K-2nd Grade - Gateway 3

The teacher guidance for enacting the program in Arts & Letters meets the expectations for indicator 3a. Materials provide comprehensive guidance to assist teachers in presenting student and ancillary materials, with detailed implementation supports, embedded instructional routines, and clearly organized resources aligned with instructional goals. The Implementation Guide explains key components of the program, including lesson structures, content stages, vocabulary instruction, speaking and listening routines, writing instruction, inquiry and research processes, differentiation supports, and assessment practices. At the same time, teacher-facing materials provide explicit lesson guidance, pacing information, preparation notes, materials lists, discussion questions, and modeling prompts. Throughout the lessons, annotations and instructional suggestions are embedded within the context of specific learning objectives and tasks, including Key Ideas, speaking and listening goals, differentiation notes, and Analyze Student Progress guidance that supports teachers in monitoring understanding, providing immediate support, and planning future instruction. The digital platform further supports implementation by organizing resources by module, arc, and lesson and providing access to digital lessons, assessments, reporting tools, instructional slides, accessibility supports, and student-facing materials. Together, these resources and contextualized supports provide teachers with structured guidance for delivering instruction and using the program materials effectively.

• Materials provide comprehensive guidance that will assist teachers in presenting the student and ancillary materials.

  • Materials provide comprehensive guidance to assist teachers in presenting both student and ancillary materials through detailed implementation supports, embedded instructional routines, and clearly organized resources. The Implementation Guide explains the program’s instructional design, including lesson structures, content stages, speaking and listening routines, writing instruction, vocabulary development, inquiry and research processes, differentiation supports, and assessment practices. Teacher-facing materials include explicit lesson guidance, modeling prompts, discussion questions, pacing information, preparation notes, materials lists, and Analyze Student Progress supports that help teachers monitor understanding and adjust instruction. The digital platform further supports implementation by organizing resources by module, arc, and lesson and providing access to digital lessons, assessments, reporting tools, instructional slides, and student-facing resources. Additional supports, such as family communication materials, differentiation notes, accessibility features, and embedded professional guidance on meeting student needs and using technology, provide teachers with structured support for delivering instruction and using the full range of program materials effectively.

• Materials include sufficient and useful annotations and suggestions that are presented within the context of the specific learning objectives.

  • Materials include sufficient and useful annotations and suggestions that are embedded within the context of specific learning objectives and instructional tasks. Throughout the teacher-facing materials, lessons include guidance such as Key Ideas, differentiation notes, speaking and listening goals, modeling prompts, discussion questions, and Analyze Student Progress notes that help teachers understand the purpose of activities and how they connect to lesson outcomes. The materials provide contextualized support for responding to student needs through monitoring guidance, immediate support suggestions, and recommendations for future practice tied directly to the skills and content being taught. Instructional annotations also support teachers in implementing routines in reading, writing, vocabulary, inquiry, and discussion by providing examples, explanations, and prompts aligned with the lesson’s learning goals. Across modules and lesson components, these embedded supports help teachers facilitate instruction, reinforce key understandings, and guide students toward the intended objectives.

The explanations to support teachers in improving their knowledge of literacy meet the expectations for indicator 3b. Materials contain explanations and examples of grade-level concepts and standards designed to deepen teachers’ understanding of literacy instruction and the progression of skills across the curriculum. The Implementation Guide explains the instructional rationale for key components such as reading routines, writing instruction, vocabulary development, inquiry and research, speaking and listening, and language and conventions, and provides examples of how students engage with these practices within lessons and modules. Additional professional learning resources, such as the Implementation Guide Study Guide, support teachers and leaders in collaboratively examining lessons, assessments, instructional routines, and student supports while reflecting on classroom implementation. The materials also include multiple scope and sequence and progression documents that help teachers understand how concepts and standards build across grade levels, including resources focused on writing progression, language and conventions, morphology instruction, speaking and listening goals, and Achievement Descriptors. Together, these resources provide teachers with structured explanations, examples, and cross-grade progressions intended to strengthen content knowledge and understanding of standards-aligned literacy development.

• Materials contain explanations and examples of grade/course-level concepts and/or standards so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.

  • The Implementation Guide contains explanations, instructional rationales, and examples designed to strengthen teachers’ understanding of grade-level literacy concepts, instructional practices, and standards-aligned expectations. Throughout the guide, sections devoted to reading, writing, vocabulary, speaking and listening, inquiry and research, and style, grammar, and conventions explain the purpose behind instructional routines and how specific literacy skills develop over time. The materials describe concepts such as Content Stages, Core Practices, writing structures, vocabulary routines, and research processes, and provide examples of how students engage with these practices in lessons and modules. Teachers are guided to analyze texts, examine writing models, study lesson-level tasks, and consider how knowledge and literacy skills build across instruction. Additional supports, such as annotated screenshots, “If…Then” guidance, assessment explanations, and discussion prompts within the Study Guide, further help educators deepen their understanding of instructional goals, literacy development, and the standards-aligned progression of skills across the curriculum.

  • Available on the digital platform under Implementation Resources, Implementing for Leaders, the Arts & Letters Implementation Guide Study Guide is a professional learning resource designed to help school leaders, coaches, and teacher teams collaboratively study and implement the Arts & Letters curriculum over time. The guide organizes professional learning around major sections of the Implementation Guide, including preparing for implementation, building knowledge, teaching reading, writing, vocabulary, style and conventions, speaking and listening, inquiry and research, instructional routines, Prologue supports, meeting student needs, and assessment practices. Each study session follows a consistent structure that includes prereading, reflection, discussion, application activities, and planning next steps. The guide encourages educators to analyze lessons, instructional routines, texts, assessments, and supports within the curriculum, and to connect those elements to classroom practice and student learning. Activities often ask teachers to examine upcoming lessons or modules, discuss how instruction builds knowledge and literacy skills, identify supports for diverse learners, and reflect on implementation successes and challenges. The study guide also highlights additional implementation resources available on the digital platform, including assessment guides, text analyses, materials checklists, family resources, and planning tools, positioning the document as ongoing support for teacher learning and curriculum implementation throughout the school year.

• Materials contain explanations and examples of how the concepts and/or standards align to other grade/course levels so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.

  • On the digital platform, under Implementation Resources, Scope and Sequences, teachers can access various documents that help them understand how the grade level they teach is situated within the larger program and how knowledge, skills, and standards build over time. Documents include:

    • Arts & Letters Writing Progression and Sequence: This document outlines how writing instruction develops across grades K–8 through a structured progression of narrative, informative, opinion, and argument writing tasks connected to module topics and texts. The document explains how students engage in writing throughout each module by analyzing mentor texts, collecting evidence, orally rehearsing ideas, planning with graphic organizers, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing writing tied to knowledge-building content. It describes how writing expectations increase in complexity over time, with students progressing from highly scaffolded paragraph and story structures to more extended essays and research-based writing. The document also details the instructional routines, writing models, assessment criteria, and lesson sequences used to support students in developing organization, elaboration, evidence use, language, and conventions while integrating writing with reading, discussion, vocabulary, and inquiry throughout the curriculum.

    • K-2 and 3-5 Language, Style, and Conventions Scope and Sequence: This document shows how sentence-composition skills build across grade bands.

    • K-5 Speaking and Listening Goals: This document shows the progression of speaking and listening goals across grades K-5

    • Arts & Letters Level 3-8 Morphology Instruction: This document shows the morphology instruction across the program

    • K-2 and 3-5 Achievement Descriptors: This document describes what the Achievement Descriptors are and how they progress across the grade band

The standards correlation information in Arts & Letters meets the expectations of indicator 3c. Materials include clear and accessible correlation information for the ELA standards addressed throughout the program. On the digital platform, teachers can access a comprehensive Scope and Sequence document that identifies the standards taught and assessed within each lesson and module, along with additional alignment documents for states with modified standards. The materials also incorporate Achievement Descriptors (ADs), which synthesize standards into concise, skill-based statements organized into categories such as making meaning from texts, composing and presenting content, and building understanding; these descriptors are embedded at the lesson level and compiled within each module. In addition, materials identify the standards and Achievement Descriptors assessed within both formative and summative assessments. Assessment resources include documents that specify where descriptors are assessed across tasks, as well as guidance outlining the knowledge, writing, and language criteria evaluated. At the point of use, digital assessments display aligned standards and descriptors at both the item level and overall assessment level, allowing teachers to view alignment directly within instructional and assessment materials.

• Correlation information is present for the ELA standards addressed throughout the grade level/series.

  • On the Great Minds’ digital platform, under the Implementation Resources tab, teachers can access the CCSS Scope and Sequence for each grade level. This downloadable document lists the standards addressed and those assessed for every lesson in every module. The digital platform also includes links to state-standard alignment documents for states whose standards differ from the Common Core.

  • In addition to standards alignment, Arts & Letters developed Achievement Descriptors, which “are descriptions that detail what students should know and be able to do based on instruction. ADs are written by using portions of various standards to form a clear, concise description of the work covered in each module. Grade-level ADs may appear in multiple modules. The ADs are written for grade bands and fall into one of these categories:

    • Make Meaning from Texts

    • Compose and Present Content

    • Build Understanding

    • Develop Foundations

    • Develop Metacognition”

    Each lesson references the ADs addressed within that lesson, and teachers can view all of the ADs addressed in the module at the end of each module’s Teach Book. 

• Materials identify the standards assessed for formative assessments. Materials identify the standards assessed for culminating tasks/summative assessments.

  • On the digital platform, under the Module Resources, Assessment Resources and Trackers, teachers can access a document called Assessed Achievement Descriptors, which details the tasks and assessments where the Achievement Descriptors will be assessed within the module. 

  • The Assessment Guide for each module also describes the Knowledge Criteria, Writing Criteria, and Language Criteria assessed within the module tasks.

  • At point of use within the lesson resources, the digital versions of the assessments indicate the standards and Achievement Descriptors assessed at the item level. Teachers can also click the “Standards” button at the top of the assessment to see all the standards and Achievement Descriptors assessed in that assessment.

The explanation of instructional approaches, research-based strategies, and the role of standards meets the expectations for indicator 3e. Materials explain the program’s instructional approaches through detailed descriptions of the research-based structures, routines, and practices that guide literacy instruction across lessons and modules. The Implementation Guide outlines how students build knowledge through content-rich texts, repeated reading and discussion, inquiry, vocabulary development, and writing connected to module topics and essential questions, while explaining the purpose and progression of the Content Stages and other instructional routines embedded throughout the curriculum. The materials also reference research-based strategies and the science of reading through the “Research in Action” section, which describes evidence-based practices such as explicit vocabulary instruction, oral language development, close reading, collaborative discussion, scaffolded comprehension support, and integrated reading and writing instruction. In addition, the materials consistently reference the role of standards within the program by connecting instructional routines, assessments, and learning goals to standards-aligned expectations through Scope and Sequence documents, Achievement Descriptors, progression resources, and assessment guidance. 

• Materials explain the instructional approaches of the program.

  • The Implementation Guide explains the instructional approaches of the Arts & Letters program by outlining the research-based structures, routines, and practices that guide literacy instruction across modules and lessons. The guide describes how students build knowledge through content-rich texts, repeated reading and discussion, inquiry, writing, and vocabulary instruction organized around module topics and essential questions. It explains the purpose and progression of the program’s Content Stages—Wonder, Organize, Reveal, Distill, and Know—and details how these stages support comprehension, analysis, discussion, and knowledge-building. The guide also describes the program’s approaches to writing instruction, speaking and listening, vocabulary development, inquiry and research, language and conventions, differentiation, and assessment, including how instructional routines, modeling, oral rehearsal, collaborative discussion, and scaffolded practice are embedded throughout lessons. Additional sections explain approaches to meeting student needs, supporting multilingual learners, integrating technology, volume of reading, and family communication, providing teachers with a comprehensive understanding of how the curriculum is intended to function instructionally and how its various components work together to support literacy development.

• Materials include and reference research-based strategies.

  • In the Implementation Guide, there is a section called “Research in Action” that explains how Arts & Letters’ instructional design is grounded in research-based literacy practices and the science of reading. The section describes how the program incorporates evidence-based approaches, including knowledge-building through content-rich texts, explicit vocabulary instruction, repeated and close reading routines, oral language development, collaborative discussion, explicit writing instruction, and scaffolded support for comprehension and language development. It also explains how instructional routines are intentionally structured to support gradual release, productive struggle, and cumulative skill development over time. The materials reference research supporting practices such as building background knowledge to improve comprehension, integrating reading and writing, using discussion to deepen understanding, and revisiting complex texts for multiple purposes. Additionally, the section highlights how the curriculum embeds explicit instruction, modeling, guided practice, and opportunities for application across literacy domains to support students in developing reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills through coherent, research-informed instruction.

• Materials include and reference the role of the standards in the program.

  • Materials include and reference the role of standards throughout the program by explicitly connecting instruction, assessments, and learning goals to standards-aligned expectations. The Implementation Guide explains how the curriculum is designed around grade-level literacy development. It describes how instructional routines, writing tasks, vocabulary instruction, speaking and listening activities, and inquiry processes support standards-based learning. On the digital platform, teachers can access Scope and Sequence documents that identify the standards addressed and assessed within each lesson and module, as well as Achievement Descriptors that synthesize standards into clear descriptions of what students should know and be able to do. Additional progression documents, assessment resources, and instructional guidance further demonstrate how standards build across grade levels and how lessons, tasks, and assessments align with those expectations.

The list of supplies needed to support instruction in the Arts & Letters materials meets the expectations for indicator 3f. Materials include a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities through multiple, clearly organized resources. The Implementation Guide provides guidance on preparing to teach, including what materials should be displayed and how to organize and manage instructional resources such as student books, texts, and classroom materials. On the digital platform, grade-level Materials Lists identify the texts, module-specific resources, classroom supplies, and lesson-level materials required for implementation. Additionally, each module’s Teach book includes a Materials and Preparation section that specifies the materials needed for both teachers and students, along with any advance preparation required to support lesson delivery.

• Materials include a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support the instructional activities.

  • In the Implementation Guide, the materials include a section about preparing to teach Arts & Letters. This section outlines what teachers need to display in class throughout the year, module, and lesson. Additionally, the document explains how to manage and store the program materials, like the Learn books, journals, module texts, student devices, and classroom library books.

  • On the digital platform, under Implementation Resources, teachers can access the Materials List for each grade level, which outlines the texts, module materials, classroom supplies, and lesson-specific materials needed to enact each module.

  • In the Teach book for each module, there is a Materials and Preparation section that lists the materials the teacher and students will need, as well as anything the teacher needs to prepare in advance.

  • While the program offers suggestions for substitutions, such as composition or digital notebooks based on teacher preference, its clear instructional pathway negates the need for many material substitutions.

The opportunities to determine student learning and teacher guidance for instructional next steps in Arts & Letters meet the expectations for indicator 3g. The assessment system provides multiple opportunities to determine student learning throughout the school year through embedded formative assessments, comprehension checks, writing tasks, module assessments, and culminating performance tasks. Daily Learning Tasks function as ongoing formative assessments that monitor students’ progress toward lesson goals and provide teachers with information about students’ understanding of both literacy skills and content knowledge. Students demonstrate learning in a variety of ways, including discussions, written responses, evidence-based tasks, presentations, and process writing assignments across modules. The materials also include listening comprehension, reading comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, writing, and module assessments, supported by Assessment Guides that provide scoring criteria, rubrics, annotated exemplar responses, descriptions of assessed skills, and Achievement Descriptors, and guidance for interpreting results. Embedded Key Ideas, Analyze Student Progress notes, Responsive Teaching guidance, and reteaching suggestions support teachers in identifying misconceptions, determining instructional next steps, and planning additional support or future practice opportunities. In addition, the digital platform includes reporting tools that allow teachers to review student performance by assessment and standard over time, with accompanying guidance in the Assessment Guides to support teachers in analyzing assessment data and using it to inform instruction throughout the year.

• The assessment system provides opportunities to determine student learning throughout the school year.

  • The assessment system provides multiple opportunities to determine student learning throughout the school year through embedded formative assessments, module-based assessments, comprehension checks, writing tasks, and culminating performance tasks. The Implementation Guide explains that daily Learning Tasks function as ongoing formative assessments that monitor students’ progress toward lesson goals and help teachers identify strengths, needs, and next instructional steps. The materials also include assessment resources such as listening comprehension, reading comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, writing, and module assessments, along with Assessment Guides that provide scoring guidance, reteaching suggestions, and recommendations for responsive instruction. Analyze Student Progress notes, Assessed Achievement Descriptor documents, and reporting tools on the digital platform further support teachers in monitoring growth over time and adjusting instruction based on student performance. Across modules and lessons, students repeatedly demonstrate understanding through discussions, written responses, evidence-based tasks, and presentations, providing teachers with multiple measures of student learning across the year.

• The assessment system provides sufficient teacher guidance for evaluating student performance. The assessment system provides sufficient teacher guidance for interpreting student performance and determining next instructional steps.

  • The assessment system provides teachers with guidance for evaluating and interpreting student performance through embedded scoring supports, assessment resources, and instructional guidance linked to assessment results. The Assessment Guides include scoring criteria, rubrics, annotated exemplar responses, and descriptions of assessed skills and Achievement Descriptors, supporting teachers in evaluating student work consistently across assessments and performance tasks. At the lesson level, daily Learning Tasks are accompanied by Key Ideas and Analyze Student Progress notes that guide teachers in monitoring understanding, identifying misconceptions, and determining whether students need additional support or future practice opportunities. The materials also include Responsive Teaching guidance, reteaching suggestions, and recommendations for targeted follow-up instruction after comprehension and module assessments. In addition, digital reporting and assessment tools help teachers review student performance data over time. Across the assessment system, guidance is provided to help teachers interpret student performance and use assessment information to inform instructional decisions and next steps. While the materials provide teacher guidance to support teachers in determining instructional next steps for students who struggle or are on grade level, guidance for pushing advanced students further is more limited. 

  • If assessments are administered on the digital platform (or teachers enter score information manually), teachers have access to various types of reports: student performance reports, class performance by assessment, class performance by standard, and detailed class performance by standard over time. The Assessment Guide for each assessment includes instructions on how teachers should analyze the reports and data they receive.

The strategies and supports for students in special populations to work with grade-level content meet the expectations for indicator 3j. Materials provide a range of strategies, supports, and resources designed to ensure students in special populations can actively participate in grade-level literacy work. The Implementation Guide describes scaffolded instruction through modeling, guided practice, and gradual release, along with targeted supports such as sentence frames, visual aids, and structured routines to make complex texts and tasks accessible. Differentiation guidance includes “if…then” supports that address specific learning needs, as well as embedded Differentiation Support Notes that assist students in accessing texts, organizing ideas, making connections, and demonstrating understanding through varied modalities. Additional structures, such as flexible grouping and opportunities for rehearsal and repeated practice, further support engagement in reading, writing, and discussion. The materials also include Responsive Teaching lessons following assessments, which provide structured opportunities for students to revisit texts, analyze missed items, and deepen comprehension and vocabulary through guided discussion. Prologue lessons offer targeted support for students who need additional language development, including multilingual learners and those with language-based needs, through explicit vocabulary and syntax instruction, oral processing, and supported writing. Together, these resources are paired with ongoing monitoring tools and teacher guidance to adjust instruction and support students’ access to and participation in core literacy tasks.

• Materials provide strategies, supports, and resources for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in grade-level literacy work.

  • In the Implementation Guide, the Meeting Student Needs section outlines a range of strategies, supports, and resources designed to ensure all students, including those in special populations, can actively participate in grade-level literacy work. The materials emphasize the use of scaffolded instruction, such as modeling, guided practice, and gradual release, alongside targeted supports like sentence frames, visual aids, and structured routines to make complex texts and tasks accessible. Guidance includes differentiation strategies for addressing diverse learning needs, including support for multilingual learners, students who need additional practice, and those who require extensions, often through “if…then” teacher actions that respond to specific learning challenges. The program also incorporates flexible grouping, opportunities for repeated practice, and built-in supports within lessons (e.g., Talking Tools, Knowledge Deck Cards, and language supports) to help students engage in reading, writing, and discussion. These resources are paired with ongoing monitoring tools and teacher guidance to adjust instruction, ensuring students can access content, participate in discussions, and demonstrate understanding alongside their peers.

  • The Implementation Guide also explains how teachers can support students with reading and listening comprehension challenges through Response Teaching lessons, which follow comprehension assessments. The materials state, “These lessons provide students with the chance to again listen to or reread the assessment text and discuss missed items. By listening to teachers and peers share ideas for how to identify the correct answers, students deepen their understanding of the text and reading strategies. The Assessment Guide for the Listening Comprehension and Reading Comprehension Assessments provides additional suggestions for reteaching and revisiting content and skills on these designated lesson days.” These lessons follow a predictable structure:

    • “Read: Students listen closely to the teacher as they read aloud the stimulus texts.

    • Respond: The teacher selects items from the assessment to revisit based on guidance in the Assessment Guide.

    • Engage: Students deepen their vocabulary knowledge by working with teacher-selected module terms. The Engage section includes a review of a key vocabulary term and ideas for how to deepen students’ understanding of the term.”

    The Assessment Guide for each assessment includes comprehensive guidance for determining who might benefit from the Responsive Teaching Lessons and how to provide additional instruction. The Module Plan allocates time within the module for these Responsive Teaching lessons. 

  • At point of use in the Teach books, the materials provide Support and Challenge Notes. The Differentiation Support Notes guide teachers to help students

    • “reinforce previously taught skills;

    • access, read, and comprehend core texts; 

    • organize information;

    • make literal connections to prepare for inferential thinking; 

    • make sense of abstract concepts by providing concrete examples or explanations; 

    • demonstrate their knowledge through a different modality; 

    • accomplish tasks in pairs or groups rather than independently; or

    • foster a growing sense of their own capability.”

  • In Grade 2, Module 2, Arc A, Lesson 4, students learn to use text and images to understand a concept. In small groups, students respond to the question, “How do the text and images help you understand the Hidatsa’s use of buffalo?” The materials provide a Differentiation Support note for teachers that says, “To help students use the text and images to identify ways that the Hidatsa used buffalo, ask these questions:

    • What were the different ways that the Hidatsa made use of buffalo hide? 

    • How was the buffalo meat used?”

  • The materials also include Prologue lessons for each module, “specifically designed to help teachers meet student needs and help students fully engage with Arts & Letters core instruction.” The materials indicate that these lessons can be used with any student who needs additional support, but are designed for

    • “Multilingual learners deepen their understanding of the module’s vocabulary, further examine the language in complex text, orally process their ideas about the text and topic, and practice using academic language.

    • Students with language-based disabilities benefit from explicit vocabulary and syntax instruction and opportunities for oral rehearsal and writing support.”

The extensions and/or opportunities for advanced students to engage with material at a greater depth meet the expectations for indicator 3k. Materials provide opportunities for advanced students to engage with grade-level literary concepts at greater depth through embedded extensions that increase complexity rather than workload. The Implementation Guide describes the use of Differentiation Challenge notes, which are integrated at the point of instruction and prompt students to think critically, make connections, compare texts, synthesize information, and evaluate ideas within the same tasks as their peers. These extensions encourage deeper analysis during activities such as discussions, text analysis, and written responses, allowing students to refine and expand their thinking without having to complete additional assignments. Instructional routines support varied levels of response, enabling students to explore concepts from multiple perspectives and engage more deeply with content. The materials also guide teachers to use questioning and follow-up prompts to extend students’ thinking, ensuring that advanced learners participate in the same instructional experiences while engaging with content at a higher level of complexity.

• Materials regularly provide multiple extensions and/or opportunities for advanced students to engage with grade-level/course-level literary concepts at greater depth. There are no instances of advanced students doing more assignments than their classmates.

  • In the Implementation Guide, the Meeting Student Needs section describes how materials provide opportunities for advanced students to engage more deeply with grade-level content through extension-focused supports embedded within instruction. Rather than assigning additional or separate work, the materials incorporate Challenge Notes and differentiation guidance that prompt students to extend their thinking within the same tasks, such as exploring more complex aspects of texts, making deeper connections, or refining and elaborating on their ideas during discussions and written responses. Instructional routines, including discussions and text analysis, allow for varied levels of response, enabling advanced students to contribute more sophisticated interpretations and build on peers’ ideas. The materials also encourage teachers to use questioning, follow-up prompts, and flexible grouping to deepen analysis and extend understanding, ensuring that advanced learners engage with the same core content at a greater level of complexity without completing additional assignments. While the materials do not offer advanced students choice in how they might demonstrate understanding, this is due to the intentional nature of the instructional path, along with robust questioning and engagement techniques built into the materials to support teachers and more advanced students. 

  • At point of use in the Teach books, the materials provide Differentiation Challenges notes for the teacher. The Implementation Guide states, “Differentiation Challenges offer ideas for students who are ready to extend learning or would benefit from a challenge or an extension. The suggestions provide an opportunity to investigate the grade-level content and knowledge at a higher level of complexity without increasing the amount of work required. Rather, the extensions challenge students through the work’s complexity. A Differentiation Challenge may help students 

    • think critically, 

    • make new connections, 

    • compare texts or information, 

    • categorize or synthesize evidence, 

    • expand vocabulary, understanding, or usage, 

    • evaluate sources or information, or 

    • build confidence. 

    Differentiation Challenges are not designed for a specific student group. Teachers can use these challenges for any student demonstrating readiness. As appropriate, teachers may use the challenge note to extend learning for the whole class.”

  • In Grade 1, Module 4, Arc C, Lesson 15, students learn about folktales and their characters as they complete story maps that include characters, settings, and important events. The materials provide a Differentiation Challenge note that states, “In this lesson, students organized the text by using a story map focused on the beginning, middle, and end. To provide students with an opportunity to consider other ways to organize the story, instruct them to use a story map focused on the problem and solution. Invite students to discuss how their retellings may change based on the type of story map they use to organize the story.”