English Language Arts Grade 6 (2023)
Course Preface
Printable Version (pdf)

 

Core Standards of the Course

Speaking and Listening (6.SL)
Students will learn to collaborate, express and listen to ideas, integrate and evaluate information from various sources, use media and visual displays as well as language and grammar strategically to help achieve communicative purposes, and adapt to context and task.

Standard 6.SL.1:
Participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations on topics, texts, and issues.

1. Respectfully acknowledge comments, claims, and evidence from multiple perspectives and identify contradictions when applicable.
   
2. Participate in conversations by posing questions, acknowledging new information, qualifying or justifying responses with reasoning and elaboration, and keeping the discussion on topic.
   

Standard 6.SL.2:
Interpret credible information presented in various formats and media to make informed decisions.

Standard 6.SL.3:
Use appropriate language, grammar, organization, development, and delivery styles appropriate to purpose and audience for formal or informal contexts.

1. Use visual displays of data, including digital media, to convey information and engage the audience.
   

Reading (6.R)
Students will learn to proficiently read and comprehend grade level literature and informational text, including seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance, at the high end of the grade level text complexity band, with scaffolding as needed. *Standard R.4 includes an asterisk to refer educators back to the Text Complexity Grade Bands and Associated Lexile Ranges in the introduction of the standards.

Standard 6.R.1:
Mastered in preschool.

Standard 6.R.2:
Mastered in grade 3.

Standard 6.R.3:
Mastered in grade 5.

Standard 6.R.4:
Read grade-level text* with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. (RL & RI)

Standard 6.R.5:
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (RL & RI)

Standard 6.R.6:
When reading texts, including those from diverse cultures, determine the theme, how characters respond to conflict or how the speaker reflects upon a topic, and summarize the text. (RL)
When reading texts, including those from diverse cultures, determine the main idea of a text, explain how they are supported by key details and summarize the text. (RI)

Standard 6.R.7:
Compare two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text. (RL)
Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text. (RI)

Standard 6.R.8:
Determine the meaning of words and phrases, including figurative language, connotative meanings, and figures of speech. Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings within a text. (RL & RI)

Standard 6.R.9:
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. (RL & RI)

1. Consistently use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
   
2. Consistently use Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.
   
3. Consult reference materials to find the pronunciation of a word or determine its precise meaning or its part of speech.
   

Standard 6.R.10:
Analyze how a sentence, paragraph, stanza, chapter, scene, or section fits into the overall structure and how it contributes to the development of theme, main idea, settings, or plot. (RL)
Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and how it contributes to the development of the main idea. (RI)

Standard 6.R.11:
Explain how an author's perspective develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in multiple texts. (RL)
Analyze how the author distinguishes a perspective and/or position from that of others. (RI)

Standard 6.R.12:
Compare how different mediums, including print and digital media, contribute to the understanding of a text. (RL & RI)

Standard 6.R.13:
Not applicable to RL.
Evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. (RI)

Standard 6.R.14:
Compare texts across different media or genres in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics. (RL)
Compare one author's presentation of events with that of another. (RI)

Writing (6.W)
Students will learn to write for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences using appropriate grammar/conventions, syntax, and style.

Standard 6.W.1:
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, and provide a concluding section related to the argument presented.

1. Introduce claims supported by evidence from credible sources, and create an organizational structure in which claims are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose.
   
2. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claims and evidence.
   
3. Use appropriate conventions and style for the audience, purpose, and task.
   

Standard 6.W.2:
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic that conveys ideas and information clearly and provide a concluding section that supports the information or explanation presented.

1. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting, graphics, and multimedia when useful.
   
2. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and examples.
   
3. Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
   
4. Use precise language and content-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
   
5. Use appropriate conventions and style for the audience, purpose, and task.
   

Standard 6.W.3:
Write narrative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, well-structured event sequences, and provide a resolution.

1. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
   
2. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
   
3. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
   
4. Use precise words, phrases and complex sentences, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events.
   
5. Use appropriate conventions and style for the audience, purpose, and task.
   

Standard 6.W.4:
Conduct short research projects to craft an argument or answer a question.

1. Gather, synthesize, and use information from credible sources on the topic.
   
2. Generate ideas to demonstrate understanding of the topic under investigation.
   
3. Avoid plagiarism by quoting or paraphrasing and provide basic bibliographic information for sources.
   
4. Interact and collaborate with others throughout the writing process.
   

Standard 6.W.5:
Mastered in grade 5.

---

http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Naomi  Watkins and see the Language Arts - Secondary website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.