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

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).

The Teacher Edition explains that the program provides additional instruction and practice aligned to grade-level TEKS in vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension. The materials further clarify that educators should use the supplemental program 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 guidance identifies when to 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, including 10–20 minutes for lesson assessments, 35–45 minutes for “Unit Building Stamina” assessments, and 60–75 minutes for “Full-Length Practice Tests.” These procedures support consistent assessment administration across classrooms.

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 3 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 evaluate responses based on understanding of the text, response to the prompt, use of evidence, and explanation. The guidance also includes directions for scoring incomplete, copied, or off-topic responses.

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.

The “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 general instructional supports for students with disabilities, including 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.

The “Teacher Lesson Sequence” section includes explicit prompts and educator guidance to support modeling and explaining the skills students will learn. The materials provide direct instructional prompts for “Guided Instruction,” modeled reading, and introducing lesson concepts, along with support for addressing common misconceptions and helping students understand a lesson’s TEKS. The section also includes guidance for building background knowledge and identifying Spanish cognates to support language development for EB students. These supports provide educators with facilitation guidance, modeling supports, and instructional recommendations that are prevalent throughout the lesson structure.

In the “Teacher Lesson Sequence” section, activity 2 includes explicit educator prompts and guidance to support modeling and explaining the skills students will learn. The lesson provides direct instructional language for introducing dictionary features such as “Dictionaries are like detective tools—they help you solve word mysteries” and directs educators to explain how dictionaries provide information about word meaning, pronunciation, and syllabication. The materials also guide educators to display a sample dictionary entry, point to each component, and explain the purpose of the word, syllable breaks, pronunciation guide, part of speech, and definition. Additionally, the materials include a model think-aloud to demonstrate how readers use dictionary features to decode and understand unfamiliar words. The lesson further provides discussion prompts such as “How many syllables does it have? How do you pronounce it? What does it mean? How does knowing these things help you as a reader?”

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, students engage in collaborative learning and student discourse by working in small groups, rotating through stations, discussing purposes for different text types, and sharing responses during a whole-class review. The activity also incorporates visualization and connection-making through the creation of a class anchor chart that organizes student thinking. Activity 2 provides explicit facilitation guidance for modeled instruction through scripted think-alouds, guided questioning, and discussion prompts that demonstrate how readers monitor comprehension and make adjustments while reading. Educator-facing supports include lesson objectives, materials lists, scripted educator language, example prompts, anchor chart development, and step-by-step procedures that support effective implementation of collaborative discussion, modeling, and comprehension-building activities.

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 instruction, reteaching, or extension and reinforce unit vocabulary and instructional routines during fluency practice, independent reading, and partner discussions.

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 directs educators to teach lessons in sequence and provides suggested delivery models that recommend using “Guided Questions” and “Independent Practice” for small-group reteach or extension while reinforcing literary terms and routines through partner discussion, fluency activities, and independent reading. The “Time Requirements and Suggested Pacing” section further supports implementation by outlining options for whole-class lesson delivery, guided reading and discussion, reinforcement sessions, and targeted 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 | Vocabulary and Concepts” 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 use visuals, including photographs of a glacier and a reservoir, and provide explicit explanations of unfamiliar vocabulary. Students repeat the words and connect meanings to the images, supporting vocabulary acquisition and oral language development. For advanced students, the materials increase linguistic expectations by prompting students to explain conceptual meanings and discuss how ideas connect. These tasks require students to use academic language, justify their thinking, and engage in discussion using more sophisticated language structures. The materials also encourage partner discussions before reading, providing structured opportunities for oral language practice.

Additional accommodations appear in the “EB | Language Access During Independent Reading” support. The materials direct educators to preview the setting of a text about an Inuit girl, clarify vocabulary such as kamiks, caribou, and sinew and build background knowledge before reading. Beginning and intermediate students receive support through vocabulary clarification and guided discussion of key concepts. For advanced students, the materials increase language demands by prompting students to identify and discuss cultural details that influence the story. These accommodations support reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and the use of increasingly sophisticated academic language while engaging students in meaningful reading and discussion tasks aligned to their 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 2, the “Understand the TEKS” section provides student-friendly definitions, examples, and guided practice with context clues, multiple-meaning words, synonyms, antonyms, idioms, homophones, and homographs. For example, students use context clues to determine the meaning of briskly and analyze the multiple meanings of bear using surrounding text. Additionally, in unit 1, lesson 3, educators model how affixes change word meaning, and students apply their understanding through guided practice. Additionally, in unit 1, the “Unit 1-at-a-Glance” section directs educators to model the use of context clues, reference tools, word relationships, and affixes to determine word meaning.

Additional evidence of explicit vocabulary instruction appears in lesson 3, in which students receive direct instruction on prefixes and suffixes to determine word meaning. Students analyze words such as impossible, unthinkable, unwelcome, unnaturalness, disappeared, littlest, and toughness by identifying base words and affixes and explaining how the affixes change meaning. The lesson includes word formation examples and semantic relationships such as disobey, displease, imperfect, joyful, and joyless to demonstrate how prefixes and suffixes affect word meaning. Students also engage with academic vocabulary through student-friendly explanations and contextualized examples. For example, students determine that unthinkable means “too strange or unusual to think about” and discuss how the prefix contributes to the word’s meaning. Educator prompts, guided questions, and critical-thinking tasks require students to explain their reasoning and apply vocabulary knowledge in context.

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 tier 2 academic vocabulary and tier 3 discipline-specific vocabulary. In unit 1, lesson 1, the “Words to Know” section teaches discipline-specific literacy terms, including dictionary, print resource, digital resource, alphabetical order, entry, and glossary. These tier 3 vocabulary terms are essential to understanding reference tools and vocabulary development. The lesson also incorporates tier 2 academic vocabulary, such as determine, meaning, pronunciation, syllabication, information, compare, and demonstrate, which are high-utility academic words used across content areas. Through direct definitions, educator modeling, guided comparisons of print and digital resources, and discussion prompts, students build understanding of both academic and content-specific vocabulary needed to access the lesson and apply vocabulary skills independently.

Additional evidence of explicit instruction for both tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary appears in unit 4, lesson 20, in the “Understand the TEKS” section. This section introduces content-specific literacy terms, including informational text, nonfiction, purpose, and topic. The educator guidance provides explanations, examples, and discussion prompts to support student understanding of these concepts. Students use the terms to discuss the characteristics and purposes of informational texts and to identify how authors communicate ideas. The lesson also incorporates tier 2 academic vocabulary, including information, explain, describe, identify, and persuade, which students apply in instructional discussions and text-analysis activities. The vocabulary selected for instruction includes both discipline-specific terminology related to informational text and transferable 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 unit 1, “Building Stamina: Vocabulary,” students first encounter vocabulary within the informational text “How Big? How Heavy?” which introduces words such as straight, light, heavy, measured, and weighed in context. Students then revisit these words through assessment tasks that require them to identify antonyms, determine meanings using dictionary entries, and apply context clues to explain word meanings. For example, students use contextual clues such as “measured” and “weighed” to determine the meaning of heavy. Vocabulary practice continues in the literary passage “Willy Wriggler’s Wheels,” in which students encounter words such as wriggle and rock in a new context. Students apply vocabulary knowledge by using context clues to determine that wriggle means “move by twisting and turning” and analyzing dictionary entries to determine the meaning of rock as it is used in the text.

Additional repeated opportunities for students to practice using specific vocabulary in multiple contexts appear in the unit 4 “Fluency Practice” lesson. Students first practice target vocabulary words such as soaring, eagles, prey, talons, eyesight, eyries, powerful, and populations by reading the words aloud multiple times. Students then encounter and apply these same words within the connected informational text “Soaring 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 vocabulary after reading by discussing important facts from the text and identifying words they reread and solved using context clues, word parts, or reference tools. Additionally, the materials extend vocabulary practice through the “Building Stamina” activities, where students apply vocabulary knowledge in a new informational text, “Presto Change-O! A Butterfly Appears.” Students repeatedly encounter science-related vocabulary, including caterpillar, chrysalis, pupa, larva, and butterfly, while reading about the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle and applying these terms in related tasks.

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.

In unit 1, lesson 3, students receive direct instruction on base words, prefixes, and suffixes and learn how affixes change word meanings. The lesson introduces prefixes such as dis-, im-/in-/non-, pre-, and re- and models how combining the meaning of an affix with a base word supports word meaning. Students also learn how suffixes affect meaning and function through examples such as wonderful, senseless, lovely, darkness, and joyous, as well as spelling changes that occur when adding suffixes. Guided practice directs students to analyze words by combining base words and affixes to determine meaning, explain how affixes affect the meanings of base words, and generate additional examples using suffixes such as -er and -est. Students then apply morphemic analysis independently by determining the meanings of affixed words, applying spelling changes, and using newly formed words in context.

In unit 1, lesson 3, the “Lesson Planner” identifies the learning objective as having students determine the meanings of words with affixes such as im-, non-, dis-, in-, pre-, -ness, -y, and -ful and use them appropriately. The materials define key terms, including base word, affix, prefix, and suffix, and explain how affixes change word meanings. The “Activate Prior Knowledge” section provides educator guidance for modeling how adding prefixes and suffixes to base words creates new words and changes meaning. Additional guidance directs students to build and analyze words using base words and affixes; determine the meanings of newly formed words; and discuss patterns in how affixes affect meaning through word-building, guided discussion, and application activities.

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 guided reading lesson “The Magic Needle,” students encounter affixed words such as impossible, unthinkable, unwelcome, unnaturalness, disappeared, easily, toughness, and littlest within connected text and use word parts to support comprehension. Students apply morphemic analysis by identifying the prefix im- in impossible to determine that Meqak was “not able to sew” and analyzing unthinkable by using the prefix un- and suffix -able to determine the word’s meaning. Additional practice requires students to remove prefixes from words such as unwelcome, unnatural, and disappeared to identify base words and explain how the prefixes affect meaning. Students also analyze suffixes by determining how -ly changes the meaning of easily, creating toughness by adding the suffix -ness, and using the suffix -est to determine that littlest means “smallest” in the context of the passage. The lesson guidance reminds students to use the meanings of prefixes and suffixes to understand unfamiliar words and confirm that the meaning fits the text.

In unit 1, lesson 3, students build understanding of base words, affixes, prefixes, and suffixes and apply knowledge of meaningful word parts to determine word meanings. Throughout the lesson, students analyze prefixes such as dis-, im-, in-, non-, pre-, and re- and explain how these affixes change the meanings of base words. For example, students determine that adding the prefix im- to perfect creates imperfect, meaning “not perfect.” Students also analyze suffixes and recognize spelling changes when creating new words such as beautiful, lovable, happiness, and movable. Educator-guided discussions, word-analysis activities, and application tasks provide repeated opportunities for students to identify prefixes, suffixes, and base words and explain how these word parts affect meaning.

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 unit 1, lesson 2, the “Understand the TEKS” section directly explains that students use clues found in surrounding words and sentences to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. The educator guidance explicitly models the process using the sentence “Neal walked briskly toward the lookout tree. He moved quickly because he could see the bear getting closer and closer” and explains that the context clue helps determine that briskly means “at a fast pace.” The lesson further guides students to analyze surrounding words and phrases to determine word meanings, such as using part of this celebration to determine that participate means “take part in an event or activity.” Students continue applying a step-by-step process by reading the context carefully, determining how a word is used, and looking for clues within and beyond the sentence. This direct explanation, educator modeling, and guided application demonstrate explicit instruction in contextual analysis aligned to the grade-level TEKS.

Unit 1, lesson 2, activity 1 provides additional evidence of explicit instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meaning. The objective of this activity explicitly states that students learn how surrounding words and sentences provide clues to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. The educator guidance provides direct explanations and models using context-rich sentences to determine word meanings, such as analyzing clues like “collapsed on the ground” and “finished the marathon” to determine the meaning of exhausted. The activity instructs educators to explain that the words around an unfamiliar word are called context clues and that readers can use these clues to determine meaning before using a dictionary. Students practice applying the strategy with unfamiliar words such as aroma and enormous by identifying surrounding words and phrases that support understanding. The lesson further reinforces contextual analysis through educator prompts, student discussions, and an anchor chart identifying context clue types, including definitions, examples, synonyms, antonyms, and descriptive details.

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 apply contextual analysis while reading the “Guided Instruction” selection “Ask a Pirate about Treasure: An Interview Between Ask Magazine and a Pirate.” Students use surrounding words and sentences to determine the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words. For example, students identify the words Pete uses to explain the meaning of gems and use context clues to determine what a geologist studies. Students also analyze surrounding sentences to determine that magma is extremely hot and whether rank means “an official job level and title” or “a position or level on a list” based on its use in the text. Additional questions require students to use contextual information to identify synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and multiple meanings of words. The materials require students to use surrounding words, sentences, and text evidence to infer word meanings, identify context clues, and distinguish among multiple word meanings while reading and responding to text-based questions.

In unit 1, lesson 1, the “Guided Instruction” passage “My Grandmother Talks with Her Hands” provides students with contextual analysis practice. When reading the passage, students determine word meanings and analyze unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words using surrounding text. Students use context clues in paragraph 1 to determine that sharp means “able to notice things easily” rather than “a pointed object” by examining details about the grandmother noticing things and seeing well. The materials also direct students to use context and text features to identify scarlet fever and deaf as terms that could be clarified through a glossary. Additionally, students analyze the word needles in paragraph 3 and use the surrounding description of a pine tree to determine that the word refers to “thin, pointed leaves” rather than “sewing tools.” Guided questions further require students to examine the word deaf in paragraph 4, identify its function in the sentence, and explain its meaning using contextual evidence.

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

In the “Unit Fluency Check & Independent Reading” routine, the Teacher Edition directs educators to model fluent reading before students read independently. Educators first read the passage “word-by-word and expressionless” and then reread it smoothly with appropriate phrasing and expression to demonstrate fluent reading. The materials provide connected grade-level texts for modeling and include guidance for supporting rate, accuracy, and prosody. In the “Listen and Coach” section, educators monitor reading behaviors such as reading too fast or too slow, word-by-word reading, flat or missing expression, and miscues that disrupt meaning. Coaching prompts, including “Group those words together” and “Make it sound like talking,” guide educators in modeling fluent reading and supporting student performance.

Across units 1–4, the “Support as Needed” section provides additional guidance for modeling fluent reading when students experience difficulty. Educators model sentences 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 pacing is too fast or too slow. Additional coaching prompts such as “Try that sentence again smoothly” support educators in reinforcing fluent reading during instruction.

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

In unit 1, “Fluency Practice: Vocabulary,” students begin by reading a word list containing lesson vocabulary and engage in repeated oral reading to build automaticity. Students then practice reading sentences that include both dialogue and narrative text while focusing on smoothness, accuracy, and expression. Fluency practice extends to the connected text “Olivia and the Lost Puppy” in which students listen to an educator model before participating in multiple readings, including whisper reading, partner reading, and rereading for expression. These activities provide structured fluency practice across word-, sentence-, and passage-level reading tasks.

In the unit 4 “Fluency Practice,” students first practice reading a word list aloud multiple times, including words such as soaring, eagles, prey, talons, eyesight, eyries, powerful, and populations. Students then practice reading individual sentences from the passage smoothly and with expression before reading the connected informational text “Soaring High.” The materials provide multiple reading opportunities through a whisper read, partner read, and a third read focused on smoothness and expression. Additionally, the “Building Stamina” section extends fluency practice by having students independently read longer connected informational texts such as “Presto Change-O! A Butterfly Appears” and apply reading, vocabulary, and comprehension 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 “Olivia and the Lost Puppy,” and unit 3 includes the literary narrative “The Secret Path.” Additional fluency practice occurs with informational texts, including “Why We Need the Sun” in unit 2 and “Soaring High” in unit 4. Students engage in repeated reading of literary and informational texts throughout the fluency routines.

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 informational texts such as “Hanging by a Thread,” “Who’s Been Working on the Railroad?,” and “Fiddler Crab Pets,” as well as literary texts such as “Thump Time and the Seed-Spitting Contest,” “The Most Beautiful Thing in the World,” and “Penguin Hill.” Students engage with complete passages and apply reading skills through independent reading and response activities. The texts represent a range of genres, topics, and text structures while remaining appropriate for grade-level readers.

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

“Olivia and the Lost Puppy” presents a familiar narrative with a straightforward sequence of events, everyday vocabulary, and simple sentence structures. In contrast, “The Secret Path” includes more descriptive language, richer vocabulary, varied sentence structures, and implied meaning that requires readers to infer Jordan’s thoughts and feelings about discovering the hidden path. Across the program, fluency texts increase in complexity through more sophisticated vocabulary, varied syntax, and greater comprehension demands, providing students opportunities to engage with texts at differing levels of complexity.

Unit 1 includes the literary text “My Grandmother Talks with Her Hands,” which contains rich descriptive language, sophisticated vocabulary (e.g., scarlet fever, needles, orderly, taught, and beaming), and references events across multiple time periods. The text requires students to interpret a nonliteral title and infer character traits and themes related to perseverance, family, and identity. In contrast, unit 3 includes the literary text “Run-Out Rick,” a humorous narrative that uses a repetitive phrase structure (“ran out of”), dialogue, figurative language, and humor to develop the plot. Understanding the text requires students to track events across multiple settings and analyze how repeated language contributes to the story’s central idea and resolution.

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 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, identify areas for follow-up instruction, and have students reread corrected sentences with appropriate expression.

Across units 1–4, “Fluency Practice” lessons continue to provide guidance for responding to students’ fluency needs. In the “Listen and Coach” section, educators 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 feedback prompts such as “Try that sentence again smoothly,” “Group those words together,” and “Make it sound like talking” to support fluency development. In the “Support as Needed” section, educators have students echo read after educator modeling when phrasing breaks down, reread and correct errors when accuracy breaks down, and reread passages at a modeled conversational pace when rate interferes with meaning.

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).

During guided and independent reading activities, students engage with a variety of grade-level literary and informational texts. For example, during “Guided Instruction,” students read “The Hedley Kow,” an English folktale that requires them to analyze theme, character actions, and the author’s message. Students also read “Young Knight Thought,” a poem that uses imagery, figurative language, and descriptive vocabulary to convey meaning and develop ideas. These text selections are free of spelling and grammatical errors and provide opportunities for students to engage with multiple literary genres at grade level. The educator guidance supports students’ comprehension and analysis during reading activities.

Additional opportunities to read a variety of text types occur throughout the grade 3 materials. In unit 2, lesson 4, students read “Michael Spreckle! Where Have You Been?” a humorous narrative that develops characterization through dialogue, exaggeration, and an unexpected ending. In unit 3, lesson 14, students read “Cheese for Dinner: A Tale from Mexico,” a traditional tale that develops theme and character relationships through dialogue and problem-solving. In unit 4, lesson 21, students read “Why Athletes Should Take Ballet Lessons,” an argumentative text that supports a claim with reasons and examples related to strength, coordination, and balance. These selections provide students with opportunities to engage with high-quality, grade-level texts that vary in genre, purpose, vocabulary, and levels of meaning.

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

The instructional materials provide students opportunities to engage with multiple literary texts that differ in structure, content, and complexity. For example, in lesson 16, students read “How Doth the Little Crocodile,” a poem that incorporates rhyme, sound devices, hyperbole, and author’s voice. Students identify rhyming words, analyze figurative language, describe sound effects, and explain how the poet’s word choice and tone contribute to the poem’s meaning. These activities provide opportunities for students to engage with a grade-level literary text while analyzing poetic elements and literary craft. The educator guidance accompanying the text supports students’ comprehension and analysis during reading activities.

Additional opportunities for students to read texts at varying levels of complexity appear throughout the materials. In lesson 1, students read “Hanging by a Thread,” an informational science text that incorporates domain-specific vocabulary and scientific concepts related to predators, vibrations, and caterpillars. Students use the text to understand scientific explanations and compare how caterpillars respond to different environmental conditions. Students also read “Thump Time and the Seed-Spitting Contest,” a narrative that includes dialogue, character interactions, and figurative language, as they follow the events, interpret characters’ emotions, and explain the outcome of the contest. These texts differ in genre, structure, vocabulary, knowledge demands, and purpose, 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 3, students read “The Magic Needle,” a folktale set in the far north that introduces the traditions, environment, and daily life of the Inuit people. The text incorporates cultural details such as sewing fur clothing, traveling through deep snow, hunting caribou, and living in sod houses, providing authentic cultural context through its setting, characters, and traditions. The story follows a folktale structure as Meqak learns perseverance and self-confidence while solving a meaningful problem. The educator guidance 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 “Harriet Tubman: American Hero,” a biographical text that introduces Harriet Tubman’s leadership, bravery, and contributions to the Underground Railroad while building students’ historical and cultural knowledge. Students also read “Through the Ice,” a personal narrative about a child who falls through a frozen pond on a Minnesota farm. The text uses vivid details and first-person narration to explore family relationships, perseverance, and decision-making during a dangerous situation. These texts provide engaging, grade-level reading experiences while exposing students to historical figures, real-life experiences, and diverse perspectives.

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 1, lesson 4, students participate in the “Purpose Gallery Walk,” in which they discuss familiar text types such as recipes, comic books, science articles, mystery stories, sports news, and instruction manuals to identify different purposes for reading. Students then participate in the “Comprehension Check-In Demonstration,” in which the educator models how readers monitor comprehension by rereading, using background knowledge, asking questions, examining visual cues, and annotating when meaning breaks down. The educator connects these activities to the lesson objective by explaining how setting a purpose and monitoring comprehension help readers understand and make meaning from texts.

The materials also activate background knowledge before instruction on analyzing plot elements. For example, in the Teacher Edition, unit 3, lesson 13 directs educators to have students discuss familiar stories such as “The Three Little Pigs” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” to identify the beginning, problem, events, and resolution. Students use a story mountain to sequence events and explain how the plot develops. Students then match problems and solutions from familiar stories and discuss how events connect the conflict to the resolution. The educator connects these activities to the lesson objective by explaining how understanding plot structure helps readers analyze the sequence of events and how stories resolve conflicts.

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.” The “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 porridge, creases, whisk, and resolute before students read “My Grandmother Talks with Her Hands.” In lesson 3, educators pre-teach kamiks, sinew, trudged, humility, and burly before students read “The Magic Needle.” 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 using contextual analysis to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. Unit 1, lesson 2 introduces context clues as the words and phrases in surrounding sentences that help readers determine word meanings. The lesson models how to use the clue quickly to determine that briskly means “moving at a fast pace.” Students then apply the strategy to additional examples such as participate by using the phrase “part of celebrations” to determine the word’s meaning. The educator connects these activities to the lesson objective by explaining that readers use context clues to understand unfamiliar vocabulary while reading connected texts.

The materials also provide explicit instruction in using contextual analysis to determine the meanings of multiple-meaning words before students apply the skill independently. For example, in the Teacher Edition, unit 1, lesson 2 models how surrounding sentences help readers identify the correct meaning of words such as bear, bat, blew/blue, and bow. The lesson explains that readers use context to determine the intended meaning, and the lesson extends this instruction to homophones and homographs. The educator connects these activities to the lesson objective by explaining that context clues help readers determine the correct meaning when words have more than one definition.

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 informational text “Ask a Pirate about Treasure: An Interview Between Ask Magazine and a Pirate.” Students use context clues to determine the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words while reading. Guided questions direct students to examine surrounding words, sentences, and paragraphs to interpret words such as gems, geologist, magma, rank, crystals, and vitreous. Students also use context to identify synonyms, antonyms, homographs, and multiple-meaning words, including hardest, toughness, wimpy, and file. “Critical Thinking” activities extend this practice by asking students to analyze relationships among vocabulary and to justify their answers with evidence from the text. The educator guidance supports students’ application of contextual analysis in connected grade-level texts.

In lesson 3, students read the literary text “The Magic Needle” and use context clues to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words while reading. Students use textual evidence to interpret words such as respectfully, easily, disappeared, toughness, and littlest. The lesson also guides students to use context in combination with prefixes and suffixes to determine the meanings of words such as impossible, unthinkable, unwelcome, and unnaturalness. “Critical Thinking” activities extend this practice by asking students to analyze words with affixes and explain how word parts contribute to meaning.

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 provides instruction for educators to guide students through a progression of comprehension strategies, including setting a purpose for reading, monitoring comprehension, generating questions, creating mental images, evaluating details, making and confirming predictions, making connections, drawing inferences, and synthesizing knowledge. The Teacher Edition includes prompts that ask students to identify the comprehension strategy they used and cite evidence to support their thinking. The unit 2 scope and sequence organizes instruction across lessons 4–9 with lessons focused on specific comprehension skills. In lesson 5, students practice literal comprehension by identifying key details and answering text-based questions; in lesson 8, students practice inferential comprehension by using textual evidence and background knowledge to make inferences; and in lesson 9, students practice evaluative comprehension by synthesizing information and developing new understandings from texts.

In lesson 4, educator modeling and guided discussion support students as they monitor comprehension and adjust their thinking while reading. In lesson 6, students use text features, genre, illustrations, headings, captions, and prior knowledge to make, revise, and confirm predictions. In lesson 11, students identify key details, determine themes, and paraphrase an author’s message. In lesson 18, students analyze headings, graphics, topic sentences, and text structures to determine an author’s purpose and explain how text features support that purpose. The educator guidance throughout these lessons supports students’ development of literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension skills aligned to the TEKS.

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 8, students use “Who Stole Gorgonzola?” to practice inferential comprehension by citing textual evidence to support inferences about characters’ feelings, motivations, relationships, and actions. “Guided Questions” direct students to identify key details, explain their reasoning, and justify conclusions with evidence. Students also determine the author’s purpose, requiring them to evaluate how authors communicate ideas. “Winter’s Tail” provides additional opportunities to make evidence-based inferences about events, characters, and outcomes using informational text. “Independent Practice” and “Assessment” activities reinforce the use of supporting details and prior knowledge to justify inferences and distinguish between explicit and implied information. These activities provide opportunities for students to practice literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS.

Additional opportunities to practice comprehension skills occur throughout the materials. In lesson 10, students read the literary texts “Run-Out Rick” and “The Amazing Turnip” and identify point of view, character problems, and key events to develop literal comprehension. Students draw conclusions about characters’ feelings and motivations using textual evidence to strengthen inferential comprehension and consider how the story would change if told from another character’s perspective, demonstrating evaluative comprehension. “Guided Questions,” “Critical Thinking,” “Independent Practice,” “Assessment,” and “Exit Ticket” activities extend comprehension throughout the lesson and reinforce students’ ability to analyze and evaluate grade-level literary texts.