6th Grade Language Arts

Reading

1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development

1.1 Read aloud narrative and expository text fluently and accurately and with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression.

1.2 Identify and interpret figurative language and words with multiple meanings.
1.3 Recognize the origins and meanings of frequently used foreign words in English and use these words accurately in speaking and writing.
1.4 Monitor expository text for unknown words or words with novel meanings by using word, sentence, and paragraph clues to determine meaning.
1.5 Understand and explain "shades of meaning" in related words (e.g., softly and quietly).

2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials)

2.1 Identify the structural features of popular media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, online information) and use the features to obtain information.
2.2 Analyze text that uses the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern.

2.3 Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics.
2.4 Clarify an understanding of texts by creating outlines, logical notes, summaries, or reports.
2.5 Follow multiple-step instructions for preparing applications (e.g., for a public library card, bank savings account, sports club, league membership).

2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author's conclusions.
2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations.
2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion, and propaganda in text.

3.0 Literary Response and Analysis

3.1 Identify the forms of fiction and describe the major characteristics of each form.

3.2 Analyze the effect of the qualities of the character (e.g., courage or cowardice, ambition or laziness) on the plot and the resolution of the conflict.
3.3 Analyze the influence of setting on the problem and its resolution.
3.4 Define how tone or meaning is conveyed in poetry through word choice, figurative language, sentence structure, line length, punctuation, rhythm, repetition, and rhyme.
3.5 Identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first-and third-person narration (e.g., autobiography compared with biography).
3.6 Identify and analyze features of themes conveyed through characters, actions, and images.
3.7 Explain the effects of common literary devices (e.g., symbolism, imagery, metaphor) in a variety of fictional and nonfictional texts.

3.8 Critique the credibility of characterization and the degree to which a plot is contrived or realistic (e.g., compare use of fact and fantasy in historical fiction).

Writing

1.0 Writing Strategies

1.1 Choose the form of writing (e.g., personal letter, letter to the editor, review, poem, report, narrative) that best suits the intended purpose.
1.2 Create multiple-paragraph expository compositions:

Engage the interest of the reader and state a clear purpose.

Develop the topic with supporting details and precise verbs, nouns, and adjectives to paint a visual image in the mind of the reader.

Conclude with a detailed summary linked to the purpose of the composition.

1.3 Use a variety of effective and coherent organizational patterns, including comparison and contrast; organization by categories; and arrangement by spatial order, order of importance, or climactic order.

Research and Technology
1.4 Use organizational features of electronic text (e.g., bulletin boards, databases, keyword searches, e-mail addresses) to locate information.
1.5 Compose documents with appropriate formatting by using word-processing skills and principles of design (e.g., margins, tabs, spacing, columns, page orientation).

Evaluation and Revision
1.6 Revise writing to improve the organization and consistency of ideas within and between paragraphs.

2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

2.1 Write narratives:

Establish and develop a plot and setting and present a point of view that is appropriate to the stories.

Include sensory details and concrete language to develop plot and character.

Use a range of narrative devices (e.g., dialogue, suspense).

2.2 Write expository compositions (e.g., description, explanation, comparison and contrast, problem and solution):

State the thesis or purpose.

Explain the situation.

Follow an organizational pattern appropriate to the type of composition.

Offer persuasive evidence to validate arguments and conclusions as needed.

2.3 Write research reports:

Pose relevant questions with a scope narrow enough to be thoroughly covered.

Support the main idea or ideas with facts, details, examples, and explanations from multiple authoritative sources (e.g., speakers, periodicals, online information searches).

Include a bibliography.

2.4 Write responses to literature: