6th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for anchor texts are of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

The anchor texts are of high interest and include rich language and content from across multiple disciplines and cultures. The anchor texts are examined multiple times for multiple purposes and are used to expand topics and essential questions, build vocabulary, and prompt writing. Many of the anchor texts are already published pieces or excerpts of published works. The anchor texts support an essential question for each unit and include a variety of genres and topics.The texts included are well-written and content rich and provide students a range of interests and content focus including, but not limited to, ancient civilizations, decision making, exploration, economics, and natural resources.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Unit 1: Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell. This is a realistic fiction story about a young girl's experiences as she lives on a farm over a summer. The farm experience includes life as it was during the 1890s. This is a high-quality text that provides an engaging way for modern students to vicariously experience life without current technology. The illustrations are vivid and support students as they read. The story has a strong and reliable characterization developed through vivid language and dialogue.

• Unit 2: Roman Diary by Richard Platt. This high-quality text is a historical fiction text presented in a diary form to give readers a fictional account of a young woman who was sold into slavery to Romans in 107 AD. This text gives readers a first-person account of what life was like in ancient Rome. The text is relatable to grade 6 students and is supported by illustrations that capture major events from the story. 

• Unit 4: The Case of the Magic Marker Mischief Maker by René Saldaña. This realistic play features a mystery that is modern and age-appropriate for grade 6 students. This drama provides students with a high-interest plot with realistic dialogue. The drama is supported by colorful illustrations to support students' comprehension of the text. 

• Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. In this excerpt, students read a story about Elijah receiving a letter from the United States that recounts the death of the husband of one of his neighbors. This is an informative excerpt that discusses slavery and the consequences of slavery in an age-appropriate way. The text includes illustrations that support the text and provides students with examples of the use of dialect and figurative language. 

• Unit 6: “To You” by Langston Hughes. This high-quality free verse poem is packed with rich content, is thought provoking, and covers themes with which students can identify as it uses imagery and descriptive language that evokes sensory experiences. “To You” creates rich text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections as the poet takes readers on a journey. He invites them to relax, dream, read, learn, and work together as they explore the possibility of creating a better world.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for instructional materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

Materials include a variety of informational and literary text integrated throughout every unit with a balanced representation of each through genre study. Additional works used to support the anchor texts (text sets, shared reading, read-alouds, and leveled readers) are included, resulting in a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by the standards. Text types and genres include historical fiction, poetry, drama, informational articles, digital articles, biographies, expository texts, argumentative texts, and historical accounts.

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

• In Unit 1, Week 4, The Writing on the Wall (Author Unknown) 

• In Unit 2, Week 3, Roman Diary by Richard Platt

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt (excerpt)

• In Unit 4, Week 3, The Case of the Magic Marker Mischief Maker: A Mickey Rangel Mystery by René Saldaña

• In Unit 5, Week 4, The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton

• In Unit 6, Week 5, “An Ode to the Wind” (Author Unknown)

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Into the Volcano by Donna O’Meara

• In Unit 2, Week 1, The Democracy Debate (Author Unknown)

• In Unit 3, Week 5, Modern Transit for an Ancient City by Time Magazine

• In Unit 4, Week 1, Seeing Things His Own Way by Marty Kaminsky

• In Unit 5, Week 5, “Tools of the Explorer’s Trade” by Time for Kids Magazine 

• In Unit 6, Week 3, Messages in Stone and Wood (Author Unknown)

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

The majority of texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to their associated student task. The materials provide students with high-quality, age-appropriate texts. Most of the texts fall between the CCR 6–8 grade-level Lexile bands of 955–1155L, and those that do not are supported by qualitative measures that justify the text as grade appropriate. The texts that do fall below the appropriate grade band are found earlier in the instructional year, while later units increase to the higher end of the grade-level Lexile band and slightly over.

Examples of texts that fall below the appropriate grade band include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, the text, “Cow Music” is used as an interactive read-aloud text. Although the 770 Lexile places this text below the CCR grade band, the text provides realistic dialogue that may be challenging to Grade 6 readers. The text also provides a plot where the main character changes thus supporting the unit’s essential question. While the quantitative score of the text falls below the grade level band, the publisher indicates that the literary elements in the language of the text may be challenging for some students. This text also serves as a model of story structure for the study purpose in the unit.

Examples of texts that fall within or slightly above the grade band include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, the text, “Into the Volcano” has a quantitative measure of 960L which is within the stretch band of 955–1155L for Grade 6. This narrative nonfiction text is used as an anchor text to explore the essential question, “How do natural forces affect Earth?” The text is qualitatively appropriate, because it is rich in text and graphic features, such as photos, maps, and diagrams. The text also utilizes a cause and effect structure to discuss how erupting volcanoes continue to change the landscape of planet Earth. The structure and language are moderately complex as the text uses place names and volcanic terms that may be new to students. 

• In Unit 3, Week 5, the text, “Making Your City Green” has a quantitative measure of 1060L. This is within the stretch band of 955–1155L for Grade 6. This argumentative text provides students with a model for argumentative text as well as a problem-solution structure. This also serves as one of the writing models for the unit. The structure and knowledge demands are moderately complex. Students will have to work to identify the embedded counter arguments as well as have a previous understanding of the terminology “green” when addressing environmental issues. 

• In Unit 6, Weeks 3 and 4, the text, “Pharaoh’s Boat”has a quantitative measure of 1170L which is slightly above the stretch band of 955–1155L for Grade 6. This expository text is used to help answer the essential question, “What can scientists reveal about ancient civilizations?” The text structure and language are both moderately complex as the article does not have headings or clues to guide student understanding and the text includes historical Egyptian terminology. The meaning in the text is straightforward and will help students build knowledge about ancient artifacts that help us understand Egyptian burials for pharaohs and the challenge of building a boat fit for a pharaoh.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials support students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.).

The complexity of anchor texts students read provides an opportunity for students’ literacy skills to increase across the year, encompassing an entire year’s worth of growth. The texts, both anchor and supporting, fall within the grade-level band anywhere from 955L–1155L and provide students access to increasingly rigorous texts over the course of the school year. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the series of texts, as well as the scaffolds for the texts, ensure that students receive support with accessing and independently comprehending grade-level texts by the end of the year.

The Genre Study within each unit begins with an Interactive Read-Aloud which introduces the genre and reading strategy that is the focus of the Genre Study. Students read the Shared Read followed by the Anchor Text, which is paired with an additional text selection in order for students to compare and contrast texts. While reading, scaffolds include rereading to find text evidence, note-taking in a graphic organizer with text details, and collaborative conversations that support students’ increasing independence over the course of the year. Additionally, materials provide small group texts that support the genre study and the essential question at a range of Lexile levels, as well as a leveled text identified for ELL students.

Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students read narrative nonfiction texts and practice using rereading as a strategy to clarify information in the text. Students also learn how to use key details in the text to identify the main idea and analyze print and graphic features, such as headings, maps, and models, to develop their ability to construct meaning from the text. Examples include:

  • In Week 1, Day 1, the Interactive Read-Aloud, “The Roar of Lava” (unknown author) with think-aloud guides serves as a model on how to implement rereading as a strategy in order to clarify information in the text. “The Roar of Lava” has a Lexile of 950 and is considered somewhat complex for meaning, structure, knowledge demands, and language.

  • In Week 1, Days 1–2, the Shared Read is “The Monster in the Mountain” by Marta Ramírez, which has a Lexile of 860L and is considered slightly complex in meaning, but is moderately complex in structure, language, and knowledge demands. Students practice rereading to clarify information and use key details in the text to identify the main idea.

  • In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3–6, students engage with the Anchor Text “Into the Volcano” by Donna O’Meara, which has a Lexile of 960. Structure, language, and knowledge demands are considered moderately complex, but meaning is considered somewhat complex. Students apply rereading to clarify information and summarize text by using key details to identify the main idea.

  • In Week 2, Day 7, after reading the Paired Text, “The Volcano Lady” by Donna O’Meara, which has a Lexile of 930, students compare and contrast this text with what they learned about how natural forces affect the Earth and the effect that they have on each other. 

• In Unit 4, Genre Study 3, Week 5, students read an increasingly complex text set in the narrative nonfiction and expository text genre. Students use these texts to answer the essential question, “How do people meet personal challenges?” In this unit, “Students read and write about how various individuals with personal challenges use their stretch to overcome them.” 

  • In Week 5, Day 1, students complete a shared reading of the text, “She Had to Walk Before She Could Run.” This biography of Wilma Rudolph has a Lexile of 990. This biography introduces students to the genre and falls within the CCR 6–8 Lexile grade band. Students use this text to practice citing evidence and determining the author’s point of view. 

  • In Week 5, Days 3–6, students read the anchor text, “Seeing Things His Own Way” by Marty Kaminsky. This biography has a Lexile level of 1050 and falls within the CCR 6–8 Lexile grade band. This text is also complex due to qualitative measures such as the organization of the text and knowledge demands. Students use this text to practice summarizing, and analyzing for craft and structure. 

  • In Week 5, Days 7–8, students read “Get Fit for Fun!” an expository text with a 910 Lexile. Although the Lexile falls below the CCR 6–8 Lexile grade band, the text is complex due to the technical vocabulary around exercise and nutrition. This text is also used as a comparison piece with the other texts in the Genre Study. Students use this text to compare with “Seeing Things His Own Way” by Marty Kaminsky. 

  • In Week 5, at the end of the week, materials include additional text suggestions for small group reading. For example, there are three Lexile levels for the text “Against the Odds.” There is a 780L, 950L, and a 1010L version. These texts match the genre and essential question for the Genre Study. 

• In Unit 6, Genre Study 3, students wrap up the instructional year with text feature focus on lyric poetry and ode. Week 5 of the final unit introduces students to multiple sets of poetry to answer the essential question, “Why is taking a break important?” In this unit students choose from a selection of topics to draft their own lyric poem. They also complete a research and inquiry project about why taking a break is important. 

  • In Week 5, Day 1, students begin with an interactive read aloud of the poem “Ode to the Wind.” 

  • In Week 5, Day 2, students complete a shared read of paired poems including the one used for the interactive read aloud. Students read the less complex poem, “How Many Seconds?” (unknown author) to prepare them for the second read of the more complex “An Ode to the Wind” (unknown author). These selections support student analysis of structure and meaning and also introduce poems that are rich in imagery, repetition, and alliteration.

  • In Week 5 Day 3, students read paired poems, “To You” by Langston Hughes and “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes” by Gary Soto, as the anchor text for the Genre Study. Students complete theme graphic organizers and analyze the language and structure. Students also discuss the imagery in the poems and then write in response to the following prompt: “Compare how each poet shares his common message of the importance of taking a break.” 

  • In Week 5, Day 4, students read another paired selection of poems that complement the anchor texts—“Drumbeat,” “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.” Then, students compare these poems while analyzing the author's point of view and using text evidence from each poem to support a comparison. 

  • In Week 5, during the week, teachers can utilize a variety of leveled texts to use for small group instruction. Each text is from the science fiction genre on the topic of vacation or taking a break. Small group texts include: “Chill Out” (790L), “Liv’s Vacation” (830L), “Liv’s Vacation” ( 550L for ELL students), or “Vasca’s Log” (920L). Each of these leveled texts is also paired with an ode.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

Grade 6 materials contain a text complexity analysis that includes a quantitative measure, a qualitative measure, and a rationale for including the text. The text complexity analysis is accessible through the Teacher Resources tab online and in the Teacher Edition in the Genre Study Overview.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 5, students read “Making Money: A Story of Change” from Time for Kids magazine, which has a Lexile of 960. This argumentative article is slightly complex in meaning and knowledge demands, moderately complex in structure and somewhat complex in language. The article uses non-fiction text and graphic features, such as subtitles, illustrations with labels, graphics, and special print to create organization and effective visualizations that develop student’s ability to construct meaning from the text as they read about how currency has evolved in response to changing needs.

• In Unit 2, Week 1, students read “The Road to Democracy,” an expository text with a Lexile of 990. This text is slightly complex in structure and knowledge demands, somewhat complex in meaning, and moderately complex in language. The text is used as a scaffold to support students in setting a purpose for reading by asking questions and using supporting details to identify the features of expository text. The text provides content knowledge about the Magna Carta and the Mayflower Compact and their influence on democracy in the United States.

• In Unit 3, Week 2, students read “The Pot That Juan Built” by Nancy Andrews-Goebe which has a Lexile of 1000. The text is narrative nonfiction and is slightly complex in its meaning, structure, and knowledge demands. The text is somewhat complex in language. This text has visuals to support the student’s understanding of pottery making and the setting. This text is used to provide content knowledge about ancient pottery making and the influence of Juan Quezada. 

• In Unit 4, Week 1, students read “Seeing Things His Own Way” by Marty Kaminsky which has a Lexile of 1050. This text is a biography and is somewhat complex in structure and knowledge demands. The biography is slightly complex in meaning and moderately complex in language. The language demands are supported by additional instruction on context clues and reference tools, as well as addressing complex sentence structures. The text is used to support the overall essential question of the novel, “How do people meet personal challenges?” 

• In Unit 5, Week 1, students read “Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491” by Charles C. Mann which has a Lexile of 1080. This expository text is clear in meaning but moderately complex in language as it contains domain-specific vocabulary regarding life in Mesoamerica and archeological terms. The structure is also moderately complex; though the heading provides some guide for student understanding, the text includes use of dashes, colons, and dependent clauses which may be challenging for some readers. The text complexity analysis indicates that this text serves as a model for students to analyze expository text structure while building content knowledge of the history of maize and Native American peoples. 

• In Unit 6, Week 1, students read, “The Story of Salt,” an expository text with a Lexile of 1110. This expository text provides a clear meaning as it details the history of salt. The structure is slightly complex but uses headings, captions, and illustrations to aid student comprehension. The language, however, is moderately complex as the text is content rich and contains domain-specific language, proper nouns that may be unknown to students, and complex sentences. Publishers indicate that student support for language and vocabulary will be needed, but the text is useful for building student knowledge about salt.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade level reading proficiency.

Grade 6 materials provide students multiple opportunities to engage with a variety of texts in order to reach grade-level reading proficiency by the end of the year. Each unit contains three genre studies and an additional week of supplemental texts. Within each Genre Study, students engage with multiple texts to deepen their knowledge of the genre through Interactive Read- Aloud, Shared Reads, and Anchor Texts. Each Genre Study includes a Paired Selection that provides students with the opportunity to make cross-text and even cross-genre comparisons that relate to the Essential Question. In addition, Leveled Texts (Approaching, On, Beyond, ELL) support the Essential Question, while also providing scaffolds for independent reading opportunities. Materials include Classroom Library book titles for additional independent reading options within each unit and genre.

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

•  In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students engage in reading argumentative texts such as:

  • Interactive Read-Aloud: “Let’s Talk Cents!” (unknown author)

  • Shared Read: “Making Money: A Story of Change by Time for Kids

  • Anchor Text: “The Economic Roller Coaster” (unknown author)

  • Paired Selection: “Our Federal Reserve at Work” (unknown author)

  • Small Group Instruction Text: Money Changes by Andrew Gunn

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, students engage in reading expository texts such as:

  • Interactive-Read Aloud: “The Road to Democracy (unknown author)

  • Shared Read: “The Democracy Debate” (unknown author)

  • Anchor Text: Who Created Democracy? by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge; illustrated by Jamil Dar

  • Paired Selection: “How Ideas Become Laws” (unknown author)

  • Small Group Instruction Text: Everybody Counts by Ken Benn

• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, students engage in reading realistic fiction and personal narratives: 

  • Interactive-Read Aloud: “Alejandro’s Music” (unknown author)

  • Shared Read: “Facing the Storm” (unknown author)

  • Anchor Text: excerpt from Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt

  • Paired Selection: “Confronting a Challenge” (unknown author)

  • Small Group Instruction Text: Bear Country by Susan Paris

• In Unit 4, Genre Study 3, students engage in reading poetry: 

  • Interactive-Read Aloud: “Alejandro’s Music” (unknown author)

  • Shared Read: “Hey Nilda” (unknown author) and “Hi Rachel” (unknown author)

  • Anchor Text: This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams, “to Mrs. Garcia” (unknown author) and “to Thomas” (unknown author)

  • Paired Selection: “Primer Lesson” by Carl Sandburg and “If I can stop one heart from breaking” (unknown author)

  • Small Group Instruction Text: Team Robot Ninja by Peter Friend 

• In Unit 5, Genre Study 2, students engage in reading historical fiction such as:

  • Interactive Read-Aloud: “Lok and the Transcontinental Railroad” (unknown author)

  • Shared Read: Journey to Freedom (unknown author)

  • Anchor Text: excerpt from Elijah Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

  • Paired Selection: The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon 

  • Small Group Instruction Text: The Secret Room by Terry Miller Shannon

• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students engage in reading expository text such as:

  • Interactive Read-Aloud: Technology in the Ground (unknown author)

  • Shared Read: The Fortunes of Fragrance (unknown author)

  • Anchor Text: excerpt from The Story of Salt by Mark Kurlansky; illustrated by S.D. Schindler

  • Paired Selection: “The Not-So-Golden Touch” (unknown author)

  • Small Group Instruction Text: The Spice Trade by David Murphy

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-specific/-dependent, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). 

Grade 6 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with the text by answering text-specific and text-dependent questions. Each lesson includes questions and tasks that require students to return to the text(s) to answer questions or complete tasks via discussions and in writing. Students answer both explicit and implicit questions requiring evidence from the text. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, after reading the narrative nonfiction text, “The Monster in the Mountain” by Marta Ramírez, students reread “Looking Ahead” on page 5 and answer the question, “How does information about past eruptions affect people living near Vesuvius today?” Students then reread the text and discuss the question, “How does the author help you understand the ways in which Mount Vesuvius might affect people in the future?”

• In Unit 2, Week 3, after reading “Yaskul’s Mighty Trade” (unknown author), students “Predict whether Yaskul’s trade will be successful or unsuccessful.” Student directions state, “Circle text supporting your prediction.” Students then reread “Yaskul’s Mighty Trade” and think about the setting and historical details and discuss the question, “How does the author help readers understand the historical importance of trade to people in the Kushan Empire?”

• In Unit 3, Week 1, after completing paragraphs 1–4 of a shared reading of “Facing the Storm” (unknown author), students answer a series of questions including, “How does Amy react to the news about the storm surge? What does this help you infer about her?” and “How does Isabel react to Amy’s announcement that she is in charge?”

• In Unit 4, Week 3, after reading The Case of the Magic Marker Mischief Maker by Rene Saldana, students write in response to the question, “How does the author use conflict to help readers understand Mickey’s decision?” Then the teacher asks specific questions, such as: “How does the author’s use of dialogue convey Principal Abrego’s conflict?” to help students analyze the text evidence 

• In Unit 5, Week 3, students complete a shared read of “Journey to Freedom” (unknown author). During a reread of the text, teachers prompt students to reread paragraph one on page 35 and determine the point of view from which the story is told and why the author uses that point of view. After answering additional text-specific questions as a whole group, students then individually write in response to the following question: “How does the author help you understand Abby’s journey to finding her own inner strength?”

• In Unit 6, Week 3, students complete a shared read of “Messages in Stone and Wood” (unknown author). While reading, students answer text-specific questions such as: “How does radiocarbon dating work?” and “How can this technology help in the study of pictographs?” Students discuss how the author structures the text to show how researchers have learned more about pictographs. After completing the shared read, students provide a written response to the prompt: “How does the author help readers understand how our knowledge of Native American pictographs has grown over time?"

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for having sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

Culminating tasks provide opportunities throughout the program for students to show what they know and are able to do. During the readings in each Genre Study, students answer a series of discussion questions connected to the text and complete tasks such as graphic organizers to engage with the text. At the end of each Genre Study, students must make connections across texts and analyze a photograph to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit’s essential question. Students discuss the prompt with a partner, find text evidence, and finally demonstrate their knowledge on an independent writing task. 

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

• In Unit 2, Weeks 1 and 2, students learn how democratic concepts that began in ancient Greece and Rome served as a foundation for the development of American democracy. After rereading an excerpt from the Anchor Text ,“Who Created Democracy” (unknown author) in the Literature Anthology, students collaborate with a partner to discuss the difference between the rich and poor people in Athens. Students cite text evidence by completing a chart that represents the words and phrases the author uses to compare the people of Athens and noting the importance of each piece of evidence, ultimately building to the independent writing task, “How does the author’s description of the rich and the poor people in Athens help you understand how democracy was born?” At the end of the Genre Study, students discuss their understanding of democracy as explained by the authors of the Anchor Text, “Who Created Democracy?” and the Paired Text, “How Ideas Become Laws” (unknown author). Students cite evidence as they analyze a photograph that contains the caption, “This picture shows people voting at a polling place. A polling place is where voters cast, or give, their votes during an election.” Students make text-to-world connections as they respond to an independent writing task that requires them to compare how the authors and the photographer promote student understanding of democracy.

• In Unit 4, Genre Study 4, Week 5, students read a collection of poems to explore the essential question, “How can we take responsibility?” Students begin by listening to the poem, “Alejandro’s Music” (unknown author), which is about a boy and a problem he faces. Then students read two poems about teens and how they take responsibility. Students read “Hey Nilda” (unknown author) and “Hi, Rachel” (unknown author) to learn about how poets use language and poetic devices to create meaning and tone. For example, while reading “Hey Nilda,” students learn about alliteration and answer the question, “What does this repetition achieve?” In the poem, “Hi, Rachel,” students learn about assonance and respond to this question, “What effect does repeating this sound help the poet achieve?” After reading, students add assonance and alliteration to their poetry anchor chart. The teacher then rereads the poems and provides a think-aloud for other sound devices. Finally, students work with a partner to locate examples of assonance and alliteration from the poems and discuss how these devices “draw attention to the feelings of the poem’s speaker.” 

• In Unit 6, Week 1, students study the genre of expository informational texts and read the anchor text, “The Story of Salt” by Mark Kurlansky. While reading, students take notes on the main idea and key details using a graphic organizer. On the organizer, students determine how the details are related to determine a main idea for each major section of the text. While reading, students also answer questions such as: “What inference can you make about fuel?” and “How do the illustrations help explain the process for preserving human bodies?” Students also focus on text features such as map, sidebars, and timelines and how these connect to the key details in the text. Toward the end of their reading, students make an inference about the text and discuss what effect the abundance of salt may have on its value. This leads them to the culminating task in the Write About the Anchor Text section. Students respond to the following prompt: “How do the text features help you understand the rise and fall of salt?” This and similar tasks prepare students to write a research report.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 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.

Throughout the program, students have opportunities for evidence-based discussions in whole group discussions, small groups, and peer-to-peer conversations. Multiple opportunities for discussions are presented throughout the program including Think-Alouds, Talk About It, and Collaborative Conversations. Materials also provide an icon of two students working together to indicate opportunities to collaborate within each unit. Specific protocols presented in the Teacher Edition guide the use of evidence-based discussions. Further supports include, but are not limited to, videos and anchor charts found in the Instructional Resource Handbook. 

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students engage in a range of collaborative discussions with a partner or in a small group at the beginning of each genre study as they talk about the Essential Question that is found in the Reading/Writing Companion. Students use a Collaborative Conversations protocol, Talk About It, during this discussion. The use of this protocol occurs in every unit. 

• In Unit 3, Week 1, students engage in a collaborative discussion using the protocol, “Ask and Answer Questions.” In this collaborative discussion, students work in pairs, small groups, or whole group to discuss the information they added to a graphic organizer that was started in the whole class setting about how a “challenge is often a transforming experience.”

• In Unit 4, Week 3, students form pairs or groups and use the Collaborative Conversations protocol called, “Listen Carefully” to discuss the Essential Question in the Reading/Writing Companion.

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

• In Unit 1, Week 3, students reread the anchor text, “Little Blog on the Prairie” by Cathleen Davitt Bell and illustrated by Craig Orback. As students read the text, they work collaboratively to record evidence of the words and phrases in Gen’s text messages that tell readers about how she feels and how it helps them understand how she is dealing with her new experience. The teacher models this strategy using guidance from the sidebar by reminding students that evaluating tone, or attitude conveyed by a character’s words can help them analyze his or her behavior and feelings. After students synthesize the information in the chart, the teacher provides them with a sentence starter: “The author uses Gen’s text messages to show…” to support their ability to respond to their reading.

• In Unit 4, Week 5, students engage in a discussion about tone. After the teacher conducts a lesson on tone using the Reading/Writing Companion, the teacher models how to look for evidence of tone with the poem, “Primer Lesson.” Then students explore how repetition is used to create tone in the poem, “If I can stop one Heart from breaking.” Students then work with a partner to “...identify other literary devices the author uses to convey tone…”

• In Unit 6, Week 1, students read “The Fortunes of Fragrance” (unknown author). The Academic Language list includes description, production, and descriptive details. Directions in the Collaborate section prompt students to work in pairs to discuss the following question: “How does examining the author’s use of descriptive details and text features help you understand the history of perfume production and distribution?” Materials include a Think Aloud model for teacher use to demonstrate how to use the academic language if additional support is needed.

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

• The Instructional Routines Handbook includes the Collaborative Conversation Routine, which aligns with the lessons provided in the Teacher Edition, while allowing teachers to demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness to meet the needs of all students. This routine also presents opportunities for corrective feedback as teachers encourage students in things they are doing well while also redirecting discussions that may have gotten off course by suggesting statements or questions that will refocus the discussion. 

• The Instructional Routines Handbook provides step-by-step instructions for teachers on how to support student discussions. For example, on page 27, materials provide an anchor chart to use with students in Grades 4–6. The checklist guidance states, “Refer to the text to find meaning and cite evidence.” 

• Materials include Classroom Videos for the teacher and students to watch model teachers and classrooms. In the video entitled, “Collaborative Conversations,” the teacher in the video demonstrates conversational skills for students. In addition, the Instructional Routines Handbook provides a checklist for students and the routine for teachers.

• The Teacher Resource Book includes a Speaking Checklist and a Listening Checklist to guide students when they are sharing ideas, presenting projects, and working with a group. The Teacher Resources also include Book Talk guide pages for holding book talks for argumentative, fiction, and nonfiction texts.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

These opportunities include whole group discussion and partner share activities. Materials encourage Collaborative Conversations throughout each unit. Students also have opportunities to discuss and present their research. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 4, after reading the paired selection, “The Writing on the Wall” (unknown author), students work collaboratively to describe how the author shows how the narrator changes in the text by thinking about how the character resolves his conflict. Partners share their work by comparing and contrasting the narrator’s feelings from the beginning to the end of the selection. 

• In Unit 2, Weeks 1 and 2, while reading the expository text, “Who Created Democracy?” by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge and illustrated by Jamil Dar, students discuss how they could use the questions on page 111 of the Reading/Writing Companion to start an outline that will help them identify and gather information. Students collaborate in groups to create a slideshow presenting information about each of the three amendments to the U.S. Constitution. After they complete the slideshow, students present their research to the class.

• In Unit 3, Week 5, students conduct a debate using information gathered from research. Students debate whether mass transportation or cars are a better mode of transportation. Students must follow the rules of debate and must have evidence to support their claim, as well as evidence to provide a rebuttal. 

• In Unit 4, Week 1, students conduct a research project using biographies to explore how a person overcame a challenge. With a partner, each person brainstorms a list of possibilities. Then students share with their partner, and the teacher reminds students to “listen attentively, refrain from judging, and encourage their partners to consider all possibilities.” By Week 4, students present their written biographies. The teacher sets a timer, and students rehearse with a partner. Support for ELL students includes having students record their presentation rather than presenting in front of the whole class. 

• In Unit 5, Week 5, students complete a shared read of “Tools of the Explorer’s Trade” from Time for Kids. Students work in pairs to discuss their responses to the question, “How does the way the author organizes the text and uses features help support his or her opinion?” Materials include a model response. Students use the provided sentence starters to share their summaries of the author’s claim with each other. 

• In Unit 6, Week 3, students read the paired selection, “The Mystery of the Missing Sandals” (unknown author). During the Guided Practice section of the lesson, students work in pairs to re-read paragraphs 1–3 and discuss a series of questions about their reading. Teacher guidance includes: “Have partners discuss how these paragraphs help readers identify the point of view as first-person, as well as how a different point of view might have affected the story.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g. multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

The Grade 6 materials provide opportunities for students to write frequently. Throughout each unit, students engage in a variety of writing tasks. On-demand writing includes note-taking, graphic organizers, quick-writes, and responding to questions about texts during and after reading. Process writing includes research reports, various essay types, creative writing, and other projects. Students also have the opportunity to revise and edit their work in each unit.

Students engage in on-demand writing throughout the year, both during and after reading texts. Students often respond while reading to support comprehension or after reading to demonstrate comprehension.

Examples of on-demand writing found throughout the program include:

• In Unit 1, Week 5, after reading the paired selection, “Our Federal Reserve at Work” by Time for Kids magazine, students write about how the author persuades them to agree with his or her opinions about the Federal Reserve in their Reading/Writing Companion.

• In Unit 2, Week 4, after reading the anchor text, “Roman Diary” by Richard Platt and illustrated by David Parkins, students think about how figurative language helps readers visualize a setting and then answer the question, “How does Richard Platt’s use of figurative language help you understand what life was like in ancient Rome?”

• In Unit 4, Week 5, students work together to write an analysis of the point of view in “Hi Rachel” (author not cited). Students use key details from the text that have already been identified in a graphic organizer.

• In Unit 5, Week 3, students respond to a prompt in the Write About the Shared Read section. Students discuss and analyze the prompt, “How does the author help you understand Abby’s journey to finding her own inner strength?” After sharing ideas with their partner, students individually respond to the prompt in writing using text evidence. 

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

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students engage in the writing process while writing a personal narrative essay about an important experience that had a strong impact on them. Students study a sample personal narrative as they read “Into the Volcano” by Donna O’Meara, before brainstorming on their own. Students then draft, revise, edit, and publish their personal narrative.

• In Unit 2, students write a lyric poem. In Week 5, students explore an expert model of lyric poetry as they reread “Mummy” by Myra Cohn Livingston. Thereafter, they plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their lyric poem.

• In Unit 4, Week 1–2, students conduct research and write a biography on “someone that has overcome a challenge and achieved something important.” During the planning stage, students use print and/or digital sources to learn about their subject. Students complete a lesson on evaluating sources and citing sources. In Unit 4, Weeks 3–4, students revise, edit, and present their biography. In their final presentation, guidance encourages teachers to include visuals and multimedia.

• In Unit 6, Weeks 1–2, students read model expository texts to prepare for writing a research report on a chosen spice. While completing this process, students also learn about the features of a research report. Students begin planning their research report with graphic organizers and selecting relevant evidence. During Weeks 3–4 of the unit, students draft and revise their report to publish it and receive peer feedback. Students also prepare a presentation for the class using visuals and multimedia to enhance the presentation.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

In each Genre Study, students complete either a narrative, argumentative, or expository writing assignment. For some Genre Studies this includes creative writing of original pieces such as poems. Students study model texts, engage in a brainstorming process, and write their own story or essay. Students have the opportunity to engage in narrative, expository, and argumentative writing throughout the year.

Examples of narrative writing found throughout the school year include: 

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students write their own personal narrative about one important experience that had an impact on their lives. 

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students write a historical fiction journal entry about characters from an ancient civilization highlighting the everyday elements of life during that time. 

• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1 and 2, students write a narrative story by writing their own realistic fiction story. 

• In Unit 4, Genre Study 3, students write a free-verse narrative poem. 

• In Unit 6, Genre Study 3, students write an original ode on a self-selected topic. 

Examples of opinion writing found throughout the school year include: 

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students write an opinion essay about whether it is more beneficial to shop for goods and services online or at a brick-and-mortar store.

• In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students write a persuasive article about an environmental topic of their own choosing. 

• In Unit 5, Genre Study 3, students write an opinion essay about which group of people should be in charge of space exploration. 

Examples of expository writing found throughout the school year include: 

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, students write an expository essay that explains a specific type or form of government.

• In Unit 4, Genre Study 1 and 2, students research and then write a biography about a person of their own choosing.

• In Unit 5, Genre Study 1 and 2, students plan, write, and revise a research report on the innovations and achievements of a selected historical civilization.

• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1 and 2, students write, revise, and publish a research report on the history of a selected spice.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

Many of these writing tasks are completed with guidance in the student Reading/Writing Companion. In shared reading, students compose written responses to questions during and after reading. Most questions direct students to underline or circle evidence that will be used to answer additional writing prompts. After the anchor text, students answer a prompt in writing by using their notes and graphic organizer that were completed throughout the two-week read of the text.

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

• In Unit 1, Week 3, students read “Cow Music” (unknown author) and take notes to support answering the question, “How does the author show Celia’s feelings about living in the country change?”

• In Unit 2, Week 5, students read the poem, “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley. While reading, students identify the number of lines in the poem and the number of syllables there are in each line. Students also identify whose thoughts and feelings are shared in the poem and provide text evidence to support their response. 

• In Unit 3, Week 5, students complete a Respond to Reading prompt to answer the question, “How does the author try to persuade the reader that it is possible to create a modern green city.” The teacher reminds students to “use specific examples from the text” to complete the prompt. 

• In Unit 4, Week 5, students use textual evidence to explain whether “Hi Rachel” (unknown author) is classified as a free verse poem, a narrative poem, or both. 

• In Unit 5, Week 3, students complete a shared read of “Journey to Freedom.” In the Write About the Shared Read section, students respond to the following question, “How does the author help you understand Abby’s journey to finding her own inner strength?” During a reread, students collect additional evidence to support their answer. 

• In Unit 6, Week 2, students read “The Story of Salt” by Mark Kurlansky and complete a writing prompt to answer, “How do the text features help you understand the rise and fall of salt.” The teacher reminds students to revisit the graphs, sidebars, timeline, and images in the text to support their writing.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials including explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context.

Instructional materials provide opportunities for the teacher to explicitly teach each grammar objective and provide guided practice. Materials also include multiple opportunities for students to independently practice each new skill. The grammar focus is connected to the independent writing tasks. In addition to the grammar focus, each week of each unit includes a spelling focus, which provides opportunities for students to practice the conventional spellings of words with common spelling patterns and irregular spelling patterns. Students have opportunities over the course of the year to apply newly learned skills both in and out of context, however they may not be held accountable for application of the skills. The Teacher Edition contains Grammar Topics listed in the Suggested Lesson Plan at the beginning of each study. Materials also provide a Grammar Handbook provided in both the Teacher and Student Edition which provides students with an explanation of a grammar rule or application. Students have the opportunity to complete stand-alone practice including, but not limited to sentences, nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, negatives and prepositions, and mechanics.

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

• Students have opportunities to ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive). 

  • In Unit 4, Weeks 1–2, students complete a series of daily lessons to recognize and correct ambiguous pronouns. For example on Day 7, students engage in a lesson on the different types of pronouns: subjective and objective. Materials include activity pages for students to practice the skill. On Day 9, students “find a piece of their own writing in their writer’s notebook and correct errors in kinds of pronouns.”

• Students have opportunities to use intensive pronouns. 

  • In Unit 4, Weeks 1–2, students complete a series of daily lessons to recognize and correct ambiguous pronouns. For example, on Day 6, students engage in a lesson on the different types of pronouns including, but not limited to, intensive pronouns. Materials include activity pages for students to practice the skill. On Day 9, students “find a piece of their own writing in their writer’s notebook and correct errors in kinds of pronouns.”

• Students have opportunities to recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.

  • In Unit 4, Week 5, students complete a series of daily lessons about pronouns. For example, on Day 3, students engage in a lesson on using singular and plural pronouns. Materials include activity pages for students to practice the skill. On Day 4, students “find a piece of their own writing in their writer’s notebook and correct errors in kinds of pronouns.”

• Students have opportunities to recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents). 

  • In Unit 4, Weeks 1–2, students complete a series of daily lessons to recognize and correct ambiguous pronouns. For example on Day 3, students engage in a lesson on correcting ambiguous pronouns by avoiding using pronouns referring to a hidden antecedent and replacing vague pronouns with a noun. Materials include activity pages for students to practice the skill. On Day 9, students “find a piece of their own writing in their writer’s notebook and correct errors in kinds of pronouns.”

• Students have opportunities to recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language. 

  • In Unit 4, Weeks 1–2, students begin to plan to write a biography. During the planning, the students consider their purpose and audience. Teacher direction includes: “Guide students to make a connection between their audience and the type of language they should use. Ask: ‘How might your audience respond to a biography written in formal language? How about informal language?’” Then students state whether they will use formal or informal language to support the purpose of their biography. 

  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 2, students read Journey to Freedom. After reading, they return to the text to examine it for text evidence of how dialect may indicate a character’s time period or geographical location. They are directed to a specific place in the text (the letters written between characters). Then, students are directed to find another example of dialect within the text and explain why an author might include it within a story. 

  • In Unit 6, Week 3, Genre Study 2, the Grammar section of the Teacher Edition provides additional practice for students to identify and correct double negatives in their peers’ speaking and writing. For example, on Day 2, teachers prompt students to “have one partner use a negative in a sentence. Then have the other partner create a sentence on the same topic with a different negative. Ask pairs to combine their sentences so that each new sentence contains two negative clauses but no double negatives.” Then, on Day 4, teachers “[h]ave students find a piece of their own writing in their writer’s notebook and correct errors in negatives. See Practice Book page 328.”

• Students have opportunities to use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements. 

  • In Unit 1, Weeks 3 & 4, Day 8, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains, “Some dependent clauses are essential to the meaning of a sentence. Do not use commas to set off these clauses. Some clauses are nonessential. They do not affect the basic meaning of the sentence. Use commas to set off these clauses. Dashes or parentheses can also set off nonessential clauses.” Students practice in the Practice Book on page 39. On Day 9, students extend that practice by addressing punctuation issues in the following incorrect sentences: “1. Before the show started our group found their seats; 2. The book, that you read last year, is one of my favorites; 3. Gina’s bike the one everyone likes sold for a high price; and 4. My Aunt May who is a famous singer moved to Chicago.” Then, students exchange the personal narratives they are writing and search for punctuation issues with combined sentences or the use of nonessential clauses in their peers’ writing.

  • In Unit 2, Week 5, Day 3, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that commas are used to set off nonessential appositives (e.g., The cake, a chocolate one, was delicious.). The prize went to Des, my buddy). Dashes are used to show a strong break in thought within a sentence (e.g., A snake—it was so long—appeared by my boot.). Parentheses are used to set off nonessential facts within a sentence. (e.g., She hit more home runs (38 in 2008) than any other catcher.). Students trade papers and check the spellings. Students practice in the Practice Book page 111 or online activity.

  • In Unit 6, Week 4, students are practicing proofreading as they prepare for peer conferences. The teacher posts an incorrect sentence that they may find in their peer’s expository essay on a spice. Then the class works together to correct the sentence. For example, teachers are prompted: “Write this text on the board: turmeric is a spice, when it is ground up it forms a bright yellow powder, it is often used to add color to foods such as soup and sauces. Proofread and edit as a class. (Turmeric is a spice that, when it is ground up, forms a bright yellow powder. It is often used to add color to foods, such as soup and sauces.) Ask students to list on page 128 two mistakes they found when using the Editing Checklist. Invite volunteers to share a mistake and its correction. Ask: How did the checklist help you find and correct the mistake?”

• Students have opportunities to spell correctly. 

  • In Unit 3, Weeks 1-2, students have an opportunity for spelling lessons and practice. Each week students are provided with a spelling list with a commonality such as, but not limited to phonetic pattern, common prefix, or common misspelled words. For example in Unit 1, Week 1, the spelling words all are multisyllabic words with the vowel team pattern such as exploit, shoulder, and moisten. On day 1, teachers can assign a pre-test from the Practice Book and then teach the spelling words. On day 2, the teacher reviews words with the consonant-le pattern from the spelling word list. On day 3, students use a sentence frame to practice the spelling words. On day 4, students correct sentences for misspelling. On day 5, students complete an assessment using Dictation Sentences. 

  • In Unit 4, Weeks 3-4, before students publish their final draft of their biography, they are given the opportunity to use an editing checklist to edit and proofread with a partner. The students are instructed to “Bracket any words that are misspelled.”