Units of Study Grade 2

Evaluation for 2.1
Materials include systematic, year-long plans for phonics instruction.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials include some general year-long plans for phonics instruction.

Materials include some sequence that outlines the essential knowledge and skills that are taught throughout the year. Materials demonstrate some progression of skill development from year to year. Lessons follow a general progression from simple to more complex concepts (e.g., CVC words before CCCVCC words and single-syllable words before multisyllabic words), with some skills being taught out of order.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials include a cohesive, TEKS aligned scope and sequence that outlines the essential knowledge and skills that are taught throughout the year.

• Units of Study in Phonics include an “Overview for Grade 2,” which outlines each unit, “bend,” and “session” objective. This provides an outline of how the sessions are designed across the year, including the objective for each session minilesson, share time, and extensions. New learning is included in each of these session sections. This overview is not always specific to the skills being taught, nor is it aligned to the TEKS. For example, in Unit 2, Bend 1, Session 2, the mini-lesson objective is “Solving Challenging Words Methodically, Part by Part.” The “Share” objective is “Solving Challenging Words by Reading the Biggest Parts You Can.” The “Extension” is “Trying Vowel Sounds Another Way” and “More Blending Practice.”
• The scope and sequence outlines how skills are taught across eight categories: “Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Word Structure, Word Solving: Decoding, Word Solving: Spelling, Vocabulary, Conventions, High-Frequency Words.” This includes general topics rather than specific essential knowledge and skills aligned to the TEKS. For example, in the Phonics category, Unit 1, Session 7, the objective is “Understand that the same vowel sound can be represented in different ways (long a, long o).” The objective for Unit 3, Session 17, is “Identify and use r- controlled vowels in multisyllabic words.” These are not always specific to the phonics skill being taught, and the scope and sequence does not outline when skills are being directly taught and when the lesson is reviewing the skill.

Materials clearly demonstrate vertical alignment and that shows the progression of skill development from year to year.

• The scope and sequence outlines how skills are taught across eight categories: Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Word Structure, Word Solving: Decoding, Word Solving: Spelling, Vocabulary, Conventions, and High-Frequency Words. This document does not clearly demonstrate vertical alignment, including what skills will connect in the grade 3 progression of skill development.
• The scope and sequence charts session objectives across the year. It does not specify which skills should be taught, reviewed, and mastered at each grade level and in which order.
• There is some evidence of review of skills learned in the previous grade level. For example, Unit 1 begins with a review of grade 1 skills: “Review kindergarten and first grade phonics”; “Practice using profession words (e.g., digraphs, blends, vowel teams)”; “Revisiting Silent e”; and “Review ways we have learned snap words.”

Lessons follow a developmentally appropriate, systematic progression from simple to more complex concepts (e.g., CVC words before CCCVCC words and single syllable words before multisyllabic words).

• The Guide to the Phonics Units of Study provides a narrative description of how skills are introduced across the materials. Regarding phonograms, blending, word parts, and vowel patterns, the guide specifies: “There is progression to this work. Generally, it is easiest for kids to start by taking a few high-frequency VC words that they know well—it, at, an, in—and realize those words give them power to make many more words.” Then, regarding grade 2 instruction, materials state, “Our second-grade unit, Word Builders: Construction, Demolition, and Vowel Power, engages students in a deep study of long vowels to support spelling and reading multisyllabic words with more efficiency.” Further, they specify, “In second grade, we teach students to read methodically across long words, looking closely for known parts like -tion, -ly, and consonant -le.”
• The “Unit by Unit Overview” outlines that in Unit 1, students review grade 1 phonics concepts. Then, in Unit 2, they focus on breaking up multisyllabic words with double consonants and consonant -le and learn about silent consonant combinations and word endings. In Unit 3, they focus on strategies to decode and encode multisyllabic words; in Unit 4, students work more with affixes. This demonstrates a general progression from simple to complex, this scope and sequence does not outline a clear, systematic progression of skills from simple to complex.

Evaluation for 2.2
Materials provide direct (explicit) and systematic instruction in developing grade-level phonics skills within and across lessons.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials provide some direct (explicit) and systematic instruction in developing grade-level phonics skills within and across lessons.

Lessons include some detailed guidance for each component of the gradual release of responsibility model. Materials contain a teacher edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Lessons include detailed guidance for each component of the gradual release of responsibility model.

• In Unit 2, Session 11, the teacher introduces the sounds of /gh/ by listing four words and reading them aloud: ghost, might, enough, through. The teacher states: “Gh is the ultimate master of disguise! It can represent lots of different sounds. It makes the /g/ sound, but more often, it makes the /f/ sound. Gh can also be silent.” Students then use their “snap word,” might, and the teacher tells students that if they know how to read might, it will help them with other words with the -igh pattern such as light or lightning. Students then generate more words with the -igh pattern. The teacher states: “Look at the gh disguised in these words! As part of the igh team, it takes on the long i sound. Tricky!” The teacher then shows students that in words such as ghost, the gh can make the /g/ sound; the teacher asks the students to brainstorm words that have that gh. Then, the teacher tells the students that gh makes a third sound, like in the word enough. The students practice writing enough and through on their whiteboards, and the teacher highlights the gh and adds the words to the word wall. Finally, the students revisit a song they may have previously learned in an extension lesson, “G and H Stick Together.” While the lesson includes teacher modeling, the lesson does not include guidance for each component of the gradual release of responsibility model.
• In Unit 3, Session 2, the teacher states: “To really become pros at writing bigger, longer, and more complex words, you’ll have to practice a bunch of them. You know what? We are surrounded by things that are BLC words! Like over there, a bulletin board! And over there, a calendar. And right here, a carpet, a document camera, a nonfiction bookshelf. I bet you could work with a partner and label all sorts of things in our classroom. You won’t want to just label anything, of course. Work together to label the BLC words. You can decide if it’s a big, long, complex word by listening for the syllables.” The teacher models with a simple word, followed by a couple of multisyllabic words: “Hmm, how about the desk? Nope. That’s not very big, long, or complex. Win-dow? Better… Cal-cu-la-tors. Whoa! That’s a BLC word for sure!” The teacher states, “Now I’m going to hand each partnership a bunch of Post-its and a marker. Spread out and label the room with as many big words as you can. Remember, say the word, clap the syllables, then write each part!” This session does not include guidance for each component of the gradual release of responsibility model.

Materials contain a teacher edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student materials.

• Each unit includes an “Orientation to the Unit,” which provides the primary goals for each unit with a description. Additionally, teachers read the “Getting Ready” section for guidance on daily routines, necessary teaching materials, texts, and grouping strategies.
• Each session includes a specific Getting Ready section. For example, the Getting Ready section in Unit 1, Session 8, lists specific actions, such as “Prepare an envelope from the principal with a letter concerning a list of ‘troublemaker words’ inside. Display the list.” “Gather the words said, they, where, first, friend, girl, when, went, and your to add to the word wall.”
• Materials contain a teacher edition with annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student materials. For example, in Unit 1, Session 8, the annotation suggests, “Today’s session is a full one, so you’ll need to pay extra attention to pacing.”
• In Unit 3, Session 2, the annotation suggests: “Children with dyslexia often have difficulty identifying and manipulating syllables. Instead of clapping out multisyllabic words, you might suggest children place their open palm on the bottom of their chin with their elbow propped on a desk while they say the word aloud.”
• In Unit 1, Session 5, the students learn about r-controlled vowels. The following “Possible Coaching Moves” are provided: “1) Listen to the sound. Is it like car, tiger, or fork? 2) Touch each word you’ve sorted and say it again. Check if all the words in a group have the same tricky r sound. 3) You’re ready to flip your cards over and check if their spelling patterns match! Start flipping! 4) Use your finger to find the spelling patterns and check them. Are they the same? Which ones are like tiger? 5) Make sure that the card you add to the collection has a spelling that looks and sounds right.” This provides general guidance to present the materials and provide feedback to students. 

Evaluation for 2.3
Materials include detailed guidance that supports teacher’s delivery of instruction.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials include general guidance that supports teachers’ delivery of instruction. Guidance for teachers includes some information about common phonics pattern misconceptions and guiding principles related to specific phonics skills.

Guidance for teachers includes general routines for teaching some phonics skills but does not provide detailed, specific instructional strategies. Materials include some guidance for providing students with feedback. Materials provide some guidance for connecting previously taught phonics skills to new learning. Materials do not include clear guidance on how to pace each lesson, including specific time suggestions for each component of the gradual release model.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Guidance for teachers includes information about common misconceptions and guiding principles related to specific phonics skills.

• The Guide to the Phonics Units of Study K–2 includes specific guidance on phonics skills. For example, related to vowel teams and diphthongs, the guide states: “Students return to this work in second grade….You’ll teach them tips to help them figure out the spelling. A vowel’s location in a word can give readers a clue about which spelling to try. For example, when the /a/ sound is heard at the end of a word, it is often spelled ay.”
• Narrative scripts support lesson delivery and sometimes include suggestions addressing misconceptions and guiding principles related to phonics skills. For example, in Unit 2, Session 8, the teacher reviews “troublemaker words.” A notation to the side states: “When many of us were young, we were taught a rule that goes, ‘I before E except after C.’ The trouble with teaching that as a rule is that it turns out, it’s actually wrong much of the time. Think of words like weight, their, science, and ancient.”
• Materials include lessons for teaching irregular high-frequency words, emphasizing reading these words by focusing on decodable parts of words rather than on memorization. For example, in Unit 1, Session 8, students study troublemaker words, including said, they, where, first, friend, girl, when, went, and your. The teacher note in the margin informs teachers that this is a list of words kids misspell often: “They are also words that were taught as high-frequency words in first grade. If not many kids in your class find these words troublesome, adjust the list, perhaps adding words like cousin and because. Avoid homophones for now.”
• Suggestions are included to support decoding but do not provide specific guidance for teachers to address common phonics misconceptions or guiding principles. For example, guidance for Small Group 14 states, “Give writers a tip for remembering quiet letters.” The teacher says: “Just like good friends don’t leave out quiet kids, good spellers don’t leave out quiet letters. Here’s a little trick. When you are learning to spell a word and therefore practicing a word’s spelling, if you notice a quiet letter—a letter that could be at risk of being left out—it helps to make an extra big sound for that extra quiet letter.” The teacher reminds the students, “When I was learning to spell and I needed to learn a word like bridge, I would say it like this: /bri-D-D-Dge/—just to make sure I wouldn’t forget the D. Guess what? It really helped!” While this cues students to decode these words, it does not specifically address the phonics misconceptions with this phonics pattern.
• In Unit 3, Session 2, during the mini-lesson, the teacher focuses on building complex words syllable by syllable. Teachers clap out syllables and break words apart. Students draw a line per syllable and then spell to the best of their ability. The teacher reads “Hiking Story,” while students listen and record each syllable. However, there is no guidance addressing misconceptions or phonics generalizations related to specific syllable division patterns.

Guidance for teachers provides detailed, specific instructional strategies for teaching each phonics skill.

• In Unit 2, Session 5, students read and write words with consonant le. They use an anchor chart to recall how to read long words part by part. This includes the steps “1) work methodically from beginning to end; 2) break between two consonants in the middle; 3) keep digraphs together; 4) break off endings.” The notes also state that consonant le is a reliable word part, and supporting students to recognize it gives them good mileage in their reading and writing. Students with dyslexia will benefit from learning “consonant -le, back up 3” to help with syllable division. Although this lesson includes a consistent routine, guidance for teachers does not provide detailed, specific instructional strategies for teaching the spelling pattern -le.
• Unit 3, Lesson 2, Extension 1, states, “Remind children to search for the perfect word as they write, as poets do, and then figure out how to spell that perfect word.” The teacher says: “Writers, can I stop you? I want to remind you that poets don’t use just any old word in their poems. Poets are always searching for the perfect word that means exactly what they are trying to say…For example, in my poem about my friend, Kenzie, I want to find a word that describes the way she moves around. I need a word that’s better than boring old going or running.” The teacher jots down the first syllable and says: “Scam-. The next piece is -per. I hear the /p/ and / r/.” The teacher writes per on the second line. “Now for the last part. Listen for it: scam-pering.” The narrative continues: “‘It’s ing . . . I-N-G!’ students called out as I recorded the third syllable. ‘Now I have to check it. Does it look right?’ I said, running my finger under the word. ‘Scam-per-ing. Yes, it looks right! Quick! Everybody stand up, scamper around your table, and sit back down!’” While this lesson models encoding a multisyllabic word in authentic writing, it does not follow a specific instructional routine used to teach this skill. ● In Unit 1, Session 15, during the mini-lesson “Learning Everything You Need to Know about Phonics from Rhyming Books,” the teacher reintroduces old friends Mabel and Rasheed. The teacher reads aloud “Knight School,” and the students notice rhyme in the text. The lesson does not include a specific instructional strategy for teaching the targeted phonics skill. Materials include specific guidance for providing students with immediate, corrective feedback.
• Possible Coaching Moves are included in lessons but do not include specific guidance for immediate, corrective feedback. For example, in Unit 3, Session 12, students learn to drop the silent e from the end of a word before adding a vowel suffix. The teacher puts suffixes on a postit note and reviews them; students identify which ones start with vowels. Then, students build words with the suffixes. They start with dream, and then use the word drive. They compare the endings that are used when a word ends in a silent e versus when it ends in a consonant. Then students get a baggie of words to which they add suffixes with their “Rug Club.” The Coaching Moves for this lesson include “1) Pick an ending and add it to the word. Does that make sense? Can you use it in a sentence? 2) Check the word. Does it have an e on the end? 3) Check the ending. Does it start with a vowel? 4) If you need to, drop the e. Erase it and add the ending. 5) Can you add a different ending to that word?”
• Some lessons provide opportunities for teacher feedback; however, suggestions for immediate and specific feedback are not included. For example, in Unit 2, Lesson 6, during “Active Engagement/Link,” the materials state: “Channel partners to take turns reading, with one partner reading and the other keeping watch to make sure that they each read all the parts of every word.” The teacher states: “I’m going to turn this page over to you now. Read the rest of it with a partner. Take turns being the reader and the friend keeping watch. Use all you know about breaking words into parts and reading them from tip to tail. Remember that our anchor chart, ‘Tackling Long Words Part by Part,’ can help if you need a reminder.” As the children read, the teacher listens in and offers support. As readers finish the page, the teacher reconvenes the class. The teacher says: “You were so careful to read all the parts of all of the words! When you got to tricky words, you slowed down and tackled the challenge, with a little help from your fingers and your friends!”
• In Unit 1, Session 5, during the mini-lesson “Controlled Vowels,” the “Teaching Point” states, “When you are reading and writing words, you’ve got to watch out for those tricky R-controlled vowels /ar/ car, /er/ tiger, and /or/ fork.” During “Rug Time,” students study the words scarf, yard, worm, carpet, shark, storm, world, cord, sports, tornado, hammer, doctor, river, dryer, boxer, tower, and otter. The lesson does not include specific guidance on providing immediate, corrective feedback.

Materials provide detailed guidance for connecting previously taught phonics skills to new learning.

• Lessons include opportunities to review previous learning but do not include detailed guidance for connecting new learning to previously taught phonics skills. For example, in Unit 4, Session 18, students learn the suffixes -ful and -less. The teacher asks the students to tell their partners everything they know about suffixes. The teacher listens and overhears the students talk about - January 2023 Heinemann Grade 2 English Phonics Program Summary er, -est, and -ly. Students read a list of base words the teacher provides that includes the words care, hope, color, and power. Then, the teacher shares the suffixes -ful and -less with the class and tells them that these suffixes can be added to the base words. Students write the new words on their whiteboards and use these words in sentences.
• In Unit 4, Session 3, Active Engagement/Link states: “Invite each word collector club to call their club meeting to order. Invite students to select a word to work with and choose another way to make it their own.”
• Lessons provide opportunities to practice or review previously learned skills. Lessons do not include guidance to explicitly connect new learning to previously taught skills. For example, in Unit 2, Session 3, during the mini-lesson “Breaking Words into Parts between Two Consonants in the Middle,” the teacher says, “When something is too large to carry, you break it into smaller, more manageable parts.” The teacher reads a story about ants. The materials include a Teaching Point: “When there are two consonants side by side in the middle of the word, you can break the word into parts right there, between those consonants.” During Rug Time, the students name some word endings, such as in buttoning, customer, galloped, happening, signaled, publisher, borrowed, entertaining. This lesson demonstrates practice that is focused on new and previously learned skills without an explicit connection made between the two. Materials include clear guidance on how to pace each lesson, including specific time suggestions for each component of the gradual release model.
• General guidance for lesson pacing is included in the “Guide to Phonics Workshop.” For example, it explains that each phonics instructional lesson includes a connection (approximately one minute), teaching (two to three minutes), and active engagement/link (two to three minutes). Time frames are not specified for “Rug Time,” “Share,” or “Extensions.”
• In Unit 1, Session 11, students learn the concept of homophones. The teacher begins by telling a joke where students need to understand homophones to understand the joke. (“Why was six afraid of seven?”) The teacher spells eight and ate on the board and gives the definition for each. The teacher then teaches the students the homophones bored/board and distributes jokes that revolve around homophones to the class. Partners read them and discuss the homophones and their meanings. They create a chart with sentences and pictures for each pair of words. The materials do not include clear guidance on how to pace each lesson, including specific time suggestions for each component of the gradual release model.
• Lessons include introductions but do not include pacing suggestions for how long to spend on each lesson component. In Unit 1, Session 8, the materials include the following teacher guidance: “Be prepared to show My Snap Words Book and a troublemaker word list from a student’s writing folder. Remind kids that during the writing workshop they should use their Snap Words Books and their troublemaker word lists to help them get more of their spelling right.” The teacher states: “Writers, during writing time today, and for the rest of second grade, will you remember to keep two things on hand as you write? First, keep your Snap Words Book handy. It contains all the snap words that you learned last year. There are a ton of words in that book, and those words should all be on their way to becoming words that you can read and also write in a snap.”
• In Unit 2, Session 11, during the mini-lesson “The Master of Disguise: The Sounds and Silence of gh,” materials instruct: “Remind students that they can use a familiar snap word—might—to help them read and spell other words in which the long i sound is spelled igh. Examples: might, light, lightning, high, higher, fright, sighed.” The teacher tells students, “Gh is often silent such as through.” The teacher sings “G and H Stick Together.” This lesson includes an introduction and an engaging song to support remembering the phonics skill. It does not include guidance for pacing the lesson.

Evaluation for 2.4
Materials include frequent and distributed review of phonics skills with cumulative practice opportunities with decodable text.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials include some review of phonics skills, with some cumulative review activities but not with decodable text.

Materials include some review and practice activities throughout the span of the curriculum. Practice opportunities include some phonics skills that have been explicitly taught. Decodable texts do not incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials include intentional cumulative review and practice activities throughout the span of the curriculum.

• Some lessons include cumulative review and practice. In Unit 1, Session 5, the students distinguish between the r-controlled sounds -er, -or, and -ar. These activities are randomly presented and occur during different parts of the lessons, including during “Rug Time,” “Extensions,” “Small Groups,” and “Share Time.” They do not always offer cumulative review. After reviewing the key words car, fork, and tiger, the students sort picture cards by these three sounds, then check their sort by turning the cards over to see if the spelling matches the sound they heard.
• In Unit 2, Session 2, the teacher tells the students that some consonants take on the sounds of the consonants next to them. The teacher states, “You can be on the lookout for kn, wr, and gn and remember that the first consonant is silent.” Students use the key words knowledge, writers, and gnats to remember these consonant combinations. Students are given baggies of words (provided) to read with their partners with the consonant combinations; the teacher circulates and provides help as needed. Students look for words with these patterns in their books. Later, the teacher displays the word answer and asks students to spot the silent consonant in the word. The students identify that the w is silent; the teacher confirms that it is, and that this can be a tricky word for people to spell. The teacher refers to the “Tackle a Word” chart. The teacher leads a discussion about qu, reminds the students that these letters often appear together, and asks them what the sound is. The provided words are quilt, squid, squirrel, and mosquito. This activity provides direct practice of the phonics patterns learned in the lesson. It does not support cumulative practice.
• In Unit 4, Session 8, the Extension involves reading stories “Using Compound Combo Knowledge.” Materials include a shared reading of a “Story with Compound Words,” where the reader drops their voice at the compound word so that students read the words. The teacher reads “Down at the site.” The materials do not include intentional cumulative review and practice activities throughout the span of the curriculum.

Practice opportunities include only phonics skills that have been explicitly taught.

• In Unit 2, Session 3, students learn that double consonants signal a short vowel sound. The teacher informs them that a double consonant in the middle of a word signals a short vowel sound, and a single consonant signals a long vowel sound. Then, the students look at diner/dinner and hopping/hoping and discuss the differences between the pairs of words. The students sort more words with this pattern.
• In the Reading Units of Study, Session 4 includes the lesson “Readers Read in Longer Phrases, Scooping Up Snap Words.” The teacher displays and sings “Troublemaker Words” to reinforce the skill during Rug Time.
• Small groups include opportunities to reinforce and practice previously taught sound-spelling patterns through cumulative review. For example, in Small Group 14, “Don’t Let the Quiet Letter Get Left Out,” students decode and put together word puzzles containing the dg and ng digraph and the nk blend. The teacher reviews tips for reading and spelling words with this pattern. Then, students work in partners to practice decoding and encoding the words bank, fridge, sang, drink, dunk, ring, thank, and wedge. It is recommended that the teacher replicate this activity to cumulatively practice words with tch and nch as needed as well.
• In Small Group 16, “Spelling Tricky Endings: -tion and -y,” students review the anchor chart outlining examples of tricky spelling patterns. Then, students read sample student writing and identify mistakes in tricky spelling patterns.

Decodable texts incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills.

• The materials include “Jump Rope Readers” for grades K and 1. These are decodable texts with grade-level high-frequency words and sound-spelling patterns. It is unclear if these readers are available for grade 2. However, the “Raspberry” series does include practice with the grade-level letter-sound correspondences, such as multisyllabic words with open and closed syllables oi, oy, au, and aw. These books are not specifically referenced in the Units of Study in Phonics grade 2 sessions.
• The Jump Rope Readers specifically outline the phonics patterns practiced in each set. For example, Set B is designed for readers in first grade and early second grade. Set B includes 36 decodable books that introduce silent e, inflectional endings, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, diphthongs and complex vowels, consonant -le, soft c and g, the jobs of y, multisyllabic words, and high-frequency words.
• The “Decodable Guide” explains that these readers follow a scope and sequence aligned to the phonics progression in the Units of Study in Reading, but that most phonics programs also follow this progression. These decodables are not specifically referred to or used for practice within the Units of Study in Phonics. They are designed to supplement reading programs

Evaluation for 3.A.1
Materials provide systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review related to alphabet knowledge.

Evaluation for 3.A.2
Materials provide systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review related to the alphabetic principle.

Evaluation for 3.B.1
Materials provide systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review to support the development of oral syllable awareness skills, as outlined in the TEKS.

Evaluation for 3.B.2
Materials provide systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review to support the development of phonemic awareness skills, as outlined in the TEKS.

The materials do not meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials do not provide systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review to support the development of phonemic awareness skills, as outlined in the TEKS.

Materials do not provide a systematic sequence for introducing phonemic awareness activities that begins with identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes (the smallest unit of sound) and gradually transitions to more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. Materials do not include scripted direct (explicit) instruction for teaching phonemic awareness. Materials do not include direct (explicit) detailed guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle, helping to transition students from oral language activities to basic decoding and encoding. Materials do not incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review).

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials provide a systematic sequence for introducing phonemic awareness activities that begins with identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes (the smallest unit of sound) and gradually transitions to more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes.

• Materials do not provide a systematic sequence for introducing phonemic awareness activities that begins with identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes (the smallest unit of sound) and gradually transitions to more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. For example, over the five units, the scope and sequence for phonemic awareness instruction includes:
  • In Unit 1, students are taught to isolate and hear different medial vowel sounds; distinguish the -er, -or, and -ar sounds in spoken words; and manipulate the sounds in words to make short vowel and R-controlled vowel sounds.
  • In Unit 2, no phonemic awareness activities are mentioned.
  • In Unit 3, no phonemic awareness activities are mentioned.
  • In Unit 4, no phonemic awareness activities are mentioned.
  • In Unit 5, no phonemic awareness activities are mentioned.
• All phonemic awareness lessons are connected to print. While the scope and sequence identifies specific skills for teaching phonemic awareness, sessions include skills outside of the scope and sequence and include a discovery, narrative approach to instruction as opposed to direct, explicit instruction in the skills identified in the scope and sequence.

Materials include scripted direct (explicit) instruction for teaching phonemic awareness.

• Materials do not include scripted direct (explicit) instruction for teaching phonemic awareness. For example, in Unit 1, Session 2, the teacher tells the students that she wants to study her nephew’s name, Nate. She writes the name on the board, stretches the sounds, and slowly reads the word with a short /a/ sound, Naaaatthen. The teacher notes the e, adds a long e sound to the end of the word, and says that’s not her nephew’s name. The teacher explains: “Now I’m remembering, the e is a clue to me. It doesn’t make a sound; it is a silent e. But this e at the end of the word is a clue that tells me that the vowel is long.” This lesson does not provide scripted direct instruction for teaching phonemic awareness. Furthermore, students are looking at letters; therefore, this is not an example of an oral phonemic awareness lesson.
• In Unit 1, Session 8, the teacher script states: “Choose another word from the list of troublemakers that’s tricky for you. After you choose the word, remember, no peeking! First, write the word and then identify the troublemaker part of the word. To do this, notice when you slow down as you are writing. You might underline that part or circle it. Then ask yourself, ‘What phonics do I know that can help me spell this part of the word?’ If there isn’t anything that can help, invent a trick to remind yourself of the spelling. You might find another word inside of it, like end inside of friend, or you might say it in a different way, or chant it, or make up a silly sentence to remember how to spell it. Cover, write, and check it, and then practice it some more if you need to. Class, I want to remind you that sometimes even after inventing a trick, and even after practicing a word, when you go to check it, you realize it’s still causing trouble for you. You still didn’t spell it right. When this happens, do some more practice! Try all the ways you know to practice the word until you’ve got it for good.” While this lesson provides some instruction in phonemic awareness, it is connected to print and instruction is not direct (explicit) instruction

Materials include direct (explicit) detailed guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle, helping to transition students from oral language activities to basic decoding and encoding.

• Materials do not include direct (explicit) detailed guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle, helping to transition students from oral language activities to basic decoding and encoding. For example, in Unit 1, Session 2, the teacher conducts a minilesson with students about words with silent e. The teacher has the students write their first and last names on a whiteboard. Students analyze the names and discuss what phonics concepts they recognize in their names. The teacher models words with silent e by discussing and modeling with the names Nate and Mike. The teacher states that many words have silent e and that it is important to distinguish between long vowel words and short vowel words. The teacher says many words and has the students show with hand gestures if they think the word said is a long vowel word or a short vowel word. Students then receive “Say and Spell Cards”; they identify the picture and write the word on their whiteboards to see if it is a short vowel word or a long vowel word. The teacher reviews words that have an e at the end but do not follow the rule (e.g., have, love, come, live). The teacher script provided states: “Under the picture, you will see there are spaces for each letter in the word the picture represents. You can use the number of letters in the word to make sure your guess is right.” While materials include some instruction in connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle, it is not direct (explicit), as students are instructed to guess.
• In Unit 1, Session 5, the teacher starts by reminding the students that when reading and writing, they have to watch out for tricky r-controlled vowels. Students sort picture cards based on the rcontrolled sound, and then look at the spellings to see if they match. Students notice that the word worm has a different spelling than tiger. The teacher tells them that is why r-controlled vowels are so tricky. The students then sort words into groups based on the target sounds. Then, they sing the “Rascal R” song. The teacher script states: “‘The super tricky thing is when R changes a vowel sound, all those R-controlled vowels end up sounding a bit like rrrrr.’ I said car and fork and tiger a way that the differences between er, ar, and or were muffled. ‘But they actually are different sounds.’” The instruction does not provide the teacher with detailed guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle.

Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review).

• Materials do not incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review). While the materials include activities and resources, such as whiteboards, magnetic letters, and post-it notes, all instruction is connected to print, and there are no activities present in the materials that focus on oral phonemic awareness. For example, in Unit 3, Session 4, the students listen for familiar parts inside of a “tough word” to help them figure out how it is spelled. They think about the word toughest and relate it to the “snap word” enough. The teacher puts the letter t on one post-it and ough on another. Students relate the end of the word to the word best, and the teacher adds the letters -est to a third post-it. Then, the teacher puts the post-its together to make the word toughest. Although using post-its helps students to hear the word parts, this lesson is focused on spelling the words, so it incorporates phonemic awareness skills but is not a phonemic awareness lesson.
• In Unit 3, Session 17, the teacher calls upon the students to do some pretending. Students pretend to be pirates and look out for vowels controlled with r. The teacher rallies students to read like a pirate, highlighting vowels with r. The shared reading, Why Pirates Wore Eye Patches, is used to practice word skills. While this session includes a variety of activities, it is connected to print and is not an oral phonemic awareness lesson. 

Evaluation for 3.C.1
Materials provide systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review to develop students’ knowledge of grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS.

Materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials provide some systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review to develop students’ knowledge of grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS.

Materials introduce some sound-spelling patterns systematically as outlined in the TEKS. Materials provide some scripted direct (explicit) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review). Materials provide some activities and resources to decode and encode words that include taught sound-spelling patterns in isolation (e.g., word lists), but there are limited opportunities with connected text.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials provide a systematic sequence for introducing grade level sound spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS.

• Materials provide some sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS. While grade-level TEKS are included, the sequence is unclear and randomly presented across the units; it is not a specific sequence that explicitly builds upon previous knowledge. The Units of Study in Phonics include four units. Each unit is designed to be taught alongside the Reading and Writing Units of Study, with instruction lasting five to six weeks per unit. Each day’s phonics session lasts about 20 minutes and offers extensions to help teachers reinforce phonics concepts across the school day and to support the transfer of phonics skills into reading and writing workshops.
  • Materials include a resource titled “Decoding Instruction at a Glance,” with objectives for the units. It provides a progression chart that maps out the decoding skills across the school year. While there is a vertical alignment chart, no evidence was found for grade 2 students to learn how to decode and encode words with trigraphs. 
  • Unit 1, “Growing Into Second Grade Phonics,” focuses on spelling “snap words” more conventionally and “teaching students how to be more accurate spellers of all their words.”
  • Unit 2, “Big Words Take Big Resolve: Tackling Multisyllabic Words,” focuses on moving methodically across multisyllabic words from tip to tail; tails and camouflaged consonants across words; and spelling words with endings.
  • Unit 3, “Word Builders,” focuses on becoming word builders by writing bigger words; becoming vowel experts by using long vowel patterns to build words; and becoming experts in word demolition by using vowels to help decode big words.
  • Unit 4, “Word Collectors,” focuses on fostering word consciousness; growing word collections with compound words; and growing word collections with affixes.
• In Small Groups for Instruction, students progress through Chapter 1: “First-Grade Review: -VCe, Long-Vowel Teams, R-Controlled Vowels, and Word Parts”; Chapter 2: “Capitalization and Punctuation”; Chapter 3: “Complex Consonant Combos”; Chapter 4: “Endings and Plurals”; Chapter 5: “Reading Complex Words”; Chapter 6: “Spelling Complex Words”; Chapter 7: “Parts of Speech”; Chapter 8: “Compound Words, Prefixes, and Suffixes”; Chapter 9: “Troublemaker Words”; and Chapter 10: “Abbreviations, Acronyms, Idioms, and Dictionary Skills.”

Materials provide scripted direct (explicit) instruction for grade level sound spelling patterns.

• Materials provide some scripted direct (explicit) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns; however, the majority of instruction is written in an implicit, narrative manner. For example, in Unit 1, Session 3, the teacher reads from the class read-aloud. The teacher points out that readers choose what and how to read. Sometimes, readers think about characters, and sometimes, reading can teach how words work. The teacher points out words that have long vowels. The teacher passes out “word windows,” and students talk to partners about words with vowel patterns. The teacher models sorting words found in reading by spelling signals that the vowels are long. The teacher script states: “Let’s choose to learn phonics from today’s daily schedule. Let’s look at the first words, and think about what phonics we can learn from them. Meeting. Reading. Whoa! Whoa! Are you seeing what I’m seeing? Long vowels in both of these words—and do they have silent E’s? No! So we are already adding to what we learned yesterday. We’re reminded that the silent E is one way to turn a vowel long, but there are other ways too, right?” The lesson relies on students’ discovery and response and does not include direct (explicit) instruction.
• In Unit 2, Session 5, the teacher introduces consonant -le syllables by listing six words with this syllable pattern and then discussing them. There are no instructions for the teacher on how to handle words with an open or closed initial syllable. Students discover the pattern instead of being explicitly taught. In Session 7, the teacher discusses consonant combinations kn, wr, and gn by showing students the pattern in key words; then, students read words containing the consonant combinations, look for them in their independent reading, and jot them on a sticky note. In Session 10, students learn the ge/dge spellings of the /j/ sound. The teacher spells damage with a j at the end and then expects the students to discover that the word is spelled incorrectly and it should be spelled with ge or dge; this doesn’t explicitly teach that the -dge comes after a short vowel, but rather encourages students to find the spelling that looks right or to try it a different way. The lesson relies on students’ discovery and response and does not include direct (explicit) instruction.
• In Unit 3, Session 3, the teacher asks the students to help spell the word caution. The teacher tells the students to start by spelling the word syllable by syllable. The teacher starts by writing the letter C. Students help make the next sound. While the session includes some instruction, students do not receive explicit instruction in the sound-spelling pattern, but rather are asked to help the teacher spell the word prior to explicitly learning the sound/spelling pattern. Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review).
• Materials incorporate activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review). For example, in Unit 1, Session 3, the teacher shows students the grade 1 vowel teams chart. Students discuss how the chart works. The teacher models adding pictures and words to the chart on sticky notes to work with vowel teams. Students work on adding words to their charts.
• In Unit 1, Session 14, students read a letter to identify “powerful patterns.” The teacher references an anchor chart with the steps on how to find powerful word patterns: “Step 1: Find some words that rhyme. Step 2: Zoom in on the rhyming words. Step 3: Test if this is a powerful pattern that will help with other words. Step 4: If so, study its spelling so you can use it often.”
• In Unit 2, Session 2, the teacher tells the students that some consonants take on the sounds of the consonants next to them. The teacher states, “You can be on the lookout for kn, wr, and gn and remember that the first consonant is silent.” Students use the key words knowledge, writers, and gnats to remember these consonant combinations. Students are given baggies of words (provided) to read the consonant combinations with their partners; the teacher circulates and provides help as needed. Students look for words with these patterns in their books. Later, the teacher displays the word answer and asks the students to spot the silent consonant in the word. The students identify that the w is silent, and the teacher confirms that it is and that it can be a tricky word for people to spell. The teacher refers to the “Tackle a Word” chart. The teacher leads a discussion on qu, reminds the students that these letters often appear together, and asks them what the sound is. The provided words are quilt, squid, squirrel, and mosquito.
• In Unit 3, Session 9, students listen carefully to where a long vowel sound is located in a word. The teacher cues students to say the word slowly and decide if the long vowel sound is at the end of the word, at the end of a syllable, or inside a pattern. The teacher displays and reviews a chart with ways to make long a (a_e, ai, ay, a) and shares sample words in each category (lately, trailing, crayon, bacon). The teacher models several times how to say the words and spell them based on where the vowel sound is. With partners, students practice long a spelling tips by writing post-it labels for long a picture cards and categorizing them on the long a vowel chart.
• Small groups include opportunities to reinforce and practice previously taught sound-spelling patterns through cumulative review. For example, in Small Group 14, “Don’t Let the Quiet Letter Get Left Out,” students first decode and put together word puzzles containing the dg and ng digraph and the nk blend. The teacher reviews tips for reading and spelling words with this pattern. Then, students work in partners to practice decoding and encoding the words bank, fridge, sang, drink, dunk, ring, thank, and wedge. It is recommended that the teacher replicate this activity to cumulatively practice words with tch and nch as needed as well.

Materials provide a variety of activities and resources to decode and encode words that include taught sound spelling patterns in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts).

• Materials provide some activities and resources to decode words that include taught soundspelling patterns in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that build on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). For example, in Unit 1, Session 11, the teacher introduces homophones. The teacher gives students a page of six homophone jokes to read in partners. Students explain to each other why the joke is funny. The teacher gives students another page, with four pairs of homophones used in sentences. The students read the sentences and make an illustration for each homophone on sticky notes.
• In Unit 2, Session 10, after the previous lesson on soft g and c sounds, the teacher tells students that if a word ends with the /j/ sound, it is usually spelled -ge. The teacher models encoding the word damage. Students practice encoding the words surge and huge. The teacher dictates the sentence “Strong winds can make large amounts of garbage plunge into the sea.” Students write the sentence on whiteboards and then trade with a partner and give feedback.
• Materials include decodable books, called “Jump Rope Readers.” Set B of the decodable readers is for readers in early grade 2. The resource does not have decodable books for the remainder of grade 2, and the books are not mentioned in the actual sessions.
• Small groups include activities and resources, such as anchor charts, word cards, and puzzles, to support practice of taught sound-spelling patterns in isolation. For example, in Small Group 22, “Keeping Vowel Patterns Together in Reading,” students use puzzle cards featuring consonants and vowel patterns. Students work with partners to build words, and then write the words on a whiteboard.
• In Small Group 16, “Spelling Tricky Endings: -tion and -y,” students review the anchor chart outlining examples of tricky spelling patterns. Then, students read sample student writing, identifying mistakes in tricky spelling patterns. This provides the opportunity to identify and apply spelling patterns to writing within sentences. 

Evaluation for 3.C.2
Materials provide systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review related to accurately identifying, reading, and writing regular and irregular high-frequency words.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials provide limited systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review related to accurately identifying, reading, and writing regular and irregular high-frequency words.

Materials provide some sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. Materials provide some instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. Materials do not incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and cumulatively reinforce skills. Materials do not provide a variety of activities for students to recognize, read, and write high-frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts).

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials provide a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high frequency words.

• The “Guide to Phonics Workshop” explains that the children who work with these materials learn to call high-frequency words “snap words,” in reference to the fact that they are words they can use “in a snap.” Materials state that second graders are “explicitly taught another 50 words” and specify, “We sequence instruction in high-frequency words so that students have the words they need for later phonics instruction.”
• “Online Resources” provide a list of grade 2 snap words in the order and session they are introduced. Materials introduce 98 snap words; review 38 kindergarten words; and teach 6 concrete words, including phonetically regular and irregular words. The introduction of these words does not differentiate between phonemically regular and irregular words, and it does not call attention to parts of the words that follow predictable phonemic skills and parts that are irregular. Regarding this sequence, the “Guide to Phonics Workshop” explains, “All their instruction in phonograms will rely on analogy as the primary method of instruction.” Further, materials explain that “there are many reasons why this or that high-frequency word might be taught at a particular time, and those reasons do not revolve solely around the logic of the words’ spelling, because in some instances you’ll teach these words by memory and by logic.”
• Most “troublemaker words” are introduced as part of the “Extension” to the lesson, extending a regular or irregular taught sound-spelling pattern.

Materials provide scripted direct (explicit) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high frequency words.

• There is a routine for teaching snap words. This routine sometimes addresses irregular high-frequency words. It is not included for all new snap words and relies on memorization as a strategy. In Unit 1, Session 8, the teacher states that “second graders are always on the lookout for troublemaker words—when they come to one, they know to spell that word carefully.” The teacher displays the “Tackle a Word” chart and writes the word first. The teacher says: “First I must ask, ‘Is everything about this word a troublemaker? Or is there just a troublemaker part to the word?’” The teacher guides the students through studying the word, following the steps in the chart, and identifying the -ir pattern in the word. Then, the teacher walks the students through the same process with the word friend, prompting students to underline the part of the word that is a “troublemaker.” This narrative script does not explicitly teach that the ie spelling pattern is the irregular part of the word friend. Several additional words are to be introduced through this model. Sidebar notes to the lesson, listed as “Possible Coaching Moves,” identify the tricky spelling patterns of some of the other words on the list, but the materials do not include explicit instructions for teaching these words.
• In Unit 2, Session 4, Extension 2, the materials list new high-frequency words: better, follow, happen, and different. The teacher utilizes the Tackle a Word! anchor chart to teach the new words. The teacher narrative says: “‘Let’s start with better.’ I tapped the first step on our ‘Tackle a Word!’ chart. ‘First, we need to spell this word and take note of any hard parts. Go ahead, spell better on your whiteboard. As you do, notice the part that slows you down. That’s probably your hardest part. Go ahead and underline or circle that part if you have one, then talk about it with your partner.’” Then, the teacher names the double consonants, and students practice reading and writing the word. Students practice additional words following this approach. The annotation to the side of the lesson reiterates the importance of studying high-frequency words in ways that go beyond memorization. While this lesson eventually focuses on a spelling pattern within the troublemaker word, it does not provide explicit, direct instruction on the word and all the new words.
• In Unit 3, Session 1, Extension 2, materials introduce three new troublemaker words. The teacher displays the “Troublemaker Words” song and introduces the words at the end of the song. The narrative script says, “Let’s start with the first potential troublemaker word, themselves.” Students are directed to write the word down, then study the word. The narrative says: “‘Hmmm…the first part is not very tricky! I hear the word them and see it at the beginning of the word. Remember, word builders try to use the biggest parts they can,’ I said, reminding kids of the word done in today’s session. ‘Them is a big part we can easily write. Let’s keep looking.’ I ran my finger under the word to the letters S-E-L-V.” Finally, the narrative identifies: “You know the /z/ sound at the end of a word is sometimes spelled with the ending -es. That could definitely help us remember this troublemaker part.” This narrative script is included to guide the teaching of this word; the students discover the troublemaker parts of the other words, maybe and really, on their own. Scripted instruction is not provided for these words.

Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and cumulatively reinforce skills.

• In Unit 1, Session 2, students create a “My Snap Words Book.” There is a list of 120 snap words. As extensions to this lesson, students work in partners to review words from the previous grades, giving each other a “Snap Word Quiz” and playing “I Spy” using the book. This activity and resource support students in practicing words learned in previous grade levels. This type of cumulative review activity is not repeated as new words are added throughout the year.
• In Unit 3, Session 13, students participate in the game “What’s My Sound?” Partners take turns grouping words according to the sounds that the -ed ending makes. The teacher reminds students of the song from grade 1, “The ending -ed makes three ee sounds…” and continues: “You’ll read a group of words, then you’ll think about how the ending sounds in all the words in the group. Finally you’ll say what the sound is—/id/, /d/, or /t/.” The teacher places the words barked, stopped, and hissed in the pocket chart and tells students: “Look closely. Whisper-speak each word, so you can listen to the ending sounds. How are they the same? Make sure to whisper to yourself so that everyone can think! When you know the sound, put your thumb on your knee.” After a few moments have passed, the teacher has the students turn and talk to their partners about the sound the -ed makes in the group of words. The final phase of the game ends after the teacher challenges the students to show -ed words with all three ending sounds. The students decide which column each word fits with and hold up their fingers to cast their vote. This activity provides an opportunity to practice and reinforce a spelling pattern, but it does not support practice of high-frequency or troublemaker words.

Materials provide a variety of activities for students to recognize, read, and write high frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts).

• In Unit 1, Session 4, the teacher displays the Tackle a Word! anchor chart and leads the students through each step of the strategic ways to learn new words. Materials guide the teacher to “study the word better as a class, then ask partners to repeat the process with follow, happen, and different.” After using their individual whiteboards to study the high-frequency words with a partner, the students have the option of placing the newly learned words in their “Word Books.” These are utilized for words that may be troublemakers for students. The teacher says: “Now it’s time to decide whether to add these words to your Word Books. As you add any troublemakers to your books, don’t forget to mark the hard part! Be sure to circle it or underline it.” Adding the words provides the opportunity for students to encode the words, and the books are a resource for application to their writing, but this does not provide intentional practice with these words.
• In Unit 1, Session 4, Extension 3, students practice speed-reading snap words from their Snap Word Book. While the book is developed as a resource to use throughout the year, additional practice activities with these words are not included across the year.
• In Unit 1, Session 8, Extension 1, students read each other’s writing, looking for troublemaker words to “fix up.” While this provides an opportunity for students to practice referencing and writing troublemaker words in isolation, it does not provide direct practice in writing specific words.
• The materials include “Jump Rope Readers.” These are decodable texts that include grade-level high-frequency words. For example, the book Where Does the Trash Go? includes the high-frequency words school, two, and who. The decodable readers are not referenced in the sessions introducing new high-frequency words.

Evaluation for 3.C.3
Materials include systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review related to using knowledge and application of syllabication to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words.

The materials do not meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials do not include systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review related to using knowledge and application of syllabication to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words.

Materials do not provide a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS. Materials do not provide scripted direct (explicit) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. Materials do not incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review). Materials do not provide a variety of activities and resources for students to practice decoding and encoding one-syllable or multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts).

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials provide a systematic sequence for introducing grade level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS.

• Materials do not provide a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS. For example, in Small Groups to Support Phonics, Small Group 38, the teacher shares a story about kids arguing over cookies. Students are guided to use comparatives and superlatives to compare their cookies. Materials state, “Explain that students can use comparatives and superlatives as they write, and kids can notice them as they read.” Although session objectives progress from easier to more complex skills, the sequence of the sessions is not aligned to the ELAR TEKS for introducing syllable types and syllable division principles.
• In Unit 1, Session 3, students study long vowel sounds, including silent e, vowel teams, and diphthongs, using word windows (plastic sleeves with print inside). Using the word windows, the students mark up previously read text, looking for long vowels and silent e. The teacher puts their words in a pocket chart and categorizes their findings into silent e, vowel teams, and exceptions. Although session objectives progress from easier to more complex skills, the sequence of the sessions is not aligned to the ELAR TEKS for introducing syllable types and syllable division principles.

Materials provide scripted direct (explicit) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one syllable or multisyllabic words.

• Materials do not provide scripted direct (explicit) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. For example, in Unit 2, Session 5, the teacher leads students in a shared reading of consonant-le words divided by syllables. Once the students read the list of words, the teacher asks the students to talk to their partner about what they notice about the words that end with le. Next, the students get a list of consonant-le words and work on dividing them into syllables with a partner, using an anchor chart where the teacher added “break before consonant le.” The student groups then get a list of consonant-le words to read and pictures of consonant-le words so they can spell the words the pictures represent. The session is written in an implicit model and does not provide scripted direct (explicit) instruction.
• In Unit 3, Session 2, Extension 2, students use their knowledge of syllables by noticing multisyllabic items and clapping the beats of words as they walk down the hall. The teacher states: “Word builders, we’re ready to go to music class. Let’s make our trip to music a beat walk! We’ll say and clap the syllables of things we see along the way. Ready? Let’s start right here, with calendar. Clap the beats with me. ‘Cal-en-dar,’ the students and teacher chanted and clapped together. ‘Three!’ students exclaimed! The teacher and students continued the beat walk with the word extinguisher.” This provides practice of hearing and clapping syllables in words. This does not offer direct (explicit) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode words.
• In Unit 3, Session 2, the teacher script states, “Let’s work methodically to build a word syllable by syllable right now.” The teacher slides a large sticky note under the document camera and says: “I think building really tricky words is going to take a lot of determination. That means to keep working at something without giving up. Let’s build the word determination. Can you clap the word with your partner and listen for how many syllables it has? Whoa! I heard five claps! That means this word must have five syllables. De-ter-mi-na-tion.” The teacher says the syllables slowly, matching the rhythm of the clapping, and says: “One of the hardest things about building a big word like determination, is making sure you don’t skip any of the parts in the middle. To make sure we record all the syllables we hear, let’s draw a line for each one. If de—ter—mi— na—tion has five syllables, then I need to draw five lines.” The materials are written in a narrative format and do not provide scripted direct (explicit) instruction for identifying syllable types and applying knowledge of syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words.
• In Unit 4, Session 14, the teacher distributes sheets of sentences and coaches students as they identify prefixed words. Then, students make a scrapbook of prefixes. The session does not include specific and precise terms, phrasing, and statements that teachers should use during the session; it does not provide explicit instruction in identifying syllable types and applying that knowledge to decoding and encoding.

Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review).

• Materials do not incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review). For example, in Unit 2, Session 6, the students work with partners to decode multisyllabic words by breaking them into syllables. The partners take turns reading, with one partner reading and the other keeping watch to make sure that they each read all the parts of every word. The teacher says: “I’m going to turn this page over to you now. Read the rest of it with a partner. Take turns being the reader and the friend keeping watch. Use all you know about breaking words into parts and reading them from tip to tail. Remember that our anchor chart, ‘Tackling Long Words Part by Part,’ can help if you need a reminder.” The teacher gives students the “Draco Lizards” text to read with their partners. However, materials do not include a variety of activities or resources to develop, practice, and reinforce syllabication skills.
• In Unit 3, Session 17, during the lesson “Reading like a Pirate,” the teacher calls upon the students to do some pretending. Students pretend to be pirates and look out for vowels controlled with rr. The teacher rallies students to read like a pirate, highlighting vowels with r. The shared reading “Why Pirates Wore Eye Patches” is used to practice word skills. However, materials do not include a variety of activities or resources to develop, practice, and reinforce syllabication skills.
• In Unit 2, Session 5, students recognize and use syllables that contain a consonant followed by le. In this lesson, the teacher uses word cards and lists, pictures of words with consonant le syllables, and an anchor chart. However, materials do not include a variety of activities or resources to develop, practice, and reinforce syllabication skills.

Materials provide a variety of activities and resources for students to practice decoding and encoding one syllable or multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts).

• Materials do not provide a variety of activities and resources for students to practice decoding and encoding one-syllable or multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). For example, in Small Group 37, the teacher encourages students to make real words using prefixes and suffixes. Students are able to practice encoding words; however, materials do not provide a variety of activities and resources to decode and encode multisyllabic words in isolation and in connected text.
• In Unit 4, Session 3, the teacher distributes word collection folders to students. The teacher states: “I’m going to pretend that Gus and I are in our own word collector club. Actually, I need two more members. Will two of you from the same club join Gus and my club for just a few minutes, just on loan? Bring your club’s word collection folder with you. Okay, club, let’s call our meeting to order. Today, at our word collector club meeting, we need to take some of the words in our collections and invent fun things to do with those words so that we break them in, like we break in new jeans. Let’s each choose a word from our collection.” The teacher is prompted to open the club’s folder and select a word. The session does not provide activities and resources for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts).

Evaluation for 3.C.4
Materials connect phonics instruction to meaning by providing systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review related to developing morphological awareness.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials connect some phonics instruction to meaning by providing systematic and direct (explicit) instruction, practice, and review related to developing morphological awareness.

Materials provide some sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS.. Materials provide some instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes, often relying on student response rather than scripted, direct instruction. Materials provide some direct (explicit) instruction for using the meanings of morphemes (e.g., affixes and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. Materials include some activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and cumulatively reinforce skills. Materials provide some activities that encourage students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts).

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials provide a systematic sequence for introducing grade level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS.

• Materials provide a sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes. In some instances, the lessons extend beyond what is expected of the grade-level TEKS, including inflectional endings with spelling changes. For example, in Unit 2, Session 15, students learn about plurals with -s and -es. In Session 16, the teacher introduces changing y to i before adding -es or -ed. In Session 17, students learn about -tion and -ly.
• In Unit 3, Session 11, students revisit changing y to i before adding -es or -ed. In Session 12, students learn to drop final e when adding endings that start with a vowel.
• In Unit 4, Session 13, students decode base words and prefixes un-and non-. In Session 14, students learn the prefixes pre-, re-, and in-. In Unit 13, students learn prefixes im-, uni-, bi-, quad-, and oct-. In Session 17, students learn -ing, -ly, -ed, -est, and -er. In Session 18, students learn -ful and -less.
•  In Unit 4, Session 8, students learn to spell compound words and combine words to make new compound words based on the meaning of individual words. Lessons do not include contractions.

Materials provide direct (explicit) instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes.

• In Unit 2, Session 14, the teacher models writing with the word logging and then writes additional words with the double consonant (e.g., cutting, running, dropped). The teacher adds the words to the class anchor chart on spelling tips for words with endings. While the modeling is provided, the lesson relies on student writing as a model to teach the concept.
• In Unit 3, Session 12, the lesson focuses on adding inflected endings to words with long vowels. After posting inflectional endings on the board, the teacher says: “Take a careful look at these endings. Can you spot the ones that start with a vowel? You already know that you need to be careful when adding -ing or -ed to a word with silent e.” Then, the teacher models adding inflectional endings to dream and drive, demonstrating the need for a spelling change with the long vowel and silent e.
• In Unit 4, Session 14, the teacher introduces new prefixes: pre-, re-, and in-. The teacher shares a new chart, “To Learn a New Prefix,” outlining the steps: “Notice the Prefix. Figure out the word. Think of other words.” Then, the teacher uses students’ writing to highlight the prefix pre-and directs students to notice words with the prefix pre-. This does not provide direct instruction for these new prefixes.

Materials provide direct (explicit) instruction for using the meanings of morphemes (e.g., affixes and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension.

• Materials do not provide direct (explicit) instruction for using the meanings of morphemes (e.g., affixes and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. For example, in Unit 2, Session 14, the teacher tells the students: “Ready to learn a new prefix? First up is to notice words that start with a prefix. Read through these sentences and be on the lookout for words that start with extra letters—letters that might change the meaning of that word. Ready for the next step? It’s one of the trickiest. You’ve got to figure out what the prefix means. It can help to first cover up the prefix and zoom in on the word you do know.” Students identify that pre-means before. While the teacher guides students to figure out the meaning of the word, it is not explicitly taught how these morphemes can support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension.
• In Unit 4, Session 13, the lesson objective is learning “Prefixes change the meaning of words.” The narrative says: “Today, I want to teach you about prefixes. Prefixes are word parts that attach to the beginning of words. A prefix (like un-) has a meaning and it changes the meaning of the word to which it is attached.” The teacher adds the prefix un-to the word tie and demonstrates that it reversed the meaning of the word. While the teacher identifies the meaning of this word, it is not explicitly taught how these morphemes can support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension.

Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and cumulatively reinforce skills.

• Materials include some activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and cumulatively reinforce skills. In Small Group 37, the teacher says, “an interesting fact about one of the most famous writers of all time, William Shakespeare: he invented new words!” The teacher provides examples: overgrown, unhelpful, lonely, fashionable, distrustful, unreal, eventful, and comfortable. Next, the teacher shows students how to make a word using a root word and a prefix. The teacher encourages students to make real words.
• In Unit 2, Session 13, students learn to drop the final ending when adding vowel suffixes -ed and -ng. The teacher uses sticky notes when introducing a new concept, puts this concept on an anchor chart, and uses a piece of writing for students to edit using this skill.
• In Unit 2, Session 12, during “Rug Time,” the teacher passes out baggies of words. Students work together to add endings to words and practice dropping the e when needed. Students write their words on whiteboards.
• In Unit 4, Session 18, students read suffixes from an anchor chart and add other words they’ve made with suffixes. This provides practice but does not cumulatively reinforce skills.

Materials provide a variety of activities that encourage students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts).

• Some activities provide the opportunity to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation. For example, in Unit 2, Session 14, students learn when to double consonants before adding suffixes. To practice, students make words with phoneme cards; student writing is used to edit for this skill.
• In Unit 3, Session 10, the teacher introduces building words with the long e sound. The teacher guides students to use words like eat to make a more complex word like cheater. However, this evidence does not support materials incorporating a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills (through cumulative review).
• In Unit 4, Session 13, students read words with prefixes. Example words include un-and non-. Students read the “Prefix Riddle Song,” practicing reading words with prefixes in isolation and in connected text.
• In Unit 4, Session 14, the teacher distributes sheets of sentences and coaches students as they identify prefixed words. Then, students make a scrapbook of prefixes. This provides an isolated opportunity for students to decode and encode words with prefixes.

Evaluation for 3.D.1
Materials provide frequent opportunities for students to practice and develop word reading fluency, by using knowledge of grade-level phonics skills to read decodable connected texts with accuracy and automaticity.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials provide some opportunities for students to practice and develop word reading fluency, by using knowledge of grade-level phonics skills to read decodable texts with accuracy and automaticity.

Materials include some embedded modeling and practice with word lists, decodable phrases/sentences, and decodable texts in the lesson. Materials provide some activities for word fluency in the whole group, partners, and small groups. Materials include some grade-level decodable texts; however, they are not specifically aligned to the phonics scope and sequence or connected to the lesson sessions.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials include embedded modeling and practice with word lists, decodable phrases/sentences,and decodable texts in the lesson.

• The phonics sessions sometimes include embedded modeling and practice with word lists and decodable phrases/sentences. This type of modeling and practice is primarily used for practicing “snap words.” This is not consistently found in every lesson; it is sometimes found in the teaching portion of the lesson and sometimes in extensions. Printable materials can be accessed in the “Online Resources.”
• In Unit 2, Session 1, the teacher models reading sentences with multisyllabic words. The teacher first uses think-alouds to model decoding practice, then re-reads the sentence “The lowland streaked tenrec rubs its quills together to tell other tenrecs about danger nearby.” The annotation in the sidebar states: “The words will be a challenge for most readers. Students will need to slow down and rely more heavily on phonics to solve the words.”
• In Unit 4, Session 8, the extension involves reading stories using an activity called “Compound Combo Knowledge.” The teacher reads “Down at the Site,” dropping her voice at all compound words, and students read those words with the teacher.

Materials provide practice activities for word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in guided small groups, etc.)

• In Unit 2, Session 1, students read fact cards with a partner to practice reading challenging words following the steps “spot it, tackle it, then check it.”
• In Unit 2, Session 2, Extension 2, the teacher displays four words divided into syllables to the students: pic-nic, ten-nis, chip-munk, and den-tist. In this lesson, students engage in repeated practice of blending these multisyllabic words so the process of tackling words becomes more automatic.
• In Unit 4, Session 11, during “Rug Club,” students work in groups to make compound words using previously learned base words. Students work together to build words such as daylight, Sunday, nightlight, starlight, and firelight. The lesson does not include an activity for students to read the words they built. However, “Possible Coaching Moves” suggest, “See if your club can make up a silly story using all of the words.”
• Small groups are designed for students who need additional support in phonics. For example, in Small Group 13, students practice reading words with consonant trigraphs. The teacher guides the instruction; students read words with a partner, then read tongue twisters that include the sound-spelling pattern.

Materials provide a variety of grade level decodable texts that are aligned to the phonics scope and sequence.

• The materials include “Jump Rope Readers” for grades K and 1. These are decodable texts with grade-level high-frequency words and sound-spelling patterns. It is unclear if these readers are available for grade 2. However, the “Raspberry” series does include practice with the grade-level letter-sound correspondences, such as multisyllabic words with open and closed syllables oi, oy, au, and aw. These books are not specifically referenced in the Units of Study in Phonics grade 2 sessions.
• The Jump Rope Readers specifically outline the phonics patterns practiced in each set. Set B is designed for readers in first grade and early second grade. Set B includes 36 decodable books that introduce silent e, inflectional endings, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, diphthongs and complex vowels, consonant -le, soft c and g, the jobs of y, multisyllabic words, and high-frequency words.
• The “Decodable Guide” explains that these readers follow a scope and sequence aligned to the phonics progression in the Units of Study in Reading, but that most phonics programs also follow this progression. These decodables are not specifically referred to or used for practice within the Units of Study in Phonics. They are designed to supplement reading programs.

Evaluation for 4.1
Materials include developmentally appropriate diagnostic tools (e.g., formative and summative) and guidance for teachers to measure and monitor student progress.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials include some developmentally appropriate diagnostic tools (e.g., formative and summative) and guidance for teachers to measure and monitor student progress.

Materials include some diagnostic tools that are developmentally appropriate. Materials provide clear, consistent directions for accurate administration of diagnostic tools. Materials include some data management tools for tracking individual and whole class student progress.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:
 

Materials include a variety of diagnostic tools that are developmentally appropriate.

• Materials include a limited variety of assessments that are developmentally appropriate and can be used as diagnostic tools. For example, in A Guide to the Phonics Units of Study, Chapter 5, materials include three assessments for every grade 2 student, and these assessments provide limited information about students’ phonics knowledge. For students who have yet to reach proficiency levels, teachers can use kindergarten and grade 1 assessments as needed.
• The program suggests that these assessment tools can be used flexibly. Chapter 5 of the guide states: “Included with the assessment tools are the particulars of when to suggest giving these assessments, how to score them, and how to analyze the scores so you understand if children are on track at various points in the school year. We invite you to use the assessments in ways that will give you the most valuable information, depending on the needs of your students. If you’d like to give them more or less frequently, that’s fine. We intend this set of assessment tools not to be a rigid system or something that will take up inordinate amounts of precious instructional time, but to be an engaging, helpful way for you to check on your students’ progress and plan next steps.”
• Chapter 5 of the guide indicates that the following assessments should be formally administered to all grade 2 students: “Developmental Spelling: Help Gus Write a Picture Book: The Tall Slide”; “Developmental Spelling: Help Gus Write a Picture Book: The Butterfly Exhibit”; and “Troublemaker Words: Checking Your Word Book.” The materials indicate that a student should be assessed on letter-sound correspondence, concepts about print, or phonological awareness only if a student demonstrates weakness in one of these areas, or if the student did not pass the assessment in kindergarten.
• Chapter 5 of the guide indicates that the following assessments should be formally administered to all students: “Assessing Developmental Spelling” (during Unit 1, after Unit 3, and at the end of the year); and “Assessing Troublemaker Words” for children who are not keeping pace with learning troublemaker words after Unit 2.
• Chapter 5 of the Guide includes grade 2 assessment tools:
  • Assessing Developmental Spelling: “Help Gus Write a Picture Book: The Tall Slide.” Recording features in a format that matches expectations for the end of first grade/start of second grade: CVCe words, endings, advanced blends and digraphs, CVVC words, diphthongs, and R-controlled vowels, to fill in the blanks in sentences for a picture book.
  • Assessing Developmental Spelling: “Help Gus Write a Picture Book: The Butterfly Exhibit.” Recording features in a format that matches expectations for the end of second grade: complex consonants, R-controlled phonograms, CVVC/vowel teams, diphthongs, open syllables, final syllables, and inflectional endings, to fill in the blanks in sentences for a picture book.
  • Assessing Troublemaker Words: “Checking Your Word Book.” Reading high-frequency words and other important words with automaticity and writing high-frequency and other important words with automaticity.

Materials provide clear, consistent directions for accurate administration of diagnostic tools.

• Materials provide clear, consistent directions for the administration of assessments that might be used as diagnostic tools. For example, the Appendix of the Guide to the Phonics Units of Study contains an assessment for developmental spelling. The teacher gives students a copy of “Help Max Write a Picture Book: The Tall Slide,” and students are asked to write their names on the booklet. The teacher gives students words to spell. Students spell the words. The teacher scores using the “Developmental Spelling Scoring Assessment Sheet.” The scoring sheet is broken down to identify “Initial CVCe Words, Endings, Blends/Digraphs, CVVC, Diphthongs, and R-Controlled Vowels.” The procedure states:
  • Choose the version of the assessment you will give, depending on the time of year and your students’ level of proficiency. Version 1, The Tall Slide, assesses end-of-firstgrade phonics features. You might use this at the beginning of the year to see what your students remember from first grade. The Version 2 assessment, The Butterfly Exhibit, tests phonics features students will learn across the year in second grade. You might give it several times across the school year to assess students’ knowledge of these second grade skills.
  • Give each child a copy of the three-page story booklet. Ask them to write their names on the back of the booklet.
  • Refer to the Story Guidesheet. Read the introduction to set up the activity. Read the transcript of the story, repeating the noted words and asking the children to write those words where indicated on the booklet. Encourage students to say the word slowly to hear the sounds (like they do in writing workshop). Do not stretch the word for students.
  • Encourage students to reread their pages to make sure everything looks right.
  • Collect the books and score them using the Developmental Spelling Assessment Scoring Sheet. Make plans to follow up with students who need additional support.
• The Appendix of the guide contains another assessment for developmental spelling. The teacher gives students a copy of “Help Max Write a Picture Book: The Butterfly Exhibit.” The teacher asks students to write their names on the booklet. The teacher gives students words to spell. Students spell the words. The teacher scores using the Developmental Spelling Scoring Assessment Sheet. The scoring sheet assesses identifying complex consonants, r-controlled phonograms, CVVC/vowel teams, diphthongs, open syllables, final syllables, and inflectional endings.

Materials include data management tools for tracking individual and whole class student progress.

• Materials include data management tools for tracking individual student progress. For example, Chapter 5 of the Guide to Phonics Units of Study states: “The purpose of these assessments is to check whether a child is developing phonics skills, and whether the skills are developing progressively so that you can shift your vigilance to other aspects of development. It is not really all that important to mark the difference between proficient and highly proficient phonics skills—those who are skilled with phonics will be putting most of their attention to reading and writing itself rather than AP level phonics achievements. Therefore, for students for whom reading, writing, speaking, and listening appear to be progressing at pace, a detailed analysis of each minute portion of that child’s knowledge of phonics is usually not necessary. On the other hand, it is helpful for you to be able to see when the phonics instruction isn’t sticking so that you can give that youngster an extra hand now, rather than waiting. If a student’s progress is worrying or puzzling you, you will want to conduct more detailed assessments to better understand what is going on. Chances are good you can make a world of difference.” The Appendix includes materials, including recording tools for the assessments as well as tables to help teachers with interpretation; however, there is no data management tool to track whole class progress. For example, the Developmental Spelling Assessment Scoring Sheet includes a table for the teacher to record individual student responses to the words, identifying CVCe words, endings, advanced blends and digraphs, CVVC words, diphthongs, r-controlled vowels, open syllables, final syllables, and inflectional endings.
• The Appendix to the guide contains the grade 2 Developmental Spelling assessment “Help Gus Write a Picture Book: The Tall Slide.” The assessment has a recording page in a format that matches expectations for the end of first grade/start of second grade: CVCe words, endings, advanced blends and digraphs, CVVC words, diphthongs, and r-controlled vowels, to fill in the blanks in sentences for a picture book. Although the assessment has a recording page for each individual student, it does not have data management tools for tracking whole class student progress.
   

Evaluation for 4.2
Materials include integrated progress monitoring tools, with specific guidance on frequency of use.

The materials partially meet the criteria of the indicator. Materials include some integrated progress monitoring tools, with specific guidance on frequency of use.

Materials include progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students’ acquisition of grade-level skills. Materials include some specific guidance on determining frequency of progress monitoring based on students’ strengths and needs.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials include progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students’acquisition of grade level skills.

• Materials include some progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students’ acquisition of grade-level skills. The Appendix of the Guide to the Phonics Units of Study includes an “Assessment Tools” section that includes a recommended assessment schedule. The materials state: “We invite you to use the assessments in ways that will give you the most valuable information, depending on the needs of your students. If you’d like to give them more or less frequently, that’s fine. We intend this set of assessment tools not to be a rigid system or something that will take up inordinate amounts of precious instructional time, but to be an engaging, helpful way for you to check on your students’ progress and plan next steps.” The assessment can be used as a progress monitoring assessment or as a phonics diagnostic, since teachers analyze each word and record a score for each sound-spelling pattern or letter sound. For example, “Assessing Developmental Spelling” is given three times to monitor students’ phonic concepts.
• A Guide to the Phonics Units of Study, Chapter 5, includes grade 2 assessment tools:
  • “Assessing Developmental Spelling: Help Gus Write a Picture Book: The Tall Slide.” Recording features in a format that matches expectations for the end of first grade/start of second grade: CVCe words, endings, advanced blends and digraphs, CVVC words, diphthongs, and R-controlled vowels, to fill in blanks in sentences for picture books.
  • “Assessing Developmental Spelling: Help Gus Write a Picture Book: The Butterfly Exhibit.” Recoding features in a format that matches expectations for the end of second grade: complex consonants, R-controlled phonograms, CVVC/vowel teams, diphthongs, open syllables, final syllables, and inflectional endings, to fill in the blanks in sentences for a picture book.
  • “Assessing Troublemaker Words: Checking Your Word Book.” Reading and writing high-frequency and other important words with automaticity.
  • Materials mention, “Assess letter-sound correspondence, concepts about print, or phonological awareness only if a child demonstrates weakness in one of these areas, or if he or she did not pass the assessment in kindergarten.”

Materials include specific guidance on determining frequency of progress monitoring based on students’ strengths and needs.

• Chapter 5 of the Guide to the Phonics Units of Study mentions: “We’ve compiled efficient, engaging assessments to accompany this series—five that you will use with every kindergarten child and, assuming those children ‘test out’ of those five assessments, two that you’ll use for children once they are in first grade, and two for children in second grade. Of course, some first-graders will need to be tested on the initial five assessments. Each assessment focuses on a different aspect of phonics development, and each will help you ascertain whether the child is making progress in that area and whether she is roughly on par for the grade and for the time of the year. You will see that we recommend giving these assessments toward the end of particular units, roughly speaking.”
• Chapter 5 also indicates that the following assessments should be formally administered to all students: “Assessing Developmental Spelling” (during Unit 1, after Unit 3, and at the end of the year) and “Assessing Troublemaker Words” for children who are not keeping pace with learning troublemaker words after Unit 2.
• Materials offer general guidance on frequency of use. Specific guidance for students approaching level or below level is not given. Additionally, materials do not include timelines for checking progress on specific phonemic awareness and phonics patterns throughout the school year.

Evaluation for 4.3
Materials include guidance for teachers to analyze and respond to data from diagnostic tools.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials include some guidance for teachers to analyze and respond to data from diagnostic tools.

Materials support teachers’ analysis of diagnostic data to inform response to individual students’ strengths and needs. Diagnostic tools provide teachers with guidance on how to plan and differentiate instruction based on student data. Materials include some resources that align to data, allowing teachers to plan different activities in response to student data.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials support teachers’ analysis of diagnostic data to inform response to individual students’ strengths and needs.

• Materials partially support teachers’ analysis of diagnostic data to inform response to individual students’ strengths and needs. For example, in A Guide to the Phonics Units of Study, Chapter 5, the teacher is told: “You will want to use the data from your groups as a whole to identify patterns to inform your instruction in the first phonics unit. If you notice, for example, that most children in your class know most of their letters and sounds, you’ll progress through the first unit at a faster clip than if many students know very few letters.”
• Chapter 5 of the guide states: “Included with the assessment tools are the particulars of when to suggest giving these assessments, how to score them, and how to analyze the scores so you understand if children are on track at various points in the school year. We invite you to use the assessments in ways that will give you the most valuable information, depending on the needs of your students. If you’d like to give them more or less frequently, that’s fine. We intend this set of assessment tools not to be a rigid system or something that will take up inordinate amounts of precious instructional time, but to be an engaging, helpful way for you to check on your students’ progress and plan next steps. You’ll be able to use the results of the developmental spelling assessments to plan a wealth of customized instruction. You’ll be able to see at a glance which phonics features your students struggle with, using this information to understand which concepts to reinforce for your whole class, for small groups, and for individual students.”
• Also in Chapter 5, after assessing letter/sound knowledge, teachers are told to identify students who have “very little knowledge of the alphabet.” The materials state: “It’s crucial that you don't wait before giving those children extra opportunities to work with their alphabet. In the Small Groups to Support Phonics, you’ll find practical suggestions for small group work to support letter knowledge and letter-sound correspondence. In addition, tap the power of environmental print, shared texts, and especially children’s writing to help them learn more about the alphabet as soon as possible. You might also assess the child’s phonological awareness, blending, and segmenting because chances are good that the child will also need some shoring up in this area.” Materials also state that children who know all letters/sounds no longer need this assessment. For students who are not demonstrating mastery, the teacher should “continue to pull out this assessment at frequent intervals, marking off more representative letters” as they see the student use them.
• After each assessment in phonics, the teacher is given a brief descriptive paragraph sharing implications for teaching if the data collected indicates the student needs additional practice on a certain foundational skill and concept. For example, in “Assessing Letter-Sound Correspondence,” directions for “Interpreting the Scores” mentions to follow the benchmark: “You’ll see two separate categories, one for letter identification, and one for letter sound. In the chart below, level 3 indicates the child is meeting grade-level expectations for that time of year. Level 4 indicates the child is exceeding grade-level expectations, and levels 1–2 indicate the child needs further support in this area…You will no longer give the assessment to children during each month listed below. Use the table to give you a general sense of how your students are progressing at a particular time of year, and not as an indicator of how often you need to assess.”

Diagnostic tools provide teachers with guidance on how to plan and differentiate instruction based on student data.

• Diagnostic tools provide teachers with some guidance on how to plan and differentiate instruction based on student data. For example, the Guide to the Phonics Units of Study, Chapter 5, states: “When you identify children who have very little knowledge of the alphabet, it’s crucial that you don’t wait before giving those children extra opportunities to work with the alphabet. In our book Small Groups to Support Phonics, you’ll find practical suggestions for small-group work to support letter knowledge and letter-sound correspondence.”
• Chapter 5 also states: “These efficient assessments will give you the information you need, in most cases, while still being realistic in their demands on your and your students’ time. From there, you’ll be better able to use the Units of Study resources to support particular students in targeted ways. We’ve constructed an Assessment If/Then resource in the Appendix that can guide you from the area of need to targeted instruction.”
• In Chapter 5 of the guide, the materials indicate that assessment data should be used at the end of each unit to guide instruction. The materials state that if “most” of the students demonstrate mastery on assessments at the end of the unit, then the teacher should proceed to the next unit, using the “If/Then” chart to locate specific supports for students who have not demonstrated mastery of specific skills. If most students do not show mastery, then the materials indicate that the teacher should use spiraled instruction and repeated exposure to concepts from the current unit before moving on. Materials recommend using the If/Then chart with assessment results to identify which skills to reteach and how to reteach them.
• The “Assessing Phonological Awareness, Blending, and Segmenting” teacher guide provides guidance for scoring. It states: “For children whose phonological awareness is progressing normally, you can expect phase growth through exposure to language and through your reading, writing, and phonics instruction. Below is a chart that indicates when you can expect children to demonstrate proficiency in the different levels of phonological awareness indicated by this assessment. Note that this assessment is not meant as a formal diagnostic tool, but rather as a way to identify children who would benefit from extra support with blending or segmenting at a particular time of year. Once a child is able to blend or segment a word from row 6, you do not have to give that portion (blending or segmenting) of the assessment again.”

Materials include a variety of resources that align to data, allowing teachers to plan different activities in response to student data.

• Materials include some resources that align to data, allowing teachers to plan different activities in response to student data. For example, the Guide to the Phonics Units of Study, Chapter 1, indicates the teacher should provide students with flexibility in expressing what they know by offering alternatives to whiteboards, such as magnetic letters, iPads, or voice-activated technology when appropriate. These resources are used at the lesson level and are not included in diagnostic assessments.
• Chapter 1 also states that the whole group nature of the phonics lessons means that “utterly crucial” differentiation for individual students will take place in small group work during teacher-led small groups. Small group work is guided by the assessment-driven Small Groups to Support Phonics. Small group assessments are not diagnostic.
• In the Small Groups to Support Phonics “Introduction,” the materials state that small group lessons are not meant to be progressed through in a chapter-by-chapter fashion, but used by the teacher to “dip in and out of…chapters in ways that respond to…needs and interests” of their students. The small group resource states that it is primarily used to support students’ development as readers and writers, transfer all the teaching during phonics time into their reading and writing, and provide individualized assessment-based support. The activities in this resource primarily support reading and writing skills.
   

Evaluation for 5.1
Materials include guidance, scaffolds, supports, and extensions that maximize student learning potential.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials include some guidance, scaffolds, supports, and extensions that maximize student learning potential.

Materials provide some targeted instruction and activities to scaffold learning for students who have not yet mastered grade-level foundational phonics skills. Materials provide some targeted instruction and activities to accelerate learning for students who have achieved grade-level mastery of foundational phonics skills. Materials provide some enrichment activities for all levels of learners.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials provide targeted instruction and activities to scaffold learning for students who have not yet mastered grade level foundational phonics skills.

• Chapter 4 of the Guide to the Phonics Units of Study explains that the teacher will lead small group lessons daily during reading and writing workshop time to provide more practice with foundational skills. The small group lessons are detailed in a teacher guide, “Small Groups to Support Phonics,” and determined by the assessments indicated in the assessment schedule. Materials suggest that, among others, students who are English language learners and students with dyslexia will benefit from small-group foundational skills instruction in addition to whole-group instruction.
• Small group materials include guidance for teachers and targeted activities to support students who have not yet mastered phonics spelling patterns. In Small Group 2, students work on VCE words. The teacher writes the word hat on a whiteboard, and the students read the word; the teacher changes it to hate, and the students read it with the long vowel sound. Students examine the pairs man/mane, hid/hide, slim/slime. Then, students teach each other, with one student pretending to be a grade 1 student.
• Core lessons (mini-lessons) do not provide suggestions for scaffolding learning for students who have not yet mastered grade-level foundational phonics skills. For example, in Unit 2, Session 3, during the mini-lesson “Breaking Words Into Parts Between Two Consonants in the Middle,” the teacher reads a story about ants. The teacher states: “When something is too large to carry, you break it into smaller, more manageable parts. When there are two consonants side by side in the middle of the word, you can break the word into parts right there, between those consonants.” During “Rug Time,” the students name some word endings they know, such as in buttoning, customer, galloped, happening, signaled, publisher, borrowed, entertaining. This lesson does not include suggestions on how to provide targeted instruction for students who have not yet mastered this phonics skill.

Materials provide targeted instruction and activities to accelerate learning for students who have achieved grade level mastery of foundational phonics skills.

• There are extensions included in each lesson, but these are intended for general instructional purposes. The Guide to the Phonics Units of Study, Chapter 3, states that extensions are “optional, quick activities to be tucked into transition moments across the day.” The guide further states that extensions could give students further opportunities to solidify their understanding of that day’s instruction. For example, “An extension might channel kids to chant a rhyme in which they manipulate initial phonemes or sing a song in which they practice rhyming patterns—while they line up for lunch.” Other extensions suggest ways to bring the day’s phonics work into a reading or writing workshop. Extensions do not support students who have achieved grade-level mastery of foundation phonics skills.
• For example, in the mini-unit, Session 5, the first “Extension” states: “Getting Ready: find a student who has used a powerful pattern to spell a tricky word in writing workshop, or quietly prompt a student to do so and then pretend he came up with the idea on his own. Talk up how a classmate used a powerful pattern to help spell a word during writing workshop.”
• “Challenge Time” activities provide an opportunity to practice a skill. They do not include targeted instruction or activities to accelerate learning. In Small Group 16, following the Challenge Time suggested activity, the teacher invites students to work on their own writing by noticing misspelled words, looking for patterns in their mistakes, and fixing those mistakes. The teacher gives the students a few minutes to work on fixing up their own writing. Then, students share what they noticed with their partners and talk about how they are going to remind themselves to not make those spelling mistakes again. The materials provide some targeted instruction and activities to accelerate learning for students who have achieved grade-level mastery of foundational phonics skills by challenging them.
• Lessons include instruction using think-alouds and the opportunity to apply new concepts in writing, with teacher cues to support the skill. Lessons do not include specific targeted instruction to support students who have achieved grade-level mastery. In Unit 1, Session 15, during the mini-lesson “Learning Everything You Need to Know about Phonics from Rhyming Books,” the teacher reintroduces old friends Mabel and Rasheed. The teacher reads aloud “Knight School.” The students notice rhymes in the text. During Rug Time, the teacher presents the pattern wheel song and chart “How to find Powerful Word Patterns.”

Materials provide enrichment activities for all levels of learners.

• In Chapter 3 of the Guide to the Phonics Units of Study, the materials include a section on “Special Activities in Phonics Curriculum,” which shares a handful of activities that teachers will use throughout the phonics curriculum. Materials state: “Just as it is helpful in the reading and writing workshop to hone your skills in teaching or leading groups, in guided reading using learning progression to help kids self-assess and set goals, in engaging in shared reading—so, too, it is helpful to hone your skills in the activities that will be the cornerstone of your phonics curriculum.” These activities include shared reading, “Guess the Cover Word/Word Part,” word sorts, making words, and interactive writing, editing, and dications. While some enrichment activities are included, not all activities support phonics instruction or support all levels of learners.
• For example, the Guess the Covered Word activity allows students to practice word-solving strategies while engaging in the reading process. The materials explain that to teach this method, the teacher will strategically cover up words or parts of words in text that students read together with the teacher. To solve a covered word (or word part), students draw information from a number of sources (syntax, meaning, visual support), using all that information to help them figure out what has been covered. This activity does support enrichment for all levels of learners.
• Lessons include games and activities that support further application of a new skill. For example, in mini-unit 2, Session 1, the instructions state, “Invite partners to play ‘Mind Reader’ or ‘Secret Word’ to learn their troublemaker words, once and for all.” The teacher shares the rules under the document camera. These are not designed to provide opportunities to extend learning for all students.
• Small groups are designed for additional practice with foundational skills. In Unit 3, Session 1, during the mini-lesson “Reading Carefully: Looking All the Way through Words,” the teacher reads a text and states: “I’ll read this page. If I make mistakes, catch them. Then when I finish reading, tell me my mistakes.” After students point out errors, the teacher has them reread with the teacher. Materials do not include additional enrichment activities to support all levels of learners.

Evaluation for 5.2
Materials include a variety of instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning interests and needs.

The materials partially meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials include some instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning interests and needs.

Materials include some developmentally appropriate instructional approaches to engage students in mastery of the content. Materials support some instructional settings, primarily whole group and small group instruction.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials include a variety of developmentally appropriate instructional approaches to engage students in mastery of the content.

• In Unit 1, Session 5, during the mini-lesson “Controlled Vowels,” a “Teaching Point” states, “When you are reading and writing words, you've got to watch out for those tricky R-controlled vowels /ar/ car, /er/ tiger, and /or/ fork.” During “Rug Time,” students work with the words scarf, yard, warm, carpet, shark, storm, world, cord, sports, tornado, hammer, doctor, river, dryer, boxer, tower, and otter. Materials do not include student mastery outside of the mini-lesson activities.
• In Unit 1, Session 13, students celebrate what they have learned about “troublemaker words,” or words that are difficult to spell. They work through the “Tackle a Word” process by finding the troublemaker part, chanting it, finding a word inside of it, or inventing a new way of saying the word. Then, they mark up the word on a sign to teach others their invented trick to remember how to spell the word. Materials do not include instructional strategies during the mini-lesson for students to practice the skill of isolation, deletion, and replacement of phonemes.
• In Unit 3, Session 2, during “Active Engagement/Link,” the materials state, “Set partners up to write another multisyllabic word by clapping the syllables, drawing a horizontal line for each syllable, and then spelling each one to the best of their abilities.” The teacher says: “All right team, will you try another word with your partner? How about the word screwdriver? Using your whiteboards, try to build the word screwdriver. Clap it, say it again, and draw a little line for each syllable, then write it using everything you know!” The teacher also points to an associated chart while speaking. As partners begin working, the teacher circulates among the students and coaches. The teacher states: “Remember to say it again, with the same rhythm! Draw a line for each syllable! Now think about the first syllable, how might you spell screw? Then record the next syllable.” The teacher gives students a little time to work and then quickly writes the word under the document camera before calling them back together. Materials include some developmentally appropriate instructional approaches to engage students in mastery of the content; however, these activities are isolated to whole group instruction and do not allow for mastery of the content.
   

Materials support a variety of instructional settings (e.g., whole group, small group, one on one).

• Materials do not frequently support one-on-one instructional settings. In Unit 1, Session 12, students learn about homophones. Students begin in a whole class discussion about two, to, and too. They chorally read a sentence with the three words and discuss the meanings. Then they use picture clues to help distinguish the words. During Rug Time, students work with their partners to edit text with homophones. Materials support whole group and small group instruction; however, the small group consists of pairs of students or “Rug Clubs,” and their work is not targeted or differentiated.
• The materials support the small group instructional setting. For example, in Small Groups to Support Phonics, an activity titled “Rally Them and Activate Phonics” states: “Invite children to put together a bunch of word puzzles containing ending digraphs. Ask them to group the words into categories and articulate their reasons for the categories.” The teacher says, “Readers… Writers… will you help put these word puzzles back together?” The teacher distributes word cards, cut into pieces, to each student. The teacher coaches the students not only to categorize the words but also to articulate why they go together.
• The materials support the whole group instructional setting. For example, in Unit 2, Session 3, during the mini-lesson “Breaking Words into Parts between Two Consonants in the Middle,” the teacher reads a story about ants. The teacher states: “When something is too large to carry, you break it into smaller, more manageable parts. When there are two consonants side by side in the middle of the word, you can break the word into parts right there, between those consonants.” During Rug Time, the students name some word endings they know, such as in buttoning, customer, galloped, happening, signaled, publisher, borrowed, and entertaining.

Evaluation for 5.3
Materials include supports for Emergent Bilinguals to meet grade-level learning expectations.

The materials do not meet the criteria for this indicator. Materials do not include supports for Emergent Bilinguals to meet grade-level learning expectations.

Materials do not include linguistic accommodations (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). Materials do not encourage strategic use of students’ first language as a means to linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic development in English.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials include linguistic accommodations (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS).

• In the Guide to the Phonics Units of Study, Chapter 2 is titled “Anticipate, Observe, and Support Phonics Development (including English Learners and Students with Dyslexia).” The section “Supporting English Language Learners in Phonics” provides the teacher with knowledge on the development of English for English learners. The guide states that the “quick and easy” steps for teachers of English learners are “to involve children in a rich classroom culture that includes talk and play, interactive read-alouds, and interactive writing to promote language acquisition.” The guidance states that when extra support is given as pull-out instruction, English learners can lose out on critical social support. This guidance does not include linguistic accommodations (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency as defined by the ELPS.
• In another example, the guide states, “We suggest that you focus very deliberately on embedding phonics instruction into your writing workshop and on bringing writing times.” It further explains that using letters and sounds to represent words that capture the student’s “life story, his or her interests, and language and thoughts” means the student “will be working with phonics within a context that is saturated in meaning.” No specific lesson guidance is provided for the teacher to support Emergent Bilinguals.
• In the “Online Resources,” materials include a section titled “Spanish Language Resources.” The drop-down states: “Please note that the Units of Study in Phonics does not teach Spanish language phonics. These Spanish translations are intended to support teachers with Spanish-speaking students who are learning phonics in English.” “Teaching Points” and “Classroom Materials/Charts” are included. Such resources are fully written in Spanish. No specific guidance is provided on how to incorporate these resources within instruction.
• Although the materials provide resources in Spanish, materials do not support other languages. The units do not include linguistic accommodations commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency as defined by the ELPS. There is no evidence of the materials providing suggestions for ways that the teacher can support Emergent Bilinguals through shared reading, songs, chants, or poems. The materials do not promote cooperative group work or recommend strategic selection of student groupings to support Emergent Bilinguals. Therefore, materials do not include support for Emergent Bilinguals to meet grade-level learning expectations.

Materials encourage strategic use of students’ first language as a means to linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic development in English.

• In the guide, Chapter 2, the Supporting English Language Learners in Phonics section states: “Pictures alone won’t be as effective as when you are also having gestures to go with new words. As you invite kids in joining you to make the continuous /f/ sound for fish, for example, bring your palms together and make the gesture for swimming and invite them to do the same.” Materials mention that “the problem–and this is alarmingly common–is that too often, they are learning to do this in the absence of comprehension.” These activities promote building language acquisition.
• Although the materials provide guidance for supporting English learners, support for languages other than Spanish was not found. The phonics units do not include strategic use of students’ first language as a means to linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic development in English. There is no evidence of the materials providing information about language transfer in a handbook, a side-by-side chart, or within lesson plans. There is no evidence of professional development about how and why to promote and build first language proficiency. The materials do not include family letters explaining the instructional objectives and/or homework in languages other than English. Also, the materials do not include links to resources for translation or support in first languages.