Texas TEKS 5.23
TEKS Knowledge Statement (Expectation Cluster)
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including technology. The student is expected to:
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies
Cluster contents
Student Expectations in This Statement
5.23 is a TEKS knowledge and skills statement. These are the student expectations under it.
- 5.23.A
differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as technology; interviews; biographies; oral, print, and visual material; docume...
- 5.23.B
identify and ask questions about the credibility of different kinds of primary and secondary sources
- 5.23.C
analyze information by applying absolute and relative chronology through sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contra...
- 5.23.D
organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps
- 5.23.E
identify different points of view about an issue, topic, historical event, or current event
- 5.23.F
identify the historical context of an event
- 5.23.G
identify the central claim in a primary or secondary source
- 5.23.H
develop and communicate a claim and supporting evidence visually, orally, or in writing related to a social studies topic.
Teacher's field guide
What This Cluster Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students find information in firsthand and later accounts, then judge each source by its author, date, purpose, and evidence. They sequence events, explain causes and effects, compare viewpoints, and consider historical context. They organize findings and present a clear claim supported by source details.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a small source set, a student correctly labels source types and explains which sources are credible for a specific question. The student can create a timeline, chart, map, or short report that identifies key ideas and viewpoints. The final claim uses relevant evidence and sound reasoning.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume firsthand accounts are always accurate or that websites are reliable because they look professional. They often confuse events that happened earlier with events that caused later events. They may copy a detail as the central claim or give an opinion without source evidence.
How to Assess It
- Give students a 1774 newspaper excerpt and a modern textbook paragraph about the Boston Tea Party. Ask them to label each source, choose which better shows a participant viewpoint, explain why, and support one claim with a detail.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups replica letters, maps, artifacts, and textbook excerpts to sort by source type, date, and likely reliability.
Ask, "How might a Patriot and Loyalist describe the same protest differently?" Students cite one source detail in a written response.
Run a Source Detective relay where teams identify author, date, purpose, central claim, and one credibility concern from source cards.
Compare two local news reports about the same event, then chart shared facts, differing viewpoints, and evidence each report provides.
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Printable 5.23 Worksheet

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 5.23, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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