Program Information
6th Grade RLA
ELAR Grade 6
IMRA 2025
Commissioner No Action
Publisher: Lowman Education, LLC
Copyright: 2024
Quality Review
Standards Alignment
Rubric Section
| Grade | TEKS Student % | TEKS Teacher % | ELPS Student % | ELPS Teacher % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 100% | N/A | 100% | N/A |
Criteria for Quality
Rubric Section 1
Implementation Quality
Materials support educators in effective implementation through intentional course, unit, and lesson-level design.
Total
100% (28 out of 28 points)
Evaluation for 1.1a
The Lowman Education RLA instructional materials include a yearlong scope and sequence that outlines the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), and key concepts taught throughout the course. It features nine units and uses color coding to highlight the specific TEKS and ELPS addressed in each unit of study. Each unit includes a theme, essential question, and focus for reading, writing, and revising/editing. For example, Unit 4 offers the following: Theme–Risk and Exploration, Essential Question–Why do people take risks to explore new places? Reading Focus–Analyzing Informational Texts, Writing Focus–Informational Extended Constructed Responses, Grammar Focus–Capitalization and Punctuation, Including Revising to Improve Introductions and Conclusions.
Evaluation for 1.1b
The Lowman Education RLA product offers a yearlong scope and sequence, and an overview of concepts taught throughout the course. Suggested pacing for 165-, 180-, and 210-day instructional calendars is provided. Located in the "Course Materials" section, the "Pacing Guide" specifies when particular concepts should be taught, which is noted in the left margin. For example, Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," has "Paraphrase and Summarize Literary Nonfiction" taught on Day 6 in the lesson sequence. To accommodate schedule interruptions, the materials provide a "Pacing Guide Chart" that includes examples such as "Extra Writing Days," "Unit Review and Assessment Day," and "Additional Instructional Days" to demonstrate how pacing can be adjusted.
Evaluation for 1.1c
The Lowman Education RLA instructional materials provide a rationale for the unit sequence and explanation of the connections between concepts throughout the course. This rationale is outlined in the "Course Overview Introduction" under the "Unit Progression" section, which explicitly states that the units are intentionally designed to support skill development through consistent spiraling and increasing text complexity. Each "Unit Introduction" explains the purpose of the unit and includes a "Prior Knowledge" section that identifies TEKS introduced in prior grades and describes how grade 6 builds on those skills. The first unit introduces foundational skills in reading, writing, and response that are revisited throughout the course. Subsequent units alternate between literary and informational genres, introducing new content while reinforcing previously taught skills. One unit specifically focuses on making cross-genre connections and drawing on cumulative learning. The final unit is designed for students to independently apply previously acquired skills through an inquiry and research project.
Evaluation for 1.1d
The Lowman Education RLA instructional materials include protocols to guide teachers in understanding each unit's key standards, objectives, academic vocabulary, and assessment measures. Located in the "Course Overview" section, the "Teacher Unit Preparation Protocol" offers a four-step process to help teachers grasp essential concepts and the learning progression within the unit. The five steps are: Understanding the Unit's Core Focus Identifying the Standards and Assessment Expectations Analyzing the Learning Progression Preparing Instructional Tools Planning for Support The materials also help teachers to internalize the unit by providing opportunities to preview texts, assessments, and necessary resources, as well as self-assess through reflection questions.
Evaluation for 1.1e
The Lowman Education RLA product includes resources and guidance to help instructional leaders support teachers with implementing the materials. In the "Course Overview" section, tools such as the "Instructional Leader Observation Tool" and "Teacher Unit Preparation Protocol," along with a unit rationale, aid instructional leaders in coaching, monitoring, and implementation support. The "Instructional Leader Observation Tool" provides guidance for conducting classroom walkthroughs and offering targeted feedback. It is organized into three observable phases: "Before the Lesson," "During the Lesson," and "Supporting Diverse Learners," and includes a "Post-Observation Notes" section. The "Teacher Unit Preparation Protocol" also provides a structured, four-step process to help teachers internalize each unit.
Evaluation for 1.2a
The Lowman Education RLA product provides an overview of each unit, along with the background knowledge and academic vocabulary needed to teach key concepts. For example, in Unit 7, the "Overview" includes a "Prior Knowledge" subsection that explicitly states that students will revisit concepts such as making inferences, analyzing plot development, and recognizing figurative language. Additionally, the "Academic Vocabulary" section in Unit 7 offers a detailed list of terms, including part of speech, definition, and any applicable Spanish cognates. For instance, the Unit 8 "Academic Vocabulary" section features 25 terms, along with definitions for key concepts such as argumentative texts, controlling idea, preposition, and thesis.
Evaluation for 1.2b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include family letters in both Spanish and English that explain each unit's objectives and suggest ways to support student learning at home. For instance, the family letter for Unit 6: "Argumentative Text," guides families to engage students in discussion about texts read at school, prompting them to share opinions and support them with text evidence. In Unit 5: "Poetry," the letter recommends that families ask their child to read a favorite stanza and explain its meaning. Similarly, in the fiction unit, the family letter guides families to prompt their child to describe the current text they are reading and explain how the characters change over time. Additionally, the "Course Overview" outlines the key skills students will develop and provides a bulleted list of strategies for supporting learning at home, as well as ways to monitor student progress.
Evaluation for 1.3a
The Lowman Education RLA instructional materials include lessons designed with daily objectives, checks for understanding, aligned learning tasks, clearly listed materials, and a variety of assessment options. All components are aligned with the TEKS and ELPS content and language objectives. An example of alignment between learning tasks and lesson objectives can be found in Unit 2, Day 5 of the "Fiction" lesson plan. In the "You Do Alone" section, students independently select a fiction book and respond to two open-ended questions about the plot. This task supports the TEKS-aligned content objective: "Students will analyze how authors write stories using linear plot." Likewise, the corresponding language objective: "Students will demonstrate comprehension by orally explaining the plot of a story" is aligned with the ELPS and is included in the "Emergent Bilingual Support" section of the lesson plan. The "Lesson Materials" section lists specific resources such as "Warm-Up," "Text Set," "Student-selected text," and "Exit Passes." The materials also promote language use through a gradual release routine that segments instruction into "I Do," "We Do," "You Do Together," and "You Do Alone," shifting from teacher-led to student-led reading and discussion. For example, in the "We Do" section, students participate in a class discussion after reading a small portion of text. Student understanding is monitored through discussion questions embedded in text boxes in the lesson margins and through "Exit Passes," which are organized by specific days within the unit and accessible via a provided link.
Evaluation for 1.3b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a lesson overview within each provided lesson plan that outlines the required teacher and student materials for effective instruction and learning. Additionally, the plans suggest time allocations for each individual lesson component. For example, the recommended pacing is as follows: "Warm-up"–7 minutes "Introduction and Direct Instruction"–7 minutes "Vocabulary Preview"–3 minutes "I Do"–5 minutes "We Do"–5 minutes "You Do Together"–5 minutes "Closing"–3 minutes" "You Do Alone"–10 minutes "Closure"–3 minutes The required materials are listed in the "Lesson Materials" section and referenced again in the lesson script as they are needed.
Evaluation for 1.3c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include guidance and resources to support extended practice and differentiated instruction, which are found in the "Differentiation" section of the lesson plan. For example, in Unit 5: "Poetry," Day 3, two extension activities are provided. One prompts students to perform a dramatic reading of a poem and write a reflection on its deeper meaning. The other instructs students to create a "Poet's Journal Entry" from the perspective of a poet. Additional opportunities for extension are embedded in the lesson's presentation slide deck, specifically in the "Return to the Essential Question" section at the end of the lesson.
1.1 Course-Level Design
1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 1.1a
Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course
4 out of 4 points
1.1b
Materials include suggested pacing (pacing guide/calendar) to support effective implementation for various instructional calendars (e.g., varying numbers of instructional days - 165, 180, 210).
Materials include suggested pacing (pacing guide/calendar) to support effective implementation for various instructional calendars (e.g., varying numbers of instructional days - 165, 180, 210).
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1b
Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include suggested pacing (pacing guide/calendar) to support effective implementation for various instructional calendars (e.g., varying numbers of instructional days - 165, 180, 210).
2 out of 2 points
1.1c
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1c
Evaluation for 1.1c
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.
2 out of 2 points
1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1d
Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
2 out of 2 points
1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1e
Evaluation for 1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
2 out of 2 points
1.2 Unit-Level Design
1.2a
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.2a
Evaluation for 1.2a
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.
2 out of 2 points
1.2b
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.2b
Evaluation for 1.2b
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
2 out of 2 points
1.3 Lesson-Level Design
1.3a
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).
8 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 1.3a
Evaluation for 1.3a
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).
8 out of 8 points
1.3b
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson, and the suggested timing for each lesson component.
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson, and the suggested timing for each lesson component.
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 1.3b
Evaluation for 1.3b
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson, and the suggested timing for each lesson component.
3 out of 3 points
1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 1.3c
Evaluation for 1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
1 out of 1 points
Rubric Section 2
Progress Monitoring
Materials support educators in effective implementation through frequent, strategic opportunities to monitor and respond to student progress.
Total
88% (23 out of 26 points)
Evaluation for 2.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials has a "Course Overview" document that outlines the use of formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments include warm-ups, exit passes, and classroom discussions, while summative assessments consist of close reading lessons, short and extended written responses, essays, and presentations. Each lesson begins with a warm-up activity that serves as a short diagnostic pre-assessment. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," the Day 5 lesson targets TEKS 6.7C, which focuses on analyzing plot elements such as rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and non-linear elements like flashbacks. In this lesson, students read a brief excerpt and write a short constructed response analyzing the rising action. In Unit 4: "Informational," the summative close reading lesson prompts students to apply multiple reading skills such as pre-reading, repeated reading, and annotation to analyze the complex text "Humboldt and Bonpland Explore South America." Students then compose an extended written response to the essential question "Why do people take risks to explore new places?" The materials do not provide diagnostic assessments that vary in types of questions or tasks to identify students' current knowledge and strengths or difficulties and learning needs.
Evaluation for 2.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials clearly articulate the purpose and define formative and summative assessments. For example, the "Course Overview" document includes an "Assessment" section on the "Course Introduction" page, which explains that formative assessments such as warm-ups, exit passes, annotations, and classroom discussions are intended to monitor daily progress and guide instructional decisions. It also clarifies that close reading lessons, short and extended written responses, published essays, and multimodal presentations serve as summative assessments, allowing students to demonstrate mastery of standards and academic growth. "Exit Passes" are further detailed in the "Lesson-Level Components" section, which describes them as quick, daily, formative assessments that provide teachers with information on student understanding and highlight potential misconceptions. Additionally, a "Progress Monitoring Tool" found in the "Unit Overview" is designed to "track mastery of targeted standards and inform next steps for whole-group reinforcement, small-group intervention, or individualized support."
Evaluation for 2.1c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments. The "Assessment Administration Guide" found in the "Course Overview" provides teachers with clear guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments. Additionally, the guide for each assessment includes an overview, purpose, administration tips, sample scripts, suggested time allotments or pacing, and recommendations for breaking extended assessments across multiple days.
Evaluation for 2.1d
The Lowman Education RLA instructional materials are clearly aligned with the TEKS addressed in each type of assessment and with the content taught in the unit lessons. For example, Unit 2: "Fiction," Day 5 lesson targets TEKS 6.7C, which requires students to "analyze plot elements, including rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and non-linear elements such as flashbacks." This standard is also reinforced in the three-question preassessment, "Warm-Up," which assesses key skills related to previous instruction, upcoming instruction, and revising and editing. In Unit 5: "Poetry," Day 6, "Exit Pass," asks students to explain a poet's use of literary devices, aligning with TEKS 6.9E "identify the use of literary devices, including omniscient and limited point of view, to achieve a specific purpose." The "Progress Monitoring Tool" is a resource that links individual questions from the "Warm-Ups" and "Exit Passes" assessments to specific TEKS.
Evaluation for 2.1e
The Lowman Education RLA materials are aligned to the TEKS and include a bank of test questions that vary in at least two levels of complexity. In Unit 5: "Poetry," the warm-up for Day 1 includes multiple-choice comprehension questions and an inline choice question where students have to select the correct transition word or phrase from a drop-down menu. In Unit 6: "Argumentative Texts," the "Warm-Ups" include multiple-choice questions, while the "Exit Passes" have open-ended constructed response assessment items. Additionally, the materials provide opportunities to assess students both formatively and summatively through group discussions, close readings, response to essential questions, extended constructed responses, essays, and multimodal presentations.
Evaluation for 2.2a
The Lowman Education RLA product provides instructional assessments and scoring information to provide guidance for interpreting student performance. For example, the "Unit Overviews" feature a "Progress Monitoring Tools" section with resources for tracking student performance and interpreting trends on "Close Reading Lessons" and constructed responses. The "Close Reading" trackers are aligned to specific TEKS, allowing teachers to see how student responses meet the expectation of the individual TEKS and standards. Additionally, there are constructed response rubrics found in each unit's "Unit Overview," which provide detailed criteria to guide teachers in evaluating students' written responses.
Evaluation for 2.2b
The Lowman Education RLA product provides guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments. For example, the "Small Group Planning Tool" found in each unit's "Unit Overview" directs teachers to use assessment scores to place students into reteaching or enrichment groups and suggests targeted tasks and activities to address their specific needs. It offers clear guidance for using assessment data to inform instructional decisions and select activities that respond to student performance.
Evaluation for 2.2c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a system for both teachers and students to record and track progress and growth. For teachers, the "Progress Monitoring Tools" section in the "Unit Overview" provides a "Progress Monitor" chart that tracks individual student performance on "Warm-Ups" and "Exit Passes." The chart includes space to note the assessment date and aligns specific TEKS with corresponding question numbers, allowing teachers to identify performance trends and provide timely interventions and targeted instruction based on student needs. Additionally, the materials offer two tools for students to monitor their own progress. "Form 1" is used at the beginning of each lesson, where students record the day and objective, then rate their confidence in mastering the objective on a scale from one to five. After the lesson, students rate their confidence again, reflect on their learning, and set a goal for the next lesson. With "Form 2," students document and track their assessment performance on each assessment, supporting self-awareness and ownership of learning.
2.1 Instructional Assessments
2.1a
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions.
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions.
6 out of 9 points
Evaluation for 2.1a
Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions.
6 out of 9 points
2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1b
Evaluation for 2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
2 out of 2 points
2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1c
Evaluation for 2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
2 out of 2 points
2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
6 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 2.1d
Evaluation for 2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
6 out of 6 points
2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1e
Evaluation for 2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
2 out of 2 points
2.2 Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring
2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.2a
Evaluation for 2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
2 out of 2 points
2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 2.2b
Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
1 out of 1 points
2.2c
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.2c
Evaluation for 2.2c
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
2 out of 2 points
Rubric Section 3
Supports for All Learners
Materials support educators in reaching all learners through design focused on engagement, representation, and action/expression for learner variability.
Total
93% (25 out of 27 points)
Evaluation for 3.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include activities and paired scaffolded instruction for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content. For example, all lessons are structured in the "I Do," "We Do," "You Do Together," and "You Do Alone" models. Each component contains clearly outlined, bulleted steps to help teachers deliver lessons and ensure that students who have not yet reached proficiency have the support they need before eventually shifting the responsibility of learning to the student. The materials include two types of differentiation strategies, "Support" and "Extend," each of which contain two activities. For example, The "Support" section of the "Differentiation" component of the Unit 5: "Poetry," Day 1 Lesson, provides a "Sound Device Sort" and a "Poetry Elements Anchor Chart" to support learners who have not yet reached proficiency. In the "Sound Device Sort," teachers provide students with examples of alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia. The "Poetry Elements Anchor Chart" provides a visual representation of key poetry characteristics such as lines, stanzas, speaker, rhyme, rhythm, and figurative language. The materials do not include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content.
Evaluation for 3.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include pre-teaching and embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in the text. Each lesson's slide deck features a "Vocabulary Preview" slide that prompts the teacher to say, "Before we read, let's preview some vocabulary words from the text. As we read, pay attention to how the author uses them." For example, in Unit 5: "Poetry," the Day 1 lesson includes the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," which contains vocabulary likely unfamiliar to most students, such as o'er (meaning over) and vale (meaning valley). These terms are explained on the "Vocabulary Preview" slide with clear definitions and supporting visuals, such as an arrow indicating direction for over and an image of mountains with a valley in between. Additionally, a glossary is provided in the "Lesson Text Set," as referenced in the slide notes.
Evaluation for 3.1c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills but do not provide support for real-time instructional adjustments regarding enrichment activities during lesson implementation. Additionally, there are no provided scripts or prompts to guide teachers in facilitating higher-order thinking or helping make real-world connections with students who have reached proficiency in content and skills. The "Differentiation" component of the lesson offers activities designed to meet diverse learning needs. For students who have shown proficiency, two extension options are available in the Unit 2: "Fiction," Day 3 lesson to deepen their engagement. In the "Infer the Next Scene" activity, students write a continuation of the story, imagining how the main character will respond after finally hearing from her family. The "Psychological Analysis" activity asks students to research the psychological effects of guilt and anxiety, then apply their findings to the character, analyzing how her emotions influence the plot. These tasks support critical thinking and foster a richer understanding of the text. The materials do not include teacher guidance for enrichment activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.
Evaluation for 3.2a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned. The second slide in the "Introduction" section of each lesson's slide deck presents the daily learning objective. For instance, in Unit 2, Day 3, the objective is: "I can analyze how the characters' internal and external responses develop the plot." Throughout the lesson, callout boxes provide guidance for instruction, particularly during the "I Do" component, which prompts teachers to model their thinking by previewing the text, setting a purpose for reading, and activating background knowledge. In the text "Growing Up," for example, the provided "think aloud" script supports teachers in modeling inference-making: "I notice that Maria's internal response when the family wakes to leave for the trip is a desire to make things right with her father, but she struggles to do so." Each lesson plan also includes clearly structured, bulleted steps and procedures within key components of the lesson, particularly the "Introduction and Direct Instruction," "Vocabulary," "I Do," and "We Do" sections, supporting consistent and effective lesson delivery.
Evaluation for 3.2b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery using a variety of instructional approaches. Multiple methods and strategies are provided to help teachers design, deliver, and assess learning experiences. Each lesson follows a consistent structure: "Warm-Up," "Introduction and Direct Instruction," "Vocabulary Preview," "I Do," "We Do," "You Do Together," "Closing," "You Do Alone," and "Closure,"along with a bulleted list of procedures to support implementation. The materials also incorporate a range of formative assessments, such as "Warm-Ups" and "Exit Passes," to monitor and reinforce learning. For example, in Unit 7, Day 2, the "Warm-Up" asks students to read a short excerpt from a play and respond to various question types targeting previously taught skills. In contrast, the "Exit Pass" prompts students to answer an open-ended question after reading a brief text excerpt. Students also engage with content in various formats, including reading texts in small groups and with partners. In addition, sections such as "Lesson Materials Needed," "Lesson Structure," "Emergent Bilingual Support," and "Differentiation" highlight essential components for effective lesson facilitation and offer guidance for meeting the needs of all learners. Callout boxes with detailed lesson scripts are embedded in each lesson's slide deck, providing clear direction for how to effectively deliver instruction.
Evaluation for 3.2c
The Lowman Education RLA materials support multiple types of practice and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures to support effective implementation. Each lesson is divided into nine components, with the "Introduction and Direct Instruction," "Vocabulary Preview," "I Do," and "We Do" sections specifically designed for whole-group instruction. Throughout the lesson cycle, students engage with texts in various formats, including whole group, small groups, pairs, and independently, as outlined in the "You Do Together" and "You Do Alone" sections. For example, in the Unit 7, Day 2 lesson, the "You Do Together" component provides guidance for partner reading, followed by collaborative responses to comprehension questions. Callout boxes within this section further support instruction by guiding student responses. To enhance effective lesson delivery, time allotments are provided for each section, and the lesson slide decks feature textboxes with teacher scripts. For instance, the "Introduction and Direct Instruction" section is allotted seven minutes. In the Unit 2, Day 3 lesson, slide deck guidance supports teachers in modeling how to analyze and define how characters' internal and external responses develop the plot. During a guided reading of "Growing Up," for example, a sidebar includes the following script: "I notice that Maria's external response is to reluctantly say goodbye to her father while looking down at the ground and saying, 'goodbye' to the garden hose at his feet."
Evaluation for 3.3a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of English language proficiency, as defined by the ELPS, with the goal of engaging students in using increasingly academic language. Each lesson plan includes a section titled "Emergent Bilingual Support," which aligns linguistic accommodations with students' English language proficiency levels and gradually builds their ability to use academic language. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," Day 5, the focus is on explaining the plot of a story. Students at the "Pre-Production" and "Beginning" levels may respond using images, gestures, or their first language, while "Intermediate" and "High-Intermediate" students are expected to explain the plot orally. "Advanced" students work with a peer to identify and explain the plot in complete sentences. Another example is found in Unit 6: "Argumentative," Day 3, which emphasizes fluency. Emergent Bilingual (EB) students at the "Pre-Production" and "Beginning" levels are paired with strong readers who model fluency and prosody for them to echo. "Intermediate" and "High-Intermediate" students are also paired with fluent readers, but rather than echo reading, they engage in partner reading with a focus on fluency. "Advanced" students are expected to demonstrate fluency and expressive reading by chunking words into meaningful phrases.
Evaluation for 3.3b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs. For example, each lesson includes a clearly stated language objective and references to the ELPS within the "Emergent Bilingual Support" section. In Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," the language objective states: "Students will derive meaning from a literary nonfiction text by using visual, contextual, and linguistic supports to demonstrate comprehension." To support this objective, teachers are guided to use multiple scaffolds tailored to students' English proficiency levels. For "Pre-Production" and "Beginning" learners, the lesson recommends displaying images, pictures, and a map of Texas to help students make connections and comprehend the text "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in a Thai Restaurant." For "Intermediate" and "High Intermediate" students, the materials guide teachers to provide sentence starters and ensure access to bilingual dictionaries. "Advanced" learners receive support through a chart highlighting linguistic features, such as metaphors, similes, and first-person point of view, along with continued use of a bilingual dictionary.
Evaluation for 3.3c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support EB students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse. To develop academic vocabulary and comprehension through oral discourse, the materials provide clear guidance for speaking opportunities. For instance, teachers are instructed to have "Intermediate," "High Intermediate," and "Advanced" EB learners orally explain the plot of a story after hearing it read aloud. In Unit 5: "Poetry," Day 2, students deepen their understanding of the poem "I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud" by working with a partner to read and paraphrase each stanza line by line, developing both comprehension and the use of academic language. The materials also support cross-linguistic connections by including Spanish cognates that correspond with each lesson's vocabulary. These cognates help students bridge their first language and English, reinforcing vocabulary acquisition and supporting the development of academic language. Written discourse is further emphasized in Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," where comprehension and vocabulary development are supported through scaffolded writing tasks. In the Day 4 lesson, teachers are prompted to provide sentence frames to help students articulate the author's main message. On Day 9, a graphic organizer includes sentence frames and visual cues such as icons for beginning, middle, end, and lesson learned, enabling students to compose responses using a combination of illustrations, their first language, and English. These supports help students build background knowledge and engage in written discourse.
Evaluation for 3.3d
This guidance is not applicable because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.
3.1 Differentiation and Scaffolds
3.1a
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content and skills.
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content and skills.
2 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 3.1a
Evaluation for 3.1a
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content and skills.
2 out of 3 points
3.1b
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.1b
Evaluation for 3.1b
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
3.1c
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.1c
Evaluation for 3.1c
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.
1 out of 2 points
3.2 Instructional Methods
3.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 3.2a
Evaluation for 3.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.
4 out of 4 points
3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.2b
Evaluation for 3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
2 out of 2 points
3.2c
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 3.2c
Evaluation for 3.2c
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
3 out of 3 points
3.3 Support for Emergent Bilingual Students
3.3a
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.3a
Evaluation for 3.3a
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
2 out of 2 points
3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.3b
Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
1 out of 1 points
3.3c
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.
8 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 3.3c
Evaluation for 3.3c
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.
8 out of 8 points
3.3d
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
Not scored
Evaluation for 3.3d
Evaluation for 3.3d
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
0 out of 0 points
Rubric Section 4
Foundational Skills
Materials include guidance for explicit (direct) and systematic instruction in foundational skills, instructional routines, student practice, and cumulative review.
Total
95% (41 out of 43 points)
Evaluation for 4.A.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance to support students in expressing an opinion and organizing presentations for specific purposes and audiences according to grade level TEKS. For example, Unit 6: "Argumentative" provides students with opportunities to explore opinion-based texts and express their own perspectives on relevant topics. In the Day 14 lesson, the teacher begins by reviewing expectations for group discussions using slides 5 and 6, titled "When I Actively Participate in a Group Discussion, I _____." These slides include bullet points to guide students in sharing their opinions effectively. Later in the lesson, slide 14 presents agree/disagree questions, as well as prompts that encourage students to justify their opinions. Students then evaluate a quote from the text and share whether they agree that schools would improve if sports were eliminated. After writing their responses, students engage in small-group discussions where they may adjust their opinions based on peer feedback before sharing with the whole class. Unit 9: "Inquiry and Research" guides students through a 12-step research process designed to help them organize and deliver a presentation tailored to a specific audience and purpose. Days 11 and 12 focus on creating and presenting a multimodal presentation. On Day 11, slide 6, "When I Create a Multimodal Presentation, I _____," outlines seven key steps: brainstorming ideas, planning and organizing, drafting, citing sources, revising and editing, practicing, and presenting. Students then begin planning and organizing their presentations by answering six guiding questions on paper. In the final stage of Day 11, they use their presentation plan, written essay, and any notes to begin developing their multimodal presentation. On Day 12, students receive guidance on refining their work. Slide 6, "When I Revise My Multimodal Presentation, I Look for Ways to Improve It, Such As _____," presents nine revision strategies, while slide 8, "When I Edit My Multimodal Presentation, I Make Sure It Is Correct by Checking for _____," outlines seven key grammar checks. Slides 9 and 10, "When I Give a Presentation, I Use Effective _____," cover both verbal and nonverbal communication techniques.
Evaluation for 4.A.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide opportunities for students to follow, restate, and give oral instructions, as outlined by the grade-level English Language Arts TEKS. With the exception of slides labeled "Direct Instruction," "Vocabulary Preview," and "I Do," all others feature a black title box above the content area that contains specific instructions for students to follow when interacting with texts and engaging in lesson activities. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," the Day 8 slide deck includes four sections following the "Direct Instruction" segment: "Pre-Reading," "What Does the Text Say," "How Does the Text Work," and "What Does the Text Mean." In the "Pre-Reading" section, slide 8 features a black box with the instructions asking the students to take out a copy of the text, and a pen or pencil, get a first impression of the text by skimming over it, and answer specific questions. These materials give students the opportunity to receive and follow teacher instructions. The "Course Overview" includes a "Student Discussion Protocol," which provides guidelines for group work, including group roles and sentence starters. For example, the "Direction Reader" is responsible for reading the task aloud and restating directions for the group. Additionally, the unit lesson plans prompt teachers to provide students with a reminder to follow the "Student Discussion Protocol" when working collaboratively. As an example, in Unit 9: "Inquiry and Research," teachers are directed to have students restate the steps of the research process to a partner.
Evaluation for 4.A.1c
The materials provide authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussions to build understanding, and share ideas and information. Each unit includes a "Close Reading" lesson featuring a slide titled "When I Actively Participate in a Group Discussion, I _____," which presents fourteen bullet points outlining strategies for effective participation. The lesson plan instructs teachers to review these strategies with students and model an example of a strong discussion using a few volunteers. Sample strategies include: Share information that relates to the topic, listen carefully to others to ensure understanding, consider suggestions and respond appropriately, ask clarifying questions to improve understanding, take notes during the discussion, reflect on what others say, and adjust ideas if needed. Students are then given opportunities to apply these strategies throughout all phases of the "Close Reading" lesson. In addition to "Close Reading" discussions, the materials include structured opportunities for peer collaboration during writing lessons, particularly in the "Peer Revision" activities embedded in every unit. For instance, in Unit 5: "Poetry," Day 11, slide 12 states, "Now read your poem to a partner. Listen to your partner read his or her poem to you, check to make sure it makes sense, and include the items on the checklist. Give your partner specific feedback on what can be improved." Through these peer interactions, students engage in meaningful dialogue to share ideas, receive feedback, and refine their writing before drafting.
Evaluation for 4.B.1a
This guidance is not applicable to the product.
Evaluation for 4.B.1b
This guidance is not applicable to the product.
Evaluation for 4.B.1c
This guidance is not applicable to the product.
Evaluation for 4.B.2a
The Lowman Education RLA materials reference high-frequency words in the ELPS, but there is no sequence for introducing regular and irregular words in the lessons. For example, in the list provided, ELPS 4.C reads, "write using a combination of high-frequency words and content-area vocabulary," and 2.A states, "pronounce words, including high-frequency words, cognates, and increasingly complex syllable types, with accuracy." Materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words.
Evaluation for 4.B.2b
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide consistent and routine vocabulary instruction and practice but do not explicitly address decoding and encoding of regular and irregular high-frequency words. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 4 there is opportunity in the "Emergent Bilingual Support" component of the lesson plan for students to pronounce and practice using new academic words, which may include high-frequency words, but this guidance does not focus on encoding or decoding practice with regular and irregular high-frequency words. Materials do not include guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words.
Evaluation for 4.B.2c
The Lowman Education RLA materials reference high-frequency words in the lessons' language objectives and ELPS. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 1, "Emergent Bilingual Support" has a language objective that states that students will identify and use new content-area vocabulary and high-frequency words. During the lesson, students discuss the text "The Birth of America," but there is no mention of high-frequency words in the lesson script, or guidance to prompt students to use them in the discussion. This support for EB students promotes language development, but does not provide an opportunity to develop and practice decoding and encoding of irregular and regular high-frequency words or reinforce the skill of decoding and encoding irregular and high-frequency words through cumulative review. Materials do not include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words (through cumulative review).
Evaluation for 4.B.2d
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide opportunities for EB students who are at the "Intermediate" and "Advanced" levels to write high-frequency words in the context of a sentence. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 1, students are provided with sentence frames and tasked with filling in the blank with newly acquired vocabulary words or high-frequency words. Students who are at the "Advanced" level write a single paragraph that contains high-frequency words and the newly acquired vocabulary from the day's lesson. They then orally read their paragraphs containing the high-frequency and vocabulary words. This activity is targeted specifically for EB learners, not students who are English proficient, and does not incorporate memory-building strategies or address high-frequency words in isolation. This activity also does not provide opportunities for students who are at the "Advanced" level, but not EB, to read high-frequency words either in isolation or in connected texts. Materials do not include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to read and write high-frequency words in isolation and in connected text.
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a single resource that addresses syllabication through a sample dictionary entry. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 4, the slide deck features a slide titled "When I Use a Resource to Determine a Word's Meaning I _____," which presents a dictionary entry for the word "capture." This dictionary entry models how to break the word into syllables and includes pronunciation guidance. This is the only instance where syllabication is referenced in the course of the materials. There is no teacher guidance, direct instruction, or individual lessons that explicitly introduce or build student understanding of grade-level syllable types or syllable division principles. Materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS.
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities for students to learn to use resources and word parts to determine word meanings. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," teachers guide students in understanding how to break down and use word parts such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots to determine a word's meaning but do not address syllable division types and division principles in a systematic sequence. The materials do not provide teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words.
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide opportunities for students to read texts that contain multisyllabic words. While texts may include multisyllabic words, there are no specific activities targeted to developing, practicing, and reinforcing, through cumulative review, the decoding and encoding of multisyllabic words. There also is no direct instruction that guides teachers in modeling how to decode and encode multisyllabic words. The materials do include a single lesson in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response" that guides teachers in explaining to students that words can be broken into word parts to determine meaning, but this resource does not explicitly model decoding and encoding of multisyllabic words. The materials do not include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode multisyllabic words (through cumulative review).
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a single resource that addresses syllabication through a sample dictionary entry. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 4, the slide deck features a slide titled "When I Use a Resource to Determine a Word's Meaning I _____," which presents a dictionary entry for the word capture. This dictionary entry models how to break the word into syllables and is the only instance where syllabication is referenced in the course of the materials. This slide focuses on determining a word's meaning using resources, like a dictionary or thesaurus, but does not provide opportunity for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words in isolation or in connected texts. Additionally, there is no guidance for teachers to introduce or build student understanding of grade-level syllable types or syllable division principles to use in decoding or encoding multisyllabic words. Materials do not include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists), and in connected text that builds on previous instruction.
Evaluation for 4.B.4a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS. For example, in the "Course Overview," there is a "Word Work" section featuring a scope and sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, which builds on morphemes taught in earlier grades and introduces new ones.
Evaluation for 4.B.4b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance for providing explicit, direct instruction to support students in recognizing and using common morphemes to aid reading comprehension. For example, Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Lesson 4 includes a slide deck with specific instructional support. Slide 5 offers clear guidance to help teachers in recognizing morphemes and applying best practices in instruction. The lesson plan outlines the following procedure for Slide 5: "Read the slides and explain different strategies for determining word meanings. Read slide five and introduce common Greek and Latin roots. Ask, 'Can you think of other words with these roots?''' Additional support is embedded throughout the presentation. Callout boxes on slides 8, 10, and 12 that provide teacher scripts and think-alouds that model how to analyze word parts to derive word meanings. After reading a text with a partner, students work together to determine the meaning of an unknown word by using a combination of strategies, including analyzing word parts. For example, students read a passage about Lewis and Clark and apply their knowledge of the Latin root arduus (meaning high, steep, or difficult) to understand the word arduous in the context of the explorers' journey. The lesson's "Exit Pass" activity requires students to read a short text and use strategies such as identifying word parts to determine the meaning of the word "ambitious." The materials do not provide teacher guidance for delivering explicit, direct instruction on how the meanings of common morphemes support decoding and encoding, particularly how adding morphemes can change a word's meaning or spelling, an essential component of effective encoding instruction.
Evaluation for 4.B.4c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a variety of activities or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills. For example, the "Course Overview" includes a "Word Work" section, which features a scope and sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes. This sequence builds on morphemes taught in earlier grades while introducing new ones that are aligned to the grade 6 TEKS. The "Unit Overview" specifies which morphemes to teach and which activities reinforce each skill. Each lesson plan includes an opportunity for word work in the "You Do Alone" component that focuses on the application and practice of encoding and decoding morphemes. Additionally, the "Word Work Activities" provide teacher guidance for implementing activities that use morphemes to support decoding, encoding, and comprehension. Activities such as Morpheme Sorting support decoding, by challenging students to build words using morpheme matrices and determine word meanings based on their morphemes, enhancing comprehension. Additional activities, such as Word Hunt and Writing Application, give students opportunities to apply morphological skills in connected texts, as well as keep track of newly learned morphemes in a "Word Work Journal." This resource allows for frequent, cumulative, and when coupled with the "Word Hunt" and "Writing Application," helps students develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological knowledge.
Evaluation for 4.B.4d
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists), and in connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences). For example, in the "You Do Alone" section of the lesson plan, there are daily opportunities for students to apply morphological skills and practice decoding and encoding words with morphemes. For example, the "Find and Define" activities require students to decode by reading each sentence and identify the word that contains the focus morpheme. Activities such as "Completing Cloze Sentences" provide an opportunity for students to encode and use words built from the target morphemes. Whereas the "Morpheme Sorting" supports and strengthens encoding by building words using morpheme matrices and helps students determine word meanings based on their morphemes, enhancing comprehension.
Evaluation for 4.C.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit, direct instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources, such as dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 4, slide 3, titled "When I Use a Resource to Determine a Word's Meaning, I _____," which offers teacher guidance and a scripted explanation on how to use reference materials to determine word meaning. The script directs teachers to model locating a word in a resource, such as a dictionary, thesaurus, glossary, or website, using search tools or guide words. It also prompts teachers to explain key features typically found in a dictionary entry, including pronunciation, syllabication, part of speech, and definition. Additional support is provided on slide 8, which features a callout box with a sample teacher script for modeling how to use an online dictionary while reading "The New Nation Spreads Its Wings." The script reads: "I can use an online dictionary to determine the meaning of the word 'colonies.' I take off the suffix and look up the root word 'colony.'" Similarly, slide 10 includes another callout box demonstrating how to use an online thesaurus to confirm the meaning of an unfamiliar word, reinforcing the importance of using digital tools for vocabulary development.
Evaluation for 4.C.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include print and digital resources to support students in determining the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin, and part of speech of vocabulary. One slide in the lesson slide deck provides explicit guidance for using reference tools to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. It outlines the following steps: "Locate the word in a resource, such as a dictionary, thesaurus, glossary, or website, by using a search tool or guide words.", "Read the information about the word.", "Use the information from the resource to better understand the word and how to use it correctly." Additionally, students are prompted to select the definition that best fits how the word is used in the text when multiple definitions are provided. The slide also explains the components typically found in a dictionary entry, including the word itself, its pronunciation, syllabication, part of speech, meaning, and, in some cases, word origin.
Evaluation for 4.C.1c
The Lowman Education RLA materials support students in using context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words according to grade-level TEKS. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 4 , slide 4 of the lesson slide deck provides guidance on when and how to use context clues. The slide includes tips such as: "circle words I do not know in the text" and "look for context clues like a definition, example, or analogy." Similarly, slide 8 prompts students to apply this strategy with the word territories from the text "The New Nation Spreads Its Wings." A callout box on the slide models how to use context to infer meaning. The script reads, "I can use context to determine the meaning of the word territories. If the U.S. was adding new states and territories, then I think territories must refer to the areas claimed by the U.S. that were not yet states."
Evaluation for 4.D.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a variety of grade-level texts to support students in developing reading fluently aligned with specific purposes. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," the Day 1 fluency lesson uses the text "The Birth of America" to model and practice fluent reading. Slide 3, titled "When I Set a Purpose for Reading, I _____," emphasizes adjusting reading rate based on the text and purpose. Teachers are prompted to reinforce this concept by asking, "What are some examples of times you have read for these different purposes?" Throughout the course, students engage with texts from a range of genres and Lexile levels to support fluency and comprehension. These genres include fiction, literary nonfiction, informational texts, poetry, argumentative texts, and drama. The "Measures of Text Complexity" document found in each "Unit Overview" outlines the complexity level of the texts used. The materials also incorporate poetry to support fluency by helping students hear and practice appropriate levels of stress, intonation, and rhythm. The poetry selections allow the opportunity for students to hear the appropriate levels of stress and intonation while building fluency in their reading. In Lessons 4 and 5, students analyze rhyme scheme, meter, and structural elements in poetry, and explore how figurative language contributes to the poem's mood, voice, and overall reading purpose.
Evaluation for 4.D.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include fluency reading tasks across teacher-facilitated, partner, and independent reading settings. It also provides guidance for the direct instruction of fluency. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 1 includes an "Introduction and Direct Instruction" section that outlines specific bullet points for teachers to explain and model fluency. Bullets 3–5 guide teachers to: "Explain that readers should adjust their pace based on their purpose and the difficulty of the text.", "Model fluency by reading a simple sentence quickly; then read a complex sentence slowly, pausing to process it.", and "Ask, What are some examples of times you have read for these different purposes?" In the "I Do," "We Do," and "You Do Together" sections of the lesson, the text "The Birth of America" is used to model fluent reading. Students listen as the teacher reads aloud, then practice fluency by reading along with the teacher and with a partner. In the "You Do Alone" section, students read a self-selected text independently, adjusting their reading rate as appropriate.
Evaluation for 4.D.1c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include tools for teachers, with strategies to support students through self-sustained reading with high-quality, grade-level texts. Throughout the course, students independently select texts to read and are expected to read daily while applying the skills introduced in the lesson. To support this practice, a reading log is provided for students to record the texts they read throughout the school year. Each lesson's slide deck includes an annotation reminder slide to encourage active reading. Before reading the day's text, students are prompted to actively mark their own copies using strategies such as underlining, circling, adding question or exclamation marks, writing C for connections, and jotting thoughts in the margins. This routine helps students track their thinking as they read. For example, in Unit 3, Day 2, the teacher reviews the "Common Annotation Marks" slide prior to reading the text "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in a Thai Restaurant." The materials also provide structured teacher guidance, such as the think-aloud strategy, to model the targeted reading skill. Slides include speech bubbles or callout boxes with sample language to support this modeling. For instance, in Unit 2, Day 2, "Make Inferences About Characters Using Text Evidence" includes guidance in slides 9 and 11 for making inferences while reading the text "Growing Up." A sample think-aloud script reads, "We can tell that Maria's father has a very strong work ethic, and he expects his family members to do what he wants."
Evaluation for 4.D.1d
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a range of texts at varying levels of complexity for the building of fluency and comprehension. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," the Day 1 fluency lesson uses the text "The Birth of America" for modeling and practicing fluent reading. Students listen to the teacher read the text aloud, then engage in partner reading to practice adjusting their reading rate in order to monitor and maintain comprehension. Teachers are specifically instructed to "model fluency by reading a simple sentence quickly; then read a complex sentence slowly, pausing to process it." Students then practice reading with a partner, adjusting their pace to help them understand the passage. This teacher guidance and student practice activity supports fluency through rate and pacing but does not address other essential components of fluency, such as vocal intonation, rhythm, and pattern of spoken language, which collectively is prosody. Throughout the course, students encounter texts from a variety of genres and Lexile levels to build comprehension. These include fiction, literary nonfiction, informational, poetry, argumentative texts, and drama. The "Measures of Text Complexity" document within each "Unit Overview" outlines the level of difficulty for each selection. To support comprehension, lesson slide decks include scripted teacher prompts within callout boxes. For instance, in Unit 2, Day 3, slide 8 contains guidance for modeling how to analyze characters' internal and external response while reading text aloud. Unit texts listed in the Unit Overviews are at various levels of complexity to allow for the building of accuracy and prosody through the use of the “Partner Reading Routine” contained in the Course Overview.
Evaluation for 4.E.1a
This guidance is not applicable to the product.
Evaluation for 4.E.1b
This guidance is not applicable to the product.
4.A.1 Oral Language Development
4.A.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in expressing an opinion and organizing presentations for specific purposes and audiences according to grade level TEKS. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in expressing an opinion and organizing presentations for specific purposes and audiences according to grade level TEKS. (T)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.A.1a
Evaluation for 4.A.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in expressing an opinion and organizing presentations for specific purposes and audiences according to grade level TEKS. (T)
4 out of 4 points
4.A.1b
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to follow, restate, and give oral instructions as directed by the grade-level English language arts TEKS. (S)
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to follow, restate, and give oral instructions as directed by the grade-level English language arts TEKS. (S)
6 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 4.A.1b
Evaluation for 4.A.1b
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to follow, restate, and give oral instructions as directed by the grade-level English language arts TEKS. (S)
6 out of 6 points
4.A.1c
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.A.1c
Evaluation for 4.A.1c
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
4 out of 4 points
4.B.1 Sound-Spelling Patterns (4-5)
4.B.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.1a
Evaluation for 4.B.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS
0 out of 0 points
4.B.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (T)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.1b
Evaluation for 4.B.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (T)
0 out of 0 points
4.B.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (S)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.1c
Evaluation for 4.B.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (S)
0 out of 0 points
4.B.2 Regular and Irregular High-Frequency Words
4.B.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.2a
Evaluation for 4.B.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words
0 out of 0 points
4.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (T)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.2b
Evaluation for 4.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (T)
0 out of 0 points
4.B.2c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words (through cumulative review). (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words (through cumulative review). (S)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.2c
Evaluation for 4.B.2c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words (through cumulative review). (S)
0 out of 0 points
4.B.2d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to read and write high-frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences). (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to read and write high-frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences). (S)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.2d
Evaluation for 4.B.2d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to read and write high-frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences). (S)
0 out of 0 points
4.B.3 Decoding and Encoding Multisyllabic Words
4.B.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS
0 out of 0 points
4.B.3b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words. (T)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words. (T)
0 out of 0 points
4.B.3c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (S)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (S)
0 out of 0 points
4.B.3d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction. (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction. (S)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction. (S)
0 out of 0 points
4.B.4 Morphological Awareness
4.B.4a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.B.4a
Evaluation for 4.B.4a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS
1 out of 1 points
4.B.4b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. (T)
2 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.B.4b
Evaluation for 4.B.4b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. (T)
2 out of 4 points
4.B.4c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (S)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 4.B.4c
Evaluation for 4.B.4c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (S)
3 out of 3 points
4.B.4d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.B.4d
Evaluation for 4.B.4d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
4 out of 4 points
4.C.1 Vocabulary Development
4.C.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.C.1a
Evaluation for 4.C.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
4 out of 4 points
4.C.1b
Materials include print and digital resources to support students in determining the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin and part of speech of vocabulary. (S)
Materials include print and digital resources to support students in determining the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin and part of speech of vocabulary. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 4.C.1b
Evaluation for 4.C.1b
Materials include print and digital resources to support students in determining the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin and part of speech of vocabulary. (S)
5 out of 5 points
4.C.1c
Materials support students in using context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words according to grade-level TEKS. (S)
Materials support students in using context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words according to grade-level TEKS. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.C.1c
Evaluation for 4.C.1c
Materials support students in using context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words according to grade-level TEKS. (S)
1 out of 1 points
4.D.1 Reading Fluency
4.D.1a
Materials include a variety of grade-level texts to support students to read fluently according to the reading purpose. (S)
Materials include a variety of grade-level texts to support students to read fluently according to the reading purpose. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.1a
Evaluation for 4.D.1a
Materials include a variety of grade-level texts to support students to read fluently according to the reading purpose. (S)
1 out of 1 points
4.D.1b
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.1b
Evaluation for 4.D.1b
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
4.D.1c
Materials include materials and tools for teachers, with strategies to support students through self-sustained reading with high-quality grade-level texts. (T)
Materials include materials and tools for teachers, with strategies to support students through self-sustained reading with high-quality grade-level texts. (T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.1c
Evaluation for 4.D.1c
Materials include materials and tools for teachers, with strategies to support students through self-sustained reading with high-quality grade-level texts. (T)
1 out of 1 points
4.D.1d
Materials include various texts at different levels of complexity for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
Materials include various texts at different levels of complexity for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.D.1d
Evaluation for 4.D.1d
Materials include various texts at different levels of complexity for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
4 out of 4 points
4.E.1 Handwriting Development
4.E.1a
Materials include resources to support the teaching of handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
Materials include resources to support the teaching of handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.E.1a
Evaluation for 4.E.1a
Materials include resources to support the teaching of handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
0 out of 0 points
4.E.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.E.1b
Evaluation for 4.E.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
0 out of 0 points
Rubric Section 5
Knowledge Coherence
Materials support the development of connected background knowledge and key academic vocabulary within and across grade levels.
Total
80% (24 out of 30 points)
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials build interdisciplinary knowledge across history and literature. For example, in Unit 4: "Risk and Exploration," students explore and deepen their understanding of the history of exploration through a variety of texts: "Explorers of the Land," "Westward by Wagon Train," and "The History of Antarctic Exploration." As a culminating activity, students write a response that synthesizes information from each text and answers an essential question and includes evidence from all three texts. Literary knowledge is emphasized in Unit 8: "Making Connections Across Genre" where students explore a range of literary texts. These include fiction such as novels, short stories, myths; literary nonfiction texts such as memoirs, autobiographies, biographies; various forms of poetry, including free verse, lyric, narrative, and haiku; and dramatic works like plays, musicals, and screenplays. Students analyze similarities and differences across the genres and make meaningful connections among key ideas and details. The lesson wraps up with a written response to the "Essential Question" "How do the texts we've read today connect with one another?" The materials do not integrate science and the arts disciplines to deepen knowledge and understanding across subjects.
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a scope and sequence that builds and reinforces knowledge within the grade level by frequently and consistently revisiting key topics. For instance, the "Unit Overview" for Unit 4: "Informational," centers on the essential question: "Why do people take risks to explore new places?" Students explore the concept of exploration through a variety of texts such as "Explorers of the Land," "Westward by Wagon Train: Families United," and "The History of Antarctic Exploration." These selections allow students to analyze exploration across different time periods and cultural context. This theme is woven throughout the unit, appearing in the lesson content, "Warm-ups," and "Exit Passes" to reinforce learning. The materials do not outline how themes, topics, and previously learned skills connect across grade levels to build knowledge and deepen understanding.
Evaluation for 5.A.1c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a scope and sequence that builds and reinforces knowledge within the grade level by frequently and consistently revisiting key topics. In grade 6, some units are designed for students to spend extended time on text sets. For example, the Scope and Sequence document in the "Course Materials" states the suggested length for each unit. Units 2, 4, and 6 are suggested to take at least three instructional weeks, with 19, 18, and 16 days, respectively. The remaining six units have suggested lengths of 9–12 days, which fall short of the three weeks. The materials are structured to extend over a three-week period or longer, resulting in units that are connected.
Evaluation for 5.A.1d
The Lowman Education RLA materials feature lessons anchored around central texts that support thematic connections. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," students engage with eight thematically related texts that explore the concept of growing up. In Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," students read five texts that examine family traditions, cultural values, and personal growth. These units are connected through the essential questions: "What significant moments shape our pathways to adults?" and "What makes a family?" The materials provide lessons that build knowledge over time centered around thematic connections.
Evaluation for 5.A.1e
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide consistent and routine practice in grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing, all closely tied to the unit's topic or anchor text and allowing students to apply their learning in a meaningful context. For example, in Unit 4, Days 6 and 10, students engage with an informational mentor text to learn about capitalization and end punctuation. After reading the text, students have discussions and write original sentences, applying capitalization and punctuation rules in context. Similarly, in Unit 6: "Argumentative Text," the anchor text "Should Schools Have Dress Codes?" connects knowledge-building in multiple ways. Students first analyze the text for logical fallacies, then revisit it in a subsequent grammar lesson on consistent verb tense usage. The vocabulary focus remains consistent across both lessons. Students analyze the text for logical fallacies, and they are introduced to key vocabulary words such as democracy, constitutional rights, and citizenship. These same vocabulary words are then used in grammar exercises that reinforce the correct usage of verb tenses.
Evaluation for 5.A.2a
The Lowman Education RLA "Course Overview" document has a "Prior Knowledge" section that states that materials are "vertically aligned, allowing students to build upon concepts and skills introduced in previous grades." The information in this section suggests that students have mastered foundational comprehension and response skills, and have a solid understanding of genre elements, and author's purpose and craft. Despite the materials having a "Prior Knowledge" section, the lesson materials do not further explain essential background knowledge, nor do they provide guidance on supporting students who lack the background or conceptual knowledge necessary to access the curriculum.
Evaluation for 5.A.2b
The Lowman Education RLA "Course Overview" document has a "Prior Knowledge" section that states that materials are "vertically aligned, allowing students to build upon concepts and skills introduced in previous grades."
Evaluation for 5.A.2c
The Lowman Education RLA "Course Overview" document includes a "Prior Knowledge" section that indicates the instructional materials are "vertically aligned, allowing students to build upon concepts and skills introduced in previous grades." This description implies that students entering the course have already developed a strong foundation in key literacy skills, including comprehension strategies, text response techniques, genre characteristics, and an understanding of author's purpose and craft. The document references prior learning, but the actual lesson materials do not provide concrete supports such as visual aids, graphic organizers, or other instructional tools to actively engage students with the text.
Evaluation for 5.A.3a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include learning tasks and discussion questions that require students to engage with broader topics or analyze how details connect to a central idea or overall theme. For example, Unit 2: "Fiction" focuses on the topics of personal growth, family relationships, identity, and acceptance, and is anchored with the essential question, "What significant moments shape our pathways to adulthood?" Students read a variety of fiction texts, all centered on experiences and choices that are pivotal to the transition from childhood to adolescence. To apply their learning and respond to the essential question, students write an extended response that blends learning from the multiple texts within the unit and addresses the unit's essential question with clear reasoning and evidence from the texts. Throughout the unit, students complete daily activities such as warm-ups, exit passes, class discussions, and short written responses to help build understanding of the big ideas, topics, and themes. For example, "Close Reading Lessons," which appear near the end of each unit, provide opportunities for students to engage with complex texts, deepen their understanding through scaffolded, text-dependent questions, and participate in rich group discussions.
Evaluation for 5.A.3b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include connected themes and ideas across multiple texts, with embedded tasks and questions that support students in synthesizing information across texts within lessons and units. The "Unit Overview" in Unit 8: "Connections" explains that the unit incorporates a variety of genres, including fiction, memoir, poetry, and informational articles, allowing students to explore how authors present similar ideas in different formats. It also notes that by examining a range of texts, students develop a deeper understanding of how genre influences the way ideas are communicated. This variation in text types provides opportunities for students to compare authors' purposes and analyze how similar messages are conveyed from different perspectives. Students are also prompted to compare and contrast texts using guiding questions such as, "How are the focuses of the texts similar?" and "What is a difference in the way the authors create understanding for the reader?" Additionally, the "Essential Question" found at the end of each unit's "Close Reading" lesson directs students to draw from multiple texts studied in the unit, prompting them to synthesize information from multiple texts across lessons to create new understanding. For example, in Unit 5: "Poetry," Day 9 lesson, students respond to the Essential Question "How can you appreciate nature?" using evidence from the lesson's text and one other text previously studied in the unit.
Evaluation for 5.A.3c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a culminating task at the end of each unit that requires students to respond to the unit's essential question using evidence. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," Day 17, students answer the question "What significant moments shape our pathways to adulthood?" by writing an extended constructed response using evidence from an excerpt of "Inside Out" and at least one other text from the unit. Throughout the unit, students also explore the theme of growing up through a variety of texts embedded in the lessons, "Warm-Ups," and "Exit Passes." For example, core texts such as "Growing Up," "All in a Summer Day," "Eleven," and "Inside Out" are analyzed during lessons. Folk tales like "The Horse of Seven Colors" and "The Fire on the Mountain" are the focus in the "Warm-Ups," and themes from "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" and "The Donkey and the Lapdog" are explored in the "Exit Passes." Across these texts, students examine concepts such as personal growth, family relationships, identity, and acceptance, while making meaningful connections.
Evaluation for 5.A.3d
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. In Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," the "Unit Overview" includes a "Real World Application" section. There is an activity that instructs students to interview a family or community member about a meaningful tradition or event, then create a written narrative, video, or podcast episode to share the story. In another activity, students are guided in designing a "Family Heritage Display" that includes photographs, artifacts, or written reflections that highlight important aspects of their family or cultural background. Students also write a series of first-person diary or journal entries that reflect moments of growth, challenge, or celebration in their lives. Another activity requires students to create a multimedia project comparing and contrasting their own family experiences with those presented in the unit's texts.
Evaluation for 5.A.4a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building. For example, the "Course Overview" includes a "Vocabulary Instruction" section that outlines the tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary words to be taught throughout the course. It also includes a year-long scope and sequence that indicates the sequence and order in which the vocabulary words appear over the course of the program and how they are to be integrated into instruction, ensuring systematic and intentional vocabulary development.
Evaluation for 5.A.4b
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide a variety of content and language scaffolds to support all learners. One scaffold is the "Vocabulary Preview," which appears in each lesson and supports content understanding by preteaching key vocabulary. For example, in Unit 7: "Drama," Day 4, the vocabulary words welfare, conducive, reformation, and morose are explicitly introduced before students read an excerpt from "A Christmas Carol." Students begin by rating their familiarity with each term on a scale of one to five. The teacher then provides definitions and uses images or icons to support student understanding and guide discussion around the meanings of the words. Language scaffolds for multilingual learners are also embedded throughout the materials. In the "Emergent Bilingual Support" section of Unit 7, Day 4 lesson, Spanish cognates are provided for selected vocabulary terms: conducive (conductivo), reformation (reforma) and morose (morose). These supports help build connections between English vocabulary and students' native language. Additional scaffolds appear in other units as well. In Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," Day 5, the "Support" section of the lesson plan includes sentence frames to assist students in effectively participating in learning activities and using academic vocabulary in context.
Evaluation for 5.A.4c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include activities that require students to meaningfully engage with, and practice key academic vocabulary in context. Students have multiple opportunities throughout each lesson to use newly acquired vocabulary in discussion-based activities. For example, in Unit 5: "Poetry," Day 5, students read the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" and discuss its use of figurative language with a partner. The lesson slide deck includes text boxes with teacher scripts designed to support students in incorporating key academic vocabulary into their oral responses. Beyond oral discussion, students also apply vocabulary in written responses. In Unit 7: "Drama," Day 1, the "Exit Pass" prompts students to respond in writing to the question, "What is one characteristic of drama that is present in the text?" This activity encourages students to reinforce their understanding of academic terms related to the drama genre.
Evaluation for 5.A.4d
The Lowman Education RLA materials include nonverbal resources that support students in acquiring and understanding academic vocabulary. Each vocabulary slide deck features a visual image that accompanies every vocabulary word to aid comprehension. For example, in Unit 6: "Argumentative," Lesson 5, the vocabulary words allot, electives, mandatory, and cope are presented on a slide, each paired with a clip art icon and student-friendly definition to reinforce meaning through a visual. Nonverbal supports are also embedded in other parts of the lesson plan. In Unit 2: "Fiction," Day 10, the lesson plan's "Support Section" encourages teachers to create a "Theme Graphic Organizer," a simple chart with three labeled sections: "Plot Event," "Character's Action or Change," and "What It Teaches Me." This visual tool helps students make connections and deepen their understanding of academic vocabulary related to identifying themes in fiction texts.
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities for students to engage in critical inquiry throughout the research process. This includes generating questions, developing a research plan, identifying and gathering relevant information from various sources, and synthesizing the information. For example, in Unit 9: "Inquiry and Research," the process begins in Lesson 1 where students choose a self-selected topic and generate guiding questions. Once students have narrowed their focus, they are guided to develop a research plan by responding to prompts such as: "What topic will you research?" "What is the purpose of your research?" "What is your major research question?" and "What resources do you plan to use to conduct your research?" Students then participate in collaborative discussions to share and evaluate their research questions. In Lesson 3, students begin gathering information from credible and reliable resources. Slides 5–7 provide direct instruction on understanding the meanings of source and relevant, and how to determine whether a source is credible and reliable. Slide 8 introduces the use of multiple source types, including print, digital, media, and original research, while Slide 11 outlines the steps for collecting relevant information. By Lesson 6, students organize and synthesize the information they have gathered to draft an outline for their research paper. The unit culminates in Lesson 11 with students creating a multimodal presentation to share their findings with an audience. To support this process, the unit includes a "Lesson Template Set" with daily tools that help students plan their research, structure their investigations, and organize their information. For instance, on Day 1, students use a Know, Want to Know, Sources (KWS) chart to choose a topic. On Day 3, they complete a template designed to record their responses to the research plan question.
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include guidance, resources, and opportunities to help students identify and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. For example, in Unit 9: "Inquiry and Research," Day 4 provides explicit instruction on differentiating between primary and secondary sources. The accompanying slide deck defines primary sources as those created at the time of the event by someone who was present, and secondary sources as those created after the event by someone who was not present. The lesson further supports understanding by offering concrete examples: letters, diaries, photos, speeches, audio/video recordings are identified as primary sources, while textbooks, documentaries, biographies, and newspaper articles are categorized as secondary sources. Students also receive guidance on how to incorporate evidence from both types of sources into their research through direct quotations or paraphrasing. Additionally, the materials provide organizational tools to help students record and classify their sources. A "Primary and Secondary Source Chart" is included, in which students list the name of each source in the first column and identify whether it is a primary or secondary source in the second column.
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
The Lowman Education RLA materials present a clear progression designed to help students deepen their understanding of a topic by analyzing various aspects through multiple texts and sources. In Unit 9: "Inquiry and Research," students engage in key steps of the research process, including selecting a meaningful topic, generating relevant questions, evaluating sources, synthesizing information, and communicating their findings through a research essay and multimodal presentation. Students are also taught how to locate and assess primary and secondary sources, as well as how to take organized notes. Building on previously acquired research skills, students learn to evaluate source credibility, analyze author's purpose and bias, and incorporate evidence from multiple sources into their writing. For example, in the Day 5 lesson, students examine sources for bias and faulty reasoning. Slides 5 and 6 define these concepts and introduce a "Types of Faulty Reasoning" chart, while Slide 7 outlines a step-by-step procedure for identifying bias and faulty reasoning in sources. The research and inquiry project promotes the use of diverse multimodal sources, texts, and formats. In the Day 11 lesson, Slide 5 defines multimodal presentations and provides examples such as slide presentations, brochures, posters, videos, blog posts, live performances, and infographics. Slide 6 offers specific guidance for creating these types of presentations. Additionally, the text "We the Peoples: A Look at the United Nations," included in the unit's "Warm-Ups," incorporates research-based questions that help reinforce students' understanding and application of the research process.
5.A.1 Connected Knowledge-Building Units and Lessons
5.A.1a
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
2 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
2 out of 4 points
5.A.1b
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
1 out of 2 points
5.A.1c
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1c
Evaluation for 5.A.1c
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
1 out of 1 points
5.A.1d
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1d
Evaluation for 5.A.1d
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
1 out of 1 points
5.A.1e
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1e
Evaluation for 5.A.1e
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
4 out of 4 points
5.A.2 Context and Student Background Knowledge
5.A.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.2a
Evaluation for 5.A.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
0 out of 1 points
5.A.2b
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level. (S)
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.2b
Evaluation for 5.A.2b
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level. (S)
0 out of 1 points
5.A.2c
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (T/S)
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (T/S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.2c
Evaluation for 5.A.2c
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (T/S)
0 out of 1 points
5.A.3 Developing Student Comprehension with Connected Topics, Questions, and Tasks
5.A.3a
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes. (S)
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.3a
Evaluation for 5.A.3a
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes. (S)
1 out of 1 points
5.A.3b
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.A.3b
Evaluation for 5.A.3b
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
2 out of 2 points
5.A.3c
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.3c
Evaluation for 5.A.3c
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
1 out of 1 points
5.A.3d
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.3d
Evaluation for 5.A.3d
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
1 out of 1 points
5.A.4 Key Academic Vocabulary and Grade-Level Concepts
5.A.4a
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.A.4a
Evaluation for 5.A.4a
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
2 out of 2 points
5.A.4b
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.A.4b
Evaluation for 5.A.4b
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
2 out of 2 points
5.A.4c
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.4c
Evaluation for 5.A.4c
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
1 out of 1 points
5.A.4d
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.4d
Evaluation for 5.A.4d
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
1 out of 1 points
5.B.1 Recursive Inquiry Process
5.B.1a
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in critical inquiry as part of the research process, such as generating questions, developing a plan, identifying and gathering relevant information from a variety of sources, and synthesizing the information. (S)
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in critical inquiry as part of the research process, such as generating questions, developing a plan, identifying and gathering relevant information from a variety of sources, and synthesizing the information. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in critical inquiry as part of the research process, such as generating questions, developing a plan, identifying and gathering relevant information from a variety of sources, and synthesizing the information. (S)
1 out of 1 points
5.B.1b
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
2 out of 2 points
5.B.1c
Materials include a progression of focused research tasks to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting or analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials (6-8). (S)
Materials include a progression of focused research tasks to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting or analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials (6-8). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
Materials include a progression of focused research tasks to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting or analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials (6-8). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Rubric Section 6
Text Quality and Complexity
Materials ensure students spend a majority of their time interacting with increasingly complex grade-level text.
Total
90% (26 out of 29 points)
Evaluation for 6.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include core texts for instruction that are written at grade level, as determined by research-based measures of text complexity. Each "Unit Overview" features a "Measures of Text Complexity" chart, which provides a snapshot of the key elements and distinguishing characteristics of the unit's texts. These elements include vocabulary, sentence structure, depth of ideas, and other factors that impact readability. The chart includes the following categories: "Text Title and Author," "Word Count and Lexile Level," "Structure," "Language," "Knowledge Demands," and "Levels of Meaning/Purpose." For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," the chart lists the text "National Monuments: People" with a Lexile range of 850L–930L and a word count of 1,515. It is described as having a descriptive structure, clear language, and uses rhetorical questions. The text is characterized as informative and reflective, with historical significance, and the purpose of fostering pride and curiosity. To connect meaningfully with this text, students are expected to have some background knowledge of U.S. monuments. In addition to providing detailed insights into text features, the "Measures of Text Complexity" chart also helps determine whether texts are appropriately aligned to grade-level expectations. For instance, in Unit 4: "Informational Texts," the chart indicates that the texts "Explorers of the Land" and "Westward by Wagon Train: Families United" have Lexile levels of 930L and 860L, both within the expected range for grade 6.
Evaluation for 6.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials are well-crafted and of publishable quality. Each unit incorporates texts that are relevant to students' lives, feature strong character development, and include rich vocabulary. The selections are intentionally chosen to activate background knowledge and promote critical thinking. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," students read "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury, a text rich in poetic and figurative language with well-developed main and supporting characters. The linear plot structure follows a strong narrative arc that draws readers in and helps them connect with the story's central themes: exclusion, memory, jealousy, and emotional growth, making it meaningful and appropriate for the age group and grade level. In Unit 6: "Argumentative" students read "Do Teens Need Recess?" by Ryan Nguyen and Reagan Zuber. This text presents a two-sided argument about recess as a tool for mental wellness. It highlights claims, evidence, and rebuttals, prompting students to think critically about a relevant issue in today's society.
Evaluation for 6.1c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a range of traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts spanning multiple content areas. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction" students explore both contemporary literature and a classic folktale. "Growing Up" by Gary Soto addresses themes such as growth, regret, and emotional awareness, experiences commonly encountered during adolescence, making the text both accessible and relatable for grade 6 students. In contrast, "The Horse of Seven Colors," a traditional folktale, conveys moral lessons centered around humility, kindness, and perseverance, while introducing students to a different cultural perspective. Later in the course, in Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction" students engage with the biography "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in a Thai Restaurant," which explores the ethnic, cultural, and social challenges faced by a Thai immigrant family. Toward the end of the course, in Unit 8: "Connections," students read "Hey! Bring Back Our Sun," a collection of three myth-based graphic narratives. These texts incorporate themes of balance, love, and mischief, presented through visual graphics and a mythological framework. Through this diverse literary selection, students are exposed to a variety of genres, cultures, and perspectives, promoting critical thinking and expanding their understanding across multiple themes and subject areas.
Evaluation for 6.1d
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide texts that include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. For example, in Unit 3: "Fiction," the literary nonfiction text "Ataka: A Young Desert Girl" explores themes of survival, family, and cultural tradition. It provides an opportunity for students to examine how the setting influences the plot while making personal connections with the story. The text portrays Tuareg nomadic life in the Sahara, offering students an opportunity for cultural connection and increased understanding of a different way of life. Also in Unit 2, an excerpt from "Inside Out" tells the story of a boy who immigrates to the United States from Mexico and struggles to communicate with his English-speaking classmates. This culturally relevant text helps students engage more deeply by reflecting real-world experiences. In addition, the materials include informational texts that feature influential historical figures from diverse backgrounds. For instance, in Unit 4: "Informational" the text "Explorers of the Land" introduces students to Marco Polo, Hernán Cortés, Hsuan-tsang, and Alexander von Humboldt, engaging students in stories of exploration driven by the pursuit of knowledge, resources, or spiritual discovery.
Evaluation for 6.2a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. For example, in Unit 5: "Poetry," the Day 4 lesson features a teacher read-aloud of selected stanzas from the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Think-aloud scripts and discussion questions embedded in the sidebar support teacher modeling and help guide student comprehension. Questions such as, "What effects do rhyme scheme, meter, and structural elements have on the stanza?" prompt students to analyze the text and respond with evidence. The lesson concludes with a written response to the Essential Question: "How can you appreciate nature?" allowing students to synthesize their understanding in writing. Similarly, in Unit 6: "Argumentative" the Day 10 lesson includes a guided reading of "Should You Be Rewarded for Good Grades?" Students engage in oral discussion, responding to questions such as, "What is the organizational pattern/text structure? How does it contribute to the author's purpose?" using text evidence to support their thinking. As a culminating activity, students write a response to the prompt: "What are the most effective ways to promote well-being and academic success for students?" incorporating evidence from the text to justify their thinking.
Evaluation for 6.2b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," Day 2 centers on "Growing Up" by Gary Soto. After reading, students analyze different types of characters: protagonist, antagonist, static, dynamic, flat, and round. They further explore characterization by examining how authors develop characters through appearance, traits, behaviors, voice, dialogue, thoughts, and emotions. Throughout the text, students make inferences about characters and support their interpretations with text evidence. For instance, a possible response may be, "I can infer that Maria's father feels angry based on his reaction to Maria." In Unit 4: "Informational," Day 4 focuses on making inferences and synthesizing understanding. The teacher begins by explaining that inferences involve combining prior knowledge with information from the text. Students are reminded to find text evidence to support their inferences. The teacher also clarifies that synthesis requires using information from the text to develop a new understanding of a subject or topic. Students then engage in a read-aloud and analysis of "Explorers of the Land," responding to questions such as, "What can we conclude based on the information in the text?" and "What evidence supports your thinking?"
Evaluation for 6.2c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text. For example, in Unit 4: "Informational," Day 4 lesson includes guiding questions that help students make inferences using text evidence and synthesize information to develop new understanding. While reading "Explorers of the Land," students work in groups or with partners to draw a conclusion and make a generalization based on the text, supporting their responses with evidence. Later, in Unit 6: "Argumentative Texts," Day 3 lesson requires students to apply multiple reading skills as they engage with the text "Do Teens Need Recess?" At the start, students respond to the question, "What evidence does the author use to support the claim?" As the lesson progresses, they analyze how different pieces of evidence support the claim and identify the strongest evidence. The lesson culminates with students synthesizing their learning by answering the Essential Question: "What are the most effective ways to promote well-being and academic success for students?"
Evaluation for 6.3a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 3, the lesson slide deck includes a "Vocabulary Preview" slide featuring student-friendly definitions and images to support comprehension. Additionally, Slide 12 contains callout boxes designed to support teachers in conducting think-alouds that model how to make a personal connection. The script reads: "We can make a connection to the feeling of not wanting to support something anymore. We may have felt that way before." Further support is provided in the "Emergent Bilingual Support" section of the lesson plan, which offers teacher guidance for each English proficiency level. For example, for "Intermediate" and "High Intermediate" EB learners, teachers are guided to introduce the text "Birth of a Nation," preview key vocabulary, and assist students in creating a prereading graphic organizer with the columns "What I Know," and "Predictions I Can Make." Sentence stems are also provided to equip teachers with prereading strategies that help prepare students to engage with the text. Examples include: "I already know ____ about this topic," "I think this text will be about ____," and "I see the word ____, so I think ____ might happen." On Day 4, there is explicit instruction supported by modeling on how to use context clues to clarify the meanings of unfamiliar words. For instance, the teacher's script during a read-aloud of "The New Nation Spreads Its Wings" includes the following: "I can use context to determine the meaning of the word 'territories.' If the U.S. was adding new states and territories, then I think 'territories' must refer to the areas claimed by the U.S. that were not yet states." Students are then prompted to independently read the following section and determine word meanings using various resources, including context clues and word parts.
Evaluation for 6.3b
The Lowman Education RLA materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts. For example, in Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 2, the lesson includes an extension activity titled "Word in Context," where students explore how the vocabulary words they are currently studying appear in modern-day news articles. This allows students to make real-world connections and deepen their understanding of word usage. In Unit 6: "Argumentative Texts," Day 11, an extension activity titled "Rewrite with a New Voice" prompts students to rewrite a paragraph from the day's anchor text using a different voice such as humorous, sarcastic, or emotional. Students then analyze how the change in voice impacts the effectiveness of the argument. Another example of how the materials support deeper text analysis appears in Unit 7: "Drama." Students who have demonstrated proficiency in analyzing plot elements are challenged to rewrite a scene from the text in a completely different setting such as a present-day classroom or a city park and then explain how the new setting alters the mood or plot.
Evaluation for 6.4a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement. Each unit's "Measures of Text Complexity" document, found in the "Unit Overview" section, highlights both quantitative and qualitative indicators of text complexity. Quantitative measures include Lexile level and word count, while qualitative measures address levels of meaning or purpose, text structure, language features, and knowledge demands. For example, the analysis for the text "Ataka: A Young Desert Girl" in Unit 3 includes the following: Lexile Level: 930 Word Count: 799 Text Structure: Linear narrative Language: Culturally specific and descriptive Knowledge Demands: Moderate to high Purpose: To explore themes such as survival, family, and cultural traditions. This information supports teachers in understanding how texts meet the diverse needs of students and ensures they maintain rigorous academic expectations for learners.
Evaluation for 6.4b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include core texts that have an appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis, and relationship to student tasks. For example, the "Measures of Text Complexity" document in the Unit 2 Overview explains that the text "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros has a 910 Lexile and a word count of 1,240, placing it appropriately within the grade 6 Lexile band of 855L–1165L. The document also describes "Eleven" as a linear, narrative text that features complex language, including repetition and figurative language, and explores themes of identity, age, voice, and emotional growth, all of which highlight the complexities of growing up. In the Day 14 lesson, students engage in close reading tasks that involve analyzing how the author's use of figurative language contributes to meaning. They are asked to identify specific examples of figurative language from the text and explain their overall meaning and purpose within the context of the story. Additionally, the "Unit Overview" for "Literary Nonfiction" emphasizes the depth of themes and topics explored in the unit's texts. In the "Levels of Meaning/Purpose" section of the complexity chart, the following insights are provided for selected texts: "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in a Thai Restaurant" – Explicit life lessons with emotional and moral significance "Moving Home" – Clear message about family, home, and shared decision-making "Family Man" – Highlights legacy, loyalty, and the private life of a public figure "Ataka: A Desert Girl" – Explicit exploration of survival, family, and cultural tradition These themes directly support the unit's writing focus on personal narratives and connect to the essential question, "What makes a family?" helping students make meaningful literary and personal connections.
Evaluation for 6.5a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include time specifically set aside for students to read grade-level texts independently. For example, prior to independent reading, the teacher reminds students to set a purpose for reading and provides examples of common reading purposes. The teacher then models how readers adjust their reading pace based on both the purpose and the complexity of the text, for instance, reading a simple sentence quickly and a more complex sentence slowly, pausing to process meaning. Students are encouraged to apply these techniques during independent reading. The materials do not provide explicit guidance for teachers on how to monitor or support students in consistently applying these strategies during independent reading. Additionally, the materials include tasks for students to complete during independent reading. For example, in Unit 4: "Informational Texts," Day 7, the "You Do Alone" component of the lesson asks students to select and independently read an informational text, then explain the author's purpose and message. This task offers an opportunity for students to demonstrate comprehension, but the materials do not include clear guidance for teachers on how to check in, monitor progress, or provide feedback during this independent reading activity. The materials do not provide explicit, direct teacher guidance on how to monitor students' comprehension through structured activities during independent reading, making it difficult for teachers to assess students' understanding of texts and provide specific scaffolding related to individual texts.
Evaluation for 6.5b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include texts designated for independent reading that have a range of complexity levels for students to practice when reading independently. Throughout the course, students engage with a wide range of genres, including fiction, literary nonfiction, informational texts, poetry, argumentative writing, and drama, offering them varied experiences and exposure to multiple points of view. The "Measures of Text Complexity" document, located in each unit's "Unit Overview," highlights the variation in text complexity and author's craft. This variety supports differentiation, helping teachers reach all learners while increasing student engagement and motivation. For example, in Unit 7: "Drama," students read two texts: "Dramatic Adaptation of A Christmas Carol" and "A Pound of Flesh: A Play Based on a Moroccan Folktale." The Warm-Up text, "A Pound of Flesh," has a word count of 1,057 and a Lexile range of 860–930, while the main lesson text, "Dramatic Adaptation of A Christmas Carol," increases in complexity, with 4,243 words and a Lexile range of 950–1020. The "Measures of Text Complexity" chart further illustrates the increasing challenge in language and structure between the two texts. "A Pound of Flesh" is a one-act play with narration, a single setting, and clear, modern language that incorporates some folktale formality. In contrast, "Dramatic Adaptation of A Christmas Carol" is a multi-scene stage play that includes stage directions, rich dialogue, and adapted Victorian language with figurative speech woven in.
Evaluation for 6.5c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and engage in independent reading for a sustained period. In the "You Do Alone" section of each lesson, students are prompted to self-select a text within the same genre as the current unit of study. For example, in Unit 6: "Argumentative Texts," Day 3, students choose an argumentative text of interest and complete the following tasks independently: Determine at least one type of evidence the author uses to support the claim. Explain how the evidence supports the claim. Additionally, the "Self-Selected Reading" document, found in the "Course Overview," provides a structured resource for students to track their independent reading. This chart allows students to record the date, title of the text, author, genre, start and end pages, skills practiced, and key takeaways. This tracker helps students monitor their reading over time and reinforces skills from the day's lesson, but it does not include a section for students to set a reading goal or track their progress toward that specific goal, an opportunity for further strengthening independent reading routines and accountability. The materials do not include student use of a plan to set and work toward personal independent reading goals or monitor and reflect on progress toward reading goals.
6.1 High-Quality Grade-Level Texts
6.1a
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1a
Evaluation for 6.1a
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
1 out of 1 points
6.1b
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1b
Evaluation for 6.1b
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
1 out of 1 points
6.1c
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 6.1c
Evaluation for 6.1c
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
4 out of 4 points
6.1d
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1d
Evaluation for 6.1d
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
1 out of 1 points
6.2 Interaction with Grade-Level Text
6.2a
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 6.2a
Evaluation for 6.2a
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
6.2b
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.2b
Evaluation for 6.2b
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
6.2c
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.2c
Evaluation for 6.2c
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
1 out of 1 points
6.3 Supporting Access to Grade-Level Text
6.3a
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.3a
Evaluation for 6.3a
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
6.3b
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.3b
Evaluation for 6.3b
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
1 out of 1 points
6.4 Analysis of Text Complexity
6.4a
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 6.4a
Evaluation for 6.4a
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
4 out of 4 points
6.4b
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.4b
Evaluation for 6.4b
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
2 out of 2 points
6.5 Self-Sustained Independent Reading
6.5a
Materials include explicit (direct) teacher guidance on how to monitor students' comprehension through structured activities during independent reading. (T)
Materials include explicit (direct) teacher guidance on how to monitor students' comprehension through structured activities during independent reading. (T)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.5a
Evaluation for 6.5a
Materials include explicit (direct) teacher guidance on how to monitor students' comprehension through structured activities during independent reading. (T)
0 out of 1 points
6.5b
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.5b
Evaluation for 6.5b
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
1 out of 1 points
6.5c
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
2 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 6.5c
Evaluation for 6.5c
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
2 out of 4 points
Rubric Section 7
Evidence-Based Tasks and Responses
Materials require students to engage in reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence using literary and informational text.
Total
98% (54 out of 55 points)
Evaluation for 7.A.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include text-dependent questions and tasks, which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," the Day 2 lesson tasks students with reading an excerpt from "Growing Up" and making two inferences, each supported with text evidence. Later, in the Day 5 lesson, students annotate the text and answer the questions: "What part of the plot is this?" and "Why is it significant to the story?" Students then share their ideas with the class. To conclude the lesson, they respond to the essential question, "What significant moments shape our pathways to adulthood?" using evidence from the text to support their thinking. On Day 10 of the same unit, students read an excerpt from "All Summer in a Day" and identify the theme, citing at least two pieces of text evidence to support their response. In Unit 4: "Informational," the Day 4 lesson focuses on the text "Explorers of the Land." Students respond to the prompt, "What can we conclude based on the information in the text? What evidence from the text supports our conclusion?" Later, in Unit 5: "Poetry," students read the poem "An Itchy Cricket" and answer a series of text-based questions, including: "Why is the third stanza important to the plot?" "What is the plot's resolution?" "What point of view is used in the first three stanzas?" After sharing their responses with the class, students answer the essential question, "How can you appreciate nature?" using text evidence to support their ideas.
Evaluation for 7.A.1b
The Lowman Education RLA questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. There are multiple opportunities across several units for students to use text evidence to support their analysis of texts. In Unit 2: "Fiction," students are consistently prompted to cite evidence in their responses. On Day 10, and again on Days 14 and 15, while reading "Growing Up," students respond to questions such as, "Explain the most likely reason the author wrote the text," and "What message does the author intend to convey in the text?" using details from the story to support their answers. Later in the unit, while reading "Eleven," students analyze how the author's use of figurative language and word choice contributes to mood and voice and achieves a specific purpose. In Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," on Days 4 and 6, students use text evidence to support their thinking during discussions and written responses. As students read "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in a Thai Restaurant," students respond to questions such as, "What is the most likely reason the author wrote this narrative?" and "What message is the author trying to convey?" They are also asked to identify specific language that contributes to the mood and voice of the text. These tasks culminate in a response to the unit's essential question: "What makes a family?" supported by evidence from the text. In Unit: Informational, students read "Explorers of the Land" on Days 3 and 12. On Day 3, they identify the controlling idea or thesis and examine the types of supporting evidence the author uses. On Day 12, students analyze how the author's use of text structure contributes to the overall purpose. They also identify signal words that reveal the organizational pattern, citing specific examples from the text.
Evaluation for 7.A.1c
The Lowman Education RLA questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. For example, in Unit 4: "Informational," students read "Explorers of the Land" and begin by annotating, paraphrasing, and summarizing key ideas from each section of the text. They then respond to the essential question "Why do people take risks to explore new places?" by synthesizing their learning and supporting their ideas with text evidence from the day's reading. In their written responses, students make connections between the text and their own experiences. In Unit 6: "Argumentative," Day 2, students read the article "Should Middle Schools Do Away with Homework?" which presents opposing viewpoints on whether schools should eliminate homework. After reading, they compare the arguments by identifying the author's claim and key ideas in each paragraph. Students then take a position and support their own stance using evidence from the text in response to the prompt, "What are the most effective ways to promote well-being and academic success for students?"
Evaluation for 7.A.1d
The Lowman Education RLA questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. For example, in Unit 4: "Informational," the Day 8 lesson features a series of guiding questions for the text "Explorers of the Land" that progress in complexity. Students begin with a literal question, such as, "What feature do you notice?" and then move to more analytical questions, including, "How does this feature support the author's purpose?" This scaffolded approach allows students to demonstrate understanding across multiple levels of thinking while remaining engaged with grade-level texts. Similarly, in Unit 6: "Argumentative," the questions evolve from literal to inferential and eventually to evaluative. On Day 7, after reading a text that presents arguments for and against year-round schooling, students first answer the literal question, "What is the author's claim?" and then respond to the inferential question, "Why did the author include the question at the beginning of the second paragraph?" By Day 11, students are expected to respond to evaluative prompts that require them to consider how the text might change if the author used a different language style and to determine whether the author's voice effectively supports the intended purpose.
Evaluation for 7.A.2a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. For example, the lesson plan for Unit 1: "Foundations of Reading and Response," Day 9, provides a script for teachers to follow to model how to construct a response to a text-based prompt. First, the "Answer the Question" section of the lesson plan guides teachers through a think-aloud as they analyze a text-based prompt, focusing on how to restate the question. Next, the "Support with Text Evidence" section prompts teachers to model how to identify evidence from the text that supports their claim or response to the prompt. Finally, the "Explain the Response" section guides teachers in modeling how to explain each piece of supporting text evidence. Additionally, in Unit 8: "Making Connections Across Genres," Day 10, teacher guidance is provided to support students in writing an argumentative essay after reading excerpts from "Welcome to Cat Island" and "Enemy Invaders." For instance, Steps 1 and 2 on slide 3 of the lesson slide deck prompt teachers to remind students to determine their claim and include specific evidence and details to support their claim.
Evaluation for 7.A.2b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. In Unit 6: "Argumentative," the Day 3 lesson slide deck provides guidance to teachers to support students in engaging in a discussion about how authors use various types of evidence to support their argument. The "Introduction" and "Direct Instruction" components of the lesson plan instruct teachers to guide students in a discussion about the lesson's learning goal. Then, in the "We Do" section of the lesson plan, teacher guidance is provided on slides 11–12 to support students in having a class discussion that addresses the question, "What evidence does the author use to support the claim?" In Unit 8: "Making Connections Across Genres," the Day 6 lesson plan includes teacher guidance to support students in a vocabulary preview, providing definitions, images, and facilitating a discussion about the words. After reading two texts, teachers are guided to facilitate a discussion in which students identify an idea presented in both texts and one key difference between them. Callout boxes in the "We Do" section serve as a guide for teacher responses. Additionally, sentence frames are incorporated into Unit 5: "Poetry" and Unit 7: "Drama" on Days 5 and 8 to support EB students, in discussing the text with a partner or small group. For example, students are provided the sentence frame, "This line uses personification to show ______, which creates a mood of ______," during the poetry unit. In the drama unit, students use frames such as, "Scrooge says _____, and that means _____. This line shows _____ because _____."
Evaluation for 7.B.1a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS. Each unit includes a "Read, Discuss, and Respond" lesson in which students read a focal text, engage in peer discussions, and write an extended constructed response based on the text. For example, in Unit 4: "Informational," Day 15, students read the mentor text "Humboldt and Bonpland Explore South America." Using guiding questions from slide 12 of the lesson slide deck, students respond to the prompt: "Why do people take risks to explore new places?" To support their written analysis, students are prompted to consider questions such as, "Why does the author include questions at the end of paragraph 2?" "How does the organizational structure of paragraph 2 help convey meaning?" and "What is the most likely reason the author includes the map?" In Unit 6: "Argumentative," Day 15, the teacher conducts a guided reading of the informational text "Should Schools Eliminate Sports Teams?" During the lesson, the teacher draws attention to the characteristics of argumentative texts by modeling how to identify key features, such as underlining relevant sentences and annotating important evidence that supports a claim. Students then use their own highlighted text evidence, notes, and knowledge of argumentative structure to plan and draft an extended constructed response to the same text.
Evaluation for 7.B.1b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. For example, in Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," Day 9, students write a personal narrative about a significant memory from their lives. As they draft, they are prompted to include key genre characteristics, such as plot, characters, setting, and theme, and to use descriptive details that help the reader "see," "hear," and "feel" the experience. In the following lesson, students continue working on their narratives with a focus on revising and strengthening their writing by adding meaningful details and refining key elements. Additionally, in Unit 5: "Poetry," Day 10, students draft original poems based on a topic that inspires, challenges, or confuses them. After brainstorming ideas with a partner or small group, students begin drafting their poems, considering their audience and incorporating genre features such as figurative language, sound devices, and poetic structure.
Evaluation for 7.B.1c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. In Unit 4: "Informational" and Unit 7: Drama, students write extended constructed responses to prompts aligned with the unit's mentor text. For example, in Unit 4, students respond to the text "Humboldt and Bonpland Explore South America," while in Unit 7, they analyze the drama "A Christmas Carol." In both units, a consistent routine is followed to guide students from prewriting to drafting. First, students demonstrate their understanding of the prompt by reading and annotating it. Next, they review the text, underlining relevant evidence and making notes in the margins. Students then participate in a group discussion to identify their controlling idea, i.e., the genre-specific focus of their response. Using the provided planning template, students organize their ideas and supporting evidence. Before moving to the drafting stage, they engage in a second group discussion to share and refine their writing plans and to consider their purpose and audience. Finally, students independently draft their extended constructed responses.
Evaluation for 7.B.1d
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. In Unit 6: "Argumentative" and Unit 8: "Making Connections across Genres," students write extended constructed responses to prompts aligned with the unit's mentor text. For example, in Unit 6, students respond to the text "Should Schools Eliminate Sports Teams?," while in Unit 8, they analyze two excerpts, "Welcome to Cat Island" and "Enemy Invaders." In both units, a consistent routine is followed to guide students from prewriting to drafting. First, students demonstrate their understanding of the prompt by reading and annotating it. Next, they review the text, underlining relevant evidence and making notes in the margins. Students then participate in a group discussion to determine their claim, i.e., the genre-specific focus of their response. Using the provided planning template, students organize their ideas, audience, and supporting evidence. Before moving to the drafting stage, they engage in a second group discussion to share and refine their writing plans. Finally, students independently draft their argumentative extended constructed responses.
Evaluation for 7.B.1e
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. Opportunities to compose correspondence are provided only in Unit 8: "Making Connections Across Genres." In the Day 11 lesson, after reading an excerpt from "Welcome to Cat Island," students choose between drafting a letter to the people of Hawaii, arguing in favor of nurturing their cat population, or to the people of Tashirojima, arguing for a reduction in the cat population. As they draft, students are guided to incorporate genre-specific elements of correspondence, including the address, date, greeting, body, closing, and signature, as well as appeals tailored to their intended audience.
Evaluation for 7.B.2a
The Lowman Education RLA materials support students' coherent use of the elements of the writing process to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions of writing. In Unit 9: "Inquiry and Research," students begin drafting a research essay by selecting a topic and generating questions on Day 1. After reviewing a list of informative and argumentative topics, students create a KWS chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, and Sources I Need) to help narrow their focus and guide planning. On Day 2, students finalize their research question and develop a detailed research plan that includes the topic, purpose, main research question, secondary questions, intended audience, and necessary resources. To support their argument, students use a thesis/claim checklist and are provided with an exemplar outline to organize their research according to the chosen essay structure. By Day 7, students begin drafting their essays with guidance to remain focused on the purpose, follow the outline, consider the intended audience and use appropriate language, include an introduction and conclusion with a clearly stated thesis or claim, and use transitions to connect ideas. On Days 8 and 9, students revise their drafts to incorporate text citations. Slides 5 and 6 present a bulleted list of revision strategies, such as adding or deleting details, strengthening introductions and conclusions, selecting more precise words, varying sentence structures, and combining ideas. Slide 7 offers editing support, highlighting the importance of complete sentences, subject-verb agreement, verb tense consistency, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar. By Day 10, students actively engage in the revising and editing stages of the writing process. On Day 11, they prepare to share and publish their research essays by creating multimodal presentations. Finally, on Day 12, students present their projects and read their essays aloud, sharing their research with peers.
Evaluation for 7.B.2b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process and support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. In Unit 9: "Research," each lesson plan includes detailed guidance for teachers aligned to specific stages of the writing process. For example, the Day 1 lesson provides a step-by-step script to support students in selecting a research topic and generating guiding questions. By Day 6, teachers are guided in helping students develop a thesis statement and organize their ideas. Slides 5–10, in particular, offer instructional support on synthesizing information from multiple sources and structuring content into an outline. On Day 7, the lesson includes guidance for teaching students how to quote and paraphrase evidence from sources effectively, while also emphasizing how to avoid plagiarism. On Day 10, embedded callout boxes provide instructional support for modeling the revision and editing process using a sample paragraph. Following this, students independently revise their essays using a checklist found in the lesson's "Template Set." Despite including teacher guidance on how to model the writing process, the materials do not provide teacher guidance for conducting targeted, individual writing conferences with students who need additional support for revising.
Evaluation for 7.B.3a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. In Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," Day 7, mentor sentences are used to guide teachers in the direct instruction of conjunctive adverbs such as furthermore, therefore, and however. The teacher writes the following model sentences on the board: "However, I wanted to go to the park." "I, however, wanted to go to the park." "I wanted to go to the park; however, my mom said I needed to stay home and do my homework." Following this guided instruction, students practice combining sentences using conjunctive adverbs. In a different unit, Unit 2: "Fiction," Lesson 4, teachers are guided in the direct teaching of independent clauses and how to combine them into compound sentences. Teachers first introduce the syntactic rules for compound sentences using a scripted explanation, such as: "When you link two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, place a comma after the first independent clause." The teacher then writes or displays the model sentences: "The girl walked." and "The boy ran." Next, the teacher models how to combine these simple sentences to form the compound sentence: "The girl walked, but the boy ran." Additionally, Unit 6: "Argumentative," Day 16 lesson, the slide deck provides teacher guidance for modeling how to improve vocabulary in argumentative essays with transition words. The lesson slide deck guides teachers in first introducing transition words and phrases using a chart that includes vocabulary that signals emphasis, addition, contrast, order, and result. Teachers then model how to adjust the vocabulary of an argumentative essay using transition words and the mentor text "Should Schools Eliminate Sports Teams?"
Evaluation for 7.B.3b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence level and building to compositions according to grade-level language arts TEKS. For example, in Unit 8: "Making Connections Across Genres," slides 5 and 6 of the presentation slide deck support students in revising their writing at the sentence level. Slide 5, titled "When I Revise My Writing, I Look for Ways to Improve It, Such As _____," offers the following revision tips: Adding or adjusting transitional words, phrases, or sentences, Ensuring ideas are communicated clearly, Including a variety of sentence structures, Reordering or combining ideas to improve flow. Directly following, slide 6, "When I Improve Sentences, I _____," provides protocols for enhancing sentence structure: Checking that sentence structures are purposeful, controlled, and make writing more effective, Rearranging sentence structures to communicate ideas clearly and effectively, Using a variety of sentence structures. Later in the lesson, slides include callout boxes with scripts to help teachers model sentence improvement. Beginning with slide 8, the teacher reads aloud a body paragraph. On slide 9, using the callout boxes, the teacher highlights sentences that need rearranging for clarity and points out simple sentences that can be combined to add variety. Then, on slide 10, the teacher displays and reads aloud the revised paragraph. Following this modeling, students revise their own essays with a focus on sentence improvement. After completing independent revisions, students participate in peer revision to receive feedback and further refine their writing.
Evaluation for 7.B.3c
The Lowman Education RLA materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," Day 4, students practice composing compound sentences with coordinating conjunctions, working either with a partner or in small groups. They use a checklist to ensure that each independent clause contains a subject, predicate, and complete thought, while combining ideas to form complete compound sentences. Later in the unit, students practice correcting sentences that do not meet the complete sentence criteria, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices, by analyzing mentor sentences. They then rewrite these sentences to ensure each includes a subject, predicate, and expresses a complete thought. By the end of the unit, students engage in peer editing of their fictional texts, using an editing checklist to review drafts for correct sentence structure. Additionally, in Unit 7: "Drama," Day 5, students practice composing sentences with correct pronoun usage. After receiving direct instruction on subject, object, possessive, reflexive, and indefinite pronouns, students work with partners or small groups to write up to two sentences using at least three different types of pronouns. On Day 12, teachers model how to check antecedents and edit essays for proper pronoun usage, rewriting sentences as needed. Students then participate in peer editing of their extended constructed responses, using an editing checklist to review drafts for grammar and usage, including pronoun accuracy.
Evaluation for 7.B.4a
The Lowman Education RLA materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. For example, in Unit 2: "Fiction," Days 18–19, students write an extended constructed response, applying their knowledge of complex sentences and subordinating conjunctions introduced earlier in the unit. In Unit 3: "Literary Nonfiction," Day 7, students work with a partner to identify conjunctive adverbs and analyze their syntactic patterns using excerpts from the mentor text "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in a Thai Restaurant." They then independently write original sentences that incorporate conjunctive adverbs. At the end of the unit, on Day 10, students review and edit their personal narratives, focusing on the proper use of conjunctive adverbs. In Unit 6: "Argumentative," Day 4, students practice identifying and applying correct verb tenses. They begin by selecting an argumentative text and identifying the verb tense used in a specific paragraph. Next, they write one original sentence about the text and identify the verb tense they used. Similarly, in Unit 8: "Making Connections Across Genres," Day 8, students identify prepositions and prepositional phrases in the mentor text "Saving Monarchs." Working in pairs, they examine excerpts to find and explain the correct use of these elements. Students then write new sentences that include prepositional phrases. On Day 12, they review and edit their extended constructed responses to ensure the proper use of prepositions and prepositional phrases.
Evaluation for 7.B.4b
The Lowman Education RLA materials include systematic opportunities for practice and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. For example, in Unit 4: "Informational Texts" and Unit 6: "Argumentative Texts," Days 10 and 4, students have opportunities to practice correct punctuation and appropriate verb tenses in isolated sentences. Later in Unit 6, students use a checklist to edit their extended constructed responses for grammar, punctuation, and usage. Another example of grammar application in context appears in Unit 2:" Fiction," Day 12, where students practice writing complete sentences and learn how to avoid common errors, such as comma splices, run-ons, and fragments. Students also practice grammar, punctuation, and usage out of context. For instance, in Unit 4, Days 6 and 14, students focus on grade-level capitalization and comma usage using mentor sentences and texts. Additionally, they select an informational text and identify at least four punctuation marks within it. Students explain and justify the placement of each punctuation mark, and then apply their understanding by writing new sentences that incorporate the same punctuation correctly.
7.A.1 Use of Text Evidence
7.A.1a
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.A.1a
Evaluation for 7.A.1a
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
2 out of 2 points
7.A.1b
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 7.A.1b
Evaluation for 7.A.1b
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
5 out of 5 points
7.A.1c
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.A.1c
Evaluation for 7.A.1c
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
7.A.1d
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.A.1d
Evaluation for 7.A.1d
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
7.A.2 Teacher Guidance for the Use of Text Evidence
7.A.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.A.2a
Evaluation for 7.A.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
2 out of 2 points
7.A.2b
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.A.2b
Evaluation for 7.A.2b
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
2 out of 2 points
7.B.1 Genre Characteristics and Craft to Compose Multiple Texts
7.B.1a
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1a
Evaluation for 7.B.1a
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
1 out of 1 points
7.B.1b
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1b
Evaluation for 7.B.1b
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
7.B.1c
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1c
Evaluation for 7.B.1c
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
7.B.1d
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1d
Evaluation for 7.B.1d
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
7.B.1e
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1e
Evaluation for 7.B.1e
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
1 out of 1 points
7.B.2 Writing Process
7.B.2a
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions authentic to English writing. (S)
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions authentic to English writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 7.B.2a
Evaluation for 7.B.2a
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions authentic to English writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
7.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
5 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 7.B.2b
Evaluation for 7.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
5 out of 6 points
7.B.3 Explicit (Direct) and Systematic Writing Instruction
7.B.3a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 7.B.3a
Evaluation for 7.B.3a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
3 out of 3 points
7.B.3b
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence-level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence-level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 7.B.3b
Evaluation for 7.B.3b
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence-level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
4 out of 4 points
7.B.3c
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
6 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 7.B.3c
Evaluation for 7.B.3c
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
6 out of 6 points
7.B.4 Grade-Level Standard English Conventions
7.B.4a
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 7.B.4a
Evaluation for 7.B.4a
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
4 out of 4 points
7.B.4b
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
6 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 7.B.4b
Evaluation for 7.B.4b
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
6 out of 6 points