12th Grade - Gateway 2

The StudySync materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria for texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ knowledge and their ability to read and comprehend and analyze complex texts proficiently.

StudySync materials include opportunities for both close reading and independent reading and allowing choices for students. The materials have a logical sequence of texts that allow students to read complex texts independently and proficiently by the end of the year. The materials include texts connected by a topic and an Essential Question in each unit. The materials include six topics—What’s Next?, Uncovering Truth, Against the Wind, Sculpting Reality, Fractured Selves, and Times of Transition.

Texts are connected by cohesive topics, themes, and lines of inquiry. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 1, What’s Next?, students focus on informational texts as a genre and the Essential Question, “How can we transform the future?” Ten texts connect to the theme and include opportunities to read across genres and text types, applying their learning through an informational writing piece. These texts include, but are not limited to the speech “Commencement Address at Wellesley College,” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the personal narrative and commencement speech “How Much Indian Was I?, My Fellow Students Asked,” by Elissa Washuta, the article “Overcoming Impostor Syndrome,” by Dena Simmons, and The United States Supreme Court historical document Plessy v. Ferguson.
• In Unit 2, Uncovering Truth, students read texts connected to the Essential Question, “How do challenges cause us to reveal our true selves?” Through text discussions, students answer the following questions: “How do challenges shape the people we become? How and why do leaders face challenges? What do readers learn by reading about heroes, characters, and leaders and what they do in moments of challenge? What do these stories teach us about ourselves and our society?” During the unit, students read an excerpt from Gareth Hinds’s graphic novel Beowulf, which is based on the Anglo-Saxon poem of the same name. Students connect to the time and culture, determining the actions and reactions of the characters in the story. During the unit, students also read the romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (author not cited), the poem “The Pardoner’s Prologue,” by Geoffrey Chaucer, and the short story “The Postmaster,” by Rabindranath Tagore, as they seek to answer the unit’s Essential Question.
• In Unit 3, Against the Wind, students focus on argumentative texts as a genre and the Essential Question, “How do leaders fight for their ideas?” Twelve texts connect to the theme, and the unit includes opportunities to read across genres and text types and apply their learning in an argumentative writing piece. Text selections include, but are not limited to an excerpt from the satire Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift, the historical document United States v. The Amistad, and the speech “After Being Convicted Of Voting In The 1872 Presidential Election,” by Susan B. Anthony.
• In Unit 4, Sculpting Reality, students focus on poetry as a genre and the Essential Question, “What is the power of story?” Thirteen texts connect to the theme, and the unit includes opportunities to read across genres and text types and apply their learning in an informative research paper. Text selections include, but are not limited to the poem “Facing It,” by Yusef Komunyakaa, an excerpt from A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, and an essay “Jabberwocky Baby,” by Wanda Coleman.
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, students focus on argumentative texts as a genre and the Essential Question, “What causes individuals to feel alienated?” Thirteen texts connect to the theme, including opportunities to read across genres and text types and apply their learning in a literary analysis piece. Texts include, but are not limited to the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,”by T. S. Eliot, the short story “A Cup of Tea,” by Katherine Mansfield, an excerpt from the play The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, and the essay A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf.
• In Unit 6, Times of Transition, the Essential Question is, “How are we shaped by change?” As students continue the discussion around life journeys, they consider the following questions: “What happens when life changes? How can outside forces change who we are inside? What can we learn from reading about how other people respond to significant changes in their own lives?” Text selections, across genres, encourage students to think about the lasting effects of change. Students read texts, such as “The Mysterious Anxiety of Them and Us” and a Stoku, by Ben Okri, and use the comprehension strategy, Generating Questions to deepen their understanding of the text. Students ask themselves questions before, during, and after reading, and they compare and contrast the ideas of colonialism and postcolonialism. Additional texts that students read while exploring the unit’s Essential Question include, but are not limited to the short story “A Temporary Matter,” by Jhumpa Lahiri, the speech “Tryst with Destiny,” by Jawaharlal Nehru, and the poem “Dawn Revisited,” by Rita Dove.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

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

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

• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address language and/or word choice. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 2, Uncovering Truth, students read an excerpt of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Students review the definitions of an author’s word choice, audience, tone, and more. They answer specific questions about the author’s language and the impact it has in the text. Questions include the following: “What impact does Hamlet’s repeated command of Ophelia to go ‘to a nunnery' have on the meaning of this scene? Which statement best explains how the word fair is used in this scene? Read lines 75 through 79 of Act I, Scene ii, and explain how the overall meaning of Hamlet’s soliloquy is affected by the word choice and tone of these lines.”
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, students complete a close read of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” by T. S. Eliot, analyzing the meaning and impact of the poet’s word choice and language. Students complete a Your Turn task by rereading lines from the poem and answering questions, such as the following: “What is the most likely interpretation of ‘But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen’? Which statement best evaluates how the author’s use of language affects the reader’s perception of Prufrock in these lines?” After reading and discussing “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” students analyze the meaning and impact of the poet’s word choice and language. Students address these questions: “How does the reader analyze the use of language in the beginning of the poem? What observation does the reader make about allusions in the poem? How will this thinking help the reader understand and evaluate the author’s use of language in other texts?”

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

• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address key ideas and details. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 3, Against the World, after reading and discussing “The Federalist Papers: No. 10,” by James Madison, students identify and restate the text’s key ideas and details. Students address the following questions: “To whom is Madison writing? What is the complaint outlined in paragraphs 1 and 3? How does Madison propose to handle factions? Why might Madison put CAUSES and EFFECTS in all caps? How does Madison describe state government? How did your discussion of including diverse perspectives in decision-making processes deepen your understanding of the text?”
• In Unit 6, Times of Transition, students read Zadie Smith’s “Commencement Address at the New School.” While reading, students annotate for key details, events, and ideas. Teachers remind students that “evaluating details is the process of asking yourself questions about the details included in the text, the purpose of each detail, and how the detail enhances your understanding of a key idea.” Students answer multiple choice questions about key ideas and details. Finally, they write a response identifying the main idea of the text, using evidence from the text to support their thinking.
• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address structure. Example include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 1, What’s Next, after reading and discussing “The Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka, students identify and analyze certain story structures, such as foreshadowing and pacing. Students address these questions: “What does the student think the story will be about? What does the student think will be a major part of the story? How will this kind of thinking help the reader analyze other aspects of the story’s structure?”
• Unit 4, Sculpting Reality, students read the poems “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” by John Keats and “Facing It,” by Yusef Komunyakaa alongside one another. After a first read, students participate in multiple Skill lessons to deepen their analysis of the poems. During one Skill lesson, they review the definition of poetic elements and structure and complete a vocabulary chart on poetic devices used in both poems. Multiple choice questions ask students to compare and contrast the rhyme schemes of both poems and to identify the impact the rhyme scheme has on the poems’ meanings. A writing assignment wraps up the two texts, as students respond to the following prompt: “Write an essay that analyzes how these texts use… poetic elements and structure to express ideas about art, culture, and society.” Teachers are encouraged to help students break the prompt down by guiding them to first, identify the structure of both texts before comparing and contrasting them.
• The materials contain coherently sequenced questions and tasks that address craft. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 1, What’s Next, after reading and discussing “The Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka, students write a short response that explains how Kafka uses allegory to to portray human life and society symbolically. Students address these questions: “An allegory is a literary device used to convey a symbolic message that comments on some aspect of human life and society. In an allegory, characters represent ideas. Kafka uses the literary device of allegory to structure this story. What do you think the character of Gregor Samsa represents? What message might the author be conveying about human life and society? Focus on specific words that connote or denote an opinion about human life and society. Use textual evidence to support your ideas.”
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, students reread “Shooting an Elephant,” by George Orwell and evaluate the author’s purposes and point of view. Students complete a Your Turn task by rereading paragraphs and answering the following questions: “Orwell’s point of view in paragraphs 12-13 is effective because—? How does the information in Paragraph 14 reinforce Orwell’s purpose for writing this text?” After reading and discussing “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” by T. S. Eliot, students compare and contrast how two poems reflect the themes or topics of Modernism. Students address the following questions: “What does the reader notice about the figurative language in both poems? What does the reader note about the structure of both poems? How will this thinking help the reader compare and contrast other texts in the same literary period?”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts.

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

• Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze within single texts. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 1, What’s Next, students read “Booster Staff Investigates,” by Maddie Baden, Connor Balthazor, Gina Mathew, Trina Paul, Kali Poenitske, and Patrick Sullivan to prepare them for evaluating details and writing a rhetorical analysis of the text. A list of questions guide students to comprehension as they read. Before composing a rhetorical analysis of convincing evidence, students complete a reading quiz to check their comprehension.
• In Unit 3, Against the Wind, students read an excerpt from Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift. The students' tasks delve into character traits, main events, setting details, point of view, and challenging vocabulary words to deepen their analysis of the text. Teacher-facing materials include teacher guidance for struggling students. For example, “Have students use a graphic organizer to begin planning their responses. Remind students to look at the story and their annotations to review how Swift satirized certain elements of his society.” To wrap up the text, students write responses that satirize leaders in contemporary American society.
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, students independently read and annotate the poem “Hurricane Season,” by Fareena Arefeen. Students annotate for descriptive language and imagery. Teacher-facing materials include teacher directions to support students: “Circulate as students read independently and encourage them to use the reading comprehension strategy of Visualizing to deepen their understanding of the text.” Students answer multiple-choice questions to assess their comprehension and finish by writing in response to the following prompt: “Is the image of a hurricane in this poem creative, destructive, or both? Cite textual evidence to support your argument.”
• Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
• In Unit 1, What’s Next, the unit begins with a paired selection of informational articles “Community Colleges vs. Technical Schools,” by Ursula McPike and "Overcoming Impostor Syndrome," by Dena Simmons. Students read the articles and complete tasks related to main idea, personal connections, and informational text structure. Discussion prompts included in the materials assist students with making text-to-self connections. For example, “How does recognizing similarities and differences help the reader relate to the Essential Question of this unit: How can we transform the future?” Finally, students answer multiple-choice questions to compare and contrast the texts. “Contrast the conclusions from each essay. How are these two conclusions different from each other?”
• In Unit 3, Against the Wind, the unit includes a paired selection of the poems “Liberty Tree,” by Thomas Paine and “To His Excellency, General Washington,” by Phillis Wheatley. Students delve into the language of both texts to aid their comprehension before comparing and contrasting topics and themes in multiple-choice questions. “What theme, common to the literary period of The Enlightenment, do you see in these lines from both poems?” Teachers may utilize question prompts to support struggling students. “If students are struggling with beginning their conversation, help jumpstart their discussion by asking scaffolded questions.” Students write in response to the following prompt: “Which themes about freedom or the American Revolution are explored in ‘To His Excellency, General Washington?’ How are these themes similar to or different than those in ‘Liberty Tree?’” Students must support their ideas with textual evidence. Students also analyze symbols of freedom and draw connections with similar metaphors and themes.
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, students delve into Modernism. The poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” by T.S. Eliot, short stories “A Cup of Tea,” by Katherine Mansfield and “The New Dress,” by Virginia Woolf, the essays A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf and “Shooting an Elephant,” by George Orwell, and the speech “Be Ye Men of Valour” all fit the literary focus of the unit. After reading all texts, students complete a chart “identifying two elements of style and two major concepts from that particular text that showcase trends from the literary period.” Lesson plans provide teachers with possible answers for the chart and question prompts to walk students through a Skills Model. Students also read Killers of the Dream, by Lillian Smith and “Shooting an Elephant,” by George Orwell to understand how personal narratives convey important moments in history. Both texts provide students with the authors’ first-hand experiences for comparison.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

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

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

• In Unit 1, What’s Next?, students seek to answer the Essential Question, “How can we transform the future?” as they read a wide variety of literature, such as “We Choose to Go to the Moon,” by John F. Kennedy. Students complete a Skill: Rhetoric lesson, during which they practice identifying and analyzing the different types of rhetorical devices using a StudySyncTV model, checklist, and guiding questions. Students also complete Skill lessons on author’s purpose and point of view, and arguments and claims. After completing the Close Read lesson, students complete a small culminating task, during which they discuss and respond to a rhetorical analysis prompt, supporting their opinion about whether Kennedy’s argument and use of rhetoric is persuasive. This task integrates reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills.
• In Unit 2, Uncovering Truth, the literary focus is on the medieval period and English renaissance literature, with students studying texts, such as “The Postmaster,” by Rabindranath Tagore as they seek to answer the Essential Question, “How do challenges cause us to reveal our true selves?” Prior to a final close read of Tagore’s text, students complete Skill lessons on theme, story elements, and summarizing. Afterwards, students discuss and respond to a compare and contrast prompt during which they engage in the following: “Write a response comparing and contrasting the postmaster and Ratan’s relationship with the village. How do their connections to place impact the story and reveal the text’s themes? Be sure to use both evidence from the text and your own original commentary to support your analysis.” This task integrates reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills.
• In Unit 3, Against the Wind, students focus on the Enlightenment as they read texts, such as “The Federalist Papers: No. 10,” by James Madison and explore the Essential Question, “How do leaders fight for their ideas?” Skill lessons on primary and secondary sources; arguments and claims; and language, style, and audience enable students to “evaluate and analyze James Madison’s argument and write a response discussing the relevancy of his argument in today’s society.” Students continue reading various historical documents, poems, and classic literature as they prepare for the end-of-unit Extended Writing Project. During the final culminating task, students must “arrange an interview with the figures involved and ask about their motivations” as they compose a persuasive essay in response to the following question: “What is one truth you are aware of that many members of your community don't know?” This task integrates speaking, listening, and writing.
• In Unit 4, Sculpting Reality, the literary focus is Romanticism and Victorianism as students study texts, such as “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour, July 13, 1798,” by William Wordsworth and probe the Essential Question, “What is the power of story?” Skill lessons on context clues and figurative language prepare students for the literary analysis prompt at the end of the Close Read lesson, during which students analyze and evaluate the figurative language used by Wordsworth to heighten the emotional effect and convey the message of the poem. Afterwards, students complete a Skill: Analyzing Romanticism lesson and explain how a text from the unit reflects the literary period of Romanticism. During the Extended Writing Project, students research a “daily behavior that the average person may not know is damaging to nature” and craft an informative research essay in response to the question, “How can we better value nature through our daily behaviors?” This task integrates reading and writing skills.
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, students focus on Modernist art and literature, such as “Be Ye Men of Valour,” by Winston Churchill, as they explore the Essential Question, “What causes individuals to feel alienated?” Students complete several Skill lessons on informational text structure, central or main idea, and word meaning, before discussing and responding to a rhetorical analysis prompt on Churchill’s speech. During the Extended Writing Project, students “consider all the texts [they] have read in this unit, and reflect on how alienation impacts those who experience it.” Students “select three characters or speakers from the texts,” and “write a literary analysis essay to examine how the authors explore the theme of alienation through these three characters or speakers.” This task integrates reading and writing skills.
• In Unit 6, Times of Transition, the focus is the literary periods of Postmodern and Postcolonial literature. Students read texts, such as “The Mysterious Anxiety of Them and Us,” by Ben Okri as they explore the Essential Question, “How are we shaped by change?” Students complete Skill lessons on story structure and context clues prior to discussing and responding to a literary analysis prompt on Okri’s text. During the Extended Oral Project, students reflect on their high school years and consider topics covered in all of their subjects. “Then, consider the world around you now and select a topic, issue, person, or event that is important to you, but that was not covered in your formal studies.” Students develop an argumentative oral presentation in response to the question, “What do future students need to know?” This task integrates writing, speaking, and listening skills.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, consistent approach for students to regularly interact with word relationships and build Academic Vocabulary/language in context.

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

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

• Vocabulary is repeated in contexts (before texts, in texts, etc.).
• In Unit 1, What’s Next, The Big idea, which is before students begin to read the text, features Academic Vocabulary. In this section, the teacher introduces and models the vocabulary, and then the students complete the Practice Using Vocabulary portion of the lesson. The teacher pairs students and assigns each pair a word from the list. “Prompt them to draw an image or comic strip that communicates the meaning of the word using only pictures. Then, have partners share their image with the group.”
• In Unit 3, Against the Wind, students complete a Skill: Academic Vocabulary lesson, learning the meanings of 10 Academic Vocabulary words, as well as how the Academic Vocabulary words can be used in a variety of contexts. Terms students learn during the lesson include: agitate, claim, curious, discharge, figure, model, redundant, scale, sound, and transparent. A model is available for students to help them expand their vocabulary. In the Your Turn section of the lesson, students explain how the two meanings are similar and write a sentence for each vocabulary word. After students complete a close read of “Federalist Papers: No. 10,” by James Madison, they respond to a writing prompt that includes an Academic Vocabulary term from the previous list. “Do you think Madison’s arguments, concerns, and values are still relevant today? For example, do you think that factions, or groups that represent people who share the same interests and have a common political cause, are still likely to agitate against the public good today?”
• In Unit 6, Times of Transition, students begin the unit with a Skill lesson on Academic Vocabulary. Teachers provide direct instruction defining and categorizing the terms, before pairing students to have casual conversations while using each vocabulary word. Students identify examples and non-examples of the terms, then write sentences for terms, such as cease, commence, concurrent, and others. Later in the unit, when students begin reading texts, teachers may revisit the Academic Vocabulary for various discussions pertaining to themes covered in the texts. For instance, before reading Ben Okri’s “The Mysterious Anxiety of Them and Us,” students may revisit the Academic Vocabulary by “discussing the influence of stories on our perspectives.” Students are encouraged to use as many Academic Vocabulary words as they can during this discussion and similar ones that happen throughout the unit.
• Vocabulary is repeated across multiple texts.
• In Unit 1, What’s Next, students practice using Academic Vocabulary at the beginning of the unit. After reading Plessy v. Ferguson, by the U.S. Supreme Court, closely, they respond to a writing prompt with the same term advance: “Compare and contrast the arguments in Justice Brown’s majority opinion with Justice Harlan’s dissenting opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson. Which rhetorical strategies does each use most effectively to advance their arguments? Which arguments or instances of legal reasoning don’t seem to have withstood the test of time?” In Unit 3, Against the Wind, students independently read “I Am Prepared to Die,” by Nelson Mandela, and write a response to a prompt that includes Academic Vocabulary from a previous unit. “The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote the Rhetoric, one of the most famous works on the art of persuasion. In the treatise, he outlines the main rhetorical appeals to an audience: ethos (author credibility), pathos (emotions), and logos (logic and reasoning). How does Mandela use these appeals to advance his argument?”
• In Unit 6, Times of Transition, students complete another Skill lesson on context clues after reading the story “The Mysterious Anxiety of Them and Us,” written by Ben Okri. Students focus on inference, utilizing terms, such as definition, example, comparison, and contrast. Students gain practice in building vocabulary knowledge by using the checklist for context clues, as they apply the clue and ask questions about meaning in context.

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

• In Unit 2, Uncovering Truth, students read Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem, “The Pardoner’s Prologue and determine the meaning of words and phrases in the Skill lesson on connotation and denotation. Students practice understanding the connection between genre or subject and how it affects connotation and how an author’s word choice has an emotional impact on readers. In this lesson, students watch a Concept Definition video; complete a vocabulary chart; and read, annotate, and discuss a model in which they identify denotative and connotative meanings. Students practice what they have learned in the Your Turn section at the end of the lesson, responding to multiple-choice questions.
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, students complete a lesson about Academic Vocabulary—Preparing for the ACT and SAT: Part 10, in which students learn ten words: atmosphere, compose, depart, dull, host, passage, relief, serious, substantial, and waver. A model is available to help students expand their vocabulary. Then, students complete the Your Turn section of the lesson, explaining how the two meanings of each term are similar and different. After completing a close read of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” by T.S. Eliot, students respond to a writing prompt that includes an Academic Vocabulary word. “Some critics claim that the speaker in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ describes an atmosphere that is his own personal hell. What evidence in the poem do you find to support this claim? What is it about Prufrock’s existence that seems hellish, and how does that existence help define this poem as a Modernist poem?” At the end of the unit, students complete a Vocabulary Review of the same Academic Vocabulary words. The model allows students to try strategies such as the following: “Tell how you might use the word in another academic subject. Explaining the meaning of words in different contexts can help you make connections between meanings (ex. In science class, atmosphere refers to the layers of gases that surround the earth.).”

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to support students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year.

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

Writing instruction supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the year. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 1, What’s Next?, students closely read, “The Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka, in order to write a literary analysis. Instructional supports are put in place to build students' ability to write. For example, students use a Writer’s Notebook to connect to the Essential Question, “How can we transform the future?” A Check for Success that includes scaffolded questions to help students respond to the prompt is available in the Teacher Edition.
• In Unit 4, Sculpting Reality, students complete a research paper for their Extended Writing Project. They receive direct instruction on planning research, evaluating sources, note-taking, and more while writing in response to the following prompt: “How can we better value nature through our daily behaviors?” For this writing task, students develop their research questions, and this, in turn, guides the research process and development of the paper. Students complete prewriting activities, including evaluating research strategies and developing an organizational structure. They also read a Student Model and annotate for features of informative research writing. After submitting the first draft, students revise their work before editing and publishing.
• In Unit 6, Times of Transition, students complete an End-of-Unit Assessment with grade-level-appropriate passages and writing prompts to assess student performance. The assessment includes short responses requiring evidence from the passage to support students’ responses. Question 41 includes drafting a multi-paragraph “oral presentation that addresses the following theme: Change can be an agent for the good.” Students read six passages, and the task states, “You may use examples from the unit texts in your presentation.” The task aligns with grade-level writing standards. A Writer’s Checklist, with reminders, is available for students as additional support, and the instructional materials include an exemplary response and explanation/rationale for teachers when scoring student work.

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

• In Unit 1, What’s Next, during the Independent Read of “Community Colleges vs. Technical Schools,” by Ursula McPike, students write a journal entry in which they weigh their options after high school. Within the lesson, the Optional Prewrite allows students to use a graphic organizer when planning their responses. The lessons require teachers to remind students to look at the text and their annotations to find textual evidence to support their ideas.
• In Unit 2, Uncovering Truth, students read an essay “Hamlet and His Problems,” by T.S. Eliot independently and respond to a writing prompt. The Teacher Edition includes guidance to Check for Success: “How does literary criticism attempt to reveal the truth of a work of art? Why does Eliot think it is challenging to understand the truth behind the character of Hamlet?”
• In Unit 3, Against the Wind, after reading Jonathan Swifts’ excerpt from Gulliver’s Travels, students engage in a Skill: Point of View lesson. The students’ objective is to understand how the author creates satire through the narrator's point of view. The lesson plan takes the teacher through the following steps: Define, Vocabulary, Model, and Your Turn. After students read and annotate, the teacher discusses the Skill Model using the provided guided questions and possible answers. By the end of the lesson, students should have a better understanding of satire and be prepared for the close read personal prompt, which challenges students to apply satire in their writing.
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, students read Winston Churchill’s speech, “Be Ye Men of Valour,” to practice analyzing and evaluating text structure. Supports include three Skill lessons: informational text structure, central or main idea, and word meaning. These lessons help students write a rhetorical analysis, during which they evaluate the structure of the speech in the Close Read lesson. The teacher may provide support using the Skill lesson on informational text structure. The teacher projects the Student Model, and the students annotate and apply their Checklist for Information Text Structure as they work on the Skill Model.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop and synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

StudySync materials provide opportunities for students to engage in online research and discussion around Blast topics and cite evidence from multiple sources in Extended Writing Projects and Extended Oral Projects. Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects of a topic. The research for each Blast gives students direct links. As students work on culminating tasks that require research, the prompts give them suggestions on figures, topics, or themes to help them begin. Teacher-facing materials provide instructors with guidance on how to help struggling students complete their research, along with scaffolds to build student independence. The Extended Writing Projects and Extended Oral Projects that are at the end of the units require students to go through the entire writing process, and they work together in groups or pairs for editing and revising tasks. They are required to synthesize information from multiple texts in the unit, and must often include outside research as well. The materials provide guidance and support to teachers, and include questions to prompt student thinking, graphic organizers to assist students, and an option for teachers to provide various scaffolds for students.

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

• Students have opportunities to engage in “short” projects across grades and grade bands.
• In Unit 1, What’s Next, it features the “What’s next” Podcast series one through nine. In these podcasts, students will hear their peers discuss the potentially life-transforming practices of finding the right college, applying to colleges, and searching for jobs. Titles include the following: In Your Hands, The Future Awaits, Your Perfect Path, The Write Stuff, Narrowing the Field, Filling in the Blanks, Saving Smart, Choices, Choices, and Going Forth. Each includes links to research. Students use these tools to write a 140-character response to a question.
• In Unit 3, Against the Wind, during the Big Blast “ Leading Questions,” students explore background information and research links about a topic. There are six research links, each followed by a description:
• TED Talk by Drew Dudley: Everyday Leadership Video: In this TED Talk, Drew Dudley discusses the positive and negative impacts our everyday actions have on each other.
• Science Says These 2 Personality Traits Predict Whether You'll Be an Effective Leader Article: This article explains the two basic personality traits you need to lead, according to scientific research.
• How to be a Better Leader--According to Science Article/informational: Read this article to find out how you can improve your own leadership skills.
• TED Talk by Simon Sinek: Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe Video: This TED Talk discusses why people follow good leaders.
• What Science Tells Us About Leadership Potential Article/Informational: This article covers the traits we inherit and the environment we live in—and how they shape us as leaders.
• New Study Delves Into What Makes A Great Leader Informational: A new study has revealed that positive thinking, creativity and healthy interpersonal relationships can all influence how well you lead.

Using these tools, students write a 140-character response to a question.

• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, during the Big Blast “ Power to the Poets,” students explore background information and research links about a topic. There are five research links, each followed by a description:
• A Poem A Day Website: Billy Collins, U.S. Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003, assembled a collection of 180 poems-- one for you to read each day of the school year.
• How To Recite A Poem Article: Reciting a poem to a group can be quite different from reading it to yourself. Brush up on your skills with this article, and you’ll be a pro poem performer in no time.
• Meet Our Poet Laureate, Tracy K Smith Article: Tracy K. Smith is the United States’ current poet laureate. The New York Times introduces her here, filling readers in about her goals for the position.
• Instagram’s Great Poetry Comeback Article: Thanks to social media, poetry might be more popular than ever before.
• Nine Young Poets Making Poetry Cool Slideshow: “Often, when we think of poetry, we think of some high elitist language that takes a lot to be decoded. I want to do away with that,” says Fatimah Asghar, one of the young poets profiled in this slideshow.

Using these tools, students write a 140-character response to a question.

• Students have opportunities to engage in “long” projects across grades and grade bands.
• In Unit 2, Uncovering the Truth, during the Planning step of the Extended Writing Project, students begin gathering information. They read a Student Model of a narrative and highlight and annotate features of narrative writing included in the model, such as setting, characters, plot, theme, and point of view.
• In Unit 4, Sculpting Reality, students engage in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes as they conduct research during the Extended Writing Project. During the Plan lesson, students practice annotating research writing with a Student Model. The Teacher Edition provides questions with sample answers to help students understand how to research and take notes: “1. How do you decide whether source materials are reliable when you do research? 2. Why is it helpful for Rishal to use correct MLA style on his note cards? 3. Why is it important to use quotation marks when taking notes? 4. What connection does Rishal see between Source 1 and Source 2 that allows him to synthesize information? 5. Why is synthesizing information so important when doing research?”
• In Unit 6, Times of Transition, students prepare a persuasive speech for their Extended Oral Project. Though the assignment does not specify the number of outside sources students need, expectations are clear that students must do enough research to support their ideas. During the Planning stage of the assignment, students use guiding questions such as “What facts, evidence, and details might you include to support your ideas? What research might you need to do?” to gather information for their arguments. The Skill: Evaluating Sources lesson supports students in determining which sources are acceptable to include.

The StudySync instructional materials reviewed for Grade 12 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

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

Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

• In Unit 1, What’s Next, supports are in place for independent reading, such as during the independent read of “Booster Staff Investigates,” by Maddie Baden, Connor Balthazor, Gina Mathew, Trina Paul, Kali Poenitske, and Patrick Sullivan, when the materials include guidance (reminding students to monitor comprehension by “Evaluating details to determine the key ideas of the text).” “Text Talk questions help teachers gauge student comprehension of a text, but additional questions for beyond grade-level students encourage deeper consideration of a text, allowing students to begin preliminary analysis.” Another option for student self-selection is Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. The StudySync Library provides an option to “Add to bookshelf” and annotate the text. The selection is an excerpt from the novel, and students should be able to complete it within the same class period. The materials do not indicate if any additional time should be allotted outside of class for students to complete the selections and what to anticipate for independent reading.
• In Unit 2, Uncovering Truth, supports are in place for students to independently read a variety of interactive digital texts to explore the Essential Question, “How do challenges cause us to reveal our true selves?” An excerpt from the graphic novel Beowulf, by Gareth Hinds, the poem “Truth Serum,” by Naomi Shihab Nye, an excerpt from the play Richard III, by William Shakespeare, and T.S. Eliot’s essay, “Hamlet and His Problems,” are all read independently and also paired with other texts that share common themes. The poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” by Anonymous (translated by Simon Armitage), an excerpt from Men We Reaped: A Memoir, by Jesmyn Ward, as well as the nonfiction text “A Letter to NFL GMs,” by Shaquem Griffin are read independently without paired texts. While independently reading, students are encouraged to annotate and identify the following: context clues for vocabulary, questions about the text, key details, and examples of descriptive language. Teacher materials provide this guidance: “Ask small groups to provide examples of images they have visualized. Project exemplary images as a model for students as they continue reading.” Following each independent read, students assess their comprehension through a short online quiz or written response.
• In Unit 3, Against the Wind, supports are in place for students to read an independent reading selection paired with a core text that receives full instructional support. For example, students “Analyze Differing Perspectives” when independently reading the texts “After Being Convicted of Voting in the 1872 Presidential Election,” by Susan B. Anthony and an excerpt from Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen, by Lili’uokalani paired with an excerpt from The Federalist Papers: No. 10, by James Madison. Additional supports assist students when reading the core text to identify and restate the text’s key ideas and details, analyze primary and secondary sources, evaluate arguments and claims, and analyze language, style, and audience. The independent reading schedule also includes a Self-Selected Blast at the end of each unit. In Unit 3, the materials recommend options to select another related text by asking questions, such as “Do I want to learn more about one of the modern world’s most important political figures? Then you might enjoy A Long Walk to Freedom [sic], the autobiography of former South African president, Nelson Mandela, who was sentenced to life in prison for his fight for equality.”
• In Unit 4, “Sculpting Reality,” supports are in place for students to independently read a variety of interactive digital texts to explore the Essential Question, “What is the power of story?” Students independently read an excerpt from Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë; the text includes a Skill Lesson to deepen students’ understanding. The poem “Facing It,” by Yusef Komunyakaa, Wanda Coleman’s essay “Jabberwocky Baby,” and the speech, “Freedom,” by Ursula K. Le Guin are read independently and are also paired with other texts that share common themes. The poems “Stung,” by Heid E. Erdrich and “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude,” by Ross Gay and the first chapter of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens are read independently without paired texts. While independently reading, students are encouraged to annotate and identify the following: context clues for vocabulary, questions about the text, key details, and examples of descriptive language. Teacher-facing materials include the following guidance: “Circulate as students read independently and encourage them to use the reading comprehension strategy of Establishing a Purpose for Reading to deepen their understanding of the text.” Following each independent read, students assess their comprehension through a short online quiz or written response.
• In Unit 5, Fractured Selves, supports are in place for students to choose independent reading selections through the StudySync library and to self-monitor. Examples of independent selections, within the unit, include but are not limited to the poem “The Great Figure,” by William Carlos Williams, the short story “The New Dress,” by Virginia Woolf, and an excerpt from the memoir Killers of the Dream, by Lillian Smith. Examples of self-selected texts connecting to the genre include but are not limited to the following: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” by Dylan Thomas, an excerpt from the novel A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, or science fiction novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.
• In Unit 6, Times of Transition, supports are in place for students to independently read a variety of interactive digital texts to explore the Essential Question, “How are we shaped by change?” The short story “The Museum,” by Leila Aboulela, excerpts from A Small Place, by Jamaica Kincaid and Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald, and the article “News Literacy in the Misinformation Age,” by The News Literacy Project in partnership with StudySync are all read independently and also paired with other texts that share common themes. Derek Walcott’s poem “Love After Love,” the speech “Tryst with Destiny,” by Jawaharlal Nehru, graphic story “ARK,” by Ehud Lavski and Yael Nathan, and Rita Dove’s poem “Dawn Revisited” are read independently without paired texts. While independently reading, students are encouraged to annotate and identify the following: context clues for vocabulary, questions about the text, key details, and examples of descriptive language. Teacher materials provide the following directions: “Circulate as students read independently and encourage them to use the reading comprehension strategy of Making and Confirming Predictions to deepen their understanding of the text.” Following each independent read, students assess their comprehension through a short online quiz or written response.