myView Literacy

Downloadable Resources

  • myView Literacy Publisher Response ‑ Grades 3‑5 myView Literacy Publisher Response ‑ Grades 3‑5
  • myView Literacy Publisher Response ‑ Grades K‑2 myView Literacy Publisher Response ‑ Grades K‑2
  • Technology Information myView Literacy 3‑5 Technology Information myView Literacy 3‑5
  • Technology Information myView Literacy K‑2 Technology Information myView Literacy K‑2

myView Literacy

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Foundational skills are the beginning processes of reading for students in grades K–5. This score represents an average across grade levels reviewed for: print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency.

This score represents an average across grade levels reviewed for: integrated reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, and promotion of mastery of grade-level standards by the end of the year.

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  • Overview Overview
  • Kindergarten Kindergarten
  • 1st Grade 1st Grade
  • 2nd Grade 2nd Grade
  • 3rd Grade 3rd Grade
  • 4th Grade 4th Grade
  • 5th Grade 5th Grade

Report Overview

Summary of alignment & usability: myview literacy | ela, ela k-2, ela 3-5.

The   myView Literacy   materials for Grades K-2 meet expectations for alignment and usability. The materials include a broad variety and range of high-quality texts, strong daily opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening aligned to the standards.

There is also practice of phonics, fluency, and word recognition and analysis skills.

Questions and tasks support students as they engage with texts and build literacy skills. Information for implementation supports teachers as materials are used in the classroom, including assessments, standards alignments, and supports for all learners.

Kindergarten

Text Quality

Building Knowledge

The   myView Literacy   materials for Grades 3-5 meet expectations for alignment and usability. The materials include a broad variety and range of high-quality texts, strong daily opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening aligned to the standards.

Text Complexity and Quality

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my view literacy kindergarten review

myView Literacy - Kindergarten

Savvas learning company (f/k/a pearson) | kindergarten, change view.

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Alignment: Overall Summary

NOTE: This publisher has completed the Instructional Materials Technology Information document which provides enhanced details about this product’s design and usability features. View the technology information.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations of alignment. Texts are of high quality. The materials provide opportunities for student growth in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and developing language skills over the course of the year. The materials also meet the overall expectations for instructional supports and usability, with guidance for implementation.

Meets Expectations

Text quality, building knowledge, gateway one, text quality & complexity and alignment to standards components.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the expectations for high-quality texts. Texts are the central focus of lessons, are at the appropriate grade-level text complexity, and are accompanied by quality tasks aligned to the standards of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in service to grow literacy skills. Texts are the right text complexity criteria for grade level, student, and task. The materials provide opportunities for rich and rigorous evidence-based discussions and writing about texts; however, materials do not provide students with opportunities to learn opinion writing. Each Unit includes the same opinion writing folder with five lessons for opinion writing, but no guidance is included on when or how to use the lessons. Additionally, the folder is not directly connected to the core materials and may be overlooked.

Materials in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language targeted to support foundational reading development are present; however, instructional timing is limited to 15 minutes daily, which is not sufficient for students to master grade-level foundational skills.

Criterion 1a - 1f

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criterion for texts are worthy of students’ time and attention, are of quality and are rigorous, meeting the text complexity criteria for each grade. Materials support students’ advancing toward independent reading.  Some anchor texts, including read-aloud texts, are of publishable quality, worthy of careful reading, and consider a range of student interests, and the materials reflect the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level. Texts, including read-aloud texts and some shared reading texts used to build knowledge and vocabulary, have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task. Read-aloud texts are above the complexity levels of what most students can read independently. The materials support students’ literacy skills (comprehension) over the course of the school year through increasingly complex text to develop independence of grade-level skills. Anchor texts, including read-aloud texts, and the series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level and support materials for the core texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to support their reading at grade level by the end of the school year.

Indicator 1a

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criteria for anchor texts (including read aloud texts in K-2 and shared reading texts in Grade 2 used to build knowledge and vocabulary) are of publishable quality and worthy of especially careful reading/listening and consider a range of student interests.

The anchor texts across the year vary in quality. Some texts pertaining to science and social studies topics are of publishable quality, worthy of careful reading, well-crafted, and include a range of student interest; however, other texts included in the instruction materials are of low-quality and not worthy of careful reading.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In Unit 2, Week 1, students listen to Animals on the Move by Ron Fridell. The question-and-answer structure makes the text easy to follow and corresponds directly with the photos on the page. Students may need help answering the questions on the last page, especially if they live in a warm climate or have never been to a location with cold weather.
  • In Unit 4, Week 4, students listen to Changing Laws, Changing Lives: Martin Luther King, Jr. by Eric Velaquez. The text is written in a compare and contrast text structure, looking at life before and after changes that happened because of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The delivery of the social studies content is interesting for students. The difference between past and present events is very clear: The past events have black and white photographs, while the present events have color photographs. 
  • In Unit 5, Week 2, students listen to A Desert in Bloom by Justin Scott Parr. The text contains strong academic vocabulary with clear, powerful illustrations to support student learning about seasons in the desert. The text is worthy of reading multiple times and is revisited as a close read in the weekly lesson. It is well-crafted and rich in science content, yet appropriate for Kindergarten.

Examples of texts that are low quality and not worthy of careful reading include, but are not limited to:

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, students listen to Mission Accomplished by Ebony Joy Wilkins. The meaning of the story is clear and simple: children imagine finding rocks of different shapes on Mars.
  • In Unit 3, Week 1, students listen to How Anansi Got His Stories by Ibi Zoboi. Simple identification of which characters are speaking makes the story easy to follow.

Indicator 1b

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials reflecting the distribution of text types and genres required by the standards at each grade level.

The materials, including shared reading texts, leveled readers, and trade books, contain a variety of topics and are balanced between literary and informational texts throughout each unit. The materials include informational texts, narrative nonfiction texts, infographics, poems, dramas, realistic fiction texts, fairy tales, folktales, procedural texts, fables, and biographies.

Examples of literary texts include:

  • Unit 1, Week 2:  Ben’s Blanket by Ruby Lee
  • Unit 1, Week 2: At the Park by Ruby Lee
  • Unit 1, Week 2: Too Many Places to Hide by Antonio Sacre
  • Unit 1, Week 5: A Visit to the Art Store by Jerry Craft
  • Unit 2, Week 5: Run, Jump, and Swim by Kimberly Feltes Taylor
  • Unit 3, Week 1: How Anansi Got His Stories by Ibi Zoboi
  • Unit 3, Week 3: Poetry Collection :  “Duck Meets the Moon”, “Humpty Dumpty”, “Hickory, Dickory Dock” by Celia Warren, and Traditional Nursery Rhymes
  • Unit 3, Week 5: Time for a Story by David Booth
  • Unit 4, Week 2: Uncovering the Past by Jennifer Torres
  • Unit 4, Week 5: Tempera, Tempera by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
  • Unit 5, Week 5: Who Likes Rain by Stephen Krensky
  • Unit 5, Leveled Reader: Three Little Kittens by Lynn Brochu

Examples of informational texts include:

  • Unit 1, Leveled Reader: I Ride by Ruby Lee
  • Unit 1, Week 3: At the Library by Eric Braun
  • Unit 2, Week 1: Animals on the Move by Ron and Fridell
  • Unit 2, Trade Book: Foxes by Alma Flor Ada
  • Unit 2, Week 4: Open Wide! by Ana Galan
  • Unit 3, Week 3: A Play by Lee Choon-Yi
  • Unit 3, Trade Book: Telling Stories by Angela Johnson
  • Unit 3, Week 5: Our Elders by David Bouchard
  • Unit 3, Leveled Reader: I Can Move by Deanna Yuen
  • Unit 4, Week 1: Cars Are Always Changing by Gary Miller
  • Unit 4, Week 4: Changing Laws, Changing Lives: Martin Luther King, Jr. by Lee Choon-Yi
  • Unit 4, Leveled Reader: A Long Time Ago by Therese McNamara
  • Unit 5, Week 2: A Desert in Bloom by Justin Scott Parr
  • Unit 5, Leveled Reader: At Night by Kathleen Corrigan

Indicator 1c

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for texts (including read-aloud texts and some shared reading texts used to build knowledge and vocabulary) have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade level according to quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and a relationship to their associated student task. Read-aloud texts at K-2 are above the complexity levels of what most students can read independently. 

The texts included have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis, and relationship to the associated student task. Anchor texts and shared reading texts are placed at the appropriate grade level according to the quantitative and qualitative analysis. The text complexity chart provides examples of places where students may need support through the qualitative measure. Texts that are above or below grade level quantitative bands have qualitative features and/or tasks that bring the text to the appropriate level for students to access the text. The Lexile ratings of the shared reading text begin at a Lexile of 200 and end the year at a Lexile of 400. 

  • A Visit to the Art Store, 230L: This anchor text includes photos that depict the things a person might find at an art store, supporting the author’s purpose of informing readers about the tools artists use to create art. The second-person narration is clear and explicit, following a pattern: "Look at all the pencils. You can make dark lines. You can make light lines. Look at all the markers." Many sentences refer to opposites to communicate the variety of supplies found in art stores: dark/ light, bright/dull, wide/thin. Art supplies described in the text should be familiar to most readers.
  • From Nectar to Honey, 290L: This anchor text for Unit 2, Week 2 includes photos and diagrams that help explain the concepts of the informational text. The chronological text structure shows the steps in the process of bees visiting flowers to collect nectar for honey. Content is science-oriented, but the subject of flowers and bees is familiar.
  • The Gingerbread Man, 340L: This anchor text for Unit 3, Week 2 functions as a paired text with “The Story of Cornbread Man.” The illustrations clarify the events and help students identify the characters. The dialogue is contemporary and familiar and should help students understand the playful mood of the story: “Ha-ha, he-he! You can’t catch me!” Most students will understand the fictional, fantasy environment of the story, with the gingerbread man coming to life and the dialogue between the gingerbread man and the fox.
  • Changing Laws, Changing Lives: Martin Luther King, Jr., 390L: This anchor text for Unit 4, Week 4 uses a compare-and-contrast text structure that examines events before and after Dr. King’s activism. The text includes simple language, but the vocabulary may introduce complex concepts. The text’s topic requires some prior knowledge about race and racial inequality in the United States.
  • A Desert in Bloom, 360L: This anchor text for Unit 5, Week 2 includes photos that make the informational text genre clear to the reader. Language is simple and clear, and descriptive words (cloudy, soaked, colorful, bloom, returns) help clarify the science content. The content is presented in an accessible way: How can desert flowers grow there? and Now you know how desert flowers grow !
  • Blizzard Action Plan, 420L: This shared reading story for Unit 5, Week 4 is at the bottom of the Lexile Stretch Band for Grade 2 and is appropriate for a read aloud story at the end of Kindergarten . 
  • Tempura, Tempera , 420L: The quantitative measures place this text in the Kindergarten complexity band. The qualitative measures suggest that students might need additional support with the following areas: Meaning: Significance of food to a culture and Knowledge Demands: Japanese and Portuguese cuisines. The meaning is implicitly shown through the unfolding of the story and interactions between characters. Students will need assistance recognizing the origin of cultural dishes, even if they are familiar with Japanese or Portuguese food or culture. The text’s topic assumes some prior knowledge that tempura is a traditional Japanese food. Some knowledge of where Portugal and Japan are located would also help students understand the story better. 
  • So Many Stories , 400L-500L: The story is a read aloud, the sentences are short, and the story is one that students should be able to connect to or have background knowledge about (checking out books at the library).

Indicator 1d

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ literacy skills (comprehension) over the course of the school year through increasingly complex text to develop independence of grade level skills (leveled readers and series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels). 

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten contain the complexity of anchor texts and supporting texts to provide students with the opportunity to grow their comprehension skills throughout the school year. Series of texts are at a variety of complexity levels appropriate for the grade band. Skills build on one another, as well as the complexity of the texts to support thinking and literacy skills. The Teacher's Edition provides appropriate scaffolds to support both the teacher and the students. The Shared Reading texts and the leveled readers include a variety of complexity levels to help grow students’ literacy skills throughout the year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Throughout the materials, students learn about setting:

  • In the beginning of the year, the students work on identifying the setting of a story. During Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 1, Shared Read, the teacher models a think aloud to help students see the process of determining the setting of the story: “I wonder where this story takes place? Oh, there is a seesaw! I think that these children are at the playground or the park. This is usually where I see seesaws, swings, and other playground equipment. The children are playing at the park, but they are imagining that they are in a rocket ship. That looks like fun!” In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 1, during the small group conference time, the teacher asks students about the setting (“Where is the setting of the book?”) and to complete literacy activities in small groups (students draw the picture of the setting of their book).
  • In the middle of the year, materials go into more detail of identifying setting. In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 1, during the Read Aloud of Goldilocks , students use a graphic organizer to identify the setting to help identify details about the story. In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 1, during the Weekly Launch in the Student Interactive, the teacher asks students, “Can you explain how the settings are different.” 
  • In the end of the year, students are asked to use details in the story to identify the setting. In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, the teacher identifies a book from the reading library and guides students to describe the setting based on details in the picture. In Unit 5, Week 5, Reading Workshop, Leveled Readers, students justify how they know what the setting of the story is: “What is the setting? How do you know?”

Throughout the materials, students learn about characters:

  • In the beginning of the year, the students identify characters in stories. In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, students identify the characters in the story from the Close Read. The teacher models using the pictures and what characters say to describe them. The Student Interactive asks them to name the characters from the story.
  • In the middle of the year, students compare characters in texts. In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, students compare characters to help with understanding, they visualize the characters and recall their actions in order to compare. The students discuss with a classmate how they can compare a main character to other characters they have read about.
  • By end of year, students are able to see characters come to life in drama. In Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, students reference a play to identify the characters and how what they say and do adds meaning to the story. A character’s words, actions, and thoughts help to develop the plot and students identify main characters as they emerge in the story. The Student Interactive asks students to use what they know about the characters in the play to determine the main character.

Throughout the materials, students learn about plot and problem/solution:

  • In the beginning of the year, students learn about the plot of a story and the problem and solution in fiction stories. In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Close Read, the teacher models finding the problem and the resolution in the text,  Too Many Places to Hide. Students underline the problem and resolution in the story. Next, students draw the problem and solution in their Student Interactive.
  • In the middle of the year, students learn about plot development, story events, and problem and solution. In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 3: Reading Workshop, Close Read, students do a close read of the text,  Mosni Can Help,  and look for the main events of the text. In their Student Interactive, students draw what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story. 
  • By the end of the year,  the students are studying plot in a drama. In Unit 5, Week 4, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Read Aloud, after reading, the teacher starts a list of events and students finish the list and then retell the story. Students focus on the actions of the characters to determine key events.

Indicator 1e

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that anchor texts (including read-aloud texts in K-2) and the series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis.

Each unit contains a shared reading text which is accompanied by quantitative and qualitative analysis, as well as reader and task considerations. The publisher provides a text complexity analysis located in the Text Complexity Analysis Charts section of the instructional materials. In addition, there are additional considerations for English Language Learners, Intervention, and On Level and Advanced students. The Book Club guided reading books are also leveled to assist teachers in matching students to texts. The publisher provides information for the text rationale and placement in the Getting Started with myView Literacy page under Program Overview: “Texts were chosen based on criteria such as literary merit, author’s craft, themes, gender and cultural representations/experiences, insight, readability and diversity. Final text selections for inclusion in myView Literacy were subject to numerous professional reviews to confirm the literature meets Pearson’s requirements for quality, appropriateness, and sensitivity. In developing myView Literacy , we worked to integrate multicultural experiences so students see themselves as part of what is valued in the school curriculum.” 

Examples of instructional and text notes found in Kindergarten materials include the following:

  • In Unit 1, Week 5, students read the informational text,  A Visit to the Art Store  by Jerry Craft, 280L. The quantitative measures place this text in the Grade K complexity band. The qualitative measures suggest that students might need additional support with Language: Identifying opposites and Knowledge Demands: Recognizing art supplies. "Before reading the selection, use the Reader and Task Considerations to help you plan how to address various student populations." The author’s purpose is explicitly stated on the first page: "Do you want to be an artist? An art store has the tools you need." The images depict the things a person might find at an art store, supporting the author’s purpose of informing readers about the tools artists use to create art. The second-person narration is clear and explicit, following a pattern: "Look at all the pencils. You can make dark lines. You can make light lines. Look at all the markers." Students might need some assistance determining that the first and last pages show photos that were not taken in an art store. The text includes mostly simple sentences. Many sentences refer to opposites to communicate the variety of supplies found in art stores: dark/ light, bright/dull, wide/thin. Some students may need assistance recognizing that the concepts depict opposites. Art supplies described in the text should be familiar to most readers. Students may require assistance identifying some of the photos of art supplies, such as the large sheets of paper on shelves and the pencils and markers viewed inside bins with their tips facing out.
  • In Unit 2, Week 4, students read the informational text,  Open Wide! by Ana Galán, 250L. The quantitative measures place this text in the Grade K complexity band. The qualitative measures suggest that students might need additional support with Language: Pronoun usage and Knowledge Demands: Animal body parts. "Before reading the selection, use the Reader and Task Considerations to help you plan how to address various student populations." The author’s purpose is explicitly stated on the first page: "Animals need food. What do they eat?" While it is clear that students will learn that different animals eat different foods, students may not realize right away that the text will teach them about body parts for eating. The repetitive text patterns identify the animal on each page, its body parts for eating, and what it eats: "This bear has a big mouth. What does it eat? It eats plants and meat. This shark has many teeth. What does it eat? It eats fish." Illustrations directly support an understanding of the text. Use of the pronouns "this" and "it" follows a repeating pattern, with the illustrations contributing to the reader’s understanding of the concepts. Some students may need support to understand what the pronouns refer to on each page. The text focuses on animals that will likely be familiar to most students. The text contains no references to other texts but some background knowledge of animal body parts (beak, tongue, teeth) and foods (plants, meat, fish, sweet nectar, tasty insects) will enhance understanding.
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, students read the fairy tale,  The Gingerbread Man by Pleasant DeSpain,   340L. The quantitative measures place this text in the Grade K complexity band. The qualitative measures suggest that students might need additional support with Meaning: Comparing and contrasting stories and Knowledge Demands: Understanding fairy tales. "Before reading the selection, use the Reader and Task Considerations to help you plan how to address various student populations." The theme is implied but easy to identify. Students may need some support to understand the end of the story (the fox tricks the gingerbread man and eats him). This story functions as a paired text with “The Story of Cornbread Man.” This fairy tale is clear, explicit, and organized in chronological order. The illustrations clarify the events and help students identify the characters. The frequent use of dialogue may require clarification to ensure students understand who is speaking on each page. The language is simple, using vocabulary that students may already be comfortable with. The dialogue is contemporary and familiar and should help students understand the playful mood of the story: “Ha-ha, he-he! You can’t catch me!” The story retells a classic tale, but students do not need to be familiar with it to understand the text. Most students will understand the fictional, fantasy environment of the story, with the gingerbread man coming to life and the dialogue between the gingerbread man and the fox.
  • In Unit 4, Week 6, students read the information text,  Weather Around the World  by André Ngāpō, 410L. The quantitative measures place this text in the Grade K complexity band. The qualitative measures suggest that students might need additional support with Language: Use of the words "extreme" and "very"   and Knowledge Demands: Differences in global regions. "Before reading the selection, use the Reader and Task Considerations to help you plan how to address various student populations." The main idea is explicitly stated on the first page: "Many places in the world have extreme weather." The variety of climate situations can be understood through photos of housing, such as huts, tents, and research stations. The repeating pattern of sentences starting with a prepositional phrase creates a clear parallel between topics: "In Alaska, it is very cold.... In the desert, it is often very hot. In China, it can be very rainy.... In Antarctica, it is very windy." Most other sentences have a simple structure. Language is simple and clear, but some students may need help understanding adjectives in the context of the discussion of weather. The text’s topic does not require prior knowledge about locations around the world; however, some students may benefit from seeing each location on a map. They may also benefit from clarification that the weather in the places shown is typical for those areas of the world, even though it may be considered extreme.
  • In Unit 5, Week 3, students read a Poetry Collection  by Eric Gansworth. Quantitative measures are not generated for poetry and drama. The qualitative analysis provides support. The qualitative measures suggest that students might need additional support with Language: Words in Tuscarora, a Native American language and Knowledge Demands: Effects of weather on crops or plants. "Before reading the selection, use the Reader and Task Considerations to help you plan how to address various student populations." The theme of appreciating different kinds of weather is clear and consistent throughout both poems. The details in each stanza about how the speaker and the speaker’s friends feel and see the types of weather support the theme. Poems use a mostly regular rhythm and rhyme scheme. The text follows a predictable pattern. Each stanza begins with a Tuscarora words about seeing or feeling: "Wehh-dooj" or "Ees-aw-hah’ Ees-aeh." Illustrations help clarify concepts and illustrate text. While most of the lines are simple, the Tuscarora words will be unfamiliar and require support. Some words that describe nature (mound, shoots, and seep) may also require support. Each poem shifts from describing what “we” (the speaker and her friends) experience to describing what “they” (the plants) experience. Students may need support to understand this shift. The poems depict familiar experiences of being outside on rainy and sunny days, feeling raindrops, and looking at a rainbow. Some students may also be unfamiliar with some of the crops depicted in the poem, such as squash, or with the use of the words, three sisters, to describe three important crops.

Indicator 1f

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that support materials for the core text(s) provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to support their reading at grade level by the end of the school year. 

The materials include several opportunities for students to engage in diverse literature and informational text in a day, week, and unit. Throughout the Reading Workshop, Reading-Writing Bridge, Writing Workshop in each week, and Project-Based Inquiry in each unit, students are exposed to texts in the form of Read Alouds, Shared Reading, Close Reads, Mentor Stacks, Guided Reading, and Independent Reading. Texts included in the materials span a variety of genres, complexity levels, and opportunities for students to work with diverse texts. Students also have the opportunity to engage with texts through small group guided reading. A Leveled Readers library, available in print and online, is also diverse in genre and complexity. Teaching support is provided in a separate guide that addresses each component to the guided reading with differentiation ideas and targeted support for ELLs, conversation prompts and Guided Writing. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, students listen to the realistic fiction Read Aloud,  Jackie and Her Imagination. Next, using the Student Interactive, students complete a Read Together of the story in the same genre called Mission Accomplished! Students then complete a Close Read of the same text days later with support questions in the Student Interactive. Teachers then have 18 options ranging from Guided Reading Level A to Level D for small group texts. A Matching Texts to Learning resource is offered to teachers who choose to select other texts that match the instructional focus to provide additional texts that fit the weekly theme. 
  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 1, students listen to a read-aloud of the fiction text, So Many Stories . During Shared Reading, students read and respond to The Best Story. During Close Reading, students identify the author’s purpose and make and confirm predictions of The Best Story. Students read the decodable books,  Can You Help?  and Lin, Sam and Jake.
  • In Unit 4, Week 2, students are introduced to narrative nonfiction in the reading workshop with the read-aloud,  Our Trip to the Beach , then a shared read, Uncovering the Past. The leveled readers are one narrative ( I Can ), two informational texts ( Ready for School ,   A Long Time Ago ) and three narrative nonfiction ( Family Teachers, In the Museum, Rosh Hashanah ).
  • In Unit 5, Week 3, the weekly genre focus is poetry during Reader’s Workshop. To introduce the unit, students listen to “Weather Poems.” Next, the Read Aloud consists of two poems, “Winter Fun” and “The Storm.” After that, the Shared Read is “Poetry Collection.” These will also be revisited as a Close Reading on Days 3 and 4. The suggested leveled readers to go along with the weather theme of this week, consist of a variety of genres. For instance, At Night (informational text), What Will I Wear Today? ( narrative nonfiction), The Wind (narrative nonfiction), I See a Sheep (narrative), The Storm (narrative), and Thunderbird (traditional).  

Criterion 1g - 1n

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criterion for materials provide opportunities for rich and rigorous evidence-based discussions and writing about texts to build strong literacy skills. Most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-based, 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. Sets of high-quality sequences of text-based questions with activities that build to a culminating task. The materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions in a variety of groupings that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax, while also supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading or read aloud and researching (shared projects) with relevant follow-up questions and supports. The materials include a mix of on-demand and process, grade-appropriate writing (e.g., grade-appropriate  revision and editing) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate. The materials provide opportunities for students to address different text types of writing; however, opportunities are missed for students to learn about opinion writing.

The materials also include explicit instruction of the grade-level grammar and conventions standards as applied in increasingly sophisticated contexts, with opportunities for application both in and out of context.

Indicator 1g

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-based, 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 contain text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics. Students are asked to analyze the author’s words and phrases as they interact with texts through questioning or by completing different tasks. The sequence of questions and tasks provide frequent opportunities for students to interact with texts by completing a Shared Read on Day 2 and a Close Read on Days 3 and 4 of the weekly cycle. Text-based questions, tasks, and assignments support students’ literacy growth over the course of the school year. The Teacher Materials provide support for planning and implementation of text-dependent writing, speaking, and activities. 

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, students answer the question, “How does the narrator find Poof?”, and support their answer by underlining the resolution to the story. 
  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 4, Formative Assessment: Option 1, students complete the task: “Have the students draw pictures on p. 119 in the Student Interactive of two things from the text that provide evidence that a library is a special place.”
  • In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Listening Comprehension, students listen to a read-aloud of What is a Pond? To set the purpose, the teacher asks students, “What is the author trying to tell about or explain in this text?”
  • In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Interact with Sources, students use the infographic,  How Anteaters Eat, to learn about anteaters. Then students are asked to complete the following tasks: "Point to the picture that shows the anteater eating. Tell which body part the anteater uses to eat the food shown in the picture. What other body parts might help the anteater get or eat its food?"
  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 1, Shared Read, after a shared reading of “How Anansi Got His Stories,” students highlight the word that “helps you picture how Anansi feels about his plan” and answer the question, “Why does Anansi want the stories?” and to “underline the words that tell you.”
  • In Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Close Read, students learn how to find the main idea and supporting details in a text. After the teacher explains and models how to identify the main idea and supporting details, students are given two options: 1. After the teacher conducts a read aloud of Uncovering the Past , students complete page 80 of the Student Interactive to write the main idea and to circle the picture that goes along with the story. 2. Use a sticky note to mark the main idea in a narrative nonfiction text. Students will then write the main idea on a sticky note.
  • In Unit 4, Week 5, Lesson 2, Shared Read, after a shared reading of the biography, “Eleanor Roosevelt,” students are asked to underline the main idea. 
  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Close Read, students learn to make connections between the ideas in two texts and draw pictures to represent the connections. Then students are asked to complete either of these tasks: 1. Complete page 42 of the Student Interactive Resource to draw a type of weather from Weather Around the World and a type of weather from another text. 2. Students will draw pictures that connect two independent reading texts.
  • In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 1, Shared Read, after a shared reading of “A Desert in Bloom,” students complete a close read and underline specific information in the text. Students learn about sequence writing and answer the questions, “What do these pages tell about how flowers grow? Underline the words that tell when the steps happen. What is the last thing that happens to flowers in the desert? Underline the words that tell when the last step happens.”

Indicator 1h

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials containing sets of high-quality sequences of text-based questions with activities that build to a culminating task which integrates skills to demonstrate understanding (as appropriate, may be drawing, dictating, writing, speaking, or a combination).

Materials include culminating tasks across a year’s worth of material. Culminating tasks are varied and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do in speaking and writing. Each unit ends with Week 6 as an Inquiry Project where students research a real world issue and are asked to consider what they have learned across the unit to further develop their skills. Additionally, materials include a Unit Essential Question and Weekly Essential Questions that students answer to reflect on their learning.

  • In Unit 2, the Unit Essential Question is, "What do living things need?" Each week, students read a text related to the unit theme and answer a weekly Essential Question during Reflect and Share and are asked to use what they learned from the week. At the end of the Unit, students answer the Unit Essential Question.
  • Week 1 Essential Question: Why do some animals move from place to place?
  • Week 2 Essential Question: How do some living things make what they need?
  • Week 3 Essential Question: How do we know what we need?
  • Week 4 Essential Question: How do different animals eat their food?
  • Week 5 Essential Question: Why is exercise important?
  • In Unit 5, the Unit Essential Question is, "What can we learn from the weather?" Each week, students read a text related to the unit theme and answer a weekly Essential Question during Reflect and Share and are asked to use what they learned from the week. At the end of the Unit, students answer the Unit Essential Question.
  • Week 1 Essential Question: How have people learned to live in bad weather?
  • Week 2 Essential Question: What helps plants live in hot climates?
  • Week 3 Essential Question: How do we describe weather?
  • Week 4 Essential Question: How can we protect ourselves in bad weather?
  • Week 5 Essential Question: How can rainy weather protect earth?

Indicator 1i

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten 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.

The materials provide multiple opportunities for evidence-based discussions across the entire scope of instructional materials. The Small Group Guide contains protocols for teachers to teach, model, and practice with students when collaborating with their peers. For example, Small Group Guide protocols for Book Club state that students come to Book Club prepared, listen to what others have to say, and not interrupt each other. Most lessons provide discussion protocols for turn and talks, whole group discussions, and small group discussions. The teacher materials support evidence-based discussions and encourage modeling with a focus on using academic vocabulary and syntax. Students are provided with guidelines and objectives to engage in collaborative discussion. Students have the opportunity to share during each lesson and are asked to carry out discourse through several activities. 

  • In Unit 1, Week 6, Lesson 5, Celebrate and Reflect, students are taught to speak loudly and clearly when presenting their writings or drawings about whether they like history or art museums better with a partner. Listeners are taught the active listening routine:
  • Look-Keep your eyes on the person who is talking. Keep your mouth closed and your hands still.
  • Think-Think about what the person is sharing.
  • Respond-Wait until the person is finished talking before asking a question.
  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 1, students use an infographic to ask and answer questions. “Encourage them to use the words first, next, and last. For instance, What happens first? First, the _____. Have students take turns retelling the events shown in the Anchor Chart using the words first, next, and last.
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, students are asked to use context clues to read new words. In this Academic Vocabulary activity, students are asked to use illustrations and texts they are able to read or hear to learn or clarify word meanings. Students are also asked to respond to prompts using newly acquired vocabulary. On page 216 of the Teacher's Edition, there is a teacher model to exemplify to students how to use context to figure out a word. 
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 3, students discuss the story using the academic vocabulary words "character," "choose," and "explains." Teachers provide sentence starters with the vocabulary words: "The main character is _____. Both the lion and the leopard choose to ___? Anansi explains to the king that he visits the Sky King because _____.”
  • In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 1, students are asked to use academic vocabulary words (character, meaning, choose, explain) to discuss the story they have read. The teacher is directed to model and offer practice, followed by students drawing in the Student Interactive and then using a turn and talk to discuss peer to peer.
  • Unit 4, Week 5, Lesson 1, during the reading of “A Night at the Cogdells,” the teacher models by doing a think-aloud introducing academic vocabulary. For example, “after reading the eighth paragraph, say: 'In this story, the events all take place at the dinner table. Dalia is learning about some of Imari’s family traditions. This seems like the big idea of this story. Theme is a word that we can use to talk about a story’s big idea.'” 
  • In Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 1, students are introduced to drama. The Student Interactive has an opportunity for students to turn, talk, and share. Students discuss the main characters in the play and complete the activity, then share aloud. In Unit 5, Week 6, Lesson 4, Project-Based Inquiry, Collaborate and Discuss, students show or tell about their opinion regarding their favorite season and weather. Students work on page 217 in the Student Interactive. Then students turn and talk to support their opinion with details gathered during research.

Indicator 1j

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials supporting students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading (or read aloud) and researching (shared projects) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

Speaking and listening instruction takes place regularly over the course of the school year and includes facilitation, monitoring, and instructional supports for teachers. The teacher regularly models using think alouds and facilitates the students talking about what they are listening to or reading throughout the year. Students regularly demonstrate what they are reading and researching through varied speaking and listening opportunities. Speaking and listening work requires students to marshall evidence from texts and sources. Students have the opportunity to speak about shared projects.  

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Reading Workshop, Genre and Theme, students listen to a read-aloud of Tim and Jan . While listening to the story, students learn about the features of realistic fiction. Then, students are asked to turn and talk with a partner about how they know this is a realistic fiction story. Partners share their ideas with the class.
  • In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Shared Reading, students are asked a series of questions about the text, after the shared reading: “Which animals did you read about? What do these animals eat? How do they get their food?” 
  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 1, Genre and Theme, students listen to Little Red Riding Hood . Then students are asked to turn and talk with a partner about the story,  Little Red Riding Hood . Partners share with the class the reasons why they think it is a folktale.
  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Compare Texts, students learn that after they read a text, they should think about what they learned about the characters and story, think about how those characters are alike and different from other stories they know, listen actively to others’ ideas and connect their ideas with their own, and ask and answer questions in complete sentences. Students listen to the read-aloud of The Best Story . Then students are asked to tell a partner what they like about the book they are reading independently and compare it to The Best Story .
  • In Unit 3, Week 6, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, students work in pairs and use pictures in the Student Interactive “to talk about why they would want to read this story. Have them circle reasons why they would want to read this story.” Teacher instructions state, “If students struggle with talking about the story and circling reasons, guide them with sentence starters. For example, say:  This picture makes me think of ___. The reason I like this story is that___.”
  • In Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Read Aloud, “Our Trip to the Beach” under ELL Targeted Support, there are several options provided for the teacher to support listening and to check for understanding: “Provide sentence frames for students to summarize the events:  Lina and her family went to the _____. She found a _____. Then her mother _____. Stop after each paragraph or chunk of text and ask students to summarize the events.” 
  • In Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 2, Shared Reading, students listen to a read-aloud of Who Likes Rain . The teacher leads a class discussion about why rainy weather matters in the story by asking the following questions: “Why does it matter for the characters? Is rain good for Frank and Jenna, or is it bad for them?”

Indicator 1k

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials including a mix of on-demand and process writing grade-appropriate writing (e.g. grade-appropriate revision and editing) and short, focused projects, incorporating digital resources where appropriate.

The materials include a mix of both on-demand and process writing, covering a year’s worth of instruction. Materials also include short and longer writing tasks and projects. Opportunities for students to revise and edit are provided and materials include digital resources where appropriate. The Steps to Writing Independently are outlined in the Launching Writing Workshop section of the Teacher’s Edition. This gradual release model guides teachers to present writing in a supported process, moving through a modeled writing, shared writing, guided writing, and ending with independent writing. Conference prompts are provided for the teacher to utilize when identifying additional supports for students. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In Unit 1, Week 4, Reviewing Writer’s Craft, students become familiar with the process for the Writing Club. The objective of this task is to develop social communication and express needs and wants while participating in the Writing Club. On page 163 of the Student Interactive, norms for Writing Club are outlined and students are tasked with introducing themselves and discussing what they want to write about. Teachers are given a three-step process to guide students through this initial stage: modeled, shared, guided practices. During the Independent Writing time, students continue to write using the Stack Book chosen by the Writing Club members. 
  • In Unit 2, Week 1, Writer’s Workshop, students learn that a list book tells a reader everything they need to know about a topic. It includes the main idea and details as well as infographics. Students then begin to create their own list books by using the Stack Books as models to identify a main idea and details and create infographics.
  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, students are encouraged to “Read like a Writer and Write for a Reader.” The objective is to discuss, with adult assistance, how the author uses words that help the reader visualize. On page 85 of the Student Interactive, students are asked to refer back to the Read Together text,  From Nectar to Honey, and “Find a word in the text that helps you picture nectar. What word could you add to the text to help readers picture a bee?” In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 3, students revisit visualizing in the Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge.
  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Reader’s Workshop, Read Together, students are asked to Develop Details for their writing using the Read Together text in Reader’s Workshop. Using a combination of dictation, drawing, and writing, students compose an informational text that has a topic and supply information about the topic. Using page 89 of the Student Interactive, students plan their writing through the graphic organizer. In Unit 4, Week 2, students develop elements to their writing by composing a setting. 
  • In Unit 4, Week 6, Lessons 1-5, Inquiry Unit, students complete a research project in which they interview an older family member about his or her life as a child. In the first Minilesson, students plan their project by thinking about who they will interview. In the second Minilesson, students conduct research by interviewing a family member. In the third Minilesson, students organize their notes about the person they interviewed. In the fourth Minilesson, students revise and edit their writing. In the fifth Minilesson, students share their research project with the class.
  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 5, Reader’s Workshop, Compare Text, students learn that they can compare two different texts. Then students use page 114 in the Student Interactive to write sentences about weather using what they learned from the poem, "Wehh-dooj, Ees-aw-hah Ees-aeh" and another text they read.

Indicator 1l

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criteria for materials providing opportunities for students to address different text types of writing (year long) that reflect the distribution required by the standards.

The materials provide multiple opportunities across the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply different genres, modes, and types of writing; however, opportunities are missed for students to learn opinion writing. Each Unit includes the same opinion writing folder with five lessons for opinion writing, but no guidance is included on when or how to use the lessons. Additionally, the folder is not directly connected to the core materials and may be overlooked.

Opportunities for students and teachers to monitor progress in writing skills are provided. Where appropriate, writing opportunities are connected to texts and/or text sets which include prompts, models, anchors, or supports. Each lesson offers a purpose for the writing, a teaching and modeling section, examples to help guide students, shared writing practice, and independent writing practice. Students receive daily lessons on writing through the Reading-Writing Bridge and the daily Writing Workshop. Rubrics for writing are available for each of the genres, as well as a 4-point writing rubric.

  • In Unit 1, Week 5, Writing Workshop, students review what they have learned so far about opinion writing. Students then independently work on revising and editing their opinion books using a checklist as their guide. Students then share their opinion books with the class. 
  • In Unit 2, Week 6, Writing Workshop, students are introduced to informational writing in the second Minilesson. Using the model and practice, the teacher helps students differentiate between informational texts and other genres. With guidance, students think about the audience they are writing for, the teacher supports through questions to help them discover the target audience or who wants to learn more. Through research, students gather information about their pets (or a pet they wish to have). The teacher models how to find information about animals in the school media center. By the fourth Minilesson, students are revising and editing their writing through the use of graphic organizers and collaboration with peers. In the fifth Minilesson, students share their projects with the class. 
  • In Unit 3, Weeks 1-5, Writing Workshop, students learn about the elements and structure of fiction texts (characters, plot, and setting). Then students include a problem and resolution in their plot. Next students organize their stories by including a beginning and ending. Students edit and revise to include pronouns, adjectives, and articles. Finally, students share their final drafts with other students. 
  • In Unit 4, Week 3, Writing Workshop, students are introduced to the structure of a personal narrative. Mentor texts are used to model the structure of a personal narrative. Students continue to work on their personal narrative but will be “adding details and organizing the plot.” Student conference suggestions are provided for the classroom teacher, as well as a variety of Minilessons to support student learning. Sequencing events is a major focus of the personal narrative writing this week. At the end of the week, students share their personal narratives in their Writing Club groups. Conversation Starters are provided to help with discussions within the Writing Clubs.
  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Writing Workshop, the first Minilesson is the introduction to Question and Answer Books. This literary nonfiction is based on real-life topics such as science, math or history. Students use page 47 of their Student Interactive to begin exploring Question and Answer Books. Students work at their own pace and, after the first Minilesson, some students are encouraged to begin planning the questions for their books. Others who may need further help understanding work with Mentor Stacks. Students use graphic organizers to plan their writing on page 49 of the Student Interactive. The complete lesson is concluded at the end of Week 5, after students have gone through each step of the writing process. At that point, students publish their complete writing. 

Indicator 1m

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials including regular opportunities for evidence-based writing to support recall of information, opinions with reasons, and relevant information appropriate for the grade level.

The materials provide frequent and regular opportunities during the school year for students to learn, practice, and apply writing and respond to text using evidence. Writing opportunities are focused around student’s understanding of texts presented and ability to create, respond, and build upon the text. Each week the shared reading text is revisited on two additional days as a close read and students respond in their Student Interactive. The materials provide opportunities that build writing skills over the course of the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 3, The Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge provides students the opportunity to use text evidence to support an appropriate writing response. Students are asked to Read Together the story,  At the Library . Then on page 123 of the Student Interactive, students find words in the text that tells why the author thinks libraries are special. 
  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 4, Close Read, students read At the Library . Students learn and practice identifying text evidence that supports the main idea of the text. Students are asked to complete one of the following tasks: 1. Students draw two pictures from the text on page 119 of the Student Interactive that prove the library is a special place. 2. Students explain the main idea using text evidence using the following sentence stems: The main idea of the text is ____. Evidence for this main idea is ____.
  • In Unit 2, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Shared Read, after reading Run, Jump, and Swim, students are asked to Respond and Analyze. In the Student Interactive, students use text evidence to complete the sentence, “One opinion the author gives is ____.”
  • In Unit 3, Week 2, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Close Read, after reading The Gingerbread Man and The Story of Cornbread Man, students are asked to compare the two texts. The ELL Targeted Support provides sentence frames to scaffold student writing. For example, “The Gingerbread Man and the Cornbread Man ____. The Gingerbread Man ____, but the Cornbread Man ____.”
  • In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Close Read, after rereading A Desert in Bloom, students draw and write the most important details in the text in their Student Interactive. They previously highlighted details when rereading the text.
  • In Unit 5, Week 6, students Compare Across Texts using the texts they read in Unit 5. With the unit theme, Outside My Door, students are exposed to a variety of weather-related texts of different genres. On page 212 of the Student Interactive, The Best Weather, students talk about the pictures and write their favorite weather based on the texts read throughout the unit. 
  • In Unit 5, Weeks 1-5, students learn to write a question and answer book. In Week 1, students are introduced to question and answer books. In Week 2, students write detailed questions and answers. In Week 3, students organize their question and answer books and write an introduction and conclusion. In Week 4, students revise and edit their question and answer books. In Week 5, students publish and share their question and answer books.

Indicator 1n

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria 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. 

The materials include explicit instruction of all grammar and conventions standards for the grade level. The grammar and conventions lessons are presented primarily in Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, and the Reading-Writing Bridge. The Language Awareness Handbook has additional lessons and student applications for grammar and conventions. Opportunities to practice and apply skills throughout the year are evident as the systematic structure of the lessons allow for ongoing teacher instruction and student application through multiple contexts in worksheets and interactive digital tools.

Explicit instruction of all grammar and conventions standards are included for the grade levels, as well as opportunities for students to demonstrate application of skills both in- and out-of-context. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students have opportunities to print many upper- and lowercase letters. 

  • In the Letter Recognition Unit, Letter Recognition Instruction & Practice, the teacher introduces the ABC Rhyme Time poem and each letter pair (uppercase/lowercase). Student Practice for each letter of the alphabet is introduced in uppercase and lowercase letters with 1-2 practice pages that ask students to practice new skill. Letters are presented in alphabetical order.  
  • In the Language Awareness Handbook, Letter Recognition Activity, page 91, students recognize letters, identify upper- and lowercase letters using picture cards/big books and write letters.
  • In Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Word Work, page 236, the teacher introduces Nn Minilesson with Model and Practice. The teacher is directed to point, name, trace, and say the sound while naming lower- and uppercase letters. Students complete a worksheet and writing upper- and lowercase Nn .
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading and Writing Workshop Bridge, Handwriting, teachers model the upper- and lowercase letters Bb , then students practice writing the target letter.

Students have opportunities to use frequently occurring nouns and verbs. 

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Singular Nouns, the teacher introduces that nouns name places and things. Students orally name and sketch simple pictures under the appropriate noun heading for place or thing.
  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 5, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Singular Nouns, the teacher reviews the nouns on the student worksheet and explains the distinction between the singular noun and its corresponding plural noun, mouse and mice and bee and bees. Students circle the pictures of mouse and bee.
  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 5, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Present Tense Verbs, the teacher is directed to read sentences with the students, then have students circle the verb in each sentence.
  • In the Language Awareness Handbook Lesson, Noun Activities, teachers and students label items and pictures throughout the classroom that are nouns. Teachers are directed to model using nouns from classroom and students make sentences and draw/label nouns.

Students have opportunities to form regular plural nouns orally by adding - s or -es (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes). 

  • In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 1, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Singular and Plural Nouns, the teacher tells students that plural nouns name more than one person, place or thing. The teacher is directed to do a call and response activity where the teacher calls out a singular noun and students respond with the plural version of the noun. The teacher uses nouns with plural endings of -es .
  • In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Singular and Plural Nouns, the teacher explains that some nouns are made plural by adding -s and some are made plural by adding -es . The teacher states, "The girl opened the box. The girls opened the boxes." The teacher emphasizes girl/girls and box/boxes . Students edit sentences in Lesson 4.

Students have opportunities to understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Ask and Answer Questions, page 128, the teacher is directed to explicitly tell students to ask questions before, during, and after reading to increase understanding. The teacher shares that questions begin with who, what, when, where, why, how .
  • In Unit 4, Week 5, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Question Words, the teacher identifies question words when and where as related to location and time. Students write words in sentence frames.

Students have opportunities to use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).  

  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Prepositions, the teacher writes on the board, "I put my book in my bag." Students tell which word is the preposition. In Lesson 4, page 170, students identify, read, and write prepositions in the Student Interactive.
  • In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Prepositions, the teacher introduces students to to and from with a discussion about places they go to and from. The students practice using the prepositions in pairs by making list and using prepositions in sentences.
  • In the Language Awareness Handbook, Reading-Writing Bridge, Language & Conventions Preposition, page 39, the teacher reviews before and after.  Students practice using before and after to tell when things happen.

Students have opportunities to produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 3, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Complete Sentences, the teacher is directed to explicitly share that sentences have a naming part (noun) and an action part (verb). In Lesson 4, students edit for complete sentences.
  • In Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Expand Sentences, the teacher reads sentences with students from a worksheet. Students expand sentences by adding a phrase and rewriting the new sentence on a line.

Students have opportunities to capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. 

  • In Unit 2, Week 4, Writing Workshop, Apply Edit for Capitalization, the teacher explicitly shares and models sentences beginning with a capital letter. For independent writing, students return to previous written work to edit their writing for capitalization.
  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, Capitalization, the teacher writes I and informs students that I is a special word and is always capitalized. The teacher reads a paragraph with multiple instances of I. Students stand when they hear a word that should be capitalized.

Students have opportunities to recognize and name end punctuation. 

  • In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Language & Conventions, End Punctuation, page 214, the teacher explicitly shares that different types of punctuation in a sentence are used for the purposes of telling, asking, or when something is exciting. Students share with a partner saying a telling sentence, asking a question, and making an exclamation.
  • In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 5, Reading-Writing Workshop, Language & Conventions, End Punctuation, the teacher reads sentences with students. Students identify ending punctuation in sentences by circling it and naming the type of mark. Students write an exclamation sentence on the lines.

Students have opportunities to write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). 

  • In Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Introduce Kk, the teacher models the /k/ sound, then models how to write the upper and lower case on the interactive board. Students trace the target letter, then circle the picture that starts with the target sound. 
  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 3, Word Work, Phonological Awareness, students practice the /l/ sound. The teacher shows the Alphabet Card Ll, points to the letters on the card, and tells students the name of the uppercase and lowercase Ll. Students trace the uppercase L and lowercase  l .
  • In Unit 3, Week 2, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Introduce Uu,  the teacher models the letter /u/ sound, then models how to write the upper- and lowercase on the board. Students trace the letters Uu on the tabletop. 

Students have opportunities to spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. 

  • In Unit 1 Week 6, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Word Families -in and -ip , page 378, students notice same sounds in word families at the end of the word. Students practice listening to word endings and then practice identifying  - in or -ip based on pictures in Student Interactive.
  • In Unit 4, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Spelling, Spell Words, the teacher explains that often the short /e/ sound is spelled with just a letter e in words with three letters. Students identify CVC words following this pattern, then write them down in the first column of their worksheet. The words that do not follow the target pattern are written in the second column.

Criterion 1o - 1t

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criterion for materials in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language targeted to support foundational reading development are aligned to the standards; however, instructional timing is limited to 15 minutes daily, which is not sufficient for students to master grade-level foundational skills.  Materials, questions, and tasks directly teach foundational skills to build reading acquisition by providing systematic and explicit instruction in the alphabetic principle, letter-sound relationships, phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, and phonics that demonstrate a transparent and research-based progression with opportunities for application both in and out of context. Materials, questions, and tasks also provide explicit instruction for and regular practice to address the acquisition of print concepts, including alphabetic knowledge, directionality, and function. Instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and gain decoding automaticity and sight-based recognition of high-frequency words. Materials, questions, and tasks provide systematic and explicit instruction in and practice of word recognition and analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks. The materials support ongoing and frequent assessment to determine student mastery and inform meaningful differentiation of foundational skills, including a clear and specific protocol as to how students performing below standard on these assessments will be supported.

Indicator 1o

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks directly teach foundational skills to build reading acquisition by providing systematic and explicit instruction in the alphabetic principle, letter-sound relationships, phonemic awareness, and phonological awareness (K-1), and phonics (K-2) that demonstrate a transparent and research-based progression for application both in and out of context.

Over the course of a year, Kindergarten students receive instruction in phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, and phonics instruction in each unit. Lessons include a five-day focus with systematic and explicit instruction. Each lesson provides the teacher explicit instruction with a variety of activities that allow the students to practice skills to further their understanding in phonological awareness and phonics. 

Materials, questions, and tasks directly teaching foundational skills to build reading acquisition application in and out of context. Students have opportunities to learn and understand phonemes (e.g. produce rhyming words, segment syllables, blend onsets and rimes, pronounce vowels in CVC words, and substitute sounds to make new words). Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students have opportunities to recognize and produce rhyming words.

  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Rhyming Sort, page 140, the teacher utilizes picture cards to explain that rhyming words end with the same sounds, but have different beginning sounds. In the Student Interactive ,  page 84, students draw lines to match rhyming words (pictures are used). 
  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 2, pages 210-211, Reading Writing Workshop Bridge, Rhyming Sort, the teacher explains that rhyming words have the same middle and end sound; students listen to the words tin and pin noticing the -in sound. In the Student Interactive , page 122, students practice naming and drawing rhyming words.

Students have opportunities to count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness, page 22, the teacher explains all words have syllables which is a word part that has one vowel sound that can be broken apart, or segmented; syllables can also be put back together or blended. In the Student Interactive, page 16, students identify syllables in each picture word and segment words into syllables, then blend syllables to say the words. Students circle picture words having more than one syllable. The teacher states, “How many times did we clap for jam ? How many times did we clap for jaguar ?”
  • In Unit 3, Week 2, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness: Syllables, page 98, the teacher explains more about syllables as a word part with putting words together and taking words apart. The teacher and student practice clapping syllables in words with segmenting and blending the sounds in the word elephant . In the Student Interactive, page 59, students practice naming and clapping words to determine how many syllables. Students segment and then blend the sounds.

Students have opportunities to blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.

  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness: Blend and Segment Onset and Rime, the teacher models making the /p/ sound with the children. The teacher models segmenting the word p at with student recognizing /p/ as the beginning sound. In the Student Interactive, page 92, students practice identifying words with /p/ as the beginning sound.
  • In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work: Phonological Awareness: Segment and Blend Onset and Rime, the teacher provides an explicit explanation of how words can have a beginning sound, or onset. The teacher then orally segments the onset and rime in a single syllable word. In the Student Interactive, page 130, students orally segment and blend onsets and rimes of single syllable words. Students draw lines to match picture words that begin with the same sound and segment and blend the onset and rime of each picture word and identify the beginning sound.

Students have opportunities to isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness: Initial /m/, page 22, the teacher introduces the letter sound /m/ and demonstrates/models making the sound. In the Student Interactive, page 16, students identify words that begin with the /m/ sound (mop, man, mouse).
  • In Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness: Medial /i/, page 232, the teacher introduces the letter sound /i/ and allow model and practice for the students. Students practice saying CVC words with the middle /i/ sound. In the Student Interactive, page 130, students look at the picture of a pin and identify the middle sound as /i/. Students practice identifying other short /i/ words from the picture cues.
  • In Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness: Initial and Final /d/, page 22, the teacher introduces a new sound of /d/ and explains how to make the sound. Using the Student Interactive, page 16, the teacher names each picture in the first row having students circle picture words with the initial sound /d/. The teacher repeats this process for picture words that end with the sound /d/ in the second row.

Students have opportunities to add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.

  • In Unit 3, Week 6, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness Medial /u/, page 378, the teacher reviews the /u/ sound and allows the student opportunity to practice making sound. The teacher displays the jug and tub picture card; the students will then notice the /u/ middle sound and practice thinking of their own CVC short /u/ words.
  • In Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness:  Substituting Phonemes, page 300, the teacher explains that by changing a sound in a word, a new word is made. The teacher says the sounds in the word sand and asks students what sounds are heard. The teacher then asks students to change the beginning sound from /s/ to /b/ to form a new word. The teacher says the new word with the students and leads them to change the middle sound to /e/. The teacher continues to model by changing the final sound in bend to /t/. Students say the word bent . The teacher shows students the sun picture card, has them name the picture, say the sounds in the word, and gives directions to substitute phonemes to make the words   fun, fan, man, mat, met, set, sit.

Lessons and activities provide students opportunities to learn grade-level phonics skills while decoding words (e.g. one-to-one correspondences, long and short sounds with common spellings, and distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying sounds of the letters). Examples include, but are not limited to: 

Students have opportunities to demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Review Hh and Ll, page 172, the teacher shows the picture card of a hat and model segmenting the sounds /h/ /a/ /t/ while writing it in the air. Students are shown additional picture cards and practice segmenting the sounds with hot, hit, ham, hop, hip, had .

Students have opportunities to associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.

  • In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading Writing Workshop Bridge, Vowel Activity: Short and Long /i/, page 358, the teacher reminds the students with sample words the difference in short and long vowel /i/: “The word bit has a short i vowel sound. The word bite has a long i sound.” In the Student Interactive, page 206, students practice writing and drawing short and long vowel /i/ words. In the Apply Lesson, additional practice allows the student to practice drawing short and long vowel words that the teacher names orally under the appropriate short and long vowel /i/ word.
  • In Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Read and Write Words with Short and Long /o/, page 28, the teacher shows two picture cards for mop and rope with the student noticing the /o/ sound. Students practice hearing the /o/ sound in words. The additional ELL Target for this lesson allows for a t-chart short and long o word sort. In the Student Interactive, page 22, students practice the /o/ vowel.
  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Read and Write Words with Short and Long /a/, page 246, the teacher demonstrates the difference in short and long vowel /a/ using the word van and vane,  saying the words and asking the student to spell the word orally. The teacher writes can and cane on the board and discuss the words with the students and the students identify which words have the short and long vowels.  
  • In Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Read and Write Words with Short and Long /u/, page 94, the teacher demonstrates the difference in short and long vowel /u/ using the words tub and tube , saying the words and asking the student to spell the word orally. The teacher and students practice spelling cub and cube by segmenting the sounds then blending. 
  • In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Read and Write Words with Short and Long /e/, page 164, the teacher reviews the short /e/ sound and allows students to hear all the sounds in the word net . The teacher compares the short and long /e/ sound and introduce the word Steve as a long vowel and ask students to hear the different sounds the /e/ makes. In the Student Interactive, page 94, students practice with short and long /e/. 

Students have opportunities to distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

  • In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Review Consonants Rr and Bb, the teacher provides an explicit review of the target letter sounds, then explains that a sound can be changed to a new sound to make a similarly spelled word. Students watch the teacher change a letter in a word (rip), then the students decode the new word (rib).
  • In Unit 1, Week 6, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Word Families -in and -ip, page 378, the teacher models for the students the difference in the word endings -in and -ip with word examples for each as well as providing a visual of the word endings on the board. The students practice identifying from words read orally which end in the -in and -ip sounds and the students determine which word does not belong.

Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonemic awareness instruction to build toward application. For example, in Pearson myView , Table of Contents, Getting Started with myView , Planning Resources, Foundational Skills Scope and Sequence breaks down Grade K phonological awareness skills by unit. 

  • Unit 1 skills include initial and final sounds, recognize alliteration, middle sounds, recognize alliteration, and blend and segment onset and rime.
  • Unit 2 skills include initial and final sounds, segment and blend phonemes, alliteration, identify words, segment and blend onset and rime, final blends, rhyming words, and medial sounds.
  • Unit 3 skills include syllables, final sounds, middle sounds, syllables, rhyming words, initial sounds, word count, and words with short /a/ and long /a/.
  • Unit 4 skills include middle sounds, blend and segment sounds, identify words, syllables, identify and count words in sentences, recognize alliteration, identify and produce rhyming words, and add phonemes.
  • Unit 5 skills include segment and blend phonemes, manipulate syllables, identify and count syllables, add phonemes, recognize alliteration, and substitute phonemes.

Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonics instruction to build toward application. For example, in Scope and Sequence, Phonics, Unit 1, page R22 indicates the following skills and sequence taught: Connect sounds and letters to consonants, know sound-letter relationships and match sounds to letters, generate sounds from letters and blend those sounds to decode (consonants, consonant blends, and consonant digraphs & short and long vowels & r-controlled vowels, vowel digraphs, and other common vowel patterns), decode multisyllabic words, and recognize common letter patterns and use them to decode syllables (CVC, VCCV, VCV, VCCCV).

  • In Unit 1, the phonics skills include: consonants Mm /m/, Tt /t/, Pp /p/, Cc /k/, Nn /n/, Bb /b/, Rr /r/ and short /a/ and /i/. 
  • In Unit 2, the phonics skills include: consonants Dd /d/, Kk /k/, Ff / f/, Hh /h/, Ll /l/, Gg /g/, Ww /w/ Yy / y/, short /o/ and /e/, initial and final consonant blends.
  • In Unit 3, the phonics skills include: consonants Jj /j/, Xx /ks/, Vv /v/, Zz /z/, Qq /kw/ short and long /a/, short and long  / i/.
  • In Unit 4, the phonics skills include: short and long  / o/, short and long /u/, short and long /e/, words for Pp /p/ and Yy /y/, words for short and long /i/, words for Dd /d/, Ff /f/, Vv /v/, and words for short /e/. 
  • In Unit 5, the phonics skills include: words for Cc /c/, Tt /t/, Bb /b/, Jj /j/, Gg /g/ Qq /kw/, Kk /k/, Ss /s/, Ww /w/, Mm /m/, Ll /l/, Nn /n/, Rr /r/, Zz /z/, words for short and long /o/, words for short and long  / a/, and initial and final blends.

Indicator 1p

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks provide explicit instruction for and regular practice to address the acquisition of print concepts, including alphabetic knowledge and directionality (K-1), structures and features of text (1-2).

Print concepts are frequently taught during teacher Minilessons and are referenced multiple times over the course of the five units. Teacher modeling, guided practice, and questioning provide students with the opportunity to practice and master print concepts. Materials include a 66-page Kindergarten Letter Recognition Unit for the teacher that includes utilization of digital resources, an alphabet song, games, and student worksheets which support explicit instruction in teaching the letter-sound correspondences of the alphabet. Student activities include singing an alphabet song, identifying in print lowercase and uppercase letters, matching upper and lowercase letters on cards/tiles, and reviewing previously introduced letters. Students have opportunities to airwrite letters and all 52 lowercase and uppercase letters are addressed. 

Materials, questions, and tasks provide explicit instruction for and regular practice to address the acquisition of print concepts, including alphabetic knowledge and directionality. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Materials include lessons and activities for students to learn how to identify and produce letters.

  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Introduce Pp, the teacher shows the students an alphabet card with a picture of a penguin. The teacher tells the students the target sound is spelled with the letter p . The teacher writes the lower and uppercase version of the letter p on the board. In the Student Interactive, page 93, students trace the target letters. 
  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 1, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Handwriting: Letters Pp, the teacher models how to write the uppercase letter P , verbalizing actions while writing the letter. The teacher models how to write the lowercase letter p . Students airwrite the lowercase and uppercase letters in the air.
  • In Kindergarten Letter Recognition Unit, Letters Aa activities include:
  • Alphabet Song, the teacher explicitly teaches students to sing the alphabet song to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.
  • ABC Rhyme Time, the teacher projects rhyme from the ABC Rhyme Time digital resource. Students locate examples of uppercase and lowercase A.
  • Identify Aa , the teacher displays letters and shapes. Students identify uppercase letter A and lowercase letter a.
  • Find-a-letter, students find upper and lowercase letters Aa in magazines and newspapers, cut them out, and glue onto construction paper.

Materials include tasks and questions about the organization of print concepts (e.g. follow words left to right, spoken words correlate sequences of letters, letter spacing, upper- and lowercase letters). Examples include, but are not limited to:

Students have opportunities to follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page. For example: 

  • In Unit 1, Introduce to the Unit, Going Places, pages 12-13, Independent Reading, the teacher reads aloud to the student the skills of a good reader (choose a book, hold the book right side up, start on the cover, turn the pages carefully) from the Student Interactive, page 10. The students select a text and practice these skills.
  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Introduce the Text, Print Awareness, the teacher explains to the students that there is a proper way to hold a book. The teacher models an incorrect way to hold a book. The teacher explains that pages are turned in order. Students identify text features in their books shown in the Student Interactive, including title/header and names of the author and illustrator.
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Print Awareness, page 190, the teacher tells students when reading they move left to right and when getting to the end of a line, they go to the next line and continue reading. The teacher models reading left to right, top to bottom, returning with a sweep. Students follow along as the teacher reads “Meet the Illustrator” on page 114 of the Student Interactive.
  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Introduce the Text, Print Awareness, the teacher explains to the students that there is a proper way to handle and read a book. The teacher explains that people read books from the first page after the cover, in order, to the end of the book. The teacher explains that people read books by reading from top to bottom, left to right, then moving down to the next line, reading left to right again. Students use the Student Interactive to follow along with the teacher, pointing to where to start reading, and where to go next after reading a line.  
  • Students have opportunities to recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters. For example, in Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Decodable Story, Read The Kid , page 30, students turn to page 23 of Student Interactive. The teacher points to the title, reads it, and reviews sounds of letters. The teacher reminds students of the week’s high frequency words, displays words, and has students chorally read words. Students will read story containing these words. 

Students have opportunities to understand that words are separated by spaces in print. For example: 

  • In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Introduce the Text, Print Awareness, page 330, the teacher guides the student to understand that words are separated by spaces and that sentences are made up of words that use spaces between. In the Student Interactive, page 190, students see the words as well as the sentence for word spacing.
  • In Unit 5, Week 6, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Sentences I Can Read, page 368, the teacher reminds students that sentences are made up of words separated by spaces. In the Student Interactive, page 210 students point to spaces between words.

Students have opportunities to recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet. For example: 

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Writing Workshop Bridge, Letter Sort, page 72, the teacher reminds students that letters come in upper- and lowercase forms and uses alphabet to review uppercase/lowercase differences. Students identify letters where upper- and lowercase letters are similar. In the Student Interactive, page 48 students draw a line matching lowercase to uppercase letters.
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Letter Sort, the teacher reviews the letters of the alphabet with the students. Students name the letters. The teacher verbalizes how each letter has an upper- and lowercase form. The teacher tells the students when uppercase letters are often used.  The students verbalize the first letter of the item on a picture card, then write the lowercase letter.

Indicator 1q

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and gain decoding automaticity and sight-based recognition of high-frequency words. This includes reading fluency in oral reading beginning in mid-Grade 1 and through Grade 2.

Over the course of the school year, high-frequency word instruction, decodable readers, and emergent level texts are part of students’ weekly reading routine. Students practice reading with the teacher as the model. Students whisper read, partner read, and independent read. During phonics and word study Minilessons, which are included in each five-day sequence in each unit, students have the opportunity to read and write words with the high-frequency word focus. High-frequency words are introduced or reviewed on a daily basis. Students have multiple opportunities to develop automaticity of grade level words through multiple reads of decodable readers. After reading, students extend into activities in their Student Interactive that include underlining the text (words that were decoded or high frequency words) to reinforce the skills of a lesson. Materials include a range of early emergent and emergent level texts to use with students in small group instruction each week. Emergent texts contain a comprehensive teacher’s guide to provide purpose and direction.

Materials provide students practice to gain decoding automaticity and sight-based recognition of high-frequency words. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Multiple opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to purposefully read emergent-reader texts. For example: 

  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop Decodable Story, Read  The Map, the teacher explicitly describes how the students will practice reading words in a story containing sounds they have been introduced to. Students practice reading the high-frequency words they learned during the previous week. Students orally read the high-frequency words he , is ,  and have with the teacher, then whisper read the story as the teacher listens. The students reread the story with a student partner.
  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, page 42, the teacher introduces vocabulary words for the first read of  How Anansi Got His Stories . The teacher uses the First Read notes to help the student connect with the text and guide their understanding. Students share what they already know about the vocabulary words and look for the words while reading the story. Students use first read strategies (read, look, ask, talk), then read independently with a partner or as a class.
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Decodable Story, Read Quin at Bat , the teacher explicitly describes how the students will practice reading words in a story containing sounds they have learned. Students practice reading the high-frequency words they learned during the previous week. Students orally read the high-frequency words down , her ,  and how with the teacher, then whisper read the story as the teacher listens. Students reread the story with a student partner.
  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Decodable Story, Read Who Am I? , the teacher explicitly describes how the students will practice reading words in a story containing sounds they have been learned. Students practice reading the high-frequency words they learned during the previous week. Students orally read the high-frequency words who , their and into with the teacher, then whisper read the story as the teacher listens. Students reread the story with a student partner. After the students read and reread the story, the teacher asks the students to identify words that contain letters or sounds that were part of the week's lessons, as well as the targeted high-frequency words.

Materials support students’ development of automaticity and accuracy of grade-level decodable words over the course of the year. For example: 

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Teacher-Led Options, Independent/Collaborative, Decodable Book, page T121, students use the decodable book, I Am , from the previous week’s instruction. Pairs of students use letter-sound relationships to decode the text. Students read the entire text, switching readers after each page.
  • In Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 4,  Reading Workshop, page 30, students read the decodable story,  The Kid, in the Student Interactive, page 23. Students whisper read with the teacher listening, reread with a partner, and then discuss words in the story with the teacher. After reading, the teacher draws attention to the sounds /k/ and /d/, asking the students to identify the sounds in words. In the Student Interactive, pages 23-25, students practice underlining all the /k/ words and identifying the high frequency words they see within The Kid .
  • In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work: Phonics, Introduce Gg, the teacher shows an alphabet card with a picture representing the target letter-sound correspondence. The teacher tells the students the name of the picture and how the sound is spelled. The teacher then writes a word with the target letter-sound on the board and segments the onset and rime. The teacher asks the students to identify the letter-sound in the word. The teacher writes several words on the board and points to each one as she orally reads it. For each word with the target letter-sound, the students clap.
  • In Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work: Phonics, Review Words for Gg, Qq, the teacher shows an alphabet card with a picture representing the target letter-sound correspondence. The teacher asks the students what sound they hear at the beginning of the word representing the picture. Students identify the sound, then the teacher tells the students what letter spells the sound. The teacher then writes additional words on the board containing the target sound. Students orally read the words.

Students have opportunities to read and practice high-frequency words. For example: 

  • In Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Word Work, High-Frequency Words, page T237) the teacher reads the high frequency words  my , we , make with the students from the Student Interactive. The teacher says one of the words, and the students point to the word. The teacher repeats the activity until they feel the students know the words.
  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Foundational Skills, High-Frequency Words, page T167, the teacher introduces high-frequency words. Students read the words at the top of page 97 in the Student Interactive. As the teacher says each word, the students identify and point to the word. The teacher encourages students to use the words in a sentence. 
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Word Work, High-Frequency Words, page T175, the teacher reads the high-frequency words  her , how , down with the students from the Student Interactive. The teacher says one of the words and the students point to the word. The teacher repeats the activity until students know the words. Students read sentences with the target words and underline the target words.

Indicator 1r

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks providing systematic and explicit instruction in and practice of word recognition and analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks.

Students explicitly learn and apply word analysis and word recognition skills within connected text, decodable stories, and written tasks. Each week, students are introduced to three high-frequency words to practice recognizing, reading, and using the words in sentences during explicit instruction, the Student Interactive, and decodable readers. Students receive explicit instruction with encoding target letter-sound correspondences in the context of words in sentences. Word recognition and analysis skills are provided systematically through connected text and tasks. However, opportunities are missed for students to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills while encoding in connected texts and tasks. 

Materials, questions, and tasks provide systematic and explicit instruction in and practice of word recognition and analysis skills in a research-based progression in connected text and tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Materials support students’ development to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills (e.g. one-to-one correspondences, syllable segmentation, rime and onset recognition, long and short sounds with common spellings and distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying sounds of the letters) in connected text and tasks. For example: 

  • Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.
  • In Language Awareness Handbook, page 92, Distinguishing Consonant Sound Spellings, the teacher models recognizing and identifying the beginning consonant in words bag and doll with noticing the  / b/ and /d/ sound as well as recognizing the letter by the student pointing. Students continue to practice with other simple words with a variety of beginning consonants.  
  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Decodable Story, Read I Am , the teacher introduces the decodable reader and explains to students that the target letter/sound reviewed in the lesson will also be in the reader. The students read the decodable story containing words with the target letter Mm .
  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Introduce Ll, page T166, the teacher explains the sound /l/ is spelled with the letter Ll and displays alphabet card for  Ll . The teacher models and guides practice of students identifying beginning sound in lip . In the Student Interactive, page 6, students circle the picture of lip and trace upper and lowercase Ll,  then complete the remainder of the page.
  • Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.  
  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 2, Assess and Differentiate, Word Work Strategy Group: Short /a/ and Long /a/, the teacher provides an explicit explanation for the long and short sound of /a/ by saying the words cap and cape , alongside a picture card. Students clap their hands when they hear the short /a/ and wave their hands when they hear the long /a/. 
  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, the teacher introduces a decodable reader and explains to the students that the target letter/sound reviewed in the lesson will also be in the reader. In Student Interactive, page 145, students read the decodable story, The Bake Sale . The text contains words with the long /a/ sound.
  • In Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Decodable Story, Read A Look at the Past, the teacher introduces a decodable reader and explains to the students that the target letter/sound reviewed in the lesson will also be in the reader. The students read the decodable story that contains words with the long and short /u/.
  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Review Words for Short and Long /o/, the teacher provides an explicit explanation for the long and short sound of /o/ by showing a picture card with a fox on it, then segmenting the word fox . The teacher models a think aloud about hearing the medial sound /o/. The students are prompted to say the sound /o/ with the teacher. The teacher then provides an analogous demonstration with the word nose . The students listen to the teacher read a sentence on the Student Interactive. The students analyze the last word in the sentence and tell the teacher if the last word has a long or short /o/, then identify how the vowel sound is spelled. The students also read additional sentences that contain words with the short and long /o/.
  • Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ. 
  • In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Review Consonants Rr and Bb, the teacher explains that when a letter in a word is changed, a new word is formed. The teacher writes the letters Bb and Rr on the board. Students identify the letters as the teacher points to them. The teacher reviews their sounds. The teacher displays the alphabet cards for Bb and Rr and the rake picture cards. Students place it next to the appropriate alphabet card. Repeat with picture cards for rock, bubble, bus , and rug . In the Student Interactive, page 178, the teacher points to the letters that are different in two words. Students trace the initial r in rip and rib and say letters in each word. The students identify the letter that changed and decode the words. The activity is repeated.
  • In Unit 2, Week 6, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Word Families -op and -ot, pp. 372-373, the teacher uses picture cards for the words top and hot to identify the word families for -op and -ot. Students listen to the teacher say words and decide if the word belongs in the word family. In the Student Interactive, page 206, students write and spell CVC words ending in -op and -ot.

Materials provide frequent opportunities to read high-frequency words in connected text and tasks. For example: 

  • Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).
  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Decodable Story, Read I Am, the teacher introduces a decodable reader and explains to the students that the target letter/sound reviewed in the lesson will also be in the reader. The students read the decodable story that contains words with the high frequency words I, am ,  and the.
  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, High-Frequency Words, page 97, the teacher introduces three high-frequency words (you, do, they) from the Student Interactive, page 59, and explains that some words are not spelled the way that they sound. The student practices reading the words, the students point to the words as the teacher reads the words and then the students practice saying the words. In Apply, students read sentences on page 59 and identify the high-frequency words  they, you, do.
  • In Unit 4, Week 4, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Word Work, High-Frequency Words, students read the words  good, open, could. In Student Interactive, page 133, students read sentences that have the high-frequency words.

Lessons and activities provide limited opportunities for students to learn grade-level word recognition and analysis skills while encoding (writing) in context and decoding words (reading) in connected text and tasks. For example: 

  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 4, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Spelling, Spell Words, Writing Workshop, the teacher directions state, “As students work on their writing, ask them to practice spelling short /e/ CVC words and high-frequency words.”
  • In Unit 4, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Additional Practice, students complete Phonics, page 190, from the Resource Download Center. The worksheet contains sentences, and students fill in the correct vowel in the words.
  • In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 4, Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge, Spelling, Spell Words, Writing Workshop, the teacher directions state, “As students proofread their writing, remind them to check the spelling of words with CCVC and CVC patterns and short /a/ and /o/ . ”

Indicator 1s

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials supporting ongoing and frequent assessment to determine student mastery and inform meaningful differentiation of foundational skills, including a clear and specific protocol as to how students performing below standard on these assessments will be supported.

The materials include formative and summative assessments in print concepts phonemic awareness, phonics, and high-frequency words. Materials include three teacher manuals to support the teacher in determining progress for students: Assessment Guide, Progress Check-Ups Teacher Manual, and Summative Assessments Teacher’s Manual. Within the manuals and the Teacher's Edition, there is weekly support for teachers in using assessment results to inform instruction and remediation. There is weekly support for adjusting instruction for students below and above grade level. There is weekly support for the teacher to adjust instruction or reteach concepts to English Language Learners. The Small Group Guide provides information about how to utilize assessment data to form groups and use data to drive instruction, and provides fluency strategies. Teachers are guided to assess students through observation and conferring, formal assessments, samples of student work, and informal progress checks. The assessment outline includes the Baseline Test given at the beginning of the year, progress check-ups for assessing weekly skills and monitoring progress to intervene, Middle-of-Year test for monitoring student progress on material taught in Units 1-3, and End-of-Year test that provides a summative view of students’ progress for the year.

Materials support ongoing frequent assessment to determine student mastery and inform meaningful differentiation of foundational skills. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Multiple assessment opportunities are provided over the course of the year in core materials for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of foundational skills. For example: 

  • The Kindergarten Baseline, Middle-of-Year and End-of-Year Tests allow the student to show mastery and progress in phonological awareness, phonics, and high-frequency words. These tests contain eight questions for both phonological awareness and phonics and seven questions for high-frequency words on the 30 question assessment.  
  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Progress Check-Ups, Teacher’s Manual with Student Reproducibles, K, High-Frequency Words, page 20, the teacher administers a progress measure to assess students’ knowledge of recognizing high-frequency words taught that week. The teacher verbalizes a high-frequency word. The students visually identify the spoken word in a row of three printed words on a worksheet. Each student circles the word that matches the word spoken by the teacher.
  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Teacher-Led Options, Fluency, Oral Reading, page T52, students take turns reading aloud pages of the selection,  Mission Accomplished!,  with a partner. The teacher asks pairs to try to read all of the words correctly. The teacher listens to reading, offers feedback, and records each student’s performance using the Fluency Progress Chart to track progress.
  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Formative Assessment Options, page 95, the student completes the Student Interactive, page 56, to decode, read, and write CVC short /o/ words. The teacher notices and assesses if the student can read short /o/ words and then decide if the student has understanding or struggles then move into the appropriate small group instruction.
  • In Unit 4, Week 1, Progress Check-Ups, Teacher’s Manual with Student Reproducibles, High Frequency Words, page 20, the teacher administers a progress measure to assess student knowledge of recognizing high-frequency words taught that week. The teacher verbalizes a high-frequency word. The students visually identify the spoken word in a row of three printed words on a worksheet. Each student circles the word that matches the word spoken by the teacher.
  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Progress Check-Ups, Teacher’s Manual with Student Reproducibles, Phonics, page 60, the teacher administers a progress measure to assess student knowledge of recognizing sounds taught that week. The teacher verbalizes a previously introduced sound. The students look at pictures on a worksheet and circle the picture of a word with the sound in it.
  • In Summative Assessments, Teacher’s Manual with Student Reproducibles,  Phonics: Letter-Sound Correspondence (T, Short A, C, Short I, B), page 38, the teacher administers a summative measure to assess student knowledge of recognizing letter-sound correspondences taught that week. The teacher verbalizes a previously introduced sound and states the name associated with the sound by pointing to a picture of a word with the sound in it. The students look at a picture, then a row of letters on a worksheet. The students circle the letter associated with the sound the teacher verbalizes.

Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information of students’ current skills/level of understanding. For example: 

  • In Assessment Guide, Early Literacy Behaviors Checklist, page 100, the teacher indicates on a teacher form the level of proficiency of a student related to 10 concepts of print, seven phonological/phonemic awareness skills, and six phonics and decoding skills. Rating descriptors include: Proficient, Developing, Emerging, and Not Yet.
  • In Assessment Guide, Myself as a Learner (checklist), page 114, the teacher administers a survey to the students consisting of nine statements. The students indicate a "yes" or "no" rating in response to the statements. Example statements include, "I can figure out new words when I read" and "I know how to hold a book and turn pages."
  • In myFocus Intervention Teacher’s Guide, Level A, Checkpoint, Assessment Lesson 1-2, Print Concepts, page T41, this checkpoint is used to assess students’ mastery of book, sentence, and word recognition. The teacher gives the student a book. Students hold up the book, point to the front cover, point to the back cover, open the book to the title page, and demonstrate how to turn the pages. The teacher gives students a sheet that is found on page T42. Students demonstrate the way to read the sentence by tracking and moving their hand. Students tell how many words are in the sentence. An overall score of 80% accuracy is typically considered mastery. If the students score below the benchmark, the teacher reviews the missed skills, going back to the lessons to reteach and scaffold as needed.
  • In Unit 5, Online Test, there are 15 questions related to Foundational Skills. Phonological awareness has five questions with the student being assessed on syllables, identifying words with the same beginning sound, consonant substitution, and blending segmented sounds. Phonics has five questions with the student asked to choose the letter that makes sound in the beginning, medial, and ending position. High-frequency words has five questions with the student asked to choose the word from the list for the high frequency word heard.

Materials support teachers with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery in foundational skills. For example: 

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 4, Word Work, Formative Assessment Options, page T29 two options are given. Option 1 has students complete page 22 in the Student Interactive to identify and match the sound for Tt . Option 2 has students draw one picture of something that begins with /t/ and another of something that ends with /t/. Students then write Tt on top of the page. The Quick Check for writing Tt indicates that if students struggle, the teacher revisits instruction for writing Tt in small group on pages T60-T61. If students show understanding, the teacher extends instruction in small group on pages T60-T61.
  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Formative Assessment Options, page 243, students complete the Student Interactive, page 140 as a Quick Check on the skill to read short and long vowel /a/ words. The Quick Check allows the teacher to “decide” if the student needs additional practice to revisit instruction in a small group or if the student shows understanding to extend into small group with additional short and long vowel /a/ work:
  • Notice and Assess: Can students read short and long /a/?
  • Decide: If students struggle, revisit instruction for short and long /a/ in Small Group on pages T268-T269. If students show understand, extend instruction for short and long /a/ in Small Group on pages T268-T269.
  • In Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Word Work, ELL Targeted Support, the teacher provides an additional lesson to students identified as English Language Learners related to long /e/. The teacher states to the students how learning to spell common patterns in words will help build understanding for spelling words in English. Students write in letters on cards to make words with the long /e/. Additional teacher activities are included. For example, the teacher can also say words, then have the students orally identify the long vowel sound, then write the word on paper.
  • In Summative Assessments, Kindergarten Teacher’s Manual with Student Reproducibles, Unit, Middle-of-Year and End-of-Year Assessments Item Analysis Charts, Kindergarten, Unit 1 Assessment, page T25 provides information for focus/skill for each item of the unit assessment along with the depth of knowledge level and common core state standard alignment.  myFOCUS Remediation opportunities are provided for each item number. Remediation for item number 1 is located in Lesson 21.

Indicator 1t

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials, questions, and tasks providing high-quality lessons and activities that allow for differentiation of foundational skills, so all students achieve mastery of foundational skills.  

Differentiation opportunities are presented throughout the Kindergarten materials. There are numerous formats for small group instruction in every unit based on student needs. Example groupings include groups focused on leveled reader activities, one-on-one conferring groups, strategy groups, ELL Targeted Support groups, and intervention groups for students performing below grade level on learning objectives. For students below level, small group differentiated instruction occurs on a daily basis. For students at or above grade level, small group differentiated instruction occurs one to two times per week. The program materials include the Kindergarten myFocus Intervention Teacher’s Guide to target and address student intervention needs.

Instructional pacing of lessons is limited to 15 minutes per day, which is not sufficient in supporting students' mastery of grade-level foundational skills. 

Materials provide high-quality learning lessons and activities for every student to reach mastery of foundational skills. For example: 

  • In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Teacher-Led Options, Word Work Strategy Group, the teacher shows the small group of students an alphabet card (Bb), then models how the word for the picture begins with the target letter-sound correspondence. The teacher verbalizes additional words that begin with the target letter-sound correspondence. The students listen to the teacher, then write the target letter on paper.
  • In Unit 2, Week 5, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonics: Read and Write Words with Ww and Yy, page T309, the teacher displays the Ww alphabet card and informs students that it is a picture of a watermelon and that the beginning sound is /w/. Students identify the letter w . The teacher writes the letters Ww on the board and leads students in writing them in the air. The teacher repeats this procedure for the letter Yy . The teacher points to the letters Ww and Yy on the board, displays the words wag and yet , tells students to listen carefully as they reads the words, and asks students which word includes the sound spelled with w . Student volunteers identify the word wag . The teacher asks which words includes the /y/ sound. Student volunteers identify the word yet . ELL Targeted Support section indicates the teacher points to the pictures on page 174 of the Student Interactive and explains the letters represent different sounds. Students in emerging/developing find pictures with the /w/ sound and practice saying the sound as they point to the letter w . Students in expanding/bridging practice saying words and identify whether each word includes the initial sound /w/ or /y/. 
  • In Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Teacher-Led Options, Fluency, the students take turns reading a decodable book with a partner. The teacher listens and records student performance in rate and accuracy on the Fluency Progress Chart. The teacher offers corrective feedback to students when they make errors.

Materials provide guidance to teachers for scaffolding and adapting lessons and activities to support each student’s needs. For example: 

  • In Unit 1, Week 6, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Formative Assessment Options, Quick Check, Foundational Skills, page T379, the teacher is provided with two options for students. The first option directs the teacher to engage students struggling with short /i/ in an activity where they identify words with short /i/ in word families. The second option allows students who show understanding to engage in an activity where they extend their knowledge on identifying words with short /i/. The students in this group generate words in the -in and -ip word families 
  • In the Language Awareness Handbook, K, Unit 2, Week 6, page 38, the teacher provides an additional lesson to learn the sound for short /o/ and review the sound for short /e/. The teacher uses Practice with Short Vowels sheet to help students read words with short vowels. The teacher uses hot and top with short /o/. The teacher uses More Practice with Short Vowels for students to have additional practice.
  • In Unit 3, Leveled Reader, A Story for Leo , Teacher's Guide, Observe and Monitor, the teacher is provided with three guided responses to students based on their errors when orally whisper-reading for fluency skills: If students pause at the end of lines rather than using a fluent return sweep, teachers are directed to help them practice thinking about the next word; If students sound out new words letter by letter, teachers are directed to prompt them to use letter clusters and syllables; If students read in a phrased manner, teachers are directed to praise them for making their reading sound like talking.
  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness: Syllables, pages T22-T23, the teacher explains all words have syllables. ELL Targeted Support focuses on using syllable puzzles:
  • Students (emerging) find classmates whose syllable puzzle piece completes their puzzle and then circle the picture words with more than one syllable. The groups then say their word and clap the number of syllables.
  • Students (developing) work with a partner to put their puzzles together and use the word in a sentence.
  • Students (expanding/bridging) create their own one, two, or three syllable puzzle pieces by drawing or pasting multisyllabic words on index cards and cutting them apart.
  • In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Word Work Strategy Group on initial and final blends, page 114, the teacher displays picture cards and the word spelling for mask, black, crab, desk, lamp, spider while the students must identify the blend and spell the blend in each word. This lesson leads into an ELL Targeted Support for students emergent, developing, and expanding providing the teacher options for reinforcing a specific skill:
  • Students (emerging) are taught to repeat words with teacher feedback on producing final blends.
  • Students (developing) are taught to self correct final blends with teacher monitoring.
  • Students (expanding) are provided feedback to each other then find initial and final blends in books and say them with a partner.
  • In the myFocus Intervention Teacher’s Guide, Level A, Practice and Assess, Lesson 9, Blend Onset and Rime, page 80, the teacher reminds students that words are made up of beginning sounds and ending sounds. By blending the onset and rime, a whole word is made. The teacher models by saying lap and elongating the /l/ sound and explicitly saying that /l/ is the onset. Students and the teacher practice lap together, elongating the /l/ sound and explicitly saying that /l/ is the onset. The teacher extends the practice and has students try lap on their own. This practice is continued with nap, fog, rip, vet and cut . 

Students have multiple practice opportunities with each grade level foundational skill component in order to reach mastery; however, little instructional time is included for students to practice to mastery.  For example: 

  • In the Letter Recognition Unit, Letter Recognition Instruction and Practice, pages 1 and 2 includes activities for teaching letter recognition for upper- and lowercase letter A . Activities include the alphabet song, ABC Rhyme Time, Identify Aa using letter/shape strips, student’s name strips, Find-A-Letter activity using magazines, and a practice page located on page 2. Activities such as these are provided for every letter.
  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness: Identify Words, the teacher models the new sound /h/, by saying it several times. The students practice saying the sound.
  • In See and Say, the teacher names pictures in the Student Interactive.  Some of the words begin with the target sound /h/. The students circle the pictures that start with the sound /h/.
  • In Word Work, Phonics: Introduce Hh, the teacher uses explicit instruction to introduce the letter-sound correspondence Hh by showing the students an alphabet card with a picture of a helicopter on it. The students say helicopter with the teacher. 
  • In Phonics: Introduce Hh, the teacher models how to write the letters Hh. The students trace the letters Hh  in their Student Interactive. The teacher says words, some of which with the initial letter sound /h/. The students trace the letter Hh when they hear a word that starts with an Hh. The teacher says the names of pictures in the Student Interactive. The students circle the pictures that start with Hh .
  • In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Word Work, Phonological Awareness: Identify and Count Syllables, page T320, the  teacher explains that syllables are word parts and each syllable has one vowel sound, displays the iguana picture card, introduces the word, claps the syllables, and explains how it is broken down. The teacher says other words. Students clap words and tell the number of syllables in each. Volunteers say their name as students clap the syllables, hold up their fingers to show how many syllables are in the name. This procedure continues until all students have said their names.
  • In Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 1, Word Work, High-Frequency Words, page T92, the teacher explains that they are going to work on high-frequency words. With the teacher, students read the words  eat, soon, walk . Student identify words until they are familiar with each word. Students use the words in sentences.

Gateway Two

  • Building Knowledge with Texts, Vocabulary, and Tasks

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for materials build knowledge through integrated reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. The materials build students’ knowledge across topics and content areas and academic vocabulary instruction is intentionally and coherently sequenced to consistently build students’ vocabulary. Questions and tasks, at times, build in rigor and complexity to culminating tasks; however, students do not consistently need to use text evidence from the unit to complete the culminating tasks. Reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills are taught and practiced in an integrated manner. 

Criterion 2a - 2h

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criterion for materials build knowledge through integrated reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. Texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently. The materials contain sets of coherently sequenced higher order thinking questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics. The materials contain limited coherently sequenced set of text-dependent and text-specific questions and tasks that require students to build knowledge and integrate ideas across both individual and multiple texts. Questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks; however, culminating tasks do not always require students to use the texts read over the course of the unit. The materials include a cohesive, consistent approach for students to regularly interact with word relationships and build academic vocabulary/language in context. The materials contain a year-long, cohesive plan of writing instruction and practice which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts, and they include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop and synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials. The materials also provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

Indicator 2a

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students knowledge and vocabulary which will over time support and help grow students’ ability to comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

Texts are connected by a central topic that is appropriate for Kindergarten. Texts build students’ knowledge, vocabulary, and the ability to comprehend complex texts across the school year. The Student Interactive help to guide students through the close read process throughout the entire year. Over the five units, central topics include: Going Places, Living Together, Tell Me a Story, Then and Now, and Outside My Door. The units are designed to build knowledge and vocabulary and become more rigorous as the year progresses.

  • In Unit 1, the unit theme is Going Places. This unit focuses on places in the community. In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 2, students listen to Too Many Places to Hide, which is a realistic fiction story about places a cat hides. Leveled readers in Week 2 also relate to the topic. These include I Ride , a narrative nonfiction story about riding on a bus, and At the Park , a narrative story about doing things on a trip to the park.  
  • In Unit 3, the unit theme is Tell Me a Story. This unit is focused on many different ways that stories are told. In Unit 3, Week 5, Lesson 1, the read-aloud How Rabbit Got Its Ears is a myth, introducing myths to the students as a fictional story with a plot.  Students also listen to Monsi Can Help , which is a story from Mexico. The unit provides a diverse set of stories that help build students’ knowledge of traditional storytelling.
  • In Unit 4, the unit theme is Then and Now. Weeks 1-5 support building knowledge about the topic. The texts in the unit cover learning about how cars are changing, uncovering the past, a fictional text about differences in technology called Grandma’s Phone , Martin Luther King, Jr.'s impact on changing laws, and connections between cultures. 
  • In Unit 5, the unit theme is Outside my Door and the Essential Question is, “What can we learn from the weather?”  The shared reading texts that follow that theme include: Week 1, Weather Around the World with the Weekly Question: “How have people learned to live in bad weather?”; Week 2, A Desert in Bloom with the Weekly Question: “What helps plants in hot climates?”; Week 3, Poetry Collection: “Wehh-dooj (It’s Raining)”; “‘Ees-aw-hah’ Eesaeh’ (The Sun Shining)” with the Weekly Question: “How do we describe weather?”; Week 4, Tornado Action Plan and Blizzard Action Plan with the Weekly Question: “How can we protect ourselves in bad weather?”; and Week 5, Who Likes Rain? With the Weekly Question: “How can rainy weather help Earth?”  

Indicator 2b

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

Over the course of the year, students analyze the author’s words and phrases, key ideas, details, craft, and structure as they interact, both individually and in large/small groups, with texts through questioning or by performing different tasks. Questions and tasks are sequenced to build students’ understanding gradually through each text and topic. By the end of each unit, questions and tasks become increasingly more complex and rigorous. 

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Shared Read, students listen to the text Mission Accomplished! and answer a series of questions: "Who are the characters in the story? Which is a picture of a cube? Can you find things in our classroom that are shaped like a triangle? Is it flat or does it have mountains? How would you describe Rena and Christopher?"
  • In Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Close Read, after reading At the Library, students draw a picture of what the text is mostly about to find the main/key idea or “[place] a sticky note on the sentence in their independent reading text that states the main, or central, idea in the text.”
  • In Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Genre and Theme, students learn that informational text can be organized by sequence of events. After the teacher models for students how to identify the organizational pattern of an informational text, students complete either of the following tasks: 1. Students observe the steps to a flower blooming from the Student Interactive page 66. Then, students turn and talk to a partner to retell the events in order. 2. Students look at other informational texts that show steps in a sequence and draw what happens first, next, and last.
  • In Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Shared Reading, students learn about the structures and features of poetry. The teacher reads aloud “Duck Meets the Moon,” “Humpty Dumpty,” and “Hickory Dickory Dock.” Then, students are asked the following questions: "What was similar about all three poems?Which poem did you like the best? What did you like about it?"
  • In Unit 4, Week 4, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Close Read, students learn about different text features. The teacher models for students how to use a timeline from Changing Laws, Changing Lives: Martin Luther King, Jr. Then, students are asked to complete either of the following assignments: 1. Using the timeline from Changing Laws, Changing, Lives: Martin Luther King, Jr., students draw and write something from the timeline. 2. Students look through nonfiction text in the library and place sticky notes on text features.
  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Close Read, students listen to the shared reading text, Weather Around the World. Students answer a series of questions: "How do people live in very cold and very hot places? Why do people in China wear hats when they work? What do you see when you look at these photographs? How do they help show that people in different parts of the world live with extreme weather? Why did the author choose this word? What does it tell about the main idea?"
  • In Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Close Read, students learn how to synthesize (use what they read to come up with new ideas from the text). The teacher models how to synthesize by reading Who Likes Rain? Then, students complete either of the following assignments: 1. Students use page 191 from the Student Interactive to draw or write how Frank’s and Jenna’s feelings changed over the course of the play using the text Who Likes Rain? 2.  Students draw pictures to represent contrasting parts of a text. Then the teacher will prompt them to say what the contrast shows about how characters’ feelings have changed, how the plot has progressed, or how an argument has unfolded. 

Indicator 2c

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criteria that materials contain 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.

The materials include sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that provide opportunities for students to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts. Each unit focuses around an Essential Question. Questions and tasks are provided in the materials during Shared Reading, Listening Comprehension, and Leveled Readers that build students’ understanding of the topic and prepare them to answer the Essential Question at the end of the unit. During Shared Reading, students complete a first read and close read of the text. At times, the close read includes questions and tasks that provide opportunities for students to build knowledge of a topic within and across texts; however, questions and tasks do not consistently provide opportunities for students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across individual and multiple texts and do not build in complexity or rigor.

  • In Unit 1, students learn about the unit theme, Going Places. The Essential Question is "What makes a place special?" In Week 5, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, students retell what they know from two texts about places in the community. Students also compare  Run, Jump, and Swim, The Best Nests, and Let’s Exercise!. In the Student Interactive, students tell what makes a museum special and what makes a library special by giving details from the texts.
  • In Unit 2, students learn about the unit theme, Living Together. The Essential Question is "What do living things need?" Students listen to texts and answer questions to build towards answering the Essential Question at the end of the unit. For example, in Week 4, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Shared Read, after reading “Open Wide!,” students do a close read of the story and underline information from the text to answer questions. For example, “What body parts do these animals use to eat? Underline the words that tell what the pictures show. How do these animals use their mouths? Underline the words that tell what the pictures show.”
  • In Unit 4, students learn about the unit theme, Then and Now. The Essential Question is "What can we learn from the past?" Throughout the unit, students listen to texts and answer questions to build towards answering the Essential Question. For example, in Week 2, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Compare Texts, the teacher models making a connection between the two texts,  Cars Are Always Changing and Uncovering the Past.  Students then write a fact about the past from each of the texts in their Student Interactive. Next, the teacher compares Uncovering the Past with the infographic provided. Students then work in partners to retell two texts they have read and compare them.
  • In Unit 5, students learn about the unit theme, Outside my Door. The Essential Question is "What can we learn from the weather?" Students listen to texts and answer questions that integrate knowledge. For example, in Week 1, Lesson 5, Reading Workshop, Assess & Differentiate, Conferring: “Encourage students to talk about how another informational text connects to Weather Around the World.” The teacher is also provided with possible conference prompts: "What did you learn from the texts? How are the texts connected? Draw a picture connecting the texts and explain how it connects the texts."

Indicator 2d

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criteria 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).

Culminating tasks provide students with some opportunities to demonstrate comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics. Earlier questions and tasks provide the teacher with some usable information about student’s readiness to complete culminating tasks; however, culminating tasks do not always require students to demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills. At times, students students can complete tasks without using knowledge learned from the texts they listened to during Reading Workshop and are often an extension of what they are learning.

  • In Unit 1, Week 6, Culminating Project, students research art and history museums and choose which they prefer. This task is supported with a discussion of what makes a museum special based on pictures and websites of museums. 
  • In Unit 2, Week 6, Lessons 1-5:  Reading Workshop, Project-Based Inquiry, students learn about living together, and the Essential Question is "What do living things need?" For the project, students “work in pairs to choose a pet and research what it needs. Then they will write an informational text about their pet.” Students discuss pets, review academic vocabulary for the unit, and together review the Pet Research Plan in their Student Interactive. The teacher models informational writing using examples from their Student Interactive. Students begin their research using books or web sites. The teacher models using a graphic organizer and then has students make one to record their information. The students draw or write the needs of their pet in their Student Interactive and then revise. On the final day, students present their writing to the class. Examples of questions/tasks the teacher uses to support students’ with their projects include: Have students think about the audience for their writing about a pet. Offer questions to help students think about their audience, such as, “Who might want to know more about turtles? What do you think your classmates would want to know about your pet?” Have small groups evaluate their drafts. Ask guiding questions such as “Did we put details in our writing or drawing that show our pet’s needs? Are each of our details as specific as we can get them? If we put 'home' as a need for a bird, how can we be more specific?”
  • In Unit 3, Week 6, Lessons 1-5, Reading Workshop, Project-Based Inquiry, students learn about stories and the Essential Question is "Why do we like stories?" For their project, students make “a research plan to do a project about their favorite story. Then they will write a persuasive text that will make others want to read their favorite story.” The students are given a sentence starter: “My favorite story is…” The teacher models persuasive writing using examples from their Student Interactive. Students begin their research using the computer to find their favorite stories. The teacher models using a graphic organizer labeled beginning, middle, and end. The students draw or write why people should read their story in their Student Interactive and then revise. On the final day, students present their writing/drawings to the class. Some examples of questions/tasks the teacher uses to support students’ with their projects are: “What do you like about your favorite story? How can you learn more about your story? What steps do you think are in a research plan?” Explain that when they write a persuasive text and share their ideas, their classmates will be the audience. In order to make their classmates agree with their opinions about a story, encourage students to think about these questions: “Why do I really like this story? What would my classmates like about this story? What words can I use to make them want to read this story?” Guide students to use single words, short phrases, and actions to tell their reasons for liking a story. Some examples include funny, scary, exciting, or real-life. Then restate their ideas in complete sentences.
  • In Unit 4, Week 6, Lessons 1-5, Reading Workshop, Project-Based Inquiry, students learn about Then and Now and the Essential Question is "What can we learn from the past?" For their project, students “interview an older family member about his or her life as a child.” The students discuss how children in the past are alike and different, review academic vocabulary for the unit, and together review the Research Plan in their Student Interactive. The teacher models informational writing using examples from their Student Interactive. Students practice asking questions with a partner. A sentence frame is provided for interview questions if needed. The students draw or write details from the interview in their Student Interactive and then revise. On the final day, students present their writing to the class. Some examples of questions/tasks the teacher uses to support students’ with their projects are: Have students consider the audience for their informational text. Ask questions to help students think about the audience, such as: “What would your audience like to know about the person you interview? What could your audience learn about the past?” Support students by providing a sentence frame for their interview questions: "What did you play when you were a child? I like to play _____." Also, have them draw out their ideas for questions. "Which words can I change to add a special detail? How can I add a detail to help my audience better understand the person I interviewed? Is the detail interesting enough to help my audience understand my interviewee?" To support ELL students, the teacher will have students discuss the parts of informational texts.
  • In Unit 5, Week 6, Lessons 1-5, students complete an inquiry project. Students “will work collaboratively with others as they research seasons and weather, following rules for discussion, including taking turns. They will develop a research plan and write a persuasive text, which will be a poem or song, about their favorite season or type of weather.” Students learned through reading, writing, and tasks how people can make a difference. For example, in Week 6, Lesson 1, if students struggle to talk about weather, provide additional pictures of different seasons and weather events. Use the Academic Vocabulary words to help students tell about what they see. “What is the effect of this kind of weather? What kind of weather is extreme?”

Indicator 2e

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. 

The materials provide teachers guidance outlining a cohesive year-long vocabulary development component in the Reading Workshop and the Reading-Writing Bridge. The vocabulary taught in the Reading Workshop comes directly from the anchor text read for the week. The vocabulary taught in the Reading-Writing Bridge focuses on academic vocabulary, such as context clues, antonyms, and related words. Vocabulary is repeated in contexts (before texts, in texts) and across multiple texts. Attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and to high value academic words. Students are supported to accelerate vocabulary learning with vocabulary in their reading, speaking, and writing tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, when discussing the Infographic, the teacher uses the weekly vocabulary words when questioning students about it. In Lessons 3 and 4, the vocabulary is discussed again through teacher questioning during the close reading of the shared reading text. During Lesson 5, Compare Texts, the teacher again provides oral practice of the vocabulary words during questioning when connecting to the Weekly Question.
  • In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 1, Reading Writing Bridge Workshop, academic vocabulary words (map, move, land, special) are provided for the unit.  Student-friendly definitions of these words are in the Student Interactive glossary. Students are asked to use the words by orally telling sentences to a partner.  The Student Interactive asks students to connect to the words and illustrate a picture to show the meaning. Students then discuss the word by sharing about their picture.
  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 2, Shared Reading, students read Too Many Places to Hide. Students learn that authors choose words carefully. The teacher identifies unpacks, plunks, peeks , and crawls and explains that these words talk about the problem and resolution in Too Many Places to Hide . Then the teacher tells students to read the word and sentence in which it was used, look for illustrations that help you understand the word, and think about how the word shows what happens in the story. Students then complete one of the following tasks: 1. Students practice developing vocabulary by completing page 78 in the Student Interactive. 2. Students find and list unfamiliar words that tell about the problems and resolutions and stories from their independent reading.
  • In Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 2, Shared Reading, students read Open Wide!. Students learn that authors use words that help to describe what animals eat and the body parts that help them eat it. The teacher then tell students to "Read- Look for words that tell more about words that are new to you or important for understanding the text. Think- Think about why the author chose to use the word. Ask- Ask questions about the word and the context, such as 'Why did the author choose to use this word? What does this word have to do with the big idea of the text?'" Students then are asked to complete one of the following tasks: 1. Students complete page 154 in the Student Interactive by circling the picture of the hummingbird with a green crayon and circling the picture of the  turtle with a yellow crayon. 2. Students write or draw an important word about an animal in an independent reading text.
  • In Unit 3, Week 4, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Shared Read, the teacher introduces and reinforces the story vocabulary words (octopus, jellyfish, creatures) before and during reading. Before reading, students look at pictures of the words in their Student Interactive and tell what it means. During reading, words are also defined in text boxes as students are reading to help with word meaning. After reading, students complete a vocabulary activity in their Student Interactive to check for understanding. 
  • In Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 2, Shared Reading, students read Cars are Always Changing. The teacher says that authors chose words that tell about cars, such as  crank, radio, engine, and CD player. Knowing the meanings of key words like these helps readers understand the big ideas in a text. The teacher reminds students: "Think about words the author uses that tell something specific and important about the main idea. Look at the pictures in the text and see if there are clues to help them learn or clarify the meanings of these keywords. Look at the words around a new word to see if there is an explanation to help them understand these keywords better." Students then complete one of the following tasks: 1. Students complete page 40 in the Student Interactive by circling the word that matches the picture. 2. Students use sticky notes to mark new vocabulary words they find in books they read independently. Then students share how they learned the meaning of the new words.
  • In Unit 4, Week 6, Lesson 1, Project-Based Inquiry, students use the above academic vocabulary as they prepare for the culminating project for this lesson. Students discuss the words as they relate to the unit theme of Then and Now .  When using the Student Interactive pages in this lesson, students respond to questions using academic words.
  • In Unit 5, Week 4, Reading Workshop, Leveled Readers, students preview the vocabulary words night and moon by turning to that page in the book. Students read the text independently. After reading, the teacher leads a discussion about the text, using the vocabulary words in her questions: “The photograph has changed. What do you see now? Is it night time?” The teacher then asks students to visualize details and “share with a partner what they see in the sky. Remind them to describe what it looks like. Tell them to describe what the moon looks like or if they can still see the sun.”
  • In Unit 5, Weeks 1-6, Skills Overview for the Unit: Outside My Door, each week includes a vocabulary mini lesson. For example, in Unit 5, Week 2, the mini lesson for vocabulary is words that relate to plants in hot climates, such as  desert, soil, ground, bloom.

Indicator 2f

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials contain a year long, cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts. 

The materials contain well-designed lesson plans, models, writing rubrics, and protocols for teachers to implement and monitor students’ writing development. Students are supported through the writing process with mentor texts, models, and shared writing. Feedback is provided by peers, the teacher, and self-evaluations to ensure that students' writing skills are increasing throughout the year.  Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In Unit 1, Writer’s Workshop, Week 1, students are introduced to different authors through mentor texts in the Mentor Stack and the procedures of how Writing Workshop works. During Week 2, students learn about the parts of a book and begin writing their books. In Week 3, students learn about types of books and drawing for meaning. In Week 4, students practice asking and answering questions, incorporate drawings in their books, and learn about Writing Club. In Week 5, students edit their books based on peer feedback, publish, celebrate, and assess writing.
  • In Unit 2, Writing Workshop, students learn the elements of list books and write a list book (informational text). In Week 1, students are introduced to list books, generate ideas, and plan their list book. In Week 2, students learn how authors include the title, main idea and details, and apply these skills in their list books. In Week 3, students organize their ideas to begin writing and incorporate drawings in their list books. In Week 4, students edit their writing to make sure it makes sense. In Week 5, students present their published list books to the class to celebrate and assess their writing.
  • In Unit 3, Writer’s Workshop, Week 1: Introduce and Immerse, students learn about the elements of fiction and plot and begin writing their stories. They use their Student Interactive to help generate ideas. In Week 2, students continue to write their fictional stories and learn about setting and characters. In Week 3, students work on writing a beginning and an ending to their stories. In Week 4, students work on writer’s craft and edit their writing pieces. In Week 5, students edit, publish, and share their writing. The Daily Plan is five to 10 minutes of Minilessons, 30-40 minutes of independent writing and conferences, and five to 10 minutes of share back focus.  
  • In Unit 4, Writing Workshop, students learn the elements of narrative writing. In Week 1, students generate ideas, plan their personal narratives, and develop drafts orally or by drawing. In Week 2, students learn about the role of the narrator, compose a setting, and compose a problem and solution for their plot. In Week 3, students organize their personal narrative and conclude their personal narrative with a resolution. In Week 4, students learn about subjective and objective case pronouns, identify the naming part and action part of a sentence, and edit their personal narratives for punctuation marks. In Week 5, students edit for capitalization of names, edit for spelling, publish, assess, and celebrate their personal narratives. 
  • In Unit 5, Writer’s Workshop, Week 1, students begin writing a question and answer book using a graphic organizer to plan. In Week 2, students learn how to write questions and answers for their book. In Week 3, students write an introduction and conclusion and organize their ideas. In Week 4, students practice grammar and continue writing their books. In Week 5, students add details and pictures and then publish and share their writing.

Indicator 2g

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

The materials include research projects that are sequenced across the school year.  Each unit ends with an Inquiry Project where students research a real-world issue and demonstrate their learning across the unit. The project requires that students demonstrate what they know and are able to do in speaking and writing. Research articles are provided on each topic at three different reading levels to support teachers and students in the research process.  Materials provide opportunities for both short and long writing projects. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In Unit 1, Week 6, Lessons 1-5, Reading Workshop, Project-Based Inquiry, students “research art and history museums to determine which they would rather visit.” The teacher gathers magazines, museum brochures, and picture books and models how to get information from these resources. Students work in partners and choose a museum they would like to visit. They then draw what they would see in their museum in their Student Interactive, based on the research materials provided by the teacher. Students are provided with a sentence frame if needed: “I want to visit the (art/History) museum because _____.”   They “draw or write to tell why.” Students share their research projects with the class.
  • In Unit 2, Week 6, Lesson 1, Inquiry Project, students work in pairs to choose a pet, research what it needs, and write an informational text about their pet. In Lesson 1, students narrow their list of pets by answering the following questions: “What are some pets you see in the picture? Does anyone have one of these pets? Do you think all of these pets have different needs?” In Lesson 2, students learn the characteristics and structure of informational text and how to conduct research in the library. In Lesson 3, students use a graphic organizer (web) to identify what pets need. In Lesson 4, students revise and edit their webs to include more details. In Lesson 5, students share their persuasive text with the class and reflect on their projects.
  • In Unit 3, Week 6, Lessons 1-5, Reading Workshop, Project-Based Inquiry, students make “a research plan to do a project about their favorite story. Then they write a persuasive text that will make others want to read their favorite story.” The students are given the sentence starter, “My favorite story is…” The teacher models persuasive writing using examples from their Student Interactive. Students begin their research using the computer to find their favorite stories. The teacher models using a graphic organizer labeled beginning, middle, and end. The students take notes on their stories by drawing pictures of the main characters. The students draw or write about why people should read their story in their Student Interactive and then revise. On the final day, students present their writing/drawings to the class.
  • In Unit 4, Week 6, Lesson 1, Inquiry Project, students interview an older family member about his or her life as a child to write a research project. In Lesson 1, students think about what was different for children in the past by answering the following questions: “What kinds of things do children do differently today than in the past? What do we have now that people in the past did not? How are children the same now as in the past?” In Lesson 2, students learn the characteristics and structure of informational text and create interview questions to their family member. In Lesson 3, students use a graphic organizer to record questions and answers from the interview. In Lesson 4, students revise and edit their writing to include more details. In Lesson 5, students share their informational text with the class and reflect on their projects.
  • In Unit 5, Writer’s Workshop, Week 1, students begin writing a question and answer book using a graphic organizer to plan. In Week 2, students learn how to write questions and answers for their book. In Week 3, students write an introduction and conclusion and organize their ideas. In Week 4, students practice grammar and continue writing their books. In Week 5, students add details and pictures, then publish and share their writing.

Indicator 2h

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

The materials provide procedures for independent reading, including an independent reading log and tracking system in the Student Interactive. The weekly reading plan includes daily opportunities for independent reading during small group and as a formative assessment option. Students are provided a wide variety of guided reading text that span the grade level. The teacher regularly provides supports through guided reading groups. Students may reread these texts independently throughout the week. Example include, but are not limited to: 

  • In Units 1-5, Teacher Overview, there is an independent reading section that provides guidance for teachers to follow for independent and collaborative reading. 
  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Introduce the Unit, students learn about the independent reading log and how to be a good reader. Students are taught the procedures for independent reading in the Student Interactive on page 10. Students are taught to choose a book, hold it right side up, start at the front cover, and turn the pages carefully. On page 11 of the Student Interactive, there is a reading log for students to track their independent reading. In Week 5, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Making Connections, students have the option to make connections by telling how something they read independently helps them understand better or think a little differently about something in their own community. 
  • In Unit 2, students are again taught the procedures for independent reading in the Student Interactive on page 10. Students are taught to choose a book, start at the front cover, turn the pages gently, and put the book back when they are finished. In Week 1, Lesson 4, Reading Workshop, Making Inferences, students have the option to draw a picture of an inference they make during independent reading. 
  • In Unit 3, Week 2, Lesson 1: Reading Workshop, Assess & Differentiate, Small Group, while the teacher is conferring with students, there are several Independent/Collaborative suggestions for students. Under the heading Independent Reading students can read or listen to a previously read fairy tale, read a self-selected trade book, read their Book Club text. This is a similar format for Independent Reading under the Assess & Differentiate, Small Group weekly plan throughout the school year.
  • In Unit 4, students are taught further procedures for independent reading in the Student Interactive on page 10. Students are taught to set a purpose for reading a text; practice making connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, or society while reading; and interact independently with the text to build stamina by reading a few more pages everyday. On page 11 of the Student Interactive, there is a reading log for students to track their independent reading. In Week 3, Lesson 2, Reading Workshop, Respond and Analyze, students have the option to draw a picture of a new word they learn while reading independently. 
  • In Unit 5, Week 4, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Genre & Theme, students learn about informational texts. Under Formative Assessment Options, students are given a choice of texts to use to identify a sequence in an informational text. One option is to read any informational text from the classroom library during independent reading time. Students find clues that show it is an informational text using sticky notes.

Gateway Three

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for instructional supports and usability indicators.  Although the materials are well designed, the pacing of daily lessons is not appropriate. The materials support teacher learning and understanding of the Standards, as well as offer teachers resources and tools to collect ongoing data about student progress on the Standards. Teachers are provided with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so that they demonstrate independent ability with grade-level standards. The materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning, and digital materials are accessible and available in multiple platforms. However, the overall web platform presents several navigational challenges and can be difficult to navigate when searching for resources or program components.

Criterion 3a - 3e

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criterion for materials are well designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. Although the materials are well designed, the pacing of daily lessons is not appropriate to fit the instructional minutes of an English Language Arts block and allow for effective lesson structure. Student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids. The materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items. The visual design is not distracting or chaotic, but supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject. 

Indicator 3a

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten do not meet the criteria that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. 

Materials are well designed; however, the pacing of each daily lesson is not appropriate to fit the minutes of an English Language Arts block and allow for effective lesson structure. In the Getting Started Guide, times are listed for each component of these lessons and suggested instructional minutes for them. The lessons are sequenced to incorporate Reading Workshop, Reading and Writing Workshop Bridge, Small Group/Independent, and Writing Workshop.  Materials also include a Suggested Weekly Plan that outlines instructional minutes for each section. Within the Reading Workshop portion, materials cover both foundational skills lessons as well as reading lessons with a suggested time of 10-20 instructional minutes. The content within these portions may need more instructional time to complete each day. 

  • Each daily lesson format is broken apart into Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, and Reading-Writing Bridge Workshop sections. Suggestions for instructional minutes are as follows:
  • Reading Workshop: 10-20 minutes (This includes foundational skills lessons)
  • Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge: 5-10 minutes
  • Small Group/Independent: 20-30 minutes
  • Writing Workshop: 5-10 minutes
  • Independent Writing: 30-40 minutes
  • Reading-Writing Workshop Bridge: 5-10 minutes 

Indicator 3b

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criteria that the teacher and student can reasonably complete the content within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.

The materials are well designed; however, the pacing of individual lessons may not provide time for maximum student understanding. In the Getting Started Guide and Overview of the Curriculum, there are five units, each with six weeks of lessons, totaling 30 weeks of core new instruction. This time frame provides teachers with flexibility over the course of the year; however, core content within each daily plan may not reasonably be completed in the amount of time listed in the Suggested Weekly Plan. The lessons are sequenced to incorporate Reading Workshop, Reading and Writing Workshop Bridge, Small Group/Independent, and Writing Workshop. Materials also include a Suggested Weekly Plan that outlines instructional minutes for each section. Within the Reading Workshop portion, materials cover both foundational skills lessons as well as reading lessons with a suggested time of 10-20 instructional minutes. The content within these portions may need more instructional time to complete each day. Teachers may need to make instructional adjustments to ensure students had opportunities to work towards mastery of the core content, especially pertaining to foundational skills.

Indicator 3c

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that the student resources include ample review and practice resources, clear directions, and explanation, and correct labeling of reference aids (e.g., visuals, maps, etc.).

The Student Interactive contains the student texts, as well as practice materials for all components of Reading and Writing Workshop. Additional printable practice pages are also available online. The student resources include ample review and practice resources in the Student Interactive. The directions are clear with explanations and correct labeling of resource aids. However, some response boxes in the consumable worksheets are not large enough to provide adequate space for students to respond.

Resources include, but are not limited to:

  • There are five volumes for Kindergarten. According to the Program guide:
  • The myView Literacy program contains online leveled reader support with ELL Access Videos to build background, as well as audio and word-by-word highlighting for student scaffolding.
  • Interactive graphic organizers and highlighting and note taking capabilities are available.
  • Sentence frames before, during, and after reading provide the language structures students need to incorporate academic language into their speech and writing (Language Awareness Online).
  • Additional printable practice pages are available online.
  • Research articles are written at three different reading levels. 
  • The materials contain many science and social studies topics. Content vocabulary is underlined in the text. The sidebars contain definitions of the vocabulary words to assist the reader. Clear, colorful photographs are also used to help students with these concepts. Directions are clear. When doing a close read of the shared reading text, the directions are in the margin on the page where students find the text evidence. Since the shared reading texts are all in the Student Interactive, students underline the text evidence directly on the shared reading text. For example, in Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 3, Reading Workshop, Close Read, after reading Animals On the Move , in the margin is the close read icon. Use Text Features is bolded. Students are asked, “What do some animals do? Underline the word that names the main idea.” Visual aides such as maps, photographs, headings, bold words, glossary, and illustrations are correctly labeled.
  • In Unit 1 of the Student Interactive, page 26, the teacher "remind[s] students that the letter m makes the sound /m/ and the letter t makes the sound /t/. Have partners take turns pointing to the m or t in each word and saying the sound for the letter. Then have them use the picture to identify each word.” The visual aids on the page include pictures of the words   map, man, mop, rop, ten , and rat . 
  • In Unit 2 of the Student Interactive, page 195, students complete a graphic organizer by drawing details about exercise. The directions state, “Remind students that details tell more about a topic. Say: Finding the most important details will help you better understand what you are reading. Have students evaluate details they learned in the text and draw two important details about exercise. Remind them to look back at the text.”
  • In Unit 4 of the Student Interactive, page 50, students complete a graphic organizer by drawing details from their life to begin writing a narrative. The directions tell teachers to say, “Authors think of ideas before they write. When authors plan a personal narrative, they think about real events in their life they can tell a story about. Ask students to generate ideas for a class narrative as you draw the ideas on the board. Then have students generate ideas for their personal narrative by drawing events they might tell about in the graphic organizer.”

Indicator 3d

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessment items.

The publisher has provided documentation of alignment with Common Core State Standards. Detailed information of where the standard is being practiced in the Student Interactive and Teacher's Edition are listed under the corresponding standard. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The ten standards are divided into Literature, Informational, and Foundational Skills, Writing, Language,and Speaking and Listening. Detailed information of where the standard is being practiced in the Student Interactive and Teacher's Edition are listed under the corresponding standard under Planning Resources for each grade level. For example, RL.K.2 With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details: SI (Student Interactive):  Unit 1, Week 2, 81/TE (Teacher's Edition):  Unit 1, Week 2, T128-T129. RI.K.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text: SI: Unit 5, Week 4, 151/TE: Unit 5, Week 4, T249.
  • The materials include the three types of writing addressed in the standards, as well as research. Each of the five units culminates with a research inquiry project. The assessments list the skills and standards assessed. Students are assessed three times a year, as well as after each unit.
  • There are specific standards-based assessments in each unit that include phonological awareness, phonics, high frequency words, listening comprehension, and writing.

Indicator 3e

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that the visual design (whether in print or digital) is not distracting or chaotic, but supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject.

The visual design of the materials is not distracting or chaotic. The Student Interactive contains the majority of the student materials, including the shared reading text. This is the primary resource used by students and it utilizes a consistent font and format throughout the book and units. The text and the photographs and illustrations/visuals support students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The Student Interactive is comprehensive and contains the shared reading text, as well as the practice pages for Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, and Reading and Writing Bridge. These are available in both print and digital resources. The digital version appears to look the same as the print version of the materials. Digital materials also include videos and text with audio. The text highlights word by word while being read to support student engagement. The sections are color coded for easily locating materials. Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, Reading and Writing Bridge, Small Group, and Project-Based Inquiry pages are color coded for ease of navigating the materials. The materials contain many science and social studies topics. Content vocabulary is underlined in the text. The sidebars contain definitions of the vocabulary words to assist the reader. Clear, colorful photographs are also used to help students with these concepts.
  • The digital materials include a Teacher's Edition, Student Edition, the Student Interactive, assessments, trade books, book club books, audio/video resources, games, interventions, dual language resources, leveled readers, small group guides, anchor charts and mini lessons, text complexity charts, intervents, etc. All tabs are clearly labeled without any distracting images.

Criterion 3f - 3j

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criterion for materials support teacher learning and understanding of the Standards. The materials contain a Teacher's Edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the Student Edition and in the ancillary materials. While the Teacher’s Edition contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary, and it shows the progression of the content, the standards explanation in the context of the curriculum is not included or linked. The materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.  The materials also include strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the ELA/literacy program, as well as suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.

Indicator 3f

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. Where applicable, materials include teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning.

The Teacher's Edition contains many suggestions and examples on how to present content to students throughout the year. The unit and weekly format of the Teacher's Edition follows a structured routine throughout the year for each grade level. The materials provide teachers with ample annotations to model skills and strategies through teacher think alouds. Teacher support is also provided for the use of embedded technology to support student learning. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The Teacher's Edition provides a unit overview, as well as a weekly overview and a suggested weekly plan to aid in lesson planning. Teachers can use the Weekly Hyperlinked Planner to make planning lessons easier. 
  • At the beginning of each unit, there is a Program Overview section that includes the Program Components section that lists the print and digital resources. The Instructional Model is included in the Program Overview, and an explanation is included for how the Reading Workshop, Reading-Writing Bridge, Writing Workshop, and Project-Based Inquiry Project fit together. In the Program Overview, there is a section for each of the following models: Reading Workshop Instructional Model, Reading Workshop Small Group Instructional Model, and Writing Workshop Instruction Model. These sections include an explanation of how the Unit of Study is separated, a list resources, and the Weekly Plan/Objectives. The Program Overview section also explains the Reading-Writing Bridge and the Project-Based Inquiry section. The assessments are explained in the Assessment Overview. There is also a letter recognition section to teach Kindergarten students the alphabet. Guidance is included for teachers to use with ELL students, struggling students, and accelerated students.
  • In Getting Started, Program Overview: Reading Workshop Minilesson, Focus On Strategies, teachers are directed to “Lead a discussion to help students recognize major characteristics of informational text. Explain that to understand an informational text, readers must be able to recognize the text’s main, or most important, idea and key details. Readers should also look for domain specific vocabulary, text features, graphic features, and a recognizable text structure.”
  • In Model and Practice, teachers are directed to “Model using the main idea and key details to identify the text as informational: To determine the main idea of ‘Snowy Owls,’ I start with the topic of the text: snowy owls. What idea about snowy owls is the author developing? The first sentence of this text states that snowy owls are well adapted to the Arctic. This could be a main idea. When I reread, I determine that all the details support the opening sentence. I can identify this as an informational text whose main idea is ‘Snowy owls are well adapted to their environment.’”
  • The Language Awareness Handbook is an online resource that provides resources to scaffold instruction during reading and writing workshop. For example, sentence frames that can be used to help students include academic language in their reading and writing. Weekly lessons contain a launch video and the student online text contains audio and word-by-word highlighting for student support.  In writing, teachers are provided with conference prompts to help focus instructional needs. For example, “If students need additional support, then choose a personal narrative from the stack to review together and discuss its narrator, setting, and events.”

Indicator 3g

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition that contains full, adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.

The materials contain a Professional Development Center with videos and white papers that contain advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject. Professional Learning videos are provided to give teachers the research behind the series and enhance teaching practices. The videos are authored by the authors and researchers of the program.

Professional Learning videos are provided to give teachers the research behind the series and enhance teaching practices. The myView Literacy authors provide teachers with best practices. The Professional Development Tab contains full adult-level explanations and examples of the more advanced literacy concepts so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary. Categories provided include Assessment, Book Club, Comprehension & Assessment, Differentiation, Dual Language, Engagement, Foundational Skills, Inquiry, Reading, Small Group, and Vocabulary. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In Reading there are four video offerings: Isolated vs. Integrated Skills Instruction in Texts to Improve Comprehension, Organizing the Literacy Block and the Reading Workshop Part 1, Organizing the Literacy Block and the Reading Workshop Part 2, and What is Integrated Skills Instruction? The White Papers included are Text Complexity Systems: A Teacher’s Toolkit and The Reading Workshop.
  • In Vocabulary, there are two video offerings: How to Start Teaching a Generative Vocabulary Approach and What is a Generative Approach to Vocabulary Instruction? These videos are both authored by Elfrieda “Freddy” Hiebert, Ph.D.

Indicator 3h

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criteria that materials contain a teacher’s edition that explains the role of the specific ELA/literacy standards in the context of the overall curriculum.

The materials include a progression of content presented in the unit through the weekly plan.  Grade level standards are also addressed in the supplemental correlation standards chart. 

While the Teacher's Edition does show the progression of the content through the weekly focus guide and what each component of the block will detail as their focus for the week, the standards explanation in the context of the curriculum is not included or linked.  The teacher has to use the supplemental correlation standards chart to determine when and where the standards are being covered. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The Teacher's Edition contains a detailed scope and sequence reference (pages R22-R30).  The chart outlines everything for Grades K-5 and notes which skills are targeted at each grade level. The chart breaks everything down by where the skills can be found, i.e. Reading Workshop includes foundational skills and reading comprehension. Each topic is then broken down further. For example, foundational skills includes print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, high-frequency words, word structure and knowledge, and fluency. This breakdown allows for a simple reference to locate at what grade skills can be found while also giving context to the overall curriculum.
  • The materials provide the specific lesson outline for when the standards are taught; however, resources do not reference the relationship or rationale for teaching the standards or how they will support the learner.  
  • Standards are consistently referenced at the beginning of units, in each lessons’ clearly stated objectives, and the assessments. Specifically, the assessment overview on pages xviii-xix give purpose for assessments to meet standards within the context of the overall curriculum.
  • CCSS correlation charts are provided for each grade level in the Getting Started resources online; however, these are not directly included in the Teacher's Edition.

Indicator 3i

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials contain explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research based strategies.

The Teacher's Edition has explanations of instructional approaches and research-based strategies of the program. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • In the Teacher's Edition, the program authors/advisory board are presented and have different quotes about components of the program/instructional approaches. The instructional model of the curriculum is explained in the Teacher's Edition for both the overall instructional structure of the block, but also the daily structure and focus. An explanation of the reading and writing workshop bridge also provides teachers with the knowledge of those research-based strategies. 
  • Within the online resources, a teacher can find professional development to guide the instructional approaches used in the curriculum. Each topic has a short video explaining the specific purpose and strategies for the topic. The videos are presented by experts in the field.  Some topics also have presenter-created notes or articles detailing the research-based instructional approach with significant references.

Indicator 3j

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials contain strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the ELA/literacy program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.

Information is available for teachers through the unit overview and weekly overview. The Assessment Guide includes letters to send home to parents and caregivers for each unit in both English and Spanish. These letters outline specifically what will be covered in each unit and provides suggestions for supporting student progress and achievement at home.

Criterion 3k - 3n

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criterion for materials offer teacher resources and tools to collect ongoing data about student progress on the Standards. The materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress. Assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized and they provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up. The materials include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress. The materials indicate how students are accountable for independent reading based on student choice and interest to build stamina, confidence, and motivation.

Indicator 3k

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress.

The materials include multiple, varied assessment opportunities throughout the curriculum to measure student progress. Students are assessed in all areas of reading and writing through the assessments presented in the curriculum. Teachers are able to assess students in a base-line, mid-year, and end-of-year assessment. Unit assessments are given to assess the standards addressed in that unit. Within each unit, teachers have access to give students weekly progress assessments. Cold read fluency passages are also used as an assessment monitoring tool for teachers on fluency and comprehension. Each unit contains an end of unit project during Week 6, which has a rubric for teachers to assess student progress. Writing workshop assessments are also offered in the curriculum. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Summative Assessments
  • Baseline, Middle-of-Year, and End-of-Year Tests
  • Cold Reads for Fluency and Comprehension
  • Customizable Digital Assessments
  • Inquiry-Based Project Rubrics and Checklists
  • Progress Check-Ups
  • Writing Workshop Assessments. 

Through Examview, teachers can create Cold Reads, Progress Check-ups, and Unit Tests using questions from a bank or creating their own. Teachers can also choose from multiple choice, multiple response, and essays, or include all three. The program offers both English and Spanish. Additionally, teachers can monitor and track student progress within Examview.

The program also suggests gathering comprehensive assessment data to inform instructional pathways using embedded daily routines and digital/print assessment resources, such as quick checks, assess and differentiate, assess prior knowledge, assess understanding, observational assessments, conferring checklists, and rubrics.  All of these provide ample opportunity to assess student progress in a genuine way.

Indicator 3l

Indicator 3l.i.

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that assessments clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.

There are several forms of formative, summative and unit assessments within the materials. The Summative Assessments Teacher Manual includes a standards correlation chart for the baseline, middle-of-year, and end-of-year assessments as well as for all unit tests that provides item analysis information for the teacher, including the item focus/skill, DOK level and which standard it measures.

  • The Assessment Guide states, “Pearson Realize allows teachers to view each student’s results of assessments taken online, and for assessments aligned to standards, they can see scores by question and by standard. Use the DATA tab of Pearson Realize to view results. Click or tap a bar in the Mastery bar chart to show details of that assessment. Choose the Item Analysis tab to see question level scores. Choose Mastery Analysis tab to see scores by standard.” 
  • In the Assessment Guide, in the Teacher Form, the Weekly Standards Practice details the “slides” to be presented to students that have formative assessments that are used as a measure of vocabulary, phonics, language and conventions. Alignment of standards is presented at bottom of each slide.
  • Under the ExamView, it also mentions that you can search/assign test questions by standard.

Indicator 3l.ii

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that assessments provide sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow up.

The provided Assessment Guide is an extensive tool for teachers to provide support in interpreting student data and next steps in instruction.  There is a chart included that delineates the types of assessments in the program, examples, when the assessment should be administered, data type, and information regarding how to utilize the data.  Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The Assessment Guide for Grades K-5 provides teachers with “ongoing professional development support to read and interpret data to drive instruction.” The 192 page document is designed to support teachers with all types of student assessment throughout the school year. For example, there is a Reading Strategy Checklist, a teacher tool to monitor a student’s knowledge of reading strategies.  It is in rubric form with categories of Proficient, Developing, Emerging, and Not Yet. Each chapter has a case study example that ends with a teacher reflection, what’s next, and the take away.
  • Chapter 3 of the Assessment Guide is titled Benchmark Assessment and Instructional Grouping. It begins with a case study and then guides the teacher through “What are guided reading levels and how are they used?” It helps to match readers with the correct myView Cold Read level for progress monitoring and has an If...Then chart to help teachers with grouping students. Students are grouped into Developing, On Level, and Advanced and given a suggested instructional focus for reading.
  • Questions are provided to guide teachers through the process of looking at data and deciding next steps in Chapter 4 of the Assessment Guide. For example: "Is this student making progress in this small group? Do I need to regroup this student? Do I need to change the way I am instructing this student? Do I need to change the texts this student is reading?"
  • In the Writing Workshop, If...Then, instruction to guide the teacher when doing student conferencing during Writing Workshop is included. For example: "If students need additional support, Then ask: Which word in a sentence do you always capitalize? If students show understanding, Then ask: Which capitalization rules will you use to help you edit your writing?"

Indicator 3m

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials should include routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress.

The Progress Check-Ups Teacher Manual contain routines, guidance, and progress monitoring tools for teachers to use to monitor students throughout the school year. Examples of the routines and guidance that is provided to teachers while conducting progress monitoring include:

  • In Kindergarten, there are 25 check-ups, one for each instructional week in the myView Literacy program. Progress Check-Ups assess Kindergarten students in a developmentally appropriate manner. Each Progress Check-Up contains four sections.
  • The High-Frequency Words section consists of three multiple-choice questions that assess students’ knowledge of the week’s high-frequency words. Teacher scripting is provided for each item.
  • The Phonics section consists of four multiple-choice questions that assess students’ knowledge of the week’s phonics skills. Answer choices are provided as pictures, so students do not have to be able to read. Teacher scripting is provided for each item.
  • The Listening Comprehension section consists of a selection read aloud to students and three multiple-choice questions that assess students’ knowledge of the week’s comprehension focus. Answer choices are provided as pictures, so that students do not have to be able to read. Teacher scripting is provided for each item.
  • The Writing section consists of a writing prompt that asks students to draw and write or dictate in a particular writing mode. The teacher may wish to record dictation provided by students.

The Assessment Guides states “Comprehension is assessed in most of the myView assessment products. The myView Progress Check-Ups, myView Cold Reads for Fluency and Comprehension, myView Unit Tests, myView Middle-of-Year Test, and myView End-of-Year Test will help you determine progress in Comprehension on a weekly basis.” The materials also suggest taking running records of students. There are weekly word study lessons built into the program in the myView Reading-Writing Bridge. 

Chapter 4 of the Assessment Guide is titled Ongoing Assessment. The chapter begins with a case study example concluding with teacher reflection, what’s next, and the take away. The materials suggest teachers do formative assessments throughout the school year: “Combined, your observations, running records, inventories, small-group conferences, and Weekly Progress Check-Up results will help inform your understanding of where your students are and how they are progressing.” The Guide also provides teachers with a chart of different types of questions to use for informal assessments that monitor student understanding and gives teachers a guide of what to do next. If a student receives a low score on a Progress Check-Up or shows a lack of adequate progress during the year, teachers may use myFocus Intervention, Level A to provide the student with additional opportunities to practice high-frequency words, phonics, comprehension, and writing. This can be done through large-group, small-group, or individual instruction. Alignments between individual assessment items and lessons in myFocus Intervention are provided on the Item Analysis Charts.

Indicator 3n

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials indicate how students are accountable for independent reading based on student choice and interest to build stamina, confidence, and motivation.

At the beginning of each unit, a reading log is introduced to hold students accountable for independent reading based on student choice and interest to build stamina, confidence, and motivation. Students are accountable for independent reading using the reading log found in the Student Interactive at the beginning of each unit. They use the log to record their independent reading with the date, book, pages read, and minutes read. After reading, students rate the book by circling a happy, sad, or straight-faced smiley face. In Introduce the Unit, Independent Reading, students are directed to self-select texts and “spend increasing periods of time reading and interacting independently throughout the unit to build stamina.”

In Reading Workshop, Assess & Differentiate, Independent Reading, several teacher suggestions for independent reading are provided: "Reread the shared reading text. Read a self-selected trade book of text. Reread and/or listen to their leveled reader. Partner read a text, coaching each other as they read the book."

Students are provided with a choice during independent reading which should help to build stamina, confidence, and motivation.

  • In Unit 1, teachers are asked to have students select a text in their favorite genre, demonstrate how to hold a book and identify the front cover, where to begin reading, and how to turn the pages properly. Then students are directed to read page 10 in the Student Interactive. On page 11, there is a My Independent Reading Log where students record the date, title, pages read, and their rating of the book.  Students are given four steps to be a good reader on page 10: "Choose a book. Hold it right side up. Start at the front cover. Turn the pages carefully."
  • In Unit 3, teachers are asked to have students select a text and set a purpose for reading, hold their books correctly as they read, read a few more pages everyday, and complete the reading log. Students are given 3 questions to ask themselves before reading on page 10: "Am I reading to enjoy a story? Am I reading to learn about at topic? Am I reading to answer a question?"
  • In Unit 5, teachers are asked to have students circle any unfamiliar words they encounter in their texts, sound out unfamiliar words and try to recognize word parts, and look for context clues in words and pictures. Students are given three strategies for when they come across an unfamiliar word: "Sound it out. Look for word parts you know. Look for clues in the text and pictures."

Criterion 3o - 3r

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criterion for materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so that they demonstrate independent ability with grade-level standards. The materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of a range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards. The materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade-level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards, while also regularly including extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level. The materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Indicator 3o

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials provide teachers with strategies for meeting the needs of range of learners so the content is accessible to all learners and supports them in meeting or exceeding the grade-level standards.

The Teacher's Edition provides strong support for meeting the needs of all learners, including English Language Learners. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The Program Overview breaks down the support in the Teacher's Edition in Reading Workshop to include whole group lessons and small group lessons. These lessons are meant to differentiate and provide support to all students.  The materials also focus on the three tiers of instruction. In small groups, leveled readers with lesson plans are included to support guided reading groups. There is a Leveled Reader Teacher Guide, as well as a Small Group Guide to assist the classroom teacher. The Leveled Reader Teacher's Edition provides “possible teaching points for differentiation with DOK levels of complexity.” There are various types of small groups for the classroom teacher to use listed in the Teacher Guide. There are strategy group Minilessons, intervention activities, guided reading, and conferring opportunities. 
  • Several online tools are available to further support teachers and students. For example, at the beginning of every unit there are “ELL Access videos to build background.” Text Complexity Analysis for the Shared Reading text is in each unit. This analysis includes reader and task considerations for English Language Learners, Intervention, and On Level/Advanced to support those learners.
  • In Unit 1, Week 1,  Lesson 3, Close Read, Identify and Describe Characters, teachers are provided with ELL strategies:
  • Teach antonym parts to help students use vocabulary as they give information about characters and objects.
  • Emerging-Show pictures to illustrate the antonym pairs young/old and big/small. Have students give information about the characters or objects by drawing or labeling a picture to represent each pair.
  • Developing-Have students draw a picture to represent antonym pairs. Ask them to point to and give information about their pictures, using the sentence frame: That one is _____ but this one is _____.
  • Expanding-Have students brainstorm antonym pairs that could give information about people. Have them use the pairs to describe the characters in a story they know.
  • Bridging-Have students write a list of describing words that give information about a character. Then have them work in pairs to brainstorm some antonyms of the character words on their list.
  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 3, Assess and Differentiate, teachers are provided with intervention strategies:
  • Teaching Point-Because the characters in realistic fiction text seem like real people, readers can use their own experiences and ideas to imagine the characters and understand them better. Model using your imagination and experiences to understand what the characters are doing in Mission Accomplished!
  • Model-Tell students that you are a little confused about something you read on page 33. "I read here that Rena wants to go to Mars. But children don’t fly to Mars, do they? I thought this was supposed to be like real life. But I will try to think like Rena. I can use my imagination." Read pages 33-34 aloud. Point out the picture showing the thought bubble. Explain that the thought bubble means this is an idea Rena is thinking up in her imagination. "That means Rena is using her imagination, just like a good reader does. I know that using your imagination is a fun way to play. I loved to use my imagination when I played. This helps me understand more about both Rena and Christopher. They have fun imaginations that help them pretend to go to Mars."
  • In Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 5, Assess and Differentiate, On Level and Advanced, teachers are provided with strategies to use with students who are reading, writing, speaking, and listening above grade level:
  • Organize Information and Communicate-Have students share with a partner what they learned during their inquiry about how people use their imaginations.
  • Critical Thinking-Ask students how the stories relate to imagination. "How did the children use their imagination to change the place where they were? How do writers use their imagination?"

Indicator 3p

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards.

The Language Awareness Handbook, myFocus Intervention Teacher Resource Guide, and the Teacher's Edition regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level and meet or exceed grade-level standards. The Teacher's Edition provides ELL Targeted Support throughout the units and continues the entire school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The Program indicates unit launch videos that are included to “spark interest, make connections, and build knowledge to improve students’ comprehension.” The online edition of the Student Interactive provide “audio support and word-by-word-audio highlighting (K-2).” There are also ELL Access Videos to “provide background and help English language learners comprehend leveled texts.” These are all materials to support students working below grade level and English Language Learners with grade-level texts. There is “ELL Targeted Support Embedded at Point of Use” in the Teacher's Edition, as well as “dual language resources.” Sentence Frames are also provided for students to help incorporate academic language.
  • The materials for Week 6 in each unit allow students to work on a research project. To support students with their reading of research articles, each article is available in three different reading levels. The teacher is also provided with If...Then conferring tips in Writer’s Workshop.
  • “The Language Awareness Handbook is a valuable resource that provides integrated reading and writing support while working in tandem with core Whole and Small Group instruction in myView . The handbook provides models of scaffolded instruction, useful strategies, and practical routines that you can employ during reading or writing workshop. It is intended that these linguistically accommodated lessons be used during small-group time with students that you determine need additional scaffolded instruction. Refer to this handbook during planning to determine which lessons will provide the most focused scaffolds for your students. You may use any or all of the lessons or lesson parts as dictated by the needs of your students. This handbook is meant not only for the classroom teacher, but can be used by any support person working with the diverse student populations in your school.” 
  • “myFocus Intervention Teacher Resource Guide targeted instruction focuses on the development of skills and strategies to help students achieve on-grade-level expectations. The lessons are tied to national and state English Language Arts standards. Lessons can be used flexibly, based on students’ differing instructional needs and rates of mastery. Discrete skills are scaffolded into small, manageable Minilessons for thorough coverage, focused practice, and built-in progress monitoring. Data-driven assessments after sets of related lessons allow teachers to monitor students’ progress efficiently and effectively.”
  • The Teacher's Edition provides intervention and ELL strategies to teachers for students who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level, or in a language other than English.

Indicator 3q

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level.

The materials regularly include extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level. The Teacher's Edition and the Extension Activities in the Resource Download Center provide extension opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • The Leveled Readers include a wide range so that the teacher can match students with their appropriate reading level. Students who read above grade level, read books at their instructional levels. Also, the research articles are leveled into Easy, On Level, and Challenge. Students who are reading above grade level would read the Challenge articles. The Text Complexity Charts also provide prompts and tasks for On Level and Advanced students. In the Teacher Guide, the Formative Assessment for each week gives students two choices so students can challenge themselves.
  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 1, Reading Workshop, Assess and Differentiate, teachers are provided with strategies to use with On Level and Advanced level students: "Have students talk with a partner about what they think it would be like if their families moved. Then have partners think about a place they would want to move to. Work with students to learn more about this place."
  • In Unit 1 of the Extension Activities in the Resource Download Center, students can complete a genre log, a reading log, a fiction or nonfiction bookmark, and recommend books to their peers.

Indicator 3r

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

The materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies. These groupings are outlined in the Teacher's Edition with lesson plans to accompany the various grouping strategies. Students work in whole group, small groups, or with a partner. The Teacher's Edition suggests different  groupings for various tasks. 

In small groups, leveled readers with lesson plans are included to support guided reading groups. There is a Leveled Reader Teacher Guide, as well as a Small Group Guide to assist the classroom teacher. The Leveled Reader Teacher Guide provides “possible teaching points for differentiation with DOK levels of complexity.” 

There are various types of small groups for the classroom teacher to use during Reading Workshop listed in the Teacher Guide: strategy groups, intervention groups, guided reading groups, and conferring with 2-3 students. Small Group suggestions include teacher-led options for strategy groups, intervention activities, as well as suggestions for on-level and advanced support in the Teacher's Edition. Collaborate Groups suggestions include Book Club ideas and Writing Club ideas in the Teacher’s Edition. Partner Work suggestions include Turn, Talk, and Share suggestions throughout the Teacher's Edition and Project-Based Inquiry Project.

Criterion 3s - 3v

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criterion for materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning. Digital materials are accessible and available in multiple platforms. Digital materials are web-based, compatible with multiple internet browsers, “platform neutral,” follow universal programming style, and allow the use of tablets and mobile devices. Materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning, drawing attention to evidence and texts as appropriate. Digital materials include opportunities for teachers to personalize learning for all students, using adaptive or other technological innovations and the materials can be easily customized for local use. While the materials include or reference technology that provide some opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, the materials lack teacher guidance and support on how to conduct collaboration or how the collaboration can benefit student performance.

The overall web platform presents several navigational challenges and can be difficult to navigate when searching for resources or program components.

Indicator 3s

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that digital materials (either included as supplementary to a textbook or as part of a digital curriculum) are web-based, compatible with multiple internet browsers (eg. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.), “platform neutral” (ie., Windows and Apple and are not proprietary to any single platform), follow universal programming style, and allow the use of tablets and mobile devices.

The program is accessible through the internet and follows a universal programming style and allows the use of tablets and mobile devices.  Some updates may be required for best compatibility.

The Realize and Realize Reader Web system requirements include the latest versions of Google™ Chrome™, Microsoft Edge®, Mozilla® Firefox®, and Apple® Safari®. By designating officially-supported operating systems and browsers, Pearson is able to ensure an optimal user experience; however, Realize and Realize Reader will operate in other, untested combinations of operating systems and browsers.  

The Realize Reader Apps compatibility requirements provide the operating systems, devices, screen resolutions and accessibility programs to ensure the best user experience.  A systems requirement check for compatibility is provided and includes: Apps / Operating Systems, iOS App: Apple iPad OS 11+, iOS App: Apple iPad OS 12+, Chrome App: Chrome OS only (Mac OS and Windows not supported), Windows App : Windows 10*.

Supplementary digital materials include the Reading Spot App, which houses additional leveled readers to support student reading. Throughout the Program Guide, references are made to the online support and a Google Classroom connection.

Indicator 3t

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials support effective use of technology to enhance student learning, drawing attention to evidence and texts as appropriate. 

Technology can easily be incorporated in a variety of ways to enhance student learning. The program offers a digital platform for student texts, the teacher guides, and support materials.

Digital materials available to students allow students to engage with texts online. The Digital Walkthrough Guide states that students have access to online games to practice vocabulary, spelling, and foundational skills. Students can also highlight and annotate the text, play games, and watch videos. 

Online Leveled Reader Support includes ELL Access Videos build background. Interactive Graphic Organizers make reading and thinking active.

The Reading Spot App! allows access to thousands of additional leveled readers and texts. Teachers can search for titles by Lexile® level, Guided Reading level, student interests and genre, language, grade level.

Indicator 3u

Indicator 3u.i.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that digital materials include opportunities for teachers to personalize learning for all students, using adaptive or other technological innovations.

The materials provide resources for teachers to create custom variations of rubrics and assessments.  This helps teachers meet the needs of their students. Teachers also have access to videos that support English Language Learners with visual context.  The app for leveled readers allows teachers to access a variety of readers beyond what is suggested in the teaching guides. Teachers can assign multiple assignments to students through the online platform.

The Program Guide states that teachers can differentiate instruction and assessments for students based on their needs. Also in the Program Guide, SuccessMaker is available for Tier 3 intervention support and MyFocus Intervention is available for Tier 2 intervention. 

The Digital Walkthrough Guide states that students have access to online games to practice vocabulary, spelling, and foundational skills. 

Indicator 3u.ii

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials can be easily customized for local use.

The material provide resources for teachers to create custom variations of rubrics and assessments. There is a tab for state customization that leads to  customized lesson plans. This is available for all grades. The units are planned in a way that teachers can choose what best suits the needs in their classroom. All Unit Tests have the ability to modify or edit based on the needs of the students. There is a link for the teacher to customize each Unit Test.

Indicator 3v

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet the criteria that materials include or reference technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other (e.g. websites, discussion groups, webinars, etc.)

The instructional materials include some opportunities for students and teachers to collaborate electronically through digital platforms. However, the materials lack teacher guidance and support on how to conduct this collaboration or how the collaboration can benefit student accomplishments.

The Digital Tools reference the Google Classroom Connection video that states students can collaborate through Google Classroom on assignments that are assigned through myView . 

The research-based article, “Purposeful Uses of Technology for Literacy and Learning Through Inquiry in Grades K–5” by Julie Coiro, Ph.D., lists the websites and other forms of technology a teacher can use to enhance the literacy practices in the classroom.

Report Published Date: 04/14/2020

Report Edition: 2020

myView Literacy Publisher Response - Grades K-2

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myView Literacy Publisher Response - Grades 3-5

Technology information myview literacy k-2, technology information myview literacy 3-5.

Please note: Reports published beginning in 2021 will be using version 2 of our review tools. Learn more.

ELA K-2 Rubric and Evidence Guides

The ELA review rubrics identify the criteria and indicators for high quality instructional materials. The rubrics support a sequential review process that reflect the importance of alignment to the standards then consider other high-quality attributes of curriculum as recommended by educators.

For ELA, our rubrics evaluate materials based on:

  • Text Quality and Complexity, and Alignment to Standards with Tasks Grounded in Evidence
  • Instructional Supports and Usability

The ELA Evidence Guides complement the rubrics by elaborating details for each indicator including the purpose of the indicator, information on how to collect evidence, guiding questions and discussion prompts, and scoring criteria.

The EdReports rubric supports a sequential review process through three gateways. These gateways reflect the importance of alignment to college and career ready standards and considers other attributes of high-quality curriculum, such as usability and design, as recommended by educators.

Materials must meet or partially meet expectations for the first set of indicators (gateway 1) to move to the other gateways. 

Gateways 1 and 2 focus on questions of alignment to the standards. Are the instructional materials aligned to the standards? Are all standards present and treated with appropriate depth and quality required to support student learning?

Gateway 3 focuses on the question of usability. Are the instructional materials user-friendly for students and educators? Materials must be well designed to facilitate student learning and enhance a teacher’s ability to differentiate and build knowledge within the classroom. 

In order to be reviewed and attain a rating for usability (Gateway 3), the instructional materials must first meet expectations for alignment (Gateways 1 and 2).

Alignment and usability ratings are assigned based on how materials score on a series of criteria and indicators with reviewers providing supporting evidence to determine and substantiate each point awarded. For ELA and math, alignment ratings represent the degree to which materials meet expectations, partially meet expectations, or do not meet expectations for alignment to college- and career-ready standards, including that all standards are present and treated with the appropriate depth to support students in learning the skills and knowledge that they need to be ready for college and career.

For science, alignment ratings represent the degree to which materials meet expectations, partially meet expectations, or do not meet expectations for alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards, including that all standards are present and treated with the appropriate depth to support students in learning the skills and knowledge that they need to be ready for college and career.

For all content areas, usability ratings represent the degree to which materials meet expectations, partially meet expectations, or do not meet expectations for effective practices (as outlined in the evaluation tool) for use and design, teacher planning and learning, assessment, differentiated instruction, and effective technology use.

Focus and Coherence - 14 possible points

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my view literacy kindergarten review

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MYVIEW LITERACY 2020 STUDENT INTERACTIVE GRADE K VOLUME 1

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MYVIEW LITERACY 2020 STUDENT INTERACTIVE GRADE K VOLUME 1

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  • ISBN-10 0134908694
  • ISBN-13 978-0134908694
  • Publisher Scott Foresman
  • Publication date March 30, 2018
  • Language English
  • Dimensions 10.8 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
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my view literacy kindergarten review

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  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scott Foresman (March 30, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0134908694
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0134908694
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.8 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
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MyView Literacy Unit 1 week 1 KINDERGARTEN

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Supplemental Material for Pearson/Savvas: My View Literacy Kindergarten Unit 1 week 1 -This product contains 203 pages for the story, Mission Accomplished! Includes: STORY PACKET-Essential Question, Story Title, Story Genre, Vocabulary Cards, Definition Cards, Picture Cards, "Who Has?" Cards, SIGHT WORD PACKET and more.

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Please note - all material included in this resource belongs to Sunny Boy Creations Inc. Sharing the link and/or the resource is in direct violation of copyright laws. By purchasing this product, you own a license for  one teacher only  for personal use in their own classroom. Licenses are  non-transferable  and therefore can not be passed from one teacher to another. If the teacher who purchased this license leaves the classroom or changes schools, the license and materials leave with that teacher. No part of this resource is to be shared with colleagues or used by an entire team, grade level, school, or district without purchasing the correct number of licenses. Thank you so much for respecting my work and the terms associated with it!

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my view literacy kindergarten review

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myView Literacy is a comprehensive, interactive literacy program that provides a balanced approach to teaching reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing using a collection of authentic reading texts and collaborative writing workshops. Connected Reading and Writing Workshops focus on teaching the critical skills and strategies students need to be highly competent thinkers, readers, and writers ready for college and career.

my view literacy kindergarten review

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my view literacy kindergarten review

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My View Literacy Grade K Bundle

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my view literacy kindergarten review

  • Description

MyView Literacy K  is a comprehensive, interactive K-5 literacy program that provides a balanced approach to teaching reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing using a collection of authentic reading texts and writing workshops.

Features of My View Literacy Kindergarten

  • Each bundle includes a Student edition and 1-year student and teacher digital access to SavvasRealize.com.
  • Connected  Reading and Writing Workshops  focus on teaching the critical skills and strategies students need to be highly competent thinkers, readers, and writers ready for college and career.
  • Focus on developing foundational skills and comprehension strategies to ensure that students are equipped to learn to read.
  • Time-saving lesson plans and all-in-one resources.
  • Create opportunities for student success.
  • Encourage students to become independent learners.

Each myView Literacy Kindergarten Kit includes:

  • myView Literacy 2020  Student Interactive Kindergarten Volume 1  ISBN-13: 9780134908694
  • myView Literacy 2020  Student Interactive Kindergarten Volume 2  ISBN-13: 9780134908700
  • myView Literacy 2020  Student Interactive Kindergarten Volume 3  ISBN-13: 9780134908724
  • myView Literacy 2020  Student Interactive Kindergarten Volume 4  ISBN-13: 9780134908731
  • myView Literacy 2020  Student Interactive Kindergarten Volume 5  ISBN-13: 9780134908748
  • Digital Access Card ISBN-13: 9780328972609 Digital components come with a 1-year online subscription.
  • **NOTE:  The Digital Access Card comes in your print package. Please locate it as soon as you open your package(s). It has the instructions you need to access your online digital content on the Savvas Realize™ Digital Platform. Your Order Number is needed when you apply for access. It is located on the label on the box. 
  • myView Literacy 2020  Digital Courseware 1-year License for Kindergarten  ISBN-13: 9780134972251

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The myView Literacy courses are well-crafted and packed with interesting reading selections, and panoramic in their inclusion of language arts skills.

Organizationally, there are five units in each course. Units are each covered over a six-week time frame. A Reading Workshop, a Writing Workshop, and a Reading-Writing Bridge are packed into each week. Units conclude with a week-long Project-Based Inquiry or, in other words, a grade-appropriate research project. Throughout the Unit, thought-provoking, world-expanding themes and language arts skills are woven together. This course can be completed thoroughly using just the worktexts. Nevertheless, there are elements available through the companion   SavvasRealize   online platform that add sparkle and usefulness. The online components are quite helpful, for they alone contain the answers to text exercises and tests.

The   Teacher Guide   – an ebook – provides detailed lesson plans, schedules, and pacing. This is a wraparound book so all student pages are present with answers. Teacher-student interaction is a foundational part of the courses. An involved teacher who is reading through student material ( you’ll find it interesting), and interacting daily with their student might not need these text answers for the lower levels, but answers/tests do provide a safety-net and efficiency and are more necessary at the upper levels. Online test-taking is easy. Students have the option of playing a recording of the questions or reading them – or both. Most are multiple choice but writing activities are included. Answers are corrected and students can look at missed answers. The   Savvas   platform also provides a good quantity of additional teacher helps and printable material.

The “sparkle” are things like audio book readings of the literature selections, reinforcement games, flashcards, and videos. The SavvasRealize online platform is relatively easy to navigate. 

The   Student Worktexts are appealing and engaging. They walk through the lessons with embedded reading selections, instructional text, questions, exercises, and sidebar content (in upper levels). The various unit/lesson parts are color-coded and icon identified.

Reading Workshops   provide the stalwart core of this program. Across the grade levels they provide background information, an anchor chart, vocabulary, the actual reading selection, comprehension checks, close read activities, and response to text (reflect and share). In the early grades there is a focus on “foundational skills” – i.e. phonological awareness, phonics, decoding, and fluency. In the upper grades there is more emphasis on literary analysis and thinking skills. In each lesson, the Reading Workshops material ends with a “Response to the Text” activity. This is a lead into the Reading-Writing Bridge portion of the week’s lesson. Here you will find coverage on word study, spelling, language/conventions (a.k.a. grammar, usage, and mechanics), and a section called “Read Like a Writer; Write for a Reader” that provides exercises designed to analyze, duplicate, and incorporate the traits of accomplished authors.

The remaining portion of the weekly lesson sequence is the Writing Workshop. While primarily covering the various parts of the writing process (i.e. brainstorming, rough draft writing, editing, and publishing) they will also cover a diverse range of related topics. For instance, using digital tools such as bolding, graphics/illustrations, and research.

Literary genres included in these courses are broad and diverse. You will find folktales and myths more likely in the early grades and argumentative text at the upper grades, but in general, the genres include: fiction (all types – realistic, historical, science), legend, drama, poetry, informational text, biography, persuasive text, and narrative nonfiction. The various grade-level collections are impressive and rather stunning in their scope. Intriguing and you may find yourself learning new things.

Starting right out in the Kindergarten course, one week in each unit is devoted to Project-Based Inquiry. These are setting the groundwork for the upper-level Inquiry weeks that are full-blown research projects. So, for example, Kindergartners are asked to think through their own preferences on a topic, gather information from a partner, and develop a three-line-item research plan as well as to research (find a related poem and explore a kid-based search engine). Concluding the unit, they are asked to write (or draw) content that reflects their research and opinions. While this all sounds rather rigorous for kindergartners, the material and steps as presented seem very grade-appropriate and doable.

At the other end of the grade spectrum in this series, the research “steps” are essentially the same but the expectations are much more sophisticated. Using academic words, evaluating sources, taking notes, and writing an essay with primary/secondary sources have all been added into the basic research outline. Again, though, students have been well prepared and have a strong foundation (built within the year and through the courses) for what they are being asked to do.

These courses are designed to be teacher-student interactive. As such, they will definitely require a time commitment from the teacher (probably 20-40 minutes a day – the high end for older students). The worktexts, though, are written directly to the student with the idea that the teacher/parent is looking over their shoulder. All materials are user-friendly including the online ones. Teacher prep is mainly relegated to determining what, if any, online material to incorporate. But the worktexts may be used by themselves. Because many activities have variable answers the online answer key is not alwasy necessary. Extra practice worksheets are available if and when needed.

With these excellent, comprehensive, standards-based, and affordable language arts courses Pearson/Savvas Learning has supplied the homeschool community with a treasure. These courses provide complete language arts: phonics, reading skills, literature skills, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, usage, mechanics, handwriting practice, composition skills and even speech experiences. Some might want to add systematic spelling and/or handwriting.

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IMAGES

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  3. Activities Aligned to MYVIEW LITERACY UNIT 1-Kindergarten by Heidi Neels

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  4. Kindergarten My View Literacy UNIT 3: Color By High Frequency Words 5

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  5. Kindergarten My View Literacy: UNIT 1 Literacy Centers BUNDLE!!

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  6. My View Literacy 3.4 Teacher's Edition by Pearson Education

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VIDEO

  1. Tempura, Tempera /U4L5/ myView Literacy Grade K

  2. Arnold’s Apple Tree/ UNIT 2 Lesson 3/ Grade 2/ My View Literacy

  3. Jen and Pete DECODABLE STORY /U4L3/ myView Literacy Grade K

  4. The Best Story/U3L4/myView Literacy Grade K

COMMENTS

  1. myView Literacy (2020)

    Review Tool Version v1 Format Core: Comprehensive Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2) Meets Expectations Usability (Gateway 3) Meets Expectations Key areas of interest Building Knowledge 174/192 Foundational Skills 80/84 Our Review Process Learn more about EdReports' educator-led review process Learn More Showing: Overview K 1 2 3 4 5

  2. EdReports

    The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations of alignment. Texts are of high quality. The materials provide opportunities for student growth in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and developing language skills over the course of the year. The materials also meet the overall expectations for instructional supports and usability, with guidance for ...

  3. PDF Review Team Appraisal of Title K-5 English Language Arts

    Structured Literacy Review - Materials are reviewed for relevant criteria pertaining to the support for teachers and students in the components of structured literacy. Average Score 96% Materials are informed by and based on the Science of Reading; reflect evidence-based teaching principles; and reflect evidence-based elements of structured ...

  4. MyView Kindergarten Literacy- Scope and Sequence

    4.3 (11 ratings) View Preview ; Grade Levels K Subjects Balanced Literacy, Reading, Literature Resource Type Unit Plans Standards CCSS CCRA.L.1 CCSS CCRA.L.2 CCSS CCRA.L.3 CCSS CCRA.L.4 CCSS CCRA.L.5 show more Formats Included PDF Pages 37 pages $3.00 Add one to cart Buy licenses to share Wish List Report this resource to TPT CR Designs

  5. myView Literacy Texas Grade K

    The document "Correlations of Texas MyView Literacy Kindergarten, Print + Online to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading (TEKS) and the Teacher English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)" lists each of the specific grade-level spelling patterns and provides at least one example from the materials ...

  6. Pearson K12 Learning's myView Literacy© 2020 for Grades K-5 Receives

    myView Literacy is a blended print and digital, interactive K-5 English language arts solution that provides a balanced approach to the teaching of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and...

  7. myView Literacy

    myView Literacy provides explicit and systematic instruction in the foundational skills of writing, such as language, handwriting, spelling, and conventions in addition to explicit instruction in writing composition. Building Knowledge Is in Our DNA Knowledge, Vocabulary and Engagement Deliberate Practice at Your Fingertips

  8. PDF myView Literacy Publisher's Response Grades K-2

    Savvas Learning Company is extremely pleased with the "All Green" rating across all gateways for all grade levels. myView Literacy is a comprehensive, interactive English language arts solution that provides a balanced approach to the teaching of reading, writing, speaking, and listening and thinking using a collection of authentic reading texts...

  9. Myview Literacy 2020 Student Interactive Grade K Volume 1

    MYVIEW LITERACY 2020 STUDENT INTERACTIVE GRADE K VOLUME 1 . by Scott Foresman (Author) 5.0 ... Without Tears - Letters and Numbers for Me Student Workbook, Current Edition - Handwriting Without Tears Series - Kindergarten Writing Book - Capital Letters, Numbers - For School or Home Use ... How customer reviews and ratings work

  10. Scott Foresman Texas myView Literacy Grade K

    TEA is now accepting applications( opens in new window) from qualified K-5 English and Spanish reading language arts, K-3 English and Spanish phonics, and K-12 math content experts interested in reviewing materials for the Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) Cycle 24. Visit the HB 1605 webpage( opens in new window) for more information about IMRA.

  11. IXL skill plan

    Recommendations Skill plans IXL plans Virginia state standards Textbooks Test prep Awards View by: Grades Topics Weekly plans Skill plans Skill plan for myView Literacy - Kindergarten IXL provides skill alignments with recommended IXL skills for each unit. Find the IXL skills that are right for you below! Unit 1 2 3 4 5 Print skill plan

  12. myView Literacy

    You're still writing your story — make it a bestseller with myView Literacy. The contemporary instruction in myView helps you address literacy, content areas, social-emotional learning and - most importantly — student curiosity every day. Engage all students with high-interest resources and just-in-time support.

  13. myView Literacy Kindergarten Unit 1 Weeks 1-6 Overview, Outline ...

    Also included in. Are you looking for a weekly overview of myView Literacy Program for Kindergarten, Units 1-5? This Bundle offers you a weekly glance, outline for all myView units - weeks 1-6. It is perfect for planning your ELA literacy blocking, as it includes a snapshot of each week's focus. It is also a fabulous.

  14. MyView Literacy Unit 1 week 1 KINDERGARTEN

    See all reviews Also included in MyView Literacy UNIT 1 BUNDLE- Kindergarten Supplemental Material for Pearson/Savvas: MyView Literacy UNIT 1 BUNDLE- Kindergarten Unit 1 weeks 1-6. STORIES- Mission Impossible, Too Many Places to Hide, At the Library, Where is Twister?, and A Visit to the Art Store.

  15. PDF IXL Skill Alignment

    Reading strategies 4.Identify the purpose of a text RBN Spelling and conventions 5.Use singular and plural nouns 6CP Week 6: Project-based inquiry 1.Complete the short a word MB9 2.Complete the short i words HGL 3.Put the sounds in order 9SW 4.Find a word in a sentence G45 5.Choose the two sight words that are the

  16. Savvas Enhances myView Literacy Program with New Features Based on

    New Digital Libraries for Kindergarten: Provided by Unite for Literacy, the new digital libraries aim to help ensure that young readers have access to engaging, age-appropriate texts that are connected to each unit's theme, Savvas said. "Each digital bookshelf includes 50 titles of English and Spanish literature, with additional narration ...

  17. Savvas myView Literacy Kindergarten Bundle 9781428455764

    Savvas myView Literacy Homeschool Bundle for Kindergarten. Publisher: Savvas Learning Company. ISBN-13: 9781428455764. MyView Literacy K is a comprehensive, interactive kindergarten literacy program that provides a balanced approach to teaching reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing using a collection of authentic reading texts and writing workshops.

  18. THE BEST STORY MyView Literacy Kindergarten Unit 3 Week 4 ...

    Listen along as Mrs. Morris reads The Best Story from MyView Literacy for Kindergarten, Unit 3, Week 4.Check out my merch shop!: https://my-store-10084545.c...

  19. myView Literacy © 2020

    On-Demand Training Overview myView Literacy is a comprehensive, interactive literacy program that provides a balanced approach to teaching reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing using a collection of authentic reading texts and collaborative writing workshops.

  20. myView Literacy

    Visit https://www.savvas.com/myviewliteracy to learn more today! Subscribe to us on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2HyTM7gVisit us on the web at http://www.savvas.co...

  21. My View Literacy Grade K Bundle

    myView Literacy 2020 Digital Courseware 1-year License for Kindergarten ISBN-13: 9780134972251. The myView Literacy courses are well-crafted and packed with interesting reading selections, and panoramic in their inclusion of language arts skills. Organizationally, there are five units in each course.

  22. AT THE LIBRARY MyView Literacy Kindergarten Unit 1 Week 3 ...

    Listen along as Mrs. Morris reads At The Library from MyView Literacy for Kindergarten, Unit 1, Week 3.Learn More About The Library:https://www.amazon.com/gp...

  23. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! MyView Literacy Kindergarten Unit 1 ...

    Listen along as Mrs. Morris reads Mission Accomplished! by Ebony Joy Wilkins from MyView Literacy for Kindergarten, Unit 1, Week 1.Get your own National Geog...