2nd Grade - Gateway 3

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. 

Grade 2 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. There are six units in Second Grade, and each unit contains 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, as well as 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. 

 Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The materials contain daily opportunities for whole group and small group instruction. The materials for each week contain a daily routine consisting of Introduce the Concept, which includes the Opener, which discusses the essential question. A social-emotional skill is taught on Day 1; then, the essential question is introduced. Small group learning takes place daily and includes a focus on skills within the leveled reader along with phonics instruction, phonemic awareness, and high frequency words. The materials contain a weekly planner which outlines the various skills for the week. Each day is clearly listed and contains lesson plans with directions and materials needed for the lesson within a Lesson Resource box. Routines are listed within the Instructional Routines Handbook and contain an explanation and recommendations for carrying out research-based practices. 
• In Unit 6, Week 3, the Essential Question is, “What do myths help us understand?” A unit introduction is provided for students to develop an understanding of the content they will be learning. A Making Learning Visible page shows the texts students read. There are subsections listed for Active Engagement and Student Outcomes that show what students will be learning in each area of focus. An explicit systematic instruction for word work is provided that includes a Daily Review to review prior sound-spellings to build fluency. After each day’s lessons, the teacher checks that students are on track and ready to move forward. Teachers can follow up with either differentiated instruction to strengthen skills or provide targeted review and reteaching lessons to meet students' specific needs. ELL support is provided in all lessons. A suggested lesson plan is provided for a five-day span and includes small group instruction, Beyond Level, ELL,  as well as social-emotional learning. Each lesson and objective is stated; academic language is listed and digital tools are provided. Teacher modeling is evident throughout each lesson. 

The pacing of individual lessons is appropriate. Each day has several parts to the lesson, which also have approximate time indications. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 2 
• Vocabulary/Reread Reading & Writing Companion: 10 minutes 
• Text Features/Point of View Reading and Writing Companion: 10 minutes
• Comprehension/Sequence Reading and Writing Companion: 10 minutes
• Comprehension/Craft and Structure Reading and Writing Companion: 10 minutes
• Respond to Reading/Write about the Shared Read Reading and Writing Companion: 10 minutes
• Fluency/Intonation Reading and Writing Companion: 10 minutes
• Study Skill/Develop a Research Plan Reading and Writing Companion: 10 Minutes
• Grammar, Spelling, Expand Vocabulary: No time indication
• Word Work/Phonemic Awareness: 5 minutes
• Word Work/Phonics: 5 minutes
• Word Work/Phonics: 5 minutes
• Word Work/Structural Analysis: 5 minutes
• In Unit 4, Week 1 
• Introduce the Concept: Talk about it: 5 minutes
• Oral Vocabulary: 10 minutes
• Listening Comprehension: Introduce the Genre: 10 minutes
• Shared Read: Vocabulary: Words in Context: 10 minutes
• Synonyms: 10 minutes
• Comprehension Strategy: Summarize: 10 minutes
• Text Features: Bold Print and Timeline: 10 minutes
• Comprehension Skill: Sequence: 10 minutes
• Comprehension: Craft and Structure: 10 minutes
• Respond to Reading: Write about the Shared Read: 10 minutes
• Fluency: Phrasing: 10 minutes
• Study Skill: Paraphrase: 10 minutes within 105 minutes of literacy instruction. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 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 2 materials include six units in the Second Grade resource. Units range from 30 to 40 instructional days, with a total of 215 instructional days. Review, Extend, and Assess are also included in these instructional days. 

The suggested amount of time and expectations for teachers and students to complete the materials are viable for one school year as written and would not require significant modifications. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Each unit comes with the flexibility for the teacher to choose what they are teaching and when they are teaching. Teachers can adjust lessons as needed. These lessons are intended to be completed daily including reading, writing and small group instruction if the teacher chooses.
• The Wonders User Guide notes that “student and teacher choice are at the heart of Wonders. Wonders was designed to support you and your entire classroom as you teach your way—whether you follow our suggested pathway of instruction or create your own workshop lessons using our resources.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (eg. visuals, maps, etc.)

Grade 2 materials offer students opportunities to demonstrate thinking and learning through a variety of tasks such as graphic organizers, citing text evidence and interacting with the text, rereading various text selections, collaborating with partners and completing the research and inquiry process. Students demonstrate knowledge of content through writing, listening and speaking. The student materials for each unit are clearly labeled and provide clear directions for each activity. 

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Practice Book, students complete the practice page vocabulary review of the words share, aside, culture, plead, invited. Students fill in the sentences with the correct vocabulary word.
• In Unit 3, Starry Night, students practice finding text evidence by marking the text with circles for pronouns, underlining events, and drawing a box around details. Side note boxes remind students of the essential question and to look for author’s craft. Students mark up the text for compound words, sequencing, and text evidence. The sidebar Fluency box reminds students to raise their voice when reading a question. Students continue to mark up the text for text evidence and sidebars remind students about sequencing and author’s craft. A few lines give students a small amount of space to answer questions. 
• In Unit 4 Week 3, Literature Anthology, Volcanoes by Sandra Markle, Note Taking, use the Graphic Organizer, the materials tell the teacher to “Remind children to take notes. Guide children to fill in Cause and Effect Graphic Organizer 13 as they read. Have them record causes and effects they find in the text.”

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

• In Unit 1, Week 2, Practice Book, students complete the practice page. Directions include, “Circle the word that names each picture. Read each word. Write a word from the box that rhymes.”
• In Unit 4, Paired Selection, students talk about how the author organizes the selection and complete a graphic organizer citing text evidence. Students then complete the following sentence starter: “The author organizes the selection….” The Quick tip box encourages students to focus on the headline and photo for help. 
• In Unit 6, Reading/Writing Companion, Vocabulary: Shared Read, students are asked to “Use the sentences to talk with a partner about each word. Then answer the questions.” Students are shown red, bolded vocabulary words, a sentence with the vocabulary word highlighted, and a question about the word. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meets 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.

Grade 2 materials provide detailed explanations for each instructional lesson for the teacher to explain to the student, including information on the lesson’s  purpose. Each unit of the Teacher Guide also contains alignments to the Common Core State Standards. The User Guide and Instructional Routines Handbook, which are separate items located in the Teacher Resource Library, are designed to provide guidance on the delivery of the Reading Curriculum and serve as a resource to build professional knowledge in the areas of research-based best practices.  Training videos for different instructional routines, including coaching conversations and examples from the classroom, are also included in the teacher materials. Teachers can access information on a variety of topics, such as writing, access to complex text, and foundational skills.

More advanced concepts are consistently explained and will improve a teacher’s deeper understanding of the content. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Research-Based Alignment, executive functioning is explained. “Executive function, typically defined as the category of cognitive processes devoted to monitoring behavior, shifting attention, planning, organizing, and completing goals, has been shown to be closely related to reading comprehension.”
• The Language Transfers Handbook provides knowledge about the reasons ELL students have difficulty with English sounds and grammar. It includes information about cognate knowledge and how it affects reading comprehension. 
• Grade 2, Resources Tab, Professional Development link, tab: Author & Coach Videos, Filters provided: Foundational Skills, Close Reading, Access to Complex Text,
• Under the filtered options for Foundational Skills are videos like “Multi-syllabic Word Routine.” Through a coaching video, teachers learn how to teach students how to decode multi-syllabic words. 
• Under the filtered options for Foundational Skills are videos such as “Decodable Text Routine: First Read.” Through a coaching video, teachers learn how to teach students how to decode texts with the first and second reading. 
• Under the filtered options for writing are videos such as “Shared Writing vs. Interactive Writing.”
• In the User Guide, beginning on page 6, teachers are provided information on an instructional approach used within the program, Balanced Literacy Classroom: What Does It Look and Sound Like?  This information also includes 21st Century College- and Career-Ready Inspired Shifts in Balanced Literacy. 
• In the User Guide, on page 16, teachers are provided with guidance on Guided Reading Instruction. This information informs teachers as to what guided reading looks like and what happens before, during and after reading.
• In the User Guide, on page 26, close reading information is provided.  Information detailing the importance of identifying a purpose for reading, determining the author’s purpose, and schema and considerations for developing a close reading process is provided. 
• In the User Guide, on page 37, the concept of rereading is explained, “When one’s schema on a topic has significant gaps, the reader must devote cognitive resources to constructing a mental model on which to attach this new information (Kintsch & van Dijk, 1978).“ “A chief way you accomplish this is by rereading. You slow down your pace, review a previous passage, and look back to the text in order to find information.”
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, beginning on page 19, several routines, such as collaborative conversations, are explained and established.

Explanations are accessible to all educators. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The Resource Library provides in each unit provides resources that explain more advanced concepts. For example, there are videos on setting up a balanced literacy classroom.
• Videos are available to all teachers who have access to online materials under the professional development tab. The videos are short and easily viewed, although the videos do not appear to have a closed captioned version.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials contain an explanation of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

Grade 2 materials provide a User Guide that discusses the research behind a balanced literacy approach, guided reading instruction, vocabulary and foundational skills, social-emotional learning, and writing. The Instructional Routines Handbook explains more about the research behind the curriculum, as well as modeling routines, 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.

Explanations of the instructional approaches and research-based strategies of the program are provided. Examples include, but not limited to:

• Instructional Routines Handbook, page 3, the I Do, We Do, You Do, Routine is shown. “I  Do:This is where you explain and model to your students what it is they are learning to do. We Do: In this step, you and your students work together and share the instruction. Students get to practice while you guide and teach. You Do I Watch: After students have had the chance to practice with you, it's time for them to practice on their own. This is where you observe and offer corrective feedback as students collaborate and practice. You Do It Alone: After modeling, showing, guiding, and allowing them to practice, it's time for your students to work independently.” 
• An article, “Writing from Sources” by Douglas Fisher, explains the research behind writing from sources and the steps for how teachers can teach writing from sources. It also discusses the writing process and the connection to college and career readiness.
• The User Guide, page 4, provides the research behind independent reading. “Providing students with the opportunity to choose their own books to read empowers and encourages them. It strengthens their self-confidence, rewards their interests, and promotes a positive attitude toward reading by valuing the reader and giving him or her a level of control. Readers without power to make their own choices are unmotivated.”
• The User Guide, “Guided Reading Instruction” by Kathy Rhea Bumgardner, M. Ed., discusses what guided reading is and how to prepare and teach guided reading.  Research-based approaches, such as scaffolding are referenced. “The term ‘scaffold,’ as applied to learning situations by Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976), refers to a framework and process by which teachers use support strategies to help students complete tasks they are unable to do independently at their current stage of learning.”  References are listed at the close of this article.  
• Resources Tab, Professional Development link, Filter: Research Base and Link to Whitepapers, includes documents that provide an explanation of the link between research and the program. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

Grade 2 materials provide multiple assessment opportunities. There is an online assessment center that links to all Unit and Benchmark Assessments. Unit Assessments are given at the end of each unit. Screening/Placement and Diagnostic Assessments, such as Phonological and Phonemic Awareness, Letter Naming and Sight Words, and Phonics and Decoding, serve as an initial screening that can be assigned throughout the year to monitor student progress and pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses. Checks for Success are provided throughout each unit throughout a variety of days. Progress Monitoring Assessments are used to guide instruction and may be administered every week, every two weeks, or every six weeks, depending on the test selected. In the Benchmark Assessment Grade 2, students are given three benchmark assessments.The focus of the Benchmark Assessments is on key areas of English Language Arts: comprehension of literature and informational text, phonics and decoding skills, and recognition of high-frequency words. There are also Running Record Assessments that evaluate student’s oral reading and identifies a student’s reading level, style, and strategy use. 

Materials provide regular and systematic assessment opportunities for assessment. Examples include, but not limited to:

• Inventories of Developmental Spelling (K–6+), Assessment Handbook, “Part 1 Assessment Options”, page 21. This assessment can be administered any time of the year.  “Students’ skills can be classified as falling into particular developmental stages of spelling.”
• Comprehension Tests (K–6), Assessment Handbook, “Part 1 Assessment Options”, page 23, “Administer this test at any time of the year to provide a quick check or recheck of a student’s instructional reading level.”
• Unit Assessments (K–6), Assessment Handbook, “Part 1 Assessment Options”, page 27. These assessments are completed after each unit of study.  “Unit Assessments include literary and informational texts with questions that focus on the main skills taught in each unit of Wonders. Test items cover reading comprehension skills, literary elements, text features, vocabulary strategies, and English language conventions.” Each unit includes a writing prompt that students use to showcase their understanding of a genre that has been previously taught.  “These assessments provide information to make instructional decisions and to place students into small skill-based groups.”
• Benchmark Assessments (K–6), Assessment Handbook, “Part 1 Assessment Options”, page 28. These assessments are completed “at discrete points throughout the year to gauge student progress through the curriculum and readiness for state-mandated end-of-year assessments.”
• Portfolio Assessments, Assessment Handbook, “Part 1 Assessment Options”, page 31. Portfolios  showcase a collection of the student's work. A Reflection piece is included. Two portfolio options are presented: “a developmental portfolio and a best work portfolio. There is also a Portfolio Rubric to use when evaluating students’ portfolios.”
• Informal Assessments, Assessment Handbook, “Part 1 Assessment Options”, page 45. “In reading, you can do this in an informal way throughout instruction.”  Examples include teaching students to monitor their own comprehension by asking questions, retelling, and monitoring their own progress.

Materials genuinely measure student progress. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, Weeks 3 and 4, Progress Monitoring Assessments, students read the passage “The North Star,” and answer the related comprehension questions.
• In Unit 5, Grace for President, the Selection Test assesses student comprehension on the selections read throughout the unit.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up

Grade 2 materials provide teachers with guidance for administering assessments, ways to scaffold assessments, and how to interpret student data. Teacher scripts are provided with answers for all Unit Assessments and Diagnostic Assessments.  The answer keys have the correct answer and content focus for each question and answer. Suggestions on how to reteach content is provided to teachers. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• After each Unit assessment in the Teacher Edition, there is a Track for Success Progress Monitoring. For example, in Unit 6, Week 6, Making the Most of Assessment Results, the text explains the assessed skills, how the teacher checks for success, and gives reteaching opportunities. 
• Grade 2, Teacher Edition, Assessment and Data Tab, Printable Assessments, Filter to Assessment Handbook. Assessment Handbook page 32. The Assessment Process Guide to Using Multiple Measures to Assess Student Progress provides an overall graphic on how assessments could be used in a classroom.
• In Unit 5, Week 4, Day 10, Progress Monitoring, teachers are provided with a chart for interventions. “Reteaching Opportunities with Intervention Online PDFs. If Children Score below 70% in comprehension: Then Assign lessons 34–36 point of view in Comprehension PDF."

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

Grade 2 materials provide routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress. There are informal Checks for Success that help collect evidence of student progress, as teachers observe students working and provide guidance for differentiation of instruction moving forward. Formative assessments are integrated within every unit by using end-of-unit assessments. Screening and Diagnostic Assessments, as well as Comprehension Assessments, offer guidance to inform instructional decisions.

Materials include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 5, Week 1, Teacher Edition, Check for Success states, “Can children read text with appropriate rate and intonation?" The teacher is then able to differentiate instruction based on this Check for Success. Develop pages and Reteach page numbers are given for the teacher to provide further instruction. 
• In Unit 5, Week 6, Teacher Edition, the teacher is given an informative checklist to assess the students’ presentation of materials. A student and teacher checklist are provided. “Presenting: Did you express your ideas clearly using the correct conventions of language? Did you support your topic with appropriate facts and details? Did you present your ideas in a logical sequence? Did you make appropriate eye contact with your audience? Did you speak with appropriate rate, volume, and enunciation? Did you use appropriate digital technology such as visuals and audio to enhance your presentation? Assess the Presentation: Spoke clearly and at an appropriate pace and volume. Used appropriate and natural gestures. Maintained eye contact. Used appropriate visuals and technology. Assess the Listener Listened quietly and politely. Made appropriate comments and asked clarifying questions. Responded with an open mind to different ideas.”
• Instructional Routines Handbook, Teacher-Student Conference Routine, page 119, “Regularly conferring with students about their Independent Reading is a great way to informally assess their progress, model social-emotional learning skills, build your classroom culture, and instill habits of learning.”
• Instructional Routines Handbook, Retelling Routine, page 98, “Retelling allows you to monitor comprehension.”  Model, Guide and Discuss Retelling are the three steps within the Retelling Routine.
• Instructional Routines Handbook, Students monitor their progress, page 173. Students monitor their progress through the following ways:
• Track Your Progress in the Reading Writing/Companion asks students to evaluate their progress on key skills that they have learned
• Opportunities to give feedback to students during weekly Teacher and Peer Conferences on their writing
• Writing Rubrics, Student Models, Listening and Speaking checklists to help students reflect on the quality and completeness of their work
• Progress bars on online games help students track their progress.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

Grade 2 materials provide modeling, formative assessments, language and visual supports, and background knowledge in each lesson to ensure student understanding. Materials also provide differentiated instruction to strengthen skills, provide targeted review and reteaching lessons to meet student’s specific needs.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 1, Shared Read, The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Author Unknown, multiple strategies are provided. For example:
• Before students read, they take notes on the Essential Question to provide a purpose for reading.
• The teacher uses a think-aloud to identify what happens at the beginning of the story. “Think-Aloud: I read in the first paragraph that the shepherd boy is not fond of his job. He wants something wonderful to happen and that nothing ever does.”
• Strategies for Accessing Complex Text - ACCESS COMPLEX TEXT 
• "Children may need help in making inferences about the boy’s motivation and actions and connecting them to story events….Help children connect the boy’s actions on pages 40 and 41 with the villager’s actions on page 42. Have children discuss why the villagers don’t come when there is a real wolf."
• Use of a quick write - “Quick Write: After their first read, have partners summarize the selection orally with the help of their notes. Then have them write a summary in their writer’s notebook.”
• In Unit 3 Week 2, Enrichment Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students, Beyond Level, small group lessons include suggestions for additional activities to extend learning opportunities for gifted and talented students: Leveled Readers, Vocabulary Strategy, Leveled Readers Library Online, Genre Passages, Comprehension, and Workstation Activities.
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Gifted and Talented tab, students complete an independent study to create a resource about everyday heroes. The level-up tab states that if On Level students fluently read the On Level passage, then they can read the Beyond Level passage and summarize it. If Approaching Level students read their passage fluently, then they can read the On Level passage and summarize it.
• In Unit 6, Week 5, Teacher Edition, guidance on differentiated instruction for small groups is provided for the teacher. Approaching Level instruction is provided using a genre passage, Growing Up in One Day. On Level students are provided with the leveled reader, A Fantastic Day, and Beyond Level students are provided with the leveled reader, A Day in Ancient Rome.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 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 2 materials provide opportunities for all students to engage with grade-level text. Sidebar supports are provided to ensure that students are supported during lessons. ELL scaffolding and support is provided throughout all the units. Lessons also provide additional instruction on new skills at the end of each unit for small group work, reteaching, and differentiated instruction. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2 Week 3, Shared Read, The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Author Unknown, students working below grade level are provided opportunities to work with the grade-level text and meet grade-level standards. ELL Spotlight on Language, Page 39, Paragraph 2 - “Focus on the phrase: He made up stories. Say: ‘When we make up stories, we create them in our heads. They are not about real life, they are pretend. Which clues in the story help you understand that the boy made up stories about things that were not real?’ Provide a frame to help children answer: ‘The text says he saw horses, dogs, and dragons in the sky. He made up stories with these things as characters. I know that horses, dogs, and dragons don’t really live in the sky. If he uses the animals as characters, I know it’s not real.’”
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 2, Comprehension Skill, students work in pairs during Guided Practice. For the range of ELL students, a series of scaffolded instructions/activities is provided for the teacher to differentiate among the skill levels. At each level the students use a graphic organizer to record their work.
• Beginning - "Write the main events in random order and help partners put them in order using the illustrations and the text…...Help children read the sentences using signal words first, next, then, and last…."
• Intermediate - Model the first sentence starter: “First, Josie and Ling plan a sleepover.” Have pairs complete these starters: “Next, Josie and Ling meet in the backyard. Then, they do their homework and see the Moon and stars. Last, they want to keep looking through the telescope…..”
• Advanced/Advanced High - Display the graphic organizer. What did Josie and Ling do first? What happened next? Then what happened? What happened last?......
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Newcomer tab, the text asks to have children listen to the anchor text in their native language and then in English. “Have children ask and answer questions using sentence frames.”
• In Unit 6, Week 3, Teacher Edition, Differentiated Instruction, ELL students read the leveled reader, Hercules and the Golden Apple. The teacher builds background, reviews the story vocabulary, and goes through the interactive response routine.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 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 2 materials provide options for extensions and more advanced opportunities. The small group/differentiated instruction section provides lessons with a leveled reader appropriate for the group’s needs. Checks for Success are present throughout each unit. The teacher is given guidance on extensions for students who are On Level or Beyond Level. Beyond Level differentiated instruction is provided for small group instruction. Sidebars are provided for Gifted and Talented Learners to further advance instruction.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 2, Gifted and talented tab, Independent study, students integrate their notes about the selections to create an illustrated encyclopedia. They write facts and details; they create a diagram for each animal. Partners then trade encyclopedias for evaluation and students revise as necessary.
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Teacher Edition, Checks for Success are provided. “Can children use sentence clues to figure out the meanings of crumble and boulders?” Differentiated small group instruction is provided for On Level and Beyond Level students who master the skills. For students who are On Level, the teacher is to review page T296. For students who are Beyond Level, the teacher is instructed to extend the lesson using page T302.

The materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Grade 2 materials provide opportunities for students to collaborate and communicate about the topic and tasks at hand. There are a wide range of whole class tasks, but there are also many opportunities for small group and partner work to help students have collaborative conversations.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Week 1, Introduce the Concept, after introducing the Essential Question, small groups of students develop ideas by using prior knowledge to discuss baby animals that they have seen or read about. The teacher asks groups to use as many words from the organizer as possible in their discussion.
• In Unit 3, Week 1, the whole class reads the text, Bibliburro. The teacher follows a whole class reading routine and students respond to text-based questions. 
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 2, Respond to Reading/Write about the Shared Read, students respond to the following prompt, “How does the author show that the sleepover was different from what the girls expected?”  Approaching Level: Have partners work together to plan and complete the response to the prompt. On Level: Discuss how the girls felt at the beginning and then at the end. Have children write their responses independently and then discuss them. Beyond Level: Have children brainstorm words to describe the girls’ feelings at different points in the story. Encourage them to use the words in their responses. ELL Group: Children of mixed proficiency levels discuss and respond to the prompt.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Whole Group, Literature Anthology, Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio. Teachers are able to group students according to three levels of reading for reading groups. “Approaching Level: Have children listen to the selection summary. Use the Reread prompts during Small Group time. On Level and Beyond Level: Pair children or have them independently complete the Reread prompts on Reading/Writing Companion pages 48–50. English Language Learners: Before reading, have beginning and early-intermediate ELLs listen to the selection summary, available in multiple languages. See small group pages for additional support for the Anchor Text.” Students also meet in their groups for small group instruction.