Academics

A complete description of the middle school language arts Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills can be found at the Texas Education Agency web site. Some of the knowledge and skills emphasized in eighth grade, specific to reading, are described below.

Across genres, students will analyze literary works that share similar themes across cultures; compare and contrast the similarities and differences in mythologies from various cultures; analyze works written on the same topic and compare how the authors achieved similar or different purposes; and compare and contrast persuasive texts that reached different conclusions about the same issue and explain how the authors reached their conclusions through analyzing the evidence each presents.

With literary texts, students will work primarily with fiction to analyze linear plot developments to determine whether and how conflicts are resolved; and analyze how the central characters' qualities influence the theme of a fictional work and resolution of the central conflict. Students will also explain how the values and beliefs of particular characters are affected by the historical and cultural setting of the literary work; compare and contrast the relationship between the purpose and characteristics of different poetic forms; analyze how different playwrights characterize their protagonists and antagonists through the dialogue and staging of their plays; analyze different forms of point of view, including limited versus omniscient, subjective versus objective; analyze passages in well-known speeches for the author's use of literary devices and word and phrase choice to appeal to the audience; and explain the effect of similes and extended metaphors in literary text.

With informational texts, students will work primarily with expository text to  summarize the main ideas, supporting details, and relationships among ideas in text succinctly in ways that maintain meaning and logical order; make subtle inferences and draw complex conclusions about the ideas in text and their organizational patterns; and synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts representing similar or different genres and support those findings with textual evidence. Students will also distinguish factual claims from commonplace assertions and opinions and evaluate inferences from their logic in text; analyze the use of such rhetorical and logical fallacies as loaded terms, caricatures, leading questions, false assumptions, and incorrect premises in persuasive texts; evaluate graphics for their clarity in communicating meaning or achieving a specific purpose; evaluate the role of media in focusing attention on events and informing opinion on issues; and evaluate various techniques used to create a point of view in media and the impact on audience.

A complete description of the middle school language arts Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills can be found at the Texas Education Agency web site. Some of the knowledge and skills emphasized in seventh grade, specific to reading, are described below. 
Across genres, students will describe the structural and substantive differences between an autobiography or a diary and a fictional adaptation of it; and explain the difference between the theme of a literary work and the author's purpose in an expository text

With literary texts, students will work primarily with fiction to explain the influence of the setting on plot development; analyze the development of the plot through the internal and external responses of the characters, including their motivations and conflicts; and determine the figurative meaning of phrases and analyze how an author's use of language creates imagery, appeals to the senses, and suggests mood. Students will also describe multiple themes in a work of fiction; describe conventions in myths and epic tales; analyze how place and time influence the theme or message of a literary work; analyze the importance of graphical elements on the meaning of a poem; explain a playwright's use of dialogue and stage directions; and analyze different forms of point of view, including first-person, third-person omniscient, and third-person limited.

With informational texts, students will work primarily with expository text to evaluate a summary of the original text for accuracy of the main ideas, supporting details, and overall meaning; use different organizational patterns as guides for summarizing and forming an overview of different kinds of expository text; and synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts representing similar or different genres, and support those findings with textual evidence. Students will also distinguish factual claims from commonplace assertions and opinions; analyze the structure of the central argument in contemporary policy speeches and identify the different types of evidence used to support the argument; identify such rhetorical fallacies as ad hominem, exaggeration, stereotyping, or categorical claims in persuasive texts; explain the function of the graphical components of a text in procedural texts; interpret both explicit and implicit messages in various forms of media; and evaluate various ways media influences and informs audiences.

A complete description of the middle school language arts Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills can be found at the Texas Education Agency web site. Some of the knowledge and skills emphasized in sixth grade, specific to reading, are described below. 

Across genres, students will compare and contrast the historical and cultural settings of two literary works; identify the literary language and devices used in memoirs and personal narratives and compare their characteristics with those of an autobiography; compare and contrast the stated or implied purposes of different authors writing on the same topic; and compare and contrast the structure and viewpoints of two different authors writing for the same purpose, noting the stated claim and supporting evidence.
With literary texts, students will work primarily with fiction to summarize the elements of plot development in various works of fiction and explain how authors create meaning through stylistic elements and figurative language emphasizing the use of personification, hyperbole, and refrains. Students will also infer the implicit theme of a work of fiction, distinguishing theme from the topic; analyze the function of stylistic elements in traditional and classical literature from various cultures; explain how figurative language contributes to the meaning of a poem; and describe different forms of point-of-view, including first- and third-person.

With informational texts, students will work primarily with expository text to summarize the main ideas and supporting details in text, demonstrating an understanding that a summary does not include opinions. Students will also explain whether facts included in an argument are used for or against an issue; explain how different organizational patterns develop the main idea and the author's viewpoint; synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts representing similar or different genres; identify faulty reasoning used in persuasive texts; interpret factual, quantitative, or technical information presented via graphical components in procedural texts; explain messages conveyed in various forms of media; and recognize how various techniques influence viewers' emotions.

Eighth grade social studies is a year-long course of study serving as the first part of a two-year study in which students examine the history of the United States from the early colonial period through Reconstruction to build upon the content taught in fifth grade but with more depth and breadth. Historical content focuses on the political, economic, and social events and issues related to the colonial and revolutionary eras, the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution, challenges of the early Republic, westward expansion, sectionalism, Civil War, and Reconstruction. In the geography strand, students study physical characteristics of the United States and their impact on population distributions and settlement patterns in the past and present. Students analyze the various economic factors that influenced the development of colonial America and the early years of the Republic and identify the origins of the free enterprise system. Students examine the American beliefs and principles, including limited government, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, and individual rights, reflected in the U.S. Constitution and other historical documents. Students evaluate the impact of the Supreme Court cases and major reform movements of the nineteenth century and examine the rights and responsibilities of citizens of the United States as well as the importance of effective leadership in a democratic society. An evaluation of the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the development of our nation is also a part of the course of study. There is an emphasis on critical thinking skills, including the identification of bias in written, oral, and visual material.

Seventh grade social studies is a year-long course of study of the history of Texas from early times to the present in which students build upon the foundation laid in fourth grade with more depth and breadth. The full scope of Texas history is examined, including the cultures of Native Americans living in Texas prior to European exploration and the eras of mission building, colonization, revolution, republic, and statehood. In each era, the focus is on key individuals, events, issues, and their impact. In the geography strand, students identify the regions of Texas and the distribution of population within and among the regions and explain the factors that led Texas to change from a rural to an urban society. Students describe the structure and functions of municipal, county, and state governments, explain the influence of the U.S. Constitution on the Texas Constitution, and examine the rights and responsibilities of Texas citizens. Students examine primary and secondary sources to observe the richly diverse cultural background of Texas as they identify the different racial and ethnic groups who settled in Texas to build a republic and then a state. Students also analyze the impact of various scientific discoveries and technological innovations such as barbed wire and oil and gas industries on the development of Texas.

Sixth grade social studies is a year-long course in which students study the people and places of the contemporary world. Societies are chosen for study from the following regions of the world: Europe, Russia and the Eurasian republics, North America, Middle America, South America, Southwest Asia-North Africa, Sub-Sahara Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Rim. Students study the influence of individuals and groups on historical and contemporary events in those societies and identify the locations and geographic characteristics of selected societies. Students examine the different ways of organizing economic and governmental systems. Students describe the nature of citizenship in the various societies as they examine the concepts of limited and unlimited governments; and compare institutions common to all societies such as government, education, and religious institutions. Students explore how the level of technology affects the development of selected societies and identify different points of view about selected events.