SECTION 110.25. English Language Arts and Reading, Reading (Elective Credit)

(a) Introduction.

(1) Reading offers students an opportunity to read with competence, confidence, and understanding through instruction in comprehension strategies, word recognition, and vocabulary. Middle school students read, write, listen, speak, and view to learn more about the world around them and to create, clarify, critique, and appreciate ideas and responses. Middle school students complete research projects or locate answers to questions using multiple texts and resources. In addition, middle school students continue to read on their own or listen to texts read aloud for the purpose of enjoyment. Middle school students read both printed texts and electronic media independently, bringing with them various strategies to aid in comprehension. Significant blocks of time are provided for reading both independent and instructional-level material for varied purposes such as collecting information, learning about and appreciating the writer's craft, and discovering models for their own writing. Middle school students respond to texts through various avenues such as talk, print and electronic formats, connecting their knowledge of the world with the text being read. For middle school students whose first language is not English, the students' native language serves as a foundation for English language acquisition and language learning.

(2) The essential knowledge and skills as well as the student expectations for Reading, an elective course, are described in subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Knowledge and skills.

(1) The student uses a variety of word recognition strategies. The student is expected to:

(A) apply knowledge of letter-sound correspondences, language structure, and context to recognize words; and

(B) use dictionaries, glossaries, and other sources to confirm pronunciations and meanings of unfamiliar words.

(2) The student acquires vocabulary through reading and systematic word study. The student is expected to:

(A) expand vocabulary by reading, viewing, listening, and discussing;

(B) determine word meaning by using context;

(C) use spelling, prefixes and suffixes, roots, and word origins to understand meanings;

(D) use reference aids such as a glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, and available technology to determine meanings and pronunciations; and

(E) identify analogies, homonyms, synonyms/antonyms, and connotation/denotation.

(3) The student reads with fluency and understanding in increasingly demanding texts. The student is expected to:

(A) read silently for a variety of purposes with comprehension for sustained periods of time;

(B) adjust reading rate based on purposes for reading; and

(C) read orally at a rate that enables comprehension.

(4) The student comprehends selections using a variety of strategies. The student is expected to:

(A) use prior knowledge and experience to comprehend;

(B) determine purpose for reading;

(C) self-monitor reading and adjust when confusion occurs by rereading, using resources, and questioning;

(D) summarize texts by identifying main ideas and relevant details;

(E) make inferences such as drawing conclusions and making generalizations or predictions, supporting them with prior experiences and textual evidence;

(F) analyze and use both narrative and expository text structures: sequence, description, problem/solution, compare/contrast, and cause/effect;

(G) make connections and find patterns, similarities, and differences across texts;

(H) construct visual images based on text descriptions;

(I) determine important ideas from texts and oral presentations;

(J) manage text by using practices such as previewing, highlighting, making marginal notes, notetaking, outlining, and journaling; and

(K) use questioning to enhance comprehension before, during, and after reading.

(5) The student reads texts to find information on self-selected and assigned topics. The student is expected to:

(A) generate relevant, interesting, and researchable questions;

(B) locate appropriate print and non-print information using text and technical resources;

(C) organize and record new information in systematic ways to develop notes, charts, and graphic organizers;

(D) communicate information gained from reading;

(E) use compiled information and knowledge to raise additional unanswered questions; and

(F) use text organizers such as overviews, headings, and graphic features to locate and categorize information.

(6) The student reads for different purposes in varied sources, both narrative and expository. The student is expected to:

(A) read to enjoy, to complete a task, to gather information, to be informed, to solve problems, to answer questions, to analyze, to interpret, and to evaluate;

(B) read sources such as literature, diaries, journals, textbooks, maps, newspapers, letters, speeches, memoranda, electronic texts, and technical documents; and

(C) understand and interpret visual representations.

(7) The student formulates and supports responses to various types of texts. The student is expected to:

(A) respond actively to texts in both aesthetic and critical ways;

(B) respond to text through discussion, journal writing, performance, and visual representation; and

(C) support responses by using prior knowledge and experience and/or citing textual evidence which may consist of a direct quotation, paraphrase, or specific synopsis.

(8) The student reads critically to evaluate texts in order to determine the credibility of sources. The student is expected to:

(A) evaluate the credibility of informational sources and their relevance for assigned and self-selected topics;

(B) evaluate how a writer's motivation, stance, or position may affect text credibility, structure, or tone;

(C) analyze aspects of text, such as patterns of organization and choice of language, for persuasive effect;

(D) recognize modes of reasoning, such as induction and deduction; and

(E) recognize logical and illogical arguments in text.

(9) The student reads to increase knowledge of own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures. The student is expected to:

(A) compare text events with personal and other readers' experiences; and

(B) recognize and discuss literary themes and connections that cross cultures.

Source Note: The provisions of this §110.25 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 22 TexReg 7549; amended to be effective September 4, 2008, 33 TexReg 7216