ELA
GRADE LEVEL OVERVIEW
GRADE 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
2
The Grade 6 Core ELA Units take students through literary and nonfiction texts that explore
individuals facing crucial decisions, learning from their responses, becoming a better version of
themselves. Unit 1, Testing Our Limits, examines what we do when life gets hard. Unit 2, You and
Me, focuses on relationships and asks the Essential Question: How do relationships shape us?
Unit 3, In the Dark, asks students to consider how they can figure out what to do when there are
no instructions, while Unit 4, Personal Best, asks students to consider the unit’s driving ques-
tion—Which qualities of character matter most?—by providing a range of texts that examine
individuals wrestling with realistic and familiar struggles. Next, Unit 5, Making Your Mark, asks
students to think about their own story. Finally, students finish up the year by thinking about the
future as they address the question “Who are you meant to be?” in Unit 6, True to Yourself.
INTRODUCTION | GRADE 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
3
Text Complexity
ELA Grade Level Overview
Grade 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
4
UNIT 1: TESTING OUR LIMITS
Unit Title: Testing Our Limits
Essential Question: What do we do when life gets hard?
Genre Focus: Fiction
Overview
What do we do when life gets hard? How do we respond in a dicult situation? What do we do when our limits are
tested? How do we face a challenge? What actions can we take to solve a problem? How can we overcome feelings
of sadness, stress, or fear?
These are the questions your students will explore in this Grade 6 unit, which focuses on the genre of fiction.
Life is full of challenges, and some are harder than others. What we choose to do or say in the face of these
challenges often varies on the challenge itself. Sometimes we choose to respond to challenges by attempting
something that we have never done before, something that might even scare us a little. Climbing a mountain or
running a marathon are challenges that people can choose to face. Often, however, life presents us with diculties
when people least expect it, such as an emergency or a crisis.
Texts within the unit’s genre and across other genres present dierent perspectives on responding to life’s
unexpected diculties. Deza Malone in Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Mighty Miss Malone must deal with the events
of the Great Depression when it tears her family apart. In Avi’s short story “Scout’s Honor” three Boy Scouts from
Brooklyn learn a humbling lesson when their limits are tested on a camping trip. After reading about how these and
other characters respond when their lives are upended, your students will try their own hands at writing a short
story, applying what they have learned about dealing with life’s challenges to their own narrative writing projects.
Throughout this unit, students will explore the dierent reasons and ways in which people make decisions and take
action when life turns out to be tougher than expected.
Text Complexity
Grade 6 Unit 1 continues sixth grade students’ development as critical thinkers. The genre focus of this unit is fiction;
however, students will also read a poem, a play, and an excerpt from a memoir. With a Lexile range of 670-1070, the
majority of the texts in this unit fall between 670L and 750L, a comfortable level of diculty for most sixth graders.
Additionally, the vocabulary, sentence structure, text features, content and relationships among ideas make these
texts accessible to sixth graders, enabling them to grow as readers by interacting with appropriately challenging texts.
UNIT 1
TEXT COMPLEXITY
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
5
The first text in the unit is “Eleven,” which is used in the SyncStart unit. Though this text has the highest Lexile, it also
has the largest number of lessons supporting it. The length and diculty of this short story are oset by a collection
of skill lessons that teach students the necessary background skills for success in their English Language Arts class.
Skills like Annotation, Context Clues, Reading Comprehension, and Collaborative Conversations do not just build
a foundation for the school year, they allow students to encounter this text repeatedly from dierent perspectives,
making comprehension of this dicult text more manageable.
Throughout the unit, the students read and analyze a collection of fiction pieces in a common Lexile band. In
addition to their shared genre, these texts also share a thematic link: a focus on testing our limits. These texts
present a variety of fictional worlds and formats. The novel excerpt from The Mighty Miss Malone illustrates how
far one girl will push herself to succeed in school, while the beloved A Wrinkle in Time shows readers just how far
people will travel to saved their loved ones. Hatchet and “Scout’s Honor” have a familiar theme: surviving in nature.
The shared thematic and genre link provides students with consistent access and reference points for the texts.
Combined with the similar level of text diculty, students can focus on applying the skills to these texts without
drastic fluctuations in reader diculty.
Two selections in this unit showcase more text diculty: Red Scarf Girl and “Jabberwocky.” Red Scarf Girl represents
a tonal departure from the previous two texts, “Eleven” and The Mighty Miss Malone, by placing readers in the
shoes of a student as she faces an interrogation. The topical connection of testing our limits helps to make the
historical context required to understand the text less essential. Ji-li Jiang’s language and references to politics
during the interrogation may elude some readers, but the thoughts and internal dialogue of the narrator can help
them overcome possible diculties with specific language or a lack of prior knowledge about Communist China.
The use of textual evidence to analyze author’s purpose and message highlights the importance of reading complex
texts closely and thoughtfully in order to construct meaning. “Jabberwocky” is challenging both because of its
unusual form and invented language, but that complexity is balanced by its puzzle-like appearance, a StudySyncTV
episode, and two other texts to read in a comparative grouping.
Two sets of texts in this unit are grouped together for Comparing Within and Across Genres. The Skills lessons,
Close Read questions and writing activities for Red Scarf Girl and Hatchet ask students to compare and contrast
how the setting of a piece of fiction impacts the story. This first comparative task is well suited for two texts on the
lower range of text complexity in the unit, and their lower Lexile is made more dicult by the comparison they are
asked to make. In a second set of texts, “Jabberwocky,” Gathering Blue, and A Wrinkle in Time students practice
comparative analysis across genres. This second group gives students the opportunity to apply the comparative
thinking and writing skills they learned earlier in the unit to more complex texts from dierent genres.
English Language Learner Resources
Lessons in the English Language Learner Resources section oer explicit instruction. These lessons share a thematic
and genre focus with all other lessons in the Core ELA unit.
The twenty ELL Resources are developed around two texts, “Lost Island” and “Connected,” and an Extended Oral
Project. Each text is written at four distinct levels. For ELLs, these texts serve as structural and thematic models of
authentic texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section of the unit. Thus, teachers may use the ELL texts in
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
6
place of or as extensions for Hatchet and A Wrinkle in Time.
ELL lessons modify the routines used with texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section. Explicit vocabulary
instruction is emphasized, and reading and writing Skills lessons focus strongly on language acquisition and
reading comprehension.
After reading texts about challenges and trying situations, students will complete an Extended Oral Project that can
be used in place of or as an extension to the Extended Writing Project. In this unit, students will plan and present a
realistic scene in the form of a group presentation.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
7
Eleven
AUTHOR
Name
Sandra Cisneros
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1991
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• Students may not be familiar with first-person stream of consciousness technique.
• The use of so many commas in sections connect all of Rachel’s thoughts. If sentences
were broken up with periods, then they would read more as separate thoughts.
Connection of Ideas
• Some students may have diculty linking Cisneros’s use of imagery to the plot and theme.
• Point out that when Rachel compares getting older to an onion she is also explaining
the reasons behind her behavior in class.
Purpose
• The author’s use of symbolism may be dicult for some students to grasp.
• Point out that the red sweater, because it is so trivial, supports Rachel’s idea that
sometimes, at eleven, you can still act as if you’re four.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1070
Word Count
1,195
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Annotation, Context Clues, Reading Comprehension, Text Dependent Responses, Textual
Evidence, Figurative Language, Short Constructed Responses, Peer Review
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: How does the author’s use of figurative language help readers
understand the feelings that the narrator is expressing? Support your writing with
evidence from the text.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Game: How would you respond?
Put students in groups of 6. Give each group a stack of 12 index cards. Instruct
students to:
• Write a real-life scenario on one index card then write an age between three and their
current age on a second card.
• Mix the scenario cards in one stack and mix the age cards in a second stack.
• Draw a real-life scenario card and an age card from each stack then act out how you
think a child would respond to that situation at that age.
Select the “best performance” and have the students who have been selected by each
group perform their reaction for the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• When do people become more logical and less emotional?
• What behavior is common for younger children? What does this reveal?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
On the day she turns eleven, in Sandra Cisneros’s short story “Eleven,” Rachel is
confronted with an unexpected challenge. Her teacher insists that Rachel is the owner of
an old, ugly sweater that has been hanging in the student cloak room for months. But the
sweater doesn’t belong to Rachel, and to her surprise, she is only able to reply with the
most feeble of responses. Finally, she bursts into tears. Rachel’s reaction upsets her until
she makes the discovery that even though you’ve just turned eleven, sometimes you can
still act as if you were four or five.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Eleven” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project. They
may adopt some of Sandra Cisneros’s descriptive language as they craft their own
suspenseful narrative.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
8
The Mighty Miss Malone
AUTHOR
Name
Christopher Paul Curtis
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2012
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Term “Hooverville” may be not known.
• Hoovervilles were towns of crudely built houses built by unemployed people in the
Depression. They were named after Herbert Hoover, the president in the early years of
the Depression, on whom blame was placed.
Sentence Structure
• The selection contains examples of dialect and unusual sentence structure.
• Point out that phrases such as “then blurted out, ‘I’MNOTAFRAIDOFGIRLS!’” serve as
clues to the reader how quickly and loudly the character is speaking.
Organization
• Students may be confused by the jump in the narrative that takes place between
paragraphs three and four.
• Explain that Miss Stew helps run the camp where Deza’s family is staying, and Miss
Needham was one of Deza’s teachers in Gary.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
750
Word Count
1,382
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Making Connections
Close Read
Prompt
Narrative: Describe how Deza’s responses to the C+ she received on her essay
show how her character has changed. Then imagine how she will approach the next
assignment she receives from Mr. Smith. Use the information you learned about both
characters to write a short scene that describes this event.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Research Project: School Then and Now
To help students learn more about life in Depression-era Flint, organize students
in groups. Ask each group to research one of the following topics related to the
Great Depression:
• Hoovervilles
• Unemployment
• Schools
• Migrant workers
Have groups design visual aids and present their findings informally to the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• How did this research help you better understand Deza’s daily life?
• What was life like in Hoovervilles and how might that have impacted Deza’s ability to
do well in school?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Mighty Miss Malone, twelve-year-old Deza Malone is a
bright student with a promising future. But when the Great Depression hits Gary, Indiana,
her family is confronted with many new challenges. Deza’s father leaves town to find
work, and when he doesn’t return, Deza, her mother, and her brother go looking for him.
They journey across the state by boxcar until they wind up in a “Hooverville” outside of
Flint, Michigan.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use The Mighty Miss Malone as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. They may note how Curtis uses an historical event—in this case the Great
Depression—to create unexpected challenges for his characters.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
9
Red Scarf Girl
UNIT 1
AUTHOR
Name
Ji-Li Jiang
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1997
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• Red Scarf Girl includes dialogue as well as first-person narration.
• Students need to draw details from both to understand the relationships between
individuals, events, and ideas.
Specific Vocabulary
• Many words, such as comrades, or study session, had special connotations during the
Chinese Cultural Revolution. Students will need to consider these connotations while reading.
• The memoir does not always provide exact details about the study session. Students
will need to consider the shades of meaning of various words to understand what is
happening and how Ji-Li Jiang feels.
Prior Knowledge
• The focus on Chinese culture during a specific period in history may present special
challenges for students.
• Many students may lack prior knowledge of the Chinese Communist Party and events
surrounding the Cultural Revolution.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
40
Word Count
871
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Personal Response
Independent
Read Prompt
Personal Response: Jiang is facing a challenging decision—between defending her
father and protecting herself. Think about a time you had to make a dicult decision.
Explain the decision you had to make, why you had to make it, and who, if anyone,
helped you. Does your experience help you empathize with Jiang? Use evidence from
the text to support your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Mock Trial: Defending a Loved One
Break into groups of 6-8 students. Ask groups to:
• Select a person they care about to put on trial for a crime they did not commit.
• Identify the people involved in the case—plainti, defendant, witnesses, judge, jury,
and lawyers.
• Assign each group member a role.
• Send the plainti and defendant out of the room to record “the facts” of the case. Then
they should give the facts to the witnesses and lawyers to review.
• While the plainti and defendant record the facts, the rest of the group should
research the law relating to this crime. What is the punishment for this crime? What
types of evidence are typically introduced in court for this crime?
• Have each group perform a brief mock trial for the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• Were any of the facts of the case unclear?
• Did the outcome of the trial surprise you? Was justice served?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In her memoir, Red Scarf Girl, Ji-Li Jiang recounts how hard it is to grow up dedicated to
the Communist Party.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can draw inspiration from Red Scarf Girl as they consider a narrative for
their Extended Writing Project. The memoir is set in the recent past, and features
challenges connected to a specific period in time.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
10
Hatchet
AUTHOR
Name
Gary Paulsen
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1987
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• Longer paragraphs in the selection are frequently followed by one-sentence or
one-word paragraphs, which function to slow the pace of the text and allow readers to
follow Brian’s muddled post-crash thinking.
• These one-word paragraphs also serve to emphasize the seriousness of Brian’s
situation, as when Nothing is repeated in paragraphs 9 and 12 and is the only word in
the paragraph.
Genre
• The limited-third person narrator focuses on Brian and his situation and relays Brian’s
thoughts, words, and actions.
• This narrative choice allows readers to sympathize with Brian as they are also left to
wonder whether a rescue mission is in progress.
Specific Vocabulary
• The selection contains examples of domain-specific vocabulary.
• Aviation terms, such as flight plan, amphibious planes, and bushplanes, may need to
be defined.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
730
Word Count
943
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Setting, Compare and Contrast
Close Read
Prompt
Compare and Contrast: Red Scarf Girl and Hatchet feature young people trapped in
challenging situations. In both texts, the setting provides the context for the main conflict
or problem. Compare and contrast the role that the setting plays in influencing the
characters and events of the two texts.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Debate: Selecting Your Survival Tool
In Hatchet, Brian survives, in large part, because of his hatchet. Ask students to:
• Imagine they have been stranded in the Alaskan wilderness in April.
• Research conditions in Alaska during this time of year. Students might consider
questions such as:
∙ What types of trees and plants might you encounter?
∙ What is the typical temperature?
∙ What food sources are available?
∙ What predators or dangerous animals are common?
• Select one survival tool they would take if they were going to be stranded for an
indefinite amount of time.
• Provide three clear reasons for this choice.
• Draw a picture of their tool and write a brief explanation of why they selected it.
Finally, invite students to debate why their survival tool is the best choice.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet 13-year-old Brian Robeson discovers just how hard life can
be when he is stranded in the Canadian wilderness after his pilot has a heart attack and
their plane crashes into a lake.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. Paulsen’s narrative is a classic tale of a fictional character meeting an
unexpected, life-or-death challenge.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
11
The Magic Marker Mystery
AUTHOR
Name
René Saldaña, Jr.
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2013
Genre
Drama
Access
Complex Text
Features
Purpose
• The author’s intentions for writing the play may be ambiguous to some students.
• Point out how the play might have had a dierent ending if both Joe and Bucho had
paid attention in class.
Genre
• Some students may have limited experience reading plays.
• Point out that in this play, “Lights Out” indicates the end of an act. It refers to the lights
going out on stage before the next act begins.
Specific Vocabulary
• The selection contains idioms that may be unfamiliar.
• Explain that “a leopard doesn’t change its spots” is an idiom that means a person
doesn’t change his or her behavior.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
2,692
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Dramatic Elements and Structure, Making and Confirming Predictions
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: Think about how the playwright uses specific scenes to develop the
plot. How would Act Three of “The Magic Marker Mystery” be dierent if it were told
from Joe’s perspective? In your response, indicate how this would aect the structure of
the play as a whole. Support your writing with specific evidence from the text.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: It Takes Two to Solve a Mystery
Pair students for this collaborative writing exercise. The pairs will need to decide:
• Where does your mystery take place? (e.g. at home, school, a sporting event, etc.)
• Who do you want to be in this mystery? (e.g. a friend, bully, a soccer player, etc.)
Once they decide on their mystery’s context, students will take turns passing one paper
between them. Each time they get the paper, they can write 1-3 lines of dialogue for
their character. It’s important that they not talk during this activity, but instead allow the
mysterious scene to unfold naturally as they add dialogue.
To reflect, ask students
• How did you initiate the mysterious situation in your scene?
• How did your dialogue build tension and create mystery?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
As a budding private investigator, Mickey Rangel is asked to solve a dicult case at the
middle school he attends, and find out who is marking up the school grounds with grati
in René Saldaña Jr.’s “The Magic Marker Mystery.”
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration in René Saldaña Jr.’s mystery play, both in its format and in the
way the twists and turns of a mystery can lead characters to face unexpected challenges.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
12
Scout’s Honor
AUTHOR
Name
Avi
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1996
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Some students may be unfamiliar with the location of Brooklyn and the Palisades in
New Jersey.
• Point out that Brooklyn is a borough of New York City. The Palisades Interstate Park
contains 2,500 acres and is located about an hour from Brooklyn on a subway train.
Specific Vocabulary
• The selection contains some words that are specific to the time period of the late 1940s.
• Words and terms such as Buster Brown shoes, F-36 fighter plane, and Hell-cat dive-
bomber may need to be explained or defined.
Sentence Structure
• Following the dialogue in the story may be dicult for some readers.
• Point out that the speaker is not always identified, and students should note that the
dialogue is separated into paragraphs for each new speaker.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
660
Word Count
764
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Story Structure, Plot
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: There are many challenges in ‘Scout’s Honor” that the boys face. How
do the characters’ responses to these challenges help develop the plot and help readers
interpret the events in the plot−such as the inciting incident, conflict, turning point and
resolution−as they take place? Support your writing with evidence from the text.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Photography: What’s in Your Bag?
In “Scout’s Honor,” each boy packs dierent items in preparation for the trip. These
items reveal important information about them. Ask students to:
• Photograph three items of their own that reveal something unique about them.
• In small groups, have students take turns showing their photographs and explaining
the significance of their items.
To reflect, ask students:
• What was the most interesting thing you learned about your peers from the items
they shared?
• Why do some objects have a deeper meaning than others?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In “Scout’s Honor,” by Avi, three friends from Brooklyn, all Boy Scouts, go camping by
themselves in the Palisades of New Jersey in order to earn merit badges and prove they
are “tough.” But their trip turns out to be more of a challenge than they thought it would.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration in Avi’s memoir about a scouting trip gone awry, and see
how proper preparation can sometimes mitigate an unexpected challenge before it turns
out to be a disaster.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
13
The Good Samaritan
AUTHOR
Name
René Saldaña, Jr.
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2007
Genre
Fictional
Access
Complex Text
Features
Purpose
• The author’s purpose for writing the selection may be rather ambiguous to some students.
• Point out Mr. Hernandez’s reaction when Hernando calls him vato (dude). Then have
students reread the last line of the story to determine how the narrator responds to Mr.
Hernandez’s invitation and what that implies.
Specific Vocabulary
• The selection contains some words in Spanish.
• Words and phrases such as mejor con regresen mañana (better come back tomorrow),
pues (well), and barrio (neighborhood) may need to be defined.
Prior Knowledge
• Some of the Spanish words in the text have connotations that may be unfamiliar to students.
• Point out that a barrio is a neighborhood where people usually know one another. This
explains why Mr. Sanchez would walk around the neighborhood visiting.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
720
Word Count
2,553
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Summarizing
Close Read
Prompt
Debate (Reflection): Rey lives up to the story’s title, “The Good Samaritan,” when
he stops to help Mr. Sánchez. However, do you think Rey made the right decision in
stopping to help? Summarize Rey’s experiences dealing with the Sánchez family and
use them to prepare an argument for a debate. Use evidence from the text to support
your position.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Performance: Betrayal and Forgiveness
In “The Good Samaritan,” Rey feels betrayed by Mr. Sánchez. Pair students. Ask them to:
• Reflect on a time when they experienced a betrayal.
• Design two short skits to act out these moments. Their performance should answer
the following:
∙ What happened? Who betrayed you?
∙ How did the betrayal make you feel?
∙ How did you respond to the betrayal?
∙ Did you forgive the person who betrayed you?
To reflect, ask students:
• How were these betrayals similar or dierent?
• Why is it hard for a child to forgive an adult who has betrayed them?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
From René Saldaña, Jr.’s 2003 collection of short stories, “The Good Samaritan” is told
through the eyes of a teenage boy named Rey. When his relationship with a neighborhood
family turns sour, Rey soon finds himself faced with an age-old moral dilemma.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “The Good Samaritan” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. They may adapt one of the themes René Saldaña, Jr. explores: that an
unexpected challenge might sometimes come from within us.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
14
Jabberwocky
UNIT 1
AUTHOR
Name
Lewis Carroll
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1872
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• Although it contains many made up words, the poem is a ballad written in four-line stanzas.
• The selection has four stressed syllables in each line and a regular ABAB, CDCD, EFEF
rhyme scheme.
Purpose
• Words are chosen and made up because of the way they sound together.
• The poem demonstrates a principle called open-endedness where users of a
language create new words, such as combining lithe and slimy to make slithy.
Connection of Ideas
• The poem has a slim narrative. A hero leaves home to test his bravery. He comes
home triumphant. This plot has been treated over and over, from Beowulf to Lord of
the Rings.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
166
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Poetry: The poem “Jabberwocky” uses nonsense language to describe a heroic battle.
Choose three nonsensical words from the first stanza of “Jabberwocky” and create a
definition for each based on context, sound, and the image you picture in your head.
Then write a poem about a time you overcame an obstacle incorporating each of the
three words.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: An Epic Battle
Ask students to let their imaginations run wild and invent a monstrous creature.
• What’s its name?
• What does it look like?
• Where does it live?
• What are some of its personality traits?
Once students have written a description and drawn a picture of their monster, ask them
to write an epic poem in which a hero fights this creature. Their epic poems should use
the same rhyme scheme as “Jabberwocky” (ABAB, CDCD, EFEF).
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
The first of three selections, Lewis Carroll’s whimsical poem “Jabberwocky” combines
fantastical characters, invented language and formal structure to tell a heroic tale.
Read alongside Gathering Blue and A Wrinkle in Time, students will consider how the
language, setting, and events make the reader feel uncertain, and what steps the reader
can take to better understand these selections.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
As they craft their own narratives for the Extended Writing Project, students may find
inspiration in Lewis Carroll’s unorthodox use of language as a way to depict a main
character who faces an unexpected challenge.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
15
Gathering Blue
AUTHOR
Name
Lois Lowry
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2000
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Students may not realize that the selection is a companion piece to a novel entitled
The Giver.
• The societies in both selections are controlled by ruthless authorities. At the center of
each is a young person who is given the responsibility of preserving the culture.
Connection of Ideas
• Some students may have diculty synthesizing information throughout the text.
• Point out that the character Annabel is now called Annabella. This implies that the
number of syllables in a person’s name denotes their status.
Sentence Structure
• Some students may have diculty following the dialogue in the selection. They must
infer when Jamison is speaking from the surrounding dialogue.
• In lines 14 and 20, the author italicizes the first sentence in each paragraph. These are
meant to convey Kira’s thoughts and not dialogue.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
670
Word Count
1,014
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: Think back to a challenge that you’ve faced in your life. How did you
feel facing it? How were you able to respond? With that memory in mind, what advice
would you give Kira from Gathering Blue to help her with the challenge she faces now?
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: The Singer’s Robe
In preparation for creating their own singer’s robe, invite students to think about the
following questions:
• What stories have you heard about your family growing up?
• Are there objects in your home that have a deeper meaning or symbolize something
important for your family?
• Do you have family members living in dierent parts of the country or the world? Have
you traveled to visit them?
• What traditions, however small, make your family unique?
• What moments in life have shaped your identity? What happened? How were you
impacted?
Once students have had a chance to consider these questions, ask them to create a
“Singer’s Robe” to reflect their personal history, culture, and family using a mix of colors,
images, and symbols.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In Lowry’s futuristic novel, Gathering Blue, a crippled young girl named Kira fears she will
be forced to leave because of her disability—but her talent for embroidery may earn her
a role in society. As Kira’s limits are tested in this excerpt of Gathering Blue, students will
consider how to use context clues to understand the settings in “Jabberwocky” and A
Wrinkle in Time as well.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration in Lois Lowry’s use of an unusual setting and a surprise
ending as they discover that someone’s worst possible day can turn out to be another
character’s best possible day.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
16
A Wrinkle in Time
AUTHOR
Name
Madeleine L’Engle
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1962
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• Analyzing the relationship between character and plot may prove dicult for some students.
• Suggest that students look for ways in which the decisions and actions of the
characters alter or advance plot events and how the characters themselves change in
response to events in the story.
Specific Vocabulary
• Some students may have diculty with unfamiliar words, words with multiple meanings, and
unusual constructions.
• Words and constructions such as once ten is ten and probed may need to be defined.
Sentence Structure
• Much of the red-eyed man’s dialogue is not directly attributed to him. Students must
infer the speaker from the surrounding dialogue and narration.
• Several of the sentences in the narration have multiple clauses and phrases. This may
present problems for some students.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
740
Word Count
1,076
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Context Clues
Independent
Read Prompt
Compare and Contrast: “Jabberwocky” and A Wrinkle in Time both have eerie language.
A Wrinkle in Time and Gathering Blue both feature settings and events that make the
reader feel uncertain. How does using context clues help you understand these unique
selections? Compare the language and context clues you used in A Wrinkle in Time with
those in one of the other two selections. Remember to support your ideas with evidence
from the texts.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Game: Telepathy Battle
Group students in pairs for a Telepathy Battle with a fictional character. Each pair will
need to select (or create) a character to engage in the telepathy battle. Some places
from which students might select characters include:
• Unit texts, Pokemon, anime, video games, movies, etc.
Once students have selected their characters, they will decide how to engage in their
telepathy battle. They can:
• Perform a telepathy battle with a rehearsed blocking.
• Write a sensorily rich script of their internal dialogue.
• Draw a comic strip of their characters engaged in a battle using a mix of drawings and
thought bubbles.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time follows Meg Murry, her younger brother Charles
Wallace, and their neighbor Calvin as they embark on a dangerous journey to find
Meg and Charles’ missing father. Students will compare A Wrinkle in Time to one
other selection and consider how language and descriptions work to create a feeling
of uncertainty, as well as how to use context clues to decipher unknown or unique
language, settings, or events.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use A Wrinkle in Time as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. They may explore how a sudden change in setting can lead to an
unexpected challenge as they craft their own narrative.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
17
UNIT 2: YOU AND ME
Unit Title: You and Me
Essential Question: How do relationships shape us?
Genre Focus: Poetry
Overview
Can you even count the number of relationships you have had in your life? Some relationships are close and others
more distant, but the relationships in our lives teach us about the individuals around us. Even more important, our
relationships can teach us a lot about ourselves.
What kinds of relationships do people have? Why are they important? Relationships with family, friends, and those
around us can bring much joy, but they can also cause pain and frustration. What do readers learn when they study
and analyze the relationships depicted in literary works? How can this help us with our own relationships?
Human bonds have been the subject of both fiction and nonfiction. They are often the subject of poetry. This unit
oers a wide variety of literature about relationships for your students to explore, including a selection from the
classic novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, a nonfiction letter to the editor, “We’re On the Same
Team,” and poems such as “Teenagers” by Pat Mora and “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long” by Nikki Giovanni.
After reading stories, poems, and nonfiction selections about important relationships that had such a powerful
impact they may have changed people’s lives, students will try their hand at writing an argumentative essay about a
person who has aected their lives and their opinion regarding whether relationships can truly shape one’s future.
Text Complexity
Grade 6 Unit 2 builds on the skills established in the previous unit and further develops students’ text analysis abilities.
The genre focus of this unit is poetry, but students will also read several fiction selections and an argumentative text.
The prose selections of this unit fit in a Lexile band of 520 to 820 and bring together the theme of relationships with
the formal structures of narrative fiction and argumentative writing. Additionally, the vocabulary, sentence structure,
text features, content and relationships among ideas make these texts accessible to sixth graders, enabling them
to grow as readers by interacting with such appropriately challenging texts.
Unit 2 begins with the text Walk Two Moons, where they will practice citing textual evidence to support inferences
they make about the text. This text is followed by a reading of another, slightly higher-level text, Roll of Thunder
Hear My Cry, which may challenge readers because of its emphasis on dialogue, specifically dialect and idiomatic
UNIT 2
TEXT COMPLEXITY
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
18
speech. Such diculties are addressed through a lesson focused on connotation and denotation. The distinct
narrative voices of both of these texts allow students to build the necessary skills to access the higher level poetic
texts later in the unit.
“Teenagers” and “Tableau” follow the earlier fiction texts and should, at this point in the unit, be accessible to
students. “Teenagers” may challenge students because it does not rhyme and is written in free verse. Accessible
similes such as faces “open as sunflowers” allow students to parse out the feelings of the poem’s narrator and
engage with skills lessons on figurative language and making inferences. “Tableau” is thematically linked to the
previous text in that both focus on the changes of childhood, further immersing students in the theme of the unit.
The ABAB rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter in this poem will feel familiar to students, making an analysis of
the skills lesson on poetic elements and structure more approachable.
Two sets of texts in this unit are grouped together for Comparing Within and Across Genres. The Skills lessons,
Close Read questions and writing activities for “The Voice in My Head” and “We’re on the Same Team” ask students
to consider the value of mentorship and athletic abilities. The format of “The Voice in My Head” will be instantly
accessible to most sixth graders and the short paragraph style will keep students engaged. One of the higher
Lexiled texts in the unit, “We’re on the Same Team” is tempered by the fact that the center theme of the debate—
how equal are males and females in sports?—is most likely to be of great interest to the class. This likely universal
topical interest will facilitate skills building such as summarization abilities.
In a second set of texts, The Circuit, “That Day” and “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long” students will examine how
a relationship can help change a person’s outlook and life. The autobiography The Circuit falls in the middle of the
unit’s Lexile band and its thematic connection to relationships make it easy for students to compare and contrast
it with the other texts. The poem “That Day” may challenge students due to it being written in free verse, however
their earlier encounter with “Teenagers” should bolster their confidence. “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs Long” will
most likely be one of the least accessible texts in the unit. Reference to popular musicians from the 1950s and
allusions to other pieces of literature may need additional explanation prior to students’ reading. This second group
gives students the opportunity to apply the comparative thinking and writing skills they learned earlier in the unit to
more complex texts from dierent genres.
English Language Learner Resources
Lessons in the English Language Learner Resources section oer explicit instruction. These lessons share a thematic
and genre focus with all other lessons in the Core ELA unit.
The twenty ELL Resources are developed around two texts, “The Other Side” and “A Role to Play,” and an Extended
Oral Project. Each text is written at four distinct levels. For ELLs, these texts serve as structural and thematic models
of authentic texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section of the unit. Thus, teachers may use the ELL texts in
place of or as extensions for “Teenagers” and The Circuit.
ELL lessons modify the routines used with texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section. Explicit vocabulary
instruction is emphasized, and reading and writing Skills lessons focus strongly on language acquisition and
reading comprehension.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
19
After reading texts about the power of relationships, students will complete an Extended Oral Project that can be
used in place of or as an extension to the Extended Writing Project. In this unit, students will plan and present a
personal address expressing gratitude to a person who has impacted them.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
20
UNIT 2
Walk Two Moons
AUTHOR
Name
Sharon Creech
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
994
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• The selection contains brief flashbacks.
• Some students may have diculty distinguishing between the main character’s
recollections of past events and what is taking place in the present.
Connection of Ideas
• The selection is written in first-person limited, so readers only know what the main
character thinks, feels, and hears.
• Assessing the motivations and actions of other characters in the story may prove dicult.
Sentence Structure
• The selection features some complex sentence structures.
• In some dialogue exchanges, who is speaking may need some clarification.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
520
Word Count
878
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Language, Style, and Audience, Textual Evidence, Generating Questions.
Close Read
Prompt
Narrative: Rewrite this excerpt of Walk Two Moons with Phoebe, Prudence, or Mrs.
Winterbottom as the narrator instead of Sal. Use evidence explicitly stated in the text, as
well as inferences drawn from the text, to identify the narrator’s relationship with the other
characters. In your narrative, select language that reflects an appropriate tone for the
narrator you choose.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing and Discussion: Parent Appreciation
In Walk Two Moons, Sal can see how Phoebe and Prudence take their mother, Mrs.
Winterbottom, for granted. Ask students to:
• Create a list of all the things their parents or guardians do for them on a daily basis.
• Form small groups and discuss the following questions:
∙ Do you take your parents or guardians for granted?
∙ How often do you tell your parents or guardians you appreciate them?
∙ Why is it so common for kids to take parents or guardians for granted?
• Reflect in writing:
∙ Prior to this activity, did you feel like you took your parents or guardians for granted?
∙ What can you do to let them know you appreciate what they do for you?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In this story, a young girl named Sal is racked with guilt because she thinks she is
responsible when her mother leaves the family. Would Sal’s relationship with her mother
have been dierent if Sal hadn’t yelled at her the last time she saw her?
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Walk Two Moons as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project.
They may analyze Sharon Creech’s methods for developing relationships among
characters as they reflect on the nature of their own personal relationships.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
21
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
AUTHOR
Name
Mildred D. Taylor
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1976
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• The majority of plot events in the selection are revealed through dialogue.
• Students will need to make connections between what the characters say and how the
dialogue drives the events of the plot.
Prior Knowledge
• The events in the selection are directly tied to its setting, and students may not be
aware of the economic inequalities of sharecropping or the grave eects of the Great
Depression on African Americans.
• The significance of Thurston Wallace’s power over the other characters may
need explication.
Sentence Structure
• Students may find the use of dialect and any deviations from standard English challenging.
• Discuss the meanings of specific words and analyze what dialect reveals about the
characters and what it contributes to the story.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
820
Word Count
1,384
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Connotation and Denotation, Theme, Story Structure
Close Read
Prompt
Discussion: In this excerpt, the author builds and releases tension through events in the
plot. With each new challenge that the characters have to face, a new theme is revealed
or suggested. Overall, do you feel that the author’s themes, or messages, are positive
or negative? As you prepare for your discussion, use specific parts of the text as well
as supporting details to help you form an opinion. Additionally, include any lingering
questions you have regarding characters and events.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: Social Hierarchy Tree
This excerpt ends with Papa using the three trees on their property to make a point
about life as an African American in the Deep South. Ask students to:
• Think about dierent groups in society today who are marginalized, or have less power.
• Draw a picture representing dierent groups in society and their levels of power using
the tree metaphor.
When students have completed their visuals, break them into groups of four, and allow
them time to present their visuals.
To reflect, ask students:
• Did your group members identify the same groups in society or were there dierences?
• What was most challenging about representing the dierent levels of power using the
tree as a metaphor?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
A young black girl who lives in the South during the Great Depression begins to learn
about the realities of racism. She has a close relationship with her family, but she
wonders if they can they continue to carry on with the injustices she sees happening all
around them.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry as a mentor text for their Extended
Writing Project. They may consider using dialogue, as Mildred D. Taylor does to illustrate
relationships between characters, if they wish to include things that a family member or
friend has said that made an impact on them.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
22
Teenagers
AUTHOR
Name
Pat Mora
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1991
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• The author uses many examples of figurative language.
• Students may have diculty using the figurative language the author employs to make
inferences about characters and motivation.
Organization
• The selection is written in first-person limited, so readers only know what the main
character thinks, feels, and hears.
• This may present a challenge when students try to assess the motivations and conflicts
of other characters.
Genre
• The poem is an example of free verse. It follows the rhythm of natural speech without
consistent meter patterns and rhymes.
• Students may have diculty identifying the three stanzas as three separate time
periods in a teenager’s emotional development.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
73
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Making Inferences, Figurative Language
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: In the poem “Teenagers,” a parent talks about her teenage children
and how they have changed over time. How does the poem show the speaker’s
character? Identify examples of figurative language that help the reader understand the
speaker. Respond using evidence from the text.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Copy Change
Copy Change is a way to use the structure of other poets’ poems to create new poems
with new meaning for ourselves. Ask students to use the structure of “Teenagers” to
compose their own poem about a new subject: their parents or guardians. Ask students
to write from the perspective of a teenager.
To reflect, ask students:
• Did your relationship with your parents or guardians inspire parts of this poem?
• Do you like writing copy change poems where you have some structure but get to fill
in the blanks with your own words, or do you prefer to write poems without having a
structure from?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In this poem, a mother reflects on how the children she has raised suddenly become
strangers to her, silent and secretive teenagers, until one day they emerge from their
silence as young adults, glowing “almost like pearls.”
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Teenagers” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project. The
speaker in Pat Mora’s poem illustrates the point of view of a parent watching her child
grow up. Students may consider the perspective of a parent or older family member as
they describe a similar relationship in their letter.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
23
Tableau
AUTHOR
Name
Countee Cullen
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1925
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• “Tableau” was published in 1925 during the Harlem Renaissance.
• Cullen writes of the challenges blacks and whites faced attempting to forge
relationships when segregation was still the law of the land.
Connection of Ideas
• The author uses many similes and metaphors in the poem.
• The use of figurative language and its connection to the theme may prove challenging.
For example, the metaphors comparing the boys to thunder and lightning question
society’s disdain by associating them with two things that go together in the natural world.
Genre
• The poem’s rhyme scheme is ABAB.
• The use of iambic pentameter gives the poem a natural and familiar lilt. This further
emphasizes how natural it should be to see a black boy and a white boy walking hand
in hand.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
71
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Adjusting Fluency, Poetic Elements and Structure
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: In “Tableau,” the poet Countee Cullen describes an unlikely pair of
friends. How does the poet use specific stanzas and lines to focus on the theme of
friendship? Use evidence from the text to support your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Research Project: Social Taboos
Assign small groups a country and ask them to research a social taboo in their as-
signed country. After students select a social taboo, request that they pitch their idea
for approval to ensure they are focusing on appropriate topics. In their pitch, they
should address the following:
• What is the social taboo?
• Why is the behavior or social interaction considered taboo?
• What does it reveal about the country’s culture?
Upon receiving approval, groups will create a tableau. The name “tableau” comes from
the term tableau vivant which means “living picture.” In this activity, students create
a still picture, without talking, to capture and communicate the meaning of the social
taboo. Have groups take turns acting out their tableau.
To reflect, ask students:
• Which social taboo was most interesting or surprising?
• What social taboos exist in the United States? How are they similar or dierent?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
This poem answers the question: What happens when two boys of dierent races walk
down the street together?
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Countee Cullen’s poem “Tableau” as a mentor text for their Extended
Writing Project, and consider how relationships that fly in the face of certain conventions
can still be rewarding and shape our lives.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
24
The Voice in My Head
AUTHOR
Name
Holly Warlick
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2017
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• Students may struggle with the poem’s structure, given that it is one long stanza with
short lines and frequent enjambment, and there is no rhyme or meter.
• Have students read the poem aloud in continuous sentences.
Specific Vocabulary
• Some related to basketball, such as dribbling drills, full-court vs. half-court, and
“suicides” may need to be explained to students.
Prior Knowledge
• A short overview of basketball and the history of women’s sports may be helpful to
students who are unfamiliar with these topics.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
690
Word Count
1,983
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: Why do you think it’s important to have mentors in your life? Write a
response in which you answer this question. Use examples from the essay “The Voice in
My Head” to support your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Who is the Voice in Your Head?
Students will identify a person in their lives who has had a significant impact on them and
consider what they’ve learned from that person.
Ask students to think about the most influential people in their lives.
• Who has challenged them the most?
• Whose voice do they hear inside their head when they are faced with one of life’s
many challenges?
• How has this person impacted their life and the choices they’ve made?
Ask them to write this person a letter to say how this person has influenced their lives.
Remind them to include specific examples of situations they have faced and how the
lessons they’ve learned from this person have helped them to navigate these moments
or challenges. Encourage students to send the final drafts of their letters!
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
The essay “The Voice in My Head” describes a relationship between a basketball player
and her coach. Holly Warlick remembers her basketball coach in a heartfelt tribute,
despite their relationship having a rocky start.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can find inspiration from “The Voice in My Head” for their informative essays.
Have students discuss what they think are the important moments in the essay and
explain how those moments changed everything for Holly Warlick.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
25
We’re on the Same Team
AUTHOR
Name
Jacki Jing
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2017
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• The game of volleyball may be unfamiliar to some students.
• Volleyball is a game for two teams, usually comprised of six players each, in which a
large ball is hit by hand over a net. The aim is to score points by making the ball reach
the ground on the opponent’s side of the net.
Genre
• The selection is written as a personal opinion in the form of an argument.
• Students may not be familiar with some of the features of an argument, such as a claim.
Specific Vocabulary
• Acronyms associated with basketball and volleyball appear in the selection.
• Acronyms such as NCAA, NBA, and WNBA may need to be defined.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
760
Word Count
632
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Summarizing
Close Read
Prompt
Informative: In the essay “The Voice in My Head” by Holly Warlick and the letter to the
editor “We’re On the Same Team” by Jacki Jing, both authors write about the ways they
have worked hard in athletics and in life. In a blog post of your own, summarize the ways
that each author had to work hard, including challenges they faced and what helped them
succeed. Then, explain a situation where you had to work hard to achieve a goal. Include
any setbacks you had and how you finally managed to succeed. Be sure to provide textual
evidence from the two texts and your own personal experiences to convey your ideas.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Performance: The 30 Second Elevator Speech
The 30 Second Elevator Speech is a clear, brief message about you. It communicates
who you are, what you are arguing, and why others should see your argument from your
point of view. What if Jacki Jing only had 30 seconds to share her message with the
SportsNews Editor?
Ask students to:
• Imagine they are Jing and have just run into the SportsNews Editor in an elevator.
• Adapt Jing’s letter into a 30 Second Elevator Speech. Incorporate Jing’s tone and
argument in order to communicate her message in an eective and memorable way.
To reflect, ask students:
• What words did you feel were essential to communicating Jing’s message?
• What was the most dicult part?
• What is the benefit of being able to communicate an important message in 30 seconds
or less?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In the letter “We’re On the Same Team,” the author Jacki Jing deals with a
misunderstanding in regards to the diculty of her sport, volleyball. She describes what
volleyball has taught her, even in life beyond the court.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use We’re on the Same Team as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project, and analyze how Jacki Jing supports her argument. They can also reflect on how
playing volleyball helped Jacki to establish important relationships in her life, and how
sports may have impacted relationships in their own lives.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
26
The Treasure of Lemon Brown
AUTHOR
Name
Walter Dean Myers
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1983
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• The story opens with a flashback to an earlier time that interrupts the logical order
of events.
• Notice these clues (“His father’s voice came to him again” and “that had been two
nights before”) in paragraphs 1 and 5 that mark the start and end of the flashback
and how it introduces the conflict.
Specific Vocabulary
• Some terms may be unfamiliar to students.
• Explain that “the blues” is a musical form begun by African Americans. The Salvation
Army is a charitable organization.
Sentence Structure
• Some students may need assistance following the dialogue.
• Point out that the three intruders are not dierentiated as separate, distinct characters,
so it’s only important that they appear as a united threat.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
760
Word Count
3,366
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Point of View
Close Read
Prompt
Argumentative: Three men, one carrying a length of pipe, arrive at the abandoned
building to steal Lemon Brown’s treasure. Lemon, with Greg’s help, scares them o. Does
the author reveal enough about Lemon Brown’s treasure for the reader to understand its
importance? Do you think Lemon Brown’s treasure is worth fighting for? Why or why not?
Defend your point of view with evidence from the text.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Discussion: 4 Corner Conversation about Treasures
Count students o by four and ask all of the 1s to form a group, all of the 2s form a group,
and so on. Each group should sit in a circle to discuss the following questions. Remind
them to reference specific moments in the text to support their ideas as they contribute
to the conversation.
• How would you define treasure after reading this short story?
• What makes a “treasure” valuable?
• Why do you think Greg smiles at the end when he thinks of his father giving him a lecture?
• Have you ever learned a life lesson from an unlikely source?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Teenager Greg Ridley meets Lemon Brown, a homeless man who claims he has a
treasure. Soon Greg discovers that Brown’s treasure will help him discover what he
treasures most.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use The Treasure of Lemon Brown as a mentor text for their Extended
Writing Project. They may analyze Walter Dean Myers’s methods for developing
relationships, including the use of flashback to establish Greg’s frame of mind when he
meets Lemon Brown, and how it influences what the encounter means to Greg.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
27
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child
AUTHOR
Name
Francisco Jimenez
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1997
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• The selection focuses on the lives of California migrant workers during the 1950s.
• The nomadic way of life of California migrant workers, who were primarily immigrants
from Mexico, may need further explanation.
Genre
• The text is an autobiographical novel.
• Explain the dierence between an autobiographical novel and autobiography. The first
blends fact with fiction, and includes dialogue or isolated fictional events in order to
make a more satisfying story. The second is a first-person account of the author’s life
and contains no fiction.
Specific Vocabulary
• The selection contains many words and phrases in Spanish.
• Words such as bracero (a Mexican migrant worker) and mi olla (my pot) may need
translation in lieu of context clues.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
730
Word Count
2,332
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: In The Circuit, Francisco and his family are constantly moving. Each
time Francisco’s family moves, he feels sad to leave yet another place behind. At school,
Francisco finds stability with a teacher, Mr. Lema, who helps him with reading. Have you
ever moved? If so, how did it make you feel? If not, think about something in your life that
is stable and consistent. How does it contribute to your happiness? How do your feelings
compare or contrast with Francisco’s? Use newly acquired vocabulary and evidence from
the text to support your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Photography: If You Could Only Take 3 Items
Ask students to imagine they have to pack up and move every few months. They have
limited space to pack sentimental items, and can only carry three along. What would they
take? Why? Ask students to identify their items, photograph each, and share that photo
with a brief explanation of its significance.
Allow students time to explore each others’ pictures, then place them in small groups
to discuss their choices.
• What did you decide to bring?
• What is significant about these three items?
• Which items were you tempted to include but didn’t?
To reflect, ask students:
• After seeing what your peers selected, would you change any of your choices?
• What did you learn about the individuals in our class based on their choices?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Thematically linked to “That Day” and “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long” in
its exploration of a mentor relationship that changes a life, Francisco Jimenez’
autobiographical novel The Circuit follows the life of a young migrant who is forced to
move frequently to find work.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Francisco Jiménez paints a vivid picture of life as a migrant worker using descriptive
language. Prompt students to notice striking words, phrases, and sentences that illustrate
the people, places, and events in Jiménez’s life most clearly. Such descriptions will help
students craft descriptive details in their own letters.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
28
That Day
AUTHOR
Name
David Kherdian
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1978
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• The selection is written in free verse.
• You may need to point out to some students that free verse does not rhyme or have a
regular meter.
Sentence Structure
• Students may need assistance analyzing the poem.
• The selection is composed of two stanzas, and each stanza consists of one long,
continuous sentence.
Specific Vocabulary
• Certain words in the poem have multiple meanings.
• The word fabric, for example, as Kherdian uses it, means “structure” or “framework” as
well as a bolt of cloth.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
88
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: Using “That Day” as an inspiration, write about a memory in which
you learned something valuable about a family member or friend. Borrow key language
from the poem to describe what you saw and felt, along with details and descriptions of
your own.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Performance: Living Separate Lives Together
Put students into small groups and ask them to write the first two scenes of a play
focused on exploring the separate lives that kids and parents lead despite living in the
same home. Remind them to think about the following details:
• How old are the kids in this play?
• Where does this family live?
• What do the parents do for a living?
• What issues or tensions exist in the family?
Remind students to include stage directions in addition to their dialogue. Once they’ve
written their scenes, allow students time to practice before they perform their scenes for
the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• What similarities did you notice between the various scenes? What common tensions
exist between parents and their kids?
• Which aspect of this assignment was most challenging (e.g., writing dialogue, writing
stage directions, performing it)?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Relationships between parents and their children can be unique. Poet David Kherdian
reflects about what happened on “That Day” between himself and his father. The poem
“That Day” continues to push students to explore the theme of life changing-relationships.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can find inspiration from David Kherdian for their letters. Have them mimic
Kherdian’s style as they describe a moment or event that illustrates a personal relationship.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
29
A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long
AUTHOR
Name
Nikki Giovanni
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2007
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Several singers are mentioned that students may not know. These singers, popular in
the 1950s, place the poem in a specific time period.
• The jfg sign is an advertisement for coee that still stands in Knoxville, Tennessee.
References like this locate the setting of the poem in a real place.
Connection of Ideas
• There is a literary allusion that may be unfamiliar to some students.
• Giovanni mentions opening a wardrobe, but there are no witches or lions inside it. This
is a reference to the world of Narnia that C.S. Lewis created.
Specific Vocabulary
• The poem contains several specialized vocabulary words.
• The “main black corridor” refers to a street where many African Americans lived. A
stereoscope combined two photos to create a three dimensional eect.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
339
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Compare and Contrast
Close Read
Prompt
Compare and Contrast: What theme do The Circuit, “That Day,” and “A Poem for My
Librarian, Mrs. Long” have in common? Write a response in which you compare and
contrast each text’s theme. Remember to support your ideas with evidence from all three
texts, and use newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: A World Without Devices
Ask students to write a poem about what they would do with their time if phones,
computers, or devices did not exist.
• How would you spend your time in a world without devices?
• Who would you spend more time with?
• What might the benefits be of living without devices?
• How might it change your perspective on family, friends, school, and/or life?
Once students have written their poems, ask them to publish them by reading them out
loud or posting them online for an audience.
To reflect, ask students:
• Did anything about these poems surprise you?
• Given the impact technology has had on your life and your perspective on it, when is
the best time for a child to have access to devices?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Strong relationships can form between almost any two people. In the poem “A Poem
for My Librarian, Mrs. Long” by Nikki Giovanni, she reflects on how a librarian in her
segregated Southern town helps change the direction of her life when she manages to
borrow books for her that Nikki might not have read otherwise.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Reading might not seem like a “revolutionary act,” but it is to the speaker of Nikki
Giovanni’s poem. When considering to whom they will write their letters, prompt
students to create a list of characteristics of people who leave an impact, such as
Mrs. Long.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
30
UNIT 3: IN THE DARK
Unit Title: In The Dark
Essential Question: How do you know what to do when there are no instructions?
Genre Focus: Informational Text
Overview
Darkness is associated with the unknown and the unknowable. It can be real, like an unexplored cave, or something
like the unknown events that the future may bring. Darkness inspires fear and encourages uncertainty, yet some
people find it safer to remain there. They would rather be “in the dark” than to take steps to try to “see the light.”
Is darkness a place to live in, run from, or explore? What qualities does a person need in order to “face the darkness”?
How does facing the darkness aect or change a person? How does one finally reach the decision to take action
in the face of uncertainty?
This unit oers a mixture of texts, both fiction and nonfiction, about people that face uncertainty, including the
classic myth Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus, Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, and Carl Hiaasen’s
Hoot. Nonfiction by and about real individuals include the nonfiction texts “Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself” by
Catherine M. Andronik, “Everybody Jump (from What If)” by Randall Munroe, “Dare to be Creative!” by Madeleine
L’Engle, “Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless Photographer,” and “Donna O’Meara: The Volcano Lady.”
After reading the stories and informational texts about individuals and characters that take action in the face of
uncertainty, students will have the opportunity to write an informative essay. In their essays, students will identify
three individuals or characters from the unit texts and explore their motivations.
Text Complexity
Grade 6 Unit 3 finds students pivoting away from narrative texts and looking more closely at informative writing.
Although the genre focus of this unit is informational texts, students will also have the opportunity to read a
handful of fiction and poetry selections. The selections in this unit fall in a Lexile band of 710-1100, with most
texts residing in the 860-1040 range. Students will most likely be challenged by the specialized vocabulary and
required prior knowledge for many of these texts and could benefit from detailed discussions about these things
throughout the unit. The sentence structures, text features, content and relationships among ideas make these
selections accessible to sixth graders, encouraging them to dig deeper as readers by engaging with texts of
varying diculty.
UNIT 3
TEXT COMPLEXITY
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
31
The first two texts in this unit fall in the middle of the Lexile band range and are made further accessible by both
featuring mythology in their narratives. Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus may confuse students with
its mentioning of various figures from Greek mythology and accessing it could be made easier by a discussion
of these figures. Additionally, this text contains complex sentence structures with semicolons used to connect
clauses. These challenges are oset by a lesson on visualizing as a means of reading comprehension. The Lightning
Thief is a lower Lexile text in this unit that also features greek mythology. Student’s may have diculty with the
text’s flashbacks but should be reminded that this is an excerpt from a multi-chapter book. Both of these texts will
establish students abilities to visualize for reading comprehension, as well as looking at the ways story structure
and character advance a narrative.
For the purposes of Comparing Within and Across Genres, we have grouped the poem “Elena” with the nonfiction
text “Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself”. Although each text rests on either end of the Lexile spectrum for this unit,
and occupies dierent genres, both focus on women struggling to maintain control. “Hatshepsut: His Majesty,
Herself” is an interesting counterpoint to “Elena”, but will challenge students on a variety of levels. Skills lessons
on Greek and Latin axes and a text’s central or main idea will mitigate this text’s extensive use of terms related to
ancient Egyptian history. Accessing these texts of varying diculty will allow students to explain the myriad of ways
that female empowerment can be displayed.
Students will continue exploring the unit’s main theme of individuals facing the unknown through continuing to
read fiction and informational texts. “I, Too” by Langston Hughes presents students with the metaphor of America
as a dining table where not all people have permission to sit. Skill lessons on poetic elements and structure, as
well as a lesson on media that involves comparing the written poem to an audio recording of it, give students the
background to truly dissect this poem. In “Everybody Jump (from What If)” students will read about science as a
former NASA computer programmer and roboticist explains what would happen if everyone on earth jumped at the
same time. The scientific concepts and language in this text is read alongside skills lessons in technical language
and informational text structure, facilitating greater accessibility. Hoot is a fiction selection that ties back to earlier
texts by showing a character who moves to a new and dierent place.
“Donna O’Meara: The Volcano Lady,” “Dare to be Creative!” and “Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless Photographer”
are three nonfiction texts that range in a higher Lexile band of 940-1110. These texts are grouped for Comparison
Within and Across Genres and students will use them to eventually compare and contrast the main motivation for
each individual to do something other people see as impossible. “Donna O’Meara” and “Margaret Bourke-White”
are both biographies, though students will notice a variation in tone between the selections. “Dare to be Creative!”
is a personal essay with an inspirational theme. Each of these texts are tied together by an additional skills lesson
on textual evidence.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
32
English Language Learner Resources
Lessons in the English Language Learner Resources section oer explicit instruction. These lessons share a thematic
and genre focus with all other lessons in the Core ELA unit.
The twenty ELL Resources are developed around two texts, “Tracking Down Typhoid Mary” and “The Notice,” and
an Extended Oral Project. Each text is written at four distinct levels. For ELLs, these texts serve as structural and
thematic models of authentic texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section of the unit. Thus, teachers may use
the ELL texts in place of or as extensions for An American Plague and Fever 1793.
ELL lessons modify the routines used with texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section. Explicit vocabulary
instruction is emphasized, and reading and writing Skills lessons focus strongly on language acquisition and
reading comprehension.
After reading texts about dealing with the uncertain, students will complete an Extended Oral Project that can be
used in place of or as an extension to the Extended Writing Project. In this unit, students will plan and present a
short biography of someone who overcame an uncertain, challenging situation.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
33
Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus
AUTHOR
Name
Hamilton Wright Mabie
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1914
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• The references to various figures from Greek mythology, such as Perseus, Athene,
Hermes, and Atlas, are likely to be unfamiliar to students.
• Hermes alludes to himself as the “Argus-slayer.” Share with students the story of how
and why Hermes killed the hundred-eyed Argus.
Connection of Ideas
• This myth follows a common but sometimes confusing structure, the hero’s quest, in
which the hero travels from place to place until he obtains or kills what he has been
searching for.
• There are so many places Perseus must go and so many beings he must question that
it will be hard to keep the stages in his journey straight.
Sentence Structure
• Students may be confused by the archaic sentence structures used in this text, such
as “Touch me not.”
• Most of the sentences are quite long and use semicolons to connect clauses.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
950
Word Count
2,459
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Visualizing, Character, Word Meaning
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: How do Perseus’s responses to individuals and events drive the action
of the plot forward? Support your writing with evidence from the text.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: Graphic Story
In Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus, the author uses rich detail to tell the story
of Perseus and Medusa. Students will transform this text into a graphic story.
Ask students to:
• Divide the story into sections (e.g. Athene’s explanation of how Medusa became a
monster, Perseus’ conversation with Hermes).
• Create a draft of a storyboard with quick sketches depicting each scene.
• Select dialogue from the excerpt to include in your graphic story.
• Decide which scenes need captions.
Once students have completed a rough draft of their storyboard, they should take their
rough sketches and turn them into a polished graphic story complete with colorful
illustrations and text adapted from the excerpt. Students can use pen and paper or an
online comic creator to create their stories.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
What steps does someone follow in order to become a hero? In this popular Greek myth,
readers learn about the tasks Perseus must perform in order for him to become a hero.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus as a mentor text for their
Extended Writing Project. They may adopt the author’s use of chronological order to
structure the information in their essays.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
34
The Lightning Thief
AUTHOR
Name
Rick Riordan
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2005
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• The Lightning Thief is a contemporary fantasy in which the world of Greek gods is
recreated in modern times. Impossible things happen alongside ordinary things, which
may make the story hard to grasp.
Prior Knowledge
• The excerpt is set in Montauk, an area of beaches in New York that may be unfamiliar
to students.
• References to figures prevalent in Greek mythology, including Hercules and Poseidon
and their functions, may need explanation.
Organization
• Students may struggle with flashbacks — breaks in a narrative that recount previous
events in the story.
• Remind students that they are reading chapter 3, so they should make inferences
about events and people who have been introduced previously.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
740
Word Count
1,181
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Story Structure
Close Read
Prompt
Discussion: How does this excerpt from The Lightning Thief connect to the overall
structure of the story? What hints does the author provide about the overall plot and
theme? Think about how the author uses flashbacks to describe Percy’s past, Percy’s
thoughts, and Percy’s dialogue with his mother. As you prepare for your discussion, be
sure to find plenty of textual evidence to support your ideas.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Game: Percy’s Perils
Using details from Percy’s life combined with researched information about Greek
mythology and the gods, students should work collaboratively to create a board game in
which Percy attempts to find his father while avoiding pitfalls and villains.
Break students into small groups and ask them to:
• Brainstorm the various pitfalls Percy might encounter on his search for his father.
• Research Greek mythology and the gods to gather information they can use in their
game.
• Decide on the format of their game.
∙ Will the players draw cards or roll dice?
∙ What colors, images, icons or pieces will they need?
• Create their game using art materials in the classroom.
Once the games have been finished, spend a class period allowing groups to play each
other’s games and provide anonymous feedback on paper or online about what they
enjoyed about each game and how each game could be improved.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
How can a twelve-year-old boy become a hero? Find out what happens when the ancient
Greek gods play a role in the life of a young boy who lives today.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use The Lightning Thief as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project.
They may adapt how the author, Rick Riordan, uses dialogue.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
35
Elena
AUTHOR
Name
Pat Mora
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1994
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• Students will need to make inferences to interpret the meaning of the poem. For
example, they will need to understand that the reference to being deaf is a metaphor.
Specific Vocabulary
• The use of Spanish in the poem may cause diculties for students unfamiliar with the
Spanish language.
Purpose
• While the primary purpose of the poem is to express the speaker’s emotional struggle,
it also contains themes about cultural assimilation and language barriers. Students
may struggle to understand the theme as well as the speaker’s tone.
• A discussion about the the speaker’s feelings of frustration and isolation will help
students to grasp the the tone, theme, and purpose of the poem.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
145
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Poetry: The poem “Elena” is told from the mother’s point of view. Write a poem in
response to the mother from the perspective of one of her children.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Debate: Digital Divide and Its Impact on Families
Are social media creating a digital divide that is hurting families?
Pair students up and assign each partner a pro or con position. Then ask them to:
• Research the impacts of social media on all ages.
• Develop a formal argument in favor of their position with clear claims and evidence.
• Rehearse their statements separately.
Then allow each pair to engage in a formal debate and allow the class to anonymously
vote on paper or online for the position they felt was strongest.
To reflect, ask students:
• If you had to argue a position you disagree with, how did you generate your claims?
• What process did you go through to ensure the information you found online was credible?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In the poem, “Elena,” a mother worries about the potential loss of communication with
her children and strives to overcome their language barrier by learning English.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Elena” as inspiration for their Extended Writing Project. Ask students
to discuss and take notes on what lessons they can glean from the poem about love and
loss. Have students focus on the conflict within a parent-child relationship that bridges
two dierent cultures and languages.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
36
UNIT 3
Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself
AUTHOR
Name
Catherine M. Andronik
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2001
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• The text is about events that took place in ancient Egypt 3,500 years ago.
• Students may need additional information about the role of the pharaoh in Egyptian
society and also ancient Egyptian funerary beliefs and practices.
Genre
• Remind students that a biography is the true story of a real person’s life written by
someone else. Review with students the features of a biography, such as chronological
text structure, point of view, historical context, and direct and indirect description.
• This biography introduces the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut and describes her life and
her accomplishments.
Specific Vocabulary
• The pronunciation of ancient Egyptian names, such as Hatshepsut and Mutnofret, may
have to be sounded out for students.
• The term Maat refers to the ancient Egyptian concepts of truth, balance, order,
harmony, law, morality and justice, and it was the pharaoh’s responsibility to protect
and promote these ideals.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1070
Word Count
1,514
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Informational Text Elements, Central or Main Idea, Greek and Latin Axes and Roots
Close Read
Prompt
Compare and Contrast: In “Elena,” a woman strives to learn English in order to benefit
her children, despite her family’s lack of support. Similarly, in Hatshepsut: His Majesty,
Herself, a woman defies all odds and many years of tradition by becoming a pharaoh
in Egypt to benefit her family and keep their royal lineage intact. Keeping these women
in mind, respond to the following prompt: What central or main idea does the author of
Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself convey about female empowerment? How does this
idea compare and contrast with that of “Elena”? In your response, use evidence from the
text to support your claim.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: Hatshepsut’s Life & Reign
Students will combine informal research with what they learned about Hatshepsut’s life
and reign from the excerpt to design a piece of artwork that celebrates her life.
Ask students to:
• Reread the passage noting key details about Hatshepsut’s life and reign.
• Conduct informal online research to find out more about her.
• Use what they learn about her to design a painting, drawing, or collage depicting her
life and reign.
• Publish these pieces of artwork by posting them around the classroom or online.
Allow time for students to do a gallery walk to see each other’s artistic representations of
Hatshepsut’s life and reign.
To reflect, ask students:
• What did you learn about Hatshepsut’s life and reign from your research that was not
in the passage?
• What did you notice about the artwork as you did the gallery walk? How did dierent
students portray Hatshepsut?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself describes Egypt’s eighteenth dynasty in which a long
pattern of male dominance was interrupted briefly when Hatshepsut, the widow of one
pharaoh and the daughter of another, took the throne despite all odds
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself as a mentor text for their Extended
Writing Project. Depending on the subject they choose to research and write about,
students may study the dierent text structures Catherine Andronik employs to present
information and adopt or modify them for their own purposes.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
37
I, Too
AUTHOR
Name
Langston Hughes
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1925
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Langston Hughes is often considered the poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance, a
cultural movement that took place in New York City during the 1920s and 30s.
• The Harlem Renaissance gave rise to popular jazz as well as all kinds of African
American art, literature, and poetry.
Connection of Ideas
• Some students may need help connecting the idea that the table in the poem is
synonymous with the word “America” in the first line.
• Explain that this metaphor or comparison is intended to make the reader think about
both references in new ways.
Genre
• The features and structure of free-verse poetry may need to be defined or explained
to students.
• Explain that the poem is considered a response to American poet Walt Whitman’s “I
Hear America Singing.”
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
62
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Poetic Elements and Structure, Media
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: How does Langston Hughes use poetic elements and structure to
explore the theme of change in his poem “I, Too”? Write a response in which you analyze
the eect of the poem’s poetic structure. Did the eect change when you listened to the
poem? Be sure to use evidence from the text to support your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Copy Change
Copy Change is a way to use the structure of another poet’s work to create new poems
with new meaning for ourselves. Ask students to use the structure of “I, Too” to compose
a poem about their identity and how it has been shaped by America.
I, too, _______________________
I am the ________________________
_______ send me to ______________
When _______ comes,
But I ______________,
And ______________,
And ______________.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be __________________________
When _______ comes.
Nobody’ll __________
Say to me,
“______________________________,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see __________________I am
And be _______________-
I, too, am _______________________.
To reflect, ask students:
• Which aspects of your identity helped to shape this poem?
• Do you like writing copy change poems, or do you prefer to write poems using your
own structure?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
What would you do to change a world in which people discriminate based on the color of
your skin? In Langston Hughes’s inspirational poem, “I, Too,” the speaker raises his voice
to protest African Americans’ exclusion from an America on the verge of change.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “I, Too” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project. They may
adopt some of Langston Hughes’s methods for creating short, succinct sentences as
they craft their informativel essays.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
38
Everybody Jump (from ‘What If’)
AUTHOR
Name
Randall Munroe
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2014
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• The selection contains text features, such as stick figure drawings, that are not
common in informational text. Some students may struggle to connect these graphic
features, particularly the area on the map and what it represents, to the text.
Connection of Ideas
• The blend of humor—in particular humorous asides—with facts may make it dicult
for students to synthesize information from the text. They may require assistance to
determine the author’s purpose and message.
Specific Vocabulary
• Words such as kinematics may need clarification.
• Context clues or a dictionary can help students define unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
860
Word Count
626
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Informational Text Structure, Technical Language
Close Read
Prompt
Narrative: Randall Munroe describes the eect of everyone on Earth jumping at the
same time as they stand close together. Imagine that you are one of these jumping
individuals. Write a scene describing the incident from your point of view. What do you
see? How do you maneuver yourself and others through the chaos? Draw inspiration for
your narrative using evidence from the various informational text structures in Munroe’s
essay as you write your narrative.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Game: What If?
Break students into teams to play “What if?” The object of the game is to use research
skills and teamwork to correctly answer “what if” questions.
Rules:
• Once students are in small groups, ask each group to write 4 “what if” questions on
four separate index cards. These will be your playing cards for the game.
• Each team will take a turn drawing a “what if” question from the pile. Then the rest of
the teams will have 3 minutes to research the answer to the question and agree on
an answer.
• Each group will share their answer to the question and the team that drew the card will
select the answer they think is strongest.
• The team selecting the strongest answer can ask follow up questions about the
credibility or accuracy of the information before selecting the winner for that round.
• The team to get to 5 first wins!
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Imagine if everyone in the world gathered in the same place and jumped at exactly the
same time! What would the aftermath be? Would planet Earth be aected?
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Everybody Jump” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. They may adopt the author’s use of short sentences for emphasis in their
informative essay.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
39
Hoot
AUTHOR
Name
Carl Hiaasen
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2002
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• Although it is an example of realistic fiction, the story contains some elements
readers may perceive as fantasy. Students may need to attend to these elements to
comprehend the text.
• Discuss with students why Roy questions whether he really sees the mysterious boy.
Sentence Structure
• The author’s use of dashes and ellipses to denote pauses and continuing action may
need explanation.
• Remind readers to pause for two beats when they reach such punctuation.
Prior Knowledge
• Students may not be familiar with the state of Montana in the northwestern part of the
U.S.. Cowboys play an important role in the state, where ranching and farming are key
to the economy.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
990
Word Count
672
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Theme
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: In Hoot, Roy responds to bullying in a surprising way. How does the
author use details and Roy’s response to Dana’s bullying to communicate a theme? Do
you agree or disagree with the author’s message in this story? Use evidence from the
text to support your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: An Onlooker Story
Tell students:
• At the end of the excerpt from Hoot, the narrator says, “Roy wondered if any of the
other kids on the bus had seen what he’d seen. For a moment he wondered if he’d
really seen it himself.”
• Imagine you are one of the other kids on the bus. Describe the events that took place
from their perspective.
• Write what you say in the form of a journal entry, using first-person point of view.
Have students consider the following questions as they write their entries:
• Did you see Dana bully Roy, or were you too distracted by the mysterious boy?
• Did you see something Roy didn’t?
• Have you seen Dana bully other people?
• Did something else take place on the bus that day that only you noticed?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Roy becomes the new kid in town when his family moves to Florida from Montana. Before
he has a chance to make friends, Roy has a run-in with the school bully, Dana Matherson.
How can the new kid cope with a bully?
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Hoot as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project. They may
adopt the author’s use of sensory language and descriptive words within the format of
their informational essay.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
40
UNIT 3
Donna O’Meara: The Volcano Lady
AUTHOR
Name
McGraw Hill Education
Gender
N/A
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2017
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• The text contains features of a biography by relating the sequential story of a person’s life.
• Through vivid descriptions of dangerous encounters with volcanoes, the text has the
qualities of an adventure story.
Purpose
• The primary purpose of the text is to inform, but it also includes a focus on how one
woman’s dream was realized. There are entertaining elements in the opening narrative
as well.
Organization
• After beginning with an exciting narrative, the text backtracks in time to relate
biographical information interspersed with scientific facts about volcanoes, which may
be confusing for some students.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
940
Word Count
673
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: Donna O’Meara and her husband Steve risk their lives to collect
close-up photos of volcanoes from around the world. If you were a scientist or
researcher, what kind of natural phenomenon would you want to explore? Why? Support
your response with evidence from the text and from your personal experience. As
you make connections between Donna O’Meara’s dream and your own, include any
information that may have changed your understanding or opinion of what it means to be
a scientist or researcher.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Research Project: Active Volcanoes Around the World
Donna O’Meara spent the night on the edge of an active volcano. To better understand
active volcanoes, students will research active volcanoes in dierent parts of the world
and present their findings to the class.
Break students into groups and ask each group to:
∙ Select an active volcano to research
∙ Where is this volcano?
∙ When was the last time it erupted?
∙ Do people live near this volcano who could be in danger if it erupted?
∙ When do scientists predict this volcano might erupt? How do they know?
∙ What is happening inside this active volcano?
• Create a photo collage combining photography and information about their active volcano.
• Present their photo collage to the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• What is the most surprising fact you learned about volcanoes from this project?
• After researching active volcanoes, can you imagine spending the night sleeping on
the edge of one or living near a volcano?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
“Donna O’Meara: The Volcano Lady,” the story of a woman who frequently puts herself
in many precarious situations at the tops of volcanoes around the world, is paired with
“Dare to be Creative!” and “Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless Photographer” so that
students may compare and contrast motivated individuals within the informational genre.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can incorporate a similar structure to the article, “Donna O’Meara: The
Volcano Lady” for their informative essays. Have students note how the author uses
chronological text structure interspersed with scientific facts to organize her writing.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
41
Dare to be Creative!
AUTHOR
Name
Madeleine L’Engle
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1983
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• The text is a speech that contains features of a personal essay, including references
to real people and real events, real memories, experiences, and influences, all from a
first-person point of view.
Purpose
• The primary purpose of the text is to inform. The author shares how she came to
develop her belief in the power of independent thought, free of the need to conform
and unafraid of other people’s judgment.
Organization
• The text uses a combination of text structures. The author uses a cause-and-eect text
structure to relate how her experiences influenced her belief. She also uses specific
examples from history in order to further convey her belief.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1110
Word Count
533
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: In the speech “Dare to be Creative!”, Madeleine L’Engle urges
listeners to not be scared of thinking independently. Write about a time when you took
a risk to do something creative or unexpected and it turned out well. Then, explain how
this connects to the speech. Support your response with evidence from the text as well
as personal experience.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Motivational Speech
Madeleine L’Engle’s speech intends to motivate us to be more independent-minded. Write
your own speech that encourages others to do something that you find to be important.
To reflect, ask students:
• How did your own writing allow you to better understand the elements of
influential speeches?
• What insights have you gained about genre and reader expectations based on writing
your own speech?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Focusing on the theme of what motivates individuals, Madeleine L’Engle’s speech “Dare
to be Creative!” urges readers to make their own opinions and to ask questions that will
help them “shake their universe.”
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can find inspiration from Madeleine L’Engle’s historical references within her
speech. Have them work to research historical references that could be used in an
informative writing assignment.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
42
Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless Photographer
AUTHOR
Name
McGraw Hill Education
Gender
N/A
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2017
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Purpose
• An author may write for one or several purposes: to persuade, to inform, to describe,
to explain, or to entertain, for example.
• While the purpose of informing is generally clear in a biography, other purposes
may not be as clear for some readers. Lead students to discuss and support other
possible purposes.
Sentence Structure
• Some sentences are lengthy and utilize time transition words and phrases to indicate
the span of Margaret Bourke-White’s career.
• Point out such transitions, including dates, historical events, and words such as after,
during, and through.
Specific Vocabulary
• Some terms such as photojournalism may need clarification.
• Students may define such terms using print or digital resources, context, and word origin.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1110
Word Count
533
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Synthesizing, Textual Evidence, Technical Language
Close Read
Prompt
Compare and Contrast: “Donna O’Meara: The Volcano Lady,” “‘Dare to Be Creative!,”
and “Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless Photographer” each describe a person
motivated to do something other people see as impossible. They refuse to be
manipulated into one way of thinking or living. Some people are motivated by role
models or successes, while other people derive motivation from their experiences.
Compare and contrast the main motivation of each individual in these three texts, using
technical language when possible. Remember to use evidence from all three texts to
support your ideas.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Photojournalism: Current Event
Margaret Bourke-White was the first woman to enter the field of photojournalism. To
better understand this field, students will need to become photojournalists to tell the
story of a current event or issue on campus.
Ask students to:
• Select a current issue or event they are interested in and want to report on.
• Use their devices to take photos of images that tell the story of this event.
• Post their images online with short captions.
Once everyone has posted their photos and simple captions online, allow the class to do
an online gallery walk to view each other’s images.
To reflect, ask students:
• Which events or issues were covered by multiple students? Why do you think so many
students selected these events or issues?
• Which images were most eective at telling a story? What do you think made these
images so eective?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
From the time she started making photographs and recognized that they could
stir people’s feelings to the culmination of her long record-breaking career as a
photojournalist, Margaret Bourke-White’s perseverance and adventurous attitude paved
the way for women to take on roles beyond what society expected of them.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless Photographer” as a mentor text for
their Extended Writing Project. They may adopt the author’s use of chronological text
structure in their informative essay.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
43
UNIT 4: PERSONAL BEST
Unit Title: Personal Best
Essential Question: Which qualities of character matter most?
Genre Focus: Argumentative Text
Overview
In sports, the phrase “personal best” refers to an athlete’s greatest achievement—the fastest race, the highest jump,
the perfect score. For most of us, however, “personal best” refers to those moments when we act in a noble or just
way. They are moments when we can feel proud of ourselves for having done the right thing—like standing up for
our principles or sticking up for people in need.
What qualities of character do people need in order to achieve their personal best? Must one make sacrifices or
face big challenges in order to reach it? Once a personal best is attained, does that moment define a person for
the rest of his or her life? When people become known for their personal best, how does fame aect them and
their character?
This unit oers a mixture of texts about real individuals and fictional characters who achieve their personal best
through wrestling with familiar and realistic struggles. Real-life personal bests are recounted in the autobiography
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. Authors share their perspectives on the qualities of empathy, understanding, and
righteousness in “Bullying in Schools,” Freedom Walkers, and “Celebrities as Heroes.” In the stories “All Summer in
a Day” and “Priscilla and the Wimps,” characters are forced by unusual circumstances to stand up for what’s right.
After reading these stories and informational texts about individuals and characters that strive for their personal best,
students will have the opportunity to write a literary analysis essay. In their essays, students will identify two unit texts
that they think develop a main idea or theme that communicates the qualities of character that matter most.
Text Complexity
In Grade 6 Unit 4 students will continue reading texts with a genre emphasis on argumentative nonfiction. Throughout
this unit students will be reminded of earlier skills, by reading two fiction excerpts and a poem, while also improving
their ability to analyze several argumentative and informational texts. The selections in this unit fall in a Lexile band
of 780-1120, with most texts residing in the 800-960 range. Many of the texts in this unit will introduce students to
new modes of writing structures, particularly the various ways authors construct arguments. The featured sentence
structures, text features, content and relationships among ideas make these selections accessible to sixth graders,
UNIT 4
TEXT COMPLEXITY
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
44
encouraging them to think more broadly as learners by engaging with texts of varying diculty.
Unit 4 begins with two texts focusing on an inspiring young person, Malala Yousafzai, that will introduce students
to the theme of the unit: Personal Best. Students may or may not be familiar with this figure and could benefit from
a discussion about Middle East politics and religion before reading. The first text, an excerpt from I Am Malala:
The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, is at an approachable 840L. Some students
may struggle with the required prior knowledge and idiomatic expressions, but skills lessons in conntation and
denotation and author’s purpose and point of view, and a StudySync TV episode, will aid students in overcoming
these challenges. The second text, “Malala Yousafzai - Nobel Lecture,” is a higher Lexile text but is also topically
and thematically relevant to the unit’s other texts. Students will further develop informative writing analysis skills
by completing a lesson on informational text structure, media, and arguments and claims, which also may help
students understand that this text is meant to be spoken.
Two texts have been selected for Comparison Within and Across Genres: “Priscilla and the Wimps,” and “All Summer
in a Day.” These texts both cover themes of bullying and fall on the lower end of the Lexile range. At the end of reading
both selections, students will have completed a skills lesson that should equip them to compare and contrast the
narrative point of view in each text to illustrate important themes about bullying. At 1050L, the point/counterpoint text
“Bullying in Schools” will be students’ first foray into a traditional argumentative text. Thankfully, the text is about a topic
on which nearly every student will have something to say. The progression of reasoning and evidence throughout the
text may be dicult for some readers to follow. This is oset by lessons in reasons and evidence, as well as arguments
and claims that will allow students to establish the necessary skills for analyzing an argumentative text.
For the purposes of Comparison Within and Across Genres we have grouped Freedom Walkers: The Story of the
Montgomery Bus Boycott, “Letter to Xavier High School” and Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil
Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970. These texts are linked by the shared topic of schools and oer an opportunity
for a larger discussion about equal access to education. After reading these informational texts, students should be
able to answer questions on the arguments about power each author makes and how these arguments similar and
dierent. Diculties with sentence structure, specific vocabulary, and connection of ideas are mitigated by lessons
on central or main idea and comparing and contrasting informational texts. In additional to being in the middle range
of diculty for the unit, they reinforce the unit’s theme of individual’s personal best.
Students are given another opportunity to hone their argumentative text analysis skills when they read the unit’s
highest Lexile text, “Celebrities as Heroes.” Also in point/counterpoint style, students will be asked to complete
lessons on reasons and evidence, as well as arguments and claims alongside the text to further facilitate access to
its more complex components. The poem “Famous” asks students to further consider the themes of the previous
text and to complete a lesson on poetic elements and structure. Accessing these texts of varying diculty will equip
students with the abilities they need to succeed throughout the rest of the year.
English Language Learner Resources
Lessons in the English Language Learner Resources section oer explicit instruction. These lessons share a thematic
and genre focus with all other lessons in the Core ELA unit.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
45
The twenty ELL Resources are developed around two texts, “A Story of the South” and “Who’s the Real Hero?,” and
an Extended Oral Project. Each text is written at four distinct levels. For ELLs, these texts serve as structural and
thematic models of authentic texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section of the unit. Thus, teachers may
use the ELL texts in place of or as extensions for Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and
“Celebrities as Heroes.”
ELL lessons modify the routines used with texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section. Explicit vocabulary
instruction is emphasized, and reading and writing Skills lessons focus strongly on language acquisition and reading
comprehension.
After reading texts about important qualities of character, students will complete an Extended Oral Project that can
be used in place of or as an extension to the Extended Writing Project. In this unit, students will plan and develop
their own arguments for renaming a school after a local hero in the form of a debate.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
46
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
AUTHOR
Name
Malala Yousafzai
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2013
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• The events take place in Northern Pakistan while under the rule of Taliban extremists.
In 2009, the author was featured in a documentary film.
• Explain that the Taliban is a violent political group that believes in a strict interpretation
of Islamic law, including rigid gender roles for women.
Genre
• Authors write for a variety of reasons: to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to describe,
and to explain.
• Authors may write for more than one purpose. Encourage students to identify text
evidence to support these purposes for the text: to inform and to persuade.
Specific Vocabulary
• Idioms are expressions that have meanings separate from the meanings of the
individual words.
• Discuss with students the meanings of the following idioms: chasing the money and
don’t you think she is meant for the skies?
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
840
Word Count
1,340
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Setting a Purpose for Reading, Author’s Purpose and Point of View, Connotation and Denotation
Close Read
Prompt
Argumentative: What message is Malala trying to convey about the media? According
to the author, did it help or injure her, or both? In your response, cite specific examples of
Malala’s word choice that help the reader understand how she views the media.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Activity: Take a Stand
Malala believes education is a universal human right worth fighting for. Students will
select an issue that matters to them and take a stand.
Ask students to think about the following questions:
• What social issue or government mandate angers you?
• If you could change things, what would you do?
• What communication medium do you think is most eective for taking a stand on
important issues?
After students have had time to consider and discuss the questions above, ask them to:
• Decide on a pseudonym for themselves.
• Select a medium they want to use to take a stand.
• Record a radio show, TV interview, or podcast or write a blog or journal entry to raise
awareness about this issue.
To reflect, ask students:
• Do you follow the news and what is happening in the world? If so, how do you
normally respond when you hear about something happening in this country or around
the world that you disagree with?
• Is social and/or political activism important to you? Why or why not?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Is getting an education worth risking your life? In this autobiography, Malala Yousafzai
recalls how the Taliban mandated the closure of girls’ schools in Northern Pakistan. Eleven-
year-old Malala and her family faced many dangers in their fight for the right to education.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use I Am Malala as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project.
They may adopt some of Malala’s persuasive techniques and the manner in which she
supports her opinions as they craft their proposals.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
47
UNIT 4
Malala Yousafzai - Nobel Lecture
AUTHOR
Name
Malala Yousafzai
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2013
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Malala delivers her speech to the Nobel Committee.
• Provide students with some background knowledge regarding this organization and
its purpose.
Connection of Ideas
• Malala refers to Islam and the Quran in her speech.
• Make sure students understand that Islam is a religion based on the worship of one
God known as Allah. The Quran, believed to be a revelation from God, is the central
text. The prophet Muhammad is recognized as God’s messenger.
Sentence Structure
• Point out that the text is meant to be spoken and often uses sound devices such as
repetition to create emphasis and a dramatic rhythm.
• Remind students this speech was written by a young girl whose native language is not
English, and contains some inadvertent errors.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
960
Word Count
2,226
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Informational Text Structure, Media, Arguments and Claims
Close Read
Prompt
Argumentative: Near the end of her speech, Malala gives a call to action. She says,
“Dear sisters and brothers, dear fellow children, we must work . . . not wait. Not just the
politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. We. It is our duty.”
Malala uses a combination of informational text structures in the course of her speech
to communicate the idea contained in this call to action. Which do you think is the most
eective, and why? Write a response using specific examples from the text and the video
to support your claims.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Dystopian Story
Malala’s description of the transformation in Swat after the Taliban takeover is
reminiscent of a dystopian story. Students will write their own dystopian short stories to
understand how the changes in Swat impacted Malala.
Ask students to:
• Imagine a destructive and powerful force entered their community taking control of
schools, government oces, and businesses.
∙ Who or what is this destructive force?
∙ Why do they take over the community?
∙ What changes do they make to schools, government oces, and businesses?
∙ How does this destructive force use fear and coercion to control people?
• Write a dystopian short story that describes this group, their impact on the community,
and how the people react.
• Include a hero or heroine who stands up against the forces changing the town.
To reflect, ask students:
• Have you read dystopian stories? If so, how did those stories impact your writing process?
• Why is dystopian literature so popular? What does its popularity reveal about society
and people’s concerns about government?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Can one young woman change the world? Malala Yousafzai was the youngest person
ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. In this speech, she summarizes her
mission to promote universal education and to fight the forces that promote childhood
poverty, child labor, and terrorist bullying.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration for the Extended Writing Project in Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel
Prize speech, her perseverance in light of overwhelming obstacles, and how fighting for what
matters to her helps to build her character.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
48
Priscilla and the Wimps
AUTHOR
Name
Richard Peck
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1984
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• Though this short story is fiction, it includes many elements of a tall tale.
• Students should note and discuss the purpose of the author’s use of exaggeration.
Organization
• The narrative is developed through flashback.
• Make sure students note clue phrases at the beginning of the story, such as “Listen,
there was a time when.”
Specific Vocabulary
• The author uses hyperbole, or exaggeration, to create humor.
• Point out and discuss the purpose of examples such as “there were a few cases of
advanced malnutrition among the newer kids.”
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
780
Word Count
1,074
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: Write about a time that you have seen someone stand up to a
bully or a threat, similar to the way Priscilla confronts Monk and the Kobras. In your
response, compare the situation, the confrontation, and the result after the bully or
threat was challenged.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: The Fallout
“Priscilla and the Wimps” ends without telling the reader what happens to Priscilla,
Melvin, Monk, and Klutter’s Kobras when they return to school.
Ask students to select either Monk or Priscilla’s point of view and write a follow up to this
short story from his or her perspective.
• What happens after Priscilla locks Monk in her locker? How does he get out? How do
the Kobras react?
• What is Priscilla or Monk thinking, feeling, and planning for the day school resumes?
• When school resumes, how do the students respond to this change in the power
structure at school?
To reflect, ask students:
• Why would the author end the story at this moment?
• Why did you choose to retell the story from either Monk or Priscilla’s point of view?
What did you find most interesting about his or her perspective?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In “Priscilla and the Wimps,” Monk Klutter and his band of bullies terrorize an elementary
school until one day they go too far. When they torment Priscilla’s only friend, Melvin, she
takes matters into her own hands.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration for the Extended Writing Project in Richard Peck’s story as
they explore how the main character’s actions contribute to a character-building initiative
for all the students at her middle school.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
49
All Summer in a Day
AUTHOR
Name
Ray Bradbury
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1954
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• Although many science fiction stories take place on other worlds, they often comment
on our own existing world.
• Spend time considering the importance of the sun and how it aects the behavior of
the characters.
Sentence Structure
• Bradbury’s dialogue often lacks speaker attributions.
• Explain that the voices heard in the dialogue at the beginning of the story belong to
impatient school children asking questions about the sun.
Specific Vocabulary
• Bradbury’s text is rich in figurative language; his words are not always used literally.
• Discuss the comparisons in the story. For example, in what way is the jungle on Venus
like “a nest of octopi” or a “mattress”?
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
870
Word Count
1,938
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Point of View, Theme, Media
Close Read
Prompt
Compare and Contrast: Compare and contrast the points of view in “Priscilla and the
Wimps” and “All Summer in a Day.” Explain how the point of view in each text illustrates
important themes about bullying. In your response, be sure to cite evidence from both texts.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Advertisement: Venus Awaits!
In the short story “All Summer in a Day,” people have moved to Venus from Earth even
though it rains all of the time and sun only comes out once every seven years. Students
will need to design an advertisement designed to get people to relocate to Venus.
Put students in groups for this creative activity. Then ask students to:
• Discuss the following questions in their groups:
∙ Why would humans want to leave Earth to live on Venus?
∙ What are they trying to escape?
∙ What does Venus oer?
• Once they have clear answers to these questions, students will need to choose
a creative medium for their advertisement (e.g. commercial, print advertisement,
online advertisement).
• Create a compelling advertisement to lure people from Earth to relocate on Venus.
To reflect, ask students:
• Why did your group select your creative medium? Why did you think this type of
advertisement would be most compelling or eective?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
The story “All Summer in a Day” is set on the planet Venus, where the sun appears for
only a few hours every seven years. They are suspicious of the tales Margot tells about
the sunlight she remembers seeing on Earth. As the children await the sun’s arrival, they
grow jealous and mean. What is the worst thing that they could do to Margot on the one
day the sun will shine?
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration for the Extended Writing Project in Ray Bradbury’s
unusual short story as they determine the unexpected ways a character can develop
empathy and demonstrate his or her own “personal best.”
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
50
UNIT 4
Bullying in Schools
AUTHOR
Name
StudySync
Gender
N/A
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2014
Genre
Argumentative
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• To determine the claims made for each argument, students must first identify the
central idea.
• In nonfiction writing, text features such as headings may help students determine claims.
• Genre
• To evaluate the eectiveness of each argument, students will need to assess the evidence.
• Lead students to dierentiate between primary and secondary sources of evidence.
Specific Vocabulary
• Domain-specific words such as administrators and school districts may need defining.
• Context clues or a dictionary can help students define unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1050
Word Count
1,683
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Evaluating Details, Arguments and Claims, Reasons and Evidence, Word Patterns and Relationships
Close Read
Prompt
Debate: Which of the two arguments do you consider to be more persuasive? As you
prepare for your debate, use the graphic organizer to consider how the arguments develop
and if you think their claims will convince the readers. After choosing a position, justify your
claims by citing reasons and evidence from the text in the debate with your classmates.
After your debate, you will write a reflection in the space below.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Infographic: Raise Awareness
Bullying in schools and online is a complicated issue. Select one of the topics below and
design an infographic to raise awareness at your school and in your community about
this issue.
• Impacts of bullying
• Rates of bullying
• Tips to help adults spot the signs that bullying is happening
• Strategies students can use to protect themselves
• Resources in place for victims of bullying
Infographics should include:
• Creative title
• Concise language
• Credible information
• Clear point
• Citations
Use http://stopbullying.gov as a resource.
To reflect, ask students:
• Do you think bullying is a problem at our school? If so, what do you think should be
done to stop bullying?
• Do you think online bullying is as serious as traditional forms of bullying? Why or why not?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
The authors of the persuasive essay “Bullying in Schools” believe that bullying is a
serious problem, but they disagree about whether schools are doing enough to face
the challenge. One author claims that schools need to work harder. The other says that
schools are doing an eective job. Who is right?
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Bullying in Schools” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. They may adopt some of the Point/Counterpoint methods for defending an
argument as they craft their own argument.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
51
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
AUTHOR
Name
Russell Freedman
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2006
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• The story is narrative nonfiction.
• Make sure students do not confuse it with realistic fiction by comparing and
contrasting genre elements such as the inclusion of real people and actual events.
Prior Knowledge
• The events take place in 1950s America during a time of strict racial segregation.
• Review with students historical background information on the Jim Crow laws,
segregation in the South, and the birth of the civil rights movement.
Specific Vocabulary
• Domain-specific vocabulary such as constitutional rights may need to be explained.
• Students may consult print or digital resources, as well as examining context to
determine word meanings.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
930
Word Count
1,389
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: Referring to the story of Claudette Colvin, and to your own
experience, write a speech about courage. Before you write, think about the following
questions: What motivates courage? How is it driven by emotion? How is courage
influenced by one’s values and strong beliefs? How is it driven by conditions in our society?
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Perform: Rights vs. Norms
Even though Claudette Colvin knew it was her civil right to stay in her seat, social
“norms” demanded that she give her seat to a white passenger. Put students in small
groups and ask them to construct and perform a scene that explores the dierence
between a legal right and a social norm.
Ask them to:
• Brainstorm scenarios in which an adult demands that a teenager do something. The
scenario should explore the dierence between the teen’s legal rights and the man’s
expectations based on social norms.
• Write a scene that brings this scenario to life. This scene should make it clear that the
teenager knows his or her legal rights but doubts their relevance in this situation..
• Assign roles to each group member.
• Rehearse.
• Perform.
To reflect, ask students:
• What did these scenes have in common?
• What do these scenes reveal about how teenagers are treated by adults?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott introduces one of the
most famous events of the civil rights movement by telling the story of Rosa Park’s
predecessor, Claudette Colvin. Similarly, the story of a brave young woman in Freedom’s
Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970
provides the reader with information about the civil rights movement and speaks to
which qualities of character matter most. These texts, along with “Letter to Xavier High
School,” are thematically linked.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Freedom Walkers as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project.
They may adopt some of Freedman’s methods for crafting a compare and contrast text
structure as they create their proposals.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
52
Letter to Xavier High School
AUTHOR
Name
Kurt Vonnegut
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2013
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Kurt Vonnegut was an American writer. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut
published 14 novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of non-
fiction. He is most famous for his darkly satirical, best-selling novel Slaughterhouse-
Five (1969)
Specific Vocabulary
• Certain terms, such as geezer (old and eccentric) and to wit (that is to say; namely)
may need to be defined for students. In addition, the use of sic in brackets may need
to be explained.
Connection of Ideas
• Certain terms may need to be explained in order for students to synthesize information
in the letter. For example, the phrase “no fair tennis without a net” refers to Vonnegut’s
stipulation that the poem he is asking students to write must rhyme, or in other words,
follow certain rules.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
950
Word Count
286
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: Vonnegut claims that any creative pursuit, whether as a hobby or
career, has a significant and positive impact on a person’s life. In your opinion, do you
think schools today do enough to nurture and promote creativity? Support your response
with evidence from the text as well as your own experiences.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: A Journey Inward
In his letter, Kurt Vonnegut encourages students to “do art.” Students will select a form of
artistic expression and practice creating something, at the same time reflecting on what
they learn about themselves throughout the process.
Ask students to:
• Select a type of art they want to try (e.g., visual, performance, music).
• Encourage them to explore this type of art online. They should read blogs and watch
videos to learn more about the process of creating this kind of art.
• Create something.
• Reflect on what you learned about yourself from the process of making art.
• Share what they worked on with the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• Why did you select this type of art?
• What part of this assignment did you struggle with most–selecting the kind of artistic
expression you wanted to pursue, creating the work, or reflecting on your process and
what you learned about yourself?
UNIT CONNEC
TION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Just before his death, Kurt Vonnegut wrote a letter to the students at Xavier High School,
encouraging them to write poems—and then destroy them—in order to learn about the
value of art and maybe discover themselves in the process.
Connect to Ex-
tended Writing
Project
Students can find inspiration for their research essays from Kurt Vonnegut’s letter to the
students at Xavier High School. Have them analyze the letter to identify what sections of the
text they would use as a direct quote to support an article on the importance of creativity.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
53
Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement
AUTHOR
Name
Lynne Olson
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2001
Genre
Non-fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• The historical text is set in Farmville, Virginia during the Civil Rights Movement, and
students may be unfamiliar with some historical references.
• Explain that during the 1950s communities were segregated, which barred African
Americans from many businesses and created an unfair and unjust society.
Connection of Ideas
• The historical text focuses on heroines throughout the Civil Rights Movement.
Discussing why women like Barbara Johns are the focus of this text may be helpful for
students to understand the plight of women, and especially African American women,
during the Civil Rights Movement.
• Students may find it helpful to compare Barbara Johns to other influential African
Americans who peacefully fought for equal rights, such as Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Specific Vocabulary
• Dicult vocabulary, such as docility (mild or calm attitude; obedience) and antagonistic
(taking an opposing stand toward someone; hostile), may need defining.
• Remind students to use context clues while reading, and also to use a dictionary to
define unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
TK
Word Count
975
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Central or Main Idea, Compare and Contrast
Close Read
Prompt
Compare and Contrast: In Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott,
fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on a bus. By staying seated,
she stood up for the rights of all African Americans. In Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung
Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970, another teenager, Barbara
Johns, noticed the unfair school conditions for African Americans and organized a strike
until her school was in better condition. Compare and contrast the main ideas of these
two texts, noting how the authors presented events in the civil rights movement. Be sure
to use evidence from both texts in your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Speech: Your Call to Action in 60 Seconds
In her historical recount, Lynn Olson highlights Barbara Johns’s call to action. Challenge
students to write and deliver an elevator speech—a brief speech that outlines or pitches an
idea in the time it takes to travel in an elevator—about the call to action they want to create.
Ask students to:
• Think about a problem or issue that plagues the world today.
• Prepare a 60-second elevator speech that clearly and concisely articulates the issue at
hand and present a potential solution.
• Practice their elevator speeches with a partner.
• Present for the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• Was it challenging to identify an important issue?
• Why do people wish to solve this issue?
• How might solving this issue make our world a better place?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Barbara Johns, a high school student in Farmville, Virginia, notices discrimination in the
form of her run-down school in Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil
Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970. Since the adults in her town weren’t willing to stand
up and fight for equality, she lead a group of African American students to make a great
change, and in the process, made history.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can find inspiration from Freedom’s Daughters when writing their literary
analyses. Have them reflect on Lynne Olson’s characterization of Barbara and the
arguments she makes.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
54
Celebrities as Heroes
AUTHOR
Name
StudySync
Gender
N/A
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2015
Genre
Argumentative
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• The authors structure their arguments by using evidence, analysis, conjecture, and
rhetorical strategies like hyperbole.
• Help students identify claims asking, What is this author’s opinion of celebrities as
heroes? and citing textual evidence.
Genre
• These arguments fall into the genre of expository nonfiction.
• Help students dierentiate between primary and secondary sources oered as
evidence to support claims.
Specific Vocabulary
• Words such as flamboyant and perseverance, as well as terms such as sociologically
preprogrammed, may need defining.
• Context clues in the text or print or digital resources can help students define some
unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1120
Word Count
1,313
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Arguments and Claims, Reasons and Evidence
Close Read
Prompt
Argumentative: Which of the two arguments is less persuasive? In your response, include
an analysis of the arguments, claims, reasons, and evidence the author uses in the
argument you feel is less persuasive. Explain why you cannot commit to that argument by
citing textual evidence from both texts to support your opinion.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Celebrity and Hero
Students will research and write about a celebrity who they feel is a true hero.
Ask students to:
• Choose a celebrity they believe is a “true hero.”
• Research their chosen celebrity.
∙ What cause has this celebrity fought for or dedicated time to?
∙ How has this person served as a positive role model for others?
∙ How has this celebrity demonstrated strength, honesty, courage, and perseverance?
• Write an argumentative paragraph with a clear claim, strong evidence, and thorough
analysis that makes a clear argument for why this celebrity qualifies as a hero.
Once every student has written an argumentative paragraph, pair students and ask them
to read each other’s paragraphs and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each.
• Did the argument convince them that this celebrity should be considered a hero? Why
or why not?
• How compelling was their evidence? Did it clearly state how the person demonstrated
strength, honesty, courage, and perseverance?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Celebrities are often considered to be heroes in American society, but should they
be? The authors of this article disagree on the issue. One argues that most celebrities
have not done enough to be called heroic. The other claims that some celebrities’
achievements qualify them to be heroes.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Celebrities as Heroes” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. They may adopt some of the Point/Counterpoint methods for defending an
argument as they craft their own arguments.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
55
Famous
AUTHOR
Name
Naomi Shihab Nye
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1995
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• The poem defines being famous through a series of analogies.
• Make sure students understand the speaker’s alternative definition of being famous:
being important.
Genre
• The poem is written in free verse, which some students may have trouble recognizing.
• Point out that Nye adheres to the poetic form by dividing her poem into lines and
stanzas. The first line of each stanza tells readers about the item and to whom or what
it is famous.
Purpose
• The author’s intention for writing may be ambiguous.
• Suggest that students think about their own concept of fame, and then compare it to
the everyday, ordinary things Nye writes about.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
158
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Poetic Elements and Structure
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: In her poem, Naomi Shihab Nye shakes up most people’s ideas about
what it means to be famous. Fame isn’t about celebrity; it’s about what’s important. How
does Nye’s use of poetic elements and structure contribute to this theme? Be sure to cite
evidence from the poem in your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Acrostic Poem
Naomi Nye redefines the word “famous” in her poem. Students will explore Nye’s
definition of the word by writing an acrostic poem.
Ask students to:
• Write an acrostic poem using the letters of the word “famous” to explore Nye’s
definition of the word “famous.” The lines of the poem can be written in a relaxed,
conversational tone like Nye’s.
• Transform the first letter into an image that helps bring the meaning of each line to life.
• Share these poems with the class or publish them online.
F
A
M
O
U
S
To reflect, ask students:
• Why do you think Nye focuses on the word “famous” in her poem?
• How does her definition impact the way you think about this word?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In this poem, Naomi Shihab Nye considers the nature of fame. Isn’t someone or
something famous when he, she, or it does something no one else can do? Nye explores
what it really means to be famous.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration in Nye’s use of poetic elements and structure as they craft
their proposal for the Extended Writing Project.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
56
UNIT 5: MAKING YOUR MARK
Unit Title: Making Your Mark
Essential Question: What’s Your Story?
Genre Focus: Drama
Overview
Most young people feel as if they are expected to make a mark on the world. Teens especially experience the
pressure of living up to the high standards set by their teachers, parents, and other mentors. Yet every young
person also faces doubts and challenges as he or she hurtles towards adulthood.
How does one “make a mark” on the world? Act like a model child? Be the best in the class? Is being a loyal friend
or thoughtful person enough to make a mark? What if you make a mark by behaving badly? Does that count?
These are some of the questions your students will explore in this Grade 6 unit, which oers an assortment of fiction,
drama, and nonfiction texts about individuals and characters who strive to make a mark on the world despite serious
obstacles. In The Story of My Life (Chapter IV), Helen Keller, blind and deaf since infancy, tells about the moment
she overcame her physical handicaps to connect to the world. Melba Pattillo Beals reveals in her autobiography
Warriors Don’t Cry how she and eight other African-American students were expected to make a mark when they
were sent to integrate a high school in Arkansas during the civil rights era. In the drama Damon and Pythias and the
short story “Amigo Brothers,” friends who are as close as brothers put their lives and friendships at risk as they stay
true to their principles and their dreams.
After reading these stories, dramas, and nonfiction texts about individuals and characters who strive to make
their mark, students will have the opportunity to write and deliver an extended oral presentation. For this project,
students will use the elements of storytelling to share a personal story about a singular moment or experience that
changed their lives.
Text Complexity
Grade 6 Unit 5 continues sixth grade students’ development as readers and writers. The genre focus of this unit is
drama; however, students will also read poems, several fiction selections, and a handful of informational texts as
well. With a Lexile range of 820-1130, the majority of the texts in this unit fall between 820L and 890L, a comfortable
level of diculty for most sixth graders. Additionally, the vocabulary, sentence structures, text features, content
and relationships among ideas make these texts accessible to sixth graders, enabling them to grow as readers by
UNIT 5
TEXT COMPLEXITY
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
57
interacting with such appropriately challenging texts.
To access the first text in the unit, Warriors Don’t Cry, students will need prior knowledge of the Civil Rights movement.
Students will read this text alongside a skill lesson in informational text structure. To tie in the theme of individuals
making their mark, we have also included several fiction selections, such as “Amigo Brothers,” “Listen Slowly,” and
“Charles.” The back-and-forth sentence structure in “Amigo Brothers” may confuse some students, and they may
lack prior knowledge about some boxing terms, but a skill lesson in character’s internal and external responses
to the plot should help them through. “Listen Slowly” is on the lower end of the Lexile range and is narrated in a
somewhat sarcastic tone of voice. Students’ completion of a skill lesson on voice should help them understand this
nuanced character-building technique. A lesson in point of view should help students through any challenges they
may have while reading “Charles.”
The first dramatic text in this unit is Damon and Pythias. Students may struggle with the style of narration in this
text, as well as some of the stage directions, but will work through a skill lesson on plot to access the text. “Saying
Yes” and “The All-American Slurp” are grouped together for Comparing Within and Across Genres. Each of these
selections feature characters navigating cultural dierences in the United States. Students will compare the two
texts and consider how each text’s setting work to influence the characters and plot. “Saying Yes” is a seemingly
simple poem in which students may struggle discerning between dierent speakers. “The All-American Slurp” is
a mid-Lexile selection that is read alongside a lesson in which students analyze how setting influences plot and
character development.
For the purposes of Comparing Within and Across Genre, and because the topic is of great cultural significance, we
have grouped Langston Hughes’ poem “Helen Keller,” a chapter from Helen Keller’s autobiography The Story of My
Life, and a scene from the play The Miracle Worker. Accessing these works require prior knowledge about disability
in the early twentieth century and the cultural significance of Helen Keller. Through reading these selections and
completing the accompanying skills lessons, students will compare Keller’s approach to conflict across the three
selections. “Helen Keller” is an accessible place to start the unit. The Story of My Life is the highest Lexile text in
the unit but is accompanied by a StudySyncTV episode. The Miracle Worker will be students’ final encounter with
drama in the unit and they may find navigating the various dramatic elements and structure in the text dicult.
A StudySyncTV episode and a skill lesson in dramatic elements and structure will help students overcome any
challenges they may have with this dramatic text. By accessing these diverse texts, students will be able to see how
authors show an individual making their mark.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
58
English Language Learner Resources
Lessons in the English Language Learner Resources section oer explicit instruction. These lessons share a thematic
and genre focus with all other lessons in the Core ELA unit.
The twenty ELL Resources are developed around two texts, “Stage Sets Through History” and “Six Too Many,” and
an Extended Oral Project. Each text is written at four distinct levels. For ELLs, these texts serve as structural and
thematic models of authentic texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section of the unit. Thus, teachers may use
the ELL texts in place of or as extensions for The Miracle Worker, Damon and Pythias, and “The All-American Slurp.”
ELL lessons modify the routines used with texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section. Explicit vocabulary
instruction is emphasized, and reading and writing Skills lessons focus strongly on language acquisition and
reading comprehension.
After reading texts about backgrounds and core beliefs, students will complete an Extended Oral Project that
can be used in place of or as an extension to the Extended Writing Project. In this unit, students will reflect on an
important personal decision as they plan and present a soliloquy.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
59
Warriors Don’t Cry
AUTHOR
Name
Melba Pattillo Beals
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1994
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• The events take place in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.
• To build prior knowledge, students may need to review the civil rights movement, the
function of the national guard, and the heightened racial tensions of the time period.
Purpose
• The author compares and contrasts her point of view regarding events with the points
of view she perceives in others.
• To determine Beals’s purpose for writing, advise students to carefully examine the
author’s word choice and focus.
Specific Vocabulary
• Words associated with the U.S. military such as convoy and caravan may need defining.
• Context clues in the text or a print or digital dictionary can help students define
unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
890
Word Count
989
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Monitoring Comprehension, Informational Text Structure, Word Patterns and Relationships
Close Read
Prompt
Informative: Identify the author’s message in the excerpt and describe how the use of a
sequential text structure helps her develop that message eectively. Then choose two or
three paragraphs from the text and explain the essential role that each one plays in the
development of ideas in the text. What information does each paragraph contribute to
the order of events that Beals describes in her story? Be sure to support your ideas with
textual evidence.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Text Message: My First Day
Students will imagine that the Little Rock Nine had access to modern technology and
create a text message conversation between one of the Nine and a friend at an all-black
high school. The conversation should provide readers with insights into what that first
day at Little Rock Central High might have been like.
Ask students to:
• Research the Little Rock Nine and select the person they want to focus on.
• Write a series of text messages from this person’s perspective to a friend attending his/
her old school.
• Reveal the events of that first day and how they felt. Students should use the
information they learned researching this person.
• Include emojis and/or gifs to add depth to their text messages.
Put students into small groups. Ask them to share their text messages, select their
favorite, and explain to the class why they feel that conversation was the strongest.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
What if the simple act of going to school were a life-or-death battle? Melba Pattillo Beals
tells the story of her struggle to survive as one of nine African American students sent to
integrate the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1954.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Warriors Don’t Cry as a mentor text for their Extended Oral Project. They
may choose to use a sequential structure as an organizational pattern for their presentation.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
60
Damon and Pythias
AUTHOR
Name
Fan Kissen
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1964
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• Although the text is a drama, it is not divided into traditional acts or scenes.
• Instead, the playwright uses short bars of music and sound eects that are noted in
parentheses. These sounds indicate a change of scene.
Genre
• The text is a drama with a narrator and three characters identified as First, Second,
and Third Voice.
• The Voices are used as part of the narration to give context and arouse interest. At the
end, the voices are speakers in a crowd scene.
Specific Vocabulary
• Words that have passed out of general usage such as money bags may need defining.
• Context clues in the text or a print or online dictionary can help students define
unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
TK
Word Count
2,120
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Plot, Greek and Latin Axes and Roots
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: How do Damon and Pythias respond to conflict as the drama unfolds?
Does their friendship ever waver? What do their responses to conflict reveal about their
characters? Use evidence and relevant examples of dialogue from the text to support
your answer.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Performance: The Sacrifice
Put students into small groups and ask them to write a one-act play focused on the
themes of friendship, risk, and sacrifice which takes place in a modern context. The goal
of the one-act play is to mirror the issues at the center of Damon and Pythias but reflects
an actual situation two friends might find themselves in today.
Ask students to:
• Develop two central characters.
∙ Who are they? How did they become friends? How are they similar to or dierent
from one another?
• Decide on a setting.
∙ When and where will the play take place?
• Establish the conflict that drives this play.
∙ Who is in trouble? How does each friend react to the conflict? What choices will
each person have to make?
• Write collaboratively on a shared document.
• Assign roles.
• Rehearse lines.
• Perform for the class
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
How much are people willing to risk for those they care about? Loyalty among friends
is more precious than all the power and money in the world in this play based on the
ancient Greek tale of Damon and Pythias. When Pythias is sentenced to death for
questioning the laws of the king, Damon strikes a bargain that puts his life and friendship
with Pythias at risk.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Damon and Pythias as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project.
They may draw inspiration for Fan Kissen’s ideas about friendship and loyalty to help
them describe something they believe, or explain a position they have taken.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
61
Amigo Brothers
AUTHOR
Name
Piri Thomas
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1978
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• By midpoint in the story, the characters’ actions and motivations are implied rather
than stated directly.
• Point out that students must begin to make inferences to understand what the
characters are doing and why.
Sentence Structure
• The text describing the action in a boxing bout may be hard for some students to follow.
• Provide support for phrases such as “Antonio’s pretty dancing.”
Specific Vocabulary
• Boxing terms such as “haymaker,” Spanish words, and slang terms such as “psyching
up” or “aceboon” may need defining.
• Context clues in the text or a print or online dictionary can help students define
unfamiliar words. For example, an aceboon is a “best buddy.”
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
890
Word Count
3,474
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Character
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: What eorts do Antonio and Felix make to achieve their dreams?
What do their eorts reveal about them? In what ways are Antonio and Felix similar
to and dierent from each other? How do they change as the plot moves toward a
resolution? Write a response to these questions, citing evidence from the text to support
your claims.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Recording: The Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions is…
Students will pick up where the announcer left o in the story delivering a dramatic
blow-by-blow account of the fight.
Ask students to:
• Imagine they are a sports announcer providing a detailed account of what is
happening in this fight for a radio audience.
• Write a script that dramatizes the events of the fight from a sports announcer’s point
of view.
• Include details about:
∙ Each boxer’s physical build and fighting styles.
∙ Atmosphere at Tompkins Square Park
∙ Managers in each corner
∙ Audience and its reaction.
• Finish by declaring the winner.
Once they’ve written a script, students should record a dramatic reading of their script as
though they are a sports announcer.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In the story “Amigo Brothers,” two amateur boxers and best friends, Antonio and
Felix, must fight each other to determine who will advance to the Golden Gloves
Championship. The two friends face o in a fierce battle. Can they emerge from the fight
with their friendship intact?
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Amigo Brothers” as a mentor text for their Extended Oral Project. They
may adopt some of Piri Thomas’s methods for revealing character traits as they craft their
own narrative for presentation.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
62
UNIT 5
Listen, Slowly
AUTHOR
Name
Thanhhà Lai
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2015
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• In flashback, part of the story is set during the Vietnam War.
• Explain to students that this war was a civil war between North and South Vietnam in
which the United States provided South Vietnam with military support.
Organization
• The author uses italic text to indicate that Bà is speaking in Vietnamese.
• This first instance of italic text is also in a flashback, with Bà telling her young
granddaughter stories about how Bà met her grandfather.
Genre
• The author uses sarcasm to reveal character and create humor.
• Point out examples such as, “Mosquitoes hunt from dusk to dawn, but I bet there are
some who stretch the hours.”
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
820
Word Count
1,392
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Visualizing, Language, Style, and Audience
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: How does the author use language to develop the audience’s
understanding of Mai and Bà? What does their conversation in the excerpt say about
them as individuals and as family members? Cite evidence from the text to support
your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Interview: StoryCorp Inspired
To learn more about their family’s history and culture, students will conduct a StoryCorps
interview with a family member. The mission of StoryCorps is to “create a culture of
listening” so the goal of this recorded conversation is for the student to ask questions
and listen.
Ask students to:
• Select a family member they want to interview.
• Craft 15 questions they can use in this interview. The StoryCorps website has interview
questions that students can use or adapt for their interviews.
• Decide which audio capture app or recording device they will use to record the conversation.
• Conduct the interview.
• Share their recording.
To reflect, ask students:
• Why did you select this person to interview?
• What was the most surprising thing you learned about the person you interviewed?
• After completing this assignment, is there anyone else in your life you want to interview?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Can spending the summer in another country with your grandmother help you reconnect
to your family roots? In this excerpt from Listen, Slowly, twelve-year-old Mai accompanies
her grandmother Bà to Vietnam in an attempt to discover if her grandfather is still alive.
During the trip, Bà reveals details about her past to her granddaughter that Mai never
knew before.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Listen, Slowly” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project.
They may adopt Thanhhà Lai’s use of flashback to help them describe something they
believe, or explain a position they have taken.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
63
UNIT 5
Charles
AUTHOR
Name
Shirley Jackson
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1948
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• Shirley Jackson uses foreshadowing to help readers determine that Charles is Laurie.
• At the story’s end, ask if anyone guessed who Charles really was. Discuss clues that let
them know, such as the way Laurie speaks to his father.
Connection of Ideas
• Jackson creates humor through dramatic irony, in which the audience knows or
suspects information that the characters do not know.
• Laurie’s mother avidly wants to meet Charles’s mother, not suspecting that she herself
is Charles’s mother.
Sentence Structure
• Unusual sentence structures typical of a child’s speech may need explanation.
• An example is when Laurie tells his parents, “Charles was so fresh to the teacher’s
friend he wasn’t let do exercises.”
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
700
Word Count
1,596
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Point of View
Close Read
Prompt
Argumentative: At the end of “Charles,” the reader and the narrator both learn that the
title character is a person who is unknown to the teacher. This suggests that Laurie’s
mother, the narrator, has a limited point of view. Therefore, what exactly has been going
on throughout Laurie’s first weeks of kindergarten? What clues, if any, are presented
that the narrator overlooks? Develop an argument in which you state what you think
has actually happened in the story and whether you think that the narrator should have
known all along that Laurie was lying to her.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Charles is Real
Shirley Jackson has written stories that deal with suspense and the supernatural.
Students will imagine a scenario in which Laurie is not consciously inventing Charles but
believes that Charles is an actual boy in his class.
Ask students to write two separate scenes composed of dialogue between characters
and encourage them to incorporate suspenseful elements.
• Scene 1: A conversation between Laurie and his mother that takes place after the PTA
meeting. In this scene, Laurie will make it clear that he believes Charles is real.
∙ How does Laurie’s mom react to learning that her son believes Charles is a real person?
∙ What evidence does Laurie provide to prove that Charles is real?
• Scene 2: A conversation between Laurie’s mom and dad as they struggle to decide
what to do with Laurie.
∙ What do they think is happening?
∙ What are they afraid of?
∙ What do they decide to do?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Throwing chalk, kicking a guest speaker, playing sinister psychological games, being
banished to the classroom corner—it’s just another day of kindergarten in “Charles,”
Shirley Jackson’s classic story-with-a-twist.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Charles” as a mentor text for their Extended Oral Project. They may
adopt some of Shirley Jackson’s methods for telling stories as they craft their own oral
biographical narratives for presentation.
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
64
Saying Yes
AUTHOR
Name
Diana Chang
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1974
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Connection of Ideas
• Making inferences and synthesizing information in the poem may be dicult for
some students.
• Clarify what the author means in lines such as “the homes I’ve had,” i.e., aspects of the
two cultures she has experienced.
Purpose
• Students may need help determining the poet’s purpose for writing.
• Help students see that in the last two lines the poet rearms how much she values her
multicultural heritage.
Organization
• Students may have trouble understanding that the first four stanzas of the poem are
written as a conversation between two people.
• In the concluding three stanzas, the speaker is talking to the reader directly.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
45
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Poetry: Have you ever been asked a question about yourself that was impossible to
give a yes or no answer to? Use Chang’s poem as a model for inspiration and write a
lyrical conversation in Chang’s style. It can be autobiographical or entirely imagined. As
in Chang’s poem, be sure to include lines of dialogue at the beginning and a concluding
stance at the end that makes it clear what your poem’s speaker really wants to say. Title
your poem either “Saying Yes” or “Saying No.”
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: Identity Explored
Students will create a self-portrait using a medium of their choice to explore two dierent
parts of their identity.
Ask students to:
• Identify two aspects of their identity they want to explore artistically.
• Select an artistic medium.
• Use images, color, and symbols to reveal these two sides of their identity.
• Present their artwork to the class explaining their artistic choices and what they reveal
about the two sides of their identity.
To reflect:
• Are these two sides of your identity in conflict or do they complement one another?
• How have these two sides of your identity been impacted by your culture, family,
friends, faith, and education?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
For the Chinese-American speaker of the poem “Saying Yes,” there is no clear border
between being Chinese and American.
This selection features characters navigating cultural dierences in the United States.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Saying Yes” as a mentor text for their Extended Oral Project. They may
draw inspiration from Diana Cheng’s use of repetition to emphasize an important point to
support their overall stance or position.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
65
The All-American Slurp
AUTHOR
Name
Lensey Namioka
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1987
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• Point out that the author uses asterisks to divide individual episodes within the narrative.
• Each episode contributes to a unifying theme.
Connection of Ideas
• Students may need help synthesizing information throughout the text.
• For example, the author reveals character by showing the way each family member
attempts to learn English.
Purpose
• The author has more than one reason for writing the text.
• Point out the last three paragraphs and what they imply about the author’s objectives
for writing the story.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
870
Word Count
3,286
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Setting
Close Read
Prompt
Discussion: “Saying Yes” and “The All-American Slurp” both feature distinct cultural
settings. How does each text make use of Chinese and American cultures to influence
the development of plot and character? Compare and contrast the relationships
between setting, plot, and character in the two texts. Remember to support your ideas
with evidence from the texts. In a discussion with your peers, use evidence from both
texts as well as personal experience to respond to these questions.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Performance: Cultural Norms and Food
Put students into small groups to research the cultural norms around food in another
country. They will use this information to create a comical scene in which an American
traveler violates a particular norm.
Ask each group to:
• Select a country.
• Research cultural norms around food and dining.
• Identify one cultural norm that is very dierent from the United States and explore it
in depth.
• Use the information from their research to create a comical scene involving an
American traveler.
• Assign each group member a role in the scene.
• Rehearse.
• Perform for the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• Have you ever violated a cultural norm without meaning to? If so, where were you and
what happened? How did other people respond?
• Beyond food, what are some of the cultural and social norms that exist in the United
States that an immigrant new to this country might not know?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
“The All-American Slurp” is Leslie Namioka’s humorous story about the struggle of an
Asian family to assimilate into American life. The young, teenage girl who narrates the
story feels uncomfortable and embarrassed as she and her family try urgently to fit into a
new culture.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “The All-American Slurp” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. They may adopt Lensey Namioka’s use of humor to help them describe
something they believe, or explain a position they have taken.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
66
Helen Keller
AUTHOR
Name
Langston Hughes
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1931
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• This is the first of three selections students will read about Helen Keller.
• Background information on Keller’s life will help students understand the poet’s
references to her struggle and the meaning of being “in the dark,” and enable a
deeper understanding of all three texts.
Genre
• The features and structure of free verse poetry may need to be defined and/or
explained to students.
• Free verse follows the rhythms of natural speech by not using a consistent meter,
rhyme scheme, or other patterns.
Specific Vocabulary
• Certain terms the poet uses, such as dower (or dowry: the gifts that a bride brings to
her husband when they marry) may need to be defined.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
37
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: The speaker of the poem says of Helen Keller that “She,/ Within
herself,/ Found loveliness,/ Through the soul’s own mastery.” What does it mean to
find something “within” yourself? When a person faces a challenge, why might it be
necessary to turn inward rather than look for answers from other people or the outside
world? In a personal response, record your conclusions. Include examples from the
poem and your own prior experience to support your conclusions.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: Inspired by Imagery
Students will transform Langston Hughes’s poem “Helen Keller” into a piece of artwork
using imagery from the poem to inspire their creation. Students can select the artistic
medium of their choice: painting, sculpture, photography, collage, or drawing.
Once students have completed their artwork, split the class in half. One half of the class
should stand with their artwork to explain their artistic choices as the other half of the
class does a gallery walk. Flip groups, so every student has the opportunity to field
questions about their artwork and do a gallery walk.
To reflect, ask students:
• Which specific words and phrases from Hughes’s poem were most inspirational as
you worked on this art project?
• Despite the dierent artistic mediums used for this assignment, what similarities did
you notice about the various pieces of artwork inspired by this poem?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
What would it be like to grow up in a world where you could neither see nor hear? In
the poem “Helen Keller,” Langston Hughes imagines how Helen Keller experienced
the world. These selections focus on the life story of Helen Keller. In Langston Hughes’
poem, students consider what it would be like to grow up in a world where they could
neither see nor hear. Read alongside an autobiography and drama, students will have
the chance to analyze the various ways we can tell someone’s life story.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Helen Keller” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project. They
may adopt Langston Hughes’s use of imagery to help them describe something they
believe, or explain a position they have taken.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
67
The Story of My Life (Chapter IV)
AUTHOR
Name
Helen Keller
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1903
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Help students build background knowledge by providing information about education
for the blind.
• Laura Bridgman was the first blind and deaf person to be educated. In 1929, Perkins
was the first school for the blind in the United States.
Genre
• Point out that an autobiography follows certain conventions.
• Keller records her thoughts and feelings from the first-person point of view and often
returns to childhood experiences.
Specific Vocabulary
• Certain nautical terms that Keller uses, such as plummet and sounding-line, may need
to be defined. The Biblical reference to “Aaron’s rod” may also need explanation.
• Students may consult print or digital resources to determine meanings and
understand references.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1130
Word Count
1,064
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: When Keller realizes that the “finger play” in her palm actually
signifies the water she’s feeling, she experiences an epiphany: everything has a name.
Think about an important discovery you made as a child. Perhaps you learned the correct
meaning of a word you misunderstood or found out that a growling dog may bite. In
a personal response, compare and contrast your experience with Keller’s and draw
conclusions about how learning can aect children.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: My First Word
Students will explore their first spoken word using art to reveal what that word means
to them.
Ask students to:
• Have a conversation with their parents about their first word.
∙ How old were they when they said their first word?
∙ What was the context in which this first word was said? What was happening? Who
was there?
∙ What was their parents’ reaction to this first spoken word?
• Use what they have learned in this conversation to inspire a piece of artwork that
features this word but uses color, shapes, symbols, and images to show what this word
means to the student on a deeper level.
• Display the artwork around the classroom and do a gallery walk.
To reflect, ask students:
• What did you learn during your conversation with your parents that you didn’t
know before?
• What did you notice about the artwork as you did the gallery walk? What similarities
and/or dierences did you notice?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In this selection about Helen Keller, students will consider each texts’ approach to
conflict. In an excerpt from her autobiography, The Story of My Life, Keller remembers the
most important day of her life, when her teacher Annie Sullivan helped her understand
that “everything has a name.”
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use The Story of My Life as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project.
Have them consider whether an experience they felt changed their lives had an eect on
a position or stand they have taken.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
68
The Miracle Worker
AUTHOR
Name
William Gibson
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1956
Genre
Drama
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• Because the text is a drama and does not rely on narration, show students how to read
a line of dialogue.
• This excerpt presents the play’s conflict between Helen and Annie through dialogue
and stage directions.
Sentence Structure
• The dialogue is a mixture of simple and complex sentences.
• At times, a character’s line of dialogue is interrupted by another character or a stage
direction. Following this fragmentation will be easier if students hear the dialogue
read aloud.
Connection of Ideas
• Students will have to use dialogue and stage directions to make inferences about
themes in the play.
• Students will also need to synthesize information about Helen Keller provided in
the introduction.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
1,334
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Dramatic Elements and Structure
Close Read
Prompt
Compare and Contrast: What is the conflict of the play and how is it resolved? Compare
the conflict and resolution of the conflict in the play with those that are presented in
“Helen Keller” by Langston Hughes and Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life.
Cite specific scenes or dialogue that contribute to the play’s conflict and resolution to
support your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Activity: Selecting a Soundtrack
Students will analyze the action and mood of this scene, as well as the feelings it evokes,
to select an appropriate musical soundtrack.
Ask students to:
• Break the scene into at least three sections.
∙ Where do transitions occur within the scene? Where do changes in the action or
mood appear?
∙ What clues exist in the dialogue and stage directions that indicate there are changes
taking place in this scene?
• Select music that matches each part of the scene.
• Write an explanation of why they selected each song or piece of music and analyze
how it matches the character development, feeling, action, or mood.
To reflect, ask students:
• Why is the musical score for a movie or play so important? How can music enhance or
distract from the action in a play or movie?
• How did selecting music for this scene impact the way you think about it?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In an excerpt from the play The Miracle Worker, Helen Keller’s teacher Annie Sullivan
argues that young Helen, who is blind and deaf, is testing her family with her bad behavior.
Sullivan warns that the girl will only grow and learn if she is held to higher standards.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use The Miracle Worker as a mentor text for their Extended Writing
Project. Have them consider whether they have ever taken a stance or position, as
Anne Sullivan did in the play, that had a significant eect on someone else, just as
Anne had on Helen Keller.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
69
UNIT 6: TRUE TO YOURSELF
Unit Title: True to Yourself
Essential Question: Who are you meant to be?
Genre Focus: Realistic Fiction
Overview
Realistic fiction reflects modern life, and modern life is full of questions about who we are and what our place is
in the world. In fact, many readers turn to realistic fiction in search of answers to some of life’s many problems. By
following the problems of characters in a novel or short story, or reading about real individuals and their search for
their own truth, readers get a chance to explore options for themselves.
What does it mean to be true to yourself? How does a person find his or her true self? What do readers learn when
they analyze fictional characters and real-life individuals who are searching for themselves? How does reading
stories help readers figure out who they are themselves?
This unit oers a variety of literature and classic nonfiction texts about individuals and characters in search of their true
selves. The biography Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery reveals how Roosevelt discovered her strengths and her
own identity as she carried out her duties as First Lady of the United States. In the poem “Rosa” by Rita Dove, the poet
tries to get to the truest sense of a famous figure from the Civil Rights movement. In Touching Spirit Bear and Brave,
young boys face serious obstacles as they proceed to discover who they are and who they want to be.
After reading these literary and nonfiction texts about individuals and characters in search of their truest selves,
students will have the opportunity to write a research report, devise a research question in response to their reading,
and find and take notes from reliable sources. They will then synthesize this information into a full-length essay that
includes parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page.
Text Complexity
Grade 6 Unit 6 continues to challenge students to think and read critically by returning to a more fiction-centric
genre focus. In this unit, students will read a poem, three works of fiction, and several informational texts. The Lexile
range for this unit is 730-1110, with most texts falling between 940L and 1070L. The selections in this unit should be
approachable for most sixth graders in length and diculty. Additionally, the vocabulary, sentence structures, text
features, content and relationships among ideas make these texts accessible to sixth graders, enabling them to
grow as readers by interacting with such appropriately challenging texts.
UNIT 6
TEXT COMPLEXITY
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
70
The unit begins with Nikki Grimes’s realistic fiction novel Bronx Masquerade. Though written as a mix of prose and
poetry with multiple narrators, at this point in the year, students should have little diculty accessing this text. A
skill lesson will help review summarizing. Students will later encounter a thematically related text, W.E.B. Du Bois’s
“Letter to His Daughter.” This text may require a discussion before reading, as W.E.B. Du Bois has not yet been
encountered this year. A skill lesson in figurative language will help students work through any diculties with Du
Bois’s use of metaphor throughout the text. Both of these texts are accessible points for the students thematic focus
of being true to oneself.
For the purposes of Comparing Within and Across Genres we have selected “”A BEACON of Hope: The Story of
Hannah Herbst” and “Shree Bose: Never Too Young to Change the World”. Both texts share the same topic: young
women who saw a problem and set out to find a solution. Students may find the scientific and medical vocabulary
used in both texts challenging. They may also find the many info-graphics in “Shree Bose” hard to comprehend. Skill
lessons on word meaning and media should help make synthesis of these texts easier.
For the purposes of Comparing Within and Across Genre, we are grouped three texts that all provide information
on the iconic Civil Rights movement figure Rosa Parks. Students read the nonfiction text “The Story Behind the Bus”
to build context on Parks’s historic bus ride. While the Lexile of this text is the highest of the trio, the background
knowledge they have from texts in previous units related to the Civil Rights movement should make this text
accessible. They then read the poem “Rosa” by Rita Dove, which presents the moment when Parks refused to give
up her seat on the bus in a succinct and compelling handful of lines. Students then read an excerpt from Rosa Parks:
My Story, Parks’s autobiography. These lessons give students the chance to practice comparing and contrasting, as
well as honing their ability to understand and identify informational text elements.
We have also grouped Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery and Brave for the purposes of Comparing Within
and Across Genres. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery is the highest Lexile text in the unit and may challenge
students with its use of flashback, but students will have encountered similar biographical texts earlier in the year
that should help with this diculty. Brave is a graphic novel. It’s mid level Lexile and themes will help students
compare it with the Roosevelt text. This final group gives students the opportunity to apply the comparative thinking
and writing skills they learned earlier in the unit to more complex texts from dierent genres.
Additionally, students will read a variety of genres in the same Lexile band and theme throughout the unit. Touching
Spirit Bear may challenge the a little more than other texts in the units. I Never Had it Made, Jackie Robinson’s
autobiography, will be made most accessible after a discussion about race and sports in the early twentieth century.
The shared thematic and genre link provides students with consistent access and reference points for the texts.
Combined with the similar level of text diculty, students can focus on applying the skills to these texts without
drastic fluctuations in reader diculty.
English Language Learner Resources
Lessons in the English Language Learner Resources section oer explicit instruction. These lessons share a thematic
and genre focus with all other lessons in the Core ELA unit.
The twenty ELL Resources are developed around two texts, “Middle School Loneliness” and “Shakespeare in
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
71
Harlem,” and an Extended Oral Project. Each text is written at four distinct levels. For ELLs, these texts serve as
structural and thematic models of authentic texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section of the unit. Thus,
teachers may use the ELL texts in place of or as extensions for “Rosa,” “W.E.B. DuBois Letter to His Daughter,” or I
Never Had it Made.
ELL lessons modify the routines used with texts in the Integrated Reading and Writing section. Explicit vocabulary
instruction is emphasized, and reading and writing Skills lessons focus strongly on language acquisition and
reading comprehension.
After reading texts about identity, students will complete an Extended Oral Project that can be used in place of or
as an extension to the Extended Writing Project. In this unit, students will plan and present an oral report about an
influential figure.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
72
Bronx Masquerade
AUTHOR
Name
Nikki Grimes
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2002
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Sentence Structure
• Explain that the story is told from the point of view of two young adults. They narrate
their experience in the same high school from unique perspectives.
• Point out that both characters use a conversational tone in their narration.
Prior Knowledge
• Explain that each narrator’s story also contains a poem. The two characters, Devon
and Janelle, each prepare a poem for an open mike. Open mic nights are generally
held in a public space where amateur performers can practice their works of comedy,
poetry, music, etc.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
680
Word Count
1,266
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Generating Questions, Summarizing
Close Read
Prompt
Discussion: In Bronx Masquerade, Devon and Janelle are ready for their classmates to
know who they truly are. Do you think that Devon and Janelle would be accepted for
who they really are by their peers? Do you think they could help each other? Why or why
not? Summarize Devon and Janelle’s experiences with each other and their peers to
plan for a debate. Use evidence from the text to support your position.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
A Self-Portrait
In Nikki Grime’s novel, she writes narratives from teens’ perspectives about how they
deal with social pressures and tackle their true selves. Ask students to create a self-
portrait designed to explore their own complex identities. Encourage them to think about
and include images that reveal how their identities have been impacted by the following:
• Trauma and challenges
• Peer pressure
• Social status
• Gender
• Belief systems
Students can choose to draw the self portrait by hand or use original photography and/
or artwork with music to design a dynamic film exploring their individual identity.
Once students have completed their self portraits, they can share them with the class or
post them online.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Why do we hide our true selves? How can we find the courage to show others who we
really are? In Nikki Grimes’s novel Bronx Masquerade, we meet two teenagers growing
up in the Bronx. They each have just begun to express their true selves through poetry in
their English class. While they have not fully let go of the masks that they where for their
peers, they may be able to be their true selves with one another.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes as a mentor text for their Extended
Writing Project. Even though the project is research-based, Grimes’s use of figurative
language and conversational tone can provide inspiration to students on how such a text
can engage readers with the use of vivid language.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
73
A BEACON of Hope: The Story of Hannah Herbst
AUTHOR
Name
Rebecca Harrington
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2015
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• The article references the participant’s experience in the Discovery Education 3M
Young Scientist Challenge.
• The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge is a competition for students in
grade 5-8 to come up with a solution to an everyday problem.
Specific Vocabulary
• Dicult vocabulary, such as crisis (a time of intense diculty, trouble, or danger) and
probe (a scientific instrument used to examine an issue and help collect data), may
need defining.
• Remind students to use context clues while reading, and also to use a dictionary to
define unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1290
Word Count
393
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: “A BEACON of Hope: The Story of Hannah Herbst” describes a
teen’s invention that can help power an entire nation. If you were to create an invention
to help a nation in need, what would it be? Why? Support your response with evidence
from the article as well as personal experience. As you make connections between
Hannah’s life and your own, include anything that may have impacted your ideas about
your potential invention.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
In the article “A BEACON of Hope: The Story of Hannah Herbst,” Hannah Herbst creates
a unique invention that helps provide energy to a foreign country. Students will need to
design an advertisement about an invention that they think would help another country
in need.
Put students in groups for this creative activity. Then ask students to:
• Discuss the following questions in their groups:
∙ What type of invention would help another country? Why?
∙ What do you need to do to create it?
∙ What eect does this have on the other nation involved?
• Once they have clear answers to these questions, they will need to choose a
creative medium for their advertisement (e.g. commercial, print advertisement,
online advertisement).
• Create a compelling advertisement that explains their helpful invention.
To reflect, ask students:
• Why did your group select your creative medium? Why did you think this type of
advertisement would be most compelling or eective?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Can you discover yourself through helping others? Each of these selections feature young
women who manage to create amazing things at a young age. In comparing these two
texts, students will gain information about what it takes to be an innovator. Hannah Herbst
was just a regular 14 year old, until her pen-pal in Ethiopia helped inspire her to create an
amazing invention to help struggling communities get sustainable energy sources.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can find inspiration from Hannah Herbst for their research project. Have
students consider doing more research on countries with limited access to energy
sources or on sustainable energy sources.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
74
Shree Bose: Never Too Young to Change the World
AUTHOR
Name
Amanda Sperber
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2017
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Students may not be familiar with information regarding cancer research in the text.
• Explain that some patients develop a resistance to cancer treatment drugs, which
allows for the continued growth of cancer cells even with treatment.
Organization
• The author does not follow a linear timeline in telling about Shree Bose’s life.
• Help students place the events of Shree Bose’s life in a sequence graphic organizer to
help them keep track of events in the order in which they occur.
Specific Vocabulary
• Terms such as “chemotherapy drug cisplatin” and “ovarian cancer” may need defining.
• Context clues in the text or print or digital resources can help define unfamiliar terms.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1040
Word Count
1,654
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Synthesizing, Media, Word Meaning
Close Read
Prompt
Informative: What qualities make a great problem-solver? You read that Hannah Herbst set
out to solve the global energy crisis to help her pen pal in Ethiopia. How does Shree Bose find
solutions to scientific and everyday problems encountered throughout her life? How does the
author’s use of information presented in dierent media or formats as well as in words help
illustrate Shree’s scientific approach to finding solutions? Use evidence from both the text and
charts, visuals, or other quantitative information to support your ideas.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Journalism: Young People Making a Dierence
There are young people all over the world tackling complex issues and challenges. Ask
students to:
• Find a young person who is making a dierence in the world.
• Research that person to find out more about him/her.
∙ What sparked their interest in this field?
∙ Did they have a mentor?
∙ What challenges did they encounter? How did they overcome these challenges?
∙ What recognition did they received for their work?
• Use the information discovered during the research phase of this assignment to write
an article about the young person they selected.
Once students have written their articles, the class can create a website dedicated to
celebrating the successes of young people all over the world and post their articles online.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
What inspired a teenage girl to become a cancer researcher? At age 15, as her grandfather
battled cancer, Shree Bose realized that she had to help find a cure for the disease. Her
research on cancer drugs won the Google Science Fair. That accomplishment gave her
the platform to help get more girls and women involved in STEM fields.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Shree Bose” as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project. They
may adopt the author’s use of using direct quotes or media features such as charts,
images, or maps in their informative essay.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
75
Letter to His Daughter
AUTHOR
Name
W.E.B. Du Bois
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1914
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• W.E.B. DuBois was the first African American to graduate from Harvard University.
• His daughter Yolande went on to become an educator and an activist. She married
Harvard-educated poet Countee Cullen in 1928, with Langston Hughes in attendance.
Purpose
• The purpose of a letter is more complicated than simply to inform, entertain, or persuade.
• For example, students may need to be reminded that the author is writing to a close
personal relative with advice rather than with persuasive techniques.
Specific Vocabulary
• Some students may require assistance with Du Bois’s use of metaphor.
• Lead students to identify the comparisons in lines such as “Take the cold bath bravely”
or “Enter into the spirit of the big bed-room.”
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
730
Word Count
356
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Figurative Language, Context Clues
Close Read
Prompt
Literary Analysis: In his letter to his daughter, W.E.B. Du Bois often uses figurative
language, which allows readers to know more about him. What do his metaphors tell us
about who he is and how he thinks people should live? Which of his values or beliefs are
evident in his letter? Be sure to include evidence from the text in your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: A Parent’s Advice
In W.E.B. Du Bois’ letter, he gives his daughter advice about how to handle herself as a
student far from home.
Ask students to:
• Imagine they are preparing to leave home to attend a college far away.
∙ What fears might their parents have?
∙ What advice would they want to give them?
∙ What memories might they bring up?
• Write a letter from one of their parent’s point of view to their future selves in college.
• Encourage them to capture their parent’s tone and style in the letter using specific
words and phrases.
• Share their letters with their parent to see what changes or additions their parents
would make to the letter.
To reflect, ask students:
• What was your parent’s reaction to your letter? How accurate did they think your letter
was? What did they want to add or change?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
W.E.B. Du Bois writes an inspiring letter to his teenage daughter, who is living and
studying abroad. In the letter, Du Bois send words of caution to her about the strange
and wonderful things she might encounter in this new place, and imparts his own
practical advice about how to meet the challenges ahead.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use “Letter to His Daughter,” by W.E.B. Du Bois, as a mentor text for their
Extended Writing Project. Even though the project is research-based, Du Bois’s use of
metaphors and idioms can provide inspiration to students on how a somewhat formal,
informational text can still be enlivened by the use of figurative language.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
76
The Story Behind the Bus
AUTHOR
Name
The Henry Ford®
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2002
Genre
Non-Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• For much of the 20th century, city buses in the South were segregated, meaning that
blacks and whites had separate seats.
• Blacks were required to sit behind whites, and give up their seat if a white passenger did
not have seat.
Specific Vocabulary
• Dicult vocabulary, such as inequities (instances of injustice or unfairness) and
integrated (made open or accessible to everyone on an equal basis), may need defining.
• Remind students to use context clues while reading, and also to use a dictionary to
define unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1140
Word Count
790
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: When have you calmly or peacefully stood up for something that is
important to you or that you believe in? Write about this experience after reflecting on
the information in “The Story Behind the Bus.” Before you begin, ask yourself, “How did
Rosa Parks demonstrate her belief?” Support your response with evidence from the text
as well as personal experience.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Activity: Take a Stand
Rosa Parks peacefully protested bus segregation. Students will select an issue that
matters to them and take a stand.
Ask students to think about the following questions:
• What social issue or school rule angers you?
• If you could change things, what would you do?
• What communication medium do you think is most eective for taking a stand on
important issues?
After students have had time to consider and discuss the questions above, ask them to:
• Decide on a pseudonym for themselves.
• Select a medium they want to use to take a stand.
• Record a radio show, TV interview, or podcast or write a blog or journal entry to raise
awareness about this issue.
To reflect, ask students:
• Do you follow the news and what is happening in the world? If so, how do you
normally respond when you hear about something happening in this country or around
the world that you disagree with?
• Is social and/or political activism important to you? Why or why not?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
How do dierent authors get to the “truth”? Each of these selections in this cluster
approaches Rosa Parks’s historic bus ride in a dierent way. “The Story Behind the
Bus” is a nonfiction piece that objectively recounts events of the Civil Rights Movement,
particularly Rosa Parks’s historic bus ride where she refused to give up her seat to a
white passenger.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may further explore the Henry Ford museum website to help them discover
an intriguing research topic, such as another historically significant artifact linked to an
important era in American history.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
77
Rosa
AUTHOR
Name
Rita Dove
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1986
Genre
Poetry
Access
Complex Text
Features
Sentence Structure
• Some students may have diculty with the poet’s use of sentence fragments. Point out
that the use of these fragments joins ideas and forces the reader to pause for reflection.
Connection of Ideas
• Students may have diculty interpreting information throughout the poem. For
example, the phrase “carved by a camera flash” suggests that the photo of Parks on
the bus was a turning point in the civil rights movement, “carved” into time.
Prior Knowledge
• Students who lack knowledge of segregation laws in the South during the 1950s and
of Rosa Parks’s historic action and arrest, may struggle with the contextual significance
of the poem.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
60
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Poetry: Who is someone you admire? Write a poem about this person imitating Rita
Dove’s approach in “Rosa.” Before you begin, consider how the speaker in the poem
shows admiration for Rosa Parks. Include details to make your reasons for admiring this
person clear.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Before Rosa Parks
In a previous unit, students read Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus
Boycott which tells the story of African Americans who refused to give up their seats
to white passengers; however, E.D. Nixon was waiting for the “right person to inspire a
battle against bus segregation.”
Ask students to:
• Write a poem, similar in style and length to “Rosa,” about one of the people below who
took a stand before Rosa Parks.
∙ Edwina and Marshall Johnson
∙ Claudette Colvin
∙ Mary Louise Smith
• Publish their stories for the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• Do you think E.D. Nixon was right to wait for Rosa Parks to inspire the battle against
bus segregation?
• After writing your poem about another African American who refused to give up their
seat, do you think the person you wrote about could have sparked the same history
altering events as Rosa Parks?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
In “Rosa”, poet Rita Dove recounts the same events in a poem that is concise, but
powerful in its depiction of the mood and actions of Rosa Parks in the moment. Reading
across genre helps students understand information in a new way.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration in “Rosa” for their Extended Writing Project by noting how
Rita Dove illuminates Rosa Parks’ character with descriptive phrases such as “the clean
flame of her gaze.”
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
78
Rosa Parks: My Story
AUTHOR
Name
Rosa Parks
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1992
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Purpose
• Students should understand that a text may be written for more than one purpose.
• In addition to correcting false ideas about her personal story, Parks also explains a
historical time period—the Jim Crow era.
• Organization
• While Parks uses a chronological text structure, she also includes a flashback in which
she recalls her grandfather.
• Explain that a flashback interrupts the chronological order of events in the text to
explain an event that took place earlier.
Specific Vocabulary
• Domain-specific words and acronyms such as civil disobedience and NAACP may
need defining.
• Context clues in the text, as well as print or digital resources, can help students define
unfamiliar terms.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
800
Word Count
1,396
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Informational Text Elements, Compare and Contrast, Connotation and Denotation
Close Read
Prompt
Compare and Contrast: Rosa Parks, Rita Dove, and the author of “The Story Behind the
Bus” all have a story to share about upsetting the balance of power. How does each
author introduce, illustrate, or elaborate on this idea of power? How are their arguments
about power similar and dierent? In your response, remember to make connections to
ideas in the previous texts that you’ve read.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: The Bus
As Rosa Parks waits for the police, she says the bus was quiet except for conversations
in low tones. Students will imagine what people in that bus were thinking, feeling, and
saying in that moment.
Ask students to:
• Draw a picture or create a collage of the bus and the people who remained seated there.
• Imagine what each person and child is thinking and feeling in this moment.
• Capture each passager’s expression, include a thought bubble complete with emojis
to reveal what they are saying, thinking, or feeling.
Once students have created their visuals, put them in small groups to share their artistic
representations of this moment.
To reflect, ask students:
• What were some of the similarities and dierences between visual representations of
this moment?
• How were the children’s feelings and thoughts dierent from the adults?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Rosa Parks’s autobiography, Rosa Parks: My Story, provides the perspective of the event
from the woman who lived through it. In comparing and contrasting these three texts,
students will synthesize the many ways that authors can approach an event or individual
to convey their truest version.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students may find inspiration for their research projects in Rosa Parks’s autobiography.
Encourage students to further explore Parks’s life and accomplishments, other influential
individuals from the Civil Rights Movement, or other important social movements in the
United States.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
79
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
AUTHOR
Name
Russell Freedman
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1993
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• The text has features of a biography, including a third-person point of view, real people
and events, and first-person accounts of the subject’s experiences.
• Some sequential elements are included by anchoring the text in a specific dated event.
Organization
• Biographical writing is usually organized chronologically, so some students may have
diculty with the use of flashback, which is often used so that the author can start with
a key moment and then oer events that influenced that moment.
Prior Knowledge
• The author’s use of historical allusions or references, such as the United Nations, may
need to be explained to students.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1100
Word Count
797
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
N/A
Close Read
Prompt
Personal Response: Eleanor Roosevelt did not wish to become First Lady of the United
States. Yet she was able to overcome her fear to become one of the most beloved First
Ladies in history. Consider how Eleanor’s life might relate to your own. Is there a task or
dream you would like to achieve? How can you, like Eleanor, overcome any fears you
might have in order to achieve success? In your response, write about the goal or dream
you have been afraid to achieve. Then, explain what strategy you can use, like Eleanor,
to overcome that fear.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Investigation: The Life of a First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt had a public life and a successful career while First Lady of the United
States. Her actions helped pave the way for the women who followed her, encouraging
them to take a more active role during their husbands’ time in oce.
Put students into small groups and ask them to:
• Select a First Lady who held the title after Eleanor Roosevelt.
• Find out about this woman’s public life during her time in the White House.
∙ What issues did she champion?
∙ In what way did this woman expand the role of the First Lady?
∙ What challenges or resistance did she face?
• Create a multimedia presentation to share their findings with the class.
To reflect, ask students:
• After listening to each group present, which First Lady did you think was most impressive?
• What do you think the role of the First Gentleman will be when we elect our first
female president?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
How can you stay true to yourself when others don’t think you fit in quite right? Initially
reluctant to be a president’s wife, “poor little rich girl” Eleanor Roosevelt rose to the
challenge of being in the national spotlight and in the process discovered her place in
the world. She raised the bar of possibilities for all First Ladies who followed her.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can find inspiration from Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery as they write
about their own goals and aspirations. Have them identify some of the strategies Eleanor
used as she worked to overcome her fears and assumed the role of First Lady.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
80
Brave
AUTHOR
Name
Svetlana Chmakova
Gender
Female
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2017
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Genre
• The visual aspect of the graphic novel adds a layer of complexity to the storytelling.
• Remind students to study the illustrations, especially those without accompanying text,
as the basis for inferences about the plot, characters, and theme.
Purpose
• Students might think that the primary purpose of a graphic novel is to entertain.
• Guide them to consider other purposes, such as to create a complex character. Focus
on the illustrator’s use of perspective, framing, and choice of details.
Specific Vocabulary
• Certain terms and phrases, such as gauntlet and running the gauntlet, may need to be
defined for students.
• Context clues in the text or a print or digital dictionary can help students define
unfamiliar words.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
N/A
Word Count
671
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Language, Style, and Audience
Close Read
Prompt
Discussion: What does it mean to be true to yourself? In a discussion with your peers,
imagine how Jensen and Eleanor Roosevelt would respond to this question. What
would they say? What advice would they oer? How might they agree or disagree? Cite
evidence of specific word choices and tone that express how they are true to themselves.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Art: Zombie Survival Guide
Students will create a graphic zombie survival guide in a style similar to Chmakova’s.
Ask students to:
• Brainstorm the possible dangers that humans might face during a zombie apocalypse.
• Identify five tips to help humans survive a zombie apocalypse.
• Use a combination of humor and drawings to show the reader how to survive.
• Incorporate elements of graphic novels, like frames, panels, layout, color, shading, and
captions, in your survival guide.
When students complete their zombie survival guides, host a carousel activity so
students can read each other’s survival guides and give each other quick written
feedback on their artwork, survival tips, and writing.
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
How can the target of bullies keep his head held high? In the graphic novel Brave, the
main character dreams of saving the world, though the daily experiences of this middle
schooler seem to keep getting in his way.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Brave as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project. They may
consider researching unlikely heroes who have faced fears or helped others deal
with adversity.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
81
I Never Had It Made
AUTHOR
Name
Jackie Robinson
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
1972
Genre
Informational
Access
Complex Text
Features
Prior Knowledge
• Students may be unfamiliar with Jackie Robinson and the racial issues of his time period.
• Explain that Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play major league
baseball during a time of racial tension.
Organization
• Students may need assistance identifying the text structure of the selection.
• Robinson uses a cause-and-eect text structure, beginning at the pinnacle of his
career and then tracing the steps to explain how he gets there.
Sentence Structure
• Some sentences are complex and contain figurative language such as “I was proud to
be in the hurricane eye,” and “make the turnstiles hum.”
• Identifying the commonalities between these ideas may help students with comprehension.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
940
Word Count
1,068
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Author’s Purpose and Point of View, Central or Main Idea
Close Read
Prompt
Argumentative: Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact
it has on other lives.” How does the excerpt from his autobiography, I Never Had It
Made: An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson support this statement? Thinking of this
quote, why do you think Robinson chose to write an autobiography? Include evidence
from the text as you form your response.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Podcast: Breaking the Color Line
In pairs, have students research another person who broke a color line in a dierent
field (e.g., medicine, acting, writing) and record a podcast in which you conduct a mock
interview with this famous person.
Ask students to:
• Research the person you selected.
∙ What field were they in?
∙ Why did they want to pursue a career in this field?
∙ What resistance did they face?
∙ How did they overcome that resistance?
∙ Who supported them?
• Develop a list of 10 interview questions.
• Decide who will be the host of the podcast and interviewer and who will “play” this
famous person from history.
• Record a podcast in which the interviewer interviews this famous person about his/her
life and accomplishments.
To reflect, ask students:
• Did you enjoy the podcast format? If you had to record a podcast in the future, is there
anything you would do dierently?
• What was most challenging about this podcast?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
Is it worth the pain to clear a path for those who follow? In this excerpt from Jackie
Robinson’s autobiography, the baseball great describes the challenges he faced as the
first black player in the major leagues.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use I Never Had It Made: An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson as a
mentor text for their Extended Writing Project. They may adopt some of Robinson’s
methods for employing anecdotes as well as citing specific dates and events as they
research their writing projects.
UNIT 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
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GRADE 6
82
UNIT 6
Touching Spirit Bear
AUTHOR
Name
Ben Mikaelsen
Gender
Male
QUALITATIVE FEATURES
Publication
Date
2001
Genre
Fiction
Access
Complex Text
Features
Organization
• After the first paragraph, paragraphs 2 through 10 introduce a flashback into the linear
sequence of the plot.
• Remind students that a flashback is set during an earlier time period and provides
information that sheds light on present events.
Connection of Ideas
• Students may not recognize the author’s symbolic use of circles in the text, and how
they relate to the theme.
• Point out the term Circle Justice as well as other circles in the text such as handcus
and perhaps the island.
Connection of Ideas
• Students may not recognize the author’s symbolic use of circles in the text, and how
they relate to the theme.
• Point out the term Circle Justice as well as other circles in the text such as handcus
and perhaps the island.
QUANTITATIVE
FEATURES
Lexile®
1100
Word Count
1,204
READER
AND TASKS
Skill Lessons
Setting
Close Read
Prompt
Narrative: The excerpt explains that Cole’s father “agreed to pay all the expenses of
banishment, [as] it was just another one of his buyouts.” Pretend that you are Cole’s father,
and you are writing a letter to your son. Explain your reasons for paying for the Circle
Justice program and how you hope it will help Cole change. How do you think this setting
will aect the events of Cole’s life? Use descriptive details from the text in your letter.
BEYOND
THE BOOK
Beyond the
Book Activity
Writing: Life Alone on an Island
Students will put themselves in Cole’s shoes and write a series of journal entries that
explore his feelings and reveal his day-to-day life on the island.
Ask students to:
• Write three journal entries from Cole’s point of view.
∙ Journal entry #1 should be written the first night Cole arrives on the island.
∙ Journal entry #2 should be written the night after Edwin’s first food delivery.
∙ Journal entry #3 should be written on day 90 after Cole encounters his first bear.
• Use the journal entries to explore Cole’s thoughts and feelings about his past, present,
and future.
• Include rich sensory details about the island and its animals.
• Show Cole’s growth mentally, spiritually, and emotionally as he learns to survive on
the island.
To reflect, ask students:
• Which of the three journal entries was most challenging to write?
• In your imagination, how did Cole grow and change?
UNIT
CONNECTION
Connect
to Essential
Question
How can you find your way when you are blinded by anger? In Ben Mikaelsen’s novel,
troubled young Cole is oered the chance to avoid a prison sentence by surviving in the
Alaskan wilderness on his own.
Connect
to Extended
Writing Project
Students can use Touching Spirit Bear as a mentor text for their Extended Writing Project.
They may adopt some of Ben Mikaelsen’s methods for description as they craft their own
writing projects.
Writing
ELA Grade Level Overview
Grade 6
ELA Grade Level Overview
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GRADE 6
84
OVERALL APPROACH TO WRITING INSTRUCTION
StudySync instructs students on a variety of writing forms that adhere to the Common Core English Language Arts
Standards. Each unit of the program exposes students to a dierent writing form and all of its associated skills and
processes, which they practice through unit-specific Extended Writing Projects (EWP). At each grade level, one EWP
covers each of the following writing forms: narrative, informative, literary analysis, argumentative, and research.
Additionally, one unit in each grade contains an Extended Oral Project, where students will create and present a
presentation based on the specific requirements of the Common Core English Language Arts Standards for that
grade.
Explicit instruction in writing is included reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language lessons and
activities, all of which are scaolded to support learners of varying backgrounds and abilities. Writing activities in
each unit, from the in-depth EWP to Close Read writing prompts, self-selected writing responses, writer’s notebook
activities, Blast responses, and other short writing activities explore dierent aspects of the writing process, giving
students a variety of writing practice opportunities to hone their skills and enhance their understanding of each
unit’s particular writing form.
This application of the writing skills and processes culminates in the Extended Writing Project, which challenges
students and holds them accountable for their learning experiences. The Extended Writing Project prompts students
to inquire deeply into a unit’s theme and essential question by drawing from textual evidence, research, and their
own life experiences to develop extended responses in a variety of writing forms specified in the Common Core
English Language Arts Standards. Throughout the Extended Writing project, students evaluate and assess Student
Model examples that connect to the modes of writing in each unit. Lessons push students to eectively express
themselves and rely on textual evidence as a basis of support for their ideas.
Students have myriad opportunities to enrich their writing, including immersion in specific academic vocabulary,
peer review and revision, and group discussion and collaboration. They explore dierent formats of presenting and
publishing the finished works that represent their best possible writing eorts in the program.
ELA Grade Level Overview
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Writing Task Chart
UNIT 1: Testing Our Limits UNIT 2: You and Me UNIT 3: In the Dark
Essential Question What do we do when life gets hard? How do relationships shape us? How do you know what to do when
there are no instructions?
Writing Form Narrative Argumentative Informative
Extended Writing
Project Prompt
Imagine the very worst possible
day. What event or individual makes
that day so terrible? How do your
characters respond? Write a story in
which the main character faces an
unexpected challenge on what was
supposed to be a normal day.
Think about the ways in which
relationships have shaped the lives of
the characters, speakers, or authors.
Then reflect on your own life. Think of
a person who has influenced you in
some way. Would your life be dierent
if this person were not in your life? Do
you think relationships can truly shape
people’s futures? Why or why not?
Think about the individuals from
this unit who take action even
when they are unsure of what
lies ahead. Identify three of
these individuals and write an
informative essay explaining what
drives them to respond, take
action, or make a decision when
there are no guidelines to help
them.
EWP Mentor Texts Eleven; Gathering Blue; A Wrinkle in
Time; Hatchet; Scout’s Honor; Red
Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural
Revolution; The Mighty Miss Malone
We’re on the Same Team; Walk Two
Moons; The Voice in My Head; The
Treasure of Lemon Brown
Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless
Photographer; Donna O’Meara:
The Volcano Lady; Hoot; Dare to be
Creative!; Hatshepsut: His Majesty,
Herself; Heroes Every Child Should
Know: Perseus
EWP
Process Steps
Plan; Draft; Revise; Edit and Publish Plan; Draft; Revise; Edit and Publish Plan; Draft; Revise; Edit and Publish
Writing Skills Organizing Narrative Writing,
Story Beginnings, Descriptive
Details, Narrative Techniques,
Transitions, Conclusions
Organizing Argumentative Writing,
Thesis Statement, Reasons and
Relevant Evidence, Introductions,
Transitions, Style, Conclusions
Thesis Statement, Organizing
Informative Writing, Supporting
Details, Introductions, Transitions.
Precise Language, Style, Conclusions
Grammar
Skills
Personal Pronouns, Pronouns and
Antecedents, Consistent Pronoun Use
Basic Spelling Rules I, Possessive
Pronouns, Formal and Informal
Language
Parentheses, Brackets, and Ellipses,
Prefixes, Basic Spelling Rules II
ELA Grade Level Overview
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UNIT 4: Personal Best UNIT 5: Making Your Mark UNIT 6: True to Yourself
Essential Question Which qualities of character matter
most?
What’s your story? Who are you meant to be?
Writing Form Literary Analysis Oral Presentation Research
Extended Writing
Project Prompt
After reading the texts from the
Personal Best unit, write a proposal
in which you argue which texts would
be the most eective for a school-
wide book club. In your proposal,
choose one informational and one
literary text. Use textual evidence to
help support an argument and explain
how both of the texts you have
chosen develop a theme or a main
idea that communicates the qualities
of character that matter most.
Think about something for which
you hold a position or take a stance.
How did you come to adopt this
position? What experience, event,
person, or story shaped your belief?
Give an organized presentation with
a specific stand and position. Tell a
story from your life that explains how
you adopted your position. Your story
should focus on a singular moment or
experience from your life and clearly
relate to your position or stance.
Consider the texts included in the
True to Yourself unit, identify a
topic you would like to know more
about, and write a research report
about that topic. In the process,
you will learn how to select a
research question, develop a
research plan, gather and evaluate
source materials, and synthesize
and present your research
findings.
EWP Mentor Texts Bullying in Schools; Celebrities as
Heroes; Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel
Peace Prize Acceptance Speech;
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Story of My Life; Warriors Don’t Cry Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery;
Shree Bose: Never Too Young to
Change the World; A BEACON of
Hope: The Story of Hannah Herbst
EWP
Process Steps
Plan; Draft; Revise; Edit and Publish Plan; Draft; Revise; Edit and Present Plan; Draft; Revise; Edit and Publish
Writing Skills Thesis Statement, Organizing
Argumentative Writing, Reasons and
Relevant Evidence, Introductions,
Transitions, Style, Conclusions
Evaluating Sources, Organizing
an Oral Presentation, Considering
Audience and Purpose,
Communicating Ideas, Reasons and
Relevant Evidence, Sources and
Citations
Planning Research, Evaluating
Sources, Research and Notetaking,
Critiquing Research, Paraphrasing,
Sources and Citations, Print and
Graphic Features
Grammar
Skills
Commas with Nonessential Elements,
Using Pronouns, Commonly Confused
Words
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns,
Sentence Variety, Style
Dashes and Hyphens, Quotation
Marks and Italics, Run-On Sentences
ELA Grade Level Overview
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87
WRITING
UNIT 1: TESTING OUR LIMITS
The Extended Writing Project (EWP) in Grade 6, Unit 1 focuses on narrative writing. Students probe the unit’s
essential question—What do we do when life gets hard?—as they write an original narrative. The prompt for this
EWP asks students to write about how an unexpected event can sometimes turn into a major challenge. The unit’s
selections about testing our limits provide a context for students, and the multiple pieces of fiction in the unit
serve as mentor texts for students to analyze and emulate. Over the course of the EWP, students engage in the
writing process with specific lessons for planning, drafting, revising, and editing and publishing. During each one of
these process steps and in the skills lessons throughout, students will follow the progress and development of an
on-grade-level Student Model to see how another student’s writing changes and improves over time.
Skill lessons on Developing Ideas and Organizing Narrative Writing teach concepts specifically called out in the
Common Core English Language Arts Standards, while additional skill lessons on Story Beginnings, Descriptive
Details, and Narrative Techniques focus on characteristics of the narrative writing genre and help students develop
their unique voices. Directed revision leads students as they revise their drafts for clarity, development, organization,
word choice, and sentence variety. Targeted Grammar Skill lessons instruct to the specific grammar skills identified
in the Common Core English Language Arts Standards. After each skill lesson, students have the opportunity to
practice using the skill with created student writing, authentic texts, and their own work.
Student writing is not confined to the EWP. Each Independent Read and Close Read lesson culminates with a writing
or speaking prompt in which students reflect on the text or apply the skills they have learned in conjunction with
that text. In the Independent Read Red Scarf Girl, for example, students are asked to write a personal response
about when they had to make a dicult decision, while the prompt for “Jabberwocky” asks them to write a poem
using nonsensical words from the text. Close Read prompts specifically ask students to conduct a focused analysis
using the skills taught in conjunction with those texts. After students read Hatchet, they use the techniques from
the Compare and Contrast skill lesson to analyze how the settings in Hatchet and Red Scarf Girl create conflict for
the characters. Later in the unit, students analyze the use of dramatic elements to dierentiate characters in the
play “The Magic Marker Mystery”.
Other writing tasks in the unit allow students to write in other contexts and for other purposes. Blasts throughout
the unit allow students to practice sharing their opinions about tough moral questions and how we define historical
fiction, as well as oering them the opportunity to choose their own self-selected reading. Writer’s Notebook
activities in Blast, Close Read, and Writing Skill lessons provide students with the opportunity for low-stakes,
ungraded writing. In their writer’s notebooks, students write to think, write to reflect, and write to practice skills
they’re learning. In the skill lesson for Organizing Narrative Writing, students practice by creating a quick story
about five items in the classroom, and in the Developing Ideas lesson, they write a list of qualities, or traits, for a
character they have created. In each Close Read, students write to reflect on how the text connects to the essential
question for the unit before they engage in a collaborative conversation and write their short constructed response.
UNIT 1
ELA Grade Level Overview
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WRITING
UNIT 2: YOU AND ME
In Grade 6, Unit 2, the Extended Writing Project (EWP) focuses on argumentative writing. Students will write an
original argument in response to the question: Can relationships shape your future? The prompt for this EWP asks
students to think about someone important to them and decide whether the relationships we have with others can
truly change our lives. The unit’s selections about the relationships people enter into provide a thematic connection
for students. Over the course of the EWP, students engage in the argumentative writing process with specific
lessons for planning, drafting, revising, and editing and publishing. During each of these process steps, and in the
skills lessons throughout the writing project, students will follow the progress and development of an on-grade-
level Student Model to see how another student’s writing changes and improves over time.
Skill lessons on Organizing Argumentative Writing and Reasons and Relevant Evidence teach concepts specifically
called out in the Common Core English Language Arts Standards, while additional skill lessons on Thesis Statements,
Style, and Transitions focus on characteristics of argumentative writing and help students develop their unique claim.
We walk students through the writing process as they revise their drafts for clarity, development, organization, word
choice, and sentence variety. Targeted Grammar Skill lessons instruct to the specific grammar skills identified in the
Common Core English Language Arts Standards. After each skill lesson, students have the opportunity to practice
what they learned, using created student writing, authentic texts, and their own work.
Students will do a great deal of writing in addition to the EWP. Each Independent Read and Close Read lesson
culminates with a writing or speaking prompt in which students reflect on the text or apply the skills they have
learned in conjunction with that text. In the Independent Read “The Voice In My Head,” students are asked to
write about the importance of mentors in preparative for their EWP prompt, while the prompt for The Circuit asks
them to write a personal response about how stability and consistency can aect one’s life and lead to feelings
of happiness. Close Read prompts specifically ask students to conduct a focused analysis using the skills taught
in conjunction with those texts. After students read “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long,” they use the techniques
from the Compare and Contrast skill lesson to explore the common themes across three texts. Earlier in the unit,
students will explore voice and interpreting text in the novel excerpt Walk Two Moons by rewriting the excerpt from
an alternative point of view.
Students are given multiple opportunities to write in other contexts and for other purposes. Blasts throughout the unit
allow students to explore why poetry has changed so much over time and how sports can be made more inclusive,
as well as oering them the opportunity to choose their own self-selected reading. Writer’s notebook activities in
Blast, Close Read, and Writing Skill lessons provide students with the opportunity for low-stakes, ungraded writing.
In their writer’s notebooks, students write to think, write to reflect, and write to practice skills they’re learning. In the
skill lesson for Organizing Argumentative Writing, students practice by free writing from both sides of the argument,
and in the Reasons and Relevant Evidence lesson, they practice writing book or movie recommendation for a friend
with the strong reasons and convincing evidence. In each Close Read, students write to reflect on how each text
connects to the essential question for the unit before they engage in a collaborative conversation and write their
short constructed response.
UNIT 2
ELA Grade Level Overview
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GRADE 6
89
WRITING
UNIT 3: IN THE DARK
The Extended Writing Project (EWP) in Grade 6, Unit 3 focuses on informative writing. Students explore the unit’s
essential question—How do you know what to do when there are no instructions?—as they write an informative
essay. The prompt for this EWP asks students to identify individuals from texts in the unit and write an informative
essay explaining what drives them to respond, take action, or make a decision when there are no guidelines to help
them. The unit’s selections that center around the actions people take when there are no instructions, or guidelines,
to assist them, provide a context for students, and the nonfiction selections in the unit serve as mentor texts for
students to emulate. Students must draw evidence from three of the unit texts and synthesize the connections to
the prompt. Over the course of the EWP, students engage in the informative writing process with specific lessons
for planning, drafting, revising, and editing and publishing. At each of these process steps and in the skills lessons
throughout the project, students will follow the progress and development of an on-grade-level Student Model to
see how another student’s writing changes and improves over time.
A skill lesson Organizing Informative Writing teaches concepts specifically called out in the Common Core English
Language Arts Standards, while additional skill lessons on Thesis Statements, Supporting Details, and Introductions
and Conclusions focus on characteristics of the informative writing genre and help students develop their unique
structure. Revision lessons guide students as they revise their drafts for clarity, development, organization, word
choice, and sentence variety. Targeted Grammar Skill lessons instruct to the specific grammar skills identified in the
Common Core English Language Arts Standards. After each skill lesson, students have the opportunity to practice
what they learned, using created student writing, authentic texts, and their own work.
Student writing extends beyond the EWP. Each Independent Read and Close Read lesson culminates with a writing
or speaking prompt in which students reflect on the text or apply the skills they have learned in conjunction with
that text. In the Independent Read “Elena,” students are asked to write a poem from the point of view of a character
from the text, while the prompt for “Donna O’Meara: Volcano Lady” asks them to write a personal response about
the kind of natural phenomenon they would explore if they were a scientist or researcher. Close Read prompts
specifically ask students to conduct a focused analysis using the skills taught in conjunction with those texts.
After students read “Margaret Bourke-White: Fearless Photographer,” they use the techniques from the Compare
and Contrast skill lesson to compare and contrast the motivations of the individuals in “Donna O’Meara: Volcano
Lady” and “Dare to Be Creative!”. Earlier in the unit, students will analyze informational text structure and technical
language while also writing their own narrative inspired by the essay “Everybody Jump.”
Other writing tasks in the unit allow students to write in other contexts and for other purposes. Blasts throughout the
unit allow students to practice sharing their opinions about why short-form video is such a popular format for news,
as well as oering them the opportunity to choose their own self-selected reading. Writer’s notebook activities in
Blast, Close Read, and Writing Skill lessons provide students with the opportunity for low-stakes, ungraded writing.
In their writer’s notebooks, students write to think, write to reflect, and write to practice skills they’re learning. In
the skill lesson for Organizing Informative Writing, students choose a text structure and write a mock outline and
in the Precise Language lesson, they write about the importance of both using and understanding domain-specific
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
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GRADE 6
90
terminology. In each Close Read, students write to reflect on how each text connects to the essential question for
the unit before they engage in a collaborative conversation and write their short constructed response.
UNIT 3
ELA Grade Level Overview
|
GRADE 6
91
WRITING
UNIT 4: PERSONAL BEST
Literary analysis writing is the focus of the Extended Writing Project (EWP) in Grade 6, Unit 4. The unit’s essential
question—Which qualities of character matter most?—will guide students as they write a literary analysis essay. The
prompt for this EWP asks students to write a proposal in which they argue which texts would be the most eective
choices for a school-wide book club. The texts in this unit are tied together by themes related to bullying, standing
up for what one believes in, doing what is right. The multiple genre texts in the unit mentor students’ understanding
so they can analyze and recognize essential genre characteristics. Over the course of the EWP, students engage in
the writing process with specific lessons for planning, drafting, revising, and editing and publishing. At each of these
process steps, and in the skills lessons throughout the project, students will follow the progress and development
of an on-grade-level Student Model to see how another student’s writing changes and improves over time.
Skill lessons on Organizing Argumentative Writing and Thesis Statements teach concepts specifically called out
in the Common Core English Language Arts Standards, while additional skill lessons on Reasons and Relevant
Evidence, Transitions, Introductions, Conclusions and Style focus on characteristics of the literary analysis writing
genre and help students develop their claim. Students receive directed revision instructions for altering their drafts
for clarity, development, organization, word choice, and sentence variety. Targeted Grammar Skill lessons instruct
to the specific grammar skills identified in the Common Core English Language Arts Standards. After each skill
lesson, students have the opportunity to practice what they’ve learned, using created student writing, authentic
texts, and their own work.
Students also have opportunities to develop their writing skills outside the EWP. All Independent Read and Close
Read lessons culminate in a writing or speaking prompt in which students reflect on the text or apply the skills they
have learned in conjunction with that text. In the Independent Read “Priscilla and the Wimps,” students are asked
to write about a time when they have seen someone stand up to a bully or a threat, while the prompt for Freedom
Walkers asks them to write a speech about courage. Close Read prompts specifically ask students to conduct a
focused analysis using the skills taught in conjunction with those texts. After students read “All Summer in a Day,”
they use the techniques from the Compare and Contrast skill lesson to explore the topic of bullying and the themes
that develop in both selections. Later in the unit, students practice debate after reading the point/counterpoint text
“Bullying in Schools.”
There are several writing tasks throughout the unit that allow students to write in other genres and for dierent
audiences. Blasts throughout the unit allow students to practice exploring and validating research links, as well as
oering them the opportunity to choose their own self-selected reading. Writer’s notebook activities in Blast, Close
Read, and Writing Skill lessons provide students with the opportunity for low-stakes, ungraded writing. In their
writer’s notebooks, students write to think, write to reflect, and write to practice skills they’re learning. In the skill
lesson for Organizing Argumentative Writing, students practice by choosing a text structure for their essay, and in
the Reasons and Relevant Evidence lesson they practice stating an opinion and turning that into a thesis or claim. In
each Close Read, students write to reflect on how each text connects to the essential question for the unit before
they engage in a collaborative conversation and write their short constructed response.
UNIT 4
ELA Grade Level Overview
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GRADE 6
92
WRITING
UNIT 5: MAKING YOUR MARK
In Grade 6, Unit 5, instead of completing an Extended Writing Project, students work on an Extended Oral Project
(EOP). Throughout the unit students will have the opportunity to practice presentation skills via a variety of lessons
and activities as they answer the unit’s essential question—What’s your story? The prompt for this unit’s EOP asks
students to give an organized presentation explaining how they came to develop a particular position on a topic. The
unit’s selections, about how individuals can make an impression, provide a context for students, and the multiple
genre texts in the unit serve as mentor texts for students to engage with and match. Over the course of the EOP,
students engage in the presentation process with specific lessons for planning, drafting, revising, and editing and
presenting. At each of these process steps and in the skills lessons throughout, students will follow the progress
and development of an on-grade-level Student Model to see how another student’s oral presentation example
changes and improves over time.
Skill lessons on Organizing an Oral Presentation and Evaluating Sources teach concepts specifically called out in
the Common Core English Language Arts Standards, while additional skill lessons on Communicating Ideas and
Considering Audience and Purpose focus on characteristics of the presentation genre. Turn and Talk activities
and StudySync TV episodes model how students can create a presentation and express their ideas orally. The
lessons walk students through the presentation planning process as they revise their drafts for clarity, development,
organization, word choice, and sentence variety. Targeted Grammar Skill lessons instruct to the specific grammar
skills identified in the Common Core English Language Arts Standards. After each skill lesson, students have the
opportunity to practice, using created student writing, authentic texts, and their own work.
Students have many chances throughout the unit to practice their oral presentation skills. Where the EWP Independent
Read and Close Read lessons culminate in a writing prompt, in the EOP students reflect on the text or apply the
skills they have learned in conjunction with that text by orally presenting their ideas. In the Independent Read of the
Langston Hughes’ poem “Helen Keller” students write a personal response after a group discussion. Close Read
prompts specifically ask students to conduct a focused analysis using the skills taught in conjunction with those texts.
To learn the particulars of crafting an oral argument, after students read “Saying Yes” and “The All-American Slurp,”
they use the techniques from the Compare and Contrast skill lesson to have a discussion around how each selection
makes use of Chinese and American cultures to influence the development of plot and character. Later in the unit,
students watch a StudySync TV episode on The Miracle Worker to learn how to verbalize their thoughts on a text.
We have included other oral presentation and speaking tasks in the unit for students to further develop their abilities
to verbally express themselves. Blasts throughout the unit allow students to practice sharing their opinions about
boxing and story-telling, all achieved through turn and talk activities. Writer’s notebook activities in Blast, Close Read,
and Writing Skill lessons provide students with the opportunity for low-stakes, ungraded writing with an emphasis on
sharing their ideas orally. In the skill lesson for Organizing an Oral Presentation, students practice presenting fictional
advice to attendees of a summer camp, and in the Considering Audience and Purpose lesson, they write reflections
on students practicing to present their presentations. In each Close Read, students always engage in a collaborative
conversation and turn and talk activities.
UNIT 5
ELA Grade Level Overview
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GRADE 6
93
WRITING
UNIT 6: TRUE TO YOURSELF
Research writing is the focus of the Extended Writing Project (EWP) in Grade 6, Unit 6. The unit’s essential question—
Who are you meant to be?—will guide students as they write a research paper. The prompt for this EWP asks
students to write a research paper exploring a chosen research topic inspired by the unit’s texts. The selections
in this unit ask students to think about how people choose a path to follow and, in doing so, sometimes blaze a
pathway for others to follow. The nonfiction selections in the unit serve as example texts for students to analyze and
draw inspiration from. Over the course of the EWP, students engage in the research writing process with specific
lessons for planning, drafting, revising, and editing and publishing. During each of these process steps and in
the skills lessons throughout the project, students will follow the progress and development of an on-grade-level
Student Model to see how another student’s writing changes and improves over time.
Skill lessons on Planning Research and Print and Graphic Features teach concepts specifically called out in the
Common Core English Language Arts Standards, while additional skill lessons on Evaluating Sources, Sources and
Citations, and Research and Notetaking focus on characteristics of the informative writing genre and help students
develop their research paper. Students revise their drafts for clarity, development, organization, word choice, and
sentence variety, by being led through a series of skill lessons. Targeted Grammar Skill lessons instruct to the
specific grammar skills identified in the Common Core English Language Arts Standards. After each skill lesson,
students have the opportunity to practice, using created student writing, authentic texts, and their own work.
Student writing is not confined to the EWP. Each Independent Read and Close Read lesson culminates with a
writing or speaking prompt in which students reflect on the text or apply the skills they have learned in conjunction
with that text. In the Independent Read Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery, students are asked to write a short
response and consider how Eleanor’s life might relate to their own, and whether there is a task or dream they would
like to achieve. Close Read prompts specifically ask students to conduct a focused analysis using the skills taught
in conjunction with those texts. The prompt for “Letter to His Daughter” asks them to think about what W. E. B. Du
Bois wants his daughter to understand about holding true to one’s values and beliefs. Students will compare and
contrast the text elements each author uses in “The Story Behind the Bus,” “Rosa,” and Rosa Parks: My Story, in
addition to examining how each author explores the idea of upsetting the balance of power.
We have included other writing tasks in the unit for students to write in other genres and contexts. Blasts throughout
the unit allow students to practice sharing their opinions on topics such as the rising popularity of realism and the
theme of self-discovery in young adult fiction, as well as oering them the opportunity to choose their own self-
selected reading. Writer’s Notebook activities in Blast, Close Read, and Writing Skill lessons provide students with
the opportunity for low-stakes, ungraded writing. In their notebooks, students write to think, write to reflect, and
write to practice skills they’re learning. In the skill lesson for Planning Research, students practice by sorting research
questions, and in the Print and Graphic Features lesson, they practice identifying print and graphic elements that
help make research clearer and more engaging. In each Close Read, students write to reflect on how each text
connects to the essential question for the unit before they engage in a collaborative conversation and write their
short constructed response.
UNIT 6
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