Author’s Purpose: Reading for Meaning
In this lesson, students use text evidence and background knowledge to generate and evaluate inferences about the author's purpose for specific sections of a passage as well as the entire passage. The lesson is designed with English learners (ELs) and students from families that speak nonstandard dialects of English in mind. The lesson provides scaffolded instruction through the use of strategies designed to make input comprehensible: visuals, graphic organizers, sentence frames, hand gestures, and collaborative learning.
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.
Who Ate More - Fractions on a Number Line
In this activity, students will consider a real-world scenario requiring them to compare two fractional amounts using a number line. Through the use of the number line and peer collaboration, students will recognize equivalency in the two fractional quantities and effectively communicate their understanding of this concept.
The Write Way
Students will use a graphic organizer to draft the introduction paragraph of their expository essays.
The Bucket Brigade
In this lesson, students rotate to various learning stations and work with a partner to complete tasks that require them to generate inferences, infer the theme of short reading passages, write personal narratives or stories that exemplify a selected theme, and develop Tier Two high utility vocabulary. The lesson incorporates best practices for English learners (ELs) and at-risk students such as the use of collaborative learning, graphic organizers, anchor charts, and technology applications.
Analyzing and Using Organizational Patterns
Students used organizational patterns (compare and contrast, argumentative, cause and effect, problem and solution, chronological) to create anchor charts. Students then worked in groups to analyze text and plan a composition, using the anchor charts to complete the tasks. Ultimately, students created a plan from a self-generated topic to demonstrate an understanding of the use of organizational patterns.
Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences With Expository Text
Third grade students will identify and discuss facts and details from expository text and draw conclusions using textual evidence in learning stations.
Word problems, models and more!
The students will engage in group activities to solve word problems with and without models as well as writing equations.
What’s Your Feature?
Students will learn how to use text features to locate information and verify answers within an expository text.
Crime Scene Two Steppers: Two-step word problems using multiplication and division
Students will collaboratively solve two-step real-world word multiplication and division problems by using a checklist. Students will also solve a two-step word problem by completing a hands-on group activity.
Colorful Fractions
Students will represent fractions in multiple ways, such as pattern blocks, fraction strips, and number lines.
Which Organizational Pattern Is It?
Students will read a text, identify its organizational pattern, highlight signal words, create a visual representation/graphic organizer, and present to the class.
Students during Task
Syncing with Inferences
In this lesson, students integrate relevant text evidence and background knowledge to generate valid inferences when reading a historical fiction text. The lesson was designed with English learners in mind, so it includes instructional strategies designed to make linguistic and content input comprehensible: a focus on vocabulary, visuals, cooperative learning, anchor charts, graphic organizers, and sentence stems/frames.
Bulldogs “Paws” for a Good Summary
This lesson helps students summarize information in expository text using logical order. The lesson begins with students using a T-chart to categorize information as they summarize a text. By the end of the lesson, students will independently summarize information. As students transition through activities in the lesson, they will work both in groups and independently using a variety of best practices and a checklist to heighten intrinsic motivation, increasing chances for success.
The Great Classroom Escape
Students will work collaboratively to solve six real-world multiplication problems and earn puzzle pieces they can put together to reveal a phone number they can call to escape the classroom.
Students working together
What Can You Infer?
Students will learn how to use textual evidence to make inferences and to support their understanding.
Welcome to the Jungle!
This lesson offers an engaging format for fourth graders to spend time working with different cause-and-effect situations and text to help move them toward the objective of correctly identifying an implicit cause-and-effect relationship within a text.
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.
Finding Clues to Solve Equations and Inequalities
Students will solve one variable two-step equations and inequalities using a variety of materials while working independently and collaboratively in learning stations.
Text Features are a Bear
Students are expected to work with partners and then in groups to complete a text feature (scavenger) hunt activity using the same nonfiction text.
Strike a Pose
The students will solve two-step equations through modeling, expressing algebraically, and writing out the steps to their solutions.