Review Vocabulary
Each unit begins with a vocabulary experience. Understanding historic terms and other fundamental vocabulary is critical for STAAR. This is especially important for ELL students but can be beneficial for all students.
Reviewing vocabulary is critical to STAAR success and the Vocabulary experiences in each unit are a good place to start.
Assign/Reassign Unit Reviews — STAAR 2.0 Practice Tests
Each unit ends with a unit review, which is actually made up of past-year STAAR questions. These reviews are a great way to refresh students on key content from any given unit. Some districts have conveyed a strategy of reassigning unit reviews based on student scores — if certain students are still struggling on a particular review, review the challenging question topics and reassign until students improve above a target threshold.
Unit Reviews contain STAAR 2.0 question types including multiple choice, multipart multiple choice, multiple select, inline choice, hot text (highlight text), hot spot, and drag and drop.
Broader Content Review
This review table (below) for the 8th Grade U.S. History Course contains a list of experiences that contain Readiness Standards and Skills important for STAAR. The list also contains the vocabulary and unit review experiences.
The table likely contains more lessons than you can review, but use the TEKS listed in the table to narrow the focus, concentrating on TEKS that your students find challenging. You may know this from past-year STAAR and benchmark or interim testing. You can also use the Student Learning Report to look at class and student TEKS coverage and comprehension with Exploros.
Use this table in a few different ways:
Reassign learning experiences from the table as self-paced work and have students do (or redo) the experiences to refresh their content knowledge. In some cases, scene 4 (Elaborate) work may not be necessary, so if you want students to by-pass the Elaborate section to shorten the review, tell them to post "skip" for each response prompt and move through the scene until they get to the exit quiz. Review results and address problem areas as needed.
Review past work in these or other learning experiences. If students have already completed U.S. History learning experiences, have them review their past work by looking in their Ended Experiences and revisiting the lessons.
Review key graphic organizers and quizzes from past work. To review critical skills, some districts have students review the graphic organizers they have developed throughout the body of their U.S. History coursework within Exploros. Many of these graphic organizers frame key concepts, compare and contrast, and demonstrate other skills and content knowledge important for STAAR success.
TABLE: Suggested Experiences to Review for 8th Grade U.S. History STAAR
Unit | Experience | TEKS |
Exploration and Colonization | Exploration and Colonization: Vocabulary | 30A |
| European Exploration of the Americas | 2A, 29BCD |
| The Geography of the Early Colonies | 2A, 10ABC, 11AB, 29C |
| Representative Government | 1B, 3AB, 15A, 29AB, 30A |
| The New England Colonies and Religious Freedom | 1AB, 2AB, 3AC, 15E, 23A |
| Exploration and Colonization: Review | 2AB, 3ABC, 10B, 11A, 12B, 15E, 23A, 25A, 29BCH |
American Revolution | American Revolution: Vocabulary | 30A |
| New Taxes in the Colonies | 4A, 29BCD, 30A |
| The Shot Heard Round the World: Lexington and Concord | 1A, 4C, 26AB, 29ADEF |
| The Declaration of Independence | 1AB, 15C, 19A, 29AB |
| American Revolution: Review | 1A, 4ABC, 15C, 19A, 20AB, 22B, 29AB |
Constitution | Constitution: Vocabulary | 30A |
| The Articles of Confederation | 1A, 6A, 15B, 29B |
| Drafting and Signing the Constitution | 1AB, 4BD, 21C, 22B, 29B |
| Principles of the American Government | 15CD, 29B |
| The Bill of Rights | 1A, 15AC, 17A, 19B, 21BC, 25C, 29ABE, 30A |
| Constitutional Amendments and Democratic Rights | 15D, 16AB, 29BG |
| Constitution: Review | 1B, 4D, 15ABCD, 16A, 17A, 18A, 19BC, 25AC, 29ABCD, 30A |
Early Republic | Early Republic: Vocabulary | 30A |
| George Washington: Setting Up a New Republic | 1A, 5A, 22A, 29BD |
| Washington’s Foreign Policy | 1A, 5ACE, 20A, 29ABDE |
| Origins of Political Parties | 5BC, 10C, 14A, 17A, 21A, 29BCD, 30A |
| The Monroe Doctrine | 5AE, 6B, 20A, 29ABD |
| Early Republic: Review | 1A, 5ACDE, 6A, 11B, 18B, 22A, 29BC |
Age of Jackson | Age of Jackson: Vocabulary | 30A |
| Age of Jackson: Overview | 1A, 5F, 29BCEG, |
| States' Rights | 1A, 5B, 7AD, 8B, 17B, 21A, 29ABE, 30AB |
| Age of Jackson: Review | 5FG, 10A, 17B, 18A, 23C, 29ABC |
Westward Expansion | Westward Expansion: Vocabulary | 30A |
| Moving Westward | 1A, 11B, 27ABC, 28A, 29 |
| Manifest Destiny | 1A, 6B, 23ACD, 25A, 26A, 29BG, 30A |
| The U.S.-Mexican War | 6BC, 10A, 29DEG |
| Westward Expansion: Review | 6BC, 10BC, 11AB, 12A, 17B, 23CD, 27C, 29BC |
Reform and Culture | Reform and Culture: Vocabulary | 30AC |
| The Reform Movement’s Impact on Health and Education | 1A, 23E, 24B, 25B, 29B, 30A |
| The Abolitionist Movement | 1A, 7BC, 22B, 24A, 25B, 29ABD, 30ABC |
| Reform and Culture: Review | 10A, 22B, 24AB, 25B, 26AB, 29BCD |
Industrialization | Industrialization: Vocabulary | 30A |
| The Impact of the Industrial Revolution | 13B, 23B, 27ABC, 28B, 29BD |
| The Economy of the Northern States | 12AC, 13B, 14B, 23B, 27ABC, 28B, 29ABC, 30AB |
| Social Impact of the Industrial Revolution | 13B, 14B, 23BE, 24B, 28B, 29ABCDH, 30A |
| The Economy of the Southern States | 12ABC, 27ABC, 28A, 29ABG |
| Industrialization: Review | 10BC, 11B, 12BC, 13B, 14AB, 23ADE, 27ABC, 28AB, 29BCH |
Civil War | Civil War: Vocabulary | 30A |
| Conflicts over Slavery | 7CD, 8B, 21AC, 24A, 29BCD |
| The Outbreak of the Civil War | 1B, 8BC, 10AC, 29ABCG |
| Key Battles of the Civil War | 8C, 10AC, 29ABC, 30C |
| Civil War: Review | 7BC, 8ABCD, 10C, 11B, 12AC, 17B, 21C, 22B, 23E, 29BCD |
Reconstruction | Reconstruction: Vocabulary | 1A, 30A |
| Early Reconstruction | 1A, 9C, 29ABD |
| Radical Reconstruction | 1A, 7B, 9AC, 16B, 29AB |
| The Challenges of Reconstruction | 1A, 9ABC, 16B, 22B, 23D, 29AB, 30A |
| Reconstruction: Review | 1A, 9ABC, 16AB, 18A, 26B, 29BC |