The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-based, 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).

The materials provide opportunities for students to engage with the texts. Questions and tasks provide opportunities for students to use text-based evidence when answering  questions or completing tasks in correlation to the text they are reading or listening to. These opportunities are included in the Literature Big Book, Shared Read, Interactive Read-Aloud, Reading/Writing Companion, and Paired Selections.

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

• In Unit 2 Week 1, Day 1, Teacher Edition, Whole Group, Listening Comprehension, Literature Big Book, The Handiest Things in the World by Andrew Clements, the teacher displays and read pages 14-15 aloud. The teacher then asks students the following questions:
• "What handy tools is the child using in the photographs? 
• What is the child doing with these tools? 
• How does the photograph help you understand the information?" 
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 1, Teacher Edition, Whole Group, Listening Comprehension, Literature Big Book, How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague, students listen to the text and the teacher asks the following questions, "How does the teacher feel? How do you know?"
• In Unit 8, Week 1, Day 1, Teacher Edition, Whole Group, Listening Comprehension, Literature Big Book, When Daddy’s Truck Picks Me Up by Jana Novotny Hunter, the teacher asks the following questions, "What is Daddy doing during this part of the story? What is the boy doing?"
• In, Unit 9, Week 1, Day 1, Teacher Edition, Whole Group, Listening Comprehension, Literature Big Book, Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats, Plot, the teacher asks, "What happens in the middle of the story?"

Teacher materials provide support for planning and implementation of text-dependent writing, speaking, and activities. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 2, Teacher Edition, Whole Group, Literature Big Book, Shared Writing, What Can You Do with a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla, as the teacher rereads the story, they share the prompt, “What can you tell about neighbors in this barrio?” The teacher takes notes on an anchor chart with student responses to then support the students in shared writing of a sentence: The neighbors are ___.
• In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 3, Reading/Writing Companion, page 38, students write a response to a prompt about the story Kim and Nan by author unknown. Students listen to the text and the teacher asks, “What are some things Kim likes to do?” The teacher points out “that the prompt is asking for information about Kim and the things she likes to do."  Find Text Evidence Say: "We need to find text evidence, or clues, in the text and pictures to help us answer the prompt. Let’s look on page 39. We see a picture of Kim and Nan. The text says that Kim is a kid on the go. That must mean she likes to go places and do fun things.”  The teacher then continues guiding the children to look for text evidence to use in their writing. Under the section, Write to the Prompt, the teacher guides children to review the text evidence they found and plan their writing in their writer’s notebook.
• In Unit 9, Week 3, Day 4, Reading/Writing Companion, pages 69-69,  students answer questions such as, “What does the sculptor use to carve a mask? What does the artist use to weave a basket?”

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials containing sets of high-quality sequences of text-based questions with activities that build to a culminating task which integrates skills to demonstrate understanding (as appropriate, may be drawing, dictating, writing, speaking, or a combination).

Throughout the program, the materials contain sets of high-quality sequences of text-based questions and activities that build to a culminating task. In each week of a unit, students are given the opportunity to reflect on their learning from the week. Each week has a final performance task, called the Weekly Wrap-Up. It is designed to help students demonstrate their understanding of the essential question, as well as reflect on what else they would like to learn about the topic. Students complete the Weekly Wrap-Up in their Reading/Writing Companion. This culminating task is the same each week. 

Some specific examples of what students learn and how they demonstrate their knowledge of the topic at the end of the week include:

• In Unit 2, Week 3, students learn about bugs and at the end of the week, students write about what they learned during the week. Students begin by reflecting on what they have learned about bugs and then look at a picture of a beekeeper and discuss the bugs they see. Students work with a partner to compare the various selections in their Big Book from the week. Students discuss how the texts are alike and different before completing a Two-Tab Foldable comparing the texts. They are given the sentence frame, "The texts tell about..." and complete the writing assignment independently. Some questions asked of students prior to this task to support them in this culminating task include, “What do the bugs do to the boy? Name some bugs that you have learned about. How will it be able to fly with wet wings?” 
• In Unit 3, Week 3, students reflect on the essential question of "What places do you go during the week?" Students begin the culminating task by discussing what they have learned about places in their neighborhood. Students look at a picture in their Reading/Writing Companion and make a connection between the picture and the green grocer in Please Take Me for a Walk by Susan Gal. Before completing a Two-Tab Foldable, the teacher asks, "What fruits and vegetables do each sell? What new information did you learn?" Students complete the foldable by working with a partner to compare Please Take me for a Walk and “A Neighborhood” (no author) and identify how the two are similar and how they are different. Questions asked of students throughout the week to support the completion of the culminating task include, “Where are the girl and her dad? How does the dog look when the little boy starts crying? What different settings do you see on this page?” 
• In Unit 6, Week 2, students learn about weather. On Day 5, students look at a picture in their Reading/Writing Companion and talk to a partner about how the weather in the photo is like the weather in the text, Rain by Manya Stollic. Students also discuss how the weather is different. Students complete a task where they compare Rain and “Cloud Watch” (no author). The teacher provides some guiding questions about similarities and differences before students complete the Two-Tab Foldable. Students complete the Weekly Wrap-Up independently by identifying what they learned about weather and what else they would like to learn. Some questions that lead students to successfully complete this task throughout the week include, “What type of weather do you see? How do you know? How do you think the girl feels about the weather?” 
• In Unit 8, Week 1, students learn about transportation. On Day 5, students reflect on what they learned. They begin by looking at a photo of transportation and discussing which train is from long ago and which train is from today. Students compare the truck in their Big Book to the train in the photos. The teacher guides the students to successfully complete this discussion by asking how the vehicles are similar and different. Students compare When Daddy's Truck Picks me Up by Jana Novotny Hunter with "From Here to There" by Time for Kids by completing a Two-Tab Foldable. Students independently return to the essential question and reflect on what they learned and what else they would like to learn. Questions throughout the week to support this culminating task include, “What is Daddy doing during this part of the story? How is Daddy feeling? What happens at the end of the story?”

In addition, after every two units, the program provides a spiral review to review and extend the concepts in the previous two units. Students can reflect on and discuss what they have learned across the units. The format for this review is the same and requires students to demonstrate their knowledge from the previous two units. An example of spiral review follows:

• After Units 3 and 4, students are given three days to review and extend the skills of the units. On Day 1, students review fables and write about the main characters and setting. On Day 2, students focus on nursery rhymes and the events of a story. On Day 3, students connect to the big idea. Students compare books from the texts. Then students discuss some of the people and places in the stories. Finally, students complete the summative assessment, which measures key details, character, setting, and events, and text structure.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials providing 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.

The materials provide students opportunities to engage in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary in whole class, small groups, and peer-to-peer. Opportunities are seen throughout the units in the Think-Aloud, Talk About It, Collaborative Conversations, and Vocabulary Picture Cards routines. For example: 

• Vocabulary routines are provided on Day 1 of each unit along with visual vocabulary cards. The teacher follows the oral vocabulary routine “define/ask/example” when presenting new vocabulary to students. The students complete the “Talk About It” activity in their Reading/Writing Companion and talk to a partner.
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1,  Whole Group, Independent Writing, Write About the Shared Read, students share their final drafts with the class and are encouraged to ask and answer questions about each other’s work.  A list of Speaking Strategies and Listening Strategies located in a chart in the Teacher Edition contains the following, “SPEAKING STRATEGIES: Speak slowly and clearly. Speak at an appropriate volume. Take turns speaking. LISTENING STRATEGIES: Listen actively and politely. Look at the speaker. Listen quietly when someone is speaking.” No further directions are given.
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 1, Whole Group, Independent Writing, the teacher is prompted to review the listening and speaking strategies on the page, as needed. The speaking strategies include: "speak slowly and clearly, speak at an appropriate volume, and look at your audience."  The listening strategies include: "listen actively and politely, look at the speaker, and wait until the speaker has finished to ask questions."  
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 1-5, Whole Group, Listening Comprehension, Literature Big Book, My Garden by Kevin Henkes, Academic Vocabulary, Realistic Fiction, on Day 5 with the Weekly Wrap-Up, students return to the genre of realistic fiction. The teacher guides the students to talk about what they have learned and share their ideas with the class. As students engage in discussions, the teacher encourages them to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas audibly and clearly. 
• In Unit 7, Week 3, Day 1, Talk About It, the teacher presents the Collaborative Conversation protocol for asking and answering questions,  “Ask questions to clarify ideas they do not understand. Ask for help getting information. Wait after asking a question to give others a chance to think and answer questions with complete ideas, not one-word answers."
• In Unit 8, Week 3, Share and Evaluate, students review their final drafts and then prepare to share by using the Reading/Writing Companion, pages 82-83 Share and Evaluate. Students practice presenting their work and then take turns with a partner. A checklist is provided for Speaking and Listening which allows students to self-evaluate their skills of speaking in a clear and loud voice, using correct grammar, listening carefully and answering questions with detail.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading (or read aloud) and researching (shared projects) 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. For example: 

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Big Idea, students are asked to, “Say hello to your partner. Talk about each photo. Circle someone in the photo who is trying something new. Talk about what these friends at doing. Retell the story. Talk about ways friends can get along.”
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1-5, Whole Group, The Handiest Things in the World by Andrew Clements. The teacher uses the Literature Big Book pages to read the text. The teacher asks the students, “What questions do you have?” The teacher encourages students to ask questions to deepen their understanding of the text. The teacher focuses the students questions on the photograph and text on the page.  The teacher asks, “Why would you need to move the dirt around?” 
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, Whole Group, Introduce the Concept, Talk About It, Reading/Writing Companion, students use the photo to discuss rules we follow when we play a sport or game. The students are prompted to use the words rules and cooperate during the discussion. The students are asked evidence-based questions regarding the photo and then talk with a partner, “speaking clearly and loudly enough for the partner to hear,” about the photo.
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 5,  Whole Group, Independent Writing, the students look over their final drafts and make any changes. The students then practice presenting their writing with partners.  Under Evaluate, Research, students discuss and evaluate their own presentations. The Teacher Edition says the students can complete an online Student Checklist to evaluate their presenting and listening skills. No link was provided for access to the online Student Checklist.
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 1-5, Whole Group, My Garden by Kevin Henkes, the teacher asks:
• "What is realistic fiction? 
• What is real on page 15? 
• What is make-believe? 
• The girl is not imagining anymore. How do you know? 
• Why is she holding a seashell?" 
• In Unit 8, Week 3, Day 5: Integrate Ideas, Text Connections, students use page 72 of the Reading/Writing Companion to connect with the essential question. The teacher guides the students to work with a partner to compare two selections they have read this week asking, “How are the texts alike? How are they different? How do they help you answer the Essential Question?” The teacher encourages students to support their ideas with details from the selection.
• In Unit 9, Week 1, Day 1-2, Whole Group, Peter’s Chair, by Ezra Jack Keats, while reading the text, the teacher asks, “What is the theme?” The teacher then guides the children to cite clues to support their response.
• In Unit 10, Week 3, Day 1, Listening Comprehension, Reading/Writing Companion, students review what they learned about what happens in a panda kindergarten. On page 54 of the Reading/Writing Companion students retell the selection in order, using the retelling cards and the routine as needed. Partners talk about why people care for the panda cubs at Wolong Nature Reserve.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing grade-appropriate writing (e.g. grade-appropriate revision and editing) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

Instructional materials provide students with opportunities for students to write daily. For example, on Days 1 and 2, students are active participants in both shared writing and evidence-based independent writing using the texts from the week. On Days 3, 4, and 5, students work through the writing process where they practice application of a writing skill, citing textual evidence, revising, editing, and publishing a piece of writing. 

Materials include a mix of both on-demand and process writing that covers a year’s worth of instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 4, the materials state, “after children have revised their work, have them edit it carefully, checking for the following:
• Students edit by making sure that words with m are spelled correctly.
• Students use nouns correctly.
• Students spell high-frequency words correctly.
• Students begin sentences with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark."
• In Unit 1, Week 2, Day 3, Teacher Edition, Independent Writing, students write about the Shared Read, responding to the prompt, “How are the tiger and the zebra the same?” The teacher provides sentences starters as needed: “The tiger is _____.” “The zebra is _____.”“The tiger has _____.” “The zebra has _____.”
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1-5, On Day 3, the students write a response to the Shared Read, Pam Can See, in their Reading/Writing Companion, page 16. The prompt for students is, “How is the shopping cart a handy tool for Pam and her mother?” The students then write a draft. On Day 4, the students edit their drafts and then on Day 5, the students prepare their final draft and present it to classmates.
• In Unit 3, Week 1, after listening to the story How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? by Jane Yolen, students use the Reading/Writing Companion pages 10-11 to respond to the story. Students write about a funny part of the story using the provided sentence starter. Students draw and write about a rule they follow at school. On Day 2, Shared Writing, teacher and students write a new story about a dinosaur in the grocery store. Together, they write two questions about something that a misbehaving dinosaur would do in the grocery store. They then write two sentences about what a well-behaved dinosaur would do.On Day 3, Independent Writing, after reading the story, “Can I Pat It?” by author unknown, students write a new story called “Can I Play With It?” They continue working on this writing task on Day 4 and prepare their final draft to share on Day 5. 
• In Unit 4, Reading/Writing Companion, Personal Narrative, students use a multi-day approach to plan, draft, revise and edit, share and evaluate their longer writing piece. 
• Personal Narrative- Student Model, Yosi’s Mystery Trip, page 74 (Week 2, Day 1)
• Personal Narrative- Plan, Think about an event that was special to you.  Students draw and write and then draw again. Pages 76-77 (Week 2, Day 2) 
• Personal Narrative- Draft. A Trip to the Airport (student model). Students write in their writer’s notebooks. Pages 78-79 (Week 2, Day 3) 
• Personal Narrative- Revise and Edit, My Mystery Trip (student model). Students edit the piece looking for complete sentences and adjectives. Pages 80-81 (Week 2, Day 4) 
• Personal Narrative- Share and Evaluate, students use a checklist and a peer conversation to evaluate their writing. Students write to answer the questions, “What did you do well in your writing? What do you need to work on?” (Week 2, Day 5) 
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 2, Shared Writing, the teacher demonstrates and students compose sentences using a prompt and sentence frames.
• Prompt- “Let’s continue to build an imaginary class garden. What make-believe things would you put in your imaginary garden?”
• Students use sentence frames: “In our garden there are _____. My favorite part of the garden is _____. The flowers would_____. The vegetables _____. There would be _____.”
• In Unit 7, Week 3, Independent Writing, students can choose from the following writing prompts:
• “What do you know about places in which animals can live?”
• “Draw and label and picture in his natural habitat.”
• “Write about a scientist studying an animal and its home.”
• In Unit 8, Week 3, Day 1, Reading/Writing Companion, Respond to the Big Book, Bringing Down the Moon, by Jonathan Emmett, students write sentences responding to “Why can’t Mole bring down the moon? Why do you think Mole has not seen the moon before?”

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials including regular opportunities for evidence-based writing to support recall of information, opinions with reasons, and relevant information appropriate for the grade level.

Instructional materials provide opportunities for students to write and support their writing with evidence for the texts that they are reading. During shared writing, students learn and practice new writing skills and how to provide support using evidence from the text. Students also write opinions on books they have chosen to read and use text evidence to explain their opinion.  

Materials provide frequent opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply writing using evidence. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, students read Senses at the Seashore. A three-step process for writing to a prompt using text evidence is provided. First, teacher and students analyze the prompt, “What do you see in the story?” The teacher models how to look for clues in the text to answer the prompt. Second, the teacher models how to find text evidence. The materials state, “you will look at illustrations on pages 10-11." Children then discuss important details from the text. Third, students write to the prompt using text evidence they have gathered from the discussion. The materials state, “teacher rereads the prompt and guide children in writing complete sentences about the senses children use at the seashore.”
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Days 1-5, Shapes All Around, by Gare Thompson,  Reading Writing Companion, Shared Writing, students work together to write a response to the prompt, “What shapes does the girl see all around her?”  Using text evidence, from pages 18-21 of the text, the teacher rereads the text and takes notes to answer the question. Students form complete sentences to answer the questions and help tell the teacher what to write. On Day 3, students are prompted to write about the text, We Like Tam!  The prompt is, “How does the class take care of Tam?”  The students write a draft that uses clues from the text and illustrations to show how the class members take care of Tam.
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Reading Writing Companion, Read Respond to the Big Book, A Grand Old Tree by Mary Newell Depalma, after retelling the nonfiction book, students write an important fact and note the text evidence page. 
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 1, Teacher’s Edition, Listening Comprehension, Literature Big Book, Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, the teacher presents the essential question, “Where do animals live?” Using the Reading Writing Companion, pages 54-55, students respond to the text writing about what the animals did in the bear’s den. The teacher models how to find text evidence. Students respond to the sentence starter, “I know this is a fantasy because…” Students use the story to identify something that is make-believe or fantasy. Then students draw a real animal and write about what that animal does in winter. 
• In Unit 9, Week 2, Day 1, Listening Comprehension, Literature Big Book, after reading Hen Hears Gossip by Megan McDonald, students respond to the text using the Reading Writing Companion. Students write the reason why Hen tries to hear what Cow whispers to pig. The teacher models how to find text evidence. Students then talk about what might happen if people do not listen carefully. Students write their responses on page 33.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten 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 teachers to explicitly teach grammar, language, and handwriting skills and provide guided practice. Materials include multiple opportunities for students to independently practice each new skill. Students have opportunities to practice new skills during whole group and partner share. All grammar and conventions standards are covered over the course of the year and most standards are revisited throughout the year in increasing complexity, such as application to the text. Students have opportunities over the course of the year to apply newly learned skills both in and out of context. 

Materials include explicit instruction of all grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to:  

• Students have opportunities to print many upper- and lowercase letters.
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 1, during Handwriting, the teacher models how to write an uppercase and lowercase t. Students trace both forms of the letter with their index finger. Students identify uppercase and lowercase forms of the letter. Students practice making each form of the letter in the air. Students write the form of each letter with paper and pencil. This is practiced each day for the five-day sequence.
• Students have opportunities to use frequently occurring nouns and verbs. 
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, Grammar portion of the day, the teacher explains the meaning of a noun, shows photo cards for words that are nouns, and explains how each of the nouns are either a person, place, or thing. Students work together to identify photo cards as either a person, a place, or a thing. The teacher then writes and reads the following sentence aloud: "I share a book." The teacher explains that a book is a noun that names a thing. The students draw pictures of items they share at school and label them with the noun that names the item. The teacher and students review the Shared Writing product and the students identify the nouns that were used. The teacher works with the students to add nouns to their writing. 
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher claps his/her hands and asks the students to identify what can be done with their hands. The teacher writes the word clap and reads it aloud. The teacher explains that the word clap is an action word and is something that you can do. The teacher also explains that action words are called verbs. The teacher writes and reads throw, wave, and point. The teacher explains that these are action words. Students revisit the Big Book: The Handiest Things in the World and identify action words. The teacher tracks the print as she/he reads aloud the sentences and students say verb when a verb is read. Students work in partner groups to generate sentences with verbs. The teacher and students revisit the Shared Writing and identify verbs in the writing. 
• Students have opportunities to form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).
• In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher reminds students that nouns are naming words, singular nouns name a person, place, or thing, and that plural nouns name more than one person, place, or thing. The teacher explains that most plural nouns are created by adding -s.  The teacher then writes the following letters/blends on the board -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, and explains to children that they should add -es to words with these endings. The teacher writes the following words and reads them aloud: box, clock, dress, bush, tree. The teacher asks, “What endings do we need to add to make these words tell about more than one thing?” Students work with a partner to determine if the list of given words need an -s or -es to make the word plural. Students review the Shared Writing piece to identify any plural nouns that were used. 
• Students have opportunities to understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, students work with partners to orally generate question and answer sentences. 
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 2, students work with a partner. Each pair has sentence strips that have one of the following words at the beginning of the strip: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Students think of a question sentence they can write that starts with the word they were given. Students write and read their sentences as needed. Students who need additional practice may use Practice Book page 152 or online activities.
• Students have opportunities to use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with). 
• In Unit 8, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that sentences have both a naming part (that tells who or what) and a telling part (tells what happened). The teacher gives a sample sentence,  "The boy rides in the truck." The teacher identifies the naming and telling parts of the sentence. The teacher points to the word in and explains that there are words that can tell us where or how something happens, such as, off, on, to, from, in, out, by, and with. The teacher shares the sentence,  "The book is on the table." The teacher underlines the word on and explains that on tells us where the book is. The teacher then does actions. The students say what the teacher is doing and are guided to use a preposition in the sentence. Students work with a partner to generate sentences using the prepositions to, from, in, and out. The students review the Shared Writing to identify any prepositions they may have used and the teacher works with the students to add additional prepositions in their writing. (also in Unit 8, Weeks 2-3, All five days)
•  Students have opportunities to produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 4, during the Grammar part of the lesson, students work with partners to orally generate sentences with adjectives and are encouraged to use adjectives to describe the kinds of food they like to eat.
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar part of the lesson, students work together with partners to orally create sentences with pronouns. Students are encouraged to say two sentences. The first sentence should be the noun and the second sentence should include the pronoun that replaces the noun. 
• Students have opportunities to capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. 
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a sentence begins with a capital, or uppercase letter, and ends with an end mark. The teacher displays sentences. The teacher and students work together to identify which are complete sentences. The students identify the uppercase letter and the end mark. The teacher reminds the students that the word I is always capitalized. Then the teacher and students work together to make the incomplete sentences complete. The teacher and students work together to review the Shared Writing and to identify the uppercase letters and end marks in the writing. (grammar focus of all 5 days)
• Students have opportunities to recognize and name end punctuation.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher reminds the students that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with an end mark. The teacher writes the following sentences, "Who plays baseball? Dan plays baseball." The teacher explains that the first sentence is a question sentence and requires a response and that all question sentences end with a question mark. The teacher explains that the second sentence is a complete sentence because it tells about someone or something doing an action. The teacher reminds students that the sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. The teacher and students review the Shared Writing and identify the capital letters that begin each sentence and the punctuation marks that end each sentence. 
• Students have opportunities to spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships.
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 4, during the Word Work/Phonics Dictation part of the lesson, the teacher dictates the following sounds for students to spell: /m/, /a/, /s/, and /p/. Students repeat the sound and then write the letter that stands for the sound: /m/, /a/, /s/, and /p/. The teacher then dictates the following words for children to spell: map, am, Sam, Pam. The teacher models for students how to segment each word to scaffold the spelling. When students are finished, they write the letters and words to self correct.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher dictates the following sounds for students to spell: /k/, /n/, /i/, /t/, /p/, /s/, /a/, /m/. The teacher dictates these words: cap, can, cat. The teacher models how to segment each word to scaffold the spelling.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks directly teach foundational skills to build reading acquisition by providing systematic and explicit instruction in the alphabetic principle, letter-sound relationships, phonemic awareness, and phonological awareness (K-1), and phonics (K-2) that demonstrate a transparent and research-based progression for application both in and out of context.

Kindergarten materials provide multiple opportunities for explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics during the Phonemic Awareness and Word Work portions of the lessons. This includes teacher modeling, guided practice and opportunities for students to practice the skills independently; however, there is a missed opportunity to provide whole-group instruction in blending and segmenting onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words within Tier II small group instruction.

Students have frequent and adequate opportunities to learn and understand phonemes (e.g. produce rhyming words, segment syllables, blend onsets and rimes, pronounce vowels in CVC words, and substitute sounds to make new words). Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to recognize and produce rhyming words.
• In Unit 0, Week 2, Day 3, during the Phonological Awareness portion of the lesson, the teacher reads the poem aloud two times. The teacher says,  "I am going to say three words from the poem: pan, can, toss. Two of those words rhyme. Pan and can rhyme because they sound alike; they both end with /an/. Listen again: /p/…/an/, /k/…/an/. Now I will say three more words. Tell me which two words rhyme: pan, hot, fan." The teacher guides the students to identify pan and fan.
• In Unit 8, Week 2, Day 1, during the Phonological Awareness part of the lesson, the teacher reminds students that rhyming words have the same sound at the end. The teacher explains that words in You’re A Grand Old Flag have the same ending sounds: wave/brave. The teacher then challenges students to generate rhyming words for each of the following words: cat, no, pet.
• Students have opportunities to count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during the Small Group Differentiated Tier II Instruction, the teacher rereads the poem To Market, To Market. The teacher says market, separating it into syllables and clapping with each syllable. The teacher asks,  "How many parts does market have?" The students say market with the teacher, listening for two parts. The teacher repeats the routine with jiggety, again, and pig. The teacher asks students to clap out and count the syllables in each word, guiding them as necessary.
• In Unit 10, Week 3, Lesson 1, the teacher models the use of sound boxes to segment sounds heard in words. "Listen as I say a word: make. Say the word with me: make. There are three sounds in make. Say the sounds in make with me: /m/ /ā/ /k/. Let’s place a marker for each sound: /m/ /ā/ /k/." The process is repeated for slide, /s/ /l/ / ī/ /d/. Students continue to practice this concept with the teacher using nine additional long vowel sound words and sound boxes to slide a chip for each sound heard.  Students are asked how many sounds they hear in each word.
• In Unit 10, Week 2, Lesson 2,  the teacher models how to blend sounds in words by saying, "Listen to the sounds in a word: /f/ /ē/ /t/. I can blend those sounds to make the word: /fēēēt/, feet. Listen as I say more sounds and blend them to make words." Teacher models four additional words provided.  Teacher then provides guided practice and says, "Listen to the sounds in a different word: /dr/ /ē/ /m/. Let’s blend the sounds and say the word together: /dr/ /ē/ /m/, /drēēēmmm/ dream." The children listen to the sounds in words, repeat the sounds, and then blend them to say the word. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed. The teacher and students  practice an additional nine words blending together sounds to say the whole word.
• Students have opportunities to blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.
• In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 1, during the Small Group Differentiated Tier II Instruction, the teacher tells the students that the word see is made of two parts and that each part has a sound. "I can see the first sound in see: /s/. The second sound is /ē/. Listen as I blend the sounds: /s/ /ē/, see. Listen as I say the sounds in another word: /m/ /ap/, map. Repeat the sounds and the word after I say them again: /m/ /ap/, map." The teacher asks students to blend the onset and rime to form a word.  
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 1, during the Small Group Differentiated Tier II Instruction, the teacher rereads the poem The Firefighters and models segmenting, and blending onset and rime with the word truck. "Listen: /truck/, /tr/ /uk/, truck." The students repeat after the teacher. The teacher repeats the process with quick. The students segment and blend other single-syllable words from the poem and from theme-related words: fire, way, get, job, tool.
• Students have opportunities to isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. 
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during the Phonological Awareness portion of the lesson, the teacher  introduces initial /m/. The teacher displays the Photo Card for map. The teacher tells the students to listen for the /m/ sound at the beginning of the word map. The teacher asks the students to say the sound with the teacher: /mmm/. The teacher says, "Map has /m/ at the beginning." The teacher says mat, men, and mud, and the students repeat. The teacher emphasizes the phoneme /m/. The teacher plays “My Map,” and the students listen for /m/. The teacher instructs the students to listen to the song again and clap when they hear words that begin with /m/. The teacher displays and names mix, mop, and moth Photo Cards. The teacher says each picture name with the teacher. The students tell the sound at the beginning of the word. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed. If students need additional practice in isolating initial /m/, they use Practice Book page 40.
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 3, during the Phonemic Awareness portion of the lesson, the teacher displays the piano Photo Card and says the word. The teacher explains that piano has the /p/ sound at the beginning and demonstrates isolating the sound: /p/, /p/, piano. The students say the sound with the teacher: /p/. The teacher tells the students to listen for the /p/ sound at the end of words. The teacher displays the Photo Card for map. The students say the word map with the teacher. The teacher explains that map has the /p/ sound at the end. The teacher asks students to listen as the teacher says each sound in the word: /m/ /a/ /p/, map. The teacher emphasizes final /p/. The teacher says, "Let’s say /p/ because we hear /p/ at the end of map: /p/." The teacher says a list of words and the students repeat. The students say /p/ if they hear /p/ at the end of the word. The teacher guides the students with the first word. The teacher then shows Photo Cards for bat, doll, mop, nut, sheep, soap, top. The students say the name of each picture with the teacher. The teacher asks the students to say /p/ if they hear /p/ at the end of the word. The teacher guides the practice and provides corrective feedback as needed. The teacher reviews initial /p/. The teacher plays the song “Polly and Paul Play the Piano.” The students clap when they hear initial /p/. The teacher demonstrates as they sing together.
• Students have opportunities to add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 5, during the Word Work part of the lesson, the teacher displays Word-Building Cards c, a, and n and says, "These are the letters c, a, and n. They stand for /k/, /a/, /n/. I will blend /k/, /a/, /n/ together: /kaaannn/, can. The word is can." The teacher distributes sets of Word-Building Cards with c, a, n, p, and t. The teacher shows how to make the word can and has students do the same. The teacher replaces the letter n at the end of it with a p and has students do the same. Students change the p in cap to t and read the new word, cat, pointing out that by changing one letter we make a new word.
• In Unit 10, Week 3, Day 4, during the Phonemic Awareness portion of the lesson, the teacher explains, "I can change the middle sound in a word to make a new word. Listen to this word: bake. Bake has the /ā/ sound in the middle. Now listen as I change /ā/ in bake to /ī/: bike." The teacher repeats with cone/cane. The students are guided by the teacher as they work to change sounds to make new words. The teacher provides corrective feedback as needed.

Lessons and activities provide students adequate opportunities to learn grade-level phonics skills while decoding words (e.g. one-to-one correspondences, long and short sounds with common spellings, and distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying sounds of the letters). Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during the Phonemic Awareness part of the lesson, the teacher models and introduces initial sound /k/ and displays the camel Photo Card. The teacher tells students to listen for the sound at the beginning of camel and explains that camel has the /k/ sound at the beginning. The teacher says these words and has students repeat: can, cap, cat, emphasizing the phoneme /k/. Teacher plays the song “Can Your Camel Do the Can-Can?” and has students listen for the /k/ sound. Students clap when they hear a word that begins with /k/. 
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 2, during the Phonics portion of the lesson, the teacher displays the hippo Sound-Spelling Card and explains, "This is the letter h. The letter h stands for the sound /h/ as in the word hippo." The teacher displays the hippo Sound-Spelling Card and points to the letter Hh. Students say the letter name and sound with the teacher. The students listen as the teacher says some words. The teacher asks the students to write the letter h on their Response Boards if the word begins with /h/. The teacher works with the students for the first two words.
• Students have opportunities to associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
• In Unit 7, Week 1, Day 3, during the Phonics portion of the lesson, the teacher displays the Word-Building Card u and says, "This is the letter u. The letter u can stand for /uuu/, the sound you hear at the beginning of umbrella. Say the sound with me: /uuu/. I will write the letter u because umbrella has /u/ at the beginning." The teacher repeats the routine using the word run. The teacher points out that run has /u/ in the middle of the word. The teacher says some words that have the /u/ sound in the middle and some words that do not. Students say /u/ and write the letter u on their Response Boards when they hear /u/ in the middle of a word. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed.
• In Unit 10 Week 2, Day 3, during the Phonics portion of the lesson, the teacher displays Word-Building Card e. The teacher explains, "This is the letter e. The letter e stands for the /ē/ sound. The letters e_e act together to stand for the /ē/ sound. The letters ee also stand for /ē/, the sound you hear in the middle of keep. Say the sound with me: /ē/. I will write the letters e, e_e, and ee because they stand for the /ē/ sound. The teacher says some words that have /ē/ in the middle and some words that do not. Students say /ē/ and write ee on their Response Boards when they hear /ē/ in the middle of a word. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed.
• Students have opportunities to distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 4, during the Phonics portion of the lesson, the teacher displays Word-Building Cards p, a, d, points to the letter p and explains, "This is the letter p. The letter p stands for /p/. Say /p/. This is the letter a. The letter a stands for /a/. Listen as I blend the two sounds together /paaa/. Say /paaa/. This is the letter d. The letter d stands for /d/. Listen as I blend the three sounds /paaad/, pad. Now you say it. Let’s change p to s." The teacher repeats the routine to blend sad. The teacher uses the Word-Building Cards to form did and dad. Students say the sounds for each letter, blend, and read the words. The students say both words and tell which letters are the same. The teacher asks the students to tell which letters are different. The teacher and students discuss the sounds each letter stands for and how it changes the word. This is repeated with mad and mat. If students need additional practice identifying the sounds for letters, they use Practice Book page 176.
• In Unit 7, Week 1, Day 5, in the Teacher Edition, during the Word Word part of the lesson, the teacher models and explains that you can take sounds away from words to make new words. Students listen as the teacher says a word: neat. Students listen as the teacher says the word without /n/: eat. Neat without /n/ is eat. The teacher repeats with Gus and us. Students practice by deleting the initial sound and say the new word. The teacher provides corrective feedback as needed.

Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonemic awareness instruction to build toward application. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Kindergarten Scope and Sequence, the Phonemic Awareness sequence is laid out for each of the units of study.  The sequence provides a scaffolded and cohesive sequence of difficulty that spirals Phonemic Awareness skills in each unit:
• Smart Start: Sentence Segmentation, Recognize Rhyme, Recognize Syllables, Blend Syllables
• Unit 1: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Categorization
• Unit 2: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Segmentation
• Unit 3: Phoneme Isolation (initial/medial), Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Identify, Phoneme Segmentation
• Unit 4: Phoneme Isolation (initial/medial), Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Segmentation, Phoneme Identify
• Unit 5: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Segmentation, Phoneme Addition
• Unit 6: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Segmentation, Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Addition
• Unit 7: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Deletion, Phoneme Substitution
• Unit 8: Phoneme Isolation, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Segmentation, Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Categorization, Phoneme Addition
• Unit 9: Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Deletion, Phoneme Substitution
• Unit 10: Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Substitution, Phoneme Segmentation

Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonics instruction to build toward application. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Kindergarten Scope and Sequence, the Phonics focus is listed for each unit of study. The materials begin with consonants and consonant sounds and begin to add in short vowels to allow for work with CVC. The units culminate in long vowel review with magic e.
• Smart Start: Letter Recognition of all consonants and vowels
• Unit 1: /m/m, (initial and final), /a/a (initial and final), /s/s (initial)
• Unit 2: /p/p, (initial and final), /t/t (initial and final), long a (a_e), review /m/m, /s/s, /p/p, /t/t
• Unit 3: /i/i (initial and medial), /n/n, /k/c, long i (i_e)
• Unit 4: /o/o (initial and medial), /d/d (initial and final), review /i/i, /n/n, /k/c, /o/o, /d/d, /s/s, blends- sn, sp, st
• Unit 5: /h/h (initial), /e/e (initial and medial), /f/f (initial and final), /r/r (initial)
• Unit 6: /b/b (initial and final), /l/l (initial), /k/k (initial), /k/ ck (final), review: /h/h, /e/e, /f/f, /r/r, /b/b, /l/l, /k/k, /k/ck, blends- bl, cl, fl, sl
• Unit 7: /u/u (initial and medial), /g/g (initial and final), /w/w (initial), /ks/x (final), /v/v (initial), long u (u_e)
• Unit 8: /j/j (initial), /kw/qu (initial), /y/y (initial), /z/z (initial), review: /u/u, /g/g, /w/w, /ks/x, /v/v, /j/j, /kw/qu, /y/y, /z/z, blends with r
• Unit 9: long a (a_e), long i (i_e), long o (i_e)
• Unit 10, long u, long e and review five long vowels with magic e

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks provide explicit instruction for and regular practice to address the acquisition of print concepts, including alphabetic knowledge and directionality, and function (K-1), structures and features of text (1-2).

Kindergarten materials provide explicit instruction in print concepts, text structure, and text features to assist in comprehension of the text. Students are provided ample opportunities to write letters and extend handwriting concepts.  Within the Reading/Writing Companion lessons, as well as the Literature Big Book, explicit instruction is provided in the words that authors use that allow the reader to determine the structure of the text which helps students’ understanding of the text.

Materials include frequent and adequate lessons and multimodal activities for students to learn how to identify and produce letters. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, during the Handwriting portion of the lesson, the teacher explains handwriting cues, "P: Straight down. Go back to the top. Around and in at the dotted line. p: Straight down, past the bottom line. Circle around all the way." The teacher says the cues as students trace both forms of the letter with their index finger and then students identify the uppercase and lowercase forms of the letter. Students write P and p in the air as they say /p/ multiple times. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed.
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 1, during the Handwriting portion of the lesson, the teacher explains handwriting cues as they write and identify the uppercase and lowercase forms of Oo. The teacher traces the letters on the board and in the air. The teacher and the students say the cues together as students trace both forms of the letter with their index finger. The students identify the uppercase and lowercase forms of the letter. The students write O and o in the air as they say /o/ multiple times. Students say /o/ every time they write the letter Oo. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed.

 Materials include frequent and adequate tasks and questions about the organization of print concepts (e.g. follow words left to right, spoken words correlate sequences of letters, letter spacing, upper- and lowercase letters). Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
• In Unit 0, Week 1, Day 4, during the Shared Reading portion of the lesson, the teacher reviews book handling by holding the book right-side up and points to the title. The teacher models how the book is right-side up. The teacher turns to page 18 and reads the title aloud and tracks the print. 
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 1, during the Literature Big Book portion of the lesson, the teacher displays the Big Book cover and reads the title, subtitle, author and photographer’s name aloud. The teacher models directionality and reminds students to read from left to right and top to bottom.
• Students have opportunities to recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.
• In Unit 0, Week 2, Day 1, during the Write About the Text portion of the lesson, the teacher writes this sentence frame: Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder_____. The teacher models by looking at the poem Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on pages 14–15 of the The Big Book of Rhymes and then fills in the rest of the sentence. The teacher points out the rhyming words star and are in the sentence and tracks the print from left to right and reads the sentence aloud. Students look back at the poem and then complete the following frame: Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the _____. Students name the two rhyming words they hear. (high, sky) The teacher reminds students to read the words aloud as they track the print from left to right.
• In Unit 0, Week 3, Day 1, during Write About the Text, the teacher completes a sentence frame, tracks the print from left to right as the sentence is read aloud and reminds students that each group of letters is a word. 
• Students have opportunities to understand that words are separated by spaces in print.
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 1, during the Literature Big Book portion of the lesson, the teacher opens the Big Book to pages 4–5. The teacher points to a word and explains that this word is always a capital letter. The teacher then points out the spaces between each word on the page and explains that these spaces make the words easier to read.
• In Unit 9, Week 2, Day 1, during the Listening Comprehension part of the lesson, the teacher displays page 4 of the Big Book and reads the page aloud, tracking the print with a finger. The teacher frames the first sentence and points out that words are separated by spaces. 
• Students have opportunities to recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
• In Unit 0, Week 2, Day 2, students identify the letters Kk and Ll on the Alphabet Teaching Poster. 
• In Unit 0, Week 3 Day 1, during the Word Work portion of the lesson, the teacher displays the Teaching Poster and Word-Building Card S and tells students that this is uppercase S. The teacher displays Word-Building Card s and explains that this is lowercase s. The teacher repeats for Tt. The teacher models how to match Ss and Tt on the cards with the letters on pages 22–23 of the Big Book Animals in the Park. The teacher holds up each card and students name the letter. The teacher and students sing “The Alphabet Song” and point to each letter on the poster as students join in. If students need additional practice with letter recognition, have them use Practice Book, page 30.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during the Literature Big Book portion of the lesson, the teacher reminds the students that when I stands alone it is a word and should always be uppercase. The teacher explains that the i in like is part of a word so it is lowercase. The students identify other words on page 18 with the letter i and tell if it is lowercase or uppercase.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and gain decoding automaticity and sight-based recognition of high-frequency words. This includes reading fluency in oral reading beginning in mid Grade 1 and through Grade 2.

Instructional materials provide opportunities for students to learn high-frequency words and build decoding automaticity during whole group lessons throughout each unit, week, and lesson of the program. Students have multiple opportunities to practice decoding skills as well as develop fluency. The teacher often models fluent reading with students. Students then are given an opportunity to either chorally, partner, or independently read. Students develop automaticity of grade-level words through multiple reads of decodable readers.

Multiple opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to purposefully read emergent-reader texts. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 2, during Shared Reading, the teacher reminds students that readers ask themselves questions before, during, and after reading to help them understand what they read. Students turn to pages 74–75 and read the title with the teacher. The students look at the photograph and the teacher asks, "What questions do you have before we begin reading the selection?" The teacher encourages students to ask questions to deepen their understanding about the selection.
• In Unit 9, Week 1, Day 2, during Shared Reading, the teacher sets the purpose for reading Jake and Dale Help!  The teacher reminds students that asking questions before, during, and after reading can help them understand a text. The teacher says, "As you read, you might ask a question about something you don’t understand. Then you can look for the answer as you continue reading." Students read the title and look at the picture. The teacher asks, "What do you want to find out in this story?"

 Materials support students’ development of automaticity and accuracy of grade-level decodable words over the course of the year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 3, during Shared Reading, partners practice reading the story I Can accurately. Students are encouraged to track the print as they read high-frequency words quickly. Students read the story again, this time focusing on rate, reading a bit more quickly and making the text sound more like speech. Students read I Can (pages 1– 6) to practice reading connected text.  
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 3, during Shared Reading, student partners practice reading the selection Tom On Top! accurately. Students track the print as they sound out decodable words and read high-frequency words quickly. Students note punctuation marks to read sentences with the correct tone. Students read the story again, this time focusing on rate, reading a bit more quickly and making the text sound more like speech. The teacher listens in and if students struggle with accuracy, they start again at the beginning of the sentence and correct any errors. If they struggle with rate, the teacher models an appropriate rate and the students repeat.
• In Unit 9, Week 1, Day 2, during Shared Reading, the teacher sets the purpose for reading Jake and Dale Help!  The teacher models reading with accuracy. The teacher reminds students of the importance of recognizing high-frequency words, as well as decoding words in the text correctly. Students practice reading for accuracy with a partner. The teacher listens in and and offers support and corrective feedback.
• Students have opportunities to read and practice high-frequency words. Examples include, but are not limited to:
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during Work Work, the teacher displays the High-Frequency Word Card the. The teacher uses the Read/Spell/Write routine to teach the word. The teacher points to and says the word the. The teacher says, "This is the word the. Say it with me: the. The bear is my friend. The word the is spelled t-h-e. Spell it with me. Let’s write the word in the air as we say each letter: t-h-e." Student partners create simple phrases using the word. 
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 3, during Word Work, the teacher displays the High-Frequency Word Card you. The teacher reviews the word using the Read/Spell/Write routine. The teacher points to the High-Frequency Word Card you and students read it. The teacher repeats with last week’s word, go. The teacher helps students build fluency with high-frequency words. The teacher writes sentences and students chorally read aloud as the teacher tracks the print. The teacher and students chorally read the Take-Home Book in the Practice Book, pages 169–170. Students reread the book to review high-frequency words and build fluency.
• In Unit 9, Week 1, Day 4, during Word Work, the teacher says the word help and the students write it. The teacher displays the print or digital Visual Vocabulary Card for help and uses the Teacher Talk routine. The teacher builds sentences in the pocket chart using the High-Frequency Word Cards. The teacher uses index cards to create punctuation cards. Students chorally read the sentences as the teacher tracks the print and identify the words help and too. The teacher points out the words to and too in the second sentence and explains the difference.
• Students have opportunities to distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 4, during Word Work, the teacher displays Word-Building Cards p, a, t and points to the letter p. The teacher explains that this is the letter p and it stands for /p/. Students say /p/. The teacher explains that this is the letter a and it stands for /a/. The teacher models how to blend the two sounds together: /paaa/ and has students repeat /paaa/. The teacher explains that this is the letter t and it stands for /t/. The teacher models how to blend the three sounds: /paaat/, pat and has students repeat. The teacher changes p to s. The teacher uses the same routine to blend sat. Teacher writes at, sat, mat, map, tap and has students blend and read the letters to read the words. The teacher points out the words at and sat and asks students which letters are the same. (a, t) The teacher asks them how the words are different. (Sat has the letter s.) The teacher points out that by adding the letter s, you can make a new word. “Continue comparing words, noticing how the sounds and letters are the same and how they are different.” The teacher points out that words with the same ending sounds and letters, such as at, sat, mat or map and tap also rhyme.
• In Unit 7, Week 1, Day 4,  during Phonics and Word Work, Whole Group, the teacher provides guided practice by providing students with Word Building Cards a–z. The teacher uses the cards t, u, and b to form the word tub. Students use the word cards to build tub. The teacher says, "I will change the letter u to a to make the word tab." The teacher reads aloud the new word.  Students continue working with Word Building Cards to make new words. For example, students make the word bat and change the vowel to i to make the new word bit. 
• In Unit 9, Week 3, Day 1, during Word Work, the teacher models that the letters a and e act as a team to stand for the sound /ā/. The teacher writes a_e to make a column head. The teacher reminds children that the letter a can stand for the short /a/ sound. The teacher writes the letter a next to the a_e to make a second column head. The teacher writes the following words in a list: at, ate, bat, cap, cape, came, fan, mad, made, rake, Sam, same. The teacher holds up the photo card for rake and says, “Here is the picture for a rake. Rake has the /ā/ sound. Listen, /r/ /āāā/ /k/. When I hear /ā/, I know that the letters a and e act together to stand for that sound.” The teacher repeats with the letter a and fan. For guided practice, students sort the remaining words by /a/ and /ā/. Students read the word, say the sound in the middle of the word, and tell under which spelling heading the word should be written.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks providing systematic and explicit instruction in and practice of word recognition and analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

Instructional materials provide multiple opportunities for students to apply word analysis and word recognition skills to connected tasks through the use of decodable readers and the Literature Big Book. During the Literature Big Book lessons, materials prompt teachers to model foundational skills, as well as fluent reading. Decodable readers provide students with an opportunity to decode words with current and past phonics skills, as well as high-frequency words. Students participate in a Shared Writing activity that allows them to apply phonics skills and high-frequency word practice. Students often respond to a prompt related to the text and sometimes are given a sentence frame to help them begin their writings. 

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

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 2, during Build the Concept, the teacher uses the Essential Question chart, the Big Book, and the Weekly Poem to guide children in discussing the Essential Question. The teacher and students say the Weekly Poem together. The teacher reminds students that they will say the word see in two parts: /s/ /ē/ and blend the sounds: /sē/, see. Teacher directions state, "Have students repeat: /s/ /ē/, /sē/. Tell students that you will say the first part of a word and then the rest of the word. Have them repeat the onset and the rime and then blend them to form a word: /w/ /ent/, went; /d/ /ēp/, deep; /bl/ /ü/, blue; /s/ / ī/, sigh; /b/ /ut/, but." The teacher then guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed. If students need additional practice blending onset and rime, they can complete Practice Book page 63. 
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 2, during Word Work, the teacher places Word-Building Cards P, a, and m in a pocket chart. The teacher points to the letter P and says,  "This is a capital or uppercase letter P. The letter P stands for /p/. Say /p/. This is the letter a. The letter a stands for /a/. Say /a/. This is the letter m. The letter m stands for /m/. Say /m/. Listen as I blend the sounds together: /paaammm/. Now blend the sounds with me to read the word." The teacher uses Word-Building Cards and writes the word map. The teacher points to the letter m and students say the sound. This is repeated with the letters a and p. The teacher tracks with a finger from left to right under the word and students blend sounds to read map. The teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback as needed. During the Reading/Writing Companion portion of the lesson, students read Pam Can See. Students decode words that contain m, a, and p. 
• In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 2, during Word Work, students practice blending sounds to make words. The teacher models placing Word-Building Cards b, e, and d in a pocket chart. The teacher points to the letter b and says, "This is the letter b. The letter b stands for /b/. Say /b/. This is the letter e. The letter e stands for /e/. Say /e/. This is the letter d. The letter d stands for /d/. Say /d/. Listen as I blend the three sounds together: /beeed/, bed. Let’s blend the sounds to read the word." The teacher changes the Word-Building Cards to bet. 
• In Unit 9, Week 3, Day 3, during Word Work, the teacher displays Word-Building Cards h, o, m, e. The teacher says, "This is the letter h. It stands for /h/. These are the letters o_e. They act together as a team to stand for /ō/. This is the letter m. It stands for /m/. Let’s blend the sounds together: /h/ /ō/ /m/, /hhhōōōmmm/. The word is home." The teacher repeats with hole and hope. The teacher writes the following words: code, so, hose, go, rope, joke, note, spoke. Students read each word, blending the sounds. The teacher guides practice with the first word. The teacher writes these sentences and prompts students to read the connected text, sounding out the decodable words: We can go to vote. I hope I can get a cone. During the Shared Reading portion of the lesson, the students reread Look! A Home!

Materials provide frequent opportunities to read high-frequency words in connected text and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, during Word Work, the teacher displays page 22 of the Big Book, The Handiest Things in the World, and reads the sentence, “Flap a hand to make a breeze,” pointing out the high-frequency word a. The teacher then uses the High-Frequency Word Card a with the Read/Spell/Write routine to teach the word. 
• "Read: Point to the word a and say the word. This is the word a. Say it with me: a. I see a rainbow.
• Spell: The word a is spelled a. A is a word with just one letter. Let’s read and spell it together.
• Write: Let’s write the word in the air as we say each letter: we write it: a.
• Point out to children that the word a has a different sound from the /a/ sound in the word am.
• Partners create sentences using the word."
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 3, during Word Work, the teacher writes the following sentences and students chorally read as the teacher tracks the print. This is repeated several times.
• "We are in the den. 
• Ted and Sam are like you.
• Pam and Tim are in. 
• You are in the pen."

The teacher distributes Practice Book pages 223–224 and helps students assemble their Take-Home Books. The students chorally read the Take-Home Book with the teacher. The students reread the book to review high-frequency words and build fluency.

• In Unit 9, Week 2, Day 3, during Word Work, the teacher displays the High-Frequency Word Card play. The teacher reviews the word using the Read/Spell/Write routine. The teacher repeats the routine, using the word has. The teacher points to the High-Frequency Word Card play and students read it. The teacher repeats with has, help, and too. The teacher writes the following sentences and students read them aloud several times.
• "He has a bike.
• She can play with the cat.
• I like to play.
• Can the dog play with him?"

The teacher distributes Practice Book pages 405–406 and students assemble their Take-Home Books. The students and teacher chorally read each Take-Home Book. Students read the books again to practice fluency. During the Shared Read, the teacher and students read We Can Play.

Lessons and activities provide students many opportunities to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills while encoding (writing) in context and decoding words (reading) in connected text and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 2, during the Shared Writing part of the lesson, the teacher explains to students that they will work together to write a response to a question or a prompt. The teacher reads the prompt aloud, "How are the words on some pages different from most books? Why do you think the author chose to place them this way? To respond to this prompt, we will reread parts of I Love Bugs! and look for words that are placed in interesting ways." If needed, the teacher models completing this sentence frame: On pages _____ , the words _____. Then they continue with the following sentence frames, sharing the pen as children suggest how to complete them: Some words are different because _______. The author wants to make the words look like ______. The teacher reads the final responses while tracking the print.
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 4, during Independent Writing, students edit and proofread their writing. As students edit their work, they check for the following: 
• Complete sentences are formed, and sentences start with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark.
• Words with /i/ i are spelled correctly.
• High-frequency words are spelled correctly.

If students need additional practice with editing and proofreading, they use Practice Book page 126. Partners exchange drafts and take turns reviewing them for each point above. Partners discuss and fix errors together.

• In Unit 7, Week 2, Day 4, during Independent Writing, students edit and proofread their writing. As students edit their work they are checking for the following:
• Verbs are used correctly.
• Words with /g/ g and /w/ w are spelled correctly.
• High-frequency words are spelled correctly.
• All sentences end with an appropriate punctuation mark.

If students need additional practice with editing and proofreading, they use Practice Book page 314. Next, partners exchange drafts and take turns reviewing them for each point listed above. Partners discuss and fix errors together.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials support ongoing and frequent assessment to determine student mastery and inform meaningful differentiation of foundational skills, including a clear and specific protocol as to how students performing below standard on these assessments will be supported.

Instructional materials provide opportunities throughout the entire program on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis to assess students’ mastery of foundational skills and to progress monitor student growth. Students are assessed at the end of each unit using a summative unit assessment of designated skills taught during that unit that include phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, and fluency. Teachers are provided with guidance on how to use the data from the assessment to provide flexible grouping and differentiated learning experiences. Teachers are instructed to use running records every four to six weeks to monitor students’ word reading fluency and application of decoding skills. Teachers are also provided a detailed assessment guide that describes the purposes and uses of all assessments in the program that are available to determine student proficiency. 

Multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of foundational skills. 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 Wonders level of materials, students need to be tested periodically to determine whether they are progressing on a grade-level or faster pace. The program suggests that teachers administer these 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 Unit 2, Week 4, Day 3, Summative Assessment, the teacher administers the summative assessment that assesses the following skills taught throughout Units 1 and 2: 
• High-frequency words: the, we, see, a, like
• Phonemic Awareness: phoneme isolation, phoneme blending, phoneme segmentation
• Phonics: /p/-initial and final, /t/-initial and final
• Fluency: Assess fluency using the Letter Naming Fluency (LNF), Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF), and Sight Word Fluency (SWF) assessments in Fluency Assessment.
• Running Records: Use the instructional reading level determined by the Running Record Calculations for regrouping decisions.
• In Unit 4, Week 4, Day 3, Summative Assessment, the teacher administers the Unit 3 and 4 Summative Assessment which assesses: 
• HFW: to, and, go, you, do
• Phonemic Awareness: phoneme isolation, phoneme blending, phoneme categorization, phoneme segmentation, and phoneme identity
• Phonics: /i/i-initial/medial; /n/n-initial/final; /k/c-initial; /o/o-initial/medial; /d/d-initial/final; s-blends-sn, sp, st
• Fluency: Assess fluency using the Letter Naming Fluency (LNF), Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF), and Sight Word Fluency (SWF) assessments in Fluency Assessment.
• Running Records: Use the instructional reading level determined by the Running Record Calculations for regrouping decisions.
• In Unit 9, Week 3, Lesson 5, teachers are provided a progress monitoring assessment to informally assess foundational skills. Informally assessed skills include: Count and Blend Syllables, Phoneme Identity, Phoneme Blending, Phoneme Substitution, long o: o_e, high-frequency words where and look. 

Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information on students’ current skills/level of understanding. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Placement and Diagnostic Assessment, pages viii and ix, the materials explain how to group students based on students' results for the Kindergarten Placement Assessments: Phonological Awareness Subtests and Letter Naming Fluency. For students who score 80% correct or higher on the Phonological Awareness Subtests AND at or above the appropriate benchmark for the Letter Naming Fluency Assessment, the teacher is instructed to begin instruction with Wonders On Level materials. The teacher is to use Beyond Level materials for students who score high on placement assessments and easily complete On Level assignments. For students who score 60–79% correct on the Phonological Awareness Subtests AND at or above the appropriate benchmark for the Letter Naming Fluency Assessment, the teacher is instructed to begin instruction with Wonders Approaching Level materials. For students who score below 60% correct on the Phonological Awareness Subtests OR below the appropriate benchmark for the Letter Naming Fluency Assessment, the teacher is instructed that these students require focused, intensive instruction and that they should place students in Wonders Approaching Level materials and use intervention materials based on placement tests results.
• In Unit 4, Week 4, Day 4, teachers are cued to utilize a running record to determine students’ reading levels and strategies. 

Materials support teachers with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery in foundational skills. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In every unit, week, and day, there are Small Group Differentiated Instruction lessons for students who are placed in Approaching Level, On Level, and Beyond Level for phonemic awareness, phonics, high-frequency words, and leveled reading.
• In the Assessment Handbook, page 50, teachers are given guidance on how to use the assessment data to make adjustments in instruction for students. For example, in Making Instructional Decisions: How to Make Instructional Decisions, to make sound instructional decisions, "you should do the following: 
• 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: “This means that he is comprehending beyond grade level because he is good at using context clues. He figures out what the words mean so fast that he skips over some vocabulary and doesn’t learn it.”
• 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. Compare results from different assessments:
• Look for corroborating evidence across the different kinds of assessments; use multiple measures. 
• Different sources of information should reinforce your decisions. The types of instructional decisions you need to make include the following: • decisions about grouping (who to teach) • decisions about learning goals and objectives (what to teach) • decisions about materials, methods, and rate of instruction (how to teach)."
• In Unit 4, Week 4, Day 3, during Summative Assessment, the teacher reviews the assessments with students and students correct their errors. Then the teacher is prompted to use available data to guide decisions about providing reteaching and enrichment opportunities for additional support options for students. The teacher can use the online assessment center for the item analysis report and standards analysis report.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks providing high-quality lessons and activities that allow for differentiation of foundational skills, so all students achieve mastery of foundational skills.

Instructional materials provide opportunities for the teacher to differentiate foundational skills lessons through the small group differentiated instruction for each unit, week, and lesson. Students are provided multiple opportunities throughout daily experiences to practice foundational skills and concepts learned throughout the whole group instruction and opportunities to apply learning during small group differentiated instruction. Foundational skills are differentiated with the leveled text selection for each group that include On Level, Approaching Level, Beyond Level, and ELL. 

Materials provide high-quality learning lessons and activities for every student to reach mastery of foundational skills. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 3, during Small Group Differentiated Instruction, students in each level participate in lessons that teach foundational skills that include scaffolding of the skill using I Do, We Do, You Do. In the Approaching Level Group, the teacher reteaches the high-frequency word the. The students participate in a phonemic awareness lesson with a phoneme where they identify which sound is the same in each group of words. Students participate in a picture sort activity where they identify the picture that begins with the sound /m/ and letter m. Students in the On Level group participate in a phonics lesson. For each word said that begins with /m/, the students write the letter m on their boards. Students in the Beyond Level participate in a vocabulary lesson for synonyms. 
• In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 1, during Small Group, the teacher displays the net Photo Card and explains to students, "This is net. The first sound is /nnn/. Say it with me. Say net. The first sound in net is /nnn/. Say the sound with me." The process is repeated with the sun Photo Card, emphasizing /n/ in the final position.
• We Do: The teacher says not and students repeat it. The teacher asks, "What is the first sound in not? Say the sound together. What is the last sound in fun?" This process is repeated with nut, nose, fan.
• You Do: The teacher says news, nine, map, and test. Students tell the initial sound in each word and then they tell the final sound in can, pin, bus, and rip.
• In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 2, during Small Group Differentiated Instruction, students in each level participate in lessons that teach foundational skills that include scaffolding of the skill using I Do, We Do, You Do. In the Approaching Level Group, during phonics, students write the initial sounds, including blends, that they hear in words. During phonemic awareness, students name each picture in a set and then say the sound that is the same in the set. During high-frequency word review, students create sentences using the high-frequency words, write the sentences, and then practice reading the sentences with partners. For the On Level Group, students participate in phoneme blending during phonemic awareness. During high-frequency word review, students read high-frequency words both in and out of context. During phonics, students read words with blends. Students in the Beyond Level Group participate in the Read/Spell/Write routine with the high-frequency words.
• In Unit 10, Week 2, Day 1, during Small Group Differentiated Instruction, students in each level participate in lessons that teach foundational skills that include scaffolding of the skill using I Do, We Do, You Do. In the Approaching Level Group, during phonics, students review the spelling patterns for long vowels with magic e. During high-frequency review, students read sentences with the high-frequency words: come, does. During phonemic awareness, students participate in syllable substitution. Students in the On Level Group, participate in a phoneme identity activity with long vowel e. Students in the Beyond Level Group participate in a phonics activity where they write words with long e.

Materials provide guidance to teachers for scaffolding and adapting lessons and activities to support each student’s needs. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 1, during Writing Process, there are specific ways to differentiate the writing activity to support ELL students. For example, the materials state, "Use these scaffolds with the Analyze the Student Model. 
• Beginning: Point to and read aloud the title of the model. Use frames to help children describe the topic: Hanna wrote about the caterpillar.
• Intermediate: Point to the speech bubble: Hanna wrote a nonfiction text. Nonfiction texts have facts. Point to the title of the student model. What did Hanna write about? She wrote about the caterpillar.
• Advanced/Advanced High: Provide frames to help children describe the student model: Hanna wrote a nonfiction text. The topic is the caterpillar. It tells facts about the topic."
• In Unit 5, Week 1, Day 1, during whole group phonemic awareness instruction, students isolate the phoneme /h/ at the beginning of words. During Small Group Differentiated Instruction, for students in the Approaching Level Group, the teacher models counting and blending syllables. The teacher guides students to count and blend syllables and the students count and blend syllables independently. Students in the On Level Group  participate in an activity where the teacher reviews isolating initial phonemes. The teacher guides students to isolate initial phonemes and students practice isolating initial phonemes independently. 
• In Unit 9, Week 1, Day 1, during whole group high-frequency instruction, the teacher uses the Read/Spell/Write routine with the words help and too. During Small Group Differentiated Instruction, students in the Approaching Level, On Level, and Beyond Level read Leveled Readers that include these words. 
• Approaching Level reads Let Me Help You 
• On Level reads How Can Jane Help?
• Beyond Level reads I Used to Help, Too

Students have multiple practice opportunities with each grade level foundational skill component in order to reach mastery. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students in the Approaching Level, On Level, and Beyond Level have the opportunity to practice reading the word the both in and out of context on Day 1 through Day 4 during Small Group Differentiated Instruction. 
• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 1, during Phonemic Awareness, the teacher can refer to the tab at the far right of the page called English Language Learner. When the tab is opened, the teacher is given guidance on how to support ELL students during this phonemic awareness activity to offer extra practice. For example:
• "Phonemic Awareness, Guided Practice/Practice, Encourage children to say the phoneme /d/ several times. Point to a card and ask children to name it. Help them self-correct by modeling pronunciation. Then help children identify the initial sound using a sentence frame. For example: Deer begins with the sound /d/."
• In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 1, during Small Group Approaching Level, the teacher displays Word-Building Cards one at a time and says the letter name and the sound it stands for. For example: "Letter r, /r/. Repeat for b, e, f, h, l, c, and k and then bl, cl, fl, and sl."
• We Do: The teacher displays Word-Building Cards one at a time and together says the letter name and the sound that each letter stands for.
• You Do: The teacher displays Word-Building Cards one at a time and students say the letter name and the sound that each letter stands for.
• In Unit 6, Week 3, students in the Approaching Level, On Level, and Beyond Level have the opportunity to practice reading the words are, he, is, little, my, she, was, and with both in and out of context on Day 1 through Day 4 during Small Group Differentiated Instruction. 
• In Unit 10, Week 2, students in the Approaching Level, On Level, and Beyond Level have the opportunity to practice reading the words come and does both in and out of context on Day 1 through Day 4 during Small Group Differentiated Instruction.