7th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics (or, for grades 6-8, topics and/or themes) to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

The StudySync materials provide texts that are in units which are connected by appropriate topics. The Grade 7 Core ELA Units allow students to experience literary and nonfiction texts that explore individuals facing crucial decisions, learning from their responses, and becoming a better version of themselves. The unit design provides students with opportunities to apply their learning across a wide range of texts that vary in complexity and genre. In the Grade 7 ELA Unit Overview, the unit topic/theme and Essential Question are provided for each unit. The materials also provide a logical sequence of texts that scaffold toward reading and comprehending grade level text proficiently.

Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 1, “Conflicts and Clashes,” Unit Overview, students examine the conflicts we face in life. The Essential Question is: “When do differences become conflicts?” The genre focus is fiction and shows how characters respond to conflicts and how that understanding can help the reader deal with conflicts in his/her own life. Some of the texts included in this unit are: “Rikki Tikki Tavi,” by Rudyard Kipling, an excerpt from the graphic novel Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson, and “Seventh Grade,” by Gary Soto.
• In Unit 2, “Highs and Lows,” Unit Overview, “Highs and Lows,” students focus on how people express emotions related to love and loss. While the unit’s genre focus is poetry, students also read classic and contemporary literature in the form of short stories, novel excerpts, and nonfiction texts to answer the Essential Question, “What do we learn from love and loss?” Selections for this unit include poems about family relationships, by Pat Mora, Aracelis Girmay, and Wing Tek Lum, as well as “Annabel Lee,” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Highwayman,” by Alfred Noyes. Other selections include the short story “The Walking Dance,” by Marcela Fuentes, an excerpt from the novel Tangerine, by Paul Fisher, and an excerpt from Charles Dickens’s novel A Christmas Carol. In addition to these selections and texts, students will engage in reading some nonfiction works such as Susan Power’s essay “Museum Indians,” an excerpt from Albert Marrin’s book Flesh and Blood So Cheap, and Alex Shultz’s profile “No Dream Too High.”
• In Unit 3, “Chasing the Impossible,” Unit Overview, students examine the motivation for chasing a dream. Students read argumentative texts that explore the Essential Question, “What makes a dream worth pursuing?” They will read a variety of nonfiction texts, including an autobiography, historical letters, and articles that present the theme of how obstacles and tackling them can lead to a better life and community. Selections from this unit include the autobiography We Beat the Street, by Dr. George Jenkins, an excerpt from the biography Harriet Tubman: Conductor of Underground Railroad, by Ann Petry, and Barbara Jordan’s speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1976. Other selections include historical letters with arguments, such as The Grand Council Fire of American Indians writing to the mayor of Chicago about respecting native traditions and Mother Jones writing to Theodore Roosevelt to confront the child labor issue.
• In Unit 4, “Moment of Truth,” Unit Overview, students read to understand how a moment can activate a chain of events that result in dramatic change. The Essential Question is: “How can one event change everything?” The genre focus is informational text. Some texts included in this unit are The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer and David Bornstein’s “The Power of Student Peer Leaders.” Students have the chance to analyze the pivotal moments in the classic short stories “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Three Questions,” by Leo Tolstoy. They read Ernest Thayer’s poem, “Casey at the Bat” and an excerpt from Viola Canales’s award-winning novel The Tequila Worm.
• In Unit 5, “Test of Time,” Unit Overview, students read traditional stories, including myths, folktales, and fairy tales and learn about how they are still relevant in society today. To answer the Essential Question, “Why do we still read myths and folktales?”, students read classic and contemporary texts to analyze how these themes are used and reused over time. Selections from Unit 5 include Aesop’s Fables, an excerpt from Suzanne’s Collins’s The Hunger Games, an essay by Barry Strauss, “The Classical Roots of The Hunger Games,” and translations of “The Cruel Tribute,” “The Invisible One,” and “Icarus and Daedalus.” In addition, students will read selected poems—Robert Hayden’s “Perseus” and Emma Lazarus’s “The New Colossus.”
• In Unit 6, “The Power of One,” Unit Overview, students learn about memorable people who stand out from the crowd. The unit’s genre focus is drama, and students read various fiction and nonfiction texts to answer the Essential Question, “How do we stand out from the crowd?” Selections from this unit include the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry, the play A Thousand Cranes, by Kathryn Schultz Miller, and the poem “Choices,” by Nikki Giovanni. There are also more thought provoking texts such as First Lady Laura Bush’s speech “Remarks at the UNESCO Education for All Week Luncheon,” during which she makes the case for universal education.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

The questions and tasks help students to build comprehension and knowledge of topics. Within each unit, tasks such as literary analysis, Collaborative Conversations, and Reading Comprehension Quizzes are embedded within various strategies that spiral throughout the unit. During the First Read lessons and Skill lessons, students answer comprehension questions that mostly require analysis of language, key ideas, author’s craft, and structure. During the Close Read, students hold Collaborative Conversations and respond in writing to a literary analysis prompt that focuses on text structure. By facilitating student work, the teacher monitors the students’ understanding of the components identified in each unit. By the end of the year, items are embedded in student prompts rather than taught directly.

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.
• In Unit 3, “Chasing the Impossible,” students read We Beat the Street, by Sharon M. Draper, Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, George Jenkins. In the Skill: Connotation and Denotation lesson, students define given words and others related to the concept. The teacher models how to determine the connotation and denotation of words within the text. To assess their understanding, students answer multiple-choice questions that ask them to determine the connotation of a word and support that choice with evidence from the text.
• In Unit 5, “Test of Time,” during the Skill: Academic Vocabulary lesson under Big Idea, students review a vocabulary table with the term, form, definition, and sample sentence. The teacher models the vocabulary for students by giving the definition of each vocabulary word and then asks questions to give students an opportunity to use them in their answers. To assess their understanding, students complete a drag-and-drop activity about synonyms and antonyms, complete multiple-choice questions related to the topic, and write a sentence for each academic vocabulary word, like chapter, demonstrate, and imply, learned in the lesson.
• In Unit 6, “The Power of One,” students read The Matsuyama Mirror, by Velina Hasu Houston. In the Skill: Word Meaning lesson, students “Reread the stage directions and lines 83 - 86 from The Matsuyama Mirror and the dictionary entries below. Use the dictionary entry to determine the meaning, word origin, and part of speech. Then answer the multiple-choice questions that follow: “Which definition best matches the word linger as used in line 85? Remember to pay attention to the word’s part of speech as you make your decision.” and “Which definition best matches the way the word immortal is used in the stage directions before line 86? Remember to use the word’s part of speech as you make your decision.”

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details, structure, and craft (according to grade-level standards). For example, some examples are included in the following:

• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address key ideas and details.
• In Unit 1, “Conflicts and Clashes,” students read “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” by Rod Sterling. In the first read, students identify and describe characters and setting details as well as articulate events that are central to the play’s plot.” The Read and Annotate section of the Lesson Plan directs students to “identify key details, events, characters, and connections between them” as they read and annotate the text. In the Text Talk section of the Lesson Plan, the students respond to the following questions about the key details of the text: “What is happening when the excerpt begins? And How does Goodman explain his staying up late?
• In Unit 2, “Highs and Lows,” students read “Museum Indians,” by Susan Power. In the first read, students answer the following questions that address key ideas and details: “What made the mother scared on the train to Chicago? What does the author think about her mother’s fears? Cite specific lines from the text in your answer.”; “Write two to three sentences describing the lesson that the mother takes away from the Egyptian mummies in the history museum. Is this a positive or negative lesson? Explain.”; and “Why is the mother so deeply affected by the stuffed buffalo? What is her response to its presence behind glass in a museum? Include evidence from the essay in your answer.”
• In Unit 4, “Moment of Truth,” students read an excerpt from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. After reading, students answer Quiz and Think questions that address key ideas and details. One of the Quiz questions asks, “Which of the following best explains why the author spends so much time in the library?” and one of the Think questions asks, “What information does this passage give the reader about life in Malawi? Give at least three specific examples from the text.”
• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address structure.
• In Unit 2, “Highs and Lows,” students read “Second Estrangement,” by Aracelis Girmay. In the Skill: Poetic Elements and Structure Your Turn portion of the lesson, students answer questions such as “Lines 20 - 22 are important because they --.” This requires students to examine how particular lines in the poetic structure impact the overall poem .
• In Unit 4, “Moment of Truth,” students read “The Last Human Light,” by Randall Monroe. In the Your Turn portion of the Skill lesson, students answer the following questions: “Which of the following best describes the text structure the author used to organize the two paragraphs above?” and “How does the text structure identified in question 1 contribute to the development of the author’s idea that different energy sources have different lifespans?”
• In Unit 5, “Testing of Time,” students read “The New Colossus,” by Emma Lazarus. In the Close Read, students analyze how the structure of the poem and the figurative language the poet uses affects the meaning and theme in a short, written response. In the Collaborative Conversation, the students use their annotations to respond to the following questions about poetic structure: “What does Emma Lazarus want readers to know about the United States? What is the poem’s deeper message or theme about America? Use your understanding of figurative language and poetic structure and elements to determine her message.” Students respond to the following prompt: “What does Emma Lazarus want readers to know about the United States? What is the poem’s deeper message or theme about America? Use your understanding of figurative language and poetic structure and elements to determine her message.”
• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address craft.
• In Unit 1, “Conflicts and Clashes,” students read an excerpt from The Skin I’m In, by Sharon G. Flake. In the Close Read lesson, students write in response to the following prompt: “In this excerpt of The Skin I’m In, Maleeka confronts how she feels about herself while learning about others’ views on self-love and self-acceptance. How is Maleeka's point of view different from those of the other students and Miss Saunders? How does the author develop and contrast these different points of view? Use textual evidence, including character dialogue, actions, and thoughts, to support your response.”
• In Unit 3, “Chasing the Impossible,” students read “The First Americans,” by The Grand Council Fire of American Indians. In the Close Read, students “summarize the main points and analyze the use of language, style, and audience to participate in a Collaborative Conversation and write a short constructed response.” In the Complete Skills Focus section of the Lesson Plan, students answer “Who is the “you” in paragraph 1? And What is the main request in paragraph 1?” After the Collaborative Conversation, students respond to the following prompt to assess their understanding of the use of key ideas and details and how language contributes to an author’s style: “Summarize the main points of the letter and explain how the authors’ use of language and style helps to clarify and emphasize the main points. How does the authors’ word choice affect the audience or reader?”
• In Unit 6, “The Power of One,” students read “Education for All,” by Laura Bush. In the Skill lesson, students analyze how the author’s craft develops the argument using the following prompt: “In “Education for All,” Laura Bush argues that literacy is vital for all children. What are Mrs. Bush’s main claims? How does she sufficiently use reasons and evidence to support her argument and claims? Be sure to use evidence from the text in your response.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

Most sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas. Instructional units include Blasts, Skill Lessons, StudySyncTV lessons, First Reads, Close Reads, Independent Reads, and writing tasks. Materials provide guidance to teachers in supporting students’ literacy skills. Teacher edition outlines skill introduction, Turn and Talk opportunities, questions, vocabulary instruction, Checks for Success, and modeling for annotation of the text and skill being taught. Each unit includes opportunities for students to analyze ideas within individual texts and there are paired selections of texts for analyzing across multiple texts. There are Model tabs for students, exemplar responses for teachers, Skill lessons, and StudySync TV to support students in growing their literacy skills. By the end of the year, integrating knowledge and ideas is embedded in students’ work (via tasks and/or culminating tasks). Students use evidence from one or multiple texts in all discussions and written tasks such as Extended Writing Project and End-of-Unit Assessments.

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, Integrated Reading and Writing, students read “In the Year 1974,” by Oscar Casares, while exploring the theme “Conflicts and Clashes” and the Essential Question, “When do differences become conflicts?” After students watch and discuss a StudySyncTV episode on the text and participate in a Collaborative Conversation on the text, they respond to the following prompt: “PERSONAL RESPONSE: Do you think it's important to try new things, even if it means going against the practices of your family? What are the potential benefits and drawbacks? Write a short response to this question. Use evidence from the text to support your reflection.”
• In Unit 2, Integrated Reading and Writing, students read “No Dream Too High: Simone Biles,” by Alex Shultz, as they explore the theme “Highs and Lows” and answer the Essential Question, “What do we learn from love and loss?” After completing a close read of the text and watching and discussing a StudySyncTV episode of the text, students engage in a discussion and complete the following task: “DEBATE: In this informational text, the author explains that Simone Biles made many sacrifices for the sport she loves. She often had to put gymnastics ahead of everything else. Would you choose a sport and fame over a normal life? What do you think is the better alternative? Prepare points and comments for a debate with your classmates. Use evidence from the text to support your point.”
• In Unit 5, Integrated Reading and Writing, students read “The Other Side of the Sky,” by Farah Ahmedi, as they explore the theme “Test of Time” and answer the Essential Question, “Why do we still read myths and folktales?” After completing a close read of the text and watching and discussing a StudySyncTV episode of the text, students complete this writing task: “LITERARY ANALYSIS: What ideas related to survival during the most challenging times are implied by this excerpt? Write a brief response answering this question. Remember to use evidence from the text to support your response.”
• Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts.
• In Unit 5, Integrated Reading and Writing, the theme is “Test of Time” and the Essential Question is “Why do we still read myths and folktales?” After reading “The Story of Anniko,” by Blake Alston and a retelling of “Icarus and Daedalus,” by Josephine Preston Peabody, students participate in a Collaborative Conversation and complete the following task: “COMPARE AND CONTRAST: Write a response comparing and contrasting the settings of "The Story of Anniko" and "Icarus and Daedalus." In your response, explain how the different settings influence characters' actions and plot development. Remember to use evidence from the texts to support your response.” In the Teacher Edition, guidance is provided in a Check for Success section for the following situation: “If students are confused by the prompt, remind them: Recall that the setting is the time and place in which a story occurs. Think about how the physical, historical, and cultural context in which a story takes place can affect the story characters’ thoughts and actions.”
• In Unit 5, the Extended Writing Project and Grammar, students wrap up their exploration of the theme “Test of Time” and the Essential Question, “Why do we still read myths and folktales?” during the following culminating task: “Consider the texts that you’ve read in this unit. What stories or ideas stood out to you? What topic would you like to know more about? Identify a research topic and write a report about that topic using an informative text structure. In the process, you will learn how to select a research question, develop a research plan, gather and evaluate source materials, and synthesize and present your research findings.”
• In Unit 6, Integrated Reading and Writing, students read “New Directions,” by Maya Angelou and “Choices,” by Nikki Giovann, while exploring the theme, “The Power of One,” and the Essential Question, “How do we stand out from the crowd?” Students write an informational response to the following prompt: “COMPARE AND CONTRAST: In ‘New Directions’ Maya Angelou tells the story of how her grandmother started a career for herself to support her family. It has an important message about overcoming obstacles and creating a new path for yourself. How does Nikki Giovanni use poetic elements and structure to express a similar message or theme? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Culminating tasks are engaging and provide students opportunity to demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics. Through the Skill lessons and Close Reads within the unit texts, students are prepared to complete the larger culminating tasks, Extended Writing Projects and/or Extended Oral Projects. Every unit title serves as a theme for the entire unit. The facilitation of the Checks for Success provided in the Lesson Plan of many tasks in the unit give the teacher usable information about the student's readiness to complete culminating tasks. Culminating tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening and include, but are not limited to the following types of writing: argument, narrative, literary analysis, and multimedia presentations.

Culminating tasks are provided and they are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards at the grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 1, “Conflicts and Clashes,” students read texts about conflicts and struggle. Then in the Extended Writing Project students write a narrative in response to the question, “What conflicts would exist in a world where people can know what others are thinking?” This culminating task integrates writing, and speaking and listening skills. To prepare for this task, students read “The Wise Old Woman,” by Yoshida Uchida. During the Close Read, students reflect on how “The Wise Old Woman'' connects to the unit’s Essential Question, “When do differences become conflicts?” by freewriting in their Writer’s Notebooks.
• In Unit 2, “Highs and Lows,” students read texts about love and loss. In the Extended Writing Project, students plan and present a literary analysis explaining what they’ve learned about the highs and lows of familial and friend relationships. This culminating task integrates writing, and speaking and listening skills. To prepare for this task, students read “Annabel Lee,” by Edgar Allan Poe. Students reflect on how “Annabel Lee” connects to the unit’s Essential Question, “What do we learn from love and loss?” by freewriting in their Writer’s Notebooks.
• In Unit 3, “Chasing the Impossible,” students read a variety of arguments and write an argumentative essay applying what they have learned to their own writing. Students write to persuade their school to add a club, a class, or an activity that would help them pursue a dream. This culminating task integrates writing, and speaking and listening skills. To prepare for this task, students read We Beat the Street, by Dr. George Jenkins. Students reflect on how We Beat the Street connects to the unit’s Essential Question, “What makes a dream worth pursuing?” by freewriting in their Writer’s Notebooks.
• In Unit 6, “The Power of One,” students read texts about standing out from the crowd. In the Extended Writing Project students plan and present a personal recommendation of an influential book, movie, or piece of music. This culminating task integrates writing, and speaking and listening skills. To prepare for this task, students read “Miami Dancer Follows Dreams While Planning for the Future,” by Mekeisha Madden Toby. Students reflect on how “Miami Dancer Follows Dreams While Planning for the Future” connects to the unit’s Essential Question, “How do we stand out from the crowd?” by freewriting in their Writer’s Notebooks.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts.

Materials provide teacher guidance outlining a plan that builds students’ academic vocabulary that supports building knowledge. The Program Guide outlines the strategies and protocols for teaching vocabulary. Vocabulary is separated into three components—Selection Vocabulary, Skill Vocabulary, and Academic Vocabulary. The Big Idea section at the beginning of each unit contains a Skill: Academic Vocabulary lesson that introduces students to the ten academic vocabulary words for the unit. The academic vocabulary words are sporadically revisited in the Close Read lessons for multiple texts and appear in some writing prompts and rubrics. Students are also prompted to use these words in their discussions and written responses. Each unit ends with a Vocabulary Review lesson on the unit’s vocabulary. The lesson includes practice opportunities for students to use the words within the context of their writing.

Materials provide teacher guidance outlining a cohesive year long development component that builds students’ academic vocabulary that supports building knowledge. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• Vocabulary is repeated in contexts (before texts, in texts, etc.).
• In Unit 1, “Conflicts and Clashes,” during the Independent Read of an excerpt of Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli, students complete an Academic Vocabulary Focus lesson. During the class discussion, the teacher brings attention to the word, restrict. The teacher then encourages students to use this vocabulary word in their written response. In the Write section of the lesson, restrict is found in the actual Prompt: “PERSONAL RESPONSE: Leo states, “If we happened to somehow distinguish ourselves, we quickly snapped back into place, like rubber bands.” Explain what Leo means by this observation. How does it apply to him and his classmates? Is it important for individuals to restrict themselves so they can fit in, or should they try to distinguish themselves from others? Make a case for the importance of either conformity or individuality, using Leo’s observations of Stargirl. Restrict is also found in the Rubric section for writing.
• In Unit 2, “Highs and Lows,” the Big Idea section of the unit introduces students to the vocabulary of study. During the Academic Vocabulary Focus in the Close Read lesson for “The Walking Dance,” by Marcela Fuentes, the teacher discusses the vocabulary word specify, gives two example sentences using the word, reviews the writing prompt using the vocabulary word, and then encourages students to use the word in their written response.
• Vocabulary is repeated across multiple texts.
• In Unit 3, “Chasing the Impossible,” students study the vocabulary word appealed across several texts. In the Close Read of “Letter to President Theodore Roosevelt, by Mother Jones July 31, 1903,” students complete a drag and drop with vocabulary words and definitions, create a sample sentence with the word, and then are encouraged to use the word in their written response. In the Independent Read of the text “Mother Jones: Fierce Fighter for Workers' Rights,” by Judith Pinkerton Josephson, students read and annotate the text using context clues to determine the meaning of the word appealed and discuss all vocabulary words in a Turn and Talk activity. Then in Unit 6, “The Power of One, during the Independent Read of The Giver, by Lois Lowry, students read and annotate the text using context clues to determine the meaning of the word appeal and discuss the word in a Turn and Talk activity.
• In Unit 5, “Test of Time,” students first experience the vocabulary word corrupt during the Independent Read of the essay “The Classical Roots of The Hunger Games,” by Barry Strauss. Students read and annotate the text using context clues to determine the meaning of the word corrupt and discuss all vocabulary words in a Turn and Talk activity. In Unit 6, “The Power of One, during the Close Read of the point/counterpoint essay “Reality TV and Society” (authors not cited), students read and annotate the text using context clues to determine the meaning of the word corrupted and discuss the word in a Turn and Talk activity.

Students are supported to accelerate vocabulary learning with vocabulary in their reading, speaking, and writing tasks. For example, some examples are included in the following:

• In Unit 1, “Conflicts and Clashes,” in Vocabulary Review, Skill: Vocabulary Review, students review the words they learned throughout the unit. In the Your Turn section, they sort the words based on whether they related to working with others, leaving others out, or ruling others. In the Write section, they respond to the following prompt using the vocabulary from the chapter: “Discussion: In this unit, you have focused on the genre of fiction by reading stories related to the unit theme of conflicts and clashes. In the process, you have considered the essential question, When do differences become conflicts? Think of one person you often have a conflict with. This could be a parent, sibling, or someone at school. How are you similar to this person? How are you different? What are the causes of conflict with this person? What can you do to reduce future conflict with this person? Use as many Big Idea and Academic Vocabulary words in your discussion as you can.”
• In Unit 6, “The Power of One,” in the Close Read, students read a point/counterpoint original StudySync article, “Reality T.V. and Society.” During the lesson, students complete the vocabulary chart by dragging and dropping the definition and writing their sample sentences. They continue to review and use academic vocabulary from previous texts as they engage in a debate with peers.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 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.

Materials include writing instruction aligned to the standards for the grade level, and writing instruction spans the whole school year. Throughout all the units of study, students engage in a variety of writing activities in response to the reading of texts, including creating short constructed responses and completing Extended Writing Projects. The short constructed responses include Blasts, Think questions, and Prompt responses. Within each unit, students write in response to four Blasts which connect the students to the Essential Question, synthesize information from a variety of online sources, compose a clear response in 140 characters or less, and share their responses with a digital community. The First Reads writing tasks involve answering Think questions that require students to cite evidence. The Close Read Prompt responses connect to the type of featured writing in the unit and prepare the students for the Extended Writing Project or Research assignments. In the Extended Writing Project, materials prepare students to transition through the writing process using supports such as a Student Model, graphic organizers, checklists, rubrics, and extensive scaffolding of writing skills. For Research, students discuss, plan, research, write, and deliver presentations. Materials include consistent scaffolding and strategies in place to support students through the process to achieve proficiency at the end of the year.

Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 1, “Conflicts and Clashes,” students read the text, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” by Rod Sterling. In the First Read, students respond to Think questions, such as “Why are the Maple Street neighbors suspicious of Les Goodman? Respond with direct evidence or inferences from the text. Why does Tommy shout, ‘It’s the monster! It’s the monster!’? Support your answer with textual evidence.” The Lesson Plan includes sentence frames and text-dependent question guides to scaffold the task.
• In Unit 2, “Highs and Lows,” the Extended Writing Project focuses on argumentative writing in the form of a literary analysis. The Student Model helps students better understand how the writer effectively organizes and uses text evidence to support the thesis statement. Students receive more instruction and practice on crafting each of the characteristics of argumentative writing to create their own literary analysis. Teachers use Skill lessons to provide students with direct instruction on introductions, transitions, formal style, organization, development, and sentence effectiveness. Materials provide rubrics for every step of the writing process.
• In Unit 3, “Chasing the Impossible,” students complete the Blast for “All Together Now,” an excerpt of Barbara Jordan’s keynote speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. Students read provided background information on the author. Then they respond to the Blast prompt. “What does Barbara Jordan's life story reveal about the power of words? Students compose an answer of 140 characters or less and respond to the QuikPoll.
• In Unit 4, “Moment of Truth,” during the Close Read, students read “Hitting big league fastball ‘clearly impossible,’” by Paul Recer and write an informative piece. Students use evidence from both the article and the video in their response to the prompt. “Analyze the print and video’s portrayal of baseball. How are the media and print similar and different? How do they work together to convey information and enhance the meaning of selection? How do they help you visualize the difficulty of hitting a major league fastball?” Before students compose their response, they complete a Writer’s Notebook task, Connect to Essential Question. “Give students time to reflect on how ‘Hitting big league fastball ‘clearly impossible’ connects to the unit’s Essential Question, ‘How can one event change everything?’ by freewriting in their Writer’s Notebooks.” Teachers administer a Check for Success as students respond. Teacher guidance is as follows: “If students are struggling to respond to the prompt, ask them scaffolded questions, such as: How did reading the ‘Hitting big league fastball ‘clearly impossible’ help you understand the challenges of hitting a major league fastball? What made you want to keep reading?”
• In Unit 5, “Test of Time,” during the Extended Writing Project, students write a research paper in response to the following prompt: “Consider the texts that you’ve read in this unit. What stories or ideas stood out to you? What topic would you like to know more about? Identify a research topic and write a report about that topic using an informative text structure. In the process, you will learn how to select a research question, develop a research plan, gather and evaluate source materials, and synthesize and present your research findings.” As they revise, students learn about how to critique research, paraphrase, use sources and cite them, and use print and graphic features. Materials include rubrics for every step of the writing process.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills appropriate for the grade level. Each of the six units include multiple opportunities for students to engage in research activities and present their findings. Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge on a topic via provided resources. Teachers support the development of students’ knowledge via high-quality texts, text-dependent questioning, and Blast lessons. Blast lessons include multi-media research links related to the theme. As students utilize the included research links, they develop a broader understanding of the theme and texts within the unit. The materials provide many opportunities for students to apply reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language skills to synthesize and analyze information during their grade-level readings. Research activities provide opportunities for students to show their learning in different ways, including presenting their findings to the class, writing about their research, and creating multimedia displays. Each unit includes an extensive, multi-step Extended Writing Project related to the unit’s theme. In Unit 6, students complete a research project showing their learning across the year. This project entails a full-length essay that includes multimedia components, parenthetical citations, and a Works Cited page.

Materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials. 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, “Conflicts and Clashes,” Grade Level Overview, “Wise Old Woman,” students have the opportunity to research folktales or stories related to their identity by asking members of their community who they are and where they come from. Students share their stories in small groups.
• In Unit 2, “Highs and Lows,” in the Blast lesson students study the Essential Question, “What do we learn from love and loss?” In the Blast lesson, students read, annotate and highlight information that builds knowledge centered around this question. Students respond to prompts to help them connect to the Essential Question. There is a jigsaw research activity, during which students research and discuss information from the Blast lesson.
• In Unit 5, “Test of Time,” Grade Level Overview, “The Classical Roots of The Hunger Games,” students have the opportunity to research the mythological inspiration for a character in The Hunger Games and present their findings to the class.
• Students have opportunities to engage in “long” projects across grades and grade bands.
• In Unit 3, “Chasing the Impossible,” the Essential Question for the research project is “What makes a dream worth pursuing?” Students research examples of people who chased their dreams, even when it seemed impossible. Novels and real life accounts are used to teach lessons. Students read stories of people who pursued their dreams even when it seemed impossible. Texts in this unit include an excerpt from the autobiography We Beat the Street, by Dr. George Jenkins, “The First Americans,” a public letter by the Grand Council Fire of American Indians, and Barbara Jordan’s keynote speech “All Together Now.” This knowledge allows students to explore the unit’s topic of pursuing dreams. The research project is an argumentative piece and is completed during the Extended Writing Project at the unit’s close.
• In Unit 4, “Moment of Truth,” during the end-of-unit Extended Writing Project, students write an informative essay in response to the Essential Question, “How can one event change everything?” Throughout the unit, students read texts and respond to questions to help them analyze information in preparation for the Extended Writing Project. Students read texts, such as The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba, a novel excerpt from The Tequila Worm, by Viola Canales, and the poem “Casey at the Bat,” by Ernest Thayer, to explore how one event can change everything.
• In Unit 6, “The Power of One,” in the Extended Oral Project students respond to the Essential Question, “How do we stand out from the crowd?” Throughout the unit, students read texts and respond to questions to help them analyze information and deliver an oral presentation. Students explore texts, such as an excerpt of Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver, Kathryn Schulze Miller’s play “A Thousand Cranes,” and First Lady Laura Bush’s speech “Remarks at the UNESCO Education for All Week Luncheon,” to help them explore individuality.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 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.

Most texts in the StudySync materials are organized with built-in supports and/or scaffolds to foster independence. Within the Core ELA Units, there are Integrated Reading and Writing lessons that support students throughout the reading of the texts. These lessons consist of First Reads, Skills focus lessons, Close Reads, Blasts, and Independent Reads. Each unit ends with Self-Selected Reading Lessons; however, procedures for independent reading included in the units are unclear. The Teacher Edition provides teacher guidance to foster all students’ reading independence. Within each Lesson Plan, the Teacher Edition Differentiation tab includes supports for differentiation. Scaffolding is also provided in this section for beginning, intermediate, and advanced ELLs. The proposed schedule for the Independent Read lessons is included in the Pacing Guide. Core ELA Units pair Independent Read lessons with a core text at least two times within each unit. Each unit concludes with five self-selected reading selections, and the Pacing Guide has been updated to include the Self-Selected Reading Selections. The updated Program Guide also includes a section titled Building an Outside Independent Reading Program. A tracking system is provided through the Bookshelf and Reading Quizzes. Student reading materials span a wide volume of texts at grade levels and at various Lexile levels within the grade. There are a variety of informational and fiction texts for students to read, including articles, essays, poems, novels, short stories, and drama, and the texts range in Lexiles from 520L to 1130L.

Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 3, “Chasing the Impossible,” Integrated Reading and Writing, three Independent Read lessons are paired with core texts. For example, the first Independent Read lesson, an excerpt from Ann Petry’s Harriet Tubman:Conductor on the Underground Railroad, is paired with the core text The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales, by Virginia Hamilton. After engaging in a First Read, Skill: Compare and Contrast Lesson, and a Close Read of the core text, students complete a compare and contrast writing task, citing evidence from the two texts. According to the Pacing Guide, this lesson takes place on Days 8–10 of the unit.
• In Unit 4, “Moment of Truth,” Integrated Reading and Writing, there is a paired reading selection that includes An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793, by Jim Murphy and Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson. During the lesson, students independently read and annotate An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 179. The teacher guides students through a First Read, a Skill lesson, a Close Read, and a Blast as students read Fever 1793. The Close Read, Teacher Edition, Differentiation Tab includes the following scaffolds for the Collaborative Conversation activity: “Approaching Grade Level—Discussion Guide; Beginning and Intermediate ELLs—Discussion Guide and Speaking Frames; Advanced and Advanced-High ELLs—Discussion Guide and Speaking Frames. According to the Pacing Guide, these lessons are completed on Days 11–13.
• In Unit 5, “Test of Time,” Integrated Reading and Writing, Self-Selected Reading, the Blast provides students information on how to use a critical review to choose a book. The five self-selected reading texts for the unit are as follows: Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science, by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos, A Bend in the River, by V.S. Naipaul, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose, Call it Courage, by Armstrong Sperry, and Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. After selecting and reading one of the provided options, students complete the “Write: Self-Selected Response” in which they complete a critical review for their self-selected reading text. The Pacing Guide does not allocate time for the actual reading of the self-selected text.