I’m quite sure that all of you are aware of the importance of vocabulary instruction, but what about how we are assessing acquisition of the vocabulary? I’m happy to announce that in addition to providingContinue reading
Tough TEKS SEs 8.7C & 8.7D
Attendance at a recent Texas Humanities webinar about Race, Slavery, and the U.S. Constitution prompted a closer look at our approach to the TEKS related to the issue of slavery and with that this question.Continue reading
Tough TEKS SE 3.3A
Some time ago we received feedback about the specificity in the Grade 3 TEKS Clarification Document (TCD) for 3.3A. This brought to our attention the problematic nature of this particular student expectation(SE). Here is 3.3A Continue reading
Resource Revamp- the Performance Assessment Catalog
Pencil and paper are not going away, but most of those pencil and paper assignments can be done with digital tools. With that thought in mind, the social studies team at TEKS RS decided itContinue reading
Power of Community
It always seemed to me that I was finally in the routine and full swing of school after the Labor Day holiday. As you settle into the new routines of this school year, don’t forgetContinue reading
New School Year, New You
Welcome to the start of another school year, that yearly milestone that marks time for educators. How many of you feel like it’s your first year of teaching, even if you have been doing thisContinue reading
Planning the Thinking Like a Historian Unit
What would you most want your students to remember from their time in your history class? The STAAR review? Important dates? A sequence of the eras? A particular pattern in history? The order of theContinue reading
Using Learning Goals Effectively
A fair amount of requests we get from districts relate to planning with the TEKS Resource System documents. The Instructional Focus Document (IFD) remains the primary document in the system for unit planning and theContinue reading
Single Point Rubrics for Performance Assessments
While single point rubrics are not new they are growing in popularity. Not surprising since these rubrics have a lot less text and provide clearer expectations to students. If you are new to using singleContinue reading
Making Mental Maps
It comes as no surprise to teachers that students generally lack a spatial understanding of the world. So how can we help our students build this skill? Practice creating mental maps. The TEKS Resource SystemContinue reading