Texas Maravillas - Kindergarten

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

The materials provide some texts that are well crafted and of publishable quality. The quality of content, language, and writing that is produced by experts in various disciplines is represented; texts include content that is engaging to K-1-2 students. Materials provide some support of increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and multicultural diverse texts, but this support is limited.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

“Libros electrónicos”—interactive reading and writing books—allow students the opportunity to listen to a story and write responses. Materials include a variety of leveled readers, decodable books, and articles to support differentiation. Content, language, and writing are of quality, and some texts are well crafted and rich in content. 

A variety of different nonfiction texts are provided under “Super libros de literatura.” The teacher has access to A la una sale la luna—rimas y canciones, Colibrí y la lluvia, ¿Cómo van los dinosaurios a la escuela?, and A la bolsa. The materials also incorporate the disciplines of math and science. Figuras por todas partes and Ni tanto expands student knowledge in math, while the science discipline is evident in Los sentidos en la playa and Nacidos en el zoo. There is evidence of the social studies discipline in the informational text Ana va a Washington D.C., but the text is at a higher level than kindergarten. 

The “Multimedia” resource provides a variety of interactive stories, books, and songs that support content that is engaging and appeals to kindergarten students. Texts include “El patito feo,” “La gallinita roja,” “La tortuga y la liebre,” “El rey de los vientos,” “Figuras por todos lados,” and “Mis Estados Unidos.” Songs include “Bate, bate,” “Caballito blanco,” “Canción del ABC,” “Cucu cantaba la rana,” “Dale, dale,” “El tren,” and “En mi jardín.” 

Some of the material appeals to students, but the appeal to students’ interests is limited. There is little evidence to support different cultures and backgrounds within texts or diverse characters. Unit 1 includes two characters with disabilities. In “Yo soy especial,” a character is in a wheelchair; the text “La mamá” features someone in a cast and using crutches. 

The material does not allow students the opportunity to identify with under-represented races or ethnic groups. Unit 5 includes examples of people of different ages and races at a market. Students make connections with the real world, but the text has limited appeal to student interests. Me llamo Gabriela Mistral by Monica Brown provides students the opportunity to learn how to be good citizens. However, this is the only mention and use of a Hispanic protagonist in the material.

Within the materials, there is some evidence of traditional and contemporary texts as well as a few multicultural diverse texts. Super libros de literatura offer the following options: A la una sale la luna—rimas y canciones, Colibrí y la lluvia, ¿Cómo van los dinosaurios a la escuela?, A la bolsa, Figuras por todas partes, Ni tanto, Los sentidos en la playa, Nacidos en el zoo, Ana va a Washington D.C., El pollito de la avellanada, Lo que más me gusta, and Naranja de Enero. Materials do not include classical literature.

The materials include informational text with rich vocabulary and language appropriate to its discipline. Leveled readers and decodable books provide language scaffolds and differentiation based on reading levels, challenging students throughout the year. In the first units, shared readings include some visuals for vocabulary; there is less support for the middle and end units. In the shared reading “El te,” there is a small picture above the word taza. In Unit 10, stories are longer and include richer and more complex vocabulary, but they do not include pictures to support student learning.

Students’ knowledge growth is also evident in the materials. For example, the Unit 10 “Big Book” allows students to expand their knowledge in science through facts about pandas. The teacher asks questions to expand both student knowledge in science and oral language. The teacher asks: “¿Qué palabras nos dicen cómo son los cachorros? (peluditos, rosados) ¿Pueden señalar las patas? ¿Qué otros detalles observan?” Students point to details and use sentence frames that guide and support their answers.

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

The materials include a variety of text types and genres across content that meet the requirements of the SLAR TEKS for each grade level. The platform provides opportunities for students to recognize the characteristics and structures of literary, informational, and persuasive texts. Science and social studies topics are connected within informational and persuasive texts. Additional materials allow students to analyze the use of print and graphic features as well as recognize characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include text that is rich in content and demonstrates the use of characters, cause and effect, setting, plot (problem/solution), theme, and sequence. In Unit 1, the fictional text Así se hicieron amigos by Ricardo Alcantara allows students to review genre and characters. Materials include a variety of informational, narrative, expository, and poetry texts; these incorporate pictures, captions, bold print, and diagrams. Examples include ¿Qué bebé te gusta más? by Benjamin Rossi, Los sentidos en la playa by Shelley Rotner, Nacidos en el zoo by Andrew Bleiman, and ¿De quién son estos zapatos? by Stephen R. Swinburne. The story Ana va a Washington D.C. uses actual photographs and illustrations.

The materials address skills such as comparing and contrasting and recognizing problem-and-solution structures; texts include some instructional activities. Unit 2 includes the poem “¿Dónde está Juan Perol, el caracol?” by Alonso Nunez and the informational text “¡Insectos por todas partes!” These facilitate instruction on the characteristics and structures of literary and informational texts. The teacher reads both texts to compare how poetry and informational text are alike and different. With teacher guidance, students partner up, compare the texts, and create a foldable to record ideas with details. 

Texts incorporate an assortment of print and graphic features that support students in analyzing concepts. For instance, the teacher reads Por la calle abecedario by Jose Moreno to incorporate concepts of print. Students volunteer and find the front cover, the back cover, and the title page of the book. Activities contain teacher guidance for a variety of texts, including through headings, bold words, sidebars, pictures, captions, and labeled diagrams. Unit 3 includes the text “El Vecindario” and features maps, a map key, and labeled pictures of different places students visit during the day. Under the “My Book” section of “Reading and Writing,” Units 5, 6, and 9 offer opportunities such as scavenger hunts for text and graphic features. Students search for photographs/illustrations and captions. 

Texts connect to science and social studies topics. Science materials contain scientific context, vocabulary, and illustrations. Examples of science texts include “¡Insectos por todas partes!”; ¿Qué bebé te gusta más? by Benjamin Rossi; and Los sentidos en la playa by Shelley Rotner. Read-alouds include Nacidos en el zoo by Andrew Bleiman; Al alcance de la mano by Andrew Clemens; and Cada uno está en su casa by Noelia Manzur. Unit 5 has texts that explore living beings and plants, while Unit 6 includes several poems that introduce the seasons and time. Examples include “Toc, toc llaman a mi puerta,” “El mes de Mayo,” “V de verano,” “La nieve crece,” and the informational text “Llegó el Otoño.” Some of the reading content is extensive and includes advanced vocabulary that is not designed to be read by kindergarten students. 

There is some evidence of glossaries and tables of contents within texts. In Unit 6, the Time for Kids magazine includes the text “Cambios en el viento,” which integrates a glossary with hyperlinks and includes pictures and captions. In Unit 10, the read-aloud El pollito de la avellanada by Antonio Rubio and Gabriel Pacheco includes a table of contents, but it only lists two stories. This text also aligns to the TEKS on making and confirming predictions and making inferences. With teacher assistance, students use text features and evidence to support their understanding and discuss topics to determine the basic theme.

The materials provide some persuasive texts that connect to social studies topics, but few historical figures are mentioned. “Hacer amigos” is read as a paired selection to teach students about making friends. “Yo ayudo, tú también” by Angeles Rossi covers the importance of protecting the environment while also focusing on the strategy of rereading. Ana va a Washington D.C. and “Conozcamos a nuestro país” teaches the importance of being good citizens and shaping the community as well as about the flags of the United States. The only evidence of historical figures is in Unit 9, Me llamo Gabriela. 

The materials include opportunities for students to recognize the characteristics of multimodal and digital texts. The teacher assigns texts digitally to students; Lexile readers are assigned through Google Classroom. The “Multimedia” resources offer a variety of materials that include folktales, fables, nursery rhymes, poems, and drama. Resources expose students to audio and interactive stories, songs, and read-alouds. Texts include “El patito feo,” “La gallinita roja,” “La tortuga y la liebre,” “El rey de los vientos,” “Figuras por todos lados,” and “Mis Estados Unidos.” Students read at their own pace and can manipulate text.

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

The materials include a variety of texts that are appropriately challenging, incorporate appropriate levels of complexity, and support students at their grade level. Texts and series of texts are connected and include read-alouds and shared readings. The publisher also provides a text complexity analysis. Texts are at the appropriate quantitative levels and have appropriate qualitative features for the grade level. Read-aloud and shared reading texts are above the complexity level of what students can read independently.

 Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials include texts, series of texts connected to them, read-alouds, and shared reading. They provide text complexity analyses and resources for teachers. For example, there is a “Text Complexity” study by Dr. Timothy Shanahan and different videos with teacher guidance in the areas of understanding genre, organization and purpose in literature, sentence structure in informational texts, prior knowledge, and specific vocabulary in literature. Dr. Shanahan’s analysis also provides references for teachers to use—research and evidence-based best practices—to attract students’ attention and build on students’ ideas. In addition, materials provide directions on differentiating instruction, ideas for activity extensions, and support for teaching new material. Each unit includes a “Whole Group” section that guides teachers on the following: what topics and skills to cover, how much time to devote, what sequence to teach, how to introduce texts, and series of questions. For example, Unit 4 includes a modeling lesson. Teachers use 15 minutes to model how to research what tools workers use. Teachers use the “Mi libro de lectura y escritura” to model topics and each step in the research process. Students complete the research activity and connect their learning to something they know. “Conectar con el contenido” provides extension activities. Students have options to put on a dramatic play and present their findings. 

The “Instructional Routines Handbook” includes routines; research-based strategies; and tips for teachers to support close reading, interactive read-alouds, shared reading, small group and guided reading, independent reading, and fluency. Materials include read-alouds and shared reading texts that are above the complexity level of what students can read independently. Texts challenge and scaffold student learning as the year progresses. For example, Unit 1 provides the anchor text Así se hicieron amigos, which contains simple sentences such as “El osito y la osa.” “El sol y los árboles.” “La flor y la mariposa.” Sentences in the text also incorporate high-frequency words, such as el, la, las, and y, and high-quality pictures.

Unit 3 incorporates materials and texts that appropriately challenge students through read-alouds and shared readings. For example, the short fantasy book Sonidos is a leveled reader that includes text and sentences that are short and repetitive, such as “Dani y yo oimos….” The text includes characters, events, and a setting; it is read during small groups or as a read-aloud. When reading the text, materials prompt the teacher to guide students to visualize what they are reading. This unit also includes three different books with similar themes for three different levels of readers. Texts are appropriate for the grade level and grow in Lexile level complexity.

In Unit 5, the “Guia del maestro” provides materials for enrichment opportunities and includes three leveled short story expository texts: ¿Qué es? (GR Rebus Lexile BR, “Approaching”) has an appropriate layout and a total of 32 words; it consists of short, two-to-four-word sentences that are repetitive, such as “¿Qué es?” and “Es una.” ¿Qué tiene Rita? (GR A Lexile 120, “On Level”) has 29 words. El jardín del tío Lolo (GR E Lexile 180 “Beyond”) has three lines of text per page and a total of 100 words. Texts like La hormiguita Ita and El viejo arbol allow students the opportunity to learn about size and plural words as well as plants and their needs while also engaging them in the research process. In addition, the section “Carpeta de Recursos” includes ideas and supports for lesson extensions and differentiating instruction. The story “La rosa famosa” guides students to read text, review the vocabulary, and then use the vocabulary with peers. 

Materials in Unit 6 do not include Lexile levels for read-alouds and shared reading texts; however, the materials include rationales to explain the educational purpose and grade-level placement of the texts. For example, under “Super libros de literatura,” the text Colibrí y la lluvia explains the purpose for reading, which is “Leamos para saber sobre Colibrí y por qué quiere que llueva.” Under “Big Idea,” the digital selection Time for Kids offers opportunities to challenge students to explore online features by clicking links and sidebars. The texts “En Chile,” “Una mañana de otoño,” and “Rafa no se aburre” include high-frequency words, integrate concepts of prints, and support the strategy of visualization. The “Comentar” section of the “Escritura e investigación” tab instructs the teacher to make a digital blog with the class.

The materials include texts that challenge students’ comprehension. For example, in Unit 8, the text La familia Numerozzi by Fernando Krahn guides the teacher to discuss fantasy and concepts of print and to set the purpose for reading. After the shared reading, the teacher guides students to discuss the characters; setting and plot; and what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. The text also gives students the opportunity to make predictions with help from the teacher. For example, students use words and pictures to make a prediction, and then share with peers. The text includes a close reading routine that includes DOK levels of instruction. 

Unit 10 materials include the complex text El pollito de la avellaneda. This text contains complex sentences and paragraphs and is read aloud by the teacher. Through the read-aloud, students make, confirm, and revise predictions. There is also a close reading routine that includes DOK levels of instruction.

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

The materials incorporate a variety of questions and tasks that support students in synthesizing knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and identify and explain topics and themes. Questions and tasks build conceptual knowledge, are text-dependent, and prompt students to synthesize new information. Various formal and informal assignments focus on texts students are reading or listening to and require close attention to the meaning and inferences as students demonstrate comprehension. Questions and activities grow and support students’ understanding of topics and literacy skills. Students have several opportunities to evaluate and discuss information from multiple places within a text as well as make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include well-crafted questions that lead to new insights, generate discussion, and promote comprehensive exploration. In Unit 1, questions and tasks build conceptual knowledge, are text-dependent, and prompt students to synthesize new information. For example, the “Super libro” A la bolsa! provides questions such as “¿Con quién habla Popi en las páginas 10 y 11?” and “¿Por qué le pregunta quién es?” Another example of a text question is “¿Qué aprendemos si intentamos cosas nuevas?” which also grows students’ understanding of topics. Formal and informal assignments and activities also require students to read texts carefully, like in Unit 2, where students must synthesize the folktale “Timimoto.”

In Unit 3, the text ¿Como van los dinosaurios a la escuela? includes specific teacher guidance on how to read and think aloud as well as questions for each page. Questions the teacher asks include “What rules do you think the dinosaurs will have to follow at school?” “Do you think they will be good at following rules?” and “How do we know a story is fiction?” Questions support students in examining complex elements of texts and integrating knowledge and ideas. If the story is too difficult to understand, teachers can “Access Complex Text” prompts to provide support.

Questions and tasks require students to read and reread carefully. There are examples regarding how to classify items, summarize information, and draw inferences. For instance, in Unit 4, after reading “Qué puedes hacer con una paleta?” students study the genre, practice the skill of analyzing the author’s craft, and answer questions from the “Mi libro de lectura y escritura.” Questions include “How do the author and illustrator help you understand how the neighborhood looks, sounds, and smells?” “How does the illustration help you understand the text on this page?” “Which words describe how the roses look? “Which word describes how the roses feel?” “Which word helps you imagine how the roses smell?”

At the beginning of each unit, there is teacher guidance on asking questions, introducing texts, and previewing vocabulary. For example, after reading Unit 5’s “Weekly Riddle,” the teacher introduces the “Essential Question” “What do living things need to grow?” After students read, the teacher asks questions like “What is shaped like a bell, white inside, and green outside?” For additional support, teachers can use “Oral Vocabulary Words” and “Define/Example/Ask” routines. Materials also provide students opportunities to evaluate and discuss information from multiple places within a text. The “Big Book” El viejo arbol allows students to learn about the tree’s life cycle while also integrating science TEKS, supporting the opportunity to “Observe changes that are part of a simple life cycle of a plant: seed, seedling, plant, flower, and fruit. Science K.10(D).” After reading, students complete the activity “Draw and Write,” which requires them to produce evidence from the text to make drawings and observations of the plant’s life cycle. Materials in this unit also guide students to use texts and text diagrams to answer questions about the text.

Unit 6 provides teacher support in helping students make connections to the texts by connecting “Tormenta de letreros” with “En casa de mis abuelos.” After reading both texts, students discuss the type of weather one might see during a storm and how to stay safe. The teacher poses the question “What weather signs show a storm is coming?” and “What do people do to stay safe?” There is also teacher guidance on teaching the use of speech bubbles. After rereading the selection “La Lluvia,” the teacher asks the students questions: “Who is saying the words in this speech bubble?” “What is the dad telling the girls about?” This requires students to read the text closely and to go back to find the answers. “Access Complex Text” (ACT) prompts also serve as teacher support to help students better understand complex text and vocabulary words (e.g., Pachamama and orca).

In Unit 7, questions and activities grow students’ understanding of topics and literacy skills. For example, the text Nacidos en el zoo includes questions such as “¿Qué clase de animales hay?” and “¿En qué se parecen y en qué se diferencian algunos animales?” Students thus have an opportunity to make connections. 

In Units 8 and 9, questions and tasks strategically support students’ analysis and knowledge. The text La familia Numerozzi in Unit 8 incorporates a variety of “Close Reading Routines” to support identifying key ideas and details, taking notes, retelling, and ACT prompts. Questions support scaffolding. For instance, students recall information from the story and progressively advance to higher-order thinking questions. Questions include “Guess what is going to happen in the story based on what you already know from the text and pictures?” “What things from this story could not happen in real life?” “What do you think will happen next?” “What do you think the children will do after waking up?” “How do the text and pictures help you to confirm your predictions?” In Unit 9, the Big Book Asi se hace el pan includes specific questions related to concepts of print, including “Is this a word or a letter?” “How many letters are in this word?” “What is the baker doing on page 16?”

Unit 10 provides opportunities for students to evaluate and discuss information from multiple places within texts. Students share personal experiences and ideas as well as make connections to society. For example, Ni tanto, “Comida sana,” “Cada uno a su manera,” and “El color perfecto” allow students to listen, explore, think critically, and write. Open-ended questions such as “In what ways are things alike? How are they different?” challenge students and require them to produce evidence from texts to support their claim.

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

The materials contain a variety of questions and tasks that require students to evaluate the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. The materials include questions and tasks to support students’ analysis of the literary/textual elements of texts. Students analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author’s purpose in cultural, historical, contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. The materials provide students the opportunity to compare and contrast the stated or implied purposes of different authors’ writing on the same topic, analyze the author's choices, and how they influence and communicate meaning. Additionally, materials prompt students to make, correct, or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, structures with and without adult assistance, and study the language within texts to support their understanding.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, students analyze stories through questions and tasks. For example, after rereading Así se hicieron amigos, the teacher checks for comprehension and asks the students questions to identify and describe the main characters. The teacher asks, “¿Qué detalles de las ilustraciones y las palabras los ayudan a saber qué siente la mariposa cuando descubre al osito?” and “¿Por qué creen que el autor escribió este cuento?” Students then draw a way to get along with friends. In Unit 2, the texts Figuras por todas partes and “¿Dónde están las figuras?” both incorporate science. They allow students to recognize the characteristics and structures of informational text and include titles and simple graphics for students to gain information. To check for understanding, teachers ask, “¿Qué figuras ven en el salón de clases?” and “¿Qué figuras ven al aire libre?”

In Unit 3, the materials provide questions and tasks that foster textual analysis, are meaningful in class discussions, and require students to explicitly refer back to the text. For example, in a shared reading lesson, students reread Lo que más me gusta, study characteristics of the genre, and practice comprehension skills. Instructions direct the teacher to ask students the following questions in Spanish: “Why do you think the author repeats the words from the title, ‘I like’?” “Why do you think Antonio Ventura wrote this story from the dog’s point of view?” “Who speaks in the story?” and “What can you see in the story that tells you that this story is make-believe?” These questions guide students to analyze the author’s craft and make inferences. 

In Unit 4, the realistic fiction text ¿Qué puedes hacer con una paleta? requires readers to identify and support the author’s purpose. During a shared reading, the teacher reads aloud the text in a whole group setting. In Spanish, teachers ask, “How does the illustration help the reader understand what the setting, the girl’s barrio, is like?” and “Why do you think the author wrote this fiction story?” 

In Unit 5, students analyze stories through tasks and questions. For example, in a shared reading lesson, the teacher reads aloud the story “La Rosa famosa” and guides students to make inferences, asking, “¿Qué le pasa a Rumi?” and “¿Quién es la señora de la ilustración?” Students then reread text to find evidence. For guided practice, students respond to the text and use the sentence starter “Aprendí que las plantas necesitan....” Students discuss what they learned about what plants in a garden need to grow. 

In Unit 6, the materials guide teachers in supporting students who lack prior knowledge and need additional support in visualizing and using textual elements. For example, the teacher reads aloud the text “La lluvia” in a whole group setting. This shared reading also allows students to make inferences and use evidence to support their understanding with adult assistance. Teachers ask, “¿Qué pasó después de que paró de llover?” and “¿Qué pasa al final del cuento?” Students retell events in the texts. For guided practice, students explain a fantasy story and draw it. Students also comment on the author’s choice and influence and on how the author’s words communicate meaning.

In Unit 8, students answer questions by studying specific language within texts. Materials guide teachers to support students’ comprehension of the text, academic vocabulary, and sentence structures. For example, during a shared reading lesson, the teacher reads La familia Numerozzi in a whole group setting, so that students can study specific language in the text. Students use context clues to figure out the meaning of words and phrases. In Spanish, teachers ask, “What does it mean?” Students use picture clues to figure out the meaning of vocabulary words such as sorbían and bebían. The teacher also uses the “Big Book” for support; students practice additional meanings of words and phrases using picture clues. 

In Unit 10, questions and tasks require students to read carefully and reread to cite evidence. For example, during a shared reading lesson, the text El pollito de la avellaneda is read aloud by the teacher in a whole group setting. Students reread to find evidence and use text features to answer questions. The teacher thinks aloud and, in Spanish, asks students questions such as “¿Qué creen que hará la gallinita?” “What details in the text and illustrations could not happen in real life?” and “What is the theme or message of the story?” These questions support making, correcting, and confirming predictions while using text features. Students cite evidence from text and illustrations to support their responses.

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 cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build academic vocabulary in and across texts. Materials contain a variety of ways to apply words in appropriate contexts. Additionally, the materials include scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials introduce vocabulary through various forms and resources; similar routines are used in each unit. Resources like the “Oral Vocabulary Words” allow the teacher to introduce concepts and provide support for vocabulary words within texts. The “Define/Example/Ask” routines are tools that assist students with building vocabulary and are visible on the print or digital “Visual Vocabulary Cards.” In Unit 1, the teacher introduces a topic and builds academic vocabulary as students read texts. During a read-aloud of Los sentidos en la playa in a whole group setting, students use the Define/Example/Ask routine to review the oral vocabulary words sentidos and explorar. Students look for high-frequency and academic vocabulary words. Teachers prompt students to use words in sentences.

In Unit 2, students learn about words and names for family members. During a shared reading lesson, the teacher reads the “Big Book” ¡A la bolsa! and points out “family words”; the teacher focuses on how different words have the same meaning for family members. In addition, during a word work lesson, materials prompt students to use practice books to build a word bank using new high-frequency words. The teacher models the word parque and encourages students to use the “Read/Spell/Write” routine. Students read the word, write it, and practice using it in a sentence. In this unit, there is no support for “Tier 2” words or word lists in different contexts. There is also no evidence that the students use the words all year long.

Unit 4 provides specific teacher guidance when selecting words to teach and includes Tier 2 words. The intervention component contains specific vocabulary lessons that meet the needs of each child. The teacher introduces and demonstrates the words and then follows the routine of “Definicion/Ejemplo/Pregunta luego Practicar/Aplicar.” For example, texts such as ¿De quién son estos zapatos? and the shared readings “Beto y la sopa” and “¿Con qué hace la gente su trabajo?” introduce the concept of jobs. Through the Visual Vocabulary Cards, activities provide opportunities for students to apply and actively use words in various contexts. The materials include a list of vocabulary words at the beginning of each unit, not in the texts. The “Unit Overview” includes weekly word banks, decodable words, and high-frequency words.

In Unit 5, scaffolds and support allow teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. Oral Vocabulary Cards support teaching word meanings and include examples that relate to texts and other contexts. For instance, during a read-aloud, the materials guide the teacher to discuss meaning and provide examples of synonyms or other words to build oral vocabulary. During the shared reading of El viejo árbol, students identify feminine and masculine words. In Week 2, the teacher explains that words often end with -a or -o, models a think-aloud, and guides students to practice identifying feminine or masculine words. The teacher then provides multiple questions to deepen comprehension and check for understanding. Additionally, weekly lessons and texts support cross-content vocabulary development through a variety of materials that integrate science and focus on topics such as plants, trees, and farms. Resources include different forms of tasks and assessments that guide the teacher to determine whether students learn and comprehend the vocabulary. The teacher introduces size words and actions, models an example, and encourages students to move. Action words include “¡Sean un árbol grande! ¡Sean un ratón pequeño! ¡Sean un edificio alto! ¡Sean un pingüino pequeño!” Students follow directions, perform actions, and pretend they are the object and its size. 

Unit 6 materials guide teachers to establish rich routines, activities, and games that hold all students accountable. In a shared reading lesson, the teacher reads aloud the text Colibrí y la lluvia and demonstrates the word ven with hand gestures. Students mimic the word and say it. In addition, resources also provide guidance to introduce target words, integrate opportunities for reviewing words and their meanings, and differentiate vocabulary instruction. In Week 1, during a whole group word work lesson, the teacher introduces the high-frequency words qué, por, gusta, mira, en, juego, and para, checks for understanding, and provides guidance depending on the student’s level. The teacher then incorporates the Read/ Spell/Write routine for students. Students complete the routine and build sentences using “High-Frequency Word Cards,” “Photo Cards,” and other teacher-made cards. The teacher uses the Oral Vocabulary Cards to introduce vocabulary and provide guidance for word work lessons. Students learn, practice, apply, and transfer words into familiar and new contexts.

In Unit 10, different forms of tasks and assessments support teachers to determine whether students learn and comprehend vocabulary. After reading “Los zapateros y los duendes,” during a whole group lesson, the teacher checks for understanding of vocabulary by asking “¿Cómo podrían determinar si afuera hace frío o calor?” and “¿Cómo pueden darse cuenta si alguien está emocionado?” to evaluate student knowledge. Teachers also review vocabulary with students to develop fluency and assess. For example, during a whole group lesson on high-frequency words, the teacher reads sentences and encourages students to point to the words hace and pero. Students complete the Read/Spell/Write routine with the words. To develop oral language vocabulary, the teacher guides students to participate in an activity of clapping and counting syllables. In this lesson, the teacher uses the song “Si trabajamos juntos” and selects specific words like mejoraremos, ayuda, and mejor. Students practice and blend the syllables. After the activity, students review and use the words in a sentence.

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

The materials include plans to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading. Procedures and protocols, along with adequate support for teachers, foster independent reading. Additionally, materials offer plans for students to self-select texts and read independently for a sustained time. There is limited planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials in Unit 2 include support that fosters students’ engagement in self-sustained reading. For example, the “Instructional Routines Handbook” provides independent reading routines for teachers to incorporate in the classroom, though it does not mention anything specifically about reading at home. There are routines and guidance regarding students selecting books, reading during independent reading time, and using reading skills and strategies. To implement independent reading, the teacher designates specific class time to read. Students choose a realistic fiction text from the classroom library, “Leveled Readers Library,” or elsewhere. The teacher prompts students to set a purpose for reading and encourages them to read for ten minutes. As students read silently, the teacher reminds students to identify characters, settings, and important events in the story as well as to recall or make predictions.

In Unit 5, guidance fosters and engages students in independent reading. The Instructional Routines Handbook provides independent reading routines for teachers to incorporate in the classroom and tasks that hold students accountable for independent reading. Students self-select texts and read independently for a sustained time of 15 minutes. There is teacher guidance as well as planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. The “Activity Cards” provide specific opportunities for students to work in centers and include step-by-step instructions to follow. Activities also allow students to share their reading and collaborate in groups and include other tasks such as working on main ideas and details, reading a book and retelling the story, giving details as students retell the story, or reading and responding in writer’s notebooks. Additionally, materials include school-to-home resources, which offer letters to families describing the focus of the week, learning goals, and reading strategies to practice at home. The materials do not include any guidance for supporting reading at home.

Unit 6 resources include read-alouds, shared reading, and differentiated texts, which allow students to interact with texts while reading independently or with teacher support. Materials also offer students some suggestions to share their reading and provide teacher guidance to promote reading in the classroom and at home for 20 minutes. In “Beyond Level Comprehension,” “Mis lecturas Self-Selected Reading” guides the teacher to assist students in selecting fiction books and reading silently for 12 minutes. The website my.mheducation.com serves as support for students to self-select texts from an approved list. Materials also include the use of reading and time logs to support holding students accountable for independent reading. 

Materials in Unit 7 support reading, capture students’ attention, and encourage lifelong reading habits. For example, “Teacher’s Guide” includes a graphic to encourage independent learners to read independently, become critical readers, and engage in text conversations. To teach students how to select books to read, the teacher creates an anchor chart that applies the “five finger rule.” Students select a book, make connections to other books, engage in collaborative conversations, and develop confidence to read different books. Also, under “Options for Small Group Time,” a variety of opportunities incorporate “Independent Reading” time. For instance, students read with leveled readers, read independently for 12 minutes, and respond in their writer’s notebooks. After students read independently, the Instructional Routines Handbook suggests incorporating, for instance, reading logs, book talks, and reading responses. Additionally, the resource provides teacher support for grouping students and integrating independent reading in the classroom. 

In Units 8 and 10, materials offer students the opportunity to self-select texts. The website my.mheducation.com contains approved lists from which students have the option to select texts. Reading and time logs support holding students accountable for independent reading. For example, after reading Time Magazine’s “¿Que inventaran ahora?” students log the title of the text, minutes read, and their opinions, and then share with a partner why they want to read a text. Materials also offer students some suggestions for sharing their reading and provide teacher guidance to promote reading in the classroom and at home for 20 minutes. In Beyond Level Comprehension, Mis lecturas, Self-Selected Reading guides teachers to assist students in selecting fiction books and reading silently for 15 minutes. 

In Unit 9, materials include various genres that meet the TEKS for specific grade levels and contain stories to capture students’ attention and encourage lifelong reading habits. Resources include “Leveled Readers with Paired Reads,” “Decodable Readers,” additional texts as in the “Genre Read-Aloud Anthology,” and the “Leveled Reader Library Online.” For example, the texts Yosolita, Los ayudantes de mama, “En familia,” and the interactive read-aloud “Como ayudar en casa” allow students to read and learn to think critically as they explore texts related to the “Essential Question” “¿Cómo puedes ayudar en casa?”

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

The materials provide support for students to compose across text types and various opportunities for students to write literary texts for a variety of purposes and audiences. Activities allow students to dictate or write personal narratives that convey their thoughts and feelings about an experience, write informational texts, and practice correspondence.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, opportunities support the writing process and allow students to dictate, write reports about a topic, or write personal narratives. With teacher guidance, students brainstorm ideas and draft, review, and edit their writing. For example, during a shared writing activity, the teacher writes sentences; students formulate ideas and work together to complete the sentences. Other activities support grammar: Students identify nouns in shared writing or use text to respond to reading. There are also investigative tasks in which students choose a topic, look for information, draw/write, and present their work. For instance, the teacher prompts students with “¿Qué cosas puedes compartir con los amigos?” Students then write drafts, review, and edit with a partner. 

In Unit 3, the materials include opportunities for students to write literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences. Students dictate or write personal narratives to convey thoughts and feelings about personal experiences. For example, after reading the “Big Book” ¿Cómo van los dinosaurios a la escuela? students do shared writing. The teacher models how to write a story about dinosaurs, shares the writing pen, and then has students work together to complete sentences. After a shared reading of “¡Así sí puedo!” students move on to “Independent Writing.” Students respond to prompt “Escriban un nuevo cuento en el que Amanda siga las reglas de la escuela.” The teacher reminds students to follow the steps of the writing process. Students draft, revise, edit, proofread, and share their writing. 

To increase children’s writing fluency, materials guide students to write for five minutes; there is guidance for grammar. The teacher reviews how to start a sentence with a capital letter and end it with a punctuation mark. For guided practice, the teacher uses “Photo Cards,” and students name what they see and the article that goes with it. Students then create sentences for each card and supply action words. The teacher also writes incomplete sentences and invites students to correct errors and work in groups.

In Unit 4, students write informational texts for multiple purposes. For example, after reading ¡Llegaron las ballenas! students complete a shared writing activity and respond to the question “¿Qué hacen las personas para cuidar a las ballenas?” The teacher prompts: “¿Qué hace la gente para cuidar a las ballenas?” “¿Por qué la autora decidió incluir rimas en todas las oraciones?” The teacher also directs students to look for clues, details, and illustrations in the text and models writing notes. Materials include prompts for students to choose from to practice journal writing, such as “¿Qué saben acerca de sus vecinos?” “Escriban acerca de algo que hacen con sus vecinos o algo acerca de lo que conversan con ellos.” “Hagan y rotulen un dibujo de sus vecinos.”

In Unit 5, resources provide support to grow students’ writing and composition skills. Teachers scaffold the writing process each day through small tasks to support students in writing a draft, revising, and writing a final essay. For example, on Day 1, the teacher reads Naranja de enero and prompts students to write a journal entry using the sentence stems “Una mano…” “Luego, me caí en…” “Tenía muchos…” “Luego, viajé en….” On Day 2, the teacher guides students to use text evidence to expand their writing. On Day 3, with teacher support, students read “Un desayuno sano” and write what the character eats for breakfast. Students write a draft and edit. On Day 4, students revise their drafts from the day before, edit with teacher assistance, and verify using correct pronouns. The teacher confers with each student. Finally, on Day 5, students review their final drafts and share their writing with the class. Students ask and answer questions.

In Unit 10, materials support the writing process, research, and grammar; different tasks include prompts for informational writing. The materials encourage students to write a letter to a friend about the Wolong Nature Reserve and how it helps pandas. Students find text evidence and write the letter. Materials also provide sentence stems to use for shared reading. The following prompt guides students to search and investigate text to write their research: “Nos gustaría saber de qué maneras se puede reciclar el papel.” Investigative tasks require students to identify pronouns in shared writing. The teacher prompts with a question and guides students to look for information, draw/write, and work in pairs. Students write drafts, review, and edit with a partner. Additionally, the “Teacher’s Guide” offers a plan to support the topic of poetry. Students dictate or write to poetry prompts and use poetry elements. The “Reading/Writing Companion” guides students to write poems; however, materials do not support students in planning, drafting, reviewing, editing, or presenting poems. 

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

The materials engage students in the writing process to develop text in oral, pictorial, or written form and facilitate students’ coherent use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing). Activities prompt students to utilize drawing, brainstorm to generate drafts, and plan and organize their drafts by speaking, drawing, or writing. Students edit drafts with adult assistance.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

All elements of the writing process are introduced in a systematic way over the course of the year. For example, each unit provides guidance for shared writing, independent writing, and developing writing skills. Materials support teachers in growing students’ composition skills. In addition to the “Teacher’s Guide,” materials also provide guidance in the “Instructional Routines Handbook.”

In Units 1 and 2, students engage in the writing process through shared writing. They use writing elements and components to plan, draft, revise, edit, share, and publish their writing. In Unit 1, teachers ask questions and use prompts related to the “Big Book” Yo amo; students generate sentences that relate to the text. For example, the teacher asks, in Spanish, “What friends does the girl see on her stroll?” Students then answer questions, plan, and organize drafts by speaking with partners. They use evidence from the text to write responses. In Unit 2, students complete a similar activity using Al alcance de mi mano. Teachers ask, in Spanish, “What tools do children use?” Students answer questions, plan, and organize drafts by speaking with partners. There is no evidence in these units that students use drawing or brainstorming to generate drafts or that they edit drafts with adult assistance. However, both units direct teachers: “Pida a las parejas que intercambien los borradores y se turnen para leerlos.” 

In Unit 5, students receive explicit instruction in the writing process; activities connect to their learning. For example, after reading Naranja de enero, students engage in a shared writing activity as a whole group. The teacher encourages students to find text evidence to answer questions. Sentence stems support students during their shared writing practice: “Luego, me caí en…” “Tenía muchos…” “Luego, viajé en….” Near the end of the unit, students have opportunities to edit drafts with adult assistance. Students work in pairs and edit their drafts while the teacher confers with students and provides guidance and suggestions to include details or add pronouns in their writing.

In Unit 7, students engage in the writing process through shared writing. Students use writing elements and components to plan, draft, revise, edit, share, and publish their writing. To help students generate sentences that relate to Nacidos en el zoo, teachers use prompts like “Name some baby animals we met in Nacidos en el zoo.” Students answer questions, plan, and organize their drafts by speaking with partners. They use evidence from the text and write responses; however, there is no evidence to support that students use drawing and brainstorming to generate their drafts. Students do complete final drafts and edit with teacher assistance during whole group instruction. The teacher guides students’ writing and suggests adding details; then, students complete final drafts. 

In Unit 8, students engage in the writing process and develop their composition skills. For example, students use drawings to brainstorm, generate drafts, and organize drafts by speaking, drawing, or writing. First, the teacher uses the text La Luna es un queso to support students in writing a fantasy story. The teacher displays a fantasy anchor chart, reviews elements of fantasy stories, and analyzes the student model in the “Reading/Writing Companion.” The teacher reads the speech bubble, the student model, and the call-out and guides students to find clues to prove that the text is fantasy. Afterward, the teacher brainstorms with students; together, they choose a character and a topic for their story. Students write their draft and ideas. The teacher models how to revise and edit and guides students to create their final draft. Finally, students publish and present their fantasy story. The teacher evaluates their writing and confers with students.

Unit 9 also supports students’ writing development. First, the teacher creates an anchor chart that includes the beginning, middle, and end. Then, students use a graphic organizer (a plot chart) in “Mi libro de lectura y escritura” to write a fictional story. Students connect what they learn to their writing. For example, the teacher first guides a discussion and prompts: “What else would you like to learn about helping out at home?” Students share their ideas with a partner and then with the whole class. The teacher guides students to speak clearly when sharing ideas. Finally, they write about other ways they can help.

In Unit 10, students engage in the writing process through shared writing. Students use writing elements and components to plan, draft, revise, edit, share, and publish their writings. The teacher asks questions that relate to the text El pollito de la Avellana. The prompt is “Write the story using the characters from the text.” The teacher says, “To respond to this prompt, we need to tell the problem and the solution. What is the problem?” Students generate sentences that relate to the text. The teacher encourages students to answer questions, plan, and organize drafts by speaking with partners. Students use evidence from the text to plan and organize drafts and eventually use “Big Books” to complete writing responses. Students do not use drawing and brainstorming to generate drafts. They do complete final drafts and editing with teacher assistance. The teacher guides students’ writing and suggests adding details.

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

Over the course of the year, the materials provide opportunities for students to apply grade-level standard Spanish conventions to their writing. Materials also include opportunities for 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 Unit 1, students engage in independent writing; materials support spoken language and the use of grammatical conventions. In an independent writing activity, students write drafts and use the conventions of academic language. The focus is on the use of nouns and the application of nouns when writing. The materials provide instruction on Spanish conventions and teacher guidance during writing: “a los niños para que formen oraciones completas” and “pídales que digan oraciones que incluyan sustantivos.” Students apply the concept in their writing and begin their drafts. To provide support for students’ use of grammatical rules and nouns during writing, the teacher asks guiding questions, such as “¿Usaron correctamente los sustantivos en su texto?” Students edit and revise their drafts to include correct usage of nouns. Materials do not provide verbatim evidence of how students use nouns. Another example of support for spoken language and use of grammatical conventions occurs as students work in pairs. The teacher invites a student “a nombrar una persona, un lugar, una cosa, o un animal.” Students practice and apply grammatical rules orally and practice speaking in sentences with their partners; this assignment extends spoken language when communicating with their peers.

In Unit 4, students receive explicit instruction in Spanish conventions, such as grammar, punctuation, and usage, systematically, both in and out of context. Resources such as the student “Practice Book” and “Daily Handwriting Online” support the development of handwriting and composition skills. Instructions guide the teacher to focus on uppercase and lowercase letter Nn throughout the week. Throughout the week, students use handwriting models for support. The materials provide guidance to review writing sentences and the use of Spanish articles. During a whole group lesson, the teacher reviews that a sentence always begins with an uppercase letter and ends with a punctuation mark. The teacher explains how articles are words in a sentence and always come before a noun. The teacher then introduces the Spanish articles el, los, la, las, un, una, unos, and unas. The teacher says, “Articles should always match the noun they modify, such as la mesa or las mesas. The teacher writes a group of words and a group of sentences and reads them aloud for students to identify which groups are words and which are sentences. Students also identify the capital letters, the periods, and the articles. The teacher forms a sentence adding “escribe en el pizarrón” to the group of words “El maestro.” The teacher then writes the sentence and reads it aloud. Students think of other words to use to make the phrase into a sentence, generate ideas, and share their ideas with the teacher. The teacher writes the sentences, and students identify uppercase letters, periods, and articles. 

In Unit 5, sentence starters support students in their development of composition skills. For example, the teacher reads El viejo arbol. To engage students in writing drafts, the teacher provides the following sentence starters: “Primero, la autora dice que el árbol….” “Los dibujos de las flores….” Students use the sentence starters to tell what happens to the tree and write. The unit also includes explicit instruction to teach Spanish pronoun conventions. Materials guide the teacher: “Explain that personal pronouns are words that we use to refer to people.” The teacher provides examples of pronouns such as la niña, el niño, el hombre, la mujer, or él or ella. A variety of activities in the students’ “Cuaderno de practica” allows them to practice, receive support, and apply what they know about pronouns. Activities consist of filling in the blanks to write the correct pronoun in a sentence or circling the pronouns. 

Unit 6, teachers practice shared writing with the students and explicitly teach Spanish conventions such as grammar and punctuation. Spanish conventions focus on the use of singular and plural nouns as well as on gender-specific articles. Materials instruct the teacher: “Guide children in forming complete sentences for you to record. If needed, write this sentence frame and model how to complete it using the notes.” Students use the following sentence frames for support, while the teacher corrects their nouns: “Está seca la…” “No se ve ni una...en el cielo.” “Se secan las….” Students engage in spoken language. 

Materials in Unit 10 offer opportunities for students to practice and apply the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing; there is support for punctuation and grammar (pronouns). Students complete a “Respond to Read” from a “Literature Big Book” and write about the different characteristics of animals. In another independent writing activity, students write about the text “Cada uno a su manera,” responding to the prompt “¿Por qué los niños van a la escuela de diferentes maneras?” Students follow the steps of the writing process to draft, revise, edit/proofread, and share their writing. Additionally, a shared writing activity encourages students to write about the Literature Big Book Ni tanto using the prompts “¿Sobre qué características de los animales escribió la autora?” and “¿Por qué creen que la autora comparó diferentes animales?” The unit also includes an activity to support the use of pronouns. For instance, the teacher reminds students that the pronoun tu is informal and usted is formal. Through guided practice, the teacher models proper use, and students work in small groups. Students practice asking questions in a crayon activity and use pronouns.

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

The materials include practice and instruction for students to write legibly in print (K-1) in the appropriate grades. The materials include sufficient practice to meet the requirement of the TEKS, though they do not offer plans for procedures or support for teachers to assess students’ handwriting development. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, opportunities support instruction in print and build writing skills. For example, students learn to write the letter Mm through activities that include writing words with Mm, writing high-frequency words, writing sentences with high-frequency words, and responding to texts. There are also diverse opportunities for students to practice their writing, students use: “Cuaderno de caligrafía,” “Cuaderno de práctica,” “Cuaderno de práctica versión interactiva,” and “Destrezas fundamentales.” Activity cards provide support in learning centers. 

The materials incorporate year-long support for handwriting instruction and offer teacher support for guided practice in teaching letter formations and spacing. In Unit 3, the teacher discusses and models print directionality during a whole group lesson. To model Nn, the teacher says: “Recta hacia abajo. Volvemos arriba. Diagonal hacia abajo. Recta hacia arriba.... Curva y recta hacia abajo.” For independent practice, students use the “Practice Book” to write Nn, and the teacher checks their handwriting skills. As students write, the teacher observes pencil grip, paper position, and spacing between words, correcting as needed.

In Unit 5, students practice handwriting. For example, in the “Word Work” section, students use the resource “Aula caligrafía” to practice writing the letters Rr, Jj, and Yy. During guided practice, teachers also discuss print directionality through prompts such as “Recta hacia abajo. Volvemos arriba.” “Curva hacia la derecha y hacia adentro por la línea de puntos hasta la recta vertical.” Although direct instruction occurs in one day, materials guide the teacher to teach “Throughout the week…uppercase and lowercase letters (...Rr, Jj, Yy...) using the handwriting models.” During guided practice, the teacher models how to write the letters by writing complete sentences. Students also have a variety of opportunities and lessons to practice writing. For example, they use “Tableros de fonética y ortografía” and multimedia articles to practice tracing letters. Aula caligrafía includes paper activities for the teacher to copy and print. Materials direct the teacher to observe “cómo los niños agarran el lápiz y acomodan la hoja y corríjalos si es necesario.” 

In Unit 6, materials follow the same instructional model as the unit before to provide opportunities for students to practice handwriting. Students use the Aula caligrafía, Word Work, to practice writing the letters Ch and Ñ. Teachers discuss print directionality and offer direct instruction for guided practice to model writing sets of letters: “Recta hacia abajo. Volvemos arriba.” “Curva hacia la derecha y hacia adentro por la línea de puntos hasta la recta vertical.” Students extend their learning by tracing the letters and then writing words that have r, rr, y, ch, and ñ. Tableros de fonética y ortografía, multimedia articles, Cuaderno de práctica, and printable activities from the Aula caligrafía support student practice in tracing letters; however, materials do direct the teacher to observe “cómo los niños agarran el lápiz y acomodan la hoja y corríjalos si es necesario.” 

In Unit 10, students practice handwriting with the same instructional model as previously outlined. Students use the Aula caligrafía, Word Work, to practice writing the letters Kk and Gg. Teachers discuss print directionality and provide guided practice in writing sets of letters. In a whole group setting, the teacher models how to write the letters by writing complete sentences. For independent practice, students use Tableros de fonética y ortografía, multimedia articles, Cuaderno de práctica, and printable activities from the Aula caligrafía to write complete sentences and practice calligraphy.

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

The materials support students’ listening and speaking about texts and provide opportunities for students to listen actively and ask questions to understand information. Additionally, all materials provide consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussions that require them to share information and ideas about the topics they are discussing.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, students listen actively and ask questions to understand information from text. For example, a shared reading lesson allows students to read, write about, and listen to texts about different homes. The teacher introduces the nonfiction text Figuras por todas partes and reminds students to ask questions before, during, and after reading to help them better understand what they read. The activity also offers other ideas for teachers to integrate and support active listening. Using the same text, the teacher guides students to use the “Retelling Cards” and the routine to retell the text. Students use the cards and complete the tasks in their own words. Another activity integrates the “Weekly Riddle,” which allows students to make connections with the text. Students work in partners and use their prior knowledge to talk about shapes they see in the classroom or outside.

In Unit 2, students respond to text and share information through collaborative activities and conversations. For instance, several retelling routines guide teacher instruction and allow students to participate. In one activity, the teacher does a shared read of ¿Como van los dinosaurios a la escuela? Students then “retell by acting out part of the story as the dinosaur”; the teacher encourages the students to share information. In another example, the teacher displays “Retelling Card 1” as a prompt to guide students who need more support. The teacher repeats with the rest of the cards and encourages students to include key details from the text. Students use their bodies to form the shapes mentioned in the text.

In Unit 4, the materials provide consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussions and share information and ideas to support the topics they read about and listen to. For example, after reading ¿De quién son estos zapatos? students perform a matching activity to engage in listening. As they read, the teacher guides students to match the words they say to the words on the page. Students “track the print and read it aloud and point to each word as [they] say it.” In another activity, to demonstrate their understanding of a nonfiction text, students “use costumes of workers and...retell by acting out part of the story,” as the teacher reads the text.

Units 5 and 6 both incorporate opportunities for students to listen actively to questions and respond to texts through classroom discussions. Both units use “Big Books,” read-alouds, and other supplementary readings to analyze topics. For example, the Unit 5 topic is plants, while Unit 6 focuses on weather and the seasons. At the end of each selection, there is a series of question cards, “Cuéntalo otra vez,” to check for and support understanding of the text. For example, after reading La hormiguita Ita in Unit 5, the teacher asks a variety of basic, intermediate, and open-ended questions to check for understanding. The teacher asks, “¿Cómo se llama la hormiguita? ¿Dónde vive la hormiguita? ¿En que se parece la hormiga Ita al resto de las hormigas?” Materials instruct: “Guíe a los niños para que comprendan que lo que ven en la ilustración son cosas que suelen estar presentes en un jardín.” The teacher asks leading questions such as “¿Cómo es una planta? ¿Alguna vez tuvieron que cuidar de ella?” to engage students in “productive talk.” The teacher then creates opportunities for students to respond to information and topics from text. Through “Response to Text” activities, students collaborate and retell, write, talk, draw, and write. They also share information about ideas and topics. Materials guide: “Recuerde a los niños la pregunta esencial. Pídales que comenten en parejas lo que han aprendido acerca de lo que necesitan las plantas para crecer.” Students work in partners and discuss the questions provided. 

In Unit 7, materials provide consistent opportunities for students to respond to information and topics in texts. For example, the teacher guides a whole group conversation about a picture the students see in their “Reading/Writing Companion.” Students discuss animals and use the words cascarón and conducta. The teacher prompts, “What animals are in the photo?” and “How are they alike and different?” Students discuss and share their responses.

In Unit 9, students share information and ideas about topics and use evidence to support their discussion. As the class analyzes texts, the teacher breaks down the elements that make up a text. For example, to better understand the plot of the story, the teacher asks, “¿Qué sucede luego?” “¿Cómo se siente la niña?” and “¿Cómo lo saben?” Students look for evidence in the text and respond, “Lo sé por el texto y las ilustraciones.” To better connect student answers to text in writing, the teacher guides “a los niños para que comenten los sucesos principales del cuento.” Materials instruct: “Recuerdeles que deben de buscar evidencia en el Superlibro para respaldar las respuestas.”

In Unit 10, students consistently listen actively to texts, engage in “productive talk,” and show what they understand about a concept using leading questions provided by the teacher. For example, to support active listening, the teacher reads an informational text and has students perform a moving activity around the classroom to apply what they learn. First, the teacher writes the names of mother and baby animals on index cards and distributes them to the children. Students are not to share their cards or say which animal they have. The teacher then counts to three as students walk around the room looking for the card that matches their animal. Another lesson in the unit focuses on pronouns. After teacher modeling and guided practice, students work together to generate sentences about characteristics they share with each other. Students use pronouns in their sentences. Later, the students make connections after reading Ni tanto. Students work in partners to share what they learned about how animals are alike and different, using the prompts “Aprendí a comparar animales por….” “Algunos animales tienen...y otros tienen….” In another example, after reading an informational text, the teacher asks the open-ended questions “How can working together help us?” and “What did you learn from this text?” to check for understanding. Teachers prompt students “to tell what new information they learned from the text” and ask, “What did you learn about working together?” Students also analyze persuasive texts through whole group discussions. For example, after reading a persuasive text, the teacher asks open-ended questions such as “How might this photo help convince a reader?” Students answer aloud as they read the text; the teacher continues to ask questions during reading.

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

The materials engage students in collaborative discussions. Students have consistent opportunities to engage in discussion and practice grade-appropriate speaking skills using the standard conventions of the Spanish language. Opportunities to develop social communication skills are appropriate to the grade level.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, students consistently engage in discussion. Materials provide speaking and listening protocols for practice. For example, during a whole group lesson, the teacher reads Los sentidos en la playa and reminds students of the “Essential Question” (in Spanish): “How can your senses help you learn?” Students work in partners and share something they know about the five senses. The following sentence frames support and facilitate discussion: “Aprendimos que, en la playa, podemos ver..., podemos oír..., podemos oler..., podemos saborear..., podemos tocar….” Students take turns answering with partners. 

Unit 2 offers opportunities for students to practice grade-appropriate speaking skills using the standard conventions of the Spanish language. The materials provide explicit instruction and prompts to guide the focus on language. In a shared reading lesson, the teacher reads Figuras por todas partes. Materials instruct: “Help children with the shapes in the photo by pointing to and naming each one. Encourage them to point to similar shapes in the classroom.” The teacher introduces the words rueda and sombrilla and points to the visuals in the text; students repeat the words out loud. Students then share with partners the names of shapes they see. Another lesson in this unit also supports the conventions of language and allows students to speak in a clear and concise manner. After a read-aloud, the teacher guides students to connect the text “Cometas al viento” with Figuras por todas partes. The teacher asks students (in Spanish), “What is something that both of these texts name?” Partners identify objects from both texts that have the same shape. To ensure students speak audibly and clearly, the teacher asks students to repeat their partner’s answer. A grammar lesson on verbs also engages students in discussions to practice speaking and listening. Students learn about verbs and work in partners to generate sentences that name things they like to do, such as saltar, correr, dibujar, and leer.

Unit 3 includes a variety of opportunities and protocols for students to practice speaking and listening in Spanish. In one activity, students make connections to text through discussions. Instructions direct: “Remind children that the Essential Question is: What are the different sounds we hear?” The teacher guides the students in a discussion and provides the following sentence frame (in Spanish): “Some sounds I learned about are….” Students work in partners to discuss. In another activity, partners practice speaking, use the sentence frames “Al perro le gusta….” “Él y Marta….” “La atracción que más le gusta es….” In another activity, the teacher reads aloud the text ¿Cómo van los dinosaurios a la escuela? and students “retell by acting out part of the story as the dinosaur.”

Unit 4 provides consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussions in Spanish and share information and ideas to support the topics they read about and listen to. For example, in one lesson, students learn how to interview. First, teachers share interviewing tips with students and model how to “write a list of questions before the interview; ask your questions politely; listen carefully to people’s answers; and record people’s answers.” The teacher models interviewing in the whole group, and then students take turns interviewing each other. In another example, after the teacher reads a text, students take turns and discuss in partners which holiday is their favorite. For additional support, the teacher provides the response stem “...es un evento siempre esperado.” In another activity, after the teacher reads the text ¿De quién son estos zapatos? students act out what they learn through role-play. They “use costumes of workers and...retell by acting out part of the story.”

Unit 5 contains consistent opportunities for students to listen actively and participate in discussions. For example, the teacher reads aloud the text El viejo arbol. After listening to the story, students work in pairs to retell, summarize the text, and share what plants they saw in the garden. To facilitate conversation, the teacher provides the sentence frames “La semilla se desarrolla….” “En nuestro jardin hay….” “En nuestro jardin, el/la….” During a whole group discussion, the teacher reminds students to look at the person speaking and to pay attention to what they say. While students converse, the teacher asks questions, and students take turns talking. Students also have opportunities to practice grade-appropriate speaking skills using the standard conventions of the Spanish language. The teacher frequently reminds students (in Spanish) to “use loud and clear voices to speak” and “complete sentences to help their partners understand.” Weekly lessons also allow students the opportunity to speak, read, and write about “Essential Questions” related to a topic. For instance, one lesson incorporates a collaborative activity that integrates talking consistently in the classroom and supports social-emotional learning. Materials guide the teacher to explore “temas sobre los que sienten curiosidad.” In this activity, students work in partners and trade cards. The teacher prompts students: “Hablen de lo que cada uno dibujó...Háganse preguntas acerca de sus dibujos.”

In Unit 6, students practice grade-appropriate speaking skills using the standard Spanish language conventions. The teacher frequently reminds students to “use loud and clear voices to speak” and “complete sentences to help their partners understand.” As in Unit 5, weekly lessons allow students the opportunity to speak, read, and write about essential questions related to a topic. For example, collaborative activities integrate talking consistently in the classroom. Materials include questions that are text-dependent and require students to identify key details and analyze and synthesize information. For example, students look at illustrations and visuals, and the teacher asks, “¿Qué crece de la semilla?” Students work in pairs to share ideas with their classmates.

In Unit 7, materials such as the “Instructional Routine Handbook” provide clear and specific guidance for collaborative conversations in Spanish. Students have opportunities to develop social communication skills that are appropriate to their grade level. The “Activity Cards” provide support for learning centers and allow students to engage in reading, speaking, and listening. Additionally, students engage with partners in small groups and whole group discussions. The teacher encourages students to take turns talking, listen carefully, and share ideas and opinions. For example, the teacher reads “¿Qué tipo de animales vemos en un zoológico?” The teacher models a think-aloud (in Spanish): As I read I will pay attention to how the baby animals are alike... I will compare the fennec fox to the next animal I read.” The teacher guides students’ understanding and lists the names of animals that are unfamiliar to students. Then, the teacher invites students to match the names of animals to their photos in the text. Students point to the animals and repeat the names of unfamiliar animals.

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

The materials engage students in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for different purposes and support instruction for students to ask and generate general questions for inquiry with adult assistance. Additionally, materials support instruction for students to generate and follow a research plan and identify relevant sources based on their questions with adult assistance (K-1). Materials support student practice in understanding, organizing, and communicating ideas and information in accordance with the purpose of the research (K-1).

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

At the end of Units 1 and 2, materials suggest research topics for students to generate questions and participate in research activities. In Unit 1, topics include “Sharing,” “Friendships,” “Animals,” and “The Senses.” In Unit 2, topics include “Investigating a Tool,” “Figures,” and “Insects.” In “Mi libro de lectura y escritura,” graphic organizers allow students to organize their ideas. “Videos for Conversation and Collaboration” allow students to learn, practice, and apply research skills with adult assistance. Materials instruct the teacher on how to break down and model each step. Students choose a topic, write the question, search for information, draw/write what they learn, and choose the mode of presentation. In Unit 1, the teacher guides students to research the topic “Friendship” and suggests ways of interviewing people. Students work in small groups and use the “Investigation Plan” from the “Practice Notebook.” To gather relevant information, students ask their classmates, use classroom/library books, or use websites. 

Research skills are embedded in each unit; students learn to generate questions. For example, during a small group activity in Unit 2, the teacher asks, (in Spanish), “What tool do you see on page 37?” and “Why is a lasso an important tool?” This relates to the topic “Investigating a Tool.” Students can present their final research in a variety of ways: through a drawing, a poster, a model, a presentation, or a puppet.

In Units 3 and 4, students ask and generate general questions for inquiry with adult assistance. There is a difference in rigor from beginning-of-the-year research projects; students work more independently as the year progresses. Each week, there is guidance for students to complete a research and inquiry project on topics that align with the “Essential Questions”/topic of the week. In Unit 3, students research places in their school. First, in whole group instruction, the teacher models how to complete pages in the students’ “Reading/Writing Companion.” The teacher then reviews each step of the research process and models how to choose a topic and how to write a question (in Spanish): “I need to decide what I want to find out about the cafeteria. I would like to know how much food it takes to feed the entire school.” For additional support, the teacher models how to come up with questions and how to draw notes. In Unit 4, there is explicit instruction in research skills that directly align with the instructional unit. Students research the types of tools workers use. Again, the teacher models how to complete pages in the Reading/Writing Companion, reviews the research process steps, and models how to choose a topic, how to write a question, and how to find the information. The teacher models how to draw/write the information learned by saying (in Spanish): “I will draw a picture showing a nurse using his or her tools on the job. I will add labels to my drawing.” The teacher models how to present the information. Afterward, students review their research, drawings, and writing and what they learned about their topic. Students create final presentations independently, in pairs, or in small groups and orally present their research project.

In Units 5 and 6, students generate questions on a topic; materials provide explicit instruction in research skills and through “Research/Inquiry” activities. Activities integrate themes that correlate to topics students discuss throughout the week. For example, students research plants. The “Teacher’s Guide” includes explicit instruction, such as: “Explain that children will demonstrate their knowledge by drawing and writing….Model using a picture dictionary.” Teachers model the five steps of the research process. The Reading/Writing Companion offers step-by-step instructions for students to practice and apply the research process. For instance, students generate ideas and questions (in Spanish) (e.g., “How do roots help the plant?”) and use relevant resources such as classroom and library books, the internet, and websites. In Unit 6, the Reading/Writing Companion provides step-by-step guidance on how to research a type of weather, such as a storm. The teacher explicitly instructs the students on how to formally research staying safe in bad weather; questions include “How can we stay safe during a hurricane?” Students also choose a topic, write their own question, find information, draw or write what they learn, and then choose a way to present their findings. The Research/Inquiry section guides students to research a season and use information from previous units as sources. Students use their Reading/Writing Companion to write information they find. 

In Unit 8, with adult assistance, students identify relevant sources based on their questions. Students complete research to learn more about Americans who helped the country. First, the teacher models in a whole group setting how to choose a topic, write a question, and find information. Teachers say, in Spanish: “I can do research by looking at books in the classroom or at the library. I can use a picture dictionary or an online dictionary to look up new words.” Then, the teacher guides students through the steps of the research process. Students work on their research and then develop their presentation individually, in teams, or as a class. Afterward, the teacher uses the “Essential Question” chart and reviews what the students learned. Students share their responses, and the teacher adds any new ideas to the chart.

In Unit 9, the Reading/Writing Companion provides step-by-step instructions for students to research being a good citizen. These are the same five steps that appear in every unit: Step 1, choose a topic; Step 2, write your questions; Step 3, find information; Step 4, draw or write what you learned; and Step 5, choose a way to present your work. To guide students, teachers ask, “What can children do to help their school? How can they help their community?” Graphic organizers support activities: Students use a two-column graphic organizer to list how to be a good citizen. In one column, students write the names of good citizens they know. In the other, they write about how that citizen is a good citizen. Materials suggest students interview classmates and other people at school to find information on good citizens. 

In Unit 10, students practice understanding, organizing, and communicating ideas and information in accordance with the purpose of the research. There is detailed guidance for Research and Inquiry; topics to investigate include “What can we do together?” “Ways to classify” and “Protect our planet.” These align to the Essential Questions/topic of the week. The “Instructional Routines Handbook” includes a rubric on how to rate students’ final presentations. In one lesson, students research ways to protect the earth and integrate ideas from the Essential Question “¿Qué ideas sugieres para proteger el medioambiente?” and “Key Concept” “Proteger nuestra tierra.” First, in a whole group setting, the teacher models how to choose a topic and explains “reduce, reuse, recycle.” In Spanish, the teacher models how to write the questions “What does reduce mean?” and “How does reducing help the environment?” and models how to find the information. Students then complete pages of “Mi libro de lectura y escritura,” and the teacher guides them through the steps of the research process. Students develop their presentation individually, in teams, or as a class. Afterward, to wrap up the lesson, the teacher uses the Essential Question chart and reviews what the students learned about protecting the environment. Students share their responses, and the teacher adds any new ideas to the chart. Finally, students present their project as a drawing, a poster, a model, or a video.

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

The materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge. Questions and tasks are designed so that students build and apply knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. Tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking; include components of vocabulary, comprehension, and syntax; and provide opportunities for increased independence.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In Unit 1, questions and tasks are designed for students to build and apply knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. For example, to support speaking and listening in a whole group independent writing lesson in Week 1, the teacher asks the students (in Spanish), “Where can we meet new friends?” Students work in partners and take turns discussing what it means to be a friend. After the discussion, students use the “Reading/Writing Companion” and discuss what children are doing in the pictures. To support writing, students draw a picture of a new thing they can do with a friend. To support language, in Week 1, the teacher reads aloud Así se hicieron amigos. The teacher then uses retelling cards; students retell the story and what they learned about the bear. In Week 2, the teacher reads Los sentidos en la playa. Students complete a shared writing activity using the sentence stems “Un niño usa su nariz para….” “Un niño usa sus dedos para….” To build student knowledge and interconnect tasks, students also use the Reading/Writing Companion to draw one important thing from the story. For oral vocabulary development for the words aventura and movimiento, the teacher uses visual cards with the whole class. Students then discuss an adventure they have been on and how they can move their bodies. Students work as partners and share what they know about the way animals move. Lastly, students use the Reading/Writing Companion to discuss how penguins move and draw a picture to show how their favorite animal moves. 

In Unit 2, interconnected tasks build student knowledge. For example, to support listening and thinking, the teacher reads the nonfiction text “Cosas que usamos para descubrir” to show students how to find text evidence. Students then work in partners to discuss what the boy uses to look at the sky and what they would like to see in the sky when using a telescope. To support language and speaking, the teacher provides the sentence stems “...es una herramienta.” “Uso esta herramienta para descubrir….” Afterward, students complete a role-playing activity; they use vocabulary from the text and role-play being scientists. 

In Unit 3, students read, write, speak, listen, think, and apply daily objectives. In Week 3, the text ¿Cómo van los dinosaurios a la escuela? supports reading and listening comprehension and allows students to participate in discussions. To support speaking and language, the teacher models how to use the sentence stems “¿Un dinosaurio...?” “No, un dinosaurio….” “Un dinosaurio….” Students work in pairs, write, and share their answers. Stories like “Pedro y el lobo” and La ratita presumida allow students to discuss and practice oral vocabulary in context. For instance, teachers use “Oral Vocabulary Prompts” to integrate vocabulary and provide practice for students to complete a reader’s response. In Week 2, using the “Rutina de vocabulary oral,” students generate sentences with the words atencion, colocar, and conocido. In this oral language lesson, students also use the “Define/Example/Ask” routine to review the oral vocabulary words acuario and vecindario. To check for understanding, the teacher prompts students to use the words in sentences. Additionally, to support the task of speaking and to discuss the big idea, students answer questions such as “¿Que aprendes si visitas otros lugares?” “¿Qué sonidos oímos?” and “¿A qué lugares vas durante la semana?” Students also participate in games that use complex grammatical structures and apply the daily objectives. In one task, students practice explaining the rules of games they like to play in complete sentences to their partners. In another example, students analyze the theme of “Sounds Around Us.” To support the task of writing, students complete activities from “Mi libro de lectura y escritura,” journal entries, and shared writing. Tasks include students responding to the teacher’s prompt, writing about a dinosaur in a library, writing about the school rules or a funny part of a story, and writing about the rules they follow at school with a partner. Students also research how rules protect us. They work collaboratively in pairs, choose their own topic, and complete the research process.

In Unit 4, students work collaboratively in small groups to develop social and emotional skills. For instance, in one small group task, students take turns retelling the story. The teacher assists students in making personal connections and asks, “Who do you see in your neighborhood?” Other small group lessons integrate tasks that explicitly include opportunities for students to read, speak, listen, and think. For example, in an “Approaching Level” group, students discuss kitchen tools and what they are used for. In an “On Level” group, students respond to text. To guide discussion, the teacher asks questions such as “Who wears a white coat to work?” 

In Unit 5, questions and tasks allow students to build and apply knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. For example, after students reread the text La hormiguita Ita in Week 1, Day 1, in whole group, the teacher guides students to analyze the illustrator’s and author’s craft, and students answer questions in their Reading/Writing Companion. To guide thinking, writing, and discussion, the teacher asks, “What genre is this text?” and “How do you know?” Students also have an opportunity to draw and label something that happens to Ita. La hormiguita Ita is also used afterward as the shared writing lesson. During another whole group lesson, students use the Reading/Writing Companion and answer the following question (in Spanish): “What fantasy plants or animals can there be in the garden of the class?” To focus the discussion and offer support, the teacher provides sentence starters: “En nuestro jardín hay….” En nuestro jardín, el/la….” “En nuestro jardín, nosotros….” Lastly, the teacher reminds students of the “Essential Question.” Students use the prompt “Aprendí que las plantas necesitan...” to talk with a partner about what they learned and what plants need to grow.

In Unit 6, tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking; include components of vocabulary, comprehension, and syntax; and provide opportunities for increased independence. For example, to support language and vocabulary, in Week 2, the teacher reads aloud the text “La lluvia” and explains how the story is about the rainy season in a hot and dry part of Africa. The teacher asks, “How do you think the animals in this story feel about the rain?” Students discuss their answers in pairs. They also discuss how they know this story is a fantasy and how the weather is about to change. Later, students draw and write about one way they can tell that the weather is changing. To respond to the text, students use the Reading/Writing Companion and “Retelling Cards” to write complete sentences and tell what the story is about. The teacher models how to find text evidence to support responses and how to record the page number in the text evidence box.

Unit 7 incorporates opportunities that interconnect tasks and build student knowledge when conducting research. For example, at the end of Week 1, on Day 4, students conduct “Research and Inquiry” on animals and their features. Students choose a topic, write a question, find information, draw/write what they know about the animal, and then present their findings. Students use their Reading/Writing Companion to write the information, collaborate with a partner or with a group to ask for help to find information, and ask and respond to questions. Afterward, students gather the information, decide how to present their research, and present their final product to classmates. In other activities, students respond to the text and integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. In Week 3, the teacher uses the Retelling Cards after reading the text “El viaje” and asks the students to retell in their own words what happens in the story. Students also draw and write about the animal’s trip and discuss with a partner why birds fly from one place to another. 

In Unit 8, materials offer opportunities for increased independence as students work on reading, writing, and speaking. For example, to support reading and writing, students use Mi libro de lectura y escritura to answer the Essential Question “¿Qué te ayuda a ir de un lugar a otro?” and then complete the task “Dibuja y escribe acerca de un vehículo en el que te gusta viajar.” To support speaking, students take turns conversing “sobre la niña y su bicicleta.” Students also work collaboratively with others to develop social and emotional skills while working to resolve problems and generating new products and solutions. For instance, in the “Unit Opener” of Week 1, students use a map and practice looking for important places. As students name important places in the country, the teacher places them on the map. The teacher converses with students about transportation and asks the Essential Question “¿Qué te ayuda a ir de un lugar a otro?” Students then work in partners to draw and label a map of their town that shows four places. For support, the teacher writes the Spanish location words for students to use when labeling. Tasks also integrate listening and thinking and include components of comprehension through “Canciones auditivas” like “El tren” and when students retell the story La familia Numerozzi using the “Tarjetas Cuéntalo.”

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

The materials provide spiraling and scaffolded practice and support distributed practice over the course of the year. Design includes scaffolds for students to demonstrate integration of literacy skills that spiral over the school year.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials address the standards repeatedly over the course of the academic year. In Unit 1, Week 1, in a whole group writing lesson, students draw a new thing they can do with a friend in their “Reading/Writing Companion.” Questions build in academic rigor and provide opportunities for students to analyze the text. For example, in Unit 2, the teacher rereads the text Figuras por todas partes and then scaffolds instruction to discuss the author’s purpose, the characteristics of an informational text, and the author’s craft. Students make connections to the text. In Week 2, students write about what they learned during the shared reading of “Susi,” using sentence starters such as “Primero, ven un…. Luego, ven un...y un…. Susi dibujó un….”

Tasks are organized over the course of the year and support listening and comprehension, phonological awareness, phonics, high-frequency words (HFW), shared writing, word work, grammar, independent writing, search and research, and making connections. Instructional materials include a sequence of SLAR TEKS that describe when the TEKS is first taught; standards repeat to ensure student mastery. For example, Standard 6.C (“use text evidence to support an appropriate response”) is spiraled eight times throughout the unit. Standard 6.F, (“respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate”) repeats 11 times. Materials offer scaffolds and provide options to support students. For example, in shared writing, students analyze a prompt and look for evidence in the text. Then, they write in response to the prompt. Phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics HFW, and “Build the Concept” activities include opportunities to hear and practice skills and concepts across all language domains. Materials suggest transition activities and provide review and practice of previously taught skills and concepts. For example, to support Spanish learners, teachers use photo cards and sentence frames to help students answer what each thing does in complete sentences. Then, students point to the capital letter and the period. 

Unit 7 guides the teacher and encourages students to become independent writers. For example, in Week 3, during shared reading, students write a response to the text “Cada uno está en su casa” in their Reading/Writing Companion. The teacher reads the prompt: “Escriban un informe sobre el animal que más les gustó en ‘Cada uno está en su casa’ y digan dónde podría vivir.” Next, students complete an independent writing assignment using the sentence starters “...fue el animal que más me gustó.” “El...vive en el llano.” “Mi animal preferido es...porque….” As they write, the teacher continues to guide students to look for text evidence to use in their writing.

In Units 8 and 10, activities support listening and comprehension, phonological awareness, phonics, HFW, shared writing, word work, grammar, independent writing, search and research, and making connections. However, in the last weeks of the units, the content varies, and tasks integrate “Show What You Learned,” “Extend your Learning,” “Summative Assessment,” “Track Your Progress,” and “Spiral Review.” For example, Standard 2.Cii (“spelling words with common syllabic patterns”) spirals and repeats every week over 14 lessons, through all levels of small groups. For example, the teacher scaffolds instruction, models the letter using the “Photo Cards,” and then provides guided practice. There is review and additional practice of letter sounds. Teachers can use the “Practice Book” for additional support. Standard 5.A (“establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts with adult assistance”) is embedded in activities to support all levels of small groups throughout the year. Resources such as “Books by Level,” “Shared Read,” and “Listening Comprehension” provide yearlong support. In Unit 10, students analyze texts, discuss the author’s craft and purpose of persuasive texts, and make connections to the texts. Materials encourage students to become independent writers over the course of the year. For example, in the “Research” section, the teacher guides students through the research steps. Students work in groups or partners to do the research. Students write independently, and the materials no longer provide sentence stems for support.

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

The materials provide explicit instruction in print awareness and opportunities for students to connect print awareness to books and texts. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, during the whole group shared read of the book Yo amo, the teacher reminds students to hold the book right-side up and models the correct way to open the book and how to turn the pages. Students then use their finger to show how to read from left to right and from top to bottom and develop a print-to-speech match. The teacher says, (in Spanish) “As I read this sentence, I will point to each word… like this.” The teacher reads the first sentence in the story and points to the words as they read them. Students hold a finger in the air and move from left to right as the teacher reads. The materials provide frequent and adequate practice to support the organization of print. For instance, during Week 1, the teacher and students work on foundational skills. First, the teacher holds up the “Reading/Writing Companion” right-side-up and reminds children how to turn the pages correctly. Student volunteers demonstrate how to hold the book and model turning the pages correctly. The teacher turns the page and reads the title while also tracking the print. The teacher points to the period at the end of the sentence and explains that a period is a punctuation mark that shows where a sentence ends. 

In Unit 2, students connect print awareness knowledge to texts. In Week 2, during differentiated small group instruction, the teacher points to where they will start reading the leveled book ¡Figuras! and then asks the students, “Which way do I read?” and “What do I do when I get to the end of this sentence?” Students put a finger on the first word in the sentence. The teacher points out the word es and reads it with the children. Students point to and name objects in the classroom using the word es. After, the teacher helps children count the number of times they see the word es in the book.

Materials in Units 3 and 4 also incorporate explicit instruction in print awareness and connect print awareness to books and texts. In Unit 3, in the read-aloud La ratita presumida, the teacher points out the spaces in between each word on page 8 and models how to count the words in the sentence. The teacher supports students in counting the words. The teacher models how to find the capital letters at the beginning of each sentence on a page and then chooses a student to demonstrate. In Unit 4, the teacher uses the “Big Book” ¿De quién son estos zapatos? to teach concepts of print to the whole class. In this lesson, the teacher points to the title, subtitle, and author name as they read the book. The teacher also models directionality and reminds students that “we read from left to right and top to bottom.” 

In Units 5 and 6, students connect print awareness knowledge to texts. Activities help students understand that print represents spoken language. In Unit 5, Week 1, after reading the La hormiguita Ita, materials instruct the teacher: “Point to the space between each word on the page, and explain that these spaces help recognize where the words begin and end.” In Week 2, the teacher models how to handle a book, turn pages, and find the top and bottom of pages. The teacher says, “Hold up your copy of the book and model how you read it.” Unit 6 also addresses print concepts through a variety of resources such as stories and books with easy-to-read large print. For example, stories like “La lluvia,” “El mes de mayo,” and “V de verano” contain predictable words.

Units 7 and 8 also address print concepts. In Unit 7, Week 3, during the whole group shared reading of “Cada uno está en su casa,” the teacher demonstrates how to handle a book. To model this concept, the teacher first holds up the Reading/Writing Companion, points to the front cover, and tells students, “This is the front cover of the book.” The teacher then points to the back cover and says, “This is the back cover.” The teacher opens the title page, says, “This is the title page,” and models turning the pages of the book. Afterward, the teacher reads the text aloud and sounds out letters to reinforce that letters represent sounds and are combined to read syllables and words. Next, volunteers read words and sound them out. Lastly, the teacher reviews punctuation marks, and students identify periods, question marks, and exclamation marks in the story. In Unit 8, Week 1, during a whole group read-aloud, the teacher reads La familia Numerozzi to teach concepts of print. Students repeat the names of the author and illustrator after they are introduced and explain their roles. In Week 2, the teacher reads aloud Ana va a Washington D.C. Teachers help students apply their knowledge of print concepts by asking specific questions and waiting for students to respond. The teacher asks, “What letter does the sentence begin with?” “How does the sentence end?” “Which is the first word in the sentence?” This activity allows students to recognize letters and sounds they have previously learned. 

Units 9 and 10 also incorporate explicit instruction in print awareness and connect print awareness to books and texts. In Unit 9, Week 1, during a whole group lesson on “Estrategias de vocabulario,” the teacher explains what a prefix is and states, “Knowing the prefixes can help us to discover the meaning of unfamiliar words.” Then, students work with re prefixes to form new words. Materials in this unit also address print concepts through a variety of resources such as stories and books with easy-to read large print. Unit 9 offers the texts Yosolita and Los ayudantes de mamá; Unit 10 has Ni tanto and El pollito de la avellana. In Unit 10, the teacher reads aloud the text El pollito de la avellaneda during a whole group lesson on print concepts. The teacher reminds students that “sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a period or begin and end with question or exclamation marks.” The teacher then points to a capital letter and asks students what that letter is. Students chorally respond. The same technique is applied as the teacher asks students what the exclamation symbols are. Also in this lesson, the teacher points out how several words in the book have the endings ito and ita. The teacher explains that “the ending -ita in the word mesita indicates that the table is small, but the ending -ito in hijito indicates that this word is used affectionately.” The students then decide what the meaning of gallinita is in context.

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

The materials provide opportunities for students to practice oral language activities, practice each newly taught sound/phoneme and syllable pattern, and blend spoken phonemes to form syllables and syllables to form multisyllabic words. Additionally, materials provide explicit instruction in each newly taught sound and sound pattern and offer opportunities for students to practice segmenting spoken words into individual syllables and to manipulate syllables to form new words.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, there is frequent and adequate practice in phonological awareness and oral language. In Week 1, during whole group instruction, the teacher displays the “Photo Card” for perro to introduce the /p/ sound. The teacher models the beginning sound, and students repeat the activity using the words pato, piña, and pelo. The teacher also uses the tongue twister “Paco guarda los pocos picos que poco a poco Pepe sacó.” Students repeat it and identify words that begin with /p/ with teacher assistance. Lastly, the teacher reads the tongue twister again and encourages children to clap their hands when they hear words that begin with /p/. The materials provide explicit instruction in each newly taught sound and sound pattern, and the scope and sequence for all weeks includes which sounds to introduce. In Weeks 1 and 2, the focus is on “Sentence Segmentation,” “Recognizing Rhyme,” and “Letter Recognition” for Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Ññ, and Oo. By Week 2, the letters Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, and Zz are added. In Week 3, materials offer explicit instruction on phonemes and syllable patterns.

In Unit 2, teachers model how to pronounce different phonemes. The materials provide “Phonics Cards,” the “Practice Book,” “Phonological Awareness and Phonics Activities,” Photo Cards, and a “Response Board.” In Week 2, during whole group instruction, the teacher reads the “Weekly Riddle,” so students can practice identifying initial, medial, and final sounds for the word soy. The teacher explains (in Spanish), “The first sound in the word soy is /s/. The medial sound is /o/. The last sound is /i/. Listen: /s/ /o/ /i/, soy.” Students then repeat after the teacher, and the teacher calls out the words los, por, mis, and sus for practice. The teacher asks, “What is the first, second, or last sound in each word?” and “What is the first sound in los?” After, the teacher provides corrective feedback. For additional practice, students use their Practice Book to continue identifying initial, medial, and final sounds.

In Units 3 and 4, materials support systematic modeling of phonemic and phonological awareness. During small group instruction in Unit 3, Week 3, the teacher writes the word venta; partners use letter cards to build the word in the pocket chart. The teacher gives the students the letters v, e, n, a, and students build the word vena. The teacher writes the word ventana, models how to blend the words to make syllables, and reads the word aloud. Students chorally read the word by reading and blending the syllables. The activity continues with students forming other words that begin with the letter v. In Unit 4, Week 1, during a whole group phonemic awareness lesson, the teacher guides students in blending spoken phonemes. The teacher models blending the syllables: “I am going to blend the syllable be. Listen: /b/, /e/, be. Now, I am going to say a word that begins with /be/: beso.” Then, students practice on their own with ba, bi, bo, and bu. In both units, students also break words into syllables. The teacher says, “Let’s break the word banana into syllables. Listen: ba-na-na. Clap once for each syllable you say. The word banana has three syllables: ba, na, and na.” The teacher then shows students Photo Cards of items, and the students clap to break the words into syllables.

Units 5 and 6 also provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and offer opportunities for students to apply and practice them. In Unit 5, students practice the skill of rhyming through the shared reading of La hormiguita Ita. Materials guide teachers: “Pay attention to the rhythm they have, emphasizing the last word on each line. Have children repeat the lines after you try to imitate your rhythm.” The teacher reminds students: “Rhyme is when words have the same or similar ending sounds.” The teacher asks students which words rhyme with hormiguita, and students respond Caperucita. Routines directly instruct students to manipulate syllables in spoken words. During an “Approaching” level small group lesson in Week 1, the teacher guides students on how to break words into syllables. The teacher prompts students to “break the word campanita into syllables cam-pa-ni-ta.” Students clap out the syllables and count. There is systematic, explicit instruction in each newly taught sound/sound pattern. In Unit 5, “Phonological Recognition” includes syllables with y and reviews j, r, f, b. For Unit 6, the sequence of phonological recognition includes “Letter Review” for m, p, t, l, s and syllables with ñ in the following weeks. Materials also direct teachers on how to blend spoken syllables to form new words and incorporate activities for students to practice. In Unit 6, Week 1, during a small group lesson, the teacher models how to pronounce the /ñ/ sound for the word’s piña, puño, and moño. Students repeat the words. Audio files are also available for teachers to use and incorporate modeled pronunciation of different phonemes. In Unit 6, the teacher uses the audio file to support teaching syllables with ch.

Unit 7 provides regular systematic modeling of phonemic and phonological awareness learning. In Week 2, the teacher rereads the text “¿Qué animal...?” with children and explains that they will add a syllable to a word to build a new word. The teacher points to the word si, reads it aloud, and then says, “If I add the syllable lla to the word si, I build the word silla. Listen: si-lla, silla.” The teacher continues the activity and incorporates the syllables bo, do, de, and por to form the words casado and porton for practice. The teacher provides corrective feedback as needed. If students need additional practice adding syllables, the teacher prompts students to use the Practice Book or online activities. Additionally, materials provide opportunities for students to practice blending phonemes and syllables. In Week 3, the teacher explains to children that they will form syllables with c. First, the teacher demonstrates how to form the syllables ca, co, and cu; the teacher begins with the syllable co and the word comida. The teacher gives students letter cards with the letter c, and students listen as the teacher says the words cadena, vaso, simpático, manzana, and acudir. The teacher says the words again, and this time students raise their cards if the word includes the sound /k/. 

In Unit 10, materials follow an adequate sequence for teaching concepts; provide guidance to introduce new concepts; and maintain or review old concepts. Materials provide frequent and adequate practice for each newly taught sound/sound pattern. In Week 2, in a whole group setting, the teacher builds the word guiño with “Word-Building Cards” and then introduces the syllable gui and gue. The teacher writes the words guía, Guille, manguera, águila, guinda, and seguido and the following sentences: “Me gusta comer hamburguesas.” “En mi jardín hay una higuera.” “Mi hermano juega con sus amiguitos.” Students read them aloud. Next, the teacher erases the words and dictates them to the students. Then, the teacher reads aloud the tongue twister “Guido sigue y sigue… Si consigue lo que sigue ya no seguirá siguiendo lo que consigue.” Students raise cards when they hear words with gue or gui. For additional practice in matching sounds and syllables, students use the Practice Book.

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

The materials include a research-based sequence of grade-level foundational skills instruction and opportunities for ample student practice to achieve grade-level mastery. Materials systematically develop knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns as addressed in the SLAR TEKS for grades K-2 and provide opportunities for students to apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to connected texts. Additionally, materials include building spelling knowledge as identified in the SLAR TEKS.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a research-based sequence of grade-level foundational skills. At the beginning of each unit, a “Phonics Skills Trace” chart shows what students are working on in the current unit and future skills. In Unit 1, Week 1, students work on “letter identification of m, vowels, and open syllables.” The teacher shows the “Sound Spelling Card,” tells the students that it is the letter m, the sound is /m/, and that it is the first letter in the word mapa. The teacher sings “Mi muñeca” with the whole class; afterward, students place a sticky note under each letter m. In Unit 2, Week 2, students practice reading by applying their phonetic knowledge. During a shared reading lesson, students and teachers read the text “Sami.” Before reading, the teacher reviews the high-frequency words yo, soy, el, es and reminds students they are learning the letter s. In Week 3, students build syllables during a differentiated small group lesson. The teacher follows the “I do, We do, You do” model to teach the letter p. The teacher uses “Word-Building Cards” to form the word pastel.

In Unit 3, the materials provide a scope and sequence with teacher suggestions on how to teach skills. In Week 1, when teaching a “Word Work” phonics lesson, the teacher models using the “Tarjeta de fonética” for n. The teacher models the sound and the printed form of the letter, and then does guided practice using the tongue twister “R con RR.” The teacher extends the lesson for two to three days and forms open syllables with n, following the same process of modeling and guided practice. By Day 4, the teacher models how to read words with n and does a dictation including words with n. By Day 5, the teacher reviews the letter sound given in “Desarrollar fluidez.” At the end of the week, the “Progress Monitoring” tab provides instructions for the teacher to informally assess skills and the materials used for the assessment. In Week 3, if /n/ n is being scored for phonics, the material is the “Practice Book,” “Response Board,” and “Digital Activities.” Progress monitoring tools, like the “Manual de evaluación,” allow teachers to track student progress in “Phonological Awareness,” “Shared Reading,” “Word Work,” “Phonics,” “Reading Writing,” and “Shared Writing Grammar.” “Unit Assessments” are a type of diagnostic and monitoring test; they measure comprehension, vocabulary, text features, grammar, mechanics, usage, and writing and are given at the end of each unit to the whole group. 

In Unit 4, materials incorporate opportunities for students to hear, say, encode, and reach newly taught phonic/spelling patterns through direct instruction from the teacher; checks for understanding; and activities in small and whole groups where students segment multisyllabic words into syllables. In Week 1, during small groups, the teacher models how to segment the word besar. The teacher pauses between syllables, and students participate using other words such as becerro. Students clap their hands as the teacher says the words bailar, caballo, and buscar, breaking the words down into syllables. In a whole group lesson, the teacher uses “Photo Cards,” shows banana, and models how to separate it into syllables. In guided practice, the teacher uses other cards, and the students separate words into syllables by clapping.

Units 5 and 6 include a scope and sequence that offers suggestions on how to teach skills. The “Teacher’s Guide” for Unit 5 provides guidance for phonological awareness with /rr/. In Week 1, in a whole group setting, the teacher displays a photo card for rana to introduce the /rr/ sounds and says (in Spanish) “I will say a word. Listen for the sound at the beginning of this word: /rr/, rana. Say with me: /rr/. Rana begins with /rr/.” The teacher says the words remo, zorro, and barril, and students repeat, emphasizing the /rr/ sound. The teacher reads the tongue twister “Erre con erre, guitarra. Erre con erre, barril. ¡Rápido ruedan las ruedas del ferrocarril!” and students repeat it. The teacher rereads it slowly and helps children identify words with the /rr/ sound. For guided practice, the teacher displays the reloj and carro Photo Cards and reads each picture name. The teacher asks, “What sound is at the beginning of each word?” and guides practice with the first word. Unit 6 provides opportunities for students to apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to connected texts. Decodable readers like Los chivos dichosos help students practice grade-level-appropriate letter-sound patterns and offer specific practice for students to decode words in connected text. In Week 3, materials include guidance to use the following high-frequency words: qué, por, gusta, mira, en, juego, para; for “Build Your Word Bank,” the words are río, tierra, juntos, mucho, ocho. During whole group instruction, the teacher writes the sentence “¡Qué regalo tan bonito!“ and reads it aloud. The teacher points to the high-frequency word qué and uses the “Read/Spell/Write” routine to review the word.

In Unit 10, students have opportunities to read high-frequency words in and out of context. In Week 1, “Word Work,” “Palabras de uso frecuente/High-Frequency Words,” students engage in developing high-frequency word fluency as the teacher forms sentences on the card holder with the words con, el, ell, and es. The students read words in chorus as the teacher points to each one. Students then work in pairs and form sentences with the words hace and pero. The materials provide explicit teacher instructions and suggestions to model new sound and spelling patterns through different modalities. In Week 3, during whole group instruction, the teacher slowly says the syllable gi and asks children to write it on their Response Boards. The teacher repeats the syllable two or three times, dictates the syllables zu, ka, gi, plo, and ble, and then dictates the words zapato, gente, kimono, plaza, and roble. Finally, the teacher writes the syllables and words on the board, and students check their spelling.

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

Evaluation for 5.1
Materials include developmentally-appropriate diagnostic tools (e.g. formative and summative progress monitoring) and guidance for teachers, students, and administrators to monitor progress.

The materials include a variety of developmentally appropriate diagnostic tools and guidance for teachers, students, and administrators to monitor progress. Materials ensure consistent and accurate administration of diagnostic tools. There are tools for students to track their own progress and growth and diagnostic tools to measure all content and process skills for SLAR K-2, as outlined in the SLAR TEKS.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Assessment tools are designed to be ongoing, strategic, and purposeful. The materials provide a set of assessments under the “Evaluar y datos” tab, which include “Screening/Placement/Diagnostic Assessments,” “Benchmarks,” and “Running Records” for instructors to use. The “Assessments Handbook” assists instructors in administering and scoring the various assessment and components. The methods of assessment are appropriate to the developmental status and experiences of young students. The assessments recognize the individual variation in learners but also allow students to demonstrate their competence in different ways. For example, in Unit 2, Week 2, materials provide guidance to assess students’ handwriting of the letter s. The teacher distributes “Response Boards” and observes students’ pencil grip and paper position, correcting as necessary. Students say the /s/ sound every time they write the letter Ss. The teacher continues to guide practice and provide corrective feedback. Afterward, as part of the daily wrap-up of the lesson, the teacher displays the “Essential Question Chart” (in Spanish): “What shapes do you see around you?” Students review what they learned about the shapes. Lastly, the teacher displays the “Nonfiction” anchor chart and reviews what students have learned so far about nonfiction.

In Unit 4, assessments are designed to measure what students can do both independently and with teacher assistance. The unit has tools that support the teacher in gathering information in a variety of settings including one on one, guided groups, small groups, and whole group instruction. In addition, materials include observation guides for each foundational literacy skill that supports teachers in understanding examples of student behaviors and outcomes that demonstrate progress toward grade-level readiness skills. For example, the “Check for Success” resource guides teachers on how to differentiate based on the students’ outcome and the “I do, we do, you do” model. In Week 1, at the end of the whole group “Word Work” lesson, the teacher evaluates and checks for understanding. Materials ask, “¿Pueden los niños identificar el sonido /b/ y relacionarlo con la letra b mayúscula y minúscula?” “¿Pueden los niños reconocer y leer la palabra de uso frecuente?” If students are not able to identify the sounds or letters, the teacher reteaches the lesson in small groups. If students are successful with skill, the materials provide specific page numbers for teachers to incorporate to review “On Level” support or expand to “Beyond Level” support.

Unit 6 materials offer formative and summative assessment measures to support the teacher in understanding what level the student is performing at based on performance and grade-level readiness skills. Assessments and a “Spiral Review” are available for instructors at the end of each unit. Formative assessments are available as “Unit Online Assessments,” “Unit Assessments,” “Fluency Assessments,” and “Rubrics.” In Week 3, the “Spiral Review” gives the teacher a variety of options to choose from to reteach a lesson. The teacher can “Review and Reteach skills, strategies, and genre from the unit, or have students complete the Reading/Writing Companion pages on their own as an informal assessment.” The resources also include tools for students to track their own progress and growth. For instance, in Week 3, the teacher explains to students that they can share how well they know some of the skills from this unit. Students use their Reading/Writing Companion, and the teacher reads aloud the sentences at the top of the page. Next, the teacher points to and reads aloud the items listed on the chart and demonstrates how to circle the “happy face” for something they did well, a “sad face” for something they aren’t happy with, and a “neutral face” for something they’re not happy or sad about. Then, students fill in the chart with their own self-assessment. After, the teacher provides time for partners to talk about something they want to improve on.

Materials provide guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of diagnostic tools. They include embedded reminders and tips to support the teacher in collecting observational or anecdotal notes on specific lessons, skills, or activities as well as spiraling activities for student learning. For example, the “Assessment and Data” resource contains “Assessment Components and Resources,” which include a comprehensive chart for each assessment in the program and a description of purpose, content, format, grade level, and when to administer it to students. The “Assessment Administration Guide” provides support for administering formal and informal assessments both online and in print format. This guide discusses the process, benefits, and challenges of choosing print versus online assessments; it also includes tracking forms to support observational assessment and data. The Assessments Handbook includes a detailed overview of assessment options and support for managing multiple assessments, interpreting their results, and using assessment data to inform instructional planning. The “Placement and Diagnostic Assessment” serves as an initial screening instrument and contains assessments that can be assigned throughout the year to monitor student progress and pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses. The materials also provide the “Know Your Reports User Guide,” which describes the reports currently available in the program’s “Data Dashboard” and explains how to generate and use them.

The materials include easy-to-use checklists and anecdotal note-taking forms that support the teacher in collecting consistent and purposeful data on grade-level readiness skills. The formal assessment tool is supported by a “User Guide.” The User Guide provides an overview of the assessment, outlines the time to administer each task, provides step-by-step guidance for administering each measure, and offers information to support the teacher in understanding the benchmarks. Formal assessment tools are scripted to ensure the administration is consistent and standardized across examiners. For example, the “Phonemic Awareness” assessment provides guidance to assess “Identifying Rhymes,” stating, “This phonological awareness test assesses a student’s ability to recognize words that rhyme.” Instructions are explicit: “Say a word. Have the student circle the picture that names a word that rhymes, or say the following directions to students ‘1. Mira el número 1 …¿Qué palabra rima con llama? Elige la palabra que rima con llama.’” The materials include a diagnostic tool to measure all components of foundational literacy. Informal and formal diagnostic tools are designed to measure all content and process skills outlined in kindergarten, 1st-, and 2nd-grade SLAR TEKS. The assessment type recommended for each skill matches the outcome desired. For example, materials offer guidance to administer the following diagnostic tools: “Reconocimiento fonológico y fonémico,” “Fluidez en la lectura oral,” “Nombre de las letras y visualización de palabras,” “Fonética y descodificación,” “Prueba informal de lectura,” “Ortografía,” “Vocabulario,” and “Comprensión de lectura.”

Evaluation for 5.2
Materials include guidance for teachers and administrators to analyze and respond to data from diagnostic tools.

The materials include guidance for teachers and administrators to analyze and respond to data from diagnostic tools. Materials also offer guidance and direction for teachers to respond to individual students’ needs in all domains, based on measures of student progress appropriate to the developmental level. Diagnostic tools yield meaningful information for teachers to use when planning instruction and differentiation and analyzing and responding to data. Materials provide a variety of resources and teacher guidance on how to leverage different activities to respond to student data. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials support teachers with guidance and direction to respond to individual students’ needs in all domains, based on measures of student progress appropriate to the developmental level. The materials support teachers in scaffolding instruction based on the students’ demonstrated aptitude level within each literacy skill. For example, the “Know Your Reports User Guide” includes guidance on how to evaluate students’ progress and suggested actions. Actions such as “quick tips” are included in the User guide and suggest the following: “If students’ scores are declining over time, then the instructor needs to identify upcoming Wonders lessons that address this skill/standard and allow more instructional time for teaching and practicing this skill.” The guide prompts teachers to provide language support when needed “as students engage with increasingly complex texts, and plan targeted skills to support one-on-one or in a small group setting using the resources in the Recommendations Report.” Additionally, materials include information that supports the teacher in understanding the progression of skill development; this can be used to support interpreting assessment results and individualizing instruction. For example, the “Grade Card Report” provides an at-a-glance, printable snapshot for each highest and lowest performance aligned to standards or skills. This report can also be used to communicate strengths and weaknesses, gain insights into students’ recent and skills/standards-aligned achievement, and plan future instruction by identifying skills and standards that may require targeted support.

Diagnostic tools yield meaningful information for teachers to use when planning instruction and differentiation. The materials include a separate assessment guide/section that supports the teacher in understanding benchmark data as it relates to student age and level of support needed; this further supports teachers in grouping students and identifying areas of need for instructional focus. For example, materials include the “Assessment and Data” resource, which offers a variety of “Assessment Components and Resources,” including a comprehensive chart; a list of each program assessment resource; and a description of its purpose, content, format, grade level, and when to administer it to students. The “Assessment Administration Guide” provides support for administering formal and informal assessments both online and in print and discusses the process, benefits, and challenges of choosing print or online assessments. The “Assessment Handbook” includes a detailed overview of assessment options and support for managing multiple assessments, interpreting their results, and using assessment data to inform instructional planning. The “Placement and Diagnostic Assessment” serves as the initial screening instrument and contains assessments that can be assigned throughout the year to monitor student progress and pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses. The Know Your Reports User Guide describes the reports currently available in the “Data Dashboard” and explains how to generate and use them. The assessment results are easy to read and utilize a color or leveling system to support efficient and effective data analysis. Reports are customizable and allow teachers to see developmental gaps at the student and class level. Reports also identify a student’s individual needs and can be used for communication with families.

In Unit 1, materials direct teachers to provide varied support to each student based on their individual performance, even when overall scores are the same. For example, each lesson provides guidance for the teacher to model, provide guided practice, and then check for success. In Week 2, during a whole group “Word Work” lesson, the teacher displays the high-frequency word card veo, and uses the “Read/Spell/Write” routine to teach the word. Then, the teacher points to and reads the word veo and encourages students to repeat the word and the sentence “Veo un puma corriendo.” Next, the teacher models how to spell the word and then writes the word in the air as students say each letter. Students then work in partners to create sentences using the word. For guided practice, the teacher builds sentences using “High-Frequency Word Cards” and “Photo Cards” and explains to students that they are going to play a game in which they visit a friend's house and describe what they see. In addition, materials include instructional strategies to support students whose data demonstrates a need for more one-on-one or specialized support; these strategies are available to teach a specific lesson or skill being taught during small groups. For example, in Week 2, materials prompt the teacher to check for success:“¿Pueden los niños identificar el sonido /p/ y relacionarlo con la letra p mayúscula y minúscula? ¿Pueden los niños reconocer y leer la palabra de uso frecuente?” If not, students are at the “Approaching” level, and the teacher reteaches the concepts. If the student is “On Level,” the teacher reviews. If the student is at the “Beyond” level, the teacher expands the concept.

In Unit 4, materials incorporate additional small group activities to reinforce the development of literacy skills. For example, the “Check for Success” resource guides instructors on how to differentiate based on the students’ outcomes. In Week 1, at the end of the whole group Word Work lesson, materials direct the teacher to check for understanding:“¿Pueden los niños identificar el sonido /b/ y relacionarlo con la letra b mayúscula y minúscula? ¿Pueden los niños reconocer y leer la palabra de uso frecuente?” If students need additional support, they move to small groups, and the teacher reteaches the lesson. If students completed the task, the materials provide the teacher with lessons for students On Level. Materials expand if the students are Beyond Level. The small group instruction lessons follow the “I do, we do, you do” model. In addition, materials include guidance that supports the teacher in utilizing results from a variety of assessments to support purposeful planning. For example, under “Professional Development,” “Managing Small Groups: A How-to Guide” provides methodology and guidelines for implementing differentiated instruction in the classroom. Chapter 3 also covers how to make group decisions, data collection, data interpretation, and group assignments.

The materials include data that administrators can use to identify specific areas of need for program improvement or to provide support for teacher understanding. For example, under “Professional Development,” the materials provide “Administrator Resources,” which offer the “Texas Wonders/T-TESS Coaching Guides” and include coaching questions to support the teachers. The resources provide guidance online to support administrators in analyzing data to design targeted programmatic and professional development. The Data Dashboard includes recommendation reports and areas of strength and weaknesses. The reports are available online or in print form and provide recommendations for grouping students as well as additional intervention lessons to support literacy skills. Administrators use this data to support teachers in analyzing and responding to data.

Evaluation for 5.3
Materials include frequent, embedded opportunities for monitoring progress.

The materials include frequent, integrated formative assessment opportunities as well as routine, systematic progress monitoring opportunities. They accurately measure and track student progress. The frequency of progress monitoring is appropriate for the age and content skill.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include routine and systematic progress monitoring opportunities that accurately measure and track student progress; suggested timelines for checking progress align with the scope of the materials. For example, the “Assessment Planning and Pacing Guide,” located in the “Placement and Diagnostic Assessment” section, states: “Beyond the initial placement of students into the appropriate Texas Wonders level of materials, students need to be tested periodically to determine whether they are progressing on a grade-level or faster pace.” This indicates that teachers administer progress monitoring or benchmark tests on a regular schedule throughout the fall, winter, and spring, or over a regular period, such as every four to six weeks. The Pacing Guide includes a general testing chart to follow as a guide. In addition, materials provide teacher tips for tracking progress throughout a thematic unit for specific skills to monitor student growth. For example, for each of the key skills taught in the whole group, materials provide a set of differentiated lessons for “Approaching,” “On,” and “Beyond” students and “English Learners” as well as differentiated lessons to teach during small group instruction and to support students who need more scaffolding throughout the week. The materials provide progress monitoring opportunities that reflect accurate methods for assessing students. To ensure accuracy, assessments align with the TEKS and with specific emphasis in the materials. For instance, the “Check for Success” boxes that appear in whole group lessons point to specific reteaching and extension lessons that support the skill.“Yes/No” prompts guide teachers’ decisions about which lessons are appropriate to focus on for certain students during small group instruction. Materials include unit assessments at the end of each unit and a spiral review.

Materials recommend and embed systematic observations in students’ everyday activities and interactions as opportunities to track progress and assess skills in authentic situations. For example, the “ELA Interactive Observations Rubric,” available in the online “Teacher Workspace,” provides an automated approach to informal assessment. This online rubric quantifies and records the teacher’s observations of student proficiency on key weekly skills and strategies at a more granular level. The rubric allows teachers to capture data on strategies of phonics, high-frequency words, vocabulary, and comprehension skills each week. Subsequently, each skill is broken down on a four-point scale for assessment; the rubric appears on one screen, offering two to three key skills for the week or genre study. Additionally, the materials recommend informal assessments that allow teachers to observe and document students’ learning and behaviors over time. For instance, the “ELA Interactive Observations Rubric” in the online platform provides continued progress monitoring that offers the teacher feedback on each student’s skill level and how it changes over time. Materials include guidance to collect frequent observations and documentation: “As you make observations during whole-group and small-group lessons, you may choose to jot down your observational notes on a clipboard during the lesson and then enter the data into the digital rubric after the lesson. During small-group lessons, you might also choose to have your laptop or tablet with you and enter your observations directly online.” The materials provide the “Observations Rubric Record Forms” if the teachers choose to use the clipboard approach.

The materials include recommendations for assessing students with formal progress monitoring measures at least three times in a school year, such as at the beginning of the year, in the middle of the year, and at the end of the year. The frequency of progress monitoring is appropriate for the age and content skill throughout the program. For example, the “Assessment Planning and Pacing Guide” states: “Beyond the initial placement of students into the appropriate Texas Wonders level of materials… Many teachers administer these progress monitoring or benchmark tests on a regular schedule throughout the year: fall, winter, and spring, or over a regular period, such as every four to six weeks.” This allows teachers to identify who is or who is not demonstrating progress. The materials provide suggestions for tracking progress in an ongoing and observational manner that demonstrates growth over time to support appropriate assessment practices. For example, with the following informal assessments, teachers can teach and assess simultaneously, while also receiving immediate corrective feedback and lesson modifications: “Teach students to monitor their own comprehension,” “Ask students to retell,” “Teach students how to monitor their own progress,” “Quick Checks,” “Assignments,” and “Classroom Observations.” 

Evaluation for 6.1
Materials include guidance, scaffolds, supports, and extensions that maximize student learning potential.

The material includes guidance, scaffolds, supports, and extensions that maximize student learning potential. Activities are provided for students who have not yet mastered the content as well as for students who have mastered the content. There are additional enrichment activities for all levels of learners.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

There is instructional support for students who are not performing at grade level. Under the “Small Group: Differentiated Instruction” tab in each unit, scaffolding lessons provide target instruction. All lessons follow the gradual release model of “I do, We do, You do.” Lessons are broken down for the teacher in detail, with step-by-step instructions on what to say and do. For example, at the beginning of Unit 2, there is teacher guidance for phonics small group activities. For instance, when students identify the initial sound using “Word-Building Cards,” materials state: “Students are to raise their card if the word the teacher says begins with the /s/ sound.” After the teacher models the activity, students perform it together with the teacher, and then independently. This scaffold allows students to practice listening skills even if they do not have appropriate communication skills to respond verbally. Additionally, in the “Teacher Guide,” a variety of activities and resources support students who are struggling. The “Instructional Routines Handbook” and “Professional Development” include support to differentiate for diverse learners and provide support for students with special needs. A separate “Interventions” component is available; however, it does not guide the teacher on where to find materials. 

There is support for students who have mastered grade-level content. Students have opportunities to explore more vocabulary; students of all levels can also access and practice the content. Under the “Resources” tab, the “Intervention Folder” in each unit provides vocabulary cards, which the teacher can implement in each of the lessons. The “Tarjetas de fonética” also include guidance for articulation, an action script, connections with English, and a word list to use in small groups. Other components include leveled readers, phonological awareness, phonics, and high-frequency words. However, it is important to note that high-frequency words are a translated component from English to Spanish. Students have the option of moving into the phonics component (practicing the skill through writing phonemes) or of completing a shared reading. Leveled reader books provide guided reading strategies such as “Preview and Predict,” “Review Genre,” “Set Purpose,” “Foundational Skills,” “Guided Comprehension,” “Respond to the Text,” and “Focus on Fluency.” The teacher has access to lessons and support from the drop-down menu; each leveled reader title is hyperlinked to the activity. The resource provides direct and explicit instruction and questions on how to check for understanding. For instance, in Unit 3, teacher strategies target both grade-level instruction and above-level instruction in phonological awareness. Each strategy provides guidance to the teacher on how to target each skill. The teacher models building syllables and how to blend the sound of a consonant with the sound of a vowel in English and Spanish.

Each unit lesson plan provides guidance for the teacher to incorporate differentiation strategies for students “Approaching Level,” “On Level,” or “Beyond Level.” The materials are found at the end of each unit in the “Extend Your Learning” section and follow the same format for each week. For students who have already mastered the content through advanced lessons in reading, targeted activities are in the form of enrichment activities. The enrichment activities include different scaffolding techniques and allow students the options of presenting their writing in the form of doing a demonstration, creating a chart, preparing an oral report, or putting on a dramatic presentation. For example, in Unit 4, the teacher models the importance of setting a purpose to read and choosing books. The teacher guides the students to write the title of a book. Students share what they like about the book and other information from the book with their partners. The teacher models and guides students on what to tell their partners. Students take 12 minutes to read in class, share their opinion of the book, and log how many minutes they read. The teacher concludes the lesson by encouraging the students to read longer next time. Additional support for differentiation of diverse learners, special needs, and gifted and talented students is available in the Instructional Routines Handbook and Professional Development guide.

Evaluation for 6.2
Materials provide a variety of instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning interests and needs.

The materials provide a variety of instructional methods that appeal to various learning interests and needs. Instructional approaches engage students in mastery of the content and support developmentally appropriate multimodal instructional strategies. Additionally, materials support multiple types of practices and flexible grouping and provide guidance and structures to achieve effective implementation.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a variety of instructional approaches to engage students in mastery of the content. In Unit 1, the teacher reads Los sentidos en la playa and guides students to learn about the five senses. To support guided practice, students work in pairs and use classroom objects to apply the five senses words. The teacher asks questions about the objects and how to apply the senses. The resource Kids On the Move provides additional opportunities to engage students through movement and exploration. Students have opportunities to dramatize sentences and incorporate sensory words. 

Resources include support for a variety of flexible groupings and provide guidance on explicit mini lessons, differentiated instruction, independent practice, shared writing, independent writing, differentiated workstations, research and inquiry projects, and digital activities. Unit 1 includes teacher guidance in selecting appropriate items to teach the concepts of print and setting a purpose for reading. “I do, We do, You do” activities offer teacher support for differentiation of instruction in small groups.

Multimodal instructional strategies are present in the materials. Each unit provides “Workstation Activity Cards” with step-by-step instructions and visuals for students to work independently or in small groups. Activities offer direct instruction and encourage participation through questioning, collaboration, and kinesthetic learning. In Unit 4, “Games of the Week” incorporate phonetics, grammar, and phonology. The song “Juan pirulero” invites students to sing. The materials use a variety of instructional strategies, such as “Pregunta esencial, video del concepto, ilustraciones de conocimiento básico, palabras claves de vocabulario, y tarjetas de vocabulario oral.” Teacher materials include videos for clear guidance and support of developmentally appropriate multimodal strategies. Lessons model reading and writing in large groups and include support for read-alouds, morning messages, and interactive writing. For example, daily lessons provide independent student activities for “Word Work.” 

Students also have opportunities to engage in indirect learning through discovery, as the teacher observes, guides, and confers. Unit 5 offers an overview of resources that support the topic of plants and include the following anchor texts: the “Literature Big Book” La hormiguita Ita, the paired text “¿Como ocurrio?” the “Interactive Read Aloud Cards” “Crecimiento de las plantas,” and “La rosa famosa” for shared reading. First, students read and learn about plants. Then, students conduct research about the different parts of a plant. Lastly, students choose how to present their research work.

In Unit 6, students learn about different types of weather and how weather affects people and places. Teachers use the “Weekly Song” and finger motions to demonstrate the rain. Students join in and copy teacher actions. To introduce new vocabulary words, the teacher uses the “Define/Example/Ask” routine on the digital “Visual Vocabulary Cards.” Students work in pairs and use “Reading/Writing Companion” to discuss the weather and share with each other. Students then draw a picture of what they like to do on a rainy day and complete sentence starters. 

Unit 7 includes activities to support students who are at the “Approaching Level” and need more one-on-one intervention. For example, students read “Una casa para Cata,” and the teacher monitors and provides guidance by offering support and corrective feedback. The teacher models the strategy and skill of making and confirming predictions. After students read each page, the teacher asks questions. The unit also includes the “Teacher’s Guide,” “Ensenar en grupos pequenos,” which offers a variety of options and activities to support flexible groupings. 

Daily lessons deliver support for small groups and allow opportunities for oral language development. Unit 9 provides teachers with specific opportunities for scaffolding in both shared and guided reading practice and guides how to build oral vocabulary during shared reading. For example, the teacher reads the nonfiction text “Asi se hace el pan” and uses movements like rubbing their stomach to demonstrate vocabulary and action words. Students echo and mimic teacher actions. 

Unit 10 includes recommendations for meaningful activities and independent practice. Students read a book with partners. Then, students use puppets to retell the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Materials include developmentally appropriate strategies and guided practice for teachers to utilize when working with phonics. The teacher displays photo cards to provide visual support and then reviews the sound on the card and says the word. Students work in groups and clap when they hear a word that includes their sound. Materials also include an introductory paragraph to support specific literacy skills. The story “Comida sana” offers an alternate guide for supporting all learners, which includes tips on delivery of visual examples (“con ilustraciones”) or auditory examples (“escucha las instrucciones”). “Reconocimiento fonológico sonido K” and “Tarjetas” provide a variety of tasks without direct teacher support, such as for students to build words.

Evaluation for 6.3
Materials include supports for English Learners (ELs) to meet grade-level learning expectations.

The materials do not include support for English Learners (ELs) to meet grade-level learning expectations, and they do not include accommodations for linguistics commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency. In addition, materials do not encourage strategic use of students’ primary language to develop linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic skills in the target language.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials are in Spanish and are dedicated to the development of literacy skills in the Spanish language. Units 1–10 support Spanish language acquisition through the use of videos, visuals, and high-quality texts in Spanish. However, there is no evidence that the materials provide accommodations for ELs with various levels of English proficiency. Also, materials do not encourage strategic use of students’ primary language as a means to develop linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic skills in English. The goal is to develop literacy skills in the Spanish language. 

Evaluation for 7.1
Materials include year-long plans with practice and review opportunities that support instruction.

The materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to build students’ concept development and consider how to vertically align instruction that builds year to year. Also, materials provide spiraled reviews and practice of knowledge and skills in all domains throughout the span of the curriculum.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The program’s plan is designed to fit the progression in which students acquire foundational literacy skills. Materials incorporate opportunities to build multiple areas of learning. A year-long scope and sequence shows the “Big Idea,” anchor texts, books for shared reading and read-alouds, “Leveled Readers,” and “Vocabulary and Comprehension Skills” for each unit and week. Materials support “Phonological Awareness,” “Phonics/Spelling/Handwriting,” “High-Frequency Words,” “Fluency, Writing, and Grammar,” and “Research and Inquiry.” Efficient planning allows teachers to identify directly taught learning goals of focus within each unit; materials also outline opportunities for review and practice of other content domains. The unit overview at the beginning of each unit and week identifies the learning goals and focus of each unit. The “Key Skills Trace” allows the teacher to see where skills will be covered and spiraled within the units. Then, materials provide suggested weekly lessons that also include each lesson and offer the TEKS to cover. 

In Units 3 and 4, activities and lessons support developmental progression across the literacy continuum and allow teachers and administrators to offer the support needed to foster optimal development and learning. Materials include a vertical alignment chart that shows how activities align, both directly and indirectly, to skills, knowledge, and behaviors outlined for students in K–2, grade 3, and above. The “Research Base Alignment” document provides examples of alignment within materials. For instance, specific locations where the materials teach the skill “Analyze the meaning of text through group discussion” are listed as “Unit 3, pages T28-T29, T38-T39; T47A-T47J.” The meaning of the text is further discussed through use of graphic organizers; students use these for note taking as well as to reread, search for, and organize text evidence in both literary and informational texts. Activities and materials align, both directly and indirectly, to skills, knowledge, and behaviors outlined for students in kindergarten as well as other grades. In Unit 4, Week 1, students read, write, and listen to stories about using tools to explore. In this lesson, the teacher uses leveled readers aligned to the Big Idea “¿Con qué hace la gente su trabajo?” Differentiated “Workstation” activities allow students to compare texts and practice writing descriptive words; they offer tools and jobs to explore.

In Unit 6, materials offer a clear content plan for instruction, provide activities that connect within each unit, and introduce new concepts that build upon prior knowledge. Materials include guidance to support teacher understanding in concept development. Each unit and week offer teacher guidance, identify the “Key Concept” and “Essential Question,” and direct the teacher to explicitly teach students a bulletproof definition. The materials include visuals with labeled examples and “Check for Understanding” questions about the concept. For instance, in Week 3, the Key Concept is “Tormentas” and the Essential Question is “¿Cómo te proteges cuando hace mal tiempo?” The teacher uses specific texts such as “Al mal tiempo… ¡precauciones!” which relates to and supports the Essential Question. In this lesson, students conduct research about how to stay safe in bad weather, observe and describe weather changes from day to day and over seasons, and illustrate objects in the sky such as the clouds, Moon, stars, and Sun. Also, in Week 1, students reread the realistic fiction story “En casa de mis abuelos” to check for understanding. Then, materials provide guidance for the teacher to check for understanding with prompts such as “¿Pueden los niños identificar las características de los cuentos de ficción realista? ¿Pueden los niños identificar la secuencia de la trama?” There are also suggestions to reteach depending on the students’ level.

Materials in Unit 8 provide spiraled review and practice of knowledge and skills in all domains throughout the span of the curriculum. Activities support repeated opportunities to learn and practice using knowledge and skills in all domains. In Week 2, the key concept is “Mis Estados Unidos,” and the Essential Question is “¿Qué sabes sobre nuestro país?” Students review the oral vocabulary estado, excursión, precaución, peatones and lentamente. This week, materials offer “Oral Vocabulary Strategies” for “Synonyms,” “Category Words of Locations” through “Word Work,” and “Phonological Awareness” in “Generating Rhymes, Identifying the Sound, Blending Syllables, Building Words, Counting Syllables, and Syllable Substitution.” In Phonics/Spelling/Handwriting, students learn about the letter r and focus on the high-frequency words grande and pequeño. The “Comprehension Strategy” focus is “Reread”; the “Skill” is “Main Topic and Key Details,” and the “Genre” is “Informational Text: Nonfiction.” Activities embed various methods of review and practice, such as songs, movement activities, and the use of manipulatives. For example, to introduce the concept in Week 2, the teacher reads the Essential Question aloud and explains that this week students will learn about the United States. The teacher says (in Spanish), “Let’s sing a song about our country’s flag,” and then sings the “Weekly Song” “Grandiosa y antigua bandera” together with students. To introduce the vocabulary words estado and excursion, the teacher uses the “Define/Example/Ask” routine on the print or digital “Visual Vocabulary Cards.” Next, to support phonics, the teacher displays the r “Sound-Spelling Card” and says, “This card shows a letter r. We already know this letter, but it sounds different… What does this letter stand for?” The teacher then reads a poem in Spanish and then focuses on the word títere. The teacher models how to place a self-stick note below the r. For guided practice, the teacher reads the poem and stops after each line to ask students to place self-stick notes below words that have r. For handwriting practice, students write the letter r on their “Response Boards.” The teacher observes students’ pencil grip and paper position and corrects as necessary. Then, students say /r/ every time they write the letter Rr; the teacher guides practice and provides corrective feedback. 

Evaluation for 7.2
Materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators.

The materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators and are accompanied by an SLAR TEKS-aligned scope and sequence outlining the essential knowledge and skills that are taught in the program, the order in which they are presented, and how knowledge and skills build and connect across grade levels. Materials also offer support to help teachers implement the materials as intended. Materials include resources and guidance to help administrators support teachers in implementing the materials and provide a school year’s worth of instruction with realistic pacing guidance and routines.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a scope and sequence for instruction that demonstrates a clear alignment to the appropriate grade-level SLAR TEKS and aligns the sequence of instruction towards end-of-year outcomes. The scope and sequence outlines the materials’ focus and instructional plans that support students at different levels of knowledge while also building across grade levels. Pacing guides and year-long plans showcase lessons and activities to implement throughout the full year. For example, the year-long scope and sequence for each unit and week lists the covered “Big Idea,” anchor texts, books used for shared reading and read-alouds, “Leveled Readers,” “Vocabulary,” “Comprehension Skills, “Phonological Awareness” “Phonics/Spelling/Handwriting,” “High-Frequency Words,” “Fluency, Writing and Grammar,” and “Research and Inquiry.” This supports teachers in understanding the progression of literacy skills across a specific grade level and in designing instruction that fosters optimal development and learning. The scope and sequence also provides the print concepts, phonics, phonological awareness, high-frequency words, and fluency, spelling, and handwriting skills to be taught each week. Within each grade-level scope and sequence, there is evidence that skills build and connect across grades to increase complexity. For example, in kindergarten, the learning objectives are arranged into 10 units, each with three to six weeks of instruction. For each week, the materials list the SLAR TEKS that correspond with daily lessons, the genre and text titles to be taught, and the strategies and routines. Units contain consistent framing elements, including “The Big Idea,” “Essential Questions,” “Foundational Skills,” “Comprehension/Genre/Author’s Craft,” “Composition,” “Response/Analytical Writing,” “Inquiry and Research Project,” and “Content Area Learning.” Standards in each unit are organized to connect from week to week.

Materials incorporate an overview for teacher support and describe resources available for each lesson. At the beginning of each week or unit, materials explain the instructional purpose of the lessons and activities to come. Resources support teachers in purposeful planning and making connections within and between the weeks of instruction. The “Teacher’s Guide” serves as a daily and weekly framework for instruction and offers specific details on the program components outlined in the scope and sequence and the weekly frameworks. This resource is also available in electronic form. Materials also provide tools to support teachers in navigating the resources. For instance, the program’s digital edition offers videos and resources to implement and explains how to use resources such as “Welcome to Wonders and Maravillas!” “Wonders Basics,” “Digital Quick Start,” and “Texas Wonders/T-TESS Coaching Guides.” Teachers also have access to all student materials.

Opportunities support attention to learning goals and directly connect to school readiness skills. For example, the skills of comprehension and key details are introduced, reviewed, and assessed in Units 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10. Grammar and verbs skills are introduced and reviewed in Units 2 and 7. The materials include a school year’s worth of literacy instruction with realistic pacing guidance and routines. All units connect and allow for depth and focus. 

In Units 7 and 9, classroom resources support content learning in a variety of lessons. For example, in Week 1, the overview shows the use of “Photo Cards,” “Response Board,” “Sound-Spelling Cards,” “Word-Building Cards,” “High-Frequency Word Cards,” the “Practice Book,” “Decodable Readers,” a “Take-Home Story,” and the “Reading/Writing Companion.” Classroom resources provided are for direct use in learning centers. 

Materials include resources and guidance to help administrators support teachers in implementing the materials as intended. Resources offer information that guides administrators in understanding appropriate learning environments, structures, and approaches that support the learning of K–2 students. This guidance identifies the programmatic differences between early and later elementary grade levels; this clearly designated section is supported with research. For example, under “Professional Development,” the materials provide “Administrators Resources,” such as a “Wonders Overview Video,” “Administrator Implementation Checklist,” “Texas Wonders/T-TESS Coaching Guides,” and “Introducing Wonders to Teachers and Families.” There is guidance for evaluating and supporting the classroom environment and implementation of the lessons. The Coaching Guides outline how the program curriculum supports teachers in meeting T-TESS dimensions and demonstrate specific links between routines and instructional models to achieve the accomplished level of proficiency or higher. Furthermore, materials provide feedback templates to assist administrators in providing effective feedback to classroom teachers that specifically aligns to the implementation of the publisher’s materials. Guidance and questions assist administrators in providing feedback.

Evaluation for 7.3
Materials provide implementation guidance to meet variability in programmatic design and scheduling considerations.

The materials provide implementation guidance to meet variability in programmatic design and scheduling considerations as well as strategic implementation without disrupting the sequence of content that must be taught in a specific order following a developmental progression. In addition, materials are designed in a way that allows LEAs the ability to incorporate the curriculum into district, campus, and teacher programmatic design and scheduling considerations.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials allow LEAs the ability to incorporate the curriculum into district, campus, and teacher programmatic design and scheduling considerations. The program design can be adjusted to align with district curriculum frameworks. For example, the materials offer guidance on how to set up and adjust the calendar, the “Digital Quick Start,” which is located under the “Professional Development” section. Resources also include a suggested daily scope and sequence for literacy lessons. The scope and sequence is clearly defined and flexible; it aligns with the district scope and sequence without disrupting the necessary sequence of foundational skills and instruction. Each unit and week follows the year-long scope and sequence, which includes the following: “Big Idea,” anchor texts, shared reading and read-aloud books, “Leveled Readers,” “Vocabulary,” “Comprehension Skills,” “Phonological Awareness,” “Phonics/Spelling/Handwriting,” “High-Frequency Words,” “Fluency,” “Writing and Grammar,” and “Research and Inquiry.” The lessons are designed for ample foundational literacy instruction and offer recommendations for programs with less or more time allotted for literacy basics. The materials provide a unit overview and a suggested lesson plan for each day with guidance on skills that need to be taught in small groups. “Teach It Your Way” includes resources and suggestions for implementing different components; it also offers a template to plan the “Mini-Lesson,” “Small Groups,” and “Independent Time” and suggestions for “Daily 5,” “Workshop Reading and Writing,” and “Blended Learning Station Rotation.”

Materials in Unit 1 include lesson preparation and internalization that are customizable for individual classroom needs. Content components can be used based on district curriculum needs and are designed in such a way as to meet the needs of teacher planning and student skill levels. For example, the materials provide guidance on how to differentiate based on students’ progress. There are small group lessons for each group of students (“Approaching Level,” “On Level,” and “Beyond Level”). Each lesson offers detailed guidance and resources. For instance, in Week 2, students recognize rhyme in a small group lesson. The teacher explains that in the poem “Animales... ¡a moverse!” the words pez and vez rhyme. The teacher reminds students that words that rhyme have the same ending sound. The teacher repeats the words and emphasizes the final sound in each word. Next, the teacher works with students to produce other words that rhyme, such as gato and pato. Lastly, the teacher says the word pairs león, perro; toro, loro; osa, mariposa; rana, pez. Students raise their hand if the words rhyme.

In Unit 3, materials provide guidance for strategic implementation without disrupting the sequence of content that must be taught in a specific order following a developmental progression. The materials are explicit about the order in which foundational literacy skills must be taught in alignment with the progression of learning in the content. For example, “Foundational Skills, Grades K–5” research and “The Continuing Importance of Foundational Skills Instruction” serves as guidance and provides instructional support for teachers. In addition, each unit provides the “Key Skills Trace.” For example, in Unit 3, materials provide the sequence for phonics: “Letter Identification, Vowels, Open Syllables, Closed Syllables, and Blends.” “Explicit Systematic Instruction” follows the sequence of “Daily Review, Explicit Mini Lessons, and Check for Success.” Each lesson provides guidance to check for understanding and differentiates instruction based on students’ needs. In Week 1, materials guide the teacher to check for understanding through specific questions like “¿Pueden los niños identificar el sonido /n/ y relacionarlo con la letra n mayúscula y minúscula?” and “¿Pueden los niños reconocer y leer la palabra de uso frecuente?” The materials also provide guidance to differentiate instruction based on the students’ level (Approaching, On, or Beyond).

In Unit 9, the materials support editing students’ writing both according to grade-level expectations and along the continuum for learning spelling rules. Writing is incorporated daily throughout the unit. In Week 1, students use adjectives in their writing and work with a partner to review their work. During partner work, students check that responses include clues from the text “En familia,” illustrations, and adjectives. Then, students share what they like most about the writing, questions they have for the author, and additional ideas they think the author could include. After, students revise their work and check that adjectives, words with z, and high-frequency words are spelled correctly. Students also check that sentences begin with a capital letter and have proper punctuation. Lastly, students exchange drafts and take turns reviewing them. The teacher encourages partners to discuss and fix errors together.

Evaluation for 7.4
Materials provide guidance on fostering connections between home and school.

The materials provide guidance on fostering connections between home and school and support the development of strong relationships between teachers and families. The materials also specify activities for use at home to support students’ learning and development.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials in Units 1 and 2 incorporate suggestions and activities for how parents can help support students’ foundational literacy skills at home. Resources provide specific at-home activities that support students’ learning and development. There is online access to resources parents can use easily at home with common electronic devices. Each unit includes the “School to Home Family Newsletter,” which includes a list of learning goals and activities that relate to student outcomes. It offers information on what the students are learning that week, includes suggestions on how parents can help at home, and provides a section for teachers to manage student profiles and add messages for students. The newsletter includes resources such as the “Family Time Mini-Guide” to support home viewing of the “Sesame Workshop” videos. This also provides guidance to engage in, practice, and review “Rules and Routines for Social Emotional Learning.” The newsletters in Unit 1 include weekly videos like “Come Play with Me,” “Revealing Emotions,” and “Raise It Up.” In Unit 2, the videos are “Good Things Come to Those Who Wait,” “Relax,” and “Count Me In.” Each video includes audio in Spanish, a lesson, and an activity for students to complete. In addition, materials in both units include explicit instruction and systematic and multisensory activities for parents to practice new literacy skills at home. In the Unit 1, Week 1 newsletter, materials encourage parents to practice the vocabulary words amigo and problema. Directions prompt parents to talk to their child about how to address a problem with a friend. In Week 2, the newsletter guides parents to work with their child on frequently used words by tracing words on their child’s back. The newsletter in Unit 2 provides parental activities to practice phonics. In one activity, the parents model and form a t using sticks and then have their child do it. Suggested activities use items that are typically available in the home and do not require parents to buy anything or have special training. Materials are reproducible and incorporate review games, flashcards, word cards, matching card games, and printable reader books or ebooks. 

In Units 3 and 4, materials support the development of strong relationships between teachers and families and offer activities that help develop foundational literacy skills for parents to connect to the classroom. For example, the School to Home Family Newsletter offers learning goals for the week, activities for word work, comprehension strategies, and resources such as the Family Time Mini-Guide to support home viewing of the Sesame Workshop videos. The video “Sesame Time: Let’s Explore Together” allows parents to review the rules and routines of home and school with their children. After viewing the video, children share ideas about these two important places. To support the weekly vocabulary words obedecer and comprender at home, the newsletter for Unit 3 guides parents to make a chart of the rules children follow at home and at school; parents and children discuss the importance of understanding the rules that everyone follows. To support phonics and the high-frequency word ella, parents do the “Words to Know” activity: They fill a small pan with shaving cream and have the child write the word ella in the shaving cream each time the word is used in a sentence. Then, in Unit 4, Week 1, the newsletter provides parents with a word work activity to support the high-frequency word tiene. Parents use a finger to spell out the word tiene on the child's arm. Next, children think of a sentence that includes the word tiene and write it down. Another activity in the same newsletter guides parents to play a game with category words. The game is “Guess the Worker”: “Give your child clues about what a worker does and act it out. Encourage your child to guess the job.” Materials in both units offer specific at-home activities that support students’ learning and development and offer online access to resources parents can use easily at home with common electronic devices. For example, the students’ “Reading/Writing Companion” provides an electronic version of resources, including activities, which can be assigned online. Materials also include school-to-home support in multiple languages, encouraging families to support new learning. Materials provide enriching media and hands-on learning experiences to complete at home each week. Resources provide tips for parents to practice new literacy skills at home in an explicit, systematic, and multisensory manner. The activities suggested use items that are typically available in the home and do not require parents to buy anything or have special training. For instance, materials are reproducible and incorporate review games, flashcards, matching card games, or nightly reader books.

The materials provide support to develop and foster strong relationships between teachers and families and include recommendations of activities to support foundational literacy skills for parents to connect to the classroom. Before introducing the lesson, materials offer weekly videos that suggest ways for the teacher to invite families to share and celebrate different ways they can engage with their children. Each unit’s School to Home Family Newsletter, found under the teacher “Resources” in the “Home to School Connection” tab, includes a list of learning goals and activities that relate to student outcomes; offers information on what the students are learning that week; and suggests how parents can help at home. In Unit 5, one letter suggests that students draw a picture of a tree, and parents help label the tree parts: tronco, ramas, hojas, and raíces. The letter also includes a link to a video students can watch to help them remember strategies they apply in the classroom, such as “Self-Talk” and “Sticky Notes.” Letters are also available in English and Spanish. The newsletter also offers opportunities for parents to provide support in developing skills in phonics. In Unit 6, the letter prompts parents to invite students to complete a phonics activity by searching for objects in their home that begin with the letters ch, such as chaleco and chocolate. Students write the names of the objects on sticky notes and place the label on each item.

In Unit 7, at-home Sesame videos include “Word on the Street: Investigate,” “Try a Little Kindness,” and “Super Grover 2.0: Pulleys.” In Unit 10, videos include “The Vote Song,” “Word on the Street: Persistent,” and “Everyday Hero.” Each video includes audio in Spanish, a lesson, and an activity for students to complete. The newsletters also include parental activities to support spelling and phonics at home. In Unit 9, the newsletter offers support for the concept of retelling at home. Students take home the text “Un nuevo día,” read the text, and complete suggested activities. The newsletter guides parents to have their child number the pictures according to what happens first, next, and last. In addition, parents are to encourage their child to use the words primero, después, and al final as they retell the text. The materials guide the teacher to encourage families to model and talk about how they seek new challenges. These suggestions are available at the beginning of the lesson in the “Teacher’s Guide.” Students have the option to take home books to read, which the teacher prints. The take-home books are found under the Home and School Connection tab in the teacher’s resources. Activities in these units require items that are typically available in the home and do not require parents to buy anything or have special training. Typically, materials are reproducible and incorporate review games, flashcards, matching card games, or nightly reader books.

Evaluation for 7.5
The visual design of student and teacher materials (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 also supportive of student learning and engagement without being visually distracting.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Units 1 and 2 include materials that are well organized, accessible, and easy to navigate when locating important information for lesson planning. The “Teacher’s Guide” is color-coded and tabbed to easily identify content such as “Reading and Language Arts.” Both units provide weekly resources, students’ outcomes, and the content of each day, including a list of quality questions for lessons. At the beginning of each week, the “Concepto semanal” and Pregunta esencial” appear in the same place and are consistent throughout the materials, including in the Student’s Edition. “Recursos de la lección” offer tables, charts, and visuals that are clear, concise, and not distracting and are available in electronic versions. The units offer a balance of text resources for read-alouds and shared readings. Unit 1 provides interactive read-alouds and “Big Books” with simple text and colorful pictures, like Así se hicieron amigos and “Hacer amigos” as well as Yo amo and “La mamá” for shared reading. Unit 2 includes the Big Books Al alcance de la mano and Cosas que usamos para descubrir and “El mapa” and Lolo for shared reading. Materials like the “Carteles de enseñanza” provide quality lesson support through “Picture Cards,” “Alphabet Cards,” and “Vocabulary Cards,” which integrate illustrations and photographs and offer sound-image associations that allow for letter connections. The Vocabulary Cards are found in the “Tarjetas de fotos” resource and offer clear and authentic pictures to help define and support new words students are learning. For example, in Unit 1, materials prompt the teacher to use the cards to provide visual support for difficult words like codos, colcha, cuatro, dedo, and Hawaii.

Materials in Unit 3 are well organized, easy to navigate, and engaging. Resources support the topic of each week, the text set, and the whole group mini lessons and small groups. Each week, materials provide students’ outcomes; resources; and skills to teach during word work, reading, writing, and workstations. Materials also provide suggestions for lesson plans and offer specific guidance and implementation for daily use. The online version of the Teacher’s Guide offers guidance for whole group and small group lessons as well as skills to cover. All resources are available electronically; they include tables, charts, and visuals that are clear, concise, and not distracting. Materials also include pictures and graphics that are supportive of student learning and engagement without being visually distracting. They offer tips and suggestions in separate boxes using different color fonts. The Teacher’s Guide includes the day, skill, and objectives to cover; suggested time; and clear directions for implementation. It allows teachers to locate important information for lesson planning and implementation. For example, to showcase letter-sound connections, resources incorporate visually clear Picture Cards or “Word-Building Cards” that match up to plainly marked letter connections. The Picture Cards support the development of phonics and include letters in uppercase and lowercase, syllables with specific letters, and a labeled picture that represents the sound. The unit also offers leveled readers for small groups and picture books like ¡Así sí puedo!, Mala Pata, and the interactive read-aloud “Pedro y el lobo.” There are also Big Books such as ¿Cómo van los dinosaurios a la escuela? The students’ “Reading/Writing Companion” is another text resource.