3rd Grade - Gateway 2

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with texts organized into genre studies. Each genre study is a collection of texts that are organized around an essential question and topic. The instructional framework for reading the texts begins with students listening to a read-aloud about the topic to build background knowledge. Then students participate in a shared reading of the topic. Later,  students complete a close read with an anchor text on the topic. Students also read more about the topic in a paired selection to the anchor text. Differentiated texts for small group instruction are related to the genre study topic as well. There are also suggested books to put in the classroom library that align to the topic. 

Texts are connected by an appropriate topic. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, the essential question is “How do people from different cultures contribute to a community?” Some of the texts that support the understanding of the essential question include:
• “Faith Ringgold: Telling Through Art" (unknown author): a narrative nonfiction used as the interactive read-aloud about Faith Ringgold’s concept of community;
• Gary The Dreamer by Gary Soto: a narrative nonfiction used for the anchor text about poet Gary Soto and his community;
• “Room to Grow” (unknown author): a narrative nonfiction used for shared reading about a family helping their community grow; 
• “Sharing Cultures” (unknown author); an article in the literature anthology about cultures;
• Books for independent reading include: On the Town: A Community Adventure by Judith Casely and Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto.
• In Unit 2, Genre Study 1, the essential question is “How do people make government work?” Some of the text titles that support the understanding of the essential question and the topic of government include:
• “All About Elections” (unknown author): an expository text for the interactive read aloud to begin teaching about elections;
• “Every Vote Counts” (unknown author): an expository text for shared reading that teaches students about voting;
• Vote! by Eileen Christelow: an expository text in the literature anthology; 
• “A Plan for the People” (unknown author): an expository text that teaches about government; 
• Leveled Readers: “The Race for the Presidency;”
• Books for independent reading include:The President’s Stuck in the Bathtub: Poems about the Presidents  and  The Enormous by Aubrey Davis. 
• In Unit 5, Genre Study 1, the essential question is “What do good citizens do?” and students read biographies to answer this question. Some of the titles that support the understanding of the essential question and the topic include:
• “Jimmy Carter: A Good Citizen” (unknown author): an interactive read-aloud that teaches students the structure of biographies, while also teaching students about the president;
• “Irma Rangel, Texas Lawmaker” (unknown author):a biography read during shared reading about a woman who overcame obstacles;
• Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by by Tanya Lee Stone: a biography read as the anchor text about a famous American;
• “Susan B. Anthony Takes Action” (unknown author): a text in the literature anthology;
• Leveled Readers: “Eunice Kennedy Shriver;”
• Books for independent reading including: Aani and the Tree Huggers by Jeannine Atkins and A Day for Vincent and Me by Jacqueline Banks.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to analyze text through questioning. Students analyze texts by reading them several times. Questions begin with key ideas and details in the first read and author’s craft when rereading. 

For most texts, students are asked to analyze language and/or author’s word choice. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, during the shared read, “Room to Grow” (unknown author), students are asked, “What does potted mean? How do you know the meaning? How would you define a traditional Japanese garden? What text evidence supports your definition?” 
• In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students read “Sailing to America” (unknown author), and are asked questions, such as, “What two things are compared? What does the simile help you understand?” 
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students read “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author), and are asked, “What does the word sly mean?” What does Turtle think when Anansi smiles and offers him some food? What is the real reason Anansi has a ‘sly and tricky grin?’”

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students read “Room to Grow” (unknown author), and are asked questions about key ideas and details such as, “What details tell how Jill feels about Mama’s and Papa’s indoor garden?” 
• In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students read “Sailing to America” (unknown author), and are asked questions such as, “Why does Da tell the children to cheer up? What clues in the illustrations help you understand how Da is feeling about leaving? Why do you think Da is happy about leaving?”
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students read “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author), and are asked, “Why does Turtle invite Anansi to his house? What words does Turtle use to describe what the dinner will be like? What does Anansi do when Turtle discovers that all the bananas are gone? What does this tell you about Anansi’s personality?” 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 2, students read King Midas the Golden Touch by Margaret H. Lippert, and are asked, “What details do the characters of Midas and Marigold provide about King Midas’s love of gold? What inference can you make about how Marigold feels about her father? Why does Marigold give King Midas a stone in the shape of a heart?” 

For most texts, students analyze structure and craft. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 3, students read Yoon and the Jade Bracelet by Helen Recorvits. Students are asked to reread the first paragraph on page 34 and identify the repeated words before answering the question, “Why did the author repeat these words?” Afterwards, students are asked, “How does the author show through dialogue that the older girl knows nothing about the bracelet?” 
• In Unit 2, Genre Study 2, students read “Sailing to America” (unknown author), and are asked questions such as, “How did the author help you understand that Nora and her family lived a long time ago? How does the author use dialogue to help you understand how Danny and Nora feel about moving?” 
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 3, students read “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author), and are asked, “How does the author use dialogue to help you understand what Turtle is like? How does the author use repetition to help you understand what sank means?” 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 2, students read King Midas the Golden Touch by Margaret H. Lippert, and are asked “How does the author help you visualize how much King Midas loves gold? How does the author show that King Midas is not just interested in gold? How does the author contrast Midas’s love of gold and his caring for other people?” 

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials contain a coherently-sequenced set of high-quality text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within individual texts as well as across multiple texts.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to engage with texts and text-dependent questions that help build knowledge. Students are asked questions both during reading and after reading to help build knowledge. All lessons include text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge. 

Sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas across the year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students read “Preserve and Protect” (unknown author), and are asked a series of questions across the two weeks to build knowledge. Questions include, “What are three details in the second paragraph that tell about the Giant Forest? What are three things President Johnson’s laws protect? What does the sidebar tell us about what a national monument is?” 
• In Unit 2, Week 1, students read, "Every Vote Counts!" (unknown author), and are asked a series of questions that build knowledge, such as, “What does the author think is important about voting? How does the author feel about people not voting?” Then students reread the last sentence of paragraph 1 on page 10 and are asked, “Based on what you have read, why do you think Kids Voting USA is trying to convince everyone to vote?”  
• In Unit 3, Genre Study 1, students read, “Earth and Its Neighbors” (unknown author), and are asked, “Why was the invention of the telescope important to the study of the sun and the solar system? What did Galileo study? How is the Hubble Space Telescope different from other telescopes and satellites?” 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 2, students read, “Gray Wolf! Red Fox!” (Laurence Pringle), and are asked questions, such as, “What animals are foxes related to? How are  a wolf’s fur and a fox’s fur the same? How is their fur different? How is a wolf’s diet different from a fox’s?”

Students also have an opportunity to analyze knowledge across multiple texts at the end of each unit. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 3, students analyze an illustration and then respond to the question, “How is the message of the illustration below like the message of ‘Protecting Our Parks’ and ‘3 Questions for George McDonald?’” 
• In Unit 2, Week 2, students read Vote! and A Plan for the People and at the end of the unit students discuss the essential question, “How do people make government work?” Students discuss what they have learned from each text about how government works. Then students respond to the question, “How does the information you read in Vote! and A Plan for the People help you understand what is happening in the engraving?” on page 126 of the Reading Writing Companion. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 2, students respond to the prompt, “How does this photograph and the photographs and illustrations in Amazing Wildlife of the Mojave and ‘Little Half Chick’ help you understand how animals adapt to challenges." 

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that the questions and tasks support students' ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

Instructional materials provide students opportunities to complete culminating tasks that are related to the text they are reading. Culminating tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills and provide opportunities for students to show their knowledge of a topic. 

Culminating tasks are provided and are multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards and strands, as well as the knowledge gained in the unit. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 1, students answer the Essential Question, “How do people from different cultures contribute to the community?” Students read and discuss several texts to answer this question. Before completing the Show What You Learned writing prompt, students work with a partner to compare and contrast Gary the Dreamer with “Sharing Cultures.” Students write their response and their final task is to synthesize in writing what they learned about how community members share their cultures. 
• In the Unit 2 Wrap-Up, students are asked to think about two public services that they think are important. They use a Venn diagram to determine how these two services are similar and different as they relate to the Essential Question, “How do people make government work?” Then students write a public service announcement explaining how these two services work. 
• In Unit 4, Week 2, students create a chart of the titles of each text that have been read in the prior two weeks. Then students use their notes to write what they learned about the Essential Question from each text on the chart. Later,  students discuss how the author and the photographer of The Talented Clementine work together to provide an answer to the Essential Question, and students write their ideas about this discussion prompt in their Reading Writing Companion. Finally, students write a synthesized response to the Essential Question. 
• In Unit 5, Weeks 3 and 4, students demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of the topic in the unit by answering the Essential Question, “How do we get what we need?” Students discuss their responses to the Essential Question with a partner while referring to their responses that have been recorded in their Reading Writing Companion, prior to writing their response.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. 

Grade 3 materials provide students the opportunity to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Students interact with vocabulary through practice exercises, reading in context, word families, and affixes. Students also keep track of their vocabulary words in Build Your Word List in their Writing Notebook. Students complete vocabulary tasks in the Reading Writing Companion and are assessed at the end of each unit on the vocabulary strategy. Guidance is provided to teachers in the form of videos, articles, and a handbook. Many different academic vocabulary and other vocabulary words are introduced during the week. Materials provide a vocabulary development component in the Tier 2 Intervention booklet.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In the resource, Instructional Routine Handbook, page 77, teachers are guided through a four-step routine that can be used throughout the year to introduce vocabulary. 
• Step 1: Introduce (Explain the vocabulary routine.) 
• The teacher explains, “Today we will learn new vocabulary words. I will say a vocabulary word, define it, and use it in a sentence. Then, I will ask you to use the word in a sentence. The more we practice using the new words, the better readers and writers we will be.”
• Step 2: Model (I Do): Define/Example/Ask
• The teacher explains, “I am going to say the vocabulary word so you can hear the correct pronunciation. Then I am going to define it and use it in a sentence.”
• Step 3: Guided Practice (We Do): Students are given opportunities to use and apply words.
• The teacher describes different situations and students decide if the vocabulary word is an example of the situation. 
• Step 4: Independent Practice (You Do): 
• “Individual turns allow you an opportunity to assess each student’s skill level and provide additional practice for those students who need it. Near the end of each week, students should write sentences in their word study notebooks using the words.”

Materials provide teacher guidance outlining a cohesive year-long program that builds students’ academic vocabulary. Students engage in vocabulary instruction and application each day of the unit. The vocabulary words are related to the Essential Question, which helps students build knowledge. Students complete vocabulary tasks before reading, while reading, and after reading. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, on Day 1 after reading the text, Gary the Dreamer by Gary Solo, students choose one word from the text and write it in the center of a “word web.” Around it, students add words that relate to that word. Then on Day 2, students review the target vocabulary words. Students complete sentence stems orally with vocabulary words, including the words sprinkled and ammunition. Then on Day 3, students use the target words in their Writer’s Notebook to write sentences. 
• In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 1, after reading “Anansi Learns a Lesson” (unknown author), words in context are introduced and instruction for using synonyms to determine meaning is provided. Students use the text to practice this skill by working on defining the word awkward. Students also talk with a partner about various sentences in the story with target vocabulary words, such as “Winnie stared in disbelief at the huge shark.”, where disbelief is the target word. Students then write about something that they would stare at in disbelief. 
• In Unit 5, Week 1, before reading “Irma Rangel, Texas Lawmaker” (unknown author), students make note of interesting words. Then while reading the text, students circle the root word in disagreeable and then use its prefix and suffix to write what it means. After finishing the text, students go back to the text and use the context clues, root words, and affixes to write the meaning of unfairness. 
• In Unit 6, Week 1, after reading “Rocketing into Space” (unknown author), students continue to learn words in context and instruction for using Greek and Latin roots to determine meaning is provided. Students work in pairs to find the meaning of unknown words in the text, such as lunar, using this strategy. Students also discuss various sentences that include the target vocabulary words with partners, such as, “My family admires my good test grades.” Students then answer questions using the vocabulary words, such as, “What do you admire about a friend?”.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to support students' increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students' writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year.

Grade 3 materials provide students the opportunity to write and respond to texts throughout the year. Within each unit, teachers prepare students for a specific writing task at the end of four weeks. Students read texts in the same genre as the writing task. In addition, throughout the unit they take notes and respond to questions by analyzing texts in the Reading Writing Companion and in the Writer’s Notebook. As students progress through the units, they are asked to write longer pieces with more complex prompts that meet grade-specific standards as they work through the steps of the writing process. 

Materials include writing instruction aligned to the standards for the grade level, and writing instruction spans the whole school year. Writing instruction supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students write an expository essay. Students analyze how authors do this throughout the week by being asked questions such as after reading “Earth and Its Neighbors” (unknown author), “How does the author help you see what an astronomer does?” and “How does the author use keywords to help you understand more about space?”. Before writing their essay, students are asked how the author starts the first paragraph. 
• In Unit 6, students read biographies and write a research report at the end of the four weeks. Students write in response to questions and tasks in their Reading Writing Companion while reading biographies, in order to prepare them for their own written biography. Writing prompts that prepare students for the report include, “How does the author help you understand how motivated James Lovell was to become an astronaut?” (after reading “Rocketing Into Space” (unknown author). During Week 1, Day 3, students read Looking Up to Ellen Ochoa by Liane B. Onish and record text features and write how they help them learn about Ellen Ochoa on a graphic organizer. Then on Day 5, students are told they will be writing a research report about someone who has worked hard to achieve his or her goals by studying the two texts that have been read during the week.  Students analyze an expert model and respond in their Reading Writing Companion to the question, “How does the Liane Onish introduce the topic?”

Instructional materials include well-designed lesson plans, models, and protocols for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. Students write every day in their writer’s notebooks.  Students respond to prompts, check their writing during independent time and make necessary revisions, write pieces they choose themselves, use freewriting and mapping to generate ideas, and write responses to reading to deepen their understanding. A digital writer’s notebook is offered as well.  Students can access student models and instructional videos. Teachers are encouraged to review and give feedback at any time. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 3, examples include:
• Students work with partners or small groups to discuss their written responses. They are given sentence starters to help with the conversation. 
• In Week 3, Day 5, instruction is provided on writing a strong conclusion. Students reread the ending of a text in their Literature Anthology as an example of a strong conclusion and then discuss with partners.  
• In Week 4, Day 7, students complete a peer review with a four-step routine, which includes:
• Listen carefully as the writer reads his or her work aloud.
• Begin by telling what you liked about the reading.
• Ask a question. 
• Give suggestions for a stronger conclusion.
• In Week 4, Days 8-10, an editing checklist that students can use to improve their writing is provided in the Reading Writing Companion.
• Rubrics are provided in Reading Writing Companion on page 33.
• In Unit 6, similar supports are provided; however, the writing prompts and tasks are longer. Examples include: 
• Students discuss their completed charts and written responses with partners or small groups. Students use sentence starters to aid in the conversation. 
• In Week 3, Days 5-6, students have an opportunity to revise their drafts, but less instruction is provided.
• In Week 4, Day 7, students conduct a peer conference with the same four-step routine.
• Listen carefully as the writer reads his or her work aloud
• Begin by telling what you liked about the reading
• Ask a question 
• Give suggestions of facts or details that can be added to the research report
• In Week 4, Days 8-10, an editing checklist is provided in the Reading Writing Companion. 
• A rubric is provided in the Reading Writing Companion.

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

Grade 3 materials provide students opportunities to complete research projects over the course of a Genre Study that enrich the knowledge and understanding of the Genre Study topic, the genre structure itself, and the Essential Question. In addition to regular research projects, students can use the interactive online inquiry space during small group time to further support the growth of research skills. Teachers and students follow the research roadmap for guidance on how to apply the five-step research process to each research project. For each project, there is also a research skill that is explicitly taught through modeling and guided practice. 

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills appropriate for the grade level. Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge on a topic via provided resources. The Instructional Routines Handbook states that the Research and Inquiry Lessons have a suggested outline to use for projects throughout each Unit/Genre Study.  This routine includes:

1. Set Research Goals: Introduce the project and clearly identify the research focus and end product. During this time, students may generate inquiry questions, assign roles to group members, and/or create a research plan.

 2. Identify Sources: Brainstorm and identify reliable sources, such as texts read in class, digital media, print sources, and interviews with experts. 

3. Find and Record Information: Guide students as they search for relevant information from their sources. Ensure they take notes from various sources, find answers to their inquiry questions, and record information so they can cite their sources. 

4. Organize: Help students review and analyze the information they have gathered. They should identify the most useful information by annotating or highlighting their notes, using a graphic organizer to sort and clarify categories of related information, and identifying any areas where they need further information.

 5. Synthesize and Present: Guide students to synthesize their information and create the research product. Then have them plan how to best present their work and they may include audio and/or visual displays to enhance presentations. Before presenting, students check that key ideas are included in the presentation and they rehearse the presentation.

Specific examples of research projects throughout the year as well as the skills taught include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, Genre Study 2, students learn how to generate questions to gather information about a topic. Students use this skill in order to learn how to  generate questions about family traditions that could be answered with both formal and informal inquiry methods. Once students gather information using print sources and interviews, students create a quilt square that includes written information about a family tradition on one side and a drawing on the other. 
• In Unit 2, Genre Study 3, students conduct research about an inventor and then write an interview with the inventor in mind. The five-step research process is provided for the teacher to guide students through the process. Students set their research goals, then identify sources and find and record information. Students then organize their information and synthesize it, before presenting it. 
• In Unit 4, Genre Study 1, direct instruction is provided for citing sources, researching a topic by finding relevant information, and identifying and using primary sources. Students conduct research about their talents using different types of sources. They then create a blog and present their work. 
• In Unit 6, Genre Study 1, students write their own research report as part of the writing process. Students conduct research about the important events in the life of a person who has worked hard to reach their goals. They then create a timeline of those events. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

Grade 3 materials provide opportunities for students to read independently in and out of class. The materials include accountability in the form of independent reading responses and a reading log. In addition, there are also steps for an independent reading routine that provides guidance for teachers. There are many opportunities for independent reading to occur throughout the day. The publisher suggests that students spend 30 - 40 minutes total of independent reading a day, and this includes whole class texts and independent book choices during small group time. There is a bibliography provided in each unit and a genre study for independent reading book choices that align to the topic and/or genre that students are reading about in whole group lessons. In addition, there is a School-To-Home letter each week that provides information for families on children reading at home.

In the Instructional Routine Handbook, an independent reading routine is provided for students to follow while the teacher works with groups or confers with individuals. The steps in the routine include:

• "Select a book that interests you.
• Read the book each day during independent reading time.
• Think about what you are reading.
• Record what you have read at the end of each independent reading session.
• Share your opinion of the book when you are done.
• Complete a reading log by recording the date, title, text type, opinion, number of pages, number of minutes read, whether the text was complex, too easy, or just right, and if the student is still reading, finishing or abandoning the book."

An additional Independent Reading Routine is described that provides additional information for independent reading that can occur during whole group time. The steps in the routine include:

• "Select a book that interests you.
• Check the book to make sure it is the one you want to read (teachers should teach students the five finger rule to help students determine if the book is just right).
• Read the book each day during Independent Reading time. Use the skills and strategies that you have been working on.
• Think about what you are reading. Use Thinking Codes to record your thoughts or write about them in your writer’s notebook.
• Record what you have read at the end of each independent reading session. There are many suggestions for keeping students accountable for their independent reading in the Additional Strategies section of the Instructional Handbook. Using a Reading Log is just one way suggested by the publisher. 
• Share your opinion of the book when you are done. Tell a friend, write a review, make a poster, or ask a teacher for ideas.
• Begin again! Time to pick a new book!"