Texas K–5 Literacy and Math Resources: Phonics, Handwriting, Fluency and Grade 3–4 Math
Texas K–5 Literacy and Math Resources: Phonics, Handwriting, Fluency and Grade 3–4 Math
Texas teachers plan against the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills: the TEKS for English Language Arts and Reading, the TEKS for Mathematics and the TEKS for Science. Since HB 3 (2019), Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers complete the Texas Reading Academies, so most K–3 classrooms already think in terms of phonemic awareness, decoding and fluency. What teachers often lack is enough well-built practice material. The eight units below cover that gap from Kindergarten sound work to Grade 4 division. The Texas overview lists our other resources for the state.
Browse the K–5 ELA resources →Resources that fit
Eight units for Texas K–5 classrooms
Each unit has a classroom PDF, a teacher guide, an editable DOCX and PowerPoint. They are supplements for US grades and can be used alongside the curriculum your Texas district runs.
Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines | 36 Weeks of Oral Sound Routines | Kindergarten
36 weeks of oral sound routines; children answer with sounds, not letters.
Decodable Readers Grade One | 20 Stories with Word Work & Comprehension | Grade 1
20 stories using only taught patterns, each with word work and comprehension.
Heart Words | 100 High-Frequency Words with Sound Mapping | Grade 1
100 high-frequency words mapped sound by sound, with a key for each.
Manuscript Handwriting | Basic Strokes & A–Z Letter Practice | Grades K–1
Basic strokes, then A–Z upper and lowercase with a stroke model per letter.
Cursive Writing | Strokes, Letters a–z & Joining Words | Grades 2–3
Lowercase letters by stroke family, a page per letter and joining words.
Reading Fluency Passages | 24 Original Passages with Meaning Checks | Grade 4
24 passages, each with a meaning check, so speed is never the only goal.
Multiplication Fact Fluency | Strategies, Fact Families & Array Labs | Grade 3
Strategy lessons, fact family pages and array labs for the Grade 3 facts.
Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division | Area Model, Partial Products & Partial Quotients | Grade 4
Area model and partial products, then a bridge to the standard algorithm.
The state picture
Reading Academies, TEKS and what changes in testing
The Reading Academies give Texas K–3 teachers a shared vocabulary: phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The practice units on this page follow that order. Phonemic Awareness Daily Routines stays oral for a whole Kindergarten year, from rhyme and syllables to changing single sounds in a word. Decodable Readers Grade One gives Grade 1 students twenty stories built only from patterns already taught, so decoding is practiced in connected text. Heart Words handles the high-frequency words that do not yet follow a taught pattern, by mapping them and marking only the tricky part.
Testing is changing. Students in grades 3–8 take STAAR, but HB 8 (2025, second special session) repeals it. From 2027–28, the Student Success Tool, a set of shorter tests given across the year, takes its place, with a field test in February 2027.
Grade by grade
Which unit goes with which grade
Each unit by the grade it was written for, with a note for Texas classrooms. Place students by what they can do, not by the cover.
| Grade | Focus | Resource | Texas note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Sounds; first letters | Phonemic Awareness, Manuscript | Matches the phonological awareness strand from the Reading Academies |
| Grade 1 | Decoding; high-frequency words | Decodable Readers, Heart Words | Decoding practice next to your phonics program |
| Grades 2–3 | Cursive letters and joins | Cursive Writing | Check where your grade starts cursive in the ELAR TEKS |
| Grade 3 | Multiplication facts | Fact Fluency | First tested grade; facts matter for later units |
| Grade 4 | Fluency; multi-digit operations | Fluency Passages, Multi-Digit | Fluency plus multi-digit work |
| Grades 3–5 | Long words, struggling readers | Multisyllabic Decoding, Reading Support Pack | For older readers who still struggle with long words |
Handwriting
Cursive in the ELAR TEKS
The ELAR TEKS include cursive in the elementary grades, so cursive is part of ELA work in Texas, not an extra. Check the student expectations for your grade to see exactly where your year begins. Cursive Writing Grades 2–3 starts with posture and baseline, teaches lowercase letters by stroke family, then joins words and covers capitals, which makes it usable for the first cursive year and as review a year later. Before cursive, Manuscript Handwriting K–1 covers print strokes and letters for Kindergarten and Grade 1.
Fluency and tested grades
Fluency and Grade 3–4 TEKS math
In Grade 4, reading that is accurate but flat often hides weak comprehension. Reading Fluency Passages Grade 4 has 24 original passages, each with a meaning check, so partners practice phrasing and then show what they understood. In math, the Grade 3 and 4 TEKS ask students to move from equal groups and arrays to multi-digit products and quotients. Multiplication Fact Fluency builds the facts from strategies, and Multi-Digit Multiplication and Division uses the area model, partial products and partial quotients before the standard algorithm.
How to use it
A practical order for the year
- Start with sounds.One oral routine a day, five to eight minutes, in Kindergarten.
- Follow your phonics sequence.Hand out a decodable story only after its pattern has been taught.
- Make handwriting daily.Ten minutes, four or five days a week. Manuscript in K–1, then cursive where your ELAR TEKS expectations begin.
- Pair fluency with meaning.Partners read a passage twice, then complete the meaning check.
- Facts before multi-digit work.Teach the Grade 3 strategy lessons in order, since the nines build on the tens.
Questions teachers ask
Frequently asked questions
Are these resources aligned with the Texas standards?
We do not claim alignment, approval or endorsement by Texas or any district. Each unit sits closest to the skills its US grade usually covers, so compare the lesson list with your own standards.
Are these on a state-reviewed materials list?
No. They are classroom supplements, not core instructional materials, and they have not been through any Texas review. Use them for practice next to the program your district has chosen.
Does the cursive unit cover the ELAR TEKS cursive expectations?
It covers the parts of cursive most expectations ask for: forming letters, joining them into words and writing legibly. Compare the ten lessons with the student expectations for your grade to decide how you use it.
Do I need to change anything when STAAR ends?
Not for these units. They teach skills, not a test format, so they work the same before and after the Student Success Tool replaces STAAR in 2027–28.
Will the PDFs print on US Letter?
Yes. They are A4 and print on US Letter with fit-to-page. Each unit also has an editable DOCX and PowerPoint.
Plan your Texas K–5 year
Pick one reading unit and one math unit for your grade and try them for two weeks. The state overview lists the rest.
Go to the Texas overview →