The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

The anchor texts are of high interest and include rich language and content from across multiple disciplines and cultures. The anchor texts are examined multiple times for multiple purposes and are used to expand topics and essential questions, build vocabulary, and prompt writing. 

Examples of texts that fit this category include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Unit 1: Camping with the President by Ginger Wadsworth. This narrative nonfiction describes four days that President Theodore Roosevelt spent with outdoorsman John Muir visiting western states. Students will be interested in their adventures including camping, learning about birds, and seeing giant sequoia trees and glaciers. This trip influenced future presidential initiatives by Roosevelt. The illustrations are engaging, and paired with the text, paint a picture for students about the adventure. Wadsworth used diaries, letters, and published works as the basis for the text.
• Unit 2: Who Wrote the US Constitution? by Candice Ransom. The Teacher Edition provides teacher guidance under the ACT section to build background knowledge, explaining key ideas around the Revolutionary War and Articles of Confederation. This allows students to be more engaged with the history and thus the text. This text answers several questions, including, “But what were the new country's problems? Who came up with the solutions? How did the states work out disagreements to create a new system of government?” The pictures also depict what colonists would look like in this unique setting
• Unit 3: A Reluctant Traveler. This realistic fiction piece focuses on Paul, who is traveling from New York City to Buenos Aires. From the first page, there are vibrant photos of the New York City skyline, a passport, a boy’s picture, and a map of where Paul was traveling from and to. The remaining pictures show what Paul experienced in Buenos Aires, including the food and the culture, to help students learn about it. 
• Unit 5: The Case of the Missing Bees. This argumentative article is an overview of how scientists think they have solved the mystery of where all the honeybees have gone and is published in the Time For Kids magazine. Students will be intrigued by the title and will “find out” as they read the reasons for the disappearance. The text offers engaging photographs, interesting headings (A Deadly Combination & The Unusual Suspects), and infographics that offer additional information to the reader. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

There is a wide array of informational and literary text integrated throughout every unit with a balanced representation of each. Additional supplementary texts (text sets, shared reading, read-alouds) are included, resulting in a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by the standards, including historical fiction, poetry, fables, non-fiction, biographies, digital magazine articles, plays, and historical accounts.

The following are examples of literary text found within the instructional materials:

• In Unit 1, Week 2, Camping with the President by Ginger Wadsworth
• In Unit 2, Week 3, The Magical Lost Brocade (Author Unknown) 
• In Unit 3, Week 2, They Don’t Mean It! by Lensey Namioka
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Where’s Brownie? (Author Unknown)
• In Unit 5, Week 4, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
• In Unit 6, Week 5, To Travel! by Jad Abbas

The following are examples of informational text found within the instructional materials:

• In Unit 1, Week 5, The Future of Transportation by Time for Kids
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Creating a Nation (Author Unknown)
• In Unit 3, Week 4, Writer’s Tail Retold by Juliana, Isabella and Craig Hatkoff
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Frederick Douglas: Freedom’s Voice (Author Unknown)

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

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

• In Unit 3, Week 3, Gulf Spill Superheroes. This text has a quantitative measure of 860 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 740-1010 Lexile for Grade 5. The purpose of the text is stated clearly. The structure includes headings and is in a logical order. Photographs and captions provide additional information. There is domain-specific vocabulary that may be challenging. The author also includes idiomatic expressions, such as “think tank.”  Some background knowledge may be needed in order to understand the severity of the problem. 
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Frederick Douglass: Freedom’s Voice. This text has a quantitative measure of 830 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 740-1010 Lexile for Grade 5. This biography has a moderately complex purpose in that it is not stated within the piece but it is easy to discern the main idea through the details included in the story. The headings also assist students with understanding the main ideas and also the order in which they occurred. To best comprehend the story, students will need background information on slavery and the impact of the Thirteenth Amendment. 
• In Unit 6, Week 3, Mysterious Oceans. This text has a quantitative measure of 980 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 740-1010 Lexile for Grade 5. The purpose is clear in this expository text, and the headings help readers organize the information. The author uses a variety of sentence types and structures, adding to the complexity. Students need to have a solid understanding of various ocean life-forms. Some of the vocabulary may need to be addressed explicitly (e.g., chemosynthesis and fleece of bacteria). 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)

The texts, both anchor and supporting, fall within the grade-level band anywhere from 740 - 1010L, and provide students access to increasingly rigorous texts over the course of the school year. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the series of texts, as well as the scaffolds for the texts, ensure that students are supported to access and independently comprehend grade-level texts by the end of the year. 

The Genre Study within each unit begins with an Interactive Read- Aloud which introduces the genre and reading strategy that is the focus of the Genre Study. Students read the Shared Read followed by the Anchor Text, which is paired with an additional text selection in order for students to compare and contrast texts. While reading, scaffolds include rereading to find text evidence, note-taking in a graphic organizer with text details, and collaborative conversations that support students’ increasing independence over the course of the year.

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students read narrative nonfiction texts and engage in the strategy of asking and answering questions and the skills of determining and analyzing cause and effect and point of view. Examples include:
• In Week 1, Day 1 the Interactive Read-Aloud “Capturing the Natural World” (unknown author) and a think-aloud are included to help students see modeled the reading strategy of asking questions. It has a Lexile of 900 and is considered slightly complex for structure, moderately complex for language and knowledge demands, and somewhat complex for meaning.
• In Week 1, Days 1-2, the Shared Read is “Into the Woods” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 770L and is considered slightly complex. The text provides teachers and students with an opportunity to identify cause and effect. 
• In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3-6, students engage with the Anchor Text, Camping with the President by Ginger Wadsworth, which has a Lexile of 760. Meaning and structure are considered slightly complex, but language and knowledge demands are considered somewhat complex. Students apply the skills they practiced during the Shared Read. 
• In Week 2, Day 8, after reading the Paired Text “A Walk with Teddy” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 910L, students orally compare and contrast this text with what they learned about President Roosevelt and his love of nature in Camping with the President. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 2, students read drama and practice visualizing when reading. They also learn about how point of view and figurative language impact a text’s meaning. Examples include:
• In Week 3, Day 1, the Interactive Read-Aloud is “The Mystery Riddle” (unknown author) and the text is read by the teacher. It includes think-alouds to scaffold students as they apply the skill of visualization. There is no Lexile but it is considered slightly complex for language and meaning, and somewhat complex for structure and knowledge demands. 
• In Week 3, Days 1-2 the Shared Read is, “Where’s Brownie?” (unknown author), and students take notes about visualizing and point of view and work on identifying figurative language. The text is considered moderately complex for structure and language, slightly complex for meaning, and somewhat complex for knowledge demands. 
• In Weeks 3 and 4, Days 3-6, students read the Anchor Text, A Window Into History: The Mystery of the Cellar Window by David Adler, and apply the skills learned in the Shared Read. The drama is considered moderately complex.
• In Week 4, Days 7-8, students read the Paired Text, “A Boy, a Horse, and a Fiddle” (unknown author). Students compare this text with what they learned about giving things a second look in A Window into History: The Mystery of the Cellar Window, and discuss how these texts are similar and different. 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students read historical fiction and practice summarizing. They also learn more about theme, as well as print and graphic features.
• In Week 1, Day 1, the Interactive Read-Aloud is “Hope for the Troops” (unknown author), and the text is read by the teacher. It includes think-alouds to assist students to see how to apply the strategy. It has a Lexile of 850 and is considered moderately complex, with the exception of meaning, which is considered somewhat complex. 
• In Week 1, Days 1-2, the Shared Read is “Shipped Out” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of (810L) and is considered moderately complex, except for meaning, which is considered somewhat complex. Students practice determining a theme, as well as summarizing text. 
• In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3-6, the Anchor Text is The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter, which has a Lexile of 640. Although the quantitative feature falls below the Lexile range, this selection requires some prior knowledge of American history, making it a complex text. Meaning, structure, language, and knowledge are all considered moderately complex. Students apply the skills of summarizing, determining theme, and using print and graphic features to better understand text.
• In Week 2, Day 8, students read the Paired Text “Allies in Action,” which has a Lexile of 870. Students think about how this text compares with what they learned about in The Unbreakable Code.
  

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level. 

Grade 5 materials contain a text complexity analysis that includes a quantitative measure, a qualitative measure, and a rationale for including the text. The text complexity analysis is accessible through the Teacher Resources tab online and in the Teacher Edition in the Genre Study Overview, as well as through the Access Complex Text (ACT) sections.

Anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis. A rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level is provided and includes correct information about the complexity. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, students read Camping with the President by Ginger Wadsworth, which has a Lexile of 760. The structure and meaning are considered slightly complex, while the language and knowledge demands are considered somewhat complex. According to the publisher, teachers can use this text for many various tasks. For example, this narrative nonfiction text can serve as a model for a narrative story structure to provide information about real people, settings, and events. It can also provide opportunities for thematic reflection through descriptive language and word choice.
• In Unit 2, Weeks 3 and 4, students read Blancaflor by Alma Flor Ada, which has a Lexile of 870. According to the text complexity analysis, the knowledge demands and meaning are considered slightly complex and the structure and language are considered somewhat complex. The text was selected to help students gain knowledge about elements of the folktale genre. 
• In Unit 3, Weeks 3 and 4, students read Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again retold by Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff, which has a quantitative measure of 940L. Qualitative measures of complexity are slightly complex for meaning, but structure, language, and knowledge demands are considered moderately complex. According to the text complexity analysis, the text is used to help students gain content knowledge about the benefits of working in teams to accomplish a goal. 
• In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read When Is a Planet Not a Planet? by Elaine Scott, which has a quantitative measure of 980L. Qualitative measures of complexity are moderately complex for meaning, but exceedingly complex for structure, language, and knowledge demands. According to the publisher, this text is used because, “Students will build content knowledge about our solar system, what constitutes a planet, the different kinds of planets, and how technology advances our knowledge of outer space.” 
• In Unit 6, Weeks 3 and 4, students read “Mysterious Oceans” (unknown author), which has a quantitative measure of 980L. Qualitative measures of complexity are moderately complex for meaning and knowledge demands, but exceedingly complex for structure and language.The purpose of this piece is to develop students’ abilities to better understand adaptability and how organisms can function in less-than-ideal circumstances. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a broad range of text types and disciplines as well as a volume of reading to achieve grade-level reading proficiency.

Grade 5 materials provide students multiple opportunities to engage in a variety of texts in order to reach grade-level reading proficiency by the end of the year. Each unit contains three genre studies. Within each Genre Study, students engage with multiple texts to deepen their knowledge of the genre, beginning with an Interactive Read- Aloud and continuing with the Shared Read and Anchor Text.  Each Genre Study includes a Paired Selection that offers the opportunity for students to make cross-text comparisons. The selection may be a different genre from the Anchor Text but relates to the Essential Question. In addition, Leveled Texts (Approaching, On, Beyond, ELL) support the Essential Question, while also providing scaffolds for independent reading opportunities. Classroom Library book titles are included for additional independent reading options within each unit and genre.

Instructional materials identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading and listening to a variety of texts to become independent readers at the grade level and engage in a volume of reading as they grow toward reading independence. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students engage in reading argumentative texts such as: 
• Interactive Read-Aloud: “Electronic Books: A New Way to Read” (unknown author)
• Shared Read: “Are Electronic Devices Good for Us? by Time for Kids
• Anchor Text: The Future of Transportation by Time for Kids
• Paired Selection: “Getting from Here to There” (unknown author)
• Small Group Instruction Text: What about Robots? by Yvonne Morgin
• In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, students engage in reading expository texts such as:
• Interactive-Read Aloud: “The Haudenosaunee Confederacy (unknown author)
• Shared Read: “Creating a Nation” (unknown author)
• Anchor Text: Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution? by Candice Ransom
• Paired Selection: “Wordsmiths” (unknown author)
• Small Group Instruction Text: The Bill of Rights by Jane Kelley
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 2, students engage in reading drama texts including:
• Interactive Read-Aloud: “The Mystery Riddle” (unknown author)
• Shared Read: “Where’s Brownie?” (unknown author)
• Anchor Text: A Window Into History: The Mystery of the Cellar Window by David Adler 
• Paired Selection: “A Boy, a Horse, and a Fiddle” (unknown author)
• Small Group Instruction Text: The Mysterious Teacher by Feana Tu'akoi
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 2, students engage in reading historical fiction such as:
• Interactive Read-Aloud: "Starting Over” (unknown author)
• Shared Read: “The Day the Rollets got their Moxie Back” (unknown author)
• Anchor Text: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Paired Selection: “Musical Impressions of the Great Depression": (unknown author)
• Small Group Instruction Text: The Picture Palace by Rachel Hayward

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). 

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with the text by answering text-dependent and text-specific questions. Each lesson includes questions and tasks that require students to answer text-dependent questions both via discussions and in writing. Students answer both explicit and implicit questions requiring evidence from the text. 

Materials include questions, tasks, and assignments that are text-dependent over the course of a school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, after reading, “A Life in the Woods” (unknown author), students are asked, “What visitors did Thoreau receive at the cabin? Why might readers need to know more about these visitors?”         
• In Unit 2, Week 3, after reading The Magical Lost Brocade, a Chinese folktale, students are asked, “Why do you think Princess Ling did not return the brocade herself?” Students are directed to, “Circle the places that tell what kind of story this is.” 
• In Unit 3, Week 4, after reading Winter’s Tail, by Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff, students are asked, “How do the authors help you understand that Winter’s relationship with the staff is changing? What does their relationship suggest about Winter’s future?”
• In Unit 4, Week 2, after reading Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, students are asked to reread the last paragraph on page 263 and answer the question, “How does the author describe Rosa’s sewing abilities?” Students are asked to reread the quote from Dr. King on page 272 and answer the question, “How does the author’s use of similes help you understand this quote?”
• In Unit 5, Week 4, after reading Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, students are asked to look at page 371 and answer the question, “What does Rules and Things Number 36 mean?” Students read page 376 and are asked, “What new rule does Bud learn?  What event is learning this rule tied to?” Students then reread pages 368-369 and discuss with a partner what Bud thinks and does and why he reacts in this way.  
• Unit 6, Week 6, after performing the Readers Theater “Round the World with Nellie Bly” (unknown author), students are asked the following questions, "How does the narrator describe the first setting? What are two things the narrator says that go beyond the characters’ dialogue? How does the narrator move the plot along? What does the narrator say about Nellie’s challenge at the end of the play?"

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

Culminating tasks provide opportunities throughout the program for students to show what they know and are able to do. At the end of each Genre Study, students are required to make connections across texts and analyze a photograph to demonstrate their knowledge of the essential question of the unit. Students discuss the prompt with a partner,  find text evidence, and finally demonstrate their knowledge on an independent writing task. 

Culminating tasks of quality are evident across a year’s worth of material. Tasks are supported with coherent sequences of text-dependent questions and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, students read One Hen by Katie Smith Milway, and begin by discussing with a partner how the author helps them understand the future Kojo dreams about. On a chart, students record evidence of the words and phrases that tell about Kojo’s plan, why it is important to the story, and then write why the author describes Kojo’s dreams. Next students reread, discuss, and complete a cause and effect chart in response to the question, “How do you know that Kojo’s dream will continue to come true?” These text-dependent questions, discussions, and written responses build to a culminating task, “How does the author help you understand how Kojo changes and how he changes the lives of so many people?”
• In Unit 3, Weeks 1 and 2, students learn about the benefits that come from people working as a group. At the end of the unit, students discuss how advances in technology allow firefighters and the teams described in the texts Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again told by Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff, and “Helping Hands” (unknown author), to help each other. After discussing with a partner and finding text evidence, students write their response. 
• In Unit 5, Week 1, students read When Is a Planet Not a Planet? The Story of Pluto by Elaine Scott, and begin by discussing the question, “How does the author use the first part of ‘Pluto’s Problems’ to support her ideas about different groups of planets?” Then, students discuss with a partner, record evidence on a chart, and write about how the author uses diagrams to help them understand the question, “How does the author use the description of a schoolyard bully to help you understand what she means by the phrase ‘clearing the neighborhood?’”  These text-dependent questions, discussions, and written responses build to a culminating task, “Think about how the author supports her ideas. How does she use organization and text features to explain Pluto’s status as a planet?” 
• In Unit 6, Weeks 1 and 2, students read historical fiction. At the end of the unit, students analyze a World War II poster and then are asked to describe how the poster is similar to the message of The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter and “Allies in Action” (unknown author). After discussing the question with a partner, students find text evidence and write their response.
  

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

Throughout the program, students have opportunities for evidence-based discussions in whole group discussions, small groups, and peer-to-peer conversations. Multiple opportunities for discussions are presented throughout the program including Think-Alouds, Talk About It, and Collaborative Conversations. 

Examples of protocols used in the program for evidence-based discussions include:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students discuss in pairs or groups the essential question that is found in the students’ Reading Writing Companion. There is a Collaborative Conversations protocol called Listen Carefully that is used for this discussion. This occurs for every unit. 
• In Unit 2, Week 4, after reading the anchor text Blancaflor by Alma Flor Ada, students are reminded by the teacher that the tone and mood of a story can often point to a story’s theme or important message. Students turn to page 119 and the teacher rereads the first three paragraphs aloud and asks, “How is the prince feeling, and why does he feel this way?” Students reread paragraphs 3-6 on page 130 and turn and discuss with a partner how the folktale changes.  
• In Unit 3, Week 1, the teacher models how to identify the author’s purpose in a text from “Where Did That Come From” (no author). Then groups discuss how the author achieves the purpose.  Students work with partners to find key words and phrases that the author uses to introduce the topic. Partners discuss what examples the author provides and what the author wants to know about American sports that indicates the author’s purpose for writing the text. 

Examples of opportunities for evidence-based discussions that encourage modeling and the use of academic vocabulary and syntax include:

• In Unit 3, Week 1, students read “Reluctant Traveler” (unknown author), and work with partners to determine how the illustrations in the story reveal what the characters feel.  Sentence frames, such as “The characters in this illustration feel…” or “The illustrator shows this by….”, are provided. 
• In Unit 6, Week 3, partners review Jon Van Zyle’s illustrations in the text Survival At 40 Below by Debbie S. Miller, and discuss how they help readers understand the text.  Students are provided a sentence starter, “This illustration’s details support….”  Students use text evidence to support their ideas. 

The program also includes support for teachers and students on the various evidence-based discussions used throughout the program. This includes: 

• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, there is a routine for the teacher to encourage students to have discussions. A side note provides support for teachers to recognize when students are struggling during the discussions and support for how to help the students get the discussion back on track. 
• Classroom Videos are provided for the teacher and students to watch model teachers and classrooms. In the video entitled Collaborative Conversations, the teacher in the video demonstrates conversational skills for students. In addition, the Instructional Routines Handbook provides a checklist for students and the routine for teachers. 
• The Instructional Routines Handbook provides step-by-step instructions for teachers on how to support student discussions. For example, on page 22, the teacher is prompted to use a small group to role play and model for the rest of the class in preparation for discussions.  It also provides sentence frames that can be used to support students’ use of academic vocabulary and syntax. An example is, “Can you point to text evidence that shows ...?”
• The Teacher Resource Book includes a Speaking Checklist on page 97 and a Listening Checklist on page 98 to guide students when they are sharing ideas, presenting projects, and working with a group.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports. 

The materials provide opportunities for students to partake in listening and speaking activities about what they are reading through responding to evidence-based questions prompted by the teacher, as well as whole group and partner share. Collaborative conversations are encouraged throughout each unit. Students also have opportunities to discuss what they are researching. Examples include:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, after reading “A Fresh Idea” (unknown author), students work in pairs to identify the details that convey the climax and falling action, as well as the details of the rising action that led to the climax.  Partners share and compare their work with the class. 
• In Unit 2, Weeks 3 and 4, while reading the folktale, Blancaflor by Alma Flor Ada, students generate a question of their own about the story and then share it with a partner. 
• In Unit 3, Week 5, after reading String Theory by Time For Kids, students discuss the information provided on a diagram in the text in the whole class setting. 
• In Unit 4, Weeks 3 and 4, while reading the shared read, “Where’s Brownie?” (unknown author), students work in pairs to orally summarize the drama using notes. Then pairs write the summary. 
• In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read the anchor text When is a Planet not a Planet? by Elaine Scott. While students read the story, the teacher stops and asks the students discussion questions including, “What happened when the Sun grew bigger? What effect did the Sun’s gravity have? What caused astronomers to have a problem with Pluto?”
• In Unit 6, Week 1, when reading “Shipped Out” (unknown author), students work in a group to create a cause and effect chart to show the causes and effects of World War II. Groups discuss their plans and are reminded of the QuickTip in the Reading Writing Companion on page 110 that provides sentence starters. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g., multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate. 

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to write daily. Throughout each unit students engage in a variety of writing tasks. On-demand writing includes note-taking, graphic organizers, quick-writes, and answering questions about texts, while reading and after reading. Process writing includes essays and a variety of projects. Students also have the opportunity to revise and edit their work in each unit.

Students engage in on-demand writing throughout the year, during and after reading texts. Students often respond while reading to support comprehension or after reading to demonstrate comprehension. Examples of on-demand writing found throughout the program include:

• In Unit 1, Week 2, after reading the paired selection, “A Walk with Teddy” (unknown author), students write about Roosevelt's opinion of blackbirds. 
• In Unit 2, Week 5, after reading the anchor text, Stage Fright, Catching Quiet by Lee Bennet Hopkins and Marci Ridlon, students think about the way both poems are organized and then answer the question, “How do techniques like line arrangement and repetition help convey each poem’s theme?”
• In Unit 3, Week 1, after reading “A Reluctant Traveler” (unknown author), students answer the question, “How does the author show how Paul changes during his trip to Argentina?” in their Reading Writing Companion. 
• In Unit 6, Week 2, after reading the anchor text, The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter, students respond to the question, “How does the author use dialogue and Grandfather’s story to teach John about the strengths of his Navajo culture?” 

Process writing occurs in each Genre Study. Students examine a model text before brainstorming, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing their written pieces. Examples found throughout the program include: 

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students engage in the writing process while writing an opinion essay about whether social media does or does not benefit teens. Students study a sample opinion essay before beginning their own brainstorm. They then draft, revise, edit, and publish their essay. 
• In Unit 3, students write a realistic fiction story. In Weeks 1 and 2, students see an expert model of realistic fiction, make a plan, and then draft their realistic fiction story. In Weeks 3 and 4, students revise, edit, and publish their story. 
• In Unit 4, Week 5, students pre-write, draft, edit, and revise a free verse poem about a person, activity, pet, or event that makes them happy. 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students read historical fiction and write their own historical fiction story throughout the genre study about characters from a specific time period.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. 

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to engage in a variety of writing types addressed in the standards over the course of the year. In each Genre Study, students complete either a narrative, opinion, or expository writing assignment. Students study model texts, engage in a brainstorming process, and write their own story or essay. Students have the opportunity to engage in narrative, expository, and opinion writing throughout the year.

Examples of narrative writing found throughout the school year include: 

• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, students write their own realistic fiction story about an interesting discovery a character makes about a story’s setting. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 3, students write a free verse poem about something that makes them happy. . 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students write an historical fiction story about characters from a specific time period and the events that take place during that period. 

Examples of opinion writing found throughout the school year include: 

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students write an opinion essay about whether social media does or does not benefit teens. 
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 3, students write an opinion essay about an endangered species and why it should be protected. 

Examples of expository writing found throughout the school year include: 

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, students write an expository essay that explains how a specific historical figure contributed to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, students write a biography about a historical figure who made a difference to civil rights. 
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 1, students write a report about a significant scientific advancement of the 21st century.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information.

Materials provide students with opportunities to engage in evidenced-based writing opportunities throughout the program, including within the Reading and Writing Companion. In shared reading, students answer questions in writing while reading and are prompted to underline or circle evidence. After the anchor text, students answer a prompt in writing by using their notes and graphic organizer that were completed throughout the two-week read of the text. 

Materials provide frequent opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply evidence-based writing. Writing opportunities are focused around students’ analyses and claims developed from reading closely and working with the texts. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students read “A Life in the Woods” (unknown author), and take notes to support answering the question, “How does the author help you understand the effect nature had on Thoreau?” 
• In Unit 2, Weeks 1 and 2 students read “Creating a Nation” (unknown author), and while reading, students are prompted to underline the problem King George III faced and write it down. Students are prompted to circle the king’s solution to the problem and to write why the colonists thought the Stamp Act was unfair. 
• In Unit 3, Weeks 3 and 4, students read “Gulf Spill Superheroes” (unknown author), during shared reading and are prompted to answer the question, “How does the author help you understand that it took a team of people to help with the Deepwater Horizon accident?” Students discuss the prompt and then use their notes and graphic organizer to write a brief composition that answers the question. 
• In Unit 4, Week 2, students read Rosa by Nikki Giovanni and answer questions in writing, such as “What figurative language does the author use to set up this scene? How does the author’s use of similes help you understand the quote?” For both questions, students must cite text evidence. 
• In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read “Changing Views of Earth” (unknown author), and answer the question, “How does the author show that people have always wanted to learn more and more about Earth and space?” 
• In Unit 6, Week 1, students read “Shipped Out” (unknown author), and answer the question, “How does the author show the impact World War II had on children as well as on adults?” Students record text evidence in their Reading Writing Companion prior to answering the prompt. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials include explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context. 

Instructional materials provide opportunities for the teacher to explicitly teach each grammar objective and provide guided practice. Materials also include multiple opportunities for students to  independently practice each new skill. The grammar focus is connected to the independent writing tasks. In addition to the grammar focus, each week of each unit includes a spelling focus, which provides opportunities for  students to practice the conventional spellings of words with common spelling patterns and irregular spelling patterns. 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 grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in particular sentences.
• In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a simple sentence expresses one complete thought. A compound sentence contains two simple sentences joined by a comma and a conjunction. A conjunction joins words, groups of words, or simple sentences; and, but, and or are examples of conjunctions. Conjunctions should not be confused with conjunctive adverbs (e.g.,however, therefore). A semicolon can also join simple sentences with related ideas. Students practice in the Practice Book page 25 or online activity.
• In Unit 2, Week 5, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains, "A prepositional phrase is a group of words that tells more about an important part of a sentence. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition such as about, during, in, near, under, or with. It ends with a noun. A prepositional phrase can function as an adjective or an adverb. The girl with blue shoes reads many books." Students practice in the Practice Book page 109 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to form and use the perfect (e.g., I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked) verb tenses.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 2, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains, "The present progressive tense takes a form of the verb be and a present participle. I am walking. Past participles for regular verbs take the same form as the past tense. Irregular verbs have irregular past participles. When you use the irregular verb swum, you must also use has, have, or had. The three perfect tenses (present, past, future) show a completed action." The students practice in the Practice Book page 146. 
• Students have opportunities to use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions.
• In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 7, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that past tense verbs tell about actions in the past: "Add -ed to most verbs to show past tense. If a verb ends in e, just add -d. If a verb ends in a vowel and consonant, double the consonant and add -ed. If a verb ends in a consonant and y, change y to i and add -ed. Future tense verbs are formed with the helping verb will. The past and future progressive tenses show action that was or will be continuing. She was running." Students practice in Practice Book page 134.
• Students have opportunities to recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.
• In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 8, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that when talking or writing about the past, present, or future, one should always use the correct verb tense. The students practice in the Practice Book page 135 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).
• In Unit 1, Week 2, Day 7, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a compound subject has two or more subjects in the same sentence. A compound predicate has two or more predicates with the same subject. The fawn ran and jumped across the fence. Compound subjects and predicates can use coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or) or correlative conjunctions (e.g., Either . . . or, Neither . . . nor, Not only . . . but also). Students practice in the Practice Book page 14.
• Students have opportunities to use punctuation to separate items in a series.
• In the Teacher Edition, Unit 1, Week 2, Day 8, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that we use commas to separate three or more words or phrases in a series. An appositive is a noun or phrase that renames another noun. Appositives are set off by commas. Commas set off the words yes, no, and thank you, along with introductory words. Students practice in the Practice Book page 15 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to use a comma to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence.
• In Unit 1, Week 4, Day 8, during the Grammar portion of the lesson the teacher explains when to use a comma with conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions: "Use a comma before a conjunction to separate two independent clauses in compound sentences." The teacher reminds students that dependent clauses begin with a subordinating conjunction. In complex sentences that begin with dependent clauses, we add a comma after the last word of the dependent clause. We do not use a comma when the dependent clause comes at the end of the sentence. Students practice in Practice Book page 39 or online activity. 
• Students have opportunities to use a comma to set off the words yes and no (e.g., Yes, thank you), to set off a tag question from the rest of the sentence (e.g., It’s true, isn’t it?), and to indicate direct address (e.g., Is that you, Steve?).
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 3, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that every sentence begins with a capital letter. A statement ends with a period. A question ends with a question mark. A command ends with a period or an exclamation point. An exclamation ends with an exclamation point. "Use commas to set off tag questions (e.g., It’s true, isn’t it?) and with direct address (e.g., Is that you, Al?). An interjection expresses a strong feeling. An exclamation point is used after an interjection. Hey! I’m happy to see you. Use italics or underlining to create emphasis: I really like your cooking! The teacher discusses the use of proper punctuation in sample sentences. Students complete Practice Book page 3 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.
• In Unit 2, Week 5, Day 3, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that we use quotation marks around the title of a song, part of a book, or a short story. "The chapter is “Dog Days of Summer.” We use italics or underlining with the title of a long work, such as a book: "I read Old Yeller." Italics or underlining can also be used for emphasis in writing: "I had a great time at the park! I’ll never eat that again!" We use commas after the greeting and closing in a friendly letter and in the date and address. In a business letter, use a colon after the greeting. Students practice in the Practice Book page 111 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 8, during the Expand Vocabulary portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that the students can use definitions and restatements to figure out unfamiliar words. Students complete Practice Book page 84.
• In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 6, during the Spelling portion of the lesson, the teacher reads the spelling words aloud, drawing out the vowel sound in each open syllable. The teacher points out the spelling pattern in poet and draws a line between the syllables: po/et. The teacher explains that the word poet has an open syllable, which means it has a syllable that ends in a vowel. It is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel. This is the V/V pattern. The teacher pronounces poet and draws a line under the two vowels to show the V/V pattern. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern under the various V/V patterns: ea, eo, ia, ie, io, oe, ua, ue, and ui. Students sort a few words. The teacher points out the open syllable in each word. The teacher uses the Dictation Sentences from Day 5 to give the pretest. The teacher says the underlined word, reads the sentence, and repeats the word. Students write and check the words. The pretest can be found in the Practice Book page 138.
• Students have opportunities to expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
• In Unit 1, Week 5, Day 3, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a run-on sentence or comma splice joins two or more complete thoughts incorrectly: "You can separate the thoughts into separate sentences using a period. Another way to divide separate but related thoughts is to form a compound sentence. Remember to use a comma after the first sentence and before the conjunction. You can also use a semicolon to connect the sentences. Notice you do not use a conjunction when you use a semicolon to correct a run-on sentence." Students practice in the Practice Book page 51 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to compare and contrast the varieties of English (e.g., dialects, registers) used in stories, dramas, or poems.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 2, during the Reading/Writing portion of the lesson, the teacher explains characteristics of historical fiction: "Historical fiction features events and settings that are typical of a particular period in history." The teacher explains that reading historical fiction can sometimes require some prior knowledge about the time and place of the story. The teacher models using details from the story, as well as dialect typical of a specific time and place in history, to identify “The Day the Rollets Got Their Moxie Back” as historical fiction. The teacher reminds students that characters sometimes use dialect, or speech typical of a time or place. This dialect may include words, phrases, and idioms that are no longer commonly used. The teacher guides students to work with partners to list another example of dialect in ”The Day the Rollets Got Their Moxie Back,” and has partners discuss what the example of dialect might mean and why the author might have included it in this historical fiction story.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills by providing explicit instruction and assessment in phonics and word recognition that demonstrate a research-based progression. 

Grade 5 materials provides explicit phonics instruction in the whole group spelling opportunities, and are reinforced in the small group differentiated instruction. The instruction follows a scope and sequence of reviewing past presented skills, such as long and short vowel patterns and inflectional endings, and builds upon that base, introducing prefixes, suffixes and multi-syllabic word patterns. Weekly Spelling tests are given the fifth day of each weekly sequence to determine students’ proficiency in spelling words with these spelling patterns. Students also have the opportunity to decode these words within context during Shared Read and the reading of their Anthology text for the week. There are pre/post assessments for spelling weekly in addition to progress monitoring tools such as a phonics survey, spelling inventory and fluency assessment to assess knowledge and application of word recognition skills.

Materials contain explicit instruction of irregularly spelled words, syllabication patterns, and word recognition consistently over the course of the year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multi-syllabic words in context and out of context.
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 2, during Phonics, the teacher reminds students that every syllable in a word has one vowel sound. The teacher writes the word pencil on the board and draws a slash between the n and the c and pronounces each syllable: pen/cil. The teacher points out that when a syllable ends in one or more consonants and has a short vowel sound spelled with a single vowel, it is called a closed syllable. Pen is a closed syllable. The teacher reminds students that some words have one closed syllable and one VCe syllable, such as update or empire. The syllables divide between the two consonants in both update and inside. The teacher models and writes the following words on the board: tender, rustic, mistake, and custom. The teacher reads each word aloud and models identifying the closed syllable or syllables in each word. Students chorally read the sample words as the teacher points to them.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher reads the spelling words aloud, emphasizing the prefix in each word. The teacher points out the prefixes in disobey, mistrust, incorrect, and preview. The teacher pronounces each word while drawing a line under the prefix. The teacher explains that a prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word and that a prefix changes the meaning of the base word. The teacher demonstrates sorting spelling words by prefix, pointing out the prefix as each word is sorted. Students name other words with the same prefixes. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards in the Online Resource Book and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with partners. Partners complete an open sort and record their sorts in their writer’s notebook. On day 5, students read Bud Not Buddy, which includes the following words with affixes: instrument, grateful, mysterious, recorder, and saxophonical.
• In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 6, during Spelling Whole Group, the teacher displays the word export  and points out the Latin root port, drawing a line under the root. The teacher explains that many English words are based on Latin roots such as port, from the Latin word meaning “to carry.” The teacher demonstrates sorting spelling words by Latin roots: port, tract, spect, and miss/mit and sorts a few spelling words that have a similar root, such as export, distract, suspect, and mission. The teacher points out the root in each word as it is sorted and asks students to name other words that have these roots. The teacher uses the Dictation Sentences from Day 10 to give the pretest. Students write the words, then check their papers.

Multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year to inform instructional adjustments of phonics and word recognition to help students make progress toward mastery. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Placement and Diagnostic Assessment, page xvii, the materials explain that beyond the initial placement of students into the appropriate level of materials, students need to be tested periodically to determine whether they are progressing on a grade-level or at a faster pace. The program suggests that teachers administer  progress monitoring or benchmark tests on a regular schedule throughout the year: fall, winter, and spring, or over a regular period of time, such as every four to six weeks. A chart is provided for general testing scheduling guide.
• In each unit,  the students have a pretest and post-test of the week’s spelling words. For example, in Unit 2, Week 1, the students participate in a pretest for words with variant vowel /ô/; diphthongs/oi/, /ou/ words with  Dictation Sentences.

Materials contain explicit instruction of word solving strategies (graphophonic and syntactic) to decode unfamiliar words. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher reads the spelling words aloud, segmenting each word syllable by syllable. The teacher explains that spelling rules dictate that word spellings can change when -ed and -ing are added. The teacher models adding -ing to amuse and points out that the e is dropped. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern under the keywords amusing, dripping, applied, and threatening. The teacher points out the different orthographic rules as he/she sorts the words.
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher reads the spelling words aloud, drawing out the vowel sound in each open syllable, pointing out the open syllable pattern in recent. The teacher draws a line between each syllable: re/cent. The teacher says each syllable, then points out the open syllable re and the closed syllable cent. Teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern under the key words local and panic. The teacher sorts a few words and points out that when the vowel sound is short, the syllable usually ends after the consonant. When the vowel sound is long, the syllable ends after the vowel. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards in the Online Resource Book and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with partners and complete an open sort. Students record their sorts in their writer’s notebooks.
• In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher reads the spelling words aloud, distinctly segmenting the syllables. The teacher points out the suffixes in balance and dependence, drawing a line under each. The teacher explains that these suffixes mean “state or quality of.” Words are changed to nouns when these suffixes are added. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words with the suffix pattern -ence or -ance as seen in the words balance and dependence. The teacher sorts the spelling words that have a similar pattern and ask students how the verbs reside, radiate, and refer can be changed to nouns.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for materials, lessons, and questions provide instruction in and practice of word analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities throughout the course of the year for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis skills in connected texts and tasks. Throughout each unit, there is a five-day sequence which begins with explicit instruction of the Spelling and Phonics pattern, as well as a pretest. Additional practice includes Practice Book pages for review. Materials also include opportunities for teachers to assess students’ acquisition of word analysis skills, through the use of both formal and informal assessments such as weekly pre- and post-tests, Progress Monitoring, and Running Records. Teachers can make decisions about students based on these formal and informal assessments throughout the week. 

Multiple and varied opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis skills in connected texts and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 5, Day 1, during the Vocabulary part of the lesson, the teacher explains that prefixes are word parts added to the beginning of a word to change the meaning. The teacher points out that many prefixes in English words come from ancient Greek and Latin, including dis- (“opposite”), in- (“not”), tele- (“distant”), and multi- (“many”). Students can use their knowledge of these prefixes to define unfamiliar words. Students begin an anchor chart on Greek and Latin prefixes. The teacher models using the Latin prefix dis-, meaning “opposite,” to figure out the meaning of the word disadvantages in the last sentence of the first paragraph on page 60. The teacher points out that if advantages are qualities that help, disadvantages must be harmful qualities. Students work with partners to use Greek and Latin prefixes to determine the meanings of television and multitasking.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher reads the spelling words aloud, drawing out the vowel sound in each syllable and points out the two vowels that make one vowel sound in footprint and in coastal. The teacher draws a line under these vowels as she/he says the sounds and explains that in a vowel team syllable, two vowels work together to make one vowel sound. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern under the keywords entertain, applause, and southern. The teacher sorts a few words and points out the vowel team syllable in each word as it is sorted. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards in the Online Resource Book and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with partners. Partners complete an open sort and record their sorts in their writer’s notebook. 
• In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher reads the spelling words aloud, enunciating each syllable. The teacher tells students that many words in the English language are connected to mythology and points out the word January. The teacher explains that Janus was the Roman god of beginnings. Groups use a dictionary or the Internet to research the origins of four other spelling words. Students share their research and use the words echo and January to demonstrate sorting a few spelling words according to their connection to Greek or Roman mythology or some other aspect of those cultures. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards in the Online Resource Book and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with partners. Partners complete an open sort and record their sorts in their writer´s notebook. On Day 5, students complete Practice Book page 334 for review where students add the correct letters to spell each incomplete word and read each completed word. 

Materials include word analysis assessment to monitor student learning of word analysis skills. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Materials include both formal and informal assessments that the teacher can use to place students in differentiated groups based on their performance. 
• Progress Monitoring: tests reading comprehension, vocabulary strategies; grades 1-6; given at the end of each genre study instruction period.
• Unit Assessments: tests comprehension skills, vocabulary strategies, literary elements, text features, grammar, mechanics and usage, writing; grades K-6; given at the end of each unit of instruction. 
• Benchmark Assessments: tests reading comprehension, vocabulary strategies, literary elements, text features, grammar, mechanics and usage, writing; grades K-6; given at the middle and the end of the school year.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher uses Dictation Sentences from Day 5 to give the pretest. The teacher says the underlined word, reads the sentence, and repeats the word. Students write the words. On Day 5, the teacher uses the Dictation Sentences for the post-test. Students list misspelled words in their writer’s notebook, especially errors in digraphs. The teacher looks for students’ use of these words in their writing. 
• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 6, during the Spelling part of the lesson, the teacher reads the spelling words aloud, emphasizing the prefix in each word. The teacher points out the prefixes in unusual and rewrap. The teacher says each word and draws a line under the prefix as the syllable is read. The teacher explains that a prefix is a word part that is used at the beginning of a word to change its meaning. The teacher uses the Dictation Sentences from Day 5 to give the pretest. The teacher says the underlined word, reads the sentence, and repeats the word. Students write the words and then check their papers. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards in the Online Resource Book and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with a partner and complete an open sort. Students record their sorts in their writer’s notebook.
• In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher uses the Dictation Sentences from Day 5 to give the pretest. The teacher says the underlined word, reads the sentence, and repeats the word. Students write the words and check their papers. On Day 5, the teacher uses the Dictation Sentences for the post-test. Students list the misspelled words in their writer's notebook and the teacher looks for students´use of these words in their writing.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria for instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and achieve reading fluency in oral and silent reading, that is, to read on-level prose and poetry with accuracy, rate appropriate to the text, and expression.

Instructional materials provide opportunities for students to read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. In each unit and each five-day sequence of lessons, students read and reread grade level text in the Literature Anthology and the Shared Read lesson. Students take notes, make text comparisons, and have discussions with peers. Students practice reading grade level text with appropriate expression, accuracy, and rate during whole group fluency lessons that can be found on the fifth week of the unit on the fifth day of instruction. There are multiple opportunities for students to be assessed for fluent reading, which is provided on the fifth day of each five-day sequence.  Instructional adjustments are provided to teachers based on student results. In the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment resource, the year-long chart indicates three fluency assessment options throughout the year: Oral Reading Fluency, Informal Reading Inventory, and Running Records.

Multiple opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate sufficient accuracy and fluency in oral and silent reading. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 4, during Literature Anthology, students read for a purpose. As students read Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution?, they take notes. Using copies of online Problem and Solution Graphic Organizer on page 142, students record the problems the delegates faced and their solutions. They note words they don’t understand and questions they have.  
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 3, during Shared Reading, the teacher has students think about the Essential Question and what they know about different cultures. Students look at the title and the photos on pages 2–3. They generate a question about the story to deepen understanding and write it in the left column on page 2, along with interesting words and key details from the text.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 1, during Shared Read, students read The Day the Rollets Got Their Moxie Back for purpose.  Students preview the title and illustrations and ask questions about the characters, setting, and plot. They consider the Essential Question and what they know about how people adapt to changes they experience. Students use the left column on page 34 to note their questions, as well as interesting words and key details from the text.

Materials support reading or prose and poetry with attention to rate, accuracy, and expression, as well as direction for students to apply reading skills when productive struggle is necessary. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
• In Unit 1, Week 5, Day 5, during Fluency, the teacher points out that it is important to read argumentative text with accuracy by pronouncing each word correctly. The teacher reminds students to use punctuation to group words into meaningful phrases and explains that reading with accuracy and proper phrasing will help students better understand what they are reading. The teacher reads aloud the excerpt on Reading/Writing Companion on page 77 with accuracy and proper phrasing. The teacher models reading each line, thinking about how to pronounce words with multiple syllables. Groups choral read the same passage; then partners read aloud the first paragraph of Tuned Out on Reading/Writing Companion page 60. The teacher supports accuracy and correct phrasing by modeling how to read the passage as needed. Teacher circulates and offers feedback, as students evaluate their own reading.
• In Unit 3, Week 5, Day 5, during Fluency, the teacher explains to students that to read argumentative texts with accuracy, they should pronounce each word correctly, and may also need to adjust their rate, or speed, for accuracy. This will help them concentrate on making sure they pronounce each word clearly and correctly. The teacher models by reading aloud the excerpt from Reading/Writing Companion page 60 accurately and at an appropriate rate. The teacher models saying unfamiliar or longer terms accurately and fluidly and using punctuation and phrases to help set the rate. The teacher points out that years and numbers are read differently. Partners read the same passage to each other, mimicking the teacher’s accuracy and rate. The teacher circulates as students read aloud paragraph 3 of What Was the Purpose of the Inca’s Knotted Strings? on Reading/Writing Companion page 61. The teacher listens for the same qualities in their reading. As needed, the teacher models keeping phrases together and offers feedback. Students evaluate their own reading.
• In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 5, during Fluency, the teacher points out that reading a poem aloud with expression can help bring out the poem’s message and clarify the emotions or feelings the speaker reveals, and explains that the rate at which a poem is read can also express feelings. “A quick pace, for example, can express excitement, while reading slowly might express thoughtfulness.” The teacher reminds students that commas and periods indicate that the reader should pause briefly, and that it is important to keep phrases together for meaning. The teacher models reading aloud the excerpt on Reading/Writing Companion page 175 with expression and at a good rate by following the hints in the callouts next to the excerpt. The teacher models using punctuation and reading at different rates to show feeling. The teacher reads each line carefully, following punctuation cues for phrasing. Partners read aloud When I Dance on Reading/Writing Companion page 159. The teacher circulates and offers feedback. Students evaluate their own reading.

Materials support students’ fluency development of reading skills (e.g., self-correction of word recognition and/or for understanding, focus on rereading) over the course of the year (to get to the end of the grade-level band). Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 2, the teacher explains to students that expository text often explores unfamiliar concepts and uses new vocabulary. The teacher reminds students that they can reread difficult sentences or sections and ask and answer questions in order to monitor and adjust their comprehension.
• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 9, during Fluency, the teacher tells students that when they read aloud, it is important to speak clearly and accurately so listeners can understand what is happening. It is also important to read at an appropriate rate. The teacher models reading aloud the first two paragraphs on page 102 of Frederick Douglass: Freedom’s Voice, in the Reading/Writing Companion at a very fast pace. The teacher then rereads it at a slower pace. The teacher asks students which rate made the words easier to understand. Partners alternate reading paragraphs in the passage, modeling the rate teacher used. The teacher reminds students that he/she will be listening for accuracy and appropriate rate in their reading during the week. Students practice fluency using the online Differentiated Genre Passage, A Warrior for Women’s Rights.

Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information of students’ current fluency skills and provide teachers with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery of fluency. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Both formal and informal assessments are provided that the teacher can use to place students in differentiated groups based on their performance. 
• Placement and Diagnostic Assessments: tests oral reading fluency, Grades 1-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.
• Fluency Assessments: tests oral reading fluency, Grades K-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year or more frequently if below the 50th percentile.
• Running Records: tests oral reading fluency; Grades K-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year or more frequently if skill is weak.
• In the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment book, the year long assessment chart, shows the following assessments for Fluency for grade 5: Oral Reading Fluency to be administered the beginning, middle, and end of the Year, Running Records to be administered every three to four weeks, and the Informal Reading Inventory to be administered the beginning, middle, and end of the Year. In the Teacher Resource, Placement and Diagnostic Assessment, page xiv and xv, the materials explain how to group students based on student results for the Grade 4-6 Placement Assessments: Oral Reading Fluency Assessment Reading Comprehension Tests Phonics Survey Subtests (if applicable). IF STUDENTS SCORE In the 50th percentile or higher on the Oral Reading Fluency Assessment AND 80% correct or higher on the Reading Comprehension Tests, begin instruction with On Level materials. Use Beyond Level materials for students who score high on placement assessments and easily complete On Level assignments. IF STUDENTS SCORE Below the 50th percentile on the Oral Reading Fluency Assessment OR 60% to 79% correct on the Reading Comprehension Tests, begin instruction with Wonders Approaching Level materials. IF STUDENTS SCORE Below the 50th percentile on the Oral Reading Fluency Assessment AND 60% to 79% correct on the Reading Comprehension Tests, begin instruction with Approaching Level materials. Administer the Phonics Survey Subtests for further leveling clarification/confirmation. IF STUDENTS SCORE Below 60% correct on the majority of the Phonics Survey Subtests, students require focused, intensive instruction. Place students in Approaching Level materials and engage students using appropriate decoding lessons from intervention materials. IF STUDENTS SCORE Below 60% correct on the Reading Comprehension Tests, students require focused, intensive instruction. Place students in Approaching Level materials and use intervention materials based on placement tests results.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently. 

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with texts organized into genre studies. Each genre study is a collection of texts that are organized around an essential question and topic. The instructional framework for reading the texts begins with students listening to a read-aloud about the topic to build background knowledge. Then students participate in a shared reading of the topic. Students complete a close read with an anchor text on the topic. Students also read more about the topic in a paired selection to the anchor text. Differentiated texts for small group instruction are related to the genre study topic as well. There are also suggested books to put in the classroom library that align to the topic. 

Texts are connected by an appropriate topic that helps students answer the essential question of the unit. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, the essential question is, “How can experiencing nature change the way you think about it?” Students read about how experiencing nature can help people appreciate the natural world. Some of the texts in this unit to build knowledge include:
• “Capturing the Natural World” (unknown author): a narrative nonfiction interactive read-aloud about Yosemite
• Camping with the President by Ginger Wadsworth: a narrative nonfiction about President Roosevelt who was an avid naturalist
• “A Life in the Woods” (unknown author): a narrative nonfiction about Henry David Thoreau’s time in the woods, which is the shared read
• “A Walk with Teddy” (unknown author): an autobiography in the literature anthology
• Leveled Readers: "Save this Space!"
• Books for Independent Reading: Into the Woods: John James Audubon Lives his Dream by Robert Burleigh and John Muir: America's First Environmentalist by Stan Fellows
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 2,  the essential question is “How do shared experiences help people adapt to change?” and students read about people who help and support one another during times of change in historical fiction texts. Some of the titles that support the understanding of the essential question include:
• “Starting Over” (unknown author) an interactive read-aloud about immigration and how families helped each other when they got to the United States
• “The Day the Rollets Got Their Moxie Back” (unknown author): a shared reading text about the Great Depression and how people struggled and helped each other
• Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis: the anchor text about the Great Depression
• “Musical Impressions of the Great Depression” (unknown author): a nonfiction text in the literature anthology
• Books for Independent Reading: The Locked Garden by Gloria Whelan and The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christpher Paul Curtis 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 2, the essential question is “How are living things adapted to their environment?” and students read about animals that adapt to their environment. Some of the titles that support the understanding of the essential question and the topic of animal adaptation include:
• “Bacteria: They’re Everywhere” (unknown author): an interactive read aloud about bacteria adapting to the environment
• “Mysterious Oceans” (unknown author): a shared read about the harsh ocean floor and the animals that live there
• Survival at 40 Below by Debbie S. Miller: an anchor text about animal adaptations in the Arctic
• “Why the Evergreen Trees Never Lose their Leaves” (unknown author): a Pourquoi Story in the literature anthology about how certain trees adapt
• Leveled Readers: "Cave Creatures"
• Books for Independent Reading: Why do Snakes Hiss? by Joan Holub and Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia by Sy Montgomery

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to analyze text through questioning. Students analyze texts by reading them several times. Questions begin with key ideas and details in the first read and author’s craft when rereading. 

For most texts, students are asked to analyze language and/or author’s word choice. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, after reading One Hen by Katie Smith Milway, students answer the questions, “Why does the author use the verbs tugs and hoists in the first sentence on page 33? What does the use of these words help you understand about Kojo?” Students reread pages 40–41 and answer, “How does the author organize the events in the story to help you understand how one hen impacts Kojo’s life?” 
• In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students read “The Magical Lost Brocade” (unknown author), and are asked, “Why do you think the author chose these words to describe the ocean? What effect does the personification have on your understanding of the ocean's dangers?” 
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, students read, They Don’t Mean It! by Lensey Namioka, and are asked questions, such as, “Reread the first sentence on page 187. Why is devoured a better word than ate? Reread pages 188-189. Why does the author use the phrases little gasp and stared wideye?” 

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students read “The Magical Lost Brocade” (unknown author), and are asked, “What do all the places along Ping’s journey have in common? Why would a folktale feature a character traveling through such difficult places?”
• In Unit 3, Week 5, students read, “What Was the Purpose of the Inca’s Knotted Strings?” (unknown author), and answer the question, “What key idea would you use in a summary of the first two paragraphs?” Then students discuss how details in paragraph 3 might affect the key idea they generated. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 2, students read, “Where’s Brownie?” (unknown author), and are asked, “What details help you understand how Alex feels about Brownie? What details reveal Sam’s point of view?”

For most texts, students analyze craft and structure. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, students read One Hen by Katie Milway, and answer questions, such as, “How does the author organize the events in the story to help you understand how one hen impacts Kojo’s life? How do the illustrations contribute to the beauty and the reader’s understanding of the story?” 
• In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, students read “Creating a Nation” (unknown author), and are asked, “Why is ‘Revolution Begins’ a good heading for this section? Why did the author include the timeline?” How does the timeline support the problem-and-solution text structure?”
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, students read They Don’t Mean It! by Lensey Namioka, and are asked questions such as, “How does the author show how Mary’s mother does not feel like she is being true to her culture? How does the author use dialogue to help you understand Mary and her mother’s different opinions about dessert?”  
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 2, students read the poem “When I Dance” (unknown author), and are asked, “How does the poet help you visualize what is expressed in the poem?” 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of high-quality text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within individual texts as well as across multiple texts.

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with texts and text-dependent questions that help build knowledge. All lessons include text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge. 

Sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas across the year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 1, students read "Creating a Nation" (unknown author), and answer questions such as, “Why did King George III raise taxes? Why did the colonists think the Stamp Act was unfair? How did the colonists react to taxes imposed by the British?” Students are also asked, “What role did Congress assigned to George Washington? Thomas Jefferson?”  
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 2, students read "Gulf Spill Superheroes" and are asked questions to build knowledge including, “How long did it take for the damaged well to be plugged up? What problem did the responders have?” What did the responders do?” 
• In Unit 5, Week 1, students read “Changing View of the Earth” (unknown author), and answer questions, such as, “How does the author help you understand the difference between the geocentric and heliocentric model of the solar system? How does the author’s use of text structure to help you understand how the ability to predict the weather improved in the late 20th century?” 
• In Unit 6, Week 3, students read "Mysterious Oceans" (unknown author), and answer questions, such as “Why do you think the author begins the text by describing a sea creature? How does the author help you understand how sea creatures have adapted to life in the deep ocean?”

Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 2, Day 9, students use notes taken from multiple texts to answer the essential question, “How can experiencing nature change the way you think about it?” Students discuss what they have learned from each text about experiencing nature. Then students write about the following prompt that integrates ideas from two texts and a photograph: “How do the photographer and the authors of Camping with the President and A Walk with Teddy help you experience nature and the way you think about it?”
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 2, students are asked to reflect on the texts in the unit and are asked to respond to the question, “How do advances in technology allow these firefighters and the teams described in Winter’s Tail and ‘Helping Hands’ to help others?” 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, students read biographies and at the end of the unit are asked, “How does the photographer show how the men are taking a stand in the same way the authors of Rosa and ‘Our Voices, Our Votes’ show how people have taken a stand?” 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g. combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Instructional materials provide students opportunities to complete culminating tasks that are related to the text they are reading. Culminating tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and provide opportunities for students to show their knowledge of a topic. 

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

• In Unit 1, Week 3, students demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of the topic and texts in the unit by discussing and then writing about the Essential Question, “How do we get the things we need?” Students read several texts throughout the unit to answer this question and engage in discussing the text with a partner and writing about it. The culminating task in the Show What you Learned section requires students to write a final response that synthesizes knowledge about how we get the things we need. 
• In Unit 2, Week 4, the culminating task asks students to use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the different genres in the unit, including a poem (“Stage Fright”) and a folktale (Blancaflor  by Alma Flor Ada). Students use their speaking and listening skills when first reading these two texts, as well as their reading and writing skills to complete the wrap-up task.  
• In Unit 4, Week 2, students create a chart with each of the texts from the Genre Study as headings. Underneath the headings, students write and discuss with small groups how the texts relate to the message that people can bring about positive change. Students refer to a photo in the Reading Writing Companion and respond to the prompt, “How does the photographer show that the men are taking a stand in the same way the authors of Rosa and “Our Voices, Our Votes” show how people have taken a stand?”
• In Unit 5, Week 1, students demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of the topic and texts in the unit by discussing and writing about the Essential Question, “How can scientific knowledge change over time?” Students read several texts to answer this question, including “Changing Views of Earth” (unknown author) and When is a Planet not a Planet? by Elaine Scott and then demonstrate their understanding in writing of how the world will change over time. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. 

Grade 5 materials provide students the opportunity to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Students interact with vocabulary through practice exercises, reading in context, word families, and affixes. Students also keep track of their vocabulary words in Build Your Word List in their Writing Notebook. Students complete vocabulary tasks in the Reading Writing Companion and are assessed at the end of each unit on the vocabulary strategy. Guidance is provided to teachers in the form of videos, articles, and a handbook. Many different academic vocabulary and other vocabulary words are introduced during the week. Materials provide a vocabulary development component in the Tier 2 Intervention booklet.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Instructional Routine Handbook, page 77, teachers are guided through a four-step routine that can be used throughout the year to introduce vocabulary. 
• Step 1: Introduce (Explain the vocabulary routine.) 
• The teacher explains, “Today we will learn new vocabulary words. I will say a vocabulary word, define it, and use it in a sentence. Then, I will ask you to use the word in a sentence. The more we practice using the new words, the better readers and writers we will be.”
• Step 2: Model (I Do): Define/Example/Ask
• The teacher explains, “I am going to say the vocabulary word so you can hear the correct pronunciation. Then I am going to define it and use it in a sentence.”
• Step 3: Guided Practice (We Do): Students are given opportunities to use and apply words.
• The teacher describes different situations and students decide if the vocabulary word is an example of the situation. 
• Step 4: Independent Practice (You Do): 
• “Individual turns allow you an opportunity to assess each student’s skill level and provide additional practice for those students who need it. Near the end of each week, students should write sentences in their word study notebooks using the words.”

Materials provide teacher guidance outlining a cohesive year-long program that builds students’ academic vocabulary. Students engage in vocabulary instruction and application each day of the unit. The vocabulary words are related to the Essential Question, which helps students build knowledge. Students complete vocabulary tasks before reading, while reading, and after reading. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, Week 3, students read “Gulf Spill Superheroes” (unknown author). Words in context are introduced and instruction for using Latin roots to determine meaning is provided. With a partner, students practice with the Latin roots port, sensus, and habitare to determine the meaning of the words transported, sensitive, and habitats, which are found in the text. On another day, students talk about some of the target vocabulary words, such as artificial, and write about when they might want something to be artificial versus real. 
• In Unit 2, Week 1, students complete several vocabulary activities, including orally completing given sentence stems with review words. An example is, “You might find ______ at a convention about health.” In Week 2, students learn how to use a dictionary. Students practice with the word present. Students find the definition of the word and talk about the other meanings, syllabication, and the word origin. 
• In Unit 5, Week 3, students are introduced to vocabulary words that are important to understanding the readings and Essential Question. The target vocabulary words students encounter in the practice book are bouquet, emotions, encircle, express, fussy, portraits, sparkle, and whirl. 
• In Unit 6, Week 1, students read “Shipped Out” (unknown author). Words in context are introduced and instruction for using homophones to determine meaning is provided. Students work with partners to determine the meaning of the words need and knead, by rereading the text and using the context clues to help them figure out the meaning. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to support students' increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students' writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year. 

Grade 5 materials provide students the opportunity to write and respond to texts throughout the year. Within each unit, teachers prepare students for a specific writing task at the end of four weeks. Students read texts in the same genre as the writing task. In addition, throughout the unit they take notes and respond to questions by analyzing texts in the Reading Writing Companion and in the Writer’s Notebook. As students progress through the units, they are asked to write longer pieces with more complex prompts that meet grade-specific standards as they work through the steps of the writing process. 

Materials include writing instruction aligned to the standards for the grade level, and writing instruction spans the whole school year. Writing instruction supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, students read realistic fiction texts and write a realistic fiction narrative at the end of the four weeks. Students write in their Reading Writing Companion while reading in response to questions and tasks. Examples that support their development as writers include:
• In Week 1, Day 1, students read “A Reluctant Traveler” (unknown author),  and respond to the question, “How does the author show how Paul changes during his trip to Argentina?” 
• In Week 1, Day 3, students read They Don’t Mean It! by Lensey Namioka, and respond to the prompt, “How does the author show how the Yangs change as they try to find a balance between their Chinese traditions and their new American life?”  
• In Week 1, Day 5, students are told they will be writing a realistic fiction story. Students analyze an expert model and respond about how the father tried to solve the problem of fitting in in the fourth paragraph in their Reading Writing Companion. 
• In Week 2, Days 6-7, students brainstorm realistic places and types of characters and record it. Students choose one place and some characters from the list. They write a story about something the character(s) discovers about the place they chose. Students plan their draft using a graphic organizer and rubric.
• In Week 2, Days 8-9, students develop their draft. Students are reminded to use their flow chart, to put their events in the correct order and use vivid language to bring characters to life.
• In Week 3, Day 5, instruction is provided on word choice.  Students have an opportunity to revise their drafts based on this instruction. 
• In Unit 6, students read narrative nonfiction texts and write a historical fiction story at the end of the four weeks. Students write in their Reading Writing Companion while reading in response to questions and tasks. Examples that support students’ development as writers include: 
• In Week 1, Day 1, students read “Shipped Out” (unknown author), and respond to the question, “How does the author show the impact World War II had on children as well as on adults?”
• In Week 1, Day 3, students read The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter, and then discuss how the author’s words and phrases tell about the secrecy of Grandfather’s mission. Students also respond to the prompt, “How does the author use dialogue and Grandfather’s story to teach John about the strengths of his Navajo culture?”  
• In Week 1, Day 5, students are told they will be writing a historical fiction story. An anchor chart with features of historical fiction is created for students to refer to as they write their story. Students analyze an expert model and write about how the author uses details in the text.
• In Week 2, Days 6-7, students brainstorm a list of different periods of history and characters that may have lived during that time. 
• In Week 2, Days 8-9, students develop their draft about one historical period and characters and events that take place during that event. 
• In Week 3, Day 5, instruction is provided on transitions. Students have an opportunity to revise their drafts based on this instruction. 

Instructional materials include well-designed lesson plans, models, and protocols for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. Students write every day in their writer’s notebooks.  Students respond to prompts, check their writing during independent time and make necessary revisions, write pieces they choose themselves, use freewriting and mapping to generate ideas, and write responses to reading to deepen their understanding. A digital writer’s notebook is offered as well.  Students can access student models and instructional videos. Teachers are encouraged to review and give feedback at any time. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, examples include: Throughout the unit, students discuss their written responses with partners or small groups.
• In Week 4, Day 7, students conduct a peer review with a four-step routine. Sentence starters are provided and include, “I enjoyed this part of your draft because...”  or "The sequence of events might be clearer if…”. The routine is:
• "Listen carefully as the writer reads his or her work aloud.
• Begin feedback by telling your partner what you liked about the writing.
• Ask questions that will help the writer think critically about the writing.
• Offer your partner specific suggestions to help make the writing stronger."
• In Week 4, Days 8-10, an editing checklist that students can use to improve their writing is provided in the Reading Writing Companion. Rubrics are provided, as well as a presenting checklist.
• In Unit 6, similar supports are provided; however, the writing prompts and tasks are longer. Examples include:
• Students discuss their writing with partners or small groups. Sentence starters are provided to support this. 
• In Week 4, Day 7, students have a peer review with a four-step routine, which is similar to the one used in Unit 3, but more sophisticated. This is the routine: 
• "Listen carefully as the writer reads aloud and take notes.
• After the writer finished reading, tell one thing that you liked about the writing. 
• Ask questions that will help the writer think more deeply about the writing.
• Offer one or two comments to help the writer improve the writing." 
• In Week 4, Days 8 - 10, an editing checklist is provided so that students can improve their writing in the Reading Writing Companion. Rubrics are also provided in the Reading Writing Companion.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

Grade 5 materials provide students opportunities to complete research projects over the course of a Genre Study that enrich the knowledge and understanding of the Genre Study topic, the genre structure itself, and the Essential Question. In addition to regular research projects, students can use the interactive online inquiry space during small group time to further support the growth of research skills. Teachers and students follow the research roadmap for guidance on how to apply the five-step research process to each research project. For each project, there is also a research skill that is explicitly taught through modeling and guided practice. 

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills appropriate for the grade level. Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge on a topic via provided resources. The Instructional Routines Handbook states that the Research and Inquiry Lessons have a suggested outline to use for projects throughout each unit/Genre Study.  This routine includes:

1. "Set Research Goals: Introduce the project and clearly identify the research focus and end product. During this time, students may generate inquiry questions, assign roles to group members, and/or create a research plan.

 2. Identify Sources: Brainstorm and identify reliable sources, such as texts read in class, digital media, print sources, and interviews with experts. 

3. Find and Record Information: Guide students as they search for relevant information from their sources. Ensure they take notes from various sources, find answers to their inquiry questions, and record information so they can cite their sources. 

4. Organize: Help students review and analyze the information they have gathered. They should identify the most useful information by annotating or highlighting their notes, using a graphic organizer to sort and clarify categories of related information, and identifying any areas where they need further information.

 5. Synthesize and Present: Guide students to synthesize their information and create the research product. Then have them plan how to best present their work and they may include audio and/or visual displays to enhance presentations. Before presenting, students check that key ideas are included in the presentation and they rehearse the presentation."

Specific examples of research projects throughout the year as well as the skills taught include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, students create a poster or multi-modal slideshow about the steps that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The focus of this research project is learning about primary and secondary sources. Pairs discuss their research plan before students complete the five-step research process. 
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 2, students learn how to generate and clarify questions when researching. They spend two weeks researching animal rescue groups and then create a television segment about that animal rescue group. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 3, students conduct research about major national holidays by creating a timeline. They also learn the skill of identifying relevant information. Students set a research goal and then identify sources. Students find and record information and organize the information. Finally, students synthesize and present their research. 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students learn the research skill of identifying and gathering relevant information. Students research the causes of World War II and create a cause and effect chart about it. Students spend two weeks in this research project and follow the research routine. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to read independently in and out of class. The materials include accountability in the form of independent reading responses and a reading log. In addition, there are also steps for an independent reading routine that provides guidance for teachers. There are many opportunities for independent reading to occur throughout the day. The publisher suggests that students spend 30 - 40 minutes total of independent reading a day, and this includes both whole class texts, as well as independent book choices during small group time. There is a bibliography provided in each unit and genre study for independent reading book choices that align to the topic and/or genre that students are reading in whole group lessons. In addition, there is a School-To-Home letter each week that provides information for families on children reading at home.

In the Instructional Routine Handbook, an independent reading routine is provided for students to follow while the teacher works with groups or confers with individuals. The steps in the routine include:

• "Select a book that interests you.
• Read the book each day during independent reading time.
• Think about what you are reading.
• Record what you have read at the end of each independent reading session.
• Share your opinion of the book when you are done.
• Complete a reading log by recording the date, title, text type, opinion, number of pages, number of minutes read, whether the text was complex, too easy, or just right, and if the student is still reading, finishing or abandoning the book."

An additional Independent Reading Routine is provided that provides additional information for independent reading that can occur during whole group time. The steps in the routine include:

• "Select a book that interests you.
• Check the book to make sure it is the one you want to read (teachers should teach students the five finger rule to help students determine if the book is just right).
• Read the book each day during Independent Reading time. Use the skills and strategies that you have been working on.
• Think about what you are reading. Use Thinking Codes to record your thoughts or write about them in your writer’s notebook.
• Record what you have read at the end of each independent reading session. There are many suggestions for keeping students accountable for their independent reading in the Additional Strategies section of the Instructional Handbook. Using a Reading Log is just one way suggested by the publisher. 
• Share your opinion of the book when you are done. Tell a friend, write a review, make a poster, or ask a teacher for ideas.
• Begin again! Time to pick a new book!"

There is also a tracking system in the Teacher Resource Book that provides reading response forms for various genres, such as nonfiction and poetry. Students also can respond in their Writing Notebook without using this form.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. 

Materials are designed to immerse students in all areas of the standards and provide explicit lesson structure with embedded teacher direction, as well as recommendations for supporting all learners. Each unit contains three genre studies and a Unit Overview, which supports the teacher as they plan for instruction. Each unit instructs the teacher throughout each lesson on its implementation before, during, and after the readings and activities, while providing recommendations for scaffolded support. At the beginning of each unit, there is a Unit Introduction followed by a weekly overview that maps out the daily content being covered. Pacing for each lesson is appropriately allocated. Each individual lesson follows the same structure. For example, for each Genre Study, the lesson cycle begins with key features, a Reading workshop that includes an essential question, academic vocabulary, a comprehension section that describes strategies and skills, and a phonics and fluency section. There is also a red check mark notation that lets the teacher know that a particular skill will be tested. 

The Instructional Routines Handbook states, “In Wonders, the routines follow the same sequence of steps every time and slowly transfer the responsibility of the task to the students.” Routines effectively organize instruction, help set clear expectations for students, help teachers scaffold instruction, minimize instructional time and teacher talk, and maximize student participation. Many of the instructional routines are included in the online Model Lessons Video Library.

For each new text, students engage with an interactive read-aloud, a shared read, and students read independently with an anchor text. Lessons, questions, and prompts are sequenced so that the students interact with the text in increasingly more sophisticated ways, moving from a more literal first reading to grasp the meaning of the text, followed by a reread with questions about craft and structure, and finally synthesis and evaluation of ideas and information when reading the Anchor Text with a Paired Text. The questions and prompts are tied to the standards. Students write and collaborate using their Reading Writing Companion while reading texts. Discussion routines and writing routines are regularly employed throughout each lesson. For example:

• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, Essential Question: “In what ways can you help your community?”
• Interactive Read Aloud: Books, Observe the teacher Think Aloud visualizing: “The description of the action helps me visualize Maya jumping up onto a park bench to see over the crowd. I know how it feels when you are too short to see something.”(T23) 
• Shared Read: Remembering Hurricane Katrina, Students answer questions about key ideas and details about helping in a community. After rereading, students answer, “What affected the narrator most about the people in the Astrodome?" (T25) 
• Anchor Text: Aguinaldo, "Marilia does not want to go on the trip to the nursing home. Which words on page 182 help you visualize Marilia’s desperation?" (T43E) 
• Paired Text: Partaking in Public Service, students are to reread page 194 and answer how the author uses examples of what other young people have done to help you see how they can make a difference. Students respond in the Reading Writing Companion page 20.
• Units and lessons include structures and resources for both whole group and small group differentiated literacy instruction. The lessons and supports for small groups link to the whole group lessons. Leveled Readers and Differentiated Genre Passages are provided at four levels (Approaching, On Level, Beyond, English Language Learners) and students practice applying the skills they used with the Shared and Anchor Text. An example follows:
• In Unit 3: On Level Text: How Vera Helped (Lexile 700) "Read the first two paragraphs on page O1. Whose thoughts and feelings do you learn about in paragraph 2? (T82) Reread: Reread the second paragraph on page O1. How do you think Brad feels about Vera asking for leftover food? Give a detail. (T83) Integrate: Draw a Venn diagram. Help students compare what they’ve learned about how citizens can help their communities." (T83) 

The pacing of individual lessons is appropriate. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the “Plan” tab under weekly planner, time limits are suggested that help the teacher plan for that specific section. There are buttons on the right side that give the standards for the day and the objectives. There are also time designations next to the headings of the sections of the lesson in the TE. For example, in Unit 1, Week 3, Day 1, the following time guidelines are provided for whole-group instruction:
• Listening Comprehension: 10 minutes
• Shared Read: No time guideline given
• Vocabulary in context: 10 minutes
• Vocabulary (context clues): 10 minutes
• Grammar: no time given
• Spelling: no time given

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

Grade 5 materials includes six units. Each unit includes three genre studies. Each unit is designed to take six weeks to complete with days of instruction of approximately 180 instructional days The sixth week provides time for review, extension, and assessment opportunities. 

 Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1:
• Genre Study 1: Narrative Nonfiction: Weeks 1 & 2
• Genre Study 2: Realistic Fiction: Weeks 3 & 4
• Genre Study 3: Argumentative Text: Week 5
• Week 6: Opportunities for students to review, to extend the learning, and to assess the skills taught in Unit 1.
• In the Teacher Edition there are is a “core” option in the lesson plans that helps teachers and students focus on the standards that have to be covered by the end of the year, and this pathway ensures that the standards will be covered. The “optional” pathway includes other standards that can be covered if time allows. There is a video that teachers can view that explains the Core Pathway option. The teacher types “core pathway” into the search bar and clicks on the “Using the Core Pathway” video.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.)

Grade 5 materials provide students with opportunities to review and practice in and with the Reading Writing companion, note takers, leveled readers, anchor text, paired text, graphic organizers, model texts, writing rubrics, check-list, student practice worksheets, and additional student reads and library suggested titles, book titles, reading responses and student learning goals and rubrics.

Student materials include ample review and practice resources. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, Week 1, the skill of determining theme is taught and practiced adequately while students are reading texts in the Reading Writing Companion and the Literature Anthology. While reading A Reluctant Traveler, a call-out on page 3 of the Reading Writing Companion is labeled “Theme” and asks, “How does Paul feel and how do his parents feel about the trip?” Additional questions and tasks about theme are in the following pages as well. Additionally, students practice and apply determining the theme of A Reluctant Traveler by completing a provided graphic organizer. While reading They Don’t Mean It by Lensey Namioka, in the Literature Anthology, the teacher supports students to determine the theme by asking questions such as, “On pages 183–185, you learn that the Yang family has made many changes to adjust to American customs, manners, and language. Does Mary feel that her family has adjusted completely? (yes) What does her family decide to do for their American friends? (They invite them to a Chinese New Year celebration.) Add this information to your organizer, and use it to begin thinking about the theme of the story.” On Day 3, the Teacher Resource Book provides : 
• Decodable passages (16-20 titles per unit)
• Spelling word cards
• Student Reader Responses
• Book Talk
• Speaking and Listening Checklist
• The Practice Book includes materials for students to practice weekly skills (organized by unit) in grammar, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, handwriting. 
• Shared Read Writing Frames ELL: Each Unit includes a shared read writing frame organized by genre. 
• Graphic Organizers for reading and writing include a fact and opinion organizer, character traits web, action and judgement, sequence of events and cause/effect.

Student materials include clear directions and explanations, and reference aids are correctly labeled. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 6, reference aids are labeled correctly. Two graphic organizers for students to provide text evidence are found on pages 112-113 of the Reading Writing Companion. The first organizer on page 112 is correctly labeled based on the task directions as Column 1 “Text Evidence” and Column 2 “Why It’s Important.” The task directions are, “Which words and phrases in the sidebar tell you more about James Madison? Write text evidence and tell why it’s important.”
• In Unit 4, Week 4, Day 6, clear directions for the spelling pretest are provided on page 222 of the student practice book. “Fold back the paper on the dotted lines. Use the blanks to write each word that is read aloud. When you finish the test, unfold the paper. Use the list at the right to correct any spelling mistakes.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 partially meet the criteria that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

Grade 5 materials provides Common Core State Standards alignment documentation in the Teacher Edition under “Plan: Weekly Standard.” Standards are noted for each lesson and are linked to the lesson. The Assessment and Data tab in the online materials lists several printable resources; however, under the Standards tabs, it indicates “no standards associated with this resource.”

Alignment documentation is provided for all questions, tasks, and assessment items.

• The Online Teacher Edition Resources include a Plan tab, which links to weekly standards. This resource includes the weekly standards that are being taught, including the lesson in which each standard can be found. Standards include Grade Level 5, Language, Reading Foundational, Reading Informational, Speaking and Listening and Writing. In Unit 1, Week 1, the materials list ALL related standards with lesson links. 
• In Unit 1, Week 3, standards alignment links for the lessons include: L.5.2e "Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed." (5 lessons). RI.5.7 "Draw information from print, digital resources." (1 lesson). L.5.4 "Determine or clarify the unknown meaning of words." (5 lessons).
• In Unit 5, Week 1, standards addressed include: L.5.2e "Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed." (5 lessons). RI.5.1 "Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text." (3 lessons). RL.5.1 "Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text." (2 lessons).

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that the visual design (whether in print or digital) is not distracting or chaotic, but supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject.

Grade 5 materials contain many visual aids to support student learning, including graphic organizers, response sheets, and real images that accompany the text related to the content in each unit. Illustrations and clip-art in the Reading Writing Companion are uncomplicated and appealing to the eye. The design of the materials is simple and visually appealing to students. The font, margins, and spacing provided for student work areas are also appropriate. 

The materials include, but are not limited to:

• Videos that introduce each topic around the essential question for each week, in addition to introducing vocabulary, building background, visuals for introducing the essential question, with graphic organizers so that they can be projected to use with students. Whatever student materials are used are available digitally, as well. Essential questions are also accompanied by a photograph with the purpose of student generated ideas and thoughts around the weekly topic.
• Key routines that are to be used throughout the year are clearly marked and placed within the materials for ease of use. They include:
• Collaborative Conversation
• Close Reading
• Vocabulary
• Response
• Fluency
• Mini-lesson
• Rubric
• Checklist
• Differentiation options
• Grouping strategies
• Fluency
• The Teacher Edition pages are color-coded by lesson type. Additional color codes signal types of questions/tasks. For example:
• Questions that are to be answered/discussed after the first read are color-coded red. (Key Ideas/Details)
• Questions that are to be answered/discussed after the second read are color-coded green. (Author’s craft and structure)
• Questions that are to be answered/discussed that are color- coded blue, ask what the text means as a whole and requires answering cross-text comparison questions.
• Color coding is also used in the small-group/ELL instruction sections. Approaching (orange), On-level (blue), Beyond (green), and ELL (purple).
• Analytical Writing opportunities have a clearly labeled box next to those assignments.
• Access Complex Text is also clearly marked throughout the TE with color coded initials ACT for easier references.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning..

The Teacher Edition is accessible in an interactive format online and in PDF files and  provides ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition and ancillary materials. The digital Teacher Edition is organized by units, weeks, and days. The Teacher Edition PDF files are grouped by genre studies. Online files needed for presentation, as well as student materials and ancillary materials, are easily accessible in the interactive online Teacher Edition. The Teacher Edition provides direct quotes for the teacher to use in think-alouds and student explanations. Suggestions for implementation and correct answers for student questions and tasks are also found there.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Weeks 1-2, display the online Student Learning Goals for this Genre Study. Read the key concept: Seeing for Yourself. "Tell students that they will read narrative nonfiction texts about the experiences people have had in nature. Explain that students will be able to talk and write about the influence of nature on other people and on themselves. Have students read the Essential Question on page viii of the Reading Writing Companion. Tell them that a naturalist, or someone who studies nature, often discovers surprising natural formations and unusual animal and plant life. The naturalist can learn much from these encounters, or unplanned and often unexpected meetings, with nature. Discuss the photograph of the hiker with students. Focus on how the hiker might be reacting to his encounter with nature."
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 6, the online interactive Teacher Edition provides access to the materials needed to digitally present the lesson, including a digital file of the students’ Literature Anthology text, Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution? by Candice Ransom. Also accessible are the Reading Writing Companion pages that students will be using during the lesson under the heading Classroom Materials. The Teacher Edition includes the page numbers of the Literature Anthology that the lesson plan references. For example, for Literature Anthology pg. 98-99, the Teacher Edition instructs the teacher to have the students reread and then to ask the students the following question: “Reread page 98. Why does the author discuss Daniel Shays’s past? Cite evidence from the text in your answer. (The author mentions Daniel Shays’s past to emphasize that he was a patriot who had made sacrifices for his country. That someone with his status was so upset was something the new nation could not ignore.)” The correct answer is provided to the teacher in the parentheses.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The materials provide clear explanations and examples for the teacher to support his/her content knowledge and pedagogy. Additionally, assessment concepts are defined in adult terms in the Assessment Handbook, and the Smart Start section of the Unit Overviews provide information to deepen the teacher’s understanding of literacy concepts. Examples include: 

• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 3, Whole Group, the Teacher Edition contains a lesson about theme using the student text, The Magical Lost Brocade, on pg.132 of the Reading Writing Companion. The explanation of theme given to the teacher is the same as what is suggested to be provided to the student. “Explain to students that the theme of a story is a big idea or message about life that the author wants to share with readers. Tell students that the theme of a story is usually not stated directly. Readers must use details in the text to infer the theme. It is often possible to identify more than one theme in a story. Explain that students can analyze text details that describe the relationships of and conflicts among the characters, along with their words and actions, to help them identify the theme of the story.” After the explanation, the Teacher Edition directs the teacher to model identifying words and actions for the main character to help to identify the theme. An example idea of the theme of The Magical Lost Brocade is provided for the teacher. “One way to characterize a theme at this point might be: You should have a plan when you go in search of something.”
• Adult-level definitions of assessment concepts are provided at the end of the teacher resource titled Assessment Handbook. For example, the following definition is found on pg. 67: “Informal reading inventory (IRI) A method of assessing students’ independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels in which a student reads graded text and answers comprehension questions. Both oral and silent reading can be assessed.”
• The Smart Start Section provided in the Teacher Edition of Unit 5 further explains literacy concepts in adult language. For example, page S6 of the Smart Start Section states the following about genre to deepen teacher’s understanding: “Focusing on genre teaches students to use the appropriate strategies to unlock a text. Treat informational text as arguments and analyze the nature of the author’s assertions, logical reasoning, and/or evidence. For narrative text, evaluate the structural elements and analyze the author’s use of words and phrases.”
• Under the Professional Development tab in Resources, there is a Basics, Digital Quick Start, and Smart Start online component for teachers that explains the aspects of the program. 
• Wonders Basics
• Start here for an overview of Wonders. 
• Curriculum Design­
• Structure and Resources­
• Classroom Set-Up
• Teacher Materials­
• Get to Know Your Students

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 partially meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall program.

Materials provides references to the standards and lists and where to locate the standards within the program; however, the role of the specific standards in ELA are not provided in the context of the overall program. Standards are addressed in the Weekly Standards section with links to corresponding lessons. A Research Base Alignment is also provided and details a summary of key research and demonstration of program alignment to the standards. 

Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• In Unit 1, Weeks 1-2, student outcomes are stated at the beginning of the lesson plan for the week; however, evidence was not found that explicitly states the role of the standards in the overall program. 
• In Unit 3, the Overview provides a Key Skills Trace section on page T2, which explains where literacy skills are introduced, reviewed, and assessed. For example, the literary concept of theme is introduced in Unit 2: Genre Study 2, is reviewed in Unit 2: Genre Study 3, Unit 3: Genre Study 1, Unit 4: Genre Study 3, and Unit 6: Genre Study 1, and is assessed Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, and Unit 6 according to the listing in the Teacher’s Edition. Additionally, the Writing Process focus of each unit in the grade level materials is listed on page T3. Unit 1: Personal Narrative, Argumentative Text; Unit 2: Expository Text, Poetry; Unit 3: Fictional Narrative, Argumentative Text; Unit 4: Narrative Nonfiction, Poetry; Unit 5: Expository Text, Argumentative Text; Unit 6: Fictional Narrative, Poetry.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials contain an explanation of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

A detailed User Guide that discusses the research behind a balanced literacy approach, guided reading instruction, vocabulary and foundational skills, social-emotional learning and writing is included in the materials. The User Guide includes research and descriptions of the instructional/educational approaches implemented in the program. The Instructional Routines Handbook explains more about the research behind the program and models evidence-based routines for collaborative conversations, word work, reading, writing and grammar, and research and inquiry. This handbook also explains the educational approaches and routines for English Language Learners. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Professional Development section of the online materials, Research-Based Alignment resource, there is a chart demonstrating the alignment of the Wonders 2020 program to research-based comprehension practices. This alignment resource provides a thorough explanation and annotation of the research supporting the following literacy components: text comprehension, speaking and listening, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, vocabulary and language, conventions of English, writing, social-emotional learning. 
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, routines and instructional approaches that align with the research-based literacy practices are described. For example, an explanation and instructional approach to teaching fluency is provided on pages129 and 130. “In Wonders, echo reading, choral reading, cloze reading, and structured partner reading are effective practice techniques.” The fluency routine found on page 130 includes the steps, Explain, Model, Guided Practice, and Practice. Each step of the routine is thoroughly explained. For example, the Model step is explained as “Model fluency by reading aloud using appropriate accuracy, rate, and expression. First, select a passage from a text. Then select an aspect of fluency to model, such as intonation. When we read aloud with natural expression, we show which words go together by pausing, raising and lowering our voices, and emphasizing certain words and sounds. Today, I am going to read a passage from your Student Book. Listen to me read. Notice how fast or slow I am speaking, note any time I stop, make facial expressions, or raise or lower my voice. For example, if I read a question, I will raise my voice at the end. Read the passage. Point out the places where you read with expression. Note the phrases or sentences in which you raised or lowered your voice to emphasize or de-emphasize certain words or sounds. Also point out where you paused to show which words go together.”
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Use of Anchor Charts, the materials state, “Another way you can make learning visible for your students is by creating anchor charts. According to Wonders author Kathy Bumgardner, when anchor charts are created with students, they are a valuable classroom resource to refer to as they encounter other texts and learning scenarios. Anchor charts are classroom resources created by teacher and students. They provide visible cues to scaffold instruction and make instructions clear. "The information on anchor charts supports lessons that you teach and then remind students of what they learned. In Wonders, students in Grades K–6 help create and add to anchor charts that focus on the Essential Question, genre features, comprehension skills and strategies, vocabulary strategies, and writing. Anchor charts help students keep track of what they are learning.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials contain strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents or caregivers about the ELA/literacy program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.

The materials provide a Take Home Letter each week that reinforces main lesson objectives and demonstrates vocabulary and knowledge content. The letter includes the weekly concept and essential question. A checklist is provided for students and families to put a check next to any learning goals they complete. A word workout that includes word activities for families and students to do at home is provided. A comprehension passage is also included each week and has a specific area of focus. The weekly spelling list is coupled with fun activities for families to help practice spelling words. In the Wonders ConnectEd Student Edition, leveled readers and games are provided to support students at home.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, School-to-Home letter, learning begins with the following introduction:
• “Dear Family Member: For the next two weeks our class will study the genre of narrative nonfiction. We will be focusing on our experiences with nature. We can experience nature almost anywhere, even in a big city. Here are some resources that you can use with your child to help reinforce the skills we’ll be practicing.” The letter goes on to state the student learning goals and asks parents to read two stories with their child and discuss two possible effects after reading the story.
• In Unit 3, the Overview states, “Weekly school-to-home family communication letters, ready to send in multiple languages, encourage parents to log on and share resources with their children, including listening to audio summaries of all main selections so they can ask questions. This deepens the connection between community and classroom, supporting social emotional development. This helps ensure that each and every child comes to school engaged, motivated, and eager to learn!”

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

The materials provide ongoing opportunities for assessing students’ knowledge and skills. The Reading Writing Companion is used for students to record quick writes, summaries, answers to questions, and opportunities to collaborate about the standards/skills being taught. The teacher can use this to assess student progress. The materials also offer a formal assessment at the end of the two-week Genre Study to assess student knowledge.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Assessment Handbook, after reading the passage, How Green Is Greensburg?, students answer prompts, such as, “Use the information about word roots to determine the meaning of each underlined word. Choose the meaning of each word from the box below and write it in the chart.” This connects back to the formative assessment. 
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Practice Book, students answer, “How many words can you make with the roots geo and photo? Use a dictionary to help you. Write your words in the houses (diagram on page). Compare words with a partner.” 
• In Anchor Text, Weekly Assessments, five multiple choice comprehension questions that are directly tied to the weekly standards taught and eight questions supporting the grammar skill/standard reviewed for that week are included.
• The materials indicate that not all assignments need to be formally graded, but “should be treated as a potential source of information about what students know, what they still need to learn, and what their misconceptions or difficulties are. Review assignments, noting both strengths and weaknesses, and present the student with oral or written feedback. Ask students to go over their own assignments in groups, where peers can point out their strengths and weaknesses to each other. Ask students to go over their own work and reflect upon it. This, too, is a skill that needs to be modeled and taught.” 
• In Classroom Observations, the materials encourage systematic observations including noting topics of interest for reading, how  students work cooperatively, the types of texts that interest them, and other observable reading behaviors. This allows the teacher to help match students with texts that provide appropriate challenge and engagement. 
• Students use rubrics to self-assess their writing. Teachers can also find suggestions for differentiating the writing instruction at the beginning of each instructional sequence. Included is a variety of digital tools to support instruction, including graphic organizers, student models, draft, revised, and edited, checklists for editing and peer conferencing, and videos for skills, such as taking notes and evaluating sources.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 partially meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

The materials provide multiple ways that students are assessed throughout each unit, including formative assessments, comprehension assessments within each unit’s Genre Study, and end-of-unit assessments (summative). The Assessment Handbook provides formative and informative assessments, screenings, diagnostics, and running records that are all aligned to grade-level standards/skills. For example, weekly assessments, writing and research, essential questions and student learning goals are designed around weekly standards and skills embedded in each unit. The User Guide states that Unit Assessments are aligned to standards; however, there is no evidence to support that any standards are specifically listed in the assessments themselves.

Materials include limited denotations of the standards being assessed in both types of assessments. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Unit Guide, page 60, the materials explain that the unit assessments are aligned to standards, stating that assessments “ensure valid assessment of student performance and progress, [are] aligned to standards, and [measure] against grade level rigor.”
• Each unit has weekly Common Core standards present; however, standards were not listed in specific assessments or within the Teacher Edition or teacher’s script for administering assessments.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

The materials provide a number of assessments to provide information on student performance. Rubrics and checklists offer teachers insight into student follow-up. The Teacher Edition offers  suggestions on key skills for later small group time. The Assessment Handbook offers teachers guidance on drawing conclusions based on what they are seeing in the data to interpret student patterns.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Check for Success, teachers are asked, “Rubric: Use your online rubric to record student progress. ”Can students correctly define and pronounce the homographs felt and wind as used in A Life in the Woods?” Teachers should use the yes/no response to respond accordingly in small group instruction: “If no, Approaching Small Group - Reteach p. T77, ELL Group - Develop p. T102. If yes, On Level - Review p. T84, Beyond Level - Extend p. T90.”
• Formative assessments, such as Oral Reading Fluency assessments, provide ongoing information about students’ mastery of skills to help the teacher make instructional and small group placement decisions. A screening test will tell the teacher, for example, if a student has a weakness in comprehension. A diagnostic test shows that the student understands what the words mean but has trouble identifying the sequence of events in a story. From this information, the teacher knows that the students needs additional instruction in the comprehension strategy “identify sequence of events.” Teachers should use the information to help form small, flexible groups and to inform instruction.
• Benchmark Assessments assess skills at mid-year and end-of-year junctures and provide a snapshot of student progress toward goals and can act as a signal of student readiness for the demands of high-stakes testing.
• Placement and Diagnostic Assessments serve as the initial screening instrument and contain assessments that can be assigned throughout the year to monitor student progress and pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses.
• Student Practice with Data Reporting is an online student assessment that includes five comprehension questions and five vocabulary questions per unit.
• Running Records allow teachers to compile information and analyze the results of the Running Record. It also allows teachers to note the strategies used when students encounter unknown words and make an error. For example: A student who has an error rate of 1:15 reads with a 93% reading accuracy percentage. 
• The Assessment Handbook (pages 45-50) provides support for instructional decisions based on assessment. For example, on page 45, instructions include:
• "Interpret: Look at the data you have collected from various types of assignments or over time. Draw conclusions based on what you are seeing in the data to interpret the patterns you may notice. 
• Decide: What can you do to meet the student’s learning needs?
• Check: As you collect ongoing information about student progress, continue to check this information against your interpretation.
• Modify: Change your instructional decisions if they are not achieving the intended results."
• Quality rubrics and scoring guides are provided throughout the curriculum. Some include:
• Reading Portfolio Reflections
• Reading Portfolio Rubric
• Reading Observations Checklist
• Reading Self-Assessment Checklist
• At the end of each unit, there is a Track Your Progress rubric. On this page in the Reading Writing Companion, students have the chance to think about what they have learned and score how well they have met the learning objectives. Students also have a chance to reflect in writing about something they want to improve and why. For example, on page 202, the directions state, “Use the rubric to evaluate yourself on the skills you learned in this unit. Write your scores in the boxes below. Students will evaluate themselves on the author's point of view, prefixes, theme, similes, point of view and homographs.” Students are to complete the following: “Something that I need to work more on is _____________because _______….”

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

Throughout the Teacher Edition, the Access Complex Text and Stop and Check sections offer opportunities to monitor student progress. In addition, Screening and Diagnostic assessments, as well as comprehension assessments, offer guidance to inform instructional decisions.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, Weeks 3 and 4, Teacher Edition, Access Complex Text, Connection of Ideas, teachers explain to students that often in a folktale, the hero has a task to accomplish or a problem to solve. “Help them identify the problem that sets the tale in motion. What problem does the prince have? What solution appears to the Prince? Why might this solution lead to another problem?” On page T141F, there is a Stop and Check section offering teachers a way to monitor if students understand. For example, Make Predictions, ”How will Alfonso accomplish the task?” 
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 3, Access Complex Text, Connection of Ideas, teachers are directed to remind students that authors of biographies approach their subjects in different ways. “Point out that this biography begins around the time the subject of the biography becomes famous. What do the details on page 263 tell you about Rosa Parks at the time the biography begins?” Stop and Check headings are found throughout weekly units. For example, Unit 3, Week 1, Day 3, Stop and Check, students summarize, “Why would Mrs. Parks’s actions lead the bus driver to call the police? (Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat when the bus became full, and this made the bus driver angry.) Guide students to maintain the meaning and logical order of the text as they summarize.”
• A screening test can tell the teacher, for example, that a student has a weakness in comprehension. A diagnostic test shows that the student understands what the words mean but has trouble identifying the sequence of events in a story. From this information, the teacher knows that the student needs additional instruction in the comprehension strategy “identify sequence of events.” Teachers should use the information to help form small, flexible groups and to inform instruction.
• The Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) is an individually-administered diagnostic tool that assesses a student’s reading comprehension and reading accuracy. The IRI measures three reading levels: independent, instructional and frustrational. The independent reading level is the level at which a student reads without help from the teacher. At each grade level, there are two fiction and two non-fiction reading passages. These passages alternate between oral reading and silent reading as an IRI tests for both oral and silent reading comprehension. To assess the student’s comprehension, there are three literal (L) questions, one vocabulary (V) question, and one interpretive (I) question per passage.
• The Comprehension Tests assess overall reading comprehension and grade-level reading proficiency. Students read a series of passages that get progressively harder and answer accompanying comprehension questions. There is one set of passages and questions for each grade level. If students achieve a score of 80%–90%, then they should receive instruction on that grade level. If students receive a score below 80%, then the teacher should administer additional assessments to determine specific skill needs. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials indicate how students are accountable for independent reading based on student choice and interest to build stamina, confidence, and motivation.

The materials recommend 30-40 minutes of independent reading daily and offer students a variety of texts, including Anchor text, shared text, Time for Kids, suggested classroom library titles and online titles to access. The Instructional Routines Handbook provides an ample amount of opportunities for students to show accountability for their reading, including reading routines, reading logs, response pages, journaling, and conferences.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Wonders offers a variety of texts and places to find texts. They include:
• Independent Reading selections in the Literature Anthology
• Differentiated Genre Passages
• Classroom Library Trade books with online lessons that include activities for students to complete with a partner or in small groups
• Bonus Leveled Readers
• Online Leveled Reader Library
• Online Unit Bibliography to share with students; they can choose books for daily independent reading and then respond in their writer’s notebook.
• Time for Kids online digital articles
• The Instructional Routines Handbook provides a number of options for students to show accountability that include, but are not limited to:
• Teacher/Student Conference Routine:
• "Make a positive observation about the student’s reading or book choice.
• Talk about how the reading is going.
• Ask the student to read aloud for a minute or two. This will help you assess their accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.
• Highlight a student strength.
• Suggest a specific goal the student can work on.
• Record notes from your conference using provided conference forms."
• Reading Logs: A log to record their daily reading, noting the date, title, pages and/ or time read.
• Peer Conferences: Opportunities to discuss with another student what they are reading. For example, “Share your Independent Reading with your partners. Decide who will share first. When it is your turn to be the speaker, tell your partner the following: Your book title/genre.” Sentence stems, such as “the book I am reading today is…” and “It is …..(genre/text type), are provided .”
• Journal About Books: Students can take notes in their Writer’s Notebooks as they read. They can write summaries and personal responses, reflect on their strategy use, and make connections to other texts.
• Thinking Codes: Students can mark their own sticky notes to create a trail of their thinking. Students can then use this record of their thinking as they write journal entries.
• Perfect Pitch Challenge: Students present a 1–2 minute “pitch” about their book. The goal of this information presentation is to hook the class and entice other students to want to read the book.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The materials include many strategies for teachers to use. Examples of strategies include Teacher think-alouds, modeling, questioning techniques, sentence stems, differentiated leveled passages, and readers organized under the small group instructional routines in the Teacher Edition, including Approaching, On-level, Beyond, and ELL groups. A shared read and anchor text provide access to the grade-level text through additional supports including read-alouds, graphic organizers, student collaboration, Access Complex Text strategies, and “spot-light” on language for ELL supports. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Teacher Edition, the Data Dashboard is used to filter class, group, and/or individual student data to guide group placement decisions. It provides recommendations to enhance learning for gifted and talented students and provides extra support for students needing remediation.
• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, Weeks 1 and 2, the teacher is directed to, “Tell students that an experience in nature can change how an individual views the natural world. Explain that you will read aloud a story about Ansel Adams, a photographer whose childhood experiences in nature changed how he saw the world and inspired his future career. Explain that the text you will read aloud is narrative nonfiction. Discuss features of a narrative nonfiction text uses a story structure to tell about real people, things, or events; usually describes events in the order in which they happened; is written using information from primary or secondary sources." Anchor Chart Start is a narrative nonfiction anchor chart and asks students to add characteristics of the genre. Students may want to add characteristics to the chart as they read more narrative nonfiction texts. In Preview Text Structure, "Point out that understanding text structure makes it easier to comprehend narrative nonfiction texts and the ideas they express. Tell students that most narrative nonfiction texts rely heavily on chronological order, but can also include other structures, such as cause-and-effect and problem-and- solution. Explain that narrative nonfiction is similar to fiction because it includes some of the same story elements, but features real people and events. Understanding these structures can also help students analyze the author’s purpose in writing a narrative." In Read and Respond, "Read the text aloud to students. Preview the comprehension strategy, Ask and Answer Questions, by using the Think-Alouds on page T23 as you read." The directions for Think-Aloud Clouds Display the online Think Aloud Master 1 state,  "I wonder ...to reinforce how you can use the Ask and Answer Questions strategy to understand content." With Genre Features With students, the teacher discusses the elements of the Interactive Read-Aloud that lets students know it is narrative nonfiction. They are asked to think about other texts that they have read in class or independently that were narrative nonfiction. In Summarize,  "Have students restate in their own words the most important ideas and details from Capturing the Natural World in a logical order. Remind them to ask and answer questions as they read to help them summarize the selection.”
• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, Weeks 1 and 2, the teacher directions indicate, “Help students develop oral language and build vocabulary. Use Newcomer Cards 5–9 and the accompanying materials in the Newcomer Teacher Guide. Before using the cards, demonstrate that the directionality of print is from left to right and top to bottom. For thematic connections, use Newcomer Cards 9 and 21 with the accompanying materials." Reading Writing Companion, pp. 2–3, Take Notes: "Have students connect to the Essential Question by considering how experiencing nature has changed the way they think about it. Have them preview the titles, headings, and photos to set a purpose for reading, and then use the left column on page 2 to state what they hope to learn from the selection, along with interesting words they encounter and key text details. Focus on the Read prompts now. For additional support, use the extra prompts not included in the Reading/Writing Companion. Use the Reread prompts during the Craft and Structure lesson on pages T36–T37. Pre-teach the vocabulary to some students.” 
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 1, Where’s Brownie?, the Teacher Edition provides Differentiated Instruction small group lessons on vocabulary and comprehension at four different levels: Approaching, On Level, Beyond Level, and English Language Learners. Phonics/Decoding and fluency lessons are also provided for the Approaching Level. Each genre study is also accompanied by topic-related Leveled Readers and Genre Passages for small group instruction at the four levels, as well as instructional support for each in the Teacher Edition. For example:
• Whole Group Lesson: "Think about the Essential Question and how mysteries are often solved by taking a second look at things." Think Aloud: "I know that at the beginning of a play, an author usually tells readers where and when the action happens. I see that the description of the setting is in italics and is labeled Setting. It tells me that the scene takes place in a two-person bedroom in an apartment. I know that stage directions also appear in italics. I see the italicized text, and I read that Sam and Evan 'quickly cover up their work.' That makes me think they don’t want Alex to know what they’re doing." Spotlight on Language, Page 133, lines 25–27: "Read aloud Alex’s dialogue from these lines with gestures and exclamation. Then have partners read the narrator’s dialogue on the lines that follow. Point out that raced can mean that the characters ran really fast. Then have partners talk about what they think 'better late than never' means. Discuss other examples of things that are better late than never. Have students provide examples. In the story, they started looking for Brownie over an hour after he went missing. Talk to your partner about why that is better late than never."
• Small group lessons for Differentiated instructional small groups, Approaching/small group lesson: I Do: "Remind students that point of view refers to how a story is told. In a play, each speaker uses the first person (I, me) to deliver lines of dialogue from his or her point of view. The narrator, if present, may speak in the first person or may use the third person to comment on events in the play." We Do: "Read the first page of “A Penny Saved” in the online Approaching Level Differentiated Genre Passage page A1. Point out that this play does not contain a narrator. Model how to summarize all of Jorge’s lines to identify his point of view. Then work with students to identify the points of view of Mom, Hugo, Dad, and Mia." You Do: "Have partners read the rest of the passage. After each character speaks, have them identify the character’s point of view. When they have finished reading the passage, partners can summarize each character’s overall point of view."

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to access grade-level texts with support in activating prior knowledge through photographs and videos that help supply or initiate recall of background knowledge and collaborative graphic organizers for recording ideas. Organizers allow teachers and students to highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships (e.g., use outlines to emphasize important ideas or draw students’ attention to critical features). Materials also guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation (e.g., provide explicit prompts for each step in a sequential process). Instruction is provided for cross-curricular connections students make as they answer the Essential Question through the Connect to Content features. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Newcomers Guide, there are leveled reader resources that the teacher can use as a resource for ELL students.
• In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Genre Study 1, English Language Learners Scaffold, teachers use the following scaffolds to help students describe an experience. For example:
• Beginning: "The hiker is encountering, or seeing, a really beautiful cave. (cognate:cueva) What have you encountered, or seen, in nature? I have encountered _____ in nature. Turn to your partner and describe what you learned from this encounter. From this encounter with nature, I learned _____ . Model completing the graphic organizer."
• Intermediate: "Check understanding of the word encounter. Discuss the things the hiker may encounter. Have students discuss their own encounters in nature and what they learned from them. I encountered _____, and I learned _____. Have partners complete the graphic organizer."
• Advanced/Advanced High: "Elicit examples of things the hiker has encountered in the cave. Then have partners discuss their own encounters in nature and what they learned from them as they complete the graphic organizer."

Approaching Level: "Review previewing text and setting a purpose for reading. As a group, complete all Read prompts." On Level: "Have pairs finish the Read prompts before you meet." Beyond Level: "Discuss responses to the Read prompts. Have students analyze how the primary source supports their understanding of the selection."

• In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 1, Shared Read, Reading and Writing Companion, Where’s Brownie?, for additional support, teachers use the extra prompts not included in the Reading/Writing Companion. “Use the Reread prompts during the Craft and Structure lesson on pages T134–T135. Pre-teach vocabulary to some students." Think-Aloud: "I know that at the beginning of a play, an author usually tells readers where and when the action happens. I see that the description of the setting is in italics and is labeled Setting. It tells me that the scene takes place in a two-person bedroom in an apartment. I know that stage directions also appear in italics. I see the italicized text, and I read that Sam and Evan 'quickly cover up their work.' That makes me think they don’t want Alex to know what they’re doing." Spotlight on Language, Page 133, lines 25–27: "Read aloud Alex’s dialogue from these lines with gestures and exclamation. Then have partners read the narrator’s dialogue on the lines that follow. Point out that raced can mean that the characters ran really fast. Then have partners talk about what they think 'better late than never' means. Discuss other examples of things that are better late than never. Have students provide examples. In the story, they started looking for Brownie over an hour after he went missing. Talk to your partner about why that is better late than never.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

Grade 5 materials provide opportunities for students to interact with text in extension activities including, leveled small groups (advanced), Talented and Gifted recommended lessons, author studies, book talks/chats, research/writing, and independent book titles for student choice reads. 

Examples and teacher directions include, but are not limited to: 

• In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Genre Study, 1, teachers write the words felt and wind on the board. “Say: Each word is a homograph. Have partners use a dictionary and clarify the pronunciations of both homographs. For each word, ask: 'Which meaning is used in the story? How do you know?' Have partners discuss their answers. Students might choose uttered from page 4. Have them explore synonyms and antonyms of the word." Rubric: "Use your online rubric to record student progress. Can students correctly define and pronounce the homographs felt and wind as used in A Life in the Woods?" Advanced/Advanced High: "Remind students to ask questions as they work together to reread the second sentence of Back to Concord. Have partners discuss their questions, identify the answers, and describe what they learned." Beyond Level: "Have students work independently and then exchange responses with a partner for feedback." Advanced/Advanced High: "Read the prompt and sentence starters with students and discuss what they will write about. Help students use their notes and look for information on pages 3 to complete the sentence starters and add further details."
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Author Study, 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, or 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.”
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Support for Advanced Learners, students engage in a variety of independent reading study pages/routines. “Ask students to create a two-three minute movie trailer for their books that provides enough plot details to captivate the viewer without spoiling the end. Students can use video editing software applications to create their trailers." Book Club Chat: "Have students choose an exciting, interesting, or descriptive passage to read aloud to the group. The passage should reveal something interesting about a situation in the text and/or provide some insight into a main character." Concept Study: "Have students do a research report on a topic related to their independent reading. Students may choose to study one of the following topics: a specific time-period from a text, a specific concept or idea from a text, a specific person in history, and the pros and cons of a controversial subject."

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Throughout the materials, there is evidence of support and notations of which grouping strategies should be used and when to implement them in the lesson planning. Lessons indicate where pairs, collaborative conferences, small group or individual groupings are utilized for instruction. Teachers are also provided suggestions for how to group students using the Instructional Routines Handbook, Data Dashboard, Assessment Handbook, student interest, and teacher observation.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Teacher Edition, Differentiated Instruction, small group lessons on vocabulary and comprehension are available at four different levels: Approaching, On Level, Beyond Level, and English Language Learners. Phonics/Decoding and fluency lessons are also provided for the Approaching Level. Each Genre Study is also accompanied by topic-related Leveled Readers and Genre Passages for small group instruction at the four levels, as well as instructional support for each of them in the Teacher Edition. Teachers can search the Leveled Reader Database at my.mheducation.com for more leveled titles to use as they teach small groups. The database is searchable by Theme, Keyword, Genre, Skill, Text Feature, Grade Range, Lexile, and Guided Reading Level. 
• The Assessment Handbook and the Data Dashboard at my.mheducation.com provide more information on assessments that teachers can use to form small groups. The Running Records/Benchmark Books resource provides leveled passages and recording forms for determining students’ guided reading levels. 
• Teachers can use the Data Dashboard to filter class, group, and/or individual student data to guide group placement decisions. It provides recommendations to enhance learning for gifted and talented students and provides extra support for students needing remediation.
• Peer Conferences: The materials state, “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.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 materials reviewed meet the criteria that digital materials (either included as supplementary to a textbook or as part of a digital curriculum) are web-based, compatible with multiple internet browsers (eg. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.), “platform-neutral” (ie., Windows and Apple and are not proprietary to any single platform), follow universal programming style, and allow the use of tablets and mobile devices.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The materials are accessible online and can be printed for student use. The digital teaching resources are available wherever there is an Internet connection. There is 24/7 access to instructional modules, model classroom videos, author videos, and Digital Help tutorials in the Professional Development section. The program is compatible with multiple Internet browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Safari, and Google Chrome, and is accessible on tablets and mobile devices.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning, drawing attention to evidence and texts as appropriate. 

Grade 5 materials provide interactive games, digital presentations with video and audio, online collaboration tools, and writing tools to enhance student learning. Each unit’s text selections are available to students in their online dashboard. The daily teacher presentation that is customizable and projectable asks students to interact with text and find evidence when appropriate. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students can digitally access all resources and activities assigned to them by the teacher. For example, when a student selects “Vocabulary” they will see a photo or video example of the word along with a sample sentence. Students can hear the sentence read aloud to them. Teachers can also upload and add their own digital resources to the lessons.
• Inquiry Space provides students an opportunity to navigate through the process of completing an informative performance task that results in a research paper and offline presentation. Digital Toolkits in the form of animations, videos, and slide presentations are provided for each phase of the research project. 
• StudySync Blast allows students to respond to text-dependent questions and each other’s posts in 140 characters or less. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that digital materials include opportunities for teachers to personalize learning for all students, using adaptive or other technological innovations. 

Grade 5 materials include technological innovations that allow for teachers to customize weekly lessons for whole group instruction and for individual students. Teachers set the school calendar in the online platform which determines what students access in their online dashboards each day. Teachers can customize beyond that for individual students by assigning specific practice pages and texts at specific reading levels to individual students to access online.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• To personalize learning for whole class instruction, teachers can edit the provided Today’s Presentation of the lesson content in numerous ways online. One way is to open the Today's Presentation file from the teacher’s homepage and remove or add resources into the presentation as desired. Another way to personalize the whole group instruction is to set the online calendar as part of the digital materials to the school district’s exact calendar including any non-teaching days. This automatically adjusts the placement of the unit’s daily lessons accordingly and provides the correct Today’s Presentation for whole group as well as provide the correct materials to the students online dashboard. Furthermore, teachers can personalize the daily lessons to their classroom by rearranging the order of the lesson components such as grammar before vocabulary rather than vice versa. When teachers are in the online Weekly Planner, they are able to personalize the contents of daily lessons by dragging and dropping the components throughout the week or removing part of the components. The Today’s Presentation automatically updates to be in the order necessary to present the customized lesson to students. Teachers can also interchange small group lessons and whole group lessons, so that some skills are taught in small groups and some are taught in whole group. Teachers can further personalize the student learning experience by assigning specific practice pages and small group and independent reading text at the desired reading level. These pages are then presented to the students on their own digital dashboard under their individualized login.
• The Wonders system is set up to automatically load the correct resources for the week in each student’s account. When students select the green TO DO button, they can see and access resources and practice activities the teacher has assigned to them. For example, when students select the blue READ button, they see their reading selections for the week of instruction. In addition to the Shared Read and Anchor texts, each student will see the correct Leveled Reader texts for their tested reading level. Students can log in from school or home to access their learning resources. Parents have access to the Student Workspace, including the School-to-Home letters, when the student logs in from home.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria the criteria that materials can be easily customized for local use.

Grade 5 materials provide “Teach it Your Way” to customize the resources. The resources can be used if the focus of the district’s instructional plan is to include other research-based practices not explicitly provided in the Wonders materials. Teachers and/or the school district can also determine that lessons will follow a Core Pathway option due to time constraints or other needs. Teachers and/or school districts can determine the order of lessons, the number of days used to teach each Genre Study, and what practice materials are available to students online. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The Wonders “Teach it Your Way” format is referenced in the digital support videos and in the teacher resources entitled Teach It Your Way Daily 5, Teach It Your Way Blending Learning Station Routine, and Teach It Your Way Workshop Reading/Workshop Writing. These resources provide tips and templates to customize the Wonders program to fit these instructional frameworks. 
• Teachers have the ability to customize their lesson plans by moving and removing lessons or adding their own resources. This is done from the Weekly Planner view of the Resource Library.
• Teachers can also adjust their plans with the Core Pathway feature. The Core Pathway is an abbreviated version of the curriculum that covers all tested skills but omits some optional lessons. These assists teachers who are having trouble completing the full curriculum within their literacy block. Teachers can automatically activate the Core Pathway by going to the Planner Options button in the middle of the screen. A gear icon in the lesson title can restore individual lessons after activate the Core Pathway. The printed Teacher Edition shows clearly which parts of the lesson plan are “core” and which are “optional". For example, 
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 1, Week 1, Day 2

Core;

• Strategy - Ask and answer questions, T30-T31
• Text Features - Diagrams, T32-T33
• Skill - Text Structure: Cause and Effect, T34-T35
• Shared Read Reread: Craft and Structure, T36-T37
• Respond to Reading - T38-T39
• Study Skill/Research and Inquiry - T42-T43
• Grammar - Clauses, T58
• Writing - Expert Model and Plan, T242-T247

Optional:

• Word Study, Suffixes, T40-T41
• Fluency - Expression, T41
• Grammar - Talk About It, T58
• Spelling - Suffixes, T62
• Expand Vocabulary - T66
• The digital lesson planner allows for teachers to customize lesson plans. For example, teachers can drag and drop lessons on the planner to move them forward to another day or use the gear icon to move lessons to the Holding Bin and decide later when to use them. Teachers can also add their own digital resources as well as add their own notes to lessons. In the center of the Weekly Planner, teachers can select the “customize drop-down menu” and then select “Add Note” to insert notes.

The materials reviewed for Grade 5 meet the criteria that materials include or reference technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other (e.g., websites, discussion groups, webinars, etc.)

Teachers can create Talk About It discussions for students collaboration in the student digital materials. The discussions are found under the Writing and Research tab of the student digital materials.

Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• In the teacher online materials under the Writing and Research heading, teachers can create Talk About It discussion for students to collaborate online. The directions provided to the teacher online are: “Inspire your students to discuss what they are learning. Post questions or prompts related to weekly lessons for student response. Students can also reply to each other's posts. Create a new topic to begin.”
• The Online Writer’s Notebook provides opportunities for students to access student models, instructional videos, and more to support their writing from planning to drafting. Teachers can access anchor papers and can review and give feedback to students at any time.