6th Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials for Grade 6 partially meet the criteria for indicator 1f. Students are exposed to, and read, a range and volume of texts like long literary essays, brief excerpts, short informational biographies to longer documentaries, drama and poetry, in anchor readings as well as supportive readings. The materials provide text of varying lengths to support students' practicing building stamina with texts over the course of the school year. The Grade 6 materials provide some opportunities to capture fluency practice with oral or silent opportunities within the text in the first part of the year. However, practice and support for students to read silently or orally are minimal and inconsistent in the second half of the year's worth of materials. Materials do not include a mechanism for teachers and/or students to monitor progress toward comprehension of grade level texts by the end of the school year, and as such students may not be supported to be able to comprehend grade level texts at the end of 6th grade.

There are few, general opportunities for students to engage in silent reading but it is not explicitly stated in the instructional materials. In the Student Edition, students are directed to reread lines from the text, supporting silent reading. Before each piece, the teacher is instructed to “Have the students read the background information.”

When looking at the Close Reader, the teacher could choose to have students read the pieces independently, but there is little explicit guidance for encouraging students do so. There are directions before each piece that might be interpreted as suggesting the pieces could be read independently: “Students should read this argument carefully all the way through” (HMH 6th Grade, Collection 3, 196c). However, there are discussion questions throughout the Teacher Edition for these texts, which makes the reading appear to be led by the teacher and not independent.

There are limited and inconsistent opportunities for oral reading in the materials. Some examples of oral reading opportunities include:

• Collection 1: After “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me Yet,” by Maya Angelou, the students are asked to complete the Performance Task: “Different people can read the same poem aloud in very different ways. Prepare an oral reading of all or a part of ‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me Yet.’” This is an example of oral practice with the text. Students are directed to practice independently speaking in front of a mirror or recording and listening to it.
• Collection 2: In the Extend and Reteach section of the Teacher Edition, one task students can practice and apply with either the text “Animal Wisdom” or “The Last Wolf” asks students to read the poem aloud a few times, taking turns reading each stanza. It directs teachers to guide students to express the meaning of the poem, using the line breaks and other elements of form to guide them.
• Collection 5: “The First Day of School,” on page 271 in the Teacher Edition has directions under “Scaffolding for ELL Students: Fluent Reading, “ that include, "Listening to fluently read text and being able to read text fluently themselves will help all students comprehend and enjoy the text. Use one of the following approaches to developing fluency that is compatible with your classroom and your students’ needs and abilities.”

Additional oral reading statements are limited to just a few occurrences throughout the Teacher Edition for multiple texts. These include:

• Pair proficient and less proficient readers for paired oral reading.
• Choral read with small groups of students.
• Meet with individual students to echo read part of the text, sentence by sentence.

The instructional materials partially meets the expectations of indicator 1h for 6th Grade. The culminating tasks are always performance tasks which incorporate reading, writing and speaking. Students draw on their reading and analysis of the collection's selections as well as additional research and the close reading skills gathered while working through each collection. They also direct students back to elements of the read texts and expand upon it. In each collection, the introduction page tells students what their end performance task(s) will be. The disconnect is in the amount of these culminating task where students are using the writing process to complete the task. To complete a performance task, students draw on their reading and analysis of the collection's selections as well as additional research. However, the skills identified in the "analyzing the text" section after each piece support students in close reading skills, but do not fully support students performance on the culminating performance task which is most often a writing project.

Throughout Grade 6, the students will complete the following performance tasks:

• Write a short story
• Write two expository essays
• Write two literary analysis essays
• Create a multimedia presentation
• Write a narrative nonfiction
• Write and present an argument in a speech
• Write a personal narrative
• Write an opinion essay
• Write a play

The following are examples of how the performance tasks partially meet the expectations of this indicator:

Collection 1

• The first performance task is to write a short story “. . . in which the main character experiences a personal fear” (HMH 6th Grade, Collection 1, 63). The elements discussed during and after each fictional selection are character, setting, plot, suspense, and central idea. These support the first performance task as they are elements of a short story.
• The second performance task is to “choose a fear and write an expository essay about it, using the texts [students] have read in this collection and adding [their] own research.” The elements discussed during the reading of the informational pieces are citing evidence, text features (heading, subheadings, sidebars), central idea, supporting details (fact vs. opinion), and purpose. These support the second performance task as they are elements of expository writing.

Collection 2

• The first performance task is a literary analysis essay that analyzes “. . . the dog as the main character and narrator in ‘The Mixer’” (HMH 6th Grade, Collection 2, 129). The literary elements studied in this collection are characters’ responses, point of view, figurative language, and poetry structure. The elements discussed during the study of “The Mixer,” in particular, coincide with the first performance task.
• The second performance task is an expository essay “. . . on how animals exhibit intelligence” (HMH 6th Grade, Collection 2, page 133). The elements studied during the reading of the informational pieces in this collection are the following: trace and evaluate an argument, persuasive techniques, summarize text, author’s purpose, anecdotes, and integrate information. Some of these elements support the performance task, but not all.

Collection 3

• Performance Task A is to “Create a Multimedia Presentation.” The students are instructed to “Do Further Research – Gain a better understanding of how to prepare for a tsunami or other natural disaster. Review at least two additional print and digital sources to find out what you can do.” No supplementary materials are provided for the teacher to help students in researching.

Collection 5

• The first performance task is to write a personal narrative “about a decision [students] made or will make that will have an impact on [their] immediate future.” The directions ask the students to think about the Colin Powell piece and reflect on how that decision affected his life. In the teacher edition sidebars, teachers are told to explain that memoirs use first-person point of view, may choose to tell about people or events that had a strong impact, share personal thoughts and feelings, and reflect on his/her life. The three questions after the Powell piece in the unit focus on summarizing, interpreting, and evaluating which person or event was most influential to his life. The task relates to the elements of the memoir that were discussed during the reading of the piece.

Collection 6

• In Collection 6, The second performance task is to “adapt another selection (or part of a selection) in this collection as a play. Then [the student] will perform the play for the audience.” This task requires students to pick a selection and deeply understand the plot and setting. The student determines the characters and what kind of dialogue to include, as well as stage directions. They will model this after The Prince and the Pauper. The questions after the play in the book do not discuss the structure of the drama; however, there is a page after the play that goes into detail describing drama.

The instructional materials for Grade 6 partially meet the requirements of indicator i. The materials provide some opportunities for evidence-based discussions and some use of modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax, although implementation in the classroom is not explicitly supported with guidance for misunderstandings nor with accountability.

The materials partially support the use and practice with academic vocabulary, providing frequent and repeated exposure to a list of Grade 6-appropriate words (five words per collection); there is encouraged use of these words in each of the collaborative discussions and performance tasks (a sidebar next to the “Plan” section) throughout each collection. The teacher is prompted to pronounce each word aloud so students can hear the correct pronunciation. However, protocols to engage students in developing their speaking and listening are minimally provided to support this work. There is minimal support for students who misunderstand the use of vocabulary and syntax.

Following are some examples that represent how the program partially meets the expectation of this indicator over the year's worth of materials:

• Students are asked to discuss story elements with a partner. No protocols for speaking and listening are provided
• "With a partner, students explain glossophobia using evidence from the text." No protocols for speaking and listening are provided, nor are there supports around understanding the importance of this particular word in or out of context of the text itself.

Collection 4: Academic Vocabulary include: appropriate, authority, consequence, justify, and legal.
Teacher notes: "as you discuss Wild Animals Aren't Pets, students are applying authority and legalize" in their conversation. No guidance for teachers to support this is included.

Collection 5: on page 282 - Students discuss the title of the poem and are instructed to consider why the author chose that title, using evidence from the text. No protocols for speaking and listening are provided.

Collection 6

• Academic Vocabulary include: emphasize, occur, period, relevant, tradition are listed as key words to engage with in the collection.
• “As you discuss Black Ships Before Troy, apply occur, occurred and period in your discussion.” No further support nor explanation is present for teacher or student.

The instructional materials for Grade 6 partially meet the criteria for indicator 1j. Speaking and listening work that is assigned requires students to collect evidence from multiple texts and sources, but there are few directions and minimal support for implementation in the classroom. Few speaking opportunities are included in small group and class projects; most speaking is somewhat incidental or noted as something students will do (rather than a supported protocol or organized structured lesson). The sections and lessons supporting speaking and language standards are present, but lacking direction and support for implementation in the classroom. For example, teacher notes will indicate students are to have a debate, but there is no protocol nor instructional support for the debate that incorporates specific, useful evidence from the texts themselves.

Some speaking and listening components within assignments provided in the student and teacher edition include the following representative examples. In some cases, instruction on classroom implementation is minimal or absent, and in others, there is minimal connection to the texts being studied.

Collection 1

• On page 62, after “Wired for Fear,” students create an audio recording for a podcast with a partner or individually. They present these to a small group first for critique and then the entire class. Students are given a short, bullet list for directions.
• On page 69, part of Performance Task B; write an expository essay, students can choose to present their finished copy through a speech or recording the essay as a news report and sharing it, but lacks direction for how to do these. There is minimal direction regarding how to incorporate specific evidence from the text.

Collection 3

• On page 170, after “Watcher,” students are asked to create a poem for a performance task. In the teacher edition, it says students can share their poems with the class, but not specific direction for verbally sharing their poem nor for identifying how evidence should be incorporated into the poem creation.
• On page 182, after “The Banana Tree,” students are asked to write a description for the performance task. In the teacher edition, it says “Students can present descriptions to the class and discuss each storm.” It includes not direction for how to present the materials, nor are there suggestions about the levels or types of evidence that should be incorporated in the descriptions.
• On page 200, after “Titanic at 100: Mystery Solved,” the performance task to create a multimedia presentation or poster that describes how the excerpt from A Night to Remember and the film clip from Titanic at 100: Mystery Solved work together to give students a clearer understanding of what happened the night Titanic sank. Students then present their work to the class, but only a few bullets for how to prepare the work in content and in process. There is minimal direction for delivering the presentation.

Collection 4

• On page 238, after “Eleven,” students hold a small group discussion on the role of Mrs. Price as a minor character. Then they share the group’s ideas with the rest of the class using examples from th text, but there is minimal direction for what "sharing" will look like.
• On page 234, the performance task is an argumentative speech. The textbook includes 1-1/2 pages of instruction on how to plan it (choose your position, gather information, do further research, organize your ideas, and consider your purpose and audience). The producing of the speech is less than 1-1/2 pages long (draft your speech, prepare visuals, practice your speech, evaluate your speech, and deliver your speech). Focus on eliciting strong evidence from the texts used is minimal.

Collection 6

• On page 334, after “The Apple of Discord I,” students give a speech that presents their opinion on whether they agree with Eris, the Goddess of Discord. A short, bullet list for speech practice is provided. There is minimal support around how to incorporate evidence from the reading.
• On page 363, after The Prince and the Pauper, students complete a dramatic reading of a portion of the play in a small group with no protocol for how to speak the parts.

The instructional materials for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations for indicator 1k. Materials include a mix of both on-demand and process writing; however, there are minimal supports to ensure the students and teachers can account for progress, dive deeper into writing practice when it is needed, and attend to misunderstandings. The on-demand writing is only found in the Performance Assessment booklet. Although the longer writing pieces contain the instruction to have students revise and/or edit, the shorter writing pieces do not. The longer writing pieces contain rubrics, but the shorter pieces do not.

On-Demand

Productive writing is found in the “Performance Assessment” booklet, which is consumable. The tasks in this book are step by step culminating projects where students read multiple sources on the same topics, review models and respond by writing one of each over the span of the year: argumentative, informative or literary analysis essay.

The on-demand portion of the book is found in Unit 4: Mixed Practice. These are research simulations. Students write an argumentative, informative and literary analysis essay in a timed situation. The directions before each say, “There are two parts to most formal writing tests. Both parts of the tests are timed, so it’s important to use your limited time wisely”

Process Writing

Process writing occurs in both the textbook and the Performance Assessment booklet. The shorter writing pieces are found after each text in the main textbook in the “Performance Task” box. The longer writing pieces are found at the end of each collection in the textbook and in the Performance Assessment booklet.

The shorter writing pieces have very little direction for the students and/or teacher. There are few rubrics, graphic organizers or other supplemental material to help the teacher guide the student through the multiple processes of writing.

Below is an example of directions for a short writing activity that encourages students to practice the writing process. There is no rubric nor teacher support to help students who may need help:

• Write a one-page essay to explain the author’s purpose in writing How Smart Are Animals?

1. Review the selection. Note clues that help you determine author’s purpose in writing it.
2. Summarize the important ideas from the text.
3. Cite relevant textual evidence to support your analysis such as facts, definitions, details and examples that help show the author’s purpose.

Extended writing pieces occur at the end of the collection and provide about four pages of directions for the student, one of which is the rubric. The directions for writing are broken down into four steps: plan, produce, revise, and present. Each step takes up approximately half of a page of the student edition; the plan step is the exception as those directions usually cover an entire page. The teacher edition has a small paragraph for each step that has the teacher remind or explain something to the student about that step in the process. Below is an example from Collection 2, page 129-131:

Assignment - Write a literary analysis essay in which you write an analysis of the dog as the main character and narrator in “The Mixer.”

• Plan:
  
  • Gather Information - Jot down information about the dog’s personality and character traits and how these influence how he narrates the story.
  • Organize Your Ideas - Think about how you will organize your ideas. A three-column chart can help you present your ideas effectively. [Underneath this in the book is an example of a chart.]
  • Consider Your Purpose and Audience - Think about who will read or listen to your analysis and what you want them to understand. Keep this in mind as you prepare to write.
• Produce:
  
  • Write Your Analysis - Review your notes and the information in your chart as you begin your draft. [There are four bullets beneath this give students further instruction on what to include in the draft.]
• Revise:
  
  • Review Your Draft - Use the chart on the following page [rubric] to evaluate your draft. Work with a partner to determine if you have explained your ideas clearly. [There are four bullets below this for things to consider as students are editing.]
• Present:
  
  • Create a Finished Copy - Finalize your analysis and choose a way to share it with your audience. [There are three bullets under this for students to consider.]

Extended process writing is also found in the Performance Assessment booklet in Units 1, 2, and 3. Directions for the writing in this booklet walks the students through a close reading of two texts. After reading, Step 1 has the students answer multiple choice questions that will help them in writing the essay. In Step 2, students answer “Prose Constructed-Response” questions to get them thinking about the topic. Step 3 includes a graphic organizer to help the students finalize their plan for their essay. Step 4 is a bulleted list for students to think about while they draft their essay. Step 5 is a revision checklist so students can self-evaluate their writing. Step 6 is a revision checklist for a peer to edit their paper. The last step is for students to turn in the final draft of their essay.

The instructional materials for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations of indicator 1n. Materials include some explicit instruction of grammar and convention standards, but grammar and convention instruction is not provided in a sequence of increasingly sophisticated contexts over the course of the year. There are opportunities for students to demonstrate some application of skills in context, but they are infrequent. While there are pages dedicated to the grammar standards for this grade level, and definitions/examples are provided along with practice sentences, the student edition does not provide explicit instruction on how to execute the skill. After each piece in the Collection, there is a “Critical Vocabulary, Vocabulary Strategy, and Language Conventions” section. The skills practiced go along with the piece that students just read. While these sections use sentences from the selection as examples, this language practice is still done out of context.

The textbook does contain instruction for the language skills identified in the CCSS-ELA Grade 6; however, the guidance for instruction is minimal. There are times when the grammar is taught in context, but the connection is insufficient. Skills taught out of context do not provide sufficient practice to allow for mastery of the standards. In order to teach the language skills adequately, teachers will have to supplement with curriculum of their own making, or by purchasing supplementary materials.

The following are the list of language and style skills covered in all of the collections:

• Collection 1 - Recognize Variations from Standard English; Commas and Dashes; Subjective and Objective Pronouns; Possessive Pronouns.
• Collection 2: Intensive Pronouns; Relative Pronouns (who and whom); Pronoun Number; Capitalization.
• Collection 3: Shifts in Pronoun Person; Capitalization; Consistency in Style and Tone.
• Collection 4: Improving Expression; Spell Words Correctly; Punctuating Dialogue.
• Collection 5: Analogies; Using a Thesaurus.
• Collection 6: Spell Words Correctly; Parenthesis.

Here is a representative example of how the materials partially meet the expectation of indicator 1n:

In Collection 2, “Language Conventions: Intensive Pronouns” is paired with “The Mixer.”“Language Conventions: Intensive Pronouns” is paired with “The Mixer.”

• A definition of what students are working on is included: “Intensive pronouns are formed by adding -self or - selves to certain personal pronouns and are used to intensify, or emphasize, the nouns or pronouns to which they refer.”
• One example sentence from the selection is provided: “‘Here is an example of an intensive pronoun from ‘The Mixer.’ ‘Then somebody struck a light, and it was the man himself.” After that example, four more general examples are provided. “Here are some more examples:”
• After one sentence of further explanation, five practice sentences in the practice and apply section are included. These sentences are not from the story - “Complete each sentence with the correct intensive pronoun.”

• • The students ____________ made all the refreshments.
  • I _____________ had the best audition.
  • Judith _____________ is to blame.
  • You ____________ have to take responsibility for this.
  • Rico will finish the diorama _________________.