Kindergarten - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics to build students knowledge and vocabulary which will over time support and help grow students’ ability to comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

The curriculum has four modules that are all organized around specific science or social studies topics. Module 1 is about the five senses, Module 2 is about animals, Module 3 is about America, and Module 4 is about the continents.  Within each module, lessons are arranged around a guiding question that break the big topic into more focused topics. 

In Module 1, students hear several literary and informational texts to help learn about the five senses. Students learn the five senses, how they help us, and how they help us learn. Topics and texts include:

• In Lessons 1-5, students hear My Five Senses by Margaret Miller to learn about the fives senses.

• In Lessons 6-10, students hear My Five Senses by Aliki to learn how people use their senses to learn about the world. 

• In Lessons 11-16, students hear the literary story, Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, and think about how the main character, CJ, uses his senses to learn about the world.

• In Lessons 17-28, students think about how the fives senses help them learn from literary books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault and Rap a Tap Tap by Leo and Diane Dillon. 

In Module 2, students hear several texts about farm life while learning about what makes a story. Students hear several texts about farm animals while learning about characters, settings, problems, and solutions. Examples include:

• In Lessons 1-6, students learn what is true about farm animals by listening to Three Little Pigs by Raina Moore and Farm Animals by Wade Cooper.

• In Lessons 7-12, students learn about settings and read farm books, including The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen.

• In Lessons 13-17, students learn about characters and engage with texts, such as the song “Old MacDonald Had A  Farm,”

• In Lessons 18-23, students learn about problem and solution and hear stories, such as The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney.

• In Lessons 24-28, students learn about sequencing events and hear stories, such as The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone.

In Module 3, students hear about America, with a focus on how the past compares to now. Students focus on how their life is different than those in the past. Students think about how school, communication, and transportation changed. Examples of topics and texts include:

• In Lessons 1-6, students compare their life to author Cynthia Rylant's by hearing her book, When I was Young in the Mountains.

• In Lessons 7-11, students learn how life at home and at school changed in America by interacting with several texts, including Home Then and Now by Robin Nelson. 

• In Lessons 12-17, students hear the literary text, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, and discuss the changes in the neighborhood.

• In Lessons 18-21, students learn how transportation and communication have changed in America by reading Transportation Then and Now and Communication Then and Now by Robin Nelson.

• In Lessons 22-26, students learn how Benjamin Franklin's’ inventions made life in America easier by hearing texts such as Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta.

In Module 4, students engage with literary and informational texts about the continents. Students learn about what people do in Europe, Asia, the natural features in Africa and Antarctica, and some of the animals in South America and Australia. Examples of topics and texts include:

• In Lessons 1-8, students learn about people in Europe and Asia and hear texts, such as Europe and Asia by Rebecca Hirsch.

• In Lessons 9-15, students learn about the natural features that people see in Africa and Antarctica by reading texts, such as Africa and Antarctica by Rebecca Hirsch. 

• In Lessons 16-21, students engage with several texts to discuss how a story can transport them to a different place and hear texts, such as Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema. 

• In Lessons 22-27, students learn about the amazing animals that people see in South America and Australia and hear texts, such as Moon Rope by Lois Ehlert and Australia by Rebecca Hirsch. 

• In Lessons 28-31, students learn about North America and hear texts, such as Introducing North America by Chris Oxlade. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language (words/phrases), key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts in order to make meaning and build understanding of texts and topics.

Throughout the program, students are asked a variety of coherently sequenced questions and tasks. The questions help students engage with and analyze the complex texts that they hear throughout the year. Questions involving vocabulary require students to analyze the language within the read aloud. Student are also asked to analyze text features and story elements.

Examples of questions that require students to analyze language include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 11, after reading Last Stop on Market Street, students learn the word coin and are asked why CJ and Mr. Dennis might be talking about a coin when CJ gets on the bus. 

• In Module 2, Lesson 8, after hearing The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen, students are asked what “night falls early” means. 

• In Module 3, Lesson 13, while reading The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, the teacher asks students to think about what the word horseless carriage means by thinking about the word horse and the suffix -less. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 16 , while reading Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema, students are asked what burrow means and how the words they read about the python help them understand the word. 

Examples of questions that require students to analyze key ideas include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 24, students learn about the Great Depression while listening to Rap a Tap Tap by Leo and Diane Dillon and are asked why people were waiting in line for soup and bread. 

• In Module 2, Lesson 25, after hearing Three Little Pigs adapted by Raina Moore, students analyze the different responses of the pigs to the problem and which solution worked. 

• In Module 3, Lesson 10, after hearing School Then and Now by Robin Nelson, students are asked what they learned about how school has changed over time from connecting the “long ago” information to the “now” information. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 7, after hearing Europe by Rebecca Hirsch, students are asked if Europe has interesting places and why they think this. 

Examples of questions that require students to analyze details include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 8, after reading My Five Senses by Aliki, students learn how illustrations and words work together in a book. Students are asked what details in the picture do they hear in the words and what details in the pictures do they not hear in the words.

• In Module 2, Lesson 15, after hearing Three Little Pigs adapted by Raina Moore, students are told that the third pig was the smartest pig of all and how does making a house of bricks show he was smart. 

• In Module 3, Lesson 23, while listening to Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta, the teacher stops throughout the story to ask students what details do the words and illustrations tell them about Benjamin Franklin’s inventions. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 10, after listening to Africa by Rebecca Hirsch, students are told to imagine that they are going to Africa and are asked which animals from the ‘Amazing Animals’ section would they most likely see and why. 

Examples of questions that require students to analyze craft include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 19, after reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, students discuss the importance of the illustrator and why the illustrator plays such an important role in this story. 

• In Module 2, Lesson 19, students hear The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney and learn about character traits and are asked how authors write about characters and how authors tell them more about characters. 

• In Module 3, Lesson 20, while reading Transportation Then and Now by Robin Nelson, students look at words that are darker or bold and are asked why these words are darker and what it tells them about these words. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 25, students explore the text features in Australia by Rebecca Hirsch and are asked how the caption helps them understand the picture. 

Examples of questions that require students to analyze structure include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 20 , students learn about the repeating words in Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin. Students are asked what happens in the story when they hear the words, Boom! Boom!. 

• In Module 2, Lesson 4, after hearing Farm Animals by Wade Cooper, students think about the text features including the box of important facts. Students are asked what information is included in the box and why the author puts the information on the page with the cow and not the pig. 

• In Module 3, Lesson 3, students identify what phrase the author repeats in When I was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant and how this repeated phrase helps them understand what the main topic is. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 3, students use the text Europe by Rebecca Hirsch to learn about text features and are asked questions, such as "How can headings help you understand the text?" and "How do headings stand out from the rest of the text?"

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria 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.

Throughout the program, students are asked a series of text-dependent questions and tasks that require them to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas across both individual and multiple texts. Throughout the four modules, students learn about the five senses, farm animals, America, and the continents. Students are asked questions in individual texts and across multiple texts in order to integrate the knowledge that they have learned.

Examples of such questions include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 8, after reading My Five Senses by Aliki, students are asked what four senses the boy is using on pages 22-23. They are then asked how the illustrations and words work together to help them understand the story and the five senses. 

• In Module 2, Lesson 3, after reading Farm Animals by Wade Cooper, students are asked what they learned about pigs from the text and what they learned about chickens from the text. 

• In Module 3, Lesson 24, while reading Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta, students stop every few pages to discuss one of Ben Franklin’s inventions. They discuss how the inventions help them and make life easier. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 5, students study Europe and are asked a series of questions to build their knowledge. To begin, students are asked if Oktoberfest is a custom and if this is something they do in America. Then students look at the picture on page 8 and are asked how it helps them understand the festival. Students then read about Venice and are asked what is a waterway and what are the similarities and differences between Venice and cities they know. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 26, students take what they learned from reading Australia by Rebecca Hirsch and South America by Rebecca Hirsch to describe which continent has the most amazing animals. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that the questions and tasks 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).

In each module, there are several focusing question tasks that scaffold the materials to aid in the successful completion of the End-of-Module Task. The focus tasks come at the end of each topic in the module. The materials contain sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent questions and activities that build to each culminating task. Many of the specific tasks are focused on a piece of writing but are about the text that they listened to the teacher read aloud, which provides learning through integrated skills. Students also rehearse the writing with a partner before writing. 

Examples of the Focus Question Tasks and the End-of-Module Tasks include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 10, students complete Focusing Question Task 2. Before completing this task, students Think-Pair-Share about how they use their own senses to learn from My Five Senses. Then students are asked what would happen if someone was unable to read the book and how they could still get the information. Then students complete the Focusing Question Task, where they cut and paste one sense into the small box provided and then use text evidence to explain how the boy uses that sense. At the end of the module, students complete an End-of-Module Task where they explain what they learned and which sense they used to comprehend the different books in the module. 

• In Module 2, Lesson 23, students complete Focusing Question Task 4 where they write a new problem for the hen character in Little Red Hen and the response of the other characters. Before completing the task, the teacher asks students what the characters always say to the Little Red Hen when she asked them for help. This helps them prepare for the End-of-Module Task where they write their own narrative using the story elements they have discussed in this module. Students must write, use the stories they listened to, and orally rehearse the story before writing.

• In Module 3, Lesson 11, students write an informative paragraph about how school has changed over time. Students use the School Key Details Chart they created together to successfully complete this task. For the End-of-Module Task, students create a poster about how life in America has changed over time which integrates their knowledge of the texts through listening as well as writing. On their poster, students write an informative paragraph that is similar to the Focus Question. Before writing, students use their notes to verbally rehearse their sentences for this task. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 15, students write an opinion paragraph to explain which continent they think has the most interesting natural features. Before completing this writing task, students engage in a Think-Pair-Share about what they will write about to support their opinion. The End-of-Module Task is to create a travel brochure about one continent. Students must include four opinion sentences about the continent, which is supported by the Focus Questions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. 

Vocabulary words are taught both implicitly and explicitly, using words from the texts read aloud. Vocabulary instruction includes a focus on multiple meanings, shades of meaning, relationships, and morphology. Vocabulary Routines are found in the Resources section of the Implementation Guide and include routines such as Frayer Model, Morpheme Matrix, Outside-In, Relationship Mapping, and Word Line. Teachers also use Word Walls and Vocabulary Journals for students to record newly-acquired words and vocabulary strategies. Appendix B includes additional vocabulary support. It explains that vocabulary instructional strategies are explicitly introduced and practiced throughout the program. The appendix also includes a Module Word List and a list of words that would pose a challenge to student comprehension. Vocabulary is assessed through questions in vocabulary assessments. 

Examples of explicit vocabulary instruction throughout the program include: 

• In Module 1, Lesson 11, after hearing Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, the teacher displays the words coin and knit. The teacher then rereads the text with the word coin and explains that a coin is a small, flat, thin piece of metal, usually round, that is used for money. Then the teacher asks a question about the story using the word coin. The word is then added to the Word Wall before the same procedure is conducted for the word knit. Then students engage in a Mix and Mingle and discuss more questions about these words with a partner such as, "Which senses could you use to learn about what Nana was knitting?" 

• In Module 2, Lesson 18, students learn about multiple meaning words in the story, The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney. The teacher displays a picture and students identify it as jam. Then the teacher shares the sentences, "Miller jams the seed into the mill.", and asks what they saw Mr. Miller doing with the seeds. The students then engage in a conversation about the two meanings of jam and write both down. Students complete a similar procedure with the word circle. Students then create nonverbal signal motions for each word. The teacher then says sentences and the students act out the word. 

• In Module 3, Lesson 22, students learn the shades of meaning of the words invented, created, and designed. Students first learn about the word invented after hearing the story Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta. Then the teacher reads aloud a sentence from the story with the word created. The teacher then explains what it means. Then the teacher reads another sentence from the story with the word design and asks the students what design means. Students then meet with a partner to discuss how the three words are alike. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 31, students read Introducing North America by Chris Oxlade and discuss the natural features of North America. Students then go through the book with a partner and look for pictures with different natural features, including mountain, desert, lake, and river. Then students complete a worksheet where they match pictures of natural features and the label.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials contain a year long, cohesive plan of writing instruction and tasks which support students in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts. 

Throughout the materials, students engage in writing lessons almost daily that support them in building and communicating substantive understanding of topics and texts. Students engage in different forms of writing. Students begin the year with informative writing, move to narrative writing, then another informative writing piece, before opinion writing. For informational writing, students include a topic sentence, information sentences with facts and details, and a conclusion. For opinion writing, students state an opinion about the topic, supply reasons that support the opinion, and then a sentence to reinforce their opinion. For narrative writing, students are taught to include characters, setting, problem, events, and a resolution.

Students spend roughly 20 or more minutes of writing per lesson. Students begin the year by labeling pictures, and then move into sentence writing, paragraph writing, and editing and revising. They participate in shared writing which enables them to build their understanding of exemplary writing through developing a piece of writing as a class. In addition, while the teacher reads, students participate in Stop and Jot, which allows them to respond to texts. Students often draw a quick sketch to represent their response and follow a similar protocol for the different genres of writing. Writing rubrics are included in the Implementation Guide that are unique to Kindergarten.

Specific examples of writing lessons throughout the year include:

• In Module 1, Lesson 24, students begin learning how to label their drawings. The teacher models doing this before students Echo Read and then Sky Write the first letter using their finger. Students then work with pairs to look at a picture and provide labels. Pairs are encouraged to label and identify the letters they hear. Then students independently write at least two labels on a different sketch.

• In Module 2, Lesson 14, students move from labeling to writing sentences. Students begin by discussing how the author described the pigs in Three Little Pigs. The teacher models how to write the sentences with a sentence frame. Then students write a sentence that describes Mother Pig. Before writing, students practice their sentence by whispering it to themselves five times. Students then write the sentence and draw an illustration to describe Mother Pig. 

• In Module 3, students move to writing multiple sentences and in Lesson 19, students learn the importance of a conclusion sentence. They begin by reviewing a topic sentence and an informative sentence. The teacher shows the class created paragraph about the text, Home Then and Now, and discuss why they would need a conclusion sentence. Then in Lesson 20, students create a conclusion sentence for the class writing paragraph. 

• In Module 4, Lesson 18, students begin learning the process of editing and revising by learning how to respond to a peer’s writing. The teacher models with a puppet what a conversation could look like between two peers. Then students work with peers to practice listening to each other’s writing and giving each other a compliment. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to develop knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

Throughout the program, students are given ample opportunities to develop their research skills by engaging in shared research projects. Beginning in Module 3, there is a research component included in the module that provides students with lifelong research skills. Students complete shared research about America and the seven continents. 

Specific examples of research lessons and tasks include:

• In Module 3, students engage in a shared research project by exploring multiple texts. In Lesson 26, students work with a partner to think about one thing that Benjamin Franklin invented that is amazing. Students learn how to write down evidence. Then for the End-of-Module Task, students write a paragraph about how life in America has changed by using some of the shared research throughout the module. 

• In Module 4, students use texts and photographs to conduct research on the topics of natural features, animals, and things to do on each of the seven continents. They reflect on their findings and use the information to develop opinions about each continent, ultimately using the information to write an opinion piece about one of the seven continents. Throughout the module, students learn the importance of researching a topic and using multiple sources.