Others Has Helped Me,” by Alex Lyman, “Studying Skywalkers: Mentors in the Star Wars Films,” by Dan Zehr, and “A Guide to Understanding the Role of a Mentor,” by F. John Reh. The articles and videos provide students with the opportunity to begin researching the themes that pop up throughout the rest of the unit. The Lesson Plan encourages teachers to use the following questions as a guide: “What are the source’s key ideas? What evidence from the source is new or interesting to you? How does the source help to answer the driving question?”
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  Students have opportunities to engage in “long” projects across grades and grade bands.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, students engage in an extended informative writing project at the end of the unit, during which students research two or three individuals from unit texts to respond to this question: “What can we learn as we journey through life?” Students utilize the lesson Skill: Supporting Details and learn about evaluating the quality of information they include in their informative writing project. In this lesson, students gather details from their research and use a graphic organizer that guides them on how to include information that will structure their writing, create focus, and develop coherency.
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, students engage in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes as they conduct research during the Extended Writing Project. During the Plan lesson, students practice annotating research writing with a Student Model. The Teacher Edition provides questions with sample answers to help students understand how to research and take notes: What information did Mia include on each source card? How did that information help Mia? What information did Mia include on each note card? How did that information help Mia? How did reviewing note cards help Mia synthesize information? After choosing a topic, Skill lessons guide students through the start of the research process, as they practice researching and notetaking.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, students craft a literary analysis for the Extended Writing Project. Students draw on texts they have read during the unit to answer the prompt, “Is love more of a blessing or a curse?” Students write to sources, using evidence from multiple sources. To prepare students for their work with sources, students complete Skill: Reasons and Relevant Evidence, during which they utilize a chart to identify textual evidence and observations or reactions within each text they chose as source material to develop their writing ideas. The text options are “Catch the Moon,” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, “Love and Death on the Third Floor,” by Skip Hollandsworth, and A Song of Changgan, by Li Po.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

StudySync materials provide students with the opportunity to participate in independent reading selections within each unit. These selections pair with a core text that receives full instructional support; students also participate in a Self-Selected Blast at the end of each unit. Students may access texts in the StudySync library for self-selected reading; these texts “fit with the theme and Lexile range for that particular unit, so teachers can be sure the options are appropriate for their students.” The Pacing Guide has been updated to include the Self-Selected Readings and the Program Guide now includes a section titled Building an Outside Independent Reading Program. There is a tracking system to track independent reading.

For example, some examples include:

• In Unit 1, Divided We Fall, supports are in place for independent reading, such as during the independent read of Metamorphoses, by Ovid, when the materials include guidance reminding students to monitor comprehension by “making inferences about characters and events/ideas and opinions…” “Text Talk questions help teachers gauge student comprehension of a text, but additional questions for beyond grade-level students encourage deeper consideration of a text, allowing students to begin preliminary analysis.” Another option for student self-selection is an excerpt from Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. The StudySync Library provides an option to “Add to bookshelf” and annotate the text. The selection is an excerpt from the novel, and students should be able to complete it within the same class period. The materials do not indicate if any additional time should be allotted outside of class for students to complete the selections and what to anticipate for independent reading.
• In Unit 2, The Call to Adventure, supports are in place for students to independently read a variety of interactive digital texts. Students independently read “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost and the text is paired with two other poems that also explore themes of the physical and figurative journeys that help us grow as individuals. Students also independently read an excerpt from Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, by Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (with Jeffrey Zaslow) alongside an excerpt from Bessie Coleman: Woman who ‘dared to dream’ made aviation history, by the U.S. Air Force. While independently reading, guidance within the materials encourages students to annotate and identify the following: context clues for vocabulary, questions about the text, key details, and examples of descriptive language. Teacher materials provide teachers the following guidance, “Circulate as students read independently and encourage them to use the reading comprehension strategy of visualizing to help increase their engagement and improve comprehension.” After completing an independent read, students assess their comprehension through a short online quiz or written response.
• In Unit 3, Declaring Your Genius, supports are in place for independent reading, including pairing an independent reading selection with a core text that receives full instructional support. For example, students “Analyze Different Perspectives” when reading two texts independently, “Señora X No More,” by Pat Morak and “from ‘The Lost Letters of Frederick Douglass,’” by Evie Shockley, paired with a close read of “An Indian Father’s Plea,”by Robert Lake-Thom (Medicine Grizzlybear). The materials include additional supports for students to analyze author’s purpose, use of reasoning and evidence, and the text structure. The independent reading schedule also includes a Self-Selected Blast at the end of each unit. In Unit 3, the materials recommend options to select another related text by asking questions, such as “Am I interested in exploring whether practice or talent is more important when it comes to a person’s ability to succeed at a particular skills? You might enjoy the research Malcolm Gladwell shares in Outliers: The Story of Success.”
• In Unit 4, The Art of Disguise, supports are in place for students to independently read a variety of interactive digital texts. The short stories “The Pose” by Anwar Khan and “A Story of Vengeance,” by Alice Dunbar-Nelson are both read alongside texts that have Skill Lessons and Close Reads. An excerpt of Romiette and Julio, by Sharon M. Draper and the play A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen are both read independently while paired with classic texts. Students independently read “We Wear the Mask,” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and the “Eulogy for Mahatma Gandhi,” by Jawaharlal Nehru; these selections are not paired with other texts. While independently reading, students are encouraged to annotate and identify the following: context clues for vocabulary, questions about the text, key details, and examples of descriptive language. Teacher materials include the following directions, “Circulate as students read independently and encourage them to use the reading comprehension strategy of Making Inferences to deepen their understanding of the text.” Following each independent read, students assess their comprehension through a short online quiz or written response.
• In Unit 5, The Dance of Romance, included supports grant students the freedom to choose independent reading selections through the StudySync library as they self-monitor. Examples of independent selections within the unit include but are not limited to the short story “The Gift of the Magi,” by O. Henry, a poem “Masters of Love,” by Emily Esfahani Smith, and a sonnet “How Do I Love Thee,” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Examples of self-selected texts connecting to the genre include but are not limited to: “On Her Loving Two Equally,” by Aphra Behn, “Sonnet 29,” by William Shakespeare, an excerpt from The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss, or the dystopian novel Untwine, by Edwidge Danticat.
• In Unit 6, Human Potential, supports are in place for students to independently read a variety of interactive digital texts to explore the Essential Question, “How can you help others achieve their goals?” “Letter to My Younger Self,” by David Robinson, an excerpt from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, “The Girl Who Can,” by Ama Ata Aidoo, and the short story “Advice to Little Girls,” by Mark Twain are read independently and alongside other texts. “Pride and Perseverance,” by Mekeisha Madden Toby and the free-verse poem “Ode to the Selfie,” by Megan Falley and Olivia Gatwood are read independently without being paired with other texts. While independently reading, students are encouraged to annotate and identify the following: context clues for vocabulary, questions about the text, key details, and examples of descriptive language. Teacher materials include the following guidance, “Circulate as students read independently and encourage them to use the reading comprehension strategy of Evaluating Details to deepen their understanding of the text.” Following each independent read, students assess their comprehension through a short online quiz or written response.