6th Grade ELA/Reading Period 1/2

Curriculum Overview of English Language Arts

There are four major strands in English Language Arts: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. These four domains are integrated within the English Language Arts curriculum. In sixth grade writing, learners develop  and build on the skills that were required in fifth grade, but they use more active engagement with the text  including analyzing, identifying, defining, explaining, integrating, evaluating, comparing, contrasting, and citing supportive evidence. While reading fluency remains a goal, there will be deeper analysis of literature and informational text.  As with reading, learners continue to expand their fifth grade skills by using evidence to support their conclusions while they revise, edit, and rewrite compositions as they integrate technology as a tool for improvement.  Sixth graders also learn and apply standard English grammar and usage, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation to support their writing and speaking. They also develop academic vocabulary and vocabulary directly related to a particular domain. Learners learn, understand, and apply these words using context clues, relationships to other words, roots and affixes to help them understand words.  Finally, reading and writing skills are integrated with speaking and listening skills as learners collaborate with each other, give presentations and use active listening skills as they work together and share with small and large groups.