¡Arriba la lectura! - Grade 1

Evaluation for 2.1
Materials include high-quality texts for SLAR instruction and cover a range of student interests.

The materials are well-crafted and of publishable quality, representing the quality of the content, language, and writing that is produced by experts in various disciplines. The texts also include content that is engaging to first-grade students with materials that include traditional, contemporary, classical, and multicultural diverse texts. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials consider a range of student interests. The materials include texts that all learners can identify with and build a connection. In Modulo 1, “Gusto en Conocerte: Enseñar con Colecciones Temáticas,” the materials include the story, “Mi primer Día de clases,” where students can identify with the main character as they read about the book. The teacher stops and asks questions to check for understanding and to predict what would happen next. Within the same module, the materials offer another text, “Nuevos Amigos,” by Horacio and the Plasticines, that is about starting school in a new place, the process of making friends, and gaining confidence. Both stories include experiences where students can reflect upon and build connections that are engaging for first-grade students. 

In Module 6: “Homenaje a los Estados Unidos,” the materials provide texts that are content-rich and include other disciplines, including connections to Social Studies. Week 1, Lesson 1: “La Ciudad de los Monumentos” offers the drama, “La ciudad de los monumentos,” where an African American family, including a first-grader and grandmother, take a family trip to Washington, D.C. The materials guide the teacher through a comprehension activity by asking her to tell the students: “Pick a scene from Monument City. Now rewrite it your own way as a short drama. Try adding yourself as a character. When we finish, we will share with the class.” The teacher is also instructed to ask the students: “What things about your writing make it a drama?” “Draw a picture of your new scene.” “Remember to include yourself as one of the characters.” Students make connections to the text even if they have not visited Washington, D.C. The materials include a short drama that provides information that furthers the students’ understanding of a particular topic.

The materials provide text that includes other disciplines. In Module 7: “Maravillas de la Naturaleza,” the essential question is “¿Cómo cambian las cosas en la naturaleza?” which ties to “nature,” a science standard. Students learn about the natural changes in the world. Throughout the text “Grand Canyon” and its accompanying photographs, students learn about the biodiversity and geological history of this national park. As an extension activity, students receive instructions on how to make a postcard of the Grand Canyon to show their understanding of the selection. The teacher shares an anchor chart displaying a sample of a postcard for students to follow to ensure that they have all the necessary components. Before reading the text, students listen to a 45-second audio about national parks to “build background.” The material provides evidence that includes Science standards. At the end of the selection, a hands-on activity, “Canyon Creation,” is included so students can build their own canyon with supplies found at home. 

Evaluation for 2.2
Materials include a variety of text types and genres across content that meet the requirements of the SLAR TEKS for each grade level.

The materials include a variety of text types and genres across content areas that meet the requirements of the first-grade Spanish Language Arts and Reading TEKS. The materials also provide opportunities for students to recognize the characteristics and structures of informational texts. Additionally, materials include informational texts that are connected to science and social studies in the TEKS for first grade. Furthermore, the texts offer illustrations, labels, descriptions, tables of contents, glossaries, and index pages to include opportunities for students to recognize characteristics and structures of literary and informational texts. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Module 5, “Ahora lo ves, Ahora no lo ves,” includes the informational text En la Tierra by G. Brian Karas. The text introduces different print and graphic features, offering students opportunities to analyze the use of print and graphic features of informational texts. The teacher explains facts about planet Earth, its rotation, the solar system, the four seasons, and the day and night. The book has colorful illustrations that help the reader understand the facts about earth and the solar system. The book can be found for students and teachers in “Libros and Super Libros Para la Lectura en Voz Alta.” 

Module 6, “Homenaje a Estados Unidos de America,” includes the informational text Estatua de la Libertad by Tyler Monroe. The text shows different features that give students the opportunity to analyze the use of print and graphic features of informational texts. The teacher explains that the text is connected to social studies topics in the TEKS and teaches us about the symbols of the United States. Students learn important facts about United States symbols, their origin, and their history. The teacher is instructed to ask questions such as “Why do you think the torch stands for ‘the light of freedom?’” Students use evidence from the text and pictures to answer the questions. The teacher prompts students to think about the heading and the information the author includes in that part of the text. The teacher remarks that in the first part of the text, the author describes the Statue of Liberty and why it is an American symbol. The text gives the students the opportunity to grasp the differences between narrative, expository, poetic, and other varieties of texts, along with activities that facilitate instruction of characteristics and structures of literary and informational texts. The text can be found under “Mi Libro.”

Module 9, “¡Crezcan, plantas, crezcan!,” includes the informational text Cuerpos de Plantas Increibles by Ellen Lawrence (Lexile level: 810L - Guided Reading Level: I). The text contains specific scientific topics connected to science topics in the TEKS. The text offers a table of contents at the beginning of the selection and examines the parts of the biggest plants to the smallest, and also the strangest and the most unusual plants in the world. At the end of the book, it offers a word bank with illustrations of scientific words. There is also an index page that provides the students with the opportunity to analyze the use of print and graphic features of informational texts. The book can be found for students and teachers in Libros and Super Libros Para la Lectura en Voz Alta.

Module 10, “Atrevete a soñar,” includes the informational text I am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer (Lexile level: 670L - Guided Reading Level: D). This biography tells the story of the brave Amelia Earhart, from the time she took flying lessons to the point where she became an experienced aviator. Students have the opportunity to analyze how the author organizes information in a book, such as chronological order, and the order in which events happen. The text structure helps the readers recognize how the events are connected.

Evaluation for 2.3
Texts, including read-aloud texts in K-2 and shared reading in Grade 2, are appropriately challenging, and are at an appropriate level of complexity to support students at their grade level.

The materials provide texts, including read-aloud texts and shared readings, that are appropriately challenging and are at an appropriate level of complexity to support students at the first-grade level. The texts are accompanied by a text complexity analysis provided by the publisher. Read-aloud and shared-reading texts are at the appropriate quantitative levels, with Lexile levels ranging from BR300L to 2000L. Texts are rated from A to Z, and they include qualitative features that are assessed using a rubric. Based on the rubric score, texts are assigned a qualitative rating from Simple to Exceedingly Complex and are mostly above the complexity level of what first-grade students can read independently. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Module 2, “Mi familia, mi comunidad,” uses the informational book ¿De quién son estas manos? by Miranda Paul. The book describes how people help each other keep up with their community by making it a safer and better place to live. The quantitative features of this book are Lexile Level 220L and a Guided Reading Level of M, which is above the complexity level of what students can read independently. Qualitative features considered include graphic features such as photographs, labels, and descriptions for the understanding of central ideas and key details. 

Module 3, “Animales Asombrosos,” uses the folktale Pajarita Azul y Coyote by James Bruchac, which is an adaptation of a Native American tale where two animals hope to change their color to blue. “The story highlights the importance of gratitude and patience.” The quantitative features of this book are Lexile Level 310L and a Guided Reading Level of J, which is above the complexity level of what students can read independently. Qualitative features considered include graphic features such as illustrations for the understanding of central ideas and key details. 

Module 7, “Maravillas de la naturaleza,” uses the book Sam y Leo cavan un hoyo by Mac Barnett to teach about fantasy tales. The tale talks about two friends, Sam and Leo, and their journey of digging, continuously looking for something spectacular. The quantitative features of the materials are Lexile Level 450L and a Guided Reading Level of L, which is above the complexity level of what students can read independently. Qualitative features considered include graphic features such as illustrations for the understanding of central ideas and key details. 

Module 10, “Atrevete a soñar,” includes the biography I am Amelia Earhart by Brad Meltzer. This biography tells the story of the brave Amelia Earhart, from the time she took flying lessons to the point where she became an experienced aviator. The quantitative features of the materials are Lexile Level 670L and a Guided Reading Level of D. Qualitative features considered include graphic features such as illustrations and descriptions for the understanding of the central idea and key details. 

Evaluation for 3.A.1
Materials contain questions and tasks that support students in synthesizing knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and identify and explain topics and themes.

The materials contain questions and tasks that support students in synthesizing knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and identify and explain topics and themes. Questions and tasks build conceptual knowledge, are text-dependent, and prompt students to synthesize new information through read-aloud texts, writing tasks, and “Inquiry and Research” projects. Most formal and informal assignments and activities focus on texts students are reading/listening to through read-alouds, shared reading, and videos and require close attention to the meaning and inferences as students demonstrate comprehension. Questions and activities grow students’ understanding of topics and literacy skills over the course of each unit. Each text has two or more stopping points for student discussions, providing opportunities for students to evaluate and discuss information from multiple places within a text.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Module 3, “Animales Asombrosos,” includes well-crafted questions that lead to new insights, generate discussion, and promote comprehensive exploration. The module includes a section in the Teacher’s Guide, “Presentar el Tema,” that includes the Essential Question “Cómo viven los animales” that allows students to explain, connect, and synthesize what they learned based on the targeted skill. The materials include formal and informal assignments and activities that focus on texts students are reading/listening to and require close attention to the meaning and inferences as students demonstrate comprehension. Later in the module, the teacher introduces the topic “How Animals Live” by accessing the student's prior knowledge. The teacher reveals the module topic by projecting the “Knowledge Map” to build conceptual knowledge and organize key ideas introduced within the module. The materials prompt the teacher to tell students that the text teaches us how animals live. The teacher makes use of the Knowledge Map to point out what animals need to live. Some of the suggestions are “food, water, home, and air.”

In Module 4, “Mejor Juntos,” the materials include questions that lead to new insights, generate discussion, and promote comprehensive exploration. In the section “Taller de Escritura,” the teacher presents the focus text Trata a las nutrias by Laurie Keller and discusses with the students different ways to make a friend. The materials offer questions to build conceptual knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and prompt students to synthesize new information. Some of the questions include “¿Cómo se da cuenta el conejo de que alguien es amigable? ¿Cuáles son algunas palabras de cortesía que el conejo quiere que usen sus amigos? y ¿Qué piensa el conejo que hacen los amigos honestos?”

Module 6, “Homenaje a Estado Unidos de América,” offers text-specific/dependent questions and tasks that support students examining complex elements of texts. Throughout the module, there is textual evidence that can be used to support the students’ ideas, arguments, opinions, and thoughts. During the read-aloud of Una Fiesta en el Bosque by Melina Marquez, the students are asked comprehension questions, and they use details in the text and pictures to answer them. The materials provide questions that support students in examining complex elements of texts. Some of the questions include “¿Qué deciden hacer el erizo y la zorra cuando están aburridos? ¿Qué hace el zorrino para la fiesta? ¿Qué llevará la osa Lorenza? y ¿Quién es la primera en bailar en la fiesta?”

Evaluation for 3.A.2
Materials contain questions and tasks that require students to evaluate the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

The materials contain questions and tasks that require students to evaluate the language, key idea, and details of individual texts to support students’ analysis of the literary/textual elements of texts to make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support student understanding.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Module 1, “Gusto en conocerte,” includes questions and tasks that support students’ analysis of the literary/textual elements of texts by asking students to analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author’s purpose. The teacher tells students that authors have a specific reason for writing a text. Earlier in the module, students have the opportunity to practice finding the author’s purpose. Students identify the author’s purpose and understand what the author wants them to learn. Teachers point out the acronym “PIE” to help students remember the three purposes authors write: to persuade, to inform, and to entertain. The teacher asks questions about details from the text regarding illustrations and text features that help students figure out the author’s purpose. The materials recommend the teacher model asking questions to determine the author's purpose by asking the following: “Does this text include details and illustrations that entertain me?” and “Is the author trying to teach me something?”

In Module 4, “Mejor Juntos,” the materials provide questions and tasks that require the students to read carefully in order to analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author’s purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. The “Fundamental Skills” section uses the decodable text Quico y Monica by Ricardo Arteaga. The materials prompt the teacher to ask the students to go back to the first page of the story. The teacher asks the students to establish a purpose to re-read the text. The students receive suggestions on how to re-read the story to find out why Quico and Monica get the cans out of the forest. Students reflect upon the story so they can analyze the author's choices and how they influence and communicate meaning. Towards the end of the lesson, the teacher reminds the students of the purpose for re-reading the text. The teacher frequently pauses to ask the following questions: “What do the kids find in the swamp?” “Why do Quico and Monica get bored at their grandparents’ home?” “What do Quico and Monica find at their grandparents’ house?” and “What can be heard at night?”

In Module 9, “¡Crezcan, plantas, crezcan!” the materials prompt the teacher to remind children that authors of informational texts organize their writing to fit their topic and purpose for writing and ask the students to compare and contrast the stated or implied purposes of different authors’ writing on the same topic. The teacher displays “Cartel didáctico” to introduce the students to “Text Structure.” The materials prompt the teacher to explain that one common type of text organization is chronological order. A text organized in chronological order tells about events in order or sequence that will help students make, correct, or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures with and without adult assistance. Finally, the Teacher’s Guide tells the teacher to point out clue words such as first, next, and last, as well as graphic features, like numbered steps, to help the students study the language within texts to support their understanding. The teacher tells readers that a text might be organized in chronological order. The teacher tells students to reread parts of ¿Así que quieres cultivar un taco? by Bridget Heos to practice identifying a text’s chronological organization and how it contributes to the author’s purpose. At the end of the lesson, the teacher asks the students to look for evidence that tells about how the author organizes the text. (The author explains the steps in order.) The teacher then reads the follow-up question and tells children to look for clues in the text to answer it. (The author uses the words first and then.)

Evaluation for 3.A.3
Materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary in and across texts.

The materials include a year-long plan for building academic vocabulary, including ways to apply words in appropriate contexts. Materials also include scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials offer opportunities for students to learn, practice, apply, and transfer words into familiar and new contexts. Module 1, “¡Gusto en conocerte!” includes the section “Vistazo a la semana,” where teachers have the opportunity to see all the vocabulary words students will need to learn for the week’s lesson. Later in the module, the materials offer vocabulary cards through a printable source called “Tarjetas de palabras de ortografía” from “Página imprimible.” The teacher explains that students will focus on whether the words start with a, e, i, o, u. Students draw a five-column chart and write on it following the teacher's instructions. Teacher models and shows examples for students to follow and repeat the process with another word. The teacher points out that there are two words beginning with the same vowel in each column. Students work together to repeat the sort, using the Tarjetas de palabras de ortografía from Página imprimible. Each module provides guidance for teaching word meanings with examples related to the text and examples from other contexts. In Module 1, the teacher uses the Gradual Release Model. The teacher uses “I Do It, We Do It, You Do It” with the information from a three-column chart to teach the oral Power Words (academic vocabulary) from the text included in the materials Pete el gato se luce en la escuela con sus zapatos. The Teacher’s Guide includes some of the following stages: “I Do It,” the teacher uses the Vocabulary routine and Tarjetas de vocabulario to introduce the oral Power Words from Pete el gato se luce en la escuela con sus zapatos. The teacher may wish to display the corresponding Tarjeta de vocabulario for each word as they discuss it. The teacher says the Power Word and asks the students to repeat it. Later, the teacher explains the meaning, reads aloud the student-friendly meaning, and talks about examples. In the next stage, “We Do It,” the Teacher’s Guide instructs students to make connections between each word’s meaning and how they can use it in their own lives. In the last stage, “You Do It (Independent Practice),” students work in partners to complete each of the activities: “Circulate and observe partners as they work, providing corrective feedback as necessary. Draw a picture of your favorite furry animal. Compare What is it like to walk down a hall alone? And what is it like to walk down a hall with lots of other people? Role-play Imagine you are at the library. Show how you would behave there. What is your favorite place at school? Why?”

Materials include a year-long plan for building academic vocabulary, including ways to apply words in appropriate contexts. The materials offer opportunities for students to learn, practice, apply, and transfer words into familiar and new contexts. The teacher guides the students to make connections between each word’s meaning and how they can use it in their own lives. The teacher encourages students to explain or justify their answers. Module 4 uses the story Baseball Hour by Carol Nevius, which supports the theme of “Better Together.” This informational text describes boys and girls that warm up with special exercises and drills for baseball practice. Practice ends with the kids showing that teamwork makes them better players. The materials provide a section to introduce “Oral Language” using the steps “I Do It, We Do It, You Do It.” The teacher introduces the vocabulary using vocabulary cards, then makes a connection with the word meaning and how to use it in their own lives. The students then work independently or with a partner in activities such as “describing a practice drill, illustration, cause/effect, and comprehension.”

Evaluation for 3.A.4
Materials include a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading.

The materials include procedures and protocols, along with adequate support to guide teachers through implementation, that foster self-sustained reading as appropriate. Materials provide a plan for students to self-select texts and read independently for sustained periods of time, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 1: “¡Gusto en conocerte!” in week 1, the materials offer a printable “Family Letter” to send home, which includes a section titled “Leamos juntos” intended to inform parents of what students will be working on for the next three weeks and outline ways that they can help promote a positive reading environment at home. The letter includes tips for parents to support children’s learning at home, such as setting a special time and place to read with their child every day and having them keep a reading log, which is also available for the teacher to print for each student. Additionally, the family letter includes suggestions for parents to use when questioning to check for comprehension during and after students have read a text, such as “¿Qué piensas que pasará? ¿Por qué? ¿Qué ocurrió al principio, durante el medio y el final del cuento? ¿Qué crees que eso significa? ¿Cómo lo sabes?” The materials include procedures and protocols, along with adequate support for teachers, that foster independent reading. The Teacher’s Guide states that the teacher should encourage a minimum reading time of 15–20 minutes at home since research has proven that reading for that designated amount of time exposes students to 1.8 million words a year. Additionally, it recommends that parents try some easy-to-follow activities while reading together, such as pointing to the pictures and illustrations and talking about how those illustrations relate to friendship. The materials suggest the parents ask their children, “¿Por qué es importante tener amigos? ¿Por qué no debemos temer intentar hacer cosas nuevas?”

The materials include procedures and protocols, along with adequate support to guide teachers through implementation, that foster self-sustained reading as appropriate. In Module 7, the materials offer the teacher a systematic plan where students can acquire new learning by building on prior knowledge. In this module, in Lesson 1, the materials introduce the information text Pronóstico: Tormentas, where the teacher reminds children that when authors write to persuade, they try to get readers to agree with an idea or to do or try something. The materials then guide the teacher to build upon that prior concept to understand main ideas and details in a text. This module offers a section “Lectura Compartida: Ideas y apoyo,” and within this lesson, the materials include extra adequate support for teachers by embedding an anchor chart, “Cartel didáctico 15: Ideas y apoyo,” intended for teachers to point out to the students that an author usually starts by telling his or her opinion, or what he or she thinks about something. Following that, the materials suggest the teacher tell children that an author gives reasons that support the idea and explain that when we read opinion writing, they should look for what the author is trying to persuade them to think or do, and for the reasons for that opinion. Finally, the teacher sets a purpose for reading the informational text Pronóstico: Tormentas and tells the children “Leeremos para aprender qué es lo que el autor piensa acerca de las tormentas.” The teacher reminds the children that they will practice identifying an author’s opinion and supporting reasons when they read an opinion writing piece called Pronóstico: Tormentas.

Procedures and protocols, along with adequate support for teachers, are provided to foster independent reading. The materials provide opportunities for students to interact with the texts while reading along with a teacher. Guided reading (Lectura guiada) is an interactive reading experience in which children join in the reading of a text guided by a teacher. Students learn and practice comprehension skills and strategies, speaking and listening, as well as literary analysis and response to the teachers prompting to answer questions. The Teacher’s Guide offers minilessons to target skills and strategies to set the stage for the day’s lesson and provide a focus for the guided reading experience located inside “myBook.” The materials offer a Teacher’s version of myBook, called “Teaching Pal,” that contains texts and color-coded point-of-use questions and prompts to use while reading with children. Teachers are encouraged to read for understanding during a first reading, then guide students with questions and prompts to get the gist of the text. In Module 8, during the guided reading of The Grasshopper & the Ants by Jerry Pinkney, genre fable, the teacher is provided with “Check for Understanding” questions, such as “What’s the life lesson and how might it affect Grasshopper?” The materials provide suggested questions for discussion or thought as students listen to or read a story.

The materials provide a plan for students to self-select texts and read independently for a sustained period of time, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. Materials offer teacher guidance for holding students accountable for independent reading. During Reading Centers, activities introduced in the Teacher’s Guide include the “Reading Corner.” During this activity, students have the opportunity to self-select or continue reading an independent reading book. The teacher reminds students to set a purpose for reading and to record their progress on their Printable: Reading Log (Registro de Lectura). The students record their books in the Reading Log every day. The Reading Log provides instruction for students on how to pick a book that is just right for them and encourages students to try to read for more time each day. The reading log requests specific information, such as date, title, purpose for reading, summary, parents’ initials, and reading time (start and finish time).

Evaluation for 3.B.1
Materials provide support for students to compose across text types for a variety of purposes and audiences.

The materials provide support for students to compose across text types for a variety of purposes and audiences. Students have opportunities to dictate or write literary texts with multiple intentions and audiences, including but not limited to poetry using poetry elements and personal narratives that convey their thoughts and feelings about an experience. Additionally, the materials provide students opportunities to dictate or write informational texts, including procedural texts and reports about a topic. Finally, the materials also provide students opportunities to dictate or write correspondence, including thank you notes and letters.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 2, “Mi familia, mi comunidad,” the materials provide students opportunities to write literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences. In this module, the students write a descriptive essay. The teacher tells the students that a descriptive essay is a kind of informational text that gives detailed facts about a topic. The students’ descriptive essays will describe what makes the world a wonderful place to live. After the teacher reads the text Nana en la ciudad by Lauren Castillo, she explains that special things coexist in the world. The teacher also highlights that humans live in communities where they coexist with other people, animals, and plants. The teacher refers to the “Mostrar y Motivar” chart to list words and note the senses to which those words appeal from the Nana en la ciudad book. The teacher also reviews the anchor chart “Pasos para la escritura” and guides children to review the writing steps. 

In Module 4, “Mejor juntos,” the materials provide students opportunities to write informational texts; for example, they write a procedural or how-to text. The teacher reminds the students that there are three parts of a story: beginning, middle, and end. The teacher also mentions that informational texts also have three parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The students work on their procedural or “how-to” writing piece and use the prompt: “Hacer nuevos amigos.”

In module 9, “Crezcan plantas, crezcan,” the materials give students the opportunity to write their own haiku poem. The text offers a haiku poem ¡Que delicia, Frutas Tropicales! by Haikus De Abel Montoro for students to use as a reference to write their own poem. The teacher outlines the process of writing a haiku by telling the students to first choose a fruit from Frutas Tropicales. Then, students draw, color, and add details about the fruit on a blank sheet of paper. Later, they write a haiku about the fruit. Finally, students show their drawings and recite their haikus to their classmates. The teacher reminds them to use words that describe the fruit and to make sure their haikus have the following pattern and rhythm: three verses of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, 17 syllables total. 

In Module 10, “Muchas culturas, un solo mundo,” the materials provide guidance for teaching all the elements of the writing process throughout the school year, as well as guidance for scaffolding the process. The materials include a “Writing Workshop Teacher’s Guide,” in which teachers find explicit modeling and instruction in process, technique, and the integration of grammar. This module also includes the focus of a Biographical Essay, where students write an essay about someone who inspires them. The focus text, “La niña que podía bailar en el espacio: Un cuento inspirador sobre Mae Jemison,” is an inspirational tale about Mae Jemison. This diverse biography of the first African American woman astronaut shows how Mae Jemison combines her love of dance with her skills as a doctor and engineer as a model. The materials guide the students through the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing, and sharing. Students are encouraged to use the writing notebook as a prewriting activity. Students think about the following question: “¿Quien me inspira?” The students list the names of some people who inspire them. While students perform this brainstorming activity, the teacher provides support and guidance throughout the process of brainstorming ideas, guiding students to write a draft, and revise and edit those drafts. 

In Module 11, “Estudio de género: No Ficción,” the students have the opportunity to write correspondence. The materials guide the teacher to explain that a letter is a thoughtful way to tell someone you appreciate something they have done for them. In this module, under the Writing Workshop, the teacher demonstrates examples of “thank you” letters. The teacher states that, “A veces las notas de agradecimiento se escriben en cartitas pequeñas. Otras veces son escritas a mano o se pueden recibir vía correo electrónico.” The teacher models the different parts of the letter by labeling the heading, greeting/salutation, body, closing, and signature “encabezado, saludo, cuerpo, cierre y firma.” Students look through some of the sample thank-you letters with a partner and practice identifying their different parts.

Evaluation for 3.B.2
Materials engage students in the writing process to develop text in oral, pictorial, or written form.

The materials engage students in the writing process to develop text in oral, pictorial, or written form. Students coherently use the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text; students draw and brainstorm to generate drafts and organize their drafts by speaking, drawing, or writing. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 1: “Gusto en conocerte,” Lesson 11 from the “Writing Guide” asks the teacher to work with the students in groups through a writing activity that involves students actively speaking to plan and organize a draft. The teacher rereads the class story, which they had previously created as a whole group during Lessons 9 and 10. The teacher reviews the positive feedback she had given the story during Lesson 10 to allow students to activate their prior knowledge. The class is divided into five groups, and each group holds a conference to discuss one part of the class story. The teacher assigns each group a sentence from the class story and tells the children she will give them questions to discuss in a conference by saying, “Después de escuchar una pregunta, piensen en cómo se relaciona con su oración y cómo pueden mejorar la

oración. Sugieran ideas al grupo y escuchen las sugerencias de los demás también. ¿Pueden decir algo más sobre eso? ¿Cuál es su parte favorita? ¿Podemos añadirle detalles? ¿Cómo se sintieron cuando sucedió eso? ¿Por qué fue tan importante ese acontecimiento?”

In Module 3, “Animales Asombrosos,” the materials provide resources and activities for explicit instruction in the writing process. For example, each module has a section called “Actividades previas a la escritura” that covers pre-writing. In this module, students write and draw about an animal they would like to know about, then set goals for their writing. The students plan a first draft by generating ideas for writing, such as drawing and brainstorming. The teacher gives the students a writing prompt: “¿Qué comen las jirafas? ¿Dónde viven las jirafas?” The section also provides “Mostrar y motivar” as a model to fill in the research animal cards. 

Evaluation for 3.B.3
Over the course of the year, students are provided opportunities to apply grade-level standard Spanish conventions to their writing.

Over the course of the year, students are provided opportunities to apply grade-level standard Spanish conventions to their writing. The materials include opportunities for the practice and application of the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing, including punctuation and grammar. Grammar, punctuation, and usage are taught systematically, both in and out of context. Although there is some evidence of introduction to accent-marked words in the form of verbs and nouns review, the materials lack evidence on systematic accent rule instruction. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 1, “¡Gusto en conocerte!” the materials provide multiple and varied opportunities for students to receive explicit instruction in Spanish conventions. The materials include units dedicated to teaching punctuation and grammar, as noted in the “Mostrar y motivar: Gramatica” charts included in each module. In this module, the students edit their class story, focusing specifically on correct capitalization of the first letter of each sentence and proper nouns. The Mostrar y motivar: Gramatica helps students identify proper nouns and use correct capitalization. The materials provide teachers support by the use of a step-by-step chart. The teacher is prompted to read aloud the information to review proper nouns: First, discuss the examples. Second, write the following sentences on the board. Third, guide children in identifying the proper nouns and write them with correct capitalization. 

In Module 2, “Mi familia, mi comunidad,” the materials provide opportunities for practice and application of the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. For example, the materials provide language-based support so that students are able to work on their writing assignments using the conventions of academic language. Each module includes “Grammar Minilessons” charts that support students’ writing. In this module, the minilesson is about adjectives (color and quantity). The teacher places crayons of a variety of colors in a box, making certain to have four or five of each color. She asks the children to sit in a circle. She takes several crayons out of the box and says in Spanish: “I have two green crayons.” Then she puts the crayons back in the box and hands the box to a child. The teacher has the children repeat the routine; for example: “I have two blue crayons,” then the child passes the box to the next child in the circle. This continues until all children have had a turn to choose color and number of crayons.

In Module 4, “Mejor Juntos,” students have opportunities to apply learning to their writing. In this module, the materials provide grammar minilessons on adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. The teacher reviews with students that an adverb is a word that modifies a verb. Adverbs can tell how, where, when, or how much. The teacher explains that adverbs can add details that make writing more interesting to readers. The materials suggest that children should work with partners to identify whether each adverb tells how (modo), where (lugar), when (tiempo), or how much (cantidad). The teacher asks children to return to a piece of their writing and look for places where they can add adverbs that tell how, where, when, and how much. Additionally, the teacher reminds children that adverbs can add more information to their writing and make it more interesting.

In Module 8, “Cuéntame un Cuento,” the materials provide lessons for correct punctuation for questions. The teacher states that a question begins with a capital letter and a question mark and ends with another question mark. The Teacher’s Guide makes the remark that questions sometimes begin with question words, such as who, what, when, where, why, and how. The teacher works with the class to turn example sentences into questions by capitalizing the first letters and adding question marks at the beginning and end. Additionally, the teacher points out that compound questions are made up of two shorter questions joined by and, but or or. An additional practice sheet is available for students to continue practicing, “Página imprimible: Gramática 1.6.4,” for more practice with questions. The Teacher’s Guide instructs the teacher to ask students to write each question correctly, then have children identify the capital letter at the beginning of each question and the question marks at the beginning and the end. The materials provide multiple and varied opportunities for students to receive explicit instruction in Spanish conventions.

Evaluation for 3.B.4
Materials include practice for students to write legibly in print (K-1) and cursive (Grade 2).

Materials include instruction and practice for students to write legibly in print. The materials include a plan for procedures and supports for teachers to assess students’ handwriting development.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 2, “Mi Familia, Mi Comunidad,” the materials include instruction in print handwriting for students. The teacher models handwriting by reminding students that they have learned that as they write, the position of the paper is important. Students volunteer to demonstrate the correct position. The materials suggest the ergonomically correct position: “the paper should be slanted along the line of the child’s writing arm, and the child should use his or her non-writing hand to hold the paper in place.” The materials include a handwriting practice sheet with a checklist for proper handwriting. 

In Module 6, “Homenaje a Estados Unidos de America,” the materials include instruction in print handwriting for students. They offer opportunities for students to trace each letter. At the beginning of the module, the Teacher’s Guide provides steps on modeling how to write uppercase and lowercase Zz. The instructions are provided in Spanish. After that, the students practice tracing Zz using their “Know It, Show It” printable worksheet that offers a model for each letter of the alphabet and space for students to practice writing it. 

In Module 7, “Maravillas de la naturaleza,” the materials include workstations for students to read and practice handwriting. In the “Word Work” stations, the students work with their weekly words. Students choose an activity to work on based on a checklist from the “Spelling and Handwriting Printable.” When students complete their activity, they verify if they trace their letters correctly by reflecting on the following questions: 

• Do my letters touch the line? 
• Can others read what I wrote?
• Did I leave enough space between words and sentences?
• What word did I write better? (The students put a star on the side of that word and respond why it is better.)

In Module 9, “Crezcan, Planta, Crezcan,” the materials offer varied activities to support instruction in print and cursive handwriting. This module offers daily lesson slides that provide ready-to-use slideshows for in-class or distance learning for the foundational skills taught at the beginning of the module. In this module, students learn about frequently used words, phonological, phonetics, orthography, and calligraphy. Students write some of the letters that appear in the Spelling Words. Finally, students work on the printable worksheet and practice script handwriting on letters: Gg, Pp, and Rr.

Evaluation for 3.C.1
Materials support students’ listening and speaking about texts.

Materials support students’ listening and speaking about texts by providing students the opportunity to listen actively and ask questions to understand information. There is evidence of consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussions that require them to share information and ideas about the topics they are discussing. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 1, “Gusto en Conocerte,” the materials provide consistent opportunities to respond to information and topics of texts. The Essential Question “How can making new friends and learning new things help us?” prompts students to reflect on their own experiences and think about a time they made a friend. The module includes the fantasy text You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown. In this story, Lucy decides she wants to make a new friend but finds out it’s harder than she thought. Students engage in productive talk by discussing the questions “What does Lucy learn about making friends? How do Lucy’s feelings change as she tries different ways to make a friend?” After reading, the students analyze the characters in the story.

In Module 3, “Animales Asombrosos,” the materials provide opportunities for students to listen actively and ask questions to understand information. Each text includes a teacher’s manual with a “Teaching Pals” (Compañero de enseñanza). These provide questions for teachers to use as they model reading and discussing the text. Teachers can refer to color-coded, point-of-use instructional notes in the Teaching Pals. The module includes the informational text The Nest by Carole Roberts. The teacher models for the students by asking and answering a question and thinking aloud: “Now I see why the mockingbird built the nest! I wonder what will happen to the eggs? I’ll keep reading to see if I can find out the answer to this question.” The “Depth of Knowledge” level is included. Possible student answers are included as a reference for the teacher.

In Module 7, “Maravillas de la Naturaleza,” the materials provide consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussions that require students to share information and ideas about the topics they are discussing. For example, the materials provide consistent opportunities to respond about information and topics of texts. In this module, the students learn about nature. After the read-aloud of On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole, the materials offer a section that includes guidelines for the teacher to engage the students in discussion. The students recall some things the girl likes about nature and list them on the board. The teacher asks suggested questions, like “Do you like these things, too? Why or why not?” Then students turn and talk to a partner to share their answers.

In Module 8, “Cuéntame un Cuento,” the Teacher’s Guide section “Read and Explore” provides guidelines to read in Spanish The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn a second time and to stop at some points to ask questions. The materials might offer suggestions for stopping points within the selection for teachers to ask some open-ended questions. After reading page 4, the teacher guide suggests asking students to identify the main character and the setting. Students discuss where Chester lives and why he goes to school at night. The teacher asks some questions, such as “What is Chester’s problem? How do you know?” After reading pages 6–17, the teacher asks what Chester's mom says to make him feel better about going to school. Lastly, after the teacher reads pages 18–19, she asks students how Chester’s problem gets solved.

In Module 10, “Atrévete a Soñar,” the materials include “Check for Understanding” questions at the end of each selection. The module uses the realistic fiction text El Color del Cielo by Peter H. Reynolds. The teacher explains to students that realistic fiction means stories that are made up, but they could happen in real life. After reading the selection, students are asked questions to check for comprehension of the text. Students make inferences, and the teacher asks, “How does Marisol feel about painting a mural? What details in the text and illustrations help you know? At the beginning of the story, what color does Marisol think the sky is? Why does she change her mind?”

Evaluation for 3.C.2
Materials engage students in collaborative discussions.

Materials provide students consistent opportunities to engage in collaborative discussions by practicing grade-appropriate speaking skills using the standard conventions of Spanish language. Additionally, the students have the opportunity to develop social communication skills that are appropriate to their grade level.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 2, “Mi familia, Mi Comunidad,” the materials provide consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussion. The module uses the informational text Whose Hands are These? by Miranda Paul. In this informational text, the hands described and the people attached to them help make their community a safe and great place to live. Students select a worker from the book to make a drawing and include details from the book. Additionally, students draw what one worker in the text does with his or her hands. Students then label the type of worker at the bottom of the page and fold up a flap to hide the label. Students ask partners to share their drawings and guess which worker’s hands are shown. To culminate the activity, students compare drawings, discussing how the hands are the same or different. Another suggestion for students to practice speaking and listening is for the teacher to use hand movements to demonstrate what one worker does and have students guess the job.

In Module 4, “Mejor Juntos,” the students have the opportunity to participate in a Reader’s Theater “Where’s the ball?” game of tag. The teacher stresses the importance of using proper rate, expression, and volume while performing. Included is a tip sheet for “Performance Tip” and “Read with Fluency.” The teacher discusses intonation and how to change their voice as they read their lines. Students look at the end marks for clues about whether to make their voices go up or down. Provided for students is a self-reflection rubric in which students rate themselves in the categories of speaking loudly and clearly, appropriate reading rate, and reading with feeling to show more about the character. Materials provide opportunities to engage in role play.

In Module 5, “Ahora lo ves, Ahora no lo ves,” the materials provide opportunities for students to practice grade-appropriate speaking skills using the standard convention of Spanish language. It provides opportunities for students to speak in a clear and concise manner using the conventions of language. The materials offer prompts in each unit that go with the academic vocabulary being taught to facilitate conversations. In this module, in the “Academic Vocabulary” section, the students work collaboratively by following agreed-upon rules for discussion, including listening to others, speaking when recognized, and making appropriate contributions. The section provides teacher actions: “Guide children to make connections between each word’s meaning and how they can use it in their own lives.” The teacher uses the following prompts and encourages children to explain or justify their answers: “Could a bird be hidden in a bare tree? Why or why not? If a strange dog nears you, would you try to avoid it? Explain. What animals dig into the ground to build their homes? Would a field in spring be covered in a blanket of snow or flowers? Explain. Who usually arrives at school early?”

In Module 7, “Maravillas de la Naturaleza,” after listening to the informative text Deserts by Quinn Arnold, students are asked to get into pairs and retell or summarize the text. The materials offer simple sentence frames for each unit that go with the concept being taught to facilitate conversations. The Teacher’s Guide suggests that teachers remind children that when they summarize, they need to use their own words to tell the most important ideas in a text. The teacher points out that using their own words helps them think about the information in the text and understand it better. The teacher reminds children to follow agreed-upon rules of discussion, such as listening carefully to each other and taking turns speaking. Students are told to use the sentence frame to ask questions if they do not understand their partners’ ideas. Children may conduct their discussions during daily small-group time.

In Module 8, “Cuéntame un Cuento,” the materials provide consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussions. The module includes protocols for students to practice speaking and listening in activities such as “Turn and talk.” Students learn about special persons that help us to resolve our problems. As the class prepares to read the fictional text The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, the teacher takes a picture walk through the book. The section “Introduce the focus text” provides guidelines for the teacher to encourage the students to turn and talk. The teacher shows students the book cover and tells students that a character in this story will face a problem and learn a lesson. During the picture walk-through, the teacher asks, “What is the setting? What do you think will happen in this story? What do you think the problem is?” The students turn and talk to a partner. They share their predictions about the problem and possible solutions, while the teacher records predictions on chart paper to display.

In Module 11, “Estudio del Género: No Ficción,” the material includes protocols for students to practice speaking and listening. In this lesson, there is a section “Fluency - Precision and Autocorrection,” where the teacher uses the strategy: “I do, we do, you do.” The learning objective is for students to read aloud with fluency, precision, and autocorrect. The materials introduce the decodable text Voting in the Animal Kingdom by Maria Silva. During the “I do” stage, the teacher reminds children that good readers think about what they are reading and whether the words make sense. Students ask themselves questions such as “Does that sound right? Does that make sense? What did I miss?” The teacher then models misreading the first sentence, pointing to each word. Teacher asks if that sounds right? Then she asks, “Why not?” Later, the teacher reads the text again, this time accurately, and asks the students if they noted how it sounded much better the second time. During the “We do” stage, the teacher asks children to turn to a certain page from the text that was read aloud. The teacher models misreading “animales” as “alimanes” in the first sentence of the second paragraph and then shows the process of self-correcting. The teacher emphasizes that the sentence does not make sense because the word “alimanes” does not exist. Finally, during the “You do” stage, students work in partners and reread the text. The teacher points out that rereading and self-correcting when things do not make sense will help them become better readers.

Evaluation for 3.D.1
Materials engage students in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for different purposes.

Materials engage students in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for different purposes by providing students with opportunities to ask and generate general questions for inquiry and generate and follow a research plan with adult assistance when applicable.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 5: “Ahora lo ves, Ahora no lo ves,” the materials support instruction for students to ask and generate general questions for inquiry with adult assistance. In first grade, students work on one three‑week-long Inquiry and Research Project per module. The first week is dedicated to launching the project by introducing the research question and making a connection to the module topic. Students work collaboratively to generate research questions, develop a research plan, and explore an area of curiosity about the topic. The teacher provides accessible source materials like books, children’s magazines, videos, and district-approved online resources. In this module, students read the text Super Shadows! (¡Supersombras!), Lexile Level 290L, Guided Reading Level G. In this text, children learn what shadows are and how they are created. Students discover variations in what shadows look like and where they appear. The Project Goal is to “work in groups to create drawings of their shadows and write about them.”

Module 7: “Maravillas de la Naturaleza,” the materials support instruction for students to generate and follow a research plan with adult assistance. In the Lesson: The Great Outdoors, students read the book report called “Storm Report” (“Pronóstico: tormentas”), Lexile Measure 430L, Guided Reading Level I. The materials explain that the author of Storm Report wrote about information she gathered from a book. The teacher displays “Anchor Chart 47: Gather Information.” The teacher talks about when students want to learn more about a topic, either on their own or for a school assignment, they should start with a research plan. “First, students brainstorm a list of questions about the topic they want to answer. When people brainstorm, they think of a lot of ideas so they can choose the best ones later. Point out that the next step is to think of sources, or places to find information.” Sources can include books, approved websites, and other media, like videos, people who know about the topic, or even themselves. Once students have a list of possible sources, they can decide which sources can better help them answer their questions. Then students look for the answers. The materials include suggested topics at the end of each unit that students can use to generate questions, as well as suggestions for places to gather information from a variety of sources. This module includes an investigation project. Students generate research questions by using the Think-Pair-Share strategy, and the teacher asks the students to brainstorm to think of research questions to answer about the weather and its changes. 

In Module 9: “¡Crezcan, plantas, crezcan!” the materials support students in identification of relevant sources based on their questions with adult assistance. The materials build in mini-lessons to show students how to review the sources for quality and include graphic organizers that students can use to organize their ideas. In this module, students learn about plants. The “Inquiry and Research Project” includes learning objectives for each week. The teacher builds background knowledge about the topic, models how to plant seeds, and then students plant their own seeds. Students observe their growing plants and record their observations on a two-column chart, and the teacher assists children in filling each step on that chart. At the end of the project, students make and present a poster that shows each stage of their plant’s growth. The materials support instruction for students to ask and generate general questions for inquiry with adult assistance. The materials have instructional suggestions to show the teacher how to guide the students in generating quality questions during a three-week inquiry and research project. During the course of this module, students research “Super sprouts.” The teacher uses the Think-Pair-Share routine to have children brainstorm research questions about their plants and gardens that they will be able to verify through experimentation. The teacher makes a note of children’s questions to revisit after they have completed their projects.

Evaluation for 3.E.1
Materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge.

Materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge through questions and tasks designed so that students build and apply knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. Tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking; include components of vocabulary, comprehension, and syntax; and provide opportunities for increased independence.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 2: “Mi familia, Mi comunidad,” the materials offer questions and tasks that are designed so that students build and apply knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. The lessons have explicitly included opportunities for students to read, write, speak, listen, think, and apply the daily objectives. In this module, the materials include a section “Vocabulario Academico” under the tab “Presentar el lenguaje oral.” Some learning objectives are included, such as answer questions and talk about the meanings to develop vocabulary. Students identify real-life connections between words and their use. Students are also encouraged to use the steps “I Do It, We Do It, You Do It” with the information in the chart below to teach the oral Power Words from the Superlibro ¿De quién son estas manos? by Miranda Paul. During independent practice, the teachers have partners work together to complete each of the activities. Teachers are instructed to circulate and observe partners as they work, providing corrective feedback as necessary. Students sketch two things that belong to them. Later, students write about what strict people are like. What kind of things do they examine? Additionally, students discuss which are the main events—or most important holidays—of the year? Finally, students demonstrate how they would persist in repairing something that is broken.

In Module 3: “Animales Asombrosos,” the integrated tasks require students to build knowledge on a worthwhile topic. The tasks included require students to work collaboratively with others to develop social and emotional skills while working to resolve problems or generate new products and solutions. This module includes an investigation project based on animal-based inventions for the next three weeks. Students are instructed to collaborate, brainstorm, research, complete, and present a project based on the investigation. Some of the learning objectives of this activity include participating in shared research projects, generating research questions, and developing plan research. Students gather information and evidence from sources.

In Module 5: “Ahora lo ves, ahora no lo ves,” questions and tasks are designed so that students build and apply knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. In Oscar and the Moth (Óscar y la polilla), with a Lexile Level 520L and a Guided Reading Level M, a narrative nonfiction story, Moth helps Oscar, a curious kitten, find out where light comes from, how shadows are made, and why darkness comes at night. The teacher reads the text, occasionally pausing to ask the questions provided in the resource “BookStix,” and students use supporting evidence and details to answer questions. Students draw a picture of an animal that creates its own light. Afterward, students write a sentence to tell about the animal. Students find details in the text and pictures to support their responses. Partners share and compare their responses and discuss how their writing is similar or different.

In Module 9: “¡Crezcan, plantas, crezcan!” the materials include tasks that integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking, which include components of vocabulary, comprehension, and syntax, and that provide opportunities for increased independence. The integrated tasks require students to build knowledge on a worthwhile topic. For example, the materials guide students to study a topic, such as plants, and read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. Activities include writing, speaking, and listening opportunities to build and demonstrate learned knowledge of plants. This module includes fiction books Un frijol by Anne Rockwell and ¿Así que quieres cultivar un taco? by Bridget Heos and nonfiction books such as ¿Que comemos hoy? by F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada. After reading aloud the fiction book Un frijol, students discuss the text. The teacher guide provides some guiding questions to help students in their listening and speaking skills. Some of those questions are: “What words does the boy use to describe his bean at the beginning?” “What has the boy done so far to help his seed grow?” and “What words did the boy use to describe the buds?” During the Writer’s Workshop stage, students are asked to write a descriptive essay. The teacher shows a connection between a descriptive essay and the focal text Un frijol and asks, “What does Un frijol describe?”

Evaluation for 3.E.2
Materials provide spiraling and scaffolded practice.

The materials provide distributed practice over the course of the year. The design includes scaffolds for students to demonstrate the integration of literacy skills that spiral over the school year.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

All modules include scaffolds for students to demonstrate integration of literacy skills that spiral over the school year. The “Teaching Pal” (“Compañero de enseñanza”) is a companion to the Teacher’s Guide, providing point-of-use instructional notes to use during the Read Aloud for different purposes. The notes for the teachers are color-coded according to skill. The “Read for Understanding Notes” (“Leer para comprender”) are blue, and the teacher uses these notes to guide collaborative discussion about the gist of the selection. “Targeted Close Read Notes” (“Lectura en detalle guiada”) are purple; during subsequent readings, the teacher uses these notes to take a closer look at sections of the text to apply a reading skill. “General Notes” (“Conversación académica”) are gold; the teacher uses these notes for teaching support on the pages that appear before and after each selection. “Notice & Note” (“Observa y anota”) are red; the teacher uses these notes to help students deepen their understanding as they learn to look for signposts in the text in order to create meaning. The materials include activities that support repeated opportunities to hear and practice skills and concepts across all language domains.

Module 1: “¡Gusto en conocerte!” materials’ design includes scaffolds for students to demonstrate integration of literacy skills that spiral over the school year. For example, each module provides suggestions of transition activities that provide review and practice of previously taught skills and concepts like making a draft for their writing. In this module, students write a draft of a personal narrative. Later on, in Module 5, students write a draft of an imaginative narrative, and finally, in Module 9: “¡Crezcan, plantas, crezcan!” students write a draft of an informative essay. 

In Module 5: “Ahora lo ves, ahora no lo ves,” the materials offer a fantasy text, Waiting Is Not Easy! (¡Esperar no es fácil!) by Mo Willems, Lexile Level 250L and Reading Level G. In this module, the comprehension skill is making connections, and the “Signpost” is used to contrast and make contradictions. The teacher encourages students to use their growing bank of known Signposts as they read different texts. Materials support distributed practice over the course of the year. Notice & Note Signposts are designed to help students think about texts in a deeper way. Through introduction of the Signposts in the Teacher’s Guide and guided support in the resource Teaching Pal, students will come to understand when to stop and question a text, learn how the language of a text is meant to affect readers, or notice places where something happens to make them wonder or question. The materials in first grade contain six Signposts for works of fiction and five Signposts for works of nonfiction. Each Signpost is accompanied by an Anchor chart to help students think more deeply about texts as they help them create meaning. Each module contains a nonfiction and a fiction Signpost. The materials for each module contain a table for the teacher to access which Signposts are featured for that module. The table includes the lesson, text titles, genre, comprehension skill, and Signpost. 

In Module 10: “Atrevete a soñar,” the materials support distributed practice over the course of the year. For example, throughout the year, materials provide suggestions for generating questions about the focus text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information with adult assistance. This module includes a section called “Presentar el texto de enfoque” in the Teacher’s Guide. That section provides questions to prepare to read La niña que podía bailar en el espacio by Maya Cointreau. Some questions provided are: “How could a girl dance in outer space?” and “Do you think this will be a true story or made-up?” During the text, the teacher checks for comprehension; after reading certain pages outlined in the Teacher’s Guide, the teacher asks, “What was the first activity Mae did?” and “What did Mae’s mother tell her to do?” Finally, after the read-aloud, students engage and respond about why they think the author told Mae’s story the way she did. They share their answers with the class.

Evaluation for 4.1
Materials provide explicit instruction in print concepts and opportunities for student practice (K-1 only).

The materials provide explicit instruction in print concepts and opportunities for student practice. Additionally, they provide explicit instruction in print awareness and connect print awareness to books and texts. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide explicit instruction in print awareness and connect print awareness to books/texts. Module 4: “Mejor Juntos,” in the word sort (“Clasificar palabras”) found in the “Foundational Skills” (“Destrezas fundamentales”) section, the activity draws attention to the spelling patterns by sorting spelling words by sound-spelling and then comparing and contrasting the words in each category. Additionally, students practice using “Know It, Show It” pages. Along with assessing the week’s Spelling Words, the teacher uses the “Surprise Words” each week to assess children’s ability to apply the spelling principle to words they did not study and go beyond the memorization of specific words. In this module, the activity involves the teacher modeling the word sort on chart paper by drawing a two-column chart; Vamos is the heading for the first column and Selva for the second. The teacher displays and reads the word nave and models how to decide whether the syllable ve is at the beginning or the end. The materials include lessons in word awareness that help children become conscious of individual words and activities.

The materials provide frequent and adequate practice about the organization of print. For example, the materials include activities in which children practice text directionality. In Module 10: “Atrevete a soñar,” during the small group lessons for the reader's workshop, the Foundational Skills section develops print directionality. One of those foundational skills is the “Concept of Print: Directionality.” The students turn to pages 66–67 of the La gran carrera text, and the teacher demonstrates how to read from left to right and from top to bottom. Then the teacher demonstrates how to turn the page. She asks the students to read, pointing with their fingers. While reading, the teacher pauses and asks the students to identify specific words. 

In Module 11: “Estudio del género no ficción,” the materials address teaching print concepts, including activities that encourage the students to play with print. The Foundational Skills section includes an activity about how to connect the weekly high-frequency words by playing “Memory Game.” The teacher uses two sets of “Word Cards.” She places the Word Cards face down on the table. The students take turns turning over two cards. They read the words. If the words match, they keep the Word Cards. If not, they place them face down again. The game ends when the students find all Word Cards pairs.

Evaluation for 4.2
Materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and opportunities for student daily practice (e.g., rhyming, syllabication, blending, segmenting, manipulation) (K-1 only).

The materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and opportunities for students’ daily practice in rhyming, syllabication, blending, segmenting, and manipulation for first-grade level. Additionally, the materials provide opportunities for students to practice oral language activities, including explicit instruction in each newly taught sound and sound pattern, sound/phoneme, syllable pattern, and finally, practice blending spoken phonemes to form syllables and syllables to form multisyllabic words.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide opportunities for students to practice each newly taught sound/phoneme and syllable pattern. The Scope and Sequence for the twelve modules in first grade includes lessons for “phonics” and “phonological awareness.” Each week contains a lesson that engages students to enhance their rhyme recognition skills. The activities are intended to help students produce rhymes using familiar songs, rhymes, and poems. Each lesson in the twelve modules contains a “Foundational Skills” segment that includes lessons in phonological awareness, phonics, spelling, high-frequency words, concepts of print, and fluency. The program explicitly teaches all phonemes and syllable patterns, as evidenced by their Scope and Sequence.

Module 1: “Gusto en conocerte” includes the poem Sapitos by Alma Flor Ada, and the materials instruct the teacher to read the poem aloud to the students. The materials provide opportunities for students to practice segmenting words into syllables to form new words. After reading the poem, the teacher tells the students to listen to the word sapitos and divide the word into syllables: sa-pi-tos. After that, the teacher rereads the poem aloud and has children raise their hands when they hear other words with /s/ or /l/ (sapitos, lima, luna, limón, liso, lupa, laguna, lirón). The students segment the words into syllables. For independent practice, students work in pairs. The teacher assigns one of the words in the Spanish column to each pair and has children segment into syllables and form the word with the letter cards (“Tarjetas de letras”). Additionally, each pair of students is encouraged to step to the front, display their word, and segment it into syllables. The materials provide teachers with some activity ideas, such as providing the students with a sentence from a familiar poem or song to first segment words in a sentence.

In Module 2: “Mi familia, Mi comunidad,” in the Foundational Skills section under the heading “Fonética,” the teacher is directed to show the syllable blending routine by displaying the letters g, a, s. The teacher asks students to say the first letter and sound. After that, the teacher asks the students to say the second letter and sound. Once students have successfully completed this task, the teacher asks them to blend the remaining letters and read the blended sounds out loud: “/gă/ /s/, gas.” The materials provide regular, systematic modeling of phonemic and phonological awareness learning. The materials build students’ skills to master the phonics focus each week. Early in grade 1, teachers are directed to use the sound-by-sound blending routine to help students connect letters to sounds and blend letter sounds to read words. In late grade 1, they use the continuous blending routine to help children blend and read words. 

In Module 3: “Animales Asombrosos,” the materials provide explicit instruction in each newly taught sound and sound pattern. The materials provide ideas for activities, such as the ones found throughout the module. There is an activity, “Sort by Initial Syllable,” where the teacher asks students to listen to the beginning of words to hear how some begin with the same syllable. The teacher displays the cards for regla and reloj and has students identify the words. The teacher helps students determine if words begin with the same syllable by saying, “Escucha la primera sílaba en regla y reloj y dime en qué se parecen.” Students identify the alliteration and say the first syllable as they clap. (re-loj, re-dondo) The teacher displays the cards rana, rata, regla, reloj, roble, robot, rubio, rumor. Students name the cards and listen for the words that begin with the same syllable and the words that do not. “Ra-na and ra-ta begin with the same syllable, ra, so I will group them together.” Students repeat the words that begin with the same syllable. After that, the teacher divides students into groups to sort the prepared cards by initial syllable. The words rana, rata, regla, reloj, roble, robot, rubio, rumor. Students take turns taking a card, naming it, and listening for the first syllable. Each group decides what words begin with the same syllable, says them aloud, and groups them together.

In Module 9: “¡Crezcan, plantas, crezcan!” in the “Destrezas Fundamentales” section in week 1, the materials provide opportunities for students to practice oral language activities. The teacher explains and provides clear guidance to students that, sometimes, when we delete a syllable from a word, we form a new word. She also explains that we can delete the syllable at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. The teacher displays the “Tarjeta de fotos” for grillo and identifies what it represents. She says that it is a small cricket, so it is a grillito. The teacher segments the word into syllables and asks the children to delete the middle syllable. Then she says: “Grillito. Let’s segment the word into syllables: gri-lli-to. If we delete the middle syllable, what syllables do we have left? (two: gri-to) What new word can we form?” (grito) The students use the new word in a sentence. The teacher continues with the following examples: tigresa – sa = tigre; preguntamos – mos = pregunta; granola – la = grano; desprende – des = prende; alumbra – lum = abra; asombra – a = sombra. The materials include frequent and adequate practice in phonological awareness. For example, materials provide clear guidance for teachers to routinely and directly instruct students on how to delete syllables in spoken words and how to form a new word.

Evaluation for 4.3
Materials provide explicit systematic instruction in phonetic knowledge and opportunities for students to practice both in and out of context (K-2).

The materials provide explicit systematic instruction in phonetic knowledge and opportunities for students to practice both in and out of context. Materials include a research-based sequence of grade-level foundational skills instruction and opportunities for ample student practice to achieve grade-level mastery. Additionally, materials systematically develop knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns as addressed in the SLAR TEKS for grades K-2. Materials provide opportunities for students to apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to connected texts (e.g., decodable reader). Materials include building spelling knowledge as identified in the SLAR TEKS.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a research-based sequence of grade-level foundational skills instruction and opportunities for ample student practice to achieve grade-level mastery. Materials systematically develop knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns as addressed in the SLAR TEKS for grades K-2. In Module 1, “Gusto en conocerte,” the materials recommend the teacher utilize the “I do, we do, you do” by displaying syllables “Tarjeta de sílabas y ortografía.” The teacher slides the first letter to form the first syllable and reads it. After that, the teacher repeats the step to form the second syllable and read it. Then, the teacher slides the second syllable next to the first one. She repeats the syllable-blending routine with “Tarjetas de letras” for the words uva and uno, having children blend the syllables to read the words. 

The materials systematically develop knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns as addressed in the SLAR TEKS. The materials provide scope and sequence with teacher suggestions on how to teach the skill. For example, the “Secuencia de instrucción” (Scope and Sequence) provides an overview of each week’s phonic skills with the corresponding Standards/TEKS. In Module 10: “Atrévete a soñar,” in Week 1, the “fonética” lesson is “Combinaciones fl, gl, tl and Sufijos -oso, -osa, -mente.” Some suggestions to teach the skill are to read the poem “Los globos,” write the word globos, read the word silently, read it aloud, break the word into syllables, and finally, the materials suggest the student repeat the process with the words floreados, and atletas.

The materials provide opportunities for students to apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to connected texts. The materials provide opportunities for students to read high-frequency words in and out of context. For example, the teacher provides students with sentences that are missing the high-frequency words. In Module 10: “Atrévete a soñar,” in Lesson 1, the teacher provides questions related to the high-frequency words. “¿Qué palabra usamos para decir que algo está en medio de dos cosas?” (entre) “¿Cuando algo está al final también decimos que está al? (fin).”

Evaluation for 4.4
Materials provide frequent opportunities for students to practice and develop fluency while reading a wide variety of grade-level texts at the appropriate rate with accuracy and prosody. (Grades 1-2 only)

The materials provide frequent opportunities for students to practice and develop fluency while reading a wide variety of grade-level texts at the appropriate rate with accuracy and prosody. Materials include explicit instruction in fluency, including rate with accuracy and prosody. Materials provide opportunities and routines for teachers to regularly monitor and provide corrective feedback on rate, accuracy, and prosody. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include explicit instruction in fluency, including rate, accuracy, and prosody. The materials include the “Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio” (“Taller de destrezas fundamentales y estudio de palabras”) that provides targeted intervention for students who need practice in the critical areas of print concepts, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, word recognition, and fluency. The studio includes instruction and practice at multiple grade levels, enabling teachers to bring students gradually up to grade level. Key features of the studio include Instructional sessions that follow the steps of Teach/Model, Guided Practice, and Apply. Reproducible Practice Pages are used in the Apply step of most sessions. Text passages for cumulative review and fluency practice have Lexile measures that gradually increase. Lexile measures are shown in the introduction to the “My Progress” graph. The materials include cumulative reviews, integrated with fluency practice, to cement learning over time. Students can track their progress through these cumulative reviews on their My Progress graphs. “Intervention Assessments” (“Evaluaciones para la intervención”) are efficient, valid assessments that can help instructors place students in appropriate lessons based on their needs and performance. The assessments can also be used to check that students are progressing toward grade-level achievement at an appropriate pace.

In Module 8: “Cuéntame un cuento,” Week 8, the teacher models fluency by reading smoothly, reading with expression, and reading at an appropriate speed. The teacher’s guide in the subsection “Destrezas fundamentales” includes “Fluidez,” where the teacher provides instruction using the gradual-release model. First, the teacher reminds students that good readers read with expression. This means that they show the meaning of the sentences and the feelings behind them with their voices. She explains to the children that paying attention to end punctuation can help them know when to change their voices to show feelings. Additionally, the teacher tells the children that reading with expression helps listeners know the meaning of the sentences. The teacher models reading in a monotone first and then reading with appropriate expression to show emotion. Then, they use the partner reading routine for partners to reread the page to each other. The teacher coaches the children to read with appropriate expression. At the end, students practice reading with prosody using the partner reading routine with the story “La visita al museo.” Partners are encouraged to give each other feedback.

The materials provide opportunities and routines for teachers to regularly monitor and provide corrective feedback on rate, accuracy, and prosody. Teachers use the “Oral Reading Fluency assessment” to assess a child’s oral reading fluency, accuracy, and rate, as well as information about decoding strategies using specific grade-level targeted vocabulary. The teacher uses the results to determine whether children would benefit from intervention instruction or require additional diagnostic testing. Additionally, every Leveled Reader also has a corresponding “Oral Reading Record” (“Registro de lectura oral”) so teachers can monitor children’s reading as frequently as needed. The analysis of the Oral Reading Record includes the formula so the teacher can determine the accuracy percentage.

The materials provide opportunities and routines for teachers to regularly monitor and provide corrective feedback on rate, accuracy, and prosody. The materials provide teachers with routines and opportunities to monitor student fluency. For example, the materials include the “Guided Reading Benchmark Assessment Kit” to determine children’s Guided Reading levels and make instructional decisions. The kit includes a paired fiction and nonfiction Benchmark Leveled Reader for Guided Reading levels A–N. Including this range of levels allows the teacher to assess accelerated learners in the class beyond grade-level expectations. 

Evaluation for 5.1
Materials include developmentally-appropriate diagnostic tools (e.g. formative and summative progress monitoring) and guidance for teachers, students, and administrators to monitor progress.

The materials include developmentally appropriate diagnostic tools and guidance for teachers, students, and administrators to monitor progress in a variety of settings (observational, anecdotal). They also provide guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of diagnostic tools. Additionally, the materials include diagnostic tools to measure content and process skills for SLAR K-2, as outlined in the SLAR TEKS.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a variety of diagnostic tools that are developmentally appropriate (e.g., observational, anecdotal, formal). At the beginning of the school year, the online platform offers screening assessments to monitor all students for reading difficulties. For first grade, the materials focus on Letter Identification and Phoneme Segmentation assessments to obtain an idea of a student’s skills upon entry into the grade level and again in the middle of the year. The materials include “Screening Assessments of Nonsense-Word Reading and Word Identification” and a mid-year test of “Oral Reading Fluency.” The Diagnostic Assessments provide information on a student’s performance on the essential skills and strategies necessary to prepare and become a successful reader. These assessments are based on students’ performance on the Screening Assessments. The materials provide guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of diagnostic tools. The Diagnostic assessment “iRead,” offered three times a year at the beginning, middle, and end of the year, provides the teacher with detailed instruction on how to enable the test for students. It also provides constant reminders to the teachers so they are aware of when the testing window opens and closes. 

The teacher uses this data to group students according to ability level and evaluate performance and growth throughout the year. The materials recommend assessing students three times a year, at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Reports are available immediately for teachers and administrators. They outline in detail those areas where students need assistance and those areas that students have mastered. The materials include resources for Screening, Diagnostic, and Progress-Monitoring Assessments (Evaluaciones preliminar, diagnóstica y para verificar el progreso). The Intervention Assessments provide screening, diagnostic, and progress-monitoring assessments to identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties and provide recommendations on the amount of support students are likely to need during reading instruction. The materials encourage teachers to hold data meetings with students to share the results with them and work on tracking their personal goals in order to keep up with their own progress and growth. This is done through data trackers offered in the materials. Students are also encouraged to keep up with the reading log included in the materials to keep track of the books read in school and at home. 

The materials include a separate assessment guide or section that supports the teacher in understanding the types of informal assessment tools included. To locate the intervention assessments component, “Evaluaciones para la intervención,” the teacher needs to navigate the digital platform, HMH Ed: Your Friend in Learning. Under the Resources panel, the teacher selects the “Evaluación” icon. Finally, in the Filters panel, the teacher opens the “Componente” section and selects the “Evaluaciones para la intervención” tab.

Evaluation for 5.2
Materials include guidance for teachers and administrators to analyze and respond to data from diagnostic tools.

The materials include guidance for teachers and administrators to analyze and respond to data from diagnostic tools. Materials support teachers with guidance and direction to respond to individual students’ needs in all domains, based on measures of student progress appropriate to developmental level. Diagnostic tools yield meaningful information for teachers to use when planning instruction and differentiation. Materials also provide a variety of resources and teacher guidance on how to leverage different activities to respond to student data. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials support teachers with guidance and direction to respond to individual students’ needs in all domains, based on measures of student progress appropriate to their developmental level. The materials include “Recommendations for Data-Driven Instruction” (“Recomendaciones para la enseñanza basada en los datos”) in the Screening, Diagnostic, and Progress-Monitoring Assessments section. Before providing recommendations, an overview is given with steps to follow: the teacher needs to identify student needs; if a student shows a weak area on the Screening Assessment, the teacher is instructed to administer a more specific diagnostic test to pinpoint the missing skills. Once that has taken place, the teacher provides intensive instruction based on assessment results, using “Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio.” Later, the teacher scaffolds the Core; in addition, the teacher continues providing scaffolded support (which may include strategic, or Tier II, intervention) during core instruction for two weeks. Finally, the teacher monitors progress using the Progress Monitoring Assessments and core assessments. The materials offer recommendations in detail for each grade level that support interventions. The materials also offer action steps that need to be applied after the assessments have concluded. Some of the suggestions are as follows: “Below Goal” in the Screening Assessments for Nonsense Word Reading, Oral Reading Fluency. The assessment results can be utilized to understand the learning of a specific student.

The materials provide a variety of resources and teacher guidance on how to leverage different activities to respond to student data. The materials recommend that the teacher assess all students at the beginning of the year using “Intervention Assessments” and use the data to plan flexible groups for foundational skills lessons. Teachers are encouraged to use whole-class instruction to teach skills that the majority of children have not mastered. The materials offer guidance on grouping students into small groups according to reading ability to teach skills that a cohort of children in the class needs to learn or review. The materials provide separate resources intended to reinforce the development of literacy skills. Suggestions for the “Guided Reading group” (“Grupos de lectura guiada”) include Rigby Leveled Readers, Take and Teach Lessons, and Tabletop Minilessons: Reading. Additionally, the materials offer suggestions for the “Foundational Skills” group (“Grupo de apoyo de destrezas y estrategias”): Start Right Reader, Reinforce Foundational Skills lessons, Learning Cards, Foundational Skills and Word Study Studio.

The materials provide guidance for administrators to support teachers in analyzing and responding to data. The materials suggest: “Using Data to Drive Decision-Making: The first step in developing a multi-tiered system of support is assessment. Different types of assessment can help educators and administrators identify areas in which children need additional support. Screening: Screen children to assess their academic performance against grade-level standards. Diagnostic: For children whose initial assessment scores show areas of concern, administer assessments to determine the focus for intervention. Progress Monitoring: Use ongoing progress monitoring to measure the effectiveness of instruction or intervention.” Also provided in each module are weekly assessments (Evaluaciones semanales), module assessments (Evaluación del módulo), and Module Inventories (Inventario del modulo) (Grade K and 1 only), which assess select children’s progress with foundational skills at the end of each module for more information. When teachers assign any program assessment, they can review students’ scores in the Assessment Report. This report highlights the standards on the test that students struggled with most and allows them to review responses to each item. It also allows them to automatically create groups based on students’ scores so that they target the areas of greatest need. Administrators are able to access these reports under the “Reports” tab on the main page of the materials online. They have access to each individual class and can easily spot which are the weakest areas so that they can assist teachers with targeting certain skills. 

Evaluation for 5.3
Materials include frequent, embedded opportunities for monitoring progress.

The materials include frequent, embedded opportunities for monitoring progress. The materials include routine and systematic progress monitoring opportunities that accurately measure and track student progress. Additionally, the frequency of progress monitoring is appropriate for the age and content skill.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include routine and systematic progress monitoring opportunities that accurately measure and track student progress. Each module includes a two-page layout of the “Assessment and Progress Monitoring” (“Evaluación y supervisión del progreso”) available for the following weeks. The teacher can assess using these resources: Selection quizzes, weekly assessments, ongoing formative assessments, module assessments, performance-based assessments, and writing assessments. When the students take the Weekly and Module Assessments online, the teacher is able to access data reports to analyze gaps and gains, form groups for differentiated instruction, and locate resources to target children’s needs. In the Assessment Report, the teacher can view class scores for each assessment and analyze student proficiency data. In the Standards Report, the teacher can follow the students’ progress in standards proficiency and access resources that support learning those skills.

The materials recommend embedded systematic observations of students’ everyday activities and interactions as opportunities to track progress and assess skills in authentic situations. The materials provide systems for documenting observational assessment of students’ oral language skills during literacy centers, free play, and other daily activities. Teachers are instructed to utilize Learning-Explore foundations as well as best practices for building literacy skills, and they are encouraged to implement routines to actively engage young children in learning.

The materials recommend informal assessments that allow teachers to observe and document children’s learning and behaviors over time. Continued progress monitoring provides teachers with feedback for identifying each child’s skill level and how they change over time. The “Evaluaciones para la intervención” (intervention assessments) include progress monitoring assessments to monitor the progress of students who are receiving intervention and to evaluate when they are ready to exit the intervention program. Each grade level has multiple tests designed to assess students’ reading ability frequently throughout the school year.

Frequency of progress monitoring is appropriate for the age and content skill. The Progress Monitoring Assessments provide biweekly checks on students’ progress. These oral reading tests are administered individually and assess students’ growth or problems in pre-reading/reading skills throughout the school year. The assessments provide checks on students’ ability to decode words and read high-frequency words and sentences and culminate with Oral Reading Fluency passages. The assessments should take three to five minutes.

The materials include recommendations for assessing students with formal progress monitoring measures at least three times in a school year, such as at the beginning of the year, the middle of the year, and the end of the year. This frequency allows teachers to identify which students are not showing sufficient progress. “Medida de Crecimiento” for beginning, middle, and end of the year. The beginning-of-year test window opens from July 1 through October 31, the middle-of-year test window opens from November 1 through March 1, and the end-of-year test window opens from March 2 through June 30. 

Evaluation for 6.1
Materials include guidance, scaffolds, supports, and extensions that maximize student learning potential.

The materials include guidance for scaffolding, supporting, and extending student learning potential. The materials provide teachers with additional lessons and activities to scaffold student understanding toward mastery, including small-group reading instruction. The materials include extension activities for students who have mastered the content and enrichment activities for all learners regardless of content mastery. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Module 1, the Teacher’s Guide supports teachers in understanding the process of the lesson “Gusto en conocerte.” The materials recommend five contents sorted by “Lecciones” with a time frame per day and week. The materials offer learning extension opportunities targeted for all learners. The activities provide the teacher with structure on how to build knowledge by utilizing a systematic approach where the teacher follows a pacing calendar sorted into five lessons per week. Additionally, the materials include the section “Reforzar las Destrezas fundamentales,” which provides activities for small group guided reading instruction. Students read a lower-level book during the “Leer” activity, along with an assigned text, for example, the text ¿Eeee?, intended to assist learners who have not mastered the content. 

Module 1, “Lectura compartida,” provides practice for shared reading amongst students with elements of poetry during “Taller de Lectura.” The Taller de Lectura guide includes an independent practice stage, “Practica independiente,” that supports students who have mastered content by asking students to respond to higher-order thinking questions provided by the lesson guide. In this module, the text Ralph cuenta un cuento is used to support student development for generating ideas and identifying central theme. It engages students in the process of writing a story, which will eventually increase in complexity as they move ahead in the process. 

In Module 2, students are given two options of assignments for independent work during “Taller de Escritura.” These assignments allow students to become more independent as well as making them accountable for their learning process. In week 1, the “Search for a Theme” activity, the teacher asks students to write a brief description of something that makes their world amazing. Students come up with their own ideas and write them down. In week 2, the “Plan for a descriptive essay” activity, the students generate their drafts, ensuring that all the elements are addressed. Throughout the lessons, the materials provide teachers with opportunities to scaffold the writing process to support students that have not yet mastered the content. The materials provide additional suggestions for students that are on level and those that have mastered the content to support their writing. For example, these students would focus on sensorial words during their writing to bring more accuracy to their writing. These activities provide the teacher with relevant feedback needed to check for understanding, ideal for all learners. The Teacher’s Guide also provides the teacher with suggestions regarding extending the lesson and reteaching if necessary.

Evaluation for 6.2
Materials provide a variety of instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning interests and needs.

The materials provide a variety of instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning interests and needs. Materials include a variety of instructional approaches to engage students in mastery of content in an array of multimodal instructional strategies, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. The materials support whole and small group instruction. Additionally, the materials offer guided, independent, and collaborative instruction practices, providing guidance and structures to achieve implementation.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide opportunities for students to engage in indirect learning through discovery, with teachers observing, guiding, and conferring with students. Read-Aloud lessons provide a common foundation for students who are at various levels of reading proficiency. The materials include directions for teachers to use during Read Aloud. The teacher will “ask children to talk about the cover and predict what the book will be about. Read the text the first time with minimal interruptions. Stop only to briefly define unfamiliar words and at preplanned spots to check for understanding. Model fluent reading, using accurate pronunciation and appropriate pacing, rate, intonation, and expression.” The lessons incorporate a variety of different instructional approaches for teaching literacy skills.

The materials include lessons to support concept acquisition for students exhibiting a need for additional one-on-one support. During Guided Reading Groups, teachers “Choose books that match children’s instructional levels and target specific reading behaviors to reinforce whole-group skills.” Materials provide flexible teaching sessions from “Take and Teach Lessons” (“Elegir y enseñar”) that support the leveled readers to deliver scaffolded instruction to guided reading groups. Take and Teach lessons provide options for teacher-led guided reading sessions focusing on key ideas and details, text and graphic features, author's purpose, and responding and extending activities. After the lesson, students ask questions and relate to the text. The materials guide the teacher: “Explain that children will be using what they have read and their own opinions to respond to the text. Then assign and support one or more of the activities below.” Responses can be a project, research connection, response writing, vocabulary, or a hands-on activity. “Explique a los estudiantes que usarán lo que han leído y sus propias opiniones para responder al texto. Luego, asigne y présteles el apoyo necesario para completar una o más de las siguientes actividades.” The materials provide activities to support students who need more one-on-one attention for a particular skill or concept acquisition.

Module 1, week 1, “¡Gusto en conocerte!” the informative text ¡Intenta esto!, included in the “Reading Pal,” provides the students with rich information in order to begin developing the module theme. The module begins with the Essential Question “¿Por qué es importante hacer nuevos amigos y aprender cosas nuevas?” The question allows the students to think of possible answers that will be the focus of the module. The teacher is guided to use the “Video de Mentes curiosas: Amigos desde el primer día” to introduce the theme to students and guide them with key details throughout the module. The materials include activities designed specifically for direct instruction that encourage participation through questioning, collaboration, and kinesthetic learning. Activities include strategies such as think-pair-share, shared reading, independent reading, and guided reading.

The materials support multiple types of practices (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and provide guidance and structures to achieve effective implementation. Each lesson includes the “Ideas y apoyo” that moves from modeling, practicing together, providing guided practice, and encouraging independence for supporting newly taught literacy skills. Each lesson includes the “Fonetica” section, where the teacher supports using the gradual release model by having the routine “mi turno, nuestro turno y tu turno.” For example, in Module 2, Lesson 1: “Silabas con n /n/,” the teacher shows the picture card, which includes the word and the correct spelling for the word nido. Students say the word nido out loud. The teacher tells the students: “Esta palabra empieza con la consonante /n/.” The teacher asks the students to repeat after her: “Hay un nido en ese pino.” Following that, the teacher asks the students to “Separemos en sílabas la palabra nido. (ni-do) La primera sílaba es ni. ¿Cuál es la sílaba? (ni). La segunda sílaba es do ¿Cuál es la sílaba? (do).”

Module 3, “Animales Asombrosos,” includes a section “Guided Reading Groups” intended to scaffold and assist struggling readers with basic decoding skills. Students select books within their reading level to read during independent reading time. Additionally, materials support flexible grouping by encouraging teachers to sort students into groups according to their reading abilities. The teacher monitors comprehension and reinforces learning by amplifying learning with the suggested learning-supporting activities like finding new vocabulary words within the text, reviewing word meaning, and ensuring that students successfully identify the text’s theme.

Evaluation for 6.3
Materials include supports for English Learners (ELs) to meet grade-level learning expectations.

Materials do not include support for English Learners (ELs) to meet grade-level learning expectations. Materials do not include accommodations for linguistics (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency. Materials do not encourage strategic use of students’ primary language as a means to develop linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic skills in the target language (e.g., to enhance vocabulary development).

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials in first grade are in Spanish and support the development of literacy skills in the Spanish language. Units 1–9 support Spanish language acquisition through the use of videos, visuals, and high-quality texts in Spanish. However, there is no evidence that the materials provide accommodations for English learners with various levels of English proficiency. Also, materials do not encourage strategic use of students’ primary language as a means to develop linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic skills in English. The goal is to develop literacy skills in the Spanish language. 

Evaluation for 7.1
Materials include year-long plans with practice and review opportunities that support instruction.

Materials include year-long plans with practice and review opportunities that support instruction. Additionally, they include a cohesive, year-long plan to build students’ concept development and consider how to vertically align instruction that builds year to year. Finally, the materials provide spiraled review and practice of knowledge and skills in all domains throughout the span of the curriculum.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to build students’ concept development and consider how to vertically align instruction that builds year to year. The materials’ plan supports efficient planning for teachers by identifying directly-taught learning goals of focus within each unit as well as outlining opportunities for review and practice of other content domains. The Teacher’s Guide includes, at the beginning of each module, “Desarrollar los conocimientos y destrezas” section. The section provides support for teachers to help their students build topic knowledge and develop foundational reading, writing, and oral language skills through daily whole- and small-group instruction. The information is divided into five sections: “Learning mindset: Build knowledge and Language,” “Foundational Skills,” “Reading Workshop & Vocabulary,” “Writing Workshop,” and “Demonstrate knowledge.” 

The materials include weekly “Foundational Skills” that provide a clear content plan for instruction. The activities are clearly connected within each unit, and the introduction of new concepts builds upon prior knowledge. Some of the activities include:

• High-Frequency Words lessons to teach and practice reading, spelling, and using high-frequency sight words. Teachers use the High-Frequency Words routine to teach these commonly used words each week. Following that, the teacher builds students’ automaticity by having them practice the words throughout the week in varied activities that focus on reading, writing, spelling, and using the words in conversation. A weekly printable word list is available for students to review with their families at home.
• Phonological Awareness skills lessons that aim to have children identify, produce, and manipulate the sounds in spoken words and syllables. The lessons engage students to enhance their rhyme recognition skills and help them produce rhymes using familiar songs, rhymes, and poems. The teachers use Picture cards to help students work with sounds. Teachers cycle through phonological awareness skills—as students develop decoding and encoding skills, this spiraling review benefits students that did not grasp the concept when the skill was introduced.
• Phonics lessons to introduce sound-spellings that help children associate consonants, consonant blends, digraphs and trigraphs, short and long vowels, vowel digraphs and diphthongs, and other common vowel spellings with the sounds they represent and to read words with these sound-spellings. They build children’s skills to master the phonics focus each week. Early in grade 1, teachers use the sound-by-sound routine to help children connect letters to sounds and blend letter sounds to read words. Later in grade 1, teachers use the Continuous Blending routine to help children blend and read words. Then, they introduce more complex routines for syllabication.

The materials provide spiraled review and practice of knowledge and skills in all domains throughout the span of the curriculum. The materials include activities that support repeated opportunities to learn and practice using knowledge and skills in all domains. The materials include recommendations for review and practice of specific literacy skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, noting connections within and across units. Each week, the materials include “Vistazo a la semana,” where teachers can visualize how to preview and build understanding of the topics of the week. The materials include support in language, foundational skills, reading, and writing. The “Guiding Principles and Strategies/Teacher and Learning” section provides guidance about how children build networks of knowledge that help them construct meaning. It gives the definition of prior knowledge and background knowledge. Both components are included in each lesson. 

The materials include weekly academic vocabulary called “Palabras Poderosas.” The Power Words lessons introduce and review high-utility academic and content vocabulary from the student’s text. The techniques used are: 

• Directly teach words: Focus on sophisticated words that appear in a variety of texts and across content areas, using a consistent routine. 
• Address language differences: Directly teach the language of school and make direct comparisons between “school language” and “home language.” 
• Share words in context.
• Provide repeated exposures to words: Find ways for the words to “crop up” throughout the year, to provide repeated exposure to them over time, and take note when students use the words. 

Evaluation for 7.2
Materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators.

The materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators that are accompanied by an SLAR TEKS-aligned scope and sequence outlining the essential knowledge and skills that are taught in the program, the order in which they are presented, and how knowledge and skills build and connect across grade levels. Additionally, materials include a school year’s worth of instruction, including realistic pacing guidance and routines. The materials include resources and guidance to help administrators support teachers with implementation.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials are accompanied by a SLAR TEKS-aligned scope and sequence outlining the essential knowledge and skills that are taught in the program, the order in which they are presented, and how knowledge and skills build and connect across grade levels. Each module is divided into the weeks allocated for the module. Each week includes the skills that will be taught. The components include the TEKS that correspond to the skill. The TEKS are cited on the pages of the “Teacher’s Guide” where that particular TEKS is being covered. The materials include a scope and sequence for instruction. The scope and sequence shows alignment to the appropriate grade-level SLAR TEKS and outlines the sequence of instruction towards the end-of-year outcomes. The scope and sequence outlines the materials’ focus and how the plans support students at different levels of knowledge, building across grade levels. The Teacher’s Guide and online resources include an organized chart that clearly delineates which knowledge and skills are introduced and which are reviewed within each unit. The resource “Conocimientos y destrezas esenciales de Texas” in the “Correlación con los estándares” section provides a description of the standard correlation with the student and teacher materials from the Teacher’s Guide. 

The materials include support to help teachers with implementation and navigation of the resources. For example, the materials are color-coded to easily identify the content on the page. Each instructional component of the materials has its own color-coded pages. These are sorted as follows: “Desarrollar los conocimientos y el lenguaje” in red, “Lectura y vocabulario” in light blue, “Destrezas fundamentales” in purple, “Taller de escritura” in green, and “Demostrar conocimientos” in navy blue. The materials include an overview at the beginning of each week or unit of instruction that emphasizes the purpose of the lessons and activities to come. The section is located on week 1 of each module for all grade levels and is intended to support every student as they work towards building upon known concepts. The section also supports teachers in purposeful planning and making connections within and between the weeks of instruction. For example, in week 1, Lesson 1 for each module includes a “Week at a Glance” that outlines the topic of each lesson for the components of the day. It includes a comprehensive materials list for preparation as well as additional books and resources to support instruction. 

The materials include resources and guidance to help administrators support teachers in implementing the materials as intended. The materials include guidance for evaluating and supporting the classroom environment and implementation of the lessons. For example, the materials include “The Lenguaje dual: Guía de implementación/Dual Language Implementation Guide,” which has best practices such as how to group students and assessment strategies such as running records or module evaluations. Also included are ideas for reaching out to families and community members by providing family letters in every module that outline the different activities parents can do at home to support their child’s learning, like reading to them or creating a reading corner at home. 

The materials include a school years’ worth of literacy instruction, including realistic pacing guidance and routines. The pacing guides are year-long plans that showcase lessons and activities for a full year of instruction. The lessons can be reasonably implemented within the time constraints of a school year. For example, the pacing guides or yearly plans give evidence that the materials include lessons to support systematic pacing of SLAR TEKS-based instruction throughout the year. The materials include a weekly “Secuencia de instrucción” scope and sequence instruction for each module. It includes the five instructional components for each week: “Taller de lectura, vocabulario, destrezas fundamentales, taller de escritura, and dual language settings.” The “Secuencia de instrucción” can be found in the “Recursos para maestros.” 

Evaluation for 7.3
Materials provide implementation guidance to meet variability in programmatic design and scheduling considerations.

The materials provide implementation guidance to meet variability in programmatic design and scheduling considerations. Additionally, materials provide guidance for strategic implementation without disrupting the sequence of content that must be taught in a specific order following a developmental progression. They also allow LEAs the ability to incorporate the curriculum into district, campus, and teacher programmatic design and scheduling considerations.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide guidance for strategic implementation without disrupting the sequence of content that must be taught in a specific order following a developmental progression. The materials include lessons divided into three weeks, and each lesson takes one day; there are five lessons in a week. The materials recommend the teacher start on Week 1, Day 1, and use the Week-at-a-Glance (“Vistazo a la semana”) pages for guidance on the skills and tasks to focus on. The Teacher’s Guide provides a pacing calendar that includes the Week-at-a-glance for each instructional week. A summary of the week is divided into three main areas: 1) Suggested Daily Times: Used as a guide for scheduling each block in the lesson. The color tabs match the colors of each block in the lesson breakdown next to it. 2) This Week’s Words: Found here are the different types of vocabulary words that will be taught over the week; for example, power words, high-frequency words, etc. 3) Assessment Options and Intervention: Teachers can check here for the assessments for the lesson. Intervention options are in Small-Group Instruction in the lesson breakdown. Next to the overview is a breakdown of each lesson in the week that describes which skills students will be working on and what tools are needed to teach them. Lessons include instructional blocks on foundational skills, vocabulary, reading, writing, and communication. 

Materials are designed in a way that allows LEAs the ability to incorporate the curriculum into district, campus, and teacher programmatic design and scheduling considerations. The materials include a “TEKS aligned by standard” section. The alignment of the program's resources to the TEKS can support teachers by using instructional resources that align with the district’s framework. The Standards search also allows teachers to determine appropriate texts for students to pair with standards, using information about text complexity. The materials facilitate choosing from the program’s resources for each standard or set of standards. The materials also include a suggested allotment of time in the Instructional Model: A Day of Into Reading targets children’s diverse needs using whole-class instruction, teacher-led small groups, and options for collaborative work and independent practice. The schedules are included for a 45–60 minute time block of instruction.

Evaluation for 7.4
Materials provide guidance on fostering connections between home and school.

Materials provide guidance on fostering connections between home and school by supporting development of strong relationships between teachers and families. Additionally, materials specify activities for use at home to support students’ learning and development.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials support development of strong relationships between teachers and families. The “Guiding Principles and Strategies” resource includes ideas and resources for teachers to communicate with families and keep families informed of their child’s progress. The resource communicates ways teachers and parents can work together to meet children’s learning needs throughout the year. The teacher can mail a personal letter or postcard to children and let them know that they are looking forward to the first day of school. The teacher can call children’s parents or caregivers to introduce themselves and answer any questions they may have about the first week of school. The materials recommend translating any communication or handouts and having translators available for meetings or conferences if needed. The teachers are guided to let parents know how often they should expect to hear from the teacher and how and when they can reach the teacher. The teacher can also inform parents of volunteer opportunities and how they can get involved at the school or in the classroom throughout the year.

The materials specify activities for use at home to support students’ learning and development. The materials include online access to resources parents can use at home, such as resources that are easy to use on common devices and are related to current skills. For example, the “Guiding Principles and Strategies” section provides online and consumable resources for parents and caregivers to engage in rich and rewarding literacy experiences beyond the classroom. Some examples of those resources are “myBook.” The write-in, consumable format of myBook provides a convenient opportunity to strengthen home-school connections and build each child’s home library. Teachers will have children take home and share literature from their myBook after they have completed a volume in class. The “eBooks” provides access to a library of eBooks where children can listen to and read along with the Read Aloud Books, myBook texts, Grade 1 Big Books, and Start Right Readers they are using in class. The “iRead” encourages families and caregivers to access the online resource iRead outside of school so children can practice foundational reading skills at their “just right” level.

In module 2: “Mi familia, mi comunidad,” the materials support the development of strong relationships between teachers and families. The materials include recommendations of activities that help develop foundational literacy skills for parents to connect to the classroom. Each module includes a family letter, in the school-to-home connection section, that helps parents and caregivers support the learning objectives for each module. For example, the family letter gives suggestions like “At home, learning fun for the whole family!” The materials provide family connection ideas related to family reading time. “During this module about belonging to a community, try these activities during your reading time together… Clap your hands when you see pictures of helpers, such as doctors, teachers, and police officers. Raise your arms when you read about tall buildings. Spread your arms when you read about farms and open spaces. Pantomime different types of jobs as you read about them.”

The materials specify activities for use at home to support students’ learning and development. The “Family and Community” section of the “Guiding Principles and Strategies” resource suggests that teachers promote effective strategies for families to read together. Strategies include: Demonstrate fluent reading with prosody, expression, and enthusiasm; Show how to interact with children while reading together and sounding out words; Give family members ideas for types of questions to ask while reading; Provide ideas for types of books to read across genres, both for children to read independently and for families to read aloud. The teacher suggests reading aloud books two years above children’s reading level exposes them to vocabulary and more complex syntax that they will need in later years and develops comprehension. The materials also suggest that the teacher ensure that families have access to an abundance of books during the school year and over the summer. Teachers coach parents and caregivers on how to consider children’s interests and allow them to select related texts, including magazines, graphic novels, and online resources. They encourage families to gradually stretch reading sessions over time.

Evaluation for 7.5
The visual design of student and teacher materials (whether in print or digital) is neither distracting nor chaotic.

The visual design of student and teacher print or digital materials is neither distracting nor chaotic. They include appropriate use of white space and design that supports and does not distract from student learning. Additionally, pictures and graphics are supportive of student learning and engagement without being visually distracting. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include appropriate use of white space and design that supports and does not distract from student learning. Teacher’s Guide is designed in a way that teachers can locate important information for lesson planning and implementation. The materials provide tools to support easy navigation of resources, such as color-coded pages or tabbed pages to easily identify content on that page. All the modules in first grade provide a section of lessons with different colored sidebars with large print of the lesson’s title. For example, “Build Knowledge and Language/Vocabulary” with a red sidebar, “Foundational Skills” with a purple sidebar, “Reading Workshop” with a blue sidebar, “Writing Workshop” with a green sidebar. The modules also provide a “Week at a Glance” (“Vistazo a la semana”) page with the same color-coded headings for each section.

Pictures and graphics are supportive of student learning and engagement without being visually distracting. The materials provide quality picture support in lesson resources. For example, each module includes Vocabulary Cards that are used to introduce the Big Idea Words for each unit. The Vocabulary Cards help children connect the words to the topic and guide them to understand and use the words in context. The Vocabulary Cards include the word and a picture. To showcase letter-sound connections, materials include visually clear picture cards that match up to plainly marked letter connections placed on a white background. The materials in first grade include Letter, Word, and Picture Cards (Tarjeta de sílabas y ortografía, letras y palabras). The teacher uses Letter Cards to build words for students to read in phonics lessons. The set includes cards for capital and lowercase letters, vowel teams and diphthongs, consonant digraphs, and punctuation marks. The teacher uses Word Cards to introduce and help children practice reading and spelling each week’s high-frequency words with automaticity. The teacher uses Picture Cards in phonological awareness and phonics lessons. Pictures on the cards support instruction for all foundational skills being taught. All cards contain a white background with the letter or picture placed in the center. The cards do not have any busy or distracting features and can be easily seen by students in a whole group setting.

In Module 10: “Atrevete a soñar,” the visuals included are clear and concise without being distracting. For example, the visual “Knowledge Maps” are used to preview what children can expect to learn at the beginning of each module, review what they learned at the end of each week, and synthesize information as they wrap up the topic. This module includes a “Knowledge Map” to prompt discussion about the module topic: Thinking in New Ways. It has a “Thinking in New Ways” web, “Try New Things (Build, learn, sports, explore),” “I can (solve problems, think, try hard, be brave, imagine),” and “People Who Dream and Work Hard (Painter, children and adults, pilot, inventor, genius, architect).” It also has a couple of pictures that represent some of the words from the web. The students are asked to brainstorm word associations for thinking in new ways and add them to a new web.