K-2nd Grade - Gateway 2
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Gateway Ratings Summary
Comprehension
Comprehension Through Texts, Questions, and TasksGateway 2 - Meets Expectations | 89% |
|---|---|
Criterion 2.1: Text Quality and Text Complexity | 14 / 14 |
Criterion 2.2: Knowledge Building Through Reading, Writing, and Language Comprehension | 36 / 42 |
The myView materials meet the expectations for Gateway 2: Comprehension through Texts, Questions, and Tasks. The materials provide high-quality, grade-level appropriate texts that support knowledge-building through a balanced mix of literary and informational selections, including diverse subgenres and text types. The materials include thorough text complexity analyses and embedded scaffolds, such as teacher think-alouds and comprehension checks, to support student understanding. Texts are organized around cohesive themes that promote interdisciplinary learning and inquiry-based projects while representing a wide range of perspectives. Independent reading is encouraged, though there is limited teacher guidance. Although myView provides a structured instructional pathway, the volume of supplemental materials, combined with limited guidance on how to integrate them, could make it difficult for teachers to distinguish between essential and optional content, potentially reducing the effectiveness of the core program. Students engage in text-based reading and writing tasks, vocabulary instruction, and evidence-based discussions, though support for developing speaking and listening skills varies. Writing instruction includes both on-demand and process writing, but sentence-level work and application of skills in students’ own writing are sometimes disconnected from core texts. Research is supported through structured, end-of-unit inquiry projects that require students to investigate a topic using multiple sources and present their findings in a final product. Assessment is integrated throughout the program with formative tools like exit tickets, fluency checks, and guidance for reteaching and small-group support. Summative assessments include on-demand writing and unit evaluations that measure key literacy skills through various formats. Overall, the myView curriculum meets expectations for Gateway 2, offering strong texts and reading supports but showing inconsistencies in writing integration, language instruction, and skill application.
Criterion 2.1: Text Quality and Text Complexity
Information on Multilingual Learner (MLL) Supports in This Criterion
For some indicators in this criterion, we also display evidence and scores for pair MLL indicators.
While MLL indicators are scored, these scores are reported separately from core content scores. MLL scores do not currently impact core content scores at any level—whether indicator, criterion, gateway, or series.
To view all MLL evidence and scores for this grade band or grade level, select the "Multilingual Learner Supports" view from the left navigation panel.
Materials include content-rich, engaging texts that meet the text complexity criteria for the grade level. Texts and text sets cohesively work together to build knowledge of specific topics and/or content themes.
The myView materials meet expectations for Criterion 2.1: Text Quality & Complexity. The materials offer a balanced and engaging selection of literary and informational texts that align with grade-level standards and support student knowledge-building. Texts span a variety of subgenres and formats, including full texts and excerpts, and are complemented by features like labeled diagrams, bolded vocabulary, and vivid imagery to enhance comprehension. Teachers can incorporate optional longer works through book clubs, and independent reading is encouraged through an online library, reading logs, and some guidance for text selection, though support is mainly limited to unit introductions and book club materials. The curriculum includes detailed analyses of text complexity using both quantitative and qualitative measures, along with instructional rationales and strategies to support student understanding. Scaffolding is embedded throughout instruction with tools like background knowledge builders, teacher think-alouds, and comprehension checks that help guide students before, during, and after reading. Texts are organized around cohesive themes that connect to essential questions and support interdisciplinary learning through social studies, science, and the arts. Inquiry-based projects further deepen learning, and the materials reflect diverse voices and perspectives, offering broad teacher guidance for addressing complex social and cultural topics in a respectful and meaningful way.
Indicator 2a
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading through content-rich and engaging texts.
Materials reflect the balance of informational and literary texts required by the grade-level standards (50/50 in K-5), including various subgenres.
Materials include a range of full texts and excerpts (including long-form and short-form texts), depending on their stated purpose.
Materials include core/anchor texts that are well-crafted, content-rich, and engaging for students at their grade level.
Materials include sufficient teacher guidance (including monitoring and feedback) and student accountability structures for independent reading (e.g., independent reading procedures, proposed schedule, tracking system for independent reading).
The text quality, volume of reading, and independent reading guidance in myView meet expectations for indicator 2a. The materials provide a balance of informational and literary texts, aligning with grade-level standards by incorporating a variety of subgenres. Texts include both full short-form texts and excerpts. During Small Group Independent Activities, teachers may incorporate longer texts through book clubs. The text selections are well-crafted, content-rich, and engaging, featuring fiction that fosters creativity and problem-solving, as well as informational texts that introduce scientific, historical, and environmental concepts with engaging features such as bold words, labeled diagrams, and vivid photographs. Additionally, independent reading is supported through an online library with some teacher guidance for monitoring and feedback, student accountability structures such as reading logs, and recommendations for self-selecting appropriate texts to build reading stamina. However, independent reading guidance is primarily embedded in unit introductions, with limited additional support beyond the Teacher’s Edition or the Book Club Trade Book guidance.
Materials reflect the balance of informational and literary texts required by the grade-level standards (50/50 in K-5), including various subgenres. Materials include a range of full texts and excerpts (including long-form and short-form texts), depending on their stated purpose. (This criterion is evidence only and not considered in scoring)
The texts in myView span various genres and include both full texts and excerpts. All core texts are short-form texts, and reading long-form texts is limited to book clubs that use trade books, some of which are available within the Savvas Realize platform. Teachers may opt for students to engage in these book clubs during small group instruction.
Grade K
Grade K contains 12 informational texts and 14 literary texts, which closely aligns with the 50/50 split indicated in the standards at 46% informational and 54% literary.
Informational texts include articles, books, arguments, scientific texts, and historical texts. Literary texts include short stories, realistic fiction, fantasy, folktales, and poems.
All 26 texts in Grade K are short-form full texts, ensuring a substantial reading volume.
Grade 1
Grade 1 contains 15 informational texts and 12 literary texts, which closely aligns with the 50/50 split indicated in the standards at 54% informational and 43% literary.
Informational texts include articles, literary nonfiction, technical texts, scientific texts, opinion texts, biographies, books, and social studies texts. Literary texts include short stories, realistic fiction, poems, plays, fables, and historical fiction.
Grade 1 includes 22 full texts and five excerpts, all of which are short-form texts. In the publisher-submitted text information, the materials provide a general statement for the rationale for excerpts: “This myView Literacy title was excerpted in order to provide access to the specific topic/genre and allow students to fully explore a meaningful text within available time frames.”
Grade 2
Grade 2 contains 13 informational texts and 16 literary texts, which closely aligns with the 50/50 split indicated in the standards at 45% informational and 55% literary.
Informational texts include articles, social studies texts, scientific texts, books, biographies, and argumentative texts. Literary texts include short stories, realistic fiction, poems, fantasy, fables, legends, science fiction, and folktales.
Grade 2 includes 22 full texts and seven excerpts, all of which are short-form texts. In the publisher-submitted text information, the materials provide a general statement for the rationale for excerpts: “This myView Literacy title was excerpted in order to provide access to the specific topic/genre and allow students to fully explore a meaningful text within available time frames.”
Materials include core/anchor texts that are well-crafted, content-rich, and engaging for students at their grade level.
The texts in Grades K-2 are well-crafted, content-rich, and engaging for young readers because they offer a diverse mix of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, fables, folktales, and informational texts that support early literacy and knowledge-building. Fiction selections encourage creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking through relatable characters and imaginative storytelling, while cultural stories and retellings expose students to different traditions. Informational texts use engaging features like bold words, labeled diagrams, and vivid photographs to teach scientific, historical, and environmental concepts in an accessible way. Poetry, drama, and personification bring natural phenomena to life, while persuasive texts promote social responsibility and real-world connections. Among the included texts are award-winning published texts by a variety of authors.
Materials include some teacher guidance (including monitoring and feedback) and (starting in grade 1) student accountability structures for independent reading (e.g., independent reading procedures, proposed schedule, tracking system for independent reading). (This criterion is evidence only and not considered in scoring)
Within the Savvas Realize platform, each grade level includes an Independent Reading Library that houses books students can choose to read independently. Accompanying each book is a Teacher’s Guide that provides teachers with text complexity information, how to launch the book, feedback prompts to give students when monitoring their reading, discussion questions, teaching points, and a writing task.
In Grade K, Independent Reading Library, This is a Dancer, the materials provide teachers with guidance during Observe and Monitor, which says, “Encourage students to read the book independently as you observe their reading behaviors. Monitor students as they read and offer problem-solving strategies as errors arise.
If students add words while reading, then have them slow down and point to each word as they read.
If students substitute alternative nouns, then model how to use sound-spelling knowledge to read the word.”
In Grade 2, Independent Reading Library, Lobo Returns, the materials provide teachers with guidance during Observe and Monitor, such as, “Have students read in soft voices to themselves as you observe and monitor their fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.” The materials then explain to teachers how students can complete a graphic organizer to aid in their comprehension.
During the introduction to each unit, the materials provide some guidance for teachers to implement independent reading during that unit. The associated Student Interactive includes guidance for students about selecting an independent reading book and a reading log to track how long they read and how they would rate the book. The materials do not provide additional guidance beyond this in Teacher’s Edition for each unit.
In Grade 1, Unit 3, Imagine That, the materials provide this guidance to teachers: “Tell students that they can set a purpose for reading by thinking about their reason for reading. Are they reading for enjoyment or to learn something? Then have students
Self-select texts that are neither too hard nor too easy.
Establish a purpose, or reason, for reading their self-selected text.
Spend increasing periods of time reading independently to build stamina.
Record their independent reading in the Reading Log on p. 9.”
In Grade 2, Unit 5, Our Incredible Earth, the materials direct teachers to have students
“Self-select texts neither too hard nor too easy by favorite authors, on topics that interest them, or in particular genres.
Spend increasing periods of time reading independently to build stamina.”
Each unit includes a Book Club Trade Book that students can participate in while the teacher works with small groups. The Savvas Realize platform contains a digital copy of the trade book, a Trade Book Lesson Plan, and a Book Club Teacher’s Edition. The Trade Book Lesson Plan provides teachers with guidance on how to teach the book if they want to use it with the whole class or in small groups, while the Book Club Teacher’s Edition provides guidance for planning the book club, the book club routines, supporting students within the book club, and how to schedule reading and meeting across the unit. For example, in Grade 1, Unit 1, the book club option is Neighborhoods Around the World by Traci Sorell. The Book Club Teacher’s Edition provides a schedule for the book club meetings, a weekly reading focus, graphic organizers for students to collect their thinking, and guidance for collaborating during discussions.
Indicator 2b
Core/Anchor texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to documented quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, and relationship to their associated student task.
Accurate text complexity analysis and a rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level accompany core/anchor texts.
According to quantitative and qualitative analysis and their relationship to the associated student task, core/anchor texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade.
Materials provide opportunities for students to listen to texts read aloud that are more complex than what they can read independently.
The text complexity analysis in the myView materials meets expectations for indicator 2b. The materials provide a comprehensive text complexity analysis for core texts, ensuring appropriate placement within the curriculum. Text Complexity Charts include both quantitative measures (such as Lexile levels, sentence length, and word frequency) and qualitative measures (such as levels of meaning, text structure, and knowledge demands), with a rationale explaining their placement. These charts also offer teaching ideas tailored to the qualitative measures to support instruction. The materials ensure that core texts align with the appropriate complexity level for students, incorporating scaffolds that allow access to more challenging texts through interactive read-alouds and structured comprehension activities. Additionally, read-aloud resources expose students to texts above their independent reading level, fostering deeper comprehension, language development, and engagement.
Accurate text complexity analysis and a rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level accompany core/Anchor texts and a series of texts connected to them.
The materials contain Text Complexity Charts for each grade level. The charts include the recommended placement in the grade based on quantitative and qualitative measures and have Teaching Ideas based on those measures. The quantitative measures include Lexile, average sentence length, word frequency, and word count. The qualitative measures include levels of meaning, text structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands. These measures are represented on a scale from simple to very complex, with a rationale for why each measure is at that place on the scale. The charts also include teaching ideas based on the qualitative measures.
According to quantitative and qualitative analysis and their relationship to the associated student task, core/anchor texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade.
Anchor texts have the appropriate level of complexity based on their text complexity analysis and the associated reader and task. myView’s Text Complexity charts describe what support students might need with the texts and tasks as well as teaching ideas for the different qualitative measures.
Grade K
Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards does not indicate text complexity ranges in Grade K.
Qualitatively, 17 texts are slightly complex, and nine texts are moderately complex.
Grade 1
Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards does not indicate text complexity ranges in Grade 1.
Qualitatively, seven texts are slightly complex, 19 texts are moderately complex, and one text is very complex.
Grade 2
Quantitatively, all texts in Grade 2 fall within the grade band Lexile range of 420L-820L.
Qualitatively, seven texts are slightly complex, 20 texts are moderately complex, and two are very complex.
Materials provide opportunities for students to listen to texts read-aloud that are more complex than what they can read independently.
Each week begins with a read-aloud to teach listening comprehension skills, and in some lessons, the materials prompt teachers to do an Interactive Trade Book Read-Aloud. Teachers can choose to use a trade book included in the platform or another trade book of their choosing. The Savvas Realize platform contains a set of read-aloud resources that can be used for different types of books. These resources are the same across all grades.
In Additional Student Resources, InterACTIVE Trade Book Resources, one of the options teachers can choose from is Retell a Story. This resource includes a graphic organizer for students to complete and a lesson plan guide for fiction texts. The lesson plan describes the purposes of doing an interactive read-aloud:
“Expose students to texts above their reading level.
Deepen students’ comprehension.
Enhance students’ overall language comprehension.
Provide an opportunity to model fluency and expressive reading.
Foster a love and enjoyment of reading.”
Indicator 2c
Materials provide appropriate scaffolds for core/anchor texts that ensure all students can access the text and make meaning. Scaffolds align with the text’s qualitative analysis.
Scaffolds align with the qualitative complexity of the program’s texts to support students in making meaning of each text.
Materials include scaffolds for before, during, and after engaging with a complex text.
Materials include teacher guidance on how to enact each scaffold based on student needs.
The scaffolding in myView meets the expectations for indicator 2c by aligning with the qualitative complexity of core/anchor texts and supporting student comprehension. The materials provide scaffolds that align with the qualitative complexity of texts, ensuring students receive support before, during, and after reading. Text Complexity Charts highlight areas where students may need additional guidance, while Close Read notes offer targeted support throughout the reading process. The structured weekly lesson sequence includes a Weekly Launch to build background knowledge, a First Read with teacher think-alouds and comprehension checks, multiple Close Reads for deeper analysis, and a final reflection to synthesize learning. Teacher guidance is embedded at point-of-use, including First Read prompts, Possible Teaching Points, and Close Read notes that help teachers scaffold instruction based on student needs. Additionally, small group instruction lessons provide further support for comprehension skills, allowing teachers to differentiate instruction and monitor student progress.
Scaffolds align with the qualitative complexity of the program’s texts to support students in making meaning of each text.
In Getting to Know myView, the Text Complexity Charts provide information about places students may need additional support based on the qualitative complexity. The Close Read notes within the texts address these additional supports.
In Grade 1, Text Complexity Charts Grade 1, The Life Cycle of a Sunflower, the materials describe teaching ideas for Language Conventionality and Clarity, Knowledge Demands, and Text Structure, as students may need additional support with those qualitative features. In Unit 2, Week 2, the materials provide a Possible Teaching Point related to Language & Conventions, a Close Read note about text structure, and support for understanding what a life cycle is.
Materials include scaffolds for before, during, and after engaging with a complex text.
Across the program, Lesson 1 begins with a Weekly Launch to build students’ knowledge about the unit topic, Essential Question, and Weekly Question, and students engage with some sort of short, engaging text. Within that same lesson, the teacher reads aloud a text on a topic related to the unit and does a think-aloud based on the purpose for reading the text. In Lesson 2, students engage in a First Read of the week’s text independently, in pairs, or as a whole class. The materials provide teacher prompts for thinking aloud during the First Read. After the First Read, the materials provide a Check for Understanding to determine students’ initial responses to the text. In Lesson 3, students go back into the week’s text and use the Close Read notes to annotate and think more deeply about the text. In Lesson 4, students go into the text again for another Close Read, using the Close Read notes to help them annotate. In Lesson 5, the materials provide modeling and questions for students to reflect on what they have learned across the week. While the materials generally follow this same structure each week, the Close Read notes and associated student tasks are tailored to the demands of the particular texts.
In Grade 2, Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 1, the unit launches with an infographic about animals and their young, which ties to the unit Essential Question, “What patterns do we see in nature?,” and the Weekly Question, “How do patterns of behavior in animals help keep their young safe?” The teacher then reads aloud a short fiction piece called “Joey and His Pouch” and does a Think Aloud. In Lesson 2, the teacher previews the vocabulary for the week’s text, What’s in the Egg, Little Pip? by Karma Wilson, then students read the text independently, in pairs, or as a whole class, focusing on the First Read strategies they have been learning, which include Think Aloud teaching points for the teacher. Students complete a Check for Understanding after the first read by discussing and responding to questions in writing. In Lesson 3, students annotate the text using the Close Read notes to help them describe and understand characters. In Lesson 4, students annotate again using the Close Read notes to help them make inferences about the text. In Lesson 5, students respond to the text by writing to sources and answering the question, “Why is it important for animals to protect their babies?”
Materials include teacher guidance on how to enact each scaffold based on student needs.
The myView materials provide teachers with point-of-use guidance on how to enact the scaffolds within the weekly texts. This guidance comes in the form of First Read Think Aloud prompts, Possible Teaching Points, and Close Read notes.
In Grade K, Unit 4, Week 2, the teacher reads aloud Uncovering the Past by Jennifer Torres. The First Read Think Aloud note directs the teacher to say, “Looking at the details in the pictures can help me better understand what I read. I can see some big equipment. A worker is steering the huge shovel of the truck to dig dirt out of the ground. There are also two workers using shovels to put dirt in a wheelbarrow. They will use the wheelbarrow to carry the dirt away. Looking at the picture helps me understand how the workers are doing the work and the tools they are using.” The Possible Teaching Point details different kinds of sentences, focusing on exclamation phrases. One of the Close Read notes focuses on making inferences and provides guidance on what the teacher can say and what to point out in the text.
The materials provide additional small group scaffolding guidance for teachers in the Teacher-Led Small Group Instruction lesson that accompanies each whole class lesson. These lessons provide guidance for comprehension Skill Groups, Foundational Skills Groups, and Intervention Groups.
In Grade K, Unit 4, Week 2, the Teacher-Led Small Group Instruction lessons for the text detailed above include Skill Groups for Find Main Idea and Supporting Details and Make Inferences. These small groups use the week’s text but reteach or scaffold the skill further, providing teachers with a teaching point, a section to model for guided practice, and a way to progress monitor.
Indicator 2d
Text sets (e.g., unit, module) are organized around topic(s) or theme(s) to cohesively build student knowledge.
Text sets are organized around a grade-appropriate, tightly-connected topic or theme.
Text set organization provides opportunities for students to address facets of the same topic or theme over an extended period (e.g., a unit, module), enabling the development of deeper knowledge.
Text sets cohesively build knowledge across a range of topics in social studies (including history), science, the arts, and literature, exposing students to academic vocabulary, content knowledge, and complex syntax.
The myView program meets the expectations for indicator 2d by organizing text sets around cohesive, grade-appropriate themes that build knowledge over time. Each unit contains a central theme, essential question, cross-curricular connections, academic vocabulary, and weekly questions that reinforce the theme. The vertically aligned themes provide continuity across grade levels, ensuring students engage with interconnected ideas. The curriculum includes a variety of text types, all connected to the unit’s theme and essential question. Additionally, inquiry projects at the end of each unit encourage students to synthesize their learning. This structure supports knowledge building across disciplines, including social studies, science, and the arts, while also exposing students to academic vocabulary and complex syntax through the texts being studied.
Text sets are organized around a grade-appropriate, tightly-connected topic or theme.
myView’s texts are organized within units that include a Unit Theme, Cross-Curricular Focus, Essential Question, and Academic Vocabulary. Each week within the unit has a Weekly Question that ties into the Unit Theme and Essential Question. These themes are vertically aligned across the grade levels. Each week begins with an engaging launch to build knowledge and a short read-aloud to get students thinking about the topic and genre.
In Grade K, Unit 2, the Unit Theme is Living Together, the Cross-Curricular Focus is Science (Life Science), the Essential Question is “What do living things need?,” and the Academic Vocabulary words are grow, need, share, and depend. The Weekly Questions align to the Unit Theme and Essential Question:
Week 1: “Why do some animals move from place to place?”
Week 2: “How do some living things make what they need?”
Week 3: “How do we know what we need?”
Week 4: “How do different animals eat their food?”
Week 5: “Why is exercise important?”
Week 6: “What do living things need?”
In Grade 2, Unit 3, the Unit Theme is Our Traditions, the Cross-Curricular Focus is Humanities (Arts and Literature), the Essential Question is “What makes a tradition?,” and the Academic Vocabulary words are communication, culture, purpose, belief, and maintain. The Weekly Questions align to the Unit Theme and Essential Question:
Week 1: “What lessons can we learn from traditional tales?”
Week 2: “What stories do people tell to understand the world around them?”
Week 3: “How can a traditional story be told in different ways?”
Week 4: “What makes a Native American tradition?”
Week 5: “How does food help make a tradition?”
Week 6: “What makes a tradition?”
Text set organization provides opportunities for students to address facets of the same topic or theme over an extended period (e.g., a unit, module), enabling the development of deeper knowledge. Text sets cohesively build knowledge across various topics in social studies (including history), science, the arts, and literature, exposing students to academic vocabulary, content knowledge, and complex syntax.
myView’s text sets are designed to provide opportunities for students to examine various facets of the unit’s theme and essential question to build knowledge. These themes build vertically from Grade K through Grade 5.
In Grade K, Unit 5, the Unit Theme is Outside My Door, and the Essential Question is “What can we learn from weather?” Each week focuses on that theme and essential question in a slightly different way, allowing students to learn about the topic from different angles. Across the unit, students read multiple informational texts, poems, and a play about weather and climate and listen to the teacher read aloud short related texts. The week’s decodable books are also connected to the theme, as well as the Book Club choice. Students put this knowledge together in Week 6 with an inquiry project called The Best Weather. The unit focuses on the academic vocabulary words effect, measure, prepare, and extreme, and the materials prompt teachers to teach and expose students to those words at various times throughout the unit.
In Grade 1, Unit 5, the Unit Theme is Beyond My World, and the Essential Question is “How do the seasons affect us?” Each week focuses on that theme and essential question in a slightly different way, allowing students to learn about the topic from different angles. Across the unit, students read multiple informational texts, a persuasive text, and a fiction text about the seasons and listen to the teacher read aloud short related texts. The week’s decodable books are also connected to the theme, as well as the Book Club choice. Students put this knowledge together in Week 6 with an inquiry project called The Best Season. The unit focuses on the academic vocabulary words sense, expect, process, and information, and the materials prompt teachers to teach and expose students to those words at various times throughout the unit.
Indicator 2e
Materials include a range of texts and provide teacher support in helping students learn about people who are similar to and different from them.
Materials include a range of texts that offer varied perspectives on the topic/theme of study, including characters and people of interest from various backgrounds and perspectives.
Text sets include texts written by authors of varied backgrounds.
Materials provide clear teacher guidance when text contains grade-appropriate topics that impact students.
The materials provide teacher support in helping students learn about people or characters similar to and different from them across social, cultural, political, and historical contexts rather than in superficial, oversimplified ways that perpetuate stereotypes.
Criterion 2.2: Knowledge Building Through Reading, Writing, and Language Comprehension
Information on Multilingual Learner (MLL) Supports in This Criterion
For some indicators in this criterion, we also display evidence and scores for pair MLL indicators.
While MLL indicators are scored, these scores are reported separately from core content scores. MLL scores do not currently impact core content scores at any level—whether indicator, criterion, gateway, or series.
To view all MLL evidence and scores for this grade band or grade level, select the "Multilingual Learner Supports" view from the left navigation panel.
Materials include questions, tasks, and assignments that are meaningful, evidence-based, and support students in making meaning and building knowledge as they progress toward grade-level mastery of literacy skills.
Materials include clear, explicit instruction guidance for teachers across all literacy skills.
The myView materials partially meet expectations for Criterion 2.2: Knowledge-Building through Reading, Writing, and Language Comprehension. The materials provide a clearly structured instructional pathway that builds literacy skills through a consistent weekly sequence of whole-group instruction, modeling, small-group differentiation, and student practice, although integration of supplemental resources and alignment of writing and conventions instruction with reading content is limited. Although myView provides a structured instructional pathway, the volume of supplemental materials, combined with limited guidance on how to integrate them, could make it difficult for teachers to distinguish between essential and optional content, potentially reducing the effectiveness of the core program. Students engage deeply with texts through structured reading and writing activities, emphasizing text-based questions, analysis of craft and structure, and integration of ideas. Discussions are supported with protocols and prompts, though teacher guidance for facilitating and improving speaking and listening is uneven. Vocabulary instruction is robust, offering multiple exposures to academic and text-specific words through structured routines and strategies like context clues and morphology. Writing instruction includes both on-demand and process writing, with lessons on drafting, revising, and publishing, though sentence-level writing is sometimes disconnected from texts read during the reading block, and writing process instruction sometimes does not go past practice opportunities in the Student Interactive as opposed to application in students’ own writing. Research skills are developed through end-of-unit inquiry projects that integrate multiple sources and guide students through structured steps in the research process, with tools for gathering and presenting findings. Formative and summative assessments are embedded throughout the program, with clear guidance for evaluating student progress and adjusting instruction. Overall, while the materials support developing literacy skills, the transfer of learning into students’ own writing and discussions is not always consistent or fully integrated.
Indicator 2f
Materials include a clear, research-based core instructional pathway with reasonable pacing throughout the year, which allows students to work towards grade-level proficiency.
Materials clearly outline the essential elements for the core instructional pathway.
Materials clearly explain how to use and implement the core instructional pathway, which does not deviate from currently accepted research.
When present, supplemental materials are designed to work coherently with the core instructional pathway.
Materials provide detailed explanations of when and how to use supplemental materials so that all students can access grade-level materials.
Materials provide implementation schedules, including lesson-specific guidance, that are well paced, and can reasonably be completed in the school year, allowing students to dive deeply into content.
The instructional pathway outlined in myView’s materials partially meets expectations for indicator 2f. Materials provide a clearly structured and mostly research-aligned core instructional pathway that outlines a predictable, coherent sequence for reading and writing instruction, designed to build knowledge and literacy skills over time. Each week follows a consistent five-day roadmap that integrates whole-group lessons, explicit skill instruction, small-group differentiation, and independent practice, with a balance of teacher modeling, guided practice, and student application. Writing instruction follows a similar gradual release model, moving from teacher demonstration to independent writing tasks. Supplemental resources, such as small group guides, digital practice, book clubs, and intervention materials, are available to extend or support learning, though there is limited guidance on how these resources integrate with the core pathway or reinforce pacing and/or skill progression. The materials also provide weekly planners with broad pacing recommendations and lesson overviews to help teachers manage instructional time across the school year, allowing for flexibility while ensuring coverage of essential content. While myView aligns with current research in many areas, the language and conventions component often leans on isolated instruction and practice rather than integrating skills within students’ own writing. Similarly, writing instruction is disconnected from the texts and topics students are studying, with limited opportunities for students to apply learned skills in authentic, self-directed writing beyond practice activities in the Student Interactive.
Materials clearly outline the essential elements for the core instructional pathway. Materials clearly explain how to use and implement the core instructional pathway; however, some elements of the program do not fully align to currently accepted research.
At the beginning of each myView Teacher’s Edition, the materials detail the Reading Block Road Map. The roadmap is a predictable five-day lesson sequence that repeats throughout the program. The materials also explain how these practices align to the Science of Reading and Science of Writing.
Lesson 1 is designed to “Jump-start the week with the Launch Text to build background knowledge. A listening comprehension lesson from either the Teacher’s Edition or a read-aloud trade book strengthens comprehension skills before kicking off a genre study with full-color anchor charts in the Student Interactive books.”
“Lesson 2 includes a purposeful reading of the weekly text. This first read involves noticing, connecting, questioning, and talking about the text. Students participate in cooperative learning while questions in the margins of the Teacher’s Edition help keep students engaged.”
“Lesson 3 provides instruction in a weekly reading skill. Students are directed to cite text evidence by annotating the text, and then use that evidence to complete a graphic organizer and/or practice activity.”
“In Lesson 4, students dig deeper into the text by applying a metacognitive strategy to the text. Close reading, citing text evidence, and meaningful practice allow students to demonstrate their understanding.”
In Lesson 5, the “Reflect and Share is divided into two sections: an oral activity and a written activity. Students make connections between texts and other sources, comparing across texts and within and across genres.”
Each lesson also includes Teacher-Led Small Groups, which allow teachers to differentiate instruction using preplanned lessons that are aligned to the whole group instruction. The materials also provide Weekly Independent Activities that students can work on independently while teachers are working with small groups.
At the beginning of each myView Teacher’s Edition, the materials also explain the Writing Process Instruction: “Writing instruction in myView Literacy is explicit and practical. The whole-class lesson begins with the teacher clearly defining the writing skill and sharing examples from literature. The teacher then demonstrates the skill for students. In this teaching moment, the teacher applies the skill as students observe and participate orally. During guided practice, the teacher monitors students and provides targeted feedback. Ultimately students apply each skill independently to their own writing.”
While most elements of myView’s program align with current research, the language and conventions component often includes explicit instruction and student practice in isolation from content rather than within the context of students’ own writing. Writing instruction, in general, is isolated from the texts and topics students are studying, and the students do not always have opportunities to apply the writing skills they are learning to authentic writing of their own, as the opportunities are sometimes limited to practice in the Student Interactive instead of their own writing.
When present, supplemental materials are designed to work coherently with the core instructional pathway. Materials provide some explanation of when and how to use supplemental materials so that all students can access grade-level materials.
In the Guides and Manuals section of the Savvas Realize platform, the program provides a Small Group Guide that guides teachers in forming, organizing, and managing small groups and the supplemental materials associated with them. Within the myView Teacher’s Edition, the materials provide pre-planned Teacher-Led Small Group lessons that are aligned to the whole group lessons, as well as a set of independent activities students can work on while the teacher is working with small groups.
The Weekly Independent Options include Review & Practice Foundational Skills, Comprehension practice, Vocabulary practice, Writing practice, the Building Knowledge Library, and Book Clubs. Students can complete some of these activities in their Student Interactive and some of them digitally on the Savvas Realize platform. Within the myView Teacher’s Edition, the materials list the various independent activity options and brief directions for teachers.
The Building Knowledge Library on the Savvas Realize platform contains texts for students to read, a video related to the text, and a Teacher’s Guide for using the text.
The Independent Reading Library contains texts students can read on their own plus a Teacher’s Guide for using the text.
The Savvas Realize platform includes Games & Digital Practice related to the concepts taught in the unit, and teachers have the option to add these to students’ Playlists.
The Book Club Trade Books section contains a book club option for each unit, plus a lesson plan and Teacher’s Edition specific to that book club.
The Savvas Realize platform includes an Intervention section that contains the myFocus Intervention Teacher’s Guide and activities teachers can assign to students related to each unit.
In the Additional Student Resources section of the platform, the materials provide Genre Videos, Skill Videos, Strategy Videos, InterACTIVE Trade Book Read Aloud Resources, Speaking and Listening Practice, Handwriting Models, Writing Peer Feedback Form, Fiction Writing Unit, Fiction Writing Assessment, Literacy Stations, and Mentor Printables. Sometimes these supplemental materials are mentioned within the core materials, but detailed guidance is limited on their use.
Materials provide implementation schedules, including lesson-specific guidance, that are well-paced, and can reasonably be completed in the school year, allowing students to dive deeply into content.
In the myView Teacher’s Edition for each unit, the materials provide guidance about how students build knowledge across the unit and how students build their reading and writing skills across the unit.
Each week of the unit includes a Weekly Planner that shows the Weekly Question, Learning Goals, Words of the Week, Weekly Materials, Monitor Progress opportunities, and Texts of the Week. The Weekly Planner provides an overview of each lesson in the reading and writing blocks, including timing guidance and what small group instruction should take place based on the lesson for that day.
The Weekly Planner indicates that the reading block should take 60 minutes and the writing block should take 30 minutes, but does not break down the timing for each part of the lesson, leaving it up to the teacher to determine how long each lesson component should take. The Weekly Planner does not provide timing for the small group portion of the day, saying it’s “flexible” and leaving that up to the school or teacher.
The myView program consists of five units that are six weeks long, which will allow flexibility to complete the curriculum in a year.
Indicator 2g
Most questions, tasks, and assignments are text-based, allowing students to demonstrate their thinking in various formats.
Materials provide opportunities to support students in making meaning of the texts being studied through text-based questions and tasks in varying formats (i.e., speaking, drawing, writing).
Materials include text-based questions and tasks that require students to read, re-read, and/or listen to complex parts of texts to deepen their analysis and understanding.
The questions, tasks, and assignments in myView’s materials meet expectations for indicator 2g. The instructional materials provide multiple opportunities for students to engage with texts through text-based questions and tasks in various formats, including speaking, writing, and drawing. Lessons follow a structured sequence that encourages students to read, re-read, and analyze texts, deepening their understanding through annotation, citing textual evidence, and responding to teacher-led discussions. Students also engage in activities that require them to interpret text features, make inferences, and adjust their thinking based on textual details. The materials ensure that comprehension skills develop progressively, incorporating both independent and collaborative learning experiences to support meaning-making.
Materials provide opportunities to support students in making meaning of the texts being studied through text-based questions and tasks in varying formats (i.e., speaking, drawing, writing).
Each week during the Reading Block, students have multiple opportunities to make meaning of the texts being studied through text-based questions and tasks, including annotating the text, citing textual evidence, and responding to think-aloud questions when the teacher reads texts aloud.
In Grade K, Unit 3, Week 3, Lesson 4, Ask and Answer Questions, students practice asking and answering questions about “Humpty Dumpty,” then draw a picture that shows details from the story that answers their question.
In Grade 2, Unit 2, Lesson 3, Describe and Understand Characters, the teacher says, “I know from my own life that when my stomach growls, I am hungry, and I am glad to get something to eat. Tell students they can use that information to make an inference about how Pip feels when Mama returns. Ask: What words in the text tell you Pip is hungry? Have students scan paragraphs 45 and 46 and highlight words that show Pip is hungry.” The materials then direct students to “Go to the Close Read notes. Underline words that describe a character’s traits. Use the parts you underlined about Pip to complete the chart.”
Materials include text-based questions and tasks that require students to read, re-read, and/or listen to complex parts of texts to deepen their analysis and understanding.
Each week during the Reading Block, the lessons progress in a consistent sequence that includes a First Read in Lesson 2, a Close Read focusing on a specific comprehension skill in Lesson 3, and a second Close Read focusing on another comprehension skill in Lesson 4. In Lesson 5, students reflect across texts orally and in writing. The materials provide structured protocols for students to employ during both the First Read and Close Reads.
In Grade 1, Unit 1, Week 5, Read Together, students engage in a First Read of Making a Map by Gary Miller independently, in pairs, or as a whole class. While reading, they employ the First Read strategies they have been learning about, which include predicting, setting a purpose, asking questions, and talking with peers. In Lesson 3, students go back into the text to analyze how the graphics help them as readers. In Lesson 4, students go back into the text again to use the text features to correct or adjust the predictions they made in Lesson 2, drawing something that made them change their predictions.
In Grade 2, Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 2, Read Together, students engage in a First Read of Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone independently, in pairs, or as a whole class. While reading, they employ the First Read Strategies they have been learning about, which include using the text features, asking and answering questions, setting a purpose, and talking with peers. In Lesson 3, students go back into the text to learn more about the cause-and-effect text structure. In Lesson 4, students go back into the text for another close read, this time annotating by asking and answering questions using textual evidence.
Indicator 2h
Materials support students in developing their ability to comprehend complex ideas within and across texts through opportunities to analyze and evaluate texts.
Materials provide opportunities to support students’ acquisition of print concepts, including directionality, function (K-1), and structures and features of text (1-2).
Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze key ideas and details (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in making meaning.
Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze craft and structure (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in making meaning.
Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in deepening their understanding on a topic.
The text analysis opportunities in myView meet expectations for indicator 2h. The materials provide structured opportunities for students to develop print concepts, analyze key ideas and details, examine text structures and features, and analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within and across multiple texts. Through guided discussions and hands-on activities, students learn how print functions, how to use text features to support comprehension, and how to identify themes and compare texts. Lessons emphasize close reading and textual analysis, helping students understand author’s craft, word choice, and text organization. Additionally, students engage in reflective discussions and writing activities to integrate knowledge across multiple texts, deepening their understanding of topics and making meaningful connections. The materials include CCSS Correlation documents to ensure alignment to grade-level reading standards.
Materials provide opportunities to support students’ acquisition of print concepts, including directionality, function (K-1), and structures and features of text (1-2).
The myView materials provide dedicated lessons to help students understand print concepts, which are embedded within the texts they are reading together as a class.
In Grade K, Unit 2, Week 1, Lesson 2, Print Awareness, the materials direct teachers to say, “Authors share their thoughts and ideas using words and pictures. When you read a book, you are reading the author’s thoughts and ideas! Open the Big Book Collection and trace your finger under a sentence. When authors write, they put together words to form sentences. Point out a word and a sentence. Each sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. Point out a capital letter and a period. We can count the number of words in a sentence and the number of sentences on a page. Model how to count the words and sentences. Then turn the page and guide students to point out capital letters and end punctuation, count the words in each sentence, and count the number of sentences on the page.”
In Grade 2, Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 3, Use Text Features, students learn how “Authors of informational text can often use text features to organize and clarify information.” The teacher models how to annotate a text, focusing on the purpose of text features, and then students complete a graphic organizer where they “choose three illustrations that go with the parts you underlined. Discuss why the author used these pictures.”
Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze key ideas and details (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in making meaning.
Each week, during Lesson 3, students engage in a Close Read of the text, often focusing on reading through the lens of a specific comprehension skill, like analyzing key ideas and details. In Lesson 4, students do another Close Read through the lens of a different skill.
In Grade 1, Unit 4, Week 3, Lesson 3, Determine Theme, the teacher models determining a story’s theme using “The Three Little Pigs.” The materials direct teachers to “Guide students to name specific story events or details that help them understand the theme: hard work and patience pay off in the end.” Students then go back into the text and underline details that help readers figure out the story’s theme.
In Grade 2, Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 3, Compare and Contrast Texts, the teacher models keeping details from one text in mind when reading another text on a similar topic. Students then go back into the texts How Water Shapes the Earth by Jared Siemens and How Earthquakes Shape the Earth by Aaron Carr and Megan Cuthbert for a Close Read, underlining differences between the texts and completing a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the texts.
Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze craft and structure (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in making meaning.
Each week, during Lesson 3, students engage in a Close Read of the text, focusing on a specific comprehension skill and analyzing author’s craft using textual evidence to support their thinking.
In Grade K, Unit 5, Week 4, Lesson 3, Read Like a Writer, Write for a Reader, the teacher guides students to think about the text structure in two of the books they have been listening to. The materials direct the teacher to say, “Tornado Action Plan and Blizzard Action Plan have some things in common. Both are informational texts. There is also something about the structure, or the way they are put together, that is similar. Both have numbered steps.” Students then respond to the questions “How are the structures of the two tests alike?” and “What is another way an author could help readers understand the order of steps?” in the Student Interactive.
In Grade 1, Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 3, Read Like a Writer, Write for a Reader, the teacher models how writers use word choice. The materials direct the teacher to say, “In Henry on Wheels, Henry sees a lot of interesting things as he rides his bike in his neighborhood. At one point, he says, ‘Wow!’ The author chose this word to show that Henry is excited by what he sees.”
Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas (according to grade-level standards) within individual texts and across multiple texts to support students in deepening their understanding on a topic.
Each week, during Lesson 5, students engage in a Reflect and Share lesson, making connections within texts and comparing across texts, both orally and in writing.
In Grade 1, Unit 5, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, the teacher models how to share ideas and opinions when comparing texts. The materials direct teachers to say, “I like winter. I read about building a snowman in Signs of Winter, and I think that building a snowman sounds fun. You can go sledding in snow too. I also read in Every Season that in winter we can make snow angels and drink hot chocolate, and that sounds like fun.” Students then respond to the Weekly Question, “What do living things do in the winter?” using evidence they collected from what they read this week in small groups and provide reasons for their thinking.
In Grade 2, Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, the teacher models how to share opinions about the poems they have been reading and support that opinion with reasons and details from the poems. The materials direct students to “Tell which two poems you liked best and why. Use examples from the poem to support your response.” Students then respond to the Weekly Question, “How do different places make us feel?”
Indicator 2i
Materials provide clear protocols and teacher guidance that frequently allow students to engage in listening and speaking about texts they are reading (or read aloud).
Materials include structured protocols that support students in participating in various types of discussions, using both background knowledge and their interpretation of the text to build upon each other’s understanding.
Speaking and listening instruction includes facilitation, monitoring, and feedback guidance for teachers.
The speaking and listening protocols and teacher guidance in myView’s materials partially meet expectations for indicator 2i. The materials include structured protocols for student discussions through Collaborative Conversations, which increase in complexity across grade levels and support various formats such as whole-class, small-group, paired discussions, and retelling. These student-facing protocols provide directions for students, incorporating sentence stems, prompts, and opportunities for students to record their thinking. Speaking and listening instruction includes some teacher guidance for facilitation, monitoring, and feedback, but this support is general and inconsistently applied across lessons. Additionally, students participate in Project-Based Inquiry activities incorporating speaking and listening components, with rubrics assessing delivery and engagement. However, the materials provide limited guidance on giving students specific feedback to improve their speaking and listening skills.
Materials include structured protocols that support students in participating in various types of discussions, using both background knowledge and their interpretation of the text to build upon each other’s understanding.
myView provides structured speaking and listening protocols in the Additional Student Resources, Speaking and Listening Practice section of the digital platform. The protocols are called Collaborative Conversations and increase in complexity as the grade levels advance. They encourage students to use both their background knowledge and the texts they are studying to build understanding.
In Grade K, the Collaborative Conversations provide a protocol for a Whole Class Discussion, Small Group Discussion, Paired Discussion, and Retelling. The protocol provides directions for both students and teachers, including image-based directions for students.
In Grade 1, the Collaborative Conversations provide a protocol for a Paired Discussion, Whole Class Discussion, Small Group Discussion, and Retelling. The directions include places for students to write down their thinking and include sentence stems and prompts for discussion.
In Grade 2, the Collaborative Conversations provide a protocol for various types of Small Group Discussions and Retelling. The directions include places for students to write down their own thinking and include sentence stems and prompts for discussion.
Speaking and listening instruction includes some facilitation, monitoring, and feedback guidance for teachers.
myView provides some guidance to teachers about how to use the Collaborative Conversations protocols, though this guidance is general and is not consistent across all of the speaking and listening opportunities students have. The Collaborative Conversations documents are student-facing and offer limited guidance to teachers about when and how to use each type of conversation.
In Grade K, Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, the materials direct teachers to “Have students turn to p. 107 in the Student Interactive and complete the Turn and Talk. If desired, distribute Collaborative Conversations tips from SavvasRealize.com to help guide discussions.”
In Grade 2, Unit 1, Week 1, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, the materials direct teachers to “Have students use evidence from this week’s texts to discuss other places where stars are visible in the night sky. If desired, distribute Collaborative Conversations tips from SavvasRealize.com to help guide discussions.” The guidance to teachers does not indicate which type of Collaborative Conversations students are having, so teachers will have to determine which set of tips to provide students.
During Week 6 of each unit, students engage in a Project-Based Inquiry, which, depending on the type of project, includes a speaking and listening component. Students also have the opportunity to Share Knowledge at the end of the inquiry, and the materials provide guidance to teachers to support speaking and listening skills, but guidance for monitoring and giving feedback is very general.
In Grade 1, Unit 2, Week 6, Lesson 5, Share Knowledge, students share the letters they wrote to the zookeeper. The materials direct teachers to say, “When we read and discuss our letters, we speak clearly, making sure to pronounce and emphasize words and phrases to help communicate our message. We speak at an appropriate pace, meaning we do not speak too fast or too slow.” The rubric for the project includes a Speaking and Listening section. To receive the highest score in that section, the “Student reads with clear enunciation and listens with full attention.” The materials do not provide additional guidance for giving students feedback on their speaking and listening skills.
In Grade 2, Week 6, Lesson 5, Share Knowledge, the materials direct teachers to review how to be an active listener and presenter: “Allow students time to practice their oral delivery, Make sure they focus on the topic, speak clearly at an appropriate pace, use the conventions of language, allow listeners to ask questions, and listen carefully to and answer any questions. Have students make adjustments based on the reactions of their peers. In addition, monitor students as they listen to their peers. Make sure they listen actively and ask relevant questions to clarify information.” The rubric for the project includes a Delivery section. To receive the highest score in that section, the “Student reads clearly and at an understandable pace.” The materials do not provide additional guidance for giving students feedback on their speaking and listening skills.
Indicator 2j
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in listening and speaking about texts they are reading (or read-aloud).
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in collaborative conversations about the text being read/read-aloud, which require them to ask and answer questions about the key details in texts, retell texts, and provide details to clarify comprehension and knowledge.
Materials provide opportunities for students to consider others’ perspectives and engage in intellectual discourse about texts and topics they are reading (or read aloud).
The student practice opportunities for evidence-based discussions meet the expectations for indicator 2j. The materials provide structured opportunities for students to engage in collaborative discussions about texts, requiring them to ask and answer questions, retell key details, and use text evidence to support their ideas. Students participate in group discussions, turn-and-talk activities, and reflective conversations that encourage comprehension and knowledge-building. Additionally, the materials support students in considering different perspectives and engaging in meaningful discourse by comparing texts, sharing opinions, and making connections to their own experiences. The materials provide guidance on active listening, respecting others’ ideas, and using sentence starters to build on discussions, fostering a supportive and structured environment for thoughtful conversation.
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in collaborative conversations about the text being read/read-aloud, which require them to ask and answer questions about the key details in texts, retell texts, and provide details to clarify comprehension and knowledge.
Throughout the program, students have opportunities to engage in various types of collaborative conversations about the text they are studying.
In Grade 1, Unit 4, Week 1, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, students “Retell the story of Georgia O’Keeffe’s life. How is her biography similar to and different from another biography you have read?”
In Grade 2, Unit 5, Week 3, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, students participate in a group discussion around the prompt, “Discuss some of the ways different animals react to rain and snow. Use examples from the texts to support your response.” The materials prompt students to “Share your own ideas and support them with text evidence. Identify the source of any ideas that are not your own.” The materials also provide sentence starters to help students identify which ideas are theirs and which are not.
Materials provide opportunities for students to consider others’ perspectives and engage in intellectual discourse about texts and topics they are reading (or read aloud).
The myView materials provide students with guidance for considering others’ perspectives during a discussion about the texts they are studying.
In Grade K, Unit 3, Week 1, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, after reading How Anansi Got His Stories by Ibi Zoboi and learning about comparing characters from different texts, students engage in a turn and talk where they discuss the question, “Tell a partner your opinion about Anansi. How is he like another character you have read about? How is he different?”
In Grade 2, Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, students participate in a group discussion about the questions, “How are places in your community the same as the ones you read about this week? How are they different? Use examples from the texts to support your response.” The materials provide guidance to students about how to listen to others: “In a discussion, it is important to listen to everyone. Before you talk, listen to what others have to say. Don’t interrupt. Listen carefully to the ideas of others.” The materials then provide sentence starters for students to build on each other’s ideas.
Indicator 2k
Materials include explicit instruction on independent word-learning strategies and key vocabulary words to build knowledge within and across texts.
Materials include structured and explicit practices for introducing key vocabulary words and independent word-learning strategies within the context of the texts (student-friendly definitions, analyzing morphemes, word maps, and discussion of word relationships/shades of meaning, dictionary skills, context clues).
Attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and high-utility academic words.
Materials provide multiple exposures to key vocabulary within (i.e., before, during, after reading) and across texts.
Teacher guidance for explicit vocabulary instruction in myView’s materials meets expectations for indicator 2k. The materials provide a structured approach to vocabulary instruction, ensuring multiple exposures to key academic and text-specific words before, during, and after reading. Each unit introduces academic vocabulary through an Oral Vocabulary Routine, reinforced in weekly lesson plans and integrated into comprehension and discussion activities. Students preview and interact with text-specific vocabulary through guided reading, graphic organizers, and oral practice, while the materials provide teachers with sample language and scaffolding strategies to deepen understanding. The materials emphasize independent word-learning strategies, such as context clues, morpheme analysis, and discussion of word relationships. The Reading Routines Companion Flipbook also supports explicit vocabulary instruction with structured routines, corrective feedback, and differentiation, helping students build vocabulary knowledge across various texts and contexts. While the materials provide some rationale for the text-specific vocabulary words, the rationale for selecting unit academic vocabulary is not detailed beyond these being words that “help student access ideas.”
Attention is paid to vocabulary essential to understanding the text and high-utility academic words. Materials provide multiple exposures to key vocabulary within (i.e., before, during, after reading) and across texts.
The myView materials have a structured process for introducing key vocabulary words within each unit. During the unit introduction, the teacher takes students through an Oral Vocabulary Routine to familiarize them with the unit’s academic vocabulary words. The Weekly Planner shows the Words of the Week, which include the unit’s academic vocabulary and the vocabulary specific to the week’s texts. During Lesson 1 each week, the materials direct teachers to incorporate the unit’s academic vocabulary into the Weekly Launch activity as a way to provide multiple exposures to words and increase understanding of those words. Later in Lesson 1, students learn about words related to the unit’s academic vocabulary words to deepen their understanding. In Lesson 2, prior to reading the week’s texts, the materials direct students to preview text-specific vocabulary. The materials encourage teachers to point these words out as they read aloud and have students look for them. Later in Lesson 2, teachers deepen students’ understanding of the text’s vocabulary words and formatively assess their understanding. For students who need additional vocabulary support, the materials direct teachers to provide additional instruction during small group instruction. In Lessons 3, 4, and 5, when working on the week’s comprehension skill, the materials provide sample language the teacher can use to integrate both the unit and the week’s vocabulary into the instruction. In Week 6 of each unit, students participate in a Project-Based Inquiry, and the materials direct teachers to remind students to use the vocabulary they have learned through the unit.
In Grade K, Unit 2, the teacher introduces the Academic Vocabulary words grow, need, share, and depend while introducing the unit using the Oral Vocabulary Routine. The Weekly Planner for Week 1 lists the Academic Vocabulary (grow, need, share, depend) and the Selection Vocabulary (butterflies, geese, whales). In Week 1, Lesson 1, Build Knowledge, the materials provide guidance to teachers about using the unit vocabulary: “The unit Academic Vocabulary words help students access ideas. Use these words to teach and reinforce instruction throughout the lesson. For example, as you discuss the infographic, ask: "What does the whooping crane need to move from its summer home to its winter home?” Later in that lesson, the materials direct teachers to “Remind students that word parts can be added to make related words. Related words are connected in some way, such as having the same base word. Word parts can be added to the end of the verbs, or action words, to make related words.” The teacher then models changing the inflectional ending in various verbs. In Week 1, Lesson 2, the teacher introduces the selection vocabulary, butterflies, geese, and whales. The teacher encourages students to look for the words while reading. Later in that lesson, the teacher models deepening understanding of the selection vocabulary by having students describe the animals and draw a picture of them. In Week 1, Lessons 3, 4, and 5, the materials provide guidance to teachers about how to integrate the unit Academic Vocabulary. For example, in Lesson 3, the materials say, “Offer students oral practice using the unit Academic Vocabulary words to talk about why animals move from one place to another. For example, as you discuss main ideas and details, provide sentence starters with the vocabulary words: Butterflies/geese/whales migrate because they need ________.” The Academic Vocabulary words are integrated throughout all of the weeks in the unit, including Week 6, which is the Project-Based Inquiry. In Week 6, Lesson 1, Introduce the Project, the materials direct teachers to “Remind students that the academic vocabulary words they learned in this unit relate to the unit theme, Living Together. Model using Academic Vocabulary words grown need, share, and depend as you describe the animals pictured on p. 182.”
Each myView unit has a set of Academic Vocabulary Words that teachers and students use throughout the six weeks. The words are introduced and defined at the beginning of the unit, and as the unit progresses, they are used in different contexts based on the week’s text selections.
In Grade 2, Unit 4, the Academic Vocabulary words are discuss, connect, responsible, equal, and improve. The materials provide guidance throughout the unit for deepening students’s understanding of these words beyond any one text. For example:
In Week 1, Lesson 3, students read Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone. The materials provide guidance to teachers to “Offer students oral practice using the Academic Vocabulary words to answer questions. Ask: Why did the townspeople discuss Elizabeth Blackwell when she arrived in upstate New York for medical school? How did Elizabeth Blackwell show the boys at the medical school that her skills were equal to theirs?”
In Week 5, Lesson 3, students read Kids Can Be Big Helpers by Kenneth Braswell. The materials provide guidance to teachers to “Offer students oral practice using the unit Academic Vocabulary words to talk about persuasive text. Give students sentence starters, such as: I want to discuss why the author of a persuasive text ______. The author of a persuasive text might try to persuade you to be responsible about _______.”
In addition to the unit Academic Vocabulary words, the materials provide vocabulary words specific to each week’s texts. The students preview these words in Lesson 2 and work with them throughout the week.
In Grade 1, Unit 2, Week 4, Lesson 2, students read the poems “The Long Sleep” and “Changes” by Chitra Divakaruni. The vocabulary words for these texts are eat, dig, sleep, and burrow. There are student-friendly definitions of the words embedded within the text at point-of-use. Later in the lesson, students deepen their understanding of the words by learning that these words describe what animals do as the seasons change.
Materials include structured and explicit practices for introducing key vocabulary words and independent word-learning strategies within the context of the texts (student-friendly definitions, analyzing morphemes, word maps, and discussion of word relationships/shades of meaning, dictionary skills, context clues).
Each grade level in myView contains a Reading Routines Companion Flipbook. This guide is designed to ensure alignment with science of reading practices and includes connections to lessons, explicit teacher talk, digital practice, targeted corrective feedback prompts, and differentiation. The Reading Routines Companion Flipbook also contains vocabulary routines for each grade level.
In Grade K, the vocabulary routines are Oral Vocabulary: Read Alouds, Synonyms, Antonyms, Context Clues: Surrounding Words, Word Parts for Meaning, Prefixes, and Suffixes.
In Grade 1, the vocabulary routines are Oral Vocabulary: Read Alouds, Use Resources, Word Meaning in Context, Context Clues: Synonyms, Context Clues: Antonyms, Context Clues: Surrounding Text, and Word Parts for Meaning.
In Grade 1, the vocabulary routines are Oral Vocabulary: Read Alouds, Use Resources, Context Clues: Synonyms, Context Clues: Antonyms, Context Clues: Surrounding Text, and Word Parts for Meaning.
Indicator 2l
Materials include opportunities for students to practice independent word-learning strategies, as well as newly taught vocabulary words.
Materials include opportunities for students to use independent word-learning strategies to understand the meaning of challenging words (inferring from context or using morphological awareness).
Materials include opportunities for students to use academic and content-specific vocabulary in various contexts.
Practice opportunities incorporate the review of previously learned words based on their connection to the topic of study.
The vocabulary practice opportunities in myView’s materials meet expectations for indicator 2l. The materials provide structured opportunities for students to develop independent word-learning strategies, such as using context clues and morphological awareness, to understand challenging words. Students practice these strategies through teacher modeling and guided application with unit vocabulary. Additionally, students engage with academic and content-specific vocabulary in various contexts, including discussions, dictionary use, and written responses. The curriculum also ensures repeated exposure to key vocabulary throughout a unit, reinforcing understanding through activities like identifying antonyms, using affixes, and applying learned words in writing tasks related to the unit’s essential questions.
Materials include opportunities for students to use independent word-learning strategies to understand the meaning of challenging words (inferring from context or using morphological awareness).
Students have numerous opportunities throughout each unit to use the independent word-learning strategies taught in the lessons. These strategies often involve using context clues to determine challenging word meanings and morphological awareness to break words apart. These opportunities take place using the unit and text-specific vocabulary.
In Grade K, Unit 5, Week 1, Lesson 1, Related Words, students learn that word parts can be added to the beginning and end of words to make new words. After the teacher models, students practice using the prefix un- and the suffix -ed with one of the unit vocabulary words, prepare.
In Grade 1, Unit 2, Week 3, Lesson 1, Context Clues, students learn that context clues are words or pictures that can help them understand the meaning of a word. After the teacher models, students practice identifying the context clues in sentences using the unit vocabulary words, reason, nature, notice, and pattern.
Materials include opportunities for students to use academic and content-specific vocabulary in various contexts.
The myView materials include multiple opportunities for students to use academic and content-specific vocabulary across various contexts. The unit and text-specific vocabulary is woven throughout the lessons in each unit. Students also have opportunities to use these words in writing, in whole-class and small-group discussions, and in the Project-Based Inquiry.
In Grade K, Unit 2, Introduce the Unit, students use the Academic Vocabulary words the teacher just introduced to discuss the picture in the Student Interactive. The students use the words grow, need, share, and depend in their discussion.
In Grade 2, Unit 1, Week 3, Lesson 2, Develop Vocabulary, students use a dictionary to find the meanings of words from the text they are reading, Places We Go: A Kid’s Guide to Community Builders by Rachelle Kreisman. They practice pronouncing the words with a partner, then record the definitions in their own words on a graphic organizer.
Practice opportunities incorporate the review of previously learned words based on their connection to the topic of study.
Throughout each unit, the Academic Vocabulary words taught at the beginning of the unit are integrated and used across many activities and tasks based on what is being studied each week.
In Grade 1, Unit 5, Introduce the Unit, students learn the unit’s Academic Vocabulary words: sense, expect, process, and information. In Week 2, Lesson 1, Antonyms, students practice identifying antonyms of the unit’s Academic Vocabulary. In Week 5, Lesson 1, Oral Vocabulary, students practice finishing sentences about the topic they are studying using the unit’s Academic Vocabulary.
In Grade 2, Unit 4, Introduce the Unit, students learn the unit Academic Vocabulary words discuss, connect, responsible, equal, and improve. In Week 1, Lesson 1, Related Words, students practice adding suffixes to verbs to make them nouns and determining the meaning of the new word. In Week 5, Lesson 1, Oral Language, students practice using the Academic Vocabulary words they learned during the unit to respond in writing to the Essential Question, “Why is it important to connect with other people?” Students share the words they chose with a partner and then write a response to the Essential Question using those words.
Indicator 2m
Materials include explicit instruction on sentence composition appropriate to grade-level standards, embedded in what students are studying throughout the unit.
Materials include explicit instruction and modeling guidance in sentence-composition skills (use of punctuation, sentence elaboration, sentence combining using cohesive ties, sentence fluency), embedded in what students are studying throughout the unit.
Materials utilize exemplar sentences from core and mentor texts that contain clear, varied, and rich examples of sentence structure.
The sentence composition instruction in myView’s materials partially meets expectations for indicator 2m. The materials provide explicit instruction and modeling guidance in sentence-composition skills through a structured weekly Language and Conventions focus within writing units. Each week follows a predictable sequence that includes review, oral language practice, explicit instruction, student practice, and standards-based exercises. While the program incorporates teacher reminders to apply these skills in students’ writing, the instruction itself is often decontextualized from the topic and texts being studied in the unit. Additionally, writing units include a Revise and Edit focus in Week 4, where students engage in guided practice and independent application of sentence composition skills. The Revise and Edit lessons include teacher modeling using sentences that are related to the unit topic and provide guidance for students to apply these skills in the unit’s writing piece. Mentor Printables are used to model sentence structures, and teachers have the option to select exemplar sentences from texts, with criteria provided for choosing appropriate examples. While the Mentor Printables provide mentor texts aligned to the writing skills taught in the unit, they are separate from the texts students read during the reading block unless teachers choose to use the reading block texts as mentor texts for writing.
Materials include explicit instruction and modeling guidance in sentence-composition skills (use of punctuation, sentence elaboration, sentence combining using cohesive ties, sentence fluency), though it is not always embedded in what students are studying.
Each week within a writing unit has a Language & Conventions focus, which follows a predictable pattern: Lesson 1 reviews a previously learned skill, Lesson 2 introduces a new skill through Oral Language practice, Lesson 3 provides explicit instruction in the skill, Lesson 4 provides practice with the skill in the Student Interactive, and Lesson 5 provides Standards Practice on the skill taught throughout the week. Within these lessons, the materials provide tips to teachers to remind students to apply these skills to the writing piece they are working on, but the skills themselves are taught and modeled with decontextualized sentences not related to the texts or topics in the unit.
In Grade K, Unit 4, Writing, Week 1, the Language & Conventions focus begins with a review of prepositional phrases in Lesson 1. In Lesson 2, the teacher introduces the concept of a complete sentence, modeling and providing guided practice orally. In Lesson 3, the teacher teaches the concept of complete sentences more explicitly by identifying nouns, verbs, and capital letters at the beginning of sentences in sentences written on the board. The materials provide a reminder to teachers to “Tell students to use complete sentences as they plan their drafts. Remind them that a complete sentence begins with a capital letter.” Students practice editing complete sentences in Lesson 4, and in Lesson 5, they complete a Standards Practice exercise.
In Grade 2, Unit 1, Writing, Week 3, the Language & Conventions focus begins with a review of subjects and predicates in Lesson 1. In Lesson 2, the teacher introduces the concept of compound sentences, models them, and provides guided practice orally. In Lesson 3, the teacher teaches compound sentences more explicitly by displaying a compound sentence on the board, having students expand the sentence with details, and then working on rearranging the parts of the sentence. The materials provide a reminder to teachers to “Tell students to pay attention to compound sentences as they draft. Remind them that they can form a compound sentence from two sentences with related ideas.” Students practice editing compound sentences in Lesson 4, and in Lesson 5, they complete a Standards Practice exercise.
Week 4 of each writing unit has a Revise and Edit focus for the piece students are writing. Each lesson throughout the week focuses on revising and editing different aspects of the writing pieces and features explicit instruction, modeling, guided practice, and practice in the Student Interactive. Sometimes, the lessons direct teachers to have students revise or edit for the skill within their writing, and sometimes, students practice the skill in the Student Interactive only. Generally, the sentences or writing that teachers use for modeling are related to the overall theme of the unit and the type of writing that students are doing in the unit.
In Grade 1, Unit 3, Writing, Week 4, Lesson 1 focuses on using capital letters. Lesson 2 focuses on using conjunctions to connect words or parts of sentences, which is continued in Lesson 3. Lessons 4 and 5 focus on using commas correctly.
In Grade 2, Unit 4, Writing, Week 4, Lesson 1 focuses on capitalization and commas. Lessons 2 and 3 focus on pronouns, and Lessons 4 and 5 focus on compound subjects and predicates.
Materials utilize exemplar sentences from mentor texts specific to the writing genre that contain clear, varied, and rich examples of sentence structure.
Each week of the writing unit includes Mentor Printables, which the teacher can use to model the week’s skills. The materials also indicate teachers could choose sentences from texts in their classrooms instead and provide criteria to help the teacher choose sentences/texts that will demonstrate the week’s skills. The Mentor Printables are separate from the texts students read during the reading block and mirror the genre or type of writing students do in the writing block to serve as a mentor. The Mentor Printables are generally not related to unit topic or texts.
In Grade K, Unit 2, Writing, Week 4, the materials provide a set of three Mentor Printables aligned to the week’s skills of revising and editing a list book. In Lesson 1, the focus is on editing for singular and plural nouns, and in the Model section, the materials direct teachers to use Mentor Printable 18 as a model. The teacher models identifying singular and plural nouns in the mentor sentences, and then the class writes a sentence together that includes singular and plural nouns.
In Grade 1, Unit 5, Writing, Week 4, the materials provide a set of four Mentor Printables aligned to the week’s skills of revising and editing a how-to book. In Lesson 2, the focus is on adverbs that convey time, and in the Model section, the materials direct teachers to “Write these sentences on flipchart paper: I go birdwatching monthly. It is best to go early in the morning. See Mentor Printable 69 as a model.” The teacher then explains that monthly is an adverb that tells how often, and early is an adverb that tells when something happens. After modeling, the teacher chooses a student draft, and as a class, they identify adverbs and what they indicate about time.
Indicator 2n
Materials include evidence-based opportunities for students to practice sentence composition and editing of their own writing, appropriate for their grade level.
Materials include opportunities for students to write sentences about the texts under study while practicing and applying sentence composition skills.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice and apply sentence composition skills by examining their own writing.
Materials include opportunities for students to adapt their language based on the intended audience and purpose.
The student opportunities for sentence-level writing in myView’s materials partially meet expectations for indicator 2n. The materials provide opportunities for students to practice sentence composition skills; however, these opportunities are not always connected to the texts under study. The Language & Conventions lessons include sentence-level practice, but these exercises are often disconnected from the texts being read. In Revise & Edit lessons, students sometimes work with sentences related to the unit theme or drawn from texts in the reading block, but this practice is not consistent. Additionally, students are given opportunities to refine their sentence composition skills within their own writing, particularly during revision and editing, where they apply skills such as punctuation, sentence structure, and subject-verb agreement, but the onus is often on the students to apply these skills to their own writing. The materials also include guidance on adapting language based on audience and purpose, particularly in project-based writing activities where students consider their audience’s needs while revising their work.
Materials include some opportunities for students to write sentences about the texts under study while practicing and applying sentence composition skills. However, some of these opportunities are not embedded in students’ own writing.
Throughout the reading block, students have opportunities to write about their reading through the Reflect & Share lessons, but that writing is not generally focused on sentence-level composition skills. In the Weekly Overview of the writing block, the materials tell teachers to connect the writing lessons to the text students are reading that week but don’t include additional point-of-use guidance within lessons about when to pull in texts from the reading block or which portions would work best for this purpose. Within the Language & Conventions lessons, students often write sentences using the skill they are learning, but these sentences are not related to the texts being studied. Within the Revise and Edit lessons, the teacher sometimes models with sentences related to the overall unit theme or from the texts read during the reading block. The sentences students practice with during this part of the lesson are also sometimes related to the unit theme. These opportunities are also not always embedded in students’ own writing and sometimes are limited to practice in the Student Interactive.
In Grade K, Unit 4, Writing, Week 4, Lesson 2, Revise and Edit, students learn about correctly using verbs for their personal narrative about something memorable. After the teacher models how personal narratives are about something in the past and verbs help show that, students practice editing verbs with -ed. In Lesson 3, they continue to practice correct verb tense, and the students have the option to “return to their drafts and check to make sure they used verbs correctly.” The materials do not provide additional support beyond this for students to practice this skill in their writing pieces.
In Grade 2, Unit 2, Writing, Week 4, Lesson 1, Revise and Edit, students learn about subject-verb agreement. After the teacher models with sentences related to the overall unit theme, students practice editing sentences related to the unit theme for subject-verb agreement, and then students go into the list article they are writing to ensure they have complete sentences and correct subject-verb agreement. While students are not writing sentences directly about the week’s text selection, they are working with and writing sentences related to the theme through the unit’s writing piece.
Materials include some opportunities for students to practice and apply sentence composition skills by examining their own writing.
While the materials include some opportunities for students to practice sentence composition skills, these opportunities are not consistently applied to their own writing. Revise and Edit lessons often begin with skill practice in sample sentences or paragraphs, followed by a general prompt to apply the skill to a piece of student writing. However, this transition is not consistently supported with explicit guidance or modeling, leaving students to independently identify where and how to revise their drafts. As a result, students may complete isolated practice without deeply engaging in the process of examining and improving their own writing at the sentence level.
In Grade 1, Unit 4, Writing, Week 4, Lesson 2, Revise and Edit, students learn about punctuation marks in declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences. After the teacher models, students practice editing the punctuation in sample sentences, and then the materials direct them to “Edit the punctuation marks in your personal narrative.” The materials do not provide additional support beyond this for students to practice this skill in their writing pieces.
In Grade 2, Unit 3, Writing, Week 4, Lesson 2, Revise and Edit, students learn about simple and compound sentences. After the teacher models, they practice identifying simple and compound sentences, then the materials direct them to “Revise your book review to include at least one compound sentence.” The materials do not provide additional support beyond this for students to practice this skill in their writing pieces.
Materials include opportunities for students to adapt their language based on the intended audience and purpose.
During the Project-Based Inquiry in Week 6 of each unit, students think about the audience for their project and what those readers might need to know. The materials provide guidance to the teacher to help students think through the audience and purpose.
In Grade K, Unit 5, Week 6, Lesson 2, Write for a Reader, while students are working on writing a persuasive poem, the materials provide guidance to teachers: “Explain to students that authors write with a certain audience in mind. Have students consider the audience for their persuasive text. Ask questions to help students think about audience, such as Who will listen to my poem? What words can I use to make my audience agree with my opinion?” Students think about these questions as they read and annotate a mentor persuasive poem.
In Grade 1, Unit 1, Week 6, Lesson 4, Write for a Reader, while students are working on writing an informational text about what a worker in their neighborhood does, the materials provide guidance to teachers: “As students revise and edit their informational texts, remind them to add details that will engage the audience and help the audience understand the topic. Students should evaluate their facts and details by asking questions, such as Do readers need to know this fact to understand my main, or central, idea? Is this detail interesting?” The associated Student Interactive pages direct students to read their informational text to a partner and keep these questions in mind.
Indicator 2o
Materials include a mix of both on-demand and process writing opportunities that are appropriately aligned in purpose, genre, and/or topic to the reading and listening of that unit.
Materials include a mix of grade-appropriate on-demand and process writing.
Materials reflect the distribution indicated by the standards for process writing (K–5 30/35/35 persuade/explain/convey experience).
Writing opportunities are appropriately aligned to the purpose, genre, and/or topic of the unit’s reading.
The on-demand and process writing opportunities in myView’s materials meet expectations for indicator 2o. The materials provide a balance of on-demand and process writing opportunities that align with grade-level expectations. Students regularly engage in on-demand writing through comprehension checks, responses to author’s craft questions, and writing activities tied to the unit’s themes and texts within the reading block. The process writing follows a structured, multi-week approach that guides students through prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing, culminating in a related on-demand assessment. Writing opportunities within the reading block are intentionally connected to what students are reading, reinforcing students’ understanding of genre, purpose, and content while supporting skill development across different writing formats. Additionally, the distribution of process writing across persuasive, informative, and narrative tasks generally reflects the standards’ expectations.
Materials include a mix of grade-appropriate on-demand and process writing.
Throughout the reading block, students have many weekly on-demand writing opportunities. These include activities like Check for Understanding questions during early reads of a text, comprehension questions, author’s craft questions, responses to the Weekly Question, and Write to Sources.
In Grade K, Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, students make connections about the past from the two different texts they read this week and write a response to the Weekly Question, “How do we learn about the past?” in their Student Interactive.
Process writing occurs within each myView unit and follows a predictable pattern: Week 1—Prewrite, Week 2—Draft, Week 3—Draft, Week 4—Revise and Edit, and Week 5—Publish. Within each lesson, writing instruction encompasses the following parts: Teach, Model, Guided Practice, and Independent Practice. At the end of Week 5, students complete an on-demand writing assessment based on the text type learned throughout the unit, which also connects broadly to the unit’s theme and essential question.
In Grade 2, Unit 2, Writing, students learn how to write a list article about something in nature. In Week 1, Prewrite, they learn about adding the main idea and details, using text features and graphics, how to generate ideas, and begin planning their article. In Week 2, Draft, students work on determining a topic and main idea, developing details, and adding text features and graphics. In Week 3, Draft, students write their introduction and conclusion, organize details, and continue adding text features. Week 4 is focused on revising and editing for nouns and prepositional phrases, and in Week 5, students edit their writing, prepare for celebration, and share their writing. At the end of Week 5, students complete an on-demand Writing Assessment: Informational: List Article where they “Write an informational list article about a topic you know a lot about.”
Each unit in myView ends with a Project-Based Inquiry, where students apply what they have learned throughout the unit, connecting both the content and literacy skill knowledge they developed.
In Grade 1, Unit 5, Week 6, in the Project-Based Inquiry, students will write and perform a short play to persuade an audience that a season of their choice is the best. In Lesson 2, students explore persuasive writing by reading a research article, then they begin to research online. In Lesson 3, students analyze a student model and compile facts about their topic. In Lesson 4, students revise and edit, and in Lesson 5, students share their play and reflect on the process.
Materials reflect the distribution indicated by the standards for process writing (K–5 30/35/35 persuade/explain/convey experience). (not scored)
Across Grades K-2, the writing distribution in myView is relatively aligned with what is indicated in the standards.
In Grade K, the distribution of process writing is 30% to persuade, 40% to inform, and 30% to convey experience.
In Grade 1, the distribution of process writing is 40% to persuade, 40% to inform, and 20% to convey experience.
In Grade 2, the distribution of process writing is 36% to persuade, 45% to inform, and 18% to convey experience.
Writing opportunities are appropriately aligned to the purpose, genre, and/or topic of the unit’s reading.
The writing opportunities within the reading block in myView are aligned with the topics being studied in each unit’s texts. Throughout the reading lessons, students respond to questions related to what they are reading. During the writing block, the genre students focus on is broadly related to what students are reading, either through the topic or purpose. Students also complete a culminating task, which is also related to the overall unit theme and texts being studied.
In Grade 1, Unit 3, the Unit Theme is Imagine That, and the Essential Question is “How can we use our imaginations?” Students have numerous opportunities for writing in response to reading throughout the unit. For example, after reading The Ant and the Grasshopper: A Retelling of Aesop’s Fable by Mark White in Week 1, Lesson 2, students respond to Check for Understanding questions like “What makes this text a fable?,” “What is the author’s purpose for writing this text?,” and “What can the ant learn from the grasshopper? Use text evidence.” In Week 4, Lesson 5, students use what they learned from The Cow and the Tiger by Sudha Ramaswami and The Ant and the Grasshopper and complete a Write to Sources response comparing and contrasting the two fables. During the writing block, students work on an opinion book to convince a parent or adult at home to agree with their opinion of something. The materials encourage the teacher to highlight the writing skills students are learning in each week’s texts. For example, when students learn what it means to have an opinion, the materials encourage teachers to “Discuss the opinions of the characters in the Read-Together Text The Ant and the Grasshopper.” The Writing Assessment for the unit is an opinion piece about students’ favorite place or sound. The Project-Based Inquiry for this unit is for students to research folktales and write an opinion text about why people should read folktales.
Indicator 2p
Materials include explicit instruction in varied writing processes, embedded in what students are studying throughout the unit.
Materials include explicit instruction in writing processes, including teacher modeling of writing strategies and processes, embedded in what students are studying throughout the unit.
Materials provide teachers with mentor texts and/or student exemplars to support students in examining how the genre works.
Materials provide guidance and instruction to teachers on how to provide timely and constructive feedback on student writing.
The explicit instruction in varied writing processes in myView partially meets expectations for indicator 2p. The materials provide explicit instruction in writing processes, including teacher modeling, through a structured five-week writing routine. Each lesson follows a sequence of defining the target skill, modeling through teacher think-alouds, guided practice with class drafting, and independent writing with support through individual writing conferences, though this practice is often limited to work in the Student Interactive. The writing block aligns with the unit theme, progressing from genre analysis and prewriting to drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Mentor texts and exemplars support students in understanding writing structures. Formative assessments, such as Conferences On the Go! notes, offer some support for teachers in giving feedback, though the guidance is limited to students who struggle.
Materials include explicit instruction in writing processes, including teacher modeling of writing strategies and processes, sometimes embedded in what students are studying throughout the unit.
In the Set Up Your Classroom section of the Teacher’s Edition Flipbook, before the writing block lessons begin, the materials detail the Writing Routine that all writing lessons follow:
“Teach: Define the target skill.
Model: Show students how to apply the skill. As you model, think aloud and describe how you form letters and write sentences.
Guide Practice: Have students apply the skill as they create a class draft. A student can write a word or letter, add a punctuation mark, or draw a picture.
Practice: Students do independent writing, often with prompts and sentence starters as guides.”
After the reading block concludes each day, the writing block runs for 30 minutes, and the materials provide explicit instruction and modeling in a writing type/genre related to the overall unit theme and essential question. Week 1 of the writing block focuses on learning about the genre and prewriting by analyzing mentor texts and beginning to brainstorm ideas. Week 2 focuses on drafting the writing piece, and each lesson within the week has students drafting a different portion of the text. Students continue the process of drafting in Week 3, focusing on adding more to their writing piece, depending on what type of writing it is. In Week 4, students Revise and Edit their writing, focusing on various sentence composition skills relevant to the unit’s writing piece. Week 5 is focused on publishing, which can include additional editing, celebrating, and an on-demand assessment to consolidate the writing skills learned across the unit. While the materials provide explicit instruction in various writing skills, the transfer to student’s own writing is sometimes limited, as students practice many of the skills in the Student Interactive only, and the writing instruction may not be related to the texts students are reading.
In Grade K, Unit 3, Writing, students write an opinion book. In Week 1, Prewrite, the teacher provides explicit instruction on what an opinion is and how to support that opinion with reasons using examples and the week’s Mentor Printable, then instructs students to begin brainstorming and planning ideas for their opinion book. In Week 2, Draft, the teacher explains how to choose a topic, state an opinion, and supply a reason. In Week 3, Draft, the teacher deepens this instruction by modeling how to organize ideas, including the drawing that accompanies the writing. In Week 4, Revise and Edit, the teacher teaches and models how to use descriptive words, conjunctions, and complete sentences. In Week 5, Publish, the teacher has students do additional editing related to conjunctions and complete sentences, celebrate by reading their opinion book aloud, and complete an on-demand writing assessment where they write an opinion piece.
In Grade 2, Unit 5, Writing, students write a How-To Book. In Week 1, Prewrite, the teacher guides students to analyze the features of a procedural text and how to begin generating ideas and planning for their own How-To Books. In Week 2, Draft, the teacher models how to write a command, write precisely, and add graphics. In Week 3, Draft, the teacher deepens this instruction and models organization, writing the steps, and drafting an introduction and conclusion using the Mentor Printables. In Week 4, Revise and Edit, the teacher teaches students how to edit for adverbs, how to add or delete words, and how to rearrange words. In week 5, Publish, the teacher has students do additional editing related to pronouns and capitalization, celebrate through reading their How-To Book aloud, and complete an on-demand writing assessment where they write a procedural text.
In each week of the writing block, the materials provide a Connect to Reading note for teachers in the Weekly Overview, which provides a connection to one of the texts being read in the reading block, though this guidance is limited and no additional guidance is provided within the writing lessons themselves.
Materials provide teachers with mentor texts and/or student exemplars to support students in examining how the genre works.
Each week of the writing block includes Mentor Printables, which serve as exemplars of the type of writing students are doing within the unit. Teachers are also given criteria for selecting books from their classroom that could work as mentor texts.
In Grade 1, Unit 5, Writing, Week 2, the materials reference Mentor Printables 60-63 to support students in writing a How-To Book. The teacher models each lesson’s skill using one of the Mentor Printables, which serve as mentor texts for drafting an introduction and conclusion, writing instructions, and adding graphics. For teachers who want to choose their own mentor texts, the materials provide this criteria:
“The text has a clear and engaging introduction and conclusion.
The text includes clear step-by-step instructions.
The text includes simple graphics that give more details about the instructions or final product.”
In Grade 2, Unit 2, Writing, Week 3, the materials reference Mentor Printable 11 to support students in writing a List Article. The teacher models each lesson’s skill using the Mentor Printable, which serves as a mentor text for drafting an introduction and conclusion, organizing details, and adding text features. For teachers who want to choose their own mentor texts, the materials provide this criteria:
“There are clearly identifiable introduction and conclusions.
Bold or colored type is used to highlight words, phrases, or headings.”
Materials provide some guidance and instruction to teachers on how to provide timely and constructive feedback on student writing.
Throughout many of the lessons in the writing block, the materials have a Formative Assessment: Conferences On the Go! note for teachers. These notes focus on the skill taught within that lesson and provide guidance to the teacher on how to provide feedback to students on that skill if they are struggling. While most writing lessons include these notes for teachers, the materials provide limited guidance on how to confer with all students during the writing block and how to give feedback to students who are on- or above-level writers. The materials also provide rubrics for scoring students writing once a piece has been completed, but there is no guidance about how to use those rubrics for feedback purposes.
In Grade K, Unit 4, Writing, Week 2, Lesson 3, Draft, the teacher models having a first person narrator in personal narratives. As students are writing independently, the Conferences On the Go! note about Narrator says, “If students are not using I, me, or my in their writing, say: Remember the narrator of the story is you. Can you say a sentence that begins with the word I?”
In Grade 1, Unit 1, Writing, Week 4, Lesson 3, Revise and Edit, the teacher models adding details to tell more about something. As students are writing independently, the Conferences On the Go! note about Adding Details to Words says, “If students are not able to add details, point to something in their writing and say, for example: Can you tell me more about what this is like? How does it look, sound, smell, taste, or feel?”
Indicator 2q
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to practice the writing processes using evidence-based strategies, embedded in what students are studying throughout the unit.
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to plan writing (e.g., with graphic organizers).
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to draft their writing.
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to revise and edit their writing with grade-appropriate strategies and tools.
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to use technology to produce and publish writing, independently and with others.
The opportunities for students to practice the writing processes in myView meet expectations for indicator 2q. The materials provide multiple opportunities for students to engage in the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing; however, the opportunities do not always transfer to application in their own writing and are sometimes limited to practice in the Student Interactive. Prewriting activities in the curriculum involve using graphic organizers to generate and organize ideas. Drafting spans two weeks in each unit, with students composing different sections of their writing piece, organizing ideas, and adding relevant text features. The revising and editing phase focuses on grade-appropriate grammar and mechanics, such as sentence completeness and punctuation. Additionally, students have opportunities to learn about digital tools to produce and publish their writing. While students have the opportunity to practice various writing skills throughout the program in the Student Interactive, the application of the skills in their own writing is not always clear or consistent.
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to plan writing (e.g., with graphic organizers).
During each writing unit, Week 1 is focused on prewriting, which includes learning about the genre and planning students’ writing, often using graphic organizers to support students in planning their writing.
In Grade K, Unit 5, Writing, Week 1, Lesson 4, Prewrite: Generate Ideas, students begin generating ideas about the question and answer book they will be writing. After the class has generated a list together about topics in nature they know about, students draw their favorite ideas in the Student Interactive. In Lesson 5, Prewrite: Plan Your Question and Answer Book, students use a graphic organizer in the Student Interactive plan their question and answer book.
In Grade 2, Unit 2, Writing, Week 1, Lesson 4, Prewrite: List Article: Generate Ideas, students begin to generate ideas for their List Article using a graphic organizer in the Student Interactive. In Lesson 5, Prewrite: Plan Your List Article, students decide on a topic using a graphic organizer that asks them to list items and details.
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to draft their writing.
During each writing unit, Weeks 2 and 3 are focused on drafting, which includes composing various parts of the writing piece, working on organizing ideas, and adding graphics or text features, if applicable.
In Grade 1, Unit 2, Writing, Week 2, students work on drafting an informational book about an animal. In Lesson 1, they draft the main idea. In Lessons 2 and 3, they draft facts and details, and in Lessons 4 and 5, they work on adding simple graphics. In Week 3, students organize with structure in Lesson 1. In Lessons 2 and 3, they work on adding text features and simple graphics, and in Lessons 4 and 5, students draft their introduction and conclusion.
In Grade 2, Unit 4, Writing, Week 2, students work on drafting a personal narrative about a time they were helpful. In Lesson 1, they work on composing the setting. In Lessons 2 and 3, they work on drafting the main character, and in Lessons 4 and 5, they work on drafting the problem and resolution. In Week 3, students draft the sequence of events in Lesson 1. Lessons 2 and 3 focus on drafting the conclusion, and in Lessons 4 and 5, students work on adding details to their narrative.
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to revise and edit their writing with grade-appropriate strategies and tools.
Week 4 of every writing unit is focused on revising and editing the unit’s writing piece, often for grade-level appropriate grammar and mechanics concepts. In the Additional Student Resources section of the Savvas Realize platform, the materials provide a Writing Peer Feedback Form that students can use to give each other feedback, though teacher guidance for using this form is limited. While students have opportunities to practice revising and editing skills, these opportunities are sometimes limited to practice in the Student Interactive rather than authentically in their own writing or the guidance for how to apply these skills to their own writing is limited.
In Grade K, Unit 3, Writing, Week 4, students work on revising and editing their opinion book. In Lesson 1, they focus on using descriptive words. In Lessons 2 and 3, they focus on the conjunction and, and in Lessons 4 and 5, students make sure their writing has complete sentences. Sometimes students practice these skills in the Student Interactive only and sometimes, the teacher directs them to revise their own writing.
In Grade 1, Unit 4, Writing, Week 4, students work on revising and editing their personal narratives. In Lesson 1, students focus on their capitalization. In Lessons 2 and 3, students work on their punctuation marks, and in Lessons 4 and 5, they revise and edit their verbs. Sometimes students practice these skills in the Student Interactive only and sometimes, the teacher directs them to revise their own writing.
Materials include some opportunities for students to use technology to produce and publish writing.
Depending on the type of writing done in the unit, students can use digital tools to publish their writing. While students have opportunities to learn about technology tools to help them produce and publish their writing, those opportunities do not always transfer to the application of those tools in their own writing.
In Grade K, Unit 5, Writing, Week 4, Lesson 5, Revise and Edit: Digital Tools to Publish Writing, students learn about how authors use digital tools to share their writing with others. After engaging as a class in Guided Practice to vote on how they would like to publish the class book, the materials direct teachers to “Have students find the next available page in their writing journal. Have them draw and write about how they would like to publish their writing. If possible, you may also wish to have students publish their question and answer books.”
In Grade 2, Unit 1, Writing, Week 3, Lesson 5, Draft: Digital Tools Authors Use, students learn about creating a digital version of their neighborhood book. After the teacher models, students have time to write the last page of their book and “make a digital version and use various digital tools they have learned about to publish their writing.”
Indicator 2r
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to practice evidence-based writing (by drawing from the texts and knowledge built throughout the unit) to ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Materials provide frequent writing opportunities that require students to ask and answer questions about key details in a text by drawing from the texts and knowledge built throughout the unit.
Materials provide frequent writing opportunities focused on students’ recall or analysis of information to develop opinions based in part on textual evidence.
The opportunities for students to practice evidence-based writing in myView meet expectations for indicator 2r. The materials provide frequent writing opportunities that require students to ask and answer questions about key details in a text, drawing on knowledge built throughout each unit. Students regularly engage in writing prompts that encourage recall, analysis, and opinion formation based on textual evidence. In Lesson 5 of each week, students engage in a Reflect and Share lesson, which often includes a Write to Sources activity where students consolidate their learning by responding to prompts that require textual support. These activities guide students in making connections between texts, comparing opinions, and paraphrasing key information, fostering critical thinking and evidence-based writing skills.
Materials provide frequent writing opportunities that require students to ask and answer questions about key details in a text by drawing from the texts and knowledge built throughout the unit. Materials provide frequent writing opportunities focused on students’ recall or analysis of information to develop opinions based in part on textual evidence.
Throughout the program, students have numerous opportunities to respond in writing to prompts that require them to ask and answer questions about key details in the texts being studied, along with knowledge built across each unit. These prompts also often require students to use information from the texts being studied to form an opinion. Within many units, Lesson 5 of each week has students engage in a Write to Sources activity, where they consolidate the knowledge learned throughout the week in a writing prompt that requires them to use textual evidence in their response.
In Grade K, Unit 4, Week 2, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, students learn about making connections between information found in different texts by thinking about the main idea and key details in the texts. Students then write about what they learned from the past in the books they read, including details from the texts to support their ideas.
In Grade 1, Unit 2, Week 5, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, students learn about how they can write their opinions to compare texts. They then respond to the prompt, “Think about the texts you have read this week. Which text did you like best? On a separate sheet of paper, write your opinion.” The Student Interactive also provides guidance for how to write their opinion, including using examples from the text to support their opinion.
In Grade 2, Unit 5, Week 2, Lesson 5, Reflect and Share, students learn about paraphrasing. After the teacher models, students respond to the prompt, “This week you read how water and earthquakes shape and change the Earth. On a sheet of paper, write a paragraph with brief comments explaining how one natural event shapes and changes the Earth. Support your ideas with examples from the text.”
Indicator 2s
Materials include explicit instruction of research skills that guide shared research to develop students’ knowledge using multiple texts and source materials.
Materials include research projects to build research skills that lead to mastery of the grade-level standards.
Materials include explicit instruction of research skills that encourage students to develop knowledge of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.
The explicit instruction of research skills to encourage students to develop knowledge of a topic in myView meets expectations for indicator 2s. Materials incorporate research projects that build toward mastery of grade-level standards by providing structured, scaffolded opportunities for students to develop and apply research skills. However, these skills are more often practiced in the Student Interactive, and the transfer to application in students’ own writing/research is not always clear. Each unit concludes with a Week 6 Project-Based Inquiry that synthesizes learning and requires students to investigate a topic aligned to the unit’s theme through collaborative research and the creation of a final product. These projects require students to engage in structured research using multiple sources and text types and to present their findings through some kind of product. The materials provide instruction in research processes, including developing research questions, creating research plans, gathering and evaluating sources (including interviews, media, and library tools), taking notes, and integrating visuals or multimedia.
Materials include research projects to build research skills that lead to mastery of the grade-level standards.
Week 6 of each unit is dedicated to a Project-Based Inquiry that ties together the learning from the unit and helps answer the unit’s essential question. This project involves research and the creation of a product to showcase the research and skills taught during the project and align to grade-level research standards. The Scope and Sequence documents show the progression of research skills across each grade level.
In Grade K, Unit 1, Week 6, the Project-Based Inquiry requires students to work in pairs to research art and history museums and choose one they prefer, writing a persuasive text about their museum of choice. Together, students work through a research plan, learn how to conduct research by asking a librarian questions, and learn how to refine their research by taking notes.
In Grade 1, Unit 3, Week 6, the Project-Based Inquiry has students work in pairs to research folktales and then write an opinion text about why people should read folktales. Together, students generate a list of questions about folktales, follow a research plan, learn how to conduct research using audio and video sources, and incorporate media into their writing.
Materials include explicit instruction of research skills that encourage students to develop knowledge of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.
During Week 6 of every unit, the materials provide explicit instruction in research skills so that students develop increased knowledge of the topic they have studied using multiple texts or sources. This instruction begins with an introduction to the unit’s project, an exploration of the genre in which students will create their project, lessons on conducting and extending research, and a way to celebrate and share knowledge.
In Grade 1, Unit 4, Week 6, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the Project-Based Inquiry, where students will interview an older person about someone who was important to them and write an essay about the interview. The teacher prompts students to generate a list of questions to ask the person they want to interview then develop a Research Plan. In Lesson 2, the teacher guides students through exploring informational writing, thinking about who their audience will be. In Lesson 3, the teacher models how to interview someone as a way to conduct research and prompts students to determine how they will record their interview to use later in their writing. In Lesson 4, the teacher models how to write a thank-you note to the person students interviewed. Teachers have students share their essays and reflect on the process in Lesson 5.
In Grade 2, Unit 2, Week 6, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the Project-Based Inquiry, where students research patterns in tree bark and write an informational fact sheet explaining what they know about tree bark. The teacher prompts students to generate questions for formal inquiry about tree bark and to follow a research plan. In Lesson 2, the teacher guides students through exploring informational texts, thinking about their audience. In Lesson 3, the teacher models how to use library databases and books to answer inquiry questions. Later in the lesson, the teacher helps students understand the difference between paraphrasing and plagiarism. In Lesson 4, the teacher explains how images can be helpful in informational texts because they help the reader quickly grasp information and directs students to find images for their fact sheet using print and online sources. Teachers have students share their writing and reflect on the process in Lesson 5.
Indicator 2t
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to apply research skills to develop their knowledge of topics.
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to apply research skills to shared research projects using multiple texts and sources.
With guidance and support from adults, materials provide opportunities for students to recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question (Grades K-1).
Materials provide opportunities for students to recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question (Grade 2).
The opportunities for students to apply research skills to develop knowledge of topics in myView meet expectations for indicator 2t. Materials provide frequent and scaffolded opportunities for students to apply research skills to develop knowledge of topics in shared projects using multiple texts and sources. Each unit concludes with a Project-Based Inquiry that invites students to synthesize learning and answer an essential question through collaborative research and the creation of a final product. Across these projects, students learn to generate questions, conduct online research, take notes, and cite sources appropriately. The materials offer explicit instruction and teacher guidance in using both primary and secondary sources, with digital tools and graphic organizers to support student learning. Students are often prompted to gather information from personal experiences, interviews, or teacher-provided sources to inform their work. While students have multiple opportunities across the year to practice the research skills they are learning, this practice often occurs in the Student Interactive, and the transfer to application in their own writing/research is not always clear.
Materials include multiple opportunities for students to apply research skills to shared research projects using multiple texts and sources.
In Week 6 of every unit, students engage in a Project-Based Inquiry that helps answer the unit’s Essential Question and connects what they have been learning across the unit.
In Grade K, Unit 5, Week 6, students participate in collaborative research about seasons and weather. In Lessons 2 and 3, students learn about and practice conducting research online and taking notes to recall and organize their information.
In Grade 2, Unit 3, Week 6, students “write opinion letters to their principal about a tradition they believe the school should celebrate or recognize.” In Lessons 2 and 3, students learn about and practice searching online to find multiple sources and finding the information they need to cite those sources.
With guidance and support from adults, materials provide opportunities for students to recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question (grades K-1).
Within the Project-Based Inquiry, students often have opportunities to recall or gather information from sources, including those provided by the teacher, to answer their research questions.
In Grade K, Unit 4, Week 6, Lesson 3, students practice taking notes in a Question and Answer graphic organizer about the person they interviewed about their life as a child. There is a note to teachers that the Savvas Realize platform also includes primary sources students can use to help with their research.
In Grade 1, Unit 2, Week 6, Lesson 3, students search online to find answers to their research questions about zoo animals. The guidance in the Student Interactive directs students to go to a zoo’s website and find a fact about their animal. With a partner, students then write the fact they found during their research.
Materials provide opportunities for students to recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question (grade 2).
Within the Project-Based Inquiry, students often have opportunities to recall or gather information from experiences or provided sources to answer their research questions and develop knowledge of the topic.
In Grade 2, Unit 1, Week 6, Lesson 2, students write questions they want to ask an expert about places in the community they visit and enjoy. When they interview the expert, students take notes or record the interview. In Lesson 3, students learn about primary and secondary sources and “identify a relevant primary source and secondary source to learn more about your favorite place. Gather your sources.”
Indicator 2u
Materials include formative assessments and guidance that provide the teacher with information for instructional next steps.
Materials include formative assessments and support for the teacher in determining students’ current skills/level of understanding.
Materials include guidance that supports the teacher in making instructional adjustments to increase student progress.
The formative assessment guidance in myView meets expectations for indicator 2u. Materials include a range of formative assessment opportunities embedded throughout daily and weekly instruction, along with guidance to support teachers in determining students’ current understanding and adjusting instruction as needed. Teachers are provided with tools such as Exit Tickets, Monitor Progress Notes, observations, fluency checks, and Progress Check-Ups to regularly assess student progress. These assessments are flexible, offering teachers options for administration through observation or exit tickets. Based on the formative assessments embedded in the lessons, the materials also provide reteaching through targeted small-group Skill Groups when students struggle. Each Skill Group includes a teaching point, modeling, guided practice, and its own formative check.
Materials include formative assessments and support for the teacher in determining students’ current skills/level of understanding.
In the Assessment Guide, the materials explain that “Formative assessments are the way to gather continuous data about students’ learning and to monitor student progress as you go. These assessments are called formative because they help ‘form’ the instructional process along the way. Formative assessment may include:
Teacher observations
Checklists
Homework
Classwork
Weekly tests
Fluency checks”
The Assessment Guide also provides information about Progress Check-Ups and Exit Tickets:
“Progress Check-Ups: formative assessments that will provide you with information each week about your students’ ability to use the skills and standards taught in class.
Exit Tickets: a formative assessment option that allows you to quickly check for understanding of weekly content, such as genre, vocabulary, and phonics. Weeks 1–5 of each unit contain six or seven Exit Tickets, and Week 6 contains two Exit Tickets.”
The Assessment Guide details how teachers should use data to make decisions:
“Collect Data: Use a variety of assessment tools to gather data about your students as individuals and classroom as a whole.
Document Data: Record and organize the data in a way that you can easily read and understand.
Evaluate Data: Consider what the data tells you about individual and classroom learning when reviewed together.
Instruct from Data: Plan your instruction to address the evidence of learning or needs of your individual students and classroom as a whole.”
In the myView Teacher’s Edition for each unit, the materials list the types of common formative assessments. The Daily Formative Assessments consist of Exit Tickets, Monitor Progress Notes, and Conferences On the Go. The Weekly Assessments consist of Weekly Progress Check-Ups, Cold Reads for Fluency and Comprehension, Weekly Selection Quizzes, and Weekly Standards Practice. The Weekly Planner details for teachers include where the formative assessment opportunities fall within each week and what materials they will need, if any.
In Grade K, Unit 2, Week 1, the materials provide various opportunities for formative assessment across the week. In Lesson 1, the Monitor Progress note gives teachers two options for a formative assessment about informational texts:
“As students work, circulate to check that they can identify details that support the main idea in an informational text.
Exit Ticket: See SavvasRealize.com for an exit ticket on the elements of informational text.
Lesson 2 provides formative assessment opportunities to monitor progress about the text’s vocabulary, Lesson 3 provides formative assessment opportunities related to main idea and supporting evidence, Lesson 4 provides formative assessment opportunities around making inferences, and Lesson 5’s formative assessment focuses on comparing texts. Each of the opportunities provides teachers with choices in how they want to administer the formative assessment: through observation or using an exit ticket.
In Grade 2, Unit 4, Week 3, the materials provide various opportunities for formative assessment across the week. In Lesson 1, the Monitor Progress note gives the teacher two options for formative assessment about elements of realistic fiction:
“ As students work circulate to check that they can discuss the elements of realistic fiction.
Exit Ticket: See SavvasRealize.com for an exit ticket on the elements of realistic fiction.”
Lesson 2 provides a formative assessment for vocabulary and identifying synonyms, Lesson 3 provides formative assessment opportunities related to determining theme, Lesson 4’s formative assessment focuses on creating new understandings, and Lesson 5’s formative assessment opportunities are related to comparing texts. Each of the opportunities provides teachers with choices in how they want to administer the formative assessment: through observation or using an exit ticket.
Materials include broad guidance that supports the teacher in making instructional adjustments to increase student progress.
In the Formative Assessment: Monitor Progress notes, the materials provide teachers with options for formatively assessing students and guidance on reteaching if students are struggling with the lesson’s skill or concept in the Teacher-Led Small Group Instruction. These lessons provide additional instruction and practice in the day’s lesson.
In Grade 1, Unit 5, Week 4, Lesson 1, the Formative Assessment: Monitor Progress note explains, “If students cannot explain the difference between fiction and informational text or cannot complete the exit ticket, then use the Skill Group on p. T188.” The materials provide a teaching point, modeling, and guided practice for the Identify Fiction Skill Group. There is also an additional formative assessment for this skill group related to identifying fiction.
In Grade 2, Unit 2, Week 2, Lesson 2, the Formative Assessment: Monitor Progress note explains, “If students cannot use the glossary to determine word meanings or cannot complete the exit ticket, use the Skill Group on p. T111.” The Develop Vocabulary Skill Group’s materials provide a teaching point, modeling, and guided practice. There is also an additional formative assessment related to using a glossary to find word meanings for this skill group.
Indicator 2v
Materials include culminating tasks/summative assessments that require students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the unit/module while integrating multiple literacy skills (e.g., a combination of reading, writing, speaking, and listening).
Culminating tasks/summative assessments are evident in each unit/module and align to the unit’s/module’s topic or theme.
Culminating tasks/summative assessments provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the unit/module while integrating multiple literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening).
Materials provide opportunities to support students in gaining the knowledge and skills needed to complete the culminating tasks/summative assessments.
Materials include guidance that supports the teacher in determining and evaluating student performance on the culminating tasks/summative assessments in the program.
The summative assessment guidance in myView meets expectations for indicator 2v. Materials include culminating tasks and summative assessments that are embedded in each unit and aligned to the unit’s topic or theme, offering students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding through integrated literacy skills such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Each unit concludes with a Project-Based Inquiry that connects to the unit’s essential question and guides students through a sequence of lessons that build the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the culminating task. In addition to these projects, students participate in on-demand writing assessments aligned to the unit’s genre, as well as formal summative assessments that evaluate comprehension, vocabulary, phonics, conventions, and writing through a combination of multiple-choice items and extended responses. Materials include teacher-facing resources, such as the Summative Assessments Teacher’s Manual, which provide scoring rubrics, answer keys, and general guidance for interpreting assessment data to inform instruction.
Culminating tasks/summative assessments are evident in each unit/module and align to the unit’s/module’s topic or theme. Culminating tasks/summative assessments provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the unit/module while integrating multiple literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening).
The materials provide a Summative Assessments Teacher’s Manual for each grade in the Guides and Manuals section of the Savvas Realize platform. This manual details all of the different types of summative assessments contained in the program, including a baseline test, unit tests, middle- and end-of-year tests, fluency checks, and running records. The manual describes each type of assessment, how to administer them, and how to use the data, although the guidance for instructional next steps is general.
In the Grade K Summative Assessments Teacher’s Manual, the materials explain, “The Unit Assessments are designed to assess students’ progress in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, High-Frequency Words, Listening Comprehension, and Writing at the end of each unit. The Unit Assessments are aligned to the Kindergarten Common Core State Standards. Students are assessed in a developmentally appropriate manner with all directions, questions, and the listening comprehension selections read aloud to them, and multiple-choice answer choices presented as either letters, simple words, or pictures. Full teacher scripting is provided for the assessments. All items test content that has been taught within the unit. Selections and questions in the Unit Assessments become progressively more difficult from Unit 1 to Unit 5 to reflect the increasing sophistication of materials students are able to handle. The Middle-of-Year and End-of-Year Assessments follow the same design as the Unit Assessments, but contain more items. The Middle-of-Year Assessment assesses material from the first three units. The End-of-Year Assessment assesses material from all five units.”
Each unit ends with a Project-Based Inquiry in Week 6, which ties together the content and skills learning across the unit and aligns to the unit topic/theme and essential question.
In Grade 2, Unit 3, Week 6, students engage in a Project-Based Inquiry where they “write opinion letters to their principal about a tradition they believe the school should celebrate or recognize.” This project ties in what students have been reading and learning about related to the unit essential question, “What makes a tradition?” and requires students to read, research, write, collaborate, and share with others.
In Week 5, Lesson 5 of the writing block, after students have gone through the writing process for the unit’s writing piece, students participate in an on-demand writing assessment in the same genre they have been learning about throughout the unit.
In Grade 1, Unit 2, Writing, Week 6, Lesson 5, the materials direct teachers to say, “Today you are going to use everything you’ve learned to write a new informational book.” The teacher directs students to “Write an informational book about a topic you know a lot about. Include simple graphics.” The materials provide a checklist to students about what to remember to include and a scoring rubric for teachers.
Materials provide opportunities to support students in gaining the knowledge and skills needed to complete the culminating tasks/summative assessments.
The unit, middle-of-year, and end-of-year tests assess students’ reading comprehension, word study, conventions, and writing through multiple-choice questions and writing prompts based on the skills learned throughout the unit.
In the Grade 2, Unit 2 Test, students answer multiple-choice questions to assess their reading comprehension, high-frequency word knowledge, phonics skills, and conventions knowledge. They also write a short informational text about a park or another outdoor place they enjoyed visiting. Throughout the unit, students learn about how to write an informational list article during the writing block and write an informational list article on-demand during the Writing Assessment at the end of Week 5.
During the Project-Based Inquiry, the materials provide students with instruction and guidance in how to complete the culminating task through a series of lessons leading up to the task, in addition to the related knowledge gained throughout the unit.
In Grade K, Unit 5, Week 6, the Project-Based Inquiry has students “work collaboratively with others as they research seasons and weather, following rules for discussion, including taking turns. They will develop a research plan and write a persuasive text, which will be a poem or a song, about their favorite season or type of weather.” In Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the project and builds background knowledge. In Lesson 2, students explore persuasive poetry, thinking about their audience. In Lesson 3, students conduct research by looking online. In Lesson 4, students learn how to take notes to recall and organize information. In Lesson 4, students learn how to support their opinion by adding details. In Lesson 5, students share what they learned and reflect on the unit as a whole.
Materials include broad guidance that supports the teacher in determining and evaluating student performance on the culminating tasks/summative assessments in the program.
The Unit, Middle-of-Year, and End-of-Year tests consist of five parts: reading comprehension, high-frequency words, phonics, conventions, and writing. The Summative Assessments Teacher’s Manual contains an answer key for the multiple-choice questions and a writing rubric to score the writing portion. This manual also provides guidance on interpreting results, informing instruction, and further analysis of the results, though the materials caution that these tests do not “provide sufficient content coverage of individual skills to be truly ‘diagnostic,’ students’ performance patterns can often provide useful clues about particular strengths and weaknesses.”
Each Project-Based Inquiry includes a scoring rubric for teachers to use, though the guidance on how to score and how to interpret these scores is limited.