Last Updated on April 20, 2023
Texas educators: did you know that Listenwise podcasts can help teachers and students address reading and writing standards on the TEKS?
Many educators overlook that the seven strands of essential knowledge and skills for RLA incorporate the four domains of language (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). In this blog post, we will share how Listenwise podcasts address TEKS and ELPS standards and are valuable tools for supporting language development, especially for TELPAS.
Recent research from the Century Foundation found English learners (who we’ll call emergent bilinguals) were among the student groups most impacted by the pandemic and related opportunity gaps. Emergent bilinguals scored much lower on math and English language arts (ELA) assessments than researchers would have anticipated in a normal academic year.
Research also shows listening comprehension skills have been shown to be a leading cause of reading difficulties in the 4th grade and older.
Education has been focused on decoding and phonics, and in doing so has overlooked building a key component of literacy: listening comprehension.
This could explain why our students’ NAEP scores are stagnant and languish below proficient (240). In Texas the average reading score for 4th graders was 216 in 2019. Students are still struggling to read, and listening can help. Listening is the missing link to the literacy puzzle.
How Listenwise Podcasts Address TEKS Standards
Since students can generally listen 2-3 grade levels above what they can read, we can use the power of listening to introduce more complex language, vocabulary and topics.
Listenwise podcasts offer engaging resources for teaching and assessing listening and speaking skills. Podcasts can also help teachers and students address reading and writing standards on the TEKS because the seven strands of essential knowledge and skills for RLA incorporate the four domains of language (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
Listening is woven into the TEKS, although not specifically tested as a separate skill at the moment; we hear that it is under consideration. The introduction for all core ELA courses from Kindergarten to 12th grade include this note about being “read to on a daily basis with opportunities for cross-curricular content and student choice.” This is what podcasts can provide: meaningful listening content:
The seven strands of the essential knowledge and skills for English language arts and reading are intended to be integrated for instructional purposes and are recursive in nature. Strands include the four domains of language (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and their application in order to accelerate the acquisition of language skills so that students develop high levels of social and academic language proficiency. Although some strands may require more instructional time, each strand is of equal value, may be presented in any order, and should be integrated throughout the year. Additionally, students should engage in academic conversations, write, read, and be read to on a daily basis with opportunities for cross-curricular content and student choice.
Hear Texas ELA teacher, Nichole Johns describe this connection
Educators know that the four language domains (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are not only ELA specific, but are critically important in all subject areas.
Listenwise can not only support ELA, but can support science, social studies, and CTE teachers to incorporate literacy using content collections to teach subject matter along with listening skills. Texas Principal, Melissa Rincon, of Fort Worth ISD walks through how Listenwise lessons are TEKs and ELPS aligned, and easy to implement (into any ESL program in the state as well as dual language programs):
Address the TELPAS Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Domains
In the TELPAS test the domains of literacy are equally weighted for testing academic language. Students must have a score of advanced high in all four domains in order to be reclassified.
If you look at 2021 TELPAS data across grades 3-12, 72% of students are scoring advanced or advanced high in listening (here is a deeper dive into the data). This is a great opportunity to get hundreds of thousands of emergent bilinguals over the finish line to reclassification if we can just bump those figures up a little higher. They are, in fact, already on their way. Overall speaking is the weakest skill, listening the second weakest in the scores. Listening to podcasts and following some simple strategies we have developed can help.
Listen to Melissa Rincon of Fort Worth ISD speak about how their TELPAS scores led them to implement Listenwise:
Podcasts Build English Proficiency
Along with supporting cross-curricular learning, there is untapped potential for educators to support emergent bilinguals to build English proficiency through building listening skills.
Often EBs aren’t hearing nearly as much academic English as they need. Engaging podcasts are rigorous, yet easy-to-digest listening and literacy lessons for all students, enabling them to learn content and language at the same time, at their own pace, while being engaged in meaningful content.
Listenwise is a great tool that can touch on the key points of content-based language instruction in a culturally and linguistically sustaining way.
Our lessons are engage students in real-world topics students care about (listen to this amazing story of getting an unengaged student excited about learning), and teachers love the short, and fun weird news lessons to dig into a lot of Tier 2 vocabulary along with grade-level concepts.
Explore these research-based instructional strategies using podcasts for language & content knowledge:
- Strategy 1 – Using Student Choice to Engage in Cross-Curricular Content (ELA educator)
- Strategy 2 – Scaffolded Retelling with Weird News (EL educator)
- Strategy 3 – Warm Up to Activate Prior Knowledge & Make Connections (Science educator)
Explore Listenwise KERA Podcasts (Local to Texas)
The Last Baseball Glove Factory in America
How Gerrymandering Impacts Voters
Refugee Children Found a Home in Dallas
The Many Meanings of “Hispanic”
Texas’ Shifting Demographics Preview Changes in America
Historic African American Neighborhood Remembered
Learn more about how Listenwise can help your English learners meet listening and speaking standards and support the development of writing skills.
