Kindergarten - Gateway 3

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations that materials are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. Each lesson is designed for a 90-minute block. Each module contains from 30-32 lessons. Materials also contain a Module 0 for teachers to begin the school year with an introduction to the format of the daily lessons. 

A module overview is found at the beginning of each module which includes: Module Summary, Essential Questions, Suggested Student Understandings, Texts, Module Learning Goals, Module in Context, Standards, Major Assessments, and Module Map. 

Materials include detailed lessons plans with supporting materials.  The structure within each daily lesson includes the Welcome, Launch, Learn, Land, Wrap, and a Vocabulary Deep Dive or a Style and Convention Deep Dive. Each section has hyperlinks included for materials needed such as graphic organizers or articles.

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

Each module provides 32-36 lessons and each lesson is designed for a 90-minute block. Each of the four modules can be completed within a nine-week grading period. Teachers and students can reasonably complete the content within a 36-week school year as long as their schedule provides a 90-minute block of time for English Language Arts.

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

Students have access to an array of materials that provide ample review and practice resources, such as graphic organizers, sentence frames, reference charts, anchor charts, Word Wall, new-read assessments, supporting excerpts or texts, rubrics, and speaking and listening checklists.

Student resources include clear explanations and directions. Activities that are completed with teacher guidance have directions included in the teacher lesson plan notes. Resources that are completed independently or in small groups without direct teacher guidance include clear directions and explanations so that the task can be completed. 

Examples include:

• In Module 1,  Lesson 6, a Wonder Wheel resource is included. The directions for the teacher are clear and provide guidance on how to implement the Wonder Wheel during the daily lesson.

• In Module 3, Lesson 27, an End-of-Module Evidence Organizer is included. Guidance for the teacher and directions on the handout for students are clear and detailed.

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

Alignment to the CCSS is documented in multiple places in the curriculum including the following sections:  Module Map, Module Learning Goals, Standards, Major Assessments, and Lesson Agenda (section-"Standards Addressed”).   

In the overview of each module, there is a Module Map that includes learning goals and standards addressed in these goals as well as a “Standards” section which includes all Reading (Informational and Literary), Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language standards addressed in each module.  In the Major Assessments section of the Module Overview, each standard is listed for each Focusing Task Question Activity and each End-of-Module Task.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectation for materials containing a teacher's edition with ample and useful annotations and suggestions on how to present the content in the student edition and in the ancillary materials. 

The materials contain a Teacher Edition that provides a Module Summary at the beginning of each module, as well as a Focusing Question and Content Framing Question to guide each lesson and module. The lesson overviews also include an At A Glance outline of each lesson as well as Learning Goals and Standards Addressed. The Land/Wrap section has teachers analyze, look at context and alignment, and provide next steps. 

Examples that demonstrate how the materials are useful and offer guidance for teachers include:

In Module 2, Lesson 2, Launch, teacher instruction states:

• Display a copy of Three Little Pigs. Call on a volunteer to briefly remind the class what the Three Little Pigs is about. Use the response to reinforce that the Three Little Pigs is a story about three pigs trying to get away from a mean wolf that wants to eat them.

• Remind students of how, in the previous lesson, they discussed that they would read an informational text next. Display a copy of Farm Animals.

• Instruct students to Think-Pair-Share, and ask: “What differences do you see between Three Little Pigs and Farm Animals without reading them?”

• Volunteers respond. Read aloud the Focusing Question and Content Framing Question. Remind students that informational texts provide facts or true information. As students read Farm Animals, they will learn about what is true about real-life farm animals.

In Lesson 2, the Teacher Note states: "Students can retain a surprising number of word meanings through receiving a quick explanation of the meaning from the teacher or a dictionary. This is especially true for words with concrete and/or familiar meanings, and words which will be encountered in repeated readings of the text. A few tips on when to provide brief definitions of important, unfamiliar words:

• The first read aloud of text should be as uninterrupted as possible, especially for a short text. On early reads, share no more than one or two words essential for basic understanding of the text, allowing students to listen to the text as a whole.

• During later read alouds, share definitions of more words. When you read an unknown word in the text, stop and briefly define the word and give an example sentence. Then reread the text’s sentence without interruption."

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

The Implementation Guide provides multiple explanations and charts regarding curriculum terminology. The implementation Guide also explains at length the research behind each approach in the curriculum. There are also Appendixes that include adult level explanations as well as sample student answers and annotated responses teachers can use to improve their knowledge of what standards being met would look like in a response.

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

Materials include an Implementation Guide located within each Module under Wit and Wisdom Resources.  The Implementation Guide provides information on how the curriculum addresses all of the ELA/Literacy standards. Additionally, a Module in Context and a Module Learning Goals document are provided in the Module Overview of each unit. The Module in Context includes an overview of how the materials address the Common Core shifts as well as a detailed account of how the CCSS standards have a role in the curriculum. The Module Learning Goals articulate specific standards as they are addressed in each individual module.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for materials containing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identifying research-based strategies.

• Resources are found primarily in the Implementation Guide that provide explanations of the instructional approaches and identify research-based strategies. The Implementation Guide lists what research says, what students need, and how Wit and Wisdom materials provide what students need within the curriculum. Explanations provided include: 

  • Research Says: “Performance on complex texts is the clearest differentiator in reading between students who are likely to be ready for college and those who are not.” (ACT 16-17) “But as expectations of college and career reading have held steady or increased, the complexity of Grades K-12 texts have held steady or increased, the complexity of Grades K-12 texts has declined (Adams 4-5; NGA Center and CCSS) 3). Students need to be able to unlock meaning from complex texts.”

  • Wit & Wisdom Responds: “Instead of basals, Wit & Wisdom students read complex, grade-level books they love from classics such as The Story of Ferdinand and Animal Farm, to new favorites such as Last Stop on Market Street and The Crossover, to captivating nonfiction such as I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban and An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. Students use these texts at every turn - to learn, and eventually master, essential reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, and vocabulary skills.”

Some Core Practice examples include

• Vocabulary: “The Wit & Wisdom approach to teaching vocabulary thorough knowledge of word meanings is key to understanding any complex text and to learning as a whole (Chall and Jacobs; Anderson and Freebody 77). Vocabulary instruction in Wit & Wisdom is accordingly designed to achieve three key student outcomes: better comprehension of complex texts, broader and deeper knowledge of words and word parts (including affixes and roots), and increased ability to determine the meanings of unknown words As a text-based curriculum. Wit & Wisdom teaches vocabulary both implicitly and explicitly, using words in the core and supplementary texts. Through repeated readings of complex, knowledge-building texts, students implicitly learn many new words (Feitelson, Kita, and Goldstein 340; Miller and Gildea 96; Nagy and Scott 273). Explicit vocabulary instruction focused on the three student outcomes emphasizes three categories of high-leverage vocabulary words and phrases.”

• Questioning: “Students monitor their understanding of the text by recording questions they have about it. During their first encounter of the text, students record questions they have about it. When students return to the text, they continue to monitor their understanding, recording any additional questions that arise while also looking for answers to their original questions. After the first stage of reading, students share, and when possible, answer these text based questions, or problem solve about how to answer the questions. For example, students may return to the text, consult a reference source, or conduct research. This helps students maintain engagement with and focus on the text while reading and monitor their comprehension of what they are reading. This helps teachers formatively assess students to indicate their understanding of the text and learning from previous modules.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations for materials regularly and systematically offering assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress. Each lesson includes a check for understanding question. Throughout the modules there are Focusing Questions and Content Framing Questions that the teachers use to help students maintain focus during the reads and to assure they are working toward the lesson’s objectives. There are also New-Read Assessments where students independently do a cold read of an informational or literary text and then complete various question (multiple choice, open-ended, short response, multi-select, etc). After answering questions, students also complete a short writing task accompanied by a graphic organizer to capture their thinking. Students also participate in two Socratic Seminars per module, and each of these tasks builds to the End-of-Module Task.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten clearly denote which standards are being emphasized. Standards are found in multiple places and times during the module. Each lesson includes Learning Goals which are connected to and labeled with a standard. In each module, there is a tab labeled Module Overview. A chart is provided that lists all of the standards for New Read Assessments, Socratic Seminar, and End-of-Module Tasks. All standards assessed are labeled clearly.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations of assessments providing sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up. Appendices include Answer Keys, Rubrics, and Sample Responses, as well as rubrics for all writing tasks. Materials regularly provide:

• Sample answers and recommended scripts to share with students

• Suggestions for differentiation

• Next steps, if students had difficulty. "Consider reviewing handout…. and re-watching ……”

• Rubrics for scoring student tasks

• Guidance for Interpreting Student Performance and suggestions for follow up can be found in the teacher’s notes and in the wrap section of each lesson.

For example, in Module 15, Lesson 1, in the Land and Wrap section, the Teacher Guide suggests: "If students had difficulty identifying an essential meaning for Last Stop on Market Street, work with small groups of students to explore the questions that CJ asks Nana throughout the text. Consider posing questions such as: 'What does CJ learn from Nana’s answers?' and 'How does CJ’s attitude change from the beginning of the story to the end?'”

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectation for including routines and guidance that provide opportunities to monitor student progress. All modules follow the same format and elements for student performance. The New Read Assessments are routine and help teachers monitor students progress towards standards mastery. The Focus Questioning Tasks routinely and regularly build to the End-of-Module (EOM) Assessments and monitors student progress. Checklists are provided with tasks so that students are prepared for the EOM Assessment. A variety of resources are available in Appendix C to assist teachers in monitoring progress. Some examples include:

• Self, peer, and teacher evaluations

• Checklists for poetry performances and Socratic Seminars.

• Speaking and Listening Rubrics

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

Examples of strategies listed in the Implementation Guide and found throughout the program include:

• Deliberate sequencing: Students build knowledge of each module topic by reading texts in a purposeful sequence. Students complete each module study with knowledge and skills that they can use to access grade level text.

• Predictability of structures: The predictability of the recurring Content Stages helps students develop habits of mind and provides a scaffold for reading challenging texts. Students use the Content Framing Question as an entry point to difficult texts.

• Reading scaffolds: Organizing ideas from informational and literary texts establishes student understanding of the main ideas and plot points prior to the consideration of deeper ideas. Focus on vocabulary and syntax. Students learn to read closely and discuss important passages, with particular emphasis on learning the meanings of essential content words and academic vocabulary, studying roots and affixes, to grow capacity to discern word meaning independently, and dissecting phrases to reveal how syntax conveys meaning.

• Exploration of content in multiple forms: Students explore print texts, visual art, videos, audio recordings, photographs, and maps to access module concepts and information. Reliance on strong models. Students examine models of strong writing to understand how to craft effective sentences, paragraphs, and essays.

• Frequent feedback: Students receive ongoing and explicit feedback from peers and teachers.

• Scaffolds: At key moments, lessons include specific suggestions for how to scaffold instruction. These scaffolds empower teachers to seamlessly integrate remediation suggestions into instruction. For students who may be challenged by the lesson’s rigor, scaffolds provide another path to the learning goal rather than minimize or change the learning goal.

• Extensions and differentiation suggestions. Lessons often offer suggestions for how to vary learning tasks for those who already have well-developed skills or to extend learning for students who seek an additional challenge.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations that materials regularly provide all students, including those who read, write, speak, or listen below grade level or in a language other than English, with extensive opportunities to work with grade level text and meet or exceed grade-level standards. Materials include explicit vocabulary and grammar instruction, text-dependent questions that focus all students on key terms, phrases, and passages for rereading and repeated exploration, partner work that includes oral practice of written responses, and multiple authentic opportunities to use academic language with support, such as explicit teaching about speaking and listening, sentence frames, and vocabulary support.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet requirements for regularly including extensions and/or more advanced opportunities for students who read, write, speak, or listen above grade level. Extension activities are provided throughout materials. These are included in boxes in the Teacher Edition lesson plans. Extension activities include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 5, after studying My Five Senses and Le Gourmet, students are provided with art paper with lines below (for text). Students are to draw a pictures of someone using one of their five senses in the style of Pablo Picasso (one of the artists studied in the Module). Students then, “Students think of a time they:

  • Heard something interesting.

  • Smelled a strong smell.

  • Tasted something delicious.

  • Saw something beautiful or colorful.

  • Touched something that felt smooth or rough, furry or soft, etc.

  • Students describe their experience to a partner, then draw it. 

Conduct a Gallery Walk for students to display artwork and explain the senses shown in their art.”

• In Module 3, Lesson 22: After studying the phrasing of This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie (as part of fluency practice), students can be assigned an extension activity where they locate the symbol (comma) in the first line that signals speakers to pause. The teacher affirms that the comma signals a pause in speaking.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the expectations of providing ample opportunities for teachers to use grouping strategies during lessons. Lessons indicate where pairs, whole group, small group, or individual groupings are utilized for instruction. Each lesson provides students opportunities to work through more than one type of grouping. Teachers are also provided suggestions for how to assign roles or divide groups. For example, Socratic Seminars are used frequently, and teachers are given detailed instructions on how to model the strategy and assign groups and responsibilities. Other routines that provide opportunities for grouping include anchor charts, boxes and buttons, categorization, chalk talk, choral reading, echo reading, fishbowl, gallery walk, give one-get one-move on, graffiti wall, grammar safari, graphic organizers, jigsaw, link up, literary dominoes, mix and mingle, outside-in, partner reading, praise/question/suggestion, question corners, quick write, quiz-quiz-trade, reader’s theater, and response techniques.