Measuring Up to the TEKS Reading 3rd edition, Grade 2

Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include an explanation of the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., additional instruction and/or practice, targeted remediation or acceleration).

As explained in the Teacher Edition, the purpose of the program is to provide additional instruction and practice aligned to grade-level TEKS in vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension. The materials further clarify that the intention of the supplemental program is for use alongside a tier 1 core reading curriculum to reinforce and extend grade-level skills.

Additionally, a welcome letter in the materials reinforces the purpose of the program by explaining that it supports core reading instruction through TEKS-aligned practice in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The letter further explains that the materials allow flexible implementation, including whole-group instruction, small-group instruction, and targeted intervention, and provide educators with multiple ways to support student learning needs.

Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include guidance on how to appropriately use the supplemental program to support an existing core reading and language arts program.

In the Teacher Edition, the “Intentional Instructional Design” section provides explicit guidance on how educators can use the supplemental program alongside tier 1 reading instruction. The guidance states that the program aims to provide additional practice on grade-level TEKS and educators should use it to reinforce skills taught during core instruction. It directs educators to use tier 1 data to identify standards where students need additional support and to assign targeted supplemental lessons for pre-teaching, review, and spiraled practice.

Additionally, the materials present an “Implementation Model” section that outlines how educators implement the supplemental program within different instructional settings such as whole-class instruction, small-group instruction, and tier 2 intervention. The materials also provide specific guidance for emergent bilingual (EB) students and striving readers. These examples guide educators in integrating the supplemental materials during small-group instruction, intervention time, and “Independent Practice,” ensuring the program supports, rather than replaces, tier 1 instruction.

Evaluation for 1.1c
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining student expectations, skills taught, and a rationale for the design of the scope and sequence.

The scope and sequence outlines the skills reinforced in each unit and provides a structured overview of how student expectations progress over time. Additionally, the Teacher Edition includes explicit guidance regarding how educators should interpret and use the scope and sequence, reinforcing instructional planning and implementation decisions.

The materials also provide a rationale for the design of the scope and sequence. The materials explain that the sequence of units first aims to develop key vocabulary and comprehension skills before requiring students to apply those skills within connected-text reading and response tasks. The materials explain that students will encounter vocabulary and comprehension before connected-text application tasks, moving students from discrete skill acquisition to authentic application aligned with grade-level standards. As a result, the scope and sequence not only identifies what students learn but also helps educators understand how instructional skills build across units to support mastery of TEKS-aligned literacy expectations and long-term student growth.

Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include guidance on time requirements (e.g., duration, frequency) and suggested pacing for effective implementation.

The Teacher Edition specifies lesson and unit durations such as minutes per lesson and estimated time per unit to help educators plan instruction. A visual table summarizes units and components with estimated completion times, so educators can anticipate the program’s time demands. For example, unit 1 includes four lessons, a fluency check, independent reading, and “Building Stamina.” The table notes an estimated four to five instructional hours for unit 1 completed over two weeks at three sessions per week or three to four weeks at two sessions per week.

The materials offer suggested pacing to support implementation. In the Teacher Edition, the “Time Requirements and Suggested Pacing” section lists estimated completion times for each unit. For example, unit 2 consists of six lessons, a fluency check, and stamina-building activities. The program recommends pacing unit 2 at three lessons per week for three weeks or two lessons per week for four to five weeks. Each unit’s section includes a suggested schedule with time increments for each lesson block, giving educators clear timelines for lessons and units.

Evaluation for 1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance to support educators with implementing the materials as designed.

The Teacher Edition provides structured support and explicit guidance to support implementation as designed. Resources such as “Supports for All Learners” and “Types of Embedded Supports (Icons & Purpose)” explain how educators can address learner variability. A reference table pairs icons with descriptions of supports for language access, scaffolding, educator decision-making, and extension activities, helping educators quickly identify and apply instructional supports. The guidance also explains instructional strategies and identifies the locations of educator and student resources throughout the program.

The “Unit 2 Comprehension Strategies” overview offers explicit direction for instructional delivery. The “How to Teach This Unit” section presents clearly defined best practices, including teaching lessons in a specific sequence to build comprehension skills, maintaining consistent habit prompts to support active monitoring, requiring students to name strategies and provide evidence during guided practice, and using suggested delivery models. These step-by-step expectations provide guidance for instructional delivery, including lesson sequencing, habit prompts, strategy naming with evidence-based responses, and recommended whole-group, small-group, and independent instructional structures.

Evaluation for 1.1f
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.

The materials include supports for families in both English and Spanish, with suggestions for supporting student progress through “Unit Family Letters” provided at the beginning of each unit. For example, the “Unit 1 Family Letter” explains that students will build vocabulary skills to support reading comprehension and meaning-making. The letter includes a “Words Your Child Will Learn About” section that provides unit vocabulary and definitions. Additionally, the “How You Can Help at Home” section includes specific, actionable strategies to support student progress. For example, the letter encourages families to engage students in a word game by identifying synonyms or antonyms for familiar words and provides conversation starters to support vocabulary development at home.

In the Teacher Edition, the “Family & Student Communications” section includes additional family supports in English and Spanish. This section explains that the Student Edition includes program and chapter family letters in both languages. The letters introduce families to Measuring Up to the TEKS Reading 3rd edition, outline what students will learn, and explain how the program supports readiness for STAAR.

Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include appropriate instructional assessments for the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., diagnostic placement assessments for targeted remediation or acceleration).

The supplemental program includes formative and summative assessments integrated throughout the instructional sequence to support additional instruction and practice aligned to grade-level TEKS. In “Assessment & Progress Monitoring,” the “Assessment Framework Overview” explains that the assessments monitor student mastery and inform instructional next steps. The materials state that each assessment type serves a defined instructional purpose and informs instructional next steps. “Types of Assessments & Intended Purpose” identifies embedded formative assessments, including “Lesson: Practice,” “Lesson: Assessment,” “Lesson: Exit Ticket,” and “Unit Fluency Check.” For example, “Lesson: Assessment” serves as a lesson-level checkpoint administered after guided practice. The guidance directs educators to monitor misconceptions and prompt students to justify responses using textual evidence, supporting instructional decision-making and targeted intervention.

The materials include summative assessments designed to evaluate students’ application of grade-level TEKS. The assessment framework identifies “Unit Building Stamina” and “Full-Length Practice Test” assessments as summative measures that educators administer after students complete instruction and practice with unit content. For example, each “Unit Building Stamina” assessment requires students to independently apply comprehension skills through multiple-choice and written-response items aligned to the unit’s instructional focus. In unit 4, students demonstrate understanding of informational and persuasive texts through selected-response and open-ended questions. The Teacher Edition provides answer rationales and sample responses to support consistent evaluation of student performance.

Evaluation for 2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the instructional assessments included.

In “Assessment & Progress Monitoring,” the “Types of Assessments & Intended Purpose” chart defines each assessment type and explains its instructional purpose. For example, the chart states that the formative assessment “serves as the primary lesson-level formative checkpoint of TEKS-aligned mastery for the specific lesson objective.” The materials provide similar definitions and purposes for formative, summative, and benchmark assessments. These descriptions support educators in understanding how they can use each assessment type to monitor student progress, identify learning needs, and inform instructional decisions.

At the beginning of each unit, the materials include a “Unit Summary” that provides an overview of the assessments embedded in the unit and explains how to use student responses to identify learning breakdowns and determine appropriate instructional next steps. For example, the unit 2 “Unit Summary” explains that the unit includes multiple embedded assessment opportunities throughout each lesson, including “Guided Questions,” “Independent Practice,” “Practice,” “Assessment,” “Exit Tickets,” and “How Am I Doing?” activities. Additionally, the “Unit Practice Test” gives students opportunities to independently apply comprehension strategies.

Evaluation for 2.1c
For instructional assessments administered by educators, materials include guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.

The “Assessment Administration Guidelines” provides specific procedures for administering assessments throughout the program. The guidelines identify when educators should administer assessments, including lesson-level formative assessments following instruction, “Unit Building Stamina” assessments at the conclusion of each unit, and “Full-Length Practice Tests” at designated checkpoints throughout the program. The materials also establish administration expectations by specifying that students complete assessments independently unless otherwise noted, educators should not pre-teach assessment items, and students may use only the supports identified within the assessment directions. Additionally, the materials provide recommended administration times for each assessment type.

The materials support consistent implementation through assessment-specific administration guidance. “Assessment in Unit 1” explains that the unit includes embedded assessment opportunities within “Guided Questions,” “Independent Practice,” “Practice,” “Assessment,” “Exit Tickets,” and “How Am I Doing?” activities, as well as a “Unit Building Stamina” assessment for independent application of skills. The guidance explains when each assessment should occur within the instructional sequence and how educators should monitor student performance throughout the unit.

Evaluation for 2.1d
Instructional assessments include items at varying levels of complexity.

“Assessment Rigor and Item Variety” states that assessment tasks increase in complexity as students progress from vocabulary recognition and skill identification to application within connected texts and extended responses aligned to grade-level TEKS. The materials also include a variety of item types, including selected-response and constructed-response questions, that require students to demonstrate understanding at multiple DOK levels.

The assessments require students to apply skills across increasingly complex reading tasks. For example, students respond to questions that require them to identify vocabulary meanings and comprehension strategies, explain how textual evidence supports a response, and evaluate when they need additional sources to deepen their understanding of a text. The materials also include extended-response items that require students to analyze texts and justify responses using evidence. Furthermore, “Unit Building Stamina” assessments require students to independently apply vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension skills across longer passages and multiple item types.

Evaluation for 2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.

The unit 1 “Scoring the Third Read” wraparound directs educators to use the “Fluency Rubric and Fluency Practice Tracker” to evaluate student fluency performance. The guidance includes criteria for assessing rate, accuracy, and expression and instructs educators to record miscues and limit prompting during the scored read. These tools support the consistent evaluation of student performance and help educators identify specific areas that require additional instruction or practice.

Additionally, the “Grade 2 Extended Constructed Response Rubric” provides scoring guidance to support the interpretation of student performance on written responses. The rubric includes explicit criteria for understanding of the text, response to the prompt, use of textual evidence, and explanation. Performance descriptors for scores ranging from 0 to 4 define expectations at each proficiency level, enabling educators to distinguish varying levels of student mastery. The accompanying “Scoring Guidance” section explains how to apply best-fit scoring and how to evaluate responses that are off-topic, incomplete, or copied from the text.

Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of the supplemental program to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.

In the “Using Assessment Data” section, the materials explain that educators can use assessment results to inform instructional decisions, identify patterns in student performance, and determine appropriate reteach, reinforcement, or extension opportunities. The guidance directs educators to review lesson-level assessment results to identify misconceptions before progressing to new content, analyze “Unit Building Stamina” results to determine strengths and areas requiring additional support, and use “Full-Length Practice Test” results to monitor cumulative growth and adjust instruction as needed. The materials also connect assessment results to embedded instructional supports, including “Tiered Instructional Support,” small-group practice suggestions, and targeted reinforcement activities. These resources provide educators with specific guidance for responding to student performance trends through remediation, reinforcement, and acceleration.

The “Assessment in Unit 1” overview provides assessment-driven instructional responses tied to student performance. The guidance explains that educators should analyze student responses from “Guided Questions,” “Independent Practice,” “Assessments,” “Exit Tickets,” and “Building Stamina” tasks to identify breakdowns in strategy use, including tool use, context use, word-part analysis, and selection of the meaning that best fits the text. The materials then provide targeted instructional next steps based on identified needs. For example, when students select the first or most familiar definition rather than the meaning supported by context, the materials direct educators to reteach the unit habit through think-alouds and guided examples. When students are unable to cite textual evidence, the materials instruct educators to model “Strategy + Evidence” using sentence frames and to require students to identify supporting evidence before responding.

Evaluation for 2.2c
Materials include tools for educators to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.

“Progress Monitoring Tools” provides several educator-facing resources for monitoring student progress and growth. For example, the Teacher Edition includes a TEKS-aligned “Tracking Chart” that allows educators to record lesson-level performance across units, identify patterns in student mastery, and document areas requiring additional instruction. Digital versions of the “Unit Building Stamina” assessments and “Full-Length Practice Tests” include TEKS-aligned reporting features that support monitoring student growth over time. The materials also include a “Unit Fluency Check” observation tracker for educators to record student accuracy, rate, and expression across repeated readings and monitor fluency development over time.

The “My Reading Skills Progress Chart” provides student-facing tools for tracking progress and growth across reading skills and assessments. Students record their level of understanding for each lesson using a 3-point scale and record the date completed and educator initials. The chart organizes skills by unit, allowing students to monitor their progress in vocabulary, comprehension strategies, literary texts, and informational and persuasive texts. Students also reflect on the skill they are proudest of and identify a skill they want to improve. Additionally, the “My Test Scores” section allows students to record scores and dates for each “Unit Building Stamina” assessment and “Practice Tests 1 and 2,” compare practice test performance, identify areas of strength, and reflect on their growth.

Evaluation for 2.2d
If applicable for the stated purpose of the supplemental program, materials include guidance for entry and exit criteria.

This guidance is not applicable to the program because the program has a stated purpose of additional instruction and/or practice, not targeted remediation or acceleration.

Evaluation for 3.1a
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills.

In the “Differentiation & Scaffolds” section, the materials explain that scaffolds reduce cognitive load and clarify complex thinking while maintaining the lesson objective and grade-level expectations. The guidance supports educator monitoring and reteach-or-release decisions, allowing educators to adjust instructional support based on student need. The materials identify oral rehearsal, structured partner work, sentence frames, and “Shared Access” supports as process scaffolds that increase access to grade-level content and promote student participation and understanding.

In “Unit 3: Literary Texts,” the “Implementation Guidance (for Use Alongside Tier 1)” and “Language and Access Support” sections provide additional guidance. The materials state that the educator may use “Guided Instruction” and “Independent Practice” for whole-group instruction, small-group reteach, or targeted support based on student need. Embedded supports, including visual modeling, structured partner work, sentence frames, and differentiated prompts, help educators adjust the level of support while maintaining the lesson objective. These supports provide multiple entry points for students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills while supporting their ability to analyze literary elements and use textual evidence to support responses.

Evaluation for 3.1b
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.

In the Teacher Edition, the “Supports for All Learners and Types of Embedded Supports” section includes educator guidance for differentiated instruction for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills. The section provides an overview of embedded supports and includes a table that identifies support icons, their purposes, and examples educators may see throughout the materials. Supports identified include EB, struggling learner (SL), instructional guidance (IG), EB and SL shared access, and advanced learner (AL) supports, which guide educators in differentiating instructional delivery and learning opportunities to meet diverse student needs, including students demonstrating proficiency.

In the “AL | Challenge” section, the materials direct educators to extend learning by having students make a new inference using a chart and combine textual evidence with prior knowledge. The guidance also instructs educators to ask students to explain how a piece of evidence supports their inference and to reflect on how the strategy helped them answer questions not stated directly in the text. These extension activities increase the rigor of both the process and output of the task by requiring students to apply skills in a more complex context, justify their thinking with evidence, and engage in metacognitive reflection. This guidance supports educators in providing meaningful extensions for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.

Evaluation for 3.1c
Materials include educator guidance for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) for students receiving supports and services through special education.

The “Guidance for Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)” guides educators in adapting content, methodology, and instructional delivery for students receiving special education services through an individualized education program (IEP). The guidance distinguishes SDI from scaffolds, accommodations, modifications, and interventions and explains that SDI addresses disability-related needs and supports progress toward IEP goals. The materials provide specific strategies for addressing learning barriers, including pre-teaching, explicit modeling, strategy isolation, structured error correction, adjusted grouping and scheduling, varied response modes, and adjusted assessment conditions. A side-by-side lesson example demonstrates how educators can individualize instruction based on student needs while maintaining grade-level TEKS expectations and monitoring progress toward IEP goals.

“Support for Students with Disabilities” provides oral rehearsal, structured partner work, sentence frames, and opportunities for oral processing before independent work. These supports supplement the educator guidance for providing SDI to students receiving special education services.

Evaluation for 3.2a
Educator-led supplemental programs include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the skill(s) to be learned.

In the Teacher Edition, the “Teacher Lesson Sequence” section provides support, including explicit educator prompts and guidance for modeling and explaining lesson concepts. Throughout the lesson activities, the materials provide direct instructional language such as “Explain that,” “Ask,” and “Guide students to understand” to support educators in introducing concepts, facilitating discussions, and guiding student understanding. For example, activity 3 directs educators to explain the purpose of a glossary, to ask students to compare glossaries and dictionaries, and to guide students in understanding how the two resources differ. These supports provide explicit facilitation guidance and instructional prompts that help educators model and explain the skills and concepts they are teaching.

The materials include guidance to help educators model and explain the skills students will learn. For example, activity 2 provides step-by-step instructions that guide educators in teaching students how pronouns signal first- and third-person points of view. The lesson includes scripted explanations such as “Some pronouns tell us that the narrator is IN the story” and “Other pronouns tell us the narrator is OUTSIDE the story,” helping educators clearly explain the concept. The materials also include specific modeling prompts such as holding up the pronoun I and asking, “If I say ‘I went to the park,’ am I telling about ME or about someone else?” before explicitly explaining that I indicates a first-person point of view. The materials provide a similar modeling example for the pronoun she to demonstrate a third-person point of view. Additionally, the activity directs educators to sort pronouns with students, discuss each example, and provide guided practice through sentence analysis.

Evaluation for 3.2b
Educator-led supplemental programs include educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.

The Teacher Edition provides implementation support through the “What’s Inside the Teacher Edition” section, which outlines instructional components designed to support lesson facilitation. In addition, the materials provide educators with pacing recommendations, discussion prompts, instructional notes, support for addressing misconceptions, and differentiated scaffolds. Lessons incorporate a variety of instructional approaches, including partner discussions, collaborative conversations, whole-class discussions, small-group activities, “Independent Practice,” and class-created visual supports. These provide educators with multiple methods for engaging students in learning.

The materials also demonstrate effective lesson delivery through activities that incorporate varied instructional approaches. In activity 1, educators facilitate student discourse by asking, “Why might we read this book?” and directing students to discuss the purpose of a favorite book with a partner before contributing to a class-created anchor chart. In activity 2, students create visual representations of a descriptive passage and explain their thinking, while educators guide a discussion on how visualization supports comprehension. Activity 3 incorporates partner collaboration, discussion, and visual representations as students share and discuss their drawings. Each activity includes lesson objectives, materials lists, educator prompts, discussion questions, and step-by-step facilitation guidance.

Evaluation for 3.2c
Materials include guidance for educators on recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.

The Teacher Edition provides instructional support in the unit 1 overview, specifically in the “How to Teach This Unit” section, which offers guidance on the recommended lesson sequence and instructional structures. The materials indicate that educators should teach lessons 1–3 in order, and the materials provide recommendations for implementing instruction through various delivery models. For example, the Teacher Edition directs educators to teach core lessons in a whole-group setting, use “Guided Instruction” and “Independent Practice” for small-group reteach or extension opportunities, and incorporate fluency practice and independent reading activities for independent or partner work.

The materials include educator-facing guidance on recommended instructional structures, including whole-group, small-group, partner, and individual settings, to support effective lesson implementation. The “How to Teach This Unit” section provides explicit delivery recommendations, stating that educators should teach the lesson routine in a whole-group setting, use “Guided Instruction” and “Independent Practice” for small-group reteach or extension, and revisit unit vocabulary and routines during independent reading and partner discussions. The “Time Requirements and Suggested Pacing” section further supports implementation by providing scheduling options for full-class instruction, reinforcement sessions, independent fluency, and reading practice.

Evaluation for 3.3a
Materials include educator 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.

In unit 1, lesson 1, the “EB | Access and Language” section provides differentiated linguistic accommodations for EB students at varying levels of English language proficiency. For beginning and intermediate students, the materials direct educators to preview lesson-specific vocabulary; use visuals, gestures, modeling, and think-alouds; and provide opportunities for partner discussions and home-language clarification. Students point to words or pictures, repeat vocabulary, identify context clues, and explain ideas using words and short phrases. For advanced students, the materials increase linguistic expectations by prompting students to explain when to use a dictionary versus a glossary and describe how these tools support independent reading. Students use complete sentences and content-specific vocabulary to communicate their understanding.

Additional linguistic accommodations appear throughout the lesson. The materials direct educators to model how context clues help determine word meaning and provide structured opportunities for discussion and vocabulary development. Beginning and intermediate students identify context clues using words and short phrases, while advanced students explain how context clues determine meaning and compare how clues function within and across sentences. These accommodations support students’ listening, speaking, reading, and academic language development through progressively more sophisticated language expectations aligned to students’ levels of English language proficiency.

Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.

“Support for All Learners” provides EB supports that promote language and vocabulary development through structured talk, sentence frames, oral rehearsal, and supports embedded throughout lessons. For example, the unit 1 “Language and Access Support” section provides Spanish cognates, visual modeling of vocabulary strategies, structured partner discussions, sentence frames for “Strategy + Evidence” responses, and differentiated prompts based on students’ language proficiency levels. Educators can use these supports during whole-group instruction or small-group intervention to reinforce academic language development and provide access to grade-level content.

“Implementation in State-Approved Bilingual and ESL Programs” provides guidance for implementing the materials within all six state-approved bilingual and ESL program models. The guidance addresses lesson placement, pacing, instructional components to emphasize, language of instruction, educator roles, and progress monitoring. The materials provide model-specific guidance for transitional bilingual, dual language immersion (DLI), content-based ESL, and ESL pull-out programs, including guidance for language separation, cross-linguistic connections, linguistic accommodations, and coordination across instructional settings. The materials also guide educators in using “Spanish Connections,” sentence frames, oral rehearsal, partner talk, and progress monitoring tools to support EB students.

Evaluation for 3.3c
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.

This guidance is not applicable because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.

Evaluation for 5.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on specific vocabulary using multiple strategies for teaching word meaning (e.g., student-friendly definitions, synonyms and antonyms, examples and non-examples, categorization and classification, images).

In the Teacher Edition, unit 1, lesson 3, the “Understand the TEKS” section provides student-friendly definitions of affix, prefix, and suffix and guides students to analyze how affixes change word meanings. For example, students explain how adding the prefix un- changes the meaning of happy and discuss how the suffixes -ful and -less change the meanings of helpful and helpless. Students apply their understanding by completing activities, writing sentences with derived words, and explaining how affixes affect meaning. Additionally, in unit 1, the “Unit 1-at-a-Glance” section directs educators to model the use of context clues, reference tools, word parts, and semantic relationships, including synonyms and antonyms, to determine word meaning.

In lesson 4, students receive direct instruction on synonyms and antonyms through student-friendly definitions such as “A synonym is a word that means the same as another word” and “Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings.” The lesson includes paired examples, such as happy/glad, little/small, and happy/sad, and students generate additional examples and use the words in sentences. The materials also provide explicit instruction on homographs using words such as right, left, and train to demonstrate how the same spelling can have different meanings depending on context. Additionally, educators introduce idioms such as get cold feet and in hot water and guide students to explain why a literal interpretation does not make sense before restating the figurative meaning in their own words.

Evaluation for 5.1b
Specific vocabulary selected for explicit (direct) instruction includes high-utility tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary.

The vocabulary selected for explicit instruction includes both high-utility academic vocabulary and discipline-specific academic vocabulary. The unit 1, lesson 1 “Words to Know” section explicitly teaches students literacy terms, including dictionary, digital dictionary, guide word, entry, and glossary. These terms represent tier 3 academic vocabulary that is specific to vocabulary development and reference tools. The lesson objective and instructional activities also emphasize tier 2 academic vocabulary such as determine, meaning, pronunciation, resources, and unknown, which are high-utility words that transfer across content areas and academic tasks. Throughout the lesson, students use and discuss these terms as they learn to determine word meanings using print and digital resources. ​

Additional evidence of explicit instruction for both tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary appears in unit 4, lesson 24, the “Understand the TEKS” section. This section introduces vocabulary associated with multimodal and digital texts, including multimodal text, digital text, technology, characteristics, and elements. Educator guidance provides explanations, examples, and discussion prompts to support student understanding of the terms and address potential misconceptions. The materials instruct educators to guide students to distinguish between different types of texts and media while applying newly introduced vocabulary during discussion and lesson activities. The vocabulary selected for instruction includes content-specific terminology related to media and text formats as well as academic language used across content areas.

Evaluation for 5.1c
Materials include repeated opportunities for students to practice using specific vocabulary in multiple contexts.

In the unit 2 “Fluency Practice” lesson, students first engage with targeted vocabulary words such as library, librarian, quietly, carpet, questions, character, problem, and learning through a word list warm-up, repeated oral reading, and discussion prompts tied to the passage. Students then revisit vocabulary during first, second, and third reads; partner reading; listening activities; and written reflection questions that require them to explain understanding and identify strategies used to determine word meanings. Vocabulary practice continues in the “Building Stamina” section through an extended reading passage titled “Stinky Treasure,” in which students encounter and apply vocabulary repeatedly in context while reading independently. Students revisit word meanings through comprehension questions, evidence-based responses, and educator-facilitated review of answers.

Additional repeated opportunities for students to practice using specific vocabulary in multiple contexts appears in the unit 4 “Fluency Practice” lesson. Students first practice target vocabulary words such as windy, lifted, excited, rose, twirled, dismay, quickly, and tomorrow by reading the words aloud multiple times. Students then encounter and apply these same words within the connected literary text “Flying High,” followed by repeated readings of selected sentences and the full passage during whisper reads, partner reads, and a third read focused on smoothness and expression. Students revisit the vocabulary during post-reading discussions by identifying story events, visualizing scenes, and reading portions of the text with expression. Additionally, the materials extend vocabulary practice through the “Building Stamina” activities, where students apply vocabulary knowledge in a new literary text, “Trout Are Swirling.”

Evaluation for 5.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

Lesson 3 introduces prefixes such as dis-, re-, and un- and models how affixes change word meanings (e.g., happy → unhappy; do → redo). The lesson also teaches students suffix meanings and spelling changes when adding affixes (e.g., angry/angrily and love/lovable). Guided practice requires students to analyze words by combining base words and affixes to determine meaning such as helpful (help + ful) and helpless (help + less) and to explain how the affixes affect the meaning of the base word. Students then apply morphemic analysis independently by completing word-building and meaning tasks, including identifying comparative and superlative suffixes (bigger, coldest, older), selecting correct affixed forms, and using newly formed words in sentences. ​

Additionally, explicit instruction on using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning appears in unit 1, lesson 3, in which the “Lesson Planner” identifies the learning objective as having students determine the meanings of words with affixes such as un-, re-, -ly, -er, -est, and ion/-tion/-sion and use them appropriately. The materials explicitly define key terms, including affixes (prefixes and suffixes), and explain that affixes change a word’s meaning. The “Activate Prior Knowledge” section provides direct educator guidance for modeling how adding suffixes to base words creates new words and changes meaning, including directions for students to read, use, and discuss newly formed words in sentences.

Evaluation for 5.2b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

In the independent reading selection “The Story of the Big Yellow Bird,” students encounter affixed words such as gently, started, unfold, untangle, and rewind and use word parts to support comprehension. In the assessment, students apply morphemic analysis to determine meaning by identifying untangle as meaning “to remove knots” and selecting the prefix un- as the affix that changes fold to mean “the reverse of fold.” Students also analyze word meaning in context by determining that gently means “softly” in the passage. The lesson guidance reminds students that “prefixes and suffixes carry meaning and can help determine the meaning of unfamiliar words” and encourages them to break words into parts and confirm that the meaning fits the sentence or passage. The “Exit Ticket” provides additional practice with students using the suffixes -er and -est to compare ages with the words older and oldest and explain age order. The extension activity further requires students to create new words using prefixes and suffixes and explain how the word parts contribute to meaning.

In unit 1, lesson 3, the “Activate Prior Knowledge” section provides opportunities for students to practice morphemic analysis to determine word meaning. In this lesson, students build and analyze words by adding suffixes to base words, use the new words in sentences, and discuss how their meanings change. Throughout the lesson, students apply knowledge of prefixes and suffixes by explaining how affixes such as un-, re-, -ful, and -less change the meanings of base words. For example, students analyze how adding un- changes happy to unhappy and discuss how the suffixes -ful and -less change the meaning of help in words such as helpful and helpless. Students also practice determining the meanings of comparison suffixes -er and -est by identifying that -er means “more” and -est means “most” and then applying those meanings to complete sentences. Educator-guided discussions, sentence writing, and word-building activities require students to repeatedly use morphemic analysis to determine and explain word meanings.

Evaluation for 5.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

In lesson 2, the introduction directly explains that students will use context clues within and beyond a sentence to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. The educator guidance explicitly models the process by stating, “As you read, you will encounter new and unfamiliar words. Often, you can determine the meaning of those words by paying attention to the other words around the unfamiliar word.” The lesson further clarifies that students should look at the surrounding text for clues when they do not know a word’s meaning. This direct explanation and modeling of how to use surrounding words and sentences to infer the meaning of unknown vocabulary demonstrates explicit instruction in contextual analysis aligned to the grade-level TEKS.

Unit 1, lesson 2, activity 3 teaches students that context clues may appear in an entire sentence or surrounding sentences rather than in immediately adjacent words. The educator guidance provides direct explanations and models using context-rich sentences to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words such as famished, timid, sprinted, enormous, drowsy, fragile, and aroma. The materials instruct educators to explain that context clues help readers determine word meanings, to guide students in identifying the clues within and across sentences, and to have students use those clues to determine and discuss word meanings. The lesson concludes with explicit guidance that reinforces the idea that good readers use context clues in both the sentence containing the unfamiliar word and the surrounding sentences to understand new vocabulary.

Evaluation for 5.2d
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

In unit 1, lesson 2, students read the “Independent Practice” selection “Stoop Stories” and apply context clues to determine the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words. For example, students identify a sentence in which the word story has a different meaning than the word story used in the phrase “story porch.” Students also identify which word in the sentence “He jumped in that boat and started to row” provides a clue to the meaning of row. Additional questions require students to determine the meanings of the words fly and swallow by selecting sentences that demonstrate each word’s specific meaning in context.

In the unit 1, lesson 1 “Guided Instruction,” students read “From Pit to Pond” and analyze the multiple-meaning word spot. Students use surrounding context in paragraph 2 to determine whether spot means “place” or “stain” and justify which meaning best fits the sentence. The materials also direct students to highlight key words that support their thinking and discuss their responses with peers and the educator. Additionally, the “SL | Modeled Reading” guidance encourages students to use context clues, reread sentences when meaning is unclear, and consider which meaning makes sense in the text.

Evaluation for 6.1a
Materials include modeling of fluent reading (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).

In the “Fluency Practice lessons,” the Teacher Edition provides explicit directions for educators to model fluent reading before students read independently. The guidance instructs educators to first model a reading that is “word-by-word and expressionless” and then reread the passage smoothly with phrasing and expression, demonstrating appropriate fluency. The materials include connected grade-level passages for educators to model and provide guidance for supporting all three components of fluency. Specifically, the “Listen and Coach” section directs educators to monitor and address reading rate (“too fast/slow”), accuracy (miscues and word-reading errors), and prosody (flat, missing expression and improper phrasing).
The materials prompt educators to model fluent reading by encouraging students to “group those words together” and “make it sound like talking.” Additional guidance directs educators to reread sentences smoothly to restore meaning and to reteach after the scored read using expression that matches the text.

Across units 1–4, the materials provide educator guidance for modeling fluent reading that addresses rate, accuracy, and prosody. The “Listen and Coach” section directs educators to monitor reading behaviors such as reading too fast or too slow, word-by-word reading, flat or missing expression, and miscues or hesitations that disrupt meaning. The materials include specific coaching prompts such as “Try that sentence again smoothly,” “Group those words together,” and “Make it sound like talking” to support fluent reading. “Support as Needed” guides educators to model fluent reading when students experience difficulty. For example, educators model a sentence and have students echo read when phrasing breaks down, prompt students to reread and correct errors when accuracy breaks down, and model a conversational rate when pace is too fast or too slow.

Evaluation for 6.1b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with word lists, phrases/sentences, and connected texts.

In unit 1, lesson 3, “Fluency Practice,” students begin by reading a word list that includes vocabulary from the previous lesson and then apply those words in the connected text “Olivia and the Lost Puppy.” Fluency practice also includes reading phrases and sentences with attention to pacing, smoothness, and expression. Students then engage in multiple readings of the passage, including listening to an educator model, completing independent and partner readings, and rereading for expression. Text rereading, partner discussion, and independent reading offer additional opportunities for fluency development.

In the unit 4 “Fluency Practice,” students first practice reading a word list aloud multiple times, including words such as windy, lifted, excited, rose, twirled, dismay, quickly, and tomorrow. Students then practice reading individual sentences from the passage smoothly and with expression before reading the connected literary text “Flying High.” The materials provide multiple reading opportunities through a whisper read, partner read, and a third read focused on smoothness and expression. The “Building Stamina” section extends fluency practice by having students independently read longer connected literary texts such as “Trout Are Swirling” and apply reading skills during sustained reading.

Evaluation for 6.1c
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with a variety of grade-level texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The materials include literary and informational texts that support fluency practice in different genres. For example, unit 1 includes the narrative text “A Surprise Win,” and unit 3 includes the narrative text “Flying High.” Additional fluency practice occurs with informational texts, including “A Place Where Learning Grows” in unit 2 and “Caring for Your Hamster” in unit 4. Students engage in repeated reading of literary and informational texts throughout the fluency routine.

The student-facing “Independent Practice” selections provide opportunities for students to practice fluency using a variety of grade-level texts across multiple genres. These selections include literary texts such as “Fox and Bear and the Old Sayings” and “Stoop Stories”; informational texts such as “How We Measure Things” and “From Egg to Frog”; and persuasive texts such as “Kids Make a Big Difference.” Students engage with complete passages and apply reading skills through independent reading and response activities. The texts represent a range of purposes, structures, and topics while remaining appropriate for grade-level readers. Through repeated reading, “Independent Practice,” and engagement with a variety of text types and topics, students develop fluency skills using authentic grade-level texts representing multiple genres.

Evaluation for 6.1d
Materials include a variety of texts at different levels of complexity.

The materials include a variety of texts at different levels of complexity through fluency passages that vary in knowledge demands, vocabulary, syntax, and text structure. For example, “A Surprise Win” presents a familiar narrative about a neighborhood baseball game with straightforward chronological structure, everyday vocabulary, and simple sentence patterns. In contrast, “Flying High” includes more complex literary features such as dialogue, descriptive language, varied sentence structures, and nuanced character emotions, which require greater interpretation.

The materials also provide students with both informational and literary texts that vary in structure, vocabulary demands, and meaning-making requirements. Unit 1 provides an informational text “From Pit to Pond” in which students read a first-person narrative that includes multiple headings, domain-specific vocabulary such as spot, pit, blades, and banks, and a sequence of events describing how a construction site becomes a pond ecosystem. The text also requires students to use context clues to determine word meanings. In contrast, unit 3 provides a literary fable “The Fox and the Goat” that includes dialogue, figurative language, character motivations, and an implied theme reinforced by the moral “Look before you leap.” Understanding the fable requires students to analyze character actions and infer the lesson conveyed by the story.

Evaluation for 6.1e
Materials include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students on reading fluency (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).

In unit 1, the “Fluency Practice” lesson includes a “Listen and Coach” section that directs educators to monitor reading behaviors such as reading too fast or too slow, word-by-word reading, flat expression, and miscues that disrupt meaning. The materials provide specific feedback prompts, including “Try that sentence again smoothly,” “Group those words together,” and “Make it sound like talking.” In “Support as Needed,” educators receive actionable guidance based on student performance. For example, students reread and correct words when accuracy breaks down, and educators model a “just right” conversational rate when pacing is too fast or too slow. After the third read, educators use the “Fluency Rubric and Fluency Practice Tracker” to document miscues for follow-up and have students reread corrected sentences with appropriate expression.

Additional guidance for providing feedback on reading fluency appears in the units 1–4 “Fluency Practice” lessons. The “Listen and Coach” sections direct educators to monitor reading behaviors such as reading too fast or too slow, word-by-word reading, flat or missing expression, and miscues or hesitations that disrupt meaning. The materials provide specific feedback prompts, including “Try that sentence again smoothly,” “Group those words together,” and “Make it sound like talking.” In “Support as Needed,” educators receive actionable guidance based on student performance. For example, students reread and correct words when accuracy breaks down, echo read after educator modeling when phrasing breaks down, and reread at a modeled conversational pace when reading too fast or too slow.

Evaluation for 8.1a
[English reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational). [Spanish reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex authentic or transadapted Spanish texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational).

The instructional materials provide students with opportunities to read a variety of high-quality, grade-level texts during independent and guided reading activities. For example, students read “How We Measure Things,” an informational text that includes organized text structures, headings, and domain-specific vocabulary related to measurement concepts. Students also read “Howling at the Moon,” a folktale that incorporates dialogue, cultural elements, and vocabulary requiring students to apply comprehension strategies and make inferences about characters and events. The text selections are free of spelling and grammatical errors and provide opportunities for students to engage with a range of grade-level literary and informational texts. The educator guidance accompanying these texts supports students’ comprehension during reading activities.

Additional opportunities to read a variety of text types occur throughout the grade 2 materials. In unit 1, students read “Yo-Yo Trick #1: The Gravity Pull,” a procedural text that presents step-by-step directions supported by illustrations. In unit 2, students read “Up and Away!” an informational text about the Wright brothers that incorporates historical content, technical vocabulary, and chronological text structures. In unit 3, students read the fable “Chicken Little” and analyze character actions to determine the story’s lesson. In unit 4, lesson 24, students read “The Earth’s Climate in the Past,” an informational text that includes scientific concepts, graphics, and domain-specific vocabulary to explain long-term climate patterns. The materials also include independent reading selections such as “Kids Make a Big Difference,” an informational text with an organized structure and topic-specific vocabulary related to environmental stewardship, and “Farmyard Wedding,” a poem that uses rhyme, descriptive language, and imagery to convey a humorous story.

Evaluation for 8.1b
Materials include a variety of high-quality texts at different levels of complexity.

The instructional materials provide students with opportunities to engage with literary texts that vary in structure, content, and complexity. For example, in lesson 9, students read “Three Bits Better,” a narrative that requires them to make inferences using textual clues and evidence from across the story. Students draw conclusions about Granny Gert’s condition, Wagon Wheel’s intentions, and Granny Gert’s role as sheriff by synthesizing implicit details. Students also read “Hallie Is a Waitress,” a literary text that requires them to use textual evidence to infer character traits and relationships, drawing conclusions about Hallie’s kindness, patience, and interactions with others. The educator guidance accompanying these texts supports students’ comprehension and analysis.

In lesson 14, students read “Things Change,” a realistic fiction text that requires them to infer characters’ feelings and analyze how events influence their perspectives. Guided questions prompt students to summarize character growth and explain changes throughout the story. Students also read “The Sheep, the Lamb, the Wolf, and the Hare,” a folktale based on a traditional Tibetan story that asks students to interpret characters’ motivations, analyze problem-solving strategies, and examine cultural elements embedded in the narrative. These selections differ in genre, structure, knowledge demands, and inferential complexity, providing students with opportunities to engage with texts at varying levels of complexity.

Evaluation for 8.1c
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences.

The instructional materials provide students with opportunities to engage with texts that authentically reflect diverse backgrounds and experiences. For example, in lesson 12, students read “Howling at the Moon,” an Alaskan folktale based on the Yupik tradition. The text introduces students to cultural vocabulary such as waqaq, quyanaa, and mukluks and describes life on the tundra, providing authentic cultural context through its setting, characters, and traditions. The story follows a familiar folktale structure while encouraging students to consider themes of kindness and trust. The educator guidance accompanying the text supports students’ comprehension as they engage with a literary work that reflects a cultural perspective that may differ from their own.

In unit 4, students read “Chatty Birds,” an informational text that introduces birds from different parts of the world, including Australian budgies and Philippine blue-naped parrots. The text uses humor, dialogue, and engaging facts to build knowledge about global animal species. Students also read “A Time with Bears,” an adaptation of a traditional Penobscot story that introduces Indigenous storytelling traditions and cultural perspectives through the experiences of a boy adopted by a bear family. These texts expose students to diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives while providing engaging grade-level reading experiences.

Evaluation for 8.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge.

The Teacher Edition includes an “Activate Prior Knowledge” section that provides educators with activities designed to connect students’ prior experiences to lessons’ comprehension skills. For example, in unit 2, lesson 9, “Read Between the Lines,” students participate in the “Mystery Bag” activity, using familiar objects such as sunglasses, sunscreen, a beach ball, and a towel to make inferences based on clues and their own experiences. Students continue practicing by analyzing photographs, illustrations, and short read-aloud passages to identify clues and explain how their background knowledge supports their thinking. The educator connects these activities to the lesson objective by introducing the inference formula “Clues from what I see + What I already know = Inference” and explaining that readers combine clues with prior knowledge to make inferences and deepen comprehension.

The materials also activate background knowledge about the author’s purpose before instruction begins. For example, in the Teacher Edition, unit 4, lesson 19 directs educators to have students discuss familiar text types, including storybooks, recipes, informational books, advertisements, how-to guides, and poems, and explain why authors write each type of text. These prompts encourage students to draw on prior reading experiences to identify common author purposes, including entertaining, informing, explaining, describing, and persuading. Students then examine informational text features such as headings, bold words, captions, diagrams, and charts and discuss how these features support comprehension.

Evaluation for 8.2b
Materials include pre-teaching of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts.

“Preview Words: Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Before Reading” provides explicit guidance for pre-teaching unfamiliar vocabulary that may interfere with students’ comprehension of a text. The materials direct educators to introduce “Preview Words” immediately before reading using a consistent routine, “Say the word, provide a student-friendly definition, use the word in a sentence from the text, and check for understanding.” “Preview Words” lists accompany “Guided Instruction,” “Independent Practice,” and “Fluency Practice” texts and include unfamiliar nouns, domain-specific terms, and words whose meanings students cannot determine from context. The educator sidebars identify specific words to pre-teach before each text and provide definitions and “Quick Checks” that educators use to verify student understanding before reading.

The materials apply the “Preview Words” routine throughout lessons to pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary before students read texts. For example, in lesson 1, educators pre-teach backhoe, haul, roots, and bait before students read “From Pit to Pond.” In lesson 3, educators pre-teach festival, cheerful, thoughtful, and Vietnam before students read “The Story of the Big Yellow Bird.” Educators use “Quick Checks” that incorporate gestures, examples, and contrasting examples to verify students’ understanding of the vocabulary before reading.

Evaluation for 8.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine the word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Teacher Edition includes an “Understand the TEKS” section that provides educators with explicit instruction and modeling on contextual analysis to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. Unit 1, lesson 2 introduces context clues as the words and sentences surrounding an unfamiliar word that help readers determine meaning. The lesson models how to use surrounding words, synonyms, and illustrations to determine the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words. Students apply the strategy to additional examples such as bat. The educator connects these activities to the lesson objective by explaining that readers use textual and visual clues to understand unfamiliar words as they read.

The materials also provide explicit instruction in contextual analysis before students apply the skill independently. For example, in the Teacher Edition, unit 1, lesson 2 models how to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word using context clues. Students examine the sentence, “After the long ride, the horse was weary, or tired,” and the educator explains how the synonym tired and the phrase “after the long ride” provide clues to the meaning of weary. The lesson guides students to analyze surrounding words and sentences to infer meanings and demonstrates how readers use context to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.

Evaluation for 8.2d
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

Unit 1, lesson 2 features the literary text “Petunia’s Secret.” Students use context clues to determine the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words in the literary text. Guided questions direct students to examine surrounding words and sentences to interpret terms such as racket, saw, bark, and raise, as well as the phrase big fuss. “Critical Thinking” activities extend this practice, asking students to determine the meanings of words such as racket and pupil using context and to write sentences demonstrating their understanding. The lesson concludes with a reflection in which students explain how context clues support comprehension. The educator guidance supports students’ application of contextual analysis in connected grade-level texts.

The lesson includes a second literary text called “Stoop Stories.” Students identify clues to determine that row means to move a boat, analyze the meanings of words such as story and top, and use textual evidence to define buds and imagination. The lesson also guides students to use sentence context to determine the correct meanings of multiple-meaning words such as fly and swallow.

Evaluation for 8.3a
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) instruction on reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

In unit 2, the “How to Teach This Unit” section guides students through a progression of comprehension strategies, including setting a purpose for reading, making and revising predictions, asking and answering questions, identifying important information, making inferences, and synthesizing ideas across texts. The Teacher Edition includes prompts such as “What do you predict now?,” “What clue made you change your mind?,” and “What do you infer?” to support explicit comprehension instruction and discussion. The unit 2 scope and sequence organizes instruction across lessons 5–10 with lessons focused on specific comprehension skills. Students practice literal comprehension by identifying key details and answering text-based questions. In lesson 9, students practice inferential comprehension by using textual evidence and background knowledge to make inferences, and in lesson 10 students practice evaluative comprehension by synthesizing information and developing new understandings from texts.

Specific lessons further deepen students’ comprehension skills across multiple cognitive levels. In lesson 9, students learn to make inferences by combining textual clues with background knowledge and supporting conclusions with textual evidence. Educator-guided questions such as “What inference can you make?” and “What details support your inference?” promote evidence-based reasoning. In lesson 10, students develop evaluative comprehension skills by synthesizing information from texts and prior knowledge using synthesis charts to record new understandings. In lesson 12, students identify topics, themes, and key details in folktales, fables, and fairy tales and determine the moral or message of a text. The educator guidance throughout these lessons supports students’ development of literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension skills.

Evaluation for 8.3b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) with a variety of grade-level texts in alignment with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

In lesson 9, students use “Three Bits Better” to practice inferential comprehension by citing textual evidence to support inferences about characters, events, and motivations. Guided questions direct students to identify key details, explain their reasoning, and justify conclusions with evidence. Students also describe how details support inferences, demonstrating evaluative thinking. “Hallie Is a Waitress” provides additional opportunities for students to infer character traits, relationships, and unstated information. “Independent Practice,” “Assessment,” and “Exit Ticket” activities reinforce the use of supporting details and prior knowledge to justify inferences. These activities provide opportunities for students to practice literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension skills with a variety of grade-level texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS.

Lesson 7 prompts students to explore sea lion habitats and behaviors through analysis of the informational text “Sea Lions.” Students generate and answer questions using textual evidence, supporting literal and inferential comprehension. “Guided Questions,” “Critical Thinking,” “Independent Practice,” “Practice Questions,” and “Assessment” activities extend comprehension throughout the lesson. In lesson 12, students analyze the fable “Chicken Little,” identify key details and events, determine the central idea, draw conclusions about characters’ actions, and evaluate the story’s lesson or moral. These activities require students to engage with multiple levels of comprehension across literary and informational texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS.