6th Grade - Gateway 2

Materials reviewed for Grade 6 partially meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. Materials contain sets of questions and tasks, and they require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in a coherent sequence related to the standards. However, instructional materials and identified elements stay consistent and do not grow in rigor from early in the year to being more embedded in student work at the end of the year. There are limited rubrics and scoring guides for students to work with the specifics of text components as they grow their understanding of topic and theme.

The following are examples of questions and tasks that help students analyze key ideas and details:

• Collection 1: “The Ravine”: Ask students to reread lines 38-53 and tell what they learn about Vinny’s feelings in these paragraphs.
• Collection 2: “How Smart are Animals”: Have students reread lines 49-58, decide what the central idea is, and then summarize it, including details from the text.
• Collection 4: “My Wonder Horse”: Have students reread lines 144-161 and describe how the narrator’s response to leading the Wonder Horse through the town causes a surprising shift in the story.
• Collection 4: “Wild Animals aren’t Pets”: Reread lines 42-48 and tell the author’s opinion of how states regulate exotic animals.

The following are examples of questions and tasks that assist students in analyzing craft and structure of the texts they are reading. The aforementioned samples provide examples of questions working to build students’ abilities. The following three samples provide examples of questions working to build students' abilities:

• Collection 1: “The Ravine”: Reread lines 26-29; point out the variations from standard English, and then restate the boys’ dialogue in standard English. Ask them how this use of dialect helps them better understanding the characters.
• Collection 4: “My Wonder Horse”: Ask students to reread lines 95-100 and identify examples of figurative language. Have students explain what images and ideas each figure of speech illustrates. Then, ask them to tell what story elements each example elaborates on for the reader.
• Collection 4: “Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves”: Have students reread lines 13-18, identify a cause, and summarize its effects.

Below are examples of questions and tasks that help students analyze language within the texts they are reading:

• Collection 2: In the feature, “Analyze the Meanings of Words and Phrases”: Have students identify emotional appeals the speaker uses in “Tribute to the Dog” that touch on strong feelings people have for their pets.
• Collection 4: “Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves”: Have students review lines 32-33, give the meaning of the term epicenter, and tell how they know this.

The feature “Critical Vocabulary” found in the Teacher Edition margins includes questions for students to consider the usage of certain words used within the text. The following is an example of the feature:

• Collection 4, p. 212, lethargy: The author uses the word lethargy to describe the feeling that the narrator experiences in the late afternoon. Ask students to point out words in the surrounding text that are related to lethargy. Then, ask them to tell why lethargy is a good choice to explain how one might feel in the late afternoon.

Smaller performance tasks following each reading within collections also provide opportunities to integrate knowledge and ideas from the texts they are reading. Below is an example of tasks from Grade 6, Collection 2:

• Informative essay: a one-page essay about a character from the story, “The Mixer”
• Discussion Activity: a small panel discussion to agree or disagree with ideas presented in the speech, “Tribute to the Dog”
• Informative essay: a one-page essay to compare and contrast two authors’ attitudes about how each writer feels about wildlife
• Informative essay: a one-page essay to explain the author’s purpose for writing How Smart Are Animals?

Materials reviewed for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations that materials contain a coherently sequenced set of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. The materials include some sets of text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. However, most sets of text-dependent questions, both within the reading and the “Analyzing the Text” section at the end of each reading, are text-specific. Typically, the end of collection Performance Tasks is stronger with regards to requiring students to integrate knowledge and ideas acquired by the texts they have read. However, not all of the activities students have participated in throughout the collection may support students’ effort to apply the knowledge they may have gained through their reading. Additionally, instructional directions for teachers to support students' success is lacking. Furthermore, the materials do not supply supports for students to self-assess their own knowledge as they work through the collections.

Opportunities for students to practice building integration of knowledge and ideas appear in Performance Tasks following each reading. Some of these work to support students making sense of the information they have been reading. The following is an example that reflects an integration of knowledge and ideas:

• After reading an excerpt from the text Colin Powell: Military Leader in Collection 5, the performance task asks students to present a speech that explains how Colin’s advice to “always do your best” helped shape Powell’s life and career. Include information from the texts that indicate how experiences, people, and events influenced Powell (p. 268).

Not all tasks require students to integrate such knowledge. The following is an example in which students could create without using information learned by reading texts within the collection:

• After reading the short story “The Banana Tree” from Collection 3, the performance tasks asks students to write a narrative of a bad storm they have experienced. They need to write a summary of the event, fill in sensory details, and use specific nouns, verbs, and adjectives to create a clear picture. They are asked to use personification and review their writing to add or clarify details.

The instructional materials may not align the activities that students participate in during the collection to support developing knowledge about the topic or theme being studied. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Collection 3, Performance Task B requires students to create an informational report that demonstrates their understanding of how animals exhibit intelligence, using resources from this collection. Within the collection’s activities students have had the opportunity to write three informative essays and present an informative essay. This gives students practice with the skill of writing an informative essay but does not support their developing understanding of how animals exhibit intelligence.
  • After reading the short story “The Mixer,” students write an informative essay about the Shy Man’s motivation for not speaking.
  • After reading the poems “Last Wolf” and “Animal Wisdom,” students write an essay that compares and contrasts how each author feels about wildlife and the imagery they used. This task does ask how the authors present the idea of animal intelligence, but this is not the main focus of this writing.
  • After reading “How Smart are Animals?” students are asked to write an informative essay to explain the author’s purpose for writing this text.

• Collection 5, Performance Task A requires students to write a personal narrative about an important event in their life. However, students do not use information learned from the texts in this collection to write this narrative. This writing could be isolated from these texts and be completed by the students.

The program lacks the consistent support that allows students to build developing knowledge. Also, it lacks support for students and teachers. There are no student models, rubrics, or checklists included within the smaller performance tasks after each reading. This would make it difficult for both teachers and students to recognize growth or evidence of insufficient or incorrect knowledge. While the culminating performance tasks at the end of each collection do provide rubrics for student scoring, they may require students to apply skills that have not been addressed within the collection, as with the following example:

• Collection 2, Performance Task B asks students to give an informative presentation about how animals exhibit intelligence. This requires the use of a thesis statement, but this skill is not explicitly taught here nor in any of the activities in this collection. This task also requires students to end with a conclusion that restates the thesis; however, this is not explicitly taught.

The instructional materials for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations that the questions and tasks support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic (or, for grades 6-8, a theme) through integrated skills (e.g. combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening). Materials contain some questions and tasks that support students’ ability to complete culminating tasks in which they demonstrate their knowledge of a topic through integrated skills (e.g., combination of reading, writing, speaking, listening). Culminating tasks include a range of reading, writing, speaking and listening opportunities. Students complete two Performance Tasks at the end of each collection. The Performance Tasks require students to further analyze the selections that have been read in the collection and to synthesize ideas. Students then present their findings in a variety of products, most often as a written piece. However, there is minimal or no support within the student or teacher materials for students to successfully complete the Performance Task. There is limited support for teachers to discern if students are prepared to address these tasks. The writing process is not modeled or directly taught in relationship to the performance tasks, and direct connections from the text-dependent questions to the culminating tasks are not always clear.

Examples representative of the program supporting students in demonstrating knowledge through an integrated culminating task include (but are not limited to) the following:

• In Collection 3, Performance Tasks A and B demonstrate evidence of skills building up to these final tasks. Students view the documentary Titanic at 100: Mystery Solved for the task of analyzing the purpose of a documentary. This helps to build to Performance Task A, where students are required to create a multimedia presentation. In Collection 3 students also read, “Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves: Destruction in 12 Countries,” a narrative nonfiction piece. Tasks and questions are provided that require students to examine the cause and effect structure of this text, as well as analyze narrative nonfiction elements. This supports students completing Performance Task B: writing a narrative nonfiction piece.

• In Collection 4, the Performance Task requires students to present an argument in a speech. Activities and tasks are included in this collection that would provide support for students' successful completion of this task. On page 244, students consider an author’s use of tone as a way of expressing ideas. When students read “Views on Zoos,” they compare and contrast differing arguments and write a short argument for or against zoos, by creating a claim and using supporting textual evidence.

Examples representative of the need for more support in this area include (but are not limited to) the following:

• In Collection 2, Performance Task B asks students to create an informational report on the intelligence of animals, using resources from this collection. Within this collection, students write three informative essays and present an informative essay. This provides students practice with the skill of writing an informative essay but does not support greater understanding of this topic. Other tasks do not support students’ developing knowledge about this topic. After reading “The Mixer,” students write an informative essay about the Shy Man’s motivation for not speaking. The task for the poems “Animal Wisdom” and “The Last Wolf” asks students to write to compare and contrast how each author feels about wildlife. After reading “How Smart are Animals?” students write to explain the author’s purpose for writing this text. These tasks do not demonstrate support for students’ increasing knowledge about the identified topic of this collection: Animal Intelligence.

• In Collection 6, Performance Task A requires students to participate in a collaborative discussion. Some practice is provided, as seen in Black Ships Before Troy. However, little evidence within this collection is evident for building the skills necessary to complete the Performance Task B, which requires students to write and produce a play. No preparation in playwriting skills or plotting a play is provided. While students read and deliver a dramatic reading of a portion of The Prince and the Pauper, this will not provide the support necessary for students to successfully complete the performance task.

Teacher supports for tracking student progress are not provided in the Teacher’s Edition. While the questions are pertinent, cogent, and rigorous, the teacher would need to develop a system of data collection to effectively and authentically track student performance and understanding.

The instructional materials for Grade 6 partially meet the criterion that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. There are academic vocabulary lessons and assignments present, but the materials do not include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts.

Each collection introduces five “Academic Vocabulary” terms at the very beginning of each collection. Instructions ask the students to “Study the words and their definitions in the chart below. You will use these words as you discuss and write about the texts in this collection.” While each collection targets academic vocabulary, the plan for building students’ use of academic terms is general; specific words for each collection appear to lack intentionality. The program provides general reminders to “do” activities with the five identified words or “use” these terms during the pre-prepared sections, such as Applying Academic Vocabulary and end of collection Performance tasks.

An example of the generality and lack of intentionality is provided as follows:

• Collection 5, Performance Task B targeted terms are “achieve,” “individual,” “instance,” “outcome,” and “principle.” The Performance Task requires students to write an argument in which they provide their views regarding how people’s decisions matter and can have consequences. In the margin of the assignment is a reminder for students to be sure to use these words as they plan and create their argument. However, there is no specificity about the way students should use these words, nor is there any way to ensure that students are applying these words. The Performance Task Rubric does not evaluate for the use of these academic vocabulary terms (pp 307-310).

In addition to each collection’s five targeted words, the series highlights five “Critical Vocabulary” for each text selection. In the student edition, critical vocabulary words are “glossed” (an explanation is provided), and a longer definition and prompt for discussion are provided in the Teacher Edition. Below is a sample of the glossed definition and the extended definition and prompt for the short story “My Wonder Horse” from Collection 4, targeting the critical vocabulary word “indomitable”:

• Glossed: “Something or someone that is indomitable is unable to be tamed or defeated.”
• Teacher Definition and Prompt: “The narrator uses the word indomitable to describe the white horse’s spirit. Ask students to tell why they think the narrator says he was ‘rejoicing’ to learn about the white horse’s indomitable spirit.” (p. 218)

This prompt seems fairly supportive; however, this term is paired with more “critical” words that are challenging. Also included are the following words: “lethargy,” “vigil,” “mandate,” “recoil,” and “indignity.”

Critical Vocabulary is reviewed at the end of each text in a featured section by the same name. Students are directed to use their understanding of the vocabulary words to answer each question. An example of how students will demonstrate their understanding of “indomitable” is provided in the following example:

• If the opposing team is indomitable, is your team likely to win or lose?

The aforementioned words are difficult and would need to be repeated within more contexts to ensure that students would acquire these words. One exposure with one opportunity to apply meaning is a cursory treatment of challenging academic vocabulary.

Close readings include Critical Vocabulary and a place for students to write the meaning; however, it is nebulous how they are to determine the meaning. An example from an autobiography excerpt, Every Day is a New Day from Collection 4 is included:

• The teacher notes ask students to share their definition of “sovereignty.” Volunteers are asked to use the noun in a sentence after reading how it is used in this text: "The young students who occupied Alcatraz Island claimed that federal surplus lands such as Alcatraz should be returned to tribal peoples on legal and moral ground, and that treaties, land rights, and tribal sovereignty should be respected and honored."
• It is unclear how students will do this if they do not know the word “sovereignty.” The context is complex and dense and the word “sovereignty” is abstract.

While the materials ask teachers to encourage students to practice vocabulary, support that allows a teacher to evaluate and monitor students’ acquisition of the words is missing. Therefore, the program does not clearly demonstrate students’ growth.

The materials for Grade 6 partially meet the expectations that materials support students’ increasing writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the school year. Materials do include writing instruction aligned to the grade-level standards and sufficient writing assignments span the whole year. Students complete a wide variety of writing over time and they write often. However, there is not a clear progression of skills over time. It is unclear how one assignment leads or connects to the next and how the skills build. Furthermore, materials do not provide a strategic plan to support the development of students’ skills over the entire year. Teacher materials do not provide protocols, implementation plans, and student mastery tracking to support instruction, differentiation, or student self-monitoring. The following examples illustrate the difficulty in discerning whether the writing requirements change:

• After reading the short story “The Mixer” from Collection 2, students are asked to write a one-page informative essay. The directions ask the student to make notes, describe the main character using evidence, provide concrete examples, use appropriate transitions, and provide a concluding statement.

• After reading the short story “The First Day of School” in Collection 5, students are asked to write a one-page informative essay. The directions ask the student to include an explanation of the character’s feelings, support the included ideas with explanations, cite examples from the text, and provide a concluding sentence.

The 6th Grade Performance Assessment booklet does provide a breakdown of the writing process for three writing tasks: Argumentative Essay, Informative Essay, and Literary Analysis. The booklet does provide a full unit of instruction including support for close reading, extraction of information, and the full experience of the writing process for each mode of writing; however, no guidance is given on how to utilize this resource, nor is it clear that this booklet comes with the textbook. Assurance that this would be provided and available for teachers year after year would need to be confirmed.

The materials for Grade 6 do include opportunities for students to write in all modes required by the CCSS writing standards for the grade (argumentative, narrative, and informative). Below are examples of Performance Task writing assignments included at this grade level:

• Collection 1: Informative essay
• Collection 2: Literary analysis
• Collection 3: Narrative nonfiction
• Collection 5: Personal narrative/argument
• Collection 6: Write and produce a play

The materials also require students to complete shorter writing tasks using evidence from multiple sources within the collection, as well as research students gather from outside sources. These shorter writing tasks have minimal support. Models, graphic organizers, and rubrics are not included. Teachers would need to create their own system for including these elements. The following is an example of a writing task the demonstrates the insufficiency of support:

• After reading "Animal Snoops: The Wondrous World of Wildlife Spies" in Collection 2, students are asked to write media slides for the performance task of this text. Instructions for teachers are to direct students to research a specific animal mentioned in the text. They are to use print and digital sources, although no resources are provided nor any guidance on the research process, safety, effectiveness, etc. Students are asked to “synthesize information from the text with research to present a slide show presentation about the animal.” There is no guidance for either the teacher or student regarding the audience or purpose. Furthermore, there is no rubric or graphic organizer provided to support students’ success with this activity.

The instructional materials for Grade 6 partially meet the criterion that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area, by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials. While students are asked consistently to analyze and respond to different texts and topics using multiple texts and research materials they utilize, the materials do not include a clear progression of focused research projects and the skills used within those projects. The following is an example that demonstrates a lack of progression of skills within research activities:

• Both the Performance Task from Collection 4 and the Performance Task B from Collection 5 ask students to consider the counterargument in both assignments. The clear progression of this skill is not present. While students are regularly asked to “Do Research,” there is simply not enough evidence that the skills are progressing in sophistication.

The research portion of the instruction within the six collections is extremely limited and often offers no guidance for teachers or students in protocols, implementation practices, Internet safety, or effective online researching techniques. The following are examples of research tasks that would not provide the teacher nor the student with enough support to guarantee successful attainment of required research skills:

• After reading “A Night to Remember” from Collection 3, students are asked to write research. The teacher directions ask the students to work independently using a wide variety of research sources and different types of accounts and then organize their research into notes and sources. The only instruction regarding Internet use reminds students to search for current events that could augment their writing.

• In Collection 3, Performance Task B asks students to create a multimedia presentation in which students review at least two print and digital sources to find out what can be done to prepare for a tsunami or other natural disaster. Students are directed to use credible sources and keywords to find books in the library. In addition, students are instructed to use an Internet search engine to find other sources. However, no support around evaluating credible sources, using keywords, or effective use of an Internet search engine are provided.