Working with Evidence
Grade Level: 6th
Subject: ELA
Time Frame: Quarter 2- 8 weeks
Essential Questions
Speaking and Listening:
- What active listening strategies can we use while working in a group?
- Why is it important for people to wait their turn before providing an opinion or giving feedback?
- Why is it important to understand what others may be thinking?
- What do effective speakers sound like?
- How is spoken language different from written language?
- What makes a speaker easy to follow?
- How are nonverbal elements used to communicate?
Reading
- How does structure impact meaning?
- How do different genres affect audiences differently?
- What the characteristics of nonfiction?
- How do text structures affect our understanding?
- How do authors use text features to highlight information?
- How can an author's perspective inform readers or persuade them to changer their thinking?
- How does the author's language match his or her purpose in writing?
- What do proficient readers do when they encounter unfamiliar words?
- What strategies and resources can we use to learn new words?
- How does knowledge of roots an affixes help determine the meaning of unknown words?
Writing
- How do writers determine a point of view?
- How do writers know if they have convinced others that their opinions are valid?
- How do writers select evidence to best support their claims?
- How do we organize texts to help readers understand?
- How do writers monitor their work to include information that is relevant to the topic?
- How is word selection important to a piece of writing?
- How do we research effectively?
- How do biases interfere with critical thinking?
- How do we cite our research?
Language Usage
- How do we help our readers visualize the character, setting, and plot in a text?
- How is word selection important to a piece of writing?
- Why is proofreading important?
- How can writers create strong sentence fluency in their work?
- How can resources be used to edit and critique a work in progress?
- How do we collaborate to improve reading?
By the end of the unit, students will know/be able to:
Speaking and Listening
• I can effectively engage in discussions with diverse partners about sixth-grade topics, texts, and issues.
• I can express my own ideas clearly during discussions.
• I can build on others’ ideas during discussions.
- I can prepare myself to participate in discussions.
- I can follow our class norms when I participate in a discussion.
- I can pose questions that help me clarify what is being discussed.
- I can pose questions that elaborate on the topic being discussed.
- I can respond to questions with elaboration and detail that connect with the topic being discussed.
- After a discussion, I can paraphrase what I understand about the topic being discussed.
• I can present claims and findings in a logical order.
• I can support my main points with descriptions, facts, and details.
• I can use effective speaking techniques (appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation).
• I can adapt my speech for a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Reading
• I can cite text-based evidence to support an analysis of a literary text.
• I can determine a theme based on details in a literary text.
• I can summarize a literary text using only information from the text
• I can determine the meaning of literal and figurative language (metaphors and similes) in literary text.
• I can analyze how an author’s word choice affects tone and meaning in a literary text.
• I can analyze how a particular sentence, stanza, scene, or chapter fits in and contributes to the development of a literary text.
• I can compare and contrast how reading a text is different from watching a movie or listening to a literary text.
• I can compare and contrast how different genres communicate the same theme or idea.
• I can cite text-based evidence to support an analysis of an informational text.
• I can determine the main idea of an informational text based on details in the text.
• I can summarize an informational text using only information from the text.
• I can use a variety of strategies to determine word meaning in informational texts
• I can analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits in and contributes to the development of ideas in a text.
Writing
• I can write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
- I can create an introduction that states my main argument and foreshadows the organization of my piece.
- I can support my claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
- I can use credible sources to support my claim(s).
- I can identify the relationship between my claim(s) and reasons by using linking words, phrases, and clauses.
- I can maintain a formal style in my writing.
- I can construct a concluding statement or section that reinforces my main argument
• I can write informative/explanatory texts that convey ideas and concepts using relevant information that is carefully selected and organized.
- I can introduce the topic of my text.
- I can organize my information using various strategies (e.g., definition/classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect).
- I can include headings, graphics, and multimedia to help readers understand my ideas.
- I can develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, and quotations.
- I can use transitions to clarify relationships among my ideas.
- I can use contextually specific language/vocabulary to inform or explain about a topic.
- I can establish and maintain a formal style in my writing.
- I can construct a concluding statement or section of an informative/explanatory text.
• I can write narrative texts about real or imagined experiences using relevant details and event sequences that make sense.
- I can establish a context for my narrative.
- I can introduce the narrator/characters of my narrative.
- I can organize events in a logical sequence.
- I can use dialogue and descriptions to show the actions, thoughts, and feelings of my characters.
- I can use transitional words, phrases, and clauses to show passage of time in a narrative text.
- I can use precise words and phrases and sensory language to convey experiences and events to my reader.
- I can use relevant descriptive details to convey experiences and events.
- I can write a conclusion to my narrative that makes sense to a reader.
• I can produce clear and coherent writing that is appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• With support from peers and adults, I can use a writing process to produce clear and coherent writing.
• I can conduct short research projects to answer a question.
• I can use several sources in my research.
• I can refocus or refine my question when appropriate.
• I can use evidence from a variety of grade-appropriate texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Language Usage
• I can use a variety of sentences structures to make my writing and speaking more interesting.
• I can maintain consistency in styles and tone when writing and speaking
- I can use a variety of strategies to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases.
- I can use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) to determine the meaning of a word or phrase.
- I can use common Greek and Latin affixes (prefixes) and roots as clues to help me determine the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
- I can use resource materials (glossaries, dictionaries, thesauruses) to help me determine or clarify the pronunciation, meaning of key words and phrases, and their parts of speech.
- I can check the accuracy of my guess about the meaning of a word or phrase by using resource materials.
• I can analyze figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- I can interpret figures of speech in context (e.g., personification).
- I can use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category).
- I can distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).
• I can accurately use sixth grade academic vocabulary to express my ideas.
• I can use resources to build my vocabulary.
Assessments
• read research on a chosen topic
• use reading research to write an informative essay
• Finding Theme and Interpreting Figurative Language
• Argument Essay on a chosen topic
• Small Group Discussion on a chosen topic
• Narrative essay on a chosen topic
Topics
• Building background knowledge about chosen topic
• Summarizing informational texts
• Determining word meaning in an informational text
• Analyzing how a part of a text contributes to the whole
• Forming expert groups around one aspect of the chosen topic
• Continuing to practice reading informational texts in small groups
• Gathering research about a particular aspect of a chosen topic
• writing research-based essay
• Close reading of two monologues for theme, figurative language, and word choice
• Form jigsaw groups to read more
monologues and practice determining theme, interpreting figurative language, and analyzing word choice
• Study a model of a literary argument essay
• Collecting best evidence for a literary argument essay
• Writing a literary argument essay
• Peer critique
• Determine themes of adversity in concrete poems
• Small group discussion about theme, language, and words in the concrete poems
• Study model monologues and concrete poems for writing
• Plan and draft a narrative (monologue or concrete poem)
• Perform monologue or concrete poem
Standards
RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.4, RL.6,5, RL.6.7, RL.6.9
RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.4, RI.6.5
W.6.1, W.6.2, W.6.3, W.6.4, W.6.5, W.6.7, W.6.9
SL.6.1, SL.6.4, SL.6.6
L.6.3, L.6.4, L.6.5, L.6.6