| (a) Introduction.
(1) The English language arts and reading Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) embody the interconnected nature of listening,
speaking, reading, writing, and thinking through the seven integrated
strands of developing and sustaining foundational language skills;
comprehension; response; multiple genres; author's purpose and craft;
composition; and inquiry and research. The strands focus on academic
oracy (proficiency in oral expression and comprehension), authentic
reading, and reflective writing to ensure a literate Texas. The strands
are integrated and progressive with students continuing to develop
knowledge and skills with increased complexity and nuance in order
to think critically and adapt to the ever-evolving nature of language
and literacy.
(2) The seven strands of the essential knowledge and
skills for English language arts and reading are intended to be integrated
for instructional purposes and are recursive in nature. Strands include
the four domains of language (listening, speaking, reading, writing)
and their application in order to accelerate the acquisition of language
skills so that students develop high levels of social and academic
language proficiency. Although some strands may require more instructional
time, each strand is of equal value, may be presented in any order,
and should be integrated throughout the year. Additionally, students
should engage in academic conversations, write, read, and be read
to on a daily basis with opportunities for cross-curricular content
and student choice.
(3) Text complexity increases with challenging vocabulary,
sophisticated sentence structures, nuanced text features, cognitively
demanding content, and subtle relationships among ideas (Texas Education
Agency, STAAR Performance Level Descriptors, 2013).
As skills and knowledge are obtained in each of the seven strands,
students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth
to increasingly complex texts in multiple genres as they become self-directed,
critical learners who work collaboratively while continuously using
metacognitive skills.
(4) English language learners (ELLs) are expected to
meet standards in a second language; however, their proficiency in
English influences the ability to meet these standards. To demonstrate
this knowledge throughout the stages of English language acquisition,
comprehension of text requires additional scaffolds such as adapted
text, translations, native language support, cognates, summaries,
pictures, realia, glossaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, and
other modes of comprehensible input. ELLs can and should be encouraged
to use knowledge of their first language to enhance vocabulary development;
vocabulary needs to be in the context of connected discourse so that
it is meaningful. Strategic use of the student's first language is
important to ensure linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic
development in English.
(5) Current research stresses the importance of effectively
integrating second language acquisition with quality content area
education in order to ensure that ELLs acquire social and academic
language proficiency in English, learn the knowledge and skills, and
reach their full academic potential. Instruction must be linguistically
accommodated in accordance with the English Language Proficiency Standards
(ELPS) and the student's English language proficiency levels to ensure
the mastery of knowledge and skills in the required curriculum is
accessible. For a further understanding of second language acquisition
needs, refer to the ELPS and proficiency-level descriptors adopted
in Chapter 74, Subchapter A, of this title (relating to Required Curriculum).
(6) Oral language proficiency holds a pivotal role
in school success; verbal engagement must be maximized across grade
levels (Kinsella, 2010). In order for students to become thinkers
and proficient speakers in science, social studies, mathematics, fine
arts, language arts and reading, and career and technical education,
they must have multiple opportunities to practice and apply the academic
language of each discipline (Fisher, Frey, & Rothenberg, 2008).
(7) Statements that contain the word "including" reference
content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such
as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Developing and sustaining foundational language
skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking--oral language.
The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and
discussion. The student is expected to:
(A) listen actively to interpret a message and ask
clarifying questions that build on others' ideas;
(B) follow and give complex oral instructions to perform
specific tasks, answer questions, or solve problems;
(C) present a critique of a literary work, film, or
dramatic production, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume,
enunciation, a variety of natural gestures, and conventions of language
to communicate ideas effectively; and
(D) engage in meaningful discourse and provide and
accept constructive feedback from others.
(2) Developing and sustaining foundational language
skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--vocabulary.
The student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively. The student
is expected to:
(A) use print or digital resources to determine the
meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin, and part of speech;
(B) use context such as contrast or cause and effect
to clarify the meaning of words; and
(C) determine the meaning and usage of grade-level
academic English words derived from Greek and Latin roots such as
omni, log/logue, gen, vid/vis, phil, luc, and sens/sent.
(3) Developing and sustaining foundational language
skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--fluency.
The student reads grade-level text with fluency and comprehension.
The student is expected to adjust fluency when reading grade-level
text based on the reading purpose.
(4) Developing and sustaining foundational language
skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--self-sustained
reading. The student reads grade-appropriate texts independently.
The student is expected to self-select text and read independently
for a sustained period of time.
(5) Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive
skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex
texts. The student is expected to:
(A) establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected
texts;
(B) generate questions about text before, during, and
after reading to deepen understanding and gain information;
(C) make and correct or confirm predictions using text
features, characteristics of genre, and structures;
(D) create mental images to deepen understanding;
(E) make connections to personal experiences, ideas
in other texts, and society;
(F) make inferences and use evidence to support understanding;
(G) evaluate details read to determine key ideas;
(H) synthesize information to create new understanding;
and
(I) monitor comprehension and make adjustments such
as re-reading, using background knowledge, asking questions, and annotating
when understanding breaks down.
(6) Response skills: listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student responds to
an increasingly challenging variety of sources that are read, heard,
or viewed. The student is expected to:
(A) describe personal connections to a variety of sources,
including self-selected texts;
(B) write responses that demonstrate understanding
of texts, including comparing sources within and across genres;
(C) use text evidence to support an appropriate response;
(D) paraphrase and summarize texts in ways that maintain
meaning and logical order;
(E) interact with sources in meaningful ways such as
notetaking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating;
(F) respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate;
(G) discuss and write about the explicit or implicit
meanings of text;
(H) respond orally or in writing with appropriate register,
vocabulary, tone, and voice; and
(I) reflect on and adjust responses as new evidence
is presented.
(7) Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and thinking using multiple texts--literary elements. The
student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across
increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse
literary texts. The student is expected to:
(A) infer multiple themes within and across texts using
text evidence;
(B) analyze how characters' qualities influence events
and resolution of the conflict;
(C) analyze plot elements, including the use of foreshadowing
and suspense, to advance the plot; and
(D) analyze how the setting influences character and
plot development.
(8) Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student recognizes
and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes
within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary,
classical, and diverse texts. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate knowledge of literary genres such as
realistic fiction, adventure stories, historical fiction, mysteries,
humor, myths, fantasy, and science fiction;
(B) analyze the effect of rhyme scheme, meter, and
graphical elements such as punctuation and capitalization in poems
across a variety of poetic forms;
(C) analyze how playwrights develop characters through
dialogue and staging;
(D) analyze characteristics and structural elements
of informational text, including:
(i) the controlling idea or thesis with supporting
evidence;
(ii) features such as references or acknowledgements;
and
(iii) organizational patterns that support multiple
topics, categories, and subcategories;
(E) analyze characteristics and structures of argumentative
text by:
(i) identifying the claim;
(ii) explaining how the author uses various types of
evidence and consideration of alternatives to support the argument;
and
(iii) identifying the intended audience or reader;
and
(F) analyze characteristics of multimodal and digital
texts.
(9) Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking,
reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses
critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence
and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes
and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or
her own products and performances. The student is expected to:
(A) explain the author's purpose and message within
a text;
(B) analyze how the use of text structure contributes
to the author's purpose;
(C) analyze the author's use of print and graphic features
to achieve specific purposes;
(D) describe how the author's use of figurative language
such as metaphor and personification achieves specific purposes;
(E) identify the use of literary devices, including
subjective and objective point of view;
(F) analyze how the author's use of language contributes
to mood, voice, and tone; and
(G) explain the purpose of rhetorical devices such
as direct address and rhetorical questions and logical fallacies such
as loaded language and sweeping generalizations.
(10) Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing,
and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The student uses
the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are
legible and uses appropriate conventions. The student is expected
to:
(A) plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate
for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies
such as discussion, background reading, and personal interests;
(B) develop drafts into a focused, structured, and
coherent piece of writing by:
(i) organizing with purposeful structure, including
an introduction, transitions, coherence within and across paragraphs,
and a conclusion; and
(ii) developing an engaging idea reflecting depth of
thought with specific facts, details, and examples;
(C) revise drafts for clarity, development, organization,
style, word choice, and sentence variety;
(D) edit drafts using standard English conventions,
including:
(i) complete complex sentences with subject-verb agreement
and avoidance of splices, run-ons, and fragments ;
(ii) consistent, appropriate use of verb tenses;
(iii) conjunctive adverbs;
(iv) prepositions and prepositional phrases and their
influence on subject-verb agreement;
(v) pronoun-antecedent agreement;
Cont'd... |
