American Reading Company Grade K

Evaluation for 2.1
Materials include high-quality texts for ELAR instruction and cover a range of student interests.

The materials include well-crafted texts that are of publishable quality, representing the content, language, and writing produced by experts in various disciplines. While traditional and classical texts are found in this collection, the bulk of texts are both contemporary and diverse. The texts included in the kindergarten units are a combination of Big Books published by ARC and numerous read-aloud titles. Texts include content that is engaging to kindergarten students and represent various cultural settings, characters, and authors. Materials include increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Sea Turtles, an informational text by author Gail Gibbons, uses colorful and clear illustrations with simple text to introduce the eight kinds of sea turtles living in the ocean today. Students learn how populations of these large reptiles have become threatened and about the conservation efforts currently taking place.

The Snowy Day, a Caldecott-winning picture book by Ezra Jack Keats, utilizes sparse collage illustrations and a pleasant tone to capture the wonder and beauty of a snowy day.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by cartoonist Mo Williams uses illustrations that depict a humorous pigeon’s temper tantrum that is familiar to students this age.

Anansi Does the Impossible! by Verna Aardema is a folk tale about a cunning spider who concocts an ingenious scheme to buy back all the folk tales from the Sky God. Students connect with the humor and cleverness of the text.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst presents a relatable situation to students—having the worst day—through engaging illustrations and language.

Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin is a picture book about a Chinese American family enjoying a traditional dim sum meal. Grace Lin is an award-winning author and illustrator, and several other texts by her are included in the collection.

A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams is a contemporary fictional text that uses rich language and thought-provoking events to initiate discussion around theme and personal connections.

Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Christopher Raschka is a literary nonfiction text that uses vibrant illustrations and language to introduce students to the famous saxophonist Charlie Parker and his style of jazz, known as bebop.

*NOTE Texts included for the IMQE review of the kindergarten ARC CORE materials are typical of what is included within the units; however, should a Core Text become unavailable, or if a district wishes to customize the Core Text selections, ARC will collaborate with the district to provide a title meeting the same criteria of those evaluated in the submission. ARC will work to ensure all selections follow district-specific criteria and meet the district standards for high-quality texts.

Evaluation for 2.2
Materials include a variety of text types and genres across content that meet the requirements of the TEKS for each grade level.

The materials contain a variety of text types and genres across multiple content areas. Daily read-aloud texts include stories, poetry, biographies, and informational texts spanning a variety of topics. Across all units, both literary and informational texts include varied structures, and students have the opportunity to interact with print and graphic features within a variety of genres and formats. However, the materials lack drama texts.

Examples of literary texts include but are not limited to:
 

Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats (picture book)
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin (picture book)
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric Kimmel (folklore)
Backyard Bug Battle: A Buzz Beaker Brainstorm by Scott Nickel (graphic novel)
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Christoper Raschka (poetic picture book)

Examples of informational texts include but are not limited to:

The Feelings Book by Todd Parr (advice, self-help)
Baby Reptiles by Bobbie Kalman (scientific nonfiction)
A Rainforest Habitat by Molly Aloian and Bobbie Kalman (scientific nonfiction)
Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons (scientific nonfiction)
Give Bees a Chance by Bethany Barton (persuasive)

Examples of print and graphical features include but are not limited to:

Elephants Can’t Dance by Mo Willems uses a limited amount of text per page and explicit speech bubbles for characters.

Who Needs Bees? by Matt Reher has enlarged photos, cutaways, and diagrams.

Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Animals by Ed Emberley includes step-by-step graphics and instructions for drawing animals.

Evaluation for 2.3
Texts, including read-aloud texts in K-2 and shared reading in Grade 2, are appropriately challenging, and are at an appropriate level of complexity to support students at their grade level.

The materials include texts that have undergone extensive quantitative, qualitative, and reader/task analyses by the publisher. The materials provide a proprietary taxonomy/leveling system for all books. The introduction to every unit includes information on the process of how texts are selected by quality, complexity, and quantitative levels. “All of the titles below have been leveled using the IRLA leveling system. This system combines a quantitative analysis (using Lexile, AR, and any other such systems available for the text) with a by-hand qualitative analysis. All texts are evaluated with both quantitative and hands-on qualitative measures because of the types of complexity challenges a computer cannot evaluate such as poetic language, extended metaphor, assumed background knowledge, and complex themes.” In the Literacy Lab, classrooms receive 100 read alouds that cover nonfiction, author-illustrator studies, and poetry. In the units that follow, classrooms will receive 50 read alouds. Each of these collections is designed to cover the key concepts of the theme of each unit and to include fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The IRLA developmental reading taxonomy provides a detailed analysis of text complexity at each IRLA level. All texts provided by ARC Core is accompanied by a level sticker that indicates its text complexity.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Goggles by Ezra Jack Keats, with an IRLA level of 2Blue (end of 1st grade), is a children's picture book with moderately complex visual features but only slightly complex meaning, text organization, life experiences, and cultural knowledge.

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones by Ruth Heller, with an IRLA level of 2Red (end of 2nd grade), is a pictorial introduction to animals that lay eggs, with very complex visual features and moderately complex vocabulary.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, with an IRLA level of 2Red (end of 2nd grade), tells the story of Farmer Brown's cows with very complex meaning and moderately complex text organization, visual features, vocabulary, and life experiences.

The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry, with an IRLA level of Black (4th grade), is a picture book about rainforest conservation with moderately complex meaning, organization, and visual features.

*NOTE Texts included for the Texas Resource Review of the kindergarten ARC CORE materials are typical of what is included with the units; however, should a Core Text become unavailable, or if a district wishes to customize the Core Text selections, ARC will collaborate with the district to provide a title meeting the same criteria of those evaluated in the submission. ARC will work to ensure all selections follow district-specific criteria and meet the district standards for high-quality texts.

Evaluation for 3.a.1
Materials contain questions and tasks that support students in synthesizing knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and identify and explain themes.

The materials contain questions and tasks that support students in synthesizing knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and identify and explain themes. Some suggested read alouds are paired with specific questions about the text that require students to give close attention to meaning and inferences; other read alouds provide questions not tied to a specific text but still require students to interact with a text directly to validate thinking. Tasks give students opportunities to build conceptual knowledge and literacy skills over the course of the year, and the units follow a logical progression of skills and build upon each other. Each week, or topic within a unit, has a reading focus that is often connected to the purpose for the read aloud, Reader’s Workshop, and daily writing task. Many questions in the instructional framework are text-dependent and ask students to analyze and make meaning with the information they hear and read from texts. The assignments and activities ask students to take the information they have learned and apply it to partner and class discussions and writing. The complexity of questions and tasks increase in rigor and challenge within a unit, and as students move from Unit 1, at the start of the year, to Unit 4, at the end of the year. Three of the four units are designed to build conceptual knowledge through research based on information gathered in texts and also from in-class experiments and labs. Units initially introduce the topic with general information, and as the unit progresses, students gather specific information by “reading to learn.” This is mainly done through read alouds in kindergarten.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 2, the picture book My Teacher Sleeps in School is read, and then specific, text-dependent questions are provided, such as “Do you think Mrs. Marsh sleeps at school? Use examples from the text to support your answer” and “What lesson do you think this book is trying to teach you? Which page do you think it is on?”

In Unit 1, Week 4, Day 1: Read Aloud: Whistle for Willie, discussion questions include but are not limited to: “Do you see anything they share in common?” “The words here say that Peter ‘wished he could whistle,’ so we know what he wants, but how do you think he feels? Do the words or illustrations tell you how he feels?” “Let’s look at the setting on this page. Why do you think Ezra Keats drew it that way?”

In Unit 2, Lesson 1, “Focus Standards Assessment Record” is a record for teachers to informally assess students. There are opportunities for students to evaluate and discuss information from multiple places within a text.  Examples of the questions include “How are these two… connected?” "What happened to (Character #1) in this story?” “What happened to (Character #2) in this story (or in another story)?” and “How were their experiences the same? How were they different?”

In Unit 2, Topic 1, “Farm Animals,” Lesson 4 includes text-dependent guiding questions including but not limited to “What is a farm?” and “Why do we have farms?” In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 2: Interactive Read Aloud, the teacher asks students to share everything they know about baby birds in a K-W-L format. The teacher reads a text about baby birds. After reading, the teacher poses the following questions: “What did you learn from this book about baby birds?” and “What else did you learn?” Portions of the text are reread emphasizing key concepts.

In Unit 3, Topic 2, the read aloud Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree contains the reading focus “Be able to describe the difference between plants and animals.” After reading, the teacher is to ask “Is a…a plant or an animal? How do you know?” In the Unit 3 “Ocean Plants” lesson, after the Read Aloud Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas by Molly Bank and Penny Chisholm, the teacher asks: “What did you learn from this book about plants in the ocean?” “How do you know this is true?” “What is your evidence?” and “What else did you learn?”

In Unit 4,” Entomology,” Topic 2, Lesson 2.1, the read-aloud topic is insects. The class discusses what makes an insect an insect, and students are invited to think about all parts of the text that was read in order to think about and answer this question.  Then, the teacher shows two different insects in the text and asks “Why are they both in this book about insects?” The teacher prompts students to think about connections to the text and pictures by asking “How do you know?” 

Units 2–4 include science labs. These three units are designed to build conceptual knowledge through research based on information gathered in texts and also from in-class experiments and labs. Units initially introduce the topic with general information, and as the unit progresses, students gather specific information by “reading to learn” mainly done through read alouds in kindergarten. For example, in Unit 4, the “Learning Focus” grows students’ understanding from the beginning to the end of the unit. There is a natural progression beginning with small ideas and expanding those ideas to larger concepts, such as citing evidence, thinking about connections between two characters, and comparing and contrasting characters with other stories and events from real life.

Evaluation for 3.a.2
Materials contain questions and tasks that require students to evaluate the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

Students interact with many texts on the same topic or concept. Questions throughout afford opportunities for students to make inferences and draw conclusions while interacting with text. The materials compare and contrast texts on the same topic and discuss what makes them similar and different but do not explicitly focus on stated or implied purposes of the authors. Students also analyze author decisions in author study tasks. Students examine the words and phrases authors use to support comprehension. 

Examples include but are not limited to:

The content framing “Establish Today’s Learning Goals” and “Introduce/Review Key Concepts” set a clear purpose for reading texts. Questions throughout “Establish Basic Comprehension” and “Experience Connected Text” afford opportunities for students to ask and answer questions, make inferences, and draw conclusions while interacting with the text.

In Unit 1, the teachers are given the following script while introducing students to Lin’s The Ugly Vegetables:

Grace Lyn wrote and illustrated this book and dedicated it to her mother and her ugly vegetables. 
I think we can assume she is the girl in the story.
Let’s look at this picture of Grace’s neighborhood. 
It looks like Grace’s family may have been the only Chinese-American family on the block.
How do you think Grace felt about growing up Chinese American?
What makes you think that?
Let’s look at the pictures and reread the text.
How do pictures add to the description on this page?
Which garden belongs to the speaker [Grace Lin]? How do you know?
How do you think she feels? What makes you think that?

After reading the text students discuss questions such as “What does it mean that the soup flavors ‘danced in her mouth’ and ‘laughed all the way down to her stomach?’” “How does she feel about the soup?” and “Have you ever eaten something that made you feel this way?” Later in the unit students hear the Read Aloud Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats and consider the question “Let’s look at the setting on this page. Why do you think Ezra Jack Keats drew it that way?”

In Unit 2, the Focus Reading Standard is “compare and contrast texts.” Over the course of these topics, students examine different texts on the same topic and discuss what makes them similar/different. The text-specific lessons guide teachers to ask students questions to compare the author’s craft (e.g., text features) of the texts, a skill which may support analysis of stated and implied authors’ purposes.

In Unit 3, after reading, the teacher tells students: “Go back to a page in the book that highlights a message/point the author wanted to get across.” Students respond using the sentence frame “I think the author wants us to know (the author’s point/message – either read directly or inferred).” The teacher replies, “Let’s think about what reasons the author gives to support his/her point that (same point/message). Does anyone see anything in the picture(s) on this page that might support this point?”

In Unit 4, the Focus Reading Standard is “students will be able to compare and contrast characters in familiar stories with each other and facts about real life.” Students make comparisons between the way bugs act in stories and what they know about bugs in real life from informational texts, providing an opportunity to compare authors’ purposes (both stated and implied) across different text types.

The materials also provide text-dependent sentence stems for read alouds, such as “The author is telling us that…What reasons does s/he give to convince us?”

Evaluation for 3.a.3
Materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary in and across texts.

The materials provide a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact and build key vocabulary in and across texts. The materials state vocabulary development occurs naturally as students read and hear a high volume of texts. The materials build intentional opportunities to learn vocabulary into the daily instructional framework throughout the units. Kindergarten students are given frequent opportunities to use illustrations and texts to read or hear, to learn or clarify word meanings. Early in the first unit, teachers are provided with the vocabulary instruction support document “Which Words Do I Teach and How?” by David Liben. The teacher guides provide sidebar supports for when to teach vocabulary and specific terms to teach. Most vocabulary instruction takes place during the interactive read-aloud block. “One of the primary goals of interactive read aloud is to bolster students’ receptive vocabulary” (Unit 1, Week 1). Materials provide strategies for teachers to frequently and concisely teach vocabulary and clarify unknown words.

Examples include but are not limited to:

During the interactive read aloud, teachers use the “drop-in” vocabulary strategy to quickly teach and clarify the meaning of unknown words. Unit 1 provides instructions for the teacher to “take one to two seconds to introduce drop-in words by providing synonyms/definitions as you read.” When This is the House That Jack Built is read, the following example is provided as a “drop-in”: “This is the rat/That ate the malt; Malt is a type of grain.” After the read aloud students discuss questions such as “Did you hear any new words? What do you think that it means? What makes you think that? What kind of horn is a “crumpled” horn? What other things can be crumpled?”

The Vocabulary Wall is a tool used across all units for building student vocabulary. The teacher adds words to the Vocabulary Wall after discussions during the interactive read-aloud time. For example, in Unit 2, students discuss wild versus domestic animals and add appropriate words to the Vocabulary Wall. 

In Unit 3, during the Read Aloud Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree, the teacher is directed to highlight key vocabulary. The vocabulary includes plant, animal, senses, detail, most important, chart. A sidebar entitled “Highlighting Key Vocabulary” explains to teachers how to use text features like images, captions, and glossaries to find out more about high-leverage vocabulary terms. 

Evaluation for 3.a.4
Materials include a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading.

Materials include an independent reading routine that builds reading skills over the course of the year. Initial assessments for independent reading selections utilize the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) protocol. Procedures and protocols built into the daily routine include scripted statements, a tracking system, and “Accountable Talk.” Students self-select texts and read independently for a sustained period of time. The materials support planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals and assist teachers in assessing reading levels and monitoring growth through tools such as the “Status of the Class” tracking chart and the “SchoolPACE” online tracking tool. A specific plan is included for students who are not yet reading.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Unit 1 includes teacher supports to establish and conduct independent reading time, help students understand the procedure, identify common teacher misconceptions about reading behavior, and teach skills used during independent reading. A plan is included for the initial implementation of an independent reading routine. Specific steps are included for students who are at the “Read-to-Me” (RTM) stage. Teachers initiate the sustained reading block with a specific purpose for students—they are to read without stopping. Students read pattern books from the Yellow level. Because some students cannot yet read on their own, teachers encourage students to “read the pictures” and then model. Teachers keep track of student progress using the “Status of the Class” recording sheet. Students learn the “Three Rules for Reading Time: the first rule is READ, the second rule is READ, and the third rule is…” (students supply the answer—READ). Then, the teacher asks, “What do you do if you finish?” The student response is “Read [the pictures] again.” The independent reading time concludes “as soon as anyone becomes disengaged” and the teacher then records the number of minutes students stayed engaged on the board. Independent reading routines continue throughout the units. Students also learn about “Accountable Talk.” For the first topic, students are asked to decide “what page you like best and tell why you like it.”

In Unit 2, the lesson plans introduce “Accountable Talk” practice for students and teachers. Reading logs are introduced with instruction on how that looks for kindergarten. Students are taught how to record in the reading log. Students are directed to record one book on each line of their reading log for every 15 minutes of reading they completed during independent reading time. During the independent reading block, formal reading level assessments begin, and the teacher begins to make annotations on reading logs.

The instructional framework for the Reader’s Workshop suggests an early goal is to “Sustain fifteen minutes of independent reading at a time”; stamina builds to thirty minutes by Unit 2. Included lesson topics to meet 30 minutes are “Ways to Get to 30 Minutes,” “Two 15-minute Steps,” “Three 10-minute chunks,” and “Ten 3-minute chunks.”

For all units, there are sidebars located in the instructional framework which include teacher supports to help students work toward their goals; for example, Unit 1 supports building reading stamina.

For all units, “Accountable Talk” is built into the daily routine from their independent reading. “Accountable Talk” is defined as talk by both teachers and students which responds to and further develops what others in the class have said.

Evaluation for 3.b.1
Materials provide support for students to compose across text types for a variety of purposes and audiences.

The materials provide some support for students to compose across text types for a variety of purposes and audiences. Daily writing components are included within the materials. The writing block for Grade K consists of shared/guided and independent practice opportunities, and interactive writing is frequently included. Students have opportunities to write about a specific prompt or to choose their own topic in both narrative and expository formats. While there are daily opportunities for writing, there materials lack support for explicit instruction in writing personal narratives. 

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, students write about their favorite things and, later in the unit, students write about their favorite authors/illustrators.

In Unit 2, the teacher models how to set up writing for the interactive writing portion of the lesson. Students write the name and date, think about their writing, draw a picture, then write words or phrases or sentences. The topic of the day is to write about living organisms that live in their homes. Students also write about the wild animals that live near them.

In Unit 3, students write about plants and animals that live in their neighborhoods.  The teacher models how to draw and write about birds that live in a tree in her yard. Once students can say what they are going to write about, they are given writing paper, which has a box at the top for the illustration, on which to write.

In Unit 4, students write about spider physical adaptations; then, students write about bugs and food webs: “What bugs eat and what eats them.”

Evaluation for 3.b.2
Materials engage students in the writing process to develop text in oral, pictorial, or written form.

The materials provide opportunities for students to engage in the writing process to develop text in oral, pictorial, or written form. Kindergarten units include opportunities for students to write using the elements of the writing process. Writing is built into the daily instructional framework with the teacher modeling planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.  Students always draw, then write. They are encouraged to plan their writing through think-alouds and often sharing with the teacher before they write. The Writer’s Workshop lessons consist of interactive writing and independent writing. The materials include the Kinsey Developmental Writing Scale as a support for teachers to monitor the progress of beginning writers. The process of “underwriting” is utilized to model writing and editing; the teacher writes underneath the student’s writing as the child orally dictates what was written. This is to help the student make connections between letters and sounds, apply phonics rules, and practice editing.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, students are told “We will write and draw together every day.” The following days the teacher models, with think-alouds, the process of planning and writing: “Writing starts with drawing. Draw a simple picture while the students watch. Do not criticize your artistic ability. Model confidence and self-acceptance.” After students write, the teacher uses the “underwriting” strategy. Later in the unit, the teacher is directed to use the think-aloud method to model the writing process. A simple picture is drawn as the teacher thinks aloud: “Here is my dog. She has a long tail. Here are her pointy ears, etc.” As the teacher starts to write, he/she reinforces the thoughts with drawing and writing, leaving big spaces between words: “Now that I have my picture, I am going to put my writing down here on the lines: ‘I play with my dog Shadow.’” The teacher asks how many words there are, what sounds are heard for those words, and then writes the letters, leaving big “meatball” spaces. The teacher continues putting a letter for each word, with spaces separating them, and completes the words.  When the students can state what they are going to draw and write about, the teacher gives them a piece of paper. When the students have completed their best attempt at writing, the teacher “underwrites” the students’ writing with a pencil.

In Unit 2, students write about zoo environments. Teachers model how to plan writing by talking about it first and then drawing a representation of what is going to be written about— giraffes. The teacher then encourages students to express themselves by thinking about what they want to write about and then writing (if able)/drawing whatever they can. Later in the unit, the goal is to write about how various bird beaks are different. Students return to T-charts they created in Science Labs. The student thinks aloud to plan his/her writing. The teacher underwrites when students finish.

In Unit 3, students participate in an interactive writing task on forest ecosystems with the teacher. The teacher models and thinks aloud—brainstorming, talking, drawing, and then writing words that go with her drawing. The teacher emphasizes decision-making in writing and reinforces making purposeful decisions about what to write, using proper sentences, using a title, and correct spelling of any “Power Words” used. The teacher underwrites when students finish. Students decide what they are going to write about, and then begin to draw and write.  Individual writing conferences with students are suggested. The teacher can “underwrite” underneath student writing and highlight key writing skills and science concepts that are reflected in the student work. Later in the unit, the teacher models writing about an ocean animal using a think-aloud. The teacher emphasizes the use of purposeful decisions about what to write, sentences, titles (main idea/topic), and correct spellings of any Power Words used.  The student is given writing paper when they can state what they are going to write about.

In Unit 4, the teacher models writing using the process below:

• Think aloud as you plan out your writing: I am going to write about how bumblebees and apple trees work together, so each gets what they need: the bumblebee gets nectar from the apple tree flowers, the flower gets the bee to carry some of its pollen to the next flower, so we can have juicy apples to eat!
• Think aloud as you draw: I am going to draw a beautiful pink flower over here, and next to it, I’m going to draw a busy bumblebee.
• Think aloud as you write: I’ll write two speech bubbles. The bee is going to say, Do you have some nectar for me? And the flower is going to say, I do. Grab some pollen on your way out.

Evaluation for 3.b.3
Over the course of the year, students are provided opportunities to apply grade-level standard English conventions to their writing.

The materials provide opportunities for students to practice the application of conventions of English in context. Grammar, punctuation, and usage instruction is based on an observed need within a student’s writing. The materials apply a systematic method (building from what students know in relation to what they need to know) firmly rooted in inquiry, formative assessment, and data-driven instruction, integrated into the daily writing work. The learning targets for grammar, punctuation, and conventions are the grade-level student expectations described in the TEKS. All grammar, punctuation, and usage instruction occurs within the context of the students’ writing, the materials do not teach these topics out of context of a student’s writing.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The materials use the Kinsey Developmental Writing Scale as a formative assessment tool. The tool covers skills like appropriate capitalization, writing complete sentences, capitalization rules, and punctuation marks and informs teachers what instruction they need to provide to students next for targeted growth. Teachers use the Kinsey scale throughout all four units of the materials to monitor and coach student writing development.

In Unit 1, teachers explain the routine for Partner Share after their independent reading; one of the suggested steps is “Using the conventions of language.” ARC Core provides supports for teachers to monitor oral interaction between students in Grade K, such as identifying the related TEKS, explicit instruction in active listening, and frequent opportunities to practice Accountable Talk/discussion. The writing mini-lesson is on “meatball” spaces. Students are instructed to leave a meatball space between each word they write. Students apply this strategy to their own writing throughout the unit. In the teacher resource materials at the end of the framework in Unit 1, it states to use the writing conference to help the student “organize his/her thinking.” It also says “DO NOT: Correct for usage/structure, spelling, punctuation, or other editing issues at this time. You will work on that during the revise/edit time.

In Unit 2, during a “Morning Meeting,” students take turns holding the marker and coming up to point out things they notice (e.g., letters, words, punctuation). For example, the teacher can prompt “Who can draw a rectangle around all the words that begin with ‘L’?” and “Who can draw a circle around the end marks?”

In Unit 3, during “One-on-One Writing Conference” and “Underwriting,” the teacher underwrites with a pencil using conventional English for a student. The teacher notes aspects of the student’s writing that approximate conventional spelling, grammar, and/or punctuation.

In Unit 4, the teacher models the writing project for the day and emphasizes the use of sentences, titles, and correct spelling of Power Words used.

The Writing Workshop portion of the literacy block entails a teacher-modeled mini-lesson and prewriting (usually in the form of talking to a neighbor about writing ideas); then, students write. Time is also given to edit and publish writing pieces, and this is carried out over the course of the week. The teacher is to pull students during the writing time and have individual conferences with students about their writing. Throughout Units 2­–4, during the students’ Writing Conferences, teachers should note “a few aspects of student’s writing that approximate conventional spelling, grammar and/or punctuation.” The teacher has the opportunity to address these observations to the whole class during the Sharing and Mini-Lessons component that follows.

Evaluation for 3.b.4
Materials include practice for students to write legibly in print (K-1) and cursive (Grade 2).

The materials do not include instruction in print nor a plan for procedures and supports for assessing students’ handwriting development, with the exception of the Kinsey Development Writing Scale which can be used to formatively assess and progress monitor students' handwriting development.

Evaluation for 3.c.1
Materials support students’ listening and speaking about texts.

The materials support students’ active listening and speaking about text through frequent discussions as a class, in small groups, and in pairs. Students listen to a variety and a large number of texts as the publisher provides 250 read-aloud titles across the four units. The student texts provided in the Leveled Book Library allow students to continue their learning from the read aloud but also to engage in “Accountable Talk” where students are required to share what they learned from the independent reading based on the reading focus for the day.   Opportunities are provided for students to listen actively and to ask questions to understand information. There are consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussions that require them to share information and ideas about the topics they are discussing. Guiding questions are used to facilitate discussion among students and, after Reader’s Workshop, they are asked about the focus.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In Unit 2, after the read aloud, the teacher asks students guiding questions such as “What is a farm?” “Why do we have farms?” and “What do farm animals eat?” The teacher is then prompted to have students generate their own questions about farms and farm animals. Later in the unit, the teacher checks student understanding and promotes class discussion by asking “What did you learn from this book about pets?” Then, after Reader’s Workshop, the teacher asks “Who found any information on pets or animals that might be pets?”

In Unit 3, students study various ecosystems. As they begin a new topic, the teacher opens discussion before read alouds by having students ask questions they have about plants or animals or other aspects of the ecosystem. Guidance statements are used, such as “Have students generate questions about savanna ecosystems. Help them learn to wonder about savanna ecosystems.” Students then read about savannas and illustrate animals and plants that would be found in a savanna. Students work in pairs to look at each other’s drawings and talk about what they have learned.

In Unit 4, students study entomology. After a read aloud, the teacher asks “What was the coolest/grossest/most amazing fact about bugs that you learned from this book?” The question is open-ended, allowing students to participate and share what they read.

Evaluation for 3.c.2
Materials engage students in collaborative discussions.

The individual components of the “Daily Instructional Framework” provide numerous daily opportunities for students to engage in collaborative discussions. Sentence stems and modeled sentences are utilized to model the conventions of language. Every lesson includes a specific focus for the interactive read aloud and for the Reader’s Workshop; the aligned questions allow for rich discussions. The student texts provided in the Leveled Book Library allow students to continue their learning from the read aloud but also to engage in “Accountable Talk” where students are required to share what they learned from the independent reading based on the reading focus for the day. Throughout all units, program routines such as “Accountable Talk” and “Author’s Chair” give students opportunities to grow in oral language skills.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, students are introduced to the “Accountable Talk” daily routine. The teacher models how she decides what page she likes best and then tells students why it is her favorite in one simple sentence that is connected to something in her own life: “This is my favorite page because it has a picture of a truck, and my grandfather has a truck.” The teacher then models the same routine but done with a partner. Explicit direction is given on how to share appropriately (e.g., turn to face your partner, one person speaks at a time, active listening). Partners take turns talking, and then some pairs share out with the class. The following norms of “Accountable Talk” are then shared: “Share information and ideas. Speak audibly. Speak clearly. Use the conventions of language.”

Throughout Unit 2, the zoology unit, during the “Morning Meeting,” students are given opportunities to talk to peers about the topic of the day. For example, students are directed to tell the person next to them what they remember about mammals from last week’s lesson. The class then discusses writing a summary of what was learned last week. This task requires students to talk about what they learned and determine what is most important for the class summary.

In Unit 3, students consider questions such as “What did you learn from this book about plants in the rainforest? How do you know this is true? Where is your evidence? What else did you learn? Go back to a page in the book that highlights a message/point the author wanted to get across.” The supporting sentence frame is “I think the author wants us to know (the author’s point/message either read directly from the text or inferred).”

In Unit 4, students engage in debate games that provide students with opportunities to demonstrate and deepen expertise through oral argument. Suggestions for presenting research done in the unit are provided for teachers. For example:

Town Hall Meetings—Each student comes as their subtopic or represent the perspectives of their subtopic in speaking to the issue in order to have a debate.
Campaign Debate—Two students present their ideas as part of a debate.
Evidence Sort—The teacher gives students a position statement and ten facts about the topic for students to sort the facts into categories.
Pro Con Activity—The teacher presents students with a position statement. Students work in teams to locate evidence to support BOTH sides. The team with the most/best evidence wins.
Pass the Buck—Students have 30 seconds to give a speech on a teacher-directed topic; they “pass the buck” to another student to pick up where s/he left off and further/continue the argument.

Evaluation for 3.d.1
Materials engage students in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for different purposes.

The materials engage students in the process of inquiry in a supported and whole class learning environment with adult assistance. Students generate inquiry questions, but do not generate a research plan. The materials support instruction for students to follow a logical, sequential research plan that builds in complexity over the course of the units. Students participate in read alouds and a Reader’s Workshop with a slightly different focus each day, and the inquiry varies across class discussions, partner talk, shared writing, and independent writing. 

Examples include but are not limited to:

The materials support students to ask and generate general questions for inquiry. In Unit 2, Week 1, “students generate questions about farms and farm animals” before the read aloud on farm animals. Teachers guide students in the questioning process and “help them learn to wonder.” The materials support students in the identification of relevant sources based on their questions; during the “Fish Life Cycles—Independent Research: Book Sorting and Reading,” the students sort books into different categories. The materials support student practice in understanding, organizing, and communicating ideas and information in accordance with the purpose of the research (K–1 with adult assistance). During a Writer’s Workshop, students write about fish using the think-aloud method as they plan, draw, and write. The students complete the activity, share their writing, and then add to the student’s book on the current topic.

In Unit 3, “students generate questions about savanna ecosystems” before the read aloud. Students learn about several different ecosystems. The learning goal each day follows a similar sequence, and students are given daily opportunities to make connections across lessons and topics. Students conduct research based on the learning goal for the day.

In Unit 4, the teacher introduces the new unit by asking “What do you already know about bugs? Why do you think people study bugs?” The framework explicitly tells teachers: “Have students generate questions about bugs. Do not answer their questions. Help them learn to wonder about bugs.” Students look at digital resources and discuss how the website author uses different elements (links, pictures, menus) to convey a message or main idea. Students also sort books into two groups (books about spiders and books about insects) in order to identify resources to answer the research question “What makes a spider a spider?” Note taking with text evidence is introduced in this unit. Students are to read and be on the lookout for “WOW!” facts. They are told to “make sure you are ready to PROVE your fact is true using evidence from the text or the picture of your book.” The teacher also uses a think-aloud to model how to form a hypothesis based on the evidence collected so far:

• Observe: I’m looking at the grasshopper in this picture. I see that it has spots on its body and two antennae. I also see that it is sitting on a flower, and it looks like it may be eating or drinking from the flower.
• Question: I wonder if the grasshopper drinks nectar, like butterflies do.
• Speculate/Form a Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that grasshoppers drink nectar because that seems like the best reason why a grasshopper would sit on a flower.
• Confirm/Revise Hypothesis Based on New Evidence: I’m going to look closely at the picture to see if the grasshopper is drinking nectar or eating the leaf. I can’t tell. I’ll probably need to read a book about grasshoppers to find better evidence to prove or disprove my hypothesis.

During a “Morning Meeting” in the Butterfly Metamorphosis, students tell their partner on the carpet what they learned about the difference between a 3-stage life cycle and a 4-stage life cycle. The teacher then writes a summary with students, together.

Evaluation for 3.e.1
Materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge.

The materials provide interconnected tasks that build student knowledge. Daily opportunities are in place for students to engage in activities that build knowledge and skills interconnecting reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking, including vocabulary, comprehension, and syntax.  These activities allow for increased independence over the course of the year. With each text, students think about and share what they have learned. When discussing texts, students are asked to provide evidence of learning in their statements. The writing block contains opportunity to think, speak, and listen throughout the writing process. While the beginning of the unit is teacher-led, by the end of the unit, students are doing a majority of the work independently. Students use what they have learned throughout the unit to write about topics and texts they have listened to or read during the reading lesson. 

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, student writing focuses on retelling stories. Students have been practicing throughout the week, reading their own books and then retelling the story to a partner. During writing time, students practice writing their own stories—a retelling that they have read or heard, or they can make up their own story. Students use think-alouds to plan their writing and drawing.  Students are reminded that stories have characters, a setting, and a problem and solution. 

Unit 2 includes the interactive Read Aloud Are You a Fish? Prior to reading, the teacher guides the class to complete a “Know, Want to Know, Learned” (KWL) chart and generate questions. During reading, the teacher facilitates discussion by asking guiding questions. After reading, the teacher rereads portions of the text, emphasizing key concepts, and adding them to class charts. Then, students find and read books about fish and compare and contrast two pictures. Students also create a drawing of a fish, labeling its parts. During “Accountable Talk,” student pairs look at drawings and share what they learn. Finally, the teacher models writing a composition.

In Unit 3, a student learning outcome states: “Discuss how different savanna plants and animals are connected through food webs.” Students are asked to read, write, think, and speak to demonstrate this outcome. The lesson begins with a “Morning Message” in which students participate in interactive writing to create a summary about the previous day’s learning on plants in the savanna. The lesson then moves into the read aloud. The suggested read aloud is Savanna Food Chains by Bobbie Kalman and Hadley Dyer; the framework provides support for the teacher to guide student discussion in determining the main idea and details, and in building vocabulary knowledge. The lesson ends with students writing about their food webs, and volunteers share their writing while classmates ask questions.

In Unit 4, students are introduced to entomology. A KWL chart is first co-created by the class, and then the teacher reads aloud Hey There, Stink Bug! The teacher then asks students to share the “coolest/grossest/most amazing fact about bugs” they learned; the teacher “shares the pen” with students as she interactively writes a class “WOW!”-facts chart on bugs. Students then practice reading on their own (either in small groups, pairs, or individually) and recording facts they learn from the words or pictures. Students participate in an “Accountable Talk” session with a partner and read and discuss each other’s notes and charts about what they observed. The whole class again adds information to the class “WOW!”-facts chart. The teacher reads the chart aloud, and students join in on the parts they know how to read.

Evaluation for 3.e.2
Materials provide spiraling and scaffolded practice.

The materials provide spiraling and scaffolded practice. Beginning on the first day of instruction, students are engaged in literacy skill development. There are multiple opportunities every day for students to read, think, write, speak, comprehend, and practice language skills. This is primarily done at the beginning of the year with read alouds and gradually moves to students reading and writing more independently as the units progress. There are daily opportunities for students to engage in distributed practice with built-in scaffolds to demonstrate the integration of spiraled literacy skills. Scaffolds help the teacher to support students when they are first introduced to new skills. Scaffolding opportunities such as activating prior knowledge, modeling thought processes, and using a think-aloud are built into the components of the daily instructional framework with guidance provided for the teacher. Many of the routines built early in the school year continue; as such, students know and understand the level of support they can receive, as well as the expectations for their individual work—for listening, speaking, thinking, reading, and writing throughout the day. Examples of the routines that continue across all units during the course of the school year include but are not limited to partner sharing and “Accountable Talk.”

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, students are expected to write, but it is noted that writing may look very different for different students. Some may scribble, some may draw, some may be writing letters that represent sounds. Underwriting by the teacher is a strategy used in conferencing with students about their writing and provides scaffolding for writing skills.  Underwriting is a strategy that is used in conferencing throughout all units over the course of the school year.

In Unit 3, students learn about the savanna and how plants and animals form food webs. Throughout the lesson, students are asked to use multiple literacy skills with support from either the teacher or their classmates as they engage in whole group discussion, partner chat, and independent reading and writing.

In Unit 4, scaffolds utilize fewer visual supports and more drop-in vocabulary, KWL charts, and thinking and speaking about writing before actually writing. Scaffolds utilize a gradual-release approach as the year progresses. In Unit 4, Week 1, literacy tasks are integrated, students have opportunities to practice previously taught skills, and scaffolds are provided for students who need more practice. Students are introduced to entomology through several whole group, small group, and individually integrated literacy tasks. A KWL chart is first co-created by the class, and students generate questions (as the teacher records them) and discuss prior knowledge. A similar routine is used for previous units. A portion of each unit is devoted to the discussion of prior knowledge, which provides a scaffold for students who may not be familiar with the topic.

Evaluation for 4.1
Materials provide explicit instruction in print concepts and opportunities for student practice (K-1 only).

The materials provide explicit instruction in print awareness and opportunities for students to practice through the Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) Toolkit and small group lessons. In every unit, there are multiple opportunities throughout the day to notice and practice print awareness concepts, both with and without the teacher.

Examples include but are not limited to:

During levels 1Y and 2Y in the IRLA Toolkit, concepts of print are taught in small group lessons. Concepts taught include sentence pattern, one-to-one correspondence, concepts of word and tracking. The lessons in the Foundational Skills Toolkits follow a consistent format. The teacher states the objective, models a strategy, and students practice the strategy. Students are given a chance to apply the print awareness skills in their reading for that lesson and in their independent reading throughout the day.

In the Foundational Skills Toolkits, Level 2Y is titled “Concept of Word (Tracking)” and is designed to address “Concept of Word” and “Tracking.” The first lesson strategy is “Tracking. Touching things as you count them can help keep track of where you are. This helps in reading too.” The Foundational Skills Toolkits provide a reproducible page with shapes for students to count as they finger track. The second lesson directs students to clap as they say words and jump when they see spaces between the words. The third lesson directs the teacher to use the word “tracking” to describe how they will touch each word they read on the page.

In the Foundational Skills Toolkit for Level 1Y (one yellow), Lesson 1, students practice holding their books right side up and reading from left to right. In the same Toolkit, starting with Level 2Y (two yellow), students begin to track print and use their fingers to point to each word in the sentence. This skill is practiced in Lessons 4–6, each time with a different text.

In Unit 1, Week 1, teachers are encouraged to compose the Morning Message and model writing words from left to right and top to bottom, putting spaces between words, starting new sentences with a capital letter, ending sentences with a punctuation mark, and using word walls and other print in the room to help you as you write. When the teacher is done composing the message, students are to come up and point out things they notice, such as letters, words, and punctuation marks. The class can also count the sentences, words, or letters.

In Unit 3, during the writing block, students think aloud and then plan their writing. This activity enables students to take what they know about print and translate that skill to their own writing. Prior to an interactive read aloud about “Plants vs. Animals,” teachers lead a picture walk. The teacher is advised to use the picture walk to introduce the title and other parts of a book, such as the cover, the title page, and the table of contents.

Evaluation for 4.2
Materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and opportunities for student daily practice (e.g., rhyming, syllabication, blending, segmenting, manipulation) (K-1 only).

The materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and opportunities for daily practice. The Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) Toolkit contains lessons that provide explicit instruction in phonological skills; the formative assessment materials support teachers in determining which lessons students receive from the IRLA, so if a student requires additional support in certain skills, teachers can access varied levels of support within different IRLA Toolkits. The students practice these skills in their small group reading lessons and also whole class activities such as “Morning Message,” “Accountable Talk,” and writing. Routines are built into the literacy block that offer practice in rhyming, syllabication, segmenting, blending, generating phonemes, and discrimination of beginning sounds.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Oral Language Skills are explicitly taught in the IRLA over several different reading levels. For example, the earliest level, a light purple bin, is called the “Read-To-Me” level. Teachers are directed to “build the vocabulary, background knowledge, language experience, reading identity, attention span, genre exposure, and phonemic awareness to get ready to use the print on the page to read.”

Oral language activities with poetry and song are present throughout the materials. Poem activities with familiar nursery rhymes include jumping or clapping when the rhyming word is heard and underlining rhyming words in the poems. Suggested nursery rhymes include “Jack Be Nimble,” “This Old Man,” “Humpty Dumpty,” “Jack and Jill,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “Hickory, Dickory, Dock,” “Ring Around the Rosie,” and “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.”

In the IRLA Toolkit’s “Y (Yellow) Handbook,” the teacher is provided with explicit instruction for letter sounds. The lesson includes a review activity, an introduction strategy, guided reading texts, ideas for writing/invented spelling, picture cards for the letter, and phonemic awareness activities for the letter. There are also activities and ideas provided in the Resource Section at the end of the Yellow Toolkit.

In the Resources section of the Yellow Toolkit IRLA Foundational Skills Toolkit, a progression of phonological skills is given. Students identify initial consonant sounds, generate other words that start with the same sound, and sort/differentiate between sounds.

Beginning in the IRLA Level 1G, students can receive small group instruction in consonant sounds. Each level has a specific focus in phonics development and the lesson follows a traditional guided reading format. In 1G, readers use high-frequency sight words to read books without patterns while they continue to build sight word fluency. In 2G, readers continue growth in sight words and use initial consonant blends and initial digraphs to learn new words.

The level 1B, which is mid-first-grade level, begins with students locating known high-frequency words inside new words. For example, in Lesson 1, students review the Power Word "all" and the sounds of letters “b,” “m,” and “t.” They learn to blend the sounds with “-all,” substitute the beginning sound, and check if words rhyme.

Throughout all units, teachers can utilize the “Phonological Awareness/Physical Stretch” activities. These are daily activities that use poems, songs, jingles, and nursery rhymes to develop students’ ear for word/letter sounds. During these activities, students find two words that begin with the same letter, select a word and brainstorm other words that begin with the same letter, identify and generate rhyming words, stretch words (segment), and clap syllables of words.

In Unit 1, students partner read and then participate in a partner share. A guiding question is provided: “What is your favorite part of the book? Why?” Partners are instructed to take turns speaking to the question using the sentence stem.

In Unit 2, the teacher joins in center time, supporting students as they engage in imaginative play and use oral language to express ideas.

In Unit 3, during Reader’s Workshop’s “Accountable Talk,” students share an opinion with their partner: “I liked…part in my book because…”

In Unit 4, sounds and patterns are taught through Reader’s Workshop. The “l” blend is taught by introducing initial consonant blends. The teacher demonstrates the blend and ensures that students hear the sound each letter combination makes. New sound cards are distributed, and the students trace the blends. Students also practice reading the blends to themselves with the flash cards and can also play Go Fish with them. Blends are placed on the Blends and Digraphs Wall for student reference.

Evaluation for 4.3
Materials provide explicit systematic instruction in phonetic knowledge and opportunities for students to practice both in and out of context (K-2).

The materials provide systematic instruction in phonetic knowledge and opportunities for students to practice both in and out of context. A research-based sequence of foundational skills is included, including a rationale for the foundational skill progression. The materials include systematic phonics instruction using an analytic approach that first builds students’ sight word knowledge to recognize known words and then introduces word parts to figure out unfamiliar words. Students are given sufficient opportunities to apply knowledge and grade-level high-frequency word skills to connected texts for the skills they learn. The Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) Toolkit contains lessons that provide explicit instruction in phonetic knowledge; the formative assessment materials support teachers in determining which lessons students receive from the IRLA, so if a student requires additional support in certain skills, teachers can access varied levels of support within different IRLA Toolkits.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Within the IRLA, kindergarten is broken down into 1Y, 2Y, and 3Y and then in 1G. The Level Y lessons include “executive function” skills such as memorizing a sentence stem and “reading” the picture clues, 1:1 correspondence, and initial consonant sounds. During lessons for 2Y, instruction and practice has students identify and match common sounds that letters represent. Later, in the Yellow Toolkit, students begin to use initial consonant sounds to decode. Level 1G introduces “Power Words” (high-frequency words). Each level provides explicit instruction in reading skills and then immediate practice for students, both with texts and games. 

Materials include a short rationale at the beginning of the Toolkit for how high-frequency words (HFW) are taught in the materials; students are to be able to read HFW at “flash speed.” Explicit instruction utilizes multimodal methods, and students are given frequent opportunities to read HFW repeatedly in meaningful materials. Environmental print, word walls, and frequent games are used to build HFW repertoires. The IRLA Toolkit includes an action plan providing additional practice, games, expert coaching, problem solving, and power goals for learning “Power Words (HFW).” In the IRLA Level 1G Toolkit lesson, students are given frequent and immediate opportunities to read Power Words in context and out of context. Students read and practice writing HFW in isolation, and then complete a group interactive writing activity. Students write their own sentences using sentence stems that contain the Power Words. Every few lessons include a decodable reader that students read only HFW that have been introduced. Students can also have contextual experiences with HFW when chorally reading and interactively writing the Morning Message during the whole class literacy block.

Students immediately practice the phonetic knowledge skills presented in the kindergarten materials with a decodable reader or a controlled text. Activities for further practice are offered in each IRLA Toolkit. Students also use initial consonant knowledge when looking at pictures, to decide if a corresponding word is correct (e.g. pony or horse). Student-made alphabet books, partner games, and independent card sorts are included in the materials that connect tasks to phonetic knowledge.

In Unit 1, students sit in the “Author’s Chair” to share their writing. The teacher is directed to focus the lesson on the students’ abilities to use speech in generating phonics-based spelling, writing one word/letter/symbol/squiggle, separating each word by a space, and using initial consonant sounds. Teachers then use notes to plan further mini-lessons. Also, in Unit 1, the IRLA uses a systematic phonics progression that teachers can use to determine where students are, which skills are strengths, and what skills are needed next. Teachers then use the Toolkits to provide individualized, explicit, skill-based instruction determined by need. The teacher is advised to use the Morning Message to reinforce Foundational Language Skills. For example: “the words ‘read’ and ‘readers’ start with the /r/ sound. That’s the letter ‘r.’ Who can come and help us find all the ‘r’s and put a circle around them?" During Reader’s Workshop, the teacher works with strategy groups of 1–4 students to provide instruction on individual Power Goals. For example, if you are teaching Power Words, give a student a specific number of words to learn, say 3–4, and check on those 3–4 a few days later. All instruction and meetings should reinforce those 3–4 Power Words.

During Reader’s Workshop in Unit 2, the teacher introduces three new consonant sounds. The teacher uses consonant cards to introduce each sound and to make sure the students’ “mouths are ready,” and practices making the correct sound. The teacher asks students to read these sounds and make the sound for the rest of the day. Beginning in Unit 2, students are introduced to grade-level phonics patterns during the Morning Message and some Reader’s Workshop mini-lessons. During Reader’s Workshop, the teacher models how to read “Yellow” Books. On each page, the teacher models the sound of the initial consonant in one word and looks at the picture for something that matches the sound. Later in the unit, during a Reader’s Workshop, the teacher is given specific, explicit instruction in learning Power Words. Examples include “on a flash card trace the letters while pronouncing the word, read to each other, children write the words in different sizes, different shaped letters (upper case, lower case), play games with them.”

In Unit 3, while modeling writing using a think-aloud strategy, the teacher is guided to emphasize phonics-based spelling.

In Unit 4, the teacher reads a book and completes a class graphic organizer; Power Words are noted. Later in the unit, the teacher should point out a word that is a Power Word and all students spell and read it. Then, students are asked to point out other Power Words found in the Morning Message.

Evaluation for 4.4
Materials provide frequent opportunities for students to practice and develop fluency while reading a wide variety of grade-level texts at the appropriate rate with accuracy and prosody. (Grades 1-2 only)

Evaluation for 4.5
Materials include placement (diagnostic) assessments and provide information to assist in foundational skills instruction (K-2).

The materials provide placement assessments and information to assist in foundation skills instruction. The materials provide specific guidance and resources to address foundational skills instruction. Materials for small group instruction are differentiated and equip teachers with specific instruction, texts, and tasks for each reading level. The Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) kit provides numerous tools for placing students and tracking their progress. The Framework offers suggestions for teachers to integrate “Power Goals” and reading levels into various phases of the daily lessons. The Framework gives teachers information for instruction during one-on-one reading and writing conferences. Overall baseline reading levels are determined within the program’s IRLA. Step-by-step instructions are included for teachers to administer the IRLA and then determine the current reading level of a student.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Teachers use the IRLA to establish a baseline reading level for each student, match readers with appropriate texts, and then determine the specific foundational skills students need based on observation and specific checklists included in the IRLA. Teachers can use this information to form groups based on IRLA level. Texts and guidance materials are also included for ongoing formative assessment. The materials provide differentiated resources—both texts and tasks—to match individual student needs. Additional practice tasks, games, and activities are included.

Within each IRLA level, a small group foundational skills toolkit is included. Specific, sequential lessons within the toolkit include practice for students and guidance for teachers in how to assess student progress within the skill set.

At the start of each level in the IRLA, there is a page that describes the Learning Focus, Essential TEKS, and Entry and Exit Requirements for the level. The next page is usually a tracking page that teachers can use when assessing individual students. This is followed by several samples of texts that are included in the kits, which the teachers may use to assess via a cold read with students. On each of these pages there are acceptable “coaching tips” teachers may use to prompt students as they read.

In the Y1-3 Toolkits, there are pages with a foundational skills checklist that explains behaviors to look for and assigns a point value to each skill. These scores will be used to calculate an overall score to determine if the student should remain in that level or advance to the next.

Within each unit, during Reader’s Workshop, the teacher is directed to circulate and observe the students as they “read.” The teacher uses the Status of the Class form to make notes about the reading behavior of each student. Teachers also meet with individual students to document their current reading engagement level. The Framework also explains to the teacher how to create “Power Goals” for students.

Evaluation for 4.6
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress as indicated by the program scope and sequence (K-2).

The materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress as indicated by the program’s scope and sequence. The Independent Reading Level Assessment Framework (IRLA) is over 400 pages long and provides assessment tools for teachers to monitor students’ literacy needs. The program provides materials and opportunities for the teacher to assess foundational skills and measure student progress towards the next reading level. The IRLA Assessment provides opportunities for the teacher to observe and assess reading and reading behaviors and provide intervention and progress monitoring opportunities in foundational reading skills and reading levels. The kits also contain tools for teachers to track evidence of student mastery so they can make an informed decision as to when children can move on to the next reading level.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In the IRLA, the teacher identifies a baseline reading level and matches each student with appropriate leveled text; identifies which skills/standards are the most important for the student to learn next, and the order in which they should be learned; designs individual instruction targeted to the development of specific skills; and monitors progress through reading levels.

The IRLA provides teachers with TEKS-aligned skills that students must demonstrate before they both enter and exit any of the reading levels. The IRLA guides teachers on how to develop each skill into simple pre- and post-reading activities that are then aligned to a decodable text.

Teachers can utilize additional texts within the IRLA level to determine progress. The data from the IRLA can support the design of small group and whole group instruction based on students’ needs. The materials provide differentiated materials­—both texts and tasks—to match individual student needs.

The IRLA also includes other resources for teachers to respond to student needs, such as instructions on how to implement Initial Consonant Practice for 2Y. The directions for this are found in the IRLA and include specific directions like “Have students use clapping, tapping to separate words in speech.”

When the teacher begins administering the IRLA, teacher observations help determine where to start. In the beginning levels, these concepts of print are included:

• Print Awareness: The student points to words and pretends to read (know that printed words are read).
• Book Handling: The student holds the book correctly—cover toward the front and right side up, pages turn from right to left.
• Background Knowledge: The student has enough background knowledge to name and talk about common pictures in beginning books.

The IRLA levels include assessment checklists:

• In Level RTM (Read-to-Me) student understanding of basic print concepts is assessed.
• In Level 1Y concepts of print are reassessed.
• In Level 2Y concepts of words, letters, one-to-one correspondence, and tracking are assessed.

The toolkits provide teachers with tracking tools to monitor individual student progress towards mastering the TEKS-aligned phonological awareness skills. Level 2Y is titled “Concept of Word (Tracking)” and addresses the ELAR TEKS of “concept of word” and “tracking.” The first lesson strategy is “Tracking” and teaches students that touching things as they count them can help keep track of where they are. The IRLA provides a reproducible page with shapes for students to count as they finger track.

In IRLA 1Y the student is able to identify individual words separated by spaces and recognize word boundaries.

In IRLA 2Y teachers assess initial consonants: the student produces the initial consonant sound of 14 unknown consonant words.

IRLA 3Y and 1B include assessments of the specific phonetic knowledge that was taught and practiced within the lessons in the toolkit. Assessments become more rigorous as students progress through the materials. In the Foundational Language Skills assessment for using initial letters, teachers are observing students as they recognize spoken alliteration, as well as phonics and word recognition for consonants. Students are to identify and match the sounds each consonant represents.

In the IRLA Foundational Toolkits for 3Y and 1G the materials provide multiple opportunities to assess student understanding of phonological awareness.

During the whole group lessons in the Framework, teachers carry over their knowledge of student “Power Goals,” integrate them into various phases of the literacy block, and make anecdotal records of progress in whole group discussions, partner talks, and one-on-one conferences for reading and writing. For instance, the teacher observes what students notice about the Morning Message, such as noticing which student can point to each word, jump over spaces, or name letters.

Evaluation for 5.1
Materials include supports for students who demonstrate proficiency above grade level.

The materials provide learning opportunities for students demonstrating literacy skills above that of the expected grade level. All students engage with grade-level core texts, regardless of their current reading level, and an additional thematic leveled library that spans as many as six to eight grade levels provides students with independent texts closely aligned to the topic of study and their current reading levels. The range of reading levels can be customized to match the range of reading levels in individual schools or classrooms to ensure students performing above grade level have access to appropriately challenging texts in every unit. Within the lessons of each unit, the materials also provide sidebars with teaching strategy tips. Strategies for differentiation are embedded into the organization and structure of each component of the ARC Core literacy block, including intentional groupings and active participation techniques in Reading Complex Texts; setting a focus for interdependent reading and “Accountable Talk” in Reader’s Workshop; and mentor texts, mini-lessons, teacher writing demonstrations, rubrics, graphic organizers, and peer editing in Writing Workshop. For students reading at or above the kindergarten level, the IRLA Toolkits provide additional supports (e.g., word analysis, affixes and roots, figurative language, genre expansion) to assure students reading above grade level make on-going reading growth. The toolkit provides a systematic approach to moving students from one reading level to the next. The teacher uses the assessments within the IRLA Toolkit to identify a student’s reading level, create and adjust “Power Goals,” and create small groups with similar “Power Goals” and reading levels. Time is provided within the literacy block to address “Power Goals” in addition to the work of the main unit; however, the teacher is directed to spend the majority of intervention support with groups performing below grade level.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Each unit contains formative assessment and progress monitoring tools such as the Reader/Writer Engagement Check, the Kinsey Developmental Writing Scale, Letter-Sound Records, and Focus Standards Assessment Records provided to teachers to support formatively assessing student proficiencies in foundational skills and grade-level standards. Scaffolding and support are provided to teachers to use this information to effectively implement small group instruction.

The IRLA Toolkit allows the teacher to support students at all reading levels, gives specific examples of how to identify each student’s reading level, and provides necessary supports, including comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, range of reading, and phonics. In addition, Entry and Exit Requirements for each reading level can be found in the overview. Students have multiple opportunities to engage with the text by recording “Great Words You Want to Remember,” looking at types of context clues and practicing pacing and analyzing levels of meaning. Throughout, students are working at their identified reading level, thus providing one type of differentiation.

In Unit 1, the teacher is provided with a Reader/Writer Engagement Check to monitor students. The materials provide support on identifying each student’s reading level to make sure students are reading at the correct level to ensure growth. The teachers set up their SchoolPace account in order to track students’ levels and growth. The 100-book challenge provides students opportunities to read books at their level. Students log their reading.

In Units 2–4, all students explore the same topics throughout the units, but the levels of text read independently differ for students. Students have multiple opportunities during the day to engage in independent reading at their proficiency level, like Science Lab, Centers, and Reader’s Workshop. During Reader’s Workshop, students engage in side-by-side and partner reading, which provide students who demonstrate proficiency above grade level opportunities to extend their learning as a peer coach.

Evaluation for 5.2
Materials include supports for students who perform below grade level to ensure they are meeting the grade-level literacy standards.

The materials provide learning opportunities for students demonstrating literacy skills below that of the expected grade level. All students engage with above-grade-level Read Alouds, regardless of their current reading level, and an additional thematic leveled library that spans as many as five independent reading levels (representing the beginning of kindergarten through the end of 1st grade) provides students with independent texts closely aligned to the topic of study and their current reading levels. The materials use grouping, mini-lessons, anchor charts, and read-aloud strategies to support students reading below grade level in accessing the core texts. Within the lessons of each unit, the materials also provide sidebars with teaching strategy tips. Strategies for differentiation are embedded into the organization and structure of each component of the ARC Core literacy block, including intentional groupings and active participation techniques in Interactive Read Aloud; setting a focus for independent reading and “Accountable Talk” in Reader’s Workshop; and mentor texts, mini-lessons, teacher writing demonstrations, rubrics, graphic organizers, and peer editing in Writing Workshop. The lessons provide a systematic approach to moving students from one reading level to the next. The teachers use the assessments within the IRLA Toolkit to identify a student’s reading level, create and adjust “Power Goals,” and create small groups with similar “Power Goals” and reading levels. Time is provided within the literacy block to address “Power Goals” in addition to the work of the main unit. The teacher is directed to spend the majority of intervention support with groups performing below grade level.

Examples include but are not limited to:

IRLA Toolkit: The IRLA is designed to determine the needs of all readers and help them grow in their reading skills. Through the IRLA assessments the teacher identifies the needs of students and develops “Power Goals” for small group instruction. The lessons provide a systematic approach to moving students from one reading level to the next.

Each unit contains formative assessment and progress monitoring tools such as the Kinsey Development Writing Scale, Letter-Sound Records, and Focus Standards Assessment Records. Embedded Formative Assessment throughout the units allows the teacher to use evidence to clarify or reteach immediately within each lesson and plan for instruction the next day.

In Unit 1, the ARC CORE overview states “supports go far beyond the traditional below, on, and above” levels. ARC CORE classroom libraries usually have six to eight reading levels. In the first week of the ARC CORE Literacy Lab, directions are provided for developing Read-to-Me Action Plans for students reading below level that include 500-Book Kid Read-Aloud Immersion, Student Read-Aloud Coaches, Adult Coordinators, and a RTM for ELL Students Skills Card. 

In Units 2–4, all students explore the same topics throughout the units, but the levels of text read independently differ for students. Students have multiple opportunities during the day to engage in independent reading at their proficiency level, like Science Lab, Centers, and Reader’s Workshop. During Reader’s Workshop, students engage in side-by-side and partner reading, which allows students who are performing below grade level to experience additional support from peer coaching. 

Evaluation for 5.3
Materials include supports for English Learners (EL) to meet grade-level learning expectations.

The materials provide some support for English Language Learners (ELLs) to meet grade-level expectations. There are supports and scaffolds embedded in the materials to meet the diverse needs of EL students, but the materials do not include a systematic, year-long plan to ensure students reach the end-of-year achievement levels. In the introduction pages of the Framework of each unit, the publisher states that the curriculum has “embed(ed) all the best practices of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching into a literacy framework centered on meeting the needs of the unique students.” Scaffolds such as adapted text, translations, native language support, summaries, glossaries, bilingual dictionaries, and thesauri were not evident in the materials. While some use of students’ first language is mentioned, supports did not strategically use the students’ first language for linguistic, affective, or academic development in English. In addition, the materials provide various levels of support, but the support is not commensurate with the various levels of English language proficiency as defined by the ELPs.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The Introduction section of each unit includes a section titled “ARC CORE ELL Supports: Toward a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy.” This section highlights the resources offered by the program to support ELLs, including a responsive reading assessment, leveled libraries, responsive instructional delivery, and thematically organized learning. The page titled “A Literacy Block Model Designed to Effectively Support ALL Learners" shows the embedded structural supports for ELLs. The materials also frequently suggest partnering students who can support one another in their own language.

Lesson plans contain call-outs with Actionable ELL Supports. These are organized around six categories—identity affirmation, learning objectives, frontloading, comprehensible input, oracy and literacy development, and differentiated and formative assessment. Through the use of predictable routines, ELLs are provided practice in all four linguistic domains (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

Within each unit, sidebars and insertions provide alternate discussions, assignments, and note taking for English Learners. One example of a sidebar, from Unit 1, Week 2, “Writing, Identity Affirmation, and Literacy Development,” guides the teacher to assist EL students in writing their names in a culturally sensitive manner.

In Unit 1, the Teacher Guide provides one “Reading Log” in several languages with the goal of supporting students’ first languages.

Evaluation for 6.1
Materials include assessment and guidance for teachers and administrators to monitor progress including how to interpret and act on data yielded.

The materials include assessments and tools to guide teachers and administrators as they monitor students’ progress in mastery of the content. Each unit incorporates formative and summative assessments that align with the purpose of the lesson and the TEKS. Specifically, Focus Standards Assessment Records measure student learning and mastery across the curriculum and provide guidance for the teacher to interpret and respond to student performance needs. The curriculum includes many examples of useful supporting documentation to guide instructors in their teaching.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The TEKS are included at the beginning of the lesson, in the sidebar, and within different parts of the lesson plans, supporting connections to both informal and formal assessments and literacy goals.

The Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) Toolkit, provides ongoing assessment data of reading levels for each student throughout the year. The assessment is built on a Phonics Infrastructure in K–2 reading levels (3Y–2R). Based on the premise that reading is the process of making meaning from text, the next set of threshold skills enable the reader to crack the code and figure out what the words say. In Levels White and above (Grade 4+), the reader must be able to manage the increasingly difficult vocabulary, text structure, and knowledge demands of the text. The complexity of texts in these levels is determined through both quantitative and qualitative measures (IRLA Framework/Phonics Development Sequence). Within the IRLA and IRLA Toolkits assessments of all foundational literacy skills (i.e., phonics, word recognition and analysis, fluency) are provided. Students are assessed for phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

Within each unit, formative assessment tools, such as the Reader/Writer Engagement Check, the Kinsey Developmental Writing Scale, Letter-Sound Records, and Focus Standards Assessment Records, are provided to teachers to support ongoing monitoring of students’ needs. Additionally, the materials provide formative and summative assessment protocols to allow both teachers and students to monitor their progress (e.g., student and teacher checklists, reading conferences, and Power Goals).

Evaluation for 6.2
Materials include year-long plans and supports for teachers to identify needs of students and provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of a range of learners to ensure grade-level success.

The materials include a year-long plan and supports for teachers to identify the needs of students and provide differentiated instruction to ensure grade-level success for a range of learners. The program’s philosophy of inquiry through apprenticeship for Grade K students allows for embedded differentiation based on students’ needs. The materials provide opportunities and supports for teachers in identifying students’ needs. Multiple grouping structures are included throughout the materials, as are sidebar supports for differentiating instruction. The Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) also provides a strong assessment tool for student diagnostics and a foundational toolkit to provide differentiated instruction for learners based on the diagnostic assessment.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The introduction pages include a checklist of behaviors for students and the teacher in order to promote an inquiry-based classroom. Some of the expectations for teachers are to establish an intellectual community through modeling and coaching key inquiry practices (such as active participation, open-ended questioning, curiosity, and risk-taking), and that they effectively use the IRLA and “1-1 Conferences/Strategic Small-Group Instruction” to accelerate each student’s reading growth.

Guidance is embedded across the materials and within lessons. The lessons include annotations and sidebar supports (referred to as “call-outs”) that “include tips, reminders, modified tasks, alternate foci, and other suggestions to properly match reader/writer and task.” They also offer insight about “identifying students’ strengths, gathering evidence of learning, and devising next steps within an existing lesson.”

There is a page in the introduction section of the Framework called “Best Practice” that outlines the goals/outcomes of every segment of the literacy block. Within this outline, it is evident that students move through the lesson in various groupings, including whole group discussion, partner talk, small group with peers or the teacher, and one-on-one with the teacher.

In Unit 2, there is a sidebar that describes an activity to assess student writing abilities called “The Hippopotamus Test.” Students are told to write the sentence “I see a hippopotamus,” on a piece of paper. The teacher does not provide any assistance beyond that. Teachers sort papers according to the included Kinsey Developmental Scale that says “The Kindergarten target for the middle of the year is level I.” A different sidebar describes challenges some students may have with initial consonant sounds and names the IRLA as a resource for how to make modifications for ELs. 

In Unit 3, students are grouped as needed for reading growth: 1) Emergency Intervention, 1-1 and small group; 2) Remediation, very small strategy group, 1-3 students; 3) Doing Great, continue with whole group and regular conferencing; and 4) Doing Great or at risk for boredom and may need small group to advance.

Evaluation for 6.3
Materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators.

The materials provide implementation support for teachers and administrators. The IRLA provides a TEKS-aligned developmental reading taxonomy in which knowledge and skills build and connect across reading levels and grades. The materials include implementation support for teachers, including optional support for implementation via coaching and professional learning cycles of inquiry. The materials also provide administrators opportunities to support, track, and monitor the effective use of the materials, with planning pages and an Independent Reading Level Assessment (IRLA) management system (SchoolPACE). The provided pacing guide correlates with the scope and sequence and aligns with a 180-day school year.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Unit 1, “Literacy Lab,” materials are accompanied by a TEKS-aligned scope and sequence; TEKS that are covered in all four units are indicated, as are focus standards for each specific unit. Beginning with Units 3 and 4, additional Grade K TEKS for Beginning Reading and Writing are covered in the IRLA Toolkits, and a sequence of Grade K TEKS within each IRLA level is also included. Within the IRLA, there is an “ARC Core TEKS Foundational Language Skills Scope and Sequence.” The one-page guide has bulleted summaries of the TEKS and TEKS numbers that are the prerequisite skills needed to be able to read independently at each IRLA level; it also lists which TEKS are taught within the IRLA level. Each of the four units is broken down into weeks, and weekly goals are aligned with grade-level TEKS.

In the Appendix of the Teacher Edition there are excerpts on the following topics:

Kinsey’s Developmental Writing Stages (with student examples);
Questions Worth Asking;
Bloom’s Taxonomy and Depth of Knowledge;
What Words Are Worth Teaching; and
Student Questioning.

Each unit also includes planning and implementation support pages, such as

Stages of Implementation, as Measured by Outcomes;
Implementation Milestones; and
5 Conditions for an Effective Lesson.

The website shows a sample five-page Professional Learning Plan that principals can use to write dates of training to span 35 weeks. Leadership Team Meetings are scheduled where the publisher provides training for the teachers to review data that informs professional development and can be used to provide feedback and support to teachers. Leadership has opportunities to refine their skills, with support from the ARC Executive Coach as a model; this plan is meant to be coached by the publisher for a fee. There is also an additional online tool called SchoolPACE, which is a performance management system that provides student performance data for all stakeholders. Users can run reports of students by “On Target” IRLA level or “On Target for Reading Practice.” There are also reports that show growth, and some called “Data Wall,” which give an overview of the number of students in each IRLA level by grade and color code them by Emergency, At-Risk, or Proficient.

The materials are designed for students to make at least a year’s worth of growth in reading, with all genres covered across the year of instruction. The four units are planned for 36 weeks (180 days) of instruction. In Unit 1, a footnote states “Weeks are approximate. Teachers should feel welcome to expand or condense as needed (p.54).” Materials do not contain a 220-day schedule, but they do include a publisher rationale that the program is a framework and can be adjusted and customized by each teacher based on student need; there is no support for lesson pacing for each block of the framework.

Evaluation for 6.4
The visual design of the student edition (whether in print or digital) is neither distracting nor chaotic.

The materials in Grade K contain student-facing materials, like supplemental aides, resource materials, and Core Texts, many of which are also contained in the Teacher Guide. These materials appropriately use write space and design that supports and does not distract from student learning. Pictures and graphics are supportive of student learning and engagement without being visually distracting.

Examples include but are not limited to:

On the student “Cold Read Cards” there is one line of text per photo. The photos are visually appealing but not distracting; enlargements of specific areas on photos provide picture support.

The “100-Book Kid” handout is multiple pages, with ample writing space for younger children.  Only 10 books will fit on one page, so the space between lines is large. There is a kid-friendly graphic on each page connected to reading. The graphics are always in the lower right corner and do not distract from the book titles students record.

The Home Practice Card “Word Attack Strategies” includes a table of reading strategy icons. For example, a stop sign icon is used for the strategy “Stop if something doesn’t look right, sound right, or make sense.”

Evaluation for 6.5
If present, technology components included are appropriate for grade level students and provide support for learning.

The materials do not include student-facing technology components.