TEKS: Chapter 110. English Language Arts and Reading See All Teacher Resources

110.26. English Language Arts and Reading, Speech (Elective Credit).

(1) Communication is an integral part of our social, cultural, and academic lives; therefore, middle school students should develop effective communication skills to further their academic pursuits and to prepare for interaction in social, civic, and professional roles. Competent communicators develop skills focused on five identifiable functions of expressing and responding appropriately to feelings, participating in social traditions, informing, persuading, creating, and imagining. To become competent communicators, students will develop and apply skills in using oral language, nonverbal communication, and listening in interpersonal, group, academic, and public contexts. For middle school students whose first language is not English, the students' experiences with oral communication serve as a foundation for English language acquisition.

(2) The essential knowledge and skills as well as the student expectations for Speech, an elective course, are described in subsection (b) of this section.