6th Grade - Gateway 2

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 2b.

Materials include anchor texts with accompanying Mini-Lessons in which students discuss and write their answers to text- dependent questions or tasks that address word choice, text structure, academic and figurative language, main ideas, and key details of the text. Within the Mini-Lesson students frequently hold Constructive Conversations which include text-based prompts. Daily lessons, close-reading texts, and the student e-Notebook include opportunities for students to respond to questions. Strategies and Skills incorporate the language of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Most questions and tasks fully align to the Strategies and Skills and correlated standard, while other questions and tasks partially align to the correlated standard.

For most texts, students analyze key ideas and details (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 2, the Strategies and Skills page in the Teacher Resource System indicates that students learn about analyzing how part of a text contributes to plot development and describing a character’s response to plot events. For example: 

  • In Week 1, Lesson 7, the teacher reviews the five stages of plot and models how to identify the rising action in the text “In Hiding” from The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play dramatized by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. During the Constructive Conversation, students discuss their responses to the following prompt: “Read the remainder of Anne’s soliloquy. Underline two examples of text evidence that help you identify the scene as part of the rising action. Write your reasoning in the margin.” Students then participate in a brief Turn and Talk to discuss their responses to one of these two questions: “How is the rising action of the plot shaped by Anne’s responses to her circumstances? Based on the challenges Anne faces and her responses during the rising action, what message do you think the author is trying to communicate?” During independent work time, students write a response to the Apply Understanding question, “What can you infer about Miep and Mr. Kraler’s relationship to Anne? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.” This question does not directly connect to the lesson’s skill focus.

• In Unit 5, the Strategies and Skills page of the Teacher Resource System indicates that students will determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details. For example:

  • In Week 2, Lesson 4, students determine a central idea of a text. During the Constructive Conversation, students work with a partner to complete the following task: “Read and annotate paragraphs 1–9 of ‘Probing the Ocean Deep.’ Star the central idea and underline details that convey it.” During Apply Understanding, students independently read page 15 and identify key details that elaborate on the central idea. They summarize the central ideas and details from that page.

For most texts, students analyze craft and structure (according to grade-level standards). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• In Unit 2, the Strategies and Skills page of the Teacher Resource System indicates that students will analyze how a part of a text contributes to the development of the plot.  While students analyze how scenes contribute to the plot, students do not “[a]nalyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text,” as required by the standards. For example: 

  • In Week 3, Lesson 7, students engage in a lesson to understand how one section contributes to the development of the plot. With a partner, students respond to the following prompt: “Both ‘Feyrouz the Brave’ and ‘Jason’s Challenge’ contain scenes in which the main characters have fateful encounters with an old woman. Compare and contrast the way each of these scenes contributes to the plot of each story. Cite evidence from each text to support your thinking.” Then students engage in a Turn and Talk to discuss the following questions: “How do Feyrouz and Jason respond to their challenges? What do their responses show about their characters? How do these scenes contribute to the development the plot?”

• In Unit 4, the Strategies and Skills page of the Teacher Resource System indicates that students will explain how an author develops points of view For example: 

  • In Week 1, Lesson 7, students examine how an author develops the point of view in poetry. Students reread “Up Hill” by Christina Rossetti and “...identify three metaphors to help you determine the speakers’ points of view.” Then students participate in a Turn and Talk to answer the following question: “Enduring Understanding 1 in this unit states that every story—both real and fictional—has a point of view that affects the way it is told. How does Christina Rossetti’s use of metaphors affect the way ‘Up‑Hill’ is told? What does it show about the poet’s point of view?”

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 2c.

Materials provide opportunities for students to answer questions that support knowledge building. Each instructional day includes a reading mini-lesson designed to build content knowledge and practice literacy skills and strategies using the anchor texts. Each week, the student e-book also includes a Build Knowledge Across Texts question in which students respond to a prompt to synthesize information or analyze multiple texts. The majority of questions included in the Constructive Conversation, Apply Understanding, and Build Knowledge sections require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within individual texts, as well as across multiple texts. Questions connect to topics or themes and texts for each unit, allowing for analysis through discussion and writing tasks. Materials provide questions and prompts in direct teaching mini-lessons, small group or paired tasks, and independent work time. 

Most sets of questions and tasks support students’ analysis of knowledge and ideas. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 5, the Strategies and Skills introduction in the Teacher Resource Systems indicates that students will integrate information in different media or formats to develop a coherent understanding. Although students read different texts, students do not “[i]ntegrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue,” as required by the standards. For example:

  • In Week 2, Lesson 12, students integrate information in different formats to develop an understanding of the text. Students review the content in the sidebar and the written text. During the Constructive Conversation, students complete the following task: “Read the sidebar on page 15. How does the sidebar ‘Ocean Research: A Cost-Benefit Analysis’ support the central idea of ‘Probing the Ocean Deep’? Support your thinking with evidence from the text.” Students annotate their text as they identify evidence and then compare their responses with a partner. During Apply Understanding, students independently respond to the following prompt: “How does the diagram ‘The Water Cycle’ help readers understand the information presented in ‘Ocean Research: A Cost-Benefit Analysis’? Write 4–5 sentences describing how the diagram is connected to the text.”

• In Unit 8, the Strategies and Skills introduction in the Teacher Resource Systems indicates that students will compare and contrast the experience of reading a story to listening to or viewing a story. For example: 

  • In Week 1, Lesson 7, students compare and contrast the experience of reading a story to listening to a story. Students underline important details in the text “The South Pole” by Jules Verne  that describe Pierre ronnax and Captain Nemo. Students write some words that would describe each character and their relationship with each other. Then, students work on the second part of the task: “Listen to the audio version of the text on page 5. Annotate and make notes on any new ideas you have regarding the characters. How does your description of the characters and their relationship in the audio version differ from your ideas when you read the text? What changed your ideas?” Students discuss with a partner.

Sets of questions and tasks provide opportunities to analyze across multiple texts as well as within single texts.

• In Unit 1, the Strategies and Skills introduction in the Teacher Resource Systems indicates that students will compare and contrast authors’ presentations of events. For example:

  • In Week 2, Lesson 12, students compare and contrast authors’ presentation of events. The teacher models comparing and contrasting a biography and autobiography and how the authors develop two different aspects of an idea. During Guided Practice, students work with a partner to respond to the following question: “Compare and contrast ‘Protectors of the Land’ and ‘Fascinating World of Nature’ and the ways Wangari Maathai and John Muir wrote about nature. How do the differences and similarities in MacDonald’s Muir biography and Maahai’s autobiography help you understand the ways these two activists raised awareness about nature?”

• In Unit 6, the Strategies and Skills introduction in the Teacher Resource Systems indicates that students will compare and contrast how texts in different genres approach a similar theme. For example:

  • In Week 2, Lesson 12, students compare and contrast two texts' approaches to themes. During the Constructive Conversation, students discuss their responses to the following question, “Compare and contrast the ways ‘The Ballad of Mulan’ and ‘Mulan Joins the Army’ approach the same theme of duty. Cite specific details from each text in your comparison across text.” During Apply Understanding, students independently answer the following question: “Compare and contrast the ways in which the poem, ‘The Ballad of Mulan’ and the passage, ‘The Broken Sphere’ address how parents influence children’s lives. Cite specific details from each text in your analysis of this theme.”

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 2d.

All units conclude with a culminating activity based on the unit’s Essential Questions that develops throughout the unit. Students learn about a topic or theme that is integrated throughout close readings and knowledge building texts; however, access to knowledge building texts cannot be ensured for all students as these readings occur during small group instruction. Most culminating tasks involve multiple literacy skills; however, the tasks follow a standard format that does not vary across the year. The format includes holding a Constructive Conversation about the central topic/essential question and completing a Write to Demonstration Knowledge task, which entails responding to each Enduring Understanding in the unit. The culminating task, conversations, and writing take place across the last two days of the unit. Students begin planning their culminating task product during a mini-lesson; however, students are typically expected to complete the task for homework or during independent time. On the last day, students hold a Constructive Conversation about the unit topic during the whole group time, and then complete the Write to Demonstrate Knowledge independently.

Culminating tasks are evident across the year and multifaceted, requiring students to demonstrate mastery of several different standards (reading, writing, speaking, listening) at the appropriate grade level, and comprehension and knowledge of a topic or topics through integrated skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• In Unit 1, students begin working on the culminating task, as they write questions about the naturalists they are reading about. In Week 3, Lesson 10, students complete the culminating task, creating a nature interview, for homework. In Week 3, Lesson 14 students share their interview with their group and discuss the following questions: “What did you learn about conservationists and the work they do? How has learning about other people’s relationships with nature impacted your outlook on nature? What new thoughts about the Essential Question do you have?”

• In Unit 3, students begin working on their culminating task product—making a brief plan for a new government by identifying three principles to guide it, a leader structure, and ways citizens will participate. The Build Toward a Culminating Task section in Week 3, Lesson 10 includes the following questions: “How has the role of the queen changed? Who holds the power in this type of government?” For independent work and homework, students complete their plan. In Week 3, Lesson 14, students finish the remaining culminating task activities, including holding a Constructive Conversation about the essential question and what they learned about the role of government in different societies. During independent time, students complete the Write to Demonstrate Knowledge portion of the task on each Enduring Understanding listed for the unit. As students write a response in their e-notebook for each understanding, the directions for the task prompt students to use the texts they have read and the research they have done for their Research and Inquiry Projects.

• In Unit 6, students complete the first step of their culminating task, which is to “create a quest job description.” Students choose two traits that someone going on a quest would need. Materials provide an Identifying Character Traits strategy for students needing more support. In Week 2, Lesson 14, students discuss the different versions of Mulan and add two more traits that would be necessary for a quest job experience. In Week 3, Lesson 10, students discuss the elements of a quest and the theme of their text. Students add two more character traits to their lists. Students complete the task for homework. Directions for the task include thinking of a title and a name of the company hiring, and writing a one-paragraph description of the job including the traits necessary for the job. Students use the Blueprint, text annotations, and job descriptions to complete the unit wrap-up.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 2f.

Materials include both short embedded research tasks and longer research projects. At the end of each unit, students have the opportunity to complete a three-week Research and Inquiry Project for the first four units and a six-week project in the remaining six units. Research projects follow six steps: Choose, Explore, Interpret, Create, Present, and Reflect. Materials include explicit instruction on a progression of research skills according to grade-level standards. The research tasks and research projects are not embedded in the instructional plan for the daily lessons. Recommendations for incorporating the projects in the curriculum include using small group/independent time, homework, and other content time such as the science or social studies instructional block. Some units include shorter embedded research tasks, such as researching topics for writing and evaluating sources, that usually connect to the unit’s writing tasks.  

Research projects are sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills that build to mastery of the grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: 

  • Guidance for the Research and Inquiry Projects for each task includes six mini-lessons focused on the following topics: Choose, Explore, Interpret, Create, Present, and Reflect.  

    • Step 1: Choose: The focus of this mini lesson is on choosing a topic.   The teacher introduces the project, sets a purpose, guides topic choice, introduces the Research and Inquiry Project Tool, sends off, and wraps up.  

    • Step 2: Explore: The focus of this mini lesson is on students generating questions and gathering sources. The teacher sets a purpose, guides question design and source selection, sends off, and wraps up.  

    • Step 3: Interpret: The focus of this mini lesson is on researching and taking notes. The teacher sets a purpose, guides research and fact gathering, sends off, and wraps up.  

    • Step 4: Create: The focus of this mini lesson is on designing and constructing the research project. The teacher sets a purpose, guides design and creation, sends off, and wraps up.

    • Step 5: Present: The focus of this mini lesson is on sharing and building knowledge together. The teacher sets a purpose, guides preparing and presenting, sends off, and wraps up.

    • Step 6: Reflect: The focus of this mini lesson is on assessing and self-reflecting. The teacher sets a purpose, guides self-assessment and self-reflection, sends off, and wraps up. These six steps are repeated for each of the Research and Inquiry Projects completed with little variation, other than the topic. For example:

      • In Unit 1, the research project is to research a person or group who protects and restores nature, and create a presentation to share the information. The presentation should include facts about a topic, and may include visuals and/or audio. Students may choose to make a brochure or ad, a video biography, or an idea of their own. In Mini Lesson 2, the teacher models generating questions and exploring sources. The teacher guides question design and source selection during a think aloud using the Question, Search and List, and Decide strategy. First, the teacher chooses a sentence stem and adds the topic. Next, the teacher confirms the guiding questions do not have a yes/no answer. The teacher then models searching through the sources available with the guiding questions in mind, choosing sources they think will be useful. Finally, the teacher models narrowing the sources by reviewing the sources with the guiding questions in mind and picking sources they think will best help answer the guiding questions. In Mini Lesson 3, the teacher models researching and taking notes during a think aloud using the Read, Interpret, Jot strategy. The teacher models reading a source, thinking about whether the information helps answer the guiding question, writing down the information if it fits the guiding question, and rephrasing the information. In Mini Lesson 4, the teacher models designing and constructing the research project using the Read, Design, Create strategy.  

      • In Unit 4, the research project is to research one of the authors covered in the unit and then create an author study.  The research project can be a written or typed biography, a podcast interview with the author, an interactive author bulletin board or an idea selected by the student. In Mini Lesson 2, the teacher models generating questions and exploring sources. The teacher guides question design and source selection during a think aloud using the Question, Search and List, and Decide strategy. First, the teacher chooses a sentence step and adds the topic. Next, the teacher confirms this guiding question does not have a yes/no answer. The teacher then models searching through the sources available with the guiding questions in mind, choosing sources they think will be useful. Finally, the teacher models narrowing the sources by reviewing the sources with the guiding questions in mind and picking sources they think will best help answer the guiding questions. In Mini Lesson 3, the teacher models researching and taking notes during a think aloud using the Read, Interpret, Jot, strategy. The teacher models reading a source, thinking about whether the information helps answer the guiding question, writing down the information if it fits the guiding question, and rephrasing the information. In Mini Lesson 4, the teacher models designing and constructing the research project using the Read, Design, Create strategy.  

      • In Units 9–10, the research project is to research an ancient or modern trade route other than the Silk Road and create a research report that can take the form of a written or typed report, annotated map, poster, digital slide show, or an idea of choice. In Mini Lesson 2, the teacher models generating questions and exploring sources. The teacher guides question design and source selection during a think aloud using the Question, Search and List, and Decide strategy.  First, the teacher chooses a sentence step and adds the topic. Next, the teacher confirms this guiding question does not have a yes/no answer. The teacher then models searching through the sources available with the guiding questions in mind, choosing sources they think will be useful.  Finally, the teacher models narrowing the sources by reviewing the sources with the guiding questions in mind and picking sources they think will best help answer the guiding questions. In Mini Lesson 3, the teacher models researching and taking notes during a think aloud using the Read, Interpret, Jot strategy. The teacher models reading a source, thinking about whether the information helps answer the guiding question, writing down the information if it fits the guiding question, and rephrasing the information. In Mini Lesson 4, the teacher models designing and constructing the research project using the Read, Design, Create strategy.  

Materials support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects of a topic. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Each unit contains a Knowledge Blueprint in which the students gather information related to the Enduring Understandings for the unit. While reading each text, the students add information to the Blueprint. The information added to the Blueprint builds over the course of each three-week unit, allowing students to build knowledge on the unit topic from various sources. The Blueprint also contains critical vocabulary that is used and referenced various times throughout the unit.

• The Research and Inquiry Projects include the following teacher supports:

  • Research and Inquiry Project Tool for students to complete as they plan their project. The teacher can use the tool to focus students on the research step they are on. The tool can be interactive; the teacher can write notes or reminders to students during the project. The teacher can also use the tool to assess students at the end of the research project.

  • Strategy bank tools that explain the various strategies included in the mini lessons, such as Talk, Jot, Choose; Question, Search, Decide; Read, Interpret, Jot; Read, Design, and Create; Plan, Present, and Ask; an Question, Remember, Jot

  • Addressing the needs of multilingual learners

  • Making time for research and inquiry

  • How to group students:  Flexible grouping to promote learning

  • Using the Research and Inquiry Project Tool to support and assess students

• In Unit 3, Week 1, the teacher conducts a mini-lesson on selecting credible print and digital sources. Materials include a script to support the teacher with modeling how to assess the credibility of sources. The script directs the teacher to create a three-column chart and model how to use the chart to organize their sources and evaluate their credibility: “When we research our topics, we should assess our sources to determine if they are credible before using them in our essays. During my initial research while brainstorming, I read a few websites to help me develop my question about Poland and its transition to a democracy. I evaluated my sources with the following questions: What are the credentials of the person or people who create and maintain the site? Does the author or sponsor have a strong bias or opinion? When was the content created?” 

Materials provide opportunities for students to synthesize and analyze content tied to the texts under study as a part of the research process. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 3, students develop their focus for an informative/explanatory essay related to why societies form different governments. In Lesson 6, students select knowledge and credible online resources. In Lesson 9, students gather notes from their online sources. In Lesson 11, students use information from their research to begin to plan their essay. In Week 3, Lesson 13, students complete their essay.  

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 3, students brainstorm potential topics for an opinion essay on a technology topic of the students choosing. In Lesson 6, students select knowledgeable and credible sources in print and online.  In Lesson 9, students research and take notes from the print and online sources. In Lesson 11, students use their research to begin formatting/writing their essay. In Week 3, Lesson 13, students complete their essay.  

• Students draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • In Unit 1, students write an explanatory essay in which they discuss effective ways to protect nature, based on ideas from “Marjory Stoneman Douglas” (author not cited) and “Protectors of the Land” (author not cited). In Week 1, Lesson 6, students use the two texts to find facts and details related to those from the mentor text.  

  • In Unit 6, students imagine they traveled west on the Oregon Trail and write a journal entry describing what they saw and felt on the first day of their journey. In Week 1, Lesson 9, students use the Mentor Text “Traveling West” (author not cited) and the student text “A Night to Remember”(author not cited) to find evidence they would like to include in their response to the prompt.

The materials reviewed for Grade 6 meet the criteria for Indicator 2g.

Materials include instruction, questions and tasks, and assessments aligned to grade-level standards. Students have opportunities to answer questions about illustrations, plot, and characters. Students practice activities such as comparing and contrasting charts, retelling details, and answering standards-aligned questions about texts. At times, students focus on comprehension strategies that may not align to standards. Although the reformatted Correlation of Benchmark Advance to the Common Core Standards chart illustrates when standards repeat across the year, it is unclear which learning target aligns to the instructional content and questions and tasks within each lesson. 

Over the course of each unit, some of the instruction is aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• All Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are taught in the school year according to the reformatted Correlation of Benchmark Advance to the Common Core Standards chart. Materials use general learning goals rather than CCSS, which sometimes focus on skills that are implied within the standards. It is unclear which portions of the lesson align to the learning goals listed.

  • In Unit 2, Week 3, Mini-Lesson 12, students engage in a lesson to determine the theme. The teacher models determining the theme of the poem “A Road not Taken” by Robert Frost by pointing out features such as descriptive and figurative language. This instruction does not fully align to RL.6.2: “Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.”

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 12, the teacher models tracing and evaluating the author’s argument. During Guided Practice, students read pages 7 and 8 of “Robots in the Workplace” and put a star next to evidence that supports the claim that robots in the workplace are a great idea. Students also identify a counterclaim, find evidence that supports the counterclaim and evidence that the author refutes the counterclaim. This instruction does not fully align to RI.6.8: “Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.” Although the teacher models finding evidence to support the claim, the teacher does not model how to find a counterclaim or evidence that the author refutes the counterclaim.

Over the course of each unit, some questions and tasks are aligned to grade-level standards. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Questions and tasks are mostly aligned to the skills addressed in each of the lessons. While many of the skills support the standards, not all skills are standards aligned. Some questions and tasks are repetitive based on the skill being taught and do not address the depth of each standard. Students typically answer one or two leading questions during the lesson and two to three questions independently per core text. The limited number of questions posed to students also limits alignment to the standards across the year. Questions are not labeled according to the standards and teachers would have to determine the alignment on their own.

  • In Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 7, students read the final portion of Anne’s soliloquy in “In Hiding” from The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play dramatized by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. During guided practice, students “[u]nderline two examples of text evidence that help you identify the scene as part of the rising action. Write your reasoning in the margin.” This task does not fully align to RL.6.2: “Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.”  

  • In Unit 7, Week 2, Lesson 8, students independently answer Question 1 on page 18 of Achievements of Ancient Cultures (author not cited). The question states, “In paragraph 2 of “Rome’s Augustan Age,” we learn that Augustus once said, “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” How well do the paragraphs that follow support Augustus’s claim? Support your ideas with specific text evidence and examples from the text.” This question aligns to RI.6.8: “Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.”

Over the course of each unit, some assessment questions are aligned to grade-level standards. 

• Teacher materials include a Weekly and Unit Assessment tab that includes the print version of three assessments for each unit. Materials also provide an Answer Key and Item Rationales document that indicates the DOK level, standard alignment for each assessment question, and rationales for correct and incorrect answers; however, the standard listed does not always align to the assessment question.   

  • In Unit 1, Week 2, Assessment, students read a short passage along with a chart and mostly answer multiple-choice questions. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

    • “Which detail from the passage helps explain the purpose of a conservation easement?” (DOK 2, RI.6.4) 

    • “Which key idea is most developed in the passage?” (DOK 2, RI.6.3) 

    • “Which two details show that The Land Trust for Tennessee has helped Tennessee maintain its natural beauty?” (DOK 3, RI.6.2) This assessment question does not fully align to RI.6.2: “Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.”

  • In Unit 9, Unit Assessment, students read two short passages, along with a map and a graph, and answer multiple-choice, short answer, and longer response writing items including, but not limited to:

    • In Passage 1, what is the purpose of paragraphs 2 and 3? (DOK 3, RI.6.6) This assessment question does not fully align to RI.6.6: “Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.”

    • Which two details from Passage 1 best show how Native Americans used horses to improve their lives? (DOK 3, RI.6.1) 

    • Which idea from Passage 1 is supported by the map? (DOK 2, RI.6.7) This does not fully align to RI.6.7: “Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.”

    • Think about the two passages you have read. According to these passages, how did people from other countries affect the native peoples they came in contact with in North America and Hawaii? (Constructed Response, DOK 3, RI.6.9) This does not fully align to RI.6.9: “Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).”

By the end of the academic year, standards are addressed within and across units; however, students may not master the full intent of the standard.

• RL.6.3 is taught in Units 2, 4, and 6 according to the correlation chart: “ Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.”

  • In Unit 2, Week 1, Mini-Lesson 7, students examine how a section of text contributes to the development of the plot. The teacher models this by creating an anchor chart with the stages of a plot, such as the exposition, the climax, and the resolution. Students work with a partner to respond to the following prompt: “Read the remainder of Anne’s soliloquy. Underline two examples of text evidence that help you identify the scene as part of the rising action. Write your reasoning in the margin.” Students do not describe how the plot unfolds in a series of episodes or describe “how characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.” 

  • In Unit 4, Week 1, Mini-Lesson 7, students engage in a lesson on the point of view in a poem. Students identify and explain figurative language in the poem and use this information to determine the point of view.  This does not fully align to RL.6.4: “Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.”

  • In Unit 6, Week 3, Mini-Lesson 4, students engage in a lesson to describe how a character changes as the plot develops. Students engage in a Constructive Conversation to respond to the prompt, “How does Will’s demeanor change as he talks to the old man? What can we infer about Will’s character from this change? Support your thinking with details from the text.” Then students work independently to write 1–2 paragraphs to answer the question, “Compare and contrast how the old man responds to Will and to the Rider. What can you infer about all these characters from this reaction? Support your thinking with details from the text.” Although students describe how characters respond or change, students do not describe how the plot unfolds in a series of episodes. 

• RI.6.8 is taught in Units 5, 7, and 10 according to the correlation chart: “Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.”

  • In Unit 5, Week 1, Mini-Lesson 12, students trace and evaluate an author’s argument. The teacher models using the text Robots in the Workplace by Anna Miller to locate the details that support the author’s argument. Students read the next section of the text and work with a partner to annotate and evaluate the author’s argument. It is unclear whether students distinguish between claims that are supported by reasons and evidence and those that are not.

  • In Unit 7, Week 1, Mini-Lesson 7, students trace an author’s argument. During the Constructive Conversation, students respond to the following prompt: “Catherine Goodridge claims that Greece’s ‘Golden Age’ was a time when art flourished and the people were dedicated to gods and goddesses. How do the images and captions in the text support this claim? Underline important details and jot your notes in the margin.” This does not align to RI.6.8; rather, it aligns to RI.6.7: “Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.”

  • In Unit 10, Week 2, Mini-Lesson 10, trace an author’s argument. During the Constructive Conversation, students respond to the following prompt: “In the third paragraph, the author states, ‘Today's extreme bikers still seem magical.’ How does the author use scientific concepts to help the reader understand this claim? Cite evidence from the text in your response.” During independent time, students respond to the question, “In the section about bike racing, the author says, ‘Bike racing doesn't seem complicated.’ Do the text and image details support this statement or refute it? Cite evidence from the text in your response.”