Grades 3-12 Reading Language Arts

—Stephen R. Covey

For the 2024-2025 school year, let's begin each unit by knowing where we're going and then building the knowledge and skills it will take to be successful by the year's end. Each month, we will be addressing what is needed for individual genres of reading and writing. We will use the knowledge of previously taught genres to reinforce the purpose and effects of the targeted genres.

We won't need a STAAR-focused Cram Session in April. We're taking part in Year-Round STAAR Preparation!

Reporting Grade 7 Reading Instrument Results

To support Texas reading language arts educators and stakeholders, our newsletter occasionally highlights a commonly asked question. This edition’s timely topic is below.

Question: Are districts required to report grade 7 reading instrument results?

Answer: TEC §28.006 (d)(2) requires that local education agencies (LEAs) provide parents with a report in writing with the results of the reading instrument. This report must be shared with the parents no later than 60 calendar days after the date on which the reading instrument was administered to the student.

LEAs are not required to report the results of the grade 7 reading instruments to TEA.

For additional information, please visit the Grade 7 Reading Instruments web page.

In this workshop, Elementary Teachers (Grades 3-5) will work on understanding the details of upcoming units' content and instruction: Opinion and Argument.

During this workshop, participants will:

• Analyze and Understand the upcoming units' High Priority Standards,
• Make Instructional Decisions based on STAAR-Released Question Structures,
• Review, and Plan for, Instructional Practice geared for student success on STAAR 2.0 Items,
• Incorporate Effective, Reciprocal Reading and Writing Strategies into Instruction, and
• Extend the learning for your high achievers.

November 5, 2024

Click Here to Register

In this workshop, Secondary Teachers (Grades 6-12) will work on understanding the details of upcoming units' content and instruction: Multiple Genre Connections.

During this workshop, participants will:

• Analyze and Understand the upcoming units' High Priority Standards,
• Make Instructional Decisions based on STAAR-Released Question Structures,
• Review, and Plan for, Instructional Practice geared for student success on STAAR 2.0 Items,
• Incorporate Effective, Reciprocal Reading and Writing Strategies into Instruction, and
• Extend the learning for your high achievers.

November 7, 2024

Click Here to Register

In this workshop, Elementary Teachers (Grades 3-5) will work on understanding the details of upcoming units' content and instruction: Genre-Connections.

During this workshop, participants will:

• Analyze and Understand the upcoming units' High Priority Standards,
• Make Instructional Decisions based on STAAR-Released Question Structures,
• Review, and Plan for, Instructional Practice geared for student success on STAAR 2.0 Items,
• Incorporate Effective, Reciprocal Reading and Writing Strategies into Instruction, and
• Extend the learning for your high achievers.

December 3, 2024

Click Here to Register

Texas students have experienced academic growth post-pandemic, but learning acceleration is still critically needed. Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0211 requires that students not receiving approaches or higher on STAAR grades 3 through 8 or End of Course (EOC) assessments receive accelerated instruction. House Bill (HB) 1416, 88(R), provides that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) shall approve automated, computerized, or other augmented method products for providing accelerated instruction that may waive the statutorily required 4 to 1 student-to-tutor ratio.

The HB 1416 Ratio Waiver List consists of approved products that may be used to waive this ratio requirement. School systems may use any curricular tool they choose to support accelerated instruction, but only products approved through this list qualify for the waiver of the 4 to 1 student-to-tutor ratio.

Click Here to Read TEA's HB 1416 Overview

Did you know? The STAAR Assessment is online and students, starting in 3rd Grade, have to type their Short-Constructed Responses and Extended-Constructed Responses with a KEYBOARD? All Across Texas little fingers are poised above a QWERTY-board. Searching, searching... Peck! Searching, searching... Peck! It's enough to make a Reading Language Arts Teacher read a blog!

TCEA's Sara Reed has shared an excellent blog in this month's technotes. I urge you to check it out: How to Teach Typing in Upper Elementary and Middle School.

Poets.org is produced by the Academy of American Poets, a nonprofit charitable organization. The site was launched in 1996, becoming the first online resource for poems, poets’ biographies, essays about poetry, and materials for K–12 teachers.

Looking for something to bring into your classroom reading that's suspenseful, informational, chilling, and educational? CommonLit's Spooky Stories for October Collection may be exactly what you need this month!

Click Here to View the Collection

SchoolAI has created and shared some fun Halloween Acitivities! Great to get the students involved in thinking, speaking, writing, inferring, and more.

Halloween Party Escape Room: This activity is tailored to suit different grade levels. It immerses studnets in a spooky haunted house scenario where they must solve riddles and interpret vocabulary words to proceed.

Monster Adjectives: Students will learn about adjectives and how to use them effectively to describe

a monster they're creating in this Space.

History of Halloween: Perfect for secondary students, this Space provides an immersive experience that combines education with a touch of eerie fun.

For more information and to view these resources, go to: TEA-STAAR Reading Resources

To make more room on this Smore, the downloadable and editable resources can be found at the Reading Language Arts Resources Smore.

TexQuest is a statewide digital resources program that provides anytime, anywhere access to high quality, authoritative digital resources to all educators, students, and students' immediate families in Texas K-12 public schools and open enrollment charter schools. Supported, in part, by appropriations from the Texas State Legislature, Texas districts pay a small per student participation fee to gain access to TexQuest resources from the providers listed on this page.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission administers all aspects of the TexQuest program and is responsible for the selection and coordination of all TexQuest resources, as well as district invoicing.

If you are unsure if your district takes part in the TexQuest, contact Julie Rogers at jrogers@esc17.net.

3-12 Reading Language Arts Specialist

Email: jlafuente@esc17.net
Website: Region 17 Reading Language Arts
Location: 1111 West Loop 289, Lubbock, TX, USA
Phone: (806)281-5878
Twitter: @JerardL