3rd Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading and consider a range of student interests. The texts in both Literature Units and Science and Social Studies Units are of publishable quality, many are written by well-known authors, and many are also part of well-known series. The texts are culturally diverse and contain strong academic vocabulary. The texts contain engaging pictures, and the content is written in a manner that is engaging for students.

Examples of literature include:

• In Unit 1, both The Twits and The Enormous Crocodile are written by Roald Dahl. These are tales that are engaging to third graders.
• In Unit 2, the three anchor texts are The People Could Fly, American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton, Tales Our Abuelitas Told, A Hispanic Folktale Collection by F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flora Ada, and Her Stories, African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton. These texts are culturally diverse, relevant, and engaging.
• In Unit 3, the anchor text, The Random House Book of Poetry for Children collected by Jack Prelutsky, includes high-interest whimsical poetry that allows the instruction of various poetic skills.
• In Unit 4, Classic Starts: Roman Myths written by Diane Namm is a collection of classical myths.
• In Unit 6, students read Charlotte’s Web. The theme, vocabulary, and characters of this classic are appropriate and relatable to students in Grade 3.
• In Unit 7, students read two texts by Mildred D. Taylor titled The Gold Cadillac and The Friendship. Both texts are culturally diverse and of high interest.

Examples with a science and/or social studies focus include, but are not limited to:

• In Unit 1, the texts, If You Lived with the Sioux Indians by Ann McGovern, If you Lived with the Indians of the Northwest Coast by Anne Kamm, and If You Lived with the Iroquois by Ellen Levine, are high interest, engaging non-fiction stories and include vibrant illustrations.
• In Unit 2, students read a high interest text titled Magic Tree House, Fact Tracker: Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osborne.
• In Unit 3, students read Ancient Rome and Pompeii: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #13 by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, which is a high-interest, age appropriate, and engaging nonfiction story.
• In Unit 4, students read What is a Life Cycle and What is the Animal Kingdom by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille, which contain colorful pictures, high interest content, and rich academic vocabulary.
• In Unit 5, students read Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, and it contains strong content and academic vocabulary.
• In Unit 6, students read What is Religion? One World, Many Religions: The Ways We Worship by Bobbie Kalman and Mary Pope Osborne, which contain high interest topics for students.
• In Unit 7, the anchor texts are part of the Science A-Z series and contain strong academic content and vocabulary. Examples of the texts include Wrecking Ball vs. Strong Wall, The Mole Machine, and Simple and Complex Machines by Ned Jensen.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level. Texts include an appropriate mix of informational and literary texts. There is a wide array of informational and literary text integrated throughout every unit. The majority of the literary texts are found in the Literature curriculum, and the majority of the informational texts are found in the Science and Social Studies curriculum. Additional supplementary texts are included, resulting in a wide distribution of genres and text types as required by the standards, including articles, historical fiction, mythology, folktales, poetry, audio interviews, and songs.

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

• Literature Unit 2: Her Stories, African American Folktales, Fairy Tales and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton
• Literature, Unit 3: The Random House Book of Poetry for Children by Jack Prelutsky
• Literature Unit 4: Classic Starts: Roman Myths by Diane Namm
• Literature, Unit 5: The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
• Literature, Unit 7: The Friendship by Mildred D. Taylor

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

• Science and Social Studies, Unit 1: If You Lived with the Iroquois by Ellen Levine
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 2: A True Book, The Massachusetts Colony by Kevin Cunningham
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 5: Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 6: What is Religion by Bobby Kalman
• Science and Social Studies, Unit 7: Simple and Complex Machines by Ned Jensen

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for texts having the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task. The majority of the texts for Grade 3 have the appropriate quantitative and qualitative measures. Texts that fall outside of the Grade 2-3 band for quantitative measures have qualitative features and/or tasks that make them appropriate for Grade 3 students.

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, students read If You Lived with the Sioux Indians by Ann McGovern, which has a Lexile of 600. The text structure is simple, with illustrations and a predictable pattern of topics, making this book appropriate to teach students about what life was like for the Sioux Indians.
• In Literature, Unit 2, students read The People Could Fly, American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton, which has a Lexile of 480. The text contains moderately complex cultural materials, but conventional text structure, which makes it appropriate for Grade 3. A few of the short stories have more complex themes that require a more nuanced understanding; however, the task demands of those lessons support student comprehension.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, students read Magic Tree House, Fact Tracker, Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osborne, which has a Lexile of 550, making it appropriate for students to read in Grade 3.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, students read Ancient Rome and Pompeii: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #13 by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, which has a Lexile of 750. The text structure, illustrations, graphics, and page layout support students to independently interact with the text and to help them learn more about Ancient Rome.
• In Literature, Unit 6, students read Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, which has a Lexile of 650. The complex sentence structure, but simple levels of meaning and simple text structure, helps students access this text in third grade.
• In Literature, Unit 2, students read Her Stories, African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales, which has a Lexile of 960. Although the Lexile is above the band for Grade 3, the qualitative measures of the text, including language and text structure, as well as the lesson activities, provide support for students that makes this text appropriate.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, students read What is a Life Cycle? (The Science of Living Things) by Bobbie Kalman and Jacqueline Langille, which has a Lexile of 880. While this text is in the 4-5 grade level band, the qualitative measures, particularly with text structure and subject matter, make this text appropriate for students to read within this unit.
• In Literature, Unit 5, students read The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, which has a Lexile of 870. The qualitative measures, particularly the text structure and knowledge demands, support the placement of the text within this unit. The text contains complex and dense sentence structure, but the easily relatable message of bullying and the relatively conventional text structure makes the sentences easier to understand and access.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, students read online books in the Science A-Z series. According to the publisher, all of these are in the highest level of the 5-6 reading grade band. The complex knowledge demands and text structure suggest the text is appropriate in the third and fourth grade band level. For example, one text explains how force and motion work in our everyday life. While the author uses several organizing structures, the text features and diagrams are used to help students understand and access the material.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ increasing literacy skills over the course of the school year. of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band.)

Texts are at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band. Skills build upon one another in units and across the year. Texts require deeper analysis throughout the year, and themes become more complex in the texts. Questions increase within the depth of knowledge: requiring inferences, analysis, and synthesis throughout the year.

In Literature, Unit 1, students read two fiction texts by Roald Dahl. Students begin to understand how to collect evidence to show how the author describes characters to help the reader understand the characters and setting. Both of the texts are in the grade level Lexile band and reading them together allows for study of themes and character analysis. Target tasks and key questions focus on text-based evidence, use of descriptive language, plot, theme, use of illustrations, character motivation, and point of view. For example, in Lesson 1, students are asked what evidence does the author include to help the enormous crocodile, while in Lesson 8, students are asked what evidence does Roald Dahl include to show that Mr. Twit is an instigator. Students are asked why he includes this evidence, which increases in rigor from the question asked in Lesson 1.

In Literature, Unit 4, students read 6 myths from Classic Starts: Roman Myths by Diane Namm. The unit’s focus is on understanding plot and how central message is developed. Students continue to collect evidence to show how the author's writing moves beyond description to motivation which moves students beyond the literal words of the author implied, while continuing to collect evidence to support their thinking. The conventionality of the text is slightly more complex than previous texts and the myths contain more complex sentences, figurative language, and unfamiliar vocabulary than in the sequence. For example, in Lesson 1, students are asked what details does the author include to show what Jupiter is like, while, in Lesson 9, students are asked why Psyche is unable to find true love. In Lesson 20, the target task moves to a more complex consideration of description with, “Pick two myths from the unit. Compare and contrast the messages, settings, and plots of the two myths.”

In Literature, Unit 7, students encounter challenging texts. They read several poems by Langston Hughes and two books by Mildred Taylor. The texts by Taylor tackle the themes of racism and segregation by painting a picture of discrimination and injustice in the south. She uses conventional text structure and straightforward, familiar sentences to help portray the powerful themes. The knowledge demands make the text more complex and require students to have an understanding of the tension between blacks and whites during this time period. Questions include “Why do Dewberry and Little Man have different perspectives on the ‘incident’?” and “What does this reveal about ?” (Lesson 3). At the end of the unit, students describe the central message of the book, which demonstrates an increase in literacy skills from using evidence to describe a character to analyzing text to describe the central message.

In addition, the Informational Writing Focus Correction areas show a clear progression and increase in demands on students’ performance. For example:

• In Unit 1, students work on using paragraphs to group ideas and make a claim to show understanding of the text.
• Unit 2, students use a brainstorm structure that supports the text and task and use paragraphs to group ideas and evidence into one paragraph.
• In Unit 3 and 4, students add introductions and conclusions to their claim. Students begin using transition words and include two to three sentences explaining each text-based reason.
• In Unit 5, students select the most relevant text-based evidence to support the claim. In Units 6 and 7, students should have mastered all of the areas according to the publisher, but those that are not mastered should be . The publisher suggests that students should be able to select the most relevant text-based details and examples to support the claim, include a variety of text-based evidence, and use words and phrases to connect different parts of the sentence, etc. order to be proficient by the end of third grade.

Writing projects also increase in demand across the year, especially in Science and Social Studies. Students begin by explaining and end the year by researching and synthesizing. For example:

• In Unit 1, students explain what it would look like to live with the Northwest Coast Indian.
• In Unit 2, students write an informational text describing what life was like for Puritans by stating a claim.
• In Unit 3, students write a letter to a friend explaining whether all leaders in Ancient Rome were tragic by stating a claim and providing supporting evidence from multiple sources.
• In Unit 6, students begin researching and taking notes on the Buddhist religion by reading multiple texts and synthesizing the information.
• In Unit 7, students explain the features of a wrecking ball, which requires from multiple texts.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level.

The program materials in Literature Units and Science and Social Studies Units contain a text complexity analysis that includes quantitative measure, qualitative measure, and a rationale for including the text. The text complexity analysis is accessible from the Unit Overview.

The following examples are rationales found in the Literature Unit:

• In Unit 1, The Twits has a Lexile of 750 and the program explains that there are obvious themes as well as subtle themes in the book that require a deeper understanding of characters and plot.
• In Unit 2, the Core Text The People Could Fly, American Black Folktales has a Lexile of 480. The rationale states that many stories in this book have dark, sad messages, and an understanding of the time period is necessary to understand the text. The cultural demands of the text make it difficult, but the conventional text structure helps students comprehend the material.
• Unit 3 is a collection of poems, which does not have quantitative measures. However, the poems have complex figurative and literal language, and the program provides scaffolds to support analysis and comprehension.
• In Unit 4, the core text, Roman Myths, does not have a Lexile, but the qualitative analysis specifically states the levels of meaning, text structure, and conventionality make them grade appropriate and accessible.
• In Unit 5, the text, The Hundred Dresses, is written in the 1940s and provides students with more complex sentence structure, but easy relatability to make the text accessible according to the program.
• In Unit 6, the text, Charlotte’s Web, has a Lexile of 650. The qualitative measures, particularly the complex vocabulary and sentence structure, make the text appropriate for study according to the program.
• In Unit 7, the text, The Gold Cadillac, has a Lexile of 650. According to the program, the knowledge demands make the text complex despite conventional text structure and familiar sentence structure.

The following examples are rationales found in the Science and Social Studies Unit:

• In Unit 1, the core text, If You Lived with the Sioux Indians by Ann McGovern, has a Lexile of 600. The supplemental texts, If You Lived with the Indians of the Northwest Coast by Anne Kamma and If you Lived with the Iroquois by Ellen Levine, have Lexiles of 870 and 810, respectively. These texts were chosen because of their simple structure that mimics the structure the students are learning in writing.
• In Unit 2, there are a variety of texts used with a Lexile range of 570 L to 940L. While the texts are higher than the third grade band, the texts are read alouds to make them accessible.
• In Unit 3, Ancient Rome and Pompeii: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #13 by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Bryce has a Lexile of 750. The supplemental text, Eye Wonder: Ancient Rome, does not have a Lexile. According to the program, it allows the students to practice informational reading strategies using two different types of text structures.
• In Unit 4, the texts have a Lexile range of 770 to 940. While the quantitative range is in the fourth grade band, the program explains that the qualitative measures, such as text structure and subject matter, make the texts appropriate.
• In Unit 5, there are no Lexiles given and no rationales provided.
• In Unit 6, the anchor text, Ancient Greece and the Olympics: Magic Tree House Fact Tracker by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, has a Lexile of 590. Qualitative measures, such as text structure, vocabulary, and knowledge, support the placement of this text in this unit.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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 Grade 3 materials contain questions and tasks that require the students to engage with the text directly and to draw on textual evidence to support answers. Each unit includes questions or activities in the Target Task and Key Questions section that require students to interact with the text. There are also writing tasks embedded through each unit that require students to interact with the text. Students are asked both explicit and implicit questions and are asked to explain their answer.

In Grade 3 Literature, the first unit focuses specifically on creating a culture of discussion and debate as well as discussion and writing about reading. While in Units 1-2, the focus is more on narrative writing, in Units 3-7, there are multiple text-based writing lessons embedded throughout the unit that support the final writing activity. The support materials for the teacher also provide what is called intellectual preparation during lesson planning which has the teacher consider questions such as 'What does it mean to ask and answer questions about a text?' and 'What does it mean to explicitly refer to the text?' Several examples of evidenced-based questions and tasks are as follows:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 1, after reading The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl, students are asked:
• Compare and contrast the Not So Big Crocodile and the Enormous Crocodile.
• How do the Not So Big Crocodile's words impact the Enormous Crocodile decision? Why?
• Do the Not So Big Crocodile's actions make the crocodile more or less likely to reach a child? Explain why.
• In Unit 2, Lesson 5, after reading "The Goat from the Hill and Mountains" from Tales Our Abuelitas Told, A Hispanic Folktale Collection by F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flora Ada, students are asked:
• What happens each time someone goes to scare the goat away?
• How does the goat respond? How does the person respond? Why? (Key quote to analyze: "By now the girl was crying, the woman glowering, her husband fuming, and the soldier was stomping about in frustration.")
• In Unit 3, Lesson 1, after reading "The Way of Living Things" by Jack Prelutsky students are asked:
• What is the rhyme scheme in this poem? What mood does it create?
• What description does the poet include to help the reader visualize living things?
• How does the poet convey the central message of the poem?
• What is the significance of the title?
• In Unit 4, Lesson 14, after Reading Otis and Ephialtes, Twin Giants, students are asked:
• Read the sentence from page 135. "The two young giants thought the world of themselves." What does this mean? How did this influence the way they acted? Why?
• Read the sentence from page 137. "Otis and Ephilates watched, listened, and learned." Why does the author include the word learned? What does this reveal about Otus and Ephilates's motivations?
• In Unit 5, Lesson 19, after reading Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes, students are asked:
• What advice does Joe give Garvey? Why is it important?
• What does Garvey realize in the poem, "Photo Album"?
• Why is the poem on p. 54 titled, "Garvey's Choice"?
• What choice does Garvey make? Why does Garvey tell Angela and not his mother and father?
• In Unit 6, Lesson 8, after reading Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, students are asked:
• How has Wilbur's perception of Charlotte changed?
• Described the sheep.
• What evidence does the author include to show how Wilbur feels about the sheep's comments?

In Grade 3 Science and Social Studies, there are also questions and tasks that require the students to refer back to the text and draw on textual evidence. Examples include:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 9, after reading If you Lived with the Iroquois by Ellen Levine, students are asked:
• What role did women play in ensuring that the Iroquois had enough food to eat? Why?
• What role did men and boys play in ensuring that the Iroquois had enough food to eat? Why?
• Explain the importance of corn in Iroquois communities.
• Compare the colonist’s views of land and property with the Iroquois. What does this show about the Iroquois value?
• In Unit 3, Lesson 20, after reading Ancient Rome and Pompeii: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #13 by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, students are asked:
• What gifts did the Romans leave behind?
• Why were Roman structures able to last for so long?
• Are all Roman structures in the same condition as they were when they were first built? Defend why or why not.
• How does the information from Eye Wonder build on to the information from Ancient Rome and Pompeii?
• In Unit 5, Lesson 5, after reading Forces and Motion by Rob Fridell, students are asked:
• What is gravity?
• What is the difference between mass and weight?
• What is the connection between mass and weight?
• In Unit 7, Lesson 12, after reading Wrecking Ball vs. Strong Wall, students are asked:
• What is a pendulum?
• How does the diagram on page 5 help a reader understand where the ball has the most energy of motion? Why?

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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).

The lessons throughout the units have sets of high quality sequences of text dependent questions that build to a culminating task. Grade 3 culminating tasks include a variety of projects, such as writing a story, preparing a community presentation, and conducting a research paper. The tasks require students to use evidence from the text they have read, mimic the text they have read, or use skills that they learned throughout the unit with a novel project. Projects require students to integrate the skills of reading, writing, and, at times, speaking.

Below are examples of culminating tasks throughout the program in both Literature and Science and Social Studies:

• In Literature, Unit 1, students learn the daily procedures of writing about reading and dig deep into narrative writing. At the end of the unit, students write their own creative narrative with a focused plot using the writing of Roald Dahl as a guide. Questions throughout the unit help students with this. For example, in Lesson 11, students are asked to describe what evidence Roald Dahl includes to help readers better understand the characters. This project lasts 4 days.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, students describe what it would be like to live with the Hopi or Cherokee Indians hundreds of years ago, which combines knowledge and skill gained from the unit. Students must include details about how they would live, what they would eat and wear, and how they would spend their days.
• In Literature, Unit 2, students write their own folktales using common characteristics of a folktale. Students read folktales and answer questions about folktales throughout this unit.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, teachers have the option for students to research different colonies that were not studied in this unit or research different roles and responsibilities in Colonial America. The goal of the project is for students to think critically and apply what they have learned throughout the entire unit.
• In Literature, Unit 3, students use what they have learned about poetry to write their own free-verse or rhyming poems.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, students pick another topic about ancient Rome to explore in depth using their knowledge and skill from this unit. The students create a brochure and a visual representation to show what they learned.
• In Literature, Unit 4, students discuss and analyze unit-essential questions using details from the entire unit to support a point of view.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, students are given the problem that they live in a seaside town that is experiencing large amounts of water pollution. The different animals and organisms are having a hard time adapting and surviving in the harsh environments, and some are becoming extinct. The students must come up with a solution to the problem and persuade others in the community to agree via a presentation.
• In Literature, Unit 5, students create a poster that describes what bullying is, details the different roles people play in bullying, and has at least two suggestions for how to prevent or stop bullying. Students use what they have learned from The Hundred Dresses and Garvey’s Choice to do this project.
• In Literature, Unit 6, students imagine that they are Wilbur from Charlotte's Web and write a thank you note to each of their friends and explain why they are thankful for their friendship.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 6, students research another religion and create a presentation to share with classmates that includes information about the religions main beliefs, history, people, and rituals.
• In Literature, Unit 7, students take a unit test where they read two sections of writing and respond to a prompt about theme. This is addressed throughout the unit.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 7, students create a design proposal. Throughout the unit, students learn about pulleys and gears and how to investigate the usefulness of simple machines, all of which will help with the final project.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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.

Throughout the Grade 3 curriculum, there are supporting documents that outline strategies and structures for evidence-based discussions. Each unit and lesson includes evidence-based Key Questions and Target Tasks that require teachers to use one of the evidence-based discussions. These questions and the opportunity to choose the protocol provides opportunities for students to take a closer look at the author’s craft, vocabulary, and syntax. There are Match Minis that are videos for teachers that demonstrate how to implement these protocols. It is important to note that because there are lesson frames, and not step-by-step scripts for each lessons, the teachers have to use their own discretion for when to introduce and use the various protocols.

The Rigorous Discussion Guidelinesin the Publisher’s Supporting Documents for Teachers explains strategies and structures to teachers in a step by step guide. Some lessons explicitly refer to these strategies and structures as an option for the lesson, but the teacher has the discretion of when to use them. There is a detailed document providing steps and guidelines to prepare for, lead, and follow up with a rigorous discussion. To prepare for a discussion some teacher guidance includes setting up the classroom space, articulating a question, and anticipating student misconceptions. To lead a discussion, some guidance is provided for modeling note taking for students, providing scaffolding, and tracking data from the discussion. After the discussion, there is guidance on how to use the data to inform future classes, which, also includes a rubric for evaluating student discussion. Text consumption strategies are provided, such as read aloud, shared reading, partner reading, and small group reading which provides opportunities for both listening and speaking. Some of the instructional strategies discussed include:

• Turn and Talk: Low-risk oral language strategy that provides scaffolded opportunities for all students to formulate and build upon each other’s ideas.
• Stop and Jot: Gives students a chance to process individually and make sense of information before participating in a turn and talk, class discussion, or moving on with a lesson. (A sample lesson plan for teaching stop and jot is provided)
• Discussion: Rigorous discussion explicitly fosters habits that increase student thinking by challenging on to test out their own ideas, build on those of their peers, and ultimately lead a persuasive discussion. The length and format of a rigorous discussion can and should vary.

Match Mini Protocols that illustrate various protocols include:

• Part 1: Illustrates discussion protocols
• Part 2: Provides a protocol for the classroom discussion. This part assists the teacher with evidence-based discussions using the text-based questions and vocabulary.

Examples from the lesson frameworks include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature, Unit 2, lesson 18, there is a sample lesson plan that provides a discussion protocol for students, in which students will engage in a discussion with classmates where they will use their annotations and evidence to back up their perspective.
• In Literature, Unit 3, Lesson 13, there are a lot of opportunities for discussions over two days, alternating between turn and talk and class discussion, such as:
• Turn and Talk: You are going to read the rest of the poems that other kinds wrote, As you read, I want you to think about two questions: Do all poems have to be about the same topic? What makes a good poem?
• Class Discussion: What did you like from the poems you read? What resonates with you? What topics do you like? Which elements did you find? How did they affect the poems?
• Turn and Talk: Share poems with partners and then given compliments to partners’ poems.
• Class Discussion: Share poems with the whole group and then give compliments to the whole group.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 4, Lesson 12, the Criteria for Success states that students with participate actively in discussion by agreeing/disagreeing/building as necessary and presenting evidence to backup their claims.
• In Literature, Unit 6, Lesson 6, the objective is that students prepare for a discussion of Charlotte’s Webby making a claim for each Essential Question based on their learning throughout the text
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 6, Lesson 25, after reading several texts including One World, Many Religions: The Ways we Worshipby Mary Pope Osborne, students debate and discussion two or three of the essential questions from the unit.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 7, Lesson 2, students are asked various questions about the vocabulary word wedge such as, “What is a wedge?” and “How do wedges make work easier?”. The teacher chooses a discussion protocol for the students to discuss the questions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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.

Materials in Grade 3 support speaking and listening about the text through group learning activities and class discussions. There are some examples in the lesson frames and teaching notes, where the word discussion is used explicitly to indicate to the teacher that discussion should be taking place in class. In addition, every lesson has a set of Key Questions, and while it does not explicitly state to discuss, there is often wording such as push scholars to think about, have scholars examine, focus, or explain. These series of questions often progress from discussion to writing. When writing, students have multiple opportunities to present their work and share with their peers in a group or whole class settings. Resource documents provide assistance for teachers in choosing class structures. Intellectual Prep is provided for each unit that specifies the discussions that will be included throughout the lessons.

Below are some examples of opportunities for students to practice their listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching in Literature. Some activities in the Lesson Objectives or Notes section of the Lesson Frames specifically require a discussion to be held by students and provide text dependent questions to be answered by students. Teachers can use their discretion to decide if it is whole group, partner, or small group discussion.

• In Unit 1, Lesson 14, students engage in a discussion on what they learned after reading The Twits and The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl.
• In Unit 2, Lesson 4, the notes section specifies that the students discuss common messages that are present in different folktales and how characters are similar and different in the text Tales Our Abuelitas Told.
• In Unit 3, Lesson 1, students read a variety of poems and then engage in a discussion on the noticings between free verse poems and poems with a rhyme scheme.
• In Unit 4, Lesson 11, the sample lesson plan provides opportunities for students to turn and talk during the close reading of the text Classic Starts: Roman Myths by Diane Namm.
• At the end of Unit 4, Lesson 22, students discuss and analyze the unit-essential questions using details from the entire unit to support a point of view. Then, they engage in a discussion about their analysis.
• In Unit 5, Lesson 7, students have the Target Task of “What roles do Peggy, Maddie, and Wanda play in the hundred dresses game?” In the notes section, the teacher asks the class to discuss first and then write. The lesson includes a sample lesson plan where the teacher has a discussion about bullying before the students write.
• In Unit 6, Lesson 20, students closely read Charlotte’s Web and engage in a class discussion on Wilbur and Charlotte’s relationship before writing a well-organized essay to support the idea. The Notes section of the Lesson Frame includes an explanation of the discussion.
• In Unit 7, Lesson 22 students compare and contrast texts by Mildred Taylor and Langston Hughes. The first day gives students the opportunity to gather evidence and discuss. The second day is a writing day.

Below are some examples of opportunities for students to practice their listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching in Science and Social Studies:

• In Unit, 1, Lesson 12, the writing/discussion target task is for students to answer the question, “In what ways is the League still the same? In what ways is it different? What caused the change?” Students explicitly refer to page 70 of the text and analyze, “The Iroquois League is, in fact, one of the world’s longest lasting unions. The Great League continues to exist today in the United States and Canada.”
• In Unit 1, Lesson 21, students write an informational text about what it would be like to live with the Hopi or Cherokee Indians by conducting a simple research project. They present the project to the class and the teacher and peers give them feedback on their text.
• In Unit 2, Lesson 12, students discuss the first Thanksgiving and what is symbolized by describing the relationship between a series of historical events using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect after reading Magic Tree House, Fact Tracker, Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osborne.
• In Unit 2, Lesson 19, students prepare for a discussion by making a claim based on their learning throughout the unit.
• In Unit 3, Lesson 22, students brainstorm and gather evidence to support two to three essential questions of the units and then that is followed up with an extended discussion.
• In Unit 4, Lesson 4, students respond to the following statement: All arthropods are exactly the same. All arthropods can survive in a variety of habitats.
• In Unit 5, Lesson 15, students engage in a whole class discussion on why some roller coasters work better than others.
• In Unit 7, Lesson 7; students observe and record simple machines and then participate in a discussion on which machines they found and which ones were not present. This prepares them for a two to three day project on simple machines.

In the Intellectual Prep section of the Unit Prep teachers determine a discussion focus for the unit based on priority speaking and listening standards, a plan for how to introduce the discussion focus, and reinforce the habit over the course of the unit.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 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.

In the Grade 3 materials, the majority of lessons include on-demand writing, such as a Target Task that requires students to respond in writing to the text covered in the lesson. These tasks vary in type and require students to respond to print and video materials. The writing prompts in Science and Social Studies help students process the concepts that they have learned in the informational text. The Publisher’s Documents have guides for informational writing, narrative writing, and literary analysis. Guides provide writing protocols for teachers to use in instruction, along with explanations on implementing the structure within the lesson frames. Guides provide guidance on supporting students throughout the writing process while allowing for maximum response to student needs in the individual classrooms. The Unit Overviews identify skills that should be focused on in writing, and the Publisher’s Documents help teachers to plan for addressing these skills in the lessons. The information for routines, procedures, and expectations is included in the Writing Focus Areas under Unit Prep, though not specified in each lesson.

Guidance for writing can be found in the Publisher’s Documents for each type of writing. Examples of guidance include the following:

• Guide to Informational Writing establishes the rationale for informational writing, which is that informational writing anchors lessons that are in Science and Social Studies. The informational writing is completed in response to a text, or a series of texts, in order to build and deepen students’ understanding of content. This guide includes protocols for process writing. The teacher uses the protocols within this document to provide practice in process writing throughout the year. Each step in the process is defined and explained in the document to provide support for the teacher.
• Guide to Narrative Writing explains that the anchor lessons will not be mastered in one lesson, and teachers will assess student writing and adjust lessons based on what they observe. The lessons should be customized based on the needs of the students, and teachers provide individualized feedback to students during the lessons.
• Guide to Literary Analysis includes common misconceptions and mistakes in literary analysis, such as excessive reliance on emotional understandings or mistaken beliefs.
• Implementing Daily writing practices is included in the Publisher’s Documents. This guide states that the lessons can be either one day or multiple day lessons depending on the teaching point.

Most lessons include on-demand writing prompts that are expected to be completed in class. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Literature, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students complete a written response to the following question: “How do Humpy-Rumpy and Monkey’s words and actions influence the plot of the story?”
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, Lesson 15, students answer the following prompt: “How did the environment influence the way the Northwest Coast Indians meet their basic needs for survival?” While this is on-demand writing, students are taught how to use the cause and effect brainstorm structure.
• In Literature, Unit 2, Lesson 2, students respond to the following prompt: “What lesson is the author trying to teach in ‘The Goal from the Hills and Mountains’?”
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, Lesson 18, students write an informational text pretending they are Puritans and describe their daily life along with their reliance upon the environment for survival.
• In Literature, Unit 3, students learn about poems and have opportunities throughout the unit to write on-demand poems and write about poems. For example, in Lesson 5, students synthesize what they have learned from the different poems that they have read.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, Lesson 2, students describe how the Roman Empire was founded.
• In Literature, Unit 4, Lesson 5, students describe how Jupiter’s actions contribute to the sequence of events.
• In Literature, Unit 5, Lesson 18, students answer the following on-demand writing prompt: “How does each poem help a reader build a deeper understanding of how Garvey views himself?”
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, Lesson 10, the writing prompt asks, “In what ways do Newton’s three laws of motion connect to soccer?”
• In Literature, Unit 6, Lesson 20, students describe Wilbur and Charlotte’s friendship.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 6, students begin writing essays, but are not given more than one day to write the essay. For example, in Lesson 23, students write an essay comparing and contrasting key details presented in two texts about Buddhism.
• In Literature, Unit 7, Lesson 7, students are given several on-demand writing prompts, such as write a journal entry from their own point of view.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 7, Lesson 12, students describe the different types of wrecking balls.

Process writing is described in detail in the Publisher’s Guide, and writing prompts in both Social Studies and Science provide opportunities to engage in process writing. For example:

• In Literature, Unit 1, Lessons 18-22, students rewrite their own creative story with a focused plot using Roald Dahl as a mentor author. Students brainstorm ideas and work on the draft for several days. On Day 18, students can complete a new flash draft or work on theirs from the previous day and add an engaging setting. In the Notes section, the process is broken down as follows:
• “Students should begin by brainstorming ideas and plot structures.”
• “Students should draft over the course of several days and mini lessons should be provided as needed.”
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, Lessons 6 and 7, students answer a prompt about what it would be like to live with the Sioux Indians hundreds of years ago. On the second day, students take their brainstorm from the previous day and turn it into powerful sentences. Students share their sentences with the class and critique each other’s work.
• In Literature, Unit 2, Lesson 21, students spend 5 days writing their own folktale and include common characters in the folktale. Teachers meet with students and provide small group and individualized instruction based on the needs of the class.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, students learn different brainstorming structures and use them to structure their writing with fluidity. While the focus is on paragraph structure, no series of lessons brings students through the whole writing process.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, Lessons 8-10, students answer a writing prompt and build on their writing each day.
• In Literature, Unit 6, Lesson 27, students spend two days writing a thank you note from the perspective of Wilbur thanking various characters for their friendship and explain why they are thankful for their friendship.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 6, Lesson 3, students write an essay comparing and contrasting two details in the text. The Notes section indicates that students will have multiple opportunities with this standard and reiterates the importance of scaffolding.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

Instructional materials provide opportunities for students to learn how to write narrative, informational, and opinion pieces across both the Literature and Science and Social Studies units. The material covers a variety of text types that reflect the distribution required by the standards, and it supports mastery of the standards. There are multiple literary analysis prompts throughout the curriculum. These prompts provide students with opportunities to write informational analysis such as identifying themes or main ideas of passages and opinion analysis such as providing reflections or opinions on an author’s ideas.

Some examples of narrative writing lessons and prompts include:

• In Literature, Unit 1, the focus is narrative writing and students are taught how to write a strong and engaging plot. The students use Roald Dahl as a mentor author for their own creative writing.
• In Literature, Unit 2, Lesson 21, students write their own folktale over the course of five days. Their folktale must include the common characteristics of a folktale, especially a lesson.
• In Literature, Unit 3, Lesson 13, students write a poem about an object or animal that they like. They must include specific poetic devices.
• In Literature, Unit 4, Lesson 3, students write Baucis or Philemon’s journal entry about Jupiter’s visit to their house. The students must include how the characters respond to the events in the story.
• In Literature, Unit 6, Lesson 27, students write a thank you note from the perspective of Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web to each of his friends, explaining why they are thankful for their friendship.
• In Literature, Unit 7, Lesson 4, students write Little Man’s journal entry about what happened in the store.

Some examples of informational writing lessons and prompts are below. The curriculum includes many writing prompts that require literary analysis that are connected to the text.

• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, Lesson 13 and 14, students write what it would be like to live with the Iroquois hundreds of years ago. Students must include how they would live, what they would eat and wear, and how they would spend their days.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 2, Lesson 5, students write an informational text describing a voyage on the Mayflower by stating a claim and using details and a strong organizational structure to support the claim. Teachers are expected to help students use the structure of pros and cons brainstorming to push the students to write a single paragraph describing what life was like on the Mayflower.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, the focus is on explaining evidence for claims and including an introduction and conclusion to essays. In Lesson 4, students have to write a letter to a friend who thinks that the Roman Empire was founded by Romulus and Remus. In the letter, students must include whether or not they agree and include facts and information from both texts in this unit.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, Lesson 7, students write what life would be like without magnets and magnetism.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 6, the focus is to write an essay that includes information from at least two connected sources and it must include evidence from both.

Opinion writing is included in Grade 3, and many writing prompts require students to analyze literature. Some examples of opinion writing include:

• In Literature, Unit 1, Lesson 13, students evaluate the animals’ plan for revenge in the story, The Twits.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 1, Lesson 4, students have to write about whether the white people have a positive or negative influence on the Sioux tribe.
• In Unit 2, Lesson 19, students pick 1-2 essential questions to analyze and debate. This is the last day of the unit for students to reflect on the essential questions, debate the answers, and then write an extended literary analysis.
• In Literature, Unit 3, Lesson 1, the students explain why the poets choose to write in free verse, why the poets include rhyme scheme, and how both help a reader better understand the poet's message.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 3, Lesson 13, students have to write a letter to a friend describing if they agree or disagree with the idea that Roman society had the exact routines and structures as we do today.
• In Literature, Unit 5, Lesson 11, students write what conclusion the character Maddie reaches in The Hundred Dresses and then, based on their own life and the text, explain if they think Maddie reached the right conclusion.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 5, Lesson 8, students have to write what life would be like without energy and the ability to transfer energy.
• In Science and Social Studies, Unit 7, Lesson 6, students have to write which simple machine they would remove and which one they would use instead.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 meet the criteria for materials including frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing to support careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information appropriate for the grade level.

Materials in Grade 3 include frequent opportunities for evidence-based writing. Most units include a writing prompt that requires students to cite evidence from text. Some writing assignments require students to compare two pieces of text and draw evidence from both to support claims. Other assignments require students to close read a particular piece of text and use detailed evidence to support their responses to writing prompts. The Literary Analysis Rubric used to grade all of the writing supports the use of evidence-based writing. Explicit references to the text in the student’s writing yields more points on the rubric.

Examples of evidence-based writing opportunities in Literature include:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 3, students respond to the target task: “How do Humpry-Rumpy and Monkey’s words and actions influence the plot of the story in the story, The Enormous Crocodile.”
• In Unit 2, Lesson 18, students have to analyze common messages/lessons across different folktales in the book, Her Stories, African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton, by discussing how characters are similar and different across the different folktales by stating a claim and then providing supporting evidence from different stories.
• In Unit 3, Lesson 5, students explain how the different poets use the structural elements of poetry to help readers better understand the ways of living things. It is explained in the Notes Section that the teacher can push students to synthesize what they have learned from all of the different poems they have read.
• In Unit 4, Lesson 12, the writing prompt is how does the author use key details to convey the central message in the Roman myth, “Cupid and Psyche."
• In Unit 5, Lesson 13, students use evidence from the text to describe the impact Wanda’s letter has on Maddie and Peggy while reading The Hundred Dresses.
• In Unit 6, Lesson 5, students have to describe Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web. The teaching note explains that this day is a writing/close-read deep dive day, where students have to find a variety of evidence that they think describes Wilbur.
• In Unit 7, Lesson 6, the writing prompt asks, “How does the author use the conversation between Tom Bee and the boys to help the reader better understand the interaction between Tom Bee and John Wallace?” It explains in the Teaching Note that the key for this writing task is for the students to explain what Tom Bee reveals in the conversation between him and the boys about his friendship with John Wallace and why he insists on calling him John.

Examples of evidence-based writing opportunities in the Science and Social Studies units include:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 11, students write how the daily routines, rituals, and structures show what the Iroquois valued after reading If you Lived with the Iroquois.
• In Unit 2, Lesson 8, students respond to the prompt, “Imagine that you, like Lizzy, have just arrived in the New World. Write an informational text describing the challenges and rewards of being in the New World. Make sure to include important facts and details to help the reader visualize what it was like on the ship.”
• In Unit 3, Lesson 18, students have to describe Cleopatra, Boudicca, Caligula, and Nero from the text Ancient Rome and Pompeii: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #13.
• In Unit 4, Lesson 11, students spend two days describing the life cycle of a given organism. They need to then compare the life cycle of their organism with another organism.
• In Unit 5, Lesson 14, students describe what force the author is talking about in the text “Roller Coasters,” and how they make roller coasters more fun.
• In Unit 6, Lesson 7, the target task is to think about the key details in two texts about Judaism that shows an important aspect of Jewish religion. Then students write an essay comparing and contrasting the key details presented in the two texts using specific details and examples from both articles.
• In Unit 7, Lesson 2, the writing prompt asks students, "How are planes, wedge, and screws used to make work easier?" They need to give common examples of each and explain its proposing using the text, Simple and Complex Machines.