3rd Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests.

The anchor texts are of high interest and include rich language and content from across multiple disciplines and cultures. Accompanying illustrations are of high quality and support student understanding and comprehension of the associated text. Examples of high-quality texts include, but are not limited to:

• Unit 1: Yoon and the Jade Bracelet by Helen Recorvits. This folktale details Yoon’s move to the United State from Korea and her attendance at a new school. This book is a 2009 Bank Street- Best Children's Book of the Year.
• Unit 2: Vote! by Eileen Christelow. This expository text gives information through text and a graphic narrative, including cartoon panels and illustrations. The speech bubbles provide a framework for conversations/dialogue and questions being asked and answered about a thought-provoking process in America’s democracy. The characters include two dogs and a cat whose questions and comments may mirror those of young readers and help to explain some of an election’s aspects.
• Unit 4: The Talented Clementine and Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker. These texts are excerpts of a novel that is part of a published series of novels. The first text features the relatable topic of being a third grader during a talent show. Students can see themselves in Clementine’s impulsiveness and lack of confidence, but also in her take-charge attitude. The additional excerpt is provided for students to compare and contrast texts by the same author.
• Unit 5: Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming. This book is a modern, humorous fairy tale starring a determined boy and a story-loving princess with a good sense of humor. Jack’s adventures with trolls, bears, gypsies, and the princess’s birthday party provide engaging content, as well as lessons about resourcefulness and determination. In 2010 this book was named Best Book of the Year by Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and the Bank Street College of Education.
• Unit 6: Ollie’s Escape (Author Unknown). Humorous poems detail the story of a snake that escapes from its pen at school and frightens the teachers and the principal. The setting and character’s actions make this engaging and relatable to young readers. Within this poem, the author uses rhyme and idioms to help the young reader visualize the characters’ actions, including Principal Poole who is afraid of the snake.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

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

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 3, Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto
• In Unit 2, Week 5, Day 1,  Empanada Day by George Santiago
• In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 3, Why the Sun is Red (Author Unknown)
• In Unit 4, Week 4, Little Half Chick (Author Unknown)
• In Unit 6, Week 3, Day 3, King Midas and the Golden Touch by Margaret H. Lippert

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

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Protecting Our Parks by Time for Kids
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 4, Vote! by Ellen Christelow
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 3, Earth by Jeffrey Zuehike
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave by Laurence Pringle
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 3, Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone
• In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 3, Looking Up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane B. Onish

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.

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

• In Unit 1, Gary the Dreamer Author by Gary Soto. This text has a quantitative measure of 500 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 420-820 Lexile for Grade 3. Students use the text to practice sequencing and to support their writing of their own personal narrative.
• In Unit 2, Week 3-4, The Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller. This text has a quantitative measure of 730 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 420-820 Lexile for Grade 3. Specific vocabulary, such as immigrants, Ellis Island, and America, was defined throughout.
• In Unit 5, “Jimmy Carter: A Good Citizen”, (author unknown). This text has a quantitative measure of 780 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 420-820 Lexile for Grade 3. The text is read aloud to students. Qualitatively, the meaning/purpose, structure and knowledge demands are only slightly complex. Students will not need much background information to understand the biography.
• In Unit 6, Reach for the Stars by Dominic Ashton. This text has a quantitative measure of 750 Lexile. This is within the stretch band of 420-820 Lexile for Grade 3. This text includes several vocabulary words (e.g., microgravity and physics) but uses a glossary to define the words, and students can also determine their meanings from the context clues. The text also has separate features, such as “Pilots or Scientists?” to help students define the role of an astronaut.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)

The texts, both anchor and supporting, mostly fall within the grade-level band, ranging from 420 - 820, and provide students access to increasingly rigorous texts over the course of the school year. Texts are appropriately scaffolded over the course of the year to support students as they grow their literacy skills. 

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 then engage in 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 evidence, note-taking in a graphic organizer, and collaborative conversations among students about the text. 

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students engage in a genre study of narrative nonfiction. Texts that support students increasing literacy skills include:
• In Week 1, Day 1, the Interactive Read-Aloud is “Faith Ringgold: Telling Stories Through Art” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 770L and is considered slightly to moderately complex. Though the complexity level is on the higher end of the Grade 3 band, the text is read by the teacher and includes think-alouds to help students access this complex text. 
• In Week 1, Days 1 and 2, the Shared Read is “Room to Grow” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 490 and is mostly considered slightly complex. The text provides teachers with an opportunity to have students analyze a narrative nonfiction text employing a sequence text structure.
• In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3-6, students engage with the Anchor Text, Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto, which has a Lexile of 550, but is qualitatively slightly complex with knowledge demands, moderately complex with meaning and structure, and somewhat complex with language.  Students apply the skills they practiced during the Shared Read. This text is a model of narrative nonfiction text employing a sequence text structure. Students can access it due to the guided practice during the Shared Read. 
• In Week 2, Day 8, students compare and contrast the Paired Text: “Sharing Cultures” (unknown author) which has a Lexile of 610, with Gary the Dreamer, the Anchor Text.
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, students engage in a genre study of expository informational texts. Students engage in summarizing texts and learn more about the main idea and details as well as the author’s word choice. This includes:
• In Week 1, Day 1, the Interactive Read Aloud is “Our Home in the Solar System” (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 670 and is considered slightly to moderately complex. The text is read by the teacher and includes think-alouds to assist students in applying the reading strategy. 
• In Week 1, Days 1-2, the Shared Read is “Earth and Its Neighbors“ (unknown author) and has a Lexile of 660 and is slightly to moderately complex. Students work with graphic elements in the text to better understand the content.
• In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3-6: students engage with the Anchor Text, Earth by Jeffery Zuehike, which is slightly to moderately complex and has a Lexile of 630. Students add to their knowledge of the structure of expository text, including text features such as diagrams and photographs with captions. 
• In Week 2, students compare and contrast the Paired Text: “Why the Sun is Red” with the Anchor Text, Earth. 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students engage in a genre study of biography and practice rereading for deeper understanding, and to explore a problem/solution structure and how imagery changes the reader’s experience with a text. Examples include:
• In Week 1, Day 1, the Interactive Read Aloud is Mae Jamison, Astronaut (unknown author), which has a Lexile of 750 and is considered slightly to moderately complex. The text is read by the teacher and includes think-alouds to assist students to see how to apply the strategy.
• In Week 1, Days 1-2, the Shared Read, “Rocketing into Space”, has a Lexile of 790 and is considered slightly to moderately complex. The teacher uses the story to help students understand the structure of a biography. 
• In Weeks 1 and 2, Days 3-6, the Anchor Text, Looking Up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane B. Onish, has a Lexile of 740 and is slightly to moderately complex. The teacher uses the story to help students understand the structure of a biography and use the strategy of summarizing to understand the content. 
• In Week 2, Day 8, students read the Paired Text “A Flight to Lunar City”, take notes, and think about how this text compares with Looking Up to Ellen Ochoa.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

Grade 3 materials contain a text complexity analysis that includes a quantitative measure, a qualitative measure, and a rationale for including the text. The text complexity analysis is accessible through the Teacher Resources tab online and in the Teacher Edition in the Genre Study Overview, as well as through the Access Complex Text (ACT) sections.

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

• In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, students read Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto, which has a quantitative measure of 500L. Qualitative measures of complexity provided by the publisher include moderately complex structure and meaning/purpose and slightly complex language and knowledge demands. The rationale given by the publisher for this text is, “Gary Soto has created a rich, evocative text that teachers can employ for many different tasks. It is an excellent model of narrative nonfiction text employing a sequence text structure. The text also allows students to encounter sensory language and figurative language.”
• In Unit 2, Weeks 1 and 2, students read Vote! by Ellen Castelow, which has a quantitative measure of 530L. The meaning, structure, language, and knowledge demands are all considered moderately complex. The topic may be unfamiliar to students, which makes it a more complex text. The publisher states that this text is included because it gives information through the text and through a graphic narrative.
• In Unit 3, Weeks 1 and 2, the text “Earth and its Neighbors” (unknown author) has a quantitative measure of 660L. Meaning and structure are considered slightly complex, while language and knowledge demands are described as moderately complex. The text was selected to help students identify the purpose of a text by looking at key details in the text. The Text Complexity Analysis document provides a list of the domain-specific vocabulary present in the text, as well as instruction in helping students pay careful attention to the many photographs, diagrams, and captions which provide additional information.
• In Unit 4, Weeks 3 and 4, students read "Grey Wolf! Red Fox!" by Laurence Pringle, which has a quantitative measure of 750L. Qualitative measures of complexity provided by the publisher include, “The main idea is clear and stated near the beginning, causing this to be classified as slightly complex, and contains subject-specific terminology (e.g., coats, packs) that causes it to be classified as moderately complex in vocabulary and knowledge." Teachers are encouraged to use this piece to help students compare and contrast expository texts and to develop their map-reading skills.
• In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone, which has a quantitative measure of 700L. Qualitative measures of complexity provided by the publisher include that the text is moderately complex in structure, meaning/purpose, and language and slightly complex in knowledge demands. The rationale given by the publisher for this text is, “The selection provides many opportunities to connect with other texts on many topics, such as good citizenship, changing laws, civil rights, and personal courage. Teachers can also use the narrative to help students understand the structure of biographies, and practice reading illustrations. This selection will help students build knowledge about U.S. history and the topic of good citizenship.”
• In Unit 6, Weeks 3 and 4, students read Pandora Finds a Box (unknown author), which has a quantitative measure of 660L. Qualitative measures of complexity provided by the publisher state that the structure is moderately complex because of the point of view of the story. The meaning, language, and knowledge demands are all rated as slightly or somewhat complex due to this story being a myth, as well as having unfamiliar vocabulary (e.g., burden, scroll). The purpose of this piece is to identify the structure of a myth, as well as to make predictions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a broad range of text types and disciplines as well as a volume of reading to achieve grade-level reading proficiency.

Grade 3 materials provide students multiple opportunities to engage in a variety of texts in order to reach grade-level reading proficiency by the end of the year. Each unit contains three genre studies. Within each Genre Study, students engage with a variety of texts to deepen their knowledge of the genre, beginning with an Interactive Read- Aloud and continuing with the Shared Read and Anchor Text.  Each Genre Study includes a Paired Selection that offers the opportunity for students to make cross-text comparisons. The selection may be a different genre from the Anchor Text but relates to the Essential Question. In addition, Leveled Text (Approaching, On, Beyond, ELL) provide students texts that support the Essential Question, while providing scaffolds for independent reading opportunities. Classroom Library book titles are included for additional independent reading options within each unit and genre.

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

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students engage in reading narrative nonfiction texts such as: 
• Interactive Read-Aloud: “Faith Ringgold: Telling Stories Through Art” (unknown author)
• Shared Read: “Room to Grow”  (unknown author)
• Anchor Text: Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto
• Paired Selection: “Sharing Cultures” (unknown author) 
• Small Group Instruction Text: Judy Baca by Anna Harris
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 2, students engage in reading folktales such as:
• Interactive Read-Aloud: “Bear, Beaver, and Bee” (unknown author)
• Shared Read: “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author)
• Anchor Text: Martina the Beautiful Cockroach a Cuban Folktale retold by Carmen Agra Deedy
• Paired Selection: “Get a Backbone!” (unknown author) - nonfiction text about how plants and animals survive in particular environments
• Small Group Instruction Text: The Clever Rabbit a Korean Folktale retold by Chitra Soundar
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 3, students engage in reading argumentative texts including:
• Interactive Read-Aloud: “Using Power” (unknown author)
• Shared Read: “Here Comes Solar Power” (unknown author)
• Anchor Text: It’s All in the Wind by Time for Kids
• Paired Selection: “Power for All” by Time for Kids
• Small Group Instruction Text: The Fuel of the Future by Vanessa York
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students engage in reading biographies such as:
• Interactive Read-Aloud: “Mae Jemison, Astronaut” (unknown author)
• Shared Read: “Rocketing into Space” (unknown author)
• Anchor Text: Looking up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane Onish
• Paired Selection: “ A Flight to Lunar City” (unknown author) -fictional text about space exploration
• Small Group Instruction Text: Reach for the Stars by Dominic Ashton

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). 

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with the text by answering text-dependent and text-specific questions. Each lesson includes questions and tasks that require students to answer text-dependent questions via discussions and in writing. Students answer both explicit and implicit questions requiring evidence from the text. 

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students complete the shared reading, “Room to Grow” (unknown author). While reading, students are asked questions such as, “Why do Mama and Papa grow an indoor garden?” and are told to “Underline what happens after Kiku meets Jill. What happens the next day?” 
• In Unit 2, Week 2, after reading Vote by Eileen Christelow, students are asked the questions, “How does the author help you understand that voting is important? Look at the image in the middle of page 104. Why does the author say some people think that a vote is like a drop of water in the ocean? What is being compared?”
• In Unit 3, Week 5, after reading “Birth of an Anthem” (unknown author), students are asked the question, “What effect did the Battle of Baltimore have on Key?” 
• In Unit 4, Week 3, after reading “Grey Wolf! Red Fox!” (Laurence Pringle), the students are asked questions such as “What animals are foxes related to? How is the gray wolf like a dog?”
• In Unit 5, Week 3, students read Clever Jack takes the Cake by Candace Fleming and are asked questions such as, “What does Jack think about the party? What does his mother think? How did Jack get what he needed to make a cake?”
• In Unit 6, Week 1, after reading Looking up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane Onish,  students are asked, “How does Ellen Ochoa know what it's like to look out the window of a spaceship into space?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

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

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students read Yoon and the Jade Bracelet by Helen Recorvits and answer several questions such as, “What words and phrases in the text show how Yoon feels? What do Yoon’s classmates do and say when the teacher asks about the bracelet? What clues help them see that jade is important to Yoon’s culture?” Later,  students complete a culminating task by responding independently to the writing prompt “How does Yoon change from the beginning of the story to the end?” using their previous notes and graphic organizer.
• In Unit 2, Weeks 3 and 4, students learn about why people come to America. On Day 10, students write about how the texts The Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller and “Next Stop, America!” (unknown author), plus a photograph, help them understand why people come to America. They first talk about it and then write their answers. 
• In Unit 4, Weeks 3 and 4, students learn about how animals adapt to challenges in their habitats. At the end of the unit, students discuss the texts Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave by Laurence Pringle and “Little Half Chick” (unknown author). Students talk about how the illustrations in these two texts help them understand how animals adapt to challenges. 
• In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read fairy tales and at the end of the unit, students write how the poet of “Here’s a Nut” and the author of Clever Jack Takes the Cake (unknown author) help them visualize how the characters meet their needs. They first talk about it with a partner, then find text evidence, and finally write their response. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

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

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

• In Unit 1, Week 6, teachers are provided with a framework to lead students to discuss the unit’s big idea. The steps include preparing individually, engaging in a collaborative conversation, presentations by group members, introduction of a second discussion question about the big idea, and finally, students reflecting on their learning from the collaborative conversation. They each thank their fellow collaborators for their contributions. This framework is present in each unit. 
• In Unit 3, Week 3, students use the Turn and Talk Routine to describe their visualization when reading page 225 of Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, A Cuban Folktale retold by Carmen Agra Deedy. 

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

• In Unit 1, Week 2, after reading Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto, students work with a partner or in a small group to discuss completed charts in their Reading Writing Companion. Students refer to the sentence starters on page 19 of the Reading Writing Companion and use the sentence starters to guide their responses.  For example, they can choose, “Gary describes his childhood by…” and “At the end, Gary writes…” 

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

• Classroom Videos are provided for the teacher and students to watch model teachers and classrooms. In the video entitled Collaborative Conversations, the teacher in the video demonstrates conversational skills for students. In addition, the Instructional Routines Handbook provides a checklist for students and the routine for teachers. 
• The Instructional Routines Handbook provides step-by-step instructions for teachers on how to support student discussions. For example, on page 22, the teacher is prompted to use a small group to role play and model for the rest of the class in preparation for discussions.  The Handbook also provides sentence frames that can be used to support students’ use of academic vocabulary and syntax. For example, students may use “Can you point to text evidence that shows ...?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports. 

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, while reading “Room to Grow” (unknown author), students talk with a partner to answer the question, “How do you know who is telling the story?” 
• In Unit 2, Weeks 3 and 4, students read The Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller, and students reread pages 130 and 131 and then discuss with a partner how Julie’s grandmother reacts to Sol’s story. 
• In Unit 3, Week 5, when reading “Moving America Forward,” an article by Time for Kids, students work in pairs and discuss important details within each paragraph, summarize each section, and then write summaries to share with the class. 
• In Unit 4, Weeks 3 and 4, students read, “Gray Wolf, Red Fox!” (Laurence Pringle) and work with a partner to orally summarize the text. 
• In Unit 5, Weeks 3 and 4, students read the paired text, “Carlos’s Gift“ (unknown author) and reread the text before talking with a partner about what Miss Jones and Carlos say about Pepper. 
• In Unit 6, Weeks 3 and 4, students read “Athena and Arachne” (unknown author) and work in pairs to find details to support the theme and then record them on a graphic organizer. 
  

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g., multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate. 

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to write daily. Throughout each unit, students engage in a variety of writing tasks. On-demand writing includes note-taking, graphic organizers, quick-writes, and answering questions about texts, while reading and after reading. Process writing includes essays and a variety of projects. Students also have the opportunity to revise and edit their work in each unit.

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

• In Unit 1, Week 2, after reading Gary the Dreamer by Gary Soto, students respond to the prompt, “How does Gary Soto help you see how his dreams helped him become a writer?”
• In Unit 3, Week 1, students read Earth and its Neighbors by Jeffery Zuehike and then answer the question, “How does Jeffery Zuehike use text features to help you learn about Earth?” in their Reading Writing Companion. 
• In Unit 4, Week 3, students read “Gray Wolf! Red Fox!” (Laurence Pringle), and explain why the title is an accurate depiction of the text’s contents in their Reading Writing Companion. 
• In Unit 6, Week 3, after reading “Athena and Arachne” (unknown author), students explain how the dialogue shows the problem between the two characters in their Reading Writing Companion. 

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

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students write a persuasive essay about why a national park or landmark is an important place to visit in order to learn more about America. 
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students write an expository essay about a person, event, or symbol important to the history of the United States. Students study a model before going through the writing process. Students also participate in peer review before publishing. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, students pre-write, draft, revise, and edit a realistic fiction story where the character uses a talent to help others. Students also engage in peer conferencing sessions to strengthen their writing before presenting their work. 
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 1, students write a biography. The biography includes information about how the person is a good citizen, as well as some specific things this person did to contribute to history. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.  

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage in a variety of writing types addressed in the standards over the course of the year. In each Genre Study, students complete either a narrative, opinion, or expository writing assignment. Students study model texts, go through a brainstorming process, and then write their own story or essay. Students have the opportunity to engage in narrative, expository, and opinion writing throughout the year. 

Examples of narrative writing found throughout the school year include:

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 3, students write a free verse poem describing a fun invention that could be used to solve a problem. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, students write a realistic fiction story about a character using a talent to help others. 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 3, students write a narrative poem about a funny story that made them laugh. 

Examples of opinion writing found throughout the school year include: 

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students write a persuasive essay to convince readers that a certain U.S. park or landmark is important to visit to learn about America. 
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 3, students write an opinion essay about why a particular energy source is important. 

Examples of expository writing found throughout the school year include: 

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, students write an expository essay explaining one way people make the government work. 
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students write a feature article about a person, event, or symbol important to the history of the United States. 
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 1, students write a biography about a person in history who was a good citizen. 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students write a research report about a person who has worked hard to meet their goals.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information.

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

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students engage in the shared read, “Room to Grow” (no author), by responding to prompts in their Reading Writing Companion. Students take notes while reading and then after reading the text, respond to the prompt, “How does Kiku change from the beginning of the story to the end?” 
• In Unit 2, Weeks 1 and 2, students read the anchor text Vote! by Ellen Christelow and respond to the prompt, “How does the author help you understand how American citizens are responsible for the way our government works?” 
• In Unit 3, Week 1, students read "Earth and Its Neighbors" during the shared read, and while reading, students are prompted to find text evidence and write responses to questions such as, “Why was 1961 an important year for space exploration? Underline text evidence. Draw a box around details that show what scientists did. Summarize in your own words.”
• In Unit 4, Week 3, students read Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave by Laurence Pringle and then respond in writing to the question, “How do you know how the author feels about the wildlife in Mojave?” Students must include two or three animals that have adapted to survive in the desert and include details about how they adapted. 
• In Unit 5, Weeks 1 and 2, students read the anchor text, Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone and then respond to the question, “How does Tanya Lee Stone use Elizabeth’s biography to teach you about what it means to be a good citizen?” Students use their notes with evidence to complete this writing prompt. 
• In Unit 6, Week 1, students read “Rocketing Into Space” (unknown author) and then answer evidence-based questions in writing in their Reading Writing Companion. Questions include, “What did James do after he joined the Navy? Why is ‘Big Challenges’ a good heading for this section? How does the author help you understand how James Lovell felt about the Apollo 13 mission?” Students are prompted to circle the evidence in the text prior to responding to the questions.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials include explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context. 

Instructional materials provide opportunities for the teacher to explicitly teach each grammar objective and provide guided practice. Materials also include multiple opportunities for students to independently practice each new skill. The grammar focus is connected to the independent writing tasks. In addition to the grammar focus, each week of each unit includes a spelling focus, which provides opportunities for  students to practice the conventional spellings of words with common spelling patterns and irregular spelling patterns. Students have opportunities over the course of the year to apply newly learned skills both in and out of context.

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

• Students have opportunities to explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a noun is a word that names a person, place, or thing. A common noun names any person, place, or thing, like, teacher, schoolhouse, chalk and a proper noun names a special person, place, or thing. The teacher explains that a proper noun begins with a capital letter. Proper nouns include people’s names (George Washington), towns (Los Angeles), states (Alaska), holidays (New Year’s Day), days (Saturday), months (July), streets (Michigan Avenue), special events (Olympics), geographical names (Mt. Rushmore), and historical periods (the Middle Ages). Students work in small groups and write ten common nouns on cards. 
• In Unit 3, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher says, "A complete sentence has a subject and a predicate. The subject tells what or whom the sentence is about. The predicate tells what the subject does and has a verb. A verb is a word that tells what the subject does or is." Partners use strong action verbs to talk about the different ways people can study the objects in our solar system. As they talk, students listen for the action verbs being used and identify them.
• In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that an adjective describes a noun. An adjective usually comes before the noun it describes. Small groups of students write down five goals they’d like to achieve. Students take turns choosing a goal and creating a simple, compound, or complex sentence using adjectives about why this goal is important.
• Students have opportunities to form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher states, "A singular noun names one person, place, or thing. A plural noun names more than one person, place, or thing. Add -s to form the plural of most singular nouns. Add -es if the singular noun ends in -s, -ch, -sh, or -x." Students work as partners to write ten singular nouns ending in -s, -ch, -sh, or -x on pieces of paper. Then one student selects and reads a noun, and the other spells the word in its plural form. Students take turns picking and spelling nouns.
• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher says, "Some nouns have special plural forms. They do not add -s or -es to form a plural: Men, women, and children are the irregular plural noun forms of man, woman, and child. Mice is the irregular plural of the noun mouse. Collective nouns name groups of people, places, or things: band, family, crowd, swarm, herd." Small groups write five irregular plural nouns about why people immigrate. Students take turns selecting a noun and saying aloud the irregular plural form, as the others spell aloud the irregular plural noun in its singular form. 
• Students have opportunities to use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 2, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher states, "A concrete noun names a person, place, or thing that can be seen or identified with any of the five senses: star, flower, music, sign, horn, wind, salt. An abstract noun names something that cannot be seen with the five senses. Abstract nouns usually name ideas: peace, honor, courage, friendship, honesty." Students work in  small groups to write five abstract nouns on cards. The students take turns drawing cards. The student drawing the card will describe the abstract noun using concrete nouns, as the others guess the abstract noun.
• Students have opportunities to  form and use regular and irregular verbs.
• In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains,  "Not all verbs add -ed to form the past tense.  An irregular verb has a special spelling for the past tense. Some irregular verbs are: come/came, do/did, say/said, go/went, eat/ ate, and sing/sang. Students have an additional opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 229 or online activity, and in the Language Transfers Handbook page 18. Pairs of students work together to write five sentences using the present tense of an irregular verb. Students take turns reading their sentences aloud. The other partner names the irregular verb and then creates a sentence using the past-tense form.
• Students have opportunities to form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a past-tense verb tells about an action that has happened. "Add -ed to form the past tense of most verbs. Drop the e and add -ed to verbs that end in e. A regular past-tense verb’s form is used with both singular and plural subjects in simple and compound sentences." The students have an additional opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 145 or online activity. Small groups write down five past-tense verbs on paper and place the pieces in a pile. Students take turns selecting a paper and saying the past-tense verb, as the others raise their hands to say aloud a sentence using the verb.
• Students have opportunities to ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
• In Unit 3, Week 2, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher states, "The tense of a verb tells when the action takes place. A verb in the present tense tells what happens now. Add s to most present-tense verbs with singular subjects. Add nothing to present-tense verbs with plural subjects. A verb must agree in number with its subject." Students have additional opportunities to practice in the Practice Book page 133 or with the online activity.
• In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 2, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher reviews subject pronoun and present-tense verb agreement. The teacher asks students the rules for making pronouns and verbs agree. The teacher says, "Do not add -s or -es to a present tense action verb when using plurals we, you, and they, or singular pronouns I and you. Subject pronouns and their verbs must agree in simple and compound sentences. Pronouns must agree with the noun to which they refer in number and gender." Students have the opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 266. 
• Students have opportunities to form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.
• In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that an adjective that tells what kind or how many is a descriptive adjective.  The teacher says, "Use comparative adjectives to compare two nouns. Superlatives compare more than two nouns. Add -er to an adjective to compare two nouns. Add -est to compare more than two nouns." The students have the opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 313 or with an online activity. Partners create a list of solar system objects. Then each student creates a sentence using a word from the list and either a comparative or superlative adjective to describe the objects.
• In Unit 6, Week 4, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that adverbs can be used to compare two or more actions. "To compare using most one-syllable adverbs, add -er or -est: More and most are used with adverbs with two or more syllables. When using more or most, do not change adverbs’ endings to make comparisons." The students have the opportunity to practice in the Practice Book page 337 or with an online activity. Student pairs write five sentences each about things that are important to them, trade sentences, and write a companion sentence for each, using adverbs that compare. 
• Students have opportunities to use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
• In Unit 1, Week 5, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a simple sentence expresses a complete thought and must include a subject and a predicate. Students can combine simple sentences to add variety to writing. They learn to use a comma and the coordinating conjunctions and, or, or but. Students then complete Practice Book page 49 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a sentence shows a complete thought and that every sentence begins with a capital letter. Students complete Practice Book page 1 or online activity. Students work in partners to write four simple sentences and four fragments about a story with animal characters on cards. Each partner reads a card aloud and the other says if it is a sentence or a fragment. Partners take turns reading aloud and identifying sentences and fragments.
• In Unit 2, Week 4, Day 6, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that you can combine sentences by joining two nouns in the subject. The teacher models how to use the coordinating conjunction and to join the nouns and form a compound subject. The teacher also explains that a combined sentence has a complete subject and predicate. Students have additional opportunities to practice using the Practice Book page 97 or online activity. Students work in pairs to write sentences about different countries people may move to or from. Each student takes turns reading aloud a new sentence that combines them.
• Students have opportunities to capitalize appropriate words in titles.
• In Unit 3, Week 4, Day 10, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that the important words in a book or magazine are always capitalized. The teacher explains to students that the words the, and, in, of, and a are not capitalized in a title unless they are the first word. The teacher explains that you underline all of the words in a book or magazine title if you are handwriting it, but with a computer, you put the title in italic type. Students complete Practice Book page 159 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to use commas in addresses.
• In Unit 3, Week 5, Day 3, during the Grammar part of the lesson, the teacher explains that there is punctuation in formal letters, dates, addresses, and locations. The teacher explains that you place a comma between the day and year, place a comma between a street address and a city, and between a town and a state in a location. The teacher then explains that you place a colon after the greeting of a formal letter and place a comma after the closing of a letter. Students then complete Practice Book page 171 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 3, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that quotation marks show that someone is speaking. They come at the beginning and end of the speaker’s exact words.  The teacher says, "Begin a quotation with a capital letter. Commas and periods appear inside quotation marks. If the end of a quotation comes at the end of a sentence, use a period, question mark, or exclamation mark to end it. If the sentence continues after a quotation, use a comma to close." Students have additional opportunities to practice in the Practice Book page 207 or online activity.
• Students have opportunities to form and use possessives.
• In Unit 2, Week 5, Day 1, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains,  "A possessive noun is a noun that shows who or what owns or has something. Add an apostrophe (‘) and the letter s to make a singular noun possessive." The students have opportunities for additional practice in the Practice Book page 109 or online activity and in the Language Transfers Handbook page 16. Partners write down on separate cards five problems in their community they think need to be solved. Taking turns, each partner draws a card from the stack and forms a sentence using the problem and a possessive noun. The other partner names the possessive noun.
• Students have opportunities to use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).
• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 9, during the Spelling portion of the lesson, the teacher writes the sentences on the board and the students circle and correct each misspelled word. The teacher reminds students they can use print or electronic resources to check and correct spelling. The teacher reviews the spelling change rule when adding a plural with students. Students write the words multiple times in their writer’s notebook. Students correct a piece of their own writing and participate in additional practice in the Practice Book page 201.
• In Unit 5, Week 2, Day 9, during the Spelling portion of the lesson, the teacher writes sentences on the board. Students circle and correct each misspelled word and the teacher reminds students they can use print or electronic sources to check and correct spelling. The teacher reminds students to follow the spelling rules for adding inflectional endings.  The teacher says, "If a word ends in a vowel and consonant, as in drop, double the consonant to get dropped. If the word ends in a consonant and e, as in dance, drop the e when adding -ed and -ing to get danced and dancing. The students correct a piece of their own writing and participate in additional practice in Practice Book page 261.
• Students have opportunities to use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during the Spelling part of the lesson, the teacher displays the spelling words, reads them aloud, drawing out the short a and i vowel sounds in each word. The teacher points out the spelling patterns in camp and grin and that words with short a and i vowel sounds usually have the CVC (consonant-vowel- consonant) pattern, like cat and hit. Teacher shows that words with short a and i vowel sounds may also have CCVC or CVCC patterns. The teacher models sorting the words by pattern under keywords camp and grin and reminds students that the letters a and i followed by a consonant usually indicate a short vowel sound. Teacher uses the Dictation Sentences from Day 5 to give a pretest. Teacher says the underlined word, reads the sentence, and repeats the word. Students write the words. 
• Students have opportunities to consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
• In Unit 2, Week 3, Day 3, during the Grammar portion of the lesson, the teacher explains that a few plural nouns change spellings but do not add -s or -es. A few plural nouns are spelled exactly the same as the singular form. The teacher further explains that to check the spelling of a plural noun, students should look up the singular form in a dictionary. The students have additional opportunities to practice in Practice Book page 87 or online activity. 
• Students have opportunities to choose words and phrases for effect.
• In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 5, during the Draft Writing portion of the lesson, the teacher reminds students that they will be writing a draft of a narrative poem. Students review the free-write activity and the word web they created during the Plan phase as they write their drafts. The teacher explains that a thesaurus can be a useful tool to find words to make their poem interesting and points out that they can also use a thesaurus to check and correct spellings of words. The teacher reminds students to group their ideas into stanzas, as well as to use repetition and rhyme. Pairs of students identify the repetition and rhyme in each other’s drafts, and discuss how this helped them visualize what was happening in the poem.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks address grade-level CCSS for foundational skills by providing explicit instruction and assessment in phonics and word recognition that demonstrate a research-based progression. 

Grade 3 materials provide explicit phonics instruction in the whole group spelling opportunities, as well as, reinforced opportunities in the small group differentiated instruction. The instruction follows a scope and sequence of reviewing past skills, such as long and short vowel patterns and inflectional endings, and builds upon that base, introducing prefixes, suffixes and multi-syllabic word patterns. Weekly Spelling tests are given the fifth day of each weekly sequence to determine students’ proficiency in spelling words with these spelling patterns. Students also have the opportunity to decode these words within context during Shared Read and the reading of their Anthology text for the week. There are pre/post assessments for spelling weekly in addition to progress monitoring tools such as a phonics survey, spelling inventory and fluency assessment to assess knowledge and application of word recognition skills.

Materials contain explicit instruction of phonics and word recognition consistently over the course of the year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Students have opportunities to identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
• In Unit 5, Week 5, Day 2, during Phonics, the teacher explains that a prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word and that a suffix is a word part added to the end of a word. Both prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of the root word. The prefix un- means “not.” The prefix re- means “again.” The suffix -able means “capable of or able to.” The suffix -ful means “full of.” The suffix -ly means “in a certain way.”

Some words have more than one affix. The word unhappily has the prefix un- and the suffix -ly. The word unhappily means “in a way that is not happy.”  The teacher models by writing and saying the words rewrite, unzip, uncomfortable, and carefully. Students find the affix(es) in each word and using the affixes to determine the meanings of the words. 

• Students have opportunities to decode words with common Latin suffixes.
• In Unit 6, Week 5, Day 4, during Spelling, students participate in a blind sort using words that include the suffixes: -ful, -less, and -ly. Partners work together. One reads a spelling word card; the other tells under which key word it belongs. Students take turns until they both have sorted all their words. Then students explain how they sorted the words. During Reading/Writing Companion, on Day 1, students read the poem, “The Camping Trip,” which include words with -ly; such as, barely and crawly.
• Students have opportunities to decode multi-syllable words.
• In Unit 6, Week 2, Day 6, during Spelling, students work with multi-syllabic words that include -le. The teacher displays the spelling words and reads them aloud, drawing out and slowly enunciating the consonant -le syllables. The teacher models how to spell the word able and draws a line between the syllables: a/ble. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern. The teacher sorts a few words by the spelling of the final consonant sound. The teacher reviews the spellings of final syllables with the consonant -le or -el pattern. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards and read the words aloud with a partner and the partners do an open sort. Students record the sort in their writer’s notebook. The spelling words include: able, purple, riddle, handle, eagle, puzzle, castle, little, pickle, towel, nickel, camel, travel, tunnel, and squirrel.
• Students have opportunities to read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, students work with words that have variant vowels. The teacher displays the spelling words and reads them aloud, drawing out and slowly enunciating the /ô/ sounds in each word. The teacher models how to spell the word lawn. The teacher segments the word sound by sound and then attaches a spelling to each sound. The teacher points out that aw is one way to spell the /ô/ sound. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern under key words taught, lawn, and salt. The teacher sorts a few words and tells them that /ô/ can be spelled aw, au, a, and ou as in bought. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards available online and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with a partner. The partners do an open sort and record the sort in their writer’s notebook.

All tasks and questions are sequenced to application of grade-level work (e.g., application of prefixes at the end of the unit/year; decoding multi-syllable words). Examples include, but are not limited to:

• The core materials include Spelling component in each week for each of the 6 units:
• Unit 1: short vowels, final e, long a, long o
• Unit 2: long i, long e, words with silent letters, three-letter blends, digraphs
• Unit 3: r-controlled vowels, prefixes (pre-, dis-, mis-), diphthongs (oi, ou)
• Unit 4: /ü/ (oo, ew, u_e, ue, u, ui, ou), /u/ (oo, ou), variant vowel /ô/, homophones, soft c and g
• Unit 5: compound words, inflectional endings, closed syllables, inflectional endings y to i, open syllables
• Unit 6: prefixes, consonants + le syllables vowel team syllables, r-controlled vowel syllables and suffixes (-ful, -less, -ly)

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

• In Placement and Diagnostic Assessment, page xvii, the materials explain that beyond the initial placement of students into the appropriate Wonders level of materials, students need to be tested periodically to determine whether they are progressing on a grade-level or at a faster pace. The program suggests that teachers administer these progress monitoring or benchmark tests on a regular schedule throughout the year: fall, winter, and spring, or over a regular period of time, such as every four to six weeks. A chart is provided for general testing scheduling guide.
• In each unit, each week, the students complete a pretest and post-test of the week’s spelling words. For example, in Unit 2, Week 1, the students participate in a pretest for long i and long u words with Dictation Sentences.
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, during Whole Group Vocabulary, the teacher practices various target vocabulary words with students in sentences and context. In the Approaching Level group, students review high-frequency words with the teacher by the teacher displaying the word, students repeating, teacher and students spelling the word together, teacher modeling using the words in sentences, and students repeating after. Students then have opportunities to use the words verbally and in written form to make their own sentences, using sentence starters if necessary. In the On Level group, the teacher reviews the words with students. Teacher asks questions, using the high-frequency words in the question. Students respond verbally and explain their answers. In the Beyond Level group, the students review words and their meanings, using Social Studies sentences comprised of these words. Students write their own sentences using various words from the board. Students then work in pairs to discuss meanings and individually write Social Studies-related sentences using the words in context. 

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

• In Unit 5, Week 3, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher displays the spelling words and reads them aloud, drawing out the closed syllables in each word. The teacher points out the closed-syllable, VC/CV spelling pattern in the word napkin and draws a line between the syllables: nap/kin. The teacher says each syllable and points out that when a vowel is followed by two consonants, the syllables usually separate between the two consonants. The teacher demonstrates sorting the spelling words by pattern under keywords napkin and mammal. The teacher points out that some words with closed syllables will contain the same consonant twice in a row, such as mammal or rabbit. 
• In Unit 6, Week 5, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher dictates fifteen sentences using words with suffixes -ful and -ly. The teacher displays the spelling words, reads them aloud, drawing out the suffixes -ful, -less, and -ly, and reviewing their meanings. The teacher points out the spelling pattern in wisely. The teacher draws a line between the syllables: wise/ly. The teacher sorts the spelling words by suffixes. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards available online and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with a partner and then do an open sort. Students record the sort in their writer’s notebook.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials, lessons, and questions provide instruction in and practice of word analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities throughout the course of the year for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis skills in connected texts and tasks. Throughout each unit, there is a five-day sequence which begins with explicit instruction of the Spelling and Phonics pattern, as well as a pretest. Additional practice includes Practice Book pages for review. Materials include opportunities for teachers to assess students’ acquisition of word analysis skills, through the use of both formal and informal assessments such as weekly pre- and post-tests, Progress Monitoring, and Running Records. Teachers can make decisions about students based on these formal and informal assessments throughout the week. 

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

• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 8, during the Expand Vocabulary part of the lesson, the teacher reminds students that a prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a base word to change its meaning. The teacher displays the On Level Differentiated Genre Passage “Express Yourself.” The teacher reads the first paragraph and models figuring out the meaning of unusual. Pairs of students use the prefixes and base words to figure out the meanings of other unfamiliar words in the passage. Students complete Practice Book page 84.
• In Unit 3, Week 5, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher reminds students that /oi/ can be spelled oy as in annoy or oi as in foil, and /ou/ can be spelled ow as in how, or ou as in foul. The teacher displays the spelling words and reads them aloud, heavily enunciating the diphthong in each. The teacher models sorting a few spelling words by pattern under key words foil, enjoy, down, and round and points out that oy is another /oi/ spelling, and ow is another /ou/ spelling. Students cut apart the Spelling Word Cards available online and initial the back of each card. Students read the words aloud with a partner. Partners do an open sort and record the sort in their writer’s notebook.
• In Unit 4, Week 2, Day 8, during the Expand Vocabulary part of the lesson, the teacher reminds students that adding a prefix to the beginning of a base word changes the meaning. The teacher reminds them to use the meaning of the prefix and base word to determine the meaning of the whole word. The teacher displays On Level Differentiated Genre Practice “Painting From Memory” and reads the first paragraph and models figuring out the meaning of impossible. Students complete Practice Book page 48.

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

• Materials include both formal and informal assessments that the teacher can use to place students in differentiated groups based on their performance. 
• Progress Monitoring: tests reading comprehension, vocabulary strategies; grades 1-6; given at the end of each genre study instruction period.
• Unit Assessments: tests comprehension skills, vocabulary strategies, literary elements, text features, grammar, mechanics and usage, writing; grades K-6; given at the end of each unit of instruction.
• Benchmark Assessments: tests reading comprehension, vocabulary strategies, literary elements, text features, grammar, mechanics and usage, writing; grades K-6; given at the middle and the end of the school year.
• In Unit 3, Week 5, Day 1, during Spelling, the teacher uses the Dictation Sentences from Day 5 to give the pretest. The teacher says the underlined word, reads the sentence, and repeats the word. Students write the words. Differentiated spelling lists are provided for the Approaching Level, On Level, and Beyond Level. On Day 5, students are informally assessed in Spelling and for Oral Reading Fluency. Assigned practice pages are used to collect data and the following instructional suggestions are given. The teacher should use the Phonics/Word Study PDF and the Foundational Skills Kit for additional reteaching lessons. A spelling post-test is also given on Day 5. The teacher uses the Dictation Sentences for the post-test. Students list misspelled words in their writer’s notebook. The teacher looks for students’ use of these words in their writings. Practice Book page 178 is used for review.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and achieve reading fluency in oral and silent reading, that is, to read on-level prose and poetry with accuracy, rate appropriate to the text, and expression.

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

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

• Students have opportunities to read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during Shared Read, students read Room to Grow. Before they begin, students think about the Essential Question and what they know about different cultures, and then set a purpose for reading. The teacher explains that setting a purpose for reading helps students stay focused and gain information from the text. As students read, they use the left column of page 2 to note their questions, list interesting words they would like to learn, and identify key details from the text.
• In Unit 3, Week 4, Day 7, during Literature Anthology, students read and reread Get a Backbone. As the read, they are encouraged to take notes and think about the Essential Question: "What makes different animals unique?" Students are told to think about how this text compares with Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach. Students discuss how these texts are similar and different.
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 1, during Shared Reading, the teacher has students think about the Essential Question, concerning what they know about pets, and then make a prediction about the story. The teacher explains that as students read, they should use the left column of page 104 to note their questions, list interesting words they would like to learn, and identify key details from the text.

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

• Students have opportunities to read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. 
• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, during Shared Read students read Room to Grow. The teacher circulates and provides corrective feedback as partners take turns reading. The teacher listens for accuracy, expression, and how the author makes it interesting to read.
• In Unit 4, Week 5, Day 5, during Fluency, the teacher explains to students that reading with expression means to emphasize certain words to show emotion and that reading poetry with expression makes poems more interesting and shows how the poem makes the reader feel. Sound devices, such as repetition and rhyme, can be clearly heard when the lines are read aloud. The teacher discusses how punctuation marks affect how we read with expression. The teacher models through read aloud the excerpt from the poem on Reading/Writing Companion page 179 with expression. The teacher reads each line carefully, paying attention to voice and models using expression to show the courage the captain feels as he takes charge to save his ship. Groups of students chorally read the same passage, mimicking the teacher’s use of expression. Partners read Captain’s Log on Reading/Writing Companion pages 162 and 163 and the teacher explains that he/she will help them improve their reading by pointing out where they can use expression more effectively. The teacher circulates and offers feedback and students evaluate their own reading and take notes.
• In Unit 5, Week 5, Day 5, during Fluency, the teacher explains to students that reading with accuracy and proper rate is very important in reading argumentative texts, and that facts need to be read accurately and clearly. The teacher discusses how to look up the pronunciation of words so that students pronounce all words accurately. The teacher explains that the points and counterpoints in an argumentative text need to be read at a steady rate so that listeners can hear each reason for and against the topic and decide for themselves with which side they agree. The teacher models through reading aloud the excerpt on Reading/Writing Companion page 77 with accuracy and proper rate and reads each sentence carefully, pronouncing proper names correctly. The teacher models emphasizing signal words and using punctuation to make each point clear. Groups chorally read the same passage, mimicking the teacher’s accurate reading at an appropriate rate. The teacher listens for the same qualities in their reading. Partners read page 419 in their Literature Anthology with accuracy and appropriate rate. The teacher circulates and offers feedback. Students evaluate their own reading.
• In Unit 6, Week 5, Day 5, during Whole Group Fluency, the teacher tells students that reading with proper phrasing and good expression is very important when reading poetry. Sound devices such as repetition and rhyme can be clearly heard when the lines are read aloud. The teacher discusses how to use punctuation to guide phrasing. The teacher models and reads aloud the excerpt from the poem on Reading/Writing Companion page 175 with proper phrasing. The teacher has groups choral read the same passage, mimicking careful phrasing and use of expression. The teacher reminds students that they will be listening for the same qualities in their reading. Then, partners read Bubble Gum on Reading/Writing Companion pages 158 and 159. 

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

• Students have opportunities to use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 6, for the literature anthology called Vote!, the teacher cues students to reread to support understanding of what was read. Context clues prompts and instruction are provided with vocabulary lessons to assist students in determining word meaning.  
• In Unit 6, Week 1, Day 1, during Introduce the Genre, the teacher reads the text aloud to students and previews the comprehension strategy, Reread, by using the Think-Alouds on page T23. The teacher displays Think Aloud Master 4 and says, "When I read, I had to reread to reinforce how to use the Reread strategy to understand content."

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

• Both formal and informal assessments are provided that the teacher can use to place students in differentiated groups based on their performance. 
• Placement and Diagnostic Assessments: tests oral reading fluency, Grades 1-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.
• Fluency Assessments: tests oral reading fluency, Grades K-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year or more frequently if below the 50th percentile.
• Running Records: tests oral reading fluency; Grades K-6; given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year or more frequently if skill is weak.
• In the Placement and Diagnostic Assessment book, the year long assessment chart, shows the following assessments for Fluency for grade 3: Oral Reading Fluency to be administered the beginning, middle, and end of the Year, Running Records to be administered every three to four weeks, and the Informal Reading Inventory to be administered the beginning, middle, and end of the Year.