6th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for texts being organized around a topic/topics to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

Each module has texts that connect by a central topic or theme.

• In Module 1, students explore the elements of myths as they engage in close and multiple readings of narrative and informational texts about Greek mythology.
• In Module 2A, students examine the perception of "rules to live by" as they read and listen to a variety of texts and then research the topic and write an informative essay.
• In Module 2B, students explore the idea of adversity of people across time and place through multiple modes of writing.
• In Module 3A, students study how an author develops point of view and how an author’s perspective, based on his or her culture, is evident in the writing.
• In Module 3B, students study how an author develops point of view and how an author’s perspective, based on his or her geographic location, is evident in his or her writing.
• In Module 4, students consider the balance between human needs and environmental consequences as they read the novel Frightful’s Mountain and complex informational texts about the benefits and drawbacks of the use of DDT.

The sequence of texts and sufficient lesson scaffolds ensure students are able to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

• All Modules include texts with quantitative measures at multiple levels within the grade band.
• All modules include graphic organizers and recording forms to engage students actively and provide scaffolding for students as needed.
• Students read texts independently, in small groups, and in whole group along with teacher read-alouds to scaffold reading instruction. Students are asked to actively monitor their reading comprehension.
  • In Module 1, Unit 1, lesson 1, teachers are directed to chunk the text for students that struggle reading on grade-level text to make it more manageable and to allow them to focus on smaller sections at a time.
  • In Module 2B, Unit 2, lesson 15 students read poems and do a second reading to determine the gist and collect evidence using a graphic organizer.
  • In Module 3, students read a chapter of a text and record new words on their word catchers. Students then use evidence flags to capture evidence and assist with answering focus questions on their structured notes.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for materials containing sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. Throughout the materials, students independently and as a whole group complete questions and tasks that require analysis of individual texts.

• In Module 1, Unit 2, lesson 3, students analyze vocabulary, explore the concept of theme, and connect them across texts.
• In Module 1, Unit 2, lesson 4, students identify common elements in two mythological stories.
• In Module 1, Unit 2, lesson 16, students identify the structure, argument, and specific claims in a model literary analysis essay.
• In Module 2A, Unit 1, lessons 2-4, students analyze the interplay among author’s use of figurative language, word choice, tone, and meaning in historical fiction.
• In Module 2A, Unit 3, lesson 5, students analyze the structure and content of an essay to inform.
• In Module 2B, Unit 2, lesson 6, students read examples of figurative language, tell what they mean literally and tell how it adds to understanding of the scene or character in the text "Lowdy, the Varlet's Child."
• In Module 2B, Unit 2, lesson 8 students analyze how author’s word choice affects the tone of a monologue.
• In Module 3A, Unit 1, lesson 3 students determine author's techniques such as point of view, tone and meaning, and figurative language. Students then analyze how an author's word choice affects the tone and meaning in literary text and how an author develops narrator or speaker's point of view. Students make a claim, provide evidence, and describe word choice.
• Module 3B, Unit 1, lesson 5 students respond to text-dependent questions that require them to analyze author's craft and demonstrated understanding of the text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for materials containing a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. Each unit and module contains text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to integrate knowledge and ideas both in individual texts and across multiple texts.

• In Module 2A, Unit 1, lesson 7, students suggest connections between Steve Jobs and Bud on an anchor chart.
• In Module 3B, students are required to use information from multiple texts. One example of this is in Unit 1 when students analyze World without Fish and then in Unit 2, Flush. In Unit 3, students need to integrate the knowledge from both texts during their Final Performance Task when they create a "Consumer Guide: What you need to know When Buying a Fish.”
• In Module 3B, Unit 1, lesson 4, students respond to a prompt that requires them to connect the information from a food web to a text reading.
• In Module 4, Unit 1, lesson 2, students respond to a prompt that have them to use multiple texts to make connections and a prediction.
• In Module 4, Unit 2, lesson 6, students answer text-dependent questions that direct them to compare and contrast two authors' presentation of events.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening).

• In Module 1 students study mythology, its purposes, and elements. Students read, write, and discuss the concept of heroes. Students build their knowledge about myths through the reading of informational texts. In the third unit of the module, student focus on narrative writing and apply their knowledge about the hero’s journey and the elements of mythology to create their own hero’s journey stories.
• In Module 2A, students focus on analyzing figurative language, word choice, structure and meaning in multiple texts. Students read excerpts of a novel to interpret “the rules to live by” that the text discusses. Students then use this knowledge to write an evidence-based claim and analyze Barack Obama’s Back-to-School Speech.
• In Module 2B, students explore the idea of adversity of people across time and place, through multiple modes of writing. Students research the Middle Ages the read and discuss literature that pertains to the Middle Ages. Students then apply this knowledge to modern poetry while taking part in small group discussions. As a culminating task, students write their own text that deals with adversity and perform their writing for a group of their peers.
• In Module 3A, students study how an author develops point of view and author’s perceptive based on his or her culture. Students closely read text to learn multiple strategies for acquiring and using academic vocabulary in writing. Students then research to gather factual information and eyewitness accounts of a topic to create their own newspaper article containing multiple perspectives about the same event.
• In Module 3B, Unit 1, students study how an author introduces, illustrates, and elaborates on an idea and how an author conveys his or her point of view. Students read, write, and discuss with a focus on the idea of fish depletion in the first half of the unit and then analyze the author’s point of view and how it is conveyed in the second half of the unit. As a culminating task, students analyze author’s point of view of a text using evidence to support their claim.
• In Module 4, students research and explore the benefits and harmful consequences of a controversial pesticide. Students read several complex texts, both print and digital, in order to collect relevant information in a structured notebook. As a final performance task, students share their findings by creating a scientific poster and presenting the paper to peers during a hosted gallery.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet expectations for including a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. Opportunities to build vocabulary are found throughout the instructional materials.

Vocabulary instruction calls for students to think about the meaning of words. Definitions are provided in student-friendly language, and word meanings are taught with examples related to the text as well as examples form other contexts students would be more familiar with.

• Throughout the modules and units, students discuss and clarify language of learning targets to build academic vocabulary.
• In Module 1, Unit 1, lesson 6, students think-pair-share on the question "What do you notice about the word unexpectedly?" The root word is discussed as well as prefixes and suffixes.
• In Module 3A, Unit 1, lesson 7, students unpack the Learning Targets. The teacher points out to the students and gives reminders of academic vocabulary meanings. Words explained and reviewed during the opening are gist, infer, and perspective.
• In Module 3A, Unit 2, lesson 2, students focus on the word entirety in the first paragraph. Students look at the base word and find meaning. Students are asked if this is a domain-specific vocabulary word, specific to earthquakes. Students are asked to find another word to replace fortunate in a sentence. Specific academic vocabulary words are addressed and discussed.
• In Module 3A, Unit 3, lesson 10, students review the terms in their word-catchers to examine domain-specific words that they will use in their own articles.
• In Module 3B, Unit 2, lesson 1, students study the meaning of point of view through explanations, discussions, text readings, word-catchers, anchor charts, and working in triads.
• In Module 3B, Unit 2, lesson 4, students are asked to identify challenging vocabulary to help them monitor their understanding of a complex text. For example, hunkered is not easily defined in context, and a dictionary is used to find meaning.
• In Module 4, students are directly instructed during lessons to locate unfamiliar vocabulary words.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectation for materials supporting students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year. Students are supported through the writing process with mentor text. Feedback is provided by peers, the teacher, and self-evaluations to ensure that students' writing skills are increasing throughout the year.

• In Module 1 Unit 1 students read an informational article about the hero’s journey and analyze the stages of the hero’s journey. Students then write an analysis of how Percy’s experiences align with the hero’s journey.
• In Module 1, Unit 2, students work in groups to read and identify the elements and interpret theme of a single myth. Students then write a literary essay analyzing how understanding a classic myth deepens their understanding of The Lightning Thief.
• In Module 2A, students read the text Bud, Not Buddy and study his rules to live by. Students then read and gather information to support their own rule and write an essay to inform.
• In Module 2A, Unit 1, lesson 19, students work in triads to complete Forming Evidence Based Claims task cards. Students discuss and make revisions to their evidence-based claim based on what they hear from their peers.
• In Module 2B, Unit 1, students write a research-based essay about medieval times based on research.
• In Module 2B, Unit 2, students study a model of a literary argument essay, collect evidence for a literary argument essay, write an essay about adversities faced today and then participate in a peer critique to improve their writing.
• In Module 2B, Unit 3, lesson 6, students receive specific peer feedback on correct pronoun usage; clear and logical, sequenced events; and descriptive words and phrases that include sensory details.
• In Module 3B, Unit 3, students evaluate research to choose the most relevant and compelling information, analyze authentic informative consumer guides, and compile the most relevant and compelling research to write a “What You Need to Know When Buying Fish” consumer guide.
• In Module 4, Unit 3, lesson 4, students use colored pens or pencils to review and revise their actions for a position paper. Students work in teams to explain their plan to a partner, using both speaking and listening skills.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

• In Module 2B, Unit 1, students build background knowledge about the Middle Ages, forming expert groups around one aspect of the Middle Ages and gathering research about a particular aspect of medieval society, especially adversities faced by different people.
• In Module 3B, Unit 3, students research information about overfishing, sustainable fishing methods, case studies of depleted fish species, and suggestions for buying fish caught using sustainable methods.
• In Module 2A, Unit 2, lesson 16, students ask probing questions and choose a research topic for their “rules to live by” literary argument essay. Students participate in a fishbowl discussion to help them narrow down a research topic.
• In Module 3A, Unit 3, students analyze differing accounts of a historical disaster by researching first-person accounts and facts. Students synthesize their research to compose a newspaper article that includes multiple perspectives of the same historical disaster.
• In Module 4, Unit 3, lesson 2, students use their Research Folder, Forming Evidence-Based Claims graphic organizer, hosted Gallery Walk notecards, and Presenting a Claim and Finding teacher feedback to plan a position paper about the use of DDT.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the expectations for materials providing a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

The majority of lessons require some independent readings of text followed by text specific questions and tasks that reflect student accountability. Additionally, most homework assignments include independent readings and tasks that require students to produce evidence of reading.

• In Module 1, Unit 2, lesson 7 students are given a purpose for reading chapter 16 of the text, The Lightning Thief for homework, including marking references to myths and recording any new or challenging vocabulary to be discussed during the next lesson.
• In Module 2A, Unit 3, lesson 5 students participate in an Independent Reading Review to summarize what they have read so far. Students work in pairs and are then asked to paraphrase their partner’s discovery to share with the class.
• In Module 3B, Unit 3, lesson 3, students read Chapter 8 of the text World without Fish for homework and are asked to record new words on their word-catcher and mark the text to aid with answering the focus question included on the structured notes. Additionally, students are to continue reading their independent reading book.
• In Module 4, Unit 3, lesson 3, students complete the Reading Tracker and Reviewer’s Notes after reading their independent reading book for 30 minutes.