3rd-5th Grade - Gateway 2

The Arts & Letters materials meet expectations for indicator 2a. Materials include core and anchor texts that are well-crafted, content-rich, and engaging for students through a variety of literary and informational texts, biographies, poetry, historical narratives, visual art, and multimedia sources connected to coherent module topics and essential questions. Many selections are award-winning or critically acclaimed works that expose students to rich language, complex themes, and meaningful ideas while building knowledge across history, science, culture, and the arts. Literary works provide opportunities for deep thematic analysis, character study, and interpretation, while informational and literary nonfiction texts support inquiry into historical events, scientific discoveries, social issues, and influential individuals. The materials also incorporate varied visual art forms and multimedia resources to deepen understanding and expand interpretation across disciplines. In addition, the program’s Volume of Reading component supports independent reading through curated text lists, reading logs, and Content Stage–based reflection questions that encourage students to build reading stamina, track their reading, connect ideas across texts, and apply comprehension practices developed during core instruction.

• Materials include core/anchor texts that are well-crafted, content-rich, and engaging for students at their grade level. 

  • The materials include a wide range of core and anchor texts that are well-crafted, content-rich, and engaging for students, with selections spanning literary and informational texts, biographies, historical narratives, poetry, visual art, and multimedia sources. Many texts are award-winning or critically acclaimed works that expose students to rich language, complex themes, and meaningful ideas while building knowledge across history, science, the arts, and culture. Literary texts such as The Birchbark House, The Phantom Tollbooth, Finding Langston, Love That Dog, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret provide compelling narratives, dynamic characters, and opportunities for deep thematic analysis, while informational and literary nonfiction texts such as All Thirteen, Hidden Figures, We Are the Ship, and biographies of figures like Jacques Cousteau, Marie Tharp, Marian Anderson, and Alvin Ailey build disciplinary knowledge and connect literacy learning to real-world topics and historical events. The materials also integrate diverse visual art forms—including paintings, sculptures, prints, photography, and surrealist works—to deepen interpretation and broaden students’ understanding of artistic expression and historical context. Across the text sets, the materials intentionally include various cultural perspectives, complex ideas, and engaging topics that support knowledge-building, critical thinking, and sustained student interest while providing appropriately rigorous reading experiences for grade-level learners.

Note: As part of this review, the publisher submitted documentation detailing text characteristics, including genre and subgenre classifications and counts of full texts, excerpts, long-form texts, and short-form texts. The information below is presented as contextual evidence only and is not factored into the overall score or rating.

• 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 Arts & Letters span various genres and include mostly full texts, with some excerpts of longer texts selected for purpose and grade-level appropriateness. The program includes a mix of short- and long-form texts. Overall, the materials somewhat reflect a balance between informational and literary texts.

    • Grade 3 contains 13 informational and seven literary texts, which somewhat aligns with the 50/50 split indicated in the standards: 59% informational, 41% literary. Informational texts encompass a range of genres, including biographies, scientific texts, and literary nonfiction. Literary texts encompass a range of genres, including novels, realistic fiction, and historical fiction. Sixteen of the texts are long-form, and four are short-form. All of the texts are full texts.

    • Grade 4 contains five informational and four literary texts, which somewhat aligns with the 50/50 split indicated in the standards: 55% informational, 45% literary. Informational texts encompass a range of genres, including scientific, historical, literary nonfiction, and biographical texts. Literary texts encompass a range of genres, including novels, poetry, and historical fiction. All of the texts are long-form full texts.

    • Grade 5 contains 11 informational and 11 literary texts, which aligns with the 50/50 split indicated in the standards: 50% informational, 50% literary. The informational texts encompass literary nonfiction, speeches, and articles. Literacy texts encompass historical fiction, mystery, realistic fiction, folktale, science fiction, satire, and poetry. Four texts are long-form, and 16 texts are short-form. Six texts are excerpts, and fourteen are full texts. 

• 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).  (This criterion is evidence only and not considered in scoring.)

  • In the Implementation Guide, the “Volume of Reading” section explains that Arts & Letters intentionally builds students’ reading stamina, knowledge, vocabulary, and independence through daily opportunities to engage with additional texts beyond core instruction. The program provides module-specific curated text lists containing 5–12 topic-related books across varied genres, complexity levels, and formats to support both knowledge-building and student choice. Students are encouraged to read widely through independent reading, small-group book clubs, paired fluency practice, and outside reading opportunities, with recommendations to teachers to dedicate 20–30 additional minutes daily for Volume of Reading activities. The materials also include structured supports such as Content Stage–based volume of reading questions and reading logs (in Grades 3-8) that help students reflect on, track, and respond to their reading. The guidance emphasizes organizing classroom libraries by topics and interests to promote access to knowledge-building texts and encourages students to transfer the comprehension habits and literacy practices developed during core instruction to their independent reading experiences.

  • On the digital platform, teachers can access general guidance about Volume of Reading as well as module-specific texts and questions to ask students. Under each Module, Module Resources, Reading, teachers can access the Volume of Reading titles, summaries, and questions. There are Volume of Reading questions for each Content Stage, the module Essential Question, and questions to bring in students’ personal knowledge. In each lesson’s overview, the materials include a Follow-Up reminder that states, “Students listen to, read, or explore a volume of reading text. They respond to a volume of reading question. See Implementation Resources for volume of reading guidance.” 

    • In Grade 5, Module 3, the Volume of Reading questions are:

      • “Wonder: What do I notice and wonder about this text?

      • Organize: What is happening in this text?

      • Reveal: What does a deeper look at wordplay reveal?

      • Distill: What is a central idea in this text?

      • Know: How does this text build my knowledge?

      • Essential Question: How and why do writers play with words?

      • Your Knowledge: How can playing with words enrich your life? How do people in your family or community show persistence?”

  • Teachers can find and assign the module reading log on the digital platform. The reading log asks students to record the date, text title, and pages read. These can also be found in the students’ Learn book for each module.

The text complexity analysis in the Arts & Letters materials meets expectations for indicator 2b. Materials provide text complexity analyses and rationales for the educational purpose and placement of core and anchor texts through dedicated Text Analysis documents available on the digital platform. For each text, the materials include a summary or description, qualitative complexity analysis addressing meaning, structure, language, and knowledge demands, quantitative measures when available, reader and task considerations, and explanations for why the text is appropriate within the sequence of instruction and module learning. The rationales connect text placement to the knowledge and skills students develop across the module, often explaining how prior learning and connected texts prepare students to engage with increasingly complex language, ideas, and perspectives. Across the text sets, the analyses indicate that texts are selected and sequenced to support grade-level complexity expectations while aligning text demands with instructional tasks, knowledge-building goals, and opportunities for deeper analysis and discussion.

• 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.

  • On the digital platform, under Implementation Resources, Implementing for Teachers, teachers can access a Text Analysis document for the grade band. For each text, this document includes a brief description, the qualitative and quantitative complexity ratings, reader and task considerations, and a rationale for placement.

    • In Grade 4, Module 3, the program includes Phillis Wheatley’s poem, “On the Affray in King Street.” The 3-5 Text Analysis document provides a brief description of the book, along with notes on the qualitative complexity based on meaning/purpose, structure, language, and knowledge demands. The materials note that this text does not have a Lexile. This document also provides reader and task considerations for the text and a rationale for placement in the curriculum: “This poem provides an account of the Boston Massacre by an individual who lived in Boston at the time the events took place. This firsthand look is a shift from earlier module texts about this event written by modern-day authors. Knowledge students gained earlier in the module about the Boston Massacre will help them meet the high language demands of this poem.”

• 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 generally have the appropriate level of complexity based on their text complexity analysis and the associated reader and task. 

    • Grade 3

      • Quantitatively, nine texts exceed the grade band Lexile range of 420L-820L, and the remainder fall within this range. 

      • Qualitatively, 14 texts are moderately complex, and six texts are very complex.

    • Grade 4

      • Quantitatively, two texts exceed the grade-level Lexile range of 740L-1010L, and the remainder fall within this range.

      • Qualitatively, three texts are moderately complex, and six texts are very complex.

    • Grade 5

      • Quantitatively, one text exceeds the grade band Lexile range of 740L-1010L, and the remainder fall within this range. 

      • Qualitatively, all four texts are moderately complex.

    • Note: For this review and norming to other reviews, the publisher submitted qualitative information on levels of meaning/purpose, text structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands for each text.

The Arts & Letters program meets the expectations for indicator 2d by organizing text sets around cohesive, grade-appropriate themes that build knowledge over time. Materials include text sets that are organized around grade-appropriate, tightly connected topics and essential questions that support sustained knowledge-building across modules. Each module centers on a coherent topic connected to literature, history/social studies, science, and the arts, with texts, visual art, videos, discussions, and writing tasks intentionally selected to deepen understanding of that topic over time. The materials include literary, informational, and multimedia sources that present multiple perspectives and facets of a topic while exposing students to academic vocabulary, content knowledge, and increasingly complex language and ideas. Knowledge Threads and lesson-level learning goals help connect ideas across texts and tasks, while opportunities for discussion, writing, and synthesis support students in making explicit connections among the concepts they study throughout the module.

• Text sets are organized around a grade-appropriate, tightly-connected topic or theme. 

  • Each module in Arts & Letters is organized around a topic related to the humanities, history/social studies, science, or an integration of those disciplines. Each module has an overarching essential question and Knowledge Threads, which articulate what knowledge students develop over the course of the unit and are woven into each lesson. All of the texts students read and listen to are organized around these topics, as are the module writing tasks. According to the Implementation Guide, “Arts & Letters topics build students’ knowledge of key ideas in history/social studies, science, literature, and the arts. These topics support students in future learning and across academic disciplines. Topics vary within and build students’ knowledge vertically across grade levels.”

    • In Grade 4, Module 1, the module topic is A Great Heart, and the Essential Question is “What does having a great heart mean?” The module summary in the Teach book explains that this module explores the literal and figurative meanings of the heart through poetry, informational texts, visual art, and literature focused on emotion, courage, compassion, and the power of language. Students examine how authors and artists communicate complex scientific concepts and human experiences as they build an understanding of what it means to have a “great heart.” Writing instruction focuses on informative essays using evidence from texts to explain ideas about language, emotion, and greatheartedness. Throughout the unit, students read literary, literary nonfiction, and informational texts about the topic in addition to watching videos and observing art related to the topic. The Knowledge Threads indicate the knowledge about the heart that students should gain over the course of the unit:

      • “Authors use literal and figurative language to explain the complex physical functions of the human heart.

      • Authors use literal and figurative language to explain complex emotions frequently associated with the heart. 

      • The heart, an organ that is part of the circulatory system, pumps blood to supply the body’s cells with oxygen. 

      • A person with a literal great heart has a healthy heart with functioning valves and clean arteries. 

      • A person with a figurative great heart exhibits empathy, generosity, and courage. 

      • Authors and artists depict what it means to have a literal or figurative great heart.”

      The daily learning tasks and writing that students complete focus on these Learning Goals:

      • “Build knowledge about literal and figurative hearts by reading literary and informational texts. 

      • Summarize texts about hearts and determine textual themes and central ideas. 

      • Describe a character’s thoughts, words, and feelings, using textual details as evidence. 

      • Explain how authors use figurative language to convey complex ideas about the heart. 

      • Explain how charts, graphs, diagrams, and other visual elements support understanding of an informational text about the circulatory system. 

      • Write informative essays about what it means to have a great heart, literally and figuratively. 

      • Strengthen writing by using precise vocabulary from module texts and by using transition words and phrases to connect ideas. 

      • Participate in class discussions about what it means to have a great heart, speaking at a rate others can understand, taking turns with others when speaking, listening closely to identify a speaker’s main points, and providing relevant textual evidence to support ideas.”

• 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.

  • Arts & Letters’ text sets are designed to provide students with opportunities to examine various facets of the module’s topic/theme and essential question to build knowledge. These topics/themes build vertically from Grade K through Grade 5 and cover science, social studies, and humanities topics and themes.

    • In Grade 3, Module 3, the module topic is A New Home, and the Essential Question is, “How do stories help us understand immigrants’ experiences?” This module explores the experiences of first- and second-generation immigrants through literature, poetry, informational texts, and visual art focused on memory, identity, family, and belonging. Students examine why people leave their home countries, how traditions and stories preserve cultural identity, and how personal narratives help others understand immigration experiences. Writing instruction focuses on crafting narratives about moving to a new place, with students developing characters, sequencing events, and using dialogue and descriptive details to convey emotions and experiences. Students read a variety of literary texts and poems, including The Blessing Cup by Patricia Polacco, Islandborn by Junot Díaz and Leo Espinosa, “Nido familiar/Family Nest” by Jorge Argueta, and “The New Colossus” by Emily Lazarus. Students read articles to provide additional perspectives on the topic, including the “Introduction” from A Movie in My Pillow/Una película en mi almohada by Jorge Argueta and “Story Painter: Cy Thao and the Hmong Experience” by Missy McDonald. Students also view art pieces, such as Julie Mehretu's Empirical Construction, Istanbul, and Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's Liberty Enlightening the World, which allow them to learn about the topic through an artist’s perspective. The materials also provide a variety of videos for students to watch to build knowledge of the topic across the module. The Teach books indicate the knowledge students should develop through analyzing the topic through various texts and tasks, called Knowledge Threads:

      • “Since the founding of the United States, immigrants and their experiences have been a part of our national identity. 

      • People immigrate to new countries for a variety of reasons, including the need for physical safety, economic opportunity, and political or religious freedom. 

      • People who flee great danger in their country of origin are sometimes called refugees. 

      • People preserve and share special objects to help future generations understand history or memories. 

      • Stories provide insight into an individual’s or group’s experiences.”

      Students use the texts they study throughout the module to write narratives about characters who pack their belongings and move to a new country. The Land portion of each lesson is designed to help students make explicit the knowledge they have built throughout the lesson. For example, in Arc C, Lesson 22, the teacher reminds students that they will answer the Essential Question in different ways throughout the module. Students engage in a brief discussion of the Essential Question based on what they have been learning. The teacher connects their responses back to the module Knowledge Threads. 

    • In Grade 5, Module 1, the module topic is Handed Down, and the Essential Question is “How do communities sustain their cultures?” This module explores how Native American communities sustain their cultures through stories, traditions, language, art, and connections to their homelands, with a focus on the Nez Perce and Ojibwe nations. Students examine creation stories, speeches, historical accounts, literature, and visual art to build knowledge about Native histories, identities, and perspectives while considering the effects of westward expansion and displacement. Writing instruction focuses on informative essays in which students use evidence from texts to explain how these communities preserve and sustain their cultures over time. Students read a variety of literary texts, speeches, and articles to gather various perspectives on the topic, including The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, an excerpt from “Lincoln Hall Speech” by Chief Joseph, “Nez Perce Tribe Purchases 148 Acres in Joseph, Oregon” by Kayeloni Scott, and “A Surrender” by Audrey DeAngelis and Gina DeAngelis. Students also view art pieces, such as Chief Joseph and Family by F. M. Sargent and In Mut Too Yah Lat Lat (Chief Joseph) by Edward S. Curtis, which help them learn about the topic through an artist’s perspective. The materials also provide a variety of videos for students to watch to build knowledge of the topic across the module. The Teach books indicate the knowledge students should develop through analyzing the topic through various texts and tasks, called Knowledge Threads:

      • “Native people and nations practice and share their cultures across generations, including through stories, traditions, art, humor, and speeches. 

      • Many Native nations with their own unique cultures exist throughout the current United States. 

      • Native people use the tradition of oral storytelling to understand who they are and where they come from. 

      • Relationships with family, community, and nature can reflect and reinforce cultural values. 

      • Ojibwe used plentiful natural resources, such as birchbark, wild rice, maple sugar, and fish, as well as farming skills, to sustain their communities. 

      • Contact with non–Native Americans altered the way of life of Native people.”

      Students use the texts they study throughout the module to write informative essays about the Nez Perce and Ojibwe cultures and values. The Land portion of each lesson is designed to help students make explicit the knowledge they have built throughout the lesson. For example, in Arc B, Lesson 8, the teacher reminds students that they will answer the Essential Question in different ways throughout the module. Students engage in a brief discussion of the Essential Question based on what they have been learning. The teacher connects their responses back to the module Knowledge Threads.

The instructional pathway outlined in the Arts & Letters’ materials meets expectations for indicator 2f. Materials clearly outline the essential elements of the core instructional pathway and explain how to implement that pathway through detailed guidance in the Implementation Guide and teacher-facing materials. The guide explains the structure and purpose of the program’s Content Stages—Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know—and describes how instructional routines, vocabulary development, collaborative discussion, writing, inquiry, and repeated engagement with complex texts work together to support knowledge-building and literacy development. Additional sections, including “Research-Based Approach” and “Research in Action,” explain how the curriculum is grounded in research-based literacy practices and the science of reading through explicit instruction, oral language development, close reading, scaffolded support, gradual release, and integrated reading and writing instruction. The materials also provide annotated sample lessons, overviews of curriculum components, lesson-level timing guidance, module plans, and pacing resources that support implementation of the core pathway. Supplemental materials, including Prologue lessons which are designed to work coherently with core instruction. 

• 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. 

  • The Implementation Guide outlines the essential elements of the Arts & Letters core instructional pathway through the program’s Content Stages: Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know. These stages provide a consistent structure for how students engage with texts and build knowledge over time, beginning with curiosity and initial comprehension and progressing toward deeper analysis, synthesis, discussion, and application of ideas. The guide explains the purpose of each stage and how instructional routines, discussion protocols, vocabulary work, writing tasks, and text analysis are embedded within the progression to support students’ understanding of increasingly complex texts and concepts. The materials also provide explicit guidance for teachers on implementing these stages within lessons and modules through modeling prompts, collaborative routines, oral rehearsal, scaffolded questioning, repeated interaction with texts, and opportunities for synthesis and reflection. The instructional pathway reflects research-based literacy practices referenced throughout the guide, including knowledge-building, explicit instruction, close reading, oral language development, scaffolded support, and gradual release.

  • The “Research-Based Approach” and “Research in Action” sections of the Implementation Guide explain that Arts & Letters is grounded in research-based literacy practices and the science of reading, with instruction designed to build both knowledge and literacy skills through sustained engagement with complex, content-rich texts. These sections describe how the curriculum integrates evidence-based approaches, including explicit vocabulary instruction, repeated and purposeful interactions with texts, oral language development, collaborative discussion, inquiry, close reading, writing grounded in textual evidence, and scaffolded support for comprehension and language development. The guide explains that students build knowledge coherently across modules through connected text sets, discussion, writing, and research tasks. At the same time, instructional routines support gradual release, productive struggle, and cumulative skill development. The sections also emphasize the importance of integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening; revisiting texts for multiple purposes; and using structured instructional routines and discussion protocols to deepen understanding and strengthen students’ ability to analyze, synthesize, and communicate ideas. The “Research in Action” section is organized in a table that indicates “What the Research Says” and “What Arts & Letters Does” to address that research within the program.

  • The “Welcome to Arts & Letters” section of the Implementation guide includes a table of Core Curriculum Components that lists each component in the program, along with the component's audience, format, purpose, and description, allowing teachers to see all components they will encounter at a glance.

  • The Implementation Guide also walks teachers through the components of a lesson, using an annotated sample lesson to explain each part.

• 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.

  • Arts & Letters includes various supplemental resources designed to work coherently with the core instructional pathways. These supplemental resources include Prologue, Responsive Teaching, and Bookend lessons. 

    • Prologue lessons are companion lessons that occur immediately before core Arts & Letters lessons and are designed to strengthen students’ readiness to engage with upcoming module content, texts, vocabulary, and language demands. The lessons provide targeted support through background knowledge building, oral language development, vocabulary instruction, examination of language structures and syntax, and opportunities for oral rehearsal and supported writing. Prologue lessons are intended especially for multilingual learners and students who need additional language or literacy support, but they can be used flexibly with whole classes, small groups, or individual students based on demonstrated needs. The Implementation Guide indicates that Prologue lessons can be used to:

      • “examine text language and syntax, 

      • orally process ideas, 

      • build essential background knowledge, 

      • deepen vocabulary base, and 

      • practice using academic language.”

      The Prologue lessons follow a similar structure to the Teach book lessons, and the materials provide explanations of each lesson component. The Implementation Guide provides broad guidance for determining which students might benefit from these lessons, as they are designed to be “flexible resources that educators can use to best suit their school context and students’ needs. Teachers can teach Prologue lessons to all their students. Alternatively, teachers, support teachers, or special education teachers may teach Prologue to selected small groups.” The guidance provides teachers with questions to reflect on to help determine which students could benefit from these lessons:

      • Which students need additional support with this learning goal? 

      • Which students would benefit from making additional work with the module speaking and listening goal, language goal, or End-of-Module Task expectations?”

• 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. 

  • On the digital platform, under Implementation Resources, Implementing for Leaders, teachers and school administrators can access a document called “Planning Year of Arts & Letters.” This document guides school leaders and teachers on effectively scheduling and implementing the Arts & Letters curriculum throughout the school year. The document explains how schools can create balanced yearly, weekly, and daily pacing plans that maintain instructional consistency while allowing flexibility for real-world scheduling needs, intervention, collaboration, and student support. It outlines recommendations for structuring literacy blocks, including time for core Arts & Letters lessons, foundational reading instruction, fluency practice, volume of reading, Geodes, and Prologue lessons. It provides sample schedules for different grade bands. The document also explains how schools can use flexible pacing calendars, collaborative planning time, Bookend lessons, and benchmark checkpoints to support coherent implementation, teacher preparation, assessment reflection, and professional learning. Additional sections describe how Prologue lessons can be scheduled to support multilingual learners and students needing additional literacy support, while emphasizing collaboration among classroom teachers and specialists. Overall, the document positions thoughtful scheduling, pacing, and collaboration as essential supports for successful curriculum implementation and sustained literacy instruction throughout the year.

  • The “Planning a Year of Arts & Letters” document also details how to pace lessons across the year, including questions to guide teachers and administrators in making pacing decisions, like 

    • “How many and which days do we have available for instruction in the school year?

    • What are the fixed elements of our annual school calendar? Are there flexible days within

    • the calendar?

    • What school or district events must we account for?

    • How do we achieve instructional goals given the design of the school calendar?”

    This document lists how many days of instruction are included for each grade level:

    • Grade 3: 160 days + Year in Review lesson

    • Grade 4: 160 days + Year in Review lesson

    • Grade 5: 160 days + Year in Review lesson

    For schools following a typical 180-day calendar, the materials note that the remaining 20-30 days can be used for things like:

    • “Establishing routines and procedures during the first week of school

    • Engaging in Bookend lesson experiences that take longer than 60 minutes

    • Extending module learning through volume of reading (VOR) or special projects

    • Reteaching or responding to identified student learning needs

    • Standardized testing

    • Schoolwide events”

  • While Arts & Letters lessons are each 60 minutes, the materials note that “leaders may want to consider scheduling a 90-minute block to account for some of the above elements. In levels K–2 classrooms, educators may need a two-hour literacy block to account for regular foundational reading instruction and Prologue, VOR, Geodes, and/or other focused instruction or support in literacy. In levels 5–8 classrooms, additional time can be used for students to finish Follow-Up activities, including module text reading, so that students can complete needed reading in school rather than depending on time for homework.”

  • In the Teach books at the start of each module, the materials provide a Module Plan that gives teachers a bird’s-eye view of the module, the Content Stage, text for each lesson, when to administer assessments, and whether there is an associated Prologue lesson. Within the daily lessons, the materials provide timing guidance for each component of the lesson and follow a standard sequence:

    • “The Overview provides key information to orient teachers to the lesson. 

    • Launch (2-5 minutes) previews the lesson’s framing question, text(s), and task(s). 

    • Learn (50-53 minutes) typically includes three sections:

      • Read: Students read the Lesson text(s). 

      • Respond: Students respond to the text(s).

      • Write, Observe, or Engage: 

        • Write: Students write. 

        • Observe: Students examine a work of art. 

        • Engage: Students engage in building vocabulary. 

    • Land (5 minutes) involves students reflecting on learning.”

The questions, tasks, and assignments in Arts & Letters’ materials meet expectations for indicator 2g. Materials provide opportunities for students to make meaning of texts through text-based questions and tasks in a variety of formats, including speaking and writing, embedded within the Read and Respond portions of lessons. Instruction follows a structured progression aligned to the Content Stages—Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know—which guide students from initial reading and questioning to organizing ideas, analyzing language and structure, determining central ideas or themes, and reflecting on knowledge gained. Throughout lessons, students engage with teacher-directed questions at designated stopping points that focus attention on key details, character actions, word meaning, and text-based inferences. Materials also include opportunities for students to read, reread, and listen to texts multiple times for different purposes, such as building initial understanding, practicing fluency, analyzing dialogue, and discussing key ideas. Across lessons, these questions and tasks require students to interact directly with the text and demonstrate understanding through discussion and written responses.

• 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, writing).

  • Throughout the Read and Respond portions of each lesson, students have opportunities to make meaning of the texts they are studying through various types of text-based questions and tasks. The Arts & Letters Implementation Guide states, “students develop their ability to comprehend, analyze, and build knowledge from texts through the Content Stages, a flexible yet predictable process for deep reading of grade-level complex texts. Lessons are structured with a purposeful progression that enables students to access, understand, and analyze these texts. This progression consists of five Content Stages: Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know.” The Implementation Guide further explains each stage:

    • “Students begin with a wide lens at the Wonder stage—reading the text for the first time with curiosity and attention and asking key questions about what they read.

    • They then begin to put their thoughts in order at Organize. At this stage they organize their thinking as to what the text is about, developing their literal comprehension.

    • Reveal takes students further into the text as they focus on challenging, distinctive, or important text components such as word choice, figurative language, or text structure.

    • At Distill, students return to the bigger picture to think about the text’s overall meaning. They engage in discussion to discern texts’ central ideas or themes.

    • The Know stage focuses students’ attention on the module topic. Students reflect on and describe how a text has built their knowledge, or students expand their knowledge by connecting the text to other texts and topics of study.”

  • In Grade 4, Module 2, Arc B, Lesson 16, students begin reading chapter 9 of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, focusing on important details in the text. The materials provide stopping points and questions for teachers to support students’ meaning-making, such as “What does Etienne help Hugo buy from the bookstore?,” “What does Hugo do after he cleans the clocks that night?,” “What secrets are Hugo and Isabelle keeping from each other?,” and “Could Hugo and Isabelle be friends?”

  • In Grade 5, Module 4, Arc B, Lesson 23, students read Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome, focusing on the central idea. The materials provide stopping points and questions for teachers to support students’ meaning making, such as “What does the word find mean literally and figuratively?,” “How does the word relate to the title of Finding Langston?,” “Who or what had the biggest influence on Langston?,” and “How did this help him find his way in Chicago?”

• Materials include text-based questions and tasks that require students to read/re-read complex parts of texts to deepen their analysis and understanding.

  • The Arts & Letters materials provide students with opportunities throughout each instructional arc to reread texts for different purposes and engage in various tasks to deepen their analysis and understanding. 

    • In Grade 3, Module 3, Arc A, Lesson 2, students listen to Islandborn by Junot Diaz, initially discussing what they notice and wonder about the text with a partner. In Lesson 3, students practice fluent reading by engaging in an echo read of parts of the text, then reread the texts on their own to get a gist. The teacher then leads a brief discussion to ensure students have a basic understanding of the text. The materials provide the following discussion questions:

      • “Who have we met so far? 

      • Where did they come from? 

      • Where are they now?”

      In Lesson 4, students do a Repeated Reading of parts of the text, focusing on the dialogue between Leticia and Mr. Mir.

The text analysis opportunities in Arts & Letters meet expectations for indicator 2h. Materials provide opportunities for students to analyze key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integrate knowledge and ideas within and across texts through a consistent, structured approach to reading instruction. The program organizes reading into the Content Stages—Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know—which guide students in building comprehension from initial questioning to deeper analysis and synthesis of meaning. Within these stages, students engage in tasks such as identifying and discussing key details, comparing information across multiple texts, and articulating their understanding through written knowledge statements. Students also analyze craft and structure by examining elements such as literal and nonliteral language, word choice, and how authors convey meaning, often using textual evidence to support their responses. Additionally, materials provide opportunities for students to connect ideas across texts and reflect on how multiple sources contribute to their understanding of a topic, including comparing perspectives and synthesizing information into coherent statements of learning. These repeated, structured opportunities support students in making meaning from texts and deepening their understanding of the content.

• 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.

  • The reading instruction in Arts & Letters is organized into Content Stages: Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know. Students examine different aspects of the text at each stage. Students have many opportunities to analyze key ideas and details within and across texts in the Wonder, Organize, and Distill Content Stages. According to the Implementation Guide,

    • “Students begin with a wide lens at the Wonder stage—reading the text for the first time with curiosity and attention and asking key questions about what they read. 

    • They then begin to put their thoughts in order at Organize. At this stage they organize their thinking as to what the text is about, developing their literal comprehension.

    • At Distill, students return to the bigger picture to think about the text’s overall meaning. They engage in discussion to discern texts’ central ideas or themes.”

  • In Grade 5, Module 1, Arc A, Lesson 6, students watch “Coyote and the Monster” and read an interview with J.R. Spencer, then engage in a Think-Pair-Share discussion where they explain what they learned about the Nez Perce homeland. The materials provide a list of key ideas students should get from the texts:

    • “In ‘Coyote and the Monster,’ the Nez Perce people sprang up from where blood and water dropped on the earth. 

    • According to ‘Coyote and the Monster,’ the Nez Perce homeland is where their people were created. 

    • The Heart of the Monster reminds J. R. Spencer that he is a part of the land according to ‘Coyote and the Monster’ and the interview. 

    • According to the interview, much of the Nez Perce homeland was taken away from the Nez Perce nation by the US government.” 

    Students then write three knowledge statements that reflect what they have learned about the Nez Perce from 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.

  • The reading instruction in Arts & Letters is organized into Content Stages: Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know. Students examine different aspects of the text at each stage. Students have many opportunities to analyze craft and structure within and across texts in the Reveal Content Stage. According to the Implementation Guide, “Reveal takes students further into the text as they focus on challenging, distinctive, or important text components such as word choice, figurative language, or text structure.”

    • In Grade 3, Module 2, Arc C, Lesson 23, students learn that “authors use both literal and nonliteral language to tell stories and share information with others.” As the teacher reads aloud from One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh, students do a thumbs up each time they hear nonliteral language. Students engage in a Think-Pair-Share discussion about the questions, “What literal language does the author use to describe what the Moon looks like?” and “What nonliteral language does the author use?” The materials provide sample responses for the teacher. Later in the lesson, students write a response to the question, “How do the words in the text help show how the astronauts moved about on the Moon?” using specific examples from the text.

• 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 reading instruction in Arts & Letters is organized into Content Stages: Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know. Students examine different aspects of the text at each stage. Students have many opportunities to analyze the integration of knowledge and ideas within and across texts, particularly in the Know Content Stage. According to the Implementation Guide, “The Know stage focuses students’ attention on the module topic. Students reflect on and describe how a text has built their knowledge, or students expand their knowledge by connecting the text to other texts and topics of study.

    • In Grade 4, Module 3, Arc A, Lesson 8, students review the knowledge they have gained from “Massacre in King Street” by Mark Clemens and The Boston Massacre by Paul Revere, Jr. by making connections across the texts as the teacher asks, “What did you learn about the Boston Massacre from ‘Massacre in King Street’?” and “What did you learn about the event from The Boston Massacre?” The materials provide teachers with sample key ideas students may share. Students then write four Knowledge Statements to express the knowledge they have learned from these texts. Sample student responses may focus on these key ideas:

      • “The British soldiers felt they must protect themselves. 

      • The colonists decided they could stand up to the soldiers. 

      • Both groups may have let their anger get the best of them. 

      • Imbalance in a work of art can make one group seem stronger, as the British soldiers do in The Boston Massacre. 

      • Viewers of The Boston Massacre may feel angry based on what they see in the print. 

      • Artists may choose to change the details of a historical event.”

The speaking and listening protocols and teacher guidance in Arts & Letters’ materials meet expectations for indicator 2i. Materials include structured protocols that support students in participating in a range of discussions and building understanding through collaboration grounded in text and prior knowledge. Instruction incorporates consistent routines such as partner, small-group, and whole-group discussions, including Think–Pair–Share and other structured formats, which guide students in sharing ideas and responding to peers. Lessons intentionally prepare students for discussions by having them collect and organize textual evidence, often through annotation, note-taking, or written and drawn responses, before engaging in conversation. During discussions, students use sentence frames and other supports to articulate their thinking and cite evidence, while teachers introduce and model specific speaking and listening goals, such as supporting ideas with evidence and building on others’ contributions. The materials also include formal discussion structures, such as Socratic seminars, in which students synthesize knowledge across texts and engage in extended, text-based dialogue. Throughout these activities, teacher guidance supports facilitation, monitoring, and feedback, including prompts, differentiation strategies, and tools such as the Speaking and Listening Goal Tracker to observe and support students’ progress over time.

• 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.

  • The Arts & Letters materials include structured protocols that support students in participating in a range of discussion types and building understanding through shared conversation. The Implementation Guide describes the use of consistent instructional routines, such as Think–Pair–Share and other partner or small-group discussions, which provide clear structures for students to engage with both their background knowledge and their interpretations of texts. Students regularly participate in text-centered discussions during lessons, as well as more formal academic conversations in Distill lessons and Socratic seminars, where they prepare by gathering evidence and contributing ideas grounded in the text. Guidance for facilitating academic conversations emphasizes student-to-student interaction, encouraging students to respond to and build on one another’s ideas to deepen collective understanding. Additional supports, such as sentence frames provided through the Talking Tool, help students share ideas, ask questions, and support their thinking with evidence during discussions.

  • The materials include an explicit focus on speaking and listening during the Distill lesson and generally follow this structure:

    • “Read | Prepare for a Discussion. Students prepare by collecting evidence. (In K–2, teachers usually introduce the speaking and listening goal in this first lesson section.)

    • Respond | Discuss Themes [or Central Ideas]. The teacher introduces the speaking and listening goal. Teachers then foster skill development through the following:

      • Modeling or having students model the skill

      • Explaining how the skill works

      • Having students discuss what they know about the skill”

    • In Grade 3, Module 2, Arc B, Lesson 13, students prepare for a discussion about the question, “What lessons can we learn from Galileo’s approach to his work?” The teacher guides students through preparing to discuss the question and collecting evidence from the text through read-alouds of portions of the text and stopping-point questions. The materials direct teachers to “Explain that to prepare for the discussion, students will collect evidence of how Galileo approached his work as an astronomer—what actions he took, as well as his thoughts and feelings about his work. Display and read aloud page 14 (except the script), starting with ‘Then one day.’ Instruct students to annotate Galileo’s actions, thoughts, and feelings.” Students then work in small groups to “continue annotating evidence of how Galileo approached his work.” The materials provide guidance on what the teacher should look for in student annotations. In the next part of the lesson, the teacher reminds students of their previous speaking and listening goal of taking turns when speaking and introduces the new goal: “Elaborate on the evidence you use.” The materials provide sentence frames to help students meet this goal in the Talking Tool document, which is also available for students in the Learn book. The teacher then arranges students in a circle for the discussion, and the materials direct teachers to “Remind students to support their ideas with evidence from the text and elaborate to tell more about their evidence. Encourage students to use the Talking Tool to help them do so.” The materials also include teacher notes to help focus the discussion and key ideas students should address. There is a note for teachers to use the Module 2 Speaking and Listening Goal Tracker to track students’ progress on the goal, and it also includes ways teachers can support students.

  • In the final arc of each module, students participate in a Socratic seminar. The Implementation Guide details how teachers should prepare, what they should do during the seminar, and how to encourage students to reflect afterward. 

    • In Grade 5, Module 1, Module Finale, Lesson 36, students engage in a Socratic seminar about the Essential Question, “How do communities sustain their cultures?” The materials direct teachers to “Tell students that they will participate in a Socratic seminar to share the knowledge they have gained from module texts. Explain that like a Distill discussion, a Socratic seminar is a discussion in which everyone shares what they think about an important question and uses evidence from the texts to support their thinking. Tell students that they may agree or disagree with another’s position, but they can deepen their knowledge about a topic by listening closely to all ideas.” To prepare for the seminar, the teacher guides students in reflecting on the speaking and listening goals from the module, collecting evidence from each text studied, and rehearsing their thinking in small groups. To support the teacher in facilitating the seminar, the materials provide Teacher Notes, a way to analyze student progress, and a list of key ideas students should gain from the discussion.

• Speaking and listening instruction includes facilitation, monitoring, and feedback guidance for teachers.

  • In the Implementation Guide, the materials provide if…then statements to help teachers guide students during speaking and listening activities. Topics include student reluctance to participate in small- or whole-group discussions, some students dominating the conversation, students not speaking directly to each other, support for using relevant vocabulary in discussions, support for using evidence in discussions, MLL support, and minimizing distractions. 

  • The Teach book provides teachers with point of use guidance on how to monitor discussions and provide feedback to students as needed. 

    • In Grade 4, Module 1, Module Finale, Lesson 36, students participate in a Socratic seminar about the module Essential Question, “What does having a great heart mean?” The materials provide teachers with Teacher Note questions to extend the discussion:

      • “Can you explain your reasons for saying that?

      • How did you come to that conclusion? 

      • What happens in the story that makes you say that? 

      • Where do you see that in the painting?”

      The materials also include an Analyze Student Progress callout box, which states:

      • “Monitor: Do students support their responses with evidence from module texts, including works of art? 

      • Offer Immediate Support: If students need additional support explaining how the individual is greathearted, ask this question: What does the individual do that is courageous, generous, or empathetic?

      • Plan Future Practice: Students practice participating in class discussions in module 2.”

      Additionally, the materials list Key Ideas for teachers to reinforce for students during and after the discussion. 

  • Each module includes a Speaking and Listening Goal Tracker that outlines goals, evidence statements to assess student progress toward those goals, and guidance for students who need additional support. These trackers include a place where teachers can record information for each goal multiple times throughout the module.

    • In Grade 3, Module 4, the Speaking and Listening Goal Tracker lists these two goals:

      • “Goal 1: Share about a topic or text in a detailed way.”

      • “Goal 2: Expand the discussion by including new ideas.”

      Each goal includes guidance on determining student progress toward it. For example, evidence of progress for Goal 2 includes:

      • “using a transition when building on the view of others

      • providing an additional piece of evidence from the same source

      • providing evidence from a different source (e.g., text, work of art, video, audio)”

      Notes for the teacher about supporting students who need help progressing toward this goal include:

      • “During the discussion, prompt students to link arms with classmates when adding a new idea.

      • After the discussion, model how to expand the discussion by including a new idea. Instruct students to take turns sharing with a partner an idea and then adding a new idea using this sentence frame: What you said makes me think __________.”

The student practice opportunities for evidence-based discussions in Arts & Letters meet the expectations for indicator 2j. Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in collaborative conversations about texts through structured discussion routines embedded across lessons. Students participate in frequent speaking and listening activities, including partner discussions, small-group conversations, and whole-group discussions, as well as more formal discourse in Distill lessons and Socratic seminars. These discussions require students to ask and answer questions about key details, share examples from the text, and describe their understanding using evidence gathered through rereading or listening. Students are supported in preparing for conversations by revisiting portions of the text, selecting relevant details, and rehearsing their thinking with peers before sharing in larger discussions. Materials also emphasize consideration of others’ perspectives through explicit speaking and listening goals, such as listening closely, responding to peers, and building on others’ ideas. Structured supports, including nonverbal signals, partner practice, and guidance for restating or responding to others’ contributions, reinforce active listening and engagement, helping students clarify and deepen their understanding of texts through collaborative dialogue.

• Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in collaborative conversations about the text being read/read-aloud, which require them to utilize, apply, and incorporate evidence from texts and/or sources.  

  • Throughout the Arts & Letters program, students have numerous opportunities to engage in various types of collaborative conversations about the texts being read. Students speak and listen in all lessons and engage in more formal opportunities in the Distill lessons and the Socratic seminars in the Module Finale.

    • In Grade 3, Module 3, Arc E, Lesson 32, students engage in a discussion about the question, “What can we learn from the story about sharing memories?” To prepare for the discussion, students review Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin and “annotate evidence of the characters’ memories with a focus on Mom and the narrator.” Students then participate in the discussion and use textual evidence to support their ideas.

    • In Grade 5, Module 2, Module Finale, Lesson 36, students “participate in a Socratic seminar to share the knowledge they have gained from the module texts” about the module Essential Question, “What is most important to survival in an extreme setting?” Students prepare by collecting evidence from the module’s texts and writing a brief response to the question. The teacher reminds students of the module’s speaking and listening goals:

      • “Adjust your speech to match your audience, setting, and purpose.

      • Review and make conclusions about others’ ideas.

      • Share about a topic, text, or opinion in a detailed and organized way.”

      Students then engage in the Seminar using the sentence frames from the Talking Tool as needed.

• Materials provide opportunities for students to consider others’ perspectives and engage in intellectual discourse about texts and topics they are reading (or read aloud).

  • In each module, the materials focus students on speaking and listening goals, many of which involve considering others’ perspectives and building on others’ ideas.

    • In Grade 4, Module 2, Arc B, Lesson 19, students prepare for a discussion about the central idea in The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, and the teacher introduces the speaking and listening goal: “Review and build on others’ ideas.” The Speaking and Listening Goal Tracker for Module 2 explains that evidence of progress for this goal includes:

      • “acknowledging a speaker’s idea and making a connection to their idea

      • acknowledging a speaker’s idea and offering an alternative idea”

      Students preview sentence frames from the Talking Tool that will help them meet this goal, and the materials direct teachers to “Read these sentence frames: I hear you say that_______. This makes me think that______. I hear you say that______. However,________. Model how to use the sentence frames by thinking aloud: I hear you say that Hugo shows determination when he leaves the train station to try to get his notebook back. However, I think this shows courage because he has never been outside of the train station alone.” Students then engage in a discussion about the question, “What can you learn from the way Hugo responds to obstacles?”

Teacher guidance for explicit vocabulary instruction in the Arts & Letters’ materials meets expectations for indicator 2k. Materials include structured and explicit practices for introducing key vocabulary and developing independent word-learning strategies within the context of texts. Vocabulary instruction is integrated throughout the modules and emphasizes the teaching of content-specific and academic words essential to comprehension. Students engage in a consistent Vocabulary Exploration Routine that includes pronouncing and analyzing words by syllables, examining word parts and letter-sound correspondences, and learning student-friendly definitions, with additional support from resources such as Knowledge Deck Cards, glossaries, and Word Analysis Charts. Instruction also incorporates strategies such as analyzing morphology, exploring etymology, and examining word relationships to deepen understanding. Vocabulary learning occurs before, during, and after reading, with multiple opportunities for students to revisit and apply terms across lessons, discussions, and writing tasks. These repeated and varied exposures support students in building and applying vocabulary 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, etymology, word maps, and discussion of word relationships/shades of meaning, dictionary skills, context clues). 

  • In the Implementation Guide, the Teaching Vocabulary section describes a structured approach to vocabulary instruction integrated into the study of complex texts and focused on building students’ understanding of both content-specific and academic language. The materials emphasize explicit instruction on key vocabulary words essential to comprehending module texts, along with repeated exposure to these words before, during, and after reading. Instruction includes strategies such as introducing and discussing word meanings in context, analyzing word parts (e.g., prefixes, roots, and suffixes), and exploring relationships between words to deepen understanding. Students engage with vocabulary through multiple modalities, including discussion, reading, and writing, and are supported by resources such as Knowledge Deck Cards and glossaries. The guidance also highlights the importance of revisiting and reinforcing vocabulary across lessons and texts to support long-term retention and application, while providing teacher supports for modeling, practice, and ongoing review of vocabulary development.

  • The materials provide the Vocabulary Exploration Routine to explicitly teach content-specific, text-specific, and academic vocabulary words in each module. The routine is explicitly outlined in the Teach books the first time it occurs in a grade level and is also available in the Implementation Guide. The routine consists of:

    • “The teacher says the word and simultaneously claps each syllable. 

    • Students echo by repeating the term and clapping for each syllable. 

    • The teacher identifies the word and shares word parts or letter-sound correspondences that can help students decode the word. (The Word Analysis Chart provides this word information for teachers. Teachers can reference this chart before or during the Vocabulary Exploration Routine.) 

    • Read the definition.

      • In levels K–2, the teacher reads aloud the definition.

      • In levels 3–8, the teacher invites a student to read aloud the definition.”

  • Each module contains a set of Knowledge Deck Cards to support students in learning the module vocabulary. The Implementation Guide explains,

    • “The front of the Knowledge Deck Card includes the module term and an image to support understanding of the word 

    • The back of the Knowledge Deck Card includes the term and part of speech at the top, a student-friendly definition, and a sample sentence using the term”

    After teachers introduce the Knowledge Deck Card, they facilitate the Vocabulary Exploration Routine to deepen students’ understanding of the new vocabulary. 

  • In Grade 3, Module 1, Arc A, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the word mystery using the Knowledge Deck Card and explains what the Vocabulary Exploration Routine is: “First, you say the term and simultaneously clap once for each syllable. Then, students copy the action by repeating the term and clapping once for each syllable. Next, you identify and share word parts or challenging letter-sound correspondences that can help students accurately decode the word. Finally, you invite a student to read aloud the definition.” The materials also provide a student-friendly definition of the word at point of use in the Teach book.

  • In Grade 5, Module 4, Arc B, Lesson 17, the teacher “Remind[s] students that knowing the definition of a root can help readers understand the meanings of new words. Direct students to the term credible in the Glossary for Module 4, located in the Learn book. Invite a few students to identify the root and share the root’s definition. Reinforce the correct response: cred means ‘believe.’” Students then brainstorm other words with this root and add them to their vocabulary web graphic organizer.

  • In Grades 3-8, the Arts & Letters program also includes a Word Analysis Chart for each module. According to the Implementation Guide, “Teachers reference the Word Analysis Chart and use it for further word work at each instance of the Vocabulary Exploration Routine. The Word Analysis Chart contains a list of module vocabulary terms, syllable division and identification of syllable type, explanations of challenging sound-spelling patterns, and examples of challenging letter-sound correspondences. The chart also lists Greek and Latin roots and affixes, along with brief definitions.”

    • In Grade 4, Module 1, the Word Analysis Chart, available on the digital platform, lists the module vocabulary words, lesson, syllables and syllable type, challenging letter-sound correspondences, and meaningful word parts. The chart also includes an explanation for the teacher about what each of these means.

• 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.

  • Throughout each module, students have multiple exposures to vocabulary that is both relevant to the text, high-utility, and content-specific. When a new vocabulary word is introduced, the teacher displays the Knowledge Card and then takes students through the Vocabulary Exploration Routine. Depending on the lesson and text, this vocabulary instruction may happen before students read or when they encounter the key vocabulary in the text. The materials also include opportunities throughout each module to review key terms through various activities that connect the module terms.

    • In Grade 4, Module 2, Arc A, Lesson 3, students read about the myth of Nemesis from Gifts from the Gods by Lise Lunge-Larson. Before reading, the teacher guides students through syllable types and division in nemesis and tantalize. In Lesson 5, the materials direct teachers to “Explain to students that they will explore the modern term nemesis and its connection to the myth about the goddess Nemesis. Introduce the vocabulary term nemesis by displaying the Knowledge Card. Engage students in Vocabulary Exploration.” The materials further direct teachers to “Explain that students will examine the etymology of the word nemesis to understand its meaning in a sentence. Direct attention to page 53. Read aloud the sentence located below the definition, which is an excerpt from the book Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler.” Students then engage in a Think-Pair-Share discussion about the question, “Why might a nemesis be the worst enemy you could imagine?” In Arc B, Lesson 9, students begin Module Task 1, in which they “Write a narrative in which Hugo experiences victory over a new nemesis in the train station.” The teacher reviews the Knowledge Deck cards for nemesis and victory to ensure students understand these words, which are central to this task.

• Students also have opportunities to learn content-specific words related to literacy concepts.

  • In Grade 3, Module 3, Arc D, Lesson 23, students work on planning dialogue for their narratives. The materials guide teachers to “Direct attention to ‘said Dad.’ Tell students that the phrase ‘said Dad’ is a dialogue tag. Introduce the vocabulary term dialogue tag by displaying the term and definition. Engage students in Vocabulary Exploration. Tell students that the comma right before the ending quotation mark separates the dialogue from the dialogue tag.” Students practice punctuating dialogue, and the teacher uses that term repeatedly throughout the rest of the lesson to deepen students’ understanding of the concept.

The vocabulary practice opportunities in Arts & Letters’ materials meet expectations for indicator 2l. Materials provide opportunities for students to use independent word-learning strategies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words within the context of texts. Across lessons, students are guided to analyze word parts, such as prefixes and base words, and use their knowledge of these components to infer meaning. Students also practice using context clues by identifying surrounding words and ideas that provide insight into unknown vocabulary, often recording and discussing these clues before confirming meanings through direct instruction. In addition to learning strategies for determining meaning, students have multiple opportunities to apply newly acquired academic and content-specific vocabulary in discussion and writing, reinforcing their understanding through use. Materials also include structured review activities that revisit previously taught vocabulary, prompting students to make connections among words, generate knowledge statements, and categorize terms based on shared features or concepts. These repeated opportunities to analyze, apply, and revisit vocabulary support the development of independent word-learning skills.

• Materials include opportunities for students to use independent word-learning strategies to understand the meaning of challenging words  (inferring from context, using morphological or etymological awareness). 

  • Across each module, students have opportunities to use the word-learning strategies taught to understand the meaning of challenging words.

    • In Grade 4, Module 2, Arc A, Lesson 6, students learn about the word parts in illuminate. After learning about the root lum/lumin, students “work with a partner to infer the term’s meaning,” then share out, with the teacher reinforcing correct definitions. 

    • In Grade 5, Module 1, Arc C, Lesson 15, students work with a partner to review any unknown words they annotated in The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. Partners use online dictionaries to look up the unknown words, then the teacher explains, “If there are multiple definitions, remind students to use context, or refer to the text, to help them choose the precise definition. If students have identified Ojibwe words, direct them to use the ‘Glossary and Pronunciation Guide of Ojibwe Terms’ in the text rather than an online or print dictionary.”

• Materials include opportunities for students to use academic and content-specific vocabulary in various contexts. 

  • Once students are introduced to a word through the Knowledge Cards and Vocabulary Exploration routine, they have multiple opportunities in the lesson and module to use and hear the word.

    • In Grade 3, Module 1, Arc A, Lesson 2, students learn the word explore, which is part of the module’s essential question. Students learn about the word using the Knowledge Card and Vocabulary Exploration routine. The materials direct teachers to “Emphasize that there are different ways to explore. When people explore, they study or learn more about something. Explain that throughout the year, students will explore different kinds of texts, including books, poems, articles, and works of art. They will also explore different topics. In this module, they will learn all about the sea and how people explore it.” In Lesson 6, students learn that they can answer the module Essential Question in different ways, and they engage in a brief discussion about the question, “How do people explore the sea?” In Lesson 7, the teacher and students use explore in the context of understanding the structure of an essay. In Lesson 8, students use explore to discuss what is happening in the story. The materials direct teachers to “Display the Knowledge Card for explore, and direct attention to the image to spark students’ memory. Remind students that explore can mean ‘to travel over or through a place to learn more about it or to find something.’ Instruct students to work with a partner to use the term explore to describe what is happening in this part of the story. Reinforce that Amos is exploring the sea in a boat.”

• Practice opportunities incorporate review of previously learned words based on their connection to the topic of study. 

  • After each module assessment, the materials provide dedicated vocabulary review activities to “help students solidify key knowledge of the module topic.” The materials offer multiple activities for the teacher to choose from.

    • In Grade 4, Module 4, Arc C, Lesson 23, the Build Vocabulary portion of the lesson directs teachers to review the Knowledge Cards from previous lessons, then choose from one of the following activities:

      • “Share What You Know: Choose one Knowledge Card, and read aloud the term and definition. Direct students to World Knowledge Statements for Module 3, located in the Learn book. Instruct students to write a knowledge statement containing the term and then share it with a partner. Invite pairs to share with the class. Repeat the activity by choosing another card. 

      • Compare and Contrast: Display a Venn diagram, and label the two circles with module terms such as Patriot and Loyalist. Instruct students to recreate the Venn diagram in their journal. Tell them to list the unique characteristics of each term in the individual circles and list commonalities in the intersecting areas of the circles. Repeat with additional module terms.”

      There is also a Teacher Note that states, “Reviewing Knowledge Cards offers an opportunity to deepen the knowledge of the module. Consider which Knowledge Threads to elevate when selecting terms for the activity. Find the Knowledge Threads in the module overview."

The sentence composition instruction in the Arts & Letters’ materials meets expectations for indicator 2m. Materials include explicit instruction and modeling guidance on sentence-composition skills through a structured approach embedded in lesson routines. Instruction focuses on developing students’ ability to construct sentences with increasing complexity, including the use of punctuation, elaboration, and connections between ideas. Lessons follow a consistent sequence in which teachers model sentence strategies using sample or mentor sentences, guide students in analyzing how the structures function, and provide opportunities for oral rehearsal before students independently write their own sentences. Students engage in activities that support sentence elaboration and the use of cohesive ties, such as extending ideas with details and connecting evidence to larger claims, while also practicing varied sentence structures drawn from core and mentor texts. These exemplar sentences serve as models for understanding how language conveys meaning, including the use of dialogue, modifiers, and comparative structures. Across lessons, students apply these skills in both guided and independent writing tasks, reinforcing sentence fluency and control of conventions through repeated, contextualized practice.

• Materials include explicit instruction and modeling guidance in sentence-composition skills (use of punctuation, sentence elaboration, sentence combining using cohesive ties, sentence fluency). 

  • According to the Implementation Guide, “Arts & Letters Know lessons include a focus on sentence construction; in levels 3–8, students build skill with written sentences. In Arts & Letters, Know lessons provide explicit instruction and practice with sentence structure so that students learn to write sentences of varying style and complexity.” Explicit instruction in sentence composition skills typically follows these steps:

    • “The teacher displays the sample sentence(s) and engages students in building understanding of how the explicitly taught sentence strategy works in the sample sentence(s). 

    • Students orally rehearse with a partner how to use the sentence strategy. 

    • Students write new sentences using the sentence strategy.”

    Students then apply the skill in their Learn books or in the journals.

  • In Grade 3, Module 4, Arc C, Lesson 25, the teacher explains comparative and superlative adverbs. The materials direct teachers to “​​Explain that a comparative adverb is used to compare two actions. Tell students that the term more is placed in front of the adverb when comparing two actions (e.g., more slowly than).” Students practice in pairs, using slowly and excitedly to compare how Ella Fitzgerald sings. The materials then direct teachers to “Explain that a superlative adverb is used to compare more than two actions. Tell students that the term most is placed in front of the adverb when comparing more than two actions. Display this sentence frame: plays most softly.” The teacher then asks, “Which musician plays most softly?” Students practice by writing sentences in their journals, comparing how two musicians play music. 

  • The Implementation Guide notes that the materials also provide explicit instruction in sentence composition skills in the Learn: Write portion of the lesson: “In the Learn: Write lesson section, the teacher often demonstrates how the skill works by thinking aloud or referring to the writing model and then prompts students to practice the skill orally with a partner. This oral practice creates a foundation for transferring the skill to writing. Students then practice applying the skill to their writing.”

    • In Grade 5, Module 2, Arc B, Lesson 15, the teacher reminds students of the goals of elaboration:

      • “to extend—give more details, facts, definitions, or examples related to the evidence 

      • to connect—explain why the evidence is important by connecting it to a reason from the thesis”

      The teacher guides students to analyze the writing model in their Learn book and annotate the elaboration. Students then look at their own writing, and the teacher “Instruct[s] students to orally rehearse elaboration for one piece of evidence in their organizer. Emphasize that in Module Task 1 they can extend their evidence by providing specific details to clearly show how the setting is extreme. Encourage students to provide feedback to each other about whether the elaboration both extends the evidence and connects it to the thesis.”

• Materials utilize exemplar sentences from core and mentor texts that contain clear, varied, and rich examples of sentence structure.

  • The materials draw sentences from the texts students are studying to serve as mentors for sentence-composition instruction.

    • In Grade 4, Module 2, Arc B, Lesson 17, the teacher explains the purpose of dialogue in a story using mentor sentences from “The Girl, the Goat, and the Fortune,” the module’s Writing Model. The materials direct the teacher to ask students questions like, “What helped you identify dialogue in the model?,” “What new information do we learn from this dialogue?,” and “How do writers use dialogue to develop characters and events?” Students discuss these questions and write a response in their journals. They practice writing dialogue in the next lesson.

The student opportunities for sentence-level writing in Arts & Letters’ materials meet expectations for indicator 2n. Materials provide opportunities for students to write sentences about texts under study while practicing and applying sentence-composition skills in meaningful, content-based contexts. In Know lessons, students apply newly learned skills, such as specific grammatical structures, by composing written responses that reflect their understanding of texts, often incorporating targeted language features into their knowledge statements. Students also engage in ongoing practice by examining and revising their own writing, identifying and annotating examples of previously taught grammar and sentence structures within their written work. These opportunities are often connected to content tasks, such as note-taking or summarizing key details, reinforcing the application of sentence skills in authentic contexts. Additionally, materials provide opportunities for students to adapt their language based on audience and purpose, including planning and refining oral and written presentations with attention to tone, register, and clarity. Across lessons, these integrated activities support students in applying sentence-composition skills while deepening their understanding of texts and in effectively communicating their ideas.

• Materials include opportunities for students to write sentences about the texts under study while practicing and applying sentence composition skills. 

  • In the Know and Distill lessons, students have opportunities to write about the texts under study while applying the sentence composition skills they are learning.

    • In Grade 4, Module 3, Arc A, Lesson 8, students learn about modal verbs. After reviewing sentences related to the module topic, students discuss the question: “How does changing the modal affect the meaning of the sentences?” Using the co-created module World Knowledge Chart, students work with a partner to orally create sentences that include modals. Students then “write at least four knowledge statements to express knowledge they gained from ‘Massacre in King Street’ and The Boston Massacre.” The directions tell students to include a modal in at least one knowledge statement. 

• Materials include opportunities for students to practice and apply sentence composition skills by examining their own writing.

  • Throughout each module, students have multiple opportunities to practice and apply the sentence composition skills they are learning by examining their own writing, often using mentor texts and writing models as exemplars.

    • In Grade 3, Module 2, Arc C, Lesson 18, students add key details to a timeline of the Apollo 11 mission. In previous lessons, they have learned about regular and irregular nouns and verbs. Students write the key details, then the materials direct teachers to “Instruct students to review their key details and annotate examples of regular and irregular plural nouns.” Later, in Arc D, Lesson 28, students write key details about their group’s assigned mathematician, and the task directions tell them to use both regular and irregular verbs in their notes. Students also review what they wrote and annotate examples of regular and irregular verbs in their writing.

• Materials include opportunities for students to adapt their language based on the intended audience and purpose. 

  • Within the module’s writing piece, students have opportunities to adapt their language to the audience and purpose.

    • In Grade 5, Module 4, Module Finale, Lesson 36, students plan their End-of-Module Task and “begin creating the spoken and visual components to present information about a Chicago-based poet to a specific audience.” Students discuss the questions:

      • “What do you want to tell your audience?

      • What do you want to show your audience?”

      Later in the lesson, students engage in a Think-Pair-Share discussion about the questions:

      • “What type of register and tone would appeal to your audience? 

      • Which words and phrases will help your audience understand the details from your research?”

      Students then plan out these components of their presentation.

The on-demand and process writing opportunities in the Arts & Letters materials meet expectations for indicator 2o. Materials include a mix of on-demand and process writing opportunities embedded throughout instruction and aligned with the texts and topics under study. Students regularly engage in on-demand writing tasks during lessons, such as responding to prompts that require analyzing text structure, explaining key ideas, or synthesizing main ideas using textual evidence. In addition, each module includes structured process writing instruction using consistent models, through which students develop extended pieces over time, including narratives, informative/explanatory writing, and opinion writing. These process writing experiences involve explicit instruction in craft elements and multiple opportunities for practice and revision. The distribution of writing types across modules reflects a balance of purposes, and students may also apply previously learned writing types flexibly. Writing tasks are consistently connected to the content and purpose of the texts being studied, with students using texts as sources of evidence and as mentor models, ensuring that both on-demand and extended writing support comprehension and deeper engagement with unit topics.

• Materials include a mix of grade-appropriate on-demand and process writing.

  • Across each module, the materials provide various on-demand writing opportunities.

    • In Grade 4, Module 4, Arc A, Lesson 2, after reading “Baseball” from Britannica Kids, the learning task states, “Direct students to their journals. Instruct students to write a response to this question: How do the two structures in this text help you understand the game of baseball? Use details from ‘Baseball’ to support your response.”

    • In Grade 5, Module 1, Arc B, Lesson 9, after listening to Chief Joseph’s “Lincoln Hall Speech,” teachers “Direct students to their journals. Instruct them to respond to this prompt: Imagine that you are a newspaper reporter attending Chief Joseph’s speech at Lincoln Hall and are writing an article about the event. Write a headline for the newspaper article, and include the main ideas that Chief Joseph emphasizes in his speech.” 

  • The Write portion of each module takes students through a process-writing piece using predictable models, like the Painted Essay model in Grades 3-8.

    • In Grade 3, Module 3, during the Write portion of the lessons, students learn to write narratives, focusing on interactions between characters, using dialogue, creating a setting, and resolving the problem in the story. Students have multiple opportunities to practice process writing within the module.

• Materials mostly reflect the distribution indicated by the standards for process writing (K–5 30/35/35 persuade/explain/convey experience). (This criterion is evidence only and not considered in scoring.)

  • Across Grades 3-5, the writing distribution in Art & Letters mostly aligns to what is indicated in the standards. Arts & Letters organizes process writing types by module, and all grade levels have four modules. In Grades 4-8, students have a choice in how they present their research in Module 4, and may choose any of the writing types they learned in previous modules. The percentages below were submitted by the publisher in the Arts & Letters Writing Progression and Sequence document available on the digital platform.

    • In Grade 3, the distribution of process writing is 27% to persuade, 46% to explain, and 27% to convey experience. 

    • In Grade 4, the distribution of process writing is 30% to persuade, 40% to explain, and 30% to convey experience. 

    • In Grade 5, the distribution of process writing is 27% to persuade, 36% to explain, and 36% to convey experience.

• Writing opportunities are appropriately aligned to the purpose, genre, and/or topic of the unit’s reading. 

  • The writing opportunities in Arts & Letters align with the topics studied in each module’s texts. Throughout the reading lessons, students respond to questions and prompts related to what they are reading. During the writing portion, the genre and/or topic students focus on are related to what they are reading, either through the topic or the purpose. The writing process lessons often use the texts students are reading as mentor texts.

    • In Grade 5, Module 3, the topic is Wordplay, and the Essential Question is “How and why do writers play with words?” Students have numerous opportunities for writing in response to reading throughout the module. For example, in Arc A, Lesson 4, after watching a performance of “Who’s on First?” and reading the transcript, teachers “Instruct students to write a response to this question in their journals: How does reading the transcript compare with watching the performance?” In Arc B, Lesson 9, students begin reading The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. After learning about some of the vocabulary they will encounter in the text, teachers “Direct students to their journals. Instruct them to review their annotations from pages 22–27 and write a response to this question: How do the names the Doldrums and the Lethargarians relate to the meanings of the words doldrums and lethargy? Tell students to provide at least one piece of evidence from chapter 2 to support their response.” In the Write portion of the lessons, students learn to write different narratives, including an interaction between characters in The Phantom Tollbooth and a new sequence of events.

The explicit instruction in varied writing processes in Arts & Letters meets expectations for indicator 2p. Materials include explicit instruction in writing processes, including paragraph and multi-paragraph composition for a variety of purposes, with teacher modeling embedded throughout units and connected to texts under study. The program integrates writing-to-learn and learning-to-write, providing both shorter tasks to support comprehension and extended, process-oriented writing experiences. Instruction follows a consistent progression in which students analyze writing models, gather and organize evidence, practice relevant language skills, and engage in oral rehearsal before drafting and revising their writing. Students are supported in developing key skills such as crafting introductions and conclusions, organizing proof paragraphs, using transitions, and elaborating with evidence, often through structured frameworks such as the Painted Essay. Mentor texts and student exemplars are used to illustrate expectations and guide analysis of genre features. The materials also include ongoing supports for teachers, such as Analyze Student Progress notes, “if…then” differentiation guidance, and Assessment Guides with rubrics and annotated samples, to support monitoring, feedback, and instructional next steps throughout the writing process.

• Materials include explicit instruction in writing processes (paragraph and multi-paragraph construction for varying purposes), including teacher modeling of writing strategies and processes, embedded in what students are studying throughout the unit.

  • In the Implementation Guide, the Teaching Writing section describes a structured approach that integrates writing as both a tool for learning and a skill to be explicitly developed over time. The materials distinguish between writing-to-learn, where students use brief writing tasks to organize ideas, collect evidence, and clarify thinking during reading, and learning-to-write, in which students engage in extended, process-oriented writing tasks. Instruction in writing follows a clear progression that includes modeling, guided practice, and independent application, with teachers using mentor texts and writing models to demonstrate expectations. Students are supported in developing key writing skills such as planning, drafting, elaborating with evidence, and revising, often through predictable routines and frameworks. Writing tasks are closely connected to module topics and texts, ensuring that students write in response to what they read and build knowledge while developing their ability to communicate ideas effectively.

  • The Arts & Letters Writing Progression and Sequence document, found on the digital platform, explains the program’s approach to writing:

    • “Students analyze a writing model.

    • Students collect evidence before writing.

    • Students learn and practice language skills in integrated tasks.

    • Students orally rehearse frequently before writing.

    • Students apply knowledge, structure, and skills in module tasks.

    • Students complete the culminating End-of-Module Task.”

  • In Grades 3-8, Arts & Letters used the “Painted Essay structure,” which “uses color intentionally to build students’ understanding of how to structure informational and opinion writing.” In a Painted Essay, 

    • “The introduction is colored red because it needs to get the reader’s attention 

    • Next is the focus. It’s green for ‘Go this way!’ Point 1 is the yellow part of the (green) focus. Point 2 is the blue part of the (green) focus. (Note that yellow and blue make green!) 

    • The yellow block is the first body paragraph because it supports the first part of the focus, all of its details are yellow 

    • The blue block is the second body paragraph because it supports the second part of the focus, all of its details are blue. 

    • The conclusion comes last because it reminds the reader of the focus, and synthesizes the yellow and blue ideas again, it is green. It is both the ‘what’ (here’s a reminder of my focus) and the ‘so what’ (here’s a bit of reflection on or extension of that focus).”

    According to the Implementation Guide, “Because of its unique characteristics, students do not learn a specific structure for narrative writing but instead learn the elements of narrative.” In Grades 3-8, students learn about characters, setting, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. 

    • In Grade 5, Module 1, students focus on informative writing related to the module topic, Handed Down, and the Essential Question, “How do communities sustain their cultures?” In Arc B, the teacher introduces the structure of an informative essay with the Painted Essay–Informative graphic. Students discuss the structure, then apply it to the Writing Model. The teacher guides students to analyze the Writing Model further to identify how authors use transition words. In Arc C, the teacher models collecting evidence to support a thesis, elaborating to develop evidence, revising to strengthen the transition between proof paragraphs, writing engaging hooks, and writing the introduction and conclusion paragraphs. In Arc D, the teacher models using knowledge from the text, The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, to develop a thesis, elaborate on evidence, draft an introductory paragraph, and revise to strengthen the proof paragraphs.

• Materials provide teachers with mentor texts and/or student exemplars to support students in examining how the genre works. 

  • For each process writing piece, the materials provide a writing model to help students write. The materials indicate that the writing models are examples of on-target and advanced student work.

    • In Grade 3, Module 2, Arc B, Lesson 8, students analyze an On-Target Writing Model and an Advanced Writing Model as they learn about writing an opinion essay. The teacher engages students in a discussion about the Writing Models with questions like “What do you think the two proof paragraphs will be about?” and “Which phrases does the writer use to link the evidence to the reason in each proof paragraph?” In Lesson 9, the teacher guides students in applying the Painted Essay structure to the Writing Models to provide a color-coded visual of how to structure an opinion essay.

• Materials provide guidance and instruction to teachers on how to provide timely and constructive feedback on student writing.

  • In the Implementation Guide, the materials include broad guidance for providing students with feedback on their writing:

    • “Be specific. Name exactly what students do to write effectively. Use Analyze Student Progress criteria, the writing checklist, or the writing rubric to frame this feedback. 

    • Prioritize your feedback. Identify what will be most helpful to students so that they can internalize and apply that feedback. Avoid overwhelming students with too much feedback. Tie feedback to specific goals or previously taught skills. 

    • Be authentic and encouraging. Balance strengths and areas for growth. Use a warm, genuine tone if providing feedback orally. Be mindful of tone in written feedback.”

  • The Implementation Guide also includes a “Meeting Student Needs with Writing” section with if…then statements related to common writing challenges students might encounter. For example, “If students have difficulty elaborating on evidence…

    • Refer students to the writing model(s) and invite them to analyze the elaboration sentences 

    • Provide sentence frames for elaboration 

    • Model elaborating on evidence, thinking aloud as you do 

    • Invite students to explain their elaboration orally to you or a partner. Record or have the partner record key ideas 

    • Check to see whether aligned Prologue lessons offer needed support” 

  • Within the daily lessons, the materials provide teachers with Analyze Student Progress notes that include guidance for monitoring, support, and future practice.

    • In Grade 4, Module 1, Arc B, Lesson 14, students draft proof paragraphs based on the knowledge they gained from The Circulatory Story by Mary K. Corcoran and Jef Czekaj. They collect evidence and plan their writing. The materials provide an Analyze Student Progress note that states,

      • “Monitor: Do students write proof paragraphs that support the thesis and reflect the checklist criteria? 

      • Offer Immediate Support: If students need additional support drafting proof paragraphs, add these labels in the margin of the module task page: topic sentence, evidence, elaboration, evidence, elaboration. Then tell students to write the topic sentence and transfer the other sentences from their evidence organizers to the module task. 

      • Plan Future Practice: Students practice writing proof paragraphs in lesson 27.”

  • Each Module and End-of-Module writing task has an accompanying Assessment Guide that includes:

    • “Context to understand the role of assessment in evaluating student writing development 

    • An annotated single-point rubric to assess student task performance 

    • Annotated sample responses (on-target and advanced) that support teachers in using the rubric 

    • Scoring tools to help teachers quantitatively score student performance 

    • Guidance on analyzing student performance and planning instructional next steps”

The opportunities for students to practice the writing processes in Arts & Letters meet expectations for indicator 2q. Materials include multiple opportunities for students to engage in all stages of the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Students regularly plan their writing through structured routines that begin with collaborative and oral idea generation and progress to the use of graphic organizers to capture elements such as characters, problems, and key details or evidence. Following planning, students draft extended pieces, often composing multi-paragraph responses using organized structures and evidence collected from texts, with opportunities for oral rehearsal before writing. The materials also include dedicated lessons for revising and editing, focusing on improving elements such as detail, clarity, organization, and conventions through targeted strategies and tools. In addition, students have opportunities to produce and share their writing in a variety of formats, including options that incorporate technology or oral presentation. Across modules, these repeated, structured experiences support students in developing and applying the full writing process in relation to the texts they study.

• Materials include multiple opportunities for students to plan writing (e.g., with graphic organizers).

  • Throughout each module, students have multiple opportunities to plan their writing, often first orally, then in writing using a graphic organizer.

• In Grade 4, Module 2, Arc B, students write a narrative where they select a new nemesis for Hugo from The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. In Lesson 10, students think about how Hugo lives, then, in small groups, create a chart with two columns:

  • “Nemesis column—Who might reveal Hugo’s secret life or prevent him from doing what he needs to survive?

  • Problem column—How would the nemesis cause a problem for Hugo?” 

  Students do a Gallery Walk to look at each group’s thinking, then complete the Narrative Writing Planner in their Learn books, where they “select one nemesis and its corresponding problem that they find interesting and add them to the Characters and Problem boxes in their planner.” In the next lesson, students plan how Hugo solves his problem.

• Materials include multiple opportunities for students to draft their writing. 

  • After students plan their writing and organize their ideas, they draft their piece. Students generally have multiple opportunities per module to draft, as they engage in the writing process within each arc and with each Module Task.

    • In Grade 3, Module 4, Arc B, students write a research paper on Jackson Pollock’s art. In Lesson 12, students analyze the thesis and proof paragraphs in a writing model. After planning, students draft their thesis statement. Later, in Lesson 14, students draft their essay using the Painted Essay structure. The materials direct teachers to “instruct them to draft their research paper, including the introductory paragraph, two proof paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Tell students to use their evidence organizer to help them draft their paper. Remind students to include a heading for each proof paragraph. Encourage students to orally rehearse each proof paragraph, as well as their concluding paragraph, before they draft.”

• Materials include multiple opportunities for students to revise and edit their writing with grade-appropriate strategies and tools.

  • Each module process writing piece includes dedicated lessons for revising and editing focused on a particular skill within the context of the writing piece students are working on.

    • In Grade 3, Module 3, Arc C, Lesson 29, students revise their narrative related to The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. To include sensory details. Students learn that “narratives often include words or phrases that relate to the five senses so the reader can imagine what a character or place is like.” Students orally rehearse where they could add sensory details, then review their narrative and add sensory details in places to help the reader imagine what a character or place is like. In Lesson 30, students continue revising, focusing on adding interjections to their dialogue and editing to ensure the punctuation in their dialogue is correct.

• Materials include some opportunities for students to use technology to produce and publish writing. 

  • Throughout each module, students have opportunities to produce and publish their writing in different ways, some of which involve technology, but these opportunities are often left to the teacher’s discretion.

    • In Grade 4, Module 3, Module Finale, Lesson 39, students have multiple options for sharing their opinion essay. The teacher has the option of choosing a way for students to share their work, including

      • “Instruct students to share completed written work with a partner. 

      • Create audio recordings of completed written work and make them available for listening.

      • Invite students to read aloud their completed written work in front of the class.”

The opportunities for students to practice evidence-based writing in Arts & Letters meet expectations for indicator 2r. Materials provide frequent writing opportunities that require students to refer to details and examples in texts to explain explicit meaning and draw inferences, as well as to develop and support opinions based on evidence. The program incorporates both writing-to-learn and learning-to-write, with writing-to-learn tasks that allow students to organize ideas, gather textual evidence, and articulate their thinking in response to reading. Across lessons, students engage in writing activities that require analyzing the author’s word choice, annotating texts to distinguish between explicit information and inferred meaning, and providing written explanations supported by specific details from the text. Students also evaluate evidence to form and justify opinions, often comparing multiple pieces of evidence and determining which best supports a claim. These writing opportunities are embedded within close reading and discussion routines, requiring students to consistently return to the text and use evidence to explain their understanding and reasoning.

• Materials provide frequent writing opportunities that require students to refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. Materials provide frequent writing opportunities focused on students’ recall or analysis of information to develop opinions from reading closely and working with evidence from texts and sources. 

  • The Implementation Guide explains that Arts & Letters views writing in two ways: writing-to-learn and learning-to-write. In the writing-to-learn opportunities, “students use writing as a tool to organize ideas, collect evidence, and articulate thinking. For example, students might add characters or setting details to a story map, note what they notice and wonder about a new text, or collect evidence in an evidence organizer.”

    • In Grade 3, Module 3, Arc A, Lesson 5, students learn about author’s word choice. They examine why the author of Islandborn (Junot Díaz) chose to use the word nervous rather than afraid or cautious. Students then “write in their journals to explain why the author might have chosen nervous over the other two words,” using textual evidence.

    • In Grade 4, Module 1, Arc E, Lesson 27, students learn about what is stated explicitly in the text versus what is inferred as they read Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. As they read, students use different colored sticky notes to annotate “what is happening in each entry and another color to annotate inferences about what is happening before and between the dates.” Students then “use one color of sticky notes to write what is happening on November 29 and December 13 and another color to write inferences about what is happening before and between the dates.”

    • In Grade 5, Module 2, Arc B, Lesson 7, students use evidence from the text to support an opinion about All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat. Students first practice distinguishing fact from opinion, then work with a partner to determine which teacher-provided statements support which opinions and the evidence supporting those opinions. Students then “examine the evidence for the two opinions and decide which opinion has stronger evidence as support” and explain their choice in their journals.

The explicit instruction of research skills to encourage students to develop knowledge of a topic in Arts & Letters meets expectations for indicator 2s. Materials include research projects and instruction that build students’ research skills through a structured and integrated approach across modules. The materials embed inquiry throughout instruction, guiding students to generate questions, gather information from multiple sources, and organize and synthesize their findings in response to meaningful, content-based topics. Research is developed both informally through daily lessons and formally through dedicated projects in which students plan, collect evidence, and present their learning. Instruction explicitly teaches research skills such as identifying relevant information, using multiple texts and media sources, organizing evidence, and applying findings to written or oral tasks.

• Materials include research projects to build research skills that lead to mastery of the grade-level standards. 

  • In the Implementation Guide, the “Teaching Inquiry and Research” section describes a structured approach to building students’ ability to ask questions, gather information, and develop knowledge through research connected to module topics. Inquiry is driven by meaningful, content-based questions, often tied to module essential questions, and students engage in a process that includes generating questions, collecting information from texts and other sources, and organizing their findings. Instruction supports students in using evidence, refining questions, and synthesizing information, often through collaborative discussions and written responses. The materials also incorporate guidance on using sources responsibly, including citing evidence and distinguishing relevant information. Research tasks are integrated with reading and writing instruction, culminating in projects or presentations in which students apply their learning, communicate their findings, and demonstrate understanding of both content and research skills.

  • In Grades 3–8, research skills develop into a more structured, independent process in which students take increasing responsibility for inquiry, analysis, and the presentation of information. Students begin by generating and refining research questions connected to module topics and texts, then gather relevant information from multiple sources, including print and digital texts. They learn to evaluate sources for relevance, take organized notes, and categorize evidence using tools such as graphic organizers and evidence trackers. Instruction emphasizes analyzing and synthesizing information across sources, distinguishing between key ideas and supporting details, and using evidence to develop claims or explanations. Students also build skills in citing sources and integrating evidence into their writing and presentations. As they progress, research tasks become more complex and culminate in extended projects or presentations in which students communicate their findings through written, oral, or multimedia formats, applying both literacy and digital skills to demonstrate their understanding.

  • The Arts & Letters materials are designed to build inquiry and research skills throughout each module in informal ways, and students also engage in one formal research project per year. 

    • In Grade 3, Module 2, Arc B, Lesson 13, the teacher explains that their opinions should be based on evidence and knowledge. The materials direct teachers to “Remind students that collecting evidence about a topic is also known as doing research. One important part of research is using multiple sources. Facilitate a brief discussion of these questions:

      • "Which source do you think the writer used to collect evidence about Galileo? 

      • What sources do you think the writer used to collect evidence about Tharp, Cousteau, and Roper?”

    • In Grade 5, Module 4, students engage in a research project about Chicago poets. The modules’ instruction takes students through the research process. In Arc B, Lesson 8, the Teacher Note at the beginning of the Write section states, “Module 4 presents an opportunity for students to engage in research about Chicago poets. Students will learn about the research process in lessons 8–18 and will conduct independent research in lessons 25–30. This module provides instruction and related materials to support independent research of a Chicago-based poet. However, you may choose to customize the research topic to incorporate your community and local history by inviting students to research a local literary figure. If you choose to focus on local individuals, prepare for the module by identifying relevant sources to support student research. See lesson 25 for the introduction to independent research.” Students share their research through a spoken presentation with visual components. 

• Materials include explicit instruction of research skills that encourage students to develop knowledge of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

  • Arts & Letters is designed to teach students research skills across all modules, not just those formally dedicated to a research project. The materials provide explicit instruction in various research skills, using multiple texts and sources that build students’ knowledge and understanding of these skills over time.

    • In Grade 4, Module 4, the module topic is Let’s Play Ball, and the Essential Question is “How can individuals contribute to a successful legacy?” Throughout the module, teachers explicitly teach research skills to help students build knowledge of the topic and engage in research about the Negro baseball leagues. In Arc A, Lesson 8, the teacher explains the research process using the text students are reading, We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League by Kadir Nelson. In Lesson 9, the teacher models creating an effective research question, and in Lesson 10, the teacher focuses on determining research categories. In Arc B, Lessons 11-13, the teacher instructs students on how to take notes from a print source, and in Lesson 15, how to locate relevant information online. Lesson 16 focuses on synthesizing knowledge from multiple sources. In Lessons 26-30, students apply what they learned about the research process to Module Task 1. For this task, “Students choose from a list an important individual from the Negro Leagues and use the research process to investigate a research question about that person. First, students create categories of information they will need to answer the research question. Then, students take notes from print and digital sources and sort those notes into categories. After their initial research, students pause to review their findings and decide what information they still need. They identify this missing information as their research gap and create a list of search terms to help them locate new information to close the gap. Finally, students synthesize their research notes into knowledge statements that answer the research question.”

    • In Grade 5, Module 2, Arc B, lesson 11, the materials direct teachers to “Explain that by collecting textual evidence to form an opinion, students are doing research. Tell them that research means ‘careful study to find new knowledge about a subject.’ Tell students that another important component of research is collecting evidence from multiple texts.” Students discuss the question, “How does using evidence from more than one text help strengthen your opinion?” In the next lesson, students examine the evidence they have collected to form an opinion about which setting is more extreme.

The formative assessment guidance in Arts & Letters meets expectations for indicator 2u. Materials include formative assessments and embedded supports that help teachers determine students’ current skills and levels of understanding throughout instruction. Daily Learning Tasks serve as ongoing checks for understanding that assess both content knowledge and literacy skills, providing teachers with information about students’ progress toward lesson goals. These tasks require students to demonstrate understanding through discussions, written responses, drawings, and other text-based activities, while accompanying Key Ideas support teachers in identifying essential understandings to reinforce as needed. The materials also provide guidance for instructional adjustments through Analyze Student Progress notes that include monitoring prompts, immediate support suggestions, and recommendations for future practice. However, guidance for pushing advanced students is more limited. These embedded supports help teachers identify student strengths and needs, respond to misunderstandings, and plan subsequent instruction to support continued progress.

• Materials include formative assessments and support for the teacher in determining students’ current skills/level of understanding.

  • The Implementation Guide explains that formative assessment in Arts & Letters happens through the daily Learning Tasks, which are “brief checks for understanding that monitor students’ progress with lesson learning goals to enable teachers to continually monitor and respond to student learning.” The Learning Tasks assess both content knowledge and literacy skills and are designed to help teachers

    • “understand students’ strengths and needs with the module content and skills, 

    • determine which students need additional support or challenge, 

    • prepare future instruction with students’ needs in mind, and 

    • reflect on daily instruction.”

    The Teach books also often include Key Ideas that students should gain through the Learning Task that teachers can reinforce if needed.

  • In Grade 3, Module 2, Arc C, Lesson 24, the materials introduce the Learning Task: “Direct students to their journals. Instruct them to write a response to these questions: Which text would you give someone if they wanted to learn more about the astronauts’ return to Earth? Why? Tell students to include evidence that shows how each text describes this part of the mission.” The materials provide a list of Key Ideas to ensure students’ responses are on the right track: 

    • “Moonshot, because it provides more facts and details: Columbia falling fast, pushing on the air, building up pressure and heat; types of parachutes and how they worked to slow Columbia’s fall; shows Columbia “like a torch” in the sky and shows a splash in the sea where Columbia landed 

    • Moonshot, because One Giant Leap provides fewer facts and details: an illustration of Columbia with three open parachutes before it splashed down in the sea”

  • In Grade 5, Module 1, Module Finale, Lesson 37, the materials introduce the Learning Task: “Instruct students to collect at least two pieces of evidence from The Birchbark House related to each of the values identified as their two points in their thesis. Tell students to write their evidence on the Evidence Organizer for the End-of-Module Task.” The materials provide a list of Key Ideas to ensure students’ responses are on the right track: 

    • “point: generosity 

    • evidence: Omakakiins’s mother has a pair of scissors that she lets other women use (15). After One Horn is killed, the meat is shared with others in the community—Old Tallow, Auntie Muskrat, Albert LaPautre’s children, and Fishtail (162). Ten Snow gifts Omakakiins a leather packet with needles, sinew thread, beeswax, and beads (112–113). Old Tallow shares the beaver meat with Omakakiins’s family (100). 

    • point: wisdom 

    • evidence: When packing and talking about the medicines, Nookomis tells Omakakiins that she has “learned how to listen” (91). Nookomis understands what has happened when Omakakiins heard the voices (181). Omakakiins knows how to care for her family when they are sick—wrapping their hands, biting fingernails, even knocking out Dede so he doesn’t go outside in the cold (134–135). Nookomis dreams and tells Dede what he must do to find, hunt, and kill One Horn to get food for the family (160).

    • point: endurance 

    • evidence: Angeline encourages Omakakiins not to give up when the beading she is doing is difficult (116). Omakakiins attempts to gather acorns for the family, despite her still weakened state (156–157). The process of collecting and boiling the sap to make maple syrup is described as “endlessly long” (174). The girls spend days preparing the corn for the winter (87).”

  • Although considered formal assessments, the Module Tasks can be used formatively to inform instruction before students complete the End-of-Module Task (EOM), as they build toward the EOM Task.

• Materials include guidance that supports the teacher in making instructional adjustments to increase student progress.

  • Immediately following a Learning Task in the Teach books is an Analyze Student Progress note for the teacher, which provides various types of guidance. While this guidance supports teachers in making instructional adjustments for students who struggle, the guidance for pushing advanced students is much more limited. The Implementation Guide explains that Analyze Student Progress notes provide the following types of guidance:

    • “Monitor helps teachers analyze student progress by specifying what teachers should look for in student performance. 

    • Offer Immediate Support suggests a path to help students who are initially unsuccessful at completing a learning task. 

    • Plan Future Practice notes when students practice the same or a similar skill again in a future lesson.”

  • In Grade 4, Module 3, Arc B, Lesson 12, the materials introduce the Learning Task: “Instruct students to read page 22, starting with ‘The Barber/ Wigmaker,’ and complete the row on the chart to analyze the Barber/Wigmaker’s opinion about the tea tax.” Immediately following the Learning Task is an Analyze Student Progress note that states,

    • “Monitor: Do students accurately complete the chart by connecting the Barber/Wigmaker’s words and actions to his opinion as a Loyalist? 

    • Offer Immediate Support: If students need additional support determining the Barber/Wigmaker’s stance, instruct them to pay close attention to words that are boldfaced, capitalized, or italicized for clues about the character’s opinion. 

    • Plan Future Practice: Students practice using information to explain an opinion in ‘Ballad of the Tea Party’ in lesson 15.”

    The materials also include a list of Key Ideas to ensure students’ responses are on the right track:

    • “The Barber/Wigmaker: a Loyalist 

    • words and actions: “Holding back on English goods is bad for business”; “Pay the tea tax and move on!” is in all capital letters; he does not attend the meeting at Old South; he calls the Patriots “rowdy”; he admires the judge by calling him “a proper Englishman.” 

    • what this reveals: He believes that refusing to pay the tea tax will be bad for his business; he may lose money if the tea tax is not paid; it is easier to pay the tax and move on.”

The summative assessment guidance in Arts & Letters meets expectations for indicator 2v. Materials include culminating tasks and summative assessments aligned with module topics and designed to integrate multiple literacy skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The program incorporates a progression of assessments throughout each module, including comprehension assessments, Module Tasks, and End-of-Module Tasks, which allow students to demonstrate their developing knowledge, language, and literacy skills. Module Tasks are sequenced to build toward culminating tasks and provide structured opportunities for students to apply skills and content learned in preceding lessons, while End-of-Module Tasks require students to synthesize learning through extended writing, presentations, or research-based responses connected to module texts and themes. The materials also provide guidance and support for teachers through Assessment Guides that include scoring tools, rubrics, annotated sample responses, assessment overviews, and recommendations for responding to student performance. These resources support teachers in administering, evaluating, and interpreting student work while monitoring progress toward module learning goals.

• 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 Implementation Guide explains the various types of summative assessments and culminating tasks students engage in throughout each module.

    • Beginning in the second half of Grade 2 and continuing through Grade 8, students are assessed through Reading Comprehension Assessments, which allow them to demonstrate their

      • “understanding of text-based vocabulary, 

      • ability to navigate language and text structures, 

      • verbal reasoning skills, such as interpreting figurative language or making inferences, and 

      • comprehension skills.”

      Beginning in Grade 3, these assessments also include a self-reflection that “encourages student metacognition. It supports teachers in identifying additional factors that may contribute to students’ performance and that they may want to address in the Responsive Teaching lesson or one-on-one with a student.”

  • Each module includes two to five Module Tasks, which are “formal assessments—writing or presentation tasks— that provide opportunities for students to synthesize key learning and demonstrate their developing writing or speaking skills. Prompts are designed and sequenced to follow the knowledge build of each module.” The Module Tasks build toward the End-of-Module (EOM) Task. These can be used formatively or summatively.

    • In Grade 4, Module 1, Arc C, Lessons 17-19, for Module Task 2, “Students write an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph to complete an essay about what healthy valves do for the circulatory system. Students use information from the provided proof paragraphs to develop a thesis that states a clear focus and a conclusion that answers the so what? Question.” This helps students build the skills and knowledge to later complete the EOM Task, in which they “write an informative essay to explain what having a great heart means, both literally and figuratively. To plan their writing, students collect textual evidence about literal and figurative great hearts from multiple informational and literary texts. They draft a thesis and use elaboration to develop evidence on an evidence organizer.”

  • EOM Tasks are the final formal assessment for a module: “In these writing or speaking assessments, students engage in the full writing process (including, when relevant, research) to demonstrate their knowledge and skills gained from the module. Students complete the EOM Task during the module finale and focus on the module’s texts.”

    • In Grade 3, Module 3, the EOM Task asks students to “write a narrative about a character who moves to a new country. Students add characters, setting, problem, events, and a resolution to a narrative writing planner. Then they use their planners to write their narrative, including dialogue and description. Students strengthen their writing by participating in a peer-review exercise and using a checklist to revise their work. Finally, students rehearse and create engaging audio recordings of themselves reading their narratives, focusing on accuracy, rate, and phrasing.”

• Materials provide opportunities to support students in gaining the knowledge and skills needed to complete the culminating tasks/summative assessments.

  • The Module Tasks are designed to build toward the EOM Task and “measure the knowledge, language, and key writing or speaking skills students built in the preceding lesson arc(s). Teachers use the module tasks as formative assessments to inform instruction before the EOM Task, where students will demonstrate their independence with these skills in a culminating assessment.”

    • In Grade 5, Module 2, students complete two Module Tasks that prepare them for the EOM Task. 

      • In Module Task 1, “Students write an opinion essay about which setting from two texts is more extreme. Students collect evidence from ‘All Summer in a Day’ and All Thirteen to develop an opinion and reasons. For this module task, they write an introductory paragraph, two proof paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Students add context to their introductory paragraphs and add a reflection to their concluding paragraphs. Finally, students revise their essays using a checklist.”

      • In Module Task 2, “Students write an opinion essay about which hardships were more difficult for the boys trapped in Tham Luang. Collecting evidence from All Thirteen, students develop an opinion and reasons. Students write an introductory paragraph, two proof paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Students include details and direct quotes to strengthen and elaborate on their evidence. They share their essays with a peer and strengthen their writing using a checklist.”

      • These tasks build toward the EOM Task and prepare students to put together all the elements they have learned. For the EOM Task, “students write an opinion essay about who contributed the most significantly to the rescue effort in All Thirteen. To plan their writing, students collect evidence from All Thirteen on an evidence organizer and develop a thesis that shares their opinion and two supporting reasons. As they write their End-of-Module Task, students use topic-specific vocabulary to develop their opinion, use correlative conjunctions, italicize text titles, and spell grade-level-appropriate words correctly. Students strengthen their writing by participating in a peer review exercise and revising their work according to a checklist.”

• Materials include guidance that supports the teacher in determining and evaluating student performance on the culminating tasks/summative assessments in the program. 

  • The Implementation Guide provides an overview of what teachers can find in the Assessment Guides, which, for the Comprehension Assessments, include “a copy of the assessment, offers context for the assessment, and provides analysis of the assessment items, scoring guidance, an alignment with specific Arts & Letters Achievement Descriptors, and guidance for how to respond to student performance in the Responsive Teaching lesson.” For Module Tasks and EOM Tasks, the Assessment Guides explain “how to administer the assessment, how to contextualize and understand the assessment’s purpose within the module, how to score the assessment, and how to interpret and act upon the reports. The Assessment Guide also includes a copy of the task prompt and rubric. Each module task and EOM Task Assessment Guide contextualizes the assessment’s placement within the module with a brief description and a chart that shows the knowledge, writing, and language criteria for each of the written module assessments.” The Assessment Guides also include single-point rubrics for each written task and have categories for knowledge, writing, and language. Additionally, the materials include samples of on-target and advanced student responses, with annotations that explain how each response meets the rubric expectations.

  • Responsive Teaching lessons are follow-up lessons that occur after comprehension assessments and are designed to help teachers address students’ identified learning needs while maintaining access to grade-level content. These lessons provide students with opportunities to revisit assessment texts through rereading or listening, discuss missed items, deepen vocabulary knowledge, and strengthen comprehension strategies through teacher and peer support. The lessons follow a predictable structure—Read, Respond, and Engage—and include guidance from the Assessment Guide to help teachers select assessment items and skills for reteaching based on student performance. Responsive Teaching lessons are intended to support students in clarifying misunderstandings, strengthening literacy skills, and building confidence through scaffolded review and discussion, directly connected to prior assessments and module learning. The Assessment Guide for the comprehension assessments includes a section called “Planning and Teaching the Responsive Teaching Lesson,” which outlines a process for analyzing student data, identifying which items challenged students and what they need reinforced, and determining which parts of the Responsive Teaching Lesson students need. The Responsive Teaching Lessons are included at point of use in the Teach books.