GF Educators Inc. is proud to announce companion books to the Step Up to the TAKS Science Series Books, formally named Step Up to the TAKS Science Journals. Each journal is available in a Student Edition and a Teacher Edition.

Each Step Up to the TAKS Science Journal provides teachers with opportunities to model the thinking required to solve the same level of science  questions as presented on the TAKS test.

As teachers model critical reading and the analysis of information on the overhead, the Step Up to the TAKS Science Journals enable students to engage in discussion of the questions and practice test taking techniques. Thus, they work through the teacher guided process necessary to think scientifically in order to solve the questions, as well as strategies other students may suggest in class during the class discussion.

The “Sample for Analysis” pages present a TAKS test formatted question with a scientific strategy to solve the problem. The Step Up to the TAKS Science Journals are an invaluable resource to the students as they tackle similar questions in class and can refer back to their journal to review strategies to understand the problems they are tackling.

1. The associated TEKS/TAKS are listed to tie the type of problem to the TEKS which are being assessed on the test.
2. Prerequisite skills are listed in order to understand the foundation of understanding that might need to be strengthened.
3. An error analysis for each wrong answer is stated to assist the teacher in understanding the route the student is taking in their understanding of the process.
4. The level of questioning format is identified, knowledge or application or problem solving, to understand the depth of the questioning.