6th Grade - Gateway 3

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3a. 

The materials for each unit include a Unit At-a-Glance, a Teacher Guide, and Unit Planning Tools. The Unit At-a-Glance document is also included in the first pages of the Teacher Guide. It includes a unit snapshot, rationale, and breakdown of the skills that will be addressed in the unit. The essential question is presented, along with the timings of each section of the unit. A Unit Assessment Blueprint is found here as well as a document on the progression of scaffolds for independent learning. The Teacher Guides include instructions for implementing the program. Lesson summaries and objectives are found for each module. Teacher tips, support for students with exceptional needs, support for multilingual/English Language Learners, as well as gifted and talented enrichment opportunities are found. Unit Planning Tools include a Comprehensive Scope and Sequence and Planning Guidance document, Vocabulary Instruction Guidance, Key Vocabulary, Resources for Volume Reading, Resources for Students, and a Family Letter in English and Spanish.

Materials provide comprehensive guidance that will assist teachers in presenting the student and ancillary materials. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Frontmatter Overview of Program document provides an overview of the program and highlights implementation, scaffolding, grouping students, distribution of writing, implementing the program without 1:1 device access, and time routines.

• Each Unit At-a-Glance includes the essential question, unit snapshot, rationale, list of student skills and standards addressed, timing for modules/sessions, lists of anchor texts and suggested longer works and independent reading opportunities, unit planning tools, writing prompts, and assessment blueprints.

• Unit Planning Tools document includes a comprehensive scope and sequence, vocabulary instruction guidance, key vocabulary terms, resources for volume reading, resources for students, family letters in English and Spanish, and state standard crosswalks.

• Each Teacher Guide includes lesson summaries, learning objectives, suggested timing for each part of the lesson, module planning tool, direct instruction guidance with teacher tips and “teacher will”/”student will” statements, scripting for some direction instruction, think-alouds, support for students with exceptional needs and multilingual and EL learners, links to toolkits, answer keys for Student Guide worksheets, and feedback focus.

Materials include sufficient and useful annotations and suggestions that are presented within the context of the specific learning objectives. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Module 1, Share your Reflections activity, the teacher presents four comprehension questions about the text “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros. These questions are labeled with DOK. In the Teacher Guide, guidance is presented in a “Speaking and Listening Toolkit - Using Evidence to Build on Others’ Ideas.” The guidance states, “As students engage in the ‘Pause and Reflect’ activity, explain that recording questions from the text before sharing their reflections with their audience helps them explore the text they are reading together, rather than simply sharing their point of view about the topic without deeper engagement with the text. Emphasize that the point of the experience is to build knowledge together, speak respectfully, and listen attentively. Demonstrate how they will improve their contributions by grounding their reflections in the text by modeling your thinking about a specific piece of text.” Further guidance is listed in the “Teacher will” section: 

  • “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 Unit 1, Module 1, Sharpen Your Sentences activity, students are to expand sentences using but, because, or so. Directions in the Teacher Guide tell the teacher to “explain that students will practice expanding sentences using the conjugations but, because, and so.” Guidance in the form of Illuminating Key Concepts in Language and Grammar - Using Conjunctions says, “This activity asks students to expand three sentences by using the conjunctions, but, because, and so. Begin by going over the conjunctions, which are words used to connect clauses, and how they function in expanding sentences. Then, model with example sentences: I love English class, but it requires a lot of homework. I love English class because my teacher is awesome. I love English class, so I usually have good grades in that class. Explain how but introduces a conflicting idea because introduces the cause of the preceding statement and so introduces the effect of the preceding idea. Explain how this activity asks students to elaborate on this element of the text by expanding on this particular statement by using these three conjunctions. Students then complete the three prompts. Upon completing this work, have at least three students share their favorite completed sentences and discuss how the conjunctions connect and expand ideas.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3b. 

The materials include a Resources section that consists of Curriculum Resources, a Help Center, an On-Demand Video Library, and the ThinkCERCA Blog. The Curriculum Resources Tab directs to best practices documents on a variety of topics in writing, reading comprehension, close reading, vocabulary, background knowledge and culture, community, and collaboration. Each of the documents includes suggested time for the activity/strategy, rationale/research base, before, during, and after instructions, and suggested scaffolds and supports. These pages include some grade-level specific Toolkits in writing, speaking and listening, language and grammar, and vocabulary that the teacher or students can use. Materials also include suggested independent reading titles. The Help Center includes product support, an Admin Toolkit, and a Teacher Toolkit. The Teacher Toolkit includes guidance documents for Getting Started, Implementing ThinkCERCA, and Providing Feedback. Each Unit Teacher Guide includes a section titled “Core Unit Progression,” which provides teachers with how the unit fits in the progression of previous and future units within and across grade levels. 

Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of more complex grade/course-level concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Front Matter Focus: Reading document outlines the rationale for the unit components, including anchor texts, close reading and writing tasks, and scaffolding. It also provides information about text complexity in the program.

• The Best Practices Document: Establishing Vocabulary Notebooks and Routines is found in the Curriculum Resources Tab for 6th grade. It includes a rationale, a list of student tasks, instructions for before, during, and after the lesson, and scaffolds and supports.

• The Best Practices Document: The Teacher Research Toolkit includes guidelines for informal and formal research. It includes a rationale/research base, optimal application notes for before, during, and after lessons, and suggested scope and sequence. The toolkit also includes graphic organizers that can be used by both teachers and students. 

• The Curriculum Resources tab includes a document titled “Implementing Independent Reading,” which provides suggested routines, a rationale, and instructions for integrating volume reading and independent reading pacing.

• In the Help Center, Teacher Toolkit, Implementing ThinkCERCA, there is a document titled “Implementing a Writing Lesson with Engagement Strategies.” It outlines the steps of the writing lesson and links to detailed instructions for strategies at each step.

• The Teacher Guide for each unit includes summaries of what students learn throughout the unit in the different literacy strands (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Grammar, and Research). Teachers can use these notes to deepen their knowledge of what students are learning in the course. 

• While the materials include toolkits that teachers and students can use across different parts of literacy, they are the same for each grade level. The following toolkits are available and are the same across grades 6-12: Research, Speaking and Listening, Revision Strategies, and Language and Style Toolkits. 

Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each Unit Teacher Guide includes a section titled “Core Unit Progression.” This section provides teachers with explanations of how the unit fits in the progression of previous and future units within and across grade levels. These explanations are tailored to Reading and Writing skills, separately. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3c. 

The materials provide standard correlation resources at the grade level, Unit, Module, and lesson level. The Unit At-a-Glance and Module-at-a-Glance materials provide teachers with the standards correlated to classroom instruction. There is additional information about the alignment of the CCSS for the writing and assessments of each Unit and Module. Additionally, there is a Grade 6 Planning Tool, Pacing Calculator and Assessment Blueprint Document, and a Scope and Sequence by Strand document that provides a comprehensive view of the CCSS alignment. The Teacher Guide does not include the CCSS, but the teacher has access to the Unit At-a Glance, the Unit Planning Tools, and the Scope and Sequence documents. 

Correlation information is present for the ELA standards addressed throughout the grade level/series. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Unit Planning Tools document, there is a Grade 6 Planning Tool, Pacing Calculator and Assessment Blueprint Document that outlines the CCSS by Unit and Module. There is a comprehensive breakdown for the entire program and a more in-depth breakdown for each Unit. Additionally, there is a Scope and Sequence by Strand document that provides a comprehensive view of Curriculum and Instruction, Practice and Feedback, Assessments, and CCSS for vocabulary, writing, research, reading, speaking and listening, and grammar. 

• In each Unit At-a-Glance document, the CCSS are listed in a grid formation at the top of the document. For Unit 3, the CCSS are listed for Reading and Multimedia Literacy Skills ((RL.6.3; RL.6.2; RI.6.7; RL.6.4), Writing skills (W.6.1; W.6.1c; W.6.1b), Vocabulary/Language Skills (L.6.6; L.6.4a; L.6.4b; L.6.5a; L.6.5b), Speaking and Listening (SL.6.1; RL.6.1), Executive Function skills(W.6.8; W.6.9), and Foundational Reading and Linguistic Skills (RF.2, RF.3). Underneath each category is a bulleted list of a description of the task-related to the standard such as for Reading and Multimedia Literacy skills:

  • “Determine themes in literature

  • Learn how authors develop characters in fiction.

  • Analyze story elements in literature

  • Understand how authors develop points of view in literature

  • Analyze and compare poetry elements”

• The Unit At-a-Glance documents list the Unit Writing Prompts with the corresponding CCSS.

• The Unit Assessment Blueprint lists each assessment for the unit with the primary CCSS and the CCSS item standards in each Unit At-a-Glance document.

• In each Module At-a-Glance, there is a breakdown of the module, which includes the corresponding CCSS for each part of the lesson.

Explanations of the role of the specific grade-level/course-level ELA standards are present in the context of the series. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Unit At-a-Glance documents, the CCSS are listed in a grid formation at the top of the document. Then, each document is coded for each module that matches the grid that connects each module task to the CCSS listed in the grid. For example, in Unit 3, Module 2, ”Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push” by Walter Dean Myers, the online direct instruction, Developing Characters in Fiction, has a blue circle with the letter R next to it, indicating that it connects to the standards listed in the section for  Reading and Multimedia Literacy Skills ((RL.6.3; RL.6.2; RI.6.7; RL.6.4).

• The Teacher Guides contain multiple areas to guide teachers to the learning that is correlated to CCSS, including, but not limited to, Lesson Objectives, Purpose, Teacher Will, and Feedback Focus. The Teacher Guide does not list the CCSS, but the CCSS language is included. The CCSS can be located in each Unit At-a Glance, the Unit Planning Tools, and the Scope and Sequence documents.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3e. 

Materials provide explanations of the instructional approaches and identification of the research-based strategies. On the publisher’s website, a How it Works section outlines the components of the program. This page includes video demonstrations on topics such as using the program within your daily routine, giving students choice and voice, and using station-based rotations. An overview of the program document is included with the core curriculum at each grade level. In the resources section, core resources by grade are found that offer additional guidance for implementing various routines in the program, including writing, reading comprehension, close reading, vocabulary, culture and community, and background knowledge. In addition, there are Overview of Our Research Base documents for each component of the program (Reading, Writing, Grammar, Speaking & Listening, Research, Assessment & Reporting, MLLs, and Gifted & Talented) are included in the resource materials.

Materials explain the instructional approaches of the program.

• The How it Works section provides a high-level overview of the program, outlining six steps to the program:

  • “Step 1: Teacher assigns differentiated lessons to students

  • Step 2: Students read an engaging, authentic text

  • Step 3: Students leverage CERCA to develop their essays

  • Step 4: Peer-to-peer discussion and debate infused along the way

  • Step 5: Teacher provides actionable feedback for growth

  • Step 6: District and school leaders monitor progress”

• The Overview of the Program document provides a more detailed look at the program’s instructional approach. It outlines topics such as implementation strategies, scaffolding for diverse learners, distribution of writing, time for speaking, listening, and writing, working the program without 1:1 device access, and maximizing student engagement with routines. 

• The Core Resources for grade 6 include best practices documents for a variety of literacy strategies, including (but not limited to)

  • Compare Writing

  • Choral Reading

  • Paired Reading and Review

  • Choral/Dramatic Reading

  • Partner Restatement

  • Frayer Model

  • Root Word Challenge

  • Socratic Discussion

  • Quick Journal

Materials include and reference research-based strategies.

• For each strand, an Overview of Our Research Base document is provided, as well as documents for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Grammar, and Vocabulary.

  • Reading: This document includes a research base for unit components, anchor texts, scaffolded close reading, and writing-related tasks. It also discusses reading across genres, the purpose of anchor texts and reading across genres activities, integrated literacy, text complexity, and AI-enabled scaffolding access to grade-level texts. 

  • Writing: This document includes the program’s approach to writing instruction, time for speaking, listening, and writing, and distribution of writing.

  • Speaking and Listening: This document includes an overview of research for the program components, formal speaking and listening, and routines, 

  • Grammar: This section includes an overview of research on explicit and integrated grammar instruction, grammar instruction in context, and conventions routines. 

  • Vocabulary: This document This section includes an overview of research on explicit and integrated vocabulary instruction, establishing routines, selecting vocabulary, best practices, repetition and integration, vocabulary instruction and in-context vocabulary routines, and vocabulary acquisition.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3f. 

Materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities. Students mainly need access to the online program and a paper or electronic copy of the Student Guide to successfully access the program components. The Unit At-a-Glance Document and Teacher Guides outline which online direct instruction and additional offline resources are used in each module. These are clearly labeled to show when students need access to a computer and when they are working offline.

Materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each Unit At-a-Glance document lists the online direct instruction lessons for each module as well as additional offline resources. These are all tagged with a color-coded circle to indicate the strand, reading, writing, vocabulary, speaking and listening or executive function, as well as a star for essential tasks. 

• The Teacher Guide includes a one-page graphic for each module that includes a map of the module with images of the Student Guide pages. Like in the Unit At-a-Glance document, these are all tagged with a color-coded circle to indicate the strand, reading, writing, vocabulary, speaking and listening, or executive function, as well as a star for essential tasks. Additional graphics to indicate whether the activity is teacher-led, individual, paired, small group, online or offline.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3i. 

The materials include reading, writing, and vocabulary assessments at the end of each Module. The Unit At-a-Glance includes a Unit Assessment Blueprint that provides the primary and item standards. Additionally, each unit consists of a Unit Reading Assessment and Reflection that serves as a summative and formative assessment. The Module At-a-Glance document for each Reading Assessment module provides the primary and item standards for this assessment. 

Materials consistently identify the standards and practices assessed for formal assessments. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Unit At-a-Glance document includes a Unit Assessment Blueprint that provides primary standards for each assessment for each Module in that Unit. The Selection Reading Assessment also lists item standards. 

• In Unit 2, Module 2, “Should Kids Get Homework?,” the Selection Reading Assessment lists CCSS.RI.6.1 as the primary standard and CCSS.RI.6.2, CCSS.RI.6.1.CCSS.RI.6.8, CCSS.RL.6.3, and CCSS.RL.6.4 as item standards. The Selection Vocabulary Quiz lists CCSS.L.6.4 as the primary standard. The Formative Writing Assessment: Evidence-Based Writing— Argumentative lists CCSS.W.6.1 as the primary standard. 

• At the end of each Unit, there is a Unit Reading Assessment and Reflection that serves as a formative and summative assessment opportunity. The primary and item standards are listed in the Unit At-a-Glance and Module At-a-Glance documents for this assessment. 

• In Unit 2, Module 8, the Unit Reading Assessment and Reflection lists the primary standards as CCSS.RI.6.5, CCSS.W.6.10, and CCSS.RI.6.10. In the Unit At-a-Glance, the primary standards are listed as CCSS.RI.6.8, CCSS.RI.6.2, and CCSS.RI.6.1. The item standards are CCSS.RI.6.1, CCSS.RI.6.2, CCSS.RI.6.4, and CCSS.RI.6.8. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3j. 

The materials provide multiple opportunities to assess students’ learning through varied methods of formal and informal assessments. There is a system that provides data reporting for teachers, administration, and districts to review student achievement and growth. In the daily lessons, teachers are provided with a Feedback Focus section that provides some language and/or look-fors for the lesson’s specific tasks. Throughout teacher guides, there is some guidance for teachers to use when students do not show mastery. Writing Portfolio pieces are accompanied by rubrics, and teachers may use the Feedback Guidance located in the program’s Resources to provide students with individualized feedback based on the genre of the assignment. The program includes a direct instruction and skills lesson library that teachers can use to supplement student writing instruction based on this feedback. 

Assessment system provides multiple opportunities to determine students’ learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The ThinkCERCA Front Matter resources provide an overview document on the assessment focus for the program. The Overview presents how the assessments are a blend of self-assessment and automated assessments that assess students’ reading, writing, vocabulary, and language skills. Formative assessments are available to “...inform instruction, unit assessments, culminating tasks, quarterly college placement practice opportunities, and benchmark assessments create summative assessments to gauge student progress toward outcomes and overall achievement.” Unit assessments provide teachers with data for skill transfer of reading and a culminating writing assessment. Additionally, benchmark and college placement practices provide opportunities to assess state assessments. 

• Assessments are available in multiple formats, and teachers have multiple options to assess students’ progress, including pre- and post-assessments for foundational skills, lesson assessments, benchmark writing assessments, informal writing and speaking assessments, unit reading assessments, culminating tasks, and personal reflection. 

• ThinkCERCA provides a data dashboard that teachers, administration, and district staff can use to “...understand how students are performing across a grade level or across a department…”

• Each unit includes an assessment at the end of each module that includes a Selection Reading Assessment, a Selection Vocabulary Quiz, and a Formative Writing Assessment. At the end of every unit is a Unit Reading Assessment and Reflection that serves as a unit assessment aligned with standards. This assessment serves as a formative and summative assessment. There is a beginning, middle, and end-of-year Benchmark assessment scheduled in Units 1, 4, and 7, respectively.  

• Throughout each module, teachers have opportunities to check for student understanding that is embedded in the lessons that are a combination of anecdotal, written, or speaking assessments. 

• Writing Portfolio pieces are accompanied by rubrics, and teachers may use the Feedback Guidance located in the program’s Resources to provide students with individualized feedback based on the genre of the assignment and the writing skill. 

Assessment system provides multiple opportunities to determine students’ learning and suggestions to teachers for following-up with students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Reports Portfolio slide deck, ThinkCERCA provides examples of data reports available including Operational Reports, Instructional Reports, and Benchmark Reports. While all reports provide a level of student performance data and student growth data, none of the reports provide any direct paths to reteaching or supporting students. Rather, general advice is given, such as “Use the class summary to review course-specific data”  and “Use this data to see students’ performance categories and future growth focus.” Teachers can, however, use student data to group students by reteaching, if desired. 

• Throughout the Teacher Guides are Feedback Focus sections that guide the teacher on what to look for in each task. For example, in Unit 6, Module 2,  students are completing questions about the author’s choices. The teacher Feedback Focus section states, “Circulate to spot-check student work and make note of challenging prompts for students to review as a class.” There is no further guidance provided. 

• The program includes a direct instruction and skills lesson library that teachers can use to supplement student writing instruction based on feedback to their Portfolio Writing pieces. Teacher Guides provide the following guidance: “Search by standard in the Skills Library for personalized lessons to reteach as needed.”

• Throughout the teacher guides, some assignments include “Respond and Reteach” guidance. This guidance prompts the teacher with scaffolds for students who are still struggling with certain tasks or concepts. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3k. 

The materials provide multiple opportunities for student assessments through multiple-choice questions and/or written responses. Throughout the program, the materials provide formative and summative assessments that align with the standards for each grade level. 

Assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level/course-level standards and shifts across the series. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The materials provide Unit assessments aligned to the standards, including, but not limited to, Selection Reading Assessments, Selection Vocabulary Quizzes, Formative Writing Practice, Formative Reading Assessments, Unit Speaking and Listening Assessments, Research Assessments, Culminating Task: Writing Portfolio Assessments, and Unit Reading Assessments. The specific assessments and correlating standards are provided in the Unit-at-a-Glance documentation. These assessments build over the unit from practice to the culminating writing task and the unit reading assessment at the end of each unit. 

• Baseline Writing Assessments/Benchmark Assessments are provided. Students are assigned a grade-level reading passage. After reading, they answer eight multiple-choice questions. Then, they write an essay that includes text evidence from the reading passage. This assessment is given at the beginning, middle, and end of the year to personalize and track student progress throughout the year. ThinkCERCA reporting tools provide a Benchmark Summary, Benchmark Rubric Category, and Benchmark Item Analysis report. 

• A Reading Leveling Assessment is provided to measure student reading levels. Students are automatically assigned a short reading passage at, below, and above grade level. Each passage has eight multiple-choice questions to complete. Teachers may adjust the reading passage level as needed. The Leveling Assessment report provides teachers with a Student Report by Lessons report. This report posts Background Knowledge and Applied Knowledge scores. The time suggested for this assessment is 40-60 minutes. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3m. 

The materials regularly provide strategies and support for students in special populations to work with grade-level content and to meet or exceed grade-level standards that will support their regular and active participation in learning English Language Arts and literacy. Teachers can consult guidance in lesson support resources such as the Unit At-a-Glance, Unit Scaffolds Plan for Striving Readers, and Teacher Guide. For each unit, a Diverse Learner Guide is provided, which mirrors the Student Guide but includes additional prompts, graphic organizers, sentence frames, and models for diverse learners.

Materials regularly provide strategies, supports, and resources for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in grade-level literacy work. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Unit Scaffolds Plan for Striving Readers document outlines lesson supports for struggling readers. It includes the research base and curriculum design for the program, platform, unit, and lesson scaffolds. Lesson scaffolds are described and include background knowledge, key academic vocabulary, pre-reading, during-reading, after-reading, decoding, and fluency strategies.

• The Unit At-a-Glance documents reference online differentiated supports on several of the pages. The documents state, “Online differentiated supports enable access to grade-level texts for English Language Learners, Diverse Learners, and students who may benefit from additional support.” In the Unit Overview section, there is a paragraph titled “Support for Students with Diverse Learning Needs” that says, “As needed, students with diverse learning needs may benefit from pre-teaching lessons that are paired with anchor texts. Additional support for students with Diverse Learning Needs can be found in the Guide for Students with Diverse Learning Needs. These modifications can also be used with multilingual learners as they continue the acquisition of English.”

• Each Unit At-a-Glance document also includes an “Excellence and Opportunity for All" section that references engaging culturally diverse learners. It includes guidance on making personal connections to the materials through Quick Journals, Explore Key Concepts, Connect Steps, and Share your Personal Connection part of each lesson.

• The Teacher Guides include guidance for the teacher in the margin with suggested strategies for supporting students with exceptional needs, struggling readers, and/or gifted and talented enrichment opportunities.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3n. 

The materials provide extensions to engage with literacy content and concepts at greater depth for students who read, write, speak, and/or listen above grade level. A Unit Scaffolds Plan for Gifted and Talented document provides general suggestions and guidelines for challenging gifted students. In the Teacher Guide, modules include at least one instance per lesson with guidance for teachers labeled “Gifted and Talented Enrichment Opportunity.”

Materials provide multiple opportunities for advanced students to investigate the grade-level content at a higher level of complexity. Materials are free of instances of advanced students doing more assignments than their classmates. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Unit Scaffolds Plan for Gifted and Talented document is a one-page guide that includes the approach and “why” for scaffolding lessons for this group of students. It states this about the core program, “Throughout each unit, students will experience problem-solving challenges, independent research studies, collaboration opportunities, and critical thinking exercises.” Then, it lists five ways to increase rigor: 

  • “Encourage metacognition - Prompt students to showcase their cognitive thought processes by annotating using metacognitive markers, engaging in a post-reading metacognitive reflection, or participating in partner think-aloud activities.

  • Productive struggle—By challenging students with advanced tasks, although still in their Zone of Proximal Development, teachers can inspire perseverance and stamina while also allowing students to think more flexibly rather than correctly.

  • Convergent and divergent thinking includes using open-ended questions and responses, giving students an opportunity to explore new thinking,

  • Depth of understanding - rather than memorization or rote learning

  • Leverage the heavy lifting– Remember that sometimes less is more. Instead of adding more support, consider removing scaffolds to promote independence.”

• In the Teacher Guides, modules provide guidance for teachers labeled “Gifted and Talented Enrichment Opportunity.” For example, in Unit 1, Module 1, Check lesson, the guide states, “Advanced Evaluation: Have students who finish early and completely take a closer look at the simile: ‘But when the sick feeling goes away, and I open my eyes, the red sweater’s still sitting there like a big red mountain.’ Challenge students to defend the author’s choice of figurative language with textual evidence or suggest an alternative simile to enhance the author’s expression of emotions. This can be done independently or as a Paired Argument Building Activity.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 3q. 

The materials provide teachers and students with scaffolds and tools to support students' participation in the regular lesson despite language barriers. Teachers are provided with general tips for the specific vocabulary that may need translations, as well as reminders to use the online tools and the Diverse Learning Guide for scaffolds. There is an additional English Language Learners Guide that teachers can use to provide multilingual learners with scaffolds depending on their English language proficiency level. The online platform has a wide variety of language choices for written translation and read-aloud features. 

Materials consistently provide strategies and supports for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to meet or exceed grade-level standards through regular and active participation in grade-level literacy work. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each Teacher Guide provides guidance in the margin notes for Support for English Language Learners, which provides teachers with specific words to consider for translation. The margins also indicate additional suggestions, including, but not limited to, when to provide tools such as a bilingual dictionary, translation, or digital tools. These tips can be found for most of the specific sections of the module or unit. 

• The ThinkCERCA materials include a document on their “Approach to Supporting Multilingual English Language Learners” that provides an overview of possible scaffolds aligned to WIDA supports, including, but not limited to, graphic organizers, distinct task chunking, and modified rubrics. There is also a Unit Scaffold Plan for Striving Readers that lists platform, unit, and lesson scaffolds. 

• Student materials can be translated into many different languages in writing or read aloud. Languages include, but are not limited to, three forms of Spanish, Thai, Urdu, and Zulu. 

• The Teacher Guide provides general tips for translating specific vocabulary and reminders to use the online tools and the Diverse Learning Guide as scaffolds. 

• There is an English Language Learner Guide provided for each unit, which links to different guides for each module. This guide differentiates activities for students depending on their English Language proficiency level. Activities are differentiated for beginning proficiency, intermediate proficiency, and advanced proficiency.