19 Tex. Admin. Code § 128.21 - Spanish Language Arts and Reading, Grade 6, Adopted 2017
(a) Introduction.
(1) The Spanish language arts and reading
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) reflect language arts standards
that are authentic to the Spanish language and Spanish literacy; they are
neither translations nor modifications of the English language arts TEKS. The
Spanish language arts and reading Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
embody the interconnected nature of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and
thinking through the seven integrated strands of developing and sustaining
foundational language skills; comprehension; response; multiple genres;
author's purpose and craft; composition; and inquiry and research. The strands
focus on academic oracy (proficiency in oral expression and comprehension),
authentic reading, and reflective writing to ensure a literate Texas. They are
integrated and progressive with students continuing to develop knowledge and
skills with increased complexity and nuance in order to think critically and
adapt to the ever-evolving nature of language and literacy.
(2) The seven strands of the essential
knowledge and skills for Spanish language arts and reading are intended to be
integrated for instructional purposes and are recursive in nature. Strands
include the four domains of language (listening, speaking, reading, and
writing) and their application in order to accelerate the acquisition of
language skills so that students develop high levels of social and academic
language proficiency. Although some strands may require more instructional
time, each strand is of equal value, may be presented in any order, and should
be integrated throughout the year. It is important to note that encoding
(spelling) and decoding (reading) are reciprocal skills. Decoding is
internalized when tactile and kinesthetic opportunities (encoding) are
provided. Additionally, students should engage in academic conversations,
write, read, and be read to on a daily basis with opportunities for
cross-curricular content and student choice.
(3) Spanish, as opposed to English, has a
closer letter-sound relationship and clearly defined syllable boundaries. The
syllable in Spanish is a more critical unit of phonological awareness than in
English because of the consistent phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Syllables
are important units for Spanish because of their strong effect in visual word
recognition (Carreiras et al., 1993) and their major role in predicting Spanish
reading success. In addition, Spanish presents a much higher level of
orthographic transparency than English and does not rely on sight words for
decoding. This orthographic transparency accelerates the decoding process, and
the focus quickly moves to fluency and comprehension. However, in English
"sight" words are used because of words that are not decodable such as "are" or
"one." In Spanish, decoding issues are not as prevalent as issues of
comprehension. These specific features of the Spanish language will influence
reading methodology and development.
(4) Text complexity increases with
challenging vocabulary, sophisticated sentence structures, nuanced text
features, cognitively demanding content, and subtle relationships among ideas
(Texas Education Agency, STAAR Performance Level Descriptors, 2013). As skills
and knowledge are obtained in each of the seven strands, students will continue
to apply earlier standards with greater depth to increasingly complex texts in
multiple genres as they become self-directed, critical learners who work
collaboratively while continuously using metacognitive skills.
(5) Research consistently shows that language
and literacy development in the student's native language not only facilitates
learning English and English literacy, but is foundational to cognitive
development and learning (Cummins, 2001; Thomas & Collier, 2002; Coelho,
2001). Emergent bilinguals (Sparrow et al., 2014; Slavin & Cheving, 2013)
are students who are in the process of acquiring two or more linguistic codes,
becoming bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural. Emergent bilinguals are often
defined by their perceived deficits (semilinguals) (Escamilla, 2012). However,
research has shown that bilinguals develop a unique interdependent system
(Escamilla et al. 2007; Grosjean, 1989; Valdes and Figueroa, 1994) in which
languages interconnect to increase linguistic functionality. This linguistic
interdependence of language acquisition facilitates a transfer of literacy
skills from the primary language (L1) to the second language (L2) (August &
Shanahan, 2006; Bialystok, 2007; Miramontes, et al., 1997). The strength of
learning through formal instruction in Spanish determines the extent of
transfer to English (August, Calderon, & Carlo, 2002; Slavin &
Calderon, 2001; Garcia, 2001). For transfer to be maximized, cross-linguistic
connections between the two languages must be explicitly taught while students
engage in a contrastive analysis of the Spanish and English languages (Cummins,
2007). Continued strong literacy development in Spanish provides the foundation
and scaffold for literacy development given that a Common Underlying
Proficiency (CUP) exists between the two languages (Cummins, 1991).
Consequently, direct and systematic instruction (Genesee et al., 2005) in the
appropriate sequence of Spanish skills with early English as a second
language-based literacy instruction is critical to student success. As a result
of working within two language systems, students' metalinguistic and
metacognitive skills are enhanced when they learn about the similarities and
differences between languages (Escamilla et. al., 2014). The extent to which
English and Spanish are used is reliant on the type of bilingual program model
being used (see Texas Education Code, §
29.066).
(6) English language learners (ELLs) are
expected to meet standards in a second language, and their proficiency in
English directly impacts their ability to meet these standards. The
comprehension of text throughout the stages of English language acquisition
requires scaffolds such as adapted text, translations, native language support,
cognates, summaries, pictures, realia, glossaries, bilingual dictionaries,
thesauri, and other modes of comprehensible input. Strategic use of the
student's first language is important to ensure linguistic, affective,
cognitive, and academic development in English. ELLs can and should be
encouraged to use knowledge of their first language to enhance vocabulary
development; vocabulary needs to be in the context of connected oral and
written discourse so that it is meaningful.
(7) Current research stresses the importance
of effectively integrating second language acquisition with quality content
area education in order to ensure that ELLs acquire social and academic
language proficiency in English, learn the knowledge and skills, and reach
their full academic potential. Instruction must be linguistically accommodated
in accordance with the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and the
student's English language proficiency level to ensure the mastery of knowledge
and skills in the required curriculum is accessible. For a further
understanding of second language acquisition needs, refer to the ELPS and
proficiency-level descriptors adopted in Chapter 74, Subchapter A, of this
title (relating to Required Curriculum).
(8) Oral language proficiency holds a pivotal
role in school success; verbal engagement must be maximized across grade levels
(Kinsella, 2010). In order for students to become thinkers and proficient
speakers in science, social studies, mathematics, fine arts, language arts and
reading, and career and technical education, they must have multiple
opportunities to practice and apply the academic language of each discipline
(Fisher, Frey, & Rothenberg, 2008).
(9) Statements that contain the word
"including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the
phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Developing and sustaining foundational
language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking--oral language.
The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.
The student is expected to:
(A) listen
actively to interpret a message, ask clarifying questions, and respond
appropriately;
(B) follow and give
oral instructions that include multiple action steps;
(C) give an organized presentation with a
specific stance and position, employing eye contact, speaking rate, volume,
enunciation, natural gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas
effectively; and
(D) participate in
student-led discussions by eliciting and considering suggestions from other
group members, taking notes, and identifying points of agreement and
disagreement.
(2)
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking,
reading, writing, and thinking--beginning reading and writing. The student
develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print
concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell. The
student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate and
apply phonetic knowledge by:
(i)
differentiating between commonly confused terms such as
porque/porqué/por qué/por que, asimismo (adverbio)/así
mismo (de la misma manera), sino/si no, and también/tan bien;
(ii) decoding palabras agudas, graves,
esdrújulas, and sobresdrújulas (words with the stress on the
last, penultimate, and antepenultimate syllable and words with the stress on
the syllable before the antepenultimate);
(iii) decoding words with hiatus and
diphthongs; and
(iv) using
knowledge of syllable division patterns and morphemes to decode multisyllabic
words;
(B) demonstrate
and apply spelling knowledge by:
(i) spelling
palabras agudas, graves, esdrújulas, and sobresdrújulas (words
with the stress on the antepenultimate, penultimate, and ultimate/last syllable
and words with the stress on the syllable before the
antepenultimate);
(ii) marking
accents appropriately when conjugating verbs in simple and imperfect past,
perfect conditional, and future tenses; and
(iii) spelling words with diphthongs and
hiatus; and
(C) write
legibly in cursive.
(3)
Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking,
reading, writing, and thinking--vocabulary. The student uses newly acquired
vocabulary expressively. The student is expected to:
(A) use print or digital resources to
determine the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin, and part of
speech;
(B) use context such as
definition, analogy, and examples to clarify the meaning of words;
(C) determine the meaning and usage of
grade-level academic Spanish words derived from Greek and Latin roots,
including metro-, grafo-, scrib-, and port-; and
(D) differentiate between and use homographs,
homophones, and commonly confused terms such as porque/porqué/por
qué/por que, sino/si no, and también/tan bien.
(4) Developing and sustaining
foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and
thinking--fluency. The student reads grade-level text with fluency and
comprehension. The student is expected to adjust fluency when reading
grade-level text based on the reading purpose.
(5) Developing and sustaining foundational
language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and
thinking--self-sustained reading. The student reads grade-appropriate texts
independently. The student is expected to self-select text and read
independently for a sustained period of time.
(6) Comprehension skills: listening,
speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses
metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly
complex texts. The student is expected to:
(A) establish purpose for reading assigned
and self-selected text;
(B)
generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen
understanding and gain information;
(C) make and correct or confirm predictions
using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures;
(D) create mental images to deepen
understanding;
(E) make connections
to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society;
(F) make inferences and use evidence to
support understanding;
(G) evaluate
details read to determine key ideas;
(H) synthesize information to create new
understanding; and
(I) monitor
comprehension and make adjustments such as re-reading, using background
knowledge, asking questions, and annotating when understanding breaks
down.
(7) Response
skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple
texts. The student responds to an increasingly challenging variety of sources
that are read, heard, or viewed. The student is expected to:
(A) describe personal connections to a
variety of sources, including self-selected texts;
(B) write responses that demonstrate
understanding of texts, including comparing sources within and across
genres;
(C) use text evidence to
support an appropriate response;
(D) paraphrase and summarize texts in ways
that maintain meaning and logical order;
(E) interact with sources in meaningful ways
such as notetaking, annotating, freewriting, or illustrating;
(F) respond using newly acquired vocabulary
as appropriate;
(G) discuss and
write about the explicit or implicit meanings of text;
(H) respond orally or in writing with
appropriate register, vocabulary, tone, and voice; and
(I) reflect on and adjust responses as new
evidence is presented.
(8) Multiple genres: listening, speaking,
reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--literary elements. The
student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across
increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary
texts. The student is expected to:
(A) infer
multiple themes within and across texts using text evidence;
(B) analyze how the characters' internal and
external responses develop the plot;
(C) analyze plot elements, including rising
action, climax, falling action, resolution, and non-linear elements such as
flashback; and
(D) analyze how the
setting, including historical and cultural settings, influences character and
plot development.
(9)
Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using
multiple texts--genres. The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific
characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly
complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts. The student is
expected to:
(A) demonstrate knowledge of
literary genres such as realistic fiction, adventure stories, historical
fiction, mysteries, humor, and myths;
(B) analyze the effect of meter and
structural elements such as line breaks in poems across a variety of poetic
forms;
(C) analyze how playwrights
develop characters through dialogue and staging;
(D) analyze characteristics and structural
elements of informational text, including:
(i)
the controlling idea or thesis with supporting evidence;
(ii) features such as introduction, foreword,
preface, references, or acknowledgements to gain background information;
and
(iii) organizational patterns
such as definition, classification, advantage, and disadvantage;
(E) analyze characteristics and
structures of argumentative text by:
(i)
identifying the claim;
(ii)
explaining how the author uses various types of evidence to support the
argument; and
(iii) identifying the
intended audience or reader; and
(F) analyze characteristics of multimodal and
digital texts.
(10)
Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking
using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors'
choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of
texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to
develop his or her own products and performances. The student is expected to:
(A) explain the author's purpose and message
within a text;
(B) analyze how the
use of text structure contributes to the author's purpose;
(C) analyze the author's use of print and
graphic features to achieve specific purposes;
(D) describe how the author's use of
figurative language such as metaphor and personification achieves specific
purposes;
(E) identify the use of
literary devices, including omniscient and limited point of view, to achieve a
specific purpose;
(F) analyze how
the author's use of language contributes to mood and voice; and
(G) explain the differences between
rhetorical devices and logical fallacies.
(11) Composition: listening, speaking,
reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. The
student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are
legible and uses appropriate conventions. The student is expected to:
(A) plan a first draft by selecting a genre
appropriate for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of
strategies such as discussion, background reading, and personal
interests;
(B) develop drafts into
a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing by:
(i) organizing with purposeful structure,
including an introduction, transitions, coherence within and across paragraphs,
and a conclusion; and
(ii)
developing an engaging idea reflecting depth of thought with specific facts and
details;
(C) revise
drafts for clarity, development, organization, style, word choice, and sentence
variety;
(D) edit drafts using
standard Spanish conventions, including:
(i)
complete complex sentences with subject-verb agreement and avoidance of
splices, run-ons, and fragments;
(ii) consistent, appropriate use of verb
tenses;
(iii) conjunctive
adverbs;
(iv) prepositions and
prepositional phrases and their influence on subject-verb agreement;
(v) pronouns, including personal, possessive,
objective, reflexive, prepositional, indefinite, and relative;
(vi) subordinating conjunctions to form
complex sentences and correlative conjunctions;
(vii) capitalization of proper nouns,
including abbreviations, initials, acronyms, and organizations;
(viii) punctuation marks, including commas in
complex sentences, transitions, and introductory elements; and
(ix) correct spelling, including commonly
confused terms; and
(E)
publish written work for appropriate audiences.
(12) Composition: listening, speaking,
reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student uses
genre characteristics and craft to compose multiple texts that are meaningful.
The student is expected to:
(A) compose
literary texts such as personal narratives, fiction, and poetry using genre
characteristics and craft;
(B)
compose informational texts, including multi-paragraph essays that convey
information about a topic, using a clear controlling idea or thesis statement
and genre characteristics and craft;
(C) compose multi-paragraph argumentative
texts using genre characteristics and craft; and
(D) compose correspondence that reflects an
opinion, registers a complaint, or requests information in a business or
friendly structure.
(13)
Inquiry and research: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using
multiple texts. The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive
inquiry processes for a variety of purposes. The student is expected to:
(A) generate student-selected and
teacher-guided questions for formal and informal inquiry;
(B) develop and revise a plan;
(C) refine the major research question, if
necessary, guided by the answers to a secondary set of questions;
(D) identify and gather relevant information
from a variety of sources;
(E)
differentiate between primary and secondary sources;
(F) synthesize information from a variety of
sources;
(G) differentiate between
paraphrasing and plagiarism when using source materials;
(H) examine sources for:
(i) reliability, credibility, and bias;
and
(ii) faulty reasoning such as
hyperbole, emotional appeals, and stereotype;
(I) display academic citations and use source
materials ethically; and
(J) use an
appropriate mode of delivery, whether written, oral, or multimodal, to present
results.
Notes
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