5th Grade - Gateway 3

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 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 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 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 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 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.”