Unit 01: Building Foundational Reading and Writing Processes

(15 classes for the entire unit)

In Reading, students choose texts according to their interests and purposes for reading. Students read a self-selected text(s) and practice a variety of internal reading strategies such as annotating/notetaking, asking questions, creating mental images, making predictions, making connections, making inferences, and identifying the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing in order to understand text(s). Students use written responses and discussion to demonstrate their understanding of a text(s). Students also reflect on their habits and routines which may include preferred environments for reading, preferred genres, and internal and external strategies to support stamina, engagement, and comprehension.

In Writing, students review the initial stages of the writing process with a focus on planning (brainstorming, notetaking, and outlining) and drafting (development and focus).

In Collaboration, students actively listen, discuss, and make connections with their peers on the topic of their reading and writing habits in and outside school.

TEKS in this unit: 6.1A, 6.1B, 6.1D, 6.2A, 6.2B, 6.3A, 6.4A, 6.5A, 6.5B, 6.5C, 6.5D, 6.5E, 6.5F, 6.5I, 6.6A, 6.6B, 6.6C, 6.6D, 6.6E, 6.10A, 6.10B, 6.10B.ii

Unit 02A: Analyzing and Crafting Literary Texts: Fiction and Literary/Narrative Nonfiction

(20 classes for the entire unit)

In Reading, students read, respond to/write about, and discuss multiple fiction and literary/nonfiction texts, employing reading strategies to support comprehension such as interacting with the text through notetaking. Students analyze author’s purpose, audience, genre characteristics, and author’s craft, including literary elements and devices. Students also utilize text evidence to support their inferences. Through a transfer of reading comprehension skills, students learn how to apply author’s craft to their own practices as writers and writing products.

In Writing, students create a literary text (short fiction or literary/narrative nonfiction) and apply genre characteristics and author’s craft to their drafts. Students practice each stage of the writing process through publication. Students apply author’s craft learned during reading comprehension activities and assignments to their own writing products. Previously learned skills about establishing focus and coherence support revising efforts, and previously learned grammar and spelling skills support editing efforts.

In Word Study,students learn and build comprehension of unfamiliar grade-level academic vocabulary through authentic reading and writing practices. Specific Greek and Latin roots are emphasized. Students utilize newly acquired vocabulary in their own responses, both oral and written.

TEKS in this unit: 6.2A, 6.2B, 6.2C, 6.5A, 6.5B, 6.5C, 6.5E, 6.5F, 6.5H, 6.6A, 6.6B, 6.6C, 6.6D, 6.6E, 6.6F, 6.6G, 6.6H, 6.7A, 6.7B, 6.7C, 6.7D, 6.8A, 6.9A, 6.9B, 6.9C, 6.9D, 6.9E, 6.9F, 6.10A, 6.10B, 6.10B.i, 6.10B.ii, 6.10C, 6.10D, 6.10E, 6.11A, 6.12A, 6.12D, 6.12F

Unit 02B: Analyzing and Crafting Literary Texts: Drama and Poetry

(15 classes for the entire unit)

In Reading, students read, respond to/write about, and discuss multiple poems and scenes from plays while employing strategies to support comprehension such as interacting with the text through notetaking. Students analyze author’s purpose and audience, genre characteristics, and author’s craft, including literary elements and devices. Students also utilize text evidence to support their inferences. Through a transfer of reading comprehension skills, students learn how to apply author’s craft to their own practices as writers and writing products.

In Writing, students create a literary text (poem or scene of a play) and apply genre characteristics and author’s craft to their drafts. Students practice each stage of the writing process through publication and apply author’s craft learned during reading comprehension activities and assignments to their own writing products. In revising, students review their texts for focus. In editing their poetry and scenes, students apply conventional and purposeful use of spelling skills to enhance the readers’ and audience’s experience.

In Word Study, students continue to learn and build comprehension of unfamiliar grade-level academic vocabulary through authentic reading and writing practices and utilize newly acquired vocabulary in their own responses, both oral and written.

In Collaboration, students engage in discussion to develop a deeper understanding of a literary text by sharing their own analysis of a text using textual evidence and responding to the perspectives and analyses of others. Students confer with peers to help each other as writers as they engage in a writing community.

TEKS in this unit: 6.5A, 6.5B, 6.5C, 6.5E, 6.5F, 6.5G, 6.5H, 6.6A, 6.6B, 6.6C, 6.6D, 6.6E, 6.6G, 6.6H, 6.7A, 6.7B, 6.7C, 6.7D, 6.8A, 6.8B, 6.8C, 6.9A, 6.9B, 6.9C, 6.9D, 6.9E, 6.9F, 6.10A, 6.10B, 6.10B.i, 6.10B.ii, 6.10C, 6.10D, 6.10D.ix, 6.10E, 6.11A

Unit 03: Analyzing and Crafting Informational Texts

(25 classes for the entire unit)

In Reading, students analyze a variety of informational texts for key ideas and the way in which organizational patterns and text features convey these ideas. Students identify the author’s purpose, intended audience, controlling idea/thesis as well as how the author uses evidence, facts, and details to support their controlling idea/thesis through close reading strategies such as notetaking and annotating. To develop a deeper understanding of their reading, students summarize and paraphrase texts as part of the comprehension process and utilize text evidence to support their understanding. Students also practice fundamentals of research by reading a variety of sources to gather and synthesize reliable, credible information in order to learn about a topic. Through a transfer of reading comprehension skills, students apply author’s craft to their own writing products.

In Writing, students engage in writing as a recursive process as they brainstorm/plan, draft, revise, and edit a multi-paragraph informational essay. Students apply author’s craft learned during informational text analysis to their own writing products. In revising, students review their texts for clarity, development, organization, style, word choice, and sentence variety. In editing, students focus on capitalization, spelling, subject-verb agreement, using consistent verb tenses, and employing a variety of sentence structures with correct use of conjunctive adverbs and subordinating conjunctions.

In Word Study, students continue to learn and build comprehension of unfamiliar grade-level vocabulary through authentic reading, annotation/notetaking, and use of resources to determine word meaning.

In Collaboration, students engage in discussion to develop a deeper understanding of informational texts by sharing their own analysis of a text and responding to the feedback and analysis of others. Students also engage in discussion to process and organize their thoughts about their research and to determine specific areas of interest and strength.

TEKS in this unit: 6.5A, 6.5B, 6.5C, 6.5E, 6.5F, 6.5G, 6.5H, 6.6A, 6.6B, 6.6C, 6.6D, 6.6E, 6.6G, 6.6H, 6.6I, 6.8D, 6.8D.i, 6.8D.ii, 6.8D.iii, 6.9A, 6.9B, 6.9C, 6.10A, 6.10B, 6.10B.i, 6.10B.ii, 6.10C, 6.10D, 6.10D.i, 6.10D.ii, 6.10D.iii, 6.10D.vi, 6.10D.vii, 6.10E, 6.11B, 6.12A, 6.12B, 6.12C, 6.12D, 6.12E, 6.12F, 6.12H, 6.12H.i

Unit 04: Analyzing and Crafting Argumentative Texts

(25 classes for the entire unit)

In Reading, students analyze a variety of argumentative texts in order to identify and explain each author’s claim and key ideas as well as how their quality of evidence, treatment of counterarguments, and use of rhetorical devices and logical fallacies create effective and ineffective arguments. Students identify the author’s background, purpose, and intended audience as well as the context of each argument. To develop a deeper understanding of their reading, students summarize and paraphrase texts as part of the comprehension process and utilize text evidence to support their understanding. Students continue to interact with the text through close reading strategies such as notetaking and annotating. Through a transfer of reading comprehension skills, students apply author’s craft to their own writing products and presentations, employing multimodal tools to communicate ideas effectively.

In Writing, students engage in writing as a recursive process as they brainstorm/plan, draft, revise, and edit a multi-paragraph argumentative text. Students apply author’s craft learned during argumentative text analysis to their own writing and presentation products. In revising, students review their texts for clarity, development, organization, style, word choice, and sentence variety. In editing, students focus on effective use of prepositions and prepositional phrases, pronouns, and punctuation.

In Collaboration, students engage in discussion to develop a deeper understanding of how multiple modalities support persuasive elements of argumentative texts by brainstorming, sharing, and listening to how their peers plan to employ multimodal elements to craft an effective persuasive oral presentation.

TEKS in this unit: 6.1C, 6.5A, 6.5B, 6.5C, 6.5E, 6.5F, 6.5G, 6.5H, 6.6A, 6.6B, 6.6C, 6.6D, 6.6E, 6.6G, 6.6H, 6.6I, 6.8E, 6.8E.i, 6.8E.ii, 6.8E.iii, 6.8F, 6.9A, 6.9B, 6.9C, 6.9D, 6.9F, 6.9G, 6.10A, 6.10B, 6.10B.i, 6.10B.ii, 6.10C, 6.10D, 6.10D.iv, 6.10D.v, 6.10D.viii, 6.10E, 6.11C, 6.12H, 6.12H.i, 6.12H.ii, 6.12I, 6.12J

Unit 05: Analyzing Texts across Genres

(20 classes for the entire unit)

In Reading, students analyze several texts that represent a variety of genres connected by topic in order to identify similarities and differences in the authors’ messages, application of genre characteristics, and use of author’s craft. Students utilize close reading strategies such as notetaking and annotating to make connections between the texts and reflect on how the authors use genre to support their purposes. In a transfer of reading comprehension skills, students apply genre characteristics and author’s craft to their own writing products.

In Writing, students engage in writing as a recursive process as they brainstorm/plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish original works in multiple genres of their choice. Students apply author’s craft and genre characteristics (as applicable to each chosen genre) learned throughout previous units to their own writing products. In revising, students review their texts for clarity, coherence, development, organization, style, and tone. In editing, students demonstrate a holistic understanding of editing, including making conventional and nonconventional choices in punctuation, grammar, and spelling that are most effective for their purpose, genre, and intended audience.

In Collaboration, students engage in discussion as they analyze a variety of multimodal texts across multiple genres. Through discussion, they share ideas about which topics, genres, and modes they will research and craft for their own original compositions.

TEKS in this unit: 6.5A, 6.5B, 6.5C, 6.5E, 6.5F, 6.5G, 6.5H, 6.6A, 6.6B, 6.6C, 6.6D, 6.6E, 6.6G, 6.6H, 6.6I, 6.7A, 6.7B, 6.7C, 6.7D, 6.8A, 6.8B, 6.8C, 6.8D, 6.8D.i, 6.8D.ii, 6.8D.iii, 6.8E, 6.8E.i, 6.8E.ii, 6.8E.iii, 6.8F, 6.9A, 6.9B, 6.9C, 6.9D, 6.9E, 6.9F, 6.9G, 6.10A, 6.10B, 6.10B.i, 6.10B.ii, 6.10C, 6.10D, 6.10E, 6.11A, 6.11B, 6.11C

Unit 06: Synthesize! Create! Innovate!

(25 classes for the entire unit)

In Reading, students research and locate credible primary and secondary sources and read a variety of informational and argumentative texts, including multimodal, on a chosen topic with the express purpose of collecting and evaluating information on the topic. Students utilize close reading strategies such as notetaking and annotating to support their comprehension of sources, including analyzing the author’s purpose, intended audience, context, message, author’s craft, and genre characteristics. Students also evaluate source material to determine whether a text is primary or secondary as well as reliable and credible. Through a transfer of reading comprehension skills and analysis of mentor texts, students apply author’s craft, including multimodal elements, to their own writing products to communicate ideas effectively.

In Writing, students engage in writing as a recursive process as they brainstorm, plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish a short research essay. Students support their thesis or claim with paraphrased and directly quoted text from credible sources, and apply proper academic formatting for these referenced sources with in-text citations and a Works Cited/Bibliography page. Students also use the writing process to create a visual research presentation that includes credible and clear information, employing a variety of modes such as images, charts, audio, and/or video to effectively communicate their message. In revising, students review their essay and presentation for clarity, coherence, development, organization, style, and tone as well as logical soundness. In editing, students make conventional and nonconventional choices in punctuation, grammar, and spelling that are most effective for their purpose, genre, and intended audience. Expectations in this bundle emphasize properly citing and ethically utilizing source material through in-text citations and comprehensive bibliography pages presentation.

In Collaboration, students engage in collaboration to refine their research plan, research proposal, and the writing process. Students also engage in a peer review process to discuss and share ideas about the writing of others and their own writing, including specific commentary on the strength of peers’ writing and use of multimodal elements.

TEKS in this unit: 6.1C, 6.5A, 6.5B, 6.5C, 6.5E, 6.5F, 6.5G, 6.5H, 6.6A, 6.6B, 6.6C, 6.6D, 6.6E, 6.6G, 6.6H, 6.6I, 6.8D, 6.8D.i, 6.8D.ii, 6.8D.iii, 6.8E, 6.8E.i, 6.8E.ii, 6.8E.iii, 6.8F, 6.9A, 6.9B, 6.9C, 6.9D, 6.9F, 6.9G, 6.10A, 6.10B, 6.10B.i, 6.10B.ii, 6.10C, 6.10D, 6.10E, 6.11B, 6.11C, 6.11D, 6.12A, 6.12B, 6.12C, 6.12D, 6.12E, 6.12F, 6.12G, 6.12H, 6.12H.i, 6.12H.ii, 6.12I, 6.12J