3rd Grade - Gateway 3

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. 

Materials are designed to immerse students in all areas of the standards and provide explicit lesson structure with embedded teacher direction, as well as recommendations for supporting all learners. Each unit contains three genre studies and a Unit Overview, which supports teachers as they plan for instruction. Each unit instructs the teacher throughout each lesson on its implementation before, during, and after the readings and activities, while providing recommendations for scaffolded support throughout. At the beginning of each unit, there is a Unit Introduction followed by a weekly overview that maps out the daily content being covered. Pacing for each lesson is appropriately allocated. Each individual lesson follows the same structure. For example, for each Genre Study, the lesson cycle begins with key features, a Reading workshop that includes an essential question, academic vocabulary, a comprehension section that states strategies and skills, and a phonics and fluency section. There is also a red check mark notation that lets the teacher know that a particular skill will be tested. 

The Instructional Routines Handbook states, “In Wonders, the routines follow the same sequence of steps every time and slowly transfer the responsibility of the task to the students.” Routines effectively organize instruction, help set clear expectations for students, help teachers scaffold instruction, minimize instructional time and teacher talk, and maximize student participation. Many of the instructional routines are included in the online Model Lessons Video Library.

For each new text, students engage with an interactive read-aloud, then a shared read, and then independently with an anchor text. Lessons, questions, and prompts are sequenced so that the students interact with the text in increasingly more sophisticated ways, moving from a more literal first reading to grasp the meaning of the text, followed by a reread with questions about craft and structure, and finally synthesis and evaluation of ideas and information when reading the Anchor Text with a Paired Text. The questions and prompts are tied to the standards. Students write and collaborate using their Reading Writing Companion while reading texts. Discussion routines and writing routines are regularly employed throughout each lesson. For example:

• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, Essential Question: “What do we know about Earth and its neighbors?”
• Interactive Read Aloud: Our Home in the Solar System
• Observe the teacher Think Aloud how to summarize. (T23)
• Shared Read: Earth and Its Neighbors
• Students answer questions about key ideas and details about discoveries in the solar system. After rereading, on T45D students summarize the selection in their own words. 
• Anchor Text: Earth
• Students use the information from their Main Idea and Details chart to summarize the text. (T45P) After students summarize the selection, they reread the text and write to the prompt, “How does Jeffrey Zuehlke use text features to help you learn about Earth?” (T46)
• Paired Text: Why the Sun is Red
• Reading Writing Companion page 24 asks the question, “How is Alexandre Santerne’s purpose for creating the photograph similar to why the author wrote Earth and Why the Sun is Red?”
• Units and lessons include structures and resources for both whole group and small group differentiated literacy instruction. The lessons and supports for small groups link to the whole group lessons. Leveled Readers and Differentiated Genre Passages are provided at four levels (Approaching, On Level, Beyond, English Language Learners) and students practice applying the skills they used with the Shared and Anchor Text. For example:
• In Unit 3: Approaching Level Text: Seeing Red (Lexile 510), Read: Main Idea and Key Details: "Read the section “Red Rovers.” What is the main idea? (T74) Reread: How do the photograph and caption on page A2 help you understand Seeing Red? Work with a partner to cite text evidence and respond to this question: 'How do the authors use text features to help you understand more about Earth and its neighbors?'" (T75)
• Compare Texts: “Draw a Venn diagram. Help students summarize ways that Earth is similar to and different from Mars using text evidence from Seeing Red and other texts they have read.” (T75)

The pacing of individual lessons is appropriate. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the “Plan” tab under weekly planner, there are time limits suggested that help the teacher plan for that specific section. There are buttons on the right side that give the standards for the day and the objectives, when the teacher clicks on them. There are also time designations next to the headings of the sections of the lesson in the Teacher Edition.
• For example, In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 2, the following time guidelines are provided for whole group instruction:
• Comprehension Strategy: 10 minutes
• Introduction of Concept: 10 minutes
• Text Features: 10 minutes
• Comprehension Strategy: 10 minutes
• Respond to Reading: 10 minutes

Time guidelines are not available for the Spelling and Grammar components.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

The materials include six units. Each unit includes three genre studies. Each unit is designed to take six weeks to complete with approximately 180 instructional days. The sixth week of each unit provides time for review, extension, and assessment opportunities.  Examples of the pacing for Unit 1, which is indicative of the other units, include:

• Genre Study 1: Narrative Nonfiction: Weeks 1 & 2
• Genre Study 2: Realistic Fiction: Weeks 3 & 4
• Genre Study 3: Argumentative Text: Week 5
• Week 6: Opportunities for students to review, to extend the learning, and to assess the skills taught in Unit 1.
• In the Teacher Edition, there is a “core” option in the lesson plans that helps teachers and students focus on the standards that have to be covered by the end of the year, and this pathway ensures that the standards will be covered. The “optional” pathway includes other standards that can be covered if time allows. There is a video that teachers can view that explains the Core Pathway option. The teacher types “core pathway” into the search bar and clicks on the “Using the Core Pathway” video.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.)

Grade 3 materials provide students with opportunities to review and practice in and with the Reading Writing Companion, note takers, leveled readers, anchor text, paired text, graphic organizers, model texts, writing rubrics, check-lists, student practice worksheets, and additional student reads and library suggested titles, book titles, reading responses, and student learning goals and rubrics.

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

• In Unit 5, Week 5, the skill is the relationship of cause and effect. Students practice and review cause and effect throughout the week while reading the shared read, the anchor text, and the companion text. While reading the shared read, Here Comes Solar Power, on page 58 in the Reading Writing Companion,  students complete three tasks and questions practicing cause and effect. Questions include, “What happens when you eat healthy foods? What signal words help you know this?” Additionally students practice cause and effect by completing a graphic organizer of the shared read on page 67 of the Reading Writing Companion. Students practice cause and effect again while reading the anchor text in on pages 414-417 of the Literature Anthology. On Day 3, the Teacher Edition directs the teacher to create a cause and effect chart with students for It’s all in the Wind by Time for Kids. When students read the companion text to It’s All in the Wind in the Literature Anthology, the teacher asks the students the following cause and effect question, “How has the new solar power system changed Tsumkwe?” The Teacher Resource Book provides: 
• Decodable passages (16-20 titles per unit)
• Spelling word cards
• Student Reader Responses
• Book Talk
• Speaking and Listening Checklist
• The Practice Book includes materials for students to practice weekly skills (organized by unit) in grammar, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, handwriting. 
• Shared Read Writing Frames ELL: Each Unit includes a shared read writing frame organized by genre. For example: 
• Unit 1 Genre Study 1 
• Genre Study 1: Room to Grow Narrative nonfiction 
• Genre Study 2: The Dream Catcher Realistic Fiction
• Genre Study 3: Preserve and Protect argumentative text

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

• In Unit 1, Week 1, Day 1, the spelling pretest directions on the student Practice Book page 6 are clear: “Fold back the paper on the dotted lines. Use the blanks to write each word that is read aloud. When you finish the test, unfold the paper. Use the list at the right to correct any spelling mistakes.”
• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, Narrative Nonfiction, the following segments demonstrate clear directions:
• Essential Question: "How do people from different cultures contribute to the community?" Students are directed to look at a photo and determine/share questions that they may have from that picture.
• Shared read: Room to Grow, students are provided sections to take notes, ask questions, note interesting details, find text evidence, and examine maps and headings. Specific questions have students circling key words and evidence from the text.
• Vocabulary: Story vocabulary is listed. Students are prompted to use the sentences provided to talk about each word.
• Writing: Respond to Text: Room to Grow, students are provided a sequenced graphic organizer to respond to text.
• Anchor Text: Analyze Gary the Dreamer, “Ask questions as you read. Look for details. Reread page 7. With a partner, discuss how you know it is an autobiography. How does Gary use the word dream to show he has changed?"
• Writing: Research and Inquiry: "Choose a place in your community, like a park or school. Restate these steps aloud for your partner and follow them to make a map. 
• Draw your map. Mark some interesting features, like a pond, picnic table, or grass.
• Make a map legend with at least two symbols. 
• Draw a compass rose. 
• Share your map."
• The materials provide rubrics that link to the skills taught during the Genre Study and encourage students to work with peers throughout the process. Students use these rubrics to self-assess their writing. Suggestions for differentiating the writing instruction are located at the beginning of each instructional sequence. There are a variety of digital tools to support instruction, including graphic organizers, student models including draft, revised, and edited versions, checklists for editing and peer conferencing, and videos for skills such as taking notes and evaluating sources.
• Vocabulary: Vocabulary words appear in texts throughout the Genre Study, giving students multiple exposures to the words in context. Each lesson focuses on a key vocabulary strategy that students study throughout the year. These include context clues, prefixes, suffixes, and root words, use of print or digital resources, idioms, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and homographs.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The Teacher Edition is accessible in an interactive format online and in PDF files and  provides ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition and ancillary materials. The digital Teacher Edition is organized by units, weeks, and days. The Teacher Edition PDF files are grouped by genre studies. Online files needed for presentation, as well as student materials and ancillary materials, are easily accessible in the interactive online Teacher Edition. The Teacher Edition provides direct quotes for the teacher to use in think-alouds and student explanations. Suggestions for implementation and correct answers for student questions and tasks are also found there.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, Teacher Edition, Read-Aloud, there are notations for using digital tools.
• In Unit 1, Teacher Edition, Mini-lesson Routine, each mini-lesson in Wonders follows this routine:
• "Explain: Define the skill and its purpose for students.
• Model: Reread the text and model how to apply the skill or strategy to the text.
• Guided Practice/Practice: Ask a question and work with students to answer it. Then have them do the Your Turn activity on their own or with a partner."
• In Unit 4, Week 3, Day 3, online interactive Teacher Edition, provides a link to project the student text, Amazing WIldlife of the Mojave and a Venn diagram needed for the presentation of the lesson. Four additional items needed for the lesson are labeled as classroom materials and include a Newcomers Teacher Guide and Newcomer Online Visuals for Unit 4. Suggested text to introduce the lesson is provided in the Teacher Edition: “Tell students they will be reading about how animals and plants in the Mojave desert adapt to live in such extreme conditions. Ask students to predict how the selection will help them answer the Essential Question.” A teacher think-aloud is provided as well during the lesson. For example, the teacher might say, “ To learn how desert animals get water, I look at the photos and reread. Some animals travel a long way to get water, while others get water from their food.”
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Vocabulary Routine, there are annotations and explanations that mirror the guidance provided throughout lessons in the Teacher Edition that offer the following suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition: 
• "Define the word in simple, student-friendly language.
• Provide an example of the word in a meaningful sentence, relevant to students’ lives.
• Ask a question that requires students to apply the word. They can give an example or explanation, or identify a synonym or antonym."
• In the Resource Library under Planner Lessons, there are digital whiteboard presentation lessons that can be used during instruction. 
• In the Resource Library under Classroom Materials, there are digital leveled readers that the students can access online. 
• In the Resource Library, there are digital interactive games and activities for students to access for grammar, phonics, fluency, spelling, and vocabulary.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a Teacher Edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The materials provide clear explanations and examples for the teacher to support his/her content knowledge and pedagogy. Additionally, assessment concepts are defined in adult terms in the Assessment Handbook, and the Smart Start section of the Unit Overviews provide information to deepen the teacher’s understanding of literacy concepts. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 3, the literacy concept that is taught in whole group, according to the Teacher Edition, is Character, Setting, Plot, and Sequence. An explanation of the concept is provided in the Teacher Edition: “Explain that the plot is the events that make up a story, and sequence is the order in which a story’s events happen. The setting is where a story takes place, and characters are the people in a story. Understanding the sequence helps the reader to identify and remember key events. The sequence tells what happens at the beginning, middle, and end of a story. A character’s actions, words, and feelings affect the events that come next in a story."
• The Assessment Handbook states “Informal reading inventory (IRI) - A method of assessing students’ independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels in which a student reads graded text and answers comprehension questions. Both oral and silent reading can be assessed.”
• The Smart Start Section provided in the Teacher Edition further explains literacy concepts in adult language. For example, page S6 of the Smart Start Section states the following about genre to deepen teacher’s understanding, “Focusing on genre teaches students to use the appropriate strategies to unlock a text. Treat informational text as arguments and analyze the nature of the author’s assertions, logical reasoning, and/or evidence. For narrative text, evaluate the structural elements and analyze the author’s use of words and phrases.”
• Teach It Your Way offers an explanation for teachers of how to approach instruction. “Talk About It is the students' first introduction to the concept, the Essential Question, and some of the academic language of the Genre Study. You may choose to play the video first and then show the visuals during your class discussion. You might also consider ‘flipping’ the lesson by having students watch the video at home, giving you more time for classroom discussion about the concept and the Essential Question.”
• Under the Professional Development tab in Resources, there is a Basics,  Digital Quick Start, and Smart Start online component for teachers that explains the following aspects of the program:
• Wonders Basics
• Start here for an overview of Wonders. 
• Curriculum Design­
• Structure and Resources­
• Classroom Set-Up
• Teacher Materials­
• Get to Know Your Students

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain an explanation of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

A detailed User Guide that discusses the research behind a balanced literacy approach, guided reading instruction, vocabulary and foundational skills, social-emotional learning and writing is included in the materials. The User Guide includes research and descriptions of the instructional/educational approaches implemented in the program. The Instructional Routines Handbook explains more about the research behind the program and models evidence-based routines for collaborative conversations, word work, reading, writing and grammar, and research and inquiry. This handbook also explains the educational approaches and routines for English Language Learners. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Professional Development section of the online materials, Research-Based Alignment resource, there is a chart demonstrating the alignment of the Wonders 2020 program to research-based comprehension practices. This alignment resource provides a thorough explanation and annotation of the research supporting the following literacy components: text comprehension, speaking and listening, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, vocabulary and language, conventions of English, writing, and social-emotional learning. 
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, routines and instructional approaches that align with research-based literacy practices are described. For example, an explanation and instructional approach to teaching fluency is provided on pages 129 and 130. “In Wonders, echo reading, choral reading, cloze reading, and structured partner reading are effective practice techniques.” The fluency routine found on page 130 includes the steps, Explain, Model, Guided Practice, and Practice. Each step of the routine is thoroughly explained. For example, the Model step is explained as “Model fluency by reading aloud using appropriate accuracy, rate, and expression. First, select a passage from a text. Then select an aspect of fluency to model, such as intonation. When we read aloud with natural expression, we show which words go together by pausing, raising and lowering our voices, and emphasizing certain words and sounds. Today, I am going to read a passage from your Student Book. Listen to me read. Notice how fast or slow I am speaking, note any time I stop, make facial expressions, or raise or lower my voice. For example, if I read a question, I will raise my voice at the end. Read the passage. Point out the places where you read with expression. Note the phrases or sentences in which you raised or lowered your voice to emphasize or de-emphasize certain words or sounds. Also point out where you paused to show which words go together.”
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Use of Anchor Charts, the materials state, “Another way you can make learning visible for your students is by creating anchor charts. According to Wonders author Kathy Bumgardner, when anchor charts are created with students, they are a valuable classroom resource to refer to as students encounter other texts and learning scenarios. "Anchor charts are classroom resources created by you and your students. They provide visible cues to scaffold instruction and make instructions clear. The information on anchor charts supports lessons that you teach and then remind students of what they learned." In Wonders, students in Grades K–6 help create and add to anchor charts that focus on the Essential Question, genre features, comprehension skills and strategies, vocabulary strategies, and writing.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

The materials provide ongoing opportunities for assessing student knowledge and skills. The Reading Writing Companion is used for students to record quick-writes, summaries, answers to questions, and opportunities to collaborate about the standards/skills being taught. The teacher can use this to assess student progress. Wonders also offers a formal assessment at the end of the two-week Genre Study to assess student knowledge.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, Week 1, Reading Writing Companion, students are to “reread One Giant Leap on pages 5-6 and find key details that tell you about the astronauts. List them in the graphic organizer. Use details to figure out the main idea.” The teacher can monitor student progress and provide support for students who need additional guidance.
• In Unit 3, Week 6, Unit Assessment Book, after reading the passage, How Soil is Formed, students answer multiple-choice questions, such as: “Part A: Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage? Part B: Which sentence from the passage best supports your answer in part A?” This connects back to the formative assessment. 
• Quick Checks throughout the materials offer opportunities for the teacher to observe students as they independently practice a strategy or skill taught in whole group instruction. The materials remind the teacher to watch for students who are having difficulty with a skill they have just learned to determine if there is a need for additional small group instruction. For example, Skill: Ask and Answer Questions directs the students to, “Look at page 105. Ask questions about what is happening in the Shared Read, The Impossible Pet Show. Then reread to find the answer.” The teacher can monitor students as they reread to locate information.
• In Anchor Text, Weekly Assessments, five multiple-choice comprehension questions that are directly tied to the weekly standards taught and eight questions supporting the grammar skill/standard reviewed for that week are included.
• The materials indicate that not all assignments need to be formally graded, but “should be treated as a potential source of information about what students know, what they still need to learn, and what their misconceptions or difficulties are. Review assignments, noting both strengths and weaknesses, and present the student with oral or written feedback. Ask students to go over their own assignments in groups, where peers can point out their strengths and weaknesses to each other. Ask students to go over their own work and reflect upon it. This, too, is a skill that needs to be modeled and taught.” 
• In Classroom Observations, the materials encourage systematic observations including noting topics of interest for reading, how students work cooperatively, the types of texts that interest them, and other observable reading behaviors. This allows the teacher to help match the students with texts that provide appropriate challenge and engagement. 
• Students use rubrics to self-assess their writing. Teachers can also find suggestions for differentiating the writing instruction at the beginning of each instructional sequence. Included is a variety of digital tools to support instruction, including graphic organizers, student models, draft, revised, and edited, checklists for editing and peer conferencing, and videos for skills, such as taking notes and evaluating sources.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.

The materials provide a number of assessments to provide information on student performance. Rubrics and checklists offer teachers insight into further student instruction. The Teacher Edition offers follow-up suggestions on key skills for small group time. The Assessment Handbook offers teachers guidance on drawing conclusions based on what they are seeing in the data to interpret student patterns.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 2, Genre Study 3, Week 5, Check for Success, the teacher is asked, “Do students summarize the main idea and details of expository text to clarify what they have read and determine what is important?” Teachers should use the yes/no response to respond accordingly in small group instruction: “If no, Approaching Small Group - Reteach p. T262, ELL Group - Develop p. T292. If yes, On Level - Review p. T272, Beyond Level - Extend p. T278.”
• Formative assessments, such as Oral Reading Fluency assessments, provide ongoing information about students’ mastery of skills to help the teacher make instructional and small group placement decisions. A screening test will tell the teacher, for example, that a student has a weakness in comprehension. A diagnostic test shows that the student understands what the words mean but has trouble identifying the sequence of events in a story. From this information, the teacher knows that the student needs additional instruction in the comprehension strategy “identify sequence of events.” Teachers should use the information to help form small, flexible groups and to inform instruction.
• Benchmark Assessments assess skills at mid-year and end-of year junctures and provide a snapshot of student progress toward goals and can act as a signal of readiness for the demands of high-stakes testing.
• Placement and Diagnostic Assessments serve as the initial screening instrument and contain assessments that can be assigned throughout the year to monitor student progress and pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses.
• Student Practice with Data Reporting is an on-line student assessment that includes five comprehension questions and five vocabulary questions per unit.
• Running Records allow teachers to compile information and analyze the results. It also allows teachers to note the strategies used when students encounter unknown words and make an error. For example, a student who has an error rate of 1:15 reads with a 93% reading accuracy percentage. 
• The Assessment Handbook (pages 45-50) provides support for instructional decisions based on assessment. For example on page 45, instructions include:
• "Interpret: Look at the data you have collected from various types of assignments or over time. Draw conclusions based on what you are seeing in the data to interpret the patterns you may notice. 
• Decide: What can you do to meet the student’s learning needs?
• Check: As you collect ongoing information about student progress, continue to check this information against your interpretation.
• Modify: Change your instructional decisions if they are not achieving the intended results."
• Quality rubrics and scoring guides are provided throughout the curriculum. Some include:
• Reading Portfolio Reflections
• Reading Portfolio Rubric
• Reading Observations Checklist
• Reading Self-Assessment Checklist
• At the end of each unit, there is a Track Your Progress rubric. On this page in the Reading Writing Companion, students have the chance to think about what they have learned and score how well they think they have met the learning objectives. Students also have a chance to reflect in writing about something they want to improve and why. For example, on page 202, the directions state, “Use the rubric to evaluate yourself on the skills you learned in this unit. Write your scores in the boxes below. Students will evaluate themselves on the author's point of view, prefixes, theme, similes, point of view and homographs.” Students are to complete the following: “Something that I need to work more on is _____________because _______….”

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

Throughout the Teacher Edition, the Access Complex Text and Stop and Check sections offer opportunities to monitor student progress. In addition, Screening and Diagnostic assessments, as well as comprehension assessments, offer guidance to inform instructional decisions.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Teacher Edition, Access Complex Text, Connection of Ideas, teachers are to instruct students to make inferences about Margaret’s teacher and how Clementine feels about her. “Clementine says ‘Margaret’s teacher’ instead of using the teacher’s actual name. What impression does that give you of the way Clementine feels about Margaret’s teacher? Why do you think Clementine says ‘Margaret’s teacher yelled’ when she didn’t actually yell?” On page T43R, there is a Stop and Check section offering teachers a way to monitor if students understand. For example, Visualize: “Use descriptions to visualize Clementine’s actions at the end of the story. How does she feel?” 
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Access Complex Text, Specific Vocabulary, teachers help students understand figurative language. “Point out 'my heart sank' on page 105. Explain that in this phrase, the word heart is used as a metaphor for feelings. Ask: Did Daniel’s heart really sink? (no) What does this phrase mean? (He became sad and upset.) Discuss the expression 'my stomach was doing flip flops' on page 106. Ask: What does this expression mean? (He was nervous.) Build understanding by using similar phrases, such as 'butterflies in my stomach'.” Stop and Check headings are found throughout weekly units. For example, Unit 4 Week 1, Day 3, Stop and Check, Ask and Answer Questions, the page asks, “ Why does Clementine whisper in the teacher’s ear? Reread page 280 to find the answer.”
• A screening test will tell the teacher, for example, that a student has a weakness in comprehension. A diagnostic test shows that the student understands what the words mean but has trouble identifying the sequence of events in a story. From this information, the teacher knows that the student needs additional instruction in the comprehension strategy “identify sequence of events.” Teachers should use the information to help form small, flexible groups and to inform instruction.
• The Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) is an individually-administered diagnostic tool that assesses a student’s reading comprehension and reading accuracy. The IRI measures three reading levels: independent, instructional and frustrational. The independent reading level is the level at which a student reads without help from the teacher. At each grade level, there are two fiction and two non-fiction reading passages. These passages alternate between oral reading and silent reading as the IRI tests for both oral and silent reading comprehension. To assess the student’s comprehension, there are three literal (L) questions, one vocabulary (V) question, and one interpretive (I) question per passage.
• The Comprehension Tests assess overall reading comprehension and grade-level reading proficiency. Students read a series of passages that get progressively harder and answer accompanying comprehension questions. There is one set of passages and questions for each grade level. If students achieve a score of 80%–90%, then they should receive instruction on that grade level. If students receive a score below 80%, then the teacher should administer additional assessments to determine specific skill needs.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The materials include many strategies for teachers to use. Examples of strategies include Teacher think-alouds, modeling, questioning techniques, sentence stems, differentiated leveled passages, and readers organized under the small group instructional routines in the Teacher Edition, including Approaching, On-level, Beyond, and ELL. A shared read and anchor text provide access to the grade-level text through additional supports including read-alouds, graphic organizers, student collaboration, Access Complex Text strategies, and “spot-light” on language for ELL supports. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Teacher Edition, the Data Dashboard is used to filter class, group, and/or individual student data to guide group placement decisions. It provides recommendations to enhance learning for gifted and talented students and provides extra support for students needing remediation. 
• In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Small Group, ELL Scaffolded Shared Read, Room to Grow, Ask and Answer Questions include, "Why do Mama and Papa grow an indoor garden?" The teacher models the Think-Aloud, "I ask questions to help me focus my reading. As I read, I look for the answer to my question. The second paragraph tells me that their new home does not have a yard or even a tiny piece of land. It would be hard to have an outdoor garden if you have no yard and no land. This text evidence answers my question." Have students ask another question about the indoor garden. Skill: Sequence, Paragraph 3: "What happens after Kiku meets Jill?" The teacher models the Think- Aloud,  "I’ll look for signal words to help me answer this question. I know the answer is after they meet. I see the phrase ‘the next day.’ The text after this phrase helps me know that the girls became best friends the day after they met." Have students reread the page and use sequence words to summarize what has happened so far in the text.
• In Unit 4, Week 1, Day 3, students receive the following support while reading The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. The teacher tells students they will be reading about how Clementine found her special talent while helping with a school talent show. The teacher asks students to predict how the selection will help them answer the Essential Question. For example:
• The Access Complex Text section directs the teacher to “Point out that this story is an excerpt, or part, of a larger book of realistic fiction. Explain that page 278 is an introduction to the excerpt, which means that it explains events and ideas discussed before the excerpt begins. The introduction is provided to give readers enough background to understand the excerpt. Remind students that characters in realistic fiction often have a problem to overcome. According to the introduction on page 278, what is Clementine’s problem?”
• The Spotlight on Language, page 280, Paragraph 1, includes the following language support: “Explain that an auditorium is a very large room with many seats. An auditorium usually has a stage, or a raised area. This is where people perform or speak to an audience. Ask students to discuss if they have ever sung, danced, or acted on a stage. What are the students doing in the auditorium? Remind students to ask questions about details they are unsure of and then reread the text to find the answers. For example, how does Mrs. Rice convince Clementine to be her assistant during the talent show?”
• During the Student Think-Aloud, Mrs. Rice tells Clementine that she may not always pay attention in class, but she notices “more about what’s going on than anyone” Mrs. Rice knows. She then asks Clementine questions about Caleb’s act to show how she knows every detail about each act. Principal Rice says, “I rest my case” and points a “no buts” finger at the empty director’s chair for Clementine.
• The Teacher Edition provides differentiated instruction small group lessons on vocabulary and comprehension at four different levels: Approaching, On Level, Beyond Level, and English Language Learners. Phonics/Decoding and fluency lessons are also provided for the Approaching Level. Each Genre Study is also accompanied by topic-related Leveled Readers and Genre Passages for small group instruction at the four levels, as well as instructional support for each in the Teacher Edition. For example: 
•  Beyond Level Reader, Stepping Forward by Katherine Philipson, 
• Model: The teacher reminds students that fiction is often told from the point of view of the narrator, which is the narrator‘s thoughts and feelings about the story‘s events and other characters. Students can look for details that show what the narrator feels or thinks to identify the narrator‘s point of view. They can also decide if they share this point of view. Students read the first paragraph of the Beyond Level, Painting from Memory, in the online Differentiated Genre Passages B1. The teacher asks open-ended questions to facilitate discussion, such as, "What is the narrator‘s point of view in this paragraph? Which story details show this point of view?" Students provide text evidence to support their answers.
• Apply: "Have students identify other details that show the narrator‘s point of view as they read the rest of the story. Then have them identify the narrator‘s point of view for the entire story. Have students independently fill in a copy of online Point of View Graphic Organizer 146. Have them tell whether or not they agree with the narrator‘s point of view and explain."

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to access grade-level texts with support in activating prior knowledge through photographs and videos that help supply or initiate recall of background knowledge and collaborative graphic organizers for recording ideas. Organizers allow teachers and students to highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships (e.g., use outlines to emphasize important ideas or draw students’ attention to critical features). Materials also guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation (e.g., provide explicit prompts for each step in a sequential process). Instruction is provided for cross-curricular connections students make as they answer the Essential Question through the Connect to Content features. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Newcomers Guide, there are leveled reader resources that the teacher can use as a resource for ELL students.
• In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Genre Study 1, Teacher Edition, ELL Scaffolded Shared Read, Room to Grow, in the small group section of the lesson plan, there are lessons for students at the Tier 2 level, and this is noted in the plan. For example:
• "Beginning: Point to the boys at the dance festival. Some cultures have special songs and dances. The community is learning about Native Americans. The boys are dancing. This is a way to share culture. Help students ask and answer questions about the photo and then add words and phrases about culture to the concept web.
• Intermediate: Check understanding of culture and community. Ask: 'What are the boys doing to share culture? (dancing) What else do the boys share about Native American culture? The boys wear special clothes for dancing.' Have students point out the other people in the picture. People in the community can learn about other cultures.
• Advanced/Advanced High: Have partners discuss how cultures contribute to a community. Have them add their ideas to the concept web. Then ask students to discuss other ways people can share their culture (parades, foods, holidays)."
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 3, Spiders by Nic Bishop, the Teacher Edition provides scaffold and support materials including think- alouds, Access to Complex Test strategies, and “spot-light” on Language for ELL. For example, the teacher is asked to “point out how the author organized the introductory paragraph by comparing and contrasting general information about spiders. How does the author’s use of comparisons help you visualize different kinds of spiders?" Teacher Think Aloud: "I know that one way to make sure I understand what I am reading is to periodically go back and summarize what I’ve just read. I can look back to pages 91 and 92 and summarize that all spiders have two main parts that contain the structures a spider needs to live. Also, the green lynx spider is a stealth hunter of insects. As I continue to read, I will occasionally stop and summarize to make sure I understand what I read." Spotlight on Language Page 92, Paragraph 1, the teacher points out the anatomy terms, such as abdomen. The teacher reads the paragraph with students and students look for basic words such as heart, head, and legs, and location words, such as back and front to find the parts on the photograph. The teacher says, "The back part is called the abdomen. What makes up the abdomen?" Students point to and respond using the terms. 
• In Unit 2, Week 2, Day 3, Spiders by Nic Bishop, Vocabulary, teachers use the routine on the Visual Vocabulary Cards to pre-teach ELL Vocabulary: habitat, pressure, and survive. Explicit vocabulary routines are provided within the Teacher Edition that support students so that they see the word, hear the word, say the word, spell it, and use it in a sentence stem. The I Do, We Do, and You Do scaffolds provide the extra support needed. For example:
• We Do: "Ask students to say the word and spell it with you. Model using the word in a sentence, and have students repeat after you."
• You Do: "Display the word. Ask students to say the word and then spell it. When completed, quickly flip through the word card set as students read aloud the words. Provide opportunities for students to use the words in speaking and writing. For example, provide sentence starters, such as Dad told us a funny ____. Ask students to write each word in their writer’s notebook."

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to interact with text in extension activities including leveled small groups (advanced), Talented and Gifted recommended lessons, author studies, book talks/chats, research/writing, and independent book titles for student choice reads. 

Examples and teacher directions include, but are not limited to: 

• In Unit 1, Weeks 1 and 2, Genre Study 1, Joseph Bruchac, Independent Study, Gifted and Talented, Vocabulary, Review Domain-Specific Words, T92 Compound Words, Tell a Story, Beyond Level, the teacher is asked to have partners discuss answers to the Read prompts. They analyze how the map supports the prompts.
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Author Study, teachers have students form an independent study group and choose an author to study. “Have students choose two pieces of work by the author and read the selections independently. Students should have collaborative conversations about their reading each week in which they can choose a character and compare their traits; compare and contrast themes; compare the author’s purpose; compare text structures; compare poetic devices or the use of figurative language and the effect it has on the mood of a text. Remind students to use text evidence to support their ideas.”
• In the Instructional Routines Handbook, Support for Advanced Learners, students engage in a variety of independent reading study pages/routines. “Ask students to create a two-three minute movie trailer for their books that provides enough plot details to captivate the viewer without spoiling the end. Students can use video editing software applications to create their trailers." In Book Club Chat, the students choose an exciting, interesting, or descriptive passage to read aloud to the group. The passage should reveal something interesting about a situation in the text and/or provide some insight into a main character. In Concept Study: Students do a research report on a topic related to their independent reading. Students may choose to study one of the following topics: a specific time-period from a text, a specific concept or idea from a text, a specific person in history, and the pros and cons of a controversial subject.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Throughout the materials, there is evidence of support and notations of which grouping strategies should be used and when to implement them in the lesson planning. Lessons indicate where pairs, collaborative conferences, small group, or individual groupings are utilized for instruction. Teachers are also provided suggestions for how to group students using the Instructional Routines Handbook, Data Dashboard, Assessment Handbook, student interest, and teacher observation.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the Teacher Edition, Differentiated Instruction, small group lessons on vocabulary and comprehension are available at four different levels: Approaching, On Level, Beyond Level, and English Language Learners. Phonics/Decoding and fluency lessons are also provided for the Approaching Level. Each Genre Study is also accompanied by topic-related Leveled Readers and Genre Passages for small group instruction at the four levels, as well as instructional support for each in the Teacher Edition. Teachers can search the Leveled Reader Database at my.mheducation.com for more leveled titles to use as they teach small groups. The database is searchable by Theme, Keyword, Genre, Skill, Text Feature, Grade Range, Lexile, and Guided Reading Level. 
• The Assessment Handbook and the Data Dashboard at my.mheducation.com provide more information on assessments that teachers can use to form small groups. The Running Records/Benchmark Books resource provides leveled passages and recording forms for determining students’ guided reading levels. 
• Teachers can use the Data Dashboard to filter class, group, and/or individual student data to guide group placement decisions. It provides recommendations to enhance learning for gifted and talented students and provides extra support for students needing remediation.
• Peer Conferences: The materials state, “Provide your students with consistent opportunities to discuss with another student what they are reading. This allows them to exchange ideas about what they are learning and how they are growing as readers. In addition, it offers a valuable chance for you to listen in to students sharing their thinking about their reading with others. Pair two (or three) students. You might want to group students who are reading the same text or texts on the same topic or theme. Rehearse with students what these collaborative conversations should look like and sound like. By using a gradual release of responsibility, you can ensure that students will be focused when they are meeting with a peer to discuss their reading.”
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 2, teacher guidance states, “If students read the Approaching Level fluently and answered the questions, then pair them with students who have proficiently read On Level and have students echo-read the On Level main selection with their partner using self-stick notes to mark a new detail to discuss in each section. The On Level challenges students by including more domain-specific words and complex sentence structures. If students read the On Level fluently and answered the questions, then pair them with students who have proficiently read the Beyond Level and have students partner-read the Beyond Level main selection and name two details in the text that they want to learn more about. The Beyond Level challenges students by including more domain-specific words and complex sentence structures. Synthesize: Challenge students to learn more about a local election. Have them research the candidates in a local campaign and then create a chart listing three positions that each candidate stands for. Then have them share their results with the class. Host a quick class election based on each chart.”
• In Unit 2, Week 1, Day 1, ELL Whole Group, teachers help students talk about the picture about voting for class president, making a decision, putting their ballots into the box, and filling out their ballots. “Then have partners point, ask, and answer: What is she/he doing? She/He is ____.  Have them discuss why it’s important to vote.”