9th Grade - Gateway 2

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 do not 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).

Questions and tasks presented in the Assessment Synthesis in part 3 of each unit do not demonstrate that students have been prepared to demonstrate knowledge of a topic through integrated skills. Each unit’s Assessment: Synthesis section has singular tasks for different literacy standards. Constructed Response in each unit at end of Part 2 has separate Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Research Tasks. Each of these integrates Reading (Literature or Informational Text) with the single literacy task (Speaking and Listening, Writing, Research) so that students can demonstrate mastery of two standards at once, but no more. The only place where topics or themes from multiple texts is addressed is Assessment: Synthesis at the end of Part 3. Students are also encouraged to use a variety of sources such as texts from selections, other texts they have read, and personal experience, so that it is unclear they are building knowledge from selection materials. There are no questions clearly drawn from any text, either in the form of text dependent or text specific questions. There is no integration of literacy skills in these assessments. They are each stand-alone (reading, speaking and listening, or research). This Assessment Synthesis at the end of Part 3 in each unit is only place to show knowledge, but there is no clear opportunity to demonstrate knowledge from Parts 1, 2, or 4 of each unit. Some examples illustrating this include:

• At the end of Part 2 of each unit, there are separate writing, speaking and listening, and research tasks. These all demonstrate only one standard at a time, rather than integrated skills. For example: Unit 1, “Writing Task 3, Write an essay in which you analyze how events in a story from Part 2 of this unit are ordered by cause-and-effect relationships. Speaking and Listening Task 4, Deliver an oral presentation in which you analyze how an author develops a character in a story from Part 2 of this unit..Research Task 6, In Part 2 of this unit, you have read literature that explores different kinds of conflict. Now, conduct a short research project on a conflict that affects your community. Use both the literature you have read in Part 2 and your research to reflect on and write about this unit’s Big Question.”
• Each unit’s Assessment Synthesis section has singular tasks for different literacy standards. For example:
  • Unit 3, Assessment: Synthesis, singular tasks for Speaking and Listening, Writing: Narrative, Writing to Sources: Argument. Materials list Writing and Speaking and standards as being met by these three tasks.
  • Unit 5, Assessment: Synthesis, singular tasks for Speaking and Listening, Writing: Narrative, Writing to Sources: Argument. Materials list Writing, Speaking and Listening and two Language standards as being met by these three tasks (one language standard each applies to each writing task).
• Assessment Synthesis tasks, in this example a Speaking and Listening prompt at the end of the unit, show little content or skill connection to the previous Speaking and Listening prompts throughout the unit. Unit 3 Final Unit Speaking and Listening Task: Assessment Synthesis Speaking and Listening Assignment, Conduct Discussion. “With a small group of classmates, conduct a discussion about the Kennedy Assassination and communication. Refer to the texts in this section, other texts you have read, research you have done, and your personal experience and knowledge to support your ideas. Begin your discussion by addressing the following questions: What forms of communication did people use to learn of the Kennedy assassination? Can communication in the wake of such a tragedy be negative? What are the benefits of communication after a tragic event? Are those who communicate information after a tragedy affected differently from those who receive the information? Summarize and present your ideas. After you have fully explored the topic, summarize your discussion and present your findings to the class as a whole. All of the Speaking and Listening tasks that are presented earlier in the unit are unrelated to this task.
• Topics and themes from multiple sources are addressed in the Assessment Synthesis at the end of Part 3 of each unit. The focus of the theme is too loose to provide any real demonstration of knowledge on a specific topic. For example, here are the assessments in Unit 1. These are tied to the “Big Question - Is Conflict Necessary?”
  • Speaking and Listening Assignment-Conduct discussions. With a small group of classmates, conduct a discussion about issues of conformity and conflict. Refer to the texts in this section, other texts you have read, and your personal experience and knowledge to support your ideas. Begin your discussion by addressing the following questions: Why do differences between people cause conflicts? Is conformity always negative? Do conflicts over conformity ever have positive results or benefits? If so, under what circumstances, and for whom? Are the conflicts caused by pressures to conform - or to avoid conforming - always necessary, sometimes necessary, or never necessary? Summarize and present your ideas. After you have fully explored the topic, summarize your discussion and present your findings to the class as a whole.
  • Writing: Narrative Assignment Write an autobiographical narrative, or true story about your own life, in which you discuss a conflict you experienced that was driven either by the pressure to conform or resist conforming. Note that an effective autobiographical narrative explores the significance of a related series of events in the writer’s life. As you draft your narrative, make connections between your experiences, details in the texts you have read in this section, and the related research you have conducted. These connections will make your narrative richer.
  • Writing to Source: Argument Assignment Write an argumentative essay in which you state and defend a claim about the values of individuality and conformity. Build evidence for your claim by analyzing the presentation of individuality and conformity in two or more texts from this section. Clearly present, develop and support your ideas with examples and details from the text.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 do not 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.

Writing tasks appear in the Writing Process, Close Reading Activities, and Assessment sections within the textbook. Within each part there are various writing opportunities, but time limits on the assignments is unclear. On many assignments, teachers and students are not directed to use the writing process. Also, in most cases, it is unclear when students are asked to edit and revise. Questions are provided to guide the process, but teaching and modeling is not present.

The digital resources included are limited and not necessary for students to use in order to support their writing process or product. There are teacher and student resources available on- line. Materials do not always attend to the demands of the writing standards for this indicator.

Writing prompts, accompanied by steps for a writing process, most often appear in the assessments section rather than in the day to day instruction. For the prompts in the Close Reading Activities, there is little clear guidance to teachers and students on how to engage the process outlined in the materials - there is no indication for which tasks students receive in- depth feedback, for which prompts students should engage in the writing process over a longer term, and which prompts should be considered on-demand or shorter tasks.

Writing prompts span the school year, but instruction is limited. Though prompts in Close Reading and Assessment sections have directions for students “brainstorm a list, use the rubric below, cite your sources” there is no opportunity for students to work on the drafting of a claim, selection of relevant vs. irrelevant evidence, guidance on how to make formal citation of sources in writing, frames for connecting claims, evidence, and reasoning, or otherwise. The writing instruction remains relatively the same throughout the school year. The Guided Exploration portion of each unit’s Part 2 includes a “Writing Process” portion that does provide supports for the writing process. However, these supports do not build on one another from one unit to the next and the writing prompts in this section are divorced from any of the selection’s grade-level text. Without cohesion between the units and clear grade-level text-dependence, these sections are not aligned to grade level standards and do not create instruction that spans the year. Though there are models in Part 1 and 2 of each unit, how this writing develops over a school year is unclear. There are no protocols, guidance for instruction, nor monitoring support provided.

• For many writing assignments, there is no clear instruction for students. For example, in Unit 1, Part 2, Close Reading Activities, Students are directed to “Clearly state your claim” This assumes that students already know how to make a clear claim. They are also directed to, “Make sure to include details from the text as evidence…” Again, if students don’t know how to introduce evidence, cite evidence, or select best evidence s very well they would need some support in place. There is no support for these parts of writing.

• Writing instruction remains similar throughout the school year. Writing tasks in Part 3 of every unit include: Close Reading Activities: Prewriting and Planning, Drafting, Revising, Editing and Proofreading each time. Specific directions vary according to requirements of the task, but do not build from one to the next across the school year.

• “Writing Process” prompts found in Part 2 of each unit are not aligned to the texts students read. In Unit 1, the assignment is, “Write a response to a work of literature that engages you as a reader.” In Unit 3, “Write a problem-solution essay about an issue that confronts your school or community.” Finally, in Unit 5, “Write an autobiographical narrative about an event that taught you a valuable lesson.” None of these assignments require text evidence, and do not build in sophistication over the school year.
• There is no differentiation in writing instruction from the start to the end of the school year. Prompts do not build on one another, and instruction doesn’t change across the year).
  • Unit 1, Part 2, Close Reading Activities, Writing to Sources, Argument, “In ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ readers encounter a compelling, if disturbing, plot. Write a critique in which you analyze both the suspense of the story and the effectiveness of its ending. Present a clear claim, or position, and defend it with evidence from the text.
  • Unit 3, Part 3, Close Reading Activities, Discuss - Research - Write, Writing to Sources, Informative Text, “Write an analytical essay in which you compare and contrast Elena’s feelings of connection to the people in the house next door with those that her family and neighbors feel for the presidential family.”
  • Unit 5, Part 1, Close Reading Activities, Connections: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, Write, “Nearly all tall tale heroes and their counterparts in epics, myths, and legends display superhuman abilities. Modern forms of entertainment, such as comic books and action movies, also feature heroes with superpowers. In an essay, discuss how Pecos Bill’s abilities are similar to or different from those of another heroic character with which you are familiar. Cite details from the tale to support your ideas.”
  • While opportunities to revise and/or edit are provided, support for students is unclear. The directions for revision are sufficient for students who are good at writing but do not provide enough clarity for students who might struggle with the task. For example, in the assignment on page 909, the guidelines for editing state “Check for coherence. Review your draft to be sure that your argument flows logically from beginning to end. If any parts of the essay feel out of place, move, rewrite, or eliminate that section.” If students are struggling to logically connect their argument within their writing, these revision directions will be of no help. Also, in Unit 1, in the Writing to Sources sources section, it says, “Write a comparison and contrast essay analyzing the characters’ views. Consider the following questions..” Students are asked to look at the Support for Writing to Sources page in their work books, but there isn’t any information on revising/editing to cover their process skills. Plus, Unit 4, Part 3, asks students to “write a brief short story in which you describe the events that might have led up to the scene depicted in the cartoon. Be sure to establish a conflict or problem and use dialogue and description to portray characters and events.” There is no opportunity states for students to partake in the edit/revise process.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 do not meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused, shared research and writing projects to encourage students to synthesize knowledge and understanding of a topic using texts and other source materials.

Research projects are not sequenced across a school year to include a progression of research skills that build to student independence. Research prompts exist in Close Reading Activities and in Constructed Response tasks in the Assessment: Skills section, but they are not sequenced to build research skills. It is also unclear that these prompts meet the expectations set-out in grade-level standards pertaining to research. Materials do no support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects of a topic. Research projects presented in the materials are more general in nature, than topic specific.

There are limited opportunities for students to apply reading, writing, speaking and listening , and language skills to synthesize and analyze multiple texts and source materials about a topic or topics. Students analyze multiple texts (3 at the most) in the Assessment: Skills and Assessment: Synthesis prompts, but not around clear a topic or topics. Few are tasks are about a topic across topics, more often about standards across topics. No resources for student research are suggested. The materials provide little clarity on the scope (in terms of time, allocation of resources, and student product) of any of these research tasks.

Research prompts are not sequenced to build student independence. Below are research projects suggested for units 1, 3, and 5. The tasks are similar and do not get more challenging as the school year progresses.

• Unit 1, Part 3, Close Reading Activities, Research, Investigate the Topic, “Conduct research on the language barrier faced by some immigrants coming to the United States. Find memoirs, articles, or essays by people who immigrated as children and learned English once they arrived. Summarize your research in a journal or blog entry about individuality and conformity as it relates to the language one speaks.”
• Unit 3, Part 3, Close Reading Activities, Research, Investigate Topic, “Most people who were alive when President Kennedy was shot remember precisely where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Conduct interviews with people in your family or community who remember the assassination and record their recollections, or local archival interviews with people recounting their experiences. Prepare an oral history and share it with others.”
• Unit 5, Part 2, Assessment: Skills, Research, Task 6, Do heroes have responsibilities? “In part 2 of this unit, you have read about heroes. Now you will conduct a short research project on a local hero. Your hero might be a classmate, a neighbor, or even a family member or friend. Use both the texts you have read in Part 2 and your research to reflect on and write about this unit’s Big Question.”

Research projects are tied to the unit’s Big Question, but do not build knowledge of the topic. Here are some examples of vague linking of topic in Assessment: Synthesis

• Unit 1, Assessment: Synthesis, Assignment, “Write an argumentative essay in which you state and defend a claim about the values of individuality and conformity. Build evidence for your claim by analyzing the presentation of individuality and conformity in two or more texts from this section. Clearly present, develop, and support your ideas with examples and details from the texts.
• Unit 3, Assessment: Skills, Research, Task 6, How does communication change us? “ In part 2 of this unit, you have read poetry that explores different aspects of communication. Now you will conduct a short research project on one of the poets whose work you have read. Explain how the poet’s life experiences and beliefs about poetry are reflected in his or her work. Use both the poems you have read and the research you have conducted to reflect on this unit’s Big Question.”
• Unit 5, Part 2, Writing Process, Focus on Research, “When you write narrative texts, you might perform research to: gather authentic details about the setting of your story, find out how others who participated in the events perceived or were affected by them, gather background information, such as historical data, that provides a context for the events you describe. Incorporate direct quotes from others smoothly into your story, noting who spoke and under what circumstances. If you use quotations from other writers, cite them accurately.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 9 do not meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

There is some organization built in with supports or scaffolds to foster independent reading. These include multi-draft reading instructions and a section in the Time and Resource Manager where teachers are to “Direct students to read the selection independently” and “Build knowledge of the topic by direction students to read the text independently”. However, it is unclear what students might do when encountering a text outside of the anthology’s selections. There are no procedures, such as a proposed schedule or accountability system organized for independent reading suggested in the lessons. The suggested texts for independent reading span a wide volume of texts at various readability levels. There is no clear guidance provided for what is read in and out of class.

Independent reading is only clear in Part 4 of each unit, not in the rest of lessons. In Part 4, which is 2 pages long, ‘Titles for Extended Reading’ are provided but not any expectations or timeline or further purpose. It is not clear which texts under consideration in Parts 1-3 of each unit are meant for group reading, whole class reading, independent reading, nor which are to be read in class and which are to be read outside of class.