Kelley Watkins
Curriculum & Methodology
March 6, 2003
According to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Chapter English Language Arts and Reading, Reading (Elective Credit) Chapter 110.25, 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. Also, 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. I have taken the six sections of the knowledge and skills portion of this chapter and researched Internet sites, which will help the students learn and perform effectively and efficiently.
Chapter 110.25
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 the keys and entry information in dictionaries, glossaries, and other sources to confirm pronunciations and meaning of unfamiliar words.
Internet sites to help students with word recognition strategies include:
This website offers teachers the ability to create multiple word puzzles for students to use. The students can even create their own puzzles. This website also features a dictionary tool to assist students in building their vocabulary base.
This website is actually geared towards younger than secondary age student. However, Starfall is a creative website that is designed to teach children to read. I believe this is a good site for students to incorporate into their learning because it teaches phonics, phonemic awareness, decoding skills, and comprehension.
2) The student builds vocabulary through reading and systematic word study. The student is expected to:
A) expand vocabulary by reading, listening, and conversing;
B) determine word meaning by using context:
C) derive word meaning by applying knowledge of the meanings of prefixes, suffixes, and bases; and
D) use reference aids such as glossary, dictionary, and available technology to investigate word origins, meanings, and usage.
Internet sites that would help students build vocabulary through reading and systematic word study include:
This website offer numerous activities to help students learn more about word recognition and allows the students to download various software. The students have access to an entire section on word find games, consonants, word problems, 25 story time units, adjectives and adverbs, phonics rules and other reading readiness activities.
This website is a demonstration site for products that can be sold to help students learn more about vocabulary. Mnemonic devices help to improve memory retention. Other services include tutoring skills for other subjects other than Language Arts.
3) The student reads with fluency and understanding in increasingly demanding texts. The student is expected to:
A) read silently for sustained periods of time:
B) read proficiently from diverse texts such as newspapers, textbooks, manuals, literature, references, and electronic text; and
C) adjust reading rate based on purposes for reading.
An internet site that I found could be very helpful for students to learn to read with fluency and understanding in increasingly demanding texts is:
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource