10th Grade - Gateway 1

The StudySync materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading.

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

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

• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, the chapter excerpt from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe offers a classic novel worthy of close examination. In this excerpt from the first chapter, the author introduces readers to the powerful chief of a Nigerian tribe and his father, who could not be more different. Students answer questions about the text’s theme and create inferences regarding the relationship between the father and son.
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, an excerpt from Night by Elie Wiesel provides a personal and historical memoir excerpt (informational text) that documents Wiesel’s arrival at a Nazi concentration camp, Birkenau, during WWII. The beginning of section 3 contains repetition and parallelism for students to identify and determine the author's purpose. The memoir provides students the opportunity to build their knowledge base about this Holocaust and personal perspective relating to Wiesel, a teenager, in this memoir.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students read “Love is Not All” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The poem by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna St. Vincent Millay is timeless and age-appropriate for this level. A video sparks interest for students before they read independently, and the visuals connect to the content.
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, “La Juanita” by Alice Dunbar-Nelson is a short story, rich in descriptive language, set in a small town about Creole Families of New Orleans exploring a multiracial and intercultural setting. The text contains rich regionally and culturally specific language. The text challenges readers to address how one might bridge differences in generations, cultural groups, and communities.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students read “Ethiopia” by Audre Lorde. The poetry by Audre Lorde evokes an emotional response with descriptions of life in Africa during a famine. The video provides imagery to create suspense while connecting to the setting in the poem. Textual enhancement draws attention to essential vocabulary in context. The content is age-appropriate.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students read “Past and Future” by Sarojini Naidu. The poem expresses the continuous cycle in nature as time passes, and the past fades as the future becomes the present. Students will need to analyze poetic elements such as imagery, metaphor, rhyme, and symbols. Students make inferences to interpret the speaker’s ideas about the past in comparison to the future.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis.

StudySync materials provide texts that are at the appropriate level of complexity for Grade 10. Texts that fall below the Lexile range are made more complex by their qualitative features and classroom activities that encourage students to delve deeper into the theme, author’s purpose, word choice, and more. Texts that are above the Lexile range are often paired with more accessible texts to aid in overall understanding, and have appropriate supports in place to help students grasp the author's purpose and demonstrate comprehension. However, some of the quantitative information indicated in the StudySync materials are often different from other sources, such as The Lexile Framework for Reading website. In some cases the materials provide Lexile levels for the excerpt, rather than the Lexile levels of the published texts.

The ELA Grade Level Overview for Grade 10 provides additional information relating to qualitative features for each text, and guidance is available for teachers to assist students in accessing more complex text around a common topic.

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

• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry
• Quantitative: 950L
• Qualitative: Students draw on prior knowledge from their knowledge of the American Revolutionary Era. The text includes unfamiliar or challenging vocabulary—revere, arduous, and supplication. These words may need defining. Remind students to use context clues while reading. Also, make sure that they have access to a print or online dictionary to check and confirm understanding.
• Reader and Task: The fifth stanza of Pat Mora’s poem “A Voice” says, “You liked winning with words. You liked writing speeches about patriotism and democracy. You liked all the faces looking at you, all those eyes. ‘How did I do it?’ you ask me now....” “Winning with words” is a goal in persuasive writing and speaking, and both Henry and Martin Luther King, Jr. use language to advocate for their ideas. Reflecting on Mora’s poem and the shared concepts and themes in King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Henry’s “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention,” students discuss how a person’s choice of words may be a matter of “life” and “death.”
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, “Remarks at the UN General Assembly” by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
• Quantitative: 1440L
• Qualitative: In her address to the UN General Assembly, Sirleaf reflects on concrete actions that have advanced the cause of women’s equality, but she also expresses concerns that the pace of progress is too slow. Point out aspects of this text that are unique to a speech, such as a speaker directly addressing the audience.
• Reader and Task: In “Remarks at the UN General Assembly,” the speaker Ellen Johnson Shirleaf argues for the need for widespread change she hopes to see in her society. Taking a cue from Shirleaf’s rhetoric, students write a speech that they would like to deliver to advocate for change. In their speech, students must allude to or directly refer to examples from this and other speeches, letters, and texts they have read to help support their claims.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, “Facial expressions-including fear-may not be as universal as we thought” by Michael Price
• Quantitative: 1340L
• Qualitative: Students may quickly identify this as an informational text, but they may need assistance identifying it as an example of science journalism. Consider explaining how this genre differs in style, scope, and methodology from a peer-reviewed journal article. This text has unfamiliar words, including tenets, horticulturists, and pancultural. Remind students to use context clues while reading, and also to use a dictionary to define unfamiliar words. Point out genre features present in this informational text, such as headings, photos and captions, and quotations. Review the informational text genre lesson from the beginning of the unit with students.
• Reader and Task: Students analyze how the author uses evidence, details, examples, and technical language to communicate a thesis or central idea about changes in emotional theory. Students discuss how the author develops this central idea throughout the text, including how it is shaped and refined by specific details.
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
• Quantitative: Excerpt 1040L, Full Text 1030L
• Qualitative: This memoir explains what it is like for an immigrant to move to America and how immigrants struggle to adapt to the new culture, especially when they do not know the language. Students may find it hard to understand the difficulties of adapting if they have never had a similar experience. This memoir has a nonlinear narrative that includes a flashback that tells about Firoozeh’s mother and father. Point out the two paragraphs that contain the flashback so that students understand the timeline of the text.
• Reader and Task: The drama “Cherokee Family Reunion” by Larissa FastHorse and the memoir Funny in Farsi both address the topic of family using a tone of embarrassment. “Select examples of language in each of these texts used to convey an embarrassed tone.” Students write a response in which they analyze how those examples of language contribute to the tone.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, “B. Wordsworth” by V.S. Naipaul
• Quantitative: 610L
• Qualitative: The author uses words and sentence construction typical of one dialect of English spoken in Trinidad. Students may need help discerning the meaning of the vernacular language used by the boy throughout the story. The story contains geographic references to the island, such as Port-of-Spain and Chancellor Hill. Culture references include one to Calypsonians, who sing witty Calypso folk songs about local politics.
• Reader and Task: Students respond to the question “How does the author use a cultural setting to establish characters?” by analyzing at least two characters from the short story.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
• Quantitative: Excerpt 850L, Full Text 930L
• Qualitative: This text, which is in the first person, includes areas where the narrator’s tone is humorous, sarcastic, informal, sad, or conveys another attitude. Prior Knowledge about Shirley Temple, who was an antidote to Great Depression hardships, is beneficial. In 1936, at the age of seven, she starred in the movie Stowaway, playing an orphan stranded in China.
• Reader and Task: Students cite textual evidence to discuss The Joy Luck Club excerpt entitled “Two Kinds:Jing-Mei Woo.” How does the idea of being “two kinds” prove to be symbolic and provide insight into the narrator’s character?

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

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

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

• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, students consider the Essential Question “Why do words matter?” Students read a variety of informational and literary texts that fall within the Lexile Range for Grade 10. To start the unit, the materials pair the poem “I Am Offering this Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Baca with the short story “She Unnames Them” by Ursula K. Le Guin, allowing students to compare and contrast two different perspectives on how words can impact an individual. Students analyze metaphors in the poem before exploring the short story’s qualitative complexities, including the experimental/unconventional narrative structure and varying point of view. The texts allow students to read across genres, and the Grade Level Overview shares the following support: “Explain that a text can have more than one purpose. Ask students which purpose they think is stronger in this poem and why.”
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, the literary focus is The Classics but the unit also includes argumentative writing and a variety of literature that help students answer the Essential Question “How does culture influence your goals?” A text in this unit that addresses reaching personal goals is the classic epic poem The Rámáyana written by Válmíki. The qualitative complexity of this text includes its Sanskrit form and unfamiliar words such as emprise and ire. Guiding notes, such as rereading passages and using background knowledge for inferences, help the reader access this text. The resource Skill: Poetic Elements and Structure also supports students as they make meaning of the selection’s poetic elements. This poem is paired with Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Gathering Place” to help students consider how culture influences one’s understanding of the world.
• In Unit 3, Persistence of Memories, students read literary and informational texts while exploring the Essential Question “How does the past impact the future?” While reading the excerpt from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, “students consider how even small contributions in the past can change the world in the present.” The quantitative measure for this text places it within the Grades 9–10 Lexile Range and its qualitative features increase the level of difficulty, as the vocabulary and text type or genre add to the text’s complexity. The ELA Grade Level Overview shares this support: “Clarify ways this text differs from traditional informational texts. This hybrid text combines science journalism with history and personal narrative. Offer suggestions for approaching the text, such as noting a timeline of how a narrative, science, and history are connected.”
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, the literary focus is The Renaissance, and the genre focus is drama. The unit also includes informational texts and poetry that help students answer the Essential Question “What brings us back to one another?” A selection in this unit that addresses belonging to a community is the informational text “Claudette Colvin Explains Her Role in the Civil Rights Movement” written by Roni Jacobson. The Lexile level for this text falls below the grade-level band but the qualitative features such as accessing prior knowledge of Jim Crow Laws as well as interpreting an interview transcript lend to the complexity of this text. The Skill: Author’s Purpose and Point of View is a resource provided to help students develop the skills necessary to comprehend the selection.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students consider the Essential Question “What are the ingredients of culture?” Though the unit focuses on poetry, selections also include various informational texts to aid in exploring the intersections of food and culture. The poem “Maple Sugaring (in Aunt Alberta’s Backyard)” by Diane Burns allows students to delve into how feelings about certain foods tie to childhood memories and family traditions. The text’s complexity increases through its free-verse style, uneven lines, and lack of rhyme and rhythm. Through a Skill lesson on Language, Style, and Audience, students analyze how the poet’s unique style helps her to tell the story of a family tradition centered on food. The Grade Level Overview supports teachers in facilitating students' understanding of the text: “Point out to students that in the early part of the poem many lines stand alone. Then the poem shifts to more of a free verse format where the sentences flow over the line breaks.”
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, the literary focus is Magical Realism with a genre focus that includes multigenre text to help students answer the Essential Question “How does who we were guide who we will become?” Two texts paired together in this unit are a memoir excerpt Looking for Palestine: Growing up Confused in an American-Arab Family written by Najla Said and the essay “Coming of Age Traditions'' by Ursula Villarreal-Moura. Both selections give insight into how different cultures impact who young people will become. Strategies provided to help students access these complex texts include using the annotating tool to use context clues, ask questions, and identify key details and connections. Students will need to develop background knowledge to gain access to “Coming of Age Traditions'' and to understand the cultural connections. Because the essay has a Lexile level above that of the Grade 9–10 band, the resource, Skill: Textual Evidence, is provided to increase students’ comprehension of this text.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.

StudySync materials provide students with the opportunity to read a variety of texts, including literary and non-fiction selections that cover a variety of topics and range in complexity. Students experience accessible texts that are challenging qualitatively in their language and style, as well as quantitatively complex text that stretch from 750L–1380L. The grade-level materials include both literary and nonfiction texts covering a variety of topics and range of complexities. Independent reading includes classic and contemporary texts, and teachers can select Proficiency Levels for English Learners, including “Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced-High,” as well as “Approaching” for “Below Level” readers. Teachers can adjust the levels as students demonstrate proficiency and assist students by scaffolding up throughout the year to reach grade-level proficiency.

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

• In Unit 1, The Power of Language, students read a variety of literature and nonfiction texts that help them explore the unit’s Essential Question “Why do words matter?” Students begin the unit considering the power of language with the classic short story “The Refusal” by Franz Kafka. The surreal text is lengthy and complex, so several lessons help students improve their skills: Interacting with Sources, identifying Context Clues, Monitoring Comprehension, completing Text-Dependent Responses, and having Collaborative Conversations. The poem “I Am Offering this Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Bacaand the short story “She Unnames Them” by Ursula K. Le Guin are paired, allowing students to consider the impact of words while reading across genres. Similar ideas are considered on a global scale when students read excerpts from The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Both require complex background knowledge and can challenge students with difficult language, syntax, and structure of the texts. Qualitative features like the length, Lexile, and structure of the nonfiction text “Letters to a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., make it a complex read. As students read the text, they engage in lessons that reinforce skills such as argument, claims, and rhetoric. The final two poems of the unit, “My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Bathroom at Sears” by Mohja Kahf and “A Voice” by Pat Mora, allow students to continue exploring the impact of words using vivid language, imagery, and complex themes. Throughout the unit, students engage in the readings independently, in small groups, or in whole group read aloud. Short quizzes, written responses, the Extended Writing Project, and the end-of-the-unit assessment allow teachers to monitor progress toward grade-level independence.
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students read both literary and nonfiction texts, such as poetry, memoir, short story, and speeches. Students also have opportunities to read both classic and contemporary texts. Independent reading includes selections such as reading an excerpt from Elie Wiesel’s Night and the short story “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe. The selections convey a range of messages about people setting and striving to reach personal and communal goals. For example, in the classic epic poem “Rámáyana”by Válmíki (translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith), a hero embarks on a journey to rescue his wife and faces obstacles he must overcome along the way. Rashema Melson’s 2014 valedictorian speech at Anacostia High School expresses the wise advice that “the future lies within reach of our hands, and if we keep striving and don’t let anyone knock us off our path, or deter us from our goals, we can do anything we put our mind do.” And “Methods of Motivation” by Point/Counterpoint offers point and counterpoint arguments on whether extrinsic or intrinsic motivation is more effective when it comes to individuals achieving goals. The classic allegory in Plato’s Republic allows students a chance to closely read and understand the Socratic approach to building an argument. This unit features a number of compelling global speeches with strong arguments, including Elie Wiesel’s 1999 speech at the White House imploring listeners to respond to violence and human struggle around the world and Ellen Sirleaf Johnson’s 2015 speech to the United Nations General Assembly advocating for women empowerment and gender equality. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe which includes the following question: “Which of the following sentences best summarizes this short story?”
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students read a variety of literature and nonfiction texts that help them explore the unit’s Essential Question “How does the past impact the future?” This unit focuses on informational texts, but students read a variety of literary texts and poetry as well. An excerpt from the memoir By Any Other Name by Santha Rama Rau is read alongside the essay “Rituals of Memory” by Kimberly Blaeser, so students begin the unit exploring the Essential Question through a cultural lens. They complete lessons on Informational Text Structure and Figurative Language to deepen their understanding of the text. Many of the other nonfiction texts read in this unit—an excerpt from the autobiography “Seeing at the Speed of Sound” by Rachel Kolb, an excerpt from Freud’s Dream Psychology: Psychoanalysis for Beginners by Sigmund Freud, “Facial Expressions—including fear—may not be as universal as we thought” by Michael Price, and the prologue from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks—are all complex texts with difficult language and high Lexile levels. The free-verse poem “From Behind a Covered Window” by Ngo Tu Lap, sonnet “Love Is Not All” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, and an excerpt from the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi help students broaden their skills as they explore common themes across multiple genres. Throughout the unit, students engage in the readings independently, in small groups, or in whole group read aloud. Short quizzes, written responses, the Extended Writing Project, and the end-of-the-unit assessment allow teachers to monitor progress toward grade level independence.
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, students read both literary and nonfiction texts, such as drama, poetry, and informational texts. The unit includes both classic and contemporary texts. The materials include independent reading opportunities such as the poem “On the Painting of the Sistine Chapel” by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (Translated by John Frederick Nims) and “People Should Not Die in June in South Texas” a short story by Gloria Anzaldúa. Students analyze excerpts from the dramas As You Like It (Act II, Scene vii) by William Shakespeare and Macbeth, Act I (Scene iii) by William Shakespeare and the poem “On the Painting of the Sistine Chapel” by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (Translated by John Frederick Nims). Students also study the genre of drama while reading plays, including Antigone by Sophocles and Cherokee Family Reunion by Larissa FastHorse, as well as an excerpt from the screenplay of Hotel Rwanda by Keir Pearson and Terry George. Informational texts as Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas and “Claudette Colvin Explains Her Role in the Civil Rights Movement'' by Roni Jacobson encourage students to think about real-life issues as they read across genres. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after Anzaldúa’s short story: “Which of these inferences about the death of Prieta’s father is most likely true?”
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students read a variety of literature and nonfiction texts that help them explore the unit’s Essential Question “What are the ingredients of culture?” Though the unit’s focus is poetry, students spend the first day reading the Blast and background information on the idea of food as a marker of culture. The haikus “Melon” by Matsuo Bashō and the poem “Parsley” by Rita Dove provide students with an opportunity to analyze how poets use symbolism and imagery to capture history and culture. A Skill: Close Read lesson helps students delve more deeply. Three informational texts—Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham, “Chinese Cooking” by Chen Jitong, and “The New Food Fights: U.S. Public Divides Over Food Science” by Cary Funk & Brian Kennedy —are read together to give students a chance to compare within and across genres. The texts are complex and broaden students’ understanding of technical language and informational text strategies. Students analyze the poems “Lines Written in Early Spring” by William Wordsworth and “Maple Sugaring (in Aunt Alberta’s Backyard)” by Diane Burns for their language, audience, and poetic structure. The unit also includes the short story “B. Wordsworth” by V.S. Naipaul and an excerpted chapter of an informational text, Florida’s Edible Wild Plants: A Guide to Collecting and Cooking by Peggy Sias Lantz. Throughout the unit, students engage in the readings independently, in small groups, or in the whole group read alouds. Short quizzes, written responses, the Extended Writing Project, and the end-of-the-unit assessment allow teachers to monitor progress toward grade-level independence.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students read both literary and nonfiction texts, such as poetry, an excerpt from a novel, informational texts, and a satirical story. The unit includes both classic and contemporary texts and independent reading opportunities such as “The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol and the memoir Looking for Palestine: Growing Up Confused in an American-Arab Family by Najla Said. Students also read magical realist literature, analyzing the story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel García Márquez. They also study the genre of fiction while reading an excerpt from Amy Tan’s multigenerational family saga The Joy Luck Club. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through frequent assessments of literacy skills using measures such as the Reading Quiz after Said’s memoir which includes the following question: “Which of these responses best describes the author’s experience with others’ opinions of her culture?”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text).

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

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

• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, after students read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” they answer text-specific questions such as “Which claim does King make most clearly in paragraph 30?” and “Based on your answer in Part A, how does King defend his claim?” After reading the poem “I Am Offering This Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Baca, students respond to the text-specific question “How does what you read influence your opinion on what makes a good gift?” Students must cite evidence from the poem to support their opinion. In the Scaffolding & Differentiation section, the teacher materials provide support for students who may struggle with the task. For example, teachers may ask questions such as “What are some hardships of the world described in this poem?” to help students interpret the last stanza of the poem.
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, after students read “Republic” by Plato, students respond to questions and complete tasks that require thinking, speaking, and/or writing; these questions and tasks focus on the central ideas and key details of the text. For example: “What can the prisoners see? (See Paragraphs 5–6: They see only the shadows cast upon the wall.); In the cave metaphor, what is truth? (See Paragraph 33: Truth is the world outside the cave.)” After reading “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe, students answer questions, such as “Which inference about Jonathan and his family is best supported by the text?”
• In Unit 3, The Art of Disguise, students read excerpts from Rock, Ghost, Willow, Deer: A Story of Survival by Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi alongside one another. After reading and analyzing all three texts, students respond to the following prompt: “Explain how this quotation connects to the unique and shared experiences of the people or characters depicted in the graphic novel Persepolis, the memoir Rock, Ghost, Willow, Deer: A Story of Survival, and the novel The God of Small Things. Select ideas or evidence from the various texts to support your response.” After reading “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, students write a short response to the text-specific question “How does the author use elements of informational text such as a thesis, evidence, examples, and a conclusion, to help the reader understand the purpose of the book she has written about Lacks?” In the teacher support section, teachers may utilize the provided directions to guide students’ writing with support like “examine paragraph 31…” or “ask students…” followed by questions that support student comprehension of the text.
• In Unit 4, The Ties that Bind, after reading “Claudette Colvin Explains Her Role in the Civil Rights Movement” by Roni Jacobson, students respond to questions and complete tasks that require thinking, speaking, and/or writing; these questions and tasks focus on the central ideas and key details of the text. For Example: “How did the white students react to Colvin staying seated? (See paragraph 10: The white students yelled at Colvin and told her she had to get up.) How did being arrested impact Colvin’s life? (See paragraph 19: Colvin was ostracized by people in her community and by professional people.)”
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred and Blended, after reading The New Food Fights: U.S. Public Divides Over Food Science, students respond to a text-specific argumentative prompt: “What do you think is the best way of encouraging healthy eating in kids? Use textual evidence as well as relevant anecdotal evidence to support your claim.” The Teacher Edition provides support in implementing the task. For example, under Instruction, 3. Write, teachers create collaborative groups, using the StudySync model, to gather evidence to support the prompt. This is followed by a Check for Success for those students who need extra support. Students read the classic short story “B. Wordsmith” by V.S. Naipaul and the poem “Lines Written in Early Spring” by William Wordsworth. After a Skill Lesson on theme, students answer the following multiple-choice questions: “In what way does the passage from ‘B. Wordsworth’ allude to ideas in Wordsworth’s poem ‘Lines Written in Early Spring?’ Which textual evidence from the poem and the story, respectively, BEST supports your answer in Part A?”
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students may self-select a text during a StudySync Blast. The StudySync Library includes the titles students choose to explore for independent reading. Within these opportunities, students answer Think questions, such as “Which aspect of the world most fascinates the narrator of The Book Thief?” when reading an excerpt from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. An Exemplary Response is available for the teacher. After reading “The Best We Could Do” an illustrated memoir by Thi Bui, students respond to questions and complete tasks that require thinking, speaking, and/or writing; these questions and tasks focus on the central ideas and key details of the text. For example: “What happens to Bui’s relationship with her parents when she and her family move to California? (See page 31: She realizes that living near her parents does not mean that their relationship is closer.) What do Bui and her parents not know how to do? (See pages 33–34: They don’t know how to be emotionally close to each other.)”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials containing sets of sequences of text-dependent/text-specific questions with activities that build to a culminating task which integrates skills to demonstrate understanding.

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

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

• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, students explore the question “Why do words matter?” Students complete various readings and answer questions that build toward the Extended Writing Project, during which students write a literary analysis addressing the following: “What is the power of language?” Before writing the literary analysis, students read the poem “I am Offering This Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Baca and “She Unnames Them” by Ursula K. Le Guin. Students write a personal response after reading “I Am Offering This Poem” to answer the following question: “Often, people give gifts that are tangible or material. However, in this poem, the gift is one of words. How does what you read influence your opinion on what makes a good gift?” Students complete a writing task following both readings, as they compare and contrast the two texts: “Using ‘She Unnames Them’ and ‘I Am Offering This Poem’ as sources, discuss how writers use language to develop themes and ideas and how those words give the themes and ideas power.”
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, The Extended Writing Project focuses on informational writing as students respond to the following prompt: “From this unit… select three texts in which communities face a challenge. Describe the challenge and how specific individuals aim to help their communities overcome that challenge.” To prepare for this project, students complete text-dependent tasks throughout the unit, as they grapple with the Essential Question “How does culture influence your goals?” An independent read of an excerpt from Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night, for example, is followed by quiz questions such as, “The author suggests the aggressiveness of the SS officers mainly by ____.” and “Which sentence from the excerpt best expresses the effect the camp has on the author?” After closely reading and analyzing the structure of the arguments in Elie Wiesel’s speech “The Perils of Indifference,” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s “Remarks at the UN General Assembly,” and Rigoberta Menchu Tum’s “A Plea for Global Education,” students discuss and write a short response to a prompt on the consequences of indifference.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students explore the question “How does the past impact the future?” Students complete various readings and answer questions building toward the Extended Writing Project, during which students write a narrative addressing the following: “How can memories change our future?” Before writing the narrative, students read two poems, “From Behind a Covered Window” by Ngo Tu Lap and “Love Is Not All” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Students respond to a writing prompt following the first reading of “From Behind a Covered Window” and practice writing a narrative: “In this poem, the speaker questions the nature of existence. Write a narrative involving a narrator or character who is a questioner, not unlike Socrates in Plato’s Republic. Use dialogue and descriptive details to bring this narrator or character to life for the reader.” Students continue to compare within and across genres when reading “Love Is Not All,” considering “how reflections on past experiences...shape one’s perspective” and respond to a literary analysis writing prompt using both texts: “Both Edna St. Vincent Millay and Ngo Tu Lap express uncertainty in their poems. However, they do so across time and culture and through different poetic forms. Whereas Millay uses the tightly structured form of a sonnet, Ngo Tu Lap uses the more open format of free verse. Compare and contrast each poet’s message about uncertainty. As part of your response, analyze an extract from each poem to show how each poet uses rhyme and other poetic conventions to communicate his or her message.”
• In Unit 4, The Ties that Bind, students prepare an argumentative oral presentation for their Extended Oral Project. While students present, listeners evaluate the content of the speech focusing on the point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric. Students prepare for this culminating task by answering text-dependent questions and tasks. For instance, after reading both Larissa Fast Horse’s Cherokee Family Reunion and Firoozeh Dumas’s Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America, students respond to a prompt in which they analyze how their self-selected examples of language contribute to the tone.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students explore the question “What are the ingredients of culture?” Students complete various readings and answer questions that build toward the Extended Writing Project, during which students write an argumentative essay addressing the following: “To what extent can you get to know a group of people through their food?” Before writing the argumentative essay, students read an excerpt from Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham, “Chinese Cooking” by Chen Jitong, and “The New Food Fights: U.S. Public Divides Over Food Science” by Cary Funk and Brian Kennedy. Students consider cultural misconceptions through the lens of food. After reading Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, students discuss the following question: “To what extent does food serve as a metaphor for culture?” Students discuss the topic with peers and provide a written response. Students respond to a writing prompt with additional questions following the reading of “Chinese Cooking”: “Think of a time when a cultural norm, family tradition, or aspect of language you grew up perceiving as normal was met with curiosity, questions, or confusion by someone else. What happened? How did you react? What did you learn?” Finally, students practice writing an argumentative piece following the reading of “The New Food Fights: U.S. Public Divides Over Food Science:” “What do you think is the best way of encouraging healthy eating in kids? Use textual evidence as well as relevant anecdotal evidence to support your claim.”

In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students write a research paper for their Extended Writing Project. Students read a variety of genres as they delve into the unit’s Essential Question “How does who we were guide who we will become?” Students complete a multitude of tasks to help them prepare for the culminating research paper. Much of these tasks are text-dependent, including those that follow the first read of Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club. Students answer quiz questions such as “Which of the following best explains why the beauty instructor tells the narrator and her mother that ‘Peter Pan is very popular these days’” (paragraph 8)?” and “What does the following passage mainly reveal about the narrator (paragraph 11)?” Following the quiz questions, students write short answers in response to several Think questions, drawing on textual evidence in their response. For instance, “What does the mother in the excerpt want from her daughter? Use details from the text to support your answer.” Students explore two texts, Looking for Palestine: Growing Up Confused in an American-Arab Family, written by Najla Said and the essay, “Coming of Age Traditions,” written by Ursula Villarreal-Moura and prepare for a collaborative discussion. Students prepare before the discussion, pose and respond to questions, and reflect and change responses based on the reflection component of the discussion.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols to engage students in speaking and listening activities and discussions (small group, peer-to-peer, whole class) which encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

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

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

• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, the first task of the unit is a SyncStart using the text “The Refusal” by Franz Kafka. Students begin with a Turn and Talk prediction discussion and then move on to a Blast discussion about the evidence relating to background information. A jigsaw activity allows students to continue practicing speaking and listening skills based on online research. Steps for Jigsaw include: “Divide students into five to six heterogeneous groups. This is their home group. Have students number off in their home groups. Instruct all students with the same number to meet together to read a selected paragraph, page, chapter, or text. Instruct students to take notes as they read and discuss their findings with their group. Tell students they will become an expert on this piece. This is their expert group. Then have students return to their home groups to share the information that they learned. As students take turns in their home group sharing their findings, have the remaining team members tak notes and ask questions. Have each member share.”
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students read the autobiographical essay, “Seeing at the Speed of Sound” by Rachel Kolb that provides multiple speaking and listening opportunities for students. For example, in the First Read, students work in pairs to activate prior knowledge using guiding discussion questions after watching the video preview. During the Close Read skill lesson, students participate in Collaborative Conversation groups as they support their claim using evidence from the essay and the video. The Speaking and Listening Handbook includes handouts to guide and support students through each stage of the Collaborative Conversation—Preparing for a Discussion, Determine Goals and Deadlines, and Establish Rules. The Preparing for a Discussion guidance states: “Before a discussion, distribute the Preparing for a Discussion handout and talk to students about the topics below. Allow students enough time to work together to fill out the first page of the handout. Students should fill out the second page on their own, after reading the material under study.” As students transition to the Determine Goals and Deadlines step, teachers “Explain to students that all discussion group members should know and understand the goal or purpose of the discussion” and suggest that students “develop a timetable to ensure that their group will be able to accomplish all discussion goals.” During the final stage, Establish Rules, teachers explain the importance of creating and maintaining an open and respectful environment so the discussion allows everyone’s ideas to be heard. Teachers “Have students brainstorm a list of rules for the discussion. Ask students to explain why each rule can help establish a respectful and productive discussion. Then agree on which rules to keep.” The rules should be posted in a central location for all students to reference. Rules may be updated as needed.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred and Blended, students read the historical poem “Parsley” by Rita Dove and engage in multiple speaking and listening opportunities. In two different Skill Lessons, students practice speaking and listening using the Turn and Talk strategy. The teacher places students in pairs or small groups and students discuss the prompt with their partner or small group before sharing their answers with the class. In the Close Read activity, students work in pairs and small groups to complete a Skill Focus and engage in a Collaborative Conversation. The Speaking and Listening Handbook includes handouts to guide and support students through each stage of the Collaborative Conversation—Preparing for a Discussion, Determine Goals and Deadlines, and Establish Rules. The Preparing for a Discussion guidance states: “Before a discussion, distribute the Preparing for a Discussion handout and talk to students about the topics below. Allow students enough time to work together to fill out the first page of the handout. Students should fill out the second page on their own, after reading the material under study.” As students transition to the Determine Goals and Deadlines step, teachers “Explain to students that all discussion group members should know and understand the goal or purpose of the discussion” and suggest that students “develop a timetable to ensure that their group will be able to accomplish all discussion goals.” During the final stage, Establish Rules, teachers explain the importance of creating and maintaining an open and respectful environment so the discussion allows everyone’s ideas to be heard. Teachers “Have students brainstorm a list of rules for the discussion. Ask students to explain why each rule can help establish a respectful and productive discussion. Then agree on which rules to keep.” The rules should be posted in a central location for all students to reference. Rules may be updated as needed.

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

• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students read the Socratic dialogue Republic by Plato. During the first read of the text, teachers have the option of supporting students in developing background knowledge on the text while also revisiting academic vocabulary. Students break into small groups to analyze the following quotation: “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” Students receive a list of literary focus vocabulary, including words like contrary, differentiate, and isolate, among others. Teachers encourage students to use a minimum of five words throughout their discussion of the quote.
• In Unit 4, The Ties that Bind, students complete a Vocabulary Review Skill Lesson. First, they review a list of the unit’s vocabulary terms that include appendix, contemporary, and humanism, among others. Students also review vocabulary strategies in a Skills Model Lesson before categorizing the words in a vocabulary chart. Finally, students respond to a discussion prompt about Renaissance literature. Teachers encourage students to “use as many Literary Focus and Academic Vocabulary words in your discussion as you can.” Teacher-facing materials provide teachers with guidance on how to group and support students.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students read “A Quilt of a Country” by Anna Quindlen and discuss the informational text in order to write a short response. Students begin the Write task with a Collaborative Conversation in groups. Their task entails using their annotations, ideas, reactions and notes to collaboratively explore the text. The instructional materials guide teachers to model the speaking and listening skills of reflecting and adjusting responses. The teacher supports available include a Check for Success and scaffolding questions if students are confused about the prompt or beginning the discussion.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking (and discussions) about what they are reading and researching (shared projects) with relevant follow-up questions and support.

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

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

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, students read excerpts of the classic novels Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. After a close read, students prepare for a writing assignment by participating in a Collaborative Conversation. Teachers break students into groups, and students use their Skills Focus annotations to respond to the following prompt: “Compare similar themes about masculinity in these two fiction excerpts representing different cultural views from different parts of the globe. Respond by analyzing how the authors show these different cultural perspectives and what the details reveal about the worlds the characters live in.” The Lesson Plan provides teachers with scaffolded questions to jumpstart the conversations.
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students read The Rámáyana by Válmíki (translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith) and then engage in a Collaborative Conversation group. They collaboratively explore the text using annotations and ideas and reactions. Instructional supports are available for the teacher, such as Check for Success, if students are confused by the prompt, and scaffolding questions to help jumpstart the group discussion. Students observe and perform an informational presentation in order to give and provide peer feedback during an Extended Oral Project. The guidance includes: “Make sure your presentation is easy for your audience to understand. Support your description with examples and details from your personal experience.” An Oral Presentation Checklist is available to students as they listen to peers’ presentations.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students read the essay “Rituals of Memory” by Kimberly Blaeser. After engaging in a close read, students work in small groups to reread the text and discuss the following prompt: “Choose one of the longer paragraphs from ‘Rituals of Memory.’ Explain how the author’s ideas about memory are shaped and refined by particular sentences in the paragraph.” Teacher-facing materials provide question prompts for struggling students, as well as insight on grouping students and scaffolding the discussion. Students also read “Dream Psychology: Psychoanalysis for Beginners” by Sigmund Freud and engage in a Collaborative Conversation, breaking down the writing prompt: “Using Freud’s method of dream analysis in this excerpt as a model, conduct an analysis of a dream of your own. Begin by briefly describing the dream you will be analyzing, and then discuss the particular thoughts or images in the dream, and what insights they may yield. You should follow Freud’s basic process of analysis and use textual evidence to ground your analysis in his methods. However, your dream—as well as the conclusions you draw—must be your own.” Students discuss relevant ideas using textual evidence.
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, students write and prepare an Extended Oral Project, which requires students to understand the characteristics of oral presentations while reading a student model “One Man’s Failure: The Key to Success.” While reading the model, students identify many characteristics, for example, thesis, facts, evidence and details, organizational structure, to name some but not all. The materials include facilitation notes such as “When students finish reading, ask them to share their annotations in small groups” for teachers.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students read and analyze the poem “Maple Sugaring (in Aunt Alberta’s Backyard)” by Diane Burns. To prepare for completing a written response, students first participate in a discussion of the close read prompt to which they will respond: “What is one tradition in your family or personal experience that is as significant in your life as maple sugaring is to the poet Diana Burns?” The Lesson Plan includes clarifying question prompts as well as insight on appropriately grouping students and scaffolding the discussions. It also encourages teachers to remind students of important listening and speaking skills. Students also read “Florida's Edible Wild Plants: A Guide to Collecting and Cooking” by Peggy Sias Lantz and engage in a Collaborative Conversation to break down the writing prompt: “Analyze how the author of Florida's Edible Wild Plants: A Guide to Collecting and Cooking adapts her style, including the use of informal language, formal language and technical terms, to explain wild plants to a variety of audiences.” Students discuss relevant ideas citing textual evidence.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students give an informational presentation for their Extended Oral Project. Students practice and revise their work based on peer feedback. Teachers may choose to have students submit feedback to two peers using the Peer Review Instructions: “Does the writer include all the elements of an informational presentation? If not, can I offer any suggestions?” The final project includes a rubric for student access. Assessment of the final presentation includes but is not limited to: “Ideas reflect a strong focus on a central argument with evidence of originality and/or creative thought; The central ideas offered are fully and logically supported.”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g., multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

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

Materials include a mix of BOTH on-demand and process writing that covers a year’s worth of instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students participate in on-demand writing.
• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, students read an excerpt from the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Following the reading, students engage in an on-demand writing task in which they write short responses to five Think questions. Questions include, “According to the narrator, Okonkwo ‘had no patience with unsuccessful men.’ What do you think is Okonkwo’s definition of success? Support your answer with evidence from the text.” Following the short responses, students have the option to participate in two peer reviews to evaluate their work.
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, students write a short explanatory response after reading the poem “On the Painting on the Sistine Chapel” by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Students use their Writer’s Notebook to reflect on the connection between the poem and the literary characteristics of the Renaissance. After conducting brief research on Michaelangelo’s experience painting the Sistine Chapel and using evidence from annotating the poem, students write a short response to one of several prompt-based questions.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students complete an End-of-Unit Assessment, which includes students writing “a research report on how the past and present can affect the future. In your report, you should explore the idea that the future will be made up of the outcomes of decisions made in the past and present. Use at least two examples from the unit texts.”
• Students participate in process writing.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memory, students complete an Extended Writing Project. Students write an original narrative in response to the following prompt: “Create an original narrative in which the protagonist is driven to action by the recurrence of a significant memory. Use what you have learned from these texts and your own prior knowledge to inform your writing.” Before writing, students review the rubric and discuss the prompt. They go through each step of the writing process before completing the assignment.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students write an informational research paper explaining an origin story and its impact on a community. Students follow the process of selecting a question, developing a plan, gathering and evaluating source materials and presenting research findings while responding to the Essential Question, “What do origin stories reveal about our perceptions of the world?” Students examine the characteristics of the genre of informative research writing to help them craft their own informative research paper.

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

• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students write a letter to someone who has had an impact on their life after reading an informative speech “Valedictorian Address at Anacostia High School” by Rashema Melson. When the student completes the letter, they submit feedback to two other peers and then use their feedback that they received to revise their letter.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memory, students independently read an excerpt from the nonfiction text The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. After reading, students write a short response in response to the following prompt: “How does the author use informational text structure, including a thesis or claim and sentences or paragraphs that refine her ideas, to help the reader understand the purpose of the book she has written about Lacks?” Then, students receive peer feedback on their responses and have the option to revise them. Students revise after reviewing an example of a revised Student Model, and students use a revision guide to revise their literary analysis essay for clarity, development, organization, style, diction, and sentence effectiveness.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students revise and edit their informative research paper on origin stories and their impact on specific communities. In the revision step of the writing process, five Skill Lessons—Critiquing Research, Paraphrasing, Sources and Citations, Print and Graphic Features, and the Research Writing Process: Revise— guide students through the revision process. During the Skill Lesson: Research Writing Process: Revise, students begin with a copy of their draft and use instructions in the revision guide to complete this step of the writing process.

Materials include digital resources where appropriate. Some examples include::

• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students complete Blast: Relationship Status: It’s Complicated. Students explore background information and research links about a topic and then respond to a question with a 140-character response. The teacher can choose to Jigsaw Research Links by assigning each group a different research link to read and discuss the source’s information.
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, students read Cherokee Family Reunion by Larissa FastHorse and write a short scene about an emotional moment in their lives. Students utilize digital sources to guide them through the writing task. Students access a video preview to analyze emotions and also utilize discussion guides and speaking frames to guide their Collaborative Conversations and a graphic organizer to plan their responses and guide their writing.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Blended, and Stirred, students read the poem “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. After a close read, students watch a StudySyncTV episode to see a discussion on the characters in the text and the use of symbolism and imagery in the poem. Following the episode they have a Collaborative Conversation on the following prompt: “‘The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica’ gives a different and less obvious interpretation of what constitutes art. In what ways is the owner of the deli an artist? Make a claim and support it with evidence from the poem.” Students use insight from their discussions to write an argumentative response to the same prompt.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. (Writing opportunities incorporate digital resources/multimodal literacy materials where appropriate. Opportunities may include blended writing styles that reflect the distribution required by the standards.)

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

Materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply different genres/modes of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students have opportunities to engage in argumentative writing.
• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, students complete a close read of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. Students analyze “characteristics of argumentative texts, such as argument and specific claims, rhetorical appeals, sources, and conclusions in a short, written response.” Teachers complete a Check for Success using students’ Writer’s Notebooks. Students freewrite in their Writer’s Notebooks about the Essential Question “Why do words matter?” Teacher guidance includes scaffolded questions, such as “How does King use language as a tool to fight equality? How does King use language to give a window into what it feels like to be an African American facing racial discrimination for his audience, the white clergy?” These tasks occur before students answer a final writing prompt. Materials include additional questions that teachers may use to prompt students when they write their rhetorical analysis.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students closely read, “Seeing at the Speed of Sound” by Rachel Kolb and write an argumentative response. Students argue about the effectiveness of mediums, such as an essay or video, supporting their claims with evidence. Students include evidence from both mediums, as well as original analysis. A multiple-column graphic organizer is available for students to list evidence for both mediums. The Teacher Edition offers support for students in understanding the concept of “medium.” Instructions in the Teacher Edition also provide directions for reviewing the prompt and rubric.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students write an argumentative essay during the Extended Writing Project. Students must state a claim and support their claim with reasons and evidence from two texts when responding to the prompt “To what extent can you get to know a group of people through their food?” Students receive support and can monitor their progress through each step of the writing process using teacher instruction, skill resources, and peer feedback.
• Students have opportunities to engage in informative/explanatory writing.
• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, students closely read, “She Unnames Them” by Ursula K. Le Guin and “ I Am Offering This Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Baca and then write a compare and contrast response about how the writers use language and develop themes and ideas. Students use a Flow Chart Graphic Organizer to gather examples of language and make a connection to the theme. The Teacher Edition instructs teachers to connect to the Essential Question “Why do words matter?” to help students reflect on the writing prompt. After students draft, they receive peer review feedback for revision.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students closely read “Rituals of Memory” written by Kimberly Blaeser and write an explanatory response. Students look closely at the author’s use of language and how it refines and shapes ideas around the topic of memory. Students can use the Concept Web to identify figurative language and then examine the figurative language through analysis, meaning, and author’s ideas. Teachers direct students to conduct a close read of the prompt after watching the prompt modeled in StudySyncTV. Students revise their work using feedback from a Peer Review.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students read the informational text “Florida’s Edible Wild Plants: A Guide to Collecting and Cooking” by Peggy Sias Lantz and then write an explanatory response. Students analyze how the author uses formal and informal language and technical terms to explain wild plants to a variety of audiences. Students utilize a graphic organizer that guides them to choose a passage from the text and record their thoughts on style, intended audience, and textual evidence. Students begin reflecting on the writing process and connect to the Essential Question as they freewrite in their Writer’s Notebook.
• Students have opportunities to engage in narrative writing.
• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, students read the poem “I Am Offering This Poem” by Jimmy Santiago Baca, and in response, write about a personal experience on what makes a good gift. Students use the poem to guide their response and cite evidence from the poem to support their opinion. Students can use a concept web to brainstorm what makes a good gift and gather evidence from the poem and personal experiences during this planning stage of writing. Teacher Edition support includes a video preview to activate prior knowledge.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students engage in an on-demand writing task after reading “By Any Other Name” by Santa Rama Rau. Students write a short memoir relating to their name and how names affect experiences in life. Students use both evidence from the text and personal stories to support their work.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students engage in a close read of the text The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui. Students analyze how the illustrations and text work together to tell the story before writing in response to the following prompt: “Create your own illustrated memoir, in your writer’s notebook or in a digital format, about a time in your life where you or your family made a sacrifice. Be sure that elements of your illustrated memoir work together to convey a distinct tone and central idea.” After creating the narrative, students reflect on the process of creating a multimodal narrative and how using media impacted the text’s overall meaning.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials, including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support sophisticated analysis, argumentation, and synthesis.

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

Writing opportunities are focused around students’ analyses and claims developed from reading closely and working with texts and sources to provide supporting evidence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, The Power of Communication, students read “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. Students complete the first read and analyze an argument and evaluate the elements that make it effective and memorable. They complete a Skill: Primary and Secondary Sources Lesson to analyze the speech. Then, they complete a Skill: Arguments and Claims lesson in which they delineate and evaluate the argument and claims. Next, students complete a Skill: Rhetoric lesson in which they analyze the rhetorical devices in the letter that make it more persuasive. Finally, students complete a close reading and analyze the characteristics of argumentative texts. Students answer a writing prompt: “One reason that ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ remains one of the best-known texts of the civil rights era is because of the powerful rhetoric that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses to advocate for nonviolent resistance to racism. Write a response in which you delineate and evaluate King's argument, his specific claims, his rhetorical appeals, his use of sources, and his argument's conclusion. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.”
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students read the argumentative address “Remarks at the UN General Assembly” by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in order to write a speech advocating change. Students allude to examples of other texts to support their claims. Students organize their writing by comparing similarities and differences between texts to connect to the Essential Question “How does culture influence your goals?” Students organize and develop their speech based on task, purpose, and audience.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students independently read an excerpt from Salvador Dali’s autobiographical text The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí. After reading, students engage in a Collaborative Conversation and write in response to the following prompt: “Explain the role that imagination played in Dalí’s childhood, using textual evidence and original commentary.”
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, students read the story “People Should Not Die In June in South Texas” by Gloria Anzaldua to analyze the author's use of language, character, and cultural references. Students write a literary analysis providing evidence, as they clearly explain how the author uses these literary elements to transmit a theme about loss.
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students engage in close reading and discussion of the nonfiction text “The New Food Fights: U.S. Public Divides Over Food Science” by Cary Funk & Brian Kennedy. They write a short argumentative response after discussing the prompt in a Collaborative Conversation. The prompt states, “What do you think is the best way of encouraging healthy eating in kids? Use textual evidence as well as relevant anecdotal evidence to support your claim.”
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students closely read an informational essay “A Quilt of a Country” by Anna Quindlen, in order to analyze the structure of the writer’s argument. Students write an explanatory response responding to the prompt, “How does this structure help develop her central idea of America as a quilt?” Students apply the writing standard, using relevant evidence to explain the author’s arguments and claims.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 10 meet the criteria for materials including instruction and practice of the grammar and conventions/language standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application in context.

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

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

• Students have opportunities to use parallel structure.
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students complete a Skill lesson on practicing using parallel structure, prepositions and prepositional phrases, and colons correctly during the Extended Writing Project. The Skill lesson introduces the vocabulary terms not parallel structure and parallel structure, a Model with examples of both, and connections to the texts students are reading. Students practice the skill in a Your Turn section: “Identify whether the sentence contains parallel structure or not. If there is no opportunity to use parallel structure in the sentence, choose not applicable. 5. These online stores buy and sell new and used textbooks.”
• Students have opportunities to use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
• In Unit 1, The Power of Language, students engage in a Grammar Skill: Independent and Dependent Clauses during the Extended Writing Project. The lesson follows the Model, Vocabulary, and Your Turn format so students learn and apply the skill. In the Model section, the materials provide students with correct and incorrect examples of independent and dependent clauses. In the Your Turn application step, students have to drag and drop examples into the correct category: independent or dependent clause.
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students work on the Grammar Skill: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases lesson during the Edit and Publish phase of the Extended Writing Project. After learning about prepositions and prepositional phrases and seeing the use of these in text examples, students practice using prepositions and prepositional phrases correctly. The instruction teachers provide students follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn format, which uses gradual release to support student understanding and practice.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students practice using participle phrases, verb phrases, and noun clauses provided in three different Grammar Skill lessons during the editing and publishing step of the Extended Writing Project. For example, in the Grammar Skill: Noun Clauses, students first learn the difference between main clauses, nouns, and noun clauses. In the Your Turn practice component, students practice identifying sentences with and without noun clauses by dragging and dropping them into the correct category.
• In Unit 4, The Ties That Bind, students complete a Grammar Skill: Noun Phrases, Absolute, Adjective and Adverbial Phrase lesson during the editing and publishing section of the Extended Writing Project. After learning about the four types of phrases and seeing their use in text examples, students practice using the various phrases correctly. The instruction teachers provide students follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn structure, which uses gradual release to support student understanding and practice. The End-of-Unit Assessment includes several questions to assess proficiency of the Language standards covered during instruction, practice, and application. For example, Question 31: “What change, if any, is necessary with the underlined portion of the following sentence? After taking a deep breath, Lianna headed to the reunion a little hesitant in the reception room downstairs.”
• In Unit 5, Chopped, Stirred, and Blended, students practice using adverbial and relative clauses addressed in two different Grammar Skill lessons during the editing and publishing step of the Extended Writing Project. For example, in the Grammar Skill: Relative Clause lesson, students learn the difference between a relative adverb, clause, and pronoun. These relative clauses are then modeled using unit texts followed by an explanation of the type of clause used. Students must select the correct relative adverb or pronoun to complete a sentence in the Your Turn application component of the lesson.
• Students have opportunities to use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses.
• In Unit 1, The Power of Language, during the editing and publishing phase of the Extended Writing Project, students engage in a Grammar Skill: Semicolon lesson and practice using semicolons correctly. Students view correct and incorrect use of semicolons modeled in excerpts from unit texts. In the Your Turn component, students apply their knowledge of semicolons connecting independent clauses by viewing sentences using semicolons and dragging and dropping them into a correct or incorrect column.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, students complete a Grammar Skill lesson on using conjunctive adverbs correctly, including pairing them with a semicolon to link two or more closely related independent clauses. After exploring the model, students answer questions in the Your Turn section: “Choose the conjunctive adverb that logically completes the sentence. 3. Every day she memorized and recited an additional verse of the sacred text; _____, she knew the entire book by heart.”
• Students have opportunities to use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.
• In Unit 2, Moving Forward, students write an informational essay for their Extended Writing Projects. As they engage in each step of the writing process, they receive direct instruction on various grammatical skills. One Skill lesson focuses on the use of colons. Teachers review a definition of the term with students before students work in groups to examine the rules of when to use a colon and to differentiate their use from that of commas. Their independent work includes multiple-choice questions about the proper use of colons, categorizing incorrect and correct uses of colons, and rewriting sentences to include them. In addition, the End-of-Unit Assessment includes several questions to assess proficiency of the Language standards students learn, practice, and apply. For example, Question 31 states: “What change, if any, is necessary in the underlined portion in the following passage? In today’s world, we tend to think of it as an aspiration to a certain standards of living, having, for example: a nice house, a decent car, and an annual vacation.”
• Students have opportunities to spell correctly.
• In Unit 1, The Power of Language, during the editing and publishing portion of the Extended Writing Project, students practice spelling during the Grammar Skill: Basic Spelling Rules lesson. One component of the lesson requires students to analyze a student model to explain basic spelling rules such as adding -ly to words that end with l or le and suffixes with double consonants. Students then complete a Your Turn activity, during which students see word parts and must put them together to create a sentence and apply what they have learned.
• In Unit 3, The Persistence of Memories, students practice spelling during the Grammar Skill: Basic Spelling Rules II lesson. One component of the lesson requires students to add suffixes correctly to avoid making common spelling errors. In the Your Turn application component of this lesson, students must choose the correct spelling based on the rules learned to fill in the blank within a sentence.
• In Unit 6, Origin Stories, during the Edit and Publish section of the Extended Writing Project, students complete the Grammar Skill: Commonly Misspelled Words lesson. After learning about commonly misspelled words and seeing how they are used in text examples, students practice spelling commonly misspelled words correctly. After exploring the model, students answer questions in the Your Turn section: “Determine which spelling of the boldface word is correct. Then choose the correct answer. 5. The broken step is a hindrance.” The instruction teachers provide students follows the Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn sections, which uses gradual release to support student understanding and practice.