Grade 6 ELA Idaho standards Standards

Mechanics

Grammar and Usage

Grammar and Conventions

Digital Communications

Oral Communications

Oral and Digital Communications Strand

Handwriting and Keyboarding

Range of Writing

Writing Strand

Deep Reading on Topics to Build Knowledge

Inquiry Process to Build, Present, and Use Knowledge

Research Strand

Academic Vocabulary

Word Building

Vocabulary Development

Nonfiction Text

Literature

Reading Fluency

Textual Evidence

Volume of Reading to Build Knowledge

Text Complexity

Reading Comprehension

Demonstrate command of the conventions of English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Identify the eight basic parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, conjunction, preposition, interjection).

Recognize that a word performs different functions according to its position in the sentence.

Use pronouns correctly regarding case, number, and person, including intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).

Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).

Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.

Expand, combine, or reduce sentences (e.g., adding or deleting modifiers, combining, or breaking up sentences) for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.

Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others' writing and speaking and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of English punctuation and capitalization when writing and reading aloud to create meaning.

Commas, parentheses, and dashes to set off nonrestrictive or parenthetical elements.

Colons to separate hours and minutes and to introduce a list.

Spell derivatives correctly by applying knowledge of bases and affixes.

Engage in collaborative discussions about grade-level topics and texts with peers by following agreed upon rules for collegial discussions, setting specific goals, and carrying out assigned roles; making comments and posing and responding to specific questions with elaboration and detail; and demonstrating understanding of various perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.

Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Report orally on a topic or text or present an argument, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use adequate volume and clear pronunciation.

Consider the source of information gathered digitally through such means as domains (e.g., .gov; .edu vs. .com or .tv) and the quality of evidence presented.

Follow safety practices and ethical guidelines when gathering, sharing, and using information.

Compare and contrast a written story to a digital version, contrasting what is "seen" and "heard" when reading the text with what is perceived when listened to or watched.

Include digital components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) in presentations to clarify information.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend texts representing a balance of genres, cultures, and perspectives that exhibit complexity at the lower end of the grades 6–8 band.

Regularly engage in a volume of reading, independently, with peers, or with modest support related to the topics and themes being studied to build knowledge and vocabulary.

Draw several pieces of evidence from grade-level texts to support claims and inferences, including quoting and paraphrasing from texts accurately.

Read grade-level text with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate rate, and expression in successive readings to support comprehension

Use evidence from literature to demonstrate understanding of grade-level texts.

Explain stated or implied themes of texts, including how they are developed using specific details from the texts.

Describe how characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Describe how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of texts and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

Explain how authors develop the point of view of the narrator or speaker in texts.

Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Use evidence from nonfiction works to demonstrate understanding of grade-level texts.

Explain stated or implied central ideas from texts, including how they are developed using specific details from the texts; provide a summary of texts distinct from personal opinions.

Explain in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in texts through examples or anecdotes.

Explain how a specific sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of texts and contributes to the development of the ideas.

Trace the argument and specific claims in texts, distinguishing claims that are supported by evidence and reasons from claims that are not.

Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).

Conduct brief as well as multi-day research tasks to take some action or share findings orally or in writing by formulating research questions and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate; gathering and assessing the relevance and usefulness of information from multiple reliable sources; and paraphrasing or quoting the data and conclusions of others, providing basic bibliographic information for sources, and respecting copyright guidelines for use of images.

Read a series of texts organized around a variety of conceptually related topics to build knowledge about the world. (These texts should be at a range of complexity levels so students can read the texts independently, with peers, or with modest support.)

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Use common Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., in readings on pioneers of space, determine the meanings of the words astronaut and nautical).

Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), print or digital, to find the pronunciation of a word and determine and clarify its precise meaning and its part of speech.

Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

Determine how words and phrases provide meaning and nuance to grade-level texts.

Interpret figurative language (e.g., personification, idioms) in context.

Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to better understand each of the words.

Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., house versus home, cheap versus affordable).

Analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning, tone (author's attitude toward the subject), or mood (emotional atmosphere).

Acquire and use accurately general academic and content-specific words and phrases occurring in grade-level reading and content; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. Use these words in discussions and writing.

Develop flexibility in writing by routinely engaging in the production of shorter and longer pieces for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. This could include, among others, summaries, reflections, descriptions, critiques, letters, and poetry, etc.

Write arguments that introduce and support a distinct point of view with relevant claims, evidence and reasoning; demonstrate an understanding of the topic; and provide a concluding section that follows from the argument presented.

Write informational texts that introduce the topic, develop the focus with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and examples from multiple sources using appropriate strategies, such as description, comparison, and/or cause-effect; and provide a concluding section that follows from the information presented.

Write personal or fictional narratives that establish a situation and narrator; engage and orient the reader to the context; use narrative techniques such as description, dialogue, pacing, concrete words and sensory details to develop the characters, event(s), or experience(s); and provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated event(s).

Produce clear and coherent organizational structures of multiple paragraphs in which facts and ideas are logically grouped; headings, as applicable are included to support the purpose; and words, phrases, and clauses clarify the relationships between and among ideas and concepts.

With support from adults and peers, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach appropriate to audience and purpose. (Editing should demonstrate command of grade-level Grammar and Conventions.)

Write by hand or with technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.