6th Grade - Gateway 1

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria of Indicator 1a. 

Anchor texts are well-crafted and vary in genre. The texts are rich in language and academic vocabulary, representing many different cultures and experiences. Anchor texts are of high-quality and, consider a range of student interests, and engage students at their grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to, informational articles, short stories, myths, and poetry that appeal to various student interests.

Anchor texts are of high-quality and consider a range of student interests, are well-crafted, content rich, and engage students at their grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Module 3, students read the personal narrative The Boy in the Back of the Class, an excerpt from Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers by Ronald L. Smith. This excerpt appeals to students because it provides a realistic connection between a boy and his fear of embarrassment when he gets new glasses. 

• In Unit 3, Module 1, students read “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez. In this personal narrative, the author tells of her obstacles in moving from the Dominican Republic to New York City. Told from a first-person point of view, the author provides a perspective on immigrants’ challenges, starting with correctly pronouncing her name. Julia Alvarez is an award-winning author who has written several acclaimed books.

• In Unit 7, Module 1, students read the African myth “The Twin Heroes” by Alphonso O. Stafford. The text establishes events that follow the traditional hero’s journey plot structure. The main characters in the text encounter trials and tribulations and eventually evolve into the mythological figures Thunder and Lightning. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria of Indicator 1b. 

Materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards. Genres include poetry, opinion essays, drama, fairy tales, and personal narratives. Over the course of the school year, students read 22 literary texts and 32 informational texts, which provide a 41%/59% split. This distribution exceeds the split required by the grade-band standards.

Materials reflect the distribution of text types/genres required by the grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Unit 1, Module 2, students read a personal narrative, “Fish Cheeks,” by Amy Tan, by analyzing imagery. Students explore how the imagery was used to explore the narrator’s feelings about her cultural identity. 

• In Unit 2, Module 4, students read an argumentative informational text, “Down with Class Participation,” by Mellissa Pandika. Students use this text as a model for tracing an author’s claims and examining the evidence the author uses to support her claim.  

• In Unit 7, Module 2, students read “Echo and Narcissus,” a myth written in the third person omniscient point of view. The plot follows the traditional structure of the tragedy genre that is common to many Greek myths.

Materials reflect a 55/45 balance of informational and literary texts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Across the year, students read 54 texts, 32 or 59% informational, and 22 or 41% literary.

• In Unit 1, students read eight core texts, with 25% being informational and 75% literary.

• In Unit 2, students read eight core texts, with 100% being informational and 0% literary.

• In Unit 3, students read eight core texts, with 25% being informational and 75% literary.

• In Unit 4, students read eight core texts, with 87% being informational and 13% literary.

• In Unit 5, students read six core texts, with 33% being informational and 67% literary.

• In Unit 6, students read eight core texts, with 100% being informational and 0% literary.

• In Unit 7, students read eight core texts, with 37% being informational and 63% literary.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1c. 

The materials include texts that are appropriately leveled in complexity according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and the relationship to the associated student task. Each Teacher Unit Guide includes a rationale for the purpose of each unit in the curriculum. There are 54 texts for students to read in Grade 6. The quantitative analysis revealed that 11 texts have no Lexile level because they are Non-Prose, 15 are above the Lexile stretch band, 16 are below, and 12 fall within the grade band. The qualitative analysis shows that 21 texts are slightly complex, 28 are moderately complex, and five are very complex. Student tasks are found to be grade-level appropriate, with necessary scaffolding for more complex tasks. As for the reader and tasks, 12 exceed grade-level criteria, and 42 meet the reader and task level expectations. In the Teacher Guide, Module Preview, and Connection to Unit, a general description of the texts and the connection to the tasks is provided. The materials include a linked spreadsheet in each Unit-At-A-Glance, which provides quantitative and qualitative data for each text in the curriculum and an associated reader and task analysis of each text.

Anchor/core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to their associated student task. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Module 1, students read “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros. The publisher’s quantitative measure is listed as 960L, but the verified measure is 870L, which is below the grade level band. The qualitative measure is slightly complex. Student tasks include answering five questions on theme, character analysis, and figurative language. Students summarize the text in writing and then draft an argument paragraph to answer the prompt: “How do Rachel’s actions show her thoughts and feelings about the misunderstanding between her and her teacher? Cite specific evidence, including inferences you made, from the text to support your response.”

• In Unit 4, Module 1, students read the informational text “It’s What’s Outside That Counts” by Catherine Brown. The publisher’s quantitative measure is listed as 1050L, but the verified measure is 1100L, which is on grade level. The qualitative complexity is moderately complex, and the reader and task are appropriately complex for the grade level. Students analyze the text to demonstrate an understanding of connotation and denotation. The Student Guide also contains a Build Your Argument task where students complete an organizer answering the prompt, “How is the term ‘waste’ defined and used throughout the text? Analyze how the examples used impact the reader’s understanding of waste and how to prevent it” by developing a claim and finding supporting examples/evidence and reasoning. 

• In Unit 7, Module 2, students read “Echo and Narcissus,” retold by Roger Lancelyn Green. The quantitative measure provided by the publisher is 970L, and the verified is 970L. The qualitative complexity is moderately complex, and the reader and task analysis exceeds the grade level band. After reading, students plan an argumentative paragraph using the CERCA format to answer the prompt, “Echo and Narcissus are characters in a myth that explains the origins of two very specific personality traits. Explain how the plot and character development in the myth of ‘Echo and Narcissus’ helps readers to understand the consequences of having these traits.”

Anchor/Core texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by an accurate text complexity analysis and a rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Unit-At-a-Glance provides a link to “Detailed Text Complexity Analysis,” which includes quantitative and qualitative analysis of each text and reader and task considerations. This spreadsheet includes the following columns: 

  • Lesson Title and ThinkCERCA Platform Link

  • Citation or Publisher Permissions Line

  • Author Bio and Awards

  • Grade Level

  • Unit

  • Unit Name

  • Anchor or Read Across Genres Text

  • Lesson Primary CCSS Reading Standard

  • Certified Lexile

  • ATOS

  • Flesch-Kincaid

  • Ease Score

  • Qualitative Measures

    • Structure

    • Language Conventionality and Clarity

    • Knowledge Demands

    • Purpose/Meaning of the Text

  • Quantitative Measures

  • Reader and Task Considerations

  • Recommended Placement

  • Info vs. Lit Text

  • Portfolio Writing Genre

  • Formative and Summative Tasks

• In Unit 2, Module 1, students read “Starting Schools Later Leads To Less Tardiness, Fewer ‘Zombies’” by Alison Pearce Stevens. The Detailed Text Complexity Analysis Spreadsheet includes the following information under Reader and Task Considerations for the educational purpose of this text: “‘Starting Schools Later Leads to Less Tardiness, Fewer ‘Zombies’’ was chosen as an anchor text because it is an excellent informational text that gives students the chance to reflect on a topic of interest that will affect them in the future.” The Recommended Placement Section states, “The quantitative measurements place ‘Starting Schools Later Leads to Less Tardiness, Fewer ‘Zombies’’ into the 6th-grade appropriate end of the 6-8 text complexity band; the qualitative analysis would indicate that there are enough features to warrant its placement in the 6th grade.”

• In Unit 6, Module 1, students read “Build Your Brain!” by Douglas Fields. The Detailed Text Complexity Analysis Spreadsheet includes the following information under Reader and Task Considerations for the educational purpose of this text: “‘Build Your Brain’ was selected as an anchor text because it is an example of an informational text that not only addresses the unit theme of ‘Planning Your Future’ but also asks students: ‘How do our brains grow as we engage in formal education?’"  The Recommended Placement Section states, “Various readability measures indicate that "Build Your Brain" is suitable for Grade 6. The ATOS and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores place this piece at the 6th-grade level. Despite the lower Lexile level and higher Flesch-Kincaide Ease score, the shorter text length, age-appropriate scenarios, and familiar essay-type format indicate this piece should be placed in the 6th grade.”

• The accuracy of the provided quantitative measures was verified using MetaMetrics or determined using the Lexile Text Analyzer on The Lexile Framework for Reading site. The accuracy of the provided qualitative measures was verified using literary and informational text rubrics.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1e. 

The materials reviewed clearly identify opportunities for students to engage in a wide variety of text types and genres. Students read 54 texts covering various genres, including but not limited to informational texts, video clips, poetry, and personal narratives. The Teacher Guide provides guidance for partner, small-group, and whole-group reading. Pacing documents are provided in the Unit Planner with 50-minute session schedules. Materials provide suggestions and guidance for independent reading. 

Instructional materials clearly identify opportunities and support for students to engage in reading a variety of text types and genres. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, students read two informational news articles, one informational news article that emphasizes text features, and three opinion essays. Students also watch a video, review a photo essay, and review a visual news article feature. Each text requires students to interact with different genres to answer the Essential Question: “What is the best way for today’s schools to ensure the success of tomorrow’s students?” For example, in Module 4, students read “Down with Class Participation Grades” by Melissa Pandika. Then, students engage in a lesson on analyzing issues and appeals. They also “trace the author’s evidence about the argument regarding participation grades in school.” In Module 5, students read the opinion essay “The Case for Making Classrooms Phone-Free” by Tyler Rablin and “trace the evidence the author provides about the argument for cell phone bans in schools.” Students also view the photo essay “Check ‘Em Out! A Collection of Extraordinary Libraries” by Carrie Tillotson. They learn about the keys to understanding visual sources and answer the question: “How does the author use the photos and captions to convey the idea that libraries of the future may have to look different from the libraries of today?”

• In Unit 4, students read six informational news articles, a magazine article, and a poem. They also review an infographic. Each text requires students to interact with different genres to answer the Essential Question: “What are the impacts of locally grown and sustainable food sources?” For example, in Module 1, students read “It’s What’s Outside That Counts” by Catherine Brown. Students use the text to define the term “waste” and the way the author uses it throughout the text. Then, students analyze the examples from the text to determine ways to prevent waste. In Module 5, students read the poem “Recycling Center” by Brenda Hillman and “describe trash and how it is processed.” 

• In Unit 7, students read two myths, fairy tales, poems, and informational articles. Each text requires students to interact with different genres to answer the Essential Question: “How do myths and traditional tales teach readers about values and human behavior?” In Module 2, students read the myth “Echo and Narcissus” by Roger Lancelyn Green and analyze it for components of a traditional myth. In Module 3, students read the fairy tale “The Fisherman and His Wife” by The Brothers Grimm and analyze it for components of a traditional myth. By the end of the unit, the students write a literary analysis to compare the themes of two of the stories in the unit.

Instructional materials clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in a volume of reading. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Unit Planner provides a pacing guide for a 50-minute class periods. Each text is complete with guidance for the teacher found in the Teacher Guide. Each unit takes approximately 22-26 to teach. Students practice reading in pairs, small groups, and whole-class sessions. In addition, they practice previewing the unit, setting personal goals, exploring the theme or topic, conducting research, participating in discussions or Socratic Seminars, and writing about the texts. 

• In Unit 3, students take 24 class periods to read eight texts and view a video so that they can participate in discussions and write a short story that is “set in a realistic or historical setting that addresses a changed perspective the main character has that influences their ideas, actions, and choices” throughout the storyline. 

• In Unit 6, students take 24 class periods to read eight texts and view a video so “that they can participate in discussions, and write a personal statement about the lessons [people] take from the obstacles [they] encounter that can be fundamental to later success.”

There is sufficient teacher guidance to foster independence for all readers (e.g., independent reading procedures, proposed schedule, tracking system for independent reading). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each Unit-At-a-Glance includes a section on independent reading opportunities. For example, the Unit 1 Unit-At-a-Glance includes the following teacher guidance: 

  • “Reserve one to two days for introducing the protocols for student choice during the first month of school: 

    • Introduce best practices for choosing appropriately challenging reading by showing the overview video. 

    • Allow students to brainstorm topics and types of books they may find interesting. 

    • Provide the suggested titles book list but also assure students that they need not restrict their choices only to those titles. 

    • Visit the library and let students select books based on the strategies introduced in the introductory video. 

    • Provide a class period or more for students to ‘get hooked on their book’ of choice while you conduct 1:1 conferences with students to understand their S.M.A.R.T. goals and progress. 

    • Model your expectations of how to complete reading logs and share submission and grading expectations.”

  The Unit 2 Unit-At-a-Glance includes the following guidance: 

  • “Select model book logs that demonstrate the expectations of the independent reading protocol and remove student names. Share digital copies of the exemplar work and review its exemplar qualities with the class.”

  Under Resources, Curriculum Resources, Grade 6, Reading, Implementing Independent Reading, slide 8, the materials include a blank reading log with sentence stems to support students in writing about texts. 

• Each Unit-At-a-Glance includes a link to “Independent Reading Options” for the Unit. There are four independent reading options provided to students for each unit. Each of the options is thematically linked to the content in each unit. The materials include a summary of each text to support students in making a selection based on their individual interests (student choice structure). The materials present teachers with several independent reading structures in the Implementing Independent Reading Guide. In addition to this “student choice” structure, teachers could choose to implement book clubs in two different structures: “one longer work, small groups” or “multiple longer works, small groups.” The materials include the pros and cons of all three structures for independent reading so that teachers can make the right choice for their students. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1f. 

The materials include text-specific and text-dependent questions, tasks, and assignments that help students make meaning of the core understandings of the texts being studied. Each unit has four modules that provide mentor texts where students engage with the texts directly by practicing checking, analyzing, pausing, and reflecting skills. Students also read several different genre selections. The questions, writing prompts, summarizing, and graphic organizers require students to return to the text and gather evidence to support their responses. Questions vary and require students to think critically about the explicit and implicit information presented in the text. Students create inferences, analyze language, determine the best evidence to support a claim and determine the meaning of the text. Each unit has a Teacher Guide that provides support for planning and implementing text-based questions and tasks. The Teacher Guide contains the Unit Snapshot, Rationale, a section for Skills Students Will Know, Understand, and Apply and Guidance for all activities students complete. The Unit and Module Guides have sections that support the teacher in providing activities that are connected to the text. The connections to the text(s) are included in four sections: Before You Read, Read, Analyze, and Write. In addition to the support provided for the mentor texts, materials include a section to support the facilitation of Read Across Genres, Socratic Discussion, Your Portfolio, and Reflect on Your Learning. 

Text-specific and text-dependent questions and tasks support students in making meaning of the core understandings of the texts being studied. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Unit 1, Module 2, students read “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan. After reading, students complete a Check and answer the questions, “What images from paragraph three create a negative tone and best describe the narrator’s feelings about the subject?” and “What image best tells the narrator that Robert is as embarrassed as she is?”

• In Unit 3, Module 4, students read “The Difficult Path” by Grace Lin. After reading, students complete a Check and answer the questions, “Which statement best describes the message of this passage? and “Which piece of evidence provides the strongest support for the claim that Lingsi has great respect for the education she has been given? 

• In Unit 6, Module 2, students read “Learning Rewires the Brain” by Allison Pearce Stevens and answer the question,” How does the author support the idea that glia play an important role in decision making?” Students must also use the texts in the unit to complete the writing task, “How does the author arrange their research, data, and information to explain how different types of learning and activity lead to changes in brain cells?”

Teacher materials provide support for planning and implementation of text-based questions and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• The Teacher Guide provides general guidance for each lesson step in each unit. 

• In Unit 2, Module 4, students read “Down with Class Participation Grades” by Melissa Pandika. The Teacher Guide provides guidance for Summarizing. During the Lesson, the teacher is to: “Introduce the optional sentence frames online that students can use as they summarize the reading.” Teachers can have students share their summaries in a flex activity. Guidance for the teacher states, “Have students compare summaries before writing a combined summary that captures the main ideas.”

• In Unit 5, Module 1, students begin reading Lucille Fletcher’s play “Sorry, Wrong Number: Part I.” The Teacher Guide provides guidance Read, Check, Pause, and Reflect. As students read the text, the Check, Pause, and Reflect section includes the following guidance: 

  • “Assist students in switching between the Pause and Reflect questions online and recording their responses in the Student Guide.

  • Facilitate pairs or small groups for students to discuss their responses.

  • Remind them to record their discussion reflections in the Student Guide.”

• In the Resources tab, Training Courses, materials provide video training modules for teachers, including “Establishing Literacy Routines with CERCA Slides, Direct Instruction Lessons, Skill Practice Lessons, and Six Steps for Close Reading and Writing Lessons.” The On-Demand Video Library contains on-demand training videos, such as “Must Moments in Literacy” videos, demonstrating the conditions needed for successful implementation and the common challenges. The Help Center, Teacher Toolkit, Graphic Organizers to Support Close Reading, Effective Writing, and Critical Thinking provides teachers with graphic organizers for reading texts.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1g. 

The materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for different types of evidence-based discussions across the year’s scope of instructional materials. Each unit has a culminating speaking and listening task, such as a Socratic Discussion, a Panel Discussion, and a Pitch Deck Performance. Each Speaking and Listening Module’s Teacher Guide includes the steps to seeing the speaking and listening task to completion. These guides support the teacher in helping students prepare, carry out, and reflect on the task. The materials provide but are not limited to, a List of Unit Texts, Reflect on the Essential Question Student Page, Prepare for the Discussion Student Page, Building Knowledge Together Student Page, and a Conduct the Poll Again Student Page. These activities are moderated by the teacher with the use of the Facilitation Notes. In addition, each Facilitation Guide provides Essential and/or Recommended time frames for each task phase. Recommended speaking and listening guidance for most discussions with a structure including, but not limited to, instructional videos, completed graphic organizers, prompts, and sentence starters for struggling students. Guidance for structured student discussions includes, but is not limited to, prompts, suggested timing, rationales, different roles for participants, sentence stems, and protocol directions. Teachers facilitate discussions throughout each unit and over the course of the school year.

Materials provide varied protocols to support students’ developing speaking and listening skills across the whole year’s scope of instructional materials. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Direct Instruction and Skills Practice slideshow lessons in each unit, include instructions for performing each speaking and listening task. Topics and protocols include: 

  • Rules for Discussion

    • Be prepared.

    • Define goals and roles.

    • Participate in a respectful way.

    • Ask and respond to questions.

    • Reflect on ideas.

  • How to Deliver an Oral Presentation

    • Keys to a strong oral presentation

    • Types of oral presentations 

    • Organization

    • Tips for writing note cards

    • Presentation language - formal and informal

    • Appropriate use of voice, props, and gestures.

  • Socratic Discussions

    • What is a Socratic Discussion?

    • Steps to answer the Socratic Question

    • Prepare Reasoning for the Discussion

    • Create your argument and forming a counterargument

    • Respectful speaking and listening rules including expressing ideas civilly, questioning members to bring in all viewpoints, and making eye contact to show active listening.

    • Sentence frames provided for questions and statements to build effective discussion

  • Panel Discussion

    • What is a panel discussion?

    • Panel members - each bringing a different type of expertise or point of view on the topic

    • The Moderator and audience roles 

    • Format - brief introduction by each panel member, questions from the moderator, questions from the audience, and brief closing by each panel member

    • How to prepare

    • Respectful speaking and listening rules including expressing ideas civilly, questioning members to bring in all viewpoints, and making eye contact to show active listening.

    • Sentence frames provided for questions and statements to build effective discussion

  • Pitch Deck

    • Definition of Pitch Deck

    • How to prepare for the pitch

    • How to prepare reasoning

    • Characteristics of a great pitch deck

    • Listening rules of the audience

  • Debate Game 

    • Preparing reasoning and evidence for the discussion

    • Forming a counterargument

    • How to speak and listen in a Socratic Discussion

    • Speaking and listening rules

    • Questions and statements to build effective discussion

  • Performance

    • Prepare

    • Perform

    • Be a Respectful Audience Member

Speaking and listening instruction includes facilitation, monitoring, and instructional supports for teachers. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each unit contains one module focused on a speaking and listening activity. The Teacher Guide for this module includes guidance for all parts of the activity. 

• Under Resources, Speaking and Listening, Speaking and Listening Toolkit- Grade 6, materials include a toolkit for teachers and students. This toolkit includes observation tools and guidance for each Speaking and Listening activity type in the curriculum. 

• In Unit 1, Module 6, students participate in a Socratic Seminar on the unit’s essential question, “What are the rewards and challenges of staying true to yourself?”The Teacher Guide provides a step-by-step plan for the teacher to familiarize themselves with the online lessons about Socratic Discussions, the Rules of the Discussion, and the Student Guide activities. It also provides four options for setting up the discussion:

  • “Two discussions that change in intervals of 10-15 minutes: an inner and outer circle that switch places.

  • One discussion with the whole class. Prepare your classroom by putting the chairs in a circle.

  • Fishbowl discussion where 4-6 students engage in discussion. Others tap in at intervals to join the discussion.

  • Independent student groups engage in discussions.”

  In the section “Build Knowledge Together,” the discussion begins. Teacher Guidance states to “Explain that students will use the provided sentence starters to support their thinking with evidence from the texts. Tell students that you will remain silent as much as possible and that you look forward to observing a student-driven discussion. When appropriate, highlight excellent examples of students’ engagement: “I don’t want to interrupt, but I wanted to briefly mention that [student x] did a great job of [behavior y], which really helps the whole class better understand [z].”After the Socratic Discussion, students complete the “Conduct the Poll Again” activity to see if they “Agree or Disagree: It is always better to know the truth.” Then, the teacher prompts students to “Reflect on their Learning” by responding to questions about the discussion: “What did they learn? Did they change any of their answers? Why or why not?”

• In Unit 4, Module 7, students participate in a Panel Discussion on the unit’s essential question, “How can food be healthy, grown locally, and sustainable?” In the Teacher Guide, guidance helps the teacher prepare students for the Panel Discussion. The lesson supports students in “Understand[ing] the purpose and process of a panel discussion and be able to synthesize multiple sources to present their positions and supporting evidence.” During the Build Knowledge Together section, students engage in the discussion. Teacher Guidance states, 

  • “Facilitate students’ organization and preparedness for the panel discussion, reminding them to have their completed Plan Your Points activity on-hand.

  • As needed, review salient points from the Panel Discussion lesson online and the Panel Discussion introduction in the Student Guide.

  • Facilitate the panel discussion, reminding panelists to support their thinking with evidence from the texts and to use the Build Knowledge Together sentence starters. 

  • Prior to kicking off the panel discussion, allow students to practice addressing each other directly without prompting from you and using add on statements such as, “As some of the other panelists have already mentioned, “x”...” 

• In Unit 6, Module 6, students complete A Pitch Deck on the unit’s essential question, “How does building a growth mindset help with planning your future?” The Teacher Guide provides guidance for teachers to lead students through the step-by-step process of building a Pitch Deck. Teachers “Conduct the Poll Again” activity and Reflect on the Pitch Deck presentations in their groups by answering questions such as “What did people do well? and What could we improve?” Afterward, the teacher prompts students to answer the following questions from the Student Guide: 

  • “What were the strongest arguments, ideas, and evidence presented?

  • Did your ideas about the topic change?

  • Did you learn more about the topic?”  

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1h. 

The materials support students’ engagement in speaking and listening tasks connected to reading and research. Over the school year, multiple opportunities to demonstrate varied speaking and listening skills are provided during the reading and writing lessons. Unit tasks include Socratic Discussions, Debates, Performances, Panel Discussions, and Pitch Decks that require students to synthesize information from the mentor texts and include evidence to support student responses during discussions with partners, small groups, and the whole class. The online Direct Instruction lessons teach students about the speaking and listening protocols. Students implement specific skills during peer feedback and reflection tasks. Opportunities to discuss multimedia sources are limited. Materials provide teacher guidance for speaking and listening opportunities. 

Students have multiple opportunities over the school year to demonstrate what they are reading through varied speaking and listening opportunities. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Module 6, students participate in a Debate Game focused on the Debate Question, “What is the best way for today’s school to ensure the success of tomorrow’s students?” Students prepare for the debate by completing a graphic organizer from the Student Guide. They make a claim, locate reasons, and find evidence supporting one side of the argument. Then, students include notes about a rebuttal and closing arguments before participating in the debate.  

• Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Module 6, students participate in a Socratic Discussion Question, “What are the rewards and challenges of staying true to yourself?” Before beginning the process, students are assigned the Direct Instruction lesson on Socratic Discussion. In the online presentation, students learn what a Socratic Discussion is and is not, how to use evidence to inform and build on ideas, and how to speak respectfully and listen effectively. For this Socratic Discussion, students create a claim and locate supporting evidence. They will also connect the claim and evidence by providing sound reasoning. In order to participate effectively, students must also prepare a counterargument. By considering what others might say in opposition to their argument, they will have the reasoning to persuade others to adopt their ideas. In the lesson, the students also learn that there are rules for respectful speaking and effective listening. “To respectfully speak, a student must:

    • Express ideas civilly in order to be respectful to the group.

    • Restate what is heard for clarity.

    • Question members in order to bring in all viewpoints.

    • Build on others’ ideas to keep the discussion moving and to add fresh insight into the topic.

  In order to be an effective listener, the students must:

  • Take notes in order to add relevant points and ideas.

  • Make eye contact to show active listening.

  • Let a few members have a turn to speak before speaking again.

  • Don’t just think about what to say next. Listen to add to the exchange in a meaningful way.”

• Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 6, Module 6, students create a Pitch Deck, a set of recorded slides as they answer the question, “How do our brains develop as we engage with formal education?” In Spark Courageous Thinking: Pitch Your Future from the Student Guide, students prepare a deck based on the slides from Plan Your Future in Modules 1 through 4. Then, they record themselves making an oral presentation about the best pathway for their future. The deck provides a visual accompaniment for the presentation. Students use a template to develop their Pitch Deck, and they include “all the elements of the research process.” The deck contains nine slides: A title Page, My Learning Style, My Academic Strengths, My Challenges, Mindset Definition, a Personal Growth Mindset Pitch, an Explanation of  Growth Mindset Motto, a Mindset Plan, and a Closing Page. 

Speaking and listening work requires students to utilize, apply, and incorporate evidence from texts and/or sources. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 7, Module 6, students prepare to participate in a Socratic Discussion. In the Teacher Guide, the Learning Objective states, "Students will understand the structure and methods of a Socratic discussion and be able to formulate a personal response to a Socratic question and support it with evidence from multiple sources.”Students use the “Prepare for Discussion” guide in the Student Guide to answer the question, “How do myths and traditional tales teach readers about values and human behavior?” Students are reminded “to support their thinking with evidence from the text and personal experience.”

• Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 3, Student Guide, Explore the Theme, students provide their Experiences, Emotions, Opinions of others, and Beliefs and values in relation to the question, “Who or what has changed your perspective?” Students use their personal responses to the question, “Who or what has the greatest influence on changing your perspective?” to approach the readings in the unit. As they read the texts, they compare their own perspective to that of the author or the characters in the stories. Students begin the unit by completing their own Concept Map in the Student Guide. Students read and discuss multiple texts to develop a deeper understanding of information to prepare for the Socratic Discussion in Module 6. Students use their background and the texts’ evidence to prepare to discuss the Essential Question, “How can looking at the world through someone else’s eyes change our perception?” 

• Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 5, Module 4,  students view the online lesson Compare and Contrast Literature in Different Mediums. After reading the script of the play, students learn about different types of mediums used to tell a story, the advantages and disadvantages of different mediums, and how the medium impacts the reader’s experience. Students listen to the live production of Sorry, Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher as it was performed on the program Suspense by Dramatists Play Service, Inc. and Old Time Radio Archive. Questions from the Reading Check ask the students to respond to include: “Which of the following statements best describe Agnes Moorehead’s portrayal of Mrs. Stevenson when compared to the script?” and “How does the use of sound effects contribute to the listener’s experience of the play?” 

• Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 4, Module 1, students read “It’s What’s Outside That Counts” by Catherine Brown. In this informational news article, students consider the Guiding Question, “How does food waste negatively impact the planet?” In this article, the students analyze the passage to determine the meaning of words and phrases. As the students use the lesson from Apply Your Learning to reflect on the author’s word choice, they find the strength in the argument based on the author’s word choice and clues in the article that express the issues with food waste. As students develop their Argument Builder from the Student Guide, they locate evidence in the text that responds to the question, “How is the term ‘waste’ defined and used throughout the text?” Students trace the author’s word choice, phrases, and arguments throughout the text to provide examples of how the word waste is used and how readers can prevent it. Students share their ideas in small groups and listen to each other in order to add ideas or incorporate feedback to strengthen their initial argument.

• Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Module 6, the teacher assigns the online Direct Instruction for a Socratic Discussion. This generic lesson provides the Steps to Answer the Socratic Question. The lesson guides the students to answer the Socratic question by providing the following information:

    • “To answer the question, state a claim or an overall argument.

    • Then, identify the reason you believe the claim and support them with evidence from the text.

    • Explain why the evidence supports your argument using reasoning.”

  Students must present their ideas during a Socratic Discussion, following the lesson’s guidance for Respectful Speaking and Effective Listening. Some of these ideas include: “Express ideas civilly in order to be respectful to the group, [b]uild on others’ ideas to keep the discussion moving and to add fresh insight into the topic, and [m]ake eye contact to show active listening.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1i. 

The materials include on-demand and process writing opportunities. On-demand writing tasks, including Quick Journals and Responses to Text, are varied and frequent. The Before Reading journal prompts connect to the text’s topic, theme, or purpose. Process writing tasks include various types of writing using multiple texts as sources. Students follow standard writing procedures from prewriting/planning to revising and/or editing during process writing. Process writing is included in each unit and varies throughout the year in type, including research writing, opinion essays, narrative writing, and personal statements. Students can write to connect to the topic before reading, summarize texts, analyze the author’s style and writing, and make claims. The materials provide students with guidance and support for each task, including but not limited to structured graphic organizers, models, and rubrics. All writing tasks can be completed in the ThinkCERCA online platform, which provides graphic organizers and opportunities to use technology to produce and publish the writings. 

Materials include on-demand writing opportunities that cover a year’s worth of instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Module 2, students complete a Quick Journal prior to reading “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan. The journal prompt states, “Describe a time when you did not want to participate in a family activity, custom, or tradition. How did your need for independence affect others? Then, students answer the question, “Why might we sometimes feel the need to separate from our family identities as we grow?

• In Unit 5, Module 2, students read “Sorry, Wrong Number: Part II” by Lucille Fletcher. Then, they write a summary of the text and later craft an argumentative response to the prompt, “How does the playwright use miscommunication to create humor, suspense, and tension between Mrs. Stevenson and the other characters?”

• In Unit 6, Module 7, students Connect with the writing lesson by writing a brief response to the following question, “What is a personal interest that you might like to write about? Why?” When students write their Personal Statement for this unit, they can refer back to this piece of writing to support their response to the Writing Prompt, “The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?” 

Materials include process writing opportunities that cover a year’s worth of instruction. Opportunities for students to revise and edit are provided. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Module 7, students read texts focusing on the question, “How Do We Design Better Schools?” Students review an online Direct Instruction lesson about Writing the Argumentative Essay. Then, they read and analyze the Student Exemplar, “Why Getting Rid of Participation Grades Will Improve Learning Environments” by Mateo Burgos. In the Writing Lesson, students read “Portfolio: Writing Your Argumentative Essay” by Alicia Patton. They answer five multiple-choice questions and write a summary of the text. Then, students use their Argument Builder from the Student Guide, along with their summary and ideas from the personal writing, to generate a response to the Writing Prompt, “Based on your readings, what single change to your learning environment or school’s design would have the greatest positive impact for student success?” Students Create a Draft online and follow the directions for the Edit the Draft Together task. During this assignment, students also do a self-assessment of the draft and then collaborate with peers to evaluate the writing. Lastly, they revise and edit the draft online before submitting their final work to the teacher. 

• In Unit 4, Module 8, students write a research paper on the prompt, “Based on the readings and other research, what are the most pressing issues and solutions surrounding food sustainability?” The Teacher Guide provides guidance for Pre-Writing, Drafting, and Editing the Research Paper. Students read “How to Secure the Future of Food” by Mateo Burgos during the pre-write exercises. Then, they “use the online rubric for the lesson and give each aspect of the essay a score.” This activity provides students access to a model essay so they understand their writing goals. During the Editing lesson, the teacher prompts the students to complete the Edit the Draft Together activity from the student guide. Students are advised to “Use the online rubric for the lesson, checking each box when [they] find evidence that [they] have achieved the criteria.”

• In Unit 6, Module 7, students read several magazine articles and informational texts to answer the Essential Question, “How do your brains develop as we engage with formal education?” Students determine a personal interest they might like to write about before reading a selection titled “Portfolio: Writing Your Personal Statement,” which explains the purpose and elements of the writing. Then, using a graphic organizer, the students develop their responses and create a draft of their writing using the online platform. Before submitting the work for a final grade, students edit and review it.

Materials include digital resources where appropriate. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 4, Module 2, students read “How the Teens of St. Pete Youth Farm Fight Food Insecurity, One Harvest at a Time” by Gabrielle Calise. The students complete the online five-question multiple-choice questions. If they miss a question, they use the Raise Your Score activity in the Student Guide to consider which of the multiple-choice answers must be right. In the Student Guide, they write down the question they missed and then write a prediction to help find the correct answer.

• In Unit 7, Module 2, students read “Echo and Narcissus” by Roger Lancelyn Green and write a summary. Students complete the summary in the ThinkCERCA platform. Sentence frames can be accessed if needed. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1j.

The materials include a year-long writing program consisting of an 33.3/33.3/33.3 balance of argumentative, informative or explanatory, and narrative writing activities, which closely reflects the 35/35/30 distribution required by the standards. Throughout the year, students receive writing opportunities in each unit. Many of the opportunities focus on argumentative writing skills that are introduced by the acronym CERCA which standards for Claims, Evidence, Reasoning, Counterarguments, and Audience. The materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year to write in response to tasks that are directly related to the texts and essential questions for each unit, including formal Portfolio writing tasks. While teachers have the option of prompting students to write at the end of each module and prompts are provided, there are only two to three required “essential” process writing tasks in each unit; the optional tasks are referred to as “complementary prompts.”  Some writing instruction is included throughout the materials through a series of slide decks that present guidance for students in planning, drafting, and revising. The Teacher Guide includes extra writing instruction guidance in Show and Tell, and Teach Academic Writing Skills boxes. Rubrics included require students to implement the elements of writing as required by the standards.

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

• Two units addresses argumentative writing. Portfolio writing assignments include an Argumentative Writing Essay in Unit 2 and a Literary Analysis in Unit 7. Over seven units, 33.3% (5)of the writing opportunities are argumentative. 

  • Unit 1: 0

  • Unit 2: 2

  • Unit 3: 0

  • Unit 4: 0

  • Unit 5: 0

  • Unit 6: 0

  • Unit 7: 3

• Three units address informative/explanatory writing. Portfolio writing assignments include Research Writing in Unit 4 and a cause-and-effect essay in Unit 5. Over seven units, 33.3% (5) of the writing opportunities are informative/explanatory. 

  • Unit 1: 0

  • Unit 2: 0

  • Unit 3: 0

  • Unit 4: 2

  • Unit 5: 2

  • Unit 6: 1

  • Unit 7: 0

• Three units address narrative writing. Portfolio writing assignments include a Personal Narrative in Unit 1, a Short Story in Unit 3, and a personal statement in Unit 6. Over seven units, 33.3% (5) of the writing opportunities are narrative:

  • Unit 1: 2

  • Unit 2: 0

  • Unit 3: 2

  • Unit 4: 0

  • Unit 5: 0

  • Unit 6: 1

  • Unit 7: 0

• Explicit instruction in argumentative writing:

  • In Unit 2, Module 7, students write an argumentative essay for the Portfolio Writing Prompt, “Based on your readings, what single change to your learning environment or school’s design would have the greatest positive impact on student success?” The Teacher Guide includes guidance for Pre-Writing, Drafting, and Editing the essay. In the Pre-Writing activities, students “complete online lessons to support their writing.” The Teacher Guide provides the following instructions for this portion of the lesson:

    • Learning to build a strong argument equips students with the ability to formulate a claim, support it with relevant evidence, and use logical reasoning. Sequence, cohesion, and transitions all add to the clarity and coherence of writing and make ideas more accessible to readers. The writing process develops systematic writing skills from brainstorming, revising, editing to composing.

    • Explain that conclusions serve as the final opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the audience and reinforce the key points in the argument.”

  Students read the Student Exemplar, “Why Getting Rid of Participation Grades Will Improve Learning Environments” by Mateo Burgos. A five-question Check follows the piece. After scoring the exemplar, students score it. The Teacher Guide now includes the following guidance for this section of the lesson: Show and Tell: Model for students how to engage with the scoring process and to understand the criteria used to determine quality writing. Point to an example from the text and share how it meets/doesn’t meet and exemplify the criteria in the rubric. See answer key for ideas. See Best Practices: Student Scoring.” 

• Explicit instruction in informative/explanatory writing:

  • In Unit 4, Module 8, students write a Research paper for the Writing Prompt that they determine. They read the Topic Overview in the online lesson and learn that reading sources to help them learn more is known as inquiry. After that, they use online lessons and activities from the Student Guide to draft their research paper. he Teacher Guide includes guidance for Pre-Writing, Drafting, and Editing the essay. In the Pre-Writing activities, students “complete online lessons to support their writing.”The Teacher Guide provides the following instructions for this portion of the lesson:

    • “Students will have thought a great deal about their topic and shared much of their research with others. They will also have a lot of notes and resources to work with. Now it is time to put it all together in a formal paper. 

    • Encourage students to take notes using Cornell Notes.”

  Students read the Student Exemplar, “How to Secure the Future of Food” by Mateo Burgos. A five-question Check follows the piece. After completing the questions, the Teacher Guide includes the following information: “Show and Tell: Model for students how to engage with the scoring process and to understand the criteria used to determine quality writing. Point to an example from the text and share how it meets/doesn’t meet and exemplify the criteria in the rubric. See answer key for ideas. See Best Practices: Student Scoring.”

• Explicit instruction in narrative writing:

  • In Unit 1, Module 7, students write a personal narrative for the Portfolio Writing Prompt, “Write a personal narrative about a moment in your life when you shared a side of yourself that you were afraid to show others.” The Teacher Guide includes guidance for for Pre-Writing, Drafting, and Editing the essay. In the Preview section of the lesson, the Teacher Guide includes the following guidance for the teacher, Teach Academic Writing Skills: Before students begin writing their personal narratives, have them revisit their prewriting experiences to review details about the unit’s theme. The Direct Instruction lesson, Beginnings in Narrative Writing, provides examples that students can leverage as they write their own narratives. The lesson also offers guidance in writing the opening of a personal narrative and highlights the importance of concrete sensory details in narrative writing. During Pre-Writing, students read the Narrative Writing Rubric.The Teacher Guide includes the following guidance for teachers in this section of the lesson: Show and Tell: Model for students how to understand the criteria used to determine quality writing to help them engage with the scoring process. Point to an example from the text and share how it compares to the criteria in the rubric. See answer key for ideas. See Best Practices: Student Scoring. Show and Tell: Supplement the examples in the texts with a model from your own experience. Use a hook, something that illustrates a key moment in your story and entices the reader to want to read on. (“The moment I walked across the stage and accepted my trophy, I knew that I would never feel the same about my ability to succeed.”). Then, ask students to discuss how the sentence impacted their interest in the story. After students map their narratives, they engage in a Make it Vivid activity. The Teacher Guide provides the following guidance for this section of the lesson: Show and Tell: Help students craft vivid paragraphs. Choose a feeling from their personal inventory, like “reflective,” and set the scene—a sunny day. To paint a picture, use repetition, synonyms, images, and analogies. (“In the bright sunlight, the world seemed like my palette, but I wasn’t sure what to paint. Everything seemed possible, but the direction was unknown as I stood at an intersection in a quiet part of the city.”) In the Edit the Draft Together section of the lesson, students engage with peers to revise and edit their draft. The Teacher Guide  provides the following instructions for this portion of the lesson:

    • “Explain that students will use the Personal Narrative Writing Rubric to peer edit their narratives in pairs or small groups.

    • Instruct students to read their final drafts and make specific suggestions for final edits.”

  After peer feedback , students reflect on their writing and how they can improve it. 

Different genres/modes/types of writing are distributed throughout the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students have opportunities to engage in argumentative writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

  • Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 2, Module 2, students read “Should Kids Get Homework?” by Sarah Wood. In the online Writing Lesson, students begin by writing a summary of the article. This helps them organize their ideas to Develop an argument that answers the Writing Prompt, “Write an argumentative essay about whether the author provides more convincing arguments for or against homework.” Students formulate claims, and add reasons and evidence. They can click the “Need help getting started?” link to find sentence frames to support their writing. 

  • Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 7, Module 4, students read “Jenny and the Night Women” by the Melissa Albert. They Develop an argument that answers the Writing Prompt, “How does Melissa Albert’s modern take develop the theme of greed and its impact on human behavior. Use details from the story about Jenny, the main character, and her parents in order to write how people changes as a result of their greed.” The online lesson guides students through the development of writing a claim that is supported by reasons, evidence, and reasoning. Students also address counterarguments in the draft of the response. 

  • Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 2, Module 7, students develop an argumentative essay to answer the following question, “Based on your readings, what single change to your learning environment or school’s design would have the greatest positive impact on student success?” After selecting and mapping the argument In the Student Guide, the students complete the Make It Powerful activity. In this activity, the students complete a graphic organizer to change three neutral words into words with a positive or negative connotation to “appeal to the readers’ emotions and sense of urgency surrounding the issues.”

  • Establish and maintain a formal style. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 2, Module 7, students complete the online Direct Instruction lesson on argument writing, including formal style guidance. The lesson explains the need for objective and unbiased language in their essay, "writing from the third person” and “avoiding slang and contractions.” 

  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 2, Module 7, students write an argumentative essay. They complete the online Direct Instruction lesson on Writing the Argumentative Essay. During this lesson, they learn that in a conclusion, they will “Restate [their] claim and include a call to action.” They also learn that in the conclusion, they can “add a final statement that tells readers why [their] topic matters, or ways this topic can be explored further.” When they prepare to write the conclusion, they must “provide a well-crafted conclusion that builds on and captures the writer’s argument, without merely repeating the claims.” Students then read the Student Exemplar, “Why Getting Rid of Participation Grades Will Improve Learning Environments” by Mateo Burgos. Then, they engage in a lesson to Score this Example. Students analyze all parts of the essay but pay particular attention to the conclusion, scoring it between 1 and 5 to get an idea of how to prepare a conclusion for an argumentative essay. They also analyze the conclusions from Module 1 and Module 2 reading as examples of advanced levels of well-crafted conclusions that build on the writer’s argument. Students apply this learning when they write their own argumentative essays. 

• Students have opportunities to engage in informative/explanatory writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 4, Module 3, students read “Students Keep Hundreds of Pounds of Food Waste From Entering Landfills” by Bridget O’Shea. Then, they write a response to the prompt, “How do the different perspectives in the article emphasize the impact of the student’s work preventing food waste?” Students receive specific instruction on organizing their writing and use a graphic organizer to plan:

      • “Explain to students that their claims should answer all aspects of the prompt, provide a clear focus for the writing, and present the points they will cover in their writing. 

      • Remind students to provide at least two reasons to support the claim. 

      • Explain to students that no reason can be submitted without supporting evidence, and that no evidence can be provided without an explanation of reasoning. 

      • Guide students in sharing their CERCA plans with peers”  Students can click the “Need help getting started?” link for a series of questions that include possible sentence frames for organizing their writing.

    • In Unit 5, Module 6, students engage in an online Direct Instruction lesson for Writing the Cause-and-Effect Essay. As they learn about the organization of this type of essay, they learn that the introduction “contains a hook to engage the readers.” As they develop their essay, they begin with a claim, or “main idea or thesis, that clearly previews the focus of the piece and fully answers the question or prompt.” Students choose [their] Focus and “Develop a draft claim/thesis that captures how Mrs. Stevenson’s dialogue, behaviors, and action contribute to the finale of the play.” As they share [their] essays, the focus is on the introduction, so the students discuss what their introductions look like and if the claim or thesis statement reveals a roadmap for developing the essay. 

  • Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 4, Module 8, students write a research paper for the prompt, “Based on the readings and other research, what are the most pressing issues surrounding food sustainability?” A graphic organizer to help students Map [Their] Research Paper is provided in the Student Guide. Students plan their claim, and in Step 2, they locate key information from the readings that help the reader understand the problem. Students “select at least three pieces of evidence that will be the basis for [their] three body paragraphs.” 

  • Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 5, Module 6, students write a Cause-and-Effect essay for the prompt, “Analyze Mrs. Stevenson’s behavior throughout the play. How do her character’s mannerisms and actions affect the final outcome of the play?” After students have finished their initial draft, they pair up with others to look for sentences that need transitions. In the Make It Flow exercise from the Student Guide, students look at the essay to determine if transitions would improve the overall organization, main claim, sub-claims, and choppy sentences. In addition, the activity provides possible transitions to clarify relationships such as first, then, also, and for example. The worksheet also suggests steps for revising different areas of the paper to clarify relationships.

    • In Unit 4, Module 8, students complete a research paper. The Student Guide includes a rubric for students. In order to earn points for Coherence, students must write a clearly structured paper. The notes in this section state that “effective transitions connect ideas to show how the information clearly supports the claim to create a cohesive, unified piece of writing.” During the Revise and Edit Draft part of this writing piece, the teacher prompts students to pair up and give feedback on their partners’ essays, “us[ing] the rubric to evaluate each other’s work.” Then, students revise their work based on the feedback they receive. 

  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 5, Module 6, students write a Cause-and-Effect essay for the prompt, “Analyze Mrs. Stevenson’s behavior throughout the play. How do her character’s mannerisms and actions affect the final outcome of the play?” In the online portion of the writing lesson, students read “Portfolio: Writing Your Cause-and Effect Essay” by Alicia Patton. In the first paragraph, students are encouraged to use “thoughtful organization and the precise use of word choices and transitions to make their writing clear.” As students draft their essays, the online link for “Need help getting started?” provides some helpful notes about choosing language that will persuade [their] readers to agree with [their] argument.” During this stage of the essay, they are to use vocabulary words to convey information about radio plays, plot structure, and character motivations. 

    • In Unit 4, Module 8, students write a research paper. The Student Guide includes a rubric for students. In order to earn points for Coherence, students must write a clearly structured paper. The notes in this section state that “effective transitions connect ideas to show how the information clearly supports the claim to create a cohesive, unified piece of writing.” During the Revise and Edit Draft part of this writing piece, the teacher prompts students to pair up and give feedback on their partners’ essays, “us[ing] the rubric to evaluate each other’s work.” Then, students revise their work based on the feedback they receive. 

  • Establish and maintain a formal style. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 4, Module 8, students read the “Final Informative Rubric.” In order to earn “Audience Appeal,” students must write responses that maintain “a formal style and accurate English grammar.” In order to support students, the online lesson for Module 8 requires the students to formulate a research question that interests them. In the Outline, students write the main claim they want to use to answer the question. As they progress, the paper must maintain a formal and objective tone in order to earn credit for “Audience Appropriate Language based on the final rubric.” 

  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 5, Module 6, students write a Cause-and-Effect essay for the prompt, “Analyze Mrs. Stevenson’s behavior throughout the play. How do her character’s mannerisms and actions affect the final outcome of the play?” As they draft their essays, they can click on the link for “Need help getting started?” This section provides a sentence frame that helps them write a “brief conclusion that wraps up [their] argument.” The sentence frame, “Based on details from the story, ____’s decision to _____ led to ______,” provides support for developing a conclusion that wraps up the argument and reinforces the claim. 

    • In Unit 4, Module 8, students research the most pressing issues surrounding food and write an essay detailing what they learned. Students plan the writing of their paper, including the conclusion. Students answer the questions, “What is your call to action? What do you want readers to remember?” Writing guidance explains to students that they should restate their claim, summarize the problem, and provide a solution.

• Students have opportunities to engage in narrative writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 1, Module 7, students write a personal narrative that answers the Writing Prompt, “Write a personal narrative about a moment in your life when you shared a side of yourself that you were afraid to show others.” In this essay, students are guided through the essay's drafting process. During this online activity, they can click on the “Need help getting started?” link. Here, they can find help structuring the narrative by addressing the story's beginning, middle, and end. The support link provides ideas for the beginning by prompting students to introduce the characters, describe the setting, establish a point of view, and set up the main conflict. In the middle, students are encouraged to use dialogue and action to demonstrate what the characters think and feel and how they are affected by the problem or conflict. In the end, the support provides three hints to effectively end the essay: 

      • “Solve the problem or resolve the conflict.

      • Answer any last questions from the story.

      • Leave your readers pleased with the story.”

  • Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 1, Module 7, students write a personal narrative that answers the Writing Prompt, “Write a personal narrative about a moment in your life when you shared a side of yourself that you were afraid to show others.” In the Student Guide, Explore the Theme, students learn that there are narrative techniques that develop the experiences, events, and/or characters. The techniques include using engaging dialogue, planning for strategic pacing, and developing vivid descriptions. After Mapping their Personal Narrative, students return to the essays and pair with another writer. The pair “determine[s] how [they] might choose words that would help [them] develop the image in greater detail. Students complete a graphic organizer by placing three Generic Nouns in the left-hand column. In the right-hand column, they practice using vivid adjectives to paint a picture, adding words that indicate the size, shape, color, age, quality, or another attribute of the noun.”

  • Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

    • In Unit 3, Module 7, students write a short story based on the Writing Prompt, “Write a short story set in a realistic or historical setting that addresses a changed perspective the main character has that influences their ideas, actions, and choices.” In the Student Guide, they complete the Edit the Draft Together exercise with another student. First, students complete a self-assessment of their own draft. They use the online rubric to check boxes where they have achieved the criteria. Coherence is one of the criteria where the students must check boxes. One of the boxes states that the essay “guides readers through a logical and naturally connected sequence of events using a variety of transitional words to clarify the order of events and the shifts in setting.” After evaluating their success in this area, a peer reviews the paper to ensure they have created coherence based on this rubric point. 

  • Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 6, Module 7, students write a personal statement that answers the Writing Prompt, “The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?” Students complete the activity “Make It Vivid” from the Student Guide. In this activity, students identify specific adjectives that they might use to make the experience more specific and add further color for the reader. In their statement, they add language that reveals how they felt about an object or specific moment. 

  • Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • In Unit 3, Module 7, students write a short story that answers the Writing Prompt, “Write a short story set in a realistic or historical setting that addresses a changed perspective the main character has that influences their ideas, actions, and choices.” In the online version of the Direct Instruction lesson, students learn that a narrative conclusion should ensure that “the consequences of solving the problem or conflict are made clear.” So, using the online graphic organizer to Draft their story, students can click the “Need help getting started?” link. This link takes them to a list of what to include at the end of a short story. The notes suggest that students:

      • “Solve the problem or resolve the conflict.

      • Answer any last questions from the story.

      • Leave your readers pleased with the story.”

Where appropriate, writing opportunities are connected to texts and/or text sets (either as prompts, models, anchors, or supports). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 5, Module 2, students read Sorry, Wrong Number: Part II by Lucille Fletcher. After reading, students Develop a response that answers the writing prompt, “Fletcher uses humor and suspense to create drama and entertain the audience. Review the character interactions in Part II. How do you see these strategies used in the interactions below?” They create a claim and add reasons, evidence, reasoning, and a counterargument that reflects elements of the memoir to answer the question.

• In Unit 7, Module 4, students read “Jenny and the Night Women'' by Melissa Albert. After reading, the students develop an argument that answers the writing prompt, “How does Melissa Albert’s modern tale develop the theme of greed and its impact on human behavior? Use details from the story about Jenny, the main character, and her parents in order to write about how people change as a result of their greed.” The task requires students to use information from the fairy tale to develop a claim, reasons, evidence, reasoning, and a counterargument to answer the prompt.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1k. 

The materials provide frequent opportunities for students to complete evidence-based writing tasks across the school year. The Teacher Guide provides a Module Overview, which identifies the evidence-based writing prompt and genre. Writing opportunities are largely focused on developing and planning an argument, though analysis and synthesis are also included. Each unit includes opportunities to write claims about the text and support the claim with reasons and evidence from the text. In each unit module, the Write section includes tasks such as summarizing the selection, developing and building an argument, completing a draft, and reviewing the draft. Students work with a peer to complete graphic organizers or obtain feedback that occurs frequently during writing. When drafting, students have the opportunity to use an Automated Feedback feature for grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling, but the tool does not provide support for strengthening the argument. However, not all of the drafting tasks are required assignments throughout the program. While some of the module's writing pieces are essential for completion, most are optional. During the Closing of the Lessons, students reflect and share progress as a whole class. At the end of each unit, Your Portfolio writing tasks provide opportunities to write a short story, research paper, literary analysis, personal narrative, cause and effect essay, and argumentative essay. These are closely tied to the texts in their respective units and often require the synthesis of multiple texts. The Student Guide provides several graphic organizers to help students organize their thoughts and text evidence to support their claims. The Teacher Guide provides guidance for specific writing instruction throughout the materials, including reasons for the writing instruction focus, what students should be able to do, and what to focus on to grow as a writer. There is direct instruction guidance for teachers to implement. Teachers and students have access to slideshow lessons and support in the Student Guide. The materials include scaffolds for students in the Student and Teacher Guides.

Materials provide opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply writing using evidence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, Module 2, students read “Should Kids Get Homework?” by Sarah Wood. In the online Write section, Develop, students write an argument to the prompt, “Trace and evaluate the author’s evidence for and against homework.” Teacher materials provide a Lesson Summary that identifies the two areas of direct instruction for argumentative writing as citing evidence to support analysis and integrating evidence effectively. There is support for direct instruction, including a statement that explains the reasoning behind the direct instruction, previous learning, and next steps. Teacher materials include a Show and Tell strategy that provides teacher guidance on how to teach students how to integrate evidence with effective word choices. Teachers group students and have them brainstorm verbs that they could use to introduce a quote. Teacher materials point out how to find synonyms for commonly used verbs such as states and provide other words, including offers, claims, and explains. Additionally, there are Teacher Tips that offer suggestions and considerations for teachers. Finally, the Teacher Will section provides the following guidance:

  • “Lead students through the Direct Instruction presentations prior to having students review them on their own and complete the assessments. A list of key academic terms for the unit is available in the Student Guide. Students may also record key definitions in their Vocabulary Notebooks.

  • Explain that by learning to identify various types of evidence, such as facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions, students can evaluate the credibility and relevance of information.

  • Explain that understanding how evidence supports claims and ideas helps students construct well-supported arguments and make informed decisions.

  • Guide students in incorporating evidence to support their claims with factual information, examples, statistics, and make their arguments more convincing”.

  The Students Will section lists student movements, including: 

  • “Learn how to identify various types of evidence, including facts, statistics, examples, and expert opinions.

  • Learn how to support claims and ideas, and how to cite evidence in their writing.

  • Learn the importance of and process of effectively integrating evidence.

  • Record key definitions in their Vocabulary Notebooks.”

  After developing a claim, locating evidence, and formulating reasons, students answer the question, “Which side of the argument is more convincing based on the evidence?” The Teacher Guide includes steps such as: 

  • “Explain to students that their claims should answer all aspects of the prompt, provide a clear focus for the writing, and present the points they will cover in their writing.

  • Remind students to provide at least two reasons to support the claim.

  • Explain to students that no reason can be submitted without supporting evidence and that no evidence can be provided without an explanation of reasoning.

  • Guide students in sharing their CERCA plans with peers.

  • Have students drop their drafts into the drafting space and develop their CERCAs.” The teacher materials provide the same instruction. 

  Students share their arguments in small groups, using the Student Checklist for Peer and Self Editing. 

• In Unit 3, Module 3, students read “The Difficult Path” by Ken Liu. In the Write section, students write a summary of the text. In Plan, Develop, students come up with an argument for the prompt, “How does the author’s choice to use first person point of view in the story help illuminate the strength of the narrator, Lingsi, as she travels her difficult path?” Students are guided online to write a claim, add reasons and evidence, provide reasoning, and a counterargument. In the “Need help getting started?” link, students can access a definition for each part of the argument. In addition, there are more sentence stems to help them begin. In the Writing tab, sentence frames are provided for each required component. The Teacher Guide includes the following guidance: 

  • “Explain to students that their claims should answer all aspects of the prompt, provide a clear focus for the writing, and present the points they will cover in their writing.

  • Remind students to provide at least two reasons to support the claim.

  • Explain to students that no reason can be submitted without supporting evidence, and that no evidence can be provided without an explanation of reasoning.

  • Guide students in sharing their CERCA plans with peers."

  Students share their arguments in small groups, using the Student Checklist for Peer and Self Editing. As students Draft their responses, the Teacher Guide includes the following guidance: “Feedback Focus: Encourage students to share different aspects of their CERCA drafts to ensure they have included a strong claim, supportive reasons, and evidence.” Teachers may click on the ThinkCERCA Argumentative Writing Feedback Bank provided in the Writing Resources in the Feedback Guidance document to find examples of writing feedback they can give students based on how well they are performing on certain skills against the rubric. For example, if a student is performing at a 3 out of 5, the teacher can say: “You’re on the right track because you’ve included evidence from the text! Now, reread your reasons and the evidence that follows each one. Does the evidence really support the reason it’s paired with? Is it credible? If not, revise!”

• In Unit 7, Module 7, students view a Direct Instruction slide deck on “Writing the Literary Analysis. Prior to writing the analysis, students learn “What core elements to use when organizing a literary analysis, how to structure a literary analysis, and how to create an effective argument with supporting details.” After viewing the presentation, students read the Student Exemplar, “Always Wanting More” by Tessa Hudson. Then, they employ the lessons that they learned about writing a literary analysis by developing a literary analysis for the prompt, “Using the myths and the traditional tales in the unit, compare the themes of at least two of the stories to explain how they convey values and human behavior.” Students complete online assignments in Plan and Develop before writing their Literary Analysis draft. In the Student Guide, students Read the Final Argumentative Rubric, Score the Example, Practice Providing Feedback for the example, and Choose Texts for Comparison. Once students develop a sound background in writing this type of essay, they use their selected texts to Compare Similarities, Analyze Differences, and Finalize Your Analysis tasks. In the Teacher Guide, the following Facilitation Notes are available for teachers as students write their essays:

  • “Students will remain online to complete the Develop and Draft section for ‘Portfolio: Writing Your Literary Analysis.’

  • Circulate as needed to help students who need support.”

  Throughout each step of the writing process, there are scaffolds such as, but not limited to, specific vocabulary to translate, adjusted versions of graphic organizers, suggested anchor charts, and technology features such as voice to text typing. 

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

• In Unit 2, students read three informational news articles, three opinion articles, view a video, and view two visual texts about education and school issues. In Module 7, they write an argument for the prompt, “Based on your readings, what single change to your learning environment or school’s design would have the greatest positive impact for student success?” The Plan and Develop section includes a Text tab reiterating the essential elements of The Claim, Reasons, Evidence, Reasoning, and Counterargument. It also provides an example of an Outline that students could use to organize their essays and ideas for Composing and Revising. In each section, students use Pause and Reflect questions to review their own ideas and structure:

  • “How does the reasoning in the example support the argument as well as explain why the evidence is important to it?

  • Do you think the example provided for the counterargument and rebuttal effectively strengthened the original argument about outlawing food and harmful ingredients? What did the rebuttal provide that made the argument stronger?

  • Which part of the argument do you anticipate being the most difficult for you to write? Once you have completed your draft, consider choosing that part to focus on in a peer edit.”

  Students also complete a Map Your Argument activity from the Student Guide. In this assignment students develop a Hook, Claim, Counterclaim, Evidence, and Rhetorical Appeals that they want to use to write their essay. The Evidence section requires reading the articles closely to find strong, credible evidence so that the students have the information to follow these instructions: “As you read the texts, the writers used strong and credible evidence in the form of summaries, quotations, and examples that supported the arguments and issues. What evidence have you evaluated from your readings that supports your claim and allows you to further support your argument with reasoning?”

• In Unit 5, Module 6, students complete the online Direct Instruction lesson for “Writing the Cause-and-Effect Essay” and read a Student Exemplar, “Mrs. Stevenson” by Ellery Rohlfing. Students complete the Choose Your Focus activity in the Student Guide to begin their cause-and-effect essay. They use resources from the Unit Review, Planning Your Informative Essay, and Consider Various Approaches to Your Cause-and-Effect Essay before building a claim to answer the following Portfolio Writing Prompt, “Analyze Mrs. Stevenson’s behavior throughout the play. How do her character’s behaviors, dialogue, and actions affect the final outcome of the play?” Then, using a graphic organizer, students Map [Their] Cause-and Effect Essay by organizing their ideas about how “the tension and conflicts in the play develop the theme.” When the students return to the online lesson in the Plan and Develop section, they can view the rubric for the essay. They will find that the Evidence must be “Well-chosen, relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information [that] supports the claim and present[s] a thorough explanation of the topic. The Reasoning must be “Detailed explanations [that] show how facts and details support the claim and effectively link the evidence to the claim for the reader.” In order to meet those expectations, students must use credible information from the texts provided in the unit.

• In Unit 6, Module 1, students read “Build Your Brain!” by R. Douglas Fields. Prior to reading the text, students engage in two online Direct Instruction lessons. The first lesson is “The Purposes of Personal Statement Writing, and the second is “Using Examples and Anecdotes to Explain Ideas.” In the later lesson, students learn that “Examples are detailed accounts of information that explain a general rule,” such as: ‘Dogs are one type of pet that requires a lot of work.’ The statement names the pet but does not provide a personal example. On the other hand, the statement ‘When I was a kid, I walked my family’s dog three times a day’ is an anecdote because it shares a personal experience.” Students read the text and look for supporting evidence that answers the Writing Prompt, “What are the most impactful anecdotes and examples that the author uses to build an argument about what teenagers should be doing to maximize their brain growth?” The Student Guide includes a task where students complete an argument builder identifying their claim, text evidence, and reasoning in response to the prompt.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1l.

The materials provide explicit instruction on grammar and usage standards, and opportunities for students to demonstrate the application of grammar skills in context are available. The materials include a Language and Styles Best Practices Toolkit, which is presented as a resource “for teachers and students to improve audience outcomes on writing rubrics.” This toolkit provides key definitions, generic examples, and a strategy for that particular skill, including capitalization and spelling, punctuation, end punctuation, subjects and predicates, subject-verb agreement, tense, commas, varied sentence structures, redundancy, clarification, modifiers, parallelism, formal and objective style, active and passive language, and style. The materials also include direct, explicit instruction that scaffolds instruction of grammar and usage standards, especially for how students apply the skills in larger writing contexts. The Direct Instruction slideshows include 26 grammar topics. Students practice grade-level grammar standard lessons through a mix of online lessons and corresponding tasks in the Student Guide. Teachers facilitate learning by helping students move to the next online module, moving students into pairs or small groups, having students read or share aloud, having students reflect on takeaways at the close of the module, and monitoring learning progress. Illuminating Key Concepts sections in the Teacher Guides provide additional teacher guidance on teaching specific grammar and usage skills throughout the lessons. The lessons are connected to reading a text and answering questions in the Write to Impress, Build Vocabulary, Citing Evidence, Understanding Author’s Craft, or Sharpen Your Sentences tasks. These opportunities to practice grammar skills give a brief explanation of the standard with examples, general instructions that tell students to experiment with the skill and apply it to writing, and a chart to complete with single-sentence responses to prompts. While there is evidence of focused work for spelling, it is not present throughout the modules. Using quotations and correct citations is addressed by reminding students to review an online MLA Style Manual. In essay writing, grading rubrics state students should follow standard conventions, and teachers are to use the Language and Style Guide for instruction of specific skills during Module 7, Your Portfolio. 

Materials include explicit instruction of the grade-level grammar and usage standards. Materials include authentic opportunities for students to demonstrate application of skills in context, including applying grammar and convention skills to writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students have opportunities to ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

  • In Unit 1, Module 2, students read “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan. They engage in a Write to Impress lesson from the Student Guide. In this lesson, they write sentences responding to the Writing Prompt, “What specific kinds of imagery does the author use to communicate the tension that the narrator feels about her cultural identity?” Students review an example of a sentence written with subjective pronouns, and they use that model to write one sentence with an objective pronoun and a sentence with a possessive pronoun. In the Teacher Guide, “Illuminating Key Concepts in  Language and Grammar - Pronouns”, the teacher is directed, “For further support in discussing pronouns, see the Direct Instruction Lesson, which covers the purpose and functions of pronouns.” This lesson includes a slide show defining pronouns, examples of sentences with subject and object pronouns, possessive pronouns, intensive pronouns, relative pronouns, using antecedents, and avoiding inappropriate shifts in pronoun person. A five-question quiz follows. The teacher is directed to review these concepts after completing the Direct Instruction Lesson. There is a Skills Practice activity available, which consists of an interactive slide show with definitions of different types of pronouns and 15 embedded questions for the students to demonstrate understanding.   

• Students have opportunities to use intensive pronouns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Module 4, students read “Ice” by Graham Salisbury. Students engage in a Write to Impress lesson from the Student Guide. In this lesson, they write sentences that use intensive pronouns to emphasize something or indicate a surprise. Students create a sentence using myself as an intensive pronoun. They repeat the process using himself, herself, or itself as an intensive pronoun. Then, they write a final sentence using ourselves, yourselves, or themselves as an intensive pronoun. In the Teacher Guide, “Illuminating Key Concepts in Language and Grammar - Pronouns”, the definition of intensive pronouns is provided. The teacher is directed to “review the Write to Impress activity. Before students begin, share your own example and ask students to think about how the intensive pronoun adds to the meaning of the sentence.” There is a Skills Practice activity available, which consists of an interactive slide show with definitions of different types of pronouns and 15 embedded questions for the students to demonstrate understanding.

• Students have opportunities to recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 7, Module 1, students read “The Twin Heroes” by Alphonso O. Stafford and engage in a Write to Impress lesson from the Student Guide. In this lesson, students read and focus on how the short story demonstrates the appropriate shifts in pronouns. For this assignment, students correct inappropriate shifts in pronouns by rewriting incorrect examples with correct pronoun usage. In the Teacher Guide, “Illuminating Key Concepts in  Language and Grammar - Pronouns, the teacher is prompted, “Begin by asking students to recall and share common pronouns (him, her, they, we, you, etc.) Tell students about the importance of consistent pronoun usage in writing. Readers can get confused when a writer changes or uses pronouns inconsistently.” They read the instructions for the activity together, then students are to complete it independently to fix the pronoun errors.

• Students have opportunities to recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 5, Module 6, students write a cause-and-effect essay responding to the prompt, “Analyze Mrs. Stevenson’s behavior throughout the play. How do her character’s mannerisms and actions affect the final outcome of the play?” The Student Guide includes an activity, Make it Flow, where students revise by searching their essay for “pronouns such as that, this, these, those, it.” Students’  instructions state: “Determine whether using the pronoun is better than repeating the noun or noun phrase to which it refers.” There is no direct instruction for pronouns here, However, later, in the Teacher Guide during the Edit the Draft Together  lesson, materials instruct the teacher: “Use the Pronouns slide linked in the Language and Style Toolkit.” The slide includes rules for using pronouns and examples of intensive pronouns, pronoun shifts, vague pronouns, and proper pronoun cases. 

  • In Unit 7, Module 7, students draft a literary analysis to answer the Writing Prompt, “Using the myths and the traditional tales in the unit, compare the themes of at least two of the stories to explain how they convey values and human behavior.” After writing the initial draft, students participate in editing and revising sentences that might need transitions. In Use Transition Sentences, students are instructed to “Search your essay for pronouns such as that, this, these, those.” They ensure the references are clear and decide whether the pronoun is more powerful than repeating the noun. They determine “which approach would make the sentence clearer.” No additional direct instruction for pronouns was found in this lesson.

• Students have opportunities to recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Module 3, students read “The Boy in the Back of the Class” by Ronald L. Smith. They engage in a Write to Impress lesson in the Student Guide. This lesson focuses on how the author uses standard English variations to draw the readers into the text. Students correct the author’s sentences to change the author’s variations so that they are correct. For example, students are given the sentence, “Me and Jason slayed the new video game” and they must change it to “Jason and I beat the new video game.” In the Teacher Guide, Illuminating Key Concepts in  Language and Grammar - Variations of Standard English, guidance for the teacher is included to teach the concept. The teacher is directed, “For further support in discussing pronouns, see the Direct Instruction Lesson, which covers Correcting Variations from standard English.” This lesson includes a slide show defining standard English, variations to the English language, double negatives, slang,  abbreviations, and figurative language. A five-question quiz follows. The teacher is directed to “review the instructions of the activity with students, pointing out that they will both identify variations and revise them using more formal language appropriate for school. Review the example together and have students complete the rest of the activity individually.”

• Students have opportunities to use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 5, Module 1, students read “Sorry, Wrong Number: Part I” by Lucille Fletcher. In this module, students engage in a Write to Impress lesson from the Student Guide. In this lesson, students learn the reasons that the author uses dashes, commas, and parentheses throughout the play. They use the examples to create their own sentences using commas, dashes, and parentheses in response to the Writing Prompt, “Consider the historical, social, and economic aspects of the play. What are the most important ways in which these elements of the setting affect Mrs. Stevenson’s character?” In the Teacher Guide, Illuminating Key Concepts in Language and Grammar, the teacher is provided with guidance which includes referencing the Direct Instruction slideshow lessons: “Prior to having students complete this activity, review with them the functions of dashes, commas, and parentheses. Dashes, commas, and parentheses can be used to separate non-restrictive clauses (clauses that are non-essential to the sentence) and other additional but nonessential information from the surrounding text. Dashes and commas can also be used to indicate pauses or breaks. Dashes can also indicate omissions in a text.”

• Students have opportunities to spell correctly. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Module 7, students write an argumentative essay to answer the Writing Prompt, “Based on your readings, what single change to your learning environment or school’s design would have the greatest positive impact on student success?” To earn points for audience appeal on the final rubric, the students must ensure their writing adheres to the conventions of standard English grammar, including spelling. In the Edit the Draft Together from the Student Guide, students “collaborate with a peer or peers to read each other’s drafts.” The directions state that they must use the rubric to evaluate each other’s work. No additional instructions were found here

  • In Unit 3, Module 1, students read “Names/Nombres” by Julia Alvarez. Students engage in a Write to Impress lesson from the Student Guide. In this lesson, students focus on spelling correctly. They learn three spelling rules, including the -i comes after the -e in most English words; homophones sound the same, but their meanings and spellings are different; and when adding the -sing endings to a word that ends in y, replace the -y with -i. The instructions provide example sentences for each rule, and then students write sentences from the text that apply the spelling rules. In the Teacher Guide, Illuminating Key Concepts in Language and Grammar, the teacher is provided with guidance which includes referencing the Direct Instruction slideshow lesson on spelling. This lesson includes a rationale for proper spelling and rules such as doubling up rule, common spelling mistakes, when to drop silent e,  i after e rule, I before e except after c rule, and commonly confused words. This slideshow lesson is followed by a five-question quiz.    

• Students have opportunities to vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Module 1, students read “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros. They engage in a Sharpen Your Sentences lesson from the Student Guide. In this lesson, students practice expanding their sentences by adding but, because, or so to expand their sentences. Students use the sentence starter, “In the story, the narrator describes her inner frustration with her teacher,” and then expand it using but, because, or so.  In the Teacher Guide, Illuminating Key Concepts in Language and Grammar - Using Conjunctions, the teacher is provided with guidance for teaching the concept. Guidance includes example sentences that show how different conjunctions add meaning to the sentences.

  • In Unit 2, Module 1, students read “Starting Schools Later Leads To Less Tardiness, Fewer ‘Zombies’” by Alison Pearce Stevens. In the Student Guide, Write to Impress activity, students complete a graphic organizer. Throughout the text, the author uses a variety of sentence patterns to engage the reader. The instructions provide examples of simple sentences, a compound sentence, a complex sentence, and a compound-complex sentence from the text. Students write a compound, complex, and compound-complex sentence to answer the Writing Prompt, “Does the author provide convincing evidence to persuade the audience that school start times need to change?” In the Teacher Guide, Illuminating Key Concepts in Language and Grammar - Vary your Sentence patterns, teachers are provided with guidance which includes walking students through the Direct Instruction slideshow lesson, Sentence Structures: “Explain how the four sentences are different structurally and, therefore, serve different purposes. Next, students should work in pairs or individually to respond to the writing prompt, ‘Does the author provide convincing evidence to persuade the audience that school start times need to change?’”

  • In Unit 5, Module 1, students read “Sorry, Wrong Number: Part I” by Lucille Fletcher. Students use the Student Guide’s Sharpen Your Sentences lesson in this module. In this lesson, students learn how to use language to structure sentences that indicate a cause and an effect. They are provided with the situation and use the sentence starter to decide how to complete the sentence. There are three different ways that the assignment has the students write the cause-and-effect sentences. In the Teacher Guide, Illuminating Key Concepts in Language and Grammar: Cause and Effect Sentences, the teacher is provided guidance to explain cause and effect to students. They are provided with definitions and examples. The teacher is directed to model for students how to convert the first sentence stem in their student guide activity to a full cause-and-effect sentence. In the end, they are to compare the different versions of the sentence and vote on which the students find the most impactful.

• Students have opportunities to maintain consistency in style and tone. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Module 4, students read “Down with Class Participation Grades” by Melissa Pandika. In this module, students engage in a Write to Impress lesson from the Student Guide. In this lesson, students learn how to maintain consistent sentences for style and tone. Students explore the text to find examples of the author’s informal style. Then, they use the examples in the assignment to find words demonstrating the causal, spontaneous, and conversational style that makes her argument more meaningful for her intended audience. In the Teacher Guide, Illuminating Key Concepts in Language and Grammar - Style and Tone, the teacher is provided with guidance for instruction. This includes walking students through the Direction Instruction slideshow lesson, Revising for Style and Word Choice, which covers the importance of revising style, word choice, and tone to support audience engagement. Slides are followed by a five-question quiz. An extension activity is provided where students rewrite their sentences either in a more formal tone or in a “texting tone.” 

  • In Unit 4, Module 8, students write a research paper to answer their own research questions. To earn points for audience appeal on the final rubric, the students must ensure their writing “maintains a formal style.” In the Edit the Draft Together, students “collaborate with a peer or peers to read each other’s drafts.” The directions state that they must use the rubric to evaluate each other’s work. In the Teacher Guide, there is a reference to the Language and Style Toolkit - Grade 6. The teacher is directed to the student-facing slide on redundancy. This slide includes examples of redundancy and a strategy: “Review your sentences to identify and eliminate unnecessary words, phrases, or ideas that repeat information already stated within the same paragraph. By reducing wordiness and eliminating redundancy, you enhance clarity and maintain reader engagement.” Further instruction for the teacher is to have the students use highlighters to mark repeated words and phrases used throughout their essays. They are to add those to a two-column chart and then work as a group to come up with alternative words. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 1m. 

The materials include a way for students to interact with and build text-specific vocabulary in the texts. The materials include a scope and sequence with the vocabulary tasks for each unit. Vocabulary facilitates students’ understanding of what they are reading. In each module, in the Student Guide, the Build Your Vocabulary activities provide one to four words that appear in the text for students to work with. While reading the text online, vocabulary words are blue so that students can click on them for a definition. Vocabulary support is also built into the online lessons through a glossary of terms. Some vocabulary words were repeated within a unit or across a unit. The year-long vocabulary plan is included in the Unit Planning Tools document for explicitly teaching vocabulary strategies and debriefing vocabulary words. The Build Your Vocabulary activities are listed as essential, and the materials also include online direct instruction, student guide tasks, and some additional offline resources. The Unit Planning Tool includes teacher guidance to support vocabulary instruction, including explicit vocabulary instruction strategies that differentiate between academic vocabulary terms and CERCA words, and a vocabulary presentation resource that provides the vocabulary terms and definitions organized by unit.  

Materials provide teacher guidance outlining a cohesive year-long vocabulary development component. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each Unit Planning Tools document provides a Vocabulary Instruction Guidance document for each unit. This document includes definitions of Key Academic Terms, CERCA words, and Focus Words (words from the reading selections). Throughout the program, the following 17 word learning strategies with guidance are provided for teachers: Morphology, Word Relationships, Prefixes, Synonyms, Frayer Model, Context Clues, Map a Word, Antonyms, Shades of Meaning, Compare and Contrast, Word Analysis, Concept Map, Word Study, Roots Words, Word Web, Analogy Chart, and Etymology of Words. Each Unit focuses on two to four of these strategies. For Unit 1, four explicit Vocabulary Strategy Instructions are presented with key strategies: “Morphology - how to look for familiar word parts, Word Relationships - finding common ideas or relationships with groups of words, Prefixes - breaking words apart and using prefixes to make sense of them, [and] Synonyms - finding similarities among groups of words.” There is a link to additional guidance, including establishing vocabulary notebooks and routines. An additional link to twenty-two Vocabulary Best Practice lessons. 

• Unit Planning Tools include a Key Vocabulary document for each unit. This document includes a link to a slideshow of Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Resources. The slideshow includes how to set up a Vocabulary Notebook, and slides on all of the vocabulary routines provided in the materials. This document includes key academic terms and CERCA words for the unit, as well as a slide show of the Focus words and their definitions for each module. ThinkCERCA defines these different types of vocabulary words as follows and provides the following high-level teacher guidance for each type: 

  • “Key Academic Terms include high-value vocabulary introduced in class and reviewed in the unit’s Direct Instruction. After leading students through the presentation, provide instruction to support understanding of the key concepts and skills they represent and have students record new terms. (See unit Direct Instruction for resources.)

  • CERCA Words found in the Build Your Vocabulary sections of the student guide deepen key conceptual understandings and enable the expression of reasoning. (The word may not appear in the text, but it captures a key concept for interpreting the text.) Use the Explicit Vocabulary Instruction in the Teacher’s Guide to provide students with explicit support for vocabulary skill development prior to facilitating the collaborative learning experience.

  • Focus Words are a subset of words from reading selections. They enrich grade level readings and often appear in assessments. (After teaching the Focus Words using the slide show and modeling the vocabulary strategies, use Best Practices Facilitation Resources in the Teacher’s Guide to help students develop strategies for vocabulary using engaging tasks.)”

• Throughout the Teacher Guides, general Vocabulary Explicit Strategy Instruction Guidance is provided. For example, in Unit 1, Module 1, Teacher Guide, for the Build Your Vocabulary Activity, teachers have the following guidance: “Explicit Vocabulary Strategy Instruction—Word Parts: Use the Vocabulary Presentation Resources to introduce the Vocabulary Notebooks Routine and the routine of Building Your Vocabulary. Ask: “what other words can you think of that beginning with ‘con’ or ‘mis.’ Discuss the possible meaning of the word part that connects the words we have generated. These are word parts that have meaning. Students may generate words such as ‘with’ and ‘wrong’ to describe the connection. We call them morphemes. Morphology is the study of word parts. Have students record the terms Morphemes and Morphology and the definitions in their Vocabulary Notebook.”

• The Student Guide provides one Build Your Vocabulary worksheet per module, including Map a Word, Word Analysis, Word Web, and Analogy Chart. The worksheets often include two to three vocabulary terms. In Map a Word, students write the word and definition, part of speech, root word or origin, picture of the word, synonym, antonym, and sentence using the word. In Word Analysis, students write the word, give an example, a definition or explanation, and respond to “makes me think of/connotation. In Word Web, students name words or phrases that are synonyms or closely related to the center word. In the Analogy Chart, students list a familiar concept, the new concept (word), similarities, differences, relationship categories, and what they now understand about the new concept. Other Student Guide activities that may include vocabulary practice include Raise Your Score and Write to Impress, where students practice using context clues to determine word meaning. A glossary of vocabulary terms is included with each text, and those terms are highlighted within the text so that students may click on them to see the definitions. Some general guidance is found in the Unit Planning Tools Document.

• In Unit 3, Module 2, students read “Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push” by Walter Dean Meyers. Key Vocabulary Words are: curtailed, disappointment, dribbling, inspire, predicament, paralyzed, and supportive. Before students read the text, they complete the Build Your Vocabulary lesson from the Student Guide.Build Your Vocabulary teacher guidance states: “Shades of Meaning: Introduce the terms disappointment, inspire, supportive and provide student-friendly definitions. Include the part of speech. Illustrate the word with examples and ask students to consider other related words, such as sadness, motivate, and comforting. Then, have them discuss the shades of meaning that convey slightly different experiences, emotions, or tone. For example, disappointment might make one feel sadness, but it distinctly means that someone had an expectation that was not met.” In the Teacher Will section, teacher guidance states:

  • “Introduce the Build Your Vocabulary task and review the example provided.

  • Organize students into small groups and assign them one or more words per group. 

  • Assist each group in sharing their findings with the entire class.” 

• In Unit 5, Module 1, students read “Sorry, Wrong Number: Part I” by Lucille Fletcher. Key Vocabulary Words are: apprehend, bland, civic, efficient, explicitly, faintly, fiends, frantically, illuminating, imperious, manually, neurotic, operators, overcome, peripheral, retrace, suspense, unnerved, unobtrusively, and wearily. Before students read the text, they complete the Build Your Vocabulary lesson from the Student Guide. Build Your Vocabulary teacher guidance states: “Context Clues: Use the Explicit Vocabulary Strategy Instruction resources to introduce or review context clues. Use the terms in the task and provide student-friendly definitions. Illustrate the word with examples and ask students to generate their own examples. Model the process by sharing an example, such as switchboards. Since we later hear a description of what operators do at the switchboard, we might be able to guess that this is some sort of board that allows operators to connect wires in different ways. Have students develop additional examples of how these three relatively familiar words might mean slightly different things in different contexts. Then, have students write a sentence using a new word that shows two different contexts in which the word might have slightly different meanings.” In the Teacher Will section, teacher guidance states,

  • “Introduce the Build Your Vocabulary task and review the example provided.

  • Organize students into small groups and assign them one or more words per group. 

  • Assist each group in sharing their findings with the entire class.”

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

• In Unit 1, Module 7, students learn 12 vocabulary words for Your Portfolio: Writing Your Personal Narrative in Grades 6, 7, and 8. The words include cohesive, concrete, eliminate, enhance, enthralling, envision, mechanics, omniscient, simultaneously, speech patterns, vital, and weave.

• In Unit 2, Module 1, students read “Starting Schools Later Leads To Less Tardiness, Fewer ‘Zombies’” by Alison Pearce Stevens. Before reading, students access an online list of 22 words that appear in the text. In this module, students familiarize themselves with the word “function (noun): the ways in which a person works or operates.” In Unit 6, Module 1, students read “Build Your Brain” by R. Douglas Fields. They view the list of 24 vocabulary words. Here, students are introduced to the word  “functions (noun): ways in which something works, which has a slightly different meaning.” Seeing this word again provides the background knowledge to make the word memorable.

• In Unit 4, Module 3, students read “Students Keep Hundreds of Pounds of Food Waste from Entering Landfills” by Bridget O’Shea. Before reading, students produce a Quick Journal response in the Student Guide based on the prompt, “How can we reduce food waste on a large scale?” The instructions state, “Think about ways that individuals try to reduce waste. To cut down on food waste, some people may try composting and recycling. Now, brainstorm some ideas for how to reduce waste on a larger community or nationwide level. Then, answer the question: How can we reduce food waste on a large scale?” Students can use their background and knowledge from the Quick Journal to complete the next activity, Build Your Vocabulary in the Student Guide. This Concept Map focuses on students’ use of the terms compost, implement, and initiatives. Once students begin to read the text, they are more familiar with composting, which appears thirteen times in the reading.

• In Unit 5, Module 1, students read “Sorry, Wrong Number: Part I” by Lucille Fletcher. Before reading, students access an online list of vocabulary words that appear in the text. In this module, students familiarize themselves with the word “adaption (noun): something, such as a film, that is based on an existing work, such as a play.” In Unit 6, Module 1, students read “Build Your Brain” by R. Douglas Fields. They view the list of vocabulary words. While the word “adaptable (adj.): able to change to suit the environment” has a different part of speech and a slightly different meaning, seeing the word again provides the background knowledge to make the word memorable. 

Attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and to high-value academic words (e.g., words that might appear in other contexts/content areas). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Module 1, students read “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros. Before the students read, they complete the Build Your Vocabulary activity from the Student Guide. In the Map a Word activity, students analyze the words conflict, misunderstanding, and frustration as a way to better understand, discuss, and write about the text. Students define the words and provide the part of speech, the word origins, the structure of the word, a synonym, and an antonym. Then, students write a sentence using the word correctly in context.

• In Unit 3, Module 3, students read “The Medicine Bag” by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve. Before students begin reading, they connect with the content of the text by responding to the Quick Journal prompt in their Student Guide. The students answer the question, “What is the value of sharing a cultural heritage?” After replying to the Quick Journal, students share their responses with one another, building a robust background to complete the Build Your Vocabulary activity from the Student Guide. Students complete the Map, a Word graphic organizer for the vocabulary words cultural, heritage, and cherish. For each word, students must provide the word and definition, the part of speech, the root word or origin, a picture, a synonym, an antonym, and a sentence using the word. Since students use the words several times, their familiarity with it increases even before reading the text.

• In Unit 7, Module 3, students read “The Fisherman and His Wife” by the Brothers Grimm. They complete a Write to Impress activity from the Student Guide to Build Academic Vocabulary. Students read the following passage from the story: “So the fisherman went. But when he came to the shore, the wind was raging, and the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves. At this sight, the fisherman was dreadfully frightened, and he trembled so that his knees knocked together.” The Instructions state, “Using context and a definitive source, determine the meaning of the words from the passage below. Then, create sentences explaining your context clues and the definitive source you used.”