2023
Wonders

3rd Grade - Gateway 3

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Note on review tool versions

See the series overview page to confirm the review tool version used to create this report.

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Gateway Ratings Summary

Usability

Gateway 3 - Meets Expectations
92%
Criterion 3.1: Teacher Supports
8 / 9
Criterion 3.2: Assessment
9 / 10
Criterion 3.3: Student Supports
6 / 6
Criterion 3.4: Intentional Design
Narrative Only

The teacher resources included in the program provide guidance to support the implementation of the curriculum and to enhance teacher understanding of the content. Wonders offers a variety of professional development resources for teachers to develop their knowledge of grade-level content, including Learn to Use Wonders, Ready-to-Teach Workshops, Research Base and Whitepapers, Science of Reading, Instructional Routines, Assessment & Data, Educational Equity, and Administrator Resources. Each unit, lesson, and center activity includes standards correlation information. The Teacher Edition includes a weekly planner, which also includes the Common Core standards that each lesson is aligned to, and the Teacher Resources include a video explanation of the English Language standards by Dr. Jana Echevarria; however, the materials do not include the role of the standards in the context of the overall series. The materials include information about the program for students, parents, and caregivers through weekly letters that describe what students will experience at home and school. Materials include explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and the identification of research-based strategies. Materials include necessary classroom resources to support teachers in preparing instructional activities, including a presentation resource, which provides the text that will be read during the lesson and classroom materials needed for the lesson. Materials include a comprehensive assessment handbook, which includes information about various assessment options, a guide for providing instruction, and a list of forms to use while assessing students. The instructional materials offer multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate learning. Teachers can find these resources in the Assessment Handbook, Feedback videos, and the notes section in the daily lesson plans. The Assessment Handbook provides details and suggestions on how to interpret student performance. Materials include a variety of assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of the grade-level standards and shifts. Assessments are both informal and formal and in a variety of modalities, including formal assessments, writing prompts, and discussions. The instructional materials provide multiple accommodations to ensure students can access assessments and demonstrate knowledge without changing assessment content. Materials provide learning strategies and supports for students in special populations. The instructional materials regularly provide extensions to engage in literacy content and concepts at a greater depth for students who read, write, speak, and/or listen above grade level. Across the school year, materials provide exposure and access to challenging texts and tasks to increase critical reading skills, such as interpreting and analyzing texts. Materials provide varied approaches to learning tasks, as well as variety in how students demonstrate their learning and monitor their performance. Materials provide a variety of grouping strategies throughout each unit and lesson across the school year. Students can engage in pairs or small groups to discuss, read, write, present, peer evaluate, and play games. Materials provide strategies, support, and multiple opportunities for English Language Learners to participate in grade-level activities. Materials provide a balance of drawings and realistic images representing different demographic and physical characteristics of the characters. Across the year, positive representations of all individuals are found in the illustrations and avoid stereotypes and biases toward underrepresented groups or individuals.Materials guide teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning and provide guidance and support across the year to encourage teachers to draw upon student cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning. The program integrates technology in various ways that provide opportunities for engagement, support, and customization. Interactive technology tools can be found that encourage a more engaging and supportive learning environment, such as the option for texts to be read aloud, games, and the ability to customize assignments.Materials include digital opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate with each other.The instructional materials provide a visual design to support students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject. The teacher’s edition is organized the same way in each unit, week, and lesson. The student edition is easy to navigate and has titles to help students navigate the curriculum.The instructional materials provide teacher guidance for using embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

Criterion 3.1: Teacher Supports

8 / 9

The program includes opportunities for teachers to effectively plan and utilize materials with integrity and to further develop their own understanding of the content.

The teacher resources included in the program provide guidance to support the implementation of the curriculum and to enhance teacher understanding of the content. Scaffolds for teaching and growing literacy development include many tools, such as videos and annotations, to support all students’ literacy skills. Instructional materials offer a variety of professional development resources for teachers to develop their knowledge of grade-level content, including Learn to Use Wonders, Ready-to-Teach Workshops, Research Base and Whitepapers, Science of Reading, Instructional Routines, Assessment & Data, Educational Equity, and Administrator Resources. Materials include a publisher alignment document of the standards. In addition, each unit, lesson, and center activity includes standards correlation information. The Teacher Edition includes a weekly planner, which also includes the Common Core standards that each lesson is aligned to, and the Teacher Resources include a video explanation of the English Language standards by Dr. Jana Echevarria; however, the materials do not include the role of the standards in the context of the overall series. The materials include information about the program for students, parents, and caregivers. Weekly letters describe what students will experience at home and school. These letters have suggestions and activities on ways to support students at home as well. While the letters come in English, there is an ability to translate them into many languages, including Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. The materials include explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and the identification of research-based strategies. A Start Smart guide is provided and includes explanations of the instructional routines found in the program. An Eight Step Implementation Support guide is included and provides information to support instruction, including lesson planning, foundational skill instruction, and differentiation. In addition, there is an Instructional Routine Handbook that explains key instructional routines such as “Collaborative Conversations,” “Close Reading,” and “Check-In,” as well as research that supports each teaching routine. The instructional materials include necessary classroom resources to support teachers in preparing instructional activities. Each lesson has a list of resources. The support includes a presentation resource, which provides the text that will be read during the lesson and classroom materials needed for the lesson. The classroom materials include ELL resources, graphic organizers about the author, and information on responding to the text.

Narrative Only
Narrative Only
Narrative Only

Indicator 3a

2 / 2

Materials provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials to support students' literacy development.

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

Materials include necessary classroom resources to support teachers in preparing instructional activities. Each lesson has a list of resources. The support includes a presentation resource, which provides the text that will be read during the lesson and classroom materials needed for the lesson. The classroom materials include things like ELL resources, graphic organizers about the author, and information on responding to the text. In addition to including lists, teachers can access the resources directly from the lesson dashboards.

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

  • In Unit 2, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reading Tab, Paired Selection, the In Presentation resource is the poem, “Montgolfier Brothers’ Hot Air Balloon” by J. Patrick Lewis. Classroom Materials listed are pages to support students in analyzing the poem. 

  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 6, Reading Tab, Anchor Text, Lesson Resources, the In Presentation resource is Martina the Beautiful by Carmen Agra Deedy. Classroom Materials include About the Illustrator and Author, Analyze Text graphic organizer, and ELL Small Group Guide printable PDF documents.

  • In Unit 6, Week 6, Lesson 1, Writing Tab, Expository Writing, Lesson Resources are provided in the In Presentation and Classroom Materials sections. The In Presentation section has unit Expository Essay Writing Project materials for teachers and students, including student models, rubrics, anchor papers, and ELL resources. The Classroom Materials section has pages to support the Expository Writing Project, Extended Writing pages, and ELL Small Group Guide printable PDF documents.

Indicator 3b

2 / 2

Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade-level/course-level concepts and concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.

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

Materials offer a variety of professional development resources for teachers to develop their knowledge of grade-level content. Professional development topics include: Learn to Use Wonders, Ready-to-Teach Workshops, Research-Based and Whitepapers, Science of Reading, Instructional Routines, Assessment & Data, Educational Equity, and Administrator Resources. Author and Coach videos include presentations that support instruction, such as applying foundational skills to reading and multisyllabic and decodable text words routine. Response to Intervention videos explain how to use assessments to maximize learning and teaching. Additionally, videos are available to support planning, Social Emotional Learning, English Language Learners, and ways to use leveled readers. The materials also include close-reading and small-group instruction workshops that offer self-paced modules for teachers.

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

  • Wonders offers professional development teachers can complete independently. Teachers can select from the following topics: Learn to Use Wonders, Ready-to-Teach Workshops, Research-Based and Whitepapers, Science of Reading, Instructional Routines, Assessment & Data, Educational Equity, and Administrator Resources.

  • The Learn to Use Wonders section supports teachers with resources about the basics of Wonders, Start Smart, Managing Small Group Times, and the Eight Step Implementation Support.

  • The Ready-to-Teach Workshops support teachers with four-session video-based modules about close reading and small group instruction.

  • The Research Based and Whitepapers section provides articles to support teachers. Some topics are ELL instruction, collaborative conversations, text complexity, foundational skills, writing from sources, close reading, academic vocabulary, and balanced literacy.

  • The Science of Reading section supports teachers with an article about the science of reading.

  • The Instructional Routines section supports teachers with manuals and guides about instructional routines, managing small groups, and lesson plans.

  • The Assessment and Data section supports teachers with manuals and guides about assessment components, the assessment handbook, placement and diagnostic assessment, assessment administration, assessment reports, and online assessment preparation.

  • The Educational Equity section supports teachers with manuals and guides about culturally responsive teaching, social-emotional learning, supporting ELL students, universal design for learning, and equitable access to instruction.

  • The Administrator Resources section supports teachers with manuals and guides about family involvement, observation tools, supporting teachers, and coaching.

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

  • Wonders offers teacher professional development for close reading through four sessions. For example, “This four-session, video-based module supports school or district leaders to facilitate on-site or remote workshops to support teachers in delivering effective instruction for close reading of complex texts. The module can also be used by individual teachers for self-paced learning.”

  • Wonders offers teacher professional development for small group instruction through four sessions. For example, “This four-session, video-based module supports school or district leaders to facilitate on-site or remote workshops to support teachers in organizing, managing, and delivering small-group instruction. The module can also be used by individual teachers for self-paced learning.”

Indicator 3c

1 / 2

Materials include standards correlation information that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series.

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

Materials include a publisher alignment document of the standards. In addition, each unit, lesson, and center activity contains standards correlation information. The Teacher Edition has a weekly planner, which also provides lesson and standards correlations. In the Teacher Resources section, video explanations of the English Language Arts standards by Dr. Jana Echevarria are available; however, the materials do not include the role of the standards in the context of the overall series. 

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

  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 6, students learn how to create public service announcements, which is associated with SL.3.4, “Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.” 

  • In Unit 4, Week 6, Lesson 1, students are taught how to compare texts on the same topic. The standard listed is RI.3.9, “Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.” 

  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 1, students are taught base words, and the lesson is associated with L.3.6, “Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases...”

Explanations of the role of the specific grade-level/course-level ELA standards are present in the context of the series. 

  • No evidence found

Indicator 3d

Narrative Only

Materials provide strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.

The materials include information about the program for students, parents, and caregivers. Weekly letters describe what students will experience at home and school. These letters include suggestions and activities on ways to support students at home as well. The program also includes a letter that explains how to support students in a remote setting. While the letters come in English, there is an ability to translate them into many languages, including Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. The materials for the various stakeholders can easily be found in the Student Center Dashboard, which provides resources for students, parents, and/or caregivers. 

Materials contain strategies for informing students, parents, or caregivers about the ELA program. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The Student Center Dashboard includes the school to home tab, which contains letters and messages from the teacher. 

  • The Student Center Dashboard includes resources for students, such as the weekly vocabulary words and writing assignments. 

  • The program includes a family letter for each week in each unit. The letter provides information about the genre students will read about, learning goals, word work, and the comprehension standards each week. For example, in Unit 1, Week 5, the letter explains that the students “will be learning about how landmarks help tell the story of our nation’s history. We will read about and discuss some famous landmarks in the United States. We will read different texts in the genre of argumentative text.”

  • In the Administrator Resources section, found in the Professional Development tab, there is a customizable letter that can be sent to families about the Wonders curriculum that can be sent at the beginning of the year. The letter contains information on what students will experience in class and what students will experience at home. 

  • In the Administrator Resources section, there is a PowerPoint presentation that teachers can use to explain the curriculum to families on a Back to School or Curriculum night. 

Materials contain suggestions for how parents or caregivers can help support student progress and achievement. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In the Student Center Dashboard, there is a weekly letter that informs parents or caregivers on what the students are working on that week and ways to support them at home. For example, in Unit 5, Week 4, the letter tells families that the word work is a spiral review and” they should create a crossword puzzle using the words” and create clues for each word. 

  • The program provides parents with differentiated spelling lists for students approaching grade level, on-grade level, and beyond grade level. The spelling lists include activities students can complete to practice the spelling words at home. 

Indicator 3e

2 / 2

Materials provide explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

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

Materials include explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and the identification of research-based strategies. A Start Smart guide is provided and includes explanations of the instructional routines found in the program. An Eight Step Implementation Support guide is included and provides information to support instruction, including lesson planning, foundational skill instruction, and differentiation. In addition, there is an Instructional Routines Handbook that explains key instructional routines such as “Collaborative Conversations,” “Close Reading,” and “Check-In,” as well as research that supports each teaching routine. Lastly, there are videos that contain professional development on the instructional routines, such as the multisyllabic word routine and the decodable text routine. 

Materials explain the instructional approaches of the program. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The Start Smart guide includes details on how to introduce and teach students about “collaborative conversations.” For example, it instructs teachers to explain to students to “Add New Ideas- Stay on topic. Connect your ideas to what your peers have said. Provide evidence or reasons for your ideas. Connect your own experience or prior knowledge to the conversation.”

  • The Eight-Step Implementation Guide includes information about instructional approaches, such as small group differentiation, which can be located throughout the materials. The guide states, “The ‘Teach in Small Group’ sidebars in whole group instruction highlight further opportunities for small group teaching and offer suggestions that can be used to reinforce—or replace—whole group lessons.”

  • In the Resources section, there is a section called “Author & Coach Videos” that contains short professional development videos for teachers on various instructional approaches, including close reading, academic vocabulary, writing, assessment, planning and digital support, and access to complex text. 

  • In the Instructional Routines Handbook, there is a detailed explanation for each routine, such as the “Sentence Segmentation Routine.” The explanation includes, “Read aloud a short text all the way through. Then model how to count the words you hear in a line.”

Materials include and reference research-based strategies. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The Instructional Routines Handbook includes research on “Collaborative Conversations.” The handbook states, “Discussion-based practices improve student’s thinking skills and comprehension of a text (Murphy, Wilkinson, Soter, Hennessey, & Alexander, 2009). In effective schools, classroom conversations about how, why, and what students read are important parts of the literacy curriculum (Applebee, 1996: Schoenbach, Greenleaf, Cziko & Hurwitz, 1999).”

  • The Instructional Routines Handbook includes research on foundational skills instruction. The handbook states, “Research indicates that the most critical phonemic awareness skills are blending and segmenting, since they are most closely associated with early reading and writing growth (NICHHD, 2001).  Phonemic awareness has a positive overall effect on reading and spelling and leads to lasting reading improvement. Phonological processing problems are a significant factor in students experiencing reading difficulties, including dyslexia (International Dyslexia Association, 2017). Phonemic awareness instruction can be effectively carried out by teachers. It doesn’t take a great deal of time to bring many children’s phonemic awareness abilities up to a level at which phonics instruction begins to make sense.”

  • The Instructional Routines Handbook includes research on “High- frequency words.” The handbook states, “High-frequency words make up a significant portion of the words students need to read and write. In fact, 25% of all words and print come from this set of thirteen words: a, and, for, he, is, in, it, of, that, the, to, was, you (Johns, 1981). And about 50% of words students will read and write come from a set of 100 words (Fry, Fountoukidis, & Polk, 1985). Many high-frequency words do not follow common sound-spelling patterns, so they need to be learned by sight and require explicit instruction.”

  • In the Overview of the Resources section, there is a tab called “Research Base and Whitepapers,” which contains several different research-based articles on the approaches of the program. Some of these articles include “Academic Vocabulary Study: Embedded, Deep, and Generative Practices” by Donald Bear and “Close Reading in Elementary Classrooms” by Douglas Fisher. 

Indicator 3f

1 / 1

Materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.

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

Materials include necessary classroom resources to support teachers in preparing instructional activities. Each lesson has a list of resources. The support includes a presentation resource, which provides the text that will be read during the lesson and classroom materials needed for the lesson. The classroom materials include things like ELL resources, graphic organizers about the author, and information on responding to the text. In addition to including lists, teachers can access the resources directly from the lesson dashboards.

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

  • In Unit 2, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reading Tab, Paired Selection, the In Presentation resource is the poem, “Montgolfier Brothers’ Hot Air Balloon” by J. Patrick Lewis. Classroom Materials listed are pages to support students in analyzing the poem. 

  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 6, Reading Tab, Anchor Text, Lesson Resources, the In Presentation resource is Martina the Beautiful by Carmen Agra Deedy. Classroom Materials include About the Illustrator and Author, Analyze Text graphic organizer, and ELL Small Group Guide printable PDF documents.

  • In Unit 6, Week 6, Lesson 1, Writing Tab, Expository Writing, Lesson Resources are provided in the In Presentation and Classroom Materials sections. The In Presentation section has unit Expository Essay Writing Project materials for teachers and students, including student models, rubrics, anchor papers, and ELL resources. The Classroom Materials section has pages to support the Expository Writing Project, Extended Writing pages, and ELL Small Group Guide printable PDF documents.

Indicator 3g

Narrative Only

This is not an assessed indicator in ELA.

Indicator 3h

Narrative Only

This is not an assessed indicator in ELA.

Criterion 3.2: Assessment

9 / 10

The program includes a system of assessments identifying how materials provide tools, guidance, and support for teachers to collect, interpret, and act on data about student progress towards the standards.

Materials include a comprehensive assessment handbook, which includes information about various assessment options, a guide for providing instruction, and a list of forms to use while assessing students. Formal assessments are included in the program, such as Universal Screeners, Placement & Diagnostic Assessments, Fluency Assessments, Unit Assessments, and Benchmark Assessments. The instructional materials offer multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate learning. Teachers can find these resources in the Assessment Handbook, Feedback videos, and the notes section in the daily lesson plans. The Assessment Handbook provides details and suggestions on how to interpret student performance. Feedback videos and notes in the lesson plans offer recommendations for supporting students as they complete each assessment. Materials include a variety of assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of the grade-level standards and shifts. Assessments are both informal and formal and in a variety of modalities, including formal assessments, writing prompts, and discussions. Each lesson culminates with a check-in routine, which allows students to reflect on their new knowledge or share what they have learned with a partner. The instructional materials provide multiple accommodations to ensure students can access assessments and demonstrate knowledge without changing assessment content. Teachers can find support in the Equitable Access to Instruction Handbook, the Assessment Handbook, and within daily lessons.

Narrative Only

Indicator 3i

1 / 2

Assessment information is included in the materials to indicate which standards are assessed.

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

Materials contain a comprehensive assessment handbook, which includes information about various assessment options, a guide for providing instruction, and a list of forms to use while assessing students. Formal assessments included in the program, such as Universal Screeners, Placement & Diagnostic Assessments, Fluency Assessments, Unit Assessments, and Benchmark Assessments. Materials do not always include the standards being assessed. The Unit and Benchmark Assessments available in the Online Assessment Center include question-level standard alignment information, but this does not exist for printable versions of those assessments. Informal assessments that occur within lessons include standards for the lesson but do not include specific standards for the tasks being assessed.

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

  • In Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 10, students present and publish a realistic fiction piece. The standards listed for the day include writing, speaking and listening, and language standards; however, the rubric associated with the task assesses the writing standards.

  • In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 10, students publish and present a realistic fiction piece. The standards listed for the day include writing, speaking and listening, and language standards; however, the rubric associated with the task assesses the writing standards. A “Presenting Checklist” is included but is not part of the assessment or rubric. 

  • In the Online Assessment Center, teachers can access the Unit and Benchmark Assessments, which include question-level standards alignment. For example, in the Unit Assessment, Grade 3, U3, Question 8 is aligned to standard L.3.4.b. Each question is also aligned to a skill and DOK level.

Indicator 3j

4 / 4

Assessment system provides multiple opportunities throughout the grade, course, and/or series to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.

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

Materials include an assessment system that provides multiple ways for students to demonstrate learning. Formal and informal assessments provided throughout the school year generate results to guide instruction. Materials provide teachers with detailed information including, but not limited to, assessment guidance for interpreting student performance, rubrics, answer keys, scoring guidelines, and suggestions for follow-up. Units and lessons identify opportunities in which students have self-assessment tasks and teacher-student evaluation meetings. Handbooks, guides, charts, and videos such as the Assessment Components and Resources Chart, Assessment Handbook, Placement Diagnostic Assessment book, Assessment Administration Guide, Know Your Reports User Guide, and Prepare Students for Online Assessments guide as well as the Teacher Edition support increasing teacher capacity for assessing and analyzing student performance. 

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

  • The Assessment Handbook provides teachers with guidance on interpreting student results for all assessments listed in the handbook. For The Standard Version of the Phonics Survey, the handbook explains how to interpret the data by stating, “count the number of correct responses for each individual task and record the percentage of correct responses. A score of 80% in any section indicates mastery of that skill. The scores in each section are not combined to calculate a total score.”

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 1, students read Sailing to America (author not cited). After reading, students write a summary using important details and complete page 155. Once students complete their summaries, they share with partners. Students reflect using the Check-In routine as a formative assessment.

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

  • Students engage in multiple assessment opportunities throughout the year. At the beginning of the school year, each student completes a Universal Screener. Based on the results, students are given a placement assessment or a diagnostic assessment. Both assessments are used to determine strengths and areas for growth. Teachers can use progress monitoring assessments to determine if students are making progress, and can use formative assessments at the end of lessons to determine if students learned the skills and strategies taught. Unit Assessments are given at the end of each unit, and benchmark assessments are given at the middle or end of the school year. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 5, Lesson 4, students read “Narcissa” by Gwendolyn Brooks and identify and explain the imagery in the poem. Next, students complete the following task as a formative assessment, “partners to share their Your Turn responses on page 199. Ask them to use the Check-In routine to reflect and fill in the bars.”

  • In the Resource Library, videos titled Corrective Feedback 1 & 2 show examples of how to provide corrective feedback while teaching a lesson. 

  • The Assessment Handbook provides suggestions for student feedback. For example, “Using corrective feedback as an assessment tool: Feedback should help students see how they can improve their work. The most useful feedback is a specific comment describing the strengths and weaknesses of individual work, with useful suggestions for improvement. To be useful and motivating, feedback needs to be: delivered in the form of praise, modeled for the student, practiced by the student, and used continually over time.”

Indicator 3k

4 / 4

Assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level/course-level standards and shifts across the series.

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

Materials include a variety of assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of the grade-level standards and shifts. Assessments are both informal and formal and in a variety of modalities, including formal assessments, writing prompts, and discussions. Each lesson culminates with a check-in routine, which allows students to reflect on their new knowledge or share what they have learned with a partner. The Assessment Handbook also includes information on student portfolios. Students collect work that supports progress as a reader and provides “formative information” in a Developmental portfolio. 

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

  • The materials include an Assessment Handbook that details all of the formative and summative assessment options available in the program, including universal screeners, placement and diagnostic assessments, fluency assessments, progress monitoring assessments, unit assessments, and benchmark assessments. A table indicates which assessments are available for each of these purposes, the reading component measured, the grade levels, the type of test, when to give the assessment, and how to administer the assessment. 

  • In the Assessment Handbook, the materials indicate that teachers can have students develop portfolios of their work over the year to show both development and their best work. A development portfolio “contains examples of the writing process and samples from the beginning, middle, and end of the year.” A portfolio used to showcase a student’s best work shows what a student has learned. Portfolios can also be used to “connect students’ learning from unit to unit. Students are able to choose certain pieces of work from the previous unit and then reflect on them.”

  • Across the year, the materials provide a unit assessment in every unit, along with twice-yearly benchmark assessments with questions aligned to the standards. Both the unit and benchmark assessments contain primarily multiple-choice type questions. For example, in the Unit 3 assessment, question 7a asks students to respond to the multiple choice question, “What lesson does the wise man teach the young man?” This question is aligned to standard RL.3.2: “Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.”

  • In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 10, students finalize and present their realistic fiction story. The accompanying rubric assesses students’ knowledge of grade-level-appropriate narrative writing and speaking and listening skills and is aligned to the standards listed for the lesson.

  • In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 2, the materials direct teachers to do a formative assessment where they “Ask partners to share their Your Turn responses on page 74.” Students then reflect using the Check-In routine.

Indicator 3l

Narrative Only

Assessments offer accommodations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without changing the content of the assessment.

Materials provide multiple accommodations to ensure students can access assessments and demonstrate knowledge without changing assessment content. Teachers can find support in the Equitable Access to Instruction Handbook, the Assessment Handbook, and within daily lessons. The Assessment Handbook includes general accommodation information and suggestions for how much and what type of assistance to provide during assessments. The Equitable Access to Instruction guide includes information for ELL support and visual and audio enhancements for students who struggle or have learning disabilities and require alternative options to reflect understanding.

Materials offer accommodations that ensure all students can access the assessment (e.g., text to speech, increased font size) without changing the content of the assessment. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Student online instructional materials include accommodations that do not impact content, like page view, zoom features, audio support, and highlight.

  • The materials provide multimedia presentations and include accommodations that do not impact content, like audio support, turtle icons, rabbit icons, and closed captioning.

Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of provided accommodations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The Assessment Handbook lists suggestions to help teachers determine the type of assistance during assessments, “Assistance should be unrelated to the skills and learning. Assistance should not mean changing the skills and learning itself. For instance, if you read a passage to a child, demonstrating understanding becomes listening comprehension, not reading comprehension.”

  • The Equitable Access to Instruction guide lists suggestions to support students with hearing disabilities during media presentations: “Consider providing a transcript of the audio narration along with the video so that students with hearing disabilities can follow along easily with the rest of the class. Alternatively, closed captioning services, which are available online for free or at a low cost, can provide hearing-challenged students with text.”

  • The Equitable Access to Instruction guide lists recommendations to help struggling learners and students with disabilities demonstrate understanding. Teachers provide students with options for demonstrating understanding of content or skills such as, presentations to be submitted, recorded, or presented (e.g., through PowerPoint, Prezi, Camtasia, etc.); computer screen recordings, videos (e.g., video blogs), audio Recordings (e.g., podcasts), maps, sentence starters, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, and computer-generated graphics; webpages, animations, lab reports, digital storytelling, varied essay styles, timelines, performances, and other student options.

Criterion 3.3: Student Supports

6 / 6

The program includes materials designed for each student’s regular and active participation in grade-level/grade-band/series content.

Materials provide learning strategies and supports for students in special populations. In each lesson, there is a Differentiated Reading sidebar, which provides suggested supports to help students approaching level, on-level, and beyond-level access to the grade-level text. In addition, the Differentiated Reading sidebar includes ways to help English Language Learners access grade-level content and standards. The instructional materials regularly provide extensions to engage in literacy content and concepts at a greater depth for students who read, write, speak, and/or listen above grade level. Across the school year, materials provide exposure and access to challenging texts and tasks to increase critical reading skills, such as interpreting and analyzing texts. Materials provide varied approaches to learning tasks, as well as variety in how students demonstrate their learning and monitor their performance. Throughout the year, students learn and demonstrate their learning through discussions, writing, and completing written pages. Materials provide a variety of grouping strategies throughout each unit and lesson across the school year. Students can engage in pairs or small groups to discuss, read, write, present, peer evaluate, and play games. Specific teacher guidance is found in lesson segments and details how and when to use specific grouping strategies. Materials provide strategies, support, and multiple opportunities for English Language Learners to participate in grade-level activities. In addition to the “Dual Language” section in the Resources Library, materials provide lesson-specific scaffolding daily to help ELL students meet or exceed grade-level standards. Materials provide a balance of drawings and realistic images representing different demographic and physical characteristics of the characters. Across the year, positive representations of all individuals are found in the illustrations and avoid stereotypes and biases toward underrepresented groups or individuals. The content supports strengthening a student’s sense of identity and promoting equity and inclusion while engaging students in learning. Materials guide teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning. The Language Transfers Handbook includes a sound transfer chart, a grammar transfer chart, and examples of cognates. This handbook also provides background knowledge and suggestions for teachers to help students as they learn another language. Materials provide guidance and support across the year to encourage teachers to draw upon student cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning. The Resource Library contains three resources, the Language Transfers Handbook, a Culturally Responsive Teacher Guidance document, and the Equitable Access to Instruction guide. The Language Transfers Handbook provides teachers with assistance to make linguistic connections that support students increasing their knowledge of English.

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Indicator 3m

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Materials provide strategies and supports for students in special populations to work with grade-level content and to meet or exceed grade-level standards that will support their regular and active participation in learning English language arts and literacy.

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

Materials provide learning strategies and supports for students in special populations. In each lesson, there is a Differentiated Reading sidebar, which provides suggested support to help students approaching level, on-level, and beyond level access the grade-level text. In addition, the Differentiated Reading sidebar also includes ways to help English Language Learners access grade-level content and standards. The Equitable Access to Instruction Guide has multiple strategies that teachers can employ to support the various levels of students in the classroom. 

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

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 5, students read Earth by Jeffrey Zuehike. In the Differentiated Reading sidebar, some suggestions include reading the full selection aloud once with minimal stopping before reading with the prompts. For students approaching level, it suggests that students listen to the selection summary and use the reread prompts during small group time. For students on level and beyond level, it suggests that students either read in pairs or independently and complete the reread prompts in their Reading/Writing Companion. 

  • In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 6, students read Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone. In the Differentiated Reading sidebar, the materials guide teachers to differentiate. For example, for students approaching level, it suggests that students listen to the selection summary and use the reread prompts during small-group time. Students who are on level or beyond should work in pairs or independently to complete the reread prompts. Suggestions for English Language Learners include listening to the summary selection in their native language if it is available. 

  • Under the Resource Tab in the Professional Development section, the Equitable Access to Instruction Guide provides strategies to support teachers as they differentiate instruction for students. The overview states, “Equity in the classroom is crucial to the success of all students, particularly those who struggle or have disabilities. The resources in this module help teachers meet the needs of students with disabilities. The videos and PDFs detail strategies for implementing differentiated instruction, and they explain how to use technology to adapt the curriculum to suit the individual learner. Several resources focus on identifying classroom accommodations for students with targeted instructional needs. Included are strategies for providing explicit explanations and setting realistic expectations, thus accelerating student performance.”

Indicator 3n

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Materials regularly provide extensions to engage with literacy content and concepts at greater depth for students who read, write, speak, and/or listen above grade level.

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

Materials regularly provide extensions to engage in literacy content and concepts at a greater depth for students who read, write, speak, and/or listen above grade level. Across the school year, materials provide exposure and access to challenging texts and tasks to increase critical reading skills, such as interpreting and analyzing texts. Students can access differentiated spelling lists, leveled readers, and differentiated assignments. Literacy tasks are based on higher-order questions and actively involve students in speaking, listening, discussing, and writing about complex texts. The Teacher Edition includes Differentiated Reading and Writing boxes and guidance on how to use whole-group lessons to support beyond-level students.

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

  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 6, students who are beyond level review domain-specific words using the Visual Vocabulary Cards to learn the meanings of the words candidate and convince. The teacher writes Social Studies related sentences on the board using the words and writes the words caucus and debates on the board and discusses the meanings with students. 

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 5, students who are beyond level read Destination Saturn by Karen Alexander. After reading the text, teachers “Ask students to conduct a literature circle using the Thinkmark questions to guide the discussion. You may wish to have a whole-class discussion on what more they would like to learn about Earth and its neighbors.”

  • In Unit 6, Week 6, Lesson 4, students who are beyond level read The Lion and the Ostrich Chicks by Kathleen M. Fischer. After reading the text, “Students must tell a story’s main events in order. Use The Lion and the Ostrich Chicks to help students practice summarizing. Review the steps of summarization, including telling what happens during the beginning, middle, and end of the play. Then have students reread the play to note the main events. Have students orally retell the main events to a partner, using some vocabulary from the play. Students can then write and illustrate their summaries.”

Indicator 3o

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Materials provide varied approaches to learning tasks over time and variety in how students are expected to demonstrate their learning with opportunities for for students to monitor their learning.

Materials provide students multiple opportunities to question, investigate, and problem-solve through various multi-modal opportunities. Students share new ideas or thinking using the Build Knowledge anchor chart and engage with texts in different ways, such as reading and acting out plays. Students use a variety of formats to show their understanding, such as creating posters, discussions, and writing assignments. Students use checklists and peer reviews to self-reflect and improve their work. Students also use the Check-In Routine to monitor and reflect on their learning. 

Materials provide multi-modal opportunities for students to question, investigate, sense-make, and problem-solve using a variety of formats and methods. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 2, students complete a research project about their community. At the end, students will create a map of their community, showing places important to the community’s cultural identity. 

Students have opportunities to share their thinking, to demonstrate changes in their thinking over time, and to apply their understanding in new contexts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 1, students read All About Elections (author not cited). After reading, students add new ideas to the Build Knowledge Anchor Chart.

Materials leverage the use of a variety of formats and methods over time to deepen student understanding and ability to explain and apply literacy ideas. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 4, Week 5, Lesson 3, students build knowledge to make connections about the texts they are reading. They first begin by discussing the essential question, “How can others inspire us?,” then they write about the text in their reader’s notebooks. The teacher adds new ideas to the Build Knowledge anchor chart, and students add any new vocabulary words to their reader’s notebooks.

Materials provide for ongoing review, practice, self-reflection, and feedback. Materials provide multiple strategies, such as oral and/or written feedback, peer or teacher feedback, and self-reflection. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:  

  • In Unit 4, Week 4, Lesson 9, students work with partners to review and give feedback on each other’s expository essays. When doing so, students will look for the central idea, a strong opening, and facts and details that are relevant to the topic. Students then reflect on their partner’s feedback and write how they intend to use it in their Reading/Writing Companion. 

Materials provide a clear path for students to monitor and move their own learning. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 1, students use the Check-in Routine to reflect on their learning after reading Jimmy Carter: A Good Citizen (author not cited). According to the Teacher’s Edition, the Check-In Routine consists of the following steps:

    • “Review the lesson learning goal.

    • Reflect on the activity.

    • Self-Assess by

      • filling in the bars in the Reading/Writing Companion

      • holding up 1, 2, 3, or 4 fingers

    • Share with your teacher.”

Indicator 3p

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Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Materials provide a variety of grouping strategies throughout each unit and lesson across the school year. Students can engage in pairs or small groups to discuss, read, write, present, peer evaluate, and play games. Specific teacher guidance is found in lesson segments and provides details on how and when to use specific grouping strategies. The Instructional Routines Handbook provides guidance on grouping students in various formats during activities such as Collaborative Conversations, Shared Read Routine, Literature Circles, Peer Conferences, Author Study, and Book Club Chat. The “Managing Small Groups: A How-To Guide” handbook supports teachers by explaining how to group students using data.

Materials provide grouping strategies for students. Materials provide for varied types of interaction among students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 1, students listen to Our Home in the Solar System (author not cited). With a partner, students discuss planet Earth and its place in the solar system.

  • In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 4, students read Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave by Laurence Pringle. With a partner, students discuss the Essential Question: How do animals adapt to challenges in their habitats?

  • In Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 5, students share and discuss their responses to “Can You Hear Me?” Students review the Build Knowledge anchor chart and read through their notes, annotations, and responses. Students complete the Talk About It activity with a partner. 

Materials provide guidance for the teacher on grouping students in a variety of grouping formats. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In the Resources Section, a handbook titled “Managing Small Groups: A How-To Guide” is available for teachers. In this guide, teachers can find suggestions for forming heterogenous and homogenous groups, group assignments, and group sizes. The guide states, “at the beginning of the academic year, it is often easier to assign group memberships that are more homogenous or similar in skill proficiency and needs.” The guide suggests students can work in mixed-skills and flexible groups based on teacher observations.

  • In the Instructional Routines Handbook, guidance for Peer Conferences states,  “Provide your students with consistent opportunities to discuss with another student what they are reading. This allows them to exchange ideas about what they are learning and how they are growing as readers. In addition, it offers a valuable chance for you to listen in to students sharing their thinking about their reading with others. Pair two (or three) students. You might want to group students who are reading the same text or texts on the same topic or theme. Rehearse with students what these collaborative conversations should look like and sound like. By using a gradual release of responsibility, you can ensure that students will be focused when they are meeting with a peer to discuss their reading. Provide students with specific guidelines to ensure that students will use the time productively. Use the Peer Conferencing handouts on pages 126–128 to model with students.” 

  • In the Instructional Routines Handbook, guidance for an Author Study states, “Have students form an independent study group and choose an author to study. Have students choose two pieces of work by the author and read the selections independently. Students should have collaborative conversations about their reading each week in which they can choose a character and compare their traits; compare and contrast themes; compare the author’s purpose; compare text structures; compare poetic devices or the use of figurative language and the effect it has on the mood of a text. Remind students to use text evidence to support their ideas.” 

Indicator 3q

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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 to regularly participate in learning English language arts and literacy.

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

Materials provide varied support and strategies to help ELL students participate in English Language Arts tasks and meet or exceed grade-level standards. Across the year, daily lessons provide strategic methods for making grade-level materials and resources comprehensible for English language learners. Definitions for key terms and questions to elicit deeper understanding of texts read in class and sentence stems are provided to assist students as they read grade-level texts. Materials direct teachers to explicitly model how to think deeper about a text. The English Language Learners Writing Workshops and English Language Learners Language Development Options provide steps to support students, including providing guidance about focusing on single chunks of texts to support comprehension and language development.

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

  • In Unit 2, Week 6, Lesson 1, students read “A Hunt to Help Frogs” (TIME for Kids). Teacher guidance in the ELA Academic Language sidebar states, “Read the question with students and elicit the information they need to answer. Focus students’ attention on paragraphs 1–3 of ‘Frogs in Danger.’ Remind students that frogs are amphibians. Ask: Where did the author use the word important to talk about amphibians? Explain that a pest is a small bug that causes problems. Ask: What do frogs do to pests? Does the information in the section tell you why frogs are important? As needed, have students restate the reasons using the following: The author thinks that frogs are important because ___. For Beginning students, use the following: I read about ___. Frogs make the environment ___. Ask: Do you agree with the author’s perspective? Have students express their opinion using the following: I agree/disagree with the author because ___.”

  • In Unit 4, Week 6, Lesson 3, students read The Baker’s Neighbor by Merrily P. Hansen. Teacher guidance in the English Language Learners sidebar states, “Review the features of a play with Beginning students: character, setting, dialogue, stage directions. Have all students read aloud the lines for their roles and record them. With each student, listen to the recording as you trace the dialogue with your finger. Ask: Which words or phrases do you find difficult to pronounce? Model pronouncing the words and phrases slowly and record them for students to use for practice. Then review details about the character and any stage directions that refer to their character. Ask the student to think about whether they are saying the lines appropriately. How can you say the dialogue to show _____? Help students decide on the tone, and record it for them to use for practice.”

  • In Unit 5, Week 6, Lesson 4, students read The Memory Quilt by Claire Daniel Chapell. Teacher guidance in the English Language Learners sidebar states, “Review the features of a play with Beginning students: character, setting, dialogue, stage directions. Have all students read aloud the lines for their roles and record them. With each student, listen to the recording as you trace the dialogue with your finger. Ask: Which words or phrases do you find difficult to pronounce? Model pronouncing the words and phrases slowly and record them for students to use for practice. Then review details about the character and any stage directions that refer to their character. Ask students to think about whether they are saying the lines appropriately. How can you say the dialogue to show ____? Help students decide the appropriate tone, and record it for them to use for practice.”

  • In the Guiding Principles for Supporting English Learners, guidance states, “This whitepaper explains the nine guiding principles that McGraw-Hill Education has developed and followed for supporting English Learners at all grade levels and in all disciplines.”

Indicator 3r

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Materials provide a balance of images or information about people, representing various demographic and physical characteristics.

The instructional materials provide a balance of drawings and realistic images representing different demographic and physical characteristics of the characters. Across the year, the materials include positive representations of all individuals in the illustrations and images and avoid stereotypes and biases toward underrepresented groups or individuals. The content supports strengthening a student’s sense of identity, promoting equity and inclusion, and engaging students in learning. Students have a variety of opportunities to demonstrate success and understanding. 

Materials and assessments depict different individuals of different genders, races, ethnicities, and other physical characteristics. Depictions of demographics or physical characteristics are portrayed positively across the series. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

  • In Unit 2, Week 5, Lesson 1, students read the poem “Empanada Day” by George Santiago. The poem features some words in Spanish, and the accompanying illustrations show a Latina grandmother and her grandchild making empanadas. 

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 3, students read Eunice Kennedy Shriver by Geoff Fairburn. This story has pictures of individuals with various physical and intellectual abilities whom Eunice Kennedy Shriver worked with during the Special Olympics.

Materials and assessments balance positive portrayals of demographics or physical characteristics. Materials avoid stereotypes or language that might be offensive to a particular group. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Weeks 1–2, Lessons 3–6, students read Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto. This autobiography tells the story of Gary’s life and culture through the story and the illustrations. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 1, students engage with the Interactive Read Aloud, Dancing La Raspa (author not cited). The teacher tells the students they can use what they know to help others, like the two sisters in the story who share their talents. 

Materials provide representations that show students that they can succeed in the subject, going beyond just showing photos of diverse students not engaged in work related to the context of the learning. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 2, Week 5, Lesson 2, Differentiated Instruction, students who are at the Approaching Level read, Problem Solved by Frederica Brown. The cover depicts students of varying skin colors, hair types, and physical features working together to solve a problem.

  • In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 6, students read “Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote” by Tanya Lee Stone. Students read to answer the Essential Question, “What do good citizens do?”

Indicator 3s

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Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning.

Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning. The Language Transfers Handbook includes a sound transfer chart, a grammar transfer chart, and examples of cognates. This handbook also provides background knowledge and suggestions for teachers to help students as they learn a second language. In addition, the program also includes a Bridge to English section, which connects students’ English skills with Spanish. Each section provides examples of transferable and non-transferable language skills that students can use as they acquire English. It provides students of varying English proficiency levels opportunities to interact as they develop their English language skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Lastly, in the differentiated section of each lesson, teachers are provided with cognates with vocabulary words in the ELL Academic Lessons section to help students understand the pronunciation and meaning of new words. 

Materials provide suggestions and strategies to use the home language to support students in learning ELA. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In the Resource Library, the Language Transfers Handbook provides teachers with a sample lesson on cognates to help students use their native language to identify words. 

  • In the Resource Library, Bridge to English, Unit 2, Week 5, the Language Transfers section provides guidance to teachers about skills that are transferable and non-transferable between English and Spanish. The transferable skills include guidance that both Spanish and English feature consonant blends and phrasal verbs. The non-transferable skills provide further guidance that the consonant blends sl, spl, sw, and sh do not exist in Spanish. Additionally, the materials provide guidance about phrasal verbs, noting, “Phrasal verbs in English can either be separable or inseparable, but phrasal verbs in Spanish are never separable; they are always inseparable.”

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 1, students learn about author’s claim, biographies, asking and answering questions, and suffixes. To support Spanish speakers, students also learn the cognates biographia and sufijo

  • In the Resource Library, Bridge to English, Unit 6, Week 5, the Language Transfers section provides guidance to teachers about skills that are transferable and non-transferable between English and Spanish. The transferable skills provide guidance about forming tag questions. The non-transferable skills include information about the English digraphs ph and gh compared to the Spanish f sound.

Materials present multilingualism as an asset in reading, but students are not explicitly encouraged to develop home language literacy and to use their home language strategically for learning how to negotiate texts in the target language. Teacher materials include guidance on how to garner information that will aid in learning, including the family’s preferred language of communication, schooling experiences in other languages, literacy abilities in other languages, and previous exposure to academic or everyday English. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The Language Transfers Handbook provides teachers with strategies for supporting students as they learn English orthography. This handbook contains charts for phonemes that may cause a problem for speakers of specific languages. For example, the Sound Transfer Chart identifies the transferable and non-transferable sounds between English and Spanish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Hmong, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, Urdu, Russian, Hatian-Creole, and French. 

  • The Language Transfers Handbook provides teachers with strategies for supporting students as they learn English syntax. The handbook suggests that teachers highlight the transferable skills if the group of students all speak the same native language. 

  • In the Resource Library, there are a variety of videos that promote using the students’ home language, including “Bridging Lessons: Transferring Learning Between Languages” with Peggy Cerna and “Building First Language Proficiency” with Dr. Josefina Tinajero. 

Indicator 3t

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Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning.

The instructional materials provide guidance and support across the year to encourage teachers to draw upon students’ cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning. The Resource Library contains three resources, the Language Transfers Handbook, a Culturally Responsive Teacher Guidance document, and the Equitable Access to Instruction guide. The Language Transfers Handbook provides teachers with assistance to make linguistic connections that support increasing their knowledge of English. The Culturally Responsive Teacher Guidance document cultivates critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Teachers receive equity guidance through the Equitable Access to Instruction guide, which includes options for student choice during independent work. Opportunities for students to share personal home experiences to enhance their understanding of various concepts are present in the materials. 

Materials make connections to the linguistic, cultural, and conventions used in learning ELA. Materials make connections to the linguistic and cultural diversity to facilitate learning. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In the Resources section, the Language Transfers Handbook includes information about sound transfers in various languages, including Spanish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Hmong, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, Urdu, Russian, Haitian-Creole, Portuguese, and French.

  • In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 3, students read “The Birth of an Anthem” from TIME for Kids. The materials provide ELA Academic Language for English Language Learners, including chronology, verb, combine, subject, and predicate. The materials also provide cognates for some of the terms, including cronología,verbo, sujeto, and predicado.

Materials include teacher guidance on how to engage culturally diverse students in the learning of ELA. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In the Resources section, the Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher document includes a selection of resources to help teachers achieve the goals listed in the document: “respect my students’ preferences and honor their experiences, provide rigorous instruction that invites critical thinking, acknowledge bias and privilege, own my own learning, communicate positive intentions, avoid assumptions, reject color blindness, consider context, be open to being wrong, get comfortable with discomfort, and create a classroom that offers the opportunity to achieve academic excellence to all.” 

  • In the Resources section, the Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher document includes a model lesson section teachers can apply to their lessons. This scaffolded lesson plan includes suggestions regarding a culturally-responsive essential question, objectives, sensitivities, key vocabulary, building background by introducing the concept, and after reading optional activities that extend the concept. In addition, this lesson format includes teacher tips, expanding your classroom library, and resources. The document also contains suggestions on how to use these model lessons, namely as supplements, to provide historical and cultural background and to explore identity and social justice. 

Materials include equity guidance and opportunities. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In the Resources section, the Equitable Access to Instruction guide provides teachers with information about creating an “equitable learning environment for all students.” This guide includes information about using audio and video in the classroom, peer tutor implementation, the use of graphic organizers, the use of multiple methods of demonstration, and the use of classroom routines.

Materials include opportunities for students to feel “acknowledged,” such as tasks based on customs of other cultures; sections provided in multiple languages such as the glossary, digital materials, family letters; etc. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Glossaries for students are provided in several languages, specifically an English-French glossary, an English-Hmong glossary, an English-Korean glossary, an English-Arabic glossary, an English-Portuguese glossary, an English-Spanish glossary, an English-Chinese glossary, an English-Urdu glossary, an English-Russian glossary, an English-Vietnamese glossary, an English-Tagalog glossary, and an English-Haitian Creole glossary.

Materials include prompts where students are encouraged to share how they (or their parents) do things at home or use information to create personal problems, etc. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Lesson 1, students watch a video to build knowledge of the Essential Question, “How do people from different cultures contribute to a community?” After watching the video, students discuss with a partner how people from different cultures contribute to a community.

  • In Unit 4, Weeks 1 and 2, Lesson 1, students watch a video to build knowledge of the Essential Question, “How can you use what you know to help others?” After watching the video, students discuss with a partner how people use what they know to help others.

Indicator 3u

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This is not an assessed indicator in ELA.

Indicator 3v

Narrative Only

This is not an assessed indicator in ELA.

Criterion 3.4: Intentional Design

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The program includes a visual design that is engaging and references or integrates digital technology, when applicable, with guidance for teachers.

The program integrates technology in various ways that provide opportunities for engagement, support, and customization. Interactive technology tools can be found that encourage a more engaging and supportive learning environment, such as the option for texts to be read aloud, games, and the ability to customize assignments. Age-appropriate digital tools are found throughout the materials to help students access the content and master the standards. Materials include digital opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate with each other. The materials allow the teacher to post assignments, projects, weekly learning goals, and messages. Students can view current and past messages posted by the teacher and respond to the teacher. The instructional materials provide a visual design to support students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject. The teacher’s edition is organized the same way in each unit, week, and lesson. The student edition is easy to navigate and has titles to help students navigate the curriculum. The visual design is age-appropriate and includes both realistic photographs as well as illustrations to support student learning. The instructional materials provide teacher guidance for using embedded technology to support and enhance student learning. Technology is used in a variety of purposeful ways. The materials include guidance to integrate technology to increase engagement and maximize student learning.

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Indicator 3w

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Materials integrate technology such as interactive tools, virtual manipulatives/objects, and/or dynamic software in ways that engage students in the grade-level/series standards, when applicable.

The program integrates technology in a variety of ways that provide opportunities for engagement, support, and customization. Interactive technology tools encourage an engaging and supportive learning environment such as the option for texts to be read aloud, games, and the ability to customize assignments. Age-appropriate digital tools are found throughout the materials to help students access the content and master the standards. 

Digital technology and interactive tools, such as data collection tools, simulations, and/or modeling tools are available to students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In the Reading/Writing Companion digital version, students can select a thumbs down, a sideways thumb, or a thumbs up for each check-in throughout the course.

  • There are Build Knowledge videos provided to help students learn about the topic of the unit. 

  • Students can learn the weekly vocabulary words in the “Words to Know” digital tool. The tool introduces the vocabulary word, provides a definition, gives an example, and a question is asked with the word contained within the question. This tool allows students to listen to each of the components of the tool. 

  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 1, students use the digital tool to listen to “Bear, Beaver, and Bee” (author not cited). There is also a bookmark feature for students to mark pages. 

Digital tools support student engagement in ELA. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In the Resource Library, there are a variety of interactive graphic organizers. When the interactive version of the graphic organizer is selected, students can use the pencil tool to write on the graphic organizer.

  • There are games provided in the digital tools to support engagement. For example, in Unit 6, Week 5, Lesson 2, students practice identifying suffixes by dragging words into the column that match the suffix. 

  • Materials include Inquiry Space, which provides resources to support students in three research and inquiry projects. Teachers can assign and monitor guided digital projects related to specific units. 

Digital materials can be customized for local use (i.e., student and/or community interests). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • By selecting “Manage and Assign” from the menu, teachers can select “Make an Assignment” to create a new assignment for a select group of students or an entire class. Teachers have the option to add a title, directions, and resources such as ebooks, interactive games, and graphic organizers.

  • In the Online Assessment Center, teachers can either modify an existing assessment or create a new one. There are a variety of question types that teachers can choose from including multiple choice, short answer, fill in the blank, and essay. 

Indicator 3x

Narrative Only

Materials include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable.

The materials include digital opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate with each other. The materials allow the teacher to post assignments, projects, weekly learning goals, and messages. Students can view current and past messages posted by the teacher and respond to the teacher. 

Materials include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The Student Dashboard provides students with the opportunity to collaborate with the teacher using the My Binder section. Here, students can view assignments and assessments that the teacher posts. 

  • The Student Dashboard includes a “To Do” section, which lists specific tasks that students should practice and/or complete. There is a “Note to Teacher” box, which allows students to communicate directly with the teacher. 

  • The Student Dashboard allows students to collaborate with the teacher in the Writing and Research section. Students can view topics and projects assigned by the teacher. The teacher can also pose questions, and students can respond to the question, see the responses of their classmates, and respond to their peers’ comments. 

  • The Student Dashboard includes a Home to School Section where students and families can view messages, word activities, learning goals, and spelling lists the teacher posts. 

Indicator 3y

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The visual design (whether in print or digital) supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic.

The instructional materials provide a visual design to support students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject. The teacher’s edition is organized the same way in each unit, week, and lesson. The student edition is easy to navigate and has titles to help students navigate the curriculum. The visual design is age-appropriate and includes both realistic photographs as well as illustrations to support student learning. Text boxes provide additional information for students to help them understand the topics, content, and texts. The table of contents, glossary, and table headers are all easy to understand and navigate. 

Images, graphics, and models support student learning and engagement without being visually distracting. Images, graphics, and models clearly communicate information or support student understanding of topics, texts, or concepts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Core instruction provides pre-teaching with every lesson to activate prior knowledge and includes photographs and videos to support student learning. This allows students to collaborate by filling in graphic organizers and recording ideas.

  • Instruction is presented in multiple media formats to engage all learners. The guidance states, “Inquiry Space projects guide students through a step-by-step process of completing more complex performance tasks. Tasks include an array of multimedia tools in the toolkit to support students. Research and Inquiry projects offer students options to create projects in multiple media, such as text, speech, drawing, illustration, visual art, and music.”  

Teacher and student materials are consistent in layout and structure across lessons/modules/units. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The digital teacher edition is organized with units, weeks, and lessons. Each day is organized with a weekly concept, Essential Question, reading, differentiated instruction, and writing.

  • The digital student edition is organized with My Binder, Writing & Research, Resources, School to Home, Notes, Glossary, To Do, Words to Know, Write, Games, and Read.

  • A weekly phonics lesson is presented to support students in decoding multisyllabic words and is integrated with reading instruction. 

  • Resources are provided for daily fluency practice, including Shared Reads in the Reading/Writing Companion, Differentiated Genre Passages, Leveled Readers, and Reader’s Theatre plays.

  • Echo reading, choral reading, cloze reading, and structured partner reading are used consistently as effective fluency practice techniques.

Organizational features (Table of Contents, glossary, index, internal references, table headers, captions, etc.) in the materials are clear, accurate, and error-free. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The Resources tab contains a glossary. The glossary includes words such as “celebrate,” where the word and definition are spoken when the video’s play button is clicked. In addition, there is a definition of the word along with a picture and a section entitled Routine that offers opportunities for students to use this word. 

  • The Table of Contents in the student textbook includes images, text, and colors to help all students access the necessary materials. For example, “To Do” includes a paper with a checkmark and is contained within a green circle. The text is visible when a student hovers over the icon. 

Indicator 3z

Narrative Only

Materials provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable.

The instructional materials provide teacher guidance for using embedded technology to support and enhance student learning. Technology is used in a variety of purposeful ways. The materials include guidance to integrate technology to increase engagement and maximize student learning. Technology resources to support student learning include but are not limited to presentations, games, and videos.

Materials provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The Teacher’s Online Dashboard includes daily presentations with resources that teachers can display on a whiteboard or other tool.

  • In Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 1, the Essential Question is, “How do people make government work?” Teacher guidance states, “Watch the Video, play the video without sound first. Have partners narrate what they see. Then replay the video with sound while they listen. Talk About the Video, have partners share one thing they saw that shows how people are a part of the government. Write About the Video, and have students add their ideas to the Build Knowledge pages of their reader’s notebooks.”

  • In Unit 6, Week 1, Lesson 1, the Essential Question is, “Why are goals important?” Teacher guidance states, “Watch the Video, play the video without sound first. Have partners narrate what they see. Then replay the video with sound while they listen. Talk About the Video, have partners share one thing they saw that shows how people are a part of the government. Write About the Video, and have students add their ideas to the Build Knowledge pages of their reader’s notebooks.”