Kindergarten - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for anchor texts being of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading. The texts across Literature, Science, and Social Studies materials address a range of interests, and the reading selections would be interesting and engaging for students. Unit texts include a variety of genres and consider a range of students’ interests including, but not limited to, traditional fairy and folklore tales, biographies, realistic fiction, historical texts, nonfiction, animals, and cultural texts. Academic, rich vocabulary can also be found within selected texts as well as enriching illustrations to help build knowledge.

Throughout the program, the anchor texts are of publishable quality and worthy of careful reading. Many are written by well-known published authors. Examples of this in Literature include: 

• Literature Unit 1, Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes is an engaging text with colorful, captivating illustrations. Although the Lexile level of the text is higher than the grade level, it’s simple text structure and focus on becoming part of a classroom environment make it an appropriate text as a read aloud for kindergarten.
• In Literature Unit 2, the text A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein contains poetic language and engaging illustrations. 
• Literature Unit 3 features multiple informational anchor texts such as Fall Weather: Cooler Temperatures by Martha E H Rustad, Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro, and Leaves by David Ezra Stein which are above the kindergarten Lexile band. The narrow academic content focus along with explanatory illustrations support the texts as read alouds. 
• In Literature Unit 4, texts by author Jerry Pinkey include the timeless classics, The Lion and the Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, and The Grasshopper and the Ants.
• Literature Unit 5 features Jan Brett texts The Hat and The Mitten with are filled with rich language and captivating illustrations.

Similar to Literature, the anchor texts include informational texts which are also are of publishable quality These include:

• In Literature Unit 3, the text Fall Harvests: Bringing in Food by Martha E.H. Rustad is an informational text that discusses the foods harvested in the fall and festivals held around the world to celebrate them.
• In Literature Unit 5, Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft is an engaging and informative look at how animals survive the winter.
• In Literature Unit 6, the text The Color of Us by Karen Katz presents an illustrated picture book that promotes discussion on skin color.

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

Students engage with a wide array of literary and informational texts throughout thematic units using read-alouds, shared reading and independent reading. Texts types include folktales, historical fiction, realistic fiction, adventure, biographies, and poetry.

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

• Literature Unit 1, Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
• Literature Unit 1, Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns about Courage by Howard Binkow
• Literature Unit 1, A Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
• Literature Unit 2, Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan 
• Literature Unit 3, Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
• Literature Unit 4, Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales
• Literature Unit 4, The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
• Literature Unit 5, It’s Snowing! by Gail Gibbons
• Literature Unit 5, The Mitten by Jan Brett
• Literature Unit 6, A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson
• Literature Unit 6, The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
• Literature Unit 7, If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most
• Literature Unit 8, The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen and Jerry Pinkney

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

• Literature Unit 1, It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
• Literature Unit 3 Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins
• Literature Unit 3, The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
• Literature Unit 4, Pele King of Soccer by Monica Brown 
• Literature Unit 5, Animals in the Winter by Henrietta Bancroft
• Literature Unit 6, A Picture Book of Rosa Parks by David A. Adler
• Literature Unit 7, Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbon
• Literature Unit 7, Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meets the criteria that 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.

Quantitatively, the texts range in complexity from 200-1030 which, at this grade level, are predominantly presented as read alouds. Qualitatively, the texts present complex ideas, vocabulary, and themes that allow students to acquire knowledge and conduct analysis of complex texts and how they relate to each thematic unit. All texts for Kindergarten are at a complexity level above what most students can read independently.

In Unit 1, students read the text Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin. This text has a quantitative measure of 490L. Qualitatively, students analyze the text through answering text dependent questions then are asked to, “Think about how telling the truth and not lying helps the entire community” and “Write and draw about what they can do instead of lying.” Students also read Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes, which has a quantitative measure of 480L. Qualitatively, students ask and answer questions about key details in the text and make connections between main character and themselves.

In Unit 2, students read the texts Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys, and Their Monkey Business, by Esphyr Slobodkina. These texts have a quantitative measure of 480L. Qualitatively, students analyze the details and illustrations from the text to explain what happened with the peddler’s caps and why. Students also read Silly Sally by Audrey Wood, which has a quantitative measure of 680L. Students are asked to explain how Silly Sally got to town through the use of illustrations and text dependent questions.

In Unit 3, students read Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro, which has a quantitative measure of 580L. The complex demands of the text ask for students to retell key ideas of the text using illustrations providing details from the text. Students also read The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons, which has a quantitative measure of 640L. Qualitatively, students conduct a close read in order to “Explain how pumpkins grow, by using the text and illustrations to describe the connection between key details in a text.” 

In Unit 4, students read My Abuelita by Tony Johnston and Yuyi Morales, which has a quantitative measure of 540L. Qualitatively, students are asked how the characters feel in the story and to explain by describing the characters and using details to support their answers. Students also read Tito Puente, Mambo King by Monica Brown, which has a quantitative measure of 620L. The qualitative demands of this text have students reading the text, listening to his music and reviewing his biography. Students are asked to describe Tito Puente and explain why he is famous. 

In Unit 5, students read It’s Snowing! by Gail Gibbons, which has a quantitative measure of 790L. The qualitative demands have students use details from the text to figure out the meaning of new scientific language. Students use the illustrations and text to build on prior knowledge about snow and use their knowledge to answer the question “are all snowstorms the same?” Students also read The Mitten by Jan Brett, which has a quantitative measure of 600L. Qualitative demands of this story have students make connections with what the illustrations and story are saying with what they have learned in previous lessons about winter and winter animals.

In Unit 6, students read Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, which has a quantitative measure of 800L. In this complex text, students are asked to describe if Rosa Parks was courageous or if the bus boycott was a good idea by identifying the reasons an author gives in order to support a point. Students also read I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Kadir Nelson, which has a quantitative measure of 1030L. This text contains complex themes and historical relevance to the world today. 

In Unit 7, students read How Big Were the Dinosaurs? by Bernard Most, which has a quantitative measure of 660L.  Qualitatively, students describe how big a dinosaur was and how the author helped us understand how big it was by retelling key details to explain the connection between two ideas in a text. Students also read Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbons, which has a quantitative measure of NC750L. Qualitatively, the complex demands of this text ask students to explain why different dinosaurs needed different characteristics for survival and what would have happened if they all had the same characteristics by using words and illustrations to make inferences about key details.

In Unit 8, students read Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser, which has a quantitative measure of 480L. Qualitatively, students are asked to explain why earthworms are called “underground gardeners” by describing and making connections between pieces of information in the text.

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).

 Throughout Kindergarten, the units are designed to build upon one another with increasing demands for knowledge and application as the student progresses through each thematic unit and lesson.  Anchor texts are listed within every unit and provide quantitative measures as well as a text selection rationale. Students engage in texts of varying levels and complexity within each unit. Some texts are above the Lexile band for kindergarten, but the expectations for learners and rationales for text selection are clear to the purpose of the instruction and provided in the Overview for each Unit. Students begin Kindergarten setting up a routines for reading and are exposed to engaging and predictable read-alouds.  Next, building on the first three units, students begin to retell using key details about setting, characters, and major events. They are now challenged to “read” illustrations and think about how the illustrations help a reader better understand what is happening in the story. By the end of the year, students are expected to understand both informational and fiction and make connections between pieces of information.

Literature Unit 1 introduces students to read alouds and how to be an active participant in read alouds. Texts such as Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes and Words Are Not for Hurting by Elizabeth Verdick are used to introduce students to reading skills such as interacting and practicing vocabulary and writing in response to text. All texts at the early point in the curriculum are above the Kindergarten Lexile Band and are treated as read alouds. 

 In Unit 2, the demands on students increase as they now begin to work on retelling stories including explaining what happens to characters in the story using key details in the text. Simpler texts such as The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle and We’re Going on a Lion Hunt by David Axtell support students as they begin to develop their literacy skills. Another focus of this beginning unit is on understanding how authors and illustrators use illustrations and repetition to help a reader understand the main events in a story. The Teacher Guide States, “Scholars will learn how to closely “read” illustrations for subtle clues about character feeling or foreshadowing clues for what is going to happen next in a story.”

By Unit 4, students are studying the life of authors  Grace Lin, Yuyi Morales, John Parra, Monica Brown and Jerry Pinkney and making connections between the background of the author and the stories he/she writes or illustrates. Students also begin using the texts as mentor texts for their own writing. Students at this time are continuing to work on retelling stories with focus on details from the text including setting, characters, and major events.  Scholars are also challenged to “read” the illustrations and think about how the illustrations help a reader better understand what is happening in the story. By the end of Unit 4 students are now expected to be able to fully explain the role of the author and the illustrator. 

In Unit 6, students are exposed to multiple biographies including National Geographic Kids: Rosa Parks by Kitson Jazynka, A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler, and A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson. While the Lexile level of these texts is still above the Kindergarten grade band making them more appropriate as read alouds, students are now expected to begin to see the how an author uses details to support an idea in biographies. Students expand their understanding of details to begin identifying key details, making connections between details, and relating details from the text to the author’s use of illustrations. Students are exposed to more complex texts at this point in the year where they compare details and how themes are developed across texts. 

In Unit 8, the use of complex texts such as Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser, A Nest Full of Eggs by Priscilla Belz, and From Seed to Sunflower by Gerald Legg supports an increase in student literacy levels as the student is expected to describe the connection between ideas or pieces of information. Student understanding of the use of illustrations expands to include describing the relationship between illustrations and key points in the text. Students are also expected to ask and answer questions about key details, identify the main topic, and compare two texts on the same topic by this final unit.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level. The Core Texts for each grade level are listed in the Unit Summaries and each text is aligned with a Text Selection Rationale that indicates both the Quantitative and Qualitative reasoning for their placement within the materials.

• In Unit 2, The Text Selection Rationale for the selected core texts, in part, states, “With a lexile range of 260L to 600L the quantitative measures place the core texts in the first to second grade band level.  Due to the higher lexile levels and text demands these texts are inaccessible to scholars independently, and therefore are appropriate to read aloud.”
• In Unit 4, The Text Selection Rationale for the selected core texts, in part, states, “the illustrations are necessary for understanding the text and depict more information about the characters, setting and events. Therefore, the illustrations make the texts mildly complex and appropriate to read aloud at this grade level.
• In Unit 6, The Text Selection Rationale for the selected core texts, in part, states, “All of the core texts require an understanding of the civil rights movement and segregation, a topic that is unfamiliar to many students in this age range. The texts, however, have clear and straightforward levels of meaning that are easily accessible if scholars have the necessary background knowledge.”

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

Throughout the units, students are asked to answer a variety of questions related to the texts being read. Discussion are embedded into each lesson, which supports students in drawing on textual evidence to support their learning of explicit and inferential information. The text-based questions and tasks require the students to produce evidence from texts to support opinions or statements when writing and speaking. Questions draw the reader back into the text and support students’ literacy growth over the course of the school year. Several examples of text - based questions, tasks, and assignments include:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 1, after being read Wemberly Worried, students are asked:
• What did Wemberly worry about and why?
• What worries did Wemberly have about the first day of school?
• What caused Wemberly’s worries about school to go away? How do you help make your worries go away?
•  How does Wemberly feel at the end of the day and why?
• In Unit 2, Lesson 2, after reading Jump, Frog, Jump! By Robert Kalan, students are asked (to):
• Retell the sequence of events.
• Who tried to eat the frog first? Who tried to eat the frog after the fish?
• How did the Frog always get away? How can we use the pictures to help us know how he gets away?
• How do the illustrations help the reader better understanding how the frog gets away?
• How do the illustrations help the reader predict what is going to happen next?
• In Unit 3, Lesson 4, after reading Why do Leaves Change Color? By Betsy Maestro, students are asked:
• What happens to leaves in autumn? 
• What are leaves like in the spring and summer? Why? 
• Why are leaves important to a tree? 
• Besides the leaves, what else changes in fall? 
• How does a tree get ready for winter? 
• What causes the changing color of autumn leaves? 
• What happens to the leaves once they are on the ground? Why? 
• In Unit 4, Lesson 16, after reading, Marvelous Cornelius by Phil Bildner and John Parra,  students are asked:
• What is Cornelius’ job? How does he feel about it? How do you know?
• How does Cornelius treat others?
• How do the illustrations help the reader better understand Cornelius?
• What happened when the storm came?
• Why did the city need help from others? How did others help?
• Why did Cornelius weep when he saw all of the trash after the storm? 
• How did John Parra use the illustrations to help us better understand Cornelius and Hurricane Katrina?
• In Unit 5, Lesson 7, after reading, Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, students are asked:
• “What happens ‘under the snow’? 
• What would happen if the animals weren’t under the snow? Explain.
• Why does the author say that the fox leaps after “an invisible dinner”?
• In Unit 6, Lesson 14, after reading A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson, students are asked:
• Why did the girls decide to go to the march? How did they feel when they were at the march?
• Who was the leader of the march? What were they marching for? Why was it important?
• Why do you think the illustrator decided to use just a bit of red on some pages?
• Why do you think the girls’ mother didn’t go to the march? How did she feel when they returned?
• What does the smell of roses remind the girls of? Why?
• In Unit 7, Lesson 2, after reading, Fossils Tell of Long Ago, students are asked:
• What is the first thing that happened to the fish? 
• What happens next?
• What happens after the bones are covered with mud? How does diagram 3 help a reader understand what is happening?
• What happened as the weight of the layers of mud pressed down? Why is this important? 
• In Unit 8, Lesson 6, after reading How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan, students are asked:
• Do all seeds look the same? Even though they look different, do they all have the same purpose? Explain why or why not.
• What experiment do the little boys do? What do they learn about seeds?
• How does a seed change as it grows? What are the different parts of a seed?
• What does a seed need in order to grow/ Where do seeds get their food?

The instructional materials for Kindergarten meet the criteria for materials that contain sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent questions and activities that build to a culminating task that integrates skills for students to demonstrate understanding. Although not labeled as a culminating task, units contain a final lesson that brings together the information and skills learned throughout the unit. The final tasks incorporate a combination of skills including drawing, dictating, writing and speaking.

• Unit 1 has a final task that requires students to “Explain what it means to be part of a classroom community and how scholars can make the classroom community a fun place to be, by participating in a discussion using details from the unit.” As part of preparing for this task students are asked to discuss the following:
• Unit 1, Lesson 1, Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes,  "What caused Wemberly’s worries about school to go away? How do you make your worries go away?"
• Unit 1, Lesson 3, Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen by Howard Binkow, "Explain what Howard learns about listening and what we can learn from Howard’s story that will help us have a joyful and safe classroom, by asking and answering questions about key details in a text."
• Unit 1, Lesson 5, I Call My Hand Gentle by Amanda Haan, "Identify what it means to have a gentle hand by asking and answering questions about key details in a text. Make connections to classroom rules and expectations."
• Unit 1, Lesson 7, I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont, "Explain why the narrator says, 'There’s no one else I’d rather be,' by asking and answering questions about key details in a text. Make connections to what scholars like about themselves and how that connects to a joyful and safe classroom community."
• Unit 3 has a final task that requires students to “Pretend you are a weather reporter. Use the data you have collected to create a weather forecast that describes what weather is like in the Fall and how it impacts different living things.” As part of preparing for this task students discuss:
• Unit 3, Lesson 3, Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert, "How does the tree change from the beginning to the end? Why?"
• Unit 3, Lesson 7, Leaves by David Ezra Stein, "Explain why the little bear was confused and what advice you could give the little bear about what was happening with the leaves, by using words and illustrations to retell key details and ideas in a text."
• Unit 3, Lesson 10, Fall Harvests: Bringing in Food by Martha E H Rustad, "Explain what a harvest is and what types of foods can be harvested in the fall, by using the words and illustrations to retell key details in a text."
• Unit 3, Lesson 13, Apples by Gail Gibbons, "Explain what the text was mostly about and three to four things they learned about apples, by identifying the main topic of a text and using the words and illustrations to retell key details."
• Unit 3, Lesson 14, Apples by Gail Gibbons, "Explain how an apple tree changes from season to season, by using the text and illustrations to describe the connection between key details in a text."
• Unit 6 has a final task that requires students to “Explain why Martin Luther King Jr. was influential and what lessons we can learn from him, by stating a claim and providing supporting evidence from multiple sources.” In preparation for this final task students discuss:
• Unit 6, Lesson 3, The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson, "Explain that the two little girls were separated because of the color of their skin, but in the end, they decided to ignore the rules and play with each other because people of all skin colors can be friends and have fun together."
• Unit 6, Lesson 5, Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, "Describe if Rosa Parks was courageous or if the bus boycott was a good idea by identifying the reasons an author gives to support a point."
• Unit 6, Lesson 9, National Geographic Kids: Rosa Parks by Kitson Jazynka, Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, A Picture Book of Rosa Parks by David A. Adler, "Explain why Rosa Parks was influential and what lessons we can learn from her, by stating a claim and providing supporting evidence from multiple sources."
• Unit 6, Lesson 10, Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo, "Explain how Martin Luther King Jr. was a powerful leader by identifying the reasons an author gives to support a point."
• Unit 6, Lesson 11, Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, "Explain what important lessons we can learn from Martin Luther King Jr. and how his words are still alive today by identifying the reasons an author gives to support a point."

The 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 opportunities for students to use speaking and listening skills to apply their knowledge using evidence based discussion in smaller groups and within the larger class.  The protocols for evidence based discussions are included in the ancillary teacher materials and outline recommendations and frameworks to plan and use within the lessons. The Rigorous Discussion Guidelines detail how to prepare and lead effective classroom discussions as well as recommendations for how to maximize learning after the instruction.  It includes a three level rubric for student led discussions that measures students’ skills in speaking and listening, advancement of discussion, analysis, preparation and providing evidence.  The Intellectual Prep section of the units have teachers determine the focus for habits of discussion that aligns with target speaking and listening standards, based on the classroom needs. Teachers then create a plan for how to teach and reinforce the discussion habits over the course of the unit during daily partner and whole - group discussions. 

The Rigorous Discussion Guidelines in the Publisher’s Supporting Documents for Teachers explains strategies and structures to teachers in a step by step guide. Some lessons explicitly refer to these strategies and structures as an option for the lesson, but the teacher has the discretion of when to use them. There is a detailed document providing steps and guidelines to prepare for, lead, and follow up with a rigorous discussion. To prepare for a discussion some teacher guidance includes setting up the classroom space, articulating a question, and anticipating student misconceptions. To lead a discussion, some guidance is provided for modeling note taking for students, providing scaffolding, and tracking data from the discussion. After the discussion, there is guidance on how to use the data to inform future classes, which, also includes a rubric for evaluating student discussion. Examples from the Rigorous Discussion Guidelines protocols include but are not limited to:

• Design pre-work/mini-lesson that provides necessary context needed to start forming an informed opinion of a particular content goal
• Model and practice facilitation of an effective discussion when initially introducing rigorous discussion
• Skillfully facilitates discussion using a variety of strategies

The Publisher’s Documents also contain an Instructional Strategies Guide that highlights different ways for students to engage in an evidence based discussion. These include:

• Turn and Talk which is a language strategy that provides scaffolded opportunities for all students to formulate and build upon each other’s ideas. It is suggested that teachers use this when there is more than one right answer or for a meaty part of the text that is worth discussion and analysis.
• Discussion, which helps increase student thinking by challenging one to test out their own ideas, build on those of their peers, and ultimately lead a persuasive discussion. It should be used to evaluate or test theories as well as synthesize a lesson. 

Match Mini Protocols that illustrate various protocols include:

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

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

• In Unit 1, Lesson 2, students make connections between the character Howard B. Wigglebottom and the ways we can show courage at school. Then, in table teams, students think of challenges they want to tackle in school. 
• In Unit 1, Lesson 14, students are asked to write, draw, and share a pledge they create. 
• In Unit 2, Lesson 6, students retell what happened each time a new animal came to the door in Sitting Down to Eat by Hill Harley with a partner.
• In Unit 3, Lesson 7, students work to explain what is happening with the leaves based on what they have learned in the first few lessons of the unit. 
• In Unit 4, Lesson 6, students engage in a class discussion on where Grace Lin gets her inspiration from and what she likes to write about. 
•  In Unit 5, Lesson 14, after discussing the key things needed for survival, students are pushed to explain one of the animals from the unit.  
• In Unit 6, Lesson 9, students engage in a discussion about why Rosa Parks was influential and what lessons we can learn from her. In the Intellectual Prep section it says that teachers need to determine the habits of discussion focus for the unit using the targeted speaking and listening standards as a guide. 
• In Unit 7, Lesson 22, students engage in a discussion where they compare and contrast the Bernard Most books with other books from the unit by identifying basic differences between two or more texts on the same topic. 
• In Unit 8, Lesson 2, students engage in a discussion after reading It’s Spring by Linda Glaser about whether spring is just like fall and why. 
• In Unit 8, Lesson 4, students engage in an activity where students explore the difference between living and nonliving things, specifically what they need to survive. The activity is found on page 27 of the FOSS Life Cycles Unit Plan, which does state that students discuss the findings of the activity with a shoulder partner. 

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

Materials in Kindergarten support speaking and listening about the text through group learning activities and class discussions. There are some examples in the lesson frames and teaching notes, where the word discussion is used explicitly to indicate to the teacher that discussion should be taking place in class. In addition, every lesson has a set of Key Questions, and while it does not always explicitly state to discuss, these questions provide opportunities to discuss and the Notes section of the lesson frame frequently indicates that a discussion should occur.  These series of questions often progress from discussion to drawing or writing. Students have multiple opportunities to present their work and share with their peers in a group or whole class settings. Resource documents provide assistance for teachers in choosing class structures. Intellectual Prep is provided for each unit that specifies the discussions that will be included throughout the lessons. 

Examples of opportunities for students to practice their listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching in Literature include but are not limited to these examples.  Some activities in the Lesson Objectives or Notes section of the Lesson Frames specifically require a discussion to be held by students and provide text dependent questions to be answered by students. Teachers can use their discretion to decide if it is whole group, partner, or small group discussion.

• In Unit 2, Lesson 6, Sitting Down to Eat by Bill Harley the teacher instructions state, “With a partner after reading, have scholars orally retell what happened each time a new animal came to the door. Give scholars character pictures or cards to guide the retell."
•  In Unit 3, Lesson 1, Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins students are asked to, “Brainstorm one or two questions about fall by asking and answering questions about details from a discussion."
• In Unit 4, Lesson 6, The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin, Kite Flying by Grace Lin, Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin, Fortune Cookie Fortunes by Grace Lin states, “Where does Grace Lin get her inspiration and what types of topics she writes about? This part of the lesson should be a discussion in which scholars think about all of the different books they read by Grace Lin and what they notice.”
• In Unit 6, Lesson 8, National Geographic Kids: Rosa Parks by Kitson Jazynka, Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, A Picture Book of Rosa Parks by David A. Adler the students are asked to, “Compare and contrast all Rosa Parks biographies by identifying basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures)”
• In Unit 7, Lesson 17, Dinosaur Roar by Paul and Henrietta Stickland students will, “Use descriptive words to describe a dinosaur by asking and answering questions about key details and words in a text.”
•  In Unit 8, Lesson 39, students are asked to, “Debate and discuss unit essential questions by stating a claim and using evidence from the entire unit to support the claim.”

The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations 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 unit materials provide opportunities for students to complete narrative, informational, and opinion writing. The Instructional Strategies guidelines, available in the ancillary materials detail Stop & Jot’s in which students respond to questions in writing, and are designed to be incorporated into each lesson using the Planning a Lesson protocol and lesson plan template. Also, the Literacy Block guide denotes a Writer’s Workshop for 45 minutes daily.

•  Unit 1, Lesson 6, Time to Say “Please"! by Mo Willems in the Notes Section of the Lesson frame states that students should: "After reading, have scholars draw and write about a time when they would say 'please.' After scholars have written, have them share with a partner." 
• Unit 2, Lesson 13, Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys, and Their Monkey Business, by Esphyr Slobodkina in the Notes Section of the Lesson frame directs teachers “After reading, have scholars return to their seats and write and draw one way that the peddler could have gotten the hats back from the monkeys. The key is for scholars to think of a way that is nicer than stomping and yelling like he did in the beginning.”
• Unit 3, Lesson 9, provides two opportunities for students to engage in writing: "This day should be set up as a lab day/deep exploration day. Potential activities: going on a walk and finding leaves, making their own leaf men and telling a story with the leaves, leaf rubbing, etc. OR If there are multiple activities or an activity that would be across two days, feel free to stretch this out into more than one day. Also, it is an option to do an activity one day and then have them write about it the following day." 
• Unit 4, Lesson 6, The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin, Kite Flying by Grace Lin, Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin, Fortune Cookie Fortunes by Grace Lin has students: "Write an opinion piece about which Grace Lin story was your favorite and why by stating an opinion and supporting it with a reason." 
• Unit 5, Lesson 14, Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft, Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints by Millicent E. Selsam, Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature’s Footprints by Jim Arnosky, Wolves by Gail Gibbons, Owls by Gail Gibbons in the Notes Section of the frame states: "This is a discussion/writing-about-reading day. Scholars should think about everything they have learned about how animals get food in the winter, animal tracks, wolves, and owls to describe what animals need to survive the winter. After scholars have discussed the key things needed for survival, push them to explain using one of the animals from the unit." 
• Unit 6, Lesson 9, National Geographic Kids: Rosa Parks by Kitson Jazynka, Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, A Picture Book of Rosa Parks by David A. Adler in the Notes Section of the frame states: "As an extension, have scholars write a thank-you letter to Rosa Parks. In the thank-you letter, they should explain what they learned from her and how she helped make the world a better place." 
•  Lesson 4, students are asked to, “Identify the difference between helpful words and hurtful words by asking and answering questions about key details in a text. Generate a list of helpful words to use in the classroom.” 
•  In Unit 2, Lesson 10, students are asked to, “Explain how Bojangles brings music and happiness to everyone he meets, by using details and illustrations to retell key details from a text.”
• In Unit 3, Lesson 2, the students, “Should observe the weather daily, record the temperature, and discuss what types of clothing they would wear based on the weather.”
• In Unit 4, lesson 6, students are asked to, “Write an opinion piece about which Grace Lin story was your favorite and why by stating an opinion and support it with a reason.”
• In Unit 5, Lesson 5, students are asked to, “Describe the weather by using vocabulary from the unit to supply information on a topic orally and in writing. Pretend you are a meteorologist. Use the weather words you’ve learned to describe the weather.”
•  In Unit 6, Lesson 9 students write a letter to Rosa Parks, and in Lesson 19, students write a letter to Martin Luther King.
• In Unit 7, Lesson 6, the objective states, “Explain how people learned about dinosaurs, by using a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose an informative text that supplies information about a topic."

The 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 students the opportunity to learn, practice and apply evidence based writing using words and pictures to recall relevant information and details in their application and discussion of the material. Writing opportunities are focused around students’ analysis and claims developed from reading closely and working with sources. The goal of Unit 1 is to teach students the procedure for writing about reading and how to articulate details from the text through pictures and words. 

Examples of evidence - based writing opportunities include:

• In Unit 1, Lesson 4, students read Wemberly Worried and students make promise cards to help them adjust to the new school year. This is an opportunity for students to use writing and drawing about the text early in the school year.
• In Unit 1, Lesson 14, students write and draw what they pledge to do in order to make the community a joyful place using all of the unit texts. 
• The Unit 2 summary states that, “In this unit, scholars will continue to write daily in response to the text, with a focus on using words and pictures to correctly answer the question.”
• In Unit 2, Lesson 3, students explain how the tree changes from the beginning to the end, by using words and illustrations to retell key details in a text after reading “We’re going on a Bear Hunt”.
• In Unit 2, Lesson 13, students write and draw one way that the peddler could have gotten the hats back from the monkeys after reading “Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys, and Their Monkey Business.”
• The Unit 3 overview states that, “scholars will continue to write daily in response to the text. Scholars should be using a combination of words and pictures, depending on the scholar’s development as a writer.”
• In Unit 4, Lesson 6, students are asked to write a letter to Grace Lin that includes which is their favorite book and why. Other lessons in this unit such as Lessons 12, 17, 22, and 27 also provide a writing prompt for opinion writing. 
• In Unit 5, Lesson 5, students describe the weather by using vocabulary from the unit to supply information on a topic orally and then in writing. They are expected to pretend they are a meteorologist and describe the weather using vocabulary from the books they have read in the unit. The expectation by this unit is to consistently use drawings and words to answer questions about the text. They are expected to use details that connect directly with the question and the text throughout the unit. 
• In Unit 6, Lesson 16, an extension activity is to have students write a thank-you letter to Martin Luther King, Jr. In the letter, they should identify what they learned from him and why.
• In Unit 7 Lesson 10, students explain why different dinosaurs need different characteristics for survival and what would have happened if they all had the same characteristics by using words and illustrations to make inferences about key details in the text after reading Dinosaurs.
• In Unit 7, Lesson 18, students write a letter to their friend describing if all dinosaurs are dangerous or not and why based on everything they have learned. 
• In Unit 8, Lesson 12, students write about the different parts of the plant life cycle and what plants need in order to survive after reading several texts.