In today’s classrooms, teachers are constantly balancing curriculum expectations, lesson planning, student engagement, differentiation, and time. Even with strong curriculum resources available, there are still moments when teachers need additional support to make all the pieces fit together. TExGUIDE helps fill a gap in the instructional planning process. This article explains how TExGUIDE supports instructional planning.
Why Teachers Use TExGUIDE for Lesson Planning
Lesson planning can sometimes feel like putting together a puzzle with a few important pieces still missing. Teachers may have the standards, pacing, and curriculum in front of them, but still find themselves searching for activities that truly engage students, reinforce difficult concepts, or provide meaningful extension opportunities. Teachers often need supplemental resources that save time while still aligning to the TEKS and supporting quality instruction. That is where resources like TExGUIDE can help complete the picture.
Have you ever looked through instructional resources and thought, “My students are not going to connect with this,” or “I need something more engaging?” Many teachers have experienced the challenge of finding activities that both align to standards and truly support student learning in meaningful ways.
As discussed in our previous blog about the TEKS Resource System, teachers already have access to curriculum documents that support pacing, standards alignment, and instructional planning. TExGUIDE works alongside those curriculum resources by providing supplemental instructional supports and activities aligned directly to the standards within TEKS Resource System. Read more about how in the What is TExGUIDE? blog post.
Rather than replacing curriculum, TExGUIDE serves as a companion resource that helps teachers bring instruction to life.
Using TExGUIDE During the Lesson Planning Process
TExGUIDE is designed to support teachers during lesson planning by providing organized, standards-aligned instructional resources that can supplement daily instruction. It is not a curriculum itself, but rather a tool teachers can use alongside their district curriculum and TEKS Resource System resources.
A teacher’s planning process often begins with identifying the TEKS and student learning goals for a unit. From there, teachers group and sequence the standards, which is where the TEKS Resource System plays an important role in organizing instruction and pacing. Teachers then create assessments that measure the depth of student understanding before using curriculum and assessment components to design instruction. TExGUIDE becomes especially valuable during this stage because it helps teachers locate aligned resources that reinforce, extend, or strengthen instruction.
For example, teachers may use TExGUIDE to:
- Supplement an existing curriculum resource
- Find engagement activities aligned to the TEKS
- Reinforce difficult concepts in a new way
- Provide extension opportunities for students
- Diversify engagement opportunities for whole-group, small-group instruction, and/or independent practice
- Save time searching for aligned instructional materials
TExGUIDE can also support teachers when curriculum resources need to be strengthened or adjusted to better align with the standards being taught. In the same way teachers differentiate instruction to meet student needs, TExGUIDE gives educators flexibility to adapt and supplement lessons while keeping TEKS alignment at the center of instruction.
Types of TExGUIDE Activities and Resources
TExGUIDE includes a diverse range of activities that meet an array of teacher and student needs, and it organizes resources into three columns. The left column identifies the standard for the recommend resources, the middle column features engagement resources uniquely developed for TExGUIDE, and the right column includes a curated selection of videos and resources from external sources.
Take a look at the following table to become more familiar with the types of activities that are provided in TExGUIDE. Select an example title to view the example. All example links will open in a new tab.
| Activity Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Formative Assessments |
Personal Budget Exit Ticket (Grade 7 Math Unit 9) |
Comprehension checks that can be used to inform instruction throughout the unit. |
| Presentations |
Let’s Add (Pre-K Math Joining and Separating Unit) |
Slideshows that can be used to walk students through a specific concept or topic. |
| Student practice |
Key Ideas and Supporting Details Tracker (English 1 Unit 1) |
Worksheets that provide students with opportunities to practice a specific skill. |
| Lessons |
Subtraction Stacks (PreK Math Joining and Separating Unit) |
Detailed lesson plans that include the materials, instructions, and practice materials needed for use with students. |
| Investigations, Experiments, and Research Opportunities |
Playground Motion Detective (Grade 1 Science Unit 2) |
Activities that allow students to explore a topic with teacher guidance. |
| Games |
Estimate Population Size Using Proportions from IXL (External Resource) (Grade 7 Math Unit 9) |
Activities that involve a game template to allow students to practice skills and concepts learned. |
| Anchor charts |
Making Inferences (Grade 4 RLA Unit 3B) |
Visuals that can be used or created for display in the classroom. |
| Videos |
How the States Got Their Shapes from YouTube (External Resource) (World Geography Unit 3) |
Videos to engage students and provide instruction. |
| Teacher resources |
Motion – Reading List from Weebly (External Resource) (Grade 1 Science Unit 2) |
Resources for teachers to use that inform instructional best practices. |
Explore more activities on our Take a Tour of TExGUIDE page.
Get Started With TExGUIDE
TExGUIDE helps teachers make instructional planning more efficient by providing supplemental, TEKS-aligned resources that support engaging and meaningful learning experiences. Whether you need a formative assessment, an activity to reinforce a challenging concept, or a way to extend student learning, TExGUIDE offers resources to to complement your current curriculum.
Ready to explore TExGUIDE? Visit the ESC Region 13 TExGUIDE website for details on TExGUIDE PK–12 and TExGUIDE Pre-K. Download information flyers or request additional support. Reach out to the ESC Region 13 TExGUIDE specialists with questions. Be sure to read more TExGUIDE-related articles on the ESC Region 13 blog.
Evelyn Shyu
Evelyn Shyu is the TCMPC and TExGUIDE Specialist at ESC Region 13.
Ben Zink
Ben Zink is the Cross-Curricular Systems Technical Specialist, working in the areas of TEKS Resource System and TExGUIDE.
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