Understanding Perspectives
Grade Level: 6th
Subject: ELA
Time Frame: Quarter 3- 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?
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By the end of the unit, students will know/be able to:
Speaking and Listening
• I can interpret information presented in different media and formats.
• I can explain how new information connects to a topic, text, or issue I am studying.
Reading
• 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 analyze how an author develops a narrator or speaker’s point of view.
- I can explain how an author’s geographic location or culture affects his or her perspective.
• I can interpret, analyze, and evaluate narratives, poetry, and drama artistically and ethically by making connections to other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, personal events, and situations.
- I can self-select text to develop personal preferences.
- I can establish and use criteria to classify, select, and evaluate texts to make informed judgments about the quality of the pieces.
• I can analyze how key individuals, events, or ideas are developed throughout a text.
• I can use a variety of strategies to determine word meaning in informational texts.
• I can determine an author’s point of view or purpose in an informational text.
• I can explain how an author’s point of view is conveyed in an informational text.
• I can use a variety of media to develop and deepen my understanding of a topic or idea.
Writing
• 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 produce text (print or non-print) that explores a variety of cultures and perspectives.
• I can use technology to publish a piece of writing.
• I can use technology to collaborate with others to produce a piece of writing.
• I can type at least three pages of writing in a single sitting.
• 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.
• I can create and present a text or artwork in response to a literary work.
- I can develop a perspective or theme supported by relevant details.
- I can recognize and illustrate social, historical, and cultural features in the presentation of literary texts.
Language Usage
- I can use correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling to send a clear message to my reader.
- I can use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
- I can spell correctly.
• I can use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
- I can use a variety of sentence structures to make my writing and speaking more interesting.
- I can maintain consistency in style and tone when writing and speaking.
• 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.
Assessments
• Analyzing Author’s Point of View and How It Is Conveyed in a chosen reading
• Analyzing Point of View and Plot Development in a chosen reading
- Evidence of Author’s Perspective in a chosen reading
• Researching Information about a related informational topic
• Informative Guide related to informational topic
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Topics
• Analyze excerpts of a chosen text for figurative language, connotative language, word and phrase choice and meaning, and plot development.
• Analyze excerpts of a chosen text and the main character’s point of view and how it is conveyed.
• Closely read excerpts of a chosen text to analyze the narrator’s point of view and how it is conveyed.
• Analyze how the author develops the plot in each chapter.
• Closely read excerpts of a chosen text looking for evidence of the author’s perspective.
• Researching information about a chosen text
• Evaluate research to choose that which is most relevant and compelling.
• Analyze authentic informative consumer guides to generate criteria for an effective informative consumer guide.
• Compile the most relevant and compelling research into an informative consumer guide.
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Standards
RL.6.4, RL.6.5, RL.6.6, RL.6.11
RI.6.3, RI.6.4, RI.6.6, RI.6.7
W.6.2, W.6.4a, W.6.6, W.6.7, W.6.9, W.6.11
SL.6.2
L.6.2, L.6.3, L.6.4a