6th Grade - Gateway 2

The materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 6 meet the criteria that texts are organized around a topic/topics (or, for grades 6-8, topics and/or themes) to build students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently.

There are 10 units of study, and most units focus on a Science or Social Studies based topic. Within these topic-driven units are three lessons. These lessons include two Short Reads and two Extended Reads designed to build knowledge and vocabulary around the identified topic. Supplemental and leveled texts also support this topic with a balance of literary and nonfiction texts. Each unit is driven by an Essential Question that frames the unit of study and provides real-world relevancy to the unit. A focused line of inquiry tasks is included in additional resources, providing students with multiple opportunities to build knowledge and subsequently build more vocabulary and increase reading ability. Students read across text sets organized around a topic. Culminating tasks for each unit reflect student engagement levels with the text and depth of understanding of the topic.

• In Unit 3, Relationships in Nature, he essential question is, “What roles can we play in the balance of nature?” Students read and compare texts about people’s experiences in the natural world to gain an understanding of the role we play in the balance of nature. In Week 1, the teacher explains that over the next three weeks, students will read informational texts that describe how human behavior affects the natural world. In Weeks 1-3, students use the following texts to dig deeper into the content of the information and grow their vocabulary: “The Night it Rained, Part 1 and 2,” “The Secret Egret,” “Stewards of the Land: Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir,” “Teddy Roosevelt and Nature,” and “John Muir and Nature.”

• In Unit 7, Achievements of Ancient Cultures, the Essential Question is, “Why do we consider certain civilizations great?” Students read and compare selections about ancient cultures to analyze what makes civilizations great. Week 1, the teacher explains that over the next three weeks, students will read a number of texts about why each civilization is considered “great” and use them to discuss the essential question. In Weeks 1-3 students use the following texts to dig deeper into the content and grow their vocabulary: “The Wonders of Babylon,” “VIPs of Ancient Egypt,” “Welcome to Greece,” “The Golden Age of Greece,” “Rome’s Augustan Age,” and “The Golden Age of the Inca Empire.” While there is much information to be learned, the focus of these lessons is on a global question rather than a topic.

• In Unit 8, Exploring Earth’s Structures, the Essential Question is “How does Earth itself inspire human endeavors?” Students have multiple opportunities to read a series of texts on exploring earth’s structures such as: “The South Pole,” “Glaciers on the Move” and “Studying Earth’s Core” to build vocabulary. Connect Across Disciplines Inquiry Projects deepen students’ understanding of the Essential Question through inquiry-based learning. Projects utilize connected texts to answer the Essential Question. Projects utilize connected texts to answer the Essential Question. Projects include a report on polar ecosystems and a volcano map.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials contain sets of coherently sequenced questions and tasks that require students to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

Short reads, extended reads, and independent readings assist students in developing a deeper understanding of key ideas. Language lessons provide opportunities for students to explore word choices and text structure. Sequences of questions and tasks support students’ skill development in analyzing components of texts, so students may navigate the content, draw conclusions and articulate their evidence-based opinions.

Opportunities are provided for students to analyze language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of texts in order to determine main idea, describe text structures, and explain author’s reasoning. To support students in developing a deep conceptual understanding of texts in each unit, questions and tasks are scaffolded, becoming progressively more complex. Questions accompanying the texts require students to use inferential knowledge to deepen their understanding of the texts. Questions and tasks push students’ thinking around the text structure, language and author’s craft.

• In Unit 2, the initial Short Read is “In Hiding”, an excerpt from The Diary of Anne Frank. After reading the excerpt, students engage in the following:

  • Lesson 2, after reading “In Hiding,” students determine central idea and key details.

  • Lesson 4, after reading “In Hiding”, students analyze how a scene specifically contributes to the development of the plot.

  • Lesson 5, after reading “In Hiding”, students analyze how an author develops a character’s point of view.

• In Unit 4, students are guided by the Essential Question: “How does the journey through life influence a person’s point of view?” Students read and compare the perspectives in different selections to analyze point of view. Students are provided with extensive opportunities to analyze the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. In Week 2, Lesson 8, students use their knowledge of metaphor and plot development to demonstrate their understanding of how the two are connected in “Going West.”

• In Unit 8, Week 3, Lesson 8, following an extended-read mini-lesson, students analyze the author’s purpose in “Studying the Earth’s Core.” Students reread paragraphs 1-3 to determine the author’s purpose in the section and how this section relates to the central ideas of the text as a whole.

• In Unit 10, students use close reading questions requiring them to analyze the structure of the text, author’s intent and language as they engage with the topics within the texts. These questions are located in the supplemental resource, Text Evidence Questions. From “Why Does the Wind Blow?” students answer: “According to the author, why is it generally less windy inland than it is near the coast?” From “Wind at Work” students answer: “How would improvements in battery technology affect the case against wind power?” From “Energy Choices” students answer: “Why does the author include a variety of different quotations at the end of the article?” From “Wind Power: Pros and Cons” students answer: “According to both authors, Denmark and the United States use subsidies to promote their energy plans. How are the subsidies used in each country, and what has been their impact?”

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts.

The instructional materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact and build key academic vocabulary words in and across texts. A scope and sequence is provided allowing for identification of the academic and domain-specific vocabulary for each week within the unit of study. Vocabulary instruction is highlighted throughout each unit and is addressed both explicitly and embedded in context. Teachers are provided guidance and suggestions outlining differentiated support in order to meet the needs of various learners that is cohesive and spans across the year.

Opportunities are provided for students to use and respond to the words they learn through playful informal talk, discussion, reading or being read to, and responding to what is read. Word study and vocabulary mini-lessons are a part of the instruction each week with a text to accompany the lessons. Vocabulary builds throughout the week and across texts within a one-week period. Specific texts are used which focus strictly on domain specific vocabulary. Academic vocabulary is also a part of the unit assessment as well as the weekly assessment.

Vocabulary lessons highlight the most relevant vocabulary words aimed at building knowledge of the unit topic and support comprehension. To support students’ understanding of complex texts, the following vocabulary words and mini-lessons are targeted. Opportunities to interact and build vocabulary include:

• In Unit 1, Week 1, students learn vocabulary in three texts, “Aristotle and Democracy,” “The Iroquois Confederacy,” and “The Mayflower Compact.” During Build Vocabulary Mini-Lesson 4, students determine the meaning of domain-specific vocabulary as it is used in the texts. The vocabulary word citizen is in both “Aristotle and Democracy” and The Iroquois Confederacy.” Students also use context clues to determine the meaning of legislative and judicial.

• In Unit 2, Week 1, vocabulary words come from shared, mentor, and extended texts. With Building Vocabulary, stricken, shining and clamor from “Jason’s Challenge.” The instructional focus is Demonstrate Understanding of Connotations and Nuances of Word Meanings. For Making Meaning with Words, vocabulary words from shared mentor and extended texts are betrayed and discrimination in “In Hiding” and manipulates in “Jason’s Challenge.” The instruction focus is building word knowledge by using vocabulary routines to introduce the words and having students complete the “Making Meaning with Words” glossary on the inside back cover of their Texts for Close Reading.

• In Unit 6, Week 1, vocabulary words from shared, mentor, and extended texts are audacity, transformation, infections, tensions, slavery, commencement, encampment from “A Civil War Soldier Named Hannah.” The Word Study instruction focus is introduce and apply noun suffixes. For Making Meaning with Words, vocabulary words from shared mentor and extended texts are ambition, cherished and idle in “The Ballad of Mulan” and grasping in “Mulan Joins the Army.” The instructional focus is building word knowledge by using vocabulary routines to introduce the words and having students complete the “Making Meaning with Words” glossary on the inside back cover of their Texts for Close Reading.

• In Unit 7, Week 1, Lesson 4, students reread to find context clues to domain-specific words about ancient civilizations and check definitions, using a dictionary or other references, and expand them to be more precise. Students work with a partner and select one domain-specific word and identify context clues that help them to define the word. In Week 3, students demonstrate understanding of word relationships. The teacher displays and distributes a Word Relationship Chart. Partners select one example and complete the chart for it by rereading the text to underline clues that help them determine these word relationships.

• In Unit 10, Week 1, vocabulary words are in the shared, mentor, and extended texts. Harmful, devastating and critical are in “Wind at Work.” The Build Vocabulary instructional focus is determine the connotative meaning of words. For the Word Study lesson, vocabulary words are wind and light from “Why Does the Wind Blow,” wind and down from “Wind at Work” and content, wind, down, hail, tears, light, rose and entrance from “The Six Winds.” The instruction focus is introduce and apply homographs and these words are also spelling words. For Making Meaning with Words, vocabulary words from shared mentor and extended texts are originates and retains in “Why Does the Wind Blow” and critical in “Wind at Work.” The instruction focus is building word knowledge by using vocabulary routines to introduce the words and having students complete the “Making Meaning with Words” glossary on the inside back cover of their Texts for Close Reading.

The instructional materials include embedded writing across the year using a variety of well-designed guidance, protocols, models, and support for teachers to implement and monitor students' writing development. The writing instruction supports students’ growth in writing skills over the course of the school year, building students’ writing ability to demonstrate proficiency at grade level at the end of the year. Students write to address multiple topics over both short and extended time frames and are provided with mentor texts, writing prompts, and rubrics to help them self-evaluate writing, as well as give teachers a clear picture to evaluate and give feedback. The required time the weekly lesson would take, along with the amount of writing students are responsible for, is balanced and takes place during each 3-week unit. Students are provided time to adequately refine and reflect on their writing before moving on to a new topic. Discussion regarding writing also takes place with peers and with the teacher.

Students participate in both on-demand and process writings throughout the year. Students are required to respond to evidence-based writing prompts in the Build, Reflect, Write notebook. Prior to responding to the text, students have pre-work to support their response. Students read and reread texts, use annotation, cite text evidence to support their ideas and opinions, and write short analytical responses. Students are provided objectives directly related to the writing process during the lessons.Writing requires students to synthesize information gathered while engaging with text sets and use the writing to demonstrate comprehension of complex texts. Writing is used as a vehicle for research and building knowledge, and range of writing activities and increase in rigor from the beginning to the end of the school year. To provide comprehensive support, teacher materials to support students’ writing development by providing well-designed lesson plans, models and/or exemplars, and protocols to support student writing. Materials attend to not just end results of writing work, but also provide guidance for practicing, revising, and creating.

• The Benchmark Program Reference Guide includes a component that outlines writing alignment: Writing Aligned to Common Core Expectations. This resource shows the writing progression and distribution of writing types and skills for grades K-6.

• In Unit 2, students learn to write historical fiction.

  • In Week 1, teachers introduce the Historical Fiction genre and guide students through the prewriting steps in the writing process: brainstorm, evaluate ideas, and plan.

  • In Week 2, teachers guide students through the drafting steps in the writing process by establishing a situation and introducing characters, using description and dialogue to develop characters and story events, providing a conclusion, and using reference materials to check spelling.

  • In Week 3, teachers guide students through the revising, editing, and publishing steps in the writing process by using descriptive words to develop characters and setting, adjusting pacing of events to engage audience, editing the writing using proper case of pronouns and correct spelling and creating a title.

• In Unit 5, students learn to write an opinion essay.

  • In Week 1, teachers introduce the Opinion Essay and guide students through the prewriting steps in the writing process; brainstorm, evaluate ideas, and plan by reading and analyzing a mentor text, analyzing how an author develops the topic (facts and details), using facts and details to support a main idea, analyzing a video source for facts and details, and using appropriate pronoun number and person.

  • In Week 2, teachers guide students through the drafting steps in the writing process by analyzing the prompt and planning the text, developing the topic with facts, definitions, and details, analyzing information from a video, organizing ideas, and recognizing and correcting vague pronouns.

  • In Week 3, teachers guide students through the revising, editing, and publishing steps in the writing process by introducing a topic with an effective opening paragraph, incorporating facts, definitions, and details from sources, improving fluency by using pronouns, correcting pronoun shifts, and evaluating and reflecting on writing

• In Unit 6, students use Process Writing to write an argument essay. In Week 3, teachers guide students through the revising, edition, and publishing steps in the writing Process. Sequential mini-lessons are provided, helping students to organize their ideas, draft, revise, edit and publish their argument essay. In Week 3, Lesson 4, students are provided with modeling text, a writing checklist, and an argument essay anchor chart.

• In Unit 9, students write a News Report.

  • In Week 1, teachers guide students through an analysis of a News Report text type and how to apply that analysis to their writing by introducing the purpose and audience for a news report, analyzing a mentor text, analyzing facts and details, brainstorming to narrow the focus, and selecting and taking notes from credible sources.

  • In Week 2, teachers guide students through the drafting steps in the writing process by introducing the news report, developing the script with facts and details, providing a concluding statement, gathering images for news show, and storyboarding the news report.

  • In Week 3, teachers guide students through the revising, editing, and publishing steps in the writing process by using precise language and domain-specific vocabulary, revising to maintain an objective tone, rehearsing/recording news show, sharing, and reviewing and reflecting.

The instructional materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials include a progression of focused research projects to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting and analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials.

The instructional materials provide a Program Reference Guide component that outlines writing alignment. This resource shows the writing progression and distribution of writing types and skills for grades K-6. In Units 8, 9 and 10, students conduct research independently or with a peer. In each unit, students conduct research to write in a different mode. Daily research and writing process mini-lessons support students’ independent work. In addition to a progression of writing tasks that increase in complexity across the grade levels, tasks also increase over time vertically through the grade levels. In Grade 6, students participate in independent/peer research projects. Research opportunities are sequenced throughout the year to include a progression of research skills that build to student independence. Opportunities are provided for students to integrate their language skills across units and topics. Students are provided with robust instruction, practice, and application of research skills throughout their grade level reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills. These skills are supported and put into practice as they build knowledge about a topic or topics. Support for students to develop and apply research skills are explicitly provided throughout each unit. The mini-lessons and topic-driven text sets support teachers in employing projects that develop students’ knowledge of different aspects of a topic.

• In Unit 1, Connect Across the Disciplines, there are three choices in inquiry/research projects pertaining to the Essential Question of: “Why might societies form different types of government?”

  • Write a Classroom Code: Students research information on Hammurabi’s code, develop a code of “laws” for the classroom and create a presentation of the code, and share thinking with peers.

  • Produce a Time Travel Talk Show: Students research information on Hatshepsut and Queen Elizabeth II to compare their power and roles, write and produce an interview with the two queens, summarize key points and evaluate evidence in each interview, share thinking with peers.

  • Make a Science Safety Rule Poster: Students research information and visuals on the Nile River and the Aswan Dam to compare past and present, create a multimedia presentation on the effects of the Aswan Dam, summarize the presentations of others and evaluate their use of evidence, consider the role of government in environmental decisions, and share thinking with peers.

• In Unit 3, Weeks 1-3, Writing to Sources, students write an informative report based on print sources and online sources.

  • In Week 1, students learn to search for relevant print sources and evaluate print sources.

  • In Week 2, learn to search for relevant online sources and evaluate online sources.

  • In Week 3, students learn to use direct quotes and learn how to paraphrase in their informative writing.

• In Unit 5, Connect Across the Disciplines, there are three choices of inquiry/research projects for the Essential Question of: “How do we take responsibility in making advances in technology?”

  • Hold an Ancient Science Fair: Students research contributions to science and technology by ancient cultures, present these contributions in displays and experiments for a science fair, summarize learning from the exhibits, and share thinking with peers.

  • Develop an Ad Campaign: Students research information and visuals on the health of the nearest ocean, create an ad campaign on the importance of cleaning up and protecting the ocean, analyze evidence in support of an issue, and share thinking with peers.

  • Diagram Machines: Students analyze and make diagrams of simple machines to describe the parts and functions, evaluate diagrams of simple machines, and share thinking with peers.

• In Unit 8, Weeks 1-3, students complete a process writing task of creating a Multimedia Presentation.

  • In Week 1, students organize ideas, introduce the purpose and audience, analyze a mentor text, brainstorm and evaluation ideas, organize ideas, concepts and information, and plan visuals to clarify information.

  • In Week 2, students introduce and develop the topic using facts and details, provide a concluding statement, and gather images for the presentation

  • In Week 3, students revise and rehearse for their multimedia presentation.

• In Unit 9, Connect Across the Disciplines, there are three choices of inquiry/research projects for the Essential Question of: “What does it mean to be a citizen in a global society?”

  • Write Letters from the Silk Road: Students research information on Silk Road travel at a chosen time, write and present a descriptive letter detailing an imaginary journey on the Silk Road, and share thinking with peers.

  • Produce a Roman Travel Show: Students research information and visuals on ancient Roman commerce, create a video travel show, draw conclusions based on presentation, and share thinking with peers.

  • Stage an International Conference on the Environment: Students research solutions to climate change for specific nations, write and present a position paper on climate change, collaborate with others to reach agreement, and share thinking with peers.

The materials reviewed for Benchmark Grade 6 meet the criteria that materials provide a design, including accountability, for how students will regularly engage in a volume of independent reading either in or outside of class.

Benchmark materials provide the opportunity for students to read independently throughout the school year. The materials include a resource in Program Support titled, “Managing Your Independent Reading Program,” which details the expectations for teachers and students to be reading both in class and independently at home. The “Managing Your Independent Reading Program” includes: resources for organizing independent reading, the classroom library, room arrangement, anchor charts, mini-lessons for promoting independent reading, reading response journals and logs, discussion groups and book recommendations, guidance for conferring with students, and information on growing your classroom library. According to Benchmark materials, “Students should also be encouraged to develop a routine of reading daily at home for a minimum of 20 minutes, either independently or with a parent.” In the independent reading stage, students are required to self-select and to read materials at their own ‘just-right’ levels.” For Fluent Readers, the Five-Finger Method is recommended for book selection:

1. Choose a book that you would like to read.

2. Turn to any page and begin reading.

3. If there are five words you can’t pronounce or that you don’t understand, the book is too difficult for you.

4. Repeat the process until you find a “just-right” book.

A tracking system is recommended in the “Managing Your Independent Reading Program” to track students’ independent reading in the form of a reading log and reading response journal. Reading response journals are kept by students and used to record personal responses to texts they have read or will read. Teachers demonstrate proper techniques, provide mini-lessons on how to respond to literature and model several prompts by listing them on chart paper, and hang the paper on the wall. The reading log is also suggested as an independent reading tracking tool. In reading logs, students keep a record of what they have read by writing the book title, author, illustrator, genre, and date read.

There is sufficient teacher guidance to foster independence for all readers and procedures are organized for independent reading included in the lessons, for example, as stated in the text, “Within Benchmark Advance, students may participate in daily independent reading during the Independent and Collaborative Activity block, while the teacher meets with small groups of students to conduct differentiated small-group reading instruction, model fluency skills through reader’s theater, or reteach skills and strategies.” Students complete a variety of reading activities in the reading block. Students have shared reading and mentor read-alouds each week. There are also a set of small group texts that will be used in small group time. Each set of texts is leveled according to Guided Reading levels. Student independent reading materials span a wide volume of texts at grade levels. These texts titles are included as a teacher resource, Recommended Trade Books.