(COVID Emergency Release)
Full-Subject Materials: Pilot Texas OER
The K-5 OER RLA COVID Emergency Release V3 is currently called the Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program andhas been built on state standards and the Science of Reading, in tight alignment with structured literacy concepts taught in the Texas Reading Academies. The program is designed to meet 100% of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) inEnglish Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)in K–5 and is available to coverSpanish Language Arts Reading (SLAR) and English as a Second Languagestandards. The digital materials are free for use, reuse, or modification by any Texan.
With these materials, students can complete a full skills lesson focused on building strong foundational reading skills, as well as a full separate knowledge-focused lesson that builds background around key topics or themes while focusing on comprehension in grades K–2. In grades 3–5, students begin building on foundational reading skills, so skills and knowledge units are integrated as unified lessons. The current version of materials offer lessons for 180 days of instruction and include teacher guides, student activity books, image supports, student readers, exit tickets, and other resources.
TEA developed these materials as a contingency option during COVID for school systems that choose to use it. Prior to publication, materials go through a rigorous third-party review based on anapproved rubric, including feedback from Texas educators. The programs were acquired as Open Education Resources (OER). OER is freely available to Texans in perpetuity; however, because of the program’s COVID-19 contingency release status and ongoing pilot execution and refinement, we acknowledge it may contain some errors.
The full content of the materials isavailable online for transparent review.Help guide continuous improvement by taking ouronline survey. If you have questions or concerns about the instructional materials,please email us.
More information on the development history of this pilot OER material can be found here.
Components
The materials are designed to strongly reinforce phonics and foundational literacy skills while also building background knowledge, covering the entirety of the ELAR (and SLAR) TEKS. Multiple components of the OER can be used individually or together:
- K-2 Skills(Phonics)units that cover theDeveloping and Sustaining Foundational Literacystrand in the ELAR TEKS. Daily lessons are designed to take 60 minutes each day.
- K-2 Spanish Skills (Phonics)units that cover the Developing and Sustaining Foundational Literacy strand in the SLAR TEKS. Daily lessons are designed to take 40 minutes each day.
- K-5 Knowledgeunits that cover ELAR TEKS with an emphasis on building vocabulary and background knowledge. In grades K-2, these are structured as units separate from skills, are designed to take 60 minutes each day, and would be used alongside the K-2 Skills units. In grades 3-5, these are structured to cover all of the ELAR TEKS, designed to take 120 minutes for grade 3 and 90 minutes for grades 4 and 5.
- K-5 Knowledge Spanish versionunits are available to support dual language instruction.
K–5 Knowledge
Through daily exercises that feature text with growing complexity, an emphasis on classroom interactivity, oral comprehension, contextual vocabulary, and with speaking and writing in response to the reading, students develop mastery of ELAR TEKS while building background knowledge and rich vocabulary that is a key to literacy. The product is designed around research that shows new vocabulary is more likely to be remembered when offered in a knowledge-coherent context. This serves to dual function of full TEKS coverage and creates a coherently sequenced set of knowledge units within each grade level, and across all K–5 units. The unit outlines are as follows:
All units are available inEnglishand are also available translated intoSpanishto support dual-language instruction.
K–2 Skills (Phonics)
Starting with sounds, students practice phonemic awareness, handwriting, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. Through daily practice, students become aware of the connection between reading and writing, building confidence as they go. The K–2 skills units may be used as a standalone, supplemental curriculum. The units are designed to cover all of the Developing and Sustaining Foundational Literacy strands in the ELAR TEKS.
A K–2 Spanish Skills (Phonics), Habilidades y Destrezas, is also available. The first version launched for the 2022–23 school year and is designed to cover all of the Developing and Sustaining Foundational Literacy strands in the SLAR TEKS.All content is available onlinefor review.
Getting Started
In addition to digital access, all products allow educators, campuses, or individuals to self-print the materials. For more information on printing instructions or options for purchase pleasecontact us.
