This resource is a demonstration lesson presented at the 2014 Write for Texas Summer Institute. It provides a snapshot of a four to five week unit that engages students in the reading and writing workshop model.

This resource series is designed to enhance teachers' knowledge and skill so they can effectively teach grammar in context. Teaching grammar in context uses powerful models like sentences within mentor texts, rather than marking errors and correcting weak or wrong examples. 

This resource links to the Write for Texas online resources and includes a short video overview.

This resource outlines the components of research-based programs for beginning reading instruction and is for all educators who want to learn more about how to support beginning reading instruction in students of all ages. Links to videos, handouts, and sample lesson plans are included.

This resource outlines the components of vocabulary development. Links to videos, handouts, and sample lesson plans are included.

This resource outlines the components of research-based programs for reading comprehension instruction and is for all educators who want to learn more about how to support reading comprehension for students of all ages. Links to videos, handouts, and sample lesson plans are included.

A relative adverb is a word that talks about a place, time, or reason for something. Remember the three "w's": where, when, and why.
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Verb tense is used to show when an action occurs, whether it is in the past, the present, or the future.

Present progressives describe an action in progress, or something that started in the past and is still happening. It is formed with the helping "to be" verb in the present tense and the present participle of the verb.

In this video segment from Nature, witness the joy an elephant family experiences when a new baby elephant is born. This birth was a celebration within elephant society. 

Find out how young Thomas Edison’s curiosity got him into trouble, and how, during his teen years, he lost his hearing but gained confidence as an aspiring inventor, in this video adapted from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Edison.

You will learn the importance of graphical elements (e.g., capital letters, line length, word position) in the meaning of a poem.

You will learn how the setting in a story can influence the development of the plot.

You will learn how to analyze different points of view, including first person, third-person omniscient, and third-person limited.

You will learn how to explain a playwright’s use of dialogue and stage directions.

You will learn the importance of graphical elements (e.g., capital letters, line length, word position) in the meaning of a poem.

You will learn how to describe multiple themes in fiction, analyze how place and time influence the theme, and make complex inferences.

You will be able to identify figurative language and understand how it creates imagery, appeals to the senses, and suggests mood.

You will learn how to make connections between and across texts, including other media (e.g., film, play), and provide textual evidence.

You will learn how to describe the structural and substantive differences between an autobiography or diary and a fictional adaptation of it.