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Facilitator’s Manuals: Study Guides for the K-3 Texas Online Teacher Reading Academies (2005)

Download Facilitator’s Manual 1 (includes study guides for kindergarten and first grade)
Download Facilitator’s Manual 2 (includes study guides for second grade and third grade)


The Texas Online Teacher Reading Academy (OTRA) study guides supplement the original Texas K–3 OTRAs.* They feature activities that extend and deepen OTRA content; link OTRA content with a 3-tier reading model, assessment driven instruction, the five components of reading, and districts’ core reading programs; and provide guidance in transferring instructional practices to the classroom.

Facilitators, such as principals or instructional coaches, can use the OTRA study guides to lead grade-level study group sessions to support teachers and other staff members as they implement OTRA content and instructional practices in their classrooms.

Within each grade level, the study guides are organized in sections that correspond to those of the OTRAs. Three types of activities are generally included per section:

  1. “On your own” activities are for teachers to complete independently before the next study group session. When teachers reconvene, these activities can be shared and discussed.
  2. Follow-up activities are then conducted with the whole group.
  3. Extension activities help facilitators tailor study group discussions, allowing teachers to apply knowledge to their students’ needs.

*The K–3 OTRAs, along with the 4OTRA, were revised in 2009 to reflect updates in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS); the study guides, however, were not revised at that time and may contain references to older drafts of materials.

For information about obtaining a license to reproduce large quantities of Center products, please contact licensing@texasreading.org