The Texas Journal of Literacy Education is the official journal of the Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE), the Texas affiliate of the International Literacy Association. TJLE is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research and practitioner articles related to language and literacy practices, from early childhood through adult, inside and outside of the classroom.
All copyright remains with the author.
Phonemic Awareness and AI: Evaluating ChatGPT Plus for Structured Lesson Development
Effective phonemic awareness instruction is essential for early literacy development, yet teachers often seek additional support in designing structured, engaging, and standards-aligned lesson plans. Generative AI (GenAI), such as ChatGPT Plus, is a promising tool for assisting educators with lesson creation. This study explores the effectiveness of ChatGPT Plus in generating phonemic awareness lesson plans that align with learning objectives, the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model, and the Science of Teaching Reading (STR) instructional practices. The study evaluated and refined three ChatGPT Plus-generated lesson plans using a design-based research methodology. The initial output lacked student engagement, formative strategies, and explicit teacher feedback and needed multiple refinements. The final output indicates that ChatGPT Plus successfully created lessons using the GRR model, incorporated STR instructional practices, and aligned them with lesson objectives. This study highlights the potential of GenAI in lesson planning but emphasizes the need for teacher experience in using detailed prompts and critical evaluation of AI-generated lesson plans. While ChatGPT Plus can streamline lesson planning, teacher oversight remains essential to ensure pedagogical and instructional effects.
phonemic awareness, generative AI, lesson planning
Finding Harmony in Times of Discord: Helping Literacy Professionals Unpack the Current Reading Instruction Movement
In the past few years, certain labels for how we frame literacy teaching have become triggers for heated debates in various venues, such as media, social media, journal articles, blogs, and professional organization conference sessions. In this article, we aim to find common ground between proponents of balanced literacy and proponents of a phonics-based/phonics-forward and first approach. We first present and unpack reading instruction vocabulary that has been frequently used in the discourse of educators and media who ascribe to one of the two mentioned approaches. Then, we provide resources and advice to literacy professionals and administrators who work directly with teachers so that they might find balance and harmony amidst the information that is prevalent in both literacy journals and the media.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bethanie Pletcher, Gina Doepker, Patricia Durham, Aimee Morewood, Roberta Raymond
No me veo: A lack of Hispanic racial representation in the Texas Bluebonnet Award Books
The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which the characters in the books on the 2020-2021 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List (TBAML) reflect the diversity of Texas students in grades 3-6 in terms of race. The researchers used content analysis to collect demographic data about the main characters in the books on the 2020-2021 TBAML. The researchers collected data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) concerning the racial demographics of Texas students in grades 3-6, who are the readers of the books on the TBAML. The researchers compared the data collected from the books to the data collected from TEA in order to determine whether the racial diversity of the targeted readers was represented by the main characters on the TBAML. The researchers then compared the 2020-2021 data to a previous study entitled, Exploring diversity representation in literature for children: A content analysis of the 2015-2016 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List (Lee, 2017).
Navigating the New Terrain: Preparing Texas Teacher Candidates for the Science of Teaching Reading Constructed Response
The Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has implemented new certification requirements, significantly affecting the path for aspiring Pre-K through 8th-grade educators. As of 2022, candidates must pass three exams: the pedagogy and professional responsibility (PPR) exam, a Core Subjects exam, and the newly mandated Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam. Effective January 1, 2021, the STR exam includes a constructed response component alongside traditional multiple-choice questions, raising proficiency standards by assessing both content knowledge and writing skills. This enhanced focus on writing presents challenges, especially for undergraduate candidates. The current article offers guidance on preparing for the STR exam's constructed response segment, analyzing its requirements, and providing recommendations to develop the necessary skills. The goal is to equip teacher candidates to navigate this demanding aspect of the certification process successfully.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Stephanie Grote-Garcia, Dr. Bethanie Pletcher, Jo’Ann Ruiz, Bascolyne Day
Racial Literacies Matter: The Relational Context of a Predominately White Institution
The current political and legal violence against DEI and Black Lives Matter movement has pushed the debate on racial inequality to include academic opportunity gap, systemic injustice in schools and classrooms, and racialized gender violence. This article, Racial Literacies Matter, calls us to consider hegemonic practices and [D]discourses that are hindrances to inclusive and equitable educational environments, seeing education as a dialogical and dialectical process in which knowledge is co-constructed in a process of dialogue between educators and learners, and among learners. In this article, one Black undergraduate student’s narratives illustrate her psychological struggles, sense of self, and persistence in the relational context of Whiteness. Her experiences with White Institutional Presence (WIP) led to her psychological disconnection and prevented her from experiencing a sense of community at school. We suggest the creation of the third space, a counter-hegemonic intersubjective relational context that avoids the enaction of “power-over” ethnocentric White monocultural perspectives, and a space with a Spirit and Sense of Community where Racial Literacies Matter.
racial literacies, Whiteness, third space, people of color, White monoculturalism
Copyright (c) 2025 Heeok Jeong, Diane Gusa
Lessons learned in nepantla: Critical translanguaging literacy pedagogy in a dual language classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic
While the challenges that educators faced during the COVID-19 pandemic are widely acknowledged, there is little scholarship that highlights the positive lessons. This manuscript documents the experiences of a dual language bilingual education elementary teacher that was a part of a longitudinal qualitative study of United States educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. She named the ways that her literacy pedagogy in the emergency virtual learning portion of Spring of 2020 changed to reflect translanguaging pedagogy due to the suspension of monolingual standardized testing expectations. The teacher’s experiences are a call to action to dismantle strict language barriers in dual language bilingual education in service of bi/multilingual children being able to draw on and develop their full linguistic repertoires.
Copyright (c) 2024 Dr. Cori Salmerón, Christian Valdez , Loren Larraga Jauregui
Using Diverse Children's Literature and Critical Literacy to Promote Disability Awareness and Advocacy
The student population in urban elementary classrooms has become increasingly diverse over the past two decades. While teachers have responded to this diversity, in part, by incorporating diverse texts related to race, culture, and language, few teachers have incorporated texts related to people with disabilities. Consequently, children have few opportunities to learn about people with disabilities in the world. Unfortunately, this often leads to biases, discrimination, alienation, and other negative outcomes. In this article, I argue that urban elementary teachers should incorporate diverse children’s literature with main characters with disabilities as a means of raising disability awareness. Next, using a critical literacy framework, I provide an example of teaching about disabilities during a 4-day instructional unit plan. Finally, I conclude with recommendations for selecting books with characters with disabilities.
Literacy Coaching: Navigating A Transitioning Literacy Terrain
The terrain of Literacy education has undergone significant shifts since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2001. Drawing on personal experiences and observations, the author examines how literacy coaching has evolved from its formative years post-NCLB to the present day in the wake of recent legislative actions surrounding House Bill 3 (HB 3). This manuscript reviews the timeless roles and responsibilities of Literacy Coaches in these changing times and addresses areas or distinct aspects of this evolving literacy landscape, highlighting strategies needed to support classroom teachers and promote student literacy achievement. Additionally, this manuscript discusses the role of Literacy Coaches as they help teachers make sense of and implement evidence-based literacy practices associated with the Science of Teaching Reading (STR) or Science of Reading (SOR). It delves into technological advancements like AI, and its impact on student literacy development, proposing recommendations for Literacy Coaches and classroom teachers. Finally, it describes the importance of culturally informing literacy instruction in diverse classrooms, urging literacy coaches to support teachers in considering students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds in order to foster more equitable learning experiences.
Copyright (c) 2024 Melanie Renee Loewenstein
Enhancing Trilingual Learners' Performance on the STAAR Test: Strategies for Success with Constructive Response Questions (CRQs)
This study investigates the performance of two trilingual learners: a fifth-grade girl from refugee parents and a seventh-grade boy with university professor parents, on Constructive Response Questions (CRQs) in the STAAR test. Employing extensive observation methods such as interviews and collecting writing samples, the research evaluates their CRQ samples using the STAAR rubric, focusing on organization/development of ideas and language conventions. The study presents instructional strategies tailored to these categories, including outlining, thesis formulation, logical flow, looping, a word association game, and peer editing. It highlights strategic plans, including the RACE strategy, the STAR strategy, and the RAPP strategy. Factors such as home environments, personal characteristics, and school atmospheres have impacted language learners' academic progress and writing proficiency. Ultimately, the study proposes four recommendations for CRQ essay preparation for children taking the STAAR test: getting acquainted with the test format and familiarize yourself with the rubric, understanding the prompt and examine the samples, strategizing your response with a plan, and managing your time efficiently. With consistent practice and application of these strategies, students can approach CRQ assessments with greater confidence and achieve success in their writing endeavors.
Constructive Response Questions (CRQs), STAAR test, Trilingual Learners, Instructional strategies, Rubric evaluation, Academic progress
A Critique of Reading Assessment to Promote Equitable Learning
Assessment in schools are often rigid. Assessment plays a tremendous part in education as it guides teachers’ instruction, allows students to assess their knowledge, and give teachers opportunity to provide constructive feedback. Knowing the importance the role assessment plays in schools gives a valid reason for ensuring that assessments given to students are unique to individual students, are equitable for all students, and allows for every child to be successful. This paper uses a critique of Reading Assessment to Promote Equitable Learning (2022) by offering a review of the assessments in this book and how they can be used to benefit assessments in the classroom. It explores a new look at assessment that can positively change how assessment looks in the classroom, so all students can be successful. Additionally, the paper discusses how the assessments in this book can be a helpful tool to current educators.
assessment, equitable instruction, equal opportunity, feedback
Examining Educators' Perceptions of Video Demonstration Lessons in Literacy Professional Development
This study examined the perceptions of participants regarding the use of embedded video demonstration lessons during literacy professional development sessions. The videos were captured in an urban elementary classroom and modeled two new literacy strategies. Based on survey responses from 160 kindergarten through fifth grade elementary school teachers and 117 school or district administrators and instructional specialists, the findings revealed positive participant perceptions and effective instructional use of the videos that modeled the implementation of the strategies in a relevant classroom setting. The analysis of the use of videos during the PD sessions was found to positively affect the instructional capacity of teachers to implement the strategies in their classroom settings. The findings also suggest that school administrators more positively understood the process of using the strategies to support the standards, resulting in increased leadership capacity. Implications of using specifically created videos to enhance clarity and credibility of PD for participants are discussed.
professional development, videos, instructional strategies, literacy strategies, leadership
Copyright (c) 2024 Dr. Stephen Winton, Dr. Laveria F. Hutchison, Dr. Jie Zhang, Dr. Grace Lee
User-Centered Improvement to Typical Elementary Literacy Practices: A Case Study Intervention
More than twenty years have passed since the National Reading Panel (NRP) (2000) report attempted to answer the question: What works best in reading instruction? According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), reading scores (2022) show that a significant number of fourth and eighth graders are still struggling with reading proficiency despite the guidance provided by the NRP. At the same time, a preponderance of evidence from the sciences continues to distill what works best in reading instruction while states pass legislation to align classroom curricula and programs to the science of reading (SoR). This mixed-methods case study, conducted in a North Texas elementary school, evaluated the benefits and challenges of implementing a syllabication intervention based on SoR principles. The study utilized surveys and interview data from teachers and assessment data from students. Despite 52% of students being predicted to not meet the reading proficiency standards on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, findings revealed that intervention had a substantial impact on both student achievement and teacher professional learning. Further, educators acknowledged the value of the intervention in enhancing their teaching methods, particularly in terms of professional growth and instructional awareness. However, challenges also occurred, including the nature of training, a lack of resources, inadequate feedback, and pedagogical alignment. The study highlights the importance of prioritizing users' needs and implementing scientific insights from the perspective of typical literacy practices.
Copyright (c) 2025 Edward Anaya, Julie A. Delello
Coaching Toward Transformation: Lessons Learned from Three-Second-Grade Writing Teachers
This article captures lessons learned while coaching a team of writing teachers across a poetry writing unit of study. Because of the heightened pressure of successful implementation of curricular programs, coaching can become focused solely on fidelity and blind implementation of the resource. This article captures coaching techniques used to shift away from conformity and towards transformation in teaching.
Pairing Picturebooks and Poetry to Teach Content Area Material Across the Curriculum
Abstract This article introduces a new and exciting way to pair text. This new way is to pair text from two different genres, namely, pair picturebooks and poetry. It shares an extensive collection of paired text of picturebooks and poetry across the curriculum and also shares samples of instructional strategies that teachers can use with these and other paired text of picturebooks and poetry to engage student learning across the curriculum. It ends with some concluding thoughts.
paired text, literature, poetry, content areas
English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science
Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater: What Should Remain from Balanced Literacy
As teachers transition to more science-backed ways of teaching reading, many may be left wondering what should remain from their former practices. This article discusses lessons learned from a teacher working in the field for the last ten years and navigating the changing landscape of literacy teaching, specifically moving from a balanced literacy approach to structured literacy. After discussing tenets, strengths, and criticisms of both approaches, the article lays out three common, research-backed features of balanced literacy teaching worth incorporating into structured literacy teaching.
Exploring the Relationship Between Teacher Demographics and the Frequency of Read-Aloud Practices in the Classroom
This study explores the relationship between teachers’ (N = 168) demographic factors (gender, grade level, subject area, age, and educational level) and the frequency of using read-alouds in their classrooms. Data analysis revealed significant relationships between the frequency of read-alouds and gender, grade level, and subject area. Female teachers and those teaching primary or elementary grades, as well as English Language Arts teachers, were more likely to use read-alouds daily. The significance of read-alouds in secondary classrooms is emphasized, as read-alouds have the potential to expand adolescents’ vocabulary, improve comprehension, develop critical thinking and listening skills, and foster a sense of community and social-emotional growth. However, no significant differences were found in relation to teacher age or educational level. The study underscores the importance of recognizing and implementing read-alouds across various subject areas and grade levels to support students’ literacy development and create a positive, engaging learning environment.
Copyright (c) 2023 James R. Schwab, Robert A. Griffin, Bethany L. Scullin, Jennifer K. Allen, Tamra W. Ogletree
Social Presence and Online Learning Communities
Online learning continues to grow rapidly in higher education. As institutions of higher education develop online courses and students participate in those courses, various issues arise: retention rates, feelings of isolation, and a decrease in feelings of success. By assisting students in establishing both a social presence as well as a learning community, teachers can help combat these issues. The broader phenomenological study consisted of three in-depth interviews with each of the 12 study participants, all undergraduate, pre-service teachers, regarding their experiences with online courses.
Assessing the Scope: Examining how primary teachers use multicultural texts for classroom read alouds
As diversity grows in schools, educators must consider how to create environments where students develop respect and empathy toward others. Integrating high quality multicultural literature provides meaningful experiences for students to investigate society, and acknowledge and interrogate their own beliefs and biases. While many teachers acknowledge the importance of incorporating literature that reflects the diverse populations of schools, effectively implementing multicultural literature into the learning environment is both a complex and analytical task. This phenomenological research design examines how primary teachers use multicultural texts for classroom read alouds.
Copyright (c) 2023 Jennifer Lemke, Chris Wilcoxen
Writing Golden Shovel Poetry Across the Curriculum
This article describes lessons learned from the implementation of an instructional strategy that was conducted with preservice teachers enrolled in an undergraduate literacy course highlighting reading and writing as instructional tools to teach content area material across the curriculum. One requirement in the course was a Poetry Project. This project invited students to explore and use different poetic formats to write and illustrate two different poems across two different content areas. This article focuses specifically on one poetic format, namely, Golden Shovel Poetry (GSP). It describes the origin and purpose of GSP and shares student samples of Golden Shovel poems across four different content areas: English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science. It ends with lessons learned from the whole experience and suggested considerations for K-12 teachers who wish to develop their own poetry project in their respective classrooms.
Keywords: content literacy; instructional strategies; writing; methods and materials; literature; teacher education; professional development
“Okay, Miss, I want to talk it out”: Metacognitive Dialogue Supporting Adolescent Literacy Success
Teachers in Texas are now required to provide accelerated instruction for students who were not successful on the STAAR Reading Test. This article considers the types of intervention teachers and schools provide for adolescent readers. This article examines one adolescent student's behaviors while reading challenging texts. Robert (pseudonym) was found to increasingly rely on strategic behaviors using dialogue with self and others to support reading comprehension. Over the course of 11 weeks, Robert improved his success rate on an online reading intervention program from 3 successful attempts mid-year to 31 successful attempts by the end of the academic year. Using a comprehension-as-sense-making theoretical frame, findings suggest that providing at-risk adolescents opportunities to engage in dialogic strategic behaviors could encourage successful problem solving when working with challenging texts, an asset-oriented approach to intervention.
Beyond Leveled Readers: Finding Engaging Books to Support Beginning Readers
Teachers of beginning readers have choices in the books they select. A careful look at the features of books provides an informed basis for choosing books that engage young readers. In this article we share insights from a comparative content analysis of leveled readers and Geisel award books that can motivate children to read and prepare them for entry into the world of authentic children’s literature. We end the article with descriptions of diverse award winning and honor books that can be used in interactive read alouds with beginning readers and provide recommendations for preparing for an interactive read aloud using one of the books.
Copyright (c) 2023 Maria Leija, Miriam Martinez, Samuel DeJulio
Holding Up a Mirror to the ELAR Comprehension TEKS: Growth and Potential in the Texas Revision Cycle
This article will analyzes the comprehension strand with attention given to the history and possible future of this collection of standards at the heart of the TEKS. This article also demonstrates the connection between the comprehension strand and research on teaching comprehension including the purpose of the consistent structure across grade levels. An analysis of the current standards in relation to research in the field indicates needs to increase the strategies that support disciplinary texts, a stronger connection between vocabulary and comprehension by including these together, and the inclusion of strategies that emphasize diverse connections to engaging texts.
Preparing preservice teachers to work with diverse learners
It is important to build preservice teachers’ self-efficacy in working with diverse learners. During summer of 2021, faculty from a mid-sized public university in the southwest took a small group of preservice teachers into central Mexico to provide opportunities in working with diverse learners and/or emergent English learners (ELs). Although this foray into central Mexico was an exploratory trip to plan for future International Field-Experiences for preservice teachers, the trip involved a lot of service and a lot of learning. Jacoby (2015) defines service-learning as “a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs” (p.1). While this project to central Mexico was not tied to any coursework, preservice teachers and university faculty engaged in service-learning that was mutually beneficial to all stakeholders. At the same time, preservice teachers gained self-efficacy in their ability to support the needs of ELs. Students and faculty from the university worked with approximately 22 children in a remote village in central Mexico, with support from translators. Through this experience, a unique bonding experience took place. For five consecutive days, faculty and preservice teachers worked with 22 school children ranging in age from four to fourteen. Only a few translators assisted with communication, but they were able to support the faculty and preservice teachers during literacy and educational technology instruction. The second author received support for translations as she conducted vision and hearing screenings for students, parents, and community members. The experience was life-changing and may be apropos for other educators, medical practitioners, and/or educational researchers looking to promote capacity and self-efficacy in preservice teachers, nursing students, medical students, or other stakeholders.
service-learning, Ed Tech, vision screenings, hearing screenings
Copyright (c) 2022 Jane Elizabeth Casey, Kim Kuklies, Chelsea Herndon-Warner
Beyond Reading and Writing: Information Literacy in Higher Education for Lifelong Success
Information Literacy is critical to finding, evaluating, using, and creating information. It also influences how we navigate daily life, workplace environments, and civic participation. Several Information Literacy standards state that it is a human right. Everyone should have access to the necessary tools to develop their information literacy skills. We argue that students transitioning from high school to college are not college prepared for practicing information literacy. Faculty and Librarians both undertake the work to teach information literacy. Still, it would be more effective for Faculty-Librarian partnerships to utilize strengths in their discipline areas to teach information literacy skills.
Copyright (c) 2023 Marta Angelica Mercado-Sierra, Sarah H. Northam
This article provides an in-depth examination of differentiation, instructional strategies that cater to all learners. Differentiation is beneficial when teachers are able to select content, process, and products that meet student’s needs. While teachers incorporate differentiation to modify instruction with struggling students, gifted and talented students, English Language Learners, and culturally diverse learners, this article specifically focuses on African American learners in K-6th grades. Elementary-level African American students can benefit from differentiation that include culturally relevant processes. Teachers of elementary grades must be prepared to teach all curricular areas including English language arts, reading, math, science, social studies, and history. English language arts, history, math, science, and social studies strategies are explored in this article. Recommendations have been made to make them culturally relevant pedagogy. Six strategies are introduced that provide examples of each of the recommended processes for various curricular areas that can be used with African American students.
Copyright (c) 2022 Tami Morton, Jennifer Dyer
Paper vs. Online Assessments: A Study of Test-Taking Strategies for STAAR Reading Tests
Schools around the nation are increasingly offering online testing options. House Bill (HB) 3906, passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019, resulted in the STAAR redesign, which will be administered in the 2022–2023 school year. The STAAR redesign includes several components including an online test administration for the STAAR. With the change to an online platform comes many concerns related to student familiarity with an online testing platform. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and compare the test taking strategies that teachers in grades three through eight teach in preparation for the paper/online versions of the reading STAAR test. A group of Texas teachers participated in focus group sessions. The three primary themes reported in the findings include resources, which teachers suggested were needed to help them prepare students for an online assessment, platforms, which detailed the pros and cons of an online testing environment, and strategies, which support students as they read passages and answer test questions. Overall, the teachers found ways to transfer previously used strategies, such as pen and paper annotations, to online test administration. However, older students have an easier time with this transfer of skills than the younger students.
Copyright (c) 2022 Holly Dasher, Jodi Pilgrim
The Designing Workshop: A Pedagogy of Multiiteracies in a Third Grade Classroom
This research conducted with third graders examined a teacher and her students as they transformed their traditional writing workshop to a designing workshop. Using the New London Group’s (1996) pedagogy of multiliteracies and Katie Wood Ray’s (2006) units of study as frameworks, students participated in a unit of study on informational texts. After immersing themselves in a study of both traditional print-bound informational books and interactive electronic informational books, the students designed multimodal digital compositions using iBooks Author. The study focused on the teacher’s transformation, the students’ design process, and students’ final compositions. Preliminary results demonstrated that students designed using a cyclical process, transforming to seeing themselves as designers employing a variety of modes. The study has many implications specifically in the areas of students’ design process, students’ multimodal compositions, and teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge.
multiliteracies, design, design workshop
In this column, a pre-service bilingual teacher from the University of North Texas shares her journey with the Bilingual Homework Hotline—an online homework help platform created in response to COVID-19’s impact in Denton’s Latinx community. She brings a unique perspective as a Latina who has held positions as both volunteer and leader for homework help sessions and who has conducted research with the Hotline to explore the interdisciplinary collaboration between Denton ISD’s Bilingual/Dual Language & ESL Department, the University of North Texas, and Texas Woman’s University. These roles allowed her to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be a critical ethnographer while developing critical consciousness (Palmer et al., 2019) with the goal of contributing to what Ladson-Billings (2021) calls the “hard reset.” This column contributes to the developing literature about university and bilingual education program partnerships due to the unique nature of this collaboration.
Copyright (c) 2022 Maria Fernanda Ortega
Although a multilingual, translanguaging approach to teaching reading has been found to have a positive impact on literacy development of Dual Language Learners, bilingual programs continue to fail students by delivering literacy instruction in separate linguistic times and spaces. In this article, we propose an approach we call Transleyendo, based on a holistic biliteracy lens, that values and builds on students’ home language and literacy assets. Using examples from our work with students, we illustrate how teachers can use an observation framework and a prompting model to leverage reading behaviors across languages. We contend that bilingual teachers must overcome limitations of monolingual literacy frameworks and provide intentionally designed holistic biliteracy instruction that encourages students to use their full literacy and linguistic repertoire.
Copyright (c) 2021 Emily Zoeller, Allison Briceño