3rd 5th grade curriculum · 0 f the article describes how stage fright feels, but the poem does...

3rd – 5th Grade Curriculum

Classroom Instruction 0CAFÉ Strategies:

0Comprehension

0Accuracy

0Fluency

0Expand Vocabulary

0Guided reading:

0 Small group instruction based on reading level

0Allows the teacher to address areas of concern for each student

Istation 0We provide time at school each week for

students to engage with Istation

0 Students should be logging into Istation at home as well

0Istation reinforces the major areas of reading:

0Comprehension

0Vocabulary

0 Spelling/Word Analysis

0Text Fluency

State Standards (TEKS) 0Access all grade state standards (TEKS) from

the TEA website (link below)

0http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/teks/

0Scroll down on page to find TEKS by grade level

0Click on your student’s grade to view PDF

0Lead 4 Ward is another excellent STAAR informational website

0http://www.lead4ward.com

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/teks/

Reporting Categories for STAAR

0Understanding and Analysis Across Genres

0 Includes: Vocabulary, Comprehension between two pieces of texts from different genres

0Understanding and Analysis of Literary Texts

0 Includes: Theme, Fiction, Poetry, & Drama Comprehension, Sensory Language

0Understanding and Analysis of Informational Texts

0 Includes: Comprehension of Informational, Procedural, & Expository texts

STAAR 0 STAAR exam includes fiction (may include

poetry and drama) and nonfiction texts

0To be successful, students need to be able to:

0 Determine main idea & supporting details

0 Summarize

0 Make inferences (read between the lines)

0 Draw conclusions

0 Using textual evidence to support the answer

(underlining in passage where they got their

answers)

Nonfiction Passage—3rd Grade Vaqueros: The Original Cowboys

1 Long before there were cowboys in Texas, there were vaqueros. A vaquero could tame a wild horse. He could stop a steer without using a rope. Vaqueros worked well with their horses and could perform amazing stunts. Caring for Cattle 2 At one time, Spanish ranchers in parts of Mexico, Texas, and California owned huge herds of cattle. The cattle lived on large areas of land. And all those cows needed a lot of food. The animals were allowed to roam freely across the land so they could find enough food to eat. 3 Caring for the cattle was a big job. Ranchers hired vaqueros to keep the cattle safe. Vaqueros spent long days in their saddles, riding their horses across the open land. They scared away any animals that might harm the cattle. And if a cow was injured or sick, it was the vaquero’s job to help it. *See handout for complete passage Selection taken from STAAR Grade 3 Reading 2011 Release Reading Selection 2 Copyright © 2011, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Nonfiction Test Questions What is the best summary of this article?

0 A Ranchers owned a lot of cattle. In order to find enough food, the cattle had to roam freely across large areas of land. The ranchers needed help with their cattle, so they hired vaqueros.

0 B Spanish ranchers hired vaqueros to take care of their cattle. The cattle

lived in large open areas. Vaqueros used horses and special clothing and tools to help them with their work. When the ranchers moved away, the vaqueros taught their skills to new settlers.

0 C Vaqueros took care of cattle that wandered across large areas of land.

The vaqueros watched over the cattle and chased harmful animals away. They also helped find calves in springtime.

0 D Spanish ranchers owned cattle that grazed in large areas of grassland.

It was difficult to keep track of the cattle and take care of them. The cattle ranchers needed some help, so they hired vaqueros, who were similar to cowboys. Eventually the Spanish ranchers left.

From STAAR Grade 3 Reading 2011 Release Copyright © 2011, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without

express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Nonfiction Test Questions Which sentence best supports the idea that horses were helpful in controlling cattle? 0 A The animals were allowed to roam freely across the land

so they could find enough food to eat. 0 B Vaqueros spent long days in their saddles, riding their

horses across the open land. 0 C Getting cattle to move in one direction was not an easy

job. 0 D The horses were also trained to step in front of a cow that

was trying to escape from the herd.

From STAAR Grade 3 Reading 2011 Release Copyright © 2011, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Nonfiction Test Questions The author includes headings in bold

print to — 0 A explain why the article was written

0 B describe why pictures were included in the article

0 C show which words are most important

0 D tell what information is in each section

From STAAR Grade 3 Reading 2011 Release

Copyright © 2011, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Fiction: Poetry—4th Grade To Manga, My Hamster

by Joyce Sidman

I wish I could set you free like that day you escaped

and ran all over the house. That was an amazing day. 5 My mother screamed.

My sister cried. All because you were loose somewhere,

burrowing through pillows and toys. When Mom finally found you 10 huddled in the mop bucket

(and you bit her) you looked so fierce,

like your wild cousins that roam the jungles of Asia.

15 I wish I had jungles to give you. I wish that could be your life.

From STAAR Grade 4 Reading 2014 Release Copyright © 2014, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Poetry Test Question What identifies this poem as an example of free verse?

0 A Its lines are not similar in length.

0 B It does not follow a rhyming pattern.

0 C It uses figurative language to create imagery.

0 D It presents a lesson that can be learned.


Copyright © 2014, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express

written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Poetry Test Question What is emphasized by the repetition of the words “I wish” in the poem?

0 F The reason the speaker wants her mother to like Manga

0 G The speaker’s desire for Manga to have the best life possible

0 H The length of time it takes the speaker to find Manga when he escapes

0 J The speaker’s reason for keeping Manga as a pet



Poetry Test Question Which line from the poem shows that the speaker is not worried about Manga’s behavior upsetting her mother and sister? 0 F That was an amazing day. 0 G My mother screamed. 0 H I wish that could be your life. 0 J Please forgive me.



Paired Selection—5th Grade Stage Fright

by Lee Bennett Hopkins

I wanted the role.

The Prince.

The Prince.

I got it.

5 Knew it.

I was totally convinced.

I memorized each line.

Learned them by heart.

I studied and studied

10 my perfect Prince-part.

But—

when I took center stage

I stammered

stuttered

15 hemmed

hawed

suddenly shuddered. From STAAR Grade 5 Reading 2013 Release

Copyright © 2013, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from the Texas

Education Agency.

Paired Selection—5th Grade 1 Imagine that you are an actor performing in a play for the first time. You have learned all your lines, you know where to walk onstage, and your costume fits perfectly. Waiting behind the closed curtain, you can hear people in the audience whispering and taking their seats. Then your big moment arrives!

2 The curtain goes up, and the crowd falls silent. All you can see is the spotlight shining down on you. You try to speak your lines, but nothing seems to come out. The inside of your mouth is dry, and your palms are wet. The icy chill of panic starts to spread from your stomach to your arms and legs.

3 If you have experienced a moment like this, you know all too well what it means to have stage fright, also known as performance anxiety. It is one of the most common types of fear and tends to strike people when they find themselves at the center of attention. You don’t have to be onstage to get stage fright. People experience this fear when playing sports, giving a business presentation, or even speaking in class. A person who suffers from stage fright may get sweaty hands, a dry mouth, a tight throat, or shaky knees. Stage

fright is actually a form of panic, and these feelings are very real.

4 Stage fright is part of the body’s reaction to stress. The experience differs from person to person, but the same chemical process occurs in each of us. In reaction to anxiety, our bodies produce a chemical called adrenaline that prepares us to either fight or run away quickly. Scientists refer to this as our bodies’ “fight or flight” reaction. As a result, we feel a boost of energy that makes our palms sweat, our hearts race, and our knees shake.


Copyright © 2013, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written

permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Paired Selection Test Questions Use “Stage Fright” to answer this question.

Read these lines from the poem.

The poet uses the figurative expression “learned them by heart” to emphasize that the speaker —

0 F has volunteered to be in the play

0 G practices on the stage

0 H enjoys playing the role of the prince

0 J feels prepared for his performance


Copyright © 2013, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written

permission from the Texas Education Agency.

I memorized each line. Learned them by heart.

Use “Fear Takes Center Stage” to answer this question.

The author speaks directly to the reader in paragraphs 1 and 2 in order to —

0 F encourage the reader to try out for a play

0 G share a personal story with the reader

0 H help the reader understand the experience of stage fright

0 J demonstrate that acting requires skill


Copyright © 2013, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited

without express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Paired Selection Test Questions

Use “Stage Fright” and “Fear Takes Center Stage” to answer the question.

What is one difference between the selections? 0 F The article describes how stage fright feels, but the poem does not.

0 G The article provides a scientific explanation for stage fright, but the poem does not.

0 H The poem indicates that a person can overcome stage fright, but the article does not.

0 J The poem gives an example of a person with stage fright, but the article does not.


Copyright © 2013, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express

written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

Paired Selection Test Questions

3rd 5th grade curriculum · 0 f the article describes how stage fright feels, but the poem does...

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