HMH Into Reading - Grade 3

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

The materials include high-quality texts that can be used for effective instruction. The texts range in genre and interest to appeal to many students and include increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include well-crafted and high-quality texts by published authors and experts in various disciplines. The materials include a diverse collection of texts that includes books written by authors who are representative of the stories that are written. Examples of this are included throughout the different modules. 

In Module 2, the high-quality text is Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh, a fiction book about two cousins and their daily lives. One cousin lives in Mexico and the other lives in America, and they send letters to each other to talk about their lives.

The high-quality texts also include vivid pictures, academic language, and content that relates to the current unit of study for grade 3. For example, “Module 3: Let Freedom Ring!” includes The U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl, which includes colorful pictures of the founding fathers, the Constitution, and other symbolic representations of the time period and event. Also, language such as Preamble, delegate, and posterity is used in the reading material along with other rich language related to the topic, providing students with a full understanding of how and why the Constitution was written. 

Furthermore, each module includes a variety of reading material to supplement the topic, including informational text, argumentative, fantasy, fiction, and others. The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Pat Cusick Ripton is a “retelling of a traditional tale.” It enables students to draw on other legends they have read or listened to while deepening their knowledge of the genre and focusing on how the author's use of language contributes to voice. Also, Gigi and the Wishing Ring is an adaptation from a fairy tale that includes elements of plot and major and minor characters; it enables students to draw on background knowledge and learn the lesson of how to treat others. There are also diverse texts with culturally diverse characters and concepts. Module 7 includes One Plastic Bag, a biography that teaches students about how recycling can help their community and provides the opportunity to analyze plot elements. 

The program incorporates works written by award-winning authors. For example, Module 8 includes Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by award-winning author Gene Barretta. It is a biography in which the storyline, vivid pictures, and rich language of the time period give readers a glimpse into the life of Thomas Edison, his most famous inventions, and his impact on the world. Weslandia by Paul Fleischman, a Newbery Medal winner, is a fictional Focal Text story about a boy who creates his society in his backyard as a summer project. Soon, his friends and neighbors become curious about Wesley and his made-up world.

The materials include increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts as students progress through each module. The program incorporates Rigby leveled readers like Cesar Chavez: the Farm Workers’ Friend, which is a high-quality, informational text featuring facts and a timeline of Cesar Chavez’s life. Additionally, the Lexile levels of the Rigby readers for grade 3 range from 510L-1000L, which provides for complexity throughout the year. 

There are traditional literature texts in Module 10, such as Why the Sky is Far Away, a Nigerian folktale. There are many contemporary titles, such as Dear Dragon by Josh Funk, and diverse texts written by diverse authors, such as The Upside Down Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera, a memoir about the author’s life and how his family moved to America. 

Module 12 includes the informational Focal Text about Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates by Jonah Winter. The text, written as a poem, explains how, despite growing up in poverty, he was able to succeed as a professional baseball player and help others.

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 include a variety of text types and genres across content, including both literary and nonfiction/informational texts that are appropriate for this grade level. They also include opportunities for students to analyze the use of print and graphic features of a variety of texts. There is no drama included in the materials, but all other literary texts outlined in the TEKS are present.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a variety of text types and genres across content that meet the requirements of the TEKS outlined for grade 3. Examples of literary and fiction texts that meet the included genres of folktales, fables, fairy tales, legends, poems, and myths for grade 3 per TEKS 3.9.A include: 

• The Princess and the Pea retold by Debbie Croft 
• The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Pat Cusick Ripton
• The Four Winds by Phillip Simpson
• The Indoor Forest by Diana Noonan 
• Mr. Keen’s Garden by Ann Weil
• Gigi and The Wishing Ring adapted from an Italian Fairytale 
• Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh 
• “Adventures with Words” (A collection of poems by various authors)
• When The Giant Stirred by Celia Godkin 
• Why The Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale retold by Marci Stillerman
• Cinder Al And The Stinky Footwear by Roger Lore

The materials include a variety of text types and genres across content that meet the requirements of the TEKS. The materials include informational texts outlined for grade 3, such as informational texts, narrative nonfiction, and opinion texts. 

• The U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl 
• One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul 
• Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
• You’re Never Too Young to Save the Planet
• The Upside Down Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera
• Octopus Escapes Again! by Laurie Ellen Angus
• T.J. The Siberian Tiger Cub by Ann Whitehead Nagda
• The Water Cycle by Carmel Reilly
• In November by Cynthia Rylant 
• Hydroponic Tomatoes by Heather Hammonds 
• Animal Rescue Centers by Debbie Croft
• Electricity by Nicolas Brasch
• The Midnight Ride of Sybil Ludington by Marlene Perez

Furthermore, the materials include a variety of print and graphic features that span across content and meet the requirements of the grade 3 TEKS. For example, fiction books like Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin in Module 2 include illustrations on each page, and the illustrations have Spanish vocabulary words to help readers understand some of the text if they are not fluent in Spanish. There are also texts with regular illustrations, such as Cinder Al and the Stinky Footwear in Module 10. The materials also include informational texts with real photographs and captions, such as Frozen Alive in Module 6 and A Bumpy Ride by Sharon Katz Cooper and Rachel Young, which features a timeline, definitions, diagrams, headings, and labels to describe the history of the bicycle. 

Other examples include The Statue of Liberty by Mary F. Porsche, which includes photographs, captions, timelines, real photos, and headings, and From Plastic Bottles to Clothes by Carmel Reilly, an informative text with real photos, bulleted lists, captions, bold words, headings, glossary, and an index. There is also Journey on a Patriotic Path, which includes bold and bright illustrations and photographs of symbols of the United States, such as The Washington Monument, headings, bold and highlighted words, diagrams, timelines, and maps. Also, Forest Trees by Sally Cowen includes maps, graphs, and labels. The maps show the reader where the story takes place, and the parts of the tree are clearly labeled to provide clarity for the reader. 

Evaluation for 2.3
Texts are appropriately challenging and are at an appropriate level of complexity to support students at their grade level.

The materials have text-complexity analysis provided by the publisher and are at the appropriate quantitative level and qualitative features for the grade level. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The texts have a text-complexity analysis from the publisher. At the beginning of each module, the “Teacher’s Guide” for each week includes two pages titled “Preview Lesson Texts.” This section provides information on “Guided Reading Level,” “Lexile Level,” and text complexity for the introductory read-aloud and shared-reading texts. Text complexity ratings include “simple, slightly complex, moderately complex, and very complex.” For example, in Module 2, one of the texts is Dear Primo by Duncan Tonatiuh. The “Text Complexity” box lists the Lexile Measure for the text as 560L and the Guided Reading Level as M for the text. It then lists the overall rating as “moderately complex” and explains that “this selection has consistent shifts in point of view and requires some cultural and literary knowledge.” In Module 4, the text The Saga of Pecos Bill is rated as “slightly complex” and includes a description that states, “This selection has a less familiar concept and uses some unfamiliar informal language.” Module 4 also includes the short read “That’s Entertainment!,” an “argumentative text about theater productions.” The Preview Lesson Texts section provides a rationale for why the text was selected and includes an explanation to support the overall text rating, providing qualitative information. 

The program includes leveled texts that are at the appropriate quantitative level and include qualitative features. There are quantitative levels in the “Rigby Leveled Reader Table of Contents” and the “Guided Principles and Strategies for Teaching and Learning” for each grade level, including level and Lexile. It includes a “table as a reference for text complexity measures and builds across the Grade 3 myBook texts” broken down by module. There are qualitative features in the Text Complexity measures of the Guided Principles and Strategies for Teaching and Learning. In addition, for each grade level, there are “Take and Teach Lessons” for each Rigby Leveled Reader. For example, Unit 1 includes the text Judy Moody with a Lexile level of 610 and a Guided Reading level of M. The qualitative features of this text include plot development as the story of a young girl and her shenanigans unfolds. Emergency Below the Ice Shelf, Level M, has a Take and Teach Lesson on key ideas and details, while Paddy Waits Alone, Level N, has a Take and Teach Lesson that covers key ideas and details, theme, and author’s craft. Also, the materials have “Guided Reading Coaching Cards” based on reading material level, including a plan, tips, and coaching for lessons and includes parts for the teachers and students. For example, for Levels K and L, the students “comprehend works that build meaning through longer stretches of text,” and the teacher supports development by “providing longer blocks of structured time for silent reading, promoting independence through reader-response logs or other tools.”

Evaluation for 3.a.1
Materials contain questions and tasks that support students in analyzing and integrating knowledge, ideas, themes, and connections within and across texts.

The materials include many activities and tasks that support students in building and integrating knowledge, ideas, themes, and connections within and across texts. There are module-long projects that accomplish this, as well as specific lessons that target these individual skills. Additionally, the materials contain questions and tasks that build conceptual knowledge, are text-dependent, and prompt students to synthesize new information. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials contain questions and tasks that build conceptual knowledge, are text-specific/dependent, target complex elements of the texts, and integrate multiple TEKS using read-aloud texts, independent reading texts, writing tasks, and “Inquiry and Research” projects. Each module includes an Inquiry and Research project. For example, in Module 2, students create a book of poetry. Students work in groups to research different types of poetry, analyze rhyming patterns, discuss rhythm, and learn a variety of different types of poetry from the teacher. At the end of the module, students create a book of poetry that demonstrates learning. This project is specific to poetry texts and gives students opportunities to target the complex elements of poetry. The assignment also has students practice listening and asking/answering questions, following instructions, speaking, participating in collaborative work, writing, planning, and developing drafts. The project is set up to last through all three weeks of the module. 

Additionally, each module starts with an “Essential Question” that connects all learning in the unit and includes a connection to a specific academic content area. For example, Module 2 includes the Essential Question “How do people use words to express themselves?” and a language arts connection to “words.” Throughout this module, students engage with texts and activities, and tasks that focus on the importance of words and how they can convey ideas and feelings. This is done through reading texts like Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh, which contains letters written back and forth by cousins in different countries, and poems that expose students to figurative language.

Each unit has a “Knowledge Map” that helps students “Build a knowledge network.” Module 4 uses the Knowledge Map to organize the key ideas of the module. The Essential Question, “Why might some stories be better told as plays?” anchors students’ thinking throughout the module. Students refer back to the question and Knowledge Map after each text read. “Tabletop Minilessons” include questions to “support the application of the concept.” Later in the module, during the Tabletop Minilesson for The Saga of Pecos Bill, the lesson card provides instruction and differentiated practice for visualizing while reading. The teacher asks students questions such as “What do you visualize when you read this sentence in the story?” “Which words help you visualize the story’s setting?” and “What do you picture in your mind when you read this paragraph?”

Throughout each module, several lessons are specific to big ideas, themes, and details and require students to make connections to personal experiences and the world around them. Module 8 uses the Knowledge Map to build background knowledge of inventors and inventions and identify how this knowledge connects to students’ lives. Students synthesize the information throughout the module “and make connections to self, society, and other texts.” Also, students are taught “Notice and Note Signposts” using the anchor charts and texts in the modules. Students use “Anchor Chart 38: Words of the Wiser” to read Rosie Revere, Engineer. As students are reading, they answer the signpost question “What’s the life lesson, and how might it affect the character?” They must use text clues as they read to formulate their answer. 

The “Ask and Answer Questions” section focuses on questions before, during, and after reading to make predictions, clarify concepts, and think deeply about the text. For example, Module 3 Ask and Answer questions include “What is happening?” “Why did the author write this?” and “Who is this person?” Also, there are paired texts within the modules that provide opportunities for students to make connections to the text and connect elements within the reading to the theme. For example, students read American Places, American Ideals, and The U.S. Constitution to build content knowledge.

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

The materials include questions and tasks that support students’ analysis of the literary/textual elements of texts by asking students to evaluate, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author’s purpose, compare and contrast purposes of the author’s writing, analyze the author’s choices, and study words and language of texts to support their understanding. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials guide students to analyze the author's choices and how the choices influence and communicate meaning (in single and across a variety of texts). They use “Notice and Note” anchor charts and directions written by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst to help students understand the author's reasons for writing a certain way.

The “Leveled Reader Take & Teach Lessons” provide opportunities for students to analyze the author's craft. For example, The Mysterious Neighbor has the question “How does the author create different moods in the story?” The teacher guides students through questions that allow them to analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions based on the author’s purpose, such as “How does the author use Lily’s imagination to grab readers’ interest?” There are text evidence sentence starters for potential answers to the questions for additional guidance. Also, there is a “Tabletop Minilesson” for “Author’s Purpose and Craft,” including an anchor chart and questions to apply to the text. For example, questions for Author’s Purpose include “Why did the author write this text?” and “What techniques does the author use to entertain?” 

The materials offer multiple opportunities for students to analyze the literary and textual elements of texts. There are lessons centered around point-of-view, such as in Module 2, where the teacher reviews the two types of point-of-view in fiction texts, first-person and third-person. Students have the opportunity to practice determining the point-of-view to understand the text they are reading. 

The materials ask students to study the language within texts to support their understanding. In Module 4, the “Teaching Pal” directs teachers to “use the vocabulary routine and the Vocabulary Cards to introduce the Big Idea Words audition, rehearse, ability, and actor.” Students “say the Big Idea Word, explain the meaning, and discuss the context sentence.” The teacher then calls out words, and students take turns creating their sentences. 

In Module 4, Lesson 14, students “identify and analyze the theme” of the traditional tale Two Bear Cubs retold by Robert D. San Souci. Students support their thinking by finding text evidence and adding sticky notes to a class anchor chart. 

In the “Tabletop Minilesson: Make Connections,” students analyze the “Make Connections Anchor Chart” and understand that “Readers make text-to-text connections by recognizing how information in a text is the same or different from the information in another text.” The teacher supplies a new or familiar text and guides students to consider the following questions: “What is this text about? What else have you read on this topic? How does this text add to your understanding of the topic?” Students “explain how the text is similar or different from another text they have read” and “explain in their own words how reading this text gave them a deeper understanding of the topic.” In Module 4, students compare the theme of Two Bear Cubs and Gigi and the Wishing Ring by answering the question “How is a lesson the cubs learn similar to one that Gigi learns in Gigi and the Wishing Ring?” 

Additionally, there are opportunities to analyze text structure. In Module 6, during a close read of T.J. The Siberian Tiger Cub by Ann Whitehead Nagda, the teacher shows a text structure anchor chart and discusses how authors use different text structures to organize information in a text depending on their purpose for writing. During the close read, there are questions about specific features of the text, and the students discuss how that particular text structure is being used in what they have read.

The materials also offer students multiple opportunities to learn about the author's purpose. In Module 10, students utilize the P.I.E. (Persuade, Inform, Entertain) anchor chart to review the concept of the author’s purpose before reading Compay Mono and Comay Jicotea retold by Joe Hayes. The teacher tells students to think about the “author’s intended audience” when considering the author’s purpose. There is a close read of the text with a guided discussion of where the author’s purpose is revealed at the beginning of the story. Students continue to read and mark other spots where they find text evidence of the author's purpose with sticky notes. 

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 include a year-long plan for building academic vocabulary, including ways to apply words in appropriate contexts. They also include scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The program includes a year-long plan for building academic vocabulary. In each module, there is “Teaching with Instructional Routines: Vocabulary.” This routine explicitly teaches “the meaning of academic and topic-related words, provide examples and practice using words in context.” Each week includes specific vocabulary lessons related to the concept and theme and academic vocabulary, generative vocabulary, and vocabulary strategies. Teaching with Instructional Routines reminds the teachers of all the routines used throughout the lessons. The vocabulary routine is as follows: “1. The teacher says the target vocabulary word and has students repeat the word. 2. The teacher explains the meaning of the word using the student-friendly definition listed on the back of the vocabulary card provided by the materials. 3. The class discusses examples of the vocabulary word using the image on the front of the card and other real life examples.” These instructions are consistent throughout all vocabulary lessons throughout the entire year. The teacher introduces vocabulary during an earlier lesson each week, and vocabulary is reviewed several other times throughout the same week. 

The materials provide scaffolds and supports for all learners and include a vocabulary routine that enables teachers to differentiate instruction. For example, there is a “Learning Mindset, Seeking Challenges” insert that guides teachers to model the way they approach unknown words when reading. “I’ve never seen this word before, I’m going to take my time and figure it out. I will look for word parts and read each part.”

Additionally, there is also a vocabulary center in the literacy centers section of each week’s lesson plans. One activity, “Super Six Words,” is used on specific lesson days. Students use a printable, Super Six Words, to make a list of vocabulary words from the vocabulary list and then select the six they think are most important or interesting. The students write a sentence for each word, and the teacher tells them they will revisit the list at the end of the week. 

In Module 4, within the “Academic Vocabulary: Introduce Critical Vocabulary,” teachers use the three-step gradual release model: Introduce the Words, Guided Practice, and Apply. Lesson 2 includes the following words from the text The Saga of Pecos Bill: genuine, saga, coiled, whirled, and tame. The teacher is to “ask students to point to something in the room that can be coiled, and have them demonstrate with gestures how something would look if it whirled.”

In the sidebar under “English Learner Support,” there are teacher accommodations for students at varying levels of English: “Beginning: Ask partners to demonstrate the word whirled using classroom objects (or themselves). Intermediate: Have students use this sentence frame to explain the word whirled: If something whirled, it.... Advanced/Advanced High: Have pairs make up context sentences describing something that whirled.”

There are Vocabulary Cards in each lesson. They offer visual and instructional support for the Critical Vocabulary Words in the modules. This resource features academic words with visual representations, student-friendly definitions for the words, its part of speech, sentences using the word in context, collaborative discussion prompts, and tasks for the students. An example of a task might be “use the word domestic in a sentence and brainstorm other words that come to mind when you hear domestic.” The cards provide a strong scaffold for teachers to teach and develop vocabulary instruction for all learners.

In Module 2, the vocabulary words for one week are projects, assigned, mosaics, retains, precious, and demolition. The materials include a list of Spanish cognates to support ELLs, such as precious - precioso and assign - asignar. The materials have the teacher introduce the vocabulary using the standard vocabulary routine. Afterward, the class has a discussion using the words that starts with the teacher asking questions such as “When something is precious to you, how do you feel about it? Explain.” There are more suggestions for follow-up questions to scaffold this learning below the scripted questions in the text, such as “Ask them to name a gift that was precious to them and describe what happens during demolition.” Following the discussion, students apply their knowledge by working independently, then have an opportunity to turn and talk about the vocabulary words and prompts. All of the other vocabulary lessons in all other modules follow the same format.

Vocabulary lessons also include “Teacher Tips” that support some differentiation. For example, in Module 10, the teacher tip is to encourage students to use the new vocabulary words in place of words they are more familiar with and practice with synonyms. 

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

The materials include procedures and protocols, along with adequate support to guide teachers through implementation, that foster self-sustained reading as appropriate. Materials provide a plan for students to self-select texts and read independently for sustained periods of time, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Guiding Principles and Strategies: Grades 3-5” resource provides teachers with ideas for “Supporting Reading Independence,” including information about the following topics: “Organizing Your Classroom’s Reading Center,” “Self-Selecting Books,” and “Setting Goals and Responding to Reading.” The manual includes a circle graph showing teachers a 45-60 minute time frame for the reading workshop.

The materials provide a plan for students to self-select texts and read independently for a sustained period of time, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. Each week, each module includes information for independent reading during the “Reading Center” in the information on Literacy Centers. The guidance for this center remains relatively the same throughout the materials, including having the teacher alternate between displaying the anchor chart, “Choosing a Book,” or “Respond to Text.” When at the reading center, students self-select or read in their previously selected book. The teacher guides students to set a purpose for reading and use the “Reading Log” provided to hold themselves accountable for their learning. The Reading Log includes the following components: “Title, Author, and Genre; Independent Reading Record: Date, Time Spent, Pages Read; Summary: This text is about...; Questions for Discussion: What was your favorite part of the text? What did you enjoy about the author’s writing? Was there something you did not understand? What was it? Would you recommend this text to a friend? Why or why not?” Additionally, there is teacher suggestion and instruction for the teacher to help students interact with their books, such as using Mixed-Ability Groups and Word Puzzle. Also, within the lesson plans for the modules, there is a section for setting reading goals and conferring, which helps students achieve reading and skill goals. There is a printable “Exit Ticket” for student accountability. The students check which center they were in and what they learned while in the center when completing the Exit Ticket.

In addition, there are procedures/protocols for the teacher to form guided reading groups and skill and strategy groups. The materials include an “Options for Independent and Collaborative Work” section, which includes activities using a book from the “Student Choice Library” or the “Rigby Leveled Library.” Teachers choose between the “Apply Reading Skill” and “Apply Language Skill” sections for possible student independent work activities. Each section provides a focus skill and a printable for students to complete while reading independently. For example, Module 4, Lesson 2, directs students to apply the reading skill, “Visualize,” by completing the “Printable: Reading Graphic Organizer 6,” and apply the language skill, “Infer,” by completing the “Printable: Language Graphic Organizer 7.” 

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

The materials provide support for students to develop composition skills across multiple text types for a variety of purposes and audiences. The materials provide students with opportunities to write literary texts to express their ideas. They provide students opportunities to write informational texts, argumentative texts, and correspondence in a professional and friendly structure. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide students with opportunities to write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Each module includes a “Writer’s Workshop” component with a mentor text, writing prompt, and the details to take students through the writing process. The Module 2 Writer’s Workshop unit focuses on writing a story. The teacher guide prompts the teacher to read the “Focal Text” Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom aloud and use “Anchor Chart W1: Task, Audience, and Purpose.” Students write in response to the prompt: “Write a story about this person’s life and what they did to help someone else.” Once students have identified their topic, they work to provide details that convey their thoughts using the “Writer’s Notebook 4.1-4.9” to work through the writing process. Another example is in Module 3. The mentor text is All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan. The students write a descriptive essay based on the writing prompt: “Write a descriptive essay about that place. Give plenty of details, descriptions, examples, and facts to explain why it is memorable.” 

Materials provide students with opportunities to write correspondence in a professional or friendly structure. In Module 2, students write a letter as the Writer’s Workshop focus, based on the mentor text, The Lemonade War, and the focus statement “The future me is open for all possibilities.” Students write in response to the prompt: “Write a letter to your future self as a grown-up. Describe your goals and how you think you will accomplish them.” Once students identify their topic, they work to provide details that will convey their thoughts by using the “Writer’s Notebook 2.1-2.8” to work through the writing process. The teacher assists by teaching students about the different types of correspondence and providing students with information on the parts of a formal letter. Students have opportunities to draft, revise, edit, and publish their compositions. 

Materials provide students opportunities to write argumentative texts to influence the attitudes or actions of a specific audience on specific issues. At the end of “Module 5: Teamwork,” students write an argumentative editorial answering the Essential Question, “What can sports teach us about working together?” Students consider the following prompt: “Think about what you learned about teamwork in this module. Imagine that some people argue that young people should spend less time playing sports and spend more time in school. Do you agree? Write an editorial for your school newspaper to explain what you think and why. Support your opinion with strong evidence from the texts and video.” The student “myBook” guides the students through the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising and editing, and publishing.

The materials provide students opportunities to write informational texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes. Module 6 is an expository essay writing module with writing mode for informational text. The mentor text is In November by Cynthia Rylant. To write a successful informational essay, students “Read the sentence: Animals amaze us with their special abilities.” Students “think about the animals that live outdoors throughout the year.” Finally, the students write an expository essay based on the writing prompt: “Write an essay about an animal who uses special skills to live outdoors year round.” 

At the end of “Module 7: Make a Difference,” students write an informative report answering the Essential Question, “How can one person make a meaningful difference in their local or global community?” Students consider the following prompt: “Think about what you learned about how people can make an impact in their communities from the selections in this module. Imagine that you are writing a report for your school newspaper. Explain how people can impact their communities. Use text evidence from the selections to provide examples of these important people.” The student myBook guides the students through the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising and editing, and publishing. 

Evaluation for 3.b.2
Most written tasks require students to use clear and concise information and well- defended text-supported claims to demonstrate the knowledge gained through analysis and synthesis of texts.

The materials require students to use clear and concise information and well-defended text-supported claims to demonstrate the knowledge gained through analysis and synthesis of texts. The program includes a variety of tasks that require students to use information and text evidence to demonstrate in writing what they have learned. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide opportunities for students to demonstrate in writing their learning through reading and listening to texts. Each module includes a section of the Teacher’s Guide entitled “Literacy Centers.” Each Literacy Center includes a “Writing Center,” enabling students to write about what they read and learn. For example, Module 3 includes a Writing Center with an activity: write an encyclopedia entry and peer conference. 

In addition, students demonstrate in writing their learning when they work on a piece of writing or free-write during writing workshop time. There are also opportunities for students to use textual evidence to support a claim within the “Options for Differentiation” section and in the “Inquiry and Research Project.” The Options for Differentiation includes questions to apply to reading, such as “What is the central idea of this paragraph or section of text?” The Inquiry and Research Project includes “Write and Create” in Week 2, where students make a comprehensive list of national symbols, revise their writing, and then create and integrate visuals. In Module 4, Lesson 4, after reading The Saga of Pecos Bill, students “identify the events, the conflict, and the resolution” in a specific part of the play by completing a storyboard template. Students “illustrate the main events for that section of text and write what’s happening below each illustration.” Students share their storyboard with a small group in order to discuss what was learned about the plot of the story. 

The materials provide opportunities for students to use evidence from texts to support their opinions. For example, in Module 5, Lesson 15, students “write an editorial that states an opinion supported by reasons and text evidence.” The “Teaching Pal” prompts teachers to remind students “to think about how sports helped the story characters and people in the video to learn about teamwork and encourage students to think about how school children who play sports can benefit from lessons about teamwork.” Students use evidence from what they have previously read to help them draft the editorial. In Module 7, students write an opinion essay. Their prompt is to “write an opinion essay about a way students can help make your school better for everyone.” They use information learned in the module’s writing focal text, What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick. There is also a supplemental “Writer’s Notebook” sheet titled “Idea Support Map.” Students use it to organize their opinion and claims. In addition, the teacher uses “Display and Engage” 7.3a and 7.3b to have students provide text reasoning for their opinions. 

Students demonstrate their learning from a text. In Module 10, the class reads Why the Sky Is Far Away, a Nigerian folktale. After reading, students define the terms topic and theme in their “myBook.” Then, students write a lesson that explains the difference between topic and theme, listing both the topic and theme from the text to use as examples.

Evaluation for 3.b.3
Over the course of the year, composition convention skills are applied in increasingly complex contexts, with opportunities for students to publish their writing.

The materials provide opportunities over the course of the year for students to apply grade-level standard English conventions to their writing. This includes opportunities for the practice and application of the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing, including punctuation and grammar. Grammar, punctuation, and usage are taught systematically, both in and out of context. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In the “Writer’s Workshop” section of each module, the teacher addresses speaking and writing. Students have an opportunity to participate in both a peer review conference and a one-on-one teacher conference. Students also “orally share ideas” before prewriting. After each module, students share their written pieces, which is another way to practice speaking. Additional resources, such as The “Revision Checklist” anchor chart, prompt students to substitute words or sentences for better ones when needed. Students refer to the chart when making changes in grammar. The “TAP” anchor chart also serves as a resource for students as they write. This chart lists the purposes for writing and reminds students to always “keep their audience in mind.”

Grammar, punctuation, and usage are taught systematically, both in and out of context, and materials provide editing practice in students’ own writing as the year continues. The resource maps out the grammar instruction for the year, broken down by topics and then skills within each topic. There are “Grammar Minilessons” throughout every week in every module. The lessons move in a systematic sequence for grade 3 with sentences, nouns and pronouns, verbs, modifiers, punctuation marks, contractions and abbreviations, and spelling. The “Grammar Minilesson Table of Contents” includes increasingly rigorous lessons within a system that has a “Connect and Teach” portion with a “Think Aloud” and an “Engage and Apply” section with a “Printable Practice” sheet for each lesson. For example, in Lesson 1.1.1, students identify the subject of a simple sentence after the teacher explains that a “simple sentence expresses a complete thought.” In Lesson 1.3.3, students think aloud about “Can I use a conjunction to join this run-on sentence?” The teacher explains that a compound sentence is a way to join a run-on sentence. In Lesson 1.6.4, students review complex sentences using the think-aloud for “What is a subordinate clause and what is a dependent clause?” Also, students use a revision checklist during a writing workshop to practice grammar skills in their writing. 

The materials facilitate students’ coherent use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Each module contains information about the writing workshop model, which includes time for independent writing where students research and generate ideas, engage in prewriting, drafting, writing, revising, and editing, then finally publish their work. This goes on throughout the three weeks of each module. The materials contain a Writing Workshop Teacher’s Guide, which lays out lessons for teachers to take students through the writing process. Each module includes lessons on prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing and focuses on different types of writing and different aspects of revising and editing. For example, at the end of “Module 1: What a Character!,” students write a personal narrative answering the Essential Question, “What makes a character interesting?” The student “myBook” provides a prompt and guides the students through the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising and editing, and publishing. For the “Plan” portion, students map their ideas using a story map. For “Draft,” students write an attention-grabbing beginning, middle, and ending for the story. Students revise and edit their work by working individually and with a partner to find ways to improve it. Finally, the teacher guides students through the publishing steps to “create a finished copy.” Also, within each module, under Writing Workshop, there is a circular map that provides an overview for the teacher of what that instructional time should look like and include. 

The materials include worksheets for the “Writer’s Notebook” to help students with the steps in the writing process. The worksheets for Module 2 include a Letter Rubric for when students develop and revise their writing; prewriting sheets, such as “My Hopes and Dreams” to help students develop hopes and dreams for their future selves to use in their letters; a model letter to use when drafting; and a Thank-You Letterform for students to practice writing letters using the correct format. Additionally, each unit includes a graphic with explicit instructions based on the writing process. The graphic depicts how students independently generate ideas, prewrite, draft, write, revise and edit, and publish. 

The resource provides opportunities for practice and application of the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing, including punctuation and grammar. For example, Lesson 1.1.3, “Sentence Fragments,” located within the Grammar Minilessons resource, teaches students about correcting sentence fragments. Teachers use Display and Engage: Grammar 1.1.3 to model how to correct sentence fragments. Students complete Printable: Grammar 1.1.3 for practice with sentence fragments. Also, the “Editing Checklist” anchor chart is a reminder to students to capitalize and punctuate as needed. The heading reminders include: Capitalize “the first word in a sentence” and Punctuate “question marks at the end of a question.”

Evaluation for 3.b.4
Materials include practice for students to write legibly in cursive. (Grades 3-5 only)

The materials include appropriate practice for students to write legibly in cursive. However, there is no explicit instruction in cursive handwriting, and the materials provide reminders to write in cursive as opposed to supporting a systematic plan for teachers to assess students’ handwriting development. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Writer’s Workshop Teacher’s Guide” includes opportunities for students to write in cursive. The publishing stage of the guide provides instruction for teachers to facilitate students with the opportunity to write in cursive. For example, one of the learning objectives in Module 2 of the Writer’s Workshop includes “sign letters legibly in cursive.” However, the only time the materials explicitly mention cursive handwriting during specific writing lessons is in Module 2, which is when students write a letter to their future selves. The materials have the teacher instruct students to “Sign your name at the bottom in cursive.” There is also a “Teacher Tip” on this page that instructs the teacher to “have students practice writing their name in cursive for when they sign their letter.” However, there is no explicit instruction in cursive handwriting. Teachers remind students to sign their letters at the bottom. There is a Teacher Tip to circulate the room as students practice writing their names in cursive, and advanced students can write their letters in cursive or add decorative touches. It appears the materials include a page on “Handwriting” in the Writing Workshop Teacher’s Guide for grade 3, but the link is broken/there is no access to this resource.

Also, there are opportunities for students to write in cursive with various foundational skills activities focused on spelling, such as “Spelling: VCe Spellings.” The Teacher’s Guide includes a Handwriting section that provides some instruction and practice for the students in cursive handwriting. 

The materials include Handwriting plans within the “Resources” section. The plans include information about the following: “Explain Stroke and Letter Formation, Teach Writing Position, Reinforce Directionality, Develop Handwriting, Write in Cursive, Slant Letters Correctly, Letter Spacing, Word Spacing, Join Uppercase and Lowercase Letters, Answer Questions, Write Sentences, and Write a Paragraph.”

The materials include “Anchor Chart 37: Cursive Handwriting” and a “Handwriting: Cursive Alphabet” (including arrows) for teacher and student use. It provides a pictorial and colorful representation of what cursive handwriting is and some tips for successfully writing in cursive. It states that “in cursive writing, all letters are connected.” The “Handwriting Teacher’s Guide “ is included, but the site is not active during the materials review. The site states, “This page seems to be on a break.” There are several strategies that the materials list to help students of varying handwriting abilities, including helping students slant their cursive letters correctly, understanding the letter spacing and word spacing in cursive handwriting, making sure that uppercase and lowercase letters are joined, giving students opportunities to write five sentences in cursive or an entire paragraph depending on their ability, and answering questions in cursive. The materials also include a cursive alphabet example. However, there is no information on how these tips should be taught in the structure of other lessons.

The materials include a plan for teachers to assess students’ handwriting skills within the Resources section by “reviewing samples of their written work. Note whether they use correct letter formation and appropriate size and spacing.” Students must write legibly in cursive “when writing messages, notes, and letters, or when publishing their writing.” The Teacher’s Guide includes resources with additional information. There is a two-page spread on “Handwriting.” In this resource, there is one paragraph titled “Assess Handwriting.” In this paragraph, the materials guide teachers to review samples of students’ written work to assess their handwriting skills. It instructs teachers to pay attention to their letter formation and size and spacing, as well as if they follow the conventions of print and if the writing is legible when they publish their compositions.

The materials include appropriate practice for students to write legibly in cursive. However, there is no explicit instruction in cursive handwriting, and the materials provide reminders to write in cursive as opposed to supporting a systematic plan for teachers to assess students’ handwriting development. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Writer’s Workshop Teacher’s Guide” includes opportunities for students to write in cursive. The publishing stage of the guide provides instruction for teachers to facilitate students with the opportunity to write in cursive. For example, one of the learning objectives in Module 2 of the Writer’s Workshop includes “sign letters legibly in cursive.” However, the only time the materials explicitly mention cursive handwriting during specific writing lessons is in Module 2, which is when students write a letter to their future selves. The materials have the teacher instruct students to “Sign your name at the bottom in cursive.” There is also a “Teacher Tip” on this page that instructs the teacher to “have students practice writing their name in cursive for when they sign their letter.” However, there is no explicit instruction in cursive handwriting. Teachers remind students to sign their letters at the bottom. There is a Teacher Tip to circulate the room as students practice writing their names in cursive, and advanced students can write their letters in cursive or add decorative touches. It appears the materials include a page on “Handwriting” in the Writing Workshop Teacher’s Guide for grade 3, but the link is broken/there is no access to this resource.

Also, there are opportunities for students to write in cursive with various foundational skills activities focused on spelling, such as “Spelling: VCe Spellings.” The Teacher’s Guide includes a Handwriting section that provides some instruction and practice for the students in cursive handwriting. 

The materials include Handwriting plans within the “Resources” section. The plans include information about the following: “Explain Stroke and Letter Formation, Teach Writing Position, Reinforce Directionality, Develop Handwriting, Write in Cursive, Slant Letters Correctly, Letter Spacing, Word Spacing, Join Uppercase and Lowercase Letters, Answer Questions, Write Sentences, and Write a Paragraph.”

The materials include “Anchor Chart 37: Cursive Handwriting” and a “Handwriting: Cursive Alphabet” (including arrows) for teacher and student use. It provides a pictorial and colorful representation of what cursive handwriting is and some tips for successfully writing in cursive. It states that “in cursive writing, all letters are connected.” The “Handwriting Teacher’s Guide “ is included, but the site is not active during the materials review. The site states, “This page seems to be on a break.” There are several strategies that the materials list to help students of varying handwriting abilities, including helping students slant their cursive letters correctly, understanding the letter spacing and word spacing in cursive handwriting, making sure that uppercase and lowercase letters are joined, giving students opportunities to write five sentences in cursive or an entire paragraph depending on their ability, and answering questions in cursive. The materials also include a cursive alphabet example. However, there is no information on how these tips should be taught in the structure of other lessons.

The materials include a plan for teachers to assess students’ handwriting skills within the Resources section by “reviewing samples of their written work. Note whether they use correct letter formation and appropriate size and spacing.” Students must write legibly in cursive “when writing messages, notes, and letters, or when publishing their writing.” The Teacher’s Guide includes resources with additional information. There is a two-page spread on “Handwriting.” In this resource, there is one paragraph titled “Assess Handwriting.” In this paragraph, the materials guide teachers to review samples of students’ written work to assess their handwriting skills. It instructs teachers to pay attention to their letter formation and size and spacing, as well as if they follow the conventions of print and if the writing is legible when they publish their compositions.

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

The materials provide opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, and demonstrate comprehension. There are consistent opportunities for students to use clear and concise information and well-defended text-supported claims to demonstrate the knowledge gained through analysis and synthesis of texts.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Tabletop Minilessons” include opportunities for speaking and listening with activities fitting into the two domains based on the tabletop theme. For example, “Synthesize” includes prompting the students to look at an image and listen to the read-aloud, and the teacher explains certain words are synthesized to understand a topic. Students then explain that when speakers synthesize words, they combine ideas and details, and they work in small groups to practice synthesizing and share their synthesis. There are “Literacy Centers” for each week of each module. Some literacy centers provide listening opportunities focused on the text(s) being studied in class, such as the “Digital Station.” At this station, students choose to listen to either a Leveled Reader or to one of the selections that were read in class that week. As they listen, they may use a printable “Listening Log” to write down the listening skills used, a summary of the text they listened to, and any questions they have about the selection they just heard. 

Speaking and listening opportunities are about the text(s) being studied in class, allowing students to demonstrate comprehension. Each Module has a “Speaking and Listening” lesson. This lesson is in “Independent and Collaborative Work.” In Module 1, students discuss the essential questions using “Engage and Respond.” The question for discussion is “What makes a character interesting?” The focal text for the unit is the realistic fiction short read Zach Jumps In! After looking at text evidence, students discuss Zach and his character traits and use the “Think-Pair-Share” routine. The teacher has students share their thinking with their partner, then choose a few to share with the class. 

Most oral tasks require students to use clear and concise information and well-defended text-supported claims to demonstrate the knowledge gained through analysis and synthesis of texts. For example, in Module 1, students are provided with opportunities to explore graphic features. They use this sentence stem to talk about what they notice: “This text feature is a.... It helps me understand....” 

In Module 3, Lesson 2, students practice the skill Synthesize while reading The U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl. The “Teaching Pal” directs teachers to remind students that their thinking can change after they learn new information by synthesizing. The materials then provide the teacher with a think-aloud to model the process of synthesizing and the following questions: “Why do you think the framers of the Constitution included the preamble? How would you synthesize the information about the preamble into what you already know?” Students look back at “Anchor Chart 8: Synthesize” to help them “determine how they can use new information to change their thinking, and as a result, form new ideas.” 

The “Collaborative Discussion” component of the Teaching Pal provides the opportunity for students to complete oral tasks with text support. For example, Module 7 provides students with the opportunity to look back over their pre-read page for the story One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul and use it to discuss questions with classmates. Students use details to support their answers. An example of a question is, “How does Isatou’s recycling project help her family and her community?” Also, there are listening and speaking tips for students, such as “listen carefully and wait your turn to share.” The teacher’s guide includes a section entitled “Communication.” Within this section is a “Speaking and Listening Minilesson,” including formal and informal language, where students actively listen and participate in responses and, in the end, synthesize topic knowledge of narrative nonfiction.

Evaluation for 3.c.2
Materials engage students in productive teamwork and in student-led discussions, in both formal and informal settings.

The materials engage students in productive teamwork by providing consistent opportunities for students to engage in student-led discussions. Students have opportunities to practice grade-appropriate speaking skills using the standard conventions of the English language. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include literacy center instructions every week in each module. Some of the centers provide opportunities for students to participate in performances, such as “Reader’s Theater,” where students can practice speaking in a clear and concise manner. 

The materials provide guidance and practice with grade-level protocols for discussion to express their own thinking. Each module has a section called “Independent and Collaborative Work.” This section provides options for students to work in collaboration while the teacher works with small groups. For example, in Module 1, students can use the “Think-Pair-Share” routine as they discuss “point of view” and answer the question, “Who is telling the story?” Students can refer to the “How to Have a Discussion” anchor chart, which lists things such as “using specific vocabulary when talking and listening for key ideas when listening.” 

The materials provide opportunities for students to give organized presentations/performances and speak in a clear and concise manner using the conventions of language. The “Inquiry & Research Project” at the beginning of each module provides the opportunity for students to express their thinking within the project. In the Module 4 Inquiry & Research Project, students research a traditional story, rewrite it, and perform it for the class. Within the “Practice and Present” portion, teachers are to “Have students practice presenting with a small group.” The teacher reminds students to “speak clearly and at a comfortable pace, to use gestures, and to show the character’s emotions through body language and facial expressions.” In Module 5, the Inquiry & Research Project is on teamwork. Students begin by “discussing the word team and the meaning of the word.” Sentence stems help students use conventions of the English language, such as “My favorite team activity is....” “I like it because...” Students present their research project after the module. Students discuss what they learned from other presentations. The teacher encourages students to make eye contact as they speak to others. 

At the end of some “Reading Workshop” lessons, there is a small text box, “Speaking and Listening.” Module 6 guides the teacher to have partners discuss the “Essential Question” and refers to where this is in the materials. There is also a sidebar, “Wrap-Up: Share Time,” which lists several activities to wrap up the lesson, some of which include opportunities for discussion and expression of thinking.

In Module 8, Lesson 6, within the “Engage and Respond” portion of the lesson, students use the “Collaborative Discussion” routine. After reading A Bumpy Ride by Sharon Katz Cooper and Rachel Young, students use the routine to answer the following “Collaborative Discussion: Respond to the Text” questions: “What feature did Kilpatrick Macmillan add to make the first real bicycle? What were some problems with it? Why did bicycles change from the ‘ordinaries’ of 1870 to the Rover in 1885? What details in the text explain how bicycles became very popular in the 1890s?” The teacher provides students with “Listening and Speaking Tips” to help enhance communication. Within the “Wrap-Up” section of the “Options for Independent and Collaborative Work” portion of the lesson, teachers are to “have students reflect on their learning by sharing how they applied, make and confirm predictions or another area of focus during independent work time.” 

Each module also contains a series of “Writing Workshop” lessons. At the end of every Writing Workshop lesson series, students have an opportunity to publish and share their writing. In Module 10, students participate in an activity called “Author’s Chair,” where an author (student) sits in the chair and reads their writing “slowly, clearly, and loudly” and shows the illustrations that go along with their imaginative stories turning the page.

Evaluation for 3.d.1
Materials engage students in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes to confront and analyze various aspects of a topic using relevant sources.

The materials contain inquiry processes to provide students with opportunities to work with various resources, analyze topics, and organize and present their ideas throughout each module.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials support the identification and summary of high-quality primary and secondary sources. The materials include a resource titled “Current Events,” which provides links and access to several different additional resources that provide students with access to high-quality primary and secondary resources. The following resources are available for teachers: “DOGOnews” is a news website with articles written for students. The front page of the website features current events. This resource includes a search function that students can use to find articles specific to their research interests and topics. The news articles are secondary sources. “Kiddle News” is a search engine that is titled “Safe news search for kids.” This resource allows students to search for relevant resources for their research projects and may allow them to find both primary and secondary sources. “Newsela” is a news website with articles written for students. These articles can be sorted by text level to ensure that students find articles they can read and comprehend. There are many articles on many different topics, many of which appear to be secondary sources reporting on various events. “StarDate Online” is an online database with articles and photos from space exploration. All of the resources here are related to space. This database includes primary sources, such as photographs, as well as secondary sources with articles. “TIME for Kids” is a website containing articles, all from TIME for Kids, which can be sorted by grade level and/or topic. Some articles include primary-source interviews, while others are secondary sources. “TTJunior” is a resource created by the Smithsonian. It contains articles on many topics, which can be accessed at different Lexile Levels. “Youngzine,” the tagline for this resource is “News + more for the young.” It contains world news, science articles, technology articles, articles about Earth, history articles, society/arts articles, and blogs/op-eds.

The materials support student practice in organizing and presenting their ideas and information in accordance with the purpose of the research and the appropriate grade level audience. For example, each module includes an “Inquiry and Research Project” that provides an opportunity for sustained inquiry over the three weeks of the module. In this project, students have opportunities to practice organizing and presenting their ideas per the purpose of the research. For example, in Module 2, the purpose of the research project is to create a book of poetry. During Week 1 of the research process, students gather information by reading poems, examining elements of poetry, and researching in their project groups. They research 4–5 different types of poetry individually so that their group has many types of poetry to evaluate and choose from when creating their final project. The materials include tips, such as having students refer to their “myBook” selections, as well as websites and other books of poetry. The teacher also has students take notes as they research, so they remember and can use the information that they find. During the second week of the inquiry project, students organize their research into a draft, making sure that their group poetry book contains many different types of poetry. They also have the opportunity to create visuals for their project to enhance their presentation. The following week students practice and finally present their research projects to the class. The teacher reminds them to “speak clearly and at a comfortable pace, to use gestures, and to make eye contact with their audience.” There is also an opportunity to reflect on the research process and project they created.

In the Module 4 Inquiry and Research Project, students research a traditional story that they rewrite and perform for the class. Teachers guide students through the following using the “Printable: Project 4.3,” which lists Prepare and Rehearse, Deliver Presentations, Reflect, and Celebrate. The teacher evaluates students’ work using a rubric in the following categories: Speaking and Listening, Writing, Collaboration, and Presentation. 

In Module 6, Lesson 15, Performance Task, students write an “argumentative text that presents an opinion supported by reasons and evidence.” Students gather information from sources to use in writing. Teachers direct students to look back at the texts from the module to decide which ones they may want to use as a model or as resources for their drafts. 

Also, the materials include “Research Report” assignments that review what a primary and secondary source is and include it in the research steps of the assignment. For example, Module 8 includes a research report assignment where students research facts and details using primary and secondary sources. Research Report 8.3a-8.4b defines what a primary and secondary source is with examples, including note-taking tips and steps on how to evaluate sources.

There are also opportunities for students to practice short-term inquiry skills in daily lessons. For example, each daily reading lesson focuses on a comprehension skill, such as “Visualizing” in Module 10. After the minilesson, students have opportunities to engage in independent work where they apply the skill, then have opportunities to share through the Solo Chair Routine, a Think-Pair-Share, or adding sticky notes to an anchor chart. These opportunities allow students to gain short-term practice in organizing and presenting their ideas related to a specific topic.

Evaluation for 3.e.1
Materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge and provide opportunities for increased independence.

The materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge. They contain a coherently sequenced set of high-quality, text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within individual texts as well as across multiple texts. The tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking and provide opportunities for increased independence. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include tasks to integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking and include components of vocabulary, syntax, and fluency, as needed. In turn, these tasks provide opportunities for increased independence. For example, the “Listening Comprehension” section includes tasks that integrate multiple domains and components, such as vocabulary, syntax, and fluency. For example, Module 3 includes the read-aloud informational text Patriotic Tunes. The teacher introduces the text, defining what patriotic means, having the students set a purpose for listening, then reads the story, modeling fluency and asking questions while reading. Questions include “How have patriotic tunes been a part of American history?” and “When did the “Star-Spangled Banner” become the country’s official national anthem?” Students listen, think, and speak using vocabulary and proper syntax to complete the task. Also, the “Options for Independent and Collaborative Work” includes the opportunity for students to build independence. Students complete literacy activities while the teacher meets with small groups, such as selecting a book from the Student Choice library and completing either the Reading Graphic Organizer or Language Graphic Organizer. There is time to share with the solo chair or think-pair-share. 

Each module contains an “Inquiry and Research Project” that helps students build and apply knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. Students “collaborate to generate ideas, research, complete, and present an inquiry-based project.” At the beginning of Module 4, students research “a traditional story, then rewrite and perform it as a play” in groups. The lesson plans are broken down by weeks. In Week 1, the teacher is to Clarify Project Goals, Build Background, help students Begin Group Work and Research. Using the Printable Project 4.1, students work together to research traditional stories and choose one to turn into a play. In Week 2, teachers support students as they Plan and Draft, Revise and Format, and Create and Integrate Visuals. Using the Printable Project 4.2, students work together to compare the drafts they wrote for the plays within Module 4. Teachers tell students to look for any elements of drama they may have missed. In Week 3, teachers remind students to “speak clearly and at a comfortable pace, to use gestures, and to show the character’s emotions through body language and facial expressions” while presenting the plays. Teachers also remind listeners to “be attentive and polite, and to take notes if they wish.” 

The materials contain a coherently sequenced set of high-quality, text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within individual texts as well as across multiple texts. For example, a “Reading Workshop” minilesson follows a coherent sequence to teach students using shared texts. In Module 6, there is a minilesson that reviews how to ask and answer questions while reading to better understand a text. The “Teaching Pal” gives the teacher a series of questions to help students gain knowledge through the lesson. Before reading, the teacher has students think about the title of the text, Octopus Escapes Again, by Laurie Ellen Angus. After reading, students discuss with a partner what they are learning about octopuses. Then, they answer several other questions using text evidence. These questions include “How can Octopus stay safe when another animal wants to eat it?” “How is octopus ink like water shot from the octopus’s siphon? How are the two different?” and “What kinds of fish does an octopus want to eat? Which animals want to eat an octopus?” After the students apply the skill to the shared reading text, there is an opportunity for a collaborative discussion in which students discuss their answers to the questions in small groups.

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

The materials provide distributed practice over the course of the year. The design includes scaffolds for students to demonstrate the integration of literacy skills that spiral over the school year. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a “Scope and Sequence” for grammar. Several lessons focus on reviewing concepts that were previously taught to contribute to distributed practice over the course of the year. For example, lessons in Module 1 include teaching students about sentences, sentence fragments, different kinds of sentences, and run-on sentences. The last week of the module includes a lesson titled “Review Kinds of Sentences.” In Module 2, there are lessons called “Review Compound Sentences” and “Review Commas in Sentences and Series.” In Module 9, there is a lesson titled “Review Complex Sentences.” Module 11 contains only review lessons, including reviewing simple sentences, kinds of sentences, compound sentences, and complex sentences. A concept that is taught in Module 1 is reviewed a few times in the middle of the year and then again at the end of the year to ensure student mastery.

The materials support distributed practice over the course of the year through spiraling concepts and presenting them more than just once. In the “Leveled Reader Take & Teach Lessons,” for example, Level L: Working Dogs by Julie Haydon focuses on Key Ideas & Details, Central Idea, and Compare/Contrast with questions that build comprehension and require text evidence, such as “What do herding dogs do?” Level N Reader: Electricity by Nicolas Brasch and Level O Reader: The Mystery of the Missing Book by Natalie West also focus on Key Ideas & Details that build comprehension and require text evidence, such as “Why does the author compare electricity to magic?” and “What problems does Julia learn about in the classroom the next day?” As the level of the reader increases, the concepts continue with distributed practice throughout the school year. Furthermore, the “Scope and Sequence - Grade 3 - Foundational Skills” document lists skills taught each week regarding decoding, high-frequency words, fluency, and spelling. The Fluency skills repeat. For example, “Expression” is taught in Modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, and 11. The skill of “Intonation” is first in Module 4, then spiraled and reviewed in Modules 5, 7, 9, 10, and 11. 

Design includes scaffolds for students to demonstrate integration of literacy skills that spiral over the school year. Each lesson within each module includes an “Options for Differentiation” section to “Scaffold and Extend” the lesson. For example, in Module 3, for students who are “Almost There,” the teacher “points out text and graphic features and helps students identify how these features help readers understand the text,” and for students who are “Ready for More,” the teacher is to “have students explain how the text and graphic features communicate information in a way that text alone cannot.” 

In Module 4, Week 1, students discuss characteristics of argument/opinion essay and drama/tall tale. As the teachers introduce elements of drama, literary elements, and figurative language, students review previously taught comprehension skills and strategies. Then again, in Module 8, Week 1, students discuss characteristics of informational text and biography. As the teacher introduces the text and graphic features, making inferences, text structures, and central ideas, students review previously taught comprehension skills and strategies. 

In spelling, each week focuses on a new spelling pattern. However, the materials always include “review words,” which are words from previous weeks. For example, one week in Module 5 contains the review words always, crawl, awful, and also, which were all on Module 4’s Basic Words spelling list.

Module 7 scaffolds for students who are Almost There by instructing the teacher to ask students to share what they know and help them find text evidence. For students above level, the teacher prompts the students to use their knowledge. For students who are Ready for More, the teacher instructs the students to explain how they used their background knowledge. Students also have an opportunity to practice skills taught during “small group mini-lessons, Tabletop Minilessons, and through the use of related graphic organizers.”

In Module 8, Lesson 1, Options for Differentiation section, teachers refer to the “Reinforce Ideas and Support” section for “Scaffold and Extend” ideas, including “Almost There: Point out text and graphic features. Help students identify how they communicate information,” “Middle: Prompt students to identify the text and graphic features and how they communicate information,” and “Ready for More: Have students explain how the text and graphic features communicate information in a way that text alone cannot.”

Additionally, in Module 10, after a lesson on retelling, the downward scaffold for students who are Almost There is for the teacher to guide them to be able to identify the key elements of the text, such as characters, conflict, and resolution, and then have them retell the story. For students in the “Middle,” the scaffold has the teacher prompt students to retell a story by stating the key elements in the correct sequence. Finally, the scaffold for students who are Ready for More includes having students retell the story, then explain why they left out certain minor details when they retold the story. There are also opportunities for students to integrate the literacy skills they learned during this mini-lesson into their independent reading. For example, while reading, students respond to questions, such as “Who are the characters in the story? What is the setting? What conflict did the characters have to solve? What was the resolution? What is the order of important events in the story?”

Evaluation for 4.1
Materials provide systematic instruction and practice of foundational skills, including opportunities for phonics and word analysis skills (e.g., examination of grade-level prefixes and suffixes, decoding of multisyllabic words by using syllabication, and automaticity with grade-level regular and irregular spelling patterns).

The materials provide systematic instruction and practice of foundational skills, including opportunities for phonics and word analysis skills, a research-based sequence of grade-level foundational skills instruction, and opportunities for sufficient student practice to achieve grade-level mastery. The materials include resources that specifically attend to supporting students in need of effective remediation. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a research-based sequence of grade-level foundational skills instruction and opportunities for sufficient student practice to achieve grade-level mastery. The materials include introductory pages titled “Guiding Principles and Strategies for Grades 3-5.” It states materials are “a comprehensive literacy solution based on science and informed by teachers.” It notes the various embedded research-based supports throughout the materials. For example, there are blue boxes titled “Professional Learning,” which contain “Research Foundations” tips or research-based rationales for teaching certain skills or using a certain instructional approach that is present in the lesson. In the “Grade 3 Teacher’s Guide,” the authors and advisors are listed at the beginning. They include several nationally-recognized education researchers, such as Nathan Clemens, Ph.D., Anne Cunningham, Ph.D., Shane Templeton, Ph.D. (also the author of Words Their Way), Julie Washington, Ph.D., and Elena Izquierdo, Ph.D. Furthermore, there is a research-based sequence of foundational skills in phonics, word analysis, and word recognition. In grade 3, students use “Blend-it Books,” which are highly decodable texts starting with letters m, s, t, and progress through the final stable syllable /le/. “Foundational Skills and Word Study” lessons start with “What is a Word” and progress through lessons teaching the sounds of g /j/ and c /s/. The materials also include an “Into Reading Alignment Chart,” which provides a Scope and Sequence for decoding instruction in each module. For example, Module 4 includes instruction for “Week 1 Decoding: Consonant Digraphs (not specifically included in the grade 3 TEKS),” “Week 2 Decoding: Vowel Diphthongs ow, ou,” and “Week 3 Decoding: Vowels au, aw, al, o.” 

The materials systematically develop knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns and word analysis skills as delineated in the TEKS for grades 3-5. Each module includes a phonics page broken into three parts: Introduce the Skill, Guided Practice, and Apply. For example, in Module 2, decoding lessons include teaching students about long o spellings, long i spellings, and reviewing short and long vowels. The learning objectives for a decoding lesson in Module 2 include “recognize and decode multisyllabic words with short and long vowel sounds” and “recognize and decode multisyllabic words with open and closed syllables.” In this lesson, the teacher displays the words we, no, hi, and why and explains that they are words that end in open syllables. Then the teacher displays did, shell, pod, and shack and explains that they are words that end in closed syllables. Then the class looks at multisyllabic words such as finish and open. The teacher demonstrates dividing it into syllables and showing where there are open and closed syllables. Students practice dividing words on their own. 

The materials provide opportunities for students to practice grade-level word recognition skills to promote automaticity. In each module, there is instruction and practice in prefixes and suffixes. For example, in Module 1, students study the prefix non- and read words such as nontoxic and nonverbal. Word analysis is in each spelling lesson. Each week, the materials provide high-frequency words for students to learn and practice in the context of passages during fluency lessons. In Module 4, Lesson 1, there is a fluency lesson on “Expression.” The “Printable: Fluency 4.1” includes a passage and words that contain the week’s decoding element. Teachers use the passage to monitor whether students can accurately and fluently read specific grade-level words. The passage also includes the following high-frequency words: dance, speak, paint. Teachers model reading the passage first, then students read along using the Choral Reading Routine. The Leveled Readers also include high-frequency words, which provide opportunities for phonics practice and reading spelling words in isolation. 

The materials include building spelling knowledge as identified in the TEKS. Each module includes a spelling page for each week of instruction in the Teacher’s Edition. Each week focuses on a different spelling pattern and builds spelling knowledge as identified in the TEKS. Module 4, Lesson 1 includes the “Spelling the /ch/ Sound” lesson. Teachers “revisit the review words” and refer to the “Printable: Dictation Sentences 4.1” and display the spelling cards on “Printable: Spelling Word Cards 4.1.” Teachers sort the word cards into two columns, -ch and -tch. Students share what they notice about the two groups of words. The spelling list has 22 words, including Basic, Review, and Challenge words.

The materials specifically attend to supporting students in need of effective remediation. Decoding lessons contain a “Correct and Redirect” section at the bottom of the page that lists tips for teachers when students are having trouble. For example, in Module 6, students learn to decode words with the /ar/ (park) or /or/ (port, more) sounds. The materials guide the teacher to correct the error the student is making, then model how to decode the word torn. Finally, the materials instruct the teacher to “guide the students to decode the word mark.” The teacher informs students that the “r following a vowel” changes the vowel’s sound, which is the sound pattern being decoded this week. The materials include the resource called Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio Teacher’s Guide by Program Consultant: Dr. Martha C. Hougen. It “provides targeted intervention for students who need practice in the critical areas of print concepts, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, word recognition, and fluency. The studio includes instruction and practice at multiple grade levels, enabling teachers to bring students gradually up to grade level.” The materials include an “Into Reading Alignment Chart,” which provides a scope and sequence for possible intervention using the Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio. 

Evaluation for 4.2
Materials include diagnostic tools and provide opportunities to assess student mastery, in and out of context, at regular intervals for teachers to make instructional adjustments.

The materials include a variety of diagnostic tools and provide opportunities to assess student progress and mastery, with an interval schedule and suggested timeline included. There is support for teachers in both how to administer the assessments, how to analyze the data, and ways to best support student instruction.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include tools to support and direct teachers to assess students’ growth in, and mastery of, foundational skills (e.g., skill gaps in phonics and decoding) both in and out of context. For example, they include an “Assessment and Differentiation” resource that shows teachers how to assess their students throughout the year. This resource includes a suggested timeline for administering assessments and provides a detailed explanation of each of the different types of included assessments. There are three subheadings: foundational skills, strategic intervention, and small-group inclusion. This resource also includes information for teachers on how to determine the appropriate level of support for Tier I, II, and III interventions. 

The materials include formative assessments that help teachers assess mastery of skills. The formative assessments include both weekly and module assessments that have a reading and writing section to assess comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills. There are options to administer these tests on the computer or with paper and pencil. There are also instructions for teachers to use the data to determine “flexible groups for foundational skills instruction.”

The materials include the “Intervention Assessments” to “provide screening, diagnostic, and progress monitoring assessments to identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties and provide recommendations on the amount of support students are likely to need during reading instruction,” and include screening assessments, oral reading fluency assessments, diagnostic assessments, and progress monitoring assessments. Oral reading fluency assessments are for grades 1-6. These tests focus on fluency, accuracy, and rate and provide important information about the student’s decoding strategies by using specific grade-level targeted vocabulary. The diagnostic assessments for grades 3-5 include Print Concepts Inventory, Letter-Sound Correspondence, and Phonological Awareness Inventory. The progress monitoring assessments provide biweekly checks on students’ progress. These oral reading tests are administered individually and assess students’ growth or problems in pre-reading/reading skills throughout the school year. In addition, they take 3-5 minutes to complete and help measure student growth, identify gaps, monitor progress, and enter or exit students from intervention. The materials also include a “Benchmark Assessment Kit” for assessing guiding reading levels. This kit is specific to grades 3-5 and contains a fiction and nonfiction paired Benchmark Leveled Reader set for levels J-W. The kit includes the “Into Reading Benchmark Evaluation Guide,” which provides opportunities to observe reading behaviors, students’ approximate reading levels, and information to help plan for instruction. Each leveled Benchmark Evaluation Guide provides teacher directions, a running record, retelling instructions, a comprehension quiz, answer key, and information about “determining a student’s reading level.” 

The materials support teachers with guidance and direction to respond to individual students’ literacy needs, based on tools and assessments appropriate to the grade level. Each module includes “Ongoing Formative Assessment Tools” to be used during and after the module. The diagnostic tools include running records and 1:1 observation records. The weekly planning guide for each module includes a “Week at a Glance,” which lists the activities and stories for each day. In the left-hand side margin under the subheading “Intervention,” teachers are recommended to access the online resource the “Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio Teacher’s Guide.” This resource “provides targeted intervention for students who need practice in the critical areas of print concepts, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, word recognition, and fluency.” In the Week at a Glance section of the teacher guide for each module, the teacher accesses the online Word Study Studio “for students needing strategic intervention” and “additional support.” 

In a “Take and Teach Lesson,” there are opportunities to work with students on self-monitoring, using context to confirm or self-correct understanding, and employing rereading when appropriate. For example, the Take and Teach Lesson for Leona’s Sneakers by Earl Ayder, a Level M text, gives teachers prompts to help build comprehension of the text. There are instructions to reread specific pages to point out details that help students understand a conclusion that the main character is drawing. There is also information on building vocabulary for students before reading so they are familiar with words they may come across, such as forgive, honestly, invited.

The materials also include information on documenting students’ growth through portfolios. The portfolios contain formal and informal assessments, as well as work samples from students. The materials instruct teachers to collaborate with the students when choosing work samples for the portfolio so they can have ownership over it and demonstrate mastery.

Evaluation for 4.3
Materials provide frequent opportunities for students to practice and develop oral and silent reading fluency, while reading a wide variety of grade-appropriate texts at the appropriate rate with accuracy and expression to support comprehension.

The materials include many opportunities for students to practice and develop fluency throughout various lessons. There are lessons for practice with various grade-level appropriate texts, including fluency passages, and the explicit fluency lessons teach phrasing, intonation, expression, and accuracy.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a Scope and Sequence for fluency lessons that includes lessons on “Accuracy and Self-Correction,” “Expression,” “Reading Rate,” “Phrasing,” and “Intonation.” These skills spiral throughout the year. For example, Module 2 has phrasing, reading rate, and expression. Module 6 has expression, reading rate, accuracy, and self-correction. Module 10 has phrasing, expression, and intonation. Each week, there is one fluency lesson that teaches the designated fluency skill. All fluency lessons follow the same routine and structure. Each lesson, regardless of skill, includes a printable handout containing a fluency passage. For example, in Module 2, the teacher teaches the students about reading with proper phrasing. The teacher informs students that practicing reading aloud helps improve their phrasing skills and that paying attention to punctuation is very important. The teacher gives the students the printable, Fluency 2.1, which contains the fluency passage titled “Talent Show.” Students follow along as the teacher reads the first paragraph without pausing at any punctuation marks and adding pauses where they are not necessary. The class talks about how this is hard to follow. Then the teacher reads the same paragraph correctly, modeling appropriate phrasing. The class discusses how this reading was easier to follow. The teacher finishes reading the passage. Following the reading, the class reads together using the choral reading routine. Students have a chance to apply their knowledge in small groups or partners, using the partner reading routine to read the passage aloud.

The materials provide students opportunities to read grade-level texts as they make meaning and build foundational skills. Each module consists of a “Fluency” section with learning objectives focused on providing students with opportunities to read with fluency and accuracy and comprehend texts. Students read various passages to build foundational skills through decoding. They also work with high-frequency words in the passage to work toward more word recognition and improved fluency. For example, Fluency Passage 3.1, “Passage to America,” focuses on “Decoding Words with Three-Letter Blends and High-Frequency Words.” There is explicit instruction for the teacher to introduce the skill in the Fluency section. The teacher explains the reading rate of good readers, models reading the first paragraph of the fluency passage at a slow rate and then an appropriate rate, pointing out how to decode the words by using the three-letter blends, and then has the students chorally read the passage. Students work in pairs using the “Partner Reading Routine.” Additionally, the Learning Objectives for Module 4, Lesson 1, “Fluency: Expression,” include “Read orally with expression. Read aloud grade-level text with fluency and accuracy. Apply decoding skills when reading connected text. Comprehend texts using teacher support.” Students read the Printable: Fluency 4.1, “Choosing a Career,” to practice reading with expression. Students use the “Partner Reading Routine” to read the passage aloud with their partners. Students utilize the “Student Choice Library” and find additional selections, such as The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies and The Plot Chickens by Len Wang. As students read a novel, the teacher focuses on a specific skill during the week, and students discuss with partners. Also, other opportunities include reading grade-level appropriate texts in “myBook” that align to the comprehension and meaning-making skills being learned during the “Reading Workshop.” Texts include Dear Primo by Duncan Tonatiuh (Guided Reading Level M) in Module 2, This is Your Life Cycle by Heather Lynn Miller (Guided Reading Level N) in Module 6, and Cinder Al and the Stinky Footwear by Roger Lore (Guided Reading Level S) in Module 10. 

Each fluency lesson instructs the teacher to monitor students for appropriate fluency by listening for expression, accuracy, intonation, and phrasing depending on the specific lesson and text. The passage is read by the teacher as a model read, then chorally as a class, and finally, as a partner read. The passage contains the word count and numbers in the margin to match the number of lines in that paragraph, which can be used by the teacher to monitor and mark any mistakes and self-correction the student makes. For example, in Module 4, Lesson 1, “Fluency: Expression,” the teacher monitors students for expression while they are reading the passage using the Partner Reading Routine. Teachers “note especially how students handle the more challenging words such as reflexes, ballet, creative, and success and provide support, as needed.” For the high-frequency words, teachers “Print and distribute Word Cards 3.34-3.36, which feature this week’s high-frequency words, and have students work independently or in pairs to read and complete the activities for each word. For struggling readers, walk through the notes for one or two words before they continue working with a partner.”

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

The materials include supports for students who demonstrate proficiency above grade level. Guidance provides planning and learning opportunities, including extensions and differentiation. While most extensions are framed for the general classroom population, extension and differentiation opportunities successfully support students who demonstrate literacy skills above grade level. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include supports for students who are above grade level during reading lessons. Each daily lesson includes “Options for Differentiation,” and activities to extend learning for advanced learners can be found in the “Scaffold and Extend” section. A teacher scaffolds student understanding through a visual symbol, such as an arrow that guides teachers through suggested activities for students who are “almost there” to those who are “ready for more.” This scaffolding layout supports teachers in determining if students are ready for above-grade-level work. 

In Module 1, using the short read Zach Jumps In, students working above grade level are directed by the teacher to identify the author’s point of view after reading the text. Another example found in the “Respond and Extend” section has students write about the importance of winning or simply racing after reading Race Day, an above-leveled reader. In Module 2, the scaffold and extend activities for one lesson range from students identifying text features with teacher support to students explaining how the particular text features convey meaning and add depth to a text.

In Module 3, using the short read The U.S. Constitution, students working above grade level explain how their understanding and consensus of the text changed from the beginning of their reading to the end. Another example supporting students working above grade level can be found in Module 4. After viewing the informational video The Traveling Trio, students explain how making one media technique change would impact the experience of the video. 

In addition, Module 5 provides an activity for students who are ready for more under Options for Differentiation, which “guides students to explain how graphic features and text together offer more information than text alone.” The text is Soccer ShootOut. There is a “Take and Teach Lesson” that provides opportunities for teachers to guide students through reading Rigby leveled readers up to reading level Q, such as My Year of Change, which leads students through a close look at the industrial revolution. 

Using the text This is Your Life Cycle in Module 6, students who are ready for more explain how they identify different aspects of the author’s craft to include voice, mood, and tone. Another example of this support can be found in Module 7, where students demonstrate literacy skills above expected grade level by explaining how they use their own background knowledge and text evidence to make inferences after reading the text One Plastic Bag. 

The materials include access to the Rigby Leveled Library, which contains leveled readers for students. This allows for students reading above grade level to access books on their level and progress higher as needed. For example, one text, How Animals Protect Themselves, is a Level P reader, which is above grade level for grade 3. The text comes with a Take and Teach Lesson that includes a “Respond and Extend” section for teachers to extend learning. The options to extend include researching animals to create a report, writing a story about an animal based on information learned in the text, and comparing and contrasting two animals from the text. These extension activities integrate both reading and writing. Additionally, in Module 10, Week 1, students work on looking for central ideas in informational texts. After reading the text Why We Tell Stories, the students name the central idea and explain how evidence from the text supports their central idea. 

Module 11, which is a Nonfiction unit, the teacher meets the needs of students above grade level by utilizing each Guided Reading book’s Take and Teach Lesson, “choosing appropriate sessions by need,” and “extend learning with suggested supporting activities.” The leveled readers also provide planning and learning opportunities for students who are above grade level. The “Tabletop Minilessons: Reading” that go along with the leveled Rigby readers contain above-level activities for various topics, such as “Ask and Answer Questions” and “Make Inferences.” For example, in the Ask and Answer Questions section, the student participates in a group discussion after reading to deepen understanding.

Additional activities about genre study book clubs can be found in Module 12. Students choose a book, identify the theme and author’s use of language, and then make connections to previous stories by providing evidence. 

There are no specific supports for scaffolding or extensions in writing workshop lessons, but there are opportunities for individual writing conferences. There are also not explicit extensions for above-level learners in spelling and fluency mini-lessons.

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 include supports for students who perform below grade level to ensure they are meeting the grade level literacy standards. They provide planning and learning opportunities (including extensions and differentiation) for students who demonstrate literacy skills below grade level. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Tabletop Minilessons” teacher resource provides additional guidance on adjusting instruction as needed. In the “Reading Informational Text” lesson, students working below grade level are directed to “point to graphic features within the text and tell how they relate to the topic” within a new or familiar text. The materials move students through this continuum of activities toward being “Ready for More” with any particular skill. 

The materials also include access to the “Rigby Leveled Library,” which contains leveled readers for students. This allows for students reading below grade level to access books on their level and progress as needed. The materials include instructions for teachers to “choose just-right books” and show an arrow beginning with L and moving to Q to showcase levels that students in grade 3 may be on. Some of the texts for below-grade-level readers are the Level L texts Working Dogs, an informational text, and The Prince’s Carpet, a folktale.

The materials provide planning and learning opportunities (including extensions and differentiation) for students who demonstrate literacy skills below the expected grade level. In Module 1, the “Almost There” activity instructs teachers to “point out details in the text that indicate point of view, then helps students identify it.” Students identify the details and record.

The materials include support for students who perform below grade level to ensure they are meeting the grade level literacy standards. Each daily lesson includes a “Scaffold and Extend” section where there are activities to help reinforce concepts for students who are Almost There. There is an illustration of an arrow pointing down that has Almost There at the top and Ready for More at the bottom. This scaffolding layout supports teachers in providing scaffolds and differentiation for students who are below grade level. Some examples of differentiation for these learners are in Module 2 when the materials suggest that the teacher point out text and graphic features in order to help students understand how those features further understanding of texts being read.

Module 3 directs students to point out text and graphic features as a way to help readers understand the text. The teacher prompts students to identify the text and graphic features and how they communicate information.

Module 4 includes support for students working below grade level using the drama Gigi and the Wishing Ring. The student is to “differentiate between topic and theme.” Students identify and explain the topic and theme. In the “Retell” section, there are options for students who are Almost There. For example, students draw a story map that shows what happens at the beginning, middle, and end of the story or identify the who, what, but, and how of the story. 

In Module 6, the materials instruct teachers to guide students in asking questions so that they can predict, clarify, and critically think about texts. In Module 10, the differentiation suggestion is that the teacher points out details that would help identify the author’s purpose. Then, the students have guidance as they identify it themselves.

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

The materials consistently include supports for English Language Learners (ELs) throughout the materials. There are accommodations for various levels of English language proficiency, appropriate scaffolds and native language support, and differentiated instruction to support these learners. Strategic use of students’ first language as a means to improve students’ development in English is also present. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a glossary with 48 pages. The glossary includes cognates, Pictionary dictionary, maps, academic vocabulary for parent, teacher, and student use. For example, the dictionary has a picture of a boy and the word boy. Each Rigby leveled reader has a text-to-speech feature to provide scaffolds for ELs. 

There are weekly Vocabulary Cards to introduce vocabulary from the literature. The front of each card displays the word and a photo that depicts the word. The back of the card includes the instructional strategy, “Collaborative Discussion,” to further support word meaning. In addition, each module includes an academic vocabulary section in the Teacher’s Guide. 

The materials also include “Tabletop Minilessons: English Language Development.” The introduction provides information and background knowledge for teachers. The minilessons are 15-20 minutes and “are designed to be used daily, focusing on one language function per week.” The lessons in these resources introduce, practice, and reinforce key language functions. Each lesson includes practice for each of the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. 

The materials include accommodations for linguistics for various levels of English language proficiency through all modules and lessons. At the beginning of each module, there is general information on the “Reading Workshop” component of the lessons. There is a brief summary about English Language Development that recommends teachers work with ELs in small groups to help support and develop their language skills. The support is broken down into their level: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, Advanced High with aligned support. Throughout the lessons in each module, there is a purple heading titled “English Learner Support” in the “Options for Differentiation” section of the Teacher’s Guide that lists different supports for students depending on their English language proficiency as defined by the ELPs. In Module 2, a lesson includes support to “elicit participation” from students. The support for Beginning ELs is to ensure that the students understand the meaning of one of the vocabulary words in the poem, express, and have them describe or act out how they express their feelings. The support for Intermediate ELs in the same lesson is to give them a sentence stem, “People use words to express...and...” and encourage them to answer the question using the full sentence. The support for Advanced and Advanced/High ELs in this lesson is to ask them open-ended questions related to the class discussion, such as “What does it mean to express yourself? Describe an example.” In Module 4, Lesson 2, the lesson “Academic Vocabulary: Introduce Critical Vocabulary” includes “English Learner Support: Build Vocabulary.” For students at the Beginning level, teachers “ask partners to demonstrate the word whirled using classroom objects (or themselves).” Teachers use the following sentence stems for students at the Intermediate level: “If something whirled, it....” For students at the Advanced/Advanced High levels, teachers “have pairs make up context sentences describing something that whirled.” In Module 8, Lesson 4, accommodations for ELs are in the “English Learner Support: Support Comprehension” for the text Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives by Gene Barretta. The teacher asks students at the Beginning level the following questions: “What does this picture show? What words in the text go with the picture?” Teachers use the following stems with students at the Intermediate level: “The illustration shows.... It supports the detail....” With students at the Advanced/Advanced High levels, teachers “have partners describe the illustrations and match them to corresponding details in the text. Ask: How do all of the illustrations support the main idea?”

In every spelling lesson, the materials also include a list of cognates for Spanish-speaking ELs. In Module 10, an example of some of these cognates included in a spelling lesson are persona for person, problema for problem, jardin for garden, and orden for order. The materials suggest working with EL students to make sure they understand the meaning of all spelling words and dictation sentences and to have students practice reading the spelling words aloud after they grasp their meanings.

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 multiple types of assessments, along with guidance for teachers and administrators on how to assess students and interpret the data yielded, as well as act on it to be responsive to student needs.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include both formative and summative assessments that are aligned in purpose, intended use, and TEKS emphasis. However, the materials do not specifically state that any assessments are summative but do provide a comprehensive network of assessments in the formative category that cover both progress monitoring and mastery of skills. Each module contains weekly and module formative assessments. The purpose of these assessments is to “measure students’ understanding of major comprehension, vocabulary, and writing/grammar skills at the end of each week and module.” Also, the materials provide benchmark assessment books to determine the students’ reading levels and growth over time. The “Assessment & Differentiation Teacher Resource” provides assessments for the beginning, middle, and end of the year, broken down for each module in a school year. In addition, this resource details all of the different types of assessments within the materials and explains their purpose, how to use them, and what skills are assessed or monitored. For example, there is a reading and writing assessment based on comprehension and revising and editing. The aligned TEKS are in each assessment; for example, the Week 1 assessment covers 3.11D.ii and 3.6G, 3.3B. In Module 7, Weeks 1-3 have weekly assessments that align with the TEKS and cover comprehension and grammar skills taught within the week. 

The materials include assessments with TEKS emphasis for daily formative assessments, weekly assessments, intervention assessments, module assessments, guided reading benchmark assessments, and diagnostic assessments. Daily formative assessments include selection quizzes then support extended learning during small group instruction. Weekly assessments (36 provided) assess student understanding of what was taught during the week. Intervention assessments include beginning-of-the-year screeners and follow-up diagnostics as needed for identified students. Module assessments happen 12 times per year, at the end of each module. They assess reading comprehension, vocabulary strategies, writing, and grammar taught in that module and include TEKS in the key. Guided reading benchmark assessments happen at multiple points throughout the year and routinely monitor guided reading groups. They assess growth and reading levels. Diagnostic assessments test letter and sound correspondence and word recognition for students who score below expectation on initial screening assessments.

The online platform contains a “Data Reports” section where teachers can “analyze gaps and gains, form groups for differentiated instruction, and locate resources to target students’ needs.” Teachers can view data. The “Assessment Report” shows class scores for each assessment so that a teacher can analyze student proficiency data. The “Standards Report” shows students’ progress in standards proficiency. This report provides access to teacher resources that will support student learning in the specific skills they show gaps in. The materials also include the resource titled “Module Assessments Grade 3,” and it includes information about scoring and interpreting the results. It provides information to help the teacher score each of the assessments. It also provides information to help teachers interpret the scores by providing a “Summary Record Form: Module Assessments.” Teachers use these data reports to determine if students are meeting the learning objectives weekly or at the end of each module. There is the “Multiple Tiered System of Supports” (MTSS), where teachers use data to make instructional decisions. Teachers should screen, diagnose, and progress monitor as needed in a recursive process. The model describes Tier 1 as core instruction, Tier 2 as structured intervention, and Tier 3 as an intensive intervention. There are lessons for each level of MTSS, such as “Tabletop Minilessons” for Tier 2 students. In addition, there is guidance for conferring with writers, including rubrics in both “Writing Workshop” and “Inquiry and Research Projects” that contain a “How to Use” resource that provides the teacher with step-by-step instructions, beginning with how to print the rubric, then how to review the criteria, record the score, average the score, and share the information with students and parents.

Furthermore, the materials contain assessments connected to the regular content to support student learning. The materials include weekly assessments, “which test students’ understanding of the major Reading and Writing Skills in each week.” For example, Module 4 includes “Performance-Based Assessments,” where students synthesize what they have learned from the module’s text set and demonstrate their topic knowledge by completing one of the module’s culminating activities. 

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

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include the same structures and supports throughout each module to make a consistent, year-long plan for engaging students in different grouping formats and structures. For example, at the beginning of each module, there is information on how to create the “Reading Workshop.” It includes information for teachers on how to form small groups in regards to different student needs. A teacher creates Guided Reading groups using the running records from the “Benchmark Kit.” Teachers can use the Rigby Leveled Library books with each small group. The grade 3 Rigby readers are organized by modules with at least 13 books per module. The grade 3 readers include levels L-Q, but teachers can assess readers from any grade level to support all learners. The materials also include “Take & Teach lessons” that can be used with the leveled readers to practice different reading comprehension skills and extend learning. There are online printables available throughout the materials to reinforce skills. The materials include the resource “Guiding Principles and Strategies” (GPS), which includes the “Assessment and Differentiation” section. This resource helps teachers “learn how to use Into Reading assessments and access information about differentiating instruction for all learners, including English learners, special populations, and accelerated learners.” It provides information about “Assessing Students Throughout the Year,” “Daily Formative Assessments,” “Selection Quizzes,” “Weekly Assessments,” and “Module Assessments.” The Scope and Sequence presents the 12 modules for the year, and each module includes the essential question, module focus, learning mindset, text sets, and writing form. Also, the foundational skills Scope and Sequence breaks down the three-week lessons for each module, covering decoding, high-frequency words, and fluency. 

The Teacher’s Guide includes detailed lessons for foundational skills, reading, and writing. Throughout the modules and lessons, the materials include various types of annotations and supports, as well as information for teachers on when to implement ancillary or resource materials and student progress checks. There is a timeline for when to give assessments, such as “Formative Assessments” each week. There are also directions within the resource for teachers to use other resources, such as the “Benchmark Evaluation Guide” and writing rubrics. At the beginning of Module 2, there is a “Professional Learning” annotation. It gives the teacher information about what a “Knowledge Map” is. This annotation guides teachers to “see the GPS guide to learn more.” Also, each comprehension skill has an anchor chart. For example, the “Ask and Answer Questions” anchor chart depicts two heads talking to each other. It defines the skill: “Asking and answering questions before, during, and after reading helps you make predictions, clarify things that might seem unclear, and think more deeply about the text.” The two heads talking have speech bubbles that contain example questions, such as “When is this happening? Why did the author write this? What will this be about?”

The materials include annotations and ancillary materials that provide support for student learning and assistance for teachers. For example, the “Tabletop Minilesson” is a flipchart to support differentiated small-group instruction. The flipchart includes a visual on one side for students to look at, while the teacher looks at the instructional strategies on the back side of the flipchart for use during small-group lessons for reading and English language development. Each lesson includes embedded support to help teachers provide scaffolds for English learners and extension opportunities for students’ use after reading. The Retelling Tabletop Minilesson instructs the teacher to follow five key points to “Guide students to explore the visual, emphasizing.” It also provides prompts for the students, which supports not only the teacher but also the students’ learning through various skills covered thus far based on the reading material. Also, there is a place for differentiation with teacher guidance, a student printable, and additional support, such as optional strategy connections and concept language such as characters, setting, plot groups.

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

The materials include implementation support for teachers throughout a school year’s worth of literacy instruction. The materials have a TEKS-aligned Scope and Sequence outlining the essential knowledge and skills that are taught in the program and the order in which they are presented. The module topics that are the organizing structure for the program demonstrate similar topics that grow across the grades, and the grade-level Scope and Sequence documents show evidence of skills that build across grade levels. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide an overarching year-long plan for teachers to engage students in multiple grouping (and other) structures. Plans are comprehensive and attend to differentiation to support students via many learning opportunities. There are 12 modules, each with three weeks of instruction. For each week, the materials list the TEKS that correspond with daily lessons, as well as the genre and text titles to be taught and the strategies and routines incorporated into the week’s lesson plans. The standards connect from week to week. Modules contain “Essential Questions,” “Learning Mindset,” “Build Knowledge and Language,” “Reading and Vocabulary,” “English Language Development,” “Foundational Skills,” “Inquiry and Research Project,” and “Writer’s Workshop.” 

There are different TEKS-aligned Scope and Sequences. The Scope and Sequence goes module by module, outlining the Reading Workshop texts, comprehension skills, vocabulary, speaking and listening, English Language Development, foundational skills (decoding, spelling, fluency, and high-frequency words), and writing skills in the module. The corresponding TEKS are next to each objective or skill. For example, under “Vocabulary,” students learn about “Context Clues,” and TEKS 3.3B is listed, which corresponds to that skill. The “Grade 3 Foundational Skills Scope and Sequence” lists the decoding pattern, high-frequency words, fluency skill, spelling pattern, and spelling words taught each week of each module. The “Grammar: Scope and Sequence” has an introduction section that informs teachers that during the fourth lesson each week, there is a spiral review that will review a topic from earlier in the same year or a previous grade. Following the introduction, there is a Scope and Sequence for each week with links to where a teacher can find the grammar lessons. 

There are resources to support teachers in implementing the materials, such as the “Teacher’s Guide,” which is a daily and weekly framework for instruction that provides more detail on the program components. The “Professional Learning Guide” covers routines and classroom management, teaching and planning, and assessment and opportunities for professional development, such as webinars for both teachers and administrators. For example, a “Getting Started Leadership Webinar” for administrators provides an overview of the program’s organization, lesson design, and support resources. There are additional links and information on where to find embedded support for teachers who need more help, such as the “Teacher Tips” within the lessons or classroom videos found on “Online Ed” that show teachers modeling different routines included in the materials. There is also a professional learning “Teacher’s Corner” with live events and resources added by teachers with helpful hints. The materials do not include explicit additional supports to help administrators support teachers in implementing the materials as intended. However, there are resources that the administration could use to assist teachers, such as the Scope and Sequence for the year, the “Guiding Principles and Strategies” resource, and the “Professional Learning” section of the materials. In the materials’ digital platform, “Ed: Your Friend in Learning,” administrators have access to materials that teachers and students are using. While administrators do not have access to creating assignments or assigning grades, they do have permission to create and share plans, create assessments, and access data reports. Also, administrators can access growth reports that can be used to evaluate the efficacy of the program across a grade level or specific teachers. Administrators have access to features such as importing data files, setting rostering permissions for teachers, adding students to classes, and adding teacher accounts. 

The materials include 12 modules that are each three weeks in length and 36 weeks of lesson plans. There are five full days in each week’s lesson plans, for a total of 180 days of instruction. Each week contains multiple focal texts. For example, Module 2 includes four texts during Week 1, two texts in Week 2, and two texts in Week 3. This would also allow for extending materials for longer instructional schedules if needed. The materials do not include a 220-day schedule, but the materials have enough depth to extend learning. Certain program resources, such as the “Tabletop Minilessons: Reading,” can be used flexibly with any text in the program or classroom library books, and the “Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio” component contains foundational skills lessons that extend beyond a grade-level Scope and Sequence if needed to expand to a 220-day schedule. Using the suggested times for the reading and writing workshop, the 180-day instructional time could be implemented over 220 days. The materials also include realistic timeframes for the various components included in the Guiding Principles and Strategies teacher resource. The whole class instruction includes 10-15 minutes daily of Build Knowledge and Language and/or Vocabulary, 20-30 minutes daily of Reading Workshop, 15-30 minutes daily of Foundational Skills and/or Communication, with a note that foundational skills can be taught using flexible grouping to accommodate different instructional schedules, 30-45 minutes daily of Writing Workshop, 5 minutes daily of Whole Class Wrap Up and Share, 45-60 minutes of Teacher-Led Small Groups, Independent Practice, and Collaborative Work.

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

The materials include appropriate use of white 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. The visual design of the student edition is neither distracting nor chaotic. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The student materials, “myBook,” include colorful pages and appropriate use of white space and other designs. The white space is adequate between paragraphs, pictures, and columns, making the page easy to navigate and read. The book has ample open space on each page to allow for students to annotate as they interact with the textbook. For example, there are highlighting and notes features built into the platform. Within the “More” button, students can choose to toggle between one page or two pages while interacting with the online textbook. Students can also zoom in and out to access the text better. Each text has “notes” spaces, which encourages students to jot down their thoughts as they read. 

In Module 1, students read Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown from “My eBook.” They respond to questions in writing. There is a rectangle after each question with room for a student to record the answer. Also, the text itself has numbered paragraphs, white space on each perimeter, and additional white space for students’ notes on the edge of the page. 

Instructions for students and other important information is in bold or in text boxes to draw the students’ eyes to it. The colors on the pages do not distract from student learning. The materials also include organized tables to display information, such as vocabulary words and their meanings and sentences using the words in context. myBook includes text selections that have colorful and engaging illustrations. The text that needs to be read is clear and separate from the illustrations, so there are no visual distractions. For example, in Module 2, in Dear Primo by Duncan Tonatiuh, to draw students’ attention to words they need to understand as part of their vocabulary, the text is highlighted. Underneath the paragraph that contains the highlighted word, there is a small text box, enclosed in color to draw students’ attention to it, that defines the word in context for students.

In Module 5, students read a one-page selection called “Teamwork=Victory.” There is spacing between paragraphs, white space on each border, and a line down the middle of the page, so students know to read column by column. 

The pictures contain kid-friendly images that draw the reader’s interest and include illustrations from award-winning illustrators such as Kevin Hawkes. Illustrations support and extend the text. The art is consistent from page to page, with effective use of line, color, texture, and white space. For example, the U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl includes colorful pictures that match the time period of the content, such as pictures of founding fathers, the American flag, and the Liberty Bell. There are also colorful boxes for captions to provide further information about the picture or paragraph of information. Also, some of the reading material is on a graphic that looks similar to the paper and looks of the actual U.S. Constitution. The graphics capture attention and support student learning and engagement. 

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

The materials include technology components that are grade-level appropriate and support learning. The supports enhance learning, and there is appropriate teacher guidance. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

All of the technology within the material supports and enhances student learning through engagement, ease of use, quick feedback, and access to all materials, whether in school or at home. Within the student online “Ed: Your Friend in Learning” dashboard, tabs to support navigation are included, such as “My class,” “Create,” “Discover,” and “Professional Learning.” These tabs provide students with a quick view of their assignments, connected programs, and recent scores. For example, the Discover tab provides students with access to the online version of each module within the “myBook,” “the Rigby Leveled Library,” “Anchor Charts,” “Practice & Application,” “Student Choice Library,” “Multimedia,” and “Current Events.” All materials are available online for the teacher and student, with access to PDF versions. A teacher or student can use Current Events, online assessments, “Writable,” and the Rigby Leveled Library to enhance learning, interact with texts online, and add annotations. The student-facing material, myBook, is available entirely online. This contains text selections, pre- and post-reading activities and prompts, and an end-of-module performance task. Students have opportunities to respond to text-dependent questions. The Current Events section of the materials includes links and access to many online resources, such as Kiddle News, Newsela, and TIME for Kids. Assessments are available online to support creating small groups and to inform instruction. Writable is the materials’ online platform for writing assignments, which allows students to construct various writing assignments via technology rather than pencil and paper. Rigby Leveled Readers are a collection of readers organized by grade level and Lexile level and include a short five-question quiz to be taken after reading.

In addition, the technology provides teacher guidance through the information needed to implement and execute various aspects of the material, including modules and instruction within the modules. When clicking on professional learning, Ed leads to the teacher’s edition for each module, as well as more tabs such as “Writer’s Workshop,” “Intervention,” and Rigby Leveled Library. The online materials match the printed materials. Teachers can click on Professional Development and find live sessions and instruction ideas organized by topics, such as “Virtual Learning.” The search tool serves as quick access to aid in finding resources.