Kindergarten - Gateway 1

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

The materials include high-quality anchor texts that are worthy of careful reading. The texts consider a range of student interests, contain rich language, and engage students. The materials include texts that are culturally diverse, with multi-dimensional characters. The images and illustrations extend the meaning of the text and support academic vocabulary. 

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, Week 1, students listen to “The Lion and the Mouse.” This well-known fable by Aesop utilizes repetition of sounds and includes a variety of images and color, which should engage Kindergarten students. This story received the Randolph Caldecott Medal in 2010.

• In Unit 2, Week 3, students listen to the narrative nonfiction text I Love Bugs by Emma Dodd, which was nominated for the 2011 Kate Greenaway Medal. This text, filled with rhyming couplets, describes how bugs move, sound, and what they look like. 

• In Unit 6, Week 3, students listen to Waiting Out the Storm by JoAnn Early Macken. The lyrical call and response text includes a purpose that is relatable to students. This engaging text is high-quality, and students who might be afraid during storms should be able to relate to the main character.

• In Unit 8, Week 1, students listen to When Daddy’s Truck Picks Me Up by Jana Novotny Hunter. This realistic fiction text is told from the point of view of a little boy. The rhymes throughout the story make the text fun and easy to follow. The text is worthy of careful reading as the story includes speech balloons, which may be an unfamiliar text structure for many students. 

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

The materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards. Materials include a variety of literary genres, including fables, fantasies, folktales, dramas, and several narrative poems. Overall there are 40 literary texts and 41 informational texts, reflecting the 50/50 split required by the standards. The genres and text types are varied and include a mix of informational and literary texts. 

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

• Students listen to several fantasy texts, such as Rain by Manya Stojic in Unit 6, Week 2, and Hen Hears Gossip by Megan McDonald in Unit 9, Week 2. 

• Students listen to several poems, including “I Love Bugs” by Emma Dodd in Unit 2, Week 3, and “Mischievous Goat” by Charley Hoce in Unit 7, Week 1. 

• Students listen to several realistic fiction stories, such as “I Hug Gus” (author not cited) in Unit 7, Week 2, and When Daddy’s Truck Picks Me Up by Jana Novorthy Hunter in Unit 8, Week 1. 

• Students listen to several folktales, including “Timimoto” (a tale from Japan) in Unit 2, Week 1 and “The King of the Winds” (author not cited) in Unit 8, Week 1.

• Students listen to several dramas, including “Mom’s Helpers” (author not cited) in Unit 9, Week 1 and “Nature’s Artists” (author not cited) in Unit 9, Week 3. 

• Students listen to several informational science texts, including “Bugs All Around” (author not cited) in Unit 2, Week 3, and “Growing Plants”(author not cited) in Unit 5, Week 1. 

• Students listen to several informational social studies texts, including “Field Trips” (author not cited) in Unit 3, Week 3 and “See Our Country”(author not cited) in Unit 8, Week 2. 

Materials reflect a 50/50 balance of informational and literary texts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the materials, there are 81 texts. There are 40 literary texts, which make up 49% of all texts in the program, and 41 informational texts, which make up 51% of all texts.  

• In Unit 1, there are 15 texts, with 53% being literary and 47% being informational.

• In Unit 2, there are 15 texts, with 40% being literary and 60% being informational.

• In Unit 3, there are 15 texts, with 53% being literary and 47% being informational. 

• In Unit 4, there are 12 texts, with 42% being literary and 58% being informational.

• In Unit 5, there are 12 texts, with 42% being literary and 58% being informational. 

• In Unit 6, there are 12 texts, with 67% being literary and 33% being informational. 

• In Unit 7, there are 12 texts, with 50% being literary and 50% being informational.

• In Unit 8, there are 12 texts, with 42% being literary and 58% being informational.

• In Unit 9, there are 12 texts, with 58% being literary and 42% being informational.

• In Unit 10, there are 12 texts, with 42% being literary and 58% being informational. 

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria of Indicator 1d.

Throughout the year, the complexity of the texts increases, which supports students’ literacy growth over time. At the beginning of the year, the quantitative measures range from 130L–750L, and by the end of the year, the range increases to 270L–830L. The majority of the qualitative features of texts remain steady throughout the entire program. At the beginning of the year, 13 of the 15 texts are slightly complex, and the remaining two are moderately complex. At the end of the year, 10 of the 12 texts are slightly complex, and the remaining two are moderately complex. While the complexity of the associated tasks ranges from slightly complex to moderately complex throughout the year, students are expected to show increased independence as the year progresses. The Teacher Edition provides suggestions for teacher prompts and appropriate scaffolds to build background knowledge and facilitate depth of knowledge.

The complexity of anchor texts students read provides opportunity for students’ literacy skills to increase across the year, encompassing an entire year’s worth of growth. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, the quantitative range of texts is from 130L–750L, and the qualitative features range from slightly complex (13 texts) to moderately complex (two texts). The text, “The Lion and the Mouse,” a retold fable by Aesop, which students listen to in Unit 1, Week 1, has a Lexile of 540L, but the associated task is low as students respond to the non-text dependent question, “What do you like to do with your friends?” In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 1, after listening to the text Pouch! by David Ezra Stein, students complete the Close Reading Routine, which is the same throughout the year. Students use the retelling cards to retell the story, discuss the story, then act out their favorite part of the story. 

• In Unit 3, the quantitative and qualitative features of the texts are roughly the same as in the previous unit, with the quantitative range between 60L–840L and qualitative features ranging from slightly complex (13 texts) to moderately complex (two texts). For example, students listen to the text “Field Trips” (author not cited) in Unit 3, Week 3, which has an appropriate Lexile for a read-aloud (840L). Students continue to receive scaffolded guided questions about specific details in the story to support overall comprehension. In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 1, after listening to How do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague, students complete the same Close Reading Routine from Unit 1. Students begin using the Retelling Cards to retell the text, discuss it, and retell their favorite part by acting it out. 

• In Unit 5, students engage with texts with quantitative measures that range from 110L– 840L and qualitative features that are slightly complex (six texts) to exceedingly complex (one text). For example, in Unit 5, Week 1, students listen to My Garden by Nicholas Spencer, which is considered exceedingly complex and has a Lexile of 570. After retelling and discussing the text, students draw and write about a plant they have seen in a garden. 

• In Unit 7, the quantitative range of the texts remains the same, with Lexiles ranging from 110L–790L. Most of the texts in this unit are slightly complex (10 texts), and two are moderately complex. Students listen to the text “Baby Farm Animals”(author not cited) in Unit 7, Week 1, and the associated task is complex as students compare this text with ZooBorns! by Andrew Bleiman. They answer questions like, “How are the baby animals in the selections alike? How are they different?”

• In Unit 9, the quantitative features remain around 170L–810L and the majority of texts are slightly complex (10 texts), with two being moderately complex. Associated tasks continue to have students reflect on two different texts. For example, in Unit 9, Week 1, students listen to “Helping Out at Home” (author not cited) with a Lexile of 790L and Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats. Students discuss how both texts tell about ways to help out. 

As texts become more complex, appropriate scaffolds and/or materials are provided in Teacher Edition (i.e., spending more time on texts, more questions, repeated readings). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In the Teacher’s Manual, boxes are included throughout the units to help teachers make complex texts accessible to students. The Access Complex Text boxes include scaffolded instruction for seven elements that may make a text complex. 

• In the Teacher’s Manual, the materials indicate to the teacher when to use the Scaffolded Shared Read routine, though the routine remains the same throughout the year. 

• The Close Reading Routine remains the same throughout the year to help students access complex texts, though students are expected to show more independence as the year progresses. The routine begins with reading the text, identifying important ideas and details, and retelling. Then students reread and discuss craft and structure. Lastly, students make text-to-text connections and engage in a Show Your Knowledge task.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations of Indicator 1e.

The materials provide opportunities for students to engage in a variety of texts, including a range of topics and diverse cultures and opinions. Units are organized around three text sets. Set 1 covers weeks one and two, Set 2 covers weeks three and four,and Set 3 is completed in week five. Each two-week cycle is focused on a genre studywith an essential question. During small group instruction, students completeindependent work, including self-selected reading tasks. Resources in the Teacher Tools section provide recommendations for allotting additional time for daily independent reading, an independent reading log, sample lesson plans, and a parent letter. Teacher resources provide instruction to help students develop skills tmonitor learning and check progress. Throughout each week, students read and listen to big books, anchor texts, decodables, leveled readers, and shared reading. Students engage with literary and informational texts, including poetry, fables, drama, science texts, and social studies texts. The program includes a clear routine for independent reading with accountability. 

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students listen to an Interactive Read Aloud of “The Lion and the Mouse,” which is an Aesop fable. In Week 2, students read several books about how baby animals move. In this unit, students also read and listen to another fable, as well as several literary and informational texts. 

• In Unit 3, students listen to a variety of texts, including narrative poetry, realistic fiction, fables, fantasy, folktales, and informational texts. For example, in Week 2, the anchor text is Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep! Listen to the City by Robert Burleigh, which is realistic fiction. Students also listen to fables and informational texts in this unit. 

• In Unit 6, Week 1, students listen to and read the Anchor Text, When Daddy’s Truck Picks Me Up by Jana Novothy Hunter, a realistic fiction text. During the unit, students also listen to Mama, is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure, Waiting Out the Storm by JoAnnEarly Macken, which is also realistic fiction, and several texts in small groups such as “Is it Hot?,” “A Tour of the Seasons,” “New Snow,” and “Covers” (authors not cited).

• In Unit 8, students listen to a variety of texts, including realistic fiction, folktales, fantasy, and informational texts. For example, in Week 3, the anchor text is Bringing Down the Moon by Jonathan Emmett, which is a fantasy text. 

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

• In Unit 1, there are 15 lessons, and students listen to six texts. During the three-week unit, students listen to and read an interactive read-aloud and anchor text each week. The unit has additional optional texts including read-alouds, as well as other texts that students and/or teachers could explore by the same authors and illustrators of the texts in the unit.

• In Unit 2, there are 15 texts across three weeks. The texts presented include shared reading, anchor texts, paired texts, and interactive read-alouds.  The unit has additional optional texts including read-alouds, as well as other texts that students and/or teachers could explore by the same authors and illustrators of the texts in the unit.

• In Unit 5, there are 15 lessons, and students listen to six texts, including an anchor text and an interactive read-aloud each week. There are additional texts that the teacher could use for read-aloud or for the students to explore that align to the essential question or are by the same author and illustrator. 

• In Unit 9, there are 12 texts across three weeks, including shared reads, anchor and paired texts, and interactive read-alouds. The unit has additional optional texts including read-alouds, as well as other texts that students and/or teachers could explore by the same authors and illustrators of the texts in the unit.

There is sufficient teacher guidance to foster independence for all readers.(eg. proposed schedule, racking system for independent reading, independent reading procedures are included in the lessons.) Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Instructional Routines Handbook includes routines for independent reading and recommends 10–15 minutes a day for students in Kindergarten. It suggests that independent reading be a part of the center rotation. The Handbook also prompts teachers to teach the routine so students can choose books and read independently while the teacher works with small groups. 

• The Independent Reading Routine, found in the Instructional Routines Handbook, includes selecting a book that is interesting, reading the book during independent reading time, recording what they read on the provided reading log at the end of each session, sharing opinions of the text with a friend or writing a review when finished with a book, and beginning again. 

• The Instructional Routines Handbook includes a list of resources to support independent reading. These include independent reading selections in the Literature Anthology, TIME for Kids online digital articles, leveled readers, and classroom library trade books with online lessons and activities for each text. 

• The Instructional Routines Handbook includes a procedure for conferencing around independent reading. The procedure is not specific but gives information such as, “Make a positive observation about the student’s reading or book choice” and “Regularly conferring with students about their independent reading is a great way to informally assess their progress, model social-emotional learning skills, build your classroom culture, and instill habits of learning.”

• Independent reading guidance is also found in the Differentiated Instruction section of the units. The guidelines are relatively similar across each unit and level. For example, the guidance includes helping students pick an appropriate text and having them read for a specific amount of time.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria of Indicator 1f.

Students have many opportunities throughout each unit to answer text-specific and text-dependent questions and complete text-specific tasks. Students are asked text-specific questions during read-alouds to support comprehension and are asked to discuss texts with a partner. In addition, students retell the majority of texts once they are finished reading them. Other text-specific tasks include written responses, small group and partner discussions, and the completion of graphic organizers. Materials also begin to teach students to provide textual evidence to support their responses. 

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 3, students listen to the fable originally by Aesop, “The Lion and the Mouse.” After reading, students discuss with a partner what the lion learned. 

• In Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 1, students listen to The Handiest Things in the World by Andrew Clements. The teacher asks text-specific questions while reading, such as, “What things in the picture help to stop the sunlight from going in the boys’ eyes?” and “What tools is the girl using to make it?” 

• In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 1, students listen to the book, Please Take Me for a Walk by Susan Gal. While reading, the teacher frequently pauses to ask text-specific questions such as, “How does the dog look when the little boy starts crying? Why?,” “What different settings do you see on this page?”, and “How is the dog feeling?” Then students retell the story. 

• In Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 1, students listen to Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job by Stephen R. Swimburne. While reading with the students and learning about the topic and details, the teacher asks text-specific questions such as, “What do you see in the photo on page 17? What clues in the photo help tell what a firefighter uses to do his job? What do you see on the post office worker’s uniform?” At the end of the lesson, students write about an important fact they learned and draw and write about a worker who wears special clothes. 

• In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 3, students listen to “The Pine Tree” (author not cited). After reading, students discuss with a partner important details about how the cut-down trees changed and how the pine tree changed. 

• In Unit 6, Week 1, Lesson 1, students listen to Mama, Is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure. While reading, the teacher asks text-specific questions such as, “Which character is talking on the page? How is the boy helping his mother? How do you know?” and “What happened after the ducklings followed the mother duck?” During the Response to the Text Routine, students are guided to retell the story. Then students write about the story in their Reading/Writing Companion. 

• In Unit 7, Week 1, Lesson 2, students read “A Pup and a Cub” (author not cited). After reading, students discuss what they learned about the pup and the cub. 

• In Unit 8, Week 1, Lesson 1, students listen to When Daddy’s Truck Picks Me Up by Jana Novothy Hunter. While reading, the teacher asks text-dependent questions such as, “Who is the main character?” and “What is the setting?” At the end of the lesson, students write about what they learned about traveling in a truck. 

• In Unit 9, Week 1, Lesson 3, students reread the text “A Good Time for Luke.” While reading, students are asked questions such as, “How are Luke’s friends working together?”, “What can Luke take home?”, and “What are the children doing on page 26?” 

• In Unit 10, Week 1, Lesson 1, students listen to What’s the Big Idea, Molly? by Valeri Gorbachev. While reading, the teacher asks questions such as, “What is the problem that the animals want to solve? How are the characters acting like real people?” and “What is Goose doing when he gets his idea?” At the end of the lesson, students write about the important events of the story, recording the page number in the text evidence book. 

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

• The materials include Reader Response templates. For example, in Unit 1, the Reader Response asks students to identify if they like or dislike the text. Then students “draw and label an interesting part of the story, play, poem or rhyme.” 

• During shared reading, there are tasks and questions in the margins to guide teachers in supporting students comprehend the text. For example, in Unit 3, Week 3, Lessons 1–2, students look at the illustrations on pages 14–16 of the book  Please Take Me for a Walk by Susan Gal. Students talk about why the character wants to say hello and how the illustrator shows this. Then they draw what the illustrator shows. 

• Sentence frames are provided to help students answer text-dependent questions. For example, in Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 2, after students reread Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job by Stephen R. Swinburne, the students are provided with a sentence frame in the Reading/Writing Companion to answer questions. 

• The Instructional Routines Handbook includes a Finding Text Evidence Routine. First, the teacher explains the routine and what text evidence means. Then the teacher models locating text evidence. The teacher then engages in guided practice with the students before they work independently or in small groups to identify and cite text evidence.

• The Instructional Routines Handbook includes a Response to the Text Routine to help students answer rigorous questions about the text. The routine includes reading the question and talking about it with a partner before going back into the selection of the text, rereading, and finding evidence to support thoughts and ideas. Students then use a graphic organizer to record their responses.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria of Indicator 1g.

There are several protocols to support students in their speaking and listening. The Instructional Routines Handbook includes a detailed section on Collaborative Conversations, a broad protocol for speaking and listening, including what it looks like, why teachers should do it, the research to support it, and the criteria for success. Throughout the program, students engage in various Collaborative Conversations such as “Turn and Talk,” “Ask and Answer Questions,” and “Be Open to All Ideas.” There is support provided with modeling and a video for students to see how to engage in conversations about texts. The program also includes brief and practical reminders about being an active listener. Students are also provided with support by orally retelling stories throughout the entire program. 

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:

• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, there is a protocol called Collaborative Conversations, which are “rich, structured conversations around grade-level topics and texts.” Collaborative Conversations occur at the beginning of the week when the essential question is introduced, every time students engage in the Close Reading Routine, during guided and independent practice, when students respond to texts they are reading, and when students write about text.

• One of the specific Collaborative Conversations routines is a “Turn and Talk.” This begins with the teacher modeling. For example, in Unit 8, Week 3, the teacher first models how to agree or disagree before students discuss what they learned in the book with a partner. 

• Students engage in “Ask and Answer Questions” during Collaborative Conversations. For this protocol, children engage in partner, small group, and whole group discussions and are encouraged to ask questions to clarify ideas they do not understand, ask for help getting information, and answer questions with complete ideas. 

• Another protocol in Collaborative Conversations is the “Be Open to All Ideas” protocol, where children engage in partner and group work, working on understanding that all ideas, questions, and comments are important. Students are taught to ask a question if anything is unclear, respect their classmates’ ideas and opinions, and give their own opinion, even if it differs from others. 

• “Provide Details” is another Collaborative Conversation protocol where students give details to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly and use details to describe people, places, things, and events. 

• Students orally retell texts that they heard throughout the year. The retelling routine includes introducing students to the concept of retelling by displaying the interactive retelling cards; using the retell questions to guide students to recall basic events and contents of the text; using words like beginning, middle, and end; and asking higher-level questions that prompt students to summarize story concepts. The teacher uses retelling cards to support students in this skill. 

• The Oral Language Sentence Frames help students with discussions. There are frames for expressing information and ideas, asking and answering questions, offering opinions, evaluating language choices, and engaging in dialogue. For example, to engage in dialogue, students use the sentence frame, “I think/don’t think _____. What do you think?” 

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

• The Collaborative Conversation Routine begins with the teacher introducing the topic they will discuss and reviewing any relevant guidelines to support student participation. Then the teacher gives specific information on what students should be doing, such as how much time they have to discuss, who they are talking with (i.e., partner, small group, whole group), and what the teacher expects them to do as a result of the conversation (i.e., take notes, write a reflection, share with the larger group). After, the teacher monitors student conversations, providing corrective feedback if necessary. To close out the conversation and routine, the teacher highlights positive behaviors and contributions. 

• There is a Collaborative Conversations logo in the Teacher’s Edition each time a Collaborative Conversation is recommended. There is instructional support on the “Talk About it” page at the start of each genre study or week and on the Peer Conferencing pages.

• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, there is a section that explains what successful Collaborative Conversations look like including “able to make statements and ask questions related to the focus.” 

• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, there are additional strategies for teaching Collaborative Conversations, including role-playing a collaborative conversation to model the routine. There are also sentence starters such as “I’m wondering” and “Can you point to text evidence that shows?” 

• There is a Collaborative Conversations Video to help with the facilitation. The handbook suggests that the teacher stop at certain points to ask students what they notice the students in the video doing and to discuss how the teacher helps the group review the rules. At the end of the video, the teacher asks the students again what they notice the children doing and what they could be doing better. 

• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, there is an anchor chart for the teacher to display on “How to Have a Collaborative Conversation.”

• The Instructional Routines Handbook provides information on how to give students corrective feedback if they are not on track during Collaborative Conversations. The teachers are expected to “point out what students are doing right, redirect discussions that may have gotten off track by suggesting statements or questions that refocus the discussion, encourage students to build on one another’s exchanges.” 

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria of Indicator 1h.

Throughout the program, students have opportunities to practice their speaking and listening skills with various texts. Through the Collaborative Conversations routine, there are agreed-upon rules for discussions and presentations, as well as opportunities for students to engage in conversations with peers. Throughout the year, the teacher asks questions about read-alouds and texts that students begin to read independently. 

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:

• Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 9, Week 2, Lesson 4, the teacher reviews the rules for taking turns. These include “Take turns talking. Speak clearly and loudly enough so that others can hear. Ask others to share their ideas and opinions.”

  • The Instructional Routines Handbook outlines expectations for listening to a presentation. This includes listening actively, thinking about the presentation, and sharing feedback with the presenter. 

  • The Instructional Routines Handbook outlines expectations for Collaborative Conversations. A video shows students how to participate and engage in a group discussion.  

  • The Share and Evaluate rubric provided in the Reading/Writing Companion helps students evaluate their own speaking and listening, such as, “I spoke in a loud, clear voice” and “I asked questions.” 

• Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 3, Week 2, Lesson 2, while listening to the Shared Reading text “Nat and Tip” (author not cited), students draw a picture about the text or the art. 

  • In Unit 8, Week 4, students draw a picture that shows how they celebrate a holiday. They follow up with a partner and share their drawing. 

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:

• Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 1, students turn and talk to discuss the Literature Big Book, Pouch! by David Ezra Stein, with a partner. Students use the phrase “Can you tell me more?” to elicit more information and have multiple exchanges. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 1, students are reminded how to engage in a Collaborative Conversation, including asking questions if something is unclear or if there is a word they do not understand. 

  • In Unit 7, Week 3, Lesson 1, students practice a turn and talk. The teacher models using the sentence frame, “What do you mean?” to get students to elaborate and continue their conversation. 

• Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 1, students listen to the Literature Big Book Sense at the Seashore by Shelley Rotner. The teacher asks questions such as, “What facts do we learn about clouds on page 20? What is the topic of this book? Which sense do these pages teach us about?” and “What are the five senses that we learned about in the book?” 

• Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 9, Week 1, Lesson 2, students engage in the Shared Read of “Jake and Dale Help!” (author not cited), and in the Reading/Writing Companion, it says, “Ask questions you may have as you read. Read to find the answers” and “Ask questions you have after reading. Then retell the story.” 

• Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 1, students listen to the big book, An Orange in January by Dianna Hutts Aston, and are asked questions about the story, such as, “What has happened to the orange so far? What detail of the orange’s journey do these pages tell about?” and “What happens to the orange in the end?”

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria of Indicator 1i.

Materials contain opportunities for students to engage in grade-appropriate writing that includes both on-demand and process writing. On-demand writing occurs throughout the year in the Reading/Writing Companion after each text. In addition, each unit has small process-writing tasks that last two days in response to the Shared Writing prompts. For editing, there are specific focuses in mind, which vary by lesson. However, there are minimal opportunities for digital resources. The majority of the time, the materials suggest that students use digital resources to publish, but specific resources and guidance are not provided.

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, Week 3, Lesson 2, students engage in interactive writing after listening to Senses at the Seashore by Shelley Rotner. The prompt asks, “What senses are children using?” Sentence frames are provided for students. 

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 2, students write about the book How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jake Tolen & Mark Teague. Students write a new page to the story about how the dinosaur acts in school. 

• In Unit 6, Week 1, Lesson 2, students engage in interactive writing after listening to Mama, Is It Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure. The prompt asks, “Do you think the author did a good job of showing that summer is coming? Why or why not?” Two sentence frames are provided for students, and they choose one to complete in their writer’s notebook.

• In Unit 10, Week 1, Lesson 2, students engage in interactive writing after listening to What’s the Big Idea Molly? by Valeri Gorbachev. The prompt asks, “What do you think is a good gift to give Turtle for his birthday?”  Two sentence frames are provided for students, and they complete them in their writer’s notebook.

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 1, Week 3, Lesson 4, students write about the Shared Reading text, “Sam Can See” (author not cited). The materials ask, “Why did the bird fly into the tree?” Students create a draft and then engage in peer review. Students share one thing they like about each other’s writing and then provide additional ideas they think the other student could include. 

• In Unit 4, Week 1, students “Write a selection called ‘A Nurse’s Office’ using ‘Tom on Top!’ as a model.” Students review their writing with partners in Lesson 4, sharing what they most like about the writing, questions they have for the author, and additional ideas the author could include. Students revise their work and edit, checking to make sure a capital letter is used at the beginning of each sentence and that the sentences tell a complete thought.

• In Unit 6, Week 1, students answer the prompt “Does the author do a good job of showing what spring is like? Why or why not” after reading “Is It Hot?” (author not cited). Students review their writing with partners in Lesson 4, sharing what they most like about the writing, questions they have for the author, and additional ideas the author could include. Students then revise their work and edit, checking to make sure a capital letter is used at the beginning of each sentence and that the sentences tell a complete thought.

• In Unit 10, Week 1, students answer the prompt “What kind of party would you like to go to?” after reading “A Good Time for Luke!” (author not cited). Students review their writing with partners in Lesson 4, sharing what they most like about the writing, questions they have for the author, and additional ideas the author could include. Students revise their work and edit, checking their spelling and punctuation before writing the final draft in their writer’s notebook.

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

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 4, students write a final draft, and the materials suggest that students use various digital tools to publish their work. 

• In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 5, students write a journal or a storyboard. The teacher is encouraged to have students explore a variety of digital tools to produce or publish their work. 

• In Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 4, students write a final draft, and the materials suggest that students use various digital tools to publish their work. No additional guidance is provided. 

• In Unit 7, Week 3, Lesson 4, students can publish their writing using digital tools. 

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria of Indicator 1j.

Students have the opportunity to engage in opinion writing, informative writing, and narrative writing. Students receive direct instruction in the three modes of writing in Units 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, but they have the opportunity to practice and apply what they have learned throughout all ten units. In the even-numbered units, teachers are provided with many mini-lessons to choose from to provide direct instruction based on the class needs. In total, students write 35 process writing pieces across the year.

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. For example: 

• Percentage or number of opportunities for opinion writing: 

  • 23% of the process writing opportunities are opinion writing. Opinion writing occurs in Units 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 10. 

• Percentage or number of opportunities for informative/explanatory writing:

  • 63% of the process writing opportunities are informative writing. Informative writing takes place in all ten units. 

• Percentage or number of opportunities for narrative writing:

  • 14% of the process writing opportunities are narrative. Narrative writing takes place in Units 3–7. 

• Explicit instruction in opinion writing:

  • The Unit 10 materials include several mini-lessons to explicitly teach opinion writing, including lessons on choosing a book for a book review, using opinion words, using supporting reasons to support the opinion, and using descriptive words. 

• Explicit instruction in informative/explanatory writing:

  • The Unit 2 materials include several mini-lessons to explicitly teach informative writing, including focusing on one topic, how to include facts on a topic, ways to include supporting details, and how to eliminate irrelevant facts and details.

• Explicit instruction in narrative writing: 

  • The Unit 6 materials include several mini-lessons to teach narrative writing explicitly, including lessons focusing on one idea, how to include realistic characters, settings, and events, and how to write a sequence of events. 

Different genres/modes/types of writing are distributed throughout the school year. For example: 

• Students have opportunities to engage in opinion writing, but only at the end of the year. 

  • Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces that tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...).

    • In Unit 10, students write an opinion piece over the course of the week. Students choose a book to review. Their writing includes the title and one reason they like it.  

• Students have opportunities to engage in informative/explanatory writing. For example: 

  • Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

  • In Unit 2, students engage in the writing process to write a nonfiction text over one week. Students can choose what topic they want to write about. 

• Students have opportunities to engage in narrative writing. For example: 

  • Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

  • In Unit 8, students spend a week writing a fantasy story. They include characters, settings, and important events. 

Where appropriate, writing opportunities are connected to texts and/or text sets (either as prompts, models, anchors, or supports). For example: 

• In Unit 2, students write a nonfiction text. The teacher uses the text “Bugs All Around” (author not cited) to gather information for the writing task. 

• In Unit 8, students use the literature Big Book, Bringing Down the Moon by Jonathan Emmett as an expert model to analyze. 

• In Unit 10, students use the online book review of What’s the Big Idea, Molly? By Valleri Gorbachev as an anchor text to analyze.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria of Indicator 1k.

Throughout the program, students have the opportunity to learn and apply evidence-based writing. Students have the opportunity to watch the teacher model thinking about and collecting evidence prior to doing it independently. Students have the opportunity to do this both in graphic organizers as well as the opportunity to write paragraphs about texts they listen to and read. During direct instruction, the teacher often tells students where to find the evidence and asks guiding questions to help students use evidence effectively in their responses. 

Materials provide frequent 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 1, Week 3, Lesson 3, after reading “Sam Can See” (author not cited), students write a response to the prompt, “Why did the bird fly into the tree?” The teacher instructs students to look at page 136 to find evidence for the writing. 

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 3, after reading “Pat” (author not cited), students respond to the prompt “Why do you think Pat tapped the plant?” Students turn and talk with a partner, and then the teacher prompts students to find text evidence. The teacher states, “We need to find text evidence, or clues, in the text and illustrations to help us answer the prompt. The text evidence will tell us the reasons why Pat tapped the plant.” Then students complete the sentence frames in the Reading/Writing Companion.

• In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 2, students write about the big book, My Garden by Nicholas Spencer. First, the teacher helps the students analyze the prompt. Then the teacher asks students to discuss what the girl is doing in the text. Students begin to write about what the girl is doing in the garden by engaging in a “Share the Pen” where the teacher models writing, taking ideas from the students. Students write their own responses, and sentence frames are provided. 

• In Unit 6, Week 1, Lesson 3, after reading “Is It Hot?” (author not cited), students answer the question, “Does the author do a good job of showing what winter is like?” The teacher discusses the prompts with the students and then guides them to look into the text to find evidence. The teacher tells students to go to pages 16 and 17 and asks guiding questions like “What do the photos show?” and “What does the text say?” Then students use the text evidence to draw and write their responses. 

Writing opportunities are focused around students’ recall of information to develop opinions from reading closely and working with evidence from texts and sources. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 1, after listening to Senses of the Seashore by Sheley Rotner, students draw a fact they learned from the text. 

• In Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 2, after listening to What Can you Do with a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla,  students answer the question, “What can you tell about the neighbors in the barrio?” 

• In Unit 7, Week 2, Lesson 2, after the Shared Reading text, “I Hug Gus” (author not cited), students respond to the text by writing something they learned about Gus.

• In Unit 9, Week 2, Lesson 2, after listening to Hen Hears Gossip by Megan McDonald, students answer two questions in their Reading/Writing Companion. First, students write about what Goose tells Turkey, and then they write about what Goose tells Hen. 

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for 1l.

Materials provide explicit instruction and application for students to print many upper and lowercase letters throughout the program and address specific grammar concepts (ex: nouns, verbs, and prepositions). Through interactive and independent writing opportunities, students engage in lessons that foster understanding of sentences, capital letters, and punctuation. The materials also include multiple opportunities for students to practice new skills independently. Students have opportunities over the course of the year to apply newly learned skills both in and out of context. 

Materials include explicit instruction of all grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. For example:

• Print many upper- and lowercase letters.

  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher states the cues and writes the upper and lowercase form of the letter Cc. Students then state the cues while tracing the letters on the carpet. After modeling and guided practice, students individually state the cues as they trace the letters on their Response Boards. 

  • In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher models and states the handwriting cues for writing uppercase and lowercase Kk. The teacher has the students trace the letters as the teacher says /k/. As guided practice, the teacher states the cues together with the students as they trace both forms of the letter Kk with their index fingers. Students identify the uppercase and lowercase forms of the letter Kk. The teacher has students use their index fingers to write K and k on the rug or a table as they say /k/ multiple times. The students write K and k on their Response Boards or paper as they say /k/ each time they write the letter.

  • In Unit 8, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher states the cues and writes the upper and lowercase forms of the letters Yy and Zz. Students then participate in guided practice of tracing the letters while both teacher and students name the letters. 

•  Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, the teacher explains that a noun is a naming word and names a person, place, or thing. The teacher displays the Photo Card of the girl to show it names a person. The teacher points to the Photo Card of the farm to show it names a place. The teacher then points to the Photo Card of the table to show it names a thing. The teacher displays Photo Cards for book, boy, and house and guides students to identify which photo card names a person, place, and thing while reminding students these words are all nouns. The teacher hands out additional Photo Cards, and partners work together to identify whether each picture is a person, place, or thing. 

  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher explains that a verb is an action word that tells what someone or something does. The teacher displays the Photo Cards for jump and mix and says, “She jumps.” The teacher identifies jump as the verb in the sentence and asks students to demonstrate jump. The teacher repeats this process with the word mixes. Next, the teacher displays the Photo Card for fork and says, “I ____ with a fork.” The teacher asks students to name a verb that goes in the sentence. The teacher repeats this process with the Photo Cards for guitar, kite, and pen. The teacher distributes Photo Cards for ball, banana, bike, game, and pillow, and students work in pairs to name an action they can do with each object. Students share their sentences, and the class raises their hands when they hear an action word. 

• Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 2, the teacher models using My Garden by Kevin Henkes to teach the size words big, small, short, and tall. The teacher models words being broken into parts and adds the letter -s to the end of a word to make it plural. The teacher tells students plural nouns end in -s and mean more than one. The teacher uses My Garden to model how to identify plural nouns. Using the word plants, the class discusses and practices plurals by identifying the singular form of the words and practicing adding -s to form a plural noun. The process repeats using the words seashell/seashells, button/buttons, bean/beans, key/keys.

  • In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 5, the teacher reminds students that plural nouns name more than one thing and can end in -s or -es. The teacher holds up one pencil and, in another hand, holds up three pencils. The materials direct teachers to “Say pencil or pencils as you hold up each hand.” Students suggest other nouns to complete the sentence frame, “I have two ____,” and repeat each noun, stressing the -s or -es ending, and then write the words on the boards. Give partners index cards with a singular noun written on them, such as girl, boy, car, dish, dress, glass, or hat. Have children add -s or -es to make the word plural. 

• Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).

  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 5, the teacher reminds students that a “sentence tells a complete thought. A sentence tells that someone or something is doing an action and ends with a period. A question sentence asks a question and ends with a question mark.” Students identify which sentence is a question and which is an action sentence. The teacher reminds students that a question begins with the word what and ends with a question mark. 

  • In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 2, the teacher models using the Big Book, Waiting Out the Storm by JoAnn Early Macken, to point out question words: why, what, and where. The teacher explains that we use question words to find out information. The teacher sings a verse from “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and uses question words to ask students about the nursery rhyme: “Who is the song about? What did she have?” The teacher reads a list of words aloud, and students raise their hands when they hear a question word. The students use question words to ask questions about preparing for storms.

• Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with). 

  • In Unit 7, Week 2, Day 2, the teacher explains that words can be grouped into categories based on their role in the sentence. The teacher introduces prepositions and gives examples of prepositions, including to, for, with, of, from, and in, and tells students that prepositions can tell the position or place of something. The teacher models using the sentence, “The book is on the table.” Students practice finding other prepositions in the book My Carefree Dog by Ellen Javernick, and the teacher lists them on the board. Students create sentences using words about training a pet, which should include a preposition. 

  • In Unit 8, Week 1, Day 2, the teacher reviews prepositions with students, such as: to, for, in, out, by, at, and with. The teacher reminds students that prepositions tell where or how something happens in a sentence. Student partners use the Big Book When Daddy’s Truck Picks Me Up by Jana Novotny Hunter to tell about some of the pictures using complete sentences. Students use one of the following prepositions: to, from, on, out, off, for, of, by, in, or with. Have children share their sentences with the class, pointing to the picture as they say their sentences.

• Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.

  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 5, the teacher writes and reads aloud: “Max eats a banana. He likes it.” The teacher points out that Max and banana are naming words and that the pronoun he is used to replace Max, and it is used to replace banana. The teacher asks students what fruit or vegetable they like best and least and writes responses on the board using nouns in the first sentence and pronouns in the second sentence. Students produce their sentence pairs with pronouns. 

  • In Unit 8, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher reviews prepositions and reminds students that prepositions tell where or how something happens. The teacher writes and reads, “Henry looks.”  The teacher asks students to imagine where and at what Henry looks. The teacher expands the sentence using their answers. For example, “Henry looks at the bug.” The teacher then writes, “Lia jumps_____, and Devi sits _____.” Students work together to choose prepositions and think of phrases to expand each sentence.  

• Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 3, the teacher reminds students that a sentence is a group of words about someone or something doing an action. Using the sentence “I feed the fish,” the teacher identifies the action of feed and points to the capital letter. The teacher says, “I begin my sentence with a capital letter,” and reminds students the word I is always a capital letter. 

  • In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher reviews handwriting and letter-sound correspondence with the letters h, e, f, r, b, l, ck. The teacher writes the sentence on the board: “Rick and Kim fed the cat.” Students copy a sentence from the board. The teacher asks students to check that their words are separated by spaces and reminds students that all sentences begin with a capital letter and must have end punctuation. 

• Recognize and name end punctuation.

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 4, the teacher says, “Every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark.” The teacher displays and reads the sentence, “He jumps on the steps,” and points out the capital letter that begins the sentence and that the sentence ends with a period. The teacher cuts sentences into three pieces and displays the pieces out of order. Students help the teacher put the sentences in the correct order to make a sentence. A volunteer points out the capital letter and period. 

  • In Unit 7, Week 1, Day 3, the teacher asks students to identify the front and back cover of the Reading/Writing Companion. The teacher turns to page 21 and asks students to point to each sentence on the page, point to the capital letter at the start, and identify the end punctuation mark at the end of each sentence. The sentences included on these pages contain periods and exclamation points. 

  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher reminds students sentences begin with a capital letter and end with an end mark. The teacher writes, “Who plays baseball? Dan plays baseball.” The teacher explains the first sentence is asking something, and it’s a question: “Questions end with a question mark. The second sentence answers the question and ends with a period.” Students generate question sentences and note the use of the question mark.  

• Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes).

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 2, the students work on writing a response to the prompt: “What is the girl in the story good at doing?” The teacher tells students to say the word good and asks what the last sound in the word is and what letter makes that sound. Students write the letter d.

• Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 5, the teacher displays the Sound-Spelling Card for i, asking students, “What’s the letter? What’s the sound? What’s the word?” Using Word Building Cards i, t, the teacher points to each letter and says the letter and sound, modeling how to blend the sounds to produce the word it. The teacher writes words and sentences for students to read. The teacher removes the words and asks students to write each letter on their Response Boards. The teacher dictates sounds for students to write the appropriate letter and dictates words for students to spell: sit, sip, tip, sat, pit, tap. 

  • In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 3, the teacher displays the Sound-Spelling Card for k, asking students, “What’s the letter? What’s the sound? What’s the word?” The teacher presents the Word Building Card kick and points to ck, telling students that c and k together stand for one sound /k/. The teacher explains why k is used initially, and ck is used at the end of the word. The teacher says words with the /k/ sound either at the beginning or end, and students write k on their Response words when they hear /k/ at the beginning of the word and ck when they hear /k/ at the end of the word. The teacher dictates sounds for students to write the appropriate letter and dictates words for students to spell: Kim, kit, tick, tack, rock. 

Materials include authentic opportunities for students to demonstrate application of skills in context, including applying grammar and convention skills to writing.  For example:

• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 3, students write a response to a prompt about the story “We Go to See Nan” (author not cited). The teacher reads the prompt aloud: “What did Cam and her brother do at the bookshop?” Students turn and talk about what Cam and her brother did at the bookshop. As children draw and add sentences to their drafts, have them use end marks in every sentence and write complete sentences. 

• In Unit 10, Week 2, Day 4, the teacher reviews the following prompt: “What are the different ways children in the story come to school?” Students use text evidence to draw and write their responses, using the writing checklist to check off items as they are included in the draft. The checklist includes: “Write long and short sentences; add a pronoun; to spell a word, say it slowly. Listen for the letter-sounds.” 

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for 1n.i.

Materials provide teachers with systematic and explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics. The lessons within the materials often use an I do, We do, You do sequence. Lessons provide teachers with systematic and repeated instruction for students to hear, say, encode, and read each newly taught grade-level phonics patterns. The lessons also provide modeling using a variety of materials, including songs, photo cards, stories, word lists, and practice books. 

Materials provide the teacher with systematic, explicit modeling for instruction in syllables, sounds (phonemes), and spoken words. For example:

• Recognize and produce rhyming words:

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Day 2, the teacher explains words in the song “Animals in Motion” and reminds students that rhyming words have the same ending sound. Students repeat the rhyming word pairs from the song. The teacher says word pairs, and students raise their hands if the word rhymes. 

  • In Unit 7, Week 2, Day 2, the teacher reminds students that rhyming words have the same ending sounds. The teacher rereads “My Carefree Dog” (author not cited) and points out that the words carefree and see rhyme because they have the same ending sound. The teacher lists new words that rhyme with carefree and see, such as me, tree, and key. The teacher says the words meet, sweet, and street from “My Carefree Dog” and explains that these words rhyme. They all have the same ending sounds. The students repeat the words after the teacher, emphasizing /ēt/. The teacher guides students to produce additional words that rhyme with these words and has students identify words that rhyme with: sat, nut, can, pen, and seat.

• Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words:

  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher recites the Weekly Poem and tells students to listen for the word parts in the word market. The teacher repeats the word and asks students to clap out the word. The teacher tells students the word market has two parts and that they can clap each time they hear a word part. The teacher and students practice saying and counting the parts of other words: again, library, playground, store, and neighborhood. 

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 2, the teacher models counting the parts of a word. The teacher models with the word garden telling students the word has two parts. The teacher claps each syllable. Students clap as the teacher segments the word. The teacher models blending the word parts. The teacher models segmenting and blending syllables in silver. Students practice segmenting and blending syllables into words: Mary, water, sunshine, and weather. 

• Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words:

  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher recites “A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea” (auhthor not cited) with the students, telling students they will say words from the poems in parts. The teacher models by saying /w/ /ent/ and blending the sounds to say went. The teacher says words in two parts, and students repeat the parts and blend the onset and rime to form the word. Students blend onsets and rimes to say: rime, sun, sense, smell, touch, taste, and hear. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 4, the teacher tells students, “We can break words into beginning and end parts.” The teacher models segmenting the word time and asks students to repeat the parts and blend the onset and rime to form the word. The teacher repeats the procedure with the word dime. 

• Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.):

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 2, the teacher models blends with s, a, and t. The teacher places Word-Building Cards a, t in a pocket chart and points to the letter a, and says: “This is the letter a. The letter a stands for /a/. Say /a/. This is the letter t. The letter t stands for /t/. Say /t/. Listen as I blend the sounds together: /aaat/.” The teacher points to the word sat and has students blend the sounds to read the word. Students then isolate and pronounce the initial, medial, and end sound in the word sat. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 2, the teacher tells students the word octopus has the /o/ sound at the beginning. The teacher tells students to listen for /o/ in the middle of the word. Students say the word mop, emphasizing the medial /o/. The teacher says the words, and students repeat. Students isolate the medial sound in the words say /o/ if they hear the sound in the middle of the words: box, fit, hat, lock. Students then isolate the final sound in the words mat and mop. 

• Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words:

  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher tells students, “We can add sounds to the beginning of words to make new words.” The teacher models saying the word an and adding /f/ to the beginning of the word to make fan. The teacher models again, substituting /r/ to make ran. The teacher and students practice changing it to fit, ed to red, and at to rat. 

  • In Unit 8, Week 2, day 4, the teacher models changing the end sound in a word to make a new word using the word cat. The teacher tells students to listen as they change /t/ at the end of cat to /p/ to make cap. The teacher models by changing if to is. Students practice changing sounds to make new words by changing bite to bike, hip to hip, job to job, and tag to tap. 

Materials provide the teacher with examples for instruction in syllables, sounds (phonemes), and spoken words called for in grade-level standards. For example:

• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 5, the lesson provides the teacher with examples for instruction. The teacher holds up the Photo Card for nose and says: “This is a picture of a nose. Nose has the /ō/ sound. Listen: /n/ /ōōō/ /z/.” 

•  In Unit 8, Week 3, Day 2, the lesson provides the teacher with scripting and modeling, asking students to listen as they say the word jumping. The teacher shares that when they take away /ing/ from jumping, the word is jump. Jumping has two syllables, or parts, and jump has one syllable. The teacher claps out the syllables as they say jumping and jump for comparison. The teacher has students take away a syllable from multisyllabic words.

Materials contain explicit instructions for systematic and repeated teacher modeling of all grade-level phonics standards. For example:

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant:

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher models and displays the map Sound-Spelling Card and says: “This is the letter m. The letter m stands for the sound /m/ as in the word map.” The teacher repeats for /a/a using the apple and /p/p using the piano Sound-Spelling Cards. The teacher asks students to write the letter m on their Response Boards and say the letter name and the sound it stands for if the word begins with /m/. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher displays the insect Sound-Spelling Card, introducing the letter i, which can stand for the sound /i/. The teacher repeats for /n/ n and /k/ c with the next and camel cards. Students listen while the teacher says some words. Students write the letter i on their Response Boards and say the sound it stands for if the word begins with /i/. The process repeats for /n/ n and /k/ c. 

• Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels:

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 5, the teacher reminds students that the letter a is a vowel and can stand for the short sound /a/ and the long sound /ā/. The long a sound /ā/ can be spelled with the letters a, e as in game. The teacher holds up the game Photo Card and says: “This is a picture of a game. Game has the /ā/ sound. Listen: /g/ /āāā/ /m/. When I hear /ā/, I know the vowel sound is long.” The teacher places the game card on one side of a pocket chart to begin a column for long a, then repeats with the Photo Card for map, placing it on the other side of the pocket chart to begin a column for short a. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 5, the teacher holds up the Photo Card for nose and says: “This is a picture of a nose. Nose has the /ō/ sound. Listen: /n/ /ōōō/ /z/. Place the nose card on one side of a pocket chart to begin a column for /ō/.” The teacher repeats with the Photo Card for sock, placing it on the other side of the pocket chart to begin a column for /o/. The teacher says the names of the following Photo Cards: boat, box, comb, fox, goat, knot, lock, mop, rope, and rose, and has the students say the picture names and sort the pictures by their middle sound. 

  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher says the sounds in seed: /s/ /e/ /d/ and blends the sounds to say seed. The teacher tells students to listen for the long e sound and models phoneme blending with the words weed, me, and feed. The teacher tells students to listen, repeat the sounds in the words, and blend the sounds to say each word with practice words: bee, need, meet, beep, teen, and see. 

  • In Unit 7, Week 1, Day 2, the teacher displays the umbrella Sound-Spelling Card. This is the letter u. The letter u stands for the sound /u/, as in the word umbrella. The teacher then has students say the letter name and sound with them. Students listen as the teacher says some words. Students write the letter u on their Response Boards if the word begins with /u/: until, top, umpire, snack, upon, under, nut, shirt, much, hug, get, cub, get, hum. 

• Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ:

  • In Unit 9, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher uses the word building cards b, o, n, e to form the word bone Students use word cards to build the word bone. The teacher models changing the letter b to c to make the word cone Students change the letter b to c and read the new word. Students change c to t and identify which letter is different and how the sound for the letter changes the word. Students continue changing letters to build and read stone, tote, vote, quote, and rope. 

  • In Unit 10, Week 1, Day 4, the teacher uses the word building cards t,u, b, e to form the word tube. The teacher models taking away the letter e to make tub. Students continue changing letters to build and read the words cube, cub, cute, luke, duke, dune. 

• Lessons provide teachers with systematic and repeated instruction for students to hear, say, encode, and read each newly taught grade-level phonics pattern.

  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher models and displays the sun Sound-Spelling Card and says, “This is the sun card. Listen, the sound is /s/. The /s/ sound is spelled with letter s. Say it with me: /sss/. This is the sound at the beginning of the word sun. Listen: /sssun/, sun.” The teacher displays the song “See the Sun Rise” and reads or sings the song with the students. The teacher rereads the title and points out that see and sun begin with the letter s. The teacher models placing a self-stick note below the s in see and sun. The teacher reads the song lyrics stopping after each line, and asks students to say the sound and write the letter on a self-stick notes and place it below words that begin with S or s. 

  • In Unit 10, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher displays Word-Building Cards s and t. The teacher explains that when the letters appear together, we say the sounds together /st/. The teacher repeats the final consonant blends /nd/ and /nk/. The teacher displays the hand, ink, and nest Photo Cards. Students say the name of each picture together with the teacher. The teacher repeats the names stressing the final consonant blends. The teacher then asks students to share other words they know that end with the same sounds as any of the picture names. The teacher will write and have students read the words best, bend, pond, pink, blink, and list with partners. Students write the words on their Response Boards, underlining the letters that make the endings.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for 1n.ii.

Materials include a cohesive sequence of phonemic awareness instruction based on the expected hierarchy to build toward students’ application of the skills. Materials contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected hierarchy for teaching phonological awareness skills. Materials include a variety of activities for phonological awareness with frequent opportunities for students to practice phonological awareness concepts on a daily and weekly basis throughout all of the units of study in the program. Materials provide ample opportunities for students to practice each new sound and sound pattern.

Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonemic awareness instruction based on the expected hierarchy to build toward students’ application of the skills.

• In the Kindergarten Scope and Sequence, the Phonemic Awareness sequence is listed for each unit:

  • Smart Start: Sentence Segmentation, Identify Rhyme, Recognize Syllables, Blend Syllables

  • Unit 1: Phoneme Isolation (initial/medial), Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Blending

  • Unit 2: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Identity

  • Unit 3: Phoneme Isolation (Initial/medial), Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Segmentation

  • Unit 4: Phoneme Isolation (initial), Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Segmentation, Phoneme Identity

  • Unit 5: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Segmentation, Phoneme Addition

  • Unit 6: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Segmentation, Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Addition

  • Unit 7: Phoneme Isolation (initial, final), Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Deleting, Phoneme Substitution

  • Unit 8: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Substitution, Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Addition

  • Unit 9: Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Deletion, Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Substitution

Materials contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected hierarchy for teaching phonological awareness skills. 

• The Wonders Research Base Alignment Document, Phonological Awareness, page 44, addresses what phonological awareness is, why phonological awareness is important, who benefits from phonological awareness instruction, components of phonological awareness instruction, example phonological awareness milestones by grade, and research recommendations. 

• The Wonders Research Base Alignment Document, Phonological Awareness section includes research citations from Gillon (2017), NICHHD (2000), Lonigan, Burgess, & Anthony (2000), Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn (2003), Gillon (2017), Perfetti (2017), Torgesen, et al. (1997), Lerner & Lonigan (2016), Coleman & Pimentel (2011), National Early Literacy Panel (2008), Bryant & Goswami (2016), Armbruster (2010), Branum-Martin, Tao, & Garnaat (2015), Cisero & Royer (1995), Lin, Cheng, & Wang (2018), Chard & Dickson (1999), Shaywitz & Shaywitz (2016), Wanzek, Wexler, Vaughn, & Ciullo (2010).

Materials include a variety of activities for phonological awareness. 

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 3, the teacher displays the fly, jump, jar; hook, hammer, ox; queen, quilt, yarn; nine, net, comb; toe, mouse, and top photo cards, and says the names. Students repeat the names and sort the cards to show which two begin with the same sound and which one does not belong. 

• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, plays the song “Polly and Paul Play the Piano” and has students listen for /p/. The teacher tells students to listen to the song again and pat their heads when they hear words that begin with /p/. The teacher asks students to sing and pat their head when they hear words that begin with /p/.

• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 1, the teacher claps out each syllable as the word is said. Then the teacher blends the syllables to say the word: /kon/ /tre/ /rē/, contrary. Students clap out the word parts in pretty.

There are frequent opportunities for students to practice phonological awareness. 

• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher rereads the poem “To Market, To Market” (author not cited) and says market, separating it into syllables and clapping with each syllable. The teacher repeats the word market, clapping out the syllables, and has the students join in. The teacher asks, “How many parts does market have?” The teacher repeats the routine with the words jiggety, again, and pig.

•  In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher recites the weekly poem and has students listen for the word parts in the word: market. The teacher has students clap out each word part. The teacher reminds students that the word has two parts, and that you can clap each time you hear a word part. The teacher and students say and count the parts of another word from the rhyme: again. Students say and clap out the word: a-gain. 

Materials provide ample opportunities for students to practice each new sound and sound pattern.

• Recognize and produce rhyming words:

  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher says the spoken words grow and know, emphasizing the final sound. The teacher tells students that grow and know both end in /o/. The teacher then says cub, tub, and has the students repeat. The teacher asks students if the words cub and tub rhyme. The teacher explains that they rhyme because they have the same ending sound /ub/. The teacher says the following word pairs and has the students touch their noses if the words rhyme: feed, need; far, car.

  • In Unit 9, Week 2, Day 2, after the teacher models producing rhymes, students produce rhyming words for the following words: make, hat, day, row, pack, slip, and wall. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed. 

• Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words:

  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher models counting and segmenting syllables; students count the parts from words from the rhyme read in class. Students say and clap out syllables, telling the teacher how many parts each word has for the following words: again, library, playground, store, and neighborhood. 

  • In Unit 8, Week 1, Day 1, the teacher reminds students that they can add a new part to a word to make a new word. The teacher says, “When I add the word straw to berry, I make the word strawberry that has three syllables.” Students clap out the syllables as students say strawberry. The teacher guides students to add the word parts to make multisyllabic words by adding snow to the beginning of storm (snowstorm); road, add rail (railroad); boat, add row (rowboat). 

• Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words:

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 4, after the teacher models blending onset and rime, students practice repeating the word parts and blending them together: that, how, friend, bear, and fox. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed. 

  • In Unit 7, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher rereads “The Very Nicest Place” (author not cited) and tells students the word brook can be broken into two parts: /br/ /ůk/. The teacher repeats the procedure with the word tree. The teacher repeats /br/ /ůk/, brook, and has the students segment the onset and rime. The teacher has the students segment practice words into onsets and rimes.

• Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.):

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher uses sound boxes and markers. The teacher has students listen as they say a word map. The teacher informs students that there are three sounds in map: /m/ /a/ /p/. Students will listen to the word tap, /t/ /a/ /p/, then say the word with the teacher. Students place a marker for each sound and repeat for fit. Students continue with the words: mat, tap, mad, pet, fin, and at. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 3, the teacher and students participate in an I do, We do, You do lesson. The teacher uses the Sound Boxes and markers and says, “Listen as I say a word: mad. Say it with me. There are three sounds in mad: /m/ /a/ /d/. I’ll place a marker in a box for each sound. Repeat for did.” The teacher then says: “Listen as I say a word: dad. Say the word with me: dad. Say the sounds with me: /d/ /a/ /d/. Now place a marker for each sound.” Students continue using sound boxes to segment sounds with the words bad, dig, and bed.

• Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words:

  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 5, the teacher models phoneme addition by saying, “Listen to this word: at. What word do we make if we add /f/ to the beginning of at? When we add /f/ to at, we make the word fat.” The teacher provides guided practice by having students answer questions by adding the sound to make a new word. Practice includes: adding f to an to create fan and adding r to an to create ran.

  • In Unit 7, Week 2, Day 5, the teacher models and says, “I can change the beginning sound in a word to make a different word. Listen to this word: wig. Wig has /w/ at the beginning. I’ll change /w/ to /d/. What word do we have? We have the word dig.” The teacher models substituting the medial sound using hit to make hat. The teacher provides guided practice by having the children follow the directions to make new words. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed. 

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for 1n.iii.

Materials provide students with systematic and explicit instruction in phonics. The Teacher Edition provides weekly and daily phonics lessons throughout ten units of study and includes a variety of methods to promote students’ practice of grade-level phonics. The methods and materials used to teach phonics include Sound-Spelling cards, Photo cards, Response boards, Word Building letters, modeling with corrective feedback, Practice Books, Videos, and decodable readers. There is a clear research-based scope and sequence of phonics skills presented throughout the program. The materials delineate a scope and sequence with a cohesive, intentional sequence of phonics instruction and practice to build toward the application of skills. Materials also include Leveled Readers, which may distract from the use of decodable readers, as small group lessons include the use of Leveled Readers. 

Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode (phonemes, onset and rime, and/or syllables) phonetically spelled words. 

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

  • In Unit 2, Week 3,  Day 1, the teacher models and displays the map Sound-Spelling Card and says, “This is the letter m. The letter m stands for the sound /m/ as in the word map.” The teacher repeats for /a/a apple and /p/p using the piano Sound- Spelling Cards. For guided practice, students listen to some words that are said by the teacher (mat, pass, pack, men, pan, mess, mile). The teacher asks students to write the letter m on their Response Boards and say the letter name and the sound it stands for.

  • In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher models and displays the dolphin, Sound-Spelling Card. The teacher says, “This is the dolphin card. The sound is /d/. The /d/ sound is spelled with the letter d. Say the sound with me: /d/. This is the sound at the beginning of the word dolphin. Listen: /d/, /d/, /d/, dolphin.” The teacher displays “Did You See a Dolphin?” and reads or sings the song with the students. For guided practice, the teacher reads each line of the song and stops after each line, and asks children to place self-stick notes below words that begin with D or d. Students say the letter name and the sound it stands for. 

• Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher reads or sings “Adam Has an Apple” with students. Students place self-stick notes below words that begin with the letter a. The teacher points out to students that “letter a is called a vowel” and “every word, syllable, or word part in a longer word must have a vowel.” 

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 5, the teacher reminds students that the letter a is a vowel and that it can stand for the short sound /a/ and the long sound /ā/. The long a sound /ā/ can be spelled with the letters a, e as in game. The teacher holds up the game Photo Card and says:  This is a picture of a game. Game has the /ā/ sound. Listen: /g/ /āāā/ /m/. When I hear /ā/, I know the vowel sound is long. The teacher places the game card on one side of a pocket chart to begin a column for long a, then repeats with the Photo Card for map, placing it on the other side of the pocket chart to begin a column for short a. For Guided Practice, the teacher says the names of the following Photo Cards, and students sort them by the long and short a vowel sounds: bat, fan, gate, hat, nail, rake, yak. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed.

• Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 4, students say the sounds for each letter, then blend and read the words mat, sat, map, and mat. The students say mat and sat and tell which sounds are different. The teacher then writes tap and pat and has the students blend the words. The teacher points out that each word has the same letters and asks students to tell how the words are different.

  • In Unit 7, Week 3, Day 4, students are provided with Word Building Cards and use the cards v, a, n to form the word van. Students are instructed to change the letter v to t to make tan. Students read the new word. Students continue changing letters, as instructed by the teacher, and reading the new word. Students tell which letters are the same, which are different, and how the sound for the letter changes the word. 

Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to read complete words by saying the entire word as a unit using newly taught phonics skills. 

• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 2,  students review that the letter t stands for the sound /t/ and read the words: mat, tap, sat, Tam.

• In Unit 7, Week 3, Day 5, students review the Sound-Spelling Card for x and v. Students read the words: Max, vet, mix, van, six, vat, flex.

• In Unit 10, Week 1, Day 2, students review the Sound-Spelling Card for the spelling u_e and read the words: cub, cube, tub, and tube.

Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode words in a sentence. 

• In Unit 7, Week 2, Day 4, students review the letter-sound correspondences for /w/w and /g/g. Students read sentences in the decodable readers, “Wet Gus” and “See a Bug?”

• In Unit 9, Week 2, Day 4, students review the letter-sound correspondences for the letters i_e for the long i sound. Students read sentences in the decodable readers “Lake Time Fun” and “Pike Lane.”  

• In Unit 10, Week 2, Day 6, students review that the letters e, ee, and e_e can stand for the long e sound. Students read sentences in the decodable readers “Pete and Eve” and “Pete Can Fix It.” 

Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to build/manipulate/spell and encode words using common and newly-taught sound and spelling patterns.

• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 4, students use Word Building Cards h, i, p to form the word hip. Students change the middle letter to make the word hop. Students read the words hat and hit and identify which sounds are different. Then students write the words: hip, hat, hop, hot, and hip. 

• In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 4, students use Word Building Cards to build given words. Students change letters in words to make new words, as directed by the teacher. Students identify which letters are the same and which are different and write the words: kit, kid, sick, back, and snack.

• In Unit 7, Week 2, Day 5, students use Word-Building Cards g, e, t to form the word get and wet. Students change the o to e, to form get and wet, then read the words. Students continue changing letters using Word- Building Cards to form and write the words: wet, set, get, bag, wag, and snag.

Materials contain a variety of methods to promote students’ practice of previously taught grade-level phonics.

• In Kindergarten, the teacher uses variety of  methods to explicitly teach and opportunities to practice phonics skills. The methods and materials to teach phonics include:

  • Sound-spelling cards

  • Photo cards

  • Response boards

  • Word building letters

  • Practice books

  • Videos

Materials clearly delineate a scope and sequence with a cohesive, intentional sequence of phonics instruction and practice to build toward application of skills.

• In the Wonders “Grade K Foundational Skills Scope and Sequence,” the Phonics scope and sequence includes:

  • Smart Start: letter recognition

  • Unit 1: /m/ (initial/final); /a/ (initial/final); /s/ (initial); consonant review; vowel review

  • Unit 2: /p/ (initial/final); /t/ (initial/final); consonant review; vowel review

  • Unit 3: /i/ (initial/medial); /n/; /k/c; consonant review; vowel review

  • Unit 4: /o/ (initial/medial); /d/ (Initial/final); consonant review; vowel review; long vowels

  • Unit 5: /h/ (initial)/ /e/ (initial/medial); /f/ (initial/final); /r/ (initial); consonant review; vowel review

  • Unit 6: /b/(Initial/final), /l/ (initial);/k/ (initial); /k/ ck (final); l-blends (bl, cl, fl, sl); consonant review; vowel review

  • Unit 7: /u/ (initial/medial); /g/ (initial/final)/ /w/ (initial); /ks/x (final); /v/ (initial);r-blends (br, cr, dr, gr, tr); consonant review; vowel review

  • Unit 8: /j/ (initial); /kw/qu (initial);/y/ (initial); /z/ (initial); consonant review; vowel review

  • Unit 9: long a: a_e; long i; i_e; long o: o_e, o; consonant review; vowel review; digraph sh, ch

  • Unit 10: Long u: u_e; long e (e, ee, e_e); long a, i, o, u, e; Final blends - nd, -nk, -st; consonant review; vowel review; digraph th

  • In the “Research Base Alignment” document in the Wonders program, phonics instruction begins in Kindergarten and continues through at least the first three years. In Kindergarten, explicit phonics instruction begins with the letter identification lessons in Start Smart. 

Materials have a clear research-based explanation for the order of the phonics sequence. 

• In the Wonders Research Base Alignment document, research cited includes Duff & Clarke, 2011; McGuinnes, 2004; NICHHD, 2000, pp. 2-11; Treiman, 2018, Ehri, Nunes, Stahl, & Willows, 2001; Stuebing, et al., 2008; Henbest & Apel, 2017; International Literacy Association, 2018; White, 2017; Berninger, Abbott, Nagy, & Carlisle, 2009; Suggate, 2010; National Literacy Panel, 2006; Slavin et al., 2011.

• In the Wonders Research Base Alignment document, phonics and word recognition research recommendations aligned to Wonders include:

  • Phonics instruction should begin before reading is introduced

  • Letter names and sounds should be taught early in Kindergarten

  • Phonics instruction should begin in Kindergarten and continue through at least the first three years

  • Phonics instruction should teach students to convert letters into sounds and then blend sounds to form recognizable words

  • Spelling instruction can be used to support phonemic awareness

  • Daily phonics goals can include building skills in both reading and writing

  • Phonics instruction should be integrated with other reading instruction

  • Phonics instruction is variable and should be based on students’ needs, based on data from student assessments

Materials provide sufficient opportunities for students to develop orthographic and phonological processing.

• The Kindergarten foundational skills scope and sequence include ten units of study lasting approximately three weeks that provide weekly and daily opportunities to allow students to develop orthographic and phonological processing. 

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 1, students use the Sound-Spelling Card for m and identify that the letter m stands for the /m/ in map. This procedure is repeated for a and p also. For Guided Practice, students write the letter m on their Response Boards and say the letter name and the sound it stands for if the word begins with /m/. Practice words include: mat, pass, tack, men, pan, mess, mile, and pack. 

• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 1, students use the dolphin Sound-Spelling Card to review the sound /d/. The /d/ sound is spelled with the letter d. Students say the sound: /d/. The teacher displays “Did You See a Dolphin?” and reads or sings the song with the students. The teacher rereads the title and points out that the word did begins and ends with the letter d. 

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for 1o.

Materials provide students with opportunities to engage in practice identifying, locating, and naming all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. The program starts with a Smart Start Unit 0, which takes three weeks to introduce and review all letters of the alphabet, which may be a fast pace for some learners. After the Start Smart Unit 0, the scope and sequence focuses on sound/spelling patterns where students have additional opportunities to recognize and name letters. The materials include frequent and adequate tasks and questions about the organization of print concepts. The teaching of concepts of print is embedded into shared reading and listening comprehension opportunities using big books. 

Materials provide students with frequent opportunities to engage in practice identifying all 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).

• In Unit 0, Week 2, Day 5, students identify and match the letters A-R. Students identify the letters on the cards and match them with the letters on the chart. Students use Smart Start Practice Book page 22 for additional practice with letter recognition. Students sing “The Alphabet Song” and point to each letter on the chart.

• In Unit 0, Week 3, Day 1, students identify and match the uppercase S, s T, t on the cards with the letters on pages 22-23 of the Big Book Animals in the Park: An ABC Book by Bob Barner. Students sing “The Alphabet Song” and point to each letter on the chart. Students identify the letters Ss and Tt on page 30 in the Smart Start Practice Book.

Materials provide opportunities to engage in practice locating all 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).

• In Unit 0, Week 2, Day 1, students practice locating letters on The Alphabet Interactive Poster. Students identify the letter on the Word-Building Card Ii and Jj, match the letter on the cards on the Alphabet Interactive Poster Ii and Jj, and locate Ii and Jj on pages 12-13 in the Big Book, Animals in the Park: An ABC Book by Bob Barner. 

• In Unit 0, Week 3, Day 4, students use the Smart Start: Alphabet to practice locating letters that match Word-Building Cards A-Z. For additional practice, students use the Smart Start Practice Book on page 33.

Materials provide opportunities to engage in naming all 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).

• In Unit 0, Week 1, Day 1, the teacher displays the Online Teaching Chart and explains that it shows the letters of the alphabet. The teacher tells the students that each letter has a name and sings “The Alphabet Song,” and points to each letter. Then the teacher displays Word-Building Card A and says, “This is uppercase A.” Then displays Word- Building Card a and says, “This is lowercase a.” The teacher points to each letter, and students say its name together. 

• In Unit 0, Week 3, Day 2, students match letters on the Word Building Cards with Uu and Vv on pages 24-25 of Animals in the Park: An ABC Book by Bob Barner. Students name each letter on the cards. Using “The Alphabet Song,” students point to each letter on the chart. Students match the letters A-V. Students use Smart Start Practice Book page 31 for additional practice with letter identification.

Materials contain isolated, systematic and explicit instruction for all 26 letters (recognize and name uppercase and lowercase).

• In Unit 0, Week 2, Day 4, the teacher models identifying letters Oo and Pp using the Word Building Cards and matching them with the letters on the chart. Students continue the routine and identify the upper- and lowercase letters on the cards. Students take turns identifying the upper- and lowercase letters using the Aa-Zz cards on the chart. For additional practice with letter recognition, students can use the Smart Start Practice Book, page 34.

• In Unit 0, Week 3, Day 5, the teacher models identifying the letters Aa to Zz on the Word Building Cards and matches them with the letters on the chart. Partners identify the upper- and lowercase letters on the cards. Students take turns identifying the upper- and lowercase letters Aa-Zz on the chart. For additional practice with letter recognition, students can use the Smart Start Practice Book, page 34.

There is a defined sequence for letter instruction to be completed in a reasonable time frame over the school year.

• The Grade K Scope and Sequence includes the sequence for letter instruction:

  • Smart Start: 

    • Week 1: Letter Recognition Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh.

    • Week 2: Letter Recognition: Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr.

    • Week 3: Letter Recognition: Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz.

• The scope and sequence for Kindergarten starts with Unit 0, called Smart Start unit. Smartstart is a three-week unit that provides students with opportunities to identify and name all 26 letters of the alphabet. Week one reviews the identification of letters Aa-Gg. Week 2 has students review the identification of letters Ii-Kk. Week 3 has students review and identify the letters Ss-Zz. Within the weeks and days of the units, there is a review of all previously taught lessons. 

• After Smart Start, materials focus on sound/spelling patterns where students have additional opportunities to recognize and name letters. 

  • Units 1 and 2 teach letters and sounds of (Mm, Aa, Ss, Pp, Tt)

  • Unit 3 and 4 teach letters and sounds of (Ii, Nn, Cc, Oo, Dd)

  • Units 5 and 6 teach letters and sounds of (Hh, Ee, Ff, Rr, Bb, Ll, Kk)

  • Units 7 and 8 teach letters and sounds of (Uu, Gg, Ww, Xx,Vv, Jj, Qq, Yy, Zz)

Materials include frequent and adequate tasks and questions about the organization of print concepts (e.g., follow words left to right, spoken words correlate sequences of letters, letter spacing, upper- and lowercase letters).

• Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Day 4, students point to the title of “I Can, We Can” (author not cited) and track the print. The teacher says, “When I read, I begin on the left and move to the right, like this. I also read from the top of the page to the bottom.” 

  • In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 3, the teacher models the proper way to read, left to right and top to bottom, of page 81 of “Mac and Ben” (author not cited) while tracking print with their finger. The teacher says, “When I read, I start on the left side of the page and move to the right. I begin at the top of the page and move to the bottom.”

• Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, students turn to page 6 of Senses at the Seashore! By Shelley Rotner and discuss distinguishing letters from words. The teacher says, “I know that each word is made up of letters.” Students note that three letters make the word see. Students continue the routine of identifying sequences of letters that make the words the, waves, and crash. Students are reminded that when they write a word in a sentence, they should write all the letters that make up the word.

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 2, the teacher holds up the Reading/Writing Companion and tells students, “This is the front cover.” The teacher displays the back cover and tells students, “This is the back cover.” The teacher models turning the pages of the book. The teacher turns to page 75 and points to t in a sentence. The teacher tells students, “This is a sentence. Sentences are made up of words.” The teacher points to the word am and tells students, “This is a word, and words are made up of letters. What letters do you see?”

• Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Day 3, students read the book “We Can!” (author not cited) together. Students practice pointing to the space between we and can on page three. 

  • In Unit 10, Week 3, Day 1, after students have dictated a sentence spoken and written by the teacher. The teacher reminds students to check for a small space between letters and a larger space between words. 

The Kindergarten materials reviewed meet the criteria for 1p.

Materials provide multiple opportunities over the course of the year for students to purposefully read emergent-level text during interactive read-alouds, shared reading, and differentiated instruction lessons. Materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words and include a sufficient quantity of new grade-appropriate high-frequency words to support students’ development of automaticity. 

Multiple opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to purposefully read emergent-reader texts.

• Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.

  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 3, students read the text, Kites in Flight (author not cited) to learn about kites from different parts of the world. Students engage in a teacher-led Think Aloud about the words decoration, kite parts, and kite shapes. Students discuss the text with partners, record new ideas on the Build Knowledge Anchor Chart, and add new words related to shapes to the Word bank.

  • In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 3, students read the text, The Battle of Wind and Rain (author not cited), to find out what happens in a contest between the wind and the rain. Students engage in a teacher-led Think Aloud about the words groaned and gasping. Students discuss the text with partners to share why Rain won the battle, to understand if the wind or rain was more powerful, and to record new ideas on the Build Knowledge Anchor Chart.

  • In Unit 9, Week 2, Day 1, students read the text, Hen Hears Gossip by Megan McDonald, to learn about being a good citizen. The students engage in a teacher-led Think Aloud to identify how the events in the story have a cause and effect. Students work with partners and use Retelling Cards to gather evidence focused on how to be a good citizen. 

Materials support students’ development of automaticity and accuracy of grade-level decodable words over the course of the year.

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 2, students review the high-frequency words to and I and chorally read Can I Pat It? (author not cited). Students practice reading with a partner to build accuracy by recognizing high-frequency words and decoding words correctly.

• In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 3, students practice reading the story I Can, You Can! (author not cited) accurately. Students read with partners and track the print as they sound out decodable words and read high-frequency words with automaticity. Partners read the story again, this time focusing on rate.

• In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 4, students practice reading the high-frequency word cards of, they, for, and have for automaticity. Students' partner read I Hug Gus (author not cited) for accuracy and track the print as they sound out decodable words and read high-frequency words with automaticity. Then partners read the story again and focus on rate.

Materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher students review the high-frequency words like, the, we, see, and a using the Read/Spell/Write routine. The teacher writes sentences on the board. Students read the sentences aloud. The teacher points to the high-frequency word like and uses the high-frequency word card like and the Read/Spell/Write routine to review the word. The teacher builds sentences using high-frequency word cards, photo cards, and punctuation cards. Students read the sentences. 

• In Unit 7, Week 1, Day 2, students review the High-Frequency Word Cards I, can, the, we, see, a, like, to, and, go, you, do, my, are, he, with, is, little, she, was, for, and have. The students and teacher use the Read/Spell/Write routine to review words. The students practice reading the words until they can read them accurately and with automaticity. The teacher uses the High-Frequency Word Cards and Word-Building Cards to create sentences such as: Do you have it? You and I are on the bus. Students chorally read the sentences. Students create a sentence as a class using high-frequency words and read the sentences together.

• In Unit 8, Week 2, Day 1, students review High-Frequency Word Card this and what using the Read/Spell/Write routine to reteach the word. The teacher writes a sentence on the board and rereads the sentence with the students. The teacher distributes index cards with the word this written on them, and students match the word cards with the word this in the sentence. The teacher writes the sentence frame: “This ___ is what I want!” Students copy the sentence frame on their Response Boards. Students work together to read and orally complete the frame by naming things they would like to receive as gifts. 

Students have opportunities to read and practice high-frequency words in isolation.

• Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 3, students read the following high-frequency words chorally: the, we, see, a, and like. 

  • In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 3, students read the following high-frequency  chorally: is, little, and previous weeks’ words:  he, with, are, my, to, and, go, you, do. 

Materials include a sufficient quantity of new grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words for students to make reading progress.

• The following high-frequency words are addressed in the Kindergarten materials:

  • Smart Start: can, I

  • Unit 1: the, we, see

  • Unit 2: a, like

  • Unit 3: to, and, go

  • Unit 4: you, do

  • Unit 5: my, are, with, he

  • Unit 6: is, little, she, was

  • Unit 7: for, have, of, they, said, want

  • Unit 8: have, me, this, what

  • Unit 9: help, too, has, play, where, look

  • Unit 10: good, who, come, does

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for 1q.

Materials provide frequent opportunities for students to read high-frequency words in connected text and tasks. Lessons and activities provide students with opportunities to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills while encoding in context and decoding words in connected text and tasks. The scope and sequence provides direct correlations of the phonics, high-frequency words, and spelling lessons linking to the decodable text opportunities providing students with immediate opportunities for the application of skills and concepts taught. 

Materials support students’ development to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills (e.g. one-to-one correspondences, syllable segmentation, rime and onset recognition, long and short sounds with common spellings and distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying sounds of the letters) in connected text and tasks.

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of one to one correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher displays the song, “See the Sun Rise,” and reads or sings the song with the students. The teacher rereads the title and points out that see and sun begin with the letter s. The teacher reads the song lyrics stopping after each line and asking students to place self-stick notes below words that begin with S or s and say the letter name and the sound it stands for. If students need additional practice identifying initial /s/, students use Practice Book page 66.

  • In Unit 6, Week,1, Day 2, the class reads, “Is It Hot?” (author not cited). After reading, the teacher asks students to underline the words with the same ending sound as lab. The teacher asks students what letter makes the /b/ sound. The teacher then asks students to circle words that begin with the same sound as lid. The teacher asks students what letter makes the /l/ sound.

• Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

  • In Unit 8, Week 3, Day 3, students read the decodable reader “Rode and Rose” to practice decoding words with the long o sound.

  • In Unit 9, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher reviews the long i sound, and students read/sing the words to the song “High Five!” 

• Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

  • In Unit 9, Week 1, Day 1, the teacher displays the song, “Riding on a Train” and reads or sings the song with the students. The teacher explains to the students that the /ā/ sound can be spelled in different ways, but they are looking for the /ā/ sound spelled a-consonant-e, such as -ate or -ave. The teacher points out the /ā/ sound in train and has students notice that it is not the a_e pattern. The teacher keeps reading the lyrics looking for the a_e pattern. In the third line, the teacher is to point out that the word wave has the sound /ā/ with the a_e pattern. 

Materials provide frequent opportunities to read high-frequency words in connected text and tasks.

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 2, the teacher reviews the high-frequency word to with students. Students read “Tim Can Sit” and “We Like it.” The teacher points out the high-frequency word to as students read. Students reread the texts with a partner.

• In Unit 7, Week 1, Day 4, the teacher reviews the high-frequency words for and have with students. Students read the decodable readers “Sun Fun” and “Pup and Cub.” Students identify the high-frequency words for and have and words with /u/ at the beginning or in the middle. 

Lessons and activities provide students many opportunities to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills while encoding (writing) in context and decoding words (reading) in connected text and tasks.

• In Unit 7, Week 1, Day 2, the teacher uses the Read/Spell/Write routine to review the letter u and the /u/ sound as well as high-frequency words for and have. Students use the Read/Spell/Write routine to write the words five times to practice encoding. Students reread the Shared Reading text “Pup and Cub” (author not cited).

• In Unit 9, Week 3, Day 2, the teacher uses the Read/Spell/Write routine to review the long o sound and the high-frequency words where and look. Students use the Read/Spell/ Write routine to write the words five times to practice encoding. Students reread the text “Look! A Home!” (author not cited).

Materials include decodable texts that contain grade-level phonics skills aligned to the program’s scope and sequence.

• In Unit 1, Week 2, the phonics focus is on a /a/. Students read the decodable readers “I Am” and “We Can.”

• In Unit 6, Week 1, the phonics focus is on b/b/. Students read the decodable readers “Bob and Ben” and “Ben, Deb, Lin.”

Materials include decodable texts that contain grade-level high-frequency/irregularly spelled words aligned to the program’s scope and sequence.

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 2, students read the text “Pat,” which includes high-frequency words the, we, see, a, and like. 

• In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 2, the teacher reviews the high-frequency words can, see, and are before reading the text “Ed and Ned.”

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for 1r.

Materials include ongoing and frequent assessments to determine students’ mastery of foundational skills. Assessments include unit tests, diagnostic assessments, progress monitoring assessments, and lesson assessments. The skills tested are outlined for each assessment, along with suggested responses to guide teachers in scoring. The Assessment Handbook guides teachers’ use of the assessment data by giving key recommendations on how to use the data to group students, provide intervention for students, and reteach skills for students as appropriate. 

Multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of foundational skills.

• Materials include assessment opportunities that measure student progress of print concepts. 

  • In Unit 0, Weeks 1 and 2, materials include screening sheets for the teacher to use with students with pictures of various aspects of beginning print concepts. Students look at the pictures and are asked to circle the pictures that show the front cover, the title page, and the back cover of a book. 

• Materials include assessment opportunities that measure student progress of phonological awareness. 

  • In Kindergarten Unit Assessments, Focus and Purpose, the materials state, “The unit assessments focus on key areas of English Language Arts. Odd numbered unit tests focus on foundational reading skills - phonemic awareness, phonics, and word recognition. Even numbered unit tests assess foundational skills as well as the comprehension skills for literary and informational texts taught in each two unit instructional period.”  In odd numbered units, each assessment includes three items assessing phonological awareness. In even numbered units, each assessment includes five items assessing phonological awareness.

  • In Kindergarten Assessments, Unit Assessments, the following information is provided:

    • Unit 1: phoneme isolation, phoneme identity, identify rhyme

    • Unit 2: identify alliteration (2), phoneme blending (2), phoneme segmentation

    • Unit 3: Phoneme isolation, phoneme blending, phoneme identity

    • Unit 4: phoneme isolation 92), phoneme blending, phoneme categorization, sentence segmentation

    • Unit 5: phoneme blending, phoneme categorization, count and blend syllables

    • Unit 6: phoneme isolation (2), phoneme blending, phoneme segmentation, phoneme addition

    • Unit 7: Onset and rime blending, phoneme deletion, phoneme substitution

    • Unit 8: Phoneme isolation, phoneme blending, syllable addition, phoneme addition (2)

    • Unit 9: Phoneme blending, phoneme deletion, phoneme substitution

    • Unit 10: Phoneme blending (2), phoneme substitution, phoneme segmentation (2)

• The Placement and Diagnostic Assessment booklet provides information to align both DIBELS Next and TPRI to Wonders. The authors of Wonders recommend the program screening options available in the program if a district does not use a universal screener for aspects of phonological and phonemic awareness. An online Universal Screener is available for Grade K to identify students who might be at risk for not meeting grade-level expectations and might be in need of intervention or remediation. As students progress through Grade K, phonological awareness subtests (Placement and Diagnostic Assessment pages 37–45) can be used as additional screening tools/ verification of screening results. 

• Materials include assessment opportunities that measure student progress of phonics and decoding. 

  • The Kindergarten Unit Assessments provide assessment data on how students develop phonics skills after instruction in each unit. In odd-numbered units, each assessment includes five items assessing phonics. In even-numbered units, each assessment includes five items assessing phonics. 

  • In Kindergarten Assessments, Unit Assessments, the following information is provided: 

    • Unit 1: initial m, initial s, medial a, final m, initial m

    • Unit 2: Initial p, Initial t, Final t, Final m

    • Unit 3: Initial i medial i , final n, initial c, initial n

    • Unit 4: Initial o, initial d, medial n, final d

    • Unit 5: Initial e, initial h, medial e, initial f, initial r

    • Unit 6: Initial b, final b, initial l, initial k, final ck

    • Unit 7: Initial g, medial u, final x, initial w, initial v

    • Unit 8: Initial j (2), initial qu, initial y, initial z

    • Unit 9: long i (i_e), Long o (o_e, o), Long a (a_e) 

    • Unit 10: Long e (ee, e_e, e), Long u (u_e) 

  • In Unit 9, Assessments, Phonics, the teacher says, “Look at the picture of the dime. Listen to the vowel sound in dime. Now read the words. Draw a circle around the word that has the same sound as dime.”

  • In the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment book, pages 33-37, students take a phonics screening called Represent Phonemes with Letters. This test assesses a student’s ability to connect sound to letter. The teacher names a picture and has the student circle the letter for the first, last, or middle sound in the picture name.

• Materials include assessment opportunities that measure student progress of word recognition and analysis.

  • The Kindergarten Unit Assessments provide assessment data on how students develop word recognition and analysis skills after instruction in each unit. For the odd-numbered units, each assessment focuses solely on foundational reading skills, with two items assessing High-Frequency Words. For the even-numbered units, each assessment focuses on three items assessing High-Frequency Words.

  • In Unit 9, Assessments, High Frequency Words, the teacher says, “Look at the words. Find the wordplay. Let’s play a game. Draw a circle around the wordplay.” 

  • In the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment book, pages 42-43, students take the Sight Word Fluency Assessment to provide data on word recognition and analysis. The student reads as many words as possible in one minute. The student points to each word and says the word. The teacher times the student and records how many high-frequency words the student reads in one minute. For students at the end of Kindergarten or the start of Grade 1, 10–16 words read correctly is an appropriate benchmark.

Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information about students’ current skills/level of understanding.

• In the Assessment Handbook, Unit Assessments (K-5), the text states, “these assessments provide information to make instructional decisions and to place students into small skills-based groups.” Information on interpreting the scores is also included, “The goal of each unit assessment is to evaluate student mastery of previously-taught material. The expectation is for students to score 80% or higher on the assessment as a whole. Within this score, the expectation is for students to score 75% or higher on each section of the assessment.”

• In the Assessment Handbook: Using Assessment to Guide Instruction booklet, pages 30-31, the materials provide screening sheets and recommendations for teachers on how to use and organize the provided assessments to determine current skills levels. Four versions of a Recording Form are provided. The forms differ based on the assessments used. The teacher enters scores by student on the charts. The teacher compares the findings across a student’s scores to determine whether the results are comparable and tell a similar story about the student. The teacher compares results across students to plan small, differentiated skill groups in areas that appear to need additional instruction. 

• In the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment, Kindergarten Placement Decisions, the text includes if/then instructions for the teacher. This includes “if” the student scores at certain levels on different assessments, then the teacher should begin with intervention, approaching level, on level, or beyond level instruction.

Materials support teachers with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery in foundational skills.

• In the Assessment Handbook: Using Assessment to Guide Instruction booklet, pages 36-48, provide teachers with guidance on how to use the assessment screening data to make instructional adjustments for students. The handbook provides suggestions for teachers on how to:

  • Group students for instruction

  • Address student strengths and weaknesses on skill development

  • Modify instruction

  • Review and Reteach concepts

  • How to interpret, guide and use assessments data to guide instruction for students

  • How to give feedback as a means of assessment

• In every unit, week, and day, there are Small Group Differentiated Instruction lessons for students placed in Approaching Level, On Level, and Beyond Level and English Language Learners for phonemic awareness, phonics, and high-frequency words.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for 1s.

Materials provide ample support for speakers of languages other than English, special populations, and students beyond their current grade level to learn, use strategies, and receive support to meet or exceed grade-level standards. The materials include lessons with differentiated instruction options for students approaching grade level, at grade level, beyond grade level, and English Language Learners. Differentiated instruction addresses phonemic awareness, phonics, high-frequency words, comprehension, and writing. Decodable readers are also included to support the varying needs and levels of students. Within the Differentiated Instruction lessons in the Teacher Edition are lessons specifically identified for English language learners. These lessons intentionally foster oral language and background knowledge before having students engage in reading text, using phonological awareness and phonics skills and writing. The teacher is cued to use visuals, gestures, modeling, and questioning to support student learning. 

Materials 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.

• The Wonders K-6 Instructional Routines Handbook describes several ways that teachers can give MLLs multiple opportunities to speak in the classroom that will “motivate English language learners to participate in class discussions and build oral proficiency. These basic teaching strategies will encourage whole class and small group discussions for all English language learners.” They include repetition, elaboration, wait time, etc.

• The Wonders K-6 Instructional Routines Handbook provides a chart that supplies sentence frames so that MLLs can participate more fully in Collaborative Conversations: “The chart provides prompt and response frames that will help students at different language proficiency levels interact with each other in meaningful ways in partner, small group, and class discussions.” 

• The Wonders K-6 Instructional Routines Handbook supports teachers to see first language as an asset: “These English language learners are not ‘blank slates.’ Their oral language proficiency and literacy in their first languages can be used to facilitate literacy development in English. Systematic, explicit, and appropriately scaffolded instruction and sufficient time help English language learners attain English proficiency and meet high standards in core academic subjects.”

• The materials include a separate Language Transfers Handbook, which provides cross-linguistic transfer analysis to help teachers understand the language of the learners: “The Sounds and Phonics and the Grammar Transfers Charts in the Language Transfer Handbook, are designed to help you anticipate possible transfer errors in pronouncing or perceiving English sounds, and in speaking and writing in standard English.”

• The materials include a weekly poem, rhyme, or song. Each is connected to the theme of the week. A visual chart is provided, as is an audiotrack. For example, in Unit 1, students learn the song “Animals in Motion.” In Unit 5, students learn the poem “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.”

Materials provide strategies and supports for students in special populations to work with grade-level foundational skills and to meet or exceed grade-level standards.

• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, the lesson plan includes an option for differentiation to support Approaching Level students. One section addresses phonological awareness with a focus on recognizing alliteration. The teacher says the first line of “The Carpenter” and points out that each word in the line begins with the same sound. The teacher tells students what alliteration is. The teacher provides an alliterative sentence and asks students what sounds they hear at the beginning of the words. Students identify and say the initial sound for each phrase, create their own simple alliterative phrases, and identify the initial sound for each phrase. 

• In Unit 7, Week 3, Day 1, the lesson plan includes an option for differentiation to support Approaching Level students. One section addresses high-frequency words. The teacher displays the High-Frequency Word Card said and uses the Read/Spell/Write routine to reteach the word. The teacher repeats the process with the word want. The teacher writes a sentence and reads it aloud. Students reread the sentence. The teacher distributes index cards with the word said. Students match their word cards with the word said in the sentence. The teacher uses the same routine for want. The teacher writes a sentence on the board. Students copy the sentence frame on their Response Boards and work together to read and orally complete the sentence frame. The teacher reteaches previously introduced high-frequency words using the Read/Spell/Write routine. 

Materials regularly provide extensions and/or advanced opportunities to engage with foundational skills at greater depth for students who read, write, speak, and/or listen above grade level.

• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 3, the lesson plan includes an option for differentiation to support Beyond-Level students. One section addresses vocabulary with a focus on synonyms. The teacher reviews the meaning of the vocabulary words discovery and defeated. The teacher explains what a synonym is and identifies synonyms for defeated and discovery. Students think of sentences using the new words find and won (synonyms for discover and defeated). Students orally complete and act out the sentence frames given by the teacher. An extend option is included to have students create a book showing the tools they use. On each page, students draw a tool and write a sentence about it. 

• In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 5, the lesson plan includes an option for differentiation to support Beyond Level students. One section addresses comprehension focused on self-selected reading. Students select an informational text with photographs or illustrations for independent reading. The teacher encourages students to read for ten minutes, guiding students to transfer what they have learned this week as they read by identifying the topic and details. The teacher reminds students to ask questions to help them understand the text. After reading, students participate in group discussions about the text they read. Students can choose activities from the Reading Center Activity Cards to help them apply the skills. Students then draw a life cycle of a living thing and write captions for the drawings, then sharing with a partner.