Drawing from the state's proposed HB 1605 curriculum updates, the 6th-grade mandate introduces a heavy instructional load centered on classical literature, complex informational texts, and foundational American documents.
While a 6th grader's reading speed typically matures to 140–185 words per minute (WPM), the density of the proposed list—ranging between 17 and 34 required works—creates a significant "Time Trap" for teachers trying to balance deep analysis with the 180-day school calendar.
6th Grade Mandated List: Reading Time Breakdown
For a 6th grader reading at an average rate of 160 WPM, here is how the primary "anchor" works on the proposed state list break down in actual "eyes-on-text" time.
And by the way, you ought to listen to something at 160 WPM. I don't it's ok to read some of that stuff that fast. MLK -spoke at 92 WPM for I Have a Dream. If you need a comparison - Podcasts and Radio are often 150-160 WPM. There's more to reading that speed. GEEZE, this is stoopid.
| Category | Mandated Title / Required Work | Word Count (Approx.) | Estimated Reading Time |
| Central Novel | The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton | ~48,000 | ~5 Hours |
| Central Novel | To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee | ~100,000 | ~10.5 Hours |
| Historical Fiction | The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank | ~70,000 | ~7.5 Hours |
| Classical Text | Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (Excerpts) | ~3,000 | ~20 Minutes |
| American History | The Meaning of July Fourth... by Frederick Douglass | ~10,000 | ~1 Hour |
| Speech | "I Have a Dream" by Martin Luther King Jr. | ~1,600 | ~10 Minutes |
| Primary Source | The U.S. Constitution (Key Articles) | ~2,500 | ~15 Minutes |
| Religious/Cultural | The Parable of the Prodigal Son | ~500 | ~3 Minutes |
| Poetry | Works by Langston Hughes | Varies | ~45 Minutes (Unit Total) |
| Other Works | 15+ Additional Works (Primary Sources/Short Stories) | Varies | ~12+ Hours total |
The Instructional Gap: Reading vs. Teaching
While the "eyes-on-text" time for these works may seem manageable, the 2017 6th Grade TEKS require much more than just finishing a book:
Genre Analysis: Students must analyze "increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts".
Deep Dives: Teachers testify that a novel like To Kill a Mockingbird typically requires 20–25 instructional days to cover themes, character motivations, and historical context.
The Squeeze: With up to 34 mandated works, teachers are left with as little as 5.3 days per work if they intended to cover everything equally across the year.
6th Grade "Days Lost" Reality
Under HB 1605, the time allocated to the mandated list creates a zero-sum game for the 180-day calendar.
| Category | Impact in Days | What's Left? |
| HB 1605 Mandated Works | -90 Days | Based on ~15 days for anchor novels and 2–3 days for primary sources. |
| State Testing & Mandatory Prep | -15 Days | 6th Grade STAAR RLA & Math, plus review cycles. |
| Holidays & Professional Dev | -10 Days | Standard school district calendar losses. |
| TOTAL REMAINING DAYS | 65 Days | This must cover all Writing, Science, and Social Studies. |
| Mandated Text | Est. Word Count | Reading Time (Min) | Periods to Finish |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | ~100,000 | 599 min | 13.3 Periods |
| The Diary of a Young Girl | ~70,000 | 419 min | 9.3 Periods |
| The Outsiders | ~48,000 | 287 min | 6.4 Periods |
| Primary Sources (Speeches/Docs) | ~15,000 | 90 min | 2.0 Periods |
| Poetry/Short Stories/Religious | ~15,000 | 90 min | 2.0 Periods |
| 15+ Additional Mandated Works | ~120,000 | 719 min | 16.0 Periods |
| TOTAL RAW READING TIME | ~368,000 | 2,204 Minutes | 49.0 Periods |
Note: It takes about triple the time to master a book rather than the time to read it. AND - the recommendations go directly against other TEA goings-ons.
1. The Durkin/Capin Study (Instructional Balance)
Research by Capin and colleagues (2025), building on the landmark Dolores Durkin study, found that in effective classrooms, students only spend about 10–15% of class time actually reading. The remaining 85–90% is consumed by:
Direct Vocabulary Instruction: Teaching at least two words per class plus review.
Graphic Organizers: Mapping relationships between ideas.
Teacher-Guided Conversations: Discussing text to monitor comprehension.
2. The Fisher & Frey "Close Reading" Model
Widely used research by Fisher and Frey (2012, 2014) outlines that deep mastery of a complex text requires a multi-phase cycle that triples or quadruples the time spent on the text:
First Read: Establishing the flow and basic narrative.
Second Read: Investigating vocabulary, syntax, and rhetorical devices.
Third Read: Deep analysis of "deep structures" like inferential meanings and arguments.
Follow-up: Text-dependent questions and collaborative discussions to ensure the "expectation of coherence" is met.
3. The Shanahan "Literacy Component" Allocation
Renowned reading researcher Timothy Shanahan recommends that for every hour of reading comprehension instruction, nearly double that time is needed for the other components of literacy (writing about the text, word knowledge, and fluency). In his model, reading a text is just the initial 23% of the literacy block, while the work of "mastering" it through writing and vocabulary takes up the bulk of the day.
4. Texas TEA "Performance Level" Standards
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) defines mastery as the ability to apply metacognitive skills to "increasingly complex texts". To reach this, the TEA mandates that instruction must include:
Scaffolding: Preparing students for text that is at or above their independent reading level.
Progress Monitoring: Regularly gauging how students are tracking toward concrete proficiency targets.
References
Capin et al. (2025) - Instructional Balance Study
Capin, P., Stevens, E. A., & Steinle, P. K. (2025). Reading comprehension instruction: Evaluating our progress since Durkin's seminal study. Behavioral Sciences, 15(7), 908. https://doi.or g/10.3390/bs15070908 Fisher & Frey (2012) - Close Reading Research Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2012). Close reading in elementary schools. The Reading Teacher, 66(3), 179–188.
https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.01117 Fisher & Frey (2014) - Mastery Framework Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2014). Close reading and writing from sources. International Reading Association.
National Reading Panel (2000) - The Primary Report
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its im plications for reading instruction (NIH Publi cation No. 00-4769). U.S. Government Printing Office. Shanahan (2020) - Literacy Component Allocation Shanahan, T. (2020). What constitutes a science of reading instruction? Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S235–S247.
https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.349
No comments:
Post a Comment