TEKS-Aligned Spanish Curricula for Emergent Bilinguals
Texas has 1.3 million emergent bilingual students. Social studies can help these students build academic language while learning grade-level content.
Studies Weekly Texas Social Studies is aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS. It also supports English language development with ELAR-aligned literacy activities and TELPAS practice.
With Studies Weekly, teachers can support:
TEKS-aligned social studies instruction
Spanish and English learning materials
Reading, writing, listening, and speaking practice
Grade-level content for emergent bilingual students
Teaching Content and Language Standards Together
Social studies gives students a real reason to read, write, listen, and speak. It also helps them build academic vocabulary.
In Studies Weekly Texas Social Studies, students use English and Spanish materials to:
Analyze primary sources
Identify causes and effects
Compare perspectives
Gather evidence
Make arguments
Participate in academic discussions
These activities help students learn social studies while building language skills in both English and Spanish.
TEKS-Aligned Studies Weekly Social Studies
Studies Weekly begins with the Texas standards and reflects the approach, topics, and unit organization of those standards.
Studies Weekly supports the major social studies strands, including:
History
Geography
Economics
Government
Citizenship
Culture
Science, technology, and society
Social studies skills
Standards correlations in the Teacher Edition help teachers track TEKS coverage.
Literacy Integration and TELPAS Practice in Studies Weekly
Every unit in Studies Weekly’s Texas Social Studies publications includes clear, student-friendly language-building activities. These embedded reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities help teachers ensure emergent bilingual students reach language proficiency, all while learning skills to be successful on the TELPAS.
Studies Weekly’s Texas Social Studies includes activities that support development across the four TELPAS language domains:
1. Reading
To support grade-level reading expectations, Studies Weekly introduces students to informational text and domain-specific vocabulary through scaffolds. Chunked reading sections, bolded vocabulary, and comprehension questions help students develop language.
2. Writing
With Studies Weekly, students can practice writing by answering prompts and completing activities directly on their print editions or in interactive notebooks. Students are encouraged to complete a variety of writing activities, such as writing short answer arguments, answering discussion questions, using sentence frames, or even drawing what they’ve learned.
The Studies Weekly Online platform also gives students opportunities to type answers to writing prompts.
3. Listening
The Studies Weekly Teacher Edition provides teachers with opportunities and strategies for developing listening skills, like pre-teaching vocabulary and encouraging students to listen for recognizable words throughout the lesson, or listening to an introductory video on the Studies Weekly Online platform.
Studies Weekly Online also comes with a built-in audio reader, so students can follow along as articles are read aloud.
4. Speaking
Whole-group discussions, turn-and-talk activities, and group presentations found throughout Studies Weekly’s instructional materials help students practice speaking skills. As students practice discussing historical events and using content-area vocabulary to compare, contrast, argue, and explain, they strengthen their language skills and build confidence.
By aligning instruction to the TEKS, integrating ELA, and including activities to support skills assessed on the TELPAS, Studies Weekly helps emergent bilinguals develop academic growth and language proficiency.
When language learners have access to quality content and language support, they gain confidence, participate more actively, and learn better.
Contact us to learn how Studies Weekly’s Texas Social Studies can support emergent bilinguals in your school or district.
“Studies Weekly is a great resource for my Bilingual Department! My students love having both the English and Spanish versions to work out of. They are so fun and engaging. There are so many additional resources that are provided to support my teachers!” – Bilingual Director, TX
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Studies Weekly supports emergent bilingual students by integrating social studies content with intentional language development. Side-by-side English and Spanish materials, aligned to the TEKS and with embedded ELA support, engage students in analyzing sources, discussing ideas, and writing about social studies topics.
Yes. Studies Weekly provides Spanish and English social studies materials for Texas classrooms. These resources help teachers support bilingual and dual-language instruction while staying aligned to the TEKS.
Studies Weekly embeds language-building activities throughout its instructional materials. Students engage in discussions, analyze scaffolded informational text, and complete writing activities that encourage them to explain ideas, compare perspectives, and use academic vocabulary while learning social studies content.
Yes. Studies Weekly’s Spanish and English materials are designed to work well in bilingual and dual-language programs. Side-by-side resources allow teachers to support students in both languages while maintaining a strong focus on grade-level social studies learning
Texas schools choose Studies Weekly because the program provides TEKS-aligned content, engaging print and digital resources, and built-in support for diverse learners, including emergent bilingual students. The combination of standards alignment, interactive lessons, and flexible instructional tools helps teachers deliver meaningful social studies instruction in a variety of classroom settings.