2 Texas Middle School Fluency Assessment: Administering and Interpreting Results
This binder details how to score and interpret the results of the Texas Middle School Fluency Assessment (TMSFA). This course is Unit 4 of the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academy (TALA). These materials are available for view only; no credit or certificate is provided.
Uncovering Tone in Poetry
Students will interpret the tone of a poem, cite text evidence to justify their response, and research a synonym for the word they chose to expand their understanding of Tier 2 vocabulary.
Teacher introducing the poem
Syntax Shuffle
Students will analyze one of four ways to incorporate grammar and syntax into their everyday language through the use of technological instruction. Once students have comprehended their grammatical type, they will practice among their peers to master and share the lesson (grammar rule) in a Jigsaw activity.
Demonstration and Analysis of Dihybrid Crosses
The students will review related vocabulary, watch the teacher model a dihybrid cross, and then perform a dihybrid cross and answer questions about the outcomes with a partner.
Summarizing as a Reading Strategy
Students work collaboratively using reading and comprehension skills to demonstrate their mastery of summarizing a text or piece of literature.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Vertical Alignment
Click below to learn about the TEKS related to the unit and Research Lesson. The highlighted student expectation(s) is the chosen focus for the Research Lesson.
Types of Science Investigations
Students will distinguish between descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations.
Experimental Design
Given investigation scenarios and lab procedures, students will identify independent variables, dependent variables, constants, and control groups.
Exploring Identity and Diving Deep into the Complex Meaning of Poetry
This lesson is designed to teach students to make complex inferences, choose specific text evidence that strongly supports the inference, and develop a coherent explanation of how the evidence strongly supports the validity of the idea within the genre of poetry.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Related to the Unit
Click below to learn about the TEKS related to this unit.
Disruptions of the Cell Cycle: Cancer
Given illustrations or descriptions, students will identify disruptions of the cell cycle that lead to diseases such as cancer.
Mechanisms of Genetics: DNA Changes
Given illustrations or partial DNA sequences, students will identify changes in DNA and the significance of these changes.
Taxonomy Standards
Given examples, students will recognize the importance of taxonomy to the scientific community.
Taxonomy: Major Groups
Given illustrations or descriptions, students will determine the classification of organisms into domains and kingdoms.
Homeostasis: Ecological Systems
Given images, videos, or scenarios, identify and describe the responses of organisms, populations, and communities to various changes in their external environment.
Biological Systems: Homeostasis
Identify and describe internal feedback mechanisms involved in maintaining homeostasis given scenarios, illustrations, or descriptions.
Relationships Between Organisms: Food Chains, Webs, and Pyramids
Given illustrations, students will analyze the flow of matter and energy in food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramids.
Organisms' Adaptations
Given scenarios, illustrations. or descriptions, the student will compare variations and adaptations of organisms in different ecosystems.
Theories
Given laboratory investigation scenarios, students will distinguish between scientific hypotheses and scientific theories.