6th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations that anchor texts are of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests. 

Many of the texts studied within the units are noted literary works. Others are modern texts that have received recognition and literary awards. There are considerable opportunities for nonfiction texts to support literary texts. There is a wide variety of texts, including graphic novels, memoirs, narrative nonfiction available to students. None of the texts reviewed were considered to be of low quality. 

Examples of high-quality texts include, but are not limited to: 

• In Unit 6A, students read excerpts from the classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. This is an engaging, timeless text with rich language that is captivating for middle school students.
• In Unit 6B, students read Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, a contemporary historical fiction novel that is gripping and high- interest with strong content, rich language, and supports the other texts within the unit.
• In Unit 6C, students read “Is It Fair to Each Chocolate?” from Skipping Stones by Deborah Dunn. This engaging article is thought-provoking and rich in content and academic vocabulary.
• In Unit 6D, students read “Prometheus” from Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths written by Bernard Evslin. This classic myth has rich language and is engaging. 
• In Unit 6E, students read an Excerpt from Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario. This nonfiction account of a teenage boy’s search for his mother from Honduras to the United States is modern and engaging, as well as rich in content and language.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

The balance of informational and literary texts across the year provides a coherent mix of literary and informational text types across topics for the school year. There is a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by the standards, including historical fiction, folktales, non-fiction, biographies, journal articles, speeches, plays, and historical accounts. The varying units provide a total mix of 40% Literary text and 60% Informational text.

Examples of literature found within the instructional materials include, but are not limited to:

• Unit 6A--Excerpt from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 
• Unit 6B--Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Unit 6C—”The Red-Headed League” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Unit 6D--Excerpt from The Odyssey, a graphic novel
• Unit 6E--Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall 

The following are examples of informational texts found within the instructional materials:

• Unit 6A--Excerpt from Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder by Tony Hawk and Sean Mortimer
• Unit 6B--The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing by Suzanne Jurmain
• Unit 6C--Excerpt: “Good Harvest,” All Animals by Karen E. Lange
• Unit 6E--Excerpt from Enrique’s Journey by Sonai Nazario
• Unit 6F--“Letter from Mary Lines” by Mary Lines

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative and qualitative analysis.

The Grade 6 materials typically fall within the 6-8 Lexile band (925L to 1185L) and are within the appropriate rigor range in terms of qualitative measures, which measure elements of language, concepts and themes, and take into consideration the depth of the text itself. When texts fall above or below these bands, there are appropriate accompanying reader and task elements that justify the text's use in the yearlong materials.

Examples of text complexity include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, a single text, Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl (1080L) is used. While Dahl’s work is quantitatively complex, it is of low qualitative complexity. In this unit, students are learning to read like writers and focus on key narrative writing skills, such as creating a character. 
• In Sub-Unit 2, Lesson 5, Activity 2, the task demand is moderate. Students analyze how Dahl uses precise details and language to slow down and focus on one moment.
• Sub-Unit 3, Lesson 2, Activity 3, the task demand is moderate. Students reread a description, identify an overall impression, and select and explain the text details that give that impression.
• In Unit 6B, “Mysteries and Investigations,” the overall Lexile levels are 750L - 1080L. All three major texts are qualitatively complex for this point in the school year. Students learn to read like an investigator by identifying, organizing, and evaluating evidence.
• In Sub-unit 2, Lesson 2, Activity 4. Text: Passage from The Secret of the Yellow Death by Suzanne Jurmain. 1010L. Qualitative: moderate. Task Demand: Moderate - students look closely at both explicit and figurative language choices to analyze how a key concept and key character are introduced.
• In Sub-unit 2, Lesson 15, Activity 4. Text: Newspaper Article “Yellow Fever Circles Brazil’s Huge Cities” by Shasta Darlington and Donald G. McNeil Jr. Lexile: n/a . Qualitative: moderate. Task Demand: moderate - students identify central ideas and supporting details.
• In Unit 6C, “The Chocolate Collection,” the overall Lexile levels of the texts provided are 860L-1540L. The texts for this unit are a collection consisting mostly of informational texts, including primary and secondary sources in different forms such as book chapters, newspaper articles, letters, photographs, and advertisements. There are also literature selections such as excerpts from an opera libretto and a novel. In this unit, students read a range of texts on a topic, comparing and contrasting the author’s perspectives. While the range of Lexile levels are somewhat outside the recommended band for Grade 6, the selections are appropriate due to factors including the short length of many texts, the provision of definitions for challenging vocabulary, and the inclusion of comprehension questions to support the reader.
• In Sub-unit 3, Lesson 3, Activity 3. Text: Poem “Chocolate” by Rita Dove. Lexile: n/a. Qualitative: low complexity. Task Demand: moderate - compare and contrast the experience of a poet reading her poem to the experience of reading the poem themselves, specifically compare their understanding of a key idea, feeling, or detail conveyed through each experience.
• In Sub-unit 4, Lesson 3, Activity 3. Text: Student-identified website about chocolate, pertaining to his/her research question. Lexile: n/a. Qualitative: n/a. Task Demand: moderate - identify central ideas and textual evidence to support them.
• In Unit 6D, “The Greeks,” the publisher reports that the texts comprise a range of Lexile levels from 870L - 1140L, but individual text listings provide a range from 870L - 1240L. Myths are qualitatively complex for this point in the year. In this unit, students analyze what the characters in myths show us about human nature.
• In Sub-unit 1, Lesson 4, Activity 4. Text: “Prometheus” from Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin. Lexile 870. Qualitative: high. Task Demand: moderate (analyze a character’s actions to evaluate the fairness of the consequence).
• In Sub-unit 3, Lesson 3, Activity 3. Text: “Arachne” from Selected Tales of Ovid by Ted Hughes. Lexile n/a. Qualitative: moderate. Task Demand: moderate (explain how Minerva's tapestry reflects her argument).
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas,” the overall Lexile levels of texts are 770L - 1140L. In this unit, students trace “the hero’s journey” of the main character, analyzing the extensive allusion to The Odyssey. While the quantitative complexity of texts in this unit is mixed, the qualitative complexity is moderate, and the task demands are moderate to high.
• In Sub-unit 1, Lesson 13, Activity 6. Texts include excerpts from The Odyssey by Homer, translated by E.V. Rieu. Lexile: 1140L. Qualitative score: moderate. Task demand: moderate (compare and contrast Odilia and Odysseus based on their encounters with monsters.)
• In Sub-unit 2, Lesson 1. Text: Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall. Lexile: 770L. Qualitative score: moderate. Task demand: high (analyze a character’s trait and how it impacts her hero’s journey).
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection,” the publisher reports that the overall Lexile levels are 800L - 1620L. In this unit, students learn about the sinking of the Titanic, examining the event from multiple perspectives and considering the event through different lenses, such as gender and class. The qualitative complexity of the text in this unit is high.
• In Sub-unit 3, Lesson 1, Activity 4. Texts: “A Letter from Mary Lines” (1912) and a secondary source website of the students’ choice. Lexile: n/a. Qualitative score: n/a. Task demand: moderate (compare and contrast information from primary and secondary sources)
• In Sub-unit 6, Lesson 1. Text: excerpt from “There is Your Beautiful Nightdress Gone” from A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. Lexile: n/a. Qualitative score: n/a. Task demand: moderate (analyze the difference in treatment between first class and steerage passengers).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations that materials support students’ literacy skills (understanding and comprehension) over the course of the school year through increasingly complex text to develop independence of grade level skills (Series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels).

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 provide students the opportunity to interact with increasingly complex texts as the units evolve throughout the school year. Each unit builds in complexity through the different types of texts that students are asked to interact with. At the start of the school year, students work with texts that are relatively simple and contain ideas that they can relate to in order to build both stamina and confidence in reading. Throughout the rest of the year, the texts that they encounter become increasingly more complex quantitatively as well as qualitatively in order to build their skills as an analytical reader. By the end of the year, students are being asked to engage with texts that are not only written in a more complex way, but that deal with issues, ideas, and emotions that are multi-faceted and challenging.

Examples of this include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, students read Roald Dahl’s Boy: Tales of Childhood in addition to several other texts that focus on childhood experiences. In this autobiography, Dahl talks about his adventures and misadventures as a child in school. The writing of the text is relatively straight-forward, and even though Dahl is a British child and the words used to describe different things may at first be different for students, the writing is simple enough for students to effectively use context clues and their own experiences to understand the text. 
• In Unit 6D, the texts utilized are well-known Greek myths. The language and complexity of the text increases considerably from the first unit, however, the myths used are still known to many students and are easily accessible as stories. The language of these stories increases in complexity and the syntax is more complicated than in prior units, however, the tasks match the expectations and the multiple formative assessments and activities support students in accessing the more complex writing.
• In Unit 6F, students are provided with their most challenging reading as they are asked to engage with multiple different types of texts from letters, to manifests, to menus, to images from the Titanic. They are also asked to conduct their own research and read the resulting materials from that research. In this last unit of the year, students revisit all of the types of reading and skills they have learned throughout the rest of the units in order to be able to access the more complex texts in this final unit.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectation that texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level.

The materials provide the Lexile levels for each of the texts in the units, and explains what the texts in the units cover and how they are connected as well as what the students will be doing in the units with those texts. In addition to this, there is a Qualitative measure (QT) and rationale that indicates whether the text is at the accessible, moderate, or complex level. The rationale provides the teacher with information about organization, sentence and word complexity, and levels of meaning.  There is also a Reader and Task measure (RT) and rationale that again indicates if the tasks associated with the reading are accessible, moderate, or complex and then comments on what the tasks are asking students to do and how that relates to the quantitative and qualitative measure. The information provided does not explicitly state why specific reading and tasks were placed within the school year.

Some examples of the Lexile and reasoning provided include, but are not limited to:

• For Unit 6A, the rationale is on page 14 of the “Grade Overviews” and includes the core text with its Lexile level, Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roahl Dahl (1090L).  In addition to this, the Qualitative Level of the text is listed at between accessible and moderate. The rationale tells the teacher that the text “relies on little discipline knowledge” and what is required is fully explained within the text. The Reader and Task measure also lands between accessible and moderate. The rationale tells the teacher that “Tasks and activities may contain some complexity, balanced with engaging topics”. These details combined show why and how this text is appropriate for the start of the school year.
• For Unit 6C, the rationale is on page 16 of the “Grade Overviews” and lists the Lexile for the unit at 860L-1540L. The Unit Summary tells the reader that “students explore primary documents and conduct independent research to understand the strange and wide range of roles that chocolate has played in cultures around the world throughout its long history.” Because of these types of activities, the Lexile range for the materials is understandably wide. The Qualitative Level for the texts are listed as between moderate and complex and the rationale tells the teacher that “Texts include multiple or intricate purposes” and “The subject matter requires knowledge of discipline or of other texts.” In addition to this information, the Reader and Task measure is also listed at between moderate and complex. The rationale tells the teacher that “Tasks and activities contain nuance and complexity; require students to be persistent; make high level of inferences; students benefit from the knowledge they have built throughout the unit.” The QL and RT information explains why the Lexile range is so broad and why the varied complexities of the texts are appropriate to the task.
• For Unit 6E, the rationale is on page 18 of the “Grade Overviews” and lists the Lexile for the main novel Summer of the Mariposas as 860L. The Reader and Task rating on this unit is between the moderate and complex level and the rationale tells the teacher that “Tasks and activities contain nuance and complexity, balanced with engaging topics; activities often require inferencing; students benefit from the knowledge they have built throughout the unit.” This information matches the thinking behind using a text that has a lower Lexile level as well as a Qualitative Level that lands at the moderate level this late in the school year. Because the students are being asked to access high level and complex tasks, the text level is appropriately lower than in previous units.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of texts to achieve grade level reading. 

Each unit is centered around a core theme and uses a variety of texts within each unit. In each lesson, students interact with text through either whole-class instruction, reading with a partner, and independent reading, or a combination thereof. In addition, for every unit there are Solo activities which allow students to read additional texts that supplement their learning as well as flex days where teachers can assign additional independent reading as an option for student growth. Within the Amplify learning system, there is also an Amplify library where students can download the texts for the unit as well as independent reading materials. The texts included with the program span a wide variety of genres across both literary and informational text.

Some examples of these include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, “Dahl and Narrative,” students read a variety of texts to achieve grade level reading. For example, in Sub-unit 2, Lesson 5, students read excerpts from Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl (autobiography), including “The Bicycle and Sweet-shop”. Students independently read an excerpt from Chapter 1 of the autobiography The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. This lesson requires students to carefully study the excerpts in order to intentionally slow down a moment in the text and notice how an author incorporates detail into their writing. 
• In Sub-unit 2, Lesson 6, students read another excerpt from Boy: Tales of Childhood. This excerpt is titled “The Great Mouse Plot”. This lesson continues the emphasis on small moments in writing and in particular asks students to “show not tell” in their writing. 
• In Sub-unit 2, Lesson 10, students  independently read an excerpt from Tony Hawk's autobiography: Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder. The excerpt is from Chapter 2, "Spaz, That's Me!". In the activity, students compare and contrast this piece with the Roald Dahl autobiography. 
• In Unit 6B “Mysteries and Investigations,” students read the nonfiction book The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing by Suzanne Jurmain. They read related fiction including an excerpt from Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, as well as “The Speckled Band”, and “The Red-Headed League” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They also read a newspaper article on yellow fever in today’s world and The Hippocratic Oath. 
• In Sub-unit 2, Lessons 10-14, students read seven chapters from The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing independently and focus on key scenes to support comprehension as a part of the sub-unit’s lessons.
• In Sub-Unit 2, Lesson 10, they also read Letter from Mabel H. Lazear to Dr. James Carroll.
• In Sub-unit 2, Lesson 14, students read The Hippocratic Oath as a class. Students work in partnerships to paraphrase sections of the oath, then share their work “jigsaw” style. Later in the same lesson, students independently read and answer questions about “Yellow Fever Circles Brazil’s Huge Cities” from the New York Times. There is one day in the week when students read self-selected material. 
• In Unit 6D, “The Greeks,” Sub-unit 1, Lessons 1-5, students read 2 chapters from Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin. Lessons focus on the “Prometheus” story, while students read “Daedalus” independently. Guiding questions support readers’ comprehension of both chapters. Students then choose a myth from one of the following sources: Hero Tales by James Baldwin, Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, by Bernard Evslin, The Puffin Mahabharata by Namita Gokhale, or collections of Norse Mythology, Creation Myths, and End of Days stories compiled by the publisher in collaboration with Lapham’s Quarterly. An optional “challenge writing” task requires students to read an excerpt from the play Prometheus Bound by the Greek dramatist Aeschylus.
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas,” students read a variety of texts to achieve grade level reading. For example, in Sub-unit 2, Lesson 1, students are reading Summer of the Mariposas which is a fictional novel inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey. Throughout this sub-unit, students use the text to write an essay about what it is that allows the hero in Summer of the Mariposas to complete her hero’s journey.
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection,” Sub-unit 1, Lesson 1 and Sub-unit 2, Lessons 1-4, students read multiple short texts including letters from Titanic survivors, a testimony from a Titanic survivor, excerpts from several nonfiction books, excerpts from wireless transmissions, a newspaper article, two magazine articles, a poem and several websites of their choice. Students answer questions on each text to help them demonstrate their understanding. Students also have one day during which they  read materials of their own choosing.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). 

The materials are divided into six units of study, each with a variety of texts and activities that require students to engage directly with the texts.  Lessons include multiple methods of direct student interaction with the texts. Students are asked to employ strategies such as: “Use the Text,” “Select the Text,” “Work Visually,” “Use the Text as Referee,” and “Work Out Loud.”

Students are also required to complete text-dependent tasks in unit assessments, culminating writing tasks, and during reading tasks. In addition, text-dependent questions, tasks and assignments support students’ literacy growth over the course of the school year and the teacher materials provide support for planning and implementation of text-dependent writing, speaking, and other activities. Teachers can access students’ written responses immediately when utilizing the online writing tool.  Possible student answers are provided for both written and speaking activities.

Examples of text-dependent/specific questions included in each unit include, but are not limited to: 

• In Unit 6A, “Dahl & Narrative,” Sub-unit 3, Lesson 3, students are asked to revise, "Dahl says earlier in the chapter that Mrs. Pratchett was “a horror” (24). Do you agree or disagree? Describe two or three details from the passage to develop your claim about Mrs. Pratchett." 
• In Unit 6B, “Mysteries and Investigations,” Sub-unit 2, Lesson 1, Activity 3, students are asked to read the first four paragraphs of the book The Secret of the Yellow Death by Suzanne Jurmain. After reading, students are directed to “listen for details that capture your attention in paragraphs 1–4... then, highlight two details in the text that stood out to you and helped create a vivid picture of yellow fever.”
• In Unit 6C, “The Chocolate Collection,” Sub-unit 1, Lesson 2, students are asked to determine "which of the four sources (discussed in class) do you think is the most credible? Which source do you think is the least credible? Support your thinking using evidence from one or more of the websites."
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas,” Sub-unit 1, Lesson 1, Activity 3, students complete the following tasks:
• Card 1: Students individually list 3–5 key items in the Prologue.
• Card 2: Students determine the important details contained in the first paragraph to consider how the writer chooses to begin the novel.
• Card 3: Students categorize these details into observations about a central idea in the novel.
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection,” Sub-unit 2, Lesson 2, Activity 4, students are asked to explore images from the Titanic to find the answer to a scavenger hunt question then answer questions to show their understanding of the image. For example, the first scavenger hunt question is “How many hats did Molly Brown pack in her luggage for her trip to New York, and what was their total cash value?” The questions that follow say: “Look closely at Molly Brown’s attire. Describe her outfit.” The second question is, “Captain Rostron was also awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor by President Taft for his role in rescuing Titanic survivors. Do you think he deserved these honors? Why or why not?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for having sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

Each unit has several tasks which include text-dependent questions and activities and then ends with a multi-step writing assignment. The last unit of the year also includes a presentation and a multimedia component. The essays gradually build in complexity, vary in topic, and require students to utilize writing, speaking or a combination of both.The culminating tasks are designed to help students synthesize and apply their learning from the unit in an engaging and authentic way through writing and speaking. 

Examples of tasks that are supported with coherent sequences of text-dependent questions include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, “Dahl & Narrative,” Sub-unit 3, Boy: Tales of Childhood, students work closely with Roald Dahl's stories about his strange childhood, building on their capacity to write independently using text evidence.
• In Lesson 3, Using Text Details in Writing Boy: Tales of Childhood students respond to the prompt, “Dahl says earlier in the chapter that Mrs. Pratchett was “a horror”. Do you agree or disagree? Describe two or three details from the passage to develop your claim about Mrs. Pratchett.”
• In Lesson 11, Focus on an Object  in Boy: Tales of Childhood, students respond to the prompt, “What is one reason that the tuck-boxes are important for the boys at boarding school? Describe two or three details from the text to explain your reasoning.”
• In Unit 6A: Dahl & Narrative, Sub-unit 4, students stake a claim about who Dahl blames for his childhood troubles in a culminating essay.  In Lesson 1, Introducing the Essay, students respond to the Essay Prompt: “Whom does Dahl describe as causing more trouble: the boys or the adults? Use details from one moment in the book to show who is really causing more trouble.”

As following examples demonstrate, students work closely with texts and are challenged to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in increasingly more complex ways. Some examples of this include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6B, “Mysteries and Investigations,” the culminating task is an essay. Students work to explain which character trait is most useful for problem solvers and investigators. The prompt is: “Based on the texts you have read, what stands out to you as one important characteristic to have as a problem solver or investigator? Include two examples of individuals demonstrating this characteristic in your response.” In order to write this essay successfully, students have to look back through the texts in the unit and choose examples of their chosen characteristic. 
• In Unit 6C, “The Chocolate Collection,” students read multiple texts about chocolate. Lessons include text-dependent questions and close reading activities. Students then prepare and execute a debate about whether or not school lunches should include chocolate milk. Lessons support students in close reading, gathering evidence, and structuring their argument. For the essay in this unit, students have the option of writing an informational essay about the history of slavery in the production of chocolate or an argumentative essay about the effects of chocolate on brain chemistry.
•  In Unit 6D, “The Greeks,” the culminating task is an essay. Students write a cohesive essay that explains the following: “Using two of the following characters—the humans from 'Prometheus,' Odysseus from The Odyssey, or Arachne from 'Arachne'— answer the following question: Are humans destroyed by their pride? Why or why not? Use your answer to stake a claim about whether or not these characters have been destroyed by their pride. Make sure to support your claim with textual evidence.” As part of the explanation of this essay prompt found in Sub-unit 4, Lesson 1, Activity 2, students are asked to review a sample essay, look at the writer’s claim, and then explain why that sentence is the writer’s claim. This activity assists them in forming their own claim statements later on.
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas,” students read Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall and complete a series of text-dependent questions and tasks. The unit builds on previous learning about The Odyssey by requiring students to write an essay that analyzes the hero’s journey of one of the main characters from Summer of the Mariposas.
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection,” the culminating task is a four-paragraph essay, a multimedia project and a presentation. One essay option is an argumentative essay where students have to research who is to blame for the loss of the Titanic. In order to complete this choice, students have to “research sources in the Collection and on the Internet to collect evidence and prove [their] case. Write an argumentative essay identifying the guilty party and include 2 pieces of evidence proving their guilt.” The other essay option is an informative essay. The directions tell students that as they conduct research, "be sure to look for relevant facts and concrete details about their lives before they boarded the doomed Titanic, how they managed to survive the sinking, and what happened to them after the disaster.” Once students have completed their essay option, then they can create a visual depiction of one of the people they highlighted in their essay. The directions explain that if students wrote an argumentative essay that “your entries will document the events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic from your point of view, starting with the earliest date or time in your research and ending with the latest date.” If they wrote the essay about the Titanic orphans then “you will post entries as if you are one of the orphans, documenting your experience from your point of view.” Students then present their media projects to the class.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials providing frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

Each unit/lesson is set up in the same manner, beginning with a vocabulary lesson. Throughout the lessons there are frequent oral language opportunities to do Think-Pair-Share, peer questioning in groups, and partner talk. Sentence frames are provided to support students who need additional help applying new vocabulary and syntax. In addition to those instances, there are also Socratic seminars, presentations, and performances to support students’ development in practicing language and speaking. 

Examples of how materials provide multiple opportunities and protocols for evidence based discussions include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, “Dahl and Narratives,” Sub-unit 3, in the section labeled Discuss, students analyze Dahl’s key emotions in each section of the story to discuss how these sections work together to develop an understanding of the boys and the themes of the memoir. Students work in pairs to “Consider each event from ‘The Great Mouse Plot’ below and determine whether each event shows that Dahl is pleased or dismayed with how his great idea is unfolding.”
• In Unit 6B, “Mysteries and Investigations,” Sub-unit 2, Lesson 3, students work in pairs to identify and evaluate evidence around theories of yellow fever transmission. The notes in the teacher instructions of this activity explain that students should identify and evaluate evidence that supports and does not support each theory. Also, the directions tell teachers that “as you circulate between pairs, support them to use details from the book to make their evaluation.” In addition to those instructions, it is also explained to teachers that “at the end of the discussion, ask the groups collectively whether the discussion prompted them to rethink their first evaluation and why. Provide an opportunity for students to re-evaluate their evidence in the app based on the thinking that emerged from the discussion.” The instructions also explain to teachers that there is not a correct answer for each evaluation. 
• In Unit 6C, “The Chocolate Collection,” Sub-unit 4, Lesson 2, Prepare for a Debate, the teacher guidelines give students clear instructions to help students understand the debate process. Students write opening statements for the debate and explanations for all the evidence they plan to use for the first part of the debate. Students are instructed on debate cards: "Card 1: Students work in groups to choose strong evidence to write an opening statement for the debate. Card 2: Students work in groups to write explanations for all 3 pieces of evidence for the debate." Students are prompted to use evidence and vocabulary from the text in order to prove their claims during the debate.
• In Unit 6D, “The Greeks,” Sub-unit 3, Lesson 1, Activity 4, students read an excerpt from "Arachne" in Selected Tales from Ovid by Ted Hughes. Students are discussing the text to paraphrase and reflect upon the arguments made by each character. The instructions in the teacher edition explain that teachers should draw a 3-column chart on chart paper during the discussion and they should be labeled: Character, Character’s Argument, Evidence. Then, it explains “as students suggest evidence from the text, record their ideas on the chart. Leave the chart posted for all students to see. You will refer to this text in the next lesson so be sure to preserve it.” Finally, there are some follow-up questions and discussion prompts provided so teachers can facilitate the discussion in a successful way. 
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas.” Sub-unit 1, Lesson 3, Connect Text: Create a Sister Character Profile, students work with groups to select and connect key text details and add annotations to identify one sister’s traits. Instructional cards guide students to annotate text and discussion points about sister’s character traits. Card 1 Instructional Guide indicates what students need to discuss: "Card 1: Students identify and annotate text that reveals a Garza sister’s character traits. Card 2: Students discuss with a group which character traits seem most dominant and record textual evidence to support the group’s decision." 
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection,” Sub-unit 4, Lesson 2, students reflect on a Socratic Seminar they just had over the materials from the Titanic Collection. The instructions ask teachers to “have students pair up and compare the topics that interest them. Ask them to choose one topic that they will both investigate further. Then the pairs create one Titanic-related research question that they will research together.” After the instructions for the activity, there are several suggestions for teachers and struggling learners provided. First, the instructions explain that, “Research questions should be open-ended. They often, but not always, begin with “how” or “why.” And they should be arguable or open to debate.” Next, they provide examples of good research questions and finally they explain that teachers should “circulate and guide students who are having difficulty generating a new question.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports. 

Students have multiple opportunities for text-dependent discussions in each unit. Each lesson begins with a vocabulary lesson and then students are introduced to the topic through a discussion. Throughout the unit, the materials offer other opportunities for students to work in pairs or small groups to have discussions centering on the topics presented in the unit. The discussions are consistently text-dependent and the students are instructed to answer questions citing evidence from the text. Videos, audio recordings, or photos/images are sometimes used to promote/start the discussion. The materials include dramatic readings, Socratic seminars, and other protocols for teachers to provide students multiple opportunities and ways to build their speaking and listening skills while using the texts as anchors. For students who need additional assistance, there are sentence frames, guiding questions, and ideas for teacher support. 

Examples of  multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate what they are reading and researching through varied speaking and listening opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, “Dahl and Narratives,” Sub-unit 3, Lesson 8, students use text clues to “act out”  characters in order to develop awareness of how dialogue and narration work together in a text. Student Groups are prompted to act out the scene in front of the class and then discuss how they used Dahl’s dialogue and narration to help them get into character. As students wrap up the unit, they are guided to put together what they have learned about the connection between dialogue, narration, and showing emotion and character.
• In Unit 6B, “Mysteries and Investigations,” Sub-unit 4, Lesson 1, after reading Chapter 2 of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, students share and discuss the details they identified as suspicious from the last activity (Detective Notebook) and respond to a poll about the number of clues they found. Then students choose one suspicious detail to discuss with the class.
• In Unit 6D, “The Greeks,”, Sub-unit 2, Lesson 2, Activity 4, students read Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. In Activity 3, students explain how Odysseus uses a particular passage or detail as foreshadowing to develop the plot of his story. Then, in Activity 4 students are instructed to share their writing with the class. The instructions for teachers state: “Call on 2 or 3 volunteers to share. Each volunteer should call on 1–3 listeners to comment.” The instructions provide response starters which students can use if they are not sure how to provide feedback. The starters include: “I could picture _____ (character, scene, action) when you wrote _____. When you used the word _____, it helped me understand _____. When you used the evidence about _____, it convinced me that _____. When you explained _____ about the quotation, I realized why you included it.”
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection”, Sub-unit 3, Lesson 1, Activity 10, students role-play Titanic passenger profiles in order to understand the historical tragedy. In this activity, students read their passenger profiles out loud to the class. The instructions state, “Raise your hand to share your passenger profile with the class. Introduce yourself to your group. Share your name, country of origin, and one interesting fact about yourself. Share which class cabin you are in, and share how you feel about your cabin and your dinner.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing (e.g. multiple drafts, revisions over time) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate. 

Each unit contains writing tasks and projects which are aligned to the grade level standards. Students write a mix of both on-demand and process writing that gradually increase in complexity as the year progresses. Each unit contains a sub-unit that centers around a process writing task, titled “Write an Essay” in the online program. Throughout the units, there are many on-demand writing tasks that students must complete to show mastery and prepare for the essay assessment. Materials cover a year's worth of writing instruction. Opportunities for students to revise and/or edit are provided. Materials include digital resources where appropriate. 

Writing assignments in the Grade 6 units include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, “Dahl and Narrative,” Sub-unit 4, students are guided through the essay writing process inlessons designed to strengthen the final piece of writing. Students respond to the following prompt: “Whom does Dahl describe as causing more trouble: the boys or the adults? Use details from one moment in the book to show who is really causing more trouble.” Over the course of four lessons, students write the body paragraphs, revise and write the introduction, and edit “for clarity and cohesion”. Each lesson incorporates practice in the skills associated with that portion of the writing process. For example, in Lesson 2, students work through activities designed to strengthen their skills with explaining and connecting their evidence to their claims.
• In Unit 6C, “The Chocolate Collection”, Sub-unit 1, Lesson 1, Activity 8, students write a response exit ticket to the lesson on credible sources: “Part 1: Imagine that you are writing a report about air pollution. Select the two most credible sources." Following that text, on the right-hand side of the page is a short-answer prompt: "Why did you choose these two authors? What makes them credible?” 
• In Unit 6D, “The Greeks,” Sub-unit 4, Lesson 4, students are guided through adding evidence and revising to better support their claims. Directions include, “In your Solo, you underlined 2 places in your body paragraphs where you could revise—a place where you could add more evidence and another where you could develop your evidence further in order to support your claim. Now, you're going to take a few minutes to reread the related part(s) of the text and highlight any additional details you can use to support your claim. 1. Look at the two places that you underlined to revise in your body paragraphs. Then, click NEXT to find the texts you're writing about and highlight more details that could be added to your body paragraphs to support your claim.”
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas,” Sub-unit 2, students “write an essay to explain what characteristic or source of strength helps a Garza sister be successful in her hero’s journey”. There are five lesson days which take students through an entire writing process in order to formulate a complete essay. In Lesson 1, students have to decide on a topic, gather evidence and write a claim statement. Then, in Lesson 2, they write their body paragraphs where they insert their evidence. In Lesson 3, students have a work day (also called a flex day) where teachers can work with students on an individual basis. Following that day, in Lesson 4, students work on revising their essay and write an introduction. The final day, Lesson 5, asks students to write their conclusion and put final touches on their work. 
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection,” there are a number of digital resources including the websites of government agencies and major non-profit organizations; letters, testimony, and wireless transmissions written by Titanic passengers; passenger manifests; menus; diagrams; photographs, and paintings. These digital resources inform both shorter writing tasks and the culminating essay, in which students choose to write either an argumentative essay in which they assign blame for the Titanic catastrophe to an individual or an informative essay in which they detail the lives of the two individuals known as “The Titanic Orphans." 
• In Sub-unit 2 Scavenger Hunt and Internet Research
• In Sub-unit 3 Passport and Internet Research 
• In Sub-unit 5 Write an Essay

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards. 

Students engage in a variety of writing opportunities throughout daily lesson plans, formative, and summative assessments. These writing activities include opportunities to engage in argumentative, informative/explanatory writing, and narrative writing when appropriate. In addition, the materials provide opportunities for students/teachers to monitor progress in writing skills. Students perform a variety of tasks throughout the unit centered around the text they are studying within the unit. The materials provide a comprehensive overview, instructions, and detailed rubrics for the writing tasks, particularly at the end of each unit, to help guide students through the process. 

Some examples that materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply different genres/modes of writing are found in the following:

• In Unit 6A, "Dahl & Narrative," Sub-unit 2, Lesson 6, students continue to read excerpts from the writing of Roald Dahl and emulate the narrative techniques he uses. In Lesson 6, students “do a close reading of a passage from Roald Dahl’s Boy and analyze how the writer uses the skills of Focus and Showing.” With teacher guidance and feedback, students use the skills in their own narrative writing. Students are instructed to “Write about a recent moment when you were doing something with friends or a friend. Show, don’t tell, the emotion you felt in that moment.” After writing for at least 10 minutes and a minimum of 100 words, students share their responses with the class. 
• In Unit 6B, "Mysteries and Investigations," Sub-unit 4, students write an informative/explanatory essay that identifies an important characteristic of an investigator.  Students are required to include two textual examples in which individuals demonstrated this characteristic.
• In Unit 6C, “The Chocolate Collection” Sub-unit 3, Lesson 2, Activity 4, students write an argumentative letter to an imagined candy store owner about issues in chocolate production. Specifically it asks students to “Be sure your letter includes a claim and at least two pieces of evidence to support the claim. Use at least two key vocabulary words in your letter: child labor, means of production, fair trade, means of survival, forced labor, minimum price.”
• In Unit 6D, "The Greeks," Sub-unit 4, students write an argumentative essay that addresses the questions, “Are humans destroyed by their pride? Why or why not?”  Students are required to illustrate their claim using two characters from the assigned reading and to use textual evidence.
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas,” Sub-unit 2, students write an essay to explain “What characteristic or source of strength helps a Garza sister be successful in her hero’s journey.” This essay asks students to make a claim, find textual evidence to support and then write multiple body paragraphs to fully explain and analyze their point. 

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

Throughout the units, students engage in many different evidence-based writing activities that range in length, organization, and complexity. Students provide short written responses as they actively read texts and use close-reading skills when responding to many questions in the summative and formative assessments. With the major essays that are present in each unit, students utilize evidence-based writing when planning for the essay and as they draft their ideas. 

Examples of writing opportunities focused on students’ analyses and claims developed from reading closely and working with sources include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, “Dahl & Narrative,” Sub-unit 3, Lesson 3, students closely read an excerpt from Roald Dahl’s Boy: Tales of Childhood to assess the connotation attached to the word “horror” in Dahl’s description of Mrs. Pratchett. In Activity 6, students then answer the question, “Dahl says earlier in the chapter that Mrs. Pratchett was 'a horror' (24). Do you agree or disagree? Describe two or three details from the passage to develop your claim about Mrs. Pratchett.” This formative writing assessment requires students to write a minimum of 100 words and for “at least 10 minutes” to be scored.
• In Unit 6B, “Mysteries and Investigations,” Sub-unit 5, students learn, practice, and apply evidence-based writing as they write an informative essay. In Lesson 1, they gather evidence and evaluate its strength. In Lesson 2, students develop body paragraphs with a focus on incorporating multiple pieces of evidence. A sample essay is provided as a model. In Lesson 3, students review the relationship between their claims and evidence, revising if necessary. In Lesson 4, students further revise the explanations of their evidence, focusing on describing “this” in the phrase “this shows." In Lesson 5, students revise transitions and work to be more concise in order to better present their evidence.
• In Unit 6C, “The Chocolate Collection”, Sub-Unit 3, Lesson 2, Activity 2, students write claims based on the evidence in the articles and then they evaluate others’ claims to see which are best supported by evidence. The first article is “Is it Fair to Eat Chocolate” by Deborah Dunn. The sidebar explains that students need to read two quotes from the text and then write a response to the prompt “Is there any change that you would like to see in the way cocoa beans are harvested? Write a claim about the change you’d like to see based on the evidence in these quotes.” Then, students read the second article “Appendix C Statement” from Labour in Portuguese West Africa. They read two quotes from this article and then write a claim of their own that would be supported by the evidence.
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas," Sub-unit 1, Lesson 3, Activity 5, students read the novel Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall. After reading a part of Chapter 2, and profiling one of the characters, students respond to the following writing prompt, "which character trait do you think will be important as the sisters begin this adventure? Explain your answer using textual details and your understanding of her character traits."
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection,” Sub-unit 2, Lesson 2, Activity 5, students practice evidence-based writing. Students read the article “Rusticles on Titanic Contain New Iron-Eating Bacteria, Study Says” and then answer questions. The first two questions, “What are Halomonas titanicae and how are they affecting the sunken Titanic?” and “What problem might Halomonas titanicae cause?” support close reading of the text. A third question, “How might Halomonas titanicae be useful in recycling?” requires students to explain their answers, including two quotes from the article.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for materials including explicit instruction of the grammar and conventions standards for grade level as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context. 

Each unit offers a number of resources to support grammar instruction. Teachers are instructed to use the Introductory Unit A to build the foundational writing skills of Focus, Use of Evidence, and Productivity, as well as the writing routines of Writing Time, Sharing, and Working with Feedback. These units allow teachers to support students as they progress and gain better clarity in their writing. The Grammar Unit contains self-guided instruction and practice activities to cover the key grammar topics and topics for continued practice and review. The Mastering Conventions One, Two, and Three contain whole-class lessons and drills that provide extensive coverage of remedial and grade-level grammar topics. The Grammar Revision Assignments (found in the section of each Flex Day) provide suggested exercises to support students as they practice key skills in the context of their own writing.

Some examples of this include the following, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 6A, “Dahl & Narrative,” Sub-unit 3, Lesson 1: What Are Pronouns?
• Identifying Pronouns
• Recognizing the Antecedent
• Revision: Pronouns
• Mastering Conventions One Unit 1, Lesson 5: Defining and Identifying Pronouns Unit 1, Skill Drills 5A–5B
•  Lesson 2: Adding Up the Details, students read excerpts from: Boy: Tales of Childhood: and are prompted to respond to - "Write about one candy that sounds really appealing or repulsive to you and why. Describe two or three details from the text in your response."
• In Unit 6B, “Mysteries and Investigations”, Sub-unit 5, Lesson 5, Activity 6, students apply grammar skills to their essays. Students are asked to revise their essays for sentence flow, style consistency, and then any proofreading issues. First, students are instructed to place their paragraphs in the proper order. Then, they are instructed to read their essays out loud. Next, they are told to check the punctuation and citations of the quotations they used. Finally, they are instructed to correct any errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar that they can find.
• In Unit 6C, “The Chocolate Collection,” Lesson 1: The Complete Sentence - Establish the Foundation
• Grammar Unit, Sub-Unit 1, Lesson 1: Defining the Complete Sentence
• Simple Subject and Predicate
• The Implied Subject
•  Distinguishing Simple Subject and Predicate
• Revision: Subject and Predicate
• In Unit 6E, “Summer of the Mariposas,” Grammar Unit, Sub-Unit 3, Lesson 2: Subject Pronouns
• Rules of Agreement
• Pronouns to Replace Verbals or Abstract Nouns
• Demonstrative Pronouns as Subject Pronouns
• Revision: Pronouns
• In Unit 6F, “The Titanic Collection," Sub-unit 4, Lesson 4, students are in the middle of activities centered around internet research and a Socratic discussion. The final day in the lesson is called a “Flex Day”. The lesson overview explains that these days can be used to work on specific grammar instruction. Specifically, the directions read “Direct students to the grammar lesson in the Grammar unit that will provide practice with a needed grammar skill, or teach the grammar lesson from Mastering Conventions that you prepared based on the Grammar Pacing guides in your lesson materials.” There is a pacing guide attached for Grade 6 grammar that gives grade-level appropriate grammar concepts along with the standard that they address and the master conventions activities that would work with that particular concept. For example, if students needed to work on object pronouns, the options the teacher could use are: “Unit 3, Lesson 16: Using Pronoun Case Correctly and Consistently and Unit 3, Skill Drills 16B and 16D.”