7.5.A

ELA7th GradeThe student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts

The Standard

establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading · Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do

Students decide what they need or want from a text before they begin reading. They use that goal to choose how closely to read, what to notice, and what to record.

What Mastery Looks Like

Students state a clear purpose before reading, such as finding evidence, learning a process, or enjoying a story. They choose notes, questions, or reading strategies that match that purpose.

Common Misconceptions

Students may treat the purpose as simply “because it was assigned” or confuse purpose with predicting the topic. They may also use the same reading approach for every purpose.

How to Assess It

Give students a short article and ask: “Why are you reading this, and what will you do while reading to meet that purpose?”

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

  1. Give pairs three purpose cards, then have them mark the same passage differently for evidence, summary, and enjoyment.

  2. Ask students to write: “How would your reading change if you needed to debate this text rather than summarize it?”

  3. Play Purpose Match by having teams pair text samples with task cards and explain each match.

  4. Have students choose a menu, product review, or instruction page and identify the purpose that guides how they read it.

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